Sport-Scan Daily Brief

SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 03/13/19 Anaheim Ducks Chicago Blackhawks 1135621 Ducks surprise Predators coming out on top 3-2 1135650 Here we go again: If the Blackhawks beat the Maple Leafs 1135622 Ryan Getzlaf’s early goal puts Ducks on track for victory on Wednesday, it will be time to believe the playoffs over Predators 1135651 Blackhawks sign 4th-round pick Philipp Kurashev, who led 1135623 Ducks vs. Predators rivalry fueled by bitterness World Juniors in goals, to an entry-level deal 1135652 Just Sayin': Not even Illini, Cats can spoil a Big Ten Arizona Coyotes tournament in Chicago 1135624 Darcy Kuemper denies Blues as Coyotes bounce back in 1135653 A breakthrough, but not an arrival for Blackhawks D Erik St. Louis Gustafsson 1135625 NHL Western Conference Wild Card tracker: Coyotes 1135654 Blackhawks sign prospect Philipp Kurashev to entry-level making playoff push contract 1135626 Coyotes defeat Blues to move into final Western 1135655 Blackhawks do what they can to make noise down the Conference playoff spot stretch 1135656 Blackhawks ink prospect Philipp Kurashev to entry-level Boston Bruins contract 1135627 Defense rests, and Bruins are blitzed by Blue Jackets 1135628 The new Brad Marchand: No licking, plenty of production Colorado Avalanche 1135629 Bruins set to face a Columbus team battling for a spot in 1135657 Takeaways: Avalanche shutout by Hurricanes, 3-0 playoffs 1135630 Bruins can’t dig out of hole, lose in Columbus Columbus Blue Jackets 1135631 From Super Eight star to hometown hero, Chris Wagner 1135658 Blue Jackets' offense finally produces, and it must embraces being a Bruin continue 1135632 Bruins notebook: Charlie Coyle bumps up to second line 1135659 Blue Jackets' power play is misfiring again 1135633 Talking Points from the Bruins' 7-4 loss to the Blue 1135660 Blue Jackets 7, Bruins 4 | Boone Jenner hat trick Jackets highlights big night for offense 1135634 Highlights of the Bruins' 7-4 loss to the Blue Jackets 1135661 On Zach Werenski, the end of a slump and the tale of a 1135635 Brad Marchand joins elite Bruins company with another ‘lucky ducky’ 30-goal season 1135662 Blue Jackets survive mental mistake and Bruins’ late rally 1135636 Watch Charlie McAvoy drop the gloves with Artemi as offense finally comes to life Panarin for second fight of his NHL career 1135637 Bruins move Charlie Coyle up to second line for game vs. Dallas Stars Blue Jackets 1135663 Stars 2019 playoff tracker: Where Dallas sits in the 1135638 Steven Stamkos explains why NHL playoff format isn't an Western Conference standings (updated daily) advantage to Bruins or Leafs 1135664 Stars goaltender Ben Bishop extends shutout streak in win 1135639 Who will get home ice? Looking at Bruins, Leafs remaining over Buffalo: 'Things are going my way right now' schedule 1135665 Career night for Roope Hintz leads Stars past Sabres as 1135640 Bruins' David Krejci having one of his best seasons playoff push continues despite instability around him 1135666 Stars GM Jim Nill on where Mats Zuccarello extension 1135641 What life is like as a healthy scratch — for months at a talks stand, adding Dallas' top prospects to AHL roster time 1135667 Stars tweak lineup slightly ahead of matchup with Sabres in Buffalo, plus a new power play formation Buffalo Sabres 1135668 Stars 20/20: Bishop continues to make Vezina case while 1135642 Second consecutive shutout loss leaves Sabres searching Hintz provides offensive punch for answers 1135669 Here’s how the Stars’ penalty kill went from historically 1135643 The Wraparound: Dallas Stars 2, Buffalo Sabres 0 bad to among the league’s best in two years 1135644 Sabres Notebook: Casey Mittelstadt back at center after left-wing experiment Detroit Red Wings 1135645 Sabres vs. Stars: Five Things to Know 1135670 Detroit Red Wings officially eliminated from playoffs in 3-1 1135646 Travis Yost's Sabre Metrics: Where to start in fixing the loss to Canadiens Sabres? 1135671 Detroit Red Wings fan's sign begs Steve Yzerman to 'save us' Calgary Flames 1135672 Meet the two college free agents the Detroit Red Wings 1135647 Gaudreau leads Flames past Devils signed 1135673 Game thread: Red Wings lose in Montreal Carolina Hurricanes 1135674 Detroit Red Wings' Filip Zadina standing by draft-night 1135648 Canes’ Calvin de Haan expected to recover from eye comments injury 1135675 Detroit Red Wings' Dylan Larkin out another week with 1135649 Svechnikov, Mrazek propel Hurricanes to 3-0 win over Avs neck strain 1135676 Red Wings clipped by Canadiens, eliminated from playoffs for third straight season 1135677 Red Wings sign Michigan State's Taro Hirose, Princeton's Ryan Kuffner as undrafted free agents 1135678 Red Wings officially out of playoffs as streak vs. Canadiens grows 1135679 College free agents Ryan Kuffner, Taro Hirose will play for Red Wings this season 1135680 Red Wings sign Ryan Kuffner, college free agent, to two-year deal 1135681 Red Wings look to raise compete level vs. nemesis Canadiens Edmonton Oilers Ottawa Senators 1135682 Oilers forward Alex Chiasson would be dancing in streets 1135717 As Ottawa free-falls and Belleville soars, what do the if he got 20 Senators do with prospects? 1135683 Milan Lucic doesn't see inside of Oilers trainer's room very 1135718 Ottawa Senators sign Princeton star Max Veronneau as often NHL free agent 1135684 Oilers winger Milan Lucic talks about the NHL's brand of justice Philadelphia Flyers 1135685 JONES: Klefbom and Sekera the underlying force behind 1135719 Carter Hart returning Thursday against Washington Oilers' playoff push Capitals as Flyers try to extend playoff surge 1135686 'It’s such a cool experience': Life is good for new dad Zack 1135720 Flyers-Senators observations: Philly avoids looking ahead Kassian and takes care of business 1135687 JONES: Edmonton Oilers still in the fight for a playoff spot 1135721 Michael Raffl, Scott Laughton claiming their corner of 1135688 Lowetide: How the Oilers can build a contender during Flyers’ playoff push | Sam Donnellon Connor McDavid’s prime 1135722 Appreciating the underappreciated Michael Raffl, still here for another Flyers run Los Angeles Kings 1135723 Flyers' Carter Hart will make his first start in three weeks 1135689 Kings captain Anze Kopitar sings Carl Grundstrom’s on Thursday praises 1135724 Flyers 5 takeaways: A playoff spot closer within reach 1135690 FINAL – COLORADO 5, ONTARIO 1 1135725 Flyers 3, Senators 2: 10 things we learned from a 1135691 REIGN ADD BAUDRY ON ATO necessary win as improbable playoff push continues 1135692 WAGNER CLOSE; KEMPE’S PLAY, EVALUATING YOUNG D; SATURDAY: OSMENT JOINS HNILA Pittsburgh Penguins 1135693 PREVIEW – ONTARIO @ COLORADO, 3/12 1135726 Kevin Gorman: Spotlight shines on Evgeni Malkin as 1135694 CLAGUE OUT WITH BROKEN BONE IN FOOT; KINGS Penguins star scores 1,000th point LINES, PAIRINGS 1135727 Three-goal flurry in 2nd period helps Penguins knock off Capitals Minnesota Wild 1135728 Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Two points for Penguins, 1,000 1135695 Rest or practice? For Wild, it’s a difficult balance for Evgeni Malkin 1135729 Penguins star Evgeni Malkin scores 1,000th career point Montreal Canadiens against Capitals 1135696 Carey Price earns 315th win to surpass Jacques Plante 1135730 Trade to Capitals blurs line between good guys, bad guys for most as a Canadien for ex-Penguin Carl Hagelin 1135697 Stu Cowan: The Carey Price story with Canadiens isn't 1135731 Erik Gudbranson latest Penguins player to tackle Tom over yet Wilson problem 1135698 In the Habs' Room: Carey Price grateful on record-setting 1135732 Opportunity knocks for Penguins’ Teddy Blueger with night Zach Aston-Reese hurt 1135699 Carey Price sets franchise wins record as Canadiens beat 1135733 Erik Gudbranson a force and ‘force field’ in heated battle Red Wings 3-1 with Capitals 1135700 Stu Cowan: Fatherhood helps Canadiens deal with NHL 1135734 Top Penguins power play, back together again, delivers in grind win over Capitals 1135701 Canadiens Game Day: Another chance to make history for 1135735 Dave Molinari’s Penguins Report Card: Penguins 5, Carey Price Washington 3 1135702 Detroit Red Wings at Canadiens: Five things you should 1135736 Key second-period swing helps end Washington’s winning know streak 1135703 ‘Him in a nutshell’: How Carey Price’s historic night 1135737 Evgeni Malkin’s 1,000th point a memorable one exemplified who he is in so many ways 1135738 Check out Mike Lange's new goal call 1135704 Cracking the win: A fitting Canadiens victory secures 1135739 Penguins fans big donors to city Public Safety following another Carey Price record Tree of Life shooting 1135705 Two years after he considered giving up hockey, Connor 1135740 Tom Wilson on Penguins fans: 'I don’t expect them to like LaCouvee is living his best life me.' 1135741 Teddy Blueger gets a chance on Evgeni Malkin's line with Nashville Predators Zach Aston-Reese out 1135706 Forsberg's two goals too little, too late for Predators in loss 1135742 20 Penguins Thoughts: OK, so is Matt Cullen really to Ducks retiring? 1135707 New arrivals analysis: Predators waiting on that post-trade 1135743 No North Shore duplicate: Penguins see differences in surge like last season their plan for former Civic Arena site 1135744 Sidney Crosby on Alex Ovechkin, their relationship and New Jersey Devils the rivalry that matters most 1135708 Johnny Gaudreau has 6 points as Flames scorch Devils 9- 4 San Jose Sharks 1135709 Connor Carrick hoping to be 'spreader of poise' for Devils 1135745 Takeaways: the Sharks are the team to beat in the Western Conference New York Islanders 1135746 Sharks winning streak reaches six games with dramatic 1135710 After bad patch, Islanders summon intensity, desperation win for their playoff drive 1135747 Pavelski's late goal lifts Sharks over Jets 5-4 1135711 What could Anthony Beauvillier’s next Islanders contract 1135748 Sharks regroup after Radim Simek injury to complete big look like? It’s a bit complicated win over Jets 1135712 Cal Clutterbuck reminds why he’s the unsung hero of this 1135749 Sharks takeaways: What we learned in thrilling 5-4 road Isles team, whose identity is to grind it out win over Jets 1135750 Sharks vs. Jets watch guide: Projected lines and New York Rangers defensive pairs 1135713 James Dolan says he isn't to blame for his poor PR, the New York Daily News is 1135714 Rangers will remember this Chris Kreider disappearing act 1135715 Tony DeAngelo needs no explanation for benching 1135716 Rangers' Brett Howden finds relief in breaking goal drought St Louis Blues Washington Capitals 1135751 Blues can't shoot straight in loss to Arizona 1135775 Malkin picks up 1,000th point, Pens rally by Caps 5-3 1135752 Perron isn't feeling pressured to return 1135776 Capitals’ seven-game winning streak ends after Penguins’ 1135753 Turnovers cost Blues in 3-1 loss to Coyotes second-period flurry 1135754 After scare on Monday, Maroon ready to go on Tuesday 1135777 On Pittsburgh’s stage, Tom Wilson plays the recurring role 1135755 Video session: Breaking down rookie Robert Thomas’ first of the villain game on the top line, shift by shift 1135778 Capitals' seven-game winning streak snapped by Penguins Tampa Bay Lightning 1135779 Ovechkin, Crosby hug it out after heated rivalry game 1135756 In the midst of landmark season, Lightning raises 2019-20 1135780 Kuznetsov gaffe proves costly as Penguins rally, snap prices Caps’ seven-game streak 1135757 NHL determines Morgan Rielly did not use a homophobic 1135781 Penguins welcome Carl Hagelin back to Pittsburgh slur during Lightning-Maple Leafs game 1135782 Crosby thinks Ovi has a 'real chance' to beat Gretzky's 1135758 Lightning journal: Blink and you might miss a Nikita goal record Kucherov goal 1135783 Jakub Vrana one of the talented NHL youngsters taking a 1135759 Lightning-Maple Leafs: Observations from Tampa Bay’s big leap in 2019 6-2 win 1135784 Will the Penguins look for any retribution against Wilson 1135760 Lightning gets some puck, makes some luck in win over for the Oleksiak beatdown? Maple Leafs 1135785 Why Tuesday’s Capitals-Penguins game could decide the 1135761 From ‘Wedding Crashers’ to Navy SEALs, the evolution of Stanley Cup Lightning coach Jon Cooper 1135786 A pregame ritual you can get behind: The origins of T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson’s butt tap Toronto Maple Leafs 1135787 Sidney Crosby on Alex Ovechkin, their relationship and 1135763 NHL says Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly didn’t the rivalry that matters most use homophobic slur during game against Lightning 1135788 In the NHL, an emergency goalie’s night can change in the 1135764 First-place Lightning spank Maple Leafs 6-2 as Toronto blink of an eye learns hard lesson 1135765 Wednesday NHL game preview: Chicago Blackhawks at Websites Toronto Maple Leafs 1135797 The Athletic / Matchup data for defencemen from all 31 1135766 Relieved Rielly was ‘100 per cent confident’ over teams to find out who has earned their coach’s trust homophobic slur investigation 1135798 The Athletic / On the road: A peek into the mind and eye 1135767 Maple Leafs won't stay down too long of the Canadiens director of amateur scouting 1135768 GAME DAY: Blackhawks at Maple Leafs 1135799 Sportsnet.ca / Stanley Cup Playoff Push: The Oilers are 1135769 Maple Leafs' Morgan Rielly did not use homophobic slur: somehow still alive NHL 1135800 Sportsnet.ca / Quinn Hughes' arrival adds optimism, 1135770 NHL investigating alleged homophobic slur in Leafs- expectation to Canucks' future Lightning game 1135801 Sportsnet.ca / Carey Price's record-breaking performance 1135771 The Leafs are just the beginning for anthem singer Martina was unforgettable Ortiz-Luis 1135802 Sportsnet.ca / Canucks coach Green on tumble down 1135772 LeBrun: How Jake Muzzin and Ryan McDonagh handled standings, injuries, Quinn Hughes similar trade experiences 1135803 Sportsnet.ca / Rielly, Dubas leave no doubt about Leafs' 1135773 Mirtle: With playoffs fast approaching, the Maple Leafs get stance on LGBTQ rights ‘a wakeup call.’ And they need it 1135804 Sportsnet.ca / Sharks' enviable culture on display in impressive win over Jets Vancouver Canucks 1135805 Sportsnet.ca / Competition for places on blue line benefits 1135793 Sinking in depression, B.C. Olympic swimmer Overholt Flames entering playoffs given love, help, hope 1135806 Sportsnet.ca / Jets not fretting criticisms with playoffs 1135794 Five Things about Quinn Hughes, the newest Canucks approaching defenceman 1135807 Sportsnet.ca / Lightning's business approach gives Maple 1135795 Patrick Johnston: Rookie Howden remains upbeat despite Leafs reason to worry being thrown into Rangers rebuild 1135808 Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs unable to step up against 1135796 Patrick Johnston: Canucks will wait for healthy Hughes to powerhouse Lightning debut, add Tiger to blue-line 1135809 TSN.CA / Ambrosie to speak at government hearing on concussions Vegas Golden Knights 1135810 TSN.CA / Lightning depth players dominate ‘lethargic’ 1135774 ‘Playoffs’ no longer a forbidden word for Golden Knights Leafs 1135811 TSN.CA / NHL investigating alleged use of homophobic slur in Lightning-Leafs game 1135812 USA TODAY / Blue Jackets don't send out enough players onto ice for Bruins' fourth goal Winnipeg Jets 1135789 Enough red lights to start traffic jam 1135790 Sharks swim away with 5-4 win 1135791 Jets, Sharks both hungry for home ice in playoffs, Myers says 1135792 Jets fall to Sharks in heartbreaker

SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1135621 Anaheim Ducks

LA Times: LOADED: 03.13.2019

Ducks surprise Predators coming out on top 3-2

By STEVE GALLUZZO

MAR 12, 2019 | 11:05 PM

One team was battling for first place in its division, the other was battling to remain out of last place in its division, but on the ice you couldn’t tell which was which for most of Tuesday night’s game at Honda Center.

Looking more like a squad in playoff contention instead of one with the second-worst record in the Western Conference, the Ducks held on to defeat Nashville 3-2 in front of 16,811, who were on the edge of their seats in the final, frenzied minutes with the Predators buzzing around the Anaheim net desperate for the tying goal.

Starting the game 11 points out of the final playoff spot, the Ducks played as if they believed they could make one last postseason push with 11 games remaining. They have won four of their last six games.

“We’re all competitive people and we want to make sure we’re playing good and playing for one another,” defenseman Cam Fowler said. “It always takes a team effort. The first period was great but we got sloppy as the game went on and that allowed them to get back in it. Defensively, we’re playing from the inside out, which is the trend in the NHL now. We’re rallying around one another and we’re starting to see some results.”

Ryan Getzlaf took a pass from Josh Manson, skated in alone and fired the puck past goalie Pekka Rinne for his 12th goal this season 3 minutes 39 seconds into the contest. Defenseman Jacob Larsson was sent to the box for tripping two minutes later, but goalie John Gibson made two point-blank saves to help the Ducks kill the penalty.

Jakob Silfverberg doubled the lead at the 10:56 mark of the first period on a wrist shot from the left of the slot that sailed over the shoulder of Rinne and under the crossbar. It was the winger’s 20th goal this season and 103rd as a Duck, moving him past Andrew Cogliano for eighth on the all-time franchise list.

“Scoring 20 goals is nice, but I don’t put too much emphasis on it,” said Silfverberg, who extended his point streak to a career-high six games. “We’ve been playing pretty good and even the games we’ve lost have been close. The season isn’t over so you might as well make the most of it. We’d like to be in a different position in the standings but the most important thing is playing good hockey.”

In contrast to Sunday, when the Ducks took two shots in the first period of a 3-2 loss to the last-place Kings, the Ducks had eight shots in the first 20 minutes against Nashville, aggressively forechecking to generate quality opportunities.

Max Jones had a chance to widen the gap on a penalty shot with 8:13 left in the second period, but Rinne made the save. Daniel Sprong used a nifty move to get around defenseman Matt Irwin and lifted a backhander past Rinne for his 12th goal to make it 3-0 at the 13:59 mark.

Filip Forsberg scored on a two-man advantage with 6:44 left in the third period and cut the Predators’ deficit to 3-2 on a power play less than one minute later.

Nashville pulled Rinne for a sixth attacker in the final two minutes, but couldn’t get the equalizer.

The win lifted the Ducks into a tie with idle Vancouver for sixth place in the Pacific Division.

It was a lackluster start to a three-game California swing for Nashville, which was trying to leapfrog Winnipeg atop the Central Division. The Jets lost 5-4 at home to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.

Gibson stopped 32 shots for his 20th victory, the 26th time this season he gave up two goals or fewer, and improved to 3-1-0 in his last four starts.

Center Ryan Kesler (hip) and defenseman Brendan Guhle (undisclosed) were scratches for the Ducks. They are listed as day to day. 1135622 Anaheim Ducks Predators scoreless after 20 minutes. Gibson (20-21-8) returned to the net after Ryan Miller started against the Kings on Sunday.

Sprong then worked some magic with the puck on his stick to make it 3- Ryan Getzlaf’s early goal puts Ducks on track for victory over Predators 0, providing what proved to be the winner. First, he twisted Nashville’s Matt Irwin into a pretzel, shifting the puck from the forehand to the backhand as he skated to the net. Then he whistled a backhanded shot By Elliott Teaford | [email protected] | Orange County Register past Rinne.

PUBLISHED: March 12, 2019 at 9:49 pm | UPDATED: March 12, 2019 at Ryan Kesler sat out for the third consecutive game because of his 11:03 PM ongoing hip issue, which took some but certainly not all of the intrigue out of the game. Kesler and Nashville’s Ryan Johansen couldn’t renew their

mutual disdain for each other. ANAHEIM — The game was only minutes old when defenseman Josh It was left to Predators defenseman P.K. Subban to try to stir things up in Manson hit Ryan Getzlaf with a long breakout pass, catching the Ducks’ the third period, when he engaged Ducks rookies Troy Terry and Max center in full stride. Getzlaf churned his legs as he approached the Jones in separate confrontations. Subban (diving) and Terry (holding) Nashville Predators’ net with only goaltender Pekka Rinne in front of him. went to the penalty box and later Subban (slashing) and Jones (slashing) Getzlaf couldn’t pass. There was no one to receive the puck. He had to were penalized. shoot. “You don’t really pay too much attention to who you’re playing against,” So he did, going against his usual method of operation. Fowler said. “You’re trying to focus as much as you can on us. We’ve run into Nashville quite a bit and you develop a little bit of hatred for teams Getzlaf’s goal only 3:39 into the game propelled the Ducks to a 3-2 you meet in the playoffs.” victory Tuesday over the Predators at Honda Center, their fourth win in sixth games after a five-game losing streak last month effectively eliminated them from a seventh consecutive playoff appearance. Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.13.2019 “I thought we had a great first period tonight that helped set the tempo for the game,” defenseman Cam Fowler said after the Ducks built a three- goal lead and then held on to win. “That got our legs underneath us and we were able to take it from there.”

John Gibson made two excellent first-period saves and 32 overall for his 20th win. Jakob Silfverberg pushed the Ducks’ lead to 2-0 with his 20th goal of the season, three shy of his career best, set in 2016-17. Silfverberg also extended his point streak to six games (four goals, four assists).

Daniel Sprong scored for the third consecutive game to extend the Ducks’ lead to 3-0 at 13:59 of the second period. He has 12 goals and 16 points in 37 games since the Ducks acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 3 in exchange for Marcus Pettersson.

Filip Forsberg scored two power-play goals in the third period for Nashville, trimming the Ducks’ lead and providing a few harrowing moments after it seemed the game was out of the Predators’ reach. The Ducks wouldn’t yield down the stretch, though.

So where was this Sunday?

Or more to the point: Where was this all season?

No question the Ducks have improved their game considerably since General Manager Bob Murray fired Randy Carlyle and assumed the interim coaching duties himself Feb. 10. Murray’s presence behind the bench has been a great motivating factor, and cannot be discounted for the team’s surge.

The Ducks have had their share of head-scratching moments since the coaching change, including during the first half or so of their 3-2 loss to the Kings on Sunday. They appeared to have learned their lesson by Tuesday, though, and jumped on the Predators from almost the opening shift.

“We want to be competitive and we want to be competitive in every game,” Ducks assistant Mark Morrison said. “We want to win every game. More importantly, we want to play the right way. We want to do all the things you need to do to win a hockey game. … and we’re getting better at it.”

Getzlaf’s breakaway goal set a tone that was missing in the opening minutes against the Kings, when they were outscored 3-1 and outshot 10-2 in the first period of a matchup of the worst teams in the Western Conference. There was no lackluster start Tuesday.

Manson spotted Getzlaf ahead of the pack of defenders and delivered a flawless pass from the faceoff dot in the left faceoff circle to the red line. Getzlaf took care of the rest for his 12th goal of the season and his second in three games.

Silfverberg’s goal pushed their lead to 2-0 and Gibson denied Nick Bonino and Ryan Johansen on point-blank attempts to keep the 1135623 Anaheim Ducks Rinaldo and Hartman weren’t on the Predators’ roster Tuesday. Rinaldo is on injured reserve and Hartman was traded last month to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Ducks vs. Predators rivalry fueled by bitterness “Any time you play a team in the playoffs, the rivalry grows,” Manson said. “I think there’s also a little bit of bitterness toward them because of certain things that may have happened. I think there’s a rivalry here that’s By Elliott Teaford | [email protected] | Orange County Register been built.”

PUBLISHED: March 12, 2019 at 2:29 pm | UPDATED: March 12, 2019 at 6:19 PM Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.13.2019

ANAHEIM — What if the bad guys were actually the good guys?

What if the good guys were really the bad guys?

What if perceptions were off by 180 degrees?

It’s not difficult to pinpoint the moment the Ducks’ rivalry with the Nashville Predators became overheated. It happened after Game 2 of the Western Conference final May 14, 2017 at Honda Center, when the Ducks tied the series at one victory apiece with a dominating 5-3 victory.

The Predators’ Ryan Johansen sounded off about the rough treatment he’d received from the Ducks’ Ryan Kesler, a five-time finalist of the Selke Trophy and the winner of the award that goes to the forward who excels best at the defensive aspects of the game in 2011.

“He just blows my mind,” Johansen said of Kesler. ‘I don’t know what’s going through his head out there. His family and friends watching him play, I don’t know how you cheer for a guy like that. It just doesn’t make sense how he plays the game. I’m just trying to go out there and play hockey.

“If (stinks) when you have to pull a stick out of your groin every shift.”

Kesler laughed off the comments, casting him as the black hat in the series.

Johansen never completed the series, suffering a thigh injury in Game 4 that required surgery.

The Predators went on to win the series without him in six hard-fought games, their second consecutive playoff win over the Ducks and their third overall in as many meetings. The Ducks haven’t forgotten that series and that’s partly what drives them whenever they play the Predators.

“I don’t think we should have been pegged as the bad guys,” Ducks defenseman Josh Manson said before the teams renewed their rivalry Tuesday at Honda Center. “I think there’s a lot of stuff that flies under the radar and that’s kind of what builds up the rivalry, the bitterness toward a team like this.

“There’s a lot of things that happen that people may or may not see, and that’s the stuff that I think that gets under guys’ skin. That’s why a team like this, that’s why a lot of teams don’t like playing against them because they get under your skin by doing a lot of things that maybe nobody sees.”

Two incidents this season ratcheted up the tensions, and Manson was at the center of both.

First, during the Nov. 12 game at Honda Center, Manson delivered a fair but tough check that sent Nashville’s Kevin Fiala flying into teammate Kyle Turris. Manson later fought the Predators’ Zac Rinaldo, who came directly off the bench to engage Manson at center ice.

Each player received a fighting major, but the Ducks believed Rinaldo should have been given additional penalties during their second-period scrap. Under the NHL’s rules, a player leaving the bench to join a fight or to instigate one shall be ejected and receive a 10-game suspension.

In the Nov. 25 rematch at Nashville, Manson got tangled up with the Predators’ Ryan Hartman in the second period. Manson dropped his gloves and stick and Hartman began to do the same and before deciding against it. Manson then dropped Hartman, who didn’t fight back.

Manson received a double-minor for roughing; Hartman was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. Manson later said he believed Hartman violated the fighter’s code when he dropped his stick and then started to shake off his gloves, the universal signal that a fight was agreed upon. 1135624 Arizona Coyotes

Darcy Kuemper denies Blues as Coyotes bounce back in St. Louis

Staff Report Arizona Republic

Published 7:42 p.m. MT March 12, 2019 | Updated 9:18 p.m. MT March 12, 2019

ST. LOUIS – Darcy Kuemper and the Arizona Coyotes bounced back nicely after an ugly loss in Chicago.

Kuemper made 39 saves, Richard Panik and Vinnie Hinostroza scored, and the Coyotes beat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Tuesday.

Kuemper was back on his game one night after he allowed four goals on 16 shots before he was pulled during the second period of the Coyotes’ 7-1 loss to the Blackhawks. He has won 10 of his last 12 starts to improve to 23-16-5 this season.

“Kuemps was great,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “Even when I pulled him and I went and talked to him after the game you could just tell, he was focused. There was no way I couldn’t put him back in the net. There was not much room tonight. He was big in the net tonight.”

The Coyotes have won 12 of 16 to move one point ahead of Minnesota for the final Western Conference wild card.

“Especially with the year we’ve had so far with a lot of injuries, we’ve battled really hard to get to where we are right now,” Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. “Hopefully we can keep going and stay in that wild-card spot.”

Jaden Schwartz scored for St. Louis, and Jordan Binnington stopped 19 shots.

“It’s embarrassing. … It’s a game we should have won,” Blues center Ryan O’Reilly said. “There’s no way those guys should have beat us.”

Arizona scored its first goal 65 seconds into the second period. Panik intercepted Binnington’s clearing attempt from behind the net and knocked it in for his 13th goal of the season.

“I’ve got to be better there,” Binnington said. “I thought I had Schwartzy on the backside there. I just missed my pass there and unfortunately it ended up in the goal and gave them the lead.”

Hinostroza made it 2-0 with his 12th goal 23 seconds into the third. Brad Richardson intercepted a pass from Oskar Sundqvist inside the St. Louis zone and fed it to Hinostroza, who wristed the puck over Binnington.

“Our whole identity is working hard,” Hinostroza said. “We got the puck in deep there. … Richie tried to shoot it. The puck just laid there for me and I just shot it in.”

Schwartz scored a power-play goal with 1:11 left to give St. Louis a chance. Schwartz’s seventh goal of the season snapped a streak of eight consecutive games without registering a point, and marked the 300th point of his career.

Arizona put it away when Ekman-Larsson added an empty-net goal with 22 seconds remaining.

Arizona Republic LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135625 Arizona Coyotes

NHL Western Conference Wild Card tracker: Coyotes making playoff push

Staff Report BY ARIZONA SPORTS

MARCH 12, 2019 AT 8:31 PM

UPDATED: MARCH 12, 2019 AT 8:33 PM

The Arizona Coyotes are in the hunt for the playoffs.

Their best chance at it will be via the Western Conference Wild Card race, which includes a group of teams that have stuck fairly close together in the standings for quite a while. The race was wide open even well after the new year.

The top two teams will earn Wild Card spots in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, so the Coyotes must finish second or better to qualify.

Here are where things stand in the Western Conference:

Place Team Record Points Last Game Up Next Games left

1 stars100 36-28-5 77 2-0 W vs. BUF March 12 at BUF 13

2 coyotes100 35-30-5 75 3-1 W vs. STL March 14 vs. ANA 13

3 wild100 33-29-8 74 3-0 L vs. SJS March 14 vs. DAL 12

4 avalanche100 30-28-12 72 3-0 L vs. CAR March 15 vs. ANA 12

T-5 oilers100 31-31-7 69 3-2 W vs. NYR March 13 vs. NJD 13

T-5 blackhawks100 30-30-9 69 7-1 W vs. ARI March 13 at TOR 13

7 canucks100 28-32-9 65 6-2 L vs. VGK March 13 vs. NYK 13

Arizona Sports LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135626 Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes defeat Blues to move into final Western Conference playoff spot

Staff Report BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

MARCH 12, 2019 AT 8:08 PM

UPDATED: MARCH 12, 2019 AT 9:24 PM

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Darcy Kuemper and the Arizona Coyotes bounced back nicely after an ugly loss in Chicago.

Kuemper made 39 saves, Richard Panik and Vinnie Hinostroza scored, and the Coyotes beat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Tuesday.

The Coyotes have won 12 of 16 to move one point ahead of Minnesota for the final Western Conference wild card.

Jaden Schwartz scored for St. Louis, and Jordan Binnington stopped 19 shots.

“It’s embarrassing. … It’s a game we should have won,” Blues center Ryan O’Reilly said. “There’s no way those guys should have beat us.”

Arizona scored its first goal 65 seconds into the second period. Panik intercepted Binnington’s clearing attempt from behind the net and knocked it in for his 13th goal of the season.

“Our whole identity is working hard,” Hinostroza said. “We got the puck in deep there. … Richie tried to shoot it. The puck just laid there for me and I just shot it in.”

Arizona put it away when Ekman-Larsson added an empty-net goal with 22 seconds remaining.

NOTES: Blues D Joel Edmundson departed with a lower-body injury midway through the second period. … The Blues have scored two or fewer goals in eight of their last 10 games. … Arizona improved to 5-19-1 in its last 25 games versus St. Louis.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135627 Boston Bruins Jaroslav Halak took over for Rask (19 saves) when Jenner’s second of the night made it 5-1 with only 8:09 gone in the second. The Bruins closed it to 5-4, with Marchand wrapping goals around a Chris Wagner Defense rests, and Bruins are blitzed by Blue Jackets (No. 12) strike. But Werenski popped in a power-play goal midway through the third to make it 6-4 and Jenner closed the show with an empty-netter with 47 seconds left. Hats everywhere, except the Boston bench, where heads hung low. By Kevin Paul Dupont “It definitely can’t continue,” said Marchand, focusing on the tepid starts MARCH 12, 2019 of late. “We know teams, especially this time of year, are desperate. Everyone is playing for something. Teams out of the playoffs are fighting for contracts or jobs. Guys on the bubble are fighting for the last playoff COLUMBUS, Ohio — All but unstoppable for the better part of six weeks, spots . . . we need to realize that situation every night and come out the Bruins stubbed their collective toe for a second time in 48 hours here prepared.” Tuesday night and suffered a slipshod, embarrassing 7-4 loss to a Blue Jackets team desperately clinging to a playoff spot.

The loss, on the heels of a 4-2 defeat Sunday night in Pittsburgh, left the Boston Globe LOADED: 03.13.2019 Bruins with back-to-back defeats for the first time since Dec. 23. It also ended goalie Tuukka Rask’s remarkable run at 16-0-3, the club’s No. 1 stopper yanked when the Blue Jackets lead hit 5-1 midway in the second period and the Bruins were all but praying the arena’s bone-jarring cannon would be pointed at their bench to put them out of their misery.

“Sooner of later you’re going to have a game where the other team is just better than you, for a variety of different reasons,” said Boston coach Bruce Cassidy. “I think the fact that our guys had the will to come back [pulling to 5-4] is a good positive. I tend to be an optimist. But there’s a lot of things we need to do better.”

Though even-tempered, Cassidy went on to note he was “a little disappointed in some players” and that he “needed a little bit more” from a select few. Though not naming them, he later emphasized that it was not a good night for young players looking to secure spots in the lineup.

The guilty? Well, Peter Cehlarik (zero shots on goal) was bumped off the No. 2 line, part of a reconfiguration that moved David Backes up to the top line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand (two goals).

Danton Heinen flipped down from the top line to Cehlarik’s prior spot on the David Krejci line. Charlie Coyle remained the right winger with Krejci and landed a couple of shots, but he again had nothing to show on the scoresheet for his 15:18 of ice time.

“There were some guys who never found their game,” noted Cassidy. “For whatever reason . . . fatigue, their will, or they just didn’t have it. Some of the guys that contribute all year, you’re going to give them a pass, right? You move on. Some of the guys that are young that need to prove they can play every night, it’s not good for them.”

The lead guilty party among the vets: No. 1 offensive defenseman Torey Krug, who posted an eyesore of a minus-5 and otherwise did not figure on the scoresheet. Along with Cehlarik’s no-show, call-up Trent Frederic registered a minus-2.

Meanwhile, Boone Jenner rolled up a hat trick for the Blue Jackets, who cling to one of the two wild-card spots in the East. Powerful and speedy right winger Josh Anderson rolled up a 1-3—4 line as did Zach Werenski, who hadn’t chipped in a goal in the 2019 calendar year.

For a club struggling since adding key players at the deadline, the Blue Jackets turned it into a Bavarian feast of offense. They came in with a 3- 5-0 mark since the deadline and had been outscored, 24-13, in those eight games. But with the Bruins asleep from the start — other than a Bergeron shorthander at 4:00 — the Blue Jackets looked far more like the club that was ready to kick some backside come playoff time.

For the second time in as many games, the Bruins were thick-legged and sleepy from the start. Last week, they also fell into early 2-0 deficits to the likes of Carolina and Florida. Albeit with some valuable players sidelined by injuries, they have lost some of their edge of late.

“I mean, each game is its own chapter, but there are threads that go from chapter to chapter,” said Backes, who picked up an assist in his move to the penthouse line. “No question about it. I don’t know if it’s that we are not ready for the start. But other teams . . . Pittsburgh, Columbus are fighting for their playoff lives. We had a streak where we won games and we were playing well, but I don’t know if we took it for granted how much work goes into winning in this league every night, no matter who you are playing. Maybe we got a little sick of hearing that cannon fire, and we finally got to our game — but enough’s enough, thinking we are going to wade through the first period.” 1135628 Boston Bruins comes to your head, ‘This could be a bad situation.’ So you kind of peel off.

“I don’t feel I am in as much, you know, as many battles or anything like The new Brad Marchand: No licking, plenty of production that this year. I’m not chirping at all. I’m trying to avoid any situation that may lead to anything.”

By Kevin Paul Dupont Despite the absence of theater and histrionics, Marchand has a chance of reaching the 100-point plateau. He matched his career high of 85 MARCH 12, 2019 points (reached each of the past two seasons) although it’s unlikely he’ll outpace the career-best 39 goals he potted in 2016-17.

“I mean, it’s a milestone, but at the end of the day it doesn’t really mean COLUMBUS, Ohio — Brad Marchand, model citizen. anything,” he said. “It would be cool to hit. But at the end of the season, Laugh if you must. Smack your head and roll on the floor (be extra it’s whether you win or lose.” careful if you try both simultaneously). But it’s true. The Li’l Ball o’ Hate Cassidy, when asked about Marchand’s run of good manners, also has lived up to the promise he made to himself when the playoffs ended feared the risk of tempting fate. last season. He has minded his manners, steered clear of the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, and now even has a reasonable shot of “Let’s not jinx him!” he said, the traveling press corps breaking into finishing with his first 100-point season. laughter.

Reminded of his continuing good deeds Tuesday, prior to the Bruins’ 7-4 If Marchand has had to hold back, it has escaped the coach’s eye. loss Tuesday nighit to the Blue Jackets in game No. 70 of the season, Marchand kiddingly ducked out of an interview for a second and rapped “I think he’s been very good in that regard,” said Cassidy. “Usually he will his right hand on the dressing room wall. come to the bench. Like [Evgeni] Malkin the other night, even though they’re winning, makes a great play and doesn’t score.” No need to tempt fate with the playoffs set to begin April 10. Malkin, thwarted on his scoring attempt vs. Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak, “You know, there is still a lot of time left,” said the reformed Peck’s Bad smacked his stick wildly against the boards. Boy with a slight chuckle. “It’s a day-to-day thing that you’ve got to be composed. I’ve had times where I’ve stepped out of line and kind of lost it “Marchy can get like that,” noted Cassidy. “His stick will be flying. But I a little bit, but it’s a split-second thing. haven’t seen that this year. Certainly some mumbling and coming to the bench, periodically, but nothing that looked like he was going to lose it. “Like I say, there’s a lot of time here to try to avoid some trouble, but, yeah, trying to work on it.” “So good for him. He’s matured in that regard. He talked last summer about wanting to take those steps — and so far so good. We’ll keep an The turning point came in Round 2 of last year’s playoffs vs. Tampa Bay eye on it. when Marchand’s, shall we say, loose tongue came within a lick of getting him suspended. Colin Campbell, the league’s vice president of “But honestly, I haven’t seen anything where it’s been like, ‘Uh-oh, we’re hockey operations, finally had enough when he saw Marchand slime the going to lose him here, now rein him in.’ It’s been great. Shows in our visor of Lightning forward Ryan Callahan. No more, said Campbell. Time point total. Shows in our win total. We need him on the ice.” to keep those lips sealed and tongue tucked.

In the previous series vs. Toronto, Marchand had given the Leafs’ Leo Boston Globe LOADED: 03.13.2019 Komarov similar lip-smackin’ treatment. And when the Lightning finished off the Bruins in five games, a contrite Marchand, fearing his antics had at times commanded too much spotlight, said he planned to take a drier, more close-mouthed approach to 2018-19.

Thus far, mission accomplished. Although, Marchand said, it hasn’t always been easy to turn the other cheek.

“There’ve definitely been times when I’ve been a little fired up,” he said, “and felt myself kind of getting in the red zone where you can find yourself in trouble — you know, where you react a little more, and maybe I don’t do it if I am a little calmer. But it’s about being aware of situations, taking a breath, and trying to calm down.”

Coach Bruce Cassidy talked to Marchand repeatedly over the course of last season, not so much preaching to him about how to clean up his act, but to ask how he wanted to be remembered.

One of the game’s elite left wingers, he was in danger of his legacy becoming more about his antics than his trademark competitiveness and point production.

“When you’re out on the ice, things happen so quickly,” noted Marchand. “I mean, you’ve seen some suspensions recently where they’re just plays — you don’t know if a guy is coming in a certain direction and you are just trying to brace yourself.

“There’s just so many ways, and you have to be aware and be careful out there. Again, it takes a lot of focus.”

Equally impressive, along with his self-control, has been Marchand’s steady point production. He has proven able to keep his emotions in check and still put up goals and assists. He had two goals and an assist Tuesday to push his season total to a team-high 85 points, leading the club in assists (55) and his goal total (30) inching toward an idled David Pastrnak (31) for the team lead.

“Honestly, there’s definitely been a few plays where I definitely let up or swung away from guys,” said Marchand. “It’s the first thing that kind of 1135629 Boston Bruins

Bruins set to face a Columbus team battling for a spot in playoffs

By Kevin Paul Dupont

MARCH 12, 2019

COLUMBUS -- With less than a month to go in the regular season, the music is winding down and there are only 16 chairs available the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Blue Jackets wonder, will be there be one there for them when the serenade stops?

A few points of interest prior to the Bruins facing Jarmo Kekalainen’s Blue Jackets here Tuesday night:

■ The powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning pinned a 6-2 loss on the Leafs in Toronto Monday night, leaving the Bruins on slightly more solid footing in the Atlantic Division. The B’s and Leafs now each have played 69 games and the Black-and-Gold, parked in second, have a four-point edge on the Blue-and-White. If the math holds, the Bruins will open the best-of-seven first round at home vs. the sons of Borje Salming.

■ The Blue Jackets were blanked, 2-0, Monday night by the Islanders and have taken a 3-5-0 dip since trying to bolster their roster around the Feb. 25 trade deadline. It was their third shutout in those eight games and they’ve been outscored, 24-13, post-deadline. They enter the game vs the Bruins with a very tenuous hold on the final wild-card spot in the East.

■ Steve Kampfer will pull on a Spoked-B sweater Tuesday night for the first time since Dec. 23, called in to replace the injured Matt Grzelcyk. Kampfer, acquired in the preseason in a swap with the Rangers for Adam McQuaid, finally gets the call now with both Grzelcyk and Kevan Miller on the body parts woodpile. McQuaid, flipped here at the trade deadline, will be on the Blue Jax backline. Kampfer picked up a goal, his second of the season, in the Dec. 23 loss in Carolina.

■ Mid-moring, the Bruins recalled Trent “Freddy” Frederic from AHL Providence, filling the lineup void created Monday when Lee Stempniak was returned to the WannaB’s. Reassigned to Providence prior to the trade deadline, Frederic made his NHL debut Jan. 29 vs. Winnipeg and went 0-0—0 in 11 games, averaging about 10 minutes per game, before being reassigned to Jay Leach and crew.

■ Bruins No. 2 center David Krejci will enter the night riding a four- game/four-goal scoring streak. It’s the longest goal-scoring streak of his 838-game career.

■ Brad Marchand will enter with a seven-game scoring streak (4-6— 10). The L’il Ball o’Hate has been held off the scoresheet only four times over the last 24 games after being blanked in 18 of his first 44 games.

Boston Globe LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135630 Boston Bruins the Krejci-Coyle line and essentially banished Cehlarik and Nordsrom to the bench.

Behaving like the leader he’s become, Marchand got it going by knocking Bruins can’t dig out of hole, lose in Columbus home a loose puck from the top of the crease and Heinen sent Chris Wagner off on a breakaway for his 12th of the year. And when Marchand picked the corner behind Sergei Bobrovsky off a Bergeron faceoff win for By STEVE CONROY | [email protected] | Boston Herald his 30th of the year with 1:23 left in the second, the once-raucous arena was suddenly hushed with tension. March 12, 2019 at 11:42 PM But while they had their chances in the third, the hole proved to be just

too deep, giving the Bruins back-to-back regulation losses for the first COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Bruins last week became adept at overcoming time since Dec. 23-27. If they don’t improve their game for the heavy, two-goal deficits only to be reminded in Pittsburgh on Sunday that that’s talented Jets , they’ll be looking at a three-game losing streak. no way to live in the NHL.

Last night at Nationwide Arena, they tried a four-goal deficit on for size. Boston Herald LOADED: 03.13.2019 The result? Another spirited comeback attempt, but another loss, as they dropped their second straight in a 7-4 decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Looking utterly disinterested in any concept of team defense for the first half of the game, the B’s spotted the Blue Jackets a 5-1 lead before the midway point. But the B’s answered with three goals in the second period to get the deficit to within one going into the third.

They had a chance to tie it when Artemi Panarin was called for slashing, but Danton Heinen picked up a ticky-tack hooking penalty to nullify the power play. And when Panarin was set free, Zach Werenski scored on the Jackets’ man-advantage with 7:39 left to regain a two-goal lead.

Boone Jenner added a empty-netter to complete his hat trick with 46.1 seconds left and the B’s got the result they pretty much deserved.

“We’ve been behind in too many games too often and now we’ve been bitten twice by it,” David Backes said. “We’re playing desperate teams that are fighting for their lives and we need to realize that and get into our mode of playing hard and desperate and valuing every puck battle, valuing every possession and every puck management opportunity we have.

“It’s tough for teams to play against us. But when we try to get cute and looking for our plays through the neutral zone every time, they get transition. Columbus was ready and they took it to us.”

While the trend of falling behind has been going on for a couple of weeks now, the B’s have not looked as loose in their own zone as they did in the first half of the game in a long time.

Tuukka Rask, yanked after Columbus’ fifth goal, incurred his first regulation loss since Dec. 23, but he hardly earned first culprit of the night. Torey Krug suffered through a minus-5 evening. Peter Cehlarik started the game on a new second line with David Krejci and Charlie Coyle, but was benched midway through the second period. Joakim Nordstrom saw just 7:39 of ice time and call-up Trent Frederic was a minus-2 in just 4:34.

Coach Bruce Cassidy bemoaned the fact that he had some “passengers,” something that’s been a rarity for this team lately. It could mean a young player or two headed back to Providence and someone else getting a chance, though that may have to wait until the team comes home from Winnipeg after tomorrow’s game.

“Our guys had the will to come back and that’s a positive. I tend to be an optimist. But there’s a lot of things we need to do better. I’m a little disappointed in some players,” Cassidy said. “It’s (Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand) in the offensive end of things, but we need a little bit more here. Our goaltending’s been good. One goal from behind the net I didn’t like, but other than that, we hung our goalies out to dry. We have to be better in front of them.”

It started fine for the B’s, with Marchand (2-1-3) feeding Bergeron for a shorthanded goal, but then the B’s allowed the next three — a partial breakaway goal to Josh Anderson, Ryan Dzingel’s bank-in goal off Rask to which had Cassidy alluded and finally a Jenner shorthander with 5.2 seconds left after the B’s squandered a short 5-on-3 opportunity.

Things got worse before they got better in the second. The Jackets’ cycle game produced two goals within a minute of each other, with Matt Duchene and Jenner scoring from the wide open slot area.

Cassidy had seen enough from his team. Not only did he mercifully yank Rask, he again jumbled his top two lines and went down to three forward units. He put Backes up with Bergeron and Marchand, moved Heinen to 1135631 Boston Bruins “He’s a great role model for our guys,” said Spinale. “The guys were so excited. Chris is a giver. … It’s a thrill to see he and his family really enjoy this experience.”

From Super Eight star to hometown hero, Chris Wagner embraces being Spinale admitted he never could’ve projected the kind of success in a Bruin Wagner’s hockey road would end in the NHL, but recalled how he stood out even as a sophomore, when Wagner helped lay the groundwork for the powerhouse program of today. By MARISA INGEMI | [email protected] | Boston Herald “In my 20 years, I’ve never seen someone work so hard on the ice and in PUBLISHED: March 12, 2019 at 5:30 pm | UPDATED: March 12, 2019 at the classroom,” he said. “We’ve had some special players and he does it 11:57 PM the right way.”

Being a part of the Super 8, even as just someone to talk to the kids before the game, was something special that only comes with having “This is Chris Wagner. He’s from Walpole.” returned to Boston. The Xaverian and South Shore Kings alum has heard that introduction “We kind of limped into the play-in game (in 2007), it was in the plenty in his first season with his hometown Bruins. This time, it came Chelmsford Forum against Needham,” said Spinale. “His line just from recently acquired — and fellow Bay Stater — Charlie Coyle to a dominated the game. It was so important for him to play in the Super 8. group of young fans in the Bruins locker room following a win. He was a sophomore, but he was one of our key guys. With a career-high 11 goals in 66 games, it’s tempting to credit Wagner’s “That whole week was really, really special to Wags and his teammates.” success to the comforts of playing just 25 miles from home, but that ignores how the 27-year-old has immediately meshed with his team’s Wagner went on to post 117 points in two seasons with the Kings, style of play and philosophy. playing alongside Coyle, then to Colgate University, and the pros. The root of his succes, however, began in Westwood, with Xaverian and “Last year was the first year I stuck in the NHL the whole time,” he said. especially the Super 8, and he cherished the opportunity to reconnect in “There’s probably a comfort playing here with the guys. Our line’s been person. really good too, so that helps. Maybe this style of play, too. Since he’s been here Bruce (Cassidy) preaches playing fast. He’s an offensive “It’s a little different. If I was still playing for the Ducks, I’m not sure as minded guy, so that helps too. Overall, trying to get comfortable, it helps many people would care,” said Wagner. “It’s still the NHL, and not many the more games you play.” other Xaverian hockey players have been in the NHL, but it’s fun to go with my buddies on a day off and do stuff like that. It’s a special Wagner’s last season in Anaheim earned him a two-year deal worth $2.5 opportunity.” million, and some assurance he’d be on an NHL roster for the entire season. Whenever a local athlete returns home to play, the narrative naturally gravitates toward pressure, and if the athlete is capable of handling He fit a need the Bruins had — not an enforcer so much as a physical, playing at home. Wagner has embraced it as the opportunity of a lifetime, bottom-six winger with potential to put some pucks in the net. even if he’ll probably never stop hearing about it. More at ease with his role, Wagner has flourished. “I’m not the one saying I’m from Walpole and everything,” he said. “It’s “I think at the start of the year, we didn’t know where he fit in,” said lived up to the hype, playing at home. There hasn’t been much negative Cassidy. “We used him less. That whole line, less. Now they average 15 feedback…. It’s not like a weight on my shoulders. It’s a really good minutes (per game) … When you’re on the ice you feel you’re being team, which helps. Overall it’s been awesome.” trusted, and that line has earned that.

“He’s proven he can score in this league. We didn’t know what his ceiling Boston Herald LOADED: 03.13.2019 could be. We still don’t.”

Some of those pucks he put in have been quite timely, from the game- tying goal in San Jose during the Bruins’ undefeated west coast trip to knotting the game up ahead of another late period comeback against the Senators, all in the midst of the team’s 19-game point streak.

More reps lead to more confidence. As does the knowledge he’s here to stay.

“You just worry about getting better every game,” said Wagner, who also credited taking part in Anaheim’s 2017 run to the Western Conference finals as invaluable experience to facing big moments. “It’s a maturity thing, too, competing for 82 games.”

Wagner’s local roots have helped, most certainly in the fanfare department. The “Mayor of Walpole” has leaned into being the local guy on a team that doesn’t lack hometown talent, between Wagner’s former youth hockey teammate and Weymouth native Coyle, Charlestown’s Matt Grzelcyk and Rhode Island’s Noel Acciari, not to mention Boston University’s Charlie McAvoy and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson.

Wagner attended Xaverian for three seasons before playing alongside Coyle on Kings — “We worked out together the past 14 summers. He’s sick of me, probably.”

His run with the Hawks helped set them on the path they’re on now as a power in the MIAA. Xaverian is in this year’s Super 8; Wagner was a sophomore captain on the first Xaverian team to make the tournament in 2007.

Wagner attended their opening loss to Austin Prep and spoke to the team at the request of his old coach Dave Spinale, with whom he’s kept in touch. 1135632 Boston Bruins many battles or anything like that this year and I’m not really chirping at all. I’m just trying to avoid any situation that may lead to something.”…

In a rare skill-on-skill fight,Charlie McAvoy fought Artemi Panarin in the Bruins notebook: Charlie Coyle bumps up to second line second period. McAvoy fed him a few rights but Panarin stayed on his feet, earning the appreciation of the crowd, but several Bruins said it helped spark the comeback bid… By STEVE CONROY | [email protected] | Boston Herald Kampfer in action PUBLISHED: March 12, 2019 at 3:22 pm | UPDATED: March 13, 2019 at 12:05 am With Matt Grzelcyk (arm) out, Steven Kampfer was seeing his first NHL game action since Dec. 23. He got in three conditioning games in Providence, but it’s the longest he’s gone between NHL games when he’s been healthy. He said he’s more mentally capable of handling this COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Lee Stempniak was sent down to role than he was earlier in his career. Providence on Monday, the assumption was that the Bruins would make a correlating move to bring another wing into the mix to play with David “I’ve done it for four years now,” said Kampfer. “You know you’re a depth Krejci. But they are taking a slightly different approach this time. guy, a spare guy. You never don’t like not playing, but it’s one of those things where you know you have to come in and work every day. If you Instead of promoting another winger who would no doubt be a little work, it’s going to show. That’s the one thing that’s been a constant, green, the B’s brought up rookie center Trent Frederic to man the third making sure you work hard every day and you’re being a positive guy line between Joakim Nordstrom and David Backes. And they bumped up around the locker room because nobody likes to see that guy who’s veteran Charlie Coyle to play on Krejci’s right wing for Tuesday’s game moping around every day.” against the Blue Jackets. Kampfer played 12:18 and was minus-1. Cassidy, meanwhile, had no “(Coyle) can make plays. He’s certainly a good puck possessor in the O- update on Grzelcyk, who was undergoing an MRI in Boston on Tuesday. zone,” coach Bruce Cassidy said following the morning skate. “It was a little about about we were putting guys up there that in fairness maybe they weren’t ready for it. “When you lose three of your top four wingers, someone has to go up and play there. I think (Peter) Cehlarik‘s done a Boston Herald LOADED: 03.13.2019 good job of getting in and out of there. But I think Nordy is generally better suited to play down in the lineup on an energy line. Stempy hadn’t played much so that was a tough one. But that’s the hand we were dealt. A little bit of it was putting other guys in their appropriate spots as well.”

This is nothing new for Coyle, who has toggled back and forth between center and wing his whole career in Minnesota before coming to the B’s at the trade deadline. Among Coyle, Krejci and Cehlarik on the left wing, they will have to decide who’s going to shoot the puck. Despite a goal in each of his last four games, Krejci has always been a pass-first centerman, as has Coyle. Going into Tuesday’s game, Coyle had 12 shots in his eight games with the B’s (125 in his 68 overall). Krejci had 122 in 69 games. Coyle had not been able to find the back of the net as a Bruin, though he picked up a helper on John Moore‘s goal for his first point with his new team.

“When you get to pay with a playmaker like that, you want to complement him in a way. If I put my stick on the ice and it’s on it, I’m going to rip it,” said Coyle. “We all know what he brings and how good he is with that puck so you just have to be ready.”

Coyle was OK, getting two shots on net and having two blocked. But midway through the 7-4 loss, Cehlarik was benched and Danton Heinen was moved to the Krejci-Coyle line.

Marchand keeps cool

When it was suggested that Brad Marchand had done a good job of keeping his nose clean this season when it comes to suspension-worthy offenses, Cassidy immediately said ‘Let’s not jinx him!” while Marchand himself stepped away from the scrum to knock on the presumably wooden wall. If you follow Marchand on social media, it’s clear he still knows how to mix it up.

But Marchand has so far made good on his promise at the end of last season to clean up his act a bit after coming under fire for the licking incident with Tampa’s Ryan Callahan. That somehow seemed to be the final straw after a string of well-documented misdeeds in his career.

“There’s still a lot time left,” said Marchand with a chuckle. “It’s a day-today thing where you have to be composed. There have been times when I’ve stepped over the line and kind of lost it a little bit (in the past). But it’s a split-second thing. Like I said, there’s a lot of time to avoid some trouble. But, yeah, I’m trying to work on it for sure.”

While he admitted it takes a lot of focus for him to stay on the right side of the line, it hasn’t taken away from his game. Marchand is in position to shatter his career best in points (he notched 85 the previous two seasons). He’s already at 85 (30 goals) after a three-point night with 12 games left.

“There’s been a few plays where I’ve let up or swung away from guys because that’s the first thing that comes to your head, that this could be a bad situation s you peel off,” said Marchand. “I don’t feel like I’m in as 1135633 Boston Bruins

Talking Points from the Bruins' 7-4 loss to the Blue Jackets

By Joe Haggerty

March 12, 2019 11:13 PM

GOLD STAR: Boone Jenner had his first career hat trick for the Blue Jackets in the seven-goal outburst for Columbus. Jenner finished with the three goals and a plus-2 rating in 19:09 of ice time.

The real killer arrived for the Blue Jackets at the end of the first period when a Torey Krug turnover in the neutral zone led to Josh Anderson and Jenner rushing in for Jenner’s shorthanded goal. He also added the empty net score late in the third period that iced things and gave the Blue Jackets a wild victory as they continue to scrap and grind for a playoff spot.

Jenner also had a hit, three blocked shots and an 11-of-16 performance in the face-off circle in an excellent all-around game. He wasn’t the only Columbus player with a big night, but he had the biggest night of all of them.

BLACK EYE: Torey Krug was dreadful in the first period, got benched for much of the second period on a night when the Bruins made way too many defensive mistakes. Krug finished a minus-5 in 20:42 of ice time and made a series of turnovers, D-zone mistakes and careless plays throughout. Certainly, it was an outlier that Krug had this rough of an evening, but he’s also a rough minus-8 over the past two games while the Bruins are allowing far too many goals. The B’s need to tighten up a bit defensively and Krug definitely needs to pull the reins back on his game a little bit.

TURNING POINT: The Bruins put themselves in a spot to win the game by scoring three unanswered goals to pull it to 5-4 headed into the final period and they deserve some credit for continually fighting.

They also outshot the Blue Jackets 14-7 while trying to complete the comeback in the third period. Instead, the Blue Jackets scored the period’s first goal to ice the game and then added an empty netter as the cherry on top.

The power-play goal from Zach Werenski was one that Jaroslav Halak saw from a pretty good distance, but he wasn’t able to stop it and keep the B’s within striking distance.

HONORABLE MENTION: Brad Marchand was the best of the Bruins. Marchand finished with a pair of goals and three points in 22:09 of ice time. It included his 30th goal to give him four consecutive 30-goal seasons. Marchand finished with five shots on net, nine shot attempts and a hit.

Marchand showed his insanely good hands on his second goal when he quickly went backhand-to-forehand before snapping off a bullet at the net off Patrice Bergeron’s offensive zone face-off. Most of the Bruins didn’t have very good nights on Tuesday, but Marchand was one of the exceptions in a wild back-and-forth game.

BY THE NUMBERS: 7 – the number of penalty minutes that Bruins D- man Charlie McAvoy racked up when he threw down with Artemi Panarin in the second period after both players jabbed at each other before dropping the gloves.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “We’re just not taking care of pucks. They came out ready to play and I don’t think we necessarily did. You can’t dig a four- goal hole for yourself in this league and expect to come back.” - Chris Wagner, to reporters in Columbus on the 7-4 loss to the Blue Jackets.

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Highlights of the Bruins' 7-4 loss to the Blue Jackets

By Joe Haggerty

March 12, 2019 9:38 PM

FINAL SCORE: Blue Jackets 7, Bruins 4

IN BRIEF: The Bruins rallied from a four-goal deficit to make it a one-goal game, thanks in part to two goals from Brad Marchand, but couldn't hold off Columbus in a 7-4 loss that was their second in a row following their 19-game points streak. BOX SCORE.

FROM JOE HAGGERTY:

*The pattern continues for the Black and Gold as they’re allowing themselves to fall into early deficits and just allowing way too many goals. That's 11 allowed in the past two games. It was a seven spot to Columbus in the loss to the Blue Jackets and they are again learning that they can’t come back against playoff-caliber teams. As much as the B’s are showing heart by fighting back into these games and making it competitive in the third period, they aren’t giving themselves a chance to win with the way they’re starting games after falling behind 5-1 in the second period before they started really playing on Tuesday night.

*Really terrible first period for Torey Krug, who was a minus-3 and was really at the heart of all three goals into the back of the Boston net. The final one was the real backbreaker as it was a Krug neutral zone turnover on the power play in the final seconds of the first period that turned into a Josh Anderson shorthanded rush, and then Boone Jenner crashing the net for the follow-up rebound score. That isn’t even counting Anderson going right around Krug for the first Columbus goal and Krug around the net watching as Ryan Dzingel scored a goal in the third try in front of the Boston net.

*Despite the loss, all the credit in the world to the Bruins for fighting back into the game in the second period after falling down 5-1. They scrapped and clawed their way back into things with three unanswered goals in the second half of the second period. It all transpired after Tuukka Rask was pulled from the game and that perhaps served as a wakeup call to a B’s team that was completely sleepwalking their way through the game.

*Two goals, three points and another 30-goal season for Brad Marchand, who was dangerous much of the night with a slick backhand-to-forehand bullet past Sergei Bobrovsky after a Patrice Bergeron face-off win in the offensive zone. It’s the fourth consecutive 30-goal season for Marchand in a real testament to his skill and dangerousness with the puck. Marchand is also showing that swagger that’s helping the B’s believe they can come back from a big deficit and that is an important thing.

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Brad Marchand joins elite Bruins company with another 30-goal season

By Dave Green

March 12, 2019 9:15 PM

Trailing the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1 in the middle of the second period, the Bruins were in desperate need of some offense Tuesday night. Luckily one of the most prolific goal scorers in team history was on the ice — and he delivered.

Brad Marchand is quickly closing in on the team's all-time Top 10 goals scored list — he's 11th — and he added to that total with a pair of second-period goals, upping his season total to 30.

In reaching the 30-goal mark, he becomes the first Bruin with four straight seasons of 30-plus goals in almost three decades, and just the sixth player to accomplish the feat in team history.

Brad Marchand became the sixth player in @NHLBruins franchise history to record 4+ consecutive seasons with 30+ goals. The others:

Phil Esposito (8x)

Rick Middleton (7x)

Peter McNab (6x)

Johnny Buyck (5x)

Marchand also has 55 assists to go with those 30 goals, giving him a career-high 85 points for the third straight season — and he's still got 12 games left in the regular season.

Should he keep up his current pace, he's got a great chance to be the first Bruin with a 100-point season since Joe Thornton in 2002-03.

Unfortunately for Marchand and the B's, the team couldn't muster enough offense to complete the rally, dropping a 7-4 decision to the Blue Jackets.

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Watch Charlie McAvoy drop the gloves with Artemi Panarin for second fight of his NHL career

By Justin Leger

March 12, 2019 8:32 PM

The Bruins needed a spark during Tuesday night's game against the Blue Jackets, and Charlie McAvoy provided one in the second period.

McAvoy dropped the gloves with Artemi Panarin for his first fighting major of the season and second of his young NHL career. Watch below:

The B's were down 5-2, but went on to score two second-period goals after McAvoy's bout to narrow the deficit to one. However, they couldn't complete the comeback and dropped their second straight game, 7-4.

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Bruins move Charlie Coyle up to second line for game vs. Blue Jackets

By Justin Leger

March 12, 2019 5:51 PM

The Bruins made some roster moves prior to their Tuesday night matchup against the Blue Jackets.

After sending down Lee Stempniak to Providence, the B's moved Charlie Coyle up to the second line and promoted rookie Trent Frederic. They also brought up defenseman Steve Kampfer to replace Matt Grzelcyk, who is undergoing an MRI today in Boston to determine the extent of the arm injury he suffered Sunday night vs. the Penguins.

Krejci makes best of bad situation

Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy spoke about the roster moves Tuesday afternoon.

“[Coyle] can make plays. He’s certainly a good puck possessor in the O- zone,” coach Bruce Cassidy said following the morning skate. “It was a little about we were putting guys up there that in fairness maybe they weren’t ready for it. “When you lose three of your top four wingers, someone has to go up and play there. I think [Peter] Cehlarik‘s done a good job of getting in and out of there. But I think Nordy [Joakim Nordstrom] is generally better suited to play down in the lineup on an energy line. Stempy [Lee Stempniak] hadn’t played much so that was a tough one. But that’s the hand we were dealt. A little bit of it was putting other guys in their appropriate spots as well.”

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Steven Stamkos explains why NHL playoff format isn't an advantage to Bruins or Leafs

By Nick Goss

March 12, 2019 5:01 PM

Does the NHL's current playoff format put elite teams in the same division at a disadvantage?

The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs sit second and third, respectively, in the Atlantic Division entering Tuesday night. Boston owns the second-best record in the league with 93 points (42-18-9), while Toronto is fifth with 89 points (42-22-5). But these teams are a near-lock to square off in the first round under the league's playoff format that pits the second- and third-place teams in each division against each other.

Therefore, in the same series, one of the league's top-five teams will open the playoffs on the road, and one of them will be eliminated before the second round. How unfair is this format for teams in Boston's and Toronto's situation? Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, whose team has a comfortable lead atop the Atlantic, came to the defense of his divisional rivals in a candid response earlier this week.

"It is what it is. It's been that way for a while now," Stamkos said, per TSN. "You are gonna have to beat the best teams to win anyways, whether it's the first round or the conference finals. I understand where they're coming from, from a marketing perspective, wanting to get some rivalries early on. But from a perspective of what you're grinding 82 games for during a season is to finish as high as you can so you can have that advantage come playoffs. I don't think that's an advantage to Toronto or Boston to be what could be the top three teams in the whole league in one division and then have to play that team in the first round. I don't think that's right. ... It is what it is. You can't change it now, but I don't think it's the most fair in terms of why you play and the advantage you're supposed to have come playoff time."

It's hard to disagree with what Stamkos says here.

The rivalry aspect certainly is a cool part of the current format, but the system also eliminates some of the best teams early on, and you could argue these matchups between top-five teams would be better later in the playoffs when the stakes are higher.

Under the old format, Boston likely would play the Carolina Hurricanes or Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 1. Those teams aren't easy opponents, but neither is better than Toronto. The Leafs have the league's second-best goal differential (including the second-most goals scored), and the odds are they will play a potential Game 7 on the road in the first round.

That's not a fair system, and if more players of Stamkos' caliber speak out, maybe some tweaks to the format can be made in the near future.

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Who will get home ice? Looking at Bruins, Leafs remaining schedule

By NBC Sports Boston Staff

March 12, 2019 11:47 AM

The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs are neck-and-neck in the NHL standings. But who will get home ice in the playoffs?

As it stands now, the Bruins are in second place in the Atlantic Division with 93 points to first place Tampa's absurd 110. Meanwhile, the Leafs are hot on the Bruins' trail, with 89 points.

All signs point towards the Bruins and Leafs having a first-round rematch of last year's first-round donnybrook, when the Bruins defeated the Leafs in seven games.

The only real question now, is which team will have home ice?

Let's look at the stats.

Both the Bruins and the Leafs have 13 games remaining.

As of today, when averaging the winning percentage of Boston and Toronto's remaining opponents, the Bruins appear to have a slightly harder schedule, facing opponents with an average winning percentage of 0.572 as opposed to the Leafs, who will face a schedule with an average winning percentage of 0.546.

Both teams are coming off losses. The Bruins lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday night, ending a 19-game point streak. Meanwhile, the Leafs were blown away by the Lightning 6-2 on Monday night.

If the Bruins can maintain their edge in their final 13 games, they should have home ice against the Leafs.

If the Bruins can repeat their performance from last year, their focus will then turn to trying to find a way to stop the white-hot Tampa Lightning, who ended the B's playoff run in the second round last season.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135640 Boston Bruins “I’m not really paying attention to the points, to be honest. I don’t really base my season on the points that I get. I just look back at the season in the summer on what I did well, what I need work on and how we did in Bruins' David Krejci having one of his best seasons despite instability the playoffs,” said Krejci. “I don’t just say ‘I have points, so it’s all good.’ around him That’s not how I measure myself.

“I’m just trying to stay feeling good for as many games as I can, and I know if I do that then the points will come, and the wins will come. The By Joe Haggerty team will be winning, and that’s what I’m focusing on to be ready every game.” March 12, 2019 11:02 AM Given Krejci’s track record in the playoffs, the season he’s been having

bodes well for the Bruins once they get to the postseason. Now the For a long time this season, it was appropriate to say David Krejci was challenge is to find wingers that can keep up with him and finish off the having a sneaky good season. plays he’s setting up when it matters most against the Eastern Conference’s elite this spring. Now it’s way past that. There's nothing sneaky about the season Krejci's having at age 32, one of his best ever. He scored his 19th goal of the Injuries to DeBrusk, Pastrnak and Marcus Johansson are making that a season in Sunday’s loss in Pittsburgh and now has 60 points, challenge right now, but to his credit it hasn’t slowed down Krejci at all establishing himself as the Bruins' primary secondary scorer behind like it might have in years past. Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.

Krejci only stands four goals and 13 points away from matching his Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2019 career highs in those catagories.

“He’s such a talented player and he has been for a long time,” said Brad Marchand of his longtime teammate. “The way he can slow down the game and control the play when he gets the puck -- you know, he’s been a dominant player in this league for a long time. That’s not just going to go away. He’s a great player for our group.”

And he’s doing it despite a season-long rotating group of right wingers. Take the last few games, for instance. Krejci was playing between a guy who has scored 14 goals over the last three seasons (Joakim Nordstrom) and a guy that basically went a whole year between playing in NHL games (Lee Stempniak),

Sure, he’s been riding with Jake DeBrusk -- who's currently injured -- most of the time. But the instability on either side of Krejci is divergently opposite of the consistency and stability that he’s brought to the second line this season. He’s had well over 10 linemates, most of them young players, and that’s a far cry from his best seasons when he enjoyed consistent, big-time wingers like Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton, Jarome Iginla and Loui Eriksson.

“Krejci has always been a solid guy,” said Bruce Cassidy. “He’s got good character, works hard and he’s a good hockey player. Just like anybody, he’d like to form some chemistry [on his line]. Jake has worked out very well for him when he’s healthy, so we’ve tried to keep him there as much as possible while moving him from side-to-side on that line.

“You see the results, they’ve been pretty good. It’s been a challenge to find the other guy [for that line]. I’m not going to lie about that. We’ve had different guys in there. Some have played well and got injured, and some not so well. But the search continues. But [Krejci] is good. Every conversation with him this year has been good. He’s said that when I’m on, you can put whoever you want there. It’s my responsibility to drive the line and he’s accepted that and acknowledged it. We appreciate that.

“Unfortunately he doesn’t have the veteran help that some of the other lines do because that’s the way it’s worked out. But he’s done a terrific job.”

Maybe it’s merely that Krejci is completely healthy for the first time in years, or perhaps it’s about his finally attaining the consistency in his own game when in the past he relied on his wingers to bring out the best in him. Perhaps it’s even Krejci getting a tiny bit rattled by the Bruins chasing after John Tavares last summer, and deciding that he needed to up his own game in order to protect his spot.

Certainly Krejci was energized by the month he spent centering Marchand and Pastrnak when Bergeron was out with a chest injury, but his standout season goes well beyond that few weeks manning the B’s top line.

“It was definitely nice to play with them,” said Krejci. “They make plays out of nowhere sometimes, so that was definitely nice. I just tried to keep up with them. Obviously we had a good run, but we have lots of good players.”

Whatever the case, Krejci said he’s merely going about his business and trying to help the Bruins win games any way that he can. 1135641 Boston Bruins in, you’re helping the team. That’s most importantly what you’re trying to do.”

A healthy scratch can feel like an outsider. Kampfer doesn’t know what What life is like as a healthy scratch — for months at a time the chatter is like on the bench. He is not in the room between periods. Isolation, detachment and loneliness are unhelpful emotions to experience. By Fluto Shinzawa For Kampfer, talking has been essential, whether it’s with Offenberger, Mar 12, 2019 his wife or his teammates. During games, Kampfer has kept himself occupied by watching as if he were a coach, both for himself and for his

fellow defensemen. By his estimation, Kampfer talks to them daily to offer On March 5, most of the Bruins had work to do. By the second period, tips and praise based on what he’s seen from the press box. they had fallen behind Carolina by two goals. They would have to rally to Kampfer’s time upstairs is ending. For at least one game, he will be on stretch their points streak to 17 games. the ice. His fate after that is unknown. The Bruins have been pleased Steve Kampfer was in a meeting. with the development of Connor Clifton, the energetic right-shot defenseman recalled for nine games earlier this year amid injuries to The Bruins defenseman has appeared in 191 career games, including 25 Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo. this season. But Bruce Cassidy has not played Kampfer since Dec. 23. But the Bruins have thought enough of Kampfer to keep him on the By the time the Bruins were squaring off against the Hurricanes, Kampfer varsity roster instead of assigning him to Providence and risking a had been out for 29 straight games. Kampfer’s in-game conversation with waivers claim. Good health on defense is never guaranteed, especially in sports psychologist Max Offenberger was a critical component of the the playoffs. support system that keeps his mind right while his body idles. It’s why the Bruins signed John Moore to a five-year, $13.75 million deal, “Maxie and I go back for nine years,” Kampfer said. “We talk about pretty even if he has been a healthy scratch 12 times. It’s why general manager much everything. He’s been great to bounce ideas off of. My wife Tara’s Don Sweeney brought Kampfer back for a second spin when he traded been unbelievable. She really doesn’t know much about hockey, but Adam McQuaid to the Rangers. she’s always a sounding board for me. My parents, my agent. Guys in the room, all of them are great in this room. They all ask how you’re The Bruins roll eight deep on defense for a reason. No. 8 is ready to play doing mentally, physically. We’re a family. We’re all brothers in here. after a 32-game sitdown. Everybody cares about everybody. Guys understand what’s going on.” “You’re in the National Hockey League,” Kampfer said. “There’s a lot What’s going on, frankly, is that Kampfer is not quite good enough to worse things you could be doing. I’m thankful I’m here. I’m thankful I’ve crack a healthy Bruins blue line. He was never on the ice for the Bruins’ been doing this for so long. You come in, work hard, you go home and 15-0-4 sprint, which ended with Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh. Even if you’re ready to go the next day.” everybody acknowledges Kampfer is No. 8 on the Bruins’ depth chart, it does not make it any less painful for the 30-year-old to wear a suit when his teammates are in uniform. The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 This is life as a healthy scratch in the NHL: long, lonely and hurtful.

“Every time you don’t see your name on the board, it’s a shot,” Kampfer said. “It stings. Because you want to play. But you’re not a distraction to the team. You come in, work hard. It’s about the big picture. It’s about the team winning. It’s about making sure you’re physically and mentally ready.”

In the NHL, healthy defense is often an oxymoron. On Tuesday against Columbus, Kevan Miller will miss his eighth straight game. Matt Grzelcyk will not play after Patric Hornqvist used his right arm as a dartboard on Sunday.

Kampfer will play. It does not matter that almost three months have passed since Kampfer last dressed — and scored a goal, at that — in a 5-3 loss to Carolina. The Bruins expect Kampfer to man the right side next to John Moore and play well.

“I’m 90 percent sure there’ll be a time, whether it’s between now and the end of the year, he’ll have to play,” Cassidy said on March 7 prior to Grzelcyk’s injury. “You’d hate to then say, ‘Gee, I wished I’d done more in February to prepare myself.’”

The physical part of staying ready has been straightforward. On March 6, well after some of his teammates had departed TD Garden in search of post-practice chow, Kampfer was still on the ice. This is a usual occurrence.

In mid-February, Kampfer accepted a conditioning stint to Providence. He appeared in three games and scored two points.

It is not as easy for mental engagement to keep pace. Kampfer has endured a daily discouragement just as unpleasant as Bill Murray repeatedly stepping into an icy puddle outside his Punxsutawney bed and breakfast. Every NHL player requires confidence to perform optimally. It is a negligible commodity when a coach classifies you as a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option.

“It’s definitely mentally grinding,” Kampfer said of being a healthy scratch. “You show up, do your job and you want to play. We’re all competitors. You want to play. You want to be in the game. And you haven’t been. You’re ready to go. You’re working for that moment so that when you go 1135642 Buffalo Sabres 10 consecutive games, and they have earned the second-fewest points since the winning streak.

Buffalo went 49 games without being shutout -- from the season opener Second consecutive shutout loss leaves Sabres searching for answers against Boston to a 1-0 loss in Dallas on Jan. 30 -- only to be held without a goal twice in three days, and have scored the sixth-fewest goals in the league since that memorable November run. By Lance Lysowski "If you have zero goals you can always do more," Skinner added. "We Published Tue, Mar 12, 2019|Updated Tue, Mar 12, 2019 had some looks, but I thought we could have done more, and we’ll keep working at it."

If this regression of puck luck is bothering Jeff Skinner, he is not showing it. The Buffalo Sabres' leading scorer smirked late Tuesday night when Buffalo News LOADED: 03.13.2019 asked of his 12-game goalless drought, despite hitting the post twice in KeyBank Center.

He had a more difficult time describing how the Sabres were shut out for a second consecutive game, a 2-0 loss to the Dallas Stars with Jack Eichel out of the lineup because of a two-game suspension.

"Just couldn't seem to find one," Skinner lamented.

The Sabres (30-30-9) have lost 11 of their last 13 games, including five straight, and have not scored a non-shootout goal since last Thursday in Chicago, a span of 137 minutes, 40 seconds. They are 12 points back of the second wild-card playoff spot with only 13 regular-season games to play.

Despite Eichel's absence, the Sabres had more shots (35-27), shot attempts (61-37) and 5-on-5 scoring chances (18-8) against the Stars (36-28-5), who own the first wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference and had allowed only three goals over their previous four games, including two shutouts by goalie Ben Bishop. They lead the NHL with only 172 goals allowed through 69 games.

"It’s not a good feeling, but at the same time you have to stick with it and create some more," Skinner said when asked of his season-high slump. "A couple nice plays on those chances. Just got to stick with it and they’ll start going in."

The first post Skinner hit in the second period would have broken a scoreless tie. Alexander Nylander's one-timer from near the slot moments later went wide of the net, and Tage Thompson could not capitalize on a breakaway after he stripped a Stars defenseman of the puck.

The performance was in stark contrast to Saturday in Colorado, when the Sabres had only 18 shots on goal in a 3-0 loss.

"I think throughout the whole game we had our fair share of opportunities to score," Thompson said. "It’s just one of those nights where the puck’s not bouncing your way sometimes. ... I thought our effort was there, I thought our compete was there. As long as you’re getting those chances, I think you’re doing things right."

Still, the Sabres failed to score on three power-play opportunities, including two in the first period, and could not protect their own net in important moments. Stars winger Roope Hintz scored both of their goals in a span of five minutes, 43 seconds during the second period.

Neither Rasmus Dahlin nor Zach Bogosian challenged Hintz's shot from below the right faceoff dot, allowing Hintz to shoot the puck over Linus Ullmark's shoulder for a 1-0 lead at 7:29 into the period. Hintz then scored on the power play when Ullmark was unable to see the shot through a screen.

"Just stay the course," coach Phil Housley said. "I mean, we just got to keep digging in here and working. We’re going to break through. ... It’s just right now this is where we’re at as a group. We've got to find a way to make it tougher on the goalies."

Skinner hit the post with a backhanded shot for a second time during a power play with 10:29 remaining in regulation, and the Sabres did not allow a shot on goal in the final three minutes, 49 seconds in the third period.

They allowed less than three goals for the first time in eight games and those tasked with handling a heavier workload because of Eichel's absence fared well.

The Sabres took one step closer to becoming only the second team in NHL history to miss the playoffs in the same season in which they won 1135643 Buffalo Sabres

The Wraparound: Dallas Stars 2, Buffalo Sabres 0

By Lance Lysowski

Published Tue, Mar 12, 2019|Updated Tue, Mar 12, 2019

The response was everything Phil Housley could have hoped for. With Jack Eichel beginning to serve a two-game suspension, seemingly every player in the Buffalo Sabres' lineup created scoring chances while filling a more prominent role and receiving additional ice time.

The result, though, left much to be desired. The Sabres were shut out for a second consecutive game, losing to the Dallas Stars, 2-0, Tuesday night in KeyBank Center.

Buffalo (30-30-9) has lost 11 of its last 13 games, including five straight, and has been outscored 5-0 over its last two games. It has not scored since Kyle Okposo's third-period goal in a 5-4 shootout loss last Thursday in Chicago.

Roope Hintz scored both Dallas goals in a span of five minutes, 43 seconds during the second period. The Stars (36-28-5) kept control of the Western Conference's first wild-card playoff spot. Linus Ullmark, starting for the first time in three games, made 25 saves for Buffalo, which had 35 shots on goal.

Opening salvo: Lax defense cost the Sabres again. Hintz skated through the right circle and toward the net, where neither Rasmus Dahlin nor Zach Bogosian chose to challenge him. Hintz lifted a puck over Ullmark's shoulder for a 1-0 lead at 7:29 into the second period.

Another one: With Alexander Radulov parked in front of Ullmark, Hintz scored his second of the game and seventh of the season with a wrist shot from the high slot at 13:12 into the second period for a 2-0 lead.

Close call: Buffalo seemed destined to breakthrough at the start of the second period, when Jeff Skinner hit the post with a backhanded shot. Alexander Nylander and Tage Thompson would also have scoring chances around Dallas net before Hintz broke through.

Streak continues: Dallas goalie Ben Bishop won his 12th consecutive start against the Sabres, including two shutouts this season alone.

Dallas Stars 2, Buffalo Sabres 0

Penalties galore: The Sabres were called for consecutive delay of game penalties within the game's first seven minutes because Marco Scandella and Bogosian mistakenly cleared the puck over the glass. The Stars were then called for back-to-back penalties, though neither led to a goal.

The first period took approximately 40 minutes to play because of penalties, offside and icing calls. The Sabres outshot the Stars, 13-10, during the game's first 20 minutes.

Like a glove: Ullmark bailed out the Sabres during their second penalty kill with a remarkable glove save on Stars winger Jamie Benn following a cross-slot, backdoor pass by Tyler Seguin.

Injury: Bogosian did not return to the ice for the third period because of an undisclosed injury late in the second, finishing with just 13 minutes, 32 seconds of ice time.

100: Sabres winger Tage Thompson appeared in his 100th career NHL game.

Lineup: Defenseman Casey Nelson and winger Zemgus Girgensons were healthy scratches for the Sabres, while Matt Hunwick drew back into the lineup on their blue line. Defenseman Taylor Fedun, who was traded by Buffalo to Dallas in November, was among the Stars' healthy scratches.

Buffalo News LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135644 Buffalo Sabres While Nelson did not aggressively attack Zadorov, Sam Reinhart and Jeff Skinner scrambled to try to defend Eichel.

"I’m not going to get into that," Housley said when asked if he was Sabres Notebook: Casey Mittelstadt back at center after left-wing displeased with Nelson's response. "We had a discussion with him, and experiment we’ll just keep that in house."

Defenseman Taylor Fedun, whom the Sabres traded to Dallas for a By Lance Lysowski conditional seventh-round draft pick in November, was a healthy scratch for the Stars Tuesday night. Fedun, 30, has three goals among 10 points Published Tue, Mar 12, 2019|Updated Tue, Mar 12, 2019 with a minus-1 rating in 43 games since the trade.

He was the odd man out on a crowded roster in Rochester and has helped the Stars survive a number of injuries on their blue line. Dallas Habits die hard. Or not at all. When Casey Mittelstadt was thrust out of coach Jim Montgomery credited Fedun, Miro Heiskanen and Roman his comfort zone by having to play left wing Saturday in Colorado, the Polak with having "really saved our season." Buffalo Sabres' 20-year-old rookie center caught himself skating in the middle of the ice a few times. “What allows Taylor to be so effective for us is his hockey sense, his compete and his understanding positionally of how we want to play,” "I thought to myself, 'Yeah, I should probably get out of here,' " Mittelstadt Montgomery said. “And he’s a great teammate in the locker room.” joked following the Sabres' optional morning skate Tuesday.

The experiment was short-lived. With Jack Eichel serving a two-game suspension, Mittelstadt was back in the middle of the ice and centering Buffalo News LOADED: 03.13.2019 the Sabres' top line Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars in KeyBank Center.

Mittelstadt could see time on the wing in the final 12 regular-season games after Eichel returns, however, his goals over the final three weeks revolve around his play in the middle of the ice.

"I think it’s important to just keep progressing," Mittelstadt added. "I’ve made good progress in areas I’ve needed to. Keep moving forward and getting better. ... I think that will put me in a good spot for next season."

Drafted eighth overall in 2017, Mittelstadt had 10 goals among 21 points with a minus-10 rating in 64 games entering Tuesday. He had one shot on goal in 11 minutes, 14 minutes during a 5-4 shootout loss in Chicago last Thursday.

Mittelstadt practiced at left wing in Denver the following day, a move coach Phil Housley said was fueled by curiosity.

The hope was a move to wing would allow Mittelstadt to use his skills to create more offensively since he would not have to worry about the additional defensive responsibilities of playing center.

It did not go as planned. Mittelstadt played only 10 minutes, 32 seconds in a 3-0 loss to the Avalanche. He was moved to Eichel's wing with the Sabres facing a two-goal deficit but finished with only one shot on goal.

"I was just trying to find a spark, something different," Housley said. "I didn’t mind the way he played. He wasn’t very involved in the play. That’s why we tried to put him up with Jack, just to try to get a spark while we were down two."

The concepts of playing wing aren't foreign to Mittelstadt. A center must also make plays along the wall. While there are fewer defensive responsibilities with playing wing, Mittelstadt embraces the challenge of being down the middle.

He has made progress defensively, though consistency remains an issue. Mittelstadt added he has grown more comfortable in the faceoff circle, despite his 39.8 winning percentage entering Tuesday. Repetition has helped, but he also credited the advice of Vladimir Sobotka, whose 52.6 faceoff winning percentage is the best among qualifying Sabres.

"My numbers haven’t been that good in the circle, but I feel way more comfortable," he said. "Rather than getting beat clean there are a lot of 50-50s, which is a good place to start. Other than that, defensive-zone stuff, which has been a pretty big topic all year. Those are areas I feel like I’m doing better. Keep progressing and keep getting better next year."

While Housley could experiment with Mittelstadt on the left side again, the Sabres' long-term plan is unlikely to change. They lack depth down the middle after trading Ryan O'Reilly to St. Louis, and are hopefully Mittelstadt will flourish with more NHL experience.

Defenseman Casey Nelson was a healthy scratch Tuesday night against Dallas, a decision Housley said was "mainly" performance based. However, Housley acknowledged there was a conversation with Nelson about how the 26-year-old responded following Colorado defenseman Nikita Zadorov's hit on Eichel. 1135645 Buffalo Sabres Skinner. The former will skate on the top group with Rodrigues, Sheary, Rasmus Dahlin and Rasmus Ristolainen.

Skinner is on the second power-play unit with Mittelstadt, Nylander, Kyle Sabres vs. Stars: Five Things to Know Okposo and Brandon Montour.

The Sabres' power play ranks 10th in the league at home, compared to By Lance Lysowski sixth-worst in the league on the road.

Published Tue, Mar 12, 2019|Updated Tue, Mar 12, 2019 5. By the numbers: The Sabres are 2-8 in their last 10 games against the Stars but hold a 56-50-17 advantage in the all-time series. ... Buffalo is 10-4-1 in its last 15 regular-season home games against Dallas dating back to the beginning of the 1995-96 season. The Stars are seeking Jack Eichel won't be on the ice to help the Buffalo Sabres push back. consecutive wins in Buffalo for the first time since they won three straight With Eichel serving a two-game suspension, the Sabres are hosting the from Feb. 7, 1992 to Feb. 13, 1994. ... The Sabres' .636 points Dallas Stars tonight at 7 p.m. in KeyBank Center. percentage at home ranked ninth in the NHL before Monday's games. ... Remember, the Stars (35-28-5), who control the first wild-card playoff Bishop recorded 31 saves against Colorado on Thursday for his second spot in the Western Conference, used brute-force to wear the Sabres consecutive shutout and his fifth of the season. He has a 2.13 goals down in a 1-0 win in Dallas on Jan. 30. That showed the rest of the NHL against average and .930 save percentage in 39 games this season. that finishing checks is a simple strategy to beat Buffalo (30-29-9).

Eichel spoke passionately Saturday in Denver of the Sabres needing to Buffalo News LOADED: 03.13.2019 dish out the same treatment, and his teammates will try to deploy that plan to open this two-game homestand.

"We know the position they’re in," coach Phil Housley said of the Stars following the optional morning skate. "They know the position we're in. We know this team likes to finish checks. They like to play in your face. They don’t give you a lot. I believe they’re third overall in 5-on-5 goals against, so we’re going to have to scrape and claw for everything we get tonight."

1. The lineup: Eichel won't be available to play tonight or Thursday against Pittsburgh as the result of a two-game suspension for his hit on Colorado's Carl Soderberg in Denver.

That led the Sabres to recall Alexander Nylander, who will make his season debut against the Stars. Nylander, 21, had goals in four consecutive games with Rochester prior to the promotion and is expected to skate on a line with Evan Rodrigues and Conor Sheary.

Oddly enough, Sam Reinhart was moved down to the Sabres' third line, and Jeff Skinner will remain on the top line with Casey Mittelstadt and Jason Pominville. Winger Zemgus Girgensons and defenseman Casey Nelson will be the healthy scratches, with Matt Hunwick drawing into the lineup.

Housley acknowledged there was a conversatin with Nelson about how he responded following Nikita Zadorov's hit on Eichel in Denver but added that the decision was "mainly" about Nelson's recent play.

"I’m not going to get into that," Housley said when asked about Nelson's response. "We had a discussion with him, and we’ll just keep that in house."

2. Ullmark's net: Linus Ullmark will start against Dallas, despite Carter Hutton having a solid performance against Colorado. Ullmark, who was pulled after two periods in his last start for Buffalo, stopped 26 of 27 shots in Dallas on Jan. 30.

Ullmark, 25, is 16-19-5 with a .912 save percentage this season. Ben Bishop (22-14-2, 2.13, .930) is expected to start in goal for Dallas.

3. Skinner slump: Skinner has not scored a goal in a second-high 11 consecutive games, recording only five assists and a minus-8 rating during that span. With Eichel out, the Sabres could use two big games from Skinner, whose 36 goals are tied for eighth in the NHL.

Skinner is not the only Sabres player slumping, either. Rodrigues has gone 15 consecutive games without a goal and Reinhart has failed to score in six games. The problem goes beyond an inability to put the puck in the back of the net.

"Eichel is such a dynamic player and he’s someone who can take over the game like he did in the third period against us at home, by himself," Dallas coach Jim Montgomery said. "Obviously it would be like us losing [Tyler] Seguin. You lose Seguin, you lose your highest scorer and your player who gets most of your goals and makes most of your plays. With that, in a one-game scenario, we expect to see a high compete level from the Buffalo Sabres."

4. Power-play shakeup: Eichel's absence will disrupt the Sabres' power play, which had at least one goal in five of six games prior to the road trip. Housley overhauled his two units by splitting up Reinhart and 1135646 Buffalo Sabres Doughty and Jones earlier – these are the players whom Rasmus Ristolainen is being compared to and, for the umpteenth year in a row, he looks out of his element.

Travis Yost's Sabre Metrics: Where to start in fixing the Sabres? The Ristolainen discussion has been beaten into the ground twice over by this point, but it’s still perplexing how a player with 414 NHL games is seeing this much utilization. At least in prior years the excuse of there not By Travis Yost being better options to displace those minutes was in play. Relatively speaking, that’s no longer true. Published Tue, Mar 12, 2019|Updated Tue, Mar 12, 2019 What may be most concerning is there hasn’t been much of a change in

this usage as the season has progressed. Since February, Dahlin is still Travis Yost has been involved in the world of hockey analytics for a the team’s fourth-most utilized defender at even strength, and Ristolainen decade and is part of TSN's Hockey Analytics team. Prior to joining TSN, is still number one. Yost was a contributor at the Ottawa Citizen, the Sporting News and NHL Also, one quick note on Brandon Montour: I showed his performance Numbers, and he has been a consultant for an NHL franchise. He will be across both Anaheim and Buffalo because I think he’s going to be contributing breakdowns on the Buffalo Sabres for The Buffalo News this integral to this team’s future, especially in 2019-20. Results suggest he’s season. Follow Yost on Twitter: @travisyost. something of a second-pairing guy, and I think that’s what Buffalo had in “Where are the goals being lost?” mind when they targeted him at the trade deadline. It’s another competent body and at the very least offers Housley and the coaching That is the first question I try to answer as part of any postmortem, and staff some more flexibility to right-size minutes. (The team has already unfortunately for the Buffalo Sabres, their autopsy is right around the started doing that with Marco Scandella, who is really going to be fighting corner. Barring a Herculean effort down the stretch, the Sabres will miss for a roster spot going forward.) the postseason for the eighth consecutive year. On-ice goal differential is just one way to measure the value respective One of the quick ways to isolate on problem areas as it relates to roster skaters are adding to their team’s position in the standings, and further construction (primarily a function of the general manager) and investigation is required on a case-by-case basis. But if you are of the deployment (primarily a function of the coaching staff) is to understand opinion that this is still a fairly limited roster with too many holes further how Buffalo’s hierarchy of talent delivered value. It’s important to grade down the lineup – well, I can’t say I disagree. on a curve for each player, too – we shouldn’t have the same expectations for performance for a first-line forward as a fourth-line forward, for example. Buffalo News LOADED: 03.13.2019 With that in mind, I went and pulled out each Buffalo skater’s on-ice goal differential (per-60 minutes of hockey) at 5-on-5. I then compared those numbers to what we would expect to see from your average skater in the same deployment slot. So Jack Eichel – Buffalo’s No. 1 forward at even strength – is being compared to No. 1 forwards for every other team in the league. And we iterate that across every slot on the 23-man roster.

Here is what those numbers look like:

Why did I call Buffalo top heavy for so much of the season, especially within the forward group? This chart summarizes that pretty well. Buffalo’s core four forwards – including Eichel, Jeff Skinner, Sam Reinhart and Conor Sheary – were reasonably competitive with their peers around the league from an on-ice goal differential perspective. (Eichel and Sheary were slight negatives, but that’s more than offset by Skinner and Reinhart beating expectations.)

The problems really come from the rest of the lineup, especially Buffalo’s middle six. Some of those numbers are downright appalling. Vladimir Sobotka was one goal worse (every 60-minutes of play) than the average No. 6 forward on a National Hockey League team. And although his number is the most appalling of the forward groups, it’s not as if Evan Rodrigues, Johan Larsson or Kyle Okposo were much better.

Quite frankly outside of Jason Pominville – whose numbers were, I would argue, a bit skewed having played third wheel on that Skinner/Eichel line during parts of the season – there is nothing to like about the depth of this forward group and it should remain a priority for overhaul on two fronts.

The first, of course, would be Jason Botterill finding talent internally or externally to give head coach Phil Housley more roster flexibility. The second would be Housley executing on that displacement and ensuring that players with limited skill sets are fit into appropriate roles.

Let’s take a look at the defense now, which was a targeted area of improvement for this group heading into the 2018-19 season:

Let’s get Rasmus Dahlin out of the way first. He’s clearly a star and he’s clearly capable of handling more minutes. Dahlin looks fantastic relative to a No. 4 defenseman, but he would compare favorably against No. 1 defensemen, too. Whether the 18-year-old Dahlin is ready for Ryan Suter, Drew Doughty and Seth Jones minutes (as three quick examples) is debatable. What’s less so is the fact that 73 defenders around the league see more even-strength ice time per game. That’s something that has to change heading into 2019-20.

And it’s not as if the Sabres are getting so much more from the rest of the lineup that the moves are defensible. I mentioned names such as Suter, 1135647 Calgary Flames “He’s one of the best players in the league and when you’re on a two-on- one with him, I was just trying to not mess it up.”)

Gaudreau completed his hat-trick by sliding a backhander through Gaudreau leads Flames past Devils Blackwood’s five-hole, a strike that looked a whole lot like his first of the night, and also assisted on Monahan’s late marker.

Wes Gilbertson With that, he equalled Calgary’s club record with a four-point period. He joins Gary Suter, Joe Nieuwendyk, Al MacInnis and Olli Jokinen on that March 12, 2019 11:24 PM MDT particular line in the local history books.

So much for the slump …

On a night that everything seemed to go his way, this could have been “It felt good. Our line felt good,” Gaudreau said. “Like I’ve said a ton Johnny Gaudreau’s biggest challenge. before, we’ve been getting our chances, they just haven’t been going in. And tonight, everything was going in for us. We were getting chances, we The Calgary Flames superstar winger had just busted out of his scoring were getting looks, and it was good to get rewarded. I was proud of our slump in a massive way, notching a hat-trick — including the game- line.” winner on a penalty-shot — and a trio of assists to power Tuesday’s hosts to a 9-4 victory over the injury-depleted New Jersey Devils at the Blake Coleman, Kyle Palmieri, old friend Kenny Agostino and Travis Saddledome. Zajac provided the offence Tuesday for the Devils, now on a seven-game winless skid. Gaudreau fumbled for a moment with all that evidence but eventually managed to squeeze all six, a juggling act not many guys will ever have The only bad news for the Flames came on the out-of-town scoreboard, to worry about. with the San Jose Sharks scoring with 3.6 seconds remaining in regulation for a dramatic 5-4 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Tuesday’s splurge was the first six-point night in the NHL this season. In fact, nobody had achieved that feat at the highest level since Jamie Benn Thanks to that result, the Sharks remain one point ahead of the crew piled up six against the Flames in November 2013. from Calgary for top spot in the Pacific Division standings.

Gaudreau, the crowd-pleaser in No. 13, was just one shy of equalling the The Flames will welcome another playoff pretender Friday as the Flames’ single-game franchise record of seven points, set by Sergei rebuilding New York Rangers pay their annual visit to the Saddledome (7 Makarov way back in 1990. p.m., Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan).

“That’s a big night,” marvelled Gaudreau’s best buddy Sean Mohanan, DEPTH ON DEFENCE who racked up four points of his own against the Devils. “It’s a statement.” It can be a challenge for the coach, but this is the sort of problem that every team craves — too many NHL-calibre defencemen. A statement, indeed. With the return of Michael Stone from a minor-league conditioning stint, Don’t worry about Johnny. the Flames now have nine healthy options on a bloated blue-line.

He’s back. “So make the most of it when you get in there,” Stone reasoned. “That’s how you come into training camp each year — you have a lot of bodies, After Tuesday’s morning skate, Gaudreau insisted to a crowd of reporters everyone wants to play at this level and there’s only six spots a night.” he wasn’t frustrated by his recent funk, reminding he had already equalled his previous career-best with 30 snipes despite having Stone, who was sidelined for 15 weeks due to a blood clot before his mustered only one during a 19-game slog. three-game rust-reducer with the American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat, didn’t dress for Tuesday’s 9-4 triumph over the New Jersey Devils. On his second shift of the evening, he made it 31. Instead, he was a healthy scratch. On that third-period penalty-shot, 32. Ditto for fellow defencemen Oliver Kylington and Dalton Prout. And then, with eight minutes remaining, 33. “I’ve sat and watched the games. I get fired up just like anybody else It was the sort of performance the Saddledome faithful have grown would and want to be on the ice,” Stone said after Tuesday’s morning accustomed to. skate at the Saddledome. “I think when I get that opportunity, the “I always thought I still had it — they just weren’t going in,” Gaudreau adrenaline will be there and I’ll be ready to go. said. “Our line, it’s been a tough month for us. But we work hard, we’re a “I understand where we’re at this point of the season. I understand it’s good line, we have good chemistry and we’re three pretty good friends. playoff hockey, and I’m prepared for that.” So we were bound to find the net eventually.” Ah yes, playoff hockey, the reason that NHL general managers are Gaudreau’s first-line pals, Monahan and Elias Lindholm, each contributed always trying to stockpile capable back-enders. Flames GM Brad a goal and three assists Tuesday, while Derek Ryan tallied twice and Treliving was up to just that on deadline-day, landing Oscar Fantenberg Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk also tickled twine for the locals. in a swap with the Los Angeles Kings. On what was briefly a nailbiting night, the Flames needed a six-goal third- Around these parts, many folks still remember the name Brennan Evans. period outburst to better a no-name bunch from New Jersey. He was ninth on the Flames’ defensive depth chart during that fairtytale- Despite a lengthy injured list that includes reigning Hart Trophy-winner type spring of 2004 and was pressed into action for a pair of second- Taylor Hall and up-and-comer Nico Hischier, the Devils were up 4-3 after round showdowns against the star-studded Detroit Red Wings due to 40 minutes. injuries to Denis Gauthier, Toni Lydman and Rhett Warrener. The Flames’ fortunes started to turn in the opening minute of the final Before that emergency introduction, Evans had never skated on the stanza, when Ryan’s long wrister glanced off the stick-blade of back- biggest stage. checker Kevin Rooney and floated into the top shelf. He never would again. Just 20 seconds later, Gaudreau was hooked by Damon Severson after slipping behind the Devils’ defence and was directed to centre-ice for a Who is ninth on Calgary’s depth chart now? penalty-shot. He cashed in by ripping a blocker-side shot past Mackenzie Blackwood in New Jersey’s crease. It could be Prout, a hard-nosed sort with a total of 257 nights of NHL know-how. The Flames’ wee whiz was far from done. It could be the smooth-skating Kylington, who was summoned from the On his next shift, he set up Ryan for a gimme-range tap-in on an odd- minors shortly after Stone was diagnosed with a blood clot and hasn’t man rush. (“What do you want me to say?” Ryan grinned post-game. been back to Stockton since. It could be top prospect Juuso Valimaki, the trade-deadline untouchable who is currently out of sight — he has been toiling with the Heat since recovering from a high-ankle sprain — but certainly not out of mind.

“(Valimaki) is playing outstanding and we like the fact that he is down there playing and playing in all situations, said Flames coach Bill Peters. “So really, we think we’re 10 deep, if we need ’em, as we go forward. And at some point, that will be in the conversation, too — ‘What do we do with Vali? Do we get him up here at some point?’ I know they’re pushing in Stockton to get into the playoffs, and he’s a big part of that.”

Besides, nine is enough.

The bevy of blue-liners will complicate Peters’ practice plans. He told reporters Tuesday the coaching staff would need to be creative, mentioning that a spare rearguard could be asked to do drills as a forward or perhaps work solo with a skills coach instead of skating with the full squad.

Not ideal.

And yet, a nice problem to have.

“We know on any given night, guys can jump in and out of the lineup and that the guys that come in can be effective. They’re all NHL players,” said Flames captain Mark Giordano. “We have a good group of D, a lot of depth back there. And anytime you have a lot of depth on the back-end, I think that’s a really good thing.”

AROUND THE BOARDS

In case you were wondering, the Flames hadn’t scored six times in a single period since way back in 1995 against the Winnipeg Jets. The franchise record is seven, set in an 11-4 rout of Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings in 1988 . . . The Flames are the first squad with two nine-goal explosions in a season since the 2010-11 edition of the St. Louis Blues . . . With his helper on Matthew Tkachuk’s late tally, deadline-day pick-up Oscar Fantenberg earned his first point in Calgary silks . . . Best wishes to Flames alum Kristian Huselius, who was hospitalized with serious burns to his face and shoulder after a scary accident with a chimney-free fireplace at his home in Sweden. Now 40, he is reportedly expected to make a full recovery. Huselius spent three seasons with the Flames, including a career-best 77-point campaign in 2006-07 . . . There were a hat-trick of special guests Tuesday at the Saddledome — Calgary curlers Kevin Koe and Ben Hebert were toting the Brier Tankard after winning the national title this past weekend.

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135648 Carolina Hurricanes

Canes’ Calvin de Haan expected to recover from eye injury

BY CHIP ALEXANDER MARCH 12, 2019 03:22 PM

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Calvin de Haan, who sustained an injury to his right eye in Monday’s road game at Colorado, is expected to recover, general manager Don Waddell said Tuesday. Waddell, in a statement, said de Haan was treated and released from a Denver hospital and made the flight back to Raleigh with the team. “At this point, his eye is responding as we would hope,” Waddell said. “We are optimistic that he will make a normal recovery without restrictions to his ability to play hockey in the near future.” The Canes on Tuesday recalled defenseman Haydn Fleury on an emergency basis from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. De Haan was injured in the third period of the Canes’ 3-0 victory over the Avalanche when the Avs’ Alexander Kerfott’s stick blade caught de Haan under the helmet visor. De Haan left the game and did not return. De Haan has played in 67 games in his first season with the Canes. Fleury has played 14 games for the Canes and 22 for the Checkers. Earlier this season, de Haan took a stick under his helmet shield from William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs, just missing his left eye and causing a gash under the eyebrow that took six stitches to close.

News Observer LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135649 Carolina Hurricanes The Avs remain without captain Gabriel Landeskog, who is sidelined for at least a month with an upper-body injury.

“You can’t replace him,” defenseman Tyson Barrie said. “We owe it to Svechnikov, Mrazek propel Hurricanes to 3-0 win over Avs him to get some wins and do everything we can to get in the playoffs and give him a chance to come back.” BY PAT GRAHAM AP SPORTS WRITER NOTES: De Haan took a stick to the face at 13:13 of the third period. He appeared to suffer a cut near his right eye. “We had to take him to the MARCH 12, 2019 12:46 AM hospital. That’s the big downer on the night. We hope he’s going to be OK,” Brind’Amour said. ... Carolina improved to 20-13-3 on the road this season. It’s tied for third-most road wins in franchise history. DENVER Petr Mrazek got a piece of the shot with his pad, felt the puck trickling News Observer LOADED: 03.13.2019 behind him and swiftly swung his stick around to knock it away. “Sometimes,” the Carolina goaltender said, “those saves are lucky.” Only thing: He was doing that all night. Andrei Svechnikov had two goals and an assist, Mrazek stopped 38 shots and the Hurricanes earned a rare win at Pepsi Center by beating the Colorado Avalanche 3-0 on Monday. “We won this game because of him,” Svechnikov said of his goalie. “He’s playing amazing.” Mrazek’s fourth shutout of the season propelled the Hurricanes into a tie with Pittsburgh for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Carolina currently holds the tiebreaker. “We have to keep grinding and keep working hard,” Mrazek said. Defenseman Dougie Hamilton also scored as the Hurricanes won in Denver for just the second time in 13 games since Colorado moved into its longtime home for the 1999-2000 season. It’s the first time Carolina has won in regulation in this building. “That’s crazy. But I don’t know how much it means to be honest with you,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “None of those guys in there have probably been in the lineup for any of those, although I’ve been around for a lot of them. It’s a big win for us this time of year.” Colorado remains two points behind Minnesota for the final wild card in the Western Conference. The Wild lost earlier to San Jose. Philipp Grubauer turned back 30 shots. He was back in net over Semyon Varlamov after shutting out Buffalo on Saturday. “We’ve got to capitalize on our chances,” Grubauer said. “They’re a really skilled team, very offensive oriented.” Hamilton scored his 13th goal of the season on a delayed penalty in the second period. Defenseman Erik Johnson tripped Svechnikov near center ice, with Justin Williams sending the puck over to Hamilton, who lined a shot over Grubauer’s glove. The Hurricanes have proven nearly automatic with a lead going into the final period, improving to 28-1-2. Svechnikov made it 2-0 7:08 into the third, which was plenty of cushion for Mrazek. His biggest save was robbing Colin Wilson of a goal midway through the third. Mrazek stopped Wilson’s wrist shot with his pad and then reached behind to bat it away with his stick. It was that sort of night for Mrazek, who made 13 saves in the final period. “That was special,” Brind’Amour said. “I haven’t seen some of those saves in a game.” For his big game, Svechnikov credits taping his stick in a different fashion. That was on the advice of Hamilton, who wanted some of the credit. “He changed it up and there you go. What can I say?” Hamilton said. “We hung out yesterday so we’ll have to do that more.” Nathan MacKinnon had seven shots on goal to bring his total to a league-leading 304 this season. He joins Joe Sakic (339 in ‘95-96, 332 in ‘00-01) and Claude Lemieux (315 in ‘95-96) as the only Avalanche players to eclipse the 300-shot mark. Carolina withstood two penalties in the first period, including a delay call on defenseman Calvin de Haan for knocking the net off its pegs. The Hurricanes nearly scored the game’s first goal at 11:24 when Svechnikov skated in and sent a shot off Grubauer. On the play, he pushed Grubauer into the net as Jordan Staal lined in a rebound. The officials immediately disallowed the goal for incidental contact. 1135650 Chicago Blackhawks Every game from here on out is a must-win game, regardless of whom the Hawks are playing. But some wins would be bigger than others.

If the Hawks beat the Leafs, that should be enough to grab everyone’s Here we go again: If the Blackhawks beat the Maple Leafs on attention. Wednesday, it will be time to believe the playoffs can happen

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 03.13.2019 Jimmy Greenfield

If you’re looking at this Blackhawks team and not willing to get suckered again into believing in it, that doesn’t make you a bad fan. It makes you a wise one. If you’re looking at the Hawks and going down the rabbit hole of breaking down their remaining opponents, as well as whom their fellow wild-card contenders play, and trying to decipher what they need to do to sneak into the playoffs, that doesn’t make you crazy. It makes you a fan. There are no wrong ways to approach the final 13 games of what has been a baffling season. The Hawks have appeared finished several times only to bounce back with timely victories, including Monday night’s 7-1 thumping of the Coyotes that pulled them within five points of the final Western Conference wild-card spot. It was just nine days earlier that the Hawks looked terrible in a 6-3 loss to the Kings. They were playing like a team that exhausted a ton of energy to get back into the playoff race and had little left to give. That game seemed to mark the end of a nice comeback story. Now the Hawks are riding a three-game winning streak with back-to-back victories against wild-card rivals, and hope has been revived. It was almost shocking to see how thoroughly the Hawks dominated the Coyotes, who have a significantly better chance of making the playoffs but looked like they were playing out the string. “The game was over pretty early,” Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. “At that point, you’re just trying to keep the habits reasonable and close out the game and prepare for the next one. Probably the games that are closer to the end are the ones you look back on, but certainly we did a good job and we didn’t give up a ton, even when the game was out of reach. Sometimes it’s hard in those games to keep playing the right way, but for the most part we did that.” The Hawks need to continue playing at the top of their game and need the other contenders to stumble. One night isn’t necessarily an indication of a broader trend, but the Wild and Avalanche lost Monday night, both by shutouts. That didn’t go unnoticed in the Hawks locker room. “We’re always looking (at the standings) after the fact a little bit,” Brandon Saad said. “But we know we’ve got to just control what we can control here and take it day by day and game by game. All you can do is keep winning and hope for the best.” The next test is a road game Wednesday against the Maple Leafs, who you might recall being part of the most entertaining game of the season back in October at the United Center. Patrick Kane tied the game at 5-5 with 1 minute, 24 seconds to play in regulation before Auston Matthews put the Leafs ahead again 22 seconds later and taunted the crowd by putting his hand to his ear. With 29 seconds left, Kane again tied it and put his hand to his ear to mimic Matthews. The Leafs won 7-6 in overtime and have gone on to have a pretty good season that hasn’t been without problems. They are a lock to make the playoffs, but the pressure to win their first Stanley Cup since 1967 is enormous. The Hawks have no pressure and no expectations for how the season needs to end. A playoff appearance would be gravy and would further the belief that Colliton has the franchise headed in the right direction. If they don’t make the postseason, they would get another high draft pick, albeit not high enough for those who wish the Hawks had tried to tank the season. But let’s stay in the moment and focus on, as the players say, one game at a time. Despite winning three straight and clobbering the Coyotes, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if the Hawks return to form against the Leafs and play like the mediocre team they have been nearly all season. Keep in mind that, at 30-30-9, the Hawks are the definition of average. It also wouldn’t be surprising if they reprised a version of the performance against the Coyotes. After such a dominating game, it would be more of a shock if it just disappeared into thin air. 1135651 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks sign 4th-round pick Philipp Kurashev, who led World Juniors in goals, to an entry-level deal

Jimmy Greenfield

The Blackhawks announced Tuesday that they have signed Swiss forward Philipp Kurashev, their fourth-round pick in last year’s draft, to a three-year entry-level contract. The cap hit on the deal is $925,000. Kurashev, 19, has 62 points (28 goals, 34 assists) in 57 games this season for the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Hawks said Kurashev will remain with the Remparts. Earlier this year, Kurashev had six goals for Team Switzerland to lead all players at the World Junior Championships. He finished the tournament with seven points, the seventh most in the tournament. Kurashev becomes the third player from last year’s draft to sign with the Hawks, joining first-round picks Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin, who got to three-year deals.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135652 Chicago Blackhawks knows: We college-minded wiseacres made every single one of those cracks four years ago. You know, back when it was cool.

• Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber’s .438 average and 1.328 OPS this Just Sayin': Not even Illini, Cats can spoil a Big Ten tournament in spring: just plain embarrassing. Chicago Leading prospect and 2018 first-round pick Nico Hoerner’s .714 and 2.371: Those, I can live with. By Steve Greenberg@SLGreenberg • What’s with all this scandalous news about celebrities, bribes and undeserving students gaining admittance to elite U.S. universities? Believe it or not, there are people out there — seemingly of the flesh- Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks had better be a legit Dartmouth ‘‘Professor,’’ and-blood variety — who will tell you the Big Ten’s staging of its annual or else everything we know will be a lie. basketball tournament in Washington in 2017 and in New York in 2018 were fine ideas. Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 03.13.2019 It’s best to smile politely at these strange beings, but watch out for any sudden movements or unrecognizable facial expressions. Sanity and order have returned to the Big Ten’s contribution to March Madness, which commences Wednesday at the United Center. That’s right: here in Chicago, where the soundtrack of the city is the thump-and- ring of a basketball bouncing off cement. Like Indianapolis — always a wonderful tournament host — Chicago is a home away from home for Big Ten fans that needs no explaining. Also nice: The Big Ten event once again will lead right into Selection Sunday, which is as it should be. Last year, in order to accommodate the Big East and its tournament, the Big Ten played a week earlier than usual at Madison Square Garden. What’s next, celebrating Christmas in July? No, no, a thousand times no. The Big Ten always must be on the national stage just as excitement for the Big Dance is rising to a boil. In related news: Get off my lawn! I’m just sayin’ Is it too late to tell Illinois and Northwestern that the Big Ten tourney starts next week in Detroit? Or Pittsburgh? Or Siberia? The 11th-seeded Illini (11-20 overall, 7-13 Big Ten) and 14th-seeded Wildcats (13-18, 4-16) square off Wednesday in a matchup so awful, it’s hard to believe the Bulls aren’t involved. The only good thing is one of these teams is guaranteed to play again Thursday. Wait, is that a good thing? Northwestern — two seasons removed from its first NCAA Tournament appearance — remains at the bottom of whatever cliff it drove itself off on the way home from Salt Lake City in March 2017. Seniors Vic Law and Dererk Pardon probably deserved better, but here we are. The only way either team enters the offseason with any joy is by beating the other and then — dare we dream? — upsetting sixth-seeded Iowa to advance to the quarterfinals. Hey, it could happen. The Hawkeyes can lay an egg with anybody. • Who’s the real favorite to cut down the nets at the UC, two-time defending champion Michigan (26-5), top-seeded rival Michigan State (25-6) or regular-season co-champion Purdue (23-8)? And why does including the Boilermakers as a choice feel like a stretch? • The most important early game of the Big Ten shindig: ninth-seeded Indiana vs. eighth-seeded Ohio State on Thursday. The red-hot Hoosiers (17-14, 8-12) are in ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s ‘‘last four out’’ of the NCAA Tournament. The ice-cold Buckeyes (18-13, 8-12) are in Lunardi’s ‘‘last four in.’’ Does it flip-flop if Indiana rolls? • A tip of the helmet to Blackhawks winger Brendan Perlini for his honesty Monday after notching his first NHL hat trick in a 7-1 anvil drop on the Coyotes. He admitted that after being traded to the Hawks (along with center Dylan Strome) in November, he had a hard time adjusting — off the ice as much as on it — to his new surroundings. For example: Living in a hotel was an odd experience that didn’t suit him. It makes sense, doesn’t it, that a 22-year-old might lose an important sense of connection when the closest thing to a home-cooked meal is the leftover half-sandwich in the mini-fridge? ‘‘It’s hard to be uncomfortable,’’ said Perlini, who has six goals in the Hawks’ last five games. It’s good to see him coming around. • Are all the NFL-minded wiseacres finished delivering their golden plays on the surname of new Bears kicker Chris Blewitt? Just so everybody 1135653 Chicago Blackhawks

A breakthrough, but not an arrival for Blackhawks D Erik Gustafsson

By Jason Lieser

There are always mixed feelings when it comes to Erik Gustafsson, even from the man himself. No matter how imperfect his season has been for the Blackhawks, it has been a breakthrough. His emergence as an every-day defenseman is a huge step, but it’s not a full-fledged arrival, and Gustafsson knows it. “Of course, it’s been good for points and stuff like that, but at the same time, I need to work on stuff, too,” he said. “Breakthrough or not, it feels good out there when I play. I feel confident. “It’s been OK. Ask me again after the season’s over.” In the last 13 games — the Hawks’ next game is a visit to Toronto on Wednesday — the team needs Gustafsson’s spotty defense to become as dependable as his proficient offense, the trait that has made him so alluring. It turns out that playing good defense is an essential part of the job description for a defenseman. The good news for the Hawks is it appears that Gustafsson is getting there. He’s certainly a late bloomer as he turns 27 on Thursday and is nearing the six-year mark since being drafted in the fourth round, but he hung around long enough to get this opportunity. Gustafsson was fifth among NHL defensemen with 13 goals and eighth with 49 points heading into Tuesday night’s games. Coach Jeremy Colliton loves his impact on offense, and one of his most significant lineup changes came when he put Gustafsson on the No. 1 power-play unit. But defensive inattentiveness was a persistent problem. The boiling point wasn’t that long ago. Colliton benched him for the third period Jan. 14 because his effort was unacceptable. It became a sore spot in their relationship, and Colliton offered little more than, “Gotta give us a little more,” as an explanation. Gustafsson seemed to get the message. “I’ve gotta be more aggressive in my own zone, and I struggled with that at the beginning of the season,” Gustafsson said. “I’ve been starting to play a little bit better at the end here, but I think I have much more to show out there on the defensive part.” Since Gustafsson’s benching, the Hawks have shown modest improvement in shots against and scoring chances against with him on the ice in five-on-five play, according to Natural Stat Trick. Colliton has trusted him in tough spots, too, and he has done well. Gustafsson was on the ice at the end to help the Hawks preserve a 2-1 lead Saturday against the Stars, and last month against the Red Wings, he chased down a puck in overtime to start the rush that ultimately led to him assisting on Patrick Kane’s game-winner. “Part of being a defender today is you need to make a play to get out of the D-zone,” Colliton said. “If you don’t make a play, then you never get out. That’s part of what he brings.” Gustafsson was a great find by the Hawks after the Oilers let him walk in 2015 without ever appearing in a game. He has reached a level where the team can pencil him in as part of its future or use him as trade bait, and he’s under contract through next season with a salary-cap hit of $1.2 million. On top of that, he still might be on the rise. Setting aside his age, it’s important to remember that this is the first season in which he has played more than 41 games. He also seems receptive to Colliton, who sees a higher ceiling. “He makes plays not many guys in the league make,” Colliton said. “That doesn’t mean we’re not going to ask him to do more away from the puck and defensively because ultimately we don’t want him to limit himself as far as what player he can be. We want him to be dominant at both ends.”

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Blackhawks sign prospect Philipp Kurashev to entry-level contract

By Satchel Price

The Blackhawks have signed forward prospect Philipp Kurashev to a three-year entry-level contract, the team announced Tuesday. The deal includes a $925,000 cap hit, the maximum amount a player can receive on his ELC, and will start with the 2019-20 season. He’ll finish out the current season in juniors. Kurashev, a 2018 fourth-round pick out of Switzerland, turned heads at the 2019 World Juniors by leading the tournament in goals scored. He scored six goals in seven games with the Swiss team, including a pair of scores in a loss to Canada. At the junior level, where Kurashev is in his third season with the QMJHL’s Quebec Ramparts, he’s also been productive with 28 goals and 34 assists in 57 games this season. His numbers have steadily ticked upwards each season, with his points-per-game average jumping from 0.83 to 1.02 to 1.09. Those performances were enough for Kurashev to earn his first NHL contract, which makes him the third member of the Blackhawks’ 2018 draft class to sign after first-round picks Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin. Other forward prospects already under contract for next season include Alexandre Fortin, MacKenzie Entwistle, Matthew Highmore and Brandon Hagel.

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135655 Chicago Blackhawks Until Drake Caggiula returns from a concussion, Jeremy Colliton needs a non-star to prove they can play with Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad so that Colliton can spread the lineup out the way he wants. Blackhawks do what they can to make noise down the stretch After John Hayden saw just 6½ minutes in a shootout win over Buffalo on Thursday, Colliton elected to give Dylan Sikura a chance two nights later at Dallas. Sikura wasn't flashy, but was part of an impressive 2-1 win John Dietz over the Stars. Colliton stayed with Sikura against Arizona, and the rookie rewarded him with a solid performance that included springing Jonathan Toews on a breakaway that led to a penalty shot. Louder. Louder! Louder!! Toews converted, the Hawks went up 6-1 and they went on to claim 2 huge points. That was the message Patrick Kane sent to a hysterical United Center crowd after he miraculously tied the Blackhawks' game with Toronto at 6- "He doesn't get a point for that (pass to Toews), but it doesn't mean we 6 with just 29 seconds to go on Oct. 7. don't notice," Colliton said. "Thought he was really clean with the puck and won battles on the wall, helped advance the puck, get out of 'D' zone An ecstatic Kane -- responding to the audacious move of Auston and that's what he's got to do." Matthews just moments before -- raised his left hand to his ear, asking for as much noise as possible out of the 21,812 on hand. Sikura has yet to score in 23 games, but he does have 6 assists. Five months later, the teams are set to square off again in Toronto on "The numbers we're not worried about," Colliton said. "He's getting Wednesday, with the surging Hawks suddenly stomping right behind chances; (they're) just not going in. If he does the right things and gives Colorado, Arizona, Minnesota and Dallas in the wild-card race. us positive shifts then he's contributing." If Kane and Co. hope to continue this unlikely push, however, they can't let up for a second -- and especially against the Maple Leafs, who were just embarrassed 6-2 by Tampa Bay in their own building Monday. Daily Herald Times LOADED: 03.13.2019 Three recent trends are a big reason why Jeremy Colliton's squad is in this position, and if they continue, it's not entirely crazy to think the last week of the season could get awfully entertaining. And, ahem, noisy. It's been a long, strange season for Chris Kunitz, the four-time Stanley Cup-winning forward who signed with the Hawks for one year and $1 million in the off-season. He played on the top line for a while in training camp, saw a bit of power- play time early in the season … and then fell off the map. After sitting just once in the first 20 contests, new coach Jeremy Colliton proceeded to scratch Kunitz a whopping 21 times in the next 28 games. Recently, though, Kunitz, Marcus Kruger and David Kampf have been doing a masterful job of shutting down the opponents' top line. And Kunitz is even pitching in offensively, notching 2 goals and 2 assists over the last seven games. After the Hawks' 7-1 thumping of Arizona on Monday, Colliton admitted Kunitz fell out of favor mostly because Colliton wanted to develop his "young guys." "He doesn't get the benefit of the doubt in those situations," Colliton said. "So he had a long stretch where he wasn't playing, and then you go back in and it's one game (for) 7-8 minutes and you're out again. That's tough to get a good rhythm going. "(Lately) he's been really good and a huge part of the balance we have in our lineup. … He's been great to have around." Motivation comes from many sources. Songs. Movies. Posters. Facebook, Twitter, you name it. In Brendan Perlini's case, he credits teammate Artem Anisimov for introducing him to "Free Solo," a documentary about professional rock climber Alex Honnold. In it, Honnold successfully scales El Capitan without the use of ropes, harnesses or any other protective equipment. "If that guy makes one mistake, he's dead," Perlini said. "For us, sometimes it feels like that for us out there, but you've got to look big picture. One mistake is not costing me my life, so it's like just relax and play." And, wow, has Perlini done that, scoring six times in the last five games. Three of those goals came against the Coyotes, and afterward he talked extensively about how Anisimov's "calming influence" has been good for him since arriving from Arizona in November. "Anisimov is kind of in this state too as far as being really relaxed," Perlini said. "It's great to have another guy to really lean on and talk to about those sort of things. He's big on that, so I've been working with him a lot in practice. (He just) plays his style. "So I see that, and he's been in the league for a long time and I want to be similar to that in how he works and how he prepares. It's been a lot of fun." 1135656 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks ink prospect Philipp Kurashev to entry-level contract

By Charlie Roumeliotis March 12, 2019 1:03 PM

The Blackhawks have agreed to terms with forward Philipp Kurashev on a three-year, entry-level contract that runs through the 2021-22 season and carries a cap hit of $925,000. He will finish out the season with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL. Kurashev joins Nicolas Beaudin, Adam Boqvist and MacKenzie Entwistle on the list of Chicago prospects to have signed their entry-level contracts but remain with their junior teams. Unlike the other three, Kurachev is not a slide candidate — a provision in the CBA that allows teams to push the contract one year if the player doesn't skate in at least 10 NHL games — so there's a chance he could start next season in Rockford when his contract kicks in. Or better yet, even push for a roster spot with the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks acquired Nashville's fourth-round pick last season as part of the Ryan Hartman deal and used it to select Kurashev at No. 120 overall. And the early returns are showing he could be a hidden gem. As alternate captain for the Remparts, Kurashev leads the Remparts in all three scoring categories with 28 goals, 34 assists and 62 points in 57 games this season. He's averaging 0.97 points per game throughout his three-year career in Quebec, and has eight points (two goals, six assists) in 10 career playoff games. But it wasn't until the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championships when Kurashev put himself on the radar. Serving as the alternate captain for Team Switzerland, he led the tournament with six goals, finished tied for seventh with seven points and earned first-team All-Star honors. He was also named Player of the Game twice, highlighted by a hat trick in a 4-0 win over Denmark. Kurashev has quickly become one of the Blackhawks' more exciting forward prospects, and it may not be too long before Chicago gets a glimpse of him in an Indianhead sweater.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135657 Colorado Avalanche

Takeaways: Avalanche shutout by Hurricanes, 3-0

By DJ Stanec March 12, 2019

The Colorado Avalanche continued their four-game homestand against the Carolina Hurricanes Monday night, trying to keep pace in the Western Conference Wild Card race. The Avalanche faced a tough goaltender in Petr Mrazek, who saved all 38 shots he faced shutting the Avalanche out 3-0. Carolina opened the scoring in the second period with a goal from Dougie Hamilton. Hamilton was found streaking through the middle, caught a pass from Justin Williams on a delayed penalty and roofed home the first goal past Philipp Grubauer. Carolina scored one more on a beautiful pass play. Andrei Svechnikov was the recipient of a Teuvo Teravainen pass on an odd-man rush into the Colorado zone and had the easy backhand finish for the Hurricanes’ second goal of the game. Carolina added an empty-net goal from Svechnikov to finalize the score at 3-0. What did we learn from this game? 1. Colorado looked sloppy in their defensive zone. The Avalanche finished the game with seven giveaways, four more than their opponent. Giveaways weren’t their only issue. Colorado failed to get the puck out of their own zone on numerous occasions, giving Carolina more chances to score than they should have had. Teams Colorado is playing against are not only getting more chances, but it also exhausts the Avalanche faster, which shows in late stages of the games. 2. The Avalanche power play was shut down, despite having a decent success streak as of late. Colorado couldn’t get set up on their extra man opportunities and only had one or two solid scoring chances during their three power plays. They had a total of eight shots in their man-up chances, which is not enough. Colorado reverted back to their old ways, making blind passes, not setting up the offense, and poorly entering the offensive zone. 3. Matt Calvert had one of his best games of the season. Calvert is always one of the hardest working players on the ice. Monday night was no different. In some cases he even stepped it up. He was shooting the puck whenever he got the chance, was a pest in the Carolina defense’s side, and was part of shutting down the Hurricanes’ power play. 4. Grubauer didn’t play badly, but his defense let him down. The Colorado netminder had 33 saves on the night. He kept his team in this game. The two goals he let in weren’t his fault. On the first, the shot was in perfect location and not many goalies in the NHL could have made that save. On the second goal, there was a defensive breakdown and Svechnikov was left wide open in front of the net. Overall, he made the saves he should have made, he just didn’t get any scoring support. Colorado continues their homestand Friday against the Anaheim Ducks. Puck drop is set for 7:00 P.M. at Pepsi Center. milehighsports.com LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135658 Columbus Blue Jackets felt like after the final cannon blast Tuesday night, for whatever that’s worth.

Blue Jackets' offense finally produces, and it must continue Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.13.2019

Staff Report Posted Mar 12, 2019 at 11:45 PM Updated Mar 12, 2019 at 11:45 PM

Boone Jenner scored his first career hat trick a day after missing a game because of the flu — and that was probably the third or fourth bullet point on Tuesday night. The Nationwide Arena cannon was fired so many times, it nearly broke. Seriously. Brian Johnson screamed, “For those about to rock ...” and the stupid, glorious cannon didn’t fire right on cue. I forget which goal. Jenner scored short-handed, at even strength and into a net, and the Jackets beat the Boston Bruins 7-4. Yes, the Jackets scored seven goals. Of late, Jackets fans had been thinking that their team might never score again, not ever. There were 16,554 souls at Nationwide. They were ready to order playoff tickets when the Jackets took a 5-1 lead eight minutes into the second period. They were ready for the NFL draft by the second intermission, at which point the Bruins had cut the lead to 5-4. They couldn’t really process what they’d seen by the time the final horn sounded, and somebody fixed the cannon. Boone had a hat trick? Sure. The two new guys — Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel — each had a goal in Union Blue. That’s the first time they’ve each scored in the same game. Duchene and Dzingel played on a line with Josh Anderson, who had a goal and three assists. They marauded. A Jackets defenseman scored his first goal since Dec. 31 — on the power play, no less. It was only the second power-play goal the Jackets have scored this month. They handed Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask his first regulation loss since Dec. 23. In the middle of it all, Artemi Panarin dropped the gloves and fought Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy. “That was pretty exciting,” Anderson said of Panarin’s pugilistic pursuit. “I know he likes to watch UFC, so he had the left-hand-right-hand thing going. Exciting.” It was a decent scrap. McAvoy probably won on points — but he’s a defenseman and he’s supposed to win against a skinny dangler whose claim to fame, from a social-media standpoint, is having one of the cutest little doggies on the Scioto Mile. As Bread sat down in the penalty box — Bread Box, anyone? — he smiled. There was a lot of smiling. The cannon was blasting. That was the most important thing for this team. For the past three weeks — or since the Feb. 25 trade deadline, pretty much — the Jackets have been vexed on so many levels. After giving their scouts the rest of the year off at the deadline, they hadn’t gotten the desired offensive impact from their new recruits. Generally speaking, they’ve struggled to score. The Jackets are the only team in the league with six 20-goal scorers and, it seems, all of them left the building all at once. Heading into the game against the Bruins, the Jackets had lost five of eight — and they’d been shut out three times in the process. This, at a time when Sergei Bobrovsky was getting red-hot (2.17 goals- against average, .921 save percentage from Feb. 8 through Monday night’s 2-0 loss on Long Island). This, in the middle of March, amid a heated race for the playoffs. Then there was Tuesday night. Afterward, everyone in the locker room said they could feel it coming. (Especially Zach Werenski: “Awesome. About time.”) Coach John Tortorella had a sense that his team was heading in the right direction. He said he admired his players for sticking with the system and, as he is wont to say, “staying above the puck” and minding their checking through their offensive drought. They won’t score seven goals every night, but if you are a Jackets fan, it was good to remember that it’s possible. They have a dozen games remaining. Maybe they’re loaded up now and ready to go. That is what it 1135659 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets' power play is misfiring again

By Brian Hedger The Columbus Dispatch @BrianHedger Posted Mar 12, 2019 at 10:28 PM Updated Mar 12, 2019 at 10:28 PM

After revving their engine for a prolonged stretch, the Blue Jackets’ power play stalled out again. Before playing the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena, the Jackets hadn’t scored a power-play goal in four straight games and were 2 of 20 since the Feb. 25 trade deadline — after acquiring center Matt Duchene from the Ottawa Senators. But they did score a power-play goal late against Boston. “I think we’re impatient on the power play,” coach John Tortorella said, before the Jackets allowed a short-handed goal by Bruins center Patrice Bergeron on their first power play. “I think we’re forcing plays and we’re not giving ourselves a chance.” Between Jan. 10 and Feb. 9, coinciding with the hiring of Martin St. Louis as a special-teams consultant, the Blue Jackets went from moribund to scorching hot. They scored on 10 of 31 power plays for a 32.3 percent rate of success and began to creep up the NHL rankings. The fire burned out after about a month. Since Feb. 12, the Jackets had only scored a power-play goal in three of their previous 15 games, going 3 of 38 (7.9 percent) in that span. “We may try a couple of different looks tonight to see if we can open ourselves up,” Tortorella said. “I just think we’re a little bit impatient. We’ve just got to keep our patience and let the puck do the work.” Fourth-line rotation Tortorella hasn’t been unhappy with the play of his fourth line, but also hasn’t been thrilled. There is a surplus of bottom-six forward options, so he plans to shuffle them in and out of the lineup. Against Boston, it was Oliver Bjorkstrand, Alexander Wennberg and Brandon Dubinsky who started out as the fourth line. Riley Nash, Boone Jenner and Nick Foligno formed the third line. “I want to keep everybody involved,” Tortorella said. “I don’t think anybody has played poorly. No one has taken that position, but no one deserves to be out, so I might just rotate people in and out.” Tough assignment Tortorella kept Josh Anderson on the right wing of the second line, playing with Ryan Dzingel and Duchene. He played another strong game, tying it at 1 in the first period with his 23rd goal, but his promotion left a hole at right wing of the third line. Foligno filled it by skating with Nash and Jenner. Tortorella planned to match them up against Boston’s top line, centered by Bergeron.

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Blue Jackets 7, Bruins 4 | Boone Jenner hat trick highlights big night for offense

By Brian Hedger The Columbus Dispatch @BrianHedger Posted Mar 12, 2019 at 9:47 PM Updated at 4:56 AM

The cannon got a workout Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena, courtesy of a resilient bunch of Blue Jackets. After failing to score Monday in a 2-0 loss at the New York Islanders — the third time they had been shut out in six games — the Jackets upended the Boston Bruins 7-4 to split a key road/home back-to-back with an impressive performance. “We just had to keep on trying to play and trying to get a result,” coach John Tortorella said. “We got a result tonight.” It was a big one, too. The win helped the Blue Jackets maintain their hold on the Eastern Conference’s second wild card. They moved to 81 points and still have that spot thanks to a regulation/overtime win tiebreaker over the Montreal Canadiens, who beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1. Just as important was the jolt of confidence the Jackets gained from scoring seven goals for the fifth time this season (fourth on home ice). Josh Anderson, Zach Werenski and Boone Jenner led the charge. Anderson and Werenski had four points each on a goal and three assists, while Jenner — who scored his 100th career NHL goal — scored into an empty net with 47 seconds left for the first career hat trick. “It’s just funny how it works sometimes,” said Jenner, who missed the game Monday while sick. “I think when you go through a little bit of a stretch like that, where you’re not scoring, I think you can get caught up in it and you’re just thinking about it too much.” They didn’t have to ponder too long against the Bruins, despite allowing the game’s first goal 4:00 into the first on a short-handed shot by Boston’s Patrice Bergeron. Anderson responded 3:19 later with his 23rd goal, extending his career- high, and that lit the fuse for the Blue Jackets and the cannon. The Jackets’ two biggest acquisitions before last month’s trade deadline also got into the scoring act, as Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel (one goal, two assists) each scored. Prior to this game, the Blue Jackets had scored 14 goals in eight games since the deadline, for 1.75 goals per game. They had been outscored 24-14 in those games and had a 3-5-0 record, putting them on the playoff bubble. After breaking out against the Bruins (42-19-9), who have lost two in a row since a 15-0-4 stretch ended Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Jackets improved to 5-0-0 in games in which they have scored seven goals, and 17-1-1 in games in which they have reached at least four. >> Read more: Struggles return for Blue Jackets’ power play Boston made it interesting, cutting into a 5-1 deficit with three straight goals in a span of 5:30 late in the second, but the Blue Jackets held firm. Werenski scored at 12:21 of the third on a power play to make it 6-4, and Jenner’s empty-netter completed the scoring. “A little scary there the second period, when it was a close game, but we believed in ourselves,” Anderson said. “We were playing good hockey, stuck to what we knew was best and got the job done.”

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135661 Columbus Blue Jackets from the top pairing with longtime partner Seth Jones and told him to focus on correcting his deficiencies behind the red line.

The budding star, who scored 36 goals in his first 196 NHL games, On Zach Werenski, the end of a slump and the tale of a ‘lucky ducky’ began to siphon risk from his offensive approach. Although his assist rate has improved, he’s down 1.32 shots per game at even strength, according to naturalstattrick.com. That multiplies to just over three shots By Tom Reed per 60 on the power play. Werenski also is generating about one scoring chance fewer per game when skating at even strength. Mar 13, 2019 Compounding the problem is Jones’ lack of goal scoring. The perennial All-Star has nine on the season with just two coming since Jan. 5. On a team suddenly struggling to score — it had been shut out three times in COLUMBUS, Ohio — Zach Werenski was badly in need of some puck its previous six games — the Blue Jackets desperately need Werenski luck. It arrived Tuesday night in the form of a tiny yellow rubber duck that and Jones to rediscover their offense. sat on a shelf in his locker nestled between two elbow pads. On a night when goals came in bunches, Werenski’s breakout Hours before the Blue Jackets outlasted the Bruins, 7-4, in a chaotic performance might be the most encouraging sign. game filled with goals and wacky moments, Werenski and Ryan Dzingel had a chat about their scoring droughts. The newly acquired winger “I think it’s been kind of up and down in terms of when I was being more hadn’t registered a goal in his previous nine games, dating to his time offensive or being more defensive and learning more of the defensive with the Ottawa Senators. side of the game,” he said. “I think I’m kind of finding that balance right now and it’s the right time to find it.” Werenski’s skid read like some twisted New Year’s resolution. He had gone 30 games without a goal. His last coming on Dec. 31. A season ago, Werenski endured a similar slump. He went 25 games without a goal from Dec. 29 to March 2. The defenseman rallied to score And so prior to Tuesday’s contest in Nationwide Arena, Dzingel handed five times over the final 17 games to help the Blue Jackets reach the the defenseman the rubber duck. playoffs. “He gave me his ‘lucky ducky’ before the game and told me it had “I have been getting chances, the puck just wasn’t going in for me,” brought him luck in the past,” Werenski said. Werenski said. “I would have been a lot more worried if I wasn’t getting The Indians of “Major League” fame have Jobu. The Blue Jackets of the chances. I just haven’t been scoring. I have been missing the net with NHL have a toy duck. shots and just not getting any puck luck. None of us have.” Hey, whatever gets you two points in a tight playoff race, right? Enter Dzingel’s rubber duck. Werenski delivered a power-play goal and three assists for the first four- The Ohio State product spoke to the media after the game but said point game of his career. His third-period tally at 12:21 restored a two- nothing of his offering to Werenski. His 23rd goal of the season tied a goal lead and allowed everyone in the arena to breathe a sigh of relief on career high. a night all sports psychologists in Columbus were standing by to offer “My dad and my brothers are baseball guys,” Dzingel said. “It’s the law of counseling. averages, ya know. You either can stay in the dumps or you can keep The Blue Jackets were on the verge of blowing a 5-1 second-period playing the way you play and eventually they’re going to go in somehow. advantage. A regulation loss would have dealt a major blow to their (I’m) thankful that one went in. Law of averages. If you’re a .300 hitter, postseason hopes. But Werenski ripped a shot past goalie Jaroslav you’re a .300 hitter. That’s what you’re going to be.” Halak, who had replaced starter Tuukka Rask, to make it 6-4. Neither Dzingel nor Werenski has likely played in a game as bizarre as “I guess the duck was lucky tonight,” Werenski said after scoring his 10th this one. goal of the season and first in the calendar year. With about seven minutes remaining in the second period, Panarin took Turns out it brought good fortune to the player who gifted the rubber toy, exception to a slash from Charlie McAvoy and decided to fight the Bruins as well. Dzingel scored his first goal as a Blue Jacket and added a pair of defenseman. Panarin is a fan of mixed martial arts and did Dana White assists. proud during an entertaining lightweight bout in which each combatant landed serious blows. In a game where the home team nearly squandered a four-goal lead, its most skilled player threw haymakers in a wild fight and the Blue Jackets Just prior to a defensive zone faceoff, Panarin was released from the failed to put five guys on the ice for a faceoff that led to a Bruins’ goal, penalty box. The crowd of 16,554 fans erupted in applause. On the Dzingel’s decision to farm out his “lucky ducky” was well down the list of bench, Panarin was greeted to a hero’s welcome. strange occurrences. In all of the excitement, one of the Blue Jackets forwards forgot to hop When it was over, the Blue Jackets had maintained their grip on the final over the boards to take part in the faceoff. The home team had four playoff spot and, in the process, got one of their best players feeling good skaters on the ice. Werenski was one of them. He realized the mistake about his offensive game again. just as the linesman was dropping the puck. “I didn’t think that (shot) was going in,” Werenski said. “Sometimes, you “I turned around to tell (Riley Nash) we were going to go weak side, and just need one like that to get yourself going. It felt really good to get that usually I tell two forwards and when I turned around it was like, ‘Is (the one.” other forward) behind me?’ … I’ve never seen that before. Probably won’t ever see it again.” Werenski had accepted a diagonal pass from Artemi Panarin in the offensive zone. At first, he worried the puck might bounce over his stick. The Bruins won the draw and Brad Marchand, using Werenski as a The Blue Jackets had given up a first-period shorthanded goal and, just screen, scored to cut the Boston deficit to 5-4 late in the second period. seconds before Werenski scored, nearly yielded another. With the fan base fearing the worst, the Blue Jackets played a solid third Not wanting to take any chances, the defenseman decided to shoot period, including killing a big penalty. As Werenski has regained the quickly from the top of the left circle, firing the puck just inside the near coaches’ trust, he’s been deployed on one of the league’s top penalty- post. As Werenski turned to the crowd, he reached to his back and killing units. appeared to throw something into the stands. In the absence of injured Ryan Murray, he’s also been reunited with There was symbolism behind the celebration. Jones to play heavy minutes in the Blue Jackets’ playoff push. Werenski responded Tuesday with his best game of the season. “I thought of it just today,” he said. “I thought, ‘If I score a goal, I’ve got to do something — it’s been so long.’ The first thing I thought of was getting “I think he’s worked on the defensive part of his game,” Tortorella said. “I the monkey off my back.” think he’s improved there. But as we fight to score some goals, it’s nice to get him to chip in.” Werenski scored 16 goals last season while playing most of it with a badly damaged shoulder that required surgery to repair. At the time, he Maybe history repeats itself and Werenski finishes the season with a never imagined this campaign would be just as challenging. flurry of goals. He’s not above taking a little help when he can get it, however. While Werenski tallied nine goals in his first 39 games, his defensive play had become a serious concern for coaches. John Tortorella removed him After concluding his postgame media obligations, Werenski walked from his corner stall to the adjacent changing room. The little yellow duck was still on the shelf between his elbow pads.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135662 Columbus Blue Jackets Tortorella shot down the question before it was fully asked, but Werenski described the scene. He was on the ice with fellow defenseman Seth Jones, while Jenner took the faceoff and Riley Nash was on the left hash. Blue Jackets survive mental mistake and Bruins’ late rally as offense The right hash — which would seem to be Foligno’s spot, as those are finally comes to life his linemates — was vacant. (The puck was dropped on the far end of the ice from the Blue Jackets’ bench, up against the bench-side wall, making it harder for the Jackets’ bench to see their personnel.) By Aaron Portzline Also, Blue Jackets players could be seen welcoming Panarin back to the Mar 12, 2019 bench after he’d served his fighting major seconds before the puck was dropped. Foligno was giving Panarin a proper head-mauling.

“I realized it right as the puck was being dropped,” Werenski said. “I COLUMBUS, Ohio — The prevailing concern in Nationwide Arena at the turned around to tell Nasher we were going to go weak side, and usually start of Tuesday’s game between the Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins I tell two forwards. When I turned around, I was like, ‘Is he behind me?’ I was simple: Can the Blue Jackets finish enough of their scoring chances thought he was maybe following me. to beat the Bruins? Or, failing that, would they awaken offensively soon enough to salvage a playoff berth? “Once I realized it, the puck was down and the puck was in our net. I’ve never seen that before. Probably won’t ever see it again. It happens, I Coach John Tortorella praised his club for not letting their scoring woes guess.” lead to impatience and a general unraveling of their all-around game. But how much longer could that be the case for the Blue Jackets, who had The Blue Jackets went into the second intermission clinging to a 5-4 been shut out in three of their previous six games? lead, but they took the time to get composed. It didn’t take long for all of those worries to be allayed, replaced by a “We just played,” Tortorella said. “We moved right by it in between bounty of storylines in one of the wildest games of the season. periods, didn’t talk about anything. Just wanted to get back to attacking. We felt we had some really good success as far as getting through the The Blue Jackets scored five unanswered goals, then watched a 5-1 lead neutral zone and playing in behind their net. turn into a 5-4 sweatshop before pulling away with a gutsy third period. The final was 7-4. “A period like that, some of the crazy things that went on with it … the biggest thing I talked about is we just can’t be tentative. I don’t care if we “You just know when it’s 5-1, with so much game to be played, you knew make more mistakes in the third period, but it has to be through us being it wasn’t going to be that easy,” Tortorella said. “That Boston team, on our toes. I thought (Sergei Bobrovsky) made a couple of really key they’ve lost a couple (of games) now, but they didn’t win or tie 19 in a row saves early in the third period.” just out of luck. They play hard.” Werenski picked a perfect time to end his 30-game goal drought. He There were individual achievements … scored a power-play goal at 12:21 — his first goal since New Year’s Eve — to give the Blue Jackets a 6-4 lead and some much-needed breathing Boone Jenner had the first hat trick of his career, while Zach Werenski room. (1-3-4) and Josh Anderson (1-3-4) had the first four-point games of their careers, and Ryan Dzingel (1-2-3) had his first three-point game. Jenner sailed home the empty-net goal with 46.1 seconds remaining. … rarely seen gaffes and bloopers … Jenner had scored two goals in a game eight times before Tuesday. Remember, he missed Monday’s game on Long Island because he was The Blue Jackets took a faceoff with only four players on the ice — no, sick, but the Blue Jackets learned in the late morning that his fever had they were not shorthanded because of a penalty — that led directly to the broken and he was ready to play, Tortorella said. But he still wasn’t Bruins’ 5-4 goal late in the second period. Tortorella refused to discuss feeling 100 percent, which is why Tortorella had extra players out for this after the game. warmups just in case. “Yeah, I’m sure he’s not dead-on (healthy) right … and an added bonus for fans of the fight game. now.” Blue Jackets star winger Artemi Panarin and Bruins defenseman Charlie A quick Q&A with Jenner: AP: “Are you 100 percent or still playing McAvoy, after a fracas behind the play, engaged in a welterweight scrap through some stuff?” BJ: “Feeling good.” AP: “You wouldn’t admit it even that McAvoy clearly won, but that sent a charge through both teams. if you were sick, would you?” BJ: (smiling) “Feeling good.” Where to begin? Here’s Tortorella on Jenner: “It’s a huge boost for us. We talk about big- name players that are out of the lineup, Jens is just a guy that you pull There were signs early that the Blue Jackets’ snakebitten offense had for. He just doesn’t know how to do it any other way than to just simply found a cure. work hard. I really respect how he’s handled himself. It was certainly a big boost for us tonight.” The 2-1 goal was scored by Dzingel at 14:18 of the first after he gathered a puck off the end boards and fired at Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask The way Anderson has played lately — big, nasty, dangerous — he from below the goal line. The puck shot back to Dzingel, who corralled it could make any forward line better. Since the third period on Monday on with a whack out of the air, then batted off Rask’s shoulder and into the Long Island, he’s played with newcomers Duchene and Dzingel. On net. Tuesday, they totaled 3-5-8 with 10 shots on goal. Those bounces have been missing for the Blue Jackets for weeks now. Here’s Tortorella: “Josh just fits there, it seems, right now. I’m not going to give Josh all the credit … all three of them just play well together right The Blue Jackets scored two more goals (Matt Duchene, then Jenner) off now. How long it lasts? I hope it’s forever. I just don’t know what’s going passes from below the goal line to players in front of the net, the kind of to go on. You could see when we changed it last night and put Josh bang-bang goals that have been spoiled by opponents’ skates and sticks there, it was immediate, an immediate impact on that line.” in recent weeks. Here’s Dzingel on Anderson: “He’s north-south, always skating. Makes it “This is fun,” Anderson said. “This is what it’s all about, playing hockey easy for us. When you see him on the forecheck, nobody wants to go and scoring goals and winning games.” back and get pucks.” The Jackets led 5-1 at 8:09 of the second, and it looked like a get-well This was Panarin’s first fight with the Blue Jackets, but his second in the night for all of their struggling offensive players. NHL. While playing for Chicago, he had a scrap with St. Louis’ Scottie Then it got interesting. The Bruins scored three goals in the span of 5 1/2 Upshall on Nov. 9, 2016. Here, let’s watch, shall we? minutes to make it 5-4, and the Blue Jackets needed to be saved by the Here’s Jenner on the Panarin scrap: “I didn’t really expect that. You could second-period bell. see it kind of coming with them, battling a little bit early in the shift. I think But the 5-4 goal — scored by Brad Marchand just seconds after the they both had enough. It was a great fight by Bread, and obviously, we faceoffs — was a head-scratcher. were really sparked by it.” If the Jackets had lost this game there would have been hell to pay for Here’s Anderson: “He’s a pretty tough kid. I watched his first fight (vs. somebody, either Tortorella for not noticing how many guys were (or Upshall) a couple of years ago. He did really good. He’s not the biggest weren’t) on the ice, or for a player (Nick Foligno?) for not knowing that his guy, but he’s pretty strong and built. Nobody really realizes that when line had gone over the boards. they’re going up against him.” Here’s Tortorella: “It’s great for the bench. You could see everybody was excited. He threw (with) both hands. Yeah, it’s good for our team. I think it’s good for Bread. I think it’s good for Bread with his teammates. That stuff really helps as far as the camaraderie. He’s a competitor. We’ve all seen him play. He’s a competitor. I’m glad he stood right in there. He took a couple of shots and gave a couple of shots.” The Blue Jackets needed the win to stay “above the bar” in the Eastern Conference because Montreal held serve with a 3-1 win over Detroit. The Jackets currently hold the second wild-card spot, two points behind Carolina. The next game for both the Jackets and Hurricanes is against each other on Friday in Nationwide Arena. That’s a big one. Tuesday’s game marked the fifth time this season the Blue Jackets have scored seven goals in a game: Oct. 25 at St. Louis (7-4), Nov. 15 vs. Florida (7-3), Nov. 26 at Detroit (7-5), and Jan. 13 vs. the New York Rangers (7-5). It was, on the whole, a strange night for Foligno. With 1:04 remaining in the first period, Foligno had the stick whacked out of his hands along the wall, just as the puck skidded around the boards and in front of him. He started to go for his stick, then realized the importance of getting the puck out of his zone and reached for it with his glove, flinging it well into the neutral zone on the fly. He was called for closing his hand on the puck, a minor penalty. Jenner’s first goal, the rebound put-back off Anderson’s shot, was the 100th of his NHL career. He’s sixth on the franchise’s all-time list now with 101 goals. Pierre-Luc Dubois has gone seven games without a point, the second- longest streak of his young career. Hard to imagine, isn’t it, that the Blue Jackets would score seven goals and the No. 1 line — Dubois, with Panarin and Atkinson — would total one point, an assist by Panarin. Panarin’s assist ended a four-game streak without a point, which matched the longest of his Blue Jackets career. The Blue Jackets are off Wednesday. They’re back at it on Thursday at 11 a.m. The Athletic’s hockey data dynamo Alison Lukan provided these insights into the Blue Jackets’ win: In a crazy contest, the Jackets — with a little help — deserved the two points. According to naturalstattrick.com, in 5-on-5 play, Columbus earned 50.78 percent of shot attempts, 59.25 percent of scoring chances and 61.71 percent of high-danger attempts. And where does the help come in? Moneypuck.com had the expected-goal total at 4.04 to 3.54 in favor of Boston, but Tuukka Rask, who let in five goals against, was 8.38 percent below his expected-save percentage, meaning he allowed 2.43 more goals than he should. Speaking of letting in goals, Bobrovsky allowed four, but that’s not a number to be judged in and of itself. Where Rask faltered, Bobrovsky was stronger. Tortorella cited, in particular, a few key saves to start the third. All in all, based on the shots he faced, Bobrovsky’s save percentage was 2.79 percent below expectations, translating to 1.2 goals more than expected. Jenner got the first hat trick of his NHL career off his only three shot attempts of the night. With that kind of quality, his individual offense equated to 25.74 percent of the Jackets’ expected goal total. Anderson was second with 16.09 percent. Seth Jones and Werenski looked like the threat they can be, tilting the ice more than any other Jackets skaters. The team was plus-10 in both shot attempts and scoring chances when they were on the ice.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135663 Dallas Stars

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

Staff Report By SportsDayDFW.com

The Stars need to finish in the top three of the Central Division or in the top two in the wild-card race to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. ROW -- regulation and overtime wins -- is the first tiebreaker for teams deadlocked in points with equal games played. Teams play 82 games.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135664 Dallas Stars

Stars goaltender Ben Bishop extends shutout streak in win over Buffalo: 'Things are going my way right now'

Matthew DeFranks Contact Matthew DeFranks on Twitter: @MDeFranks

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Ben Bishop has ensured the Stars can't be beat. That's because he refuses to be beat. Bishop recorded his third straight shutout on Tuesday night in a 2-0 win over the Sabres at KeyBank Center, extending his shutout streak to 204 minutes and 20 seconds. The Stars goaltender has not allowed a goal since the second period of a win over St. Louis on March 2. It is the first time in his career that Bishop has three consecutive shutouts. "It's new," Bishop said. "I don't really know what the feeling is like. It's just one of those things, I'll take it. The wins are what's important." Bishop also joined rarified air with Tuesday's performance, becoming the third goaltender in franchise history to post three straight shutouts, and his shutout streak is the second-longest in Stars history. Only Ed Belfour in Nov. 2000 had a longer streak at 219 minutes and 26 seconds. With a scoreless first period in his next start, Bishop would own that record. The shutout was also Bishop's sixth of the season, tying him for fifth-most in franchise history. He would have a seventh shutout if a precautionary concussion protocol hadn't pulled him out of a game temporarily. Bishop also survived Sabres forward Jeff Skinner hitting two posts on Tuesday night. "Big blocks at important times, big penalty kills and then a couple posts," Bishop said. "Things are going my way right now, so just try to ride the high as long as I can. Obviously, you want to just get the win. It doesn't really matter how many goals a game." Bishop also extended his dominance of the Sabres. He has now won his last 12 games against Buffalo and is 12-0-1 all-time with a .951 save percentage and 1.37 goals against average. Bishop was named the league's second star of the week for last week's performances, and will likely split the upcoming back-to-back at Minnesota and against Vegas with Anton Khudobin. A candidate for the Vezina Trophy, Bishop's .932 save percentage now leads the league. "It's not only Bish, it's Dobby as well," forward Blake Comeau said. "Dobby's been outstanding whenever he's been in there. Whoever is in between the pipes for us has been outstanding. We have confidence in both goaltenders, both guys are great teammates and great people, so it's nice to see them have success." Benn overcomes a scare: The Stars breathed a sigh of relief when Jamie Benn continued to play in the second period after a Rasmus Ristolainen broken stick caught Benn in the neck. Benn immediately grabbed his neck and skated to the bench, but never went down the tunnel. He did not miss a shift and finished the game with 17:51 of ice time. "We couldn't see from our angle on the bench," Montgomery said. "We saw the highlights and 'Oh boy, that's pretty scary.' Thank God he's all right." Choppy first period: The first period was characterized by four penalties, first a pair of delay of game penalties from Buffalo and then a couple of stick fouls by Dallas. It resulted in a period that had just 13:24 of even- strength time and 3:18 on the power play for both teams. Buffalo outshot the Stars 13-10, but neither team could capitalize on the man-advantage. "A little bit of a funky first period, but we came out of it 0-0 and we got goals when we needed to, and Bish stood on his head," Comeau said.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135665 Dallas Stars

Career night for Roope Hintz leads Stars past Sabres as playoff push continues

Matthew DeFranks Contact Matthew DeFranks on Twitter: @MDeFranks

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Roope Hintz was one of the only people in KeyBank Center to know. With a joyous kick of his left leg and an exuberant pump of his right fist, Hintz celebrated his first of two goals during the Stars' 2-0 win over the Sabres on Tuesday night, while the rest of the arena wondered how a puck could go in and out of the net so quickly. Hintz collected a loose puck after Jason Dickinson's shot hit the post and flipped a puck over Sabres goaltender Linus Ullmark's shoulder with both speed and ease. The puck ricocheted off the back bar and out so quickly that many believed it simply hit the crossbar. Instead, it set off a celebration and kick-started Hintz's first multi-goal game of his career. Hintz scored again later in the second period on the power play by shooting from the top of the circle, past Alexander Radulov's screen. Hintz's night, along with a third straight shutout from Ben Bishop, was a welcome one for the Stars' playoff push. It gave them their fifth win in the last six games and kept them two points ahead of streaking Arizona, which moved past Minnesota into the second wild-card spot Tuesday. But it also reinforced a reality that's been building for a month: Hintz has changed the composition of Dallas' top-six forward group, adding a dangerous element that the team has been searching for. "He's given us another option, right?" Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. "He's clearly a top-six forward for us." Hintz has seven goals on the season, including four in his last seven games while being trusted with top-line minutes alongside Tyler Seguin and Radulov, plus manning the top power-play unit. At times, he's even taken on penalty killing duties, and his speed is among the best on the roster. Hintz' emergence, coupled with the eventual return of Mats Zuccarello gives the Stars a balanced top six, and one that can be dynamic when the postseason rolls around. "We knew he was a good player at the beginning of the year; I think he's just getting more comfortable and more confident," said Bishop, whose shutout streak extended to 204 minutes, 20 seconds, the second longest in franchise history. "The plays he's making tonight, that's big league. That's borderline superstar play. He's got elite speed. He's got a great shot. I think the more he learns the game, he's just going to get that much better." The Stars and Montgomery tried a myriad of options in the top six, looking to spark the league's 29th-ranked offense. Justin Dowling, Tyler Pitlick, Valeri Nichushkin, Devin Shore, Denis Gurianov and Mattias Janmark all got opportunities to play next to Seguin on the top line. Now, Hintz has owned the role. Hintz, a second-round pick in 2015, began the season as the Stars' fourth-line center, a job he earned during training camp. His play forced Dallas to waive Remi Elie, then Gemel Smith. His 6-3, 215-pound frame offers size that doesn't often accompany his kind of speed. Tuesday night was Hintz's best game as a Star, but certainly not the first time he's flashed his potential. During a win over Florida, he fed a streaking Seguin for a goal. During a win in Los Angeles, he jammed home the game-winning goal in overtime. He's drawn more penalties (seven) than he's been called for (four). The key to his emergence? "Maybe try to play your own game and don't think too much about each day," he said.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135666 Dallas Stars Ty Dellandrea, last year's first-round pick, will be the first one. Dellandrea's season with the Ontario Hockey League's Flint Firebirds will end March 17, making him eligible to play for Texas after that. Texas' first Stars GM Jim Nill on where Mats Zuccarello extension talks stand, game Dellandrea could play would be Wednesday against Grand Rapids adding Dallas' top prospects to AHL roster in Cedar Park. Dellandrea has 21 goals and 39 assists in 57 games for last-place Flint. Matthew DeFranks The Stars will have to wait longer for Jason Robertson and Tye Felhaber. Robertson's Niagara IceDogs and Felhaber's Ottawa 67's both qualified Contact Matthew DeFranks on Twitter: @MDeFranks for the OHL playoffs, and both have had spectacular seasons. Robertson, a second-round pick in 2017, is second in the league with 106 points. Felhaber, a free agent signing earlier this month, leads the BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The trade deadline has passed. The waiver wire is league with 58 goals. quiet. Pending returns from injury in two weeks, the Stars have their team. "We got a bunch of guys that will be joining us," Nill said. "Ty's season's going to be over with after this week. So he'll join us and then you got So what is this time of the year like for general manager Jim Nill? some other guys that are in playoffs. We'll be going out to watch the guys in the playoffs, see how they play: the Robertsons, Felhabers, those "We know what our roster is," Nill said. "We're set there. So now you're guys. So we'll go watch those guys and then as they start to lose out, watching the minor league team, we'll keep a close eye on that. There's now you get them down to Texas, see how they fit in. Let them other things that are starting up now. Colleges are finishing, junior teams experience the pro life." are finishing. You're starting to get some players come down to the minor league team. You're looking at signing some guys. You kind of shift gears Texas is currently in fourth place in the AHL's Central Division, three to the other side now of player signings and player development." points ahead of fifth-place Rockford for the division's final playoff spot. Last season, Texas advanced to the Calder Cup Finals. The Stars entered Tuesday four points behind St. Louis for third place in the Central Division, one point ahead of Minnesota for the first wild card So what does Nill expect from the new additions? spot and two points ahead of Arizona for a playoff spot. Dallas has two games in hand on Minnesota and one on Arizona. "Some guys step in and contribute right away," Nill said. "Other guys might struggle. A little bit you leave up to the coach down there, too. The Stars have used one of their four post-trade deadline recalls on Joel They're in a playoff race, too. They've had guys battling all year, so to L'Esperance, and can only add three more players from AHL Texas to expect a young guy to come in, he's not going to bump two or three guys supplement the NHL playoff push. out of the lineup. They're coming in just to get their feet wet, practices, commitment, just learning the pro game." "Other than calling guys up, there's no more trades to be done or anything like that," Nill said. "There's kind of the excitement of the playoff run, and it's a real battle. You're just here supporting the coaches and the players." Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.13.2019 In a conversation with SportsDay, Nill also touched on a couple other topics. Nill said he would not start discussing a contract extension for newly acquired forward Mats Zuccarello until the season ends. The Stars traded a pair of conditional draft picks last month to pry Zuccarello from the Rangers. Zuccarello currently carries a $4.5 million cap hit and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. "We'll wait until the season's over," Nill said. "Right now, I'm in no rush with any contracts. I want to see how the team finishes, see what the player is. That stuff really kind of happens after the playoffs." If the Stars re-sign Zuccarello in the offseason, the 2020 third-round pick they traded to New York becomes a 2020 first-round pick. Zuccarello played one game for the Stars on Feb. 24, scoring one goal and assisting on another before he broke his arm blocking a shot. The initial prognosis called for a four-week recovery for Zuccarello, a timeline that is now more than halfway over. Zuccarello skated during a team optional practice last week, the first time he practiced with the team since breaking his arm. "He'll start being around the team more now," Nill said. "He's a couple weeks in and the next week or 10 days, he'll start skating a bit more." Zuccarello is 31 years old and has averaged 18 goals and 39 assists per 82 games in his career. Zuccarello's injury has limited the amount of time he's had to learn about his new teammates and coaching staff. But it's also allowed him to familiarize himself with the training staff in Frisco. Nill picked up Zuccarello at the airport when he flew from Chicago to Dallas, and said he's previously dealt with the Norwegian winger. "I've heard about him," Nill said. "He was actually a guy we tried to sign in Detroit coming off the Olympics. I kind of knew him pretty good anyways. As far as off the ice, high-end character. You love his energy. He's kind of a magnet. He's just a hockey player. He loves hockey. He lives and breathes hockey." AHL infusions With college and junior hockey seasons ending, teams around the league will be adding new players to their NHL and AHL rosters. The Stars will be adding players to AHL affiliate Texas as soon as next week. 1135667 Dallas Stars

Stars tweak lineup slightly ahead of matchup with Sabres in Buffalo, plus a new power play formation

By , Sports Reporter Contact Matthew DeFranks on Twitter: @MDeFranks

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Stars made a pair of minor lineup tweaks for Tuesday night's game in Buffalo, inserting Nichushkin and defenseman Jamie Oleksiak against the Sabres. Forward Brett Ritchie and defenseman Taylor Fedun came out. Tuesday's game kicked off a busy stretch for the Stars, who will play four games in six days, including a back-to-back in Minnesota on Thursday and at home against Vegas on Friday. "It's mostly just fresh bodies, opportunity to get other people back in and we have four in six coming," Montgomery said. "There's not necessarily going to be a rotation with those names I just said, but there's going to be players coming in and out to stay fresh." Nichushkin was a healthy scratch Saturday against the Blackhawks when Radek Faksa returned to the lineup, while Oleksiak has been a healthy scratch in four of the last five games. For Fedun, the move will rob him of an opportunity to play again in Buffalo. Fedun played 34 games for the Sabres across the last two seasons before the Stars acquired him in a November trade. This season, he's set career-highs for games played (43), goals (three), assists (seven), shots on goal (69) and minutes (603:28). Ritchie was last healthy scratched Jan. 15 and has played the last 21 games. Power play changes During practice on Monday in Frisco, the Stars unveiled a new power play formation that Montgomery said should take advantage of Buffalo's penalty killing strategy. The Stars put Alexander Radulov at the net-front, Jamie Benn in the slot, Tyler Seguin in the right circle, Roope Hintz in the left one and John Klingberg at the point. "We liked Radulov when he was there," Montgomery said. "We think against the way Buffalo's forwards trap down hard that we want Seggy and Rads on their off-sides. Rads doesn't love being on his strong side, so we'll put him at the net-front and have Roope with his speed attack down, and have what we think are our two best net-front guys and guys that come up with pucks at the net-front in Jamie Benn and Rads at the hashmarks." Typically, the Stars have used Benn at the net-front, with Seguin and Radulov in the circles and Hintz in the slot. Dallas' power play ranks 16th in the league at 19.5 percent. No Eichel The Stars will have a golden opportunity to pick up two points on Tuesday night, especially since Buffalo will be without their best player in Jack Eichel. Eichel was suspended two games for a hit on Colorado's Carl Soderberg. Eichel is a two-time All-Star who leads the Sabres with 47 assists and 72 points. He also has 25 goals, while playing 20:22 a night. "Eichel's such a dynamic player and he's someone that can take over a game like he did in the third period against us at home by himself," Montgomery said. "Obviously, it would be like us losing Seggy. You lose Tyler Seguin, you lose your highest scorer, player who gets the most goals and makes the most plays. But with that one-game scenario, we expect to see a high compete level from the Buffalo Sabres."

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135668 Dallas Stars 5. Hintz continued to solidify himself as a true top-six forward for the Stars and did so in a rather noticeable way with the first multi-goal game of his NHL career. Stars 20/20: Bishop continues to make Vezina case while Hintz provides Stars coach Jim Montgomery remarked on Hintz’ overall play after the offensive punch victory. “Just how confident he is, how many battles he wins, the second and By Sean Shapiro third effort,” Montgomery said. “You can see the confidence with the puck is emerging, but it’s play without the puck that’s allowing him to get the Mar 12, 2019 time and space we need.” “We knew he was a good player at the beginning of the year, I think he’s just getting more comfortable and more confident,” Bishop said. “The BUFFALO, NY — Behind the strength of their defense and goaltending, plays he’s making tonight, that’s big league; that’s borderline superstar the Dallas Stars shut out the Buffalo Sabres for the second time this play. He’s got elite speed. He’s got a great shot. I think the more he season with a 2-0 victory. learns the game, he’s just going to get that much better. The future is going to be really bright for him.” The Stars have now won five of their last six games and bounced back from a Saturday home loss against the Chicago Blackhawks. In addition to the goals, Hintz had a couple of strong rushes, including two where I thought he should have drawn a penalty. His speed through 1. Ben Bishop continued his streak of unblemished hockey and recorded the neutral zone was noticeable, and when he’s flying through the zone his third straight shutout with a 35-save showing. like that it creates quite the signature look with his hair getting caught in a Bishop is now the third goalie in franchise history to record shutouts in jetstream. three consecutive games. 6. There was a weird feeling in the building when Hintz scored his first Cesare Maniago had three straight shutouts during the 1967-68 season goal in the second period on a top-shelf snipe. with the Minnesota North Stars and Ed Belfour had three consecutive The puck immediately came back out after hitting the top of the net and shutouts during the 2000-01 season. rebounded like it had hit the crossbar, but there was no ping or When it comes to minutes, Bishop’s streak is now the second-longest in discernible sound. franchise history at 204 minutes, 20 seconds. He passed Maniago’s mark It was clearly a goal and would have been reviewed, but if not for Hintz of 188 minutes, 38 seconds early in the third period. celebrating the way he did, the officials might have missed it in real time. Bishop could set the record with a clean opening stanza in his next start. “We knew it was in,” Montgomery said. “I’m surprised that nobody else Belfour’s franchise-record streak ended after 219 minutes, 26 seconds in did, because you could see the net pop. It was an incredible shot.” November of 2000. 7. Hintz’ second goal came on another clean wrister, this time on the At the end of the game Bishop said he wasn’t thinking much about the power play from the top of the left circle. shutout. It was the Stars’ first power-play goal after a three-game drought and just “They were coming at us pretty good, so my mind was pretty busy,” the second power-play tally in the past six games. Bishop said. “So I wasn’t really thinking about it.” 8. The Stars went 0-for-2 on the power play in the first period but nearly 2. Bishop said this is a new feeling for him. scored on each opportunity when the Sabres drew back-to-back delay of It is the first time he’s ever had consecutive shutouts in his NHL career, game penalties. and Bishop said he doesn’t remember ever having a streak like this John Klingberg had a point shot that made it past Linus Ullmark, but hit growing up. the crossbar before it was cleared. “I don’t really know what the feeling is like,” Bishop said. “It’s just one of On the second man advantage, Jamie Benn had what looked like his those things, I’ll take it. The wins are what’s important. The shutouts are 26th goal of the season set up by Tyler Seguin, but he was robbed by the nice, but that’s not why you play the game.” glove of Ullmark. Never? Even as a kid? Montgomery said that the showing on those power plays boosted the “First time, I don’t remember when I was young,” Bishop said. “I don’t team’s confidence heading into the third one. think we had shutouts when were that little.” 9. Overall, Montgomery wanted more during this game. I find that hard to believe. “I thought we did a good job of being together in every zone, but I still 3. Bishop should have already been in the Vezina Trophy conversation, didn’t think we had an excellent game,” Montgomery said. “I thought but the month of March has further solidified his case. Buffalo had a lot of pushes against us and that required us to be on our heels more than I would have liked.” Bishop leads the NHL with a .932 save percentage and ranks second in the league with a 2.08 goals against average. It doesn’t quite help the optics that Buffalo was missing their captain and best player in Jack Eichel due to a two-game suspension. That’s a In the month of March, Bishop is 4-0-0 with a 0.25 goals against average message the Stars will probably carry into a pair of key Western and a .991 save percentage. Conference games later this week against the Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights. For most of the season Andrei Vasilevskiy, Bishop’s replacement with the Tampa Bay Lightning, has been considered the goalie to beat when the 10. Jeff Skinner actually bested Bishop twice but couldn’t beat the posts. Vezina is concerned. In the second period, he hit a post on a backhand and Jason Pominville In any side-by-side comparison, Bishop has a higher save percentage actually started to raise his arms to celebrate. Had Pominville not and lower goals against average on a worse team. Bishop also has six celebrated, he might have been ready to put home the rebound. shutouts, tied with Vasilevskiy for second in the league, and he would have a seventh if not for leaving one game temporarily. He and Anton Skinner then hit the post on a third-period power play. Khudobin shared that shutout. 11. Blake Comeau also hit a post for the Stars. 4. Somewhat related: Comeau had one of his better offensive games. In addition to assisting A week ago The Athletic’s Lightning beat writer Joe Smith asked me if I on one goal he was tied with Tyler Seguin for the team lead in shots and could ask Bishop a couple of questions about Vasilevskiy and how good tied with Hintz for the most quality scoring chances. he’s been this season. Bishop answered the questions, and then after we His assist was the 300th point of his NHL career. finished the interview Bishop jokingly said, “How come nobody asks Vasy about me?” 12. We’ve reached a point of the year where scoreboard-watching becomes a daily occurrence. It wasn’t a serious request, but I think I might have to forward the request to Tampa. While the Stars held serve as the first wild-card team and how have 77 points in 69 games, the St. Louis Blues lost to the Arizona Coyotes 3-1. The Coyotes remain on the Stars’ heels with 75 points and leapt Bishop now ranks sixth in franchise history with 10 shutouts. Jon Casey Minnesota for the second wild card spot. The St. Louis loss put Dallas is next with 12. Catching the top four will likely take at least a couple within real striking distance of third place in the Central Division. seasons. Kari Lehtonen ranks fourth with 34. The biggest thing the Stars are hoping for at this time of year while 20. Here is how the Stars did when it came to Montgomery’s Process: scoreboard watching? No three-point games. Win 56 percent of faceoffs: Passed. The Stars won 56 percent. 13. The Stars began the game with this lineup: Zero undisciplined penalties: Failed. Roope Hintz – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov Three or fewer odd-man rushes: Passed. Jamie Benn – Joel L’Esperance – Jason Spezza Win net-front battle: Passed. Mattias Janmark – Radek Faksa – Blake Comeau Win special teams: Passed. Andrew Cogliano – Jason Dickinson – Valeri Nichushkin

Esa Lindell – John Klingberg The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 Miro Heiskanen – Roman Polak Jamie Oleksiak – Ben Lovejoy 14. Taylor Fedun and Brett Ritchie came out of the lineup for Oleksiak and Nichushkin. Montgomery said he made lineup changes to add fresh legs with the team playing four games in six nights this week, and that the Stars would employ a rotation this week. While it’s likely going to be a rotation including the four players above, Montgomery wouldn’t confirm that. Nichushkin and Oleksiak weren’t bad in their returns to the lineup, but neither did much of note that would necessitate playing again on Thursday against Minnesota. Oleksiak had less ice time than any other defenseman (11 minutes, 50 seconds) while Nichushkin had two shot attempts and delivered a hit. 15. Nichushkin actually came out positive in the plus/minus column, as he was on the ice for Hintz’ first goal while Comeau was on the bench and got the assist after making a change. It’s a funny scoring quirk that happens from time to time. 16. Lindell continues to log heavy minutes and was on the ice for 26:18 on Tuesday. Polak has also been taking on a large load and played 20:50. Lindell has handled the responsibility rather well, while Polak has been wearing down with the heavy workload. It would probably behoove the team to give more minutes to Lovejoy this weekend. If possible, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get Polak a night off with three games in four nights. Lindell also could use a rest, but it would have to be more tactile within a game and something that the Stars should keep in mind this week with back-to-back games. 17. Instead of going to morning skate on Tuesday, I rented a car and drove up to St. Catherines, Ontario for a story on Stars prospect Jason Robertson that will run Wednesday. One fun note that didn’t fit in the story: Robertson’s younger brother Nicholas also plays in the OHL, meaning that back in California, the Robertson family is often watching two games at once. “They actually have two TVs set up, they watch both games at the same time so they get to do that,” Robertson said. “My dad really only watches our shifts, when we are off he just looks at the other one or vice versa.” 18. I also asked Robertson about Tye Felhaber, the Stars free agent prospect signing that he’s currently battling in the OHL scoring race and possibly in the OHL playoffs for a trip to the Memorial Cup. Here was his quick scouting report: “He’s fast, he’s got a lot of speed coming down the wings, he creates turnovers and capitalizes on it,” Robertson said. “He’s having a good year, and we’ll probably see him in the playoffs. At that point, we’ll have to shut him down.” 19. Let’s wrap things up with a couple more notes on Bishop: His six shutouts this season are now tied for the fifth-most in a season in franchise history. The franchise record in a season is nine shutouts. His 12 straight wins against Buffalo place him in a tie for the longest active winning streak for one goalie against one opponent. Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne has 12 straight wins against the Edmonton Oilers. 1135669 Dallas Stars guys’ sticks. So I always thought playing against guys that are skilled, you want to take away their time and space.”

Breaking down objectives on the penalty kill is also important in achieving Here’s how the Stars’ penalty kill went from historically bad to among the the bottom line result of not allowing a goal. The first is setting pressure league’s best in two years points, not allowing teams to freely skate into the zone. The goal here is to force an errant pass or make them bobble the puck enough to make a play or get a hit. The second thing is the play up ice, disrupting draw By Saad Yousuf passes and attacking right away. Mar 12, 2019 “Every good penalty kill I’ve been on, it’s always been having good pressure up the ice and pressuring over the blue line in our end,” Cogliano said. “Obviously things change in zone but those are two things you want to achieve right at the start.” Blake Comeau is 33 years old and playing on his sixth NHL team, helping the Stars make a playoff push with hopes to extend the season One of the many examples can be seen in the Stars’ 2-1 win over the as far as possible. Head coach Jim Montgomery has expressed a great Washington Capitals on January 4th. Late in that game, Washington was deal of confidence in the forward, saying in December, “if we need to kill on the power play and Devin Shore pressured Nicklas Backstrom early. off 30 seconds and we’re up by a goal and we’re trying to win the Stanley The Stars kept the pressure on the Capitals in the zone. That resulted in Cup, Comeau is out on the ice.” Alex Ovechkin setting up for a one-timer from a distance, but by that point Shore and Roman Polak were defending in front of Anton Comeau has his share of positive traits but his play on the penalty kill is Khodobin. near the top. His presence is also a strong reason why the Stars, after a middling performance last year (and the NHL’s worst in decades during Once in the zone, things get a little more edgy but the team on the the 2016-17 campaign), now rank among the NHL’s best penalty-killing penalty kill essentially gains a man to help. teams. “There’s five of them, there’s five of us with the goalie,” Bowness said. “It’s something that I take a lot of pride in,” Comeau said. “Penalty kill can “Everybody has to be on the same page in terms of ‘This is what they’re be something that’s momentum-shifting throughout a game.” trying to do, this is what we’re willing to give up and what you’re willing to give up.’ You’re expecting your goalie to make that save. The Stars are sixth in the NHL in kill percentage, killing off the opposing power play 82.4 percent of the time. They’ve allowed 36 goals on 205 “Again, with the skill of the power plays, there’s a lot of broken plays and chances after allowing 54 goals on 281 chances last year (and 65 in 257 then you need your goalie to have the athleticism to react to broken plays the year before). The architect behind the penalty kill operation is and to be able to read. Both of our goalies have been exceptional in that assistant coach Rick Bowness, who been behind an NHL bench as an regard.” assistant or head coach for more games than any human in history. “It starts with the goalie,” Comeau said. “You’re down a man, you’re “Penalty killing, the structure of where it was 10-15 years ago, was totally going to give up some chances eventually and they’ve been outstanding different than what it is today,” Bowness said. “There’s different schemes for us on the penalty kill.” in the neutral zone, different schemes forecheck and there’s different schemes in the defensive zone so a lot of it is based on what power Khudobin’s save percentage on the penalty kill this season is .865 while plays are doing and what particular plays they’re trying to run and the Ben Bishop’s is .901. Once the other team goes on the power play, the skill level of those particular power plays.” goalie’s attention perks up a little as well. The overarching difference in power plays today compared to the past is “You have to be more aware,” Bishop said. “It’s time for the penalty killers creativity. There are certain elements at the base of each penalty kill but and the penalty kill in general to step up because they’re momentum after that, it’s about catering to the scheme of the opposition. Andrew swingers, and you’re going against some good players out there. So you Cogliano, who has been in Dallas for less than two months, has played got to be on top of your game.” on penalty-killing units in Edmonton and Anaheim. Bowness’ experience and ability to scheme stands out. Jason Spezza has played on power plays throughout his NHL career and has seen them evolve from an overload approach on one side to what is “I like the system here,” Cogliano said. “I think Bones is a great penalty primarily a 1-3-1 approach to spread things out. He says the best penalty kill coach, very good at each game having a new game plan, which I like. kills are the ones that can force the power play to stay on one side of the I think every team is different, every team’s got a different look and he ice. Guys like Comeau and Lovejoy specialize in that, which is why they does a really good job of noticing that and changing our game plan.” develop reputations as penalty killers. Penalty-kill strategies can differ throughout the league. Montgomery Not every player can score 20+ goals. For the guys that don’t score a noted that he sees five different approaches; up ice there are three or ton, the penalty kill can ignite NHL careers, as is the case with Jason four, and in zone, there are three different looks. By its nature, the Dickinson. It can also extend NHL careers like Comeau’s. penalty kill is a reactionary phase of the game but the challenge is to flip the script and take control despite one less man to work with. “For guys that are maybe getting a little older in age, like myself, and want to prolong their careers, it’s important that you find something that “I think to be a good penalty killer is you have to read plays rather than you’re good at and you excel in it,” Comeau said. “Some guys excel in react to plays once they already happen,” Comeau said. goal-scoring, some guys excel in different parts of the game. Personally, for me, that’s something I take a lot of pride in.” The read vs. react concept is a fine line. In essence, both sides are reacting to what the power play does, as any defense does. The difference is how quickly a player can do it, because “reading” is based on the look and “reacting” is based off what the power play has already The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 executed. Sometimes, for this reason, killing off a penalty can be easier when there is one dominant offensive talent on the other team rather than a number of good scorers. As a defense, the objective becomes focused on not allowing the puck to find that player or to just get the puck off of that player’s stick rather than defending a scheme. After that, it’s purely about the hustle. “You’ve got to be willing to block shots, and a lot of it is just trying to outwork the power play because you are a man down,” Comeau said. “You have to find that little extra work ethic to do what it takes to get the penalty kill.” Comeau says there are two philosophies he’s seen the most of when teams are trying to execute a penalty kill: Puck pressure and clogging shooting lanes. “I do feel like more teams now are going to puck pressure,” Comeau said. “It’s tough to kill penalties when you give some of these skilled guys in the league a lot of time with the puck. They’re going to be able to make seam passes, they’re skilled enough to make those saucer passes over 1135670 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings officially eliminated from playoffs in 3-1 loss to Canadiens

Helene St. James, March 13, 2019

MONTREAL — The Detroit Red Wings kept it close, forcing big saves from Carey Price in the third period.

Their performance Tuesday at Bell Centre was a good response after the previous outing, especially given how depleted the lineup is. But playing against a Montreal Canadiens team that is jockeying to secure a wildcard spot, the Wings came up short, 3-1.

With Columbus gaining two points by beating Boston, the regulation loss officially eliminated the Wings from the playoffs for a third straight season.

Wings goalie Jonathan Bernier did what he could to delay the elimination, playing an especially strong opening 20 minutes.

The Wings, already undermanned with Dylan Larkin (neck) and Mike Green (virus) sidelined, played with a short bench after Jonathan Ericsson was lost to injury in the first period.

Max Domi and Brett Kulak had made it 2-0 when Andreas Athanasiou scored 40 seconds into the third period, notching his 24th goal of the season. Price robbed Tyler Bertuzzi on a breakaway, following up with a huge save as Frans Nielsen tried for the rebound. Domi scored an empty-net goal with 49 seconds to play in regulation.

Bernier comes up big

Bernier picked up where he’d left off in the third period Saturday at Tampa Bay with a terrific start against the Canadiens. He denied Andrew Shaw’s wrist shot in the opening minute, and a net-front attempt by Tomas Tatar a minute later. Shea Weber, one of the hardest shooters in the NHL, tried a slap shot from the blue line, and a short-range shot during a power play. By the end of the period Bernier had 13 saves.

Another defenseman lost

Ericsson had to be helped off the ice midway through the first period, after appearing to injure his right knee during a collision. Ericsson could barely get back on the Wings’ bench. The team called it a lower-body injury. If it turns out to be serious — and based on Ericsson’s expression, he was in a lot of pain — the Wings will have to call someone up, as they’re down to six defensemen. Their defense corps already has been altered by the Feb. 22 trade of Nick Jensen, who played on the top shutdown pairing, and by top offensive defenseman Green being sidelined since March 5.

Tribute to Ted

The Canadiens put on a very nice tribute to Ted Lindsay before the game, making note of his accomplishments and tremendous influence. Pictures of Lindsay, who passed away March 4, were shown on the Jumbotron, including one of his No. 7 banner hanging at Little Caesars Arena. It was perfectly done to no surprise: The Canadiens lead the way in appreciating legends of the game. They paid tribute to Gordie Howe, who died June 10, 2016, in the Wings’ first game at Bell Centre of the 2016-17 season.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135671 Detroit Red Wings Holland has built up the Wings' draft capital the past few seasons with midseason deals. The team acquired an extra first-round pick last year, and has three second-rounders this year, as it continues its rebuild Detroit Red Wings fan's sign begs Steve Yzerman to 'save us' toward competitive hockey.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.13.2019

Marlowe Alter, March 13, 2019

Many Detroit Red Wings fans have been vocal about their displeasure for the current regime.

And often, that results in a desire for Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman to help restore Hockeytown to glory, just as he did as a player.

On Tuesday, the Wings were eliminated from the postseason, as expected, for the third straight season in a 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

And at least one fan in Montreal made it clear Yzerman is wanted in Detroit.

Peter Andrianopoulos is a longtime Wings fan who lives in Montreal. He was sitting in the second row behind the boards Tuesday, and held up a sign that read: Save Us Yzerman.

A fan's sign reads "Save Us Yzerman" during the first period of the Wings' 3-1 loss against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre, Tuesday in Montreal.

Time for change.#LGRW#DETvsMTLpic.twitter.com/GiyP7tmpNc

— Peter Andrianopoulos (@peterandri) March 12, 2019

"I didn't think anybody would pick up on (the sign)," said Andrianopoulos in a phone conversation with the Free Press after the game.

Yzerman, who in September stepped away from his position as Tampa Bay Lightning general manager to take an advisory role with the team and spend more time with his family in Detroit, is in the final year of his contract. After this season, the 53-year-old has said his future is unknown.

Steve Yzerman.

Andrianopoulos, who says he has watched every Wings game this season, said he got some reaction from a handful of Wings fans inside and outside Bell Centre, and they were enthusiastic about the possibility of Yzerman. Even a few Wings players saw his sign during breaks on the ice, though they had no outward reaction.

The Captain won three Stanley Cups in his 22-year NHL playing career, all in Detroit, and won one in management.

After retiring as a player in 2006, Yzerman worked four years under Wings GM Ken Holland, before joining Tampa Bay in 2010. He helped build the Lightning into an Eastern Conference power, though a championship has eluded the franchise. This season, Tampa has the league's best record (53-13-4, 110 points), and 10 more wins than any other team.

That prolonged success has caused Wings fans, like Andrianopoulos, and media alike, to speculate about the future of Yzerman, connecting him to the Wings.

Andrianopoulos got the idea for the sign a few weeks ago, after comments made by Holland bothered him — "Holland talked about building brick-by-brick and patience, but the Wings have pieces to be better quicker than they see it," Andrianopoulos said — and Sunday's 6-1 blowout loss to the Florida Panthers brought him some more angst.

With the help of his girlfriend, the sign was created and brought to the game, though he said it was "not meant to be in a negative way" or be a "downer to the team." He was excited to see young players like Filip Zadina and Michael Rasmussen, and says he is "not a tank person."

Instead of a race for the postseason, the Wings are chasing top 2019 draft prospect Jack Hughes. Detroit is currently second in the lottery standings.

Holland is under contract through the 2019-20 season, and in late February said he wasn't concerned about his job saying, "I’m in a good place no matter what happens." 1135672 Detroit Red Wings

Meet the two college free agents the Detroit Red Wings signed

Helene St. James, March 12, 2019

MONTREAL — The Detroit Red Wings could have a new face in the lineup as soon as Saturday.

The team signed two college free agent forwards Tuesday in Ryan Kuffner of Princeton and Michigan State’s Taro Hirose. Both need work visas, and Hirose still has a test to finish, but both are expected in Detroit by the end of this week.

Both had been heavily scouted by the team’s director of player evaluation, Jiri Fischer.

“Fisch has been on Kuffner for a couple of years,” Wings general manager Ken Holland told the Free Press. “We tried to sign him last year but he decided to stay in school one more year. He scored a lot of goals in college hockey. Fisch and I flew in Friday night to watch Princeton and Brown. He can score. Makes quick decisions, is competitive. Good on the wall.

“Both guys are going to be in Detroit for the rest of the year. We’re going to play them some games so they see what the NHL is all about. We’re getting two college players that have been very productive in college hockey this year.”

MSU forward Taro Hirose skates during the Spartans' game against Northern Michigan. Hirose was recognized as the NCAA and Big Ten First Star of the week after putting up six points in two games during last weekend's sweep over No. 8 Cornell.

Kuffner, 22, totaled 75 goals in 132 games to become Princeton’s all-time leading goal scorer. His 22 goals this season paced the ECAC and was fourth in the nation. He’s 6-1, 195 pounds.

Hirose, 22, has 116 points in 106 games over three seasons at MSU. The 5-10, 160-pound left wing led the nation this season in points (50), points-per-game (1.47), assists (35), multi-point games (15) and three- point games (9). He was at the Wings’ development camp last summer.

“Taro has high hockey IQ, he’s got nice stick skills,” Holland said. “We watched him Saturday at Notre Dame. Taro is a little bit more of a playmaker, Kuffner is a little bit more of a scorer, but they both have good hockey sense.

“They’ll be in Detroit with us, and then hopefully come into training camp next season and try to make our team.”

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Game thread: Red Wings lose in Montreal

Marlowe Alter, March 12, 2019

Detroit Red Wings (24-35-10, 58 points) at Montreal Canadiens (36-26-7, 79 points)

When: 7:30 p.m. tonight.

Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Québec.

TV: Fox Sports Detroit.

Radio: 97.1 FM (Red Wings radio affiliates).

Game notes: No Dylan Larkin again tonight for Detroit. This is the final game in the season series, with Montreal winning the first three by a combined 18-6 score. ... Montreal is tied with Columbus in the Eastern Conference wildcard race. ... Goalie Carey Price can set the Canadiens wins record with a victory. Price is 314-221-67 in 12 seasons with Montreal and tied in wins with Jacques Plante, who was 314-133 with 107 ties from 1952-63.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135674 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings' Filip Zadina standing by draft-night comments

Helene St. James, March 12, 2019

MONTREAL — Detroit Red Wings prospect Filip Zadina is learning, and above all, enjoying himself.

On Tuesday morning at Bell Centre, Zadina showed off the after-effects of his first NHL high-sticking experience, smiling widely even as he admitted the chipped tooth hurts and he can’t wait to get it fixed.

He also deftly parried questions about facing his first game in Montreal, against a team that passed on him in the 2018 draft. He’d been projected to go as high as third overall, but Montreal, Ottawa and Arizona all passed and the Wings nabbed him at sixth. The night of the draft, Zadina said he’d fill the nets of those who passed on him. It was a bold statement, especially in the age of social media, but that kind of confidence is part of Zadina’s personality.

“I said that and I stand behind what I said,” Zadina said.

An argument could have been made for sitting Zadina Tuesday because it’d mean he’d finish his nine-game audition with two home games, giving fans at Little Caesars Arena an opportunity to see one of the most exciting prospects in the organization. The draft-night comments didn’t factor into coach Jeff Blashill’s decision — it’s not like this will be Zadina’s only game in Montreal. He also already saw them at LCA, in the Feb. 26 loss.

“At the end of the day, I think that’s more of a long-term thing than a singular game,” Blashill said. “He was just stating in an 18-year-old, English-not-your-first-language way of saying I’m going to be a really good player and I’m going to do everything I can to make people that didn’t pick me pay. I hope he does that. But I think that’s way more of a long-term approach than anything else.

“Filip Zadina has got lots of maturity to him. Playing on the road is a great test for a young guy to keep making the progress we want him to make.”

Blashill joked he hopes Zadina learns that “he better stay off social media when you’re in the NHL, whether you’re a player, coach or manager.”

What matters to the Wings — and to Zadina — is that he’s shown progress from exhibition season, looking confident making plays and shooting the puck. He’d topped 15 minutes in four of his first seven games, and has gotten looks on the power play. Zadina scored his first NHL goal in his fourth game, March 5 at Arizona, and earned his first assist Saturday at Tampa Bay. That was also the night he ended up with a chipped tooth when Lightning forward Mathieu Joseph hit him the face with a stick. The Wings will send Zadina, 19, back to Grand Rapids after his ninth game to avoid triggering his entry-level contract, but he’s made a favorable impression.

“I think mental toughness and inner drive are the two biggest factors in individual success in anything in life, certainly in the NHL,” Blashill said. “He’s shown signs of that inner drive and he’s shown signs of that mental toughness. Those will be critical for him.”

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135675 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings' Dylan Larkin out another week with neck strain

Helene St. James, March 11, 2019

The Detroit Red Wings will be without their best player at least another two games.

General manager Ken Holland told the Free Press Monday that Dylan Larkin is “probably out another five-to-seven days, then day-to-day after that.”

Coach Jeff Blashill said after Sunday’s 6-1 loss at Florida that Larkin would see a specialist in New York. Holland said the second opinion aligned with what team doctors said: Larkin has a neck strain, but is expected to be able to play again this season.

Larkin has missed the last two games. He leads the Wings with 27 goals, 35 assists and 62 points. The team went 0-2 during weekend games in Florida, losing 3-2 Saturday at Tampa Bay. The play at Montreal Tuesday.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135676 Detroit Red Wings ► Battle for the worst: The Wings (24-36-10) stayed six points above Ottawa for the NHL’s worst record.

► Next: The Wings return home Thursday to play the Tampa Bay Red Wings clipped by Canadiens, eliminated from playoffs for third Lightning (7:30 p.m./FSD,97.1). straight season Detroit News LOADED: 03.13.2019

Ted Kulfan, March 13, 2019

A lot of teams have given the Red Wings problems this season, but you can single Montreal as a specific thorn.

The Canadiens completed a four-game season sweep Tuesday with a 3- 1 victory over the Wings in Montreal. With the loss, the Wings are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs for the third straight season.

Andreas Athanasiou scored an early third-period goal, giving the Wings some spark late. But Montreal goaltender Carey Price was superb on a milestone evening for him, and Max Domi scored his second of the game, an empty netter with 48 seconds left, to clinch the victory.

Twice this season, the Canadiens (who've beaten the Wings in the last nine games overall) embarrassed Detroit with lopsided routs. This game, though, wasn’t like that at all.

And that was a positive step for the Wings, who were coming off an discouraging weekend with two losses in Florida (Sunday’s loss to the Panthers especially nauseating).

Price stopped 20 shots, becoming the Canadiens’ all-time wins leader (315, moving past Jacques Plante) keeping Montreal (37-26-7) squarely in the hunt for a playoff berth.

Price made an outstanding save on a Tyler Bertuzzi breakaway with 12 minutes left in the game, then denied Frans Nielsen and Thomas Vanek on rebounds, preserving Montreal's one-goal lead.

The Wings (24-36-10) have lost 11 of their last 12 games.

Domi and Brett Kulak scored late second-period goals to open the scoring.

Both teams failed to convert on two power plays.

► Detroit's goal: Athanasiou scored his 24th goal at 40 seconds of third period, cutting Montreal’s lead to 2-1. Niklas Kronwall found Athanasiou in stride, and Athanasiou snapped a shot from the hash marks through Price.

► Larkin out: Dylan Larkin missed his fourth consecutive game because a neck strain. Coach Jeff Blashill told reporters after the morning skate Larkin won’t play until he’s pain-free and has full motion. Larkin saw a specialist Monday, confirming the injury was nothing more than a strain. Larkin is considered day-to-day, though he won't play Thursday.

► Price vs. Bernier: Price improved to 15-4-1 in his career against the Wings with another impressive outing. Price didn’t face much work, but was poised and efficient, as usual, when tested. Bernier was just as good. Bernier stopped 33 shots, but as has often been the case this season, still wasn’t enough to help the Wings into the win column. Bernier, incidentally, has only beaten Montreal once in 15 decisions against the Canadiens (1-11-3).

► Zadina WATCH: The Red Wings’ draft pick told reporters on draft night he’d fill the net of teams who passed on him — Montreal being one of them. But Zadina went scoreless in his first game against the Canadiens, with one shot, and a minus-1 rating, in 16:11 of ice time.

► Montreal’s goals: Domi opened the scoring, skating to the net and redirecting a pass from Andrew Shaw to the front of the net. It was Domi’s 23rd goal, at 12:27. Kulak extended the lead to 2-0 at 17:32 with his fourth goal, one-timing a setup by Tomas Tatar (who had two assists against his former Wings’ teammates). Domi clinched the game with an empty-net goal.

► Ericsson’s out: The Red Wings lost defenseman Jonathan Ericsson in the first period with what the team announced was a lower body injury. Ericsson appeared to hurt his right knee along the boards during a Wings’ penalty kill — it bent awkwardly as he fell during a collision — and needed to be helped off the ice. 1135677 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings sign Michigan State's Taro Hirose, Princeton's Ryan Kuffner as undrafted free agents

Ted Kulfan, March 12, 2019

The Red Wings signed two forwards — Michigan States Taro Hirose and Princeston’s Ryan Kuffner — Tuesday to two-year, entry-level contracts.

Both were undrafted college free agents, whom general manager Ken Holland said will join the Red Wings as early as this week.

Hirose, 22, spent the last three seasons at Michigan State, scoring 116 points (33 goals) in 106 games.

Hirose led the country in points (50), points-per-game (1.47) and assists (35) this season. In Big Ten play, Hirose led the conference in scoring with 34 points (10 goals) in 24 games.

At 5-foot-10, 160-pounds, Hirose compensates for lack of size with skill.

Kuffner, 22, had 44 points (22 goals, 22 assists) in 31 games at Princeston this season.

A 6-foot-1, 195-pound left wing from Ottawa, Kuffner had 75 goals (152 points) in 132 games during his collegiate career.

Kuffner is viewed by scouts as a capable goal-scorer but speed could be an issue at the pro level.

Detroit News LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135678 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings officially out of playoffs as streak vs. Canadiens grows

By The Associated Press

MONTREAL — Carey Price made 20 saves and became the winningest goaltender in the storied history of the Montreal Canadiens, who beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 on Tuesday night.

It was win No. 315 for Price, snapping a tie with Hall of Famer Jacques Plante atop the team leaderboard.

The Red Wings were officially eliminated from the playoffs, the third year in a row they have missed the postseason, and have lost to the Canadiens nine times in a row.

Max Domi had two goals and Brett Kulak also scored as the Canadiens (37-26-7) stopped a two-game slide. Tomas Tatar, who played for the Red Wings from 2010 to 2018, had two assists against his former team.

Andreas Athanasiou scored in the third period for Detroit (24-36-10), which has won just once in its past 12 games. Jonathan Bernier stopped 33 shots.

Price was on his game from the opening faceoff, making a nice pad save on Athanasiou on a breakaway in the game’s first minute.

With the game still scoreless in the second period, Price made a spectacular pad save on Michael Rasmussen before Shea Weber knocked the rebound away out of mid-air.

Domi put Montreal in front 12:27 into the second when he deflected Andrew Shaw's hard pass from the half-wall past Bernier for his 23rd goal of the season.

Kulak made it 2-0 five minutes later with a one-timer through traffic that knuckled on Bernier and trickled past him.

Athanasiou got Detroit on the board when he beat Price between the pads 40 seconds into the third period.

With 12 minutes to play, Price made his biggest saves of the night. The 31-year-old was fully outstretched to deny Tyler Bertuzzi on a breakaway before freezing the puck on Frans Nielsen's dangerous rebound.

Domi added the empty-netter with 49 seconds to play.

NOTES: It was the last of four meetings between the Canadiens and Red Wings this season. . Detroit F Dylan Larkin (neck injury) missed his fourth straight game.

UP NEXT

Red Wings: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.

Canadiens: Visit the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

Michigan Live LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135679 Detroit Red Wings How do players like this slip through the cracks in their draft-eligible years?

“As guys grow and get older, some mature later physically,” Fischer said. College free agents Ryan Kuffner, Taro Hirose will play for Red Wings “Some guys figure things out later. Everybody’s got their own timeline. this season Why some guys differentiate themselves at 21, 22, 23, I really think it’s about playing important minutes, important situations, that forces the player to make decisions, to prepare more for the games. When guys By Ansar Khan start becoming leaders of their teams it really changes their mindset.”

Filip Zadina, the Red Wings’ top pick in 2018, will be sent back to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins following his ninth game, which likely will be The Detroit Red Wings landed their top two targets in college free agency Thursday at home against Tampa Bay. That was the plan all along, to Tuesday, and they’re going to join the team this season. avoid burning a year off his entry-level contract and to keep him exempt The Red Wings signed forwards Ryan Kuffner of Princeton and Taro from the 2021 expansion draft. Hirose of Michigan State to two-year entry-level contracts. The 23-man roster limit was lifted at the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 25. The pair of skilled wingers will be with the Red Wings for the remainder Michigan Live LOADED: 03.13.2019 of the season and are expected to join the lineup in the next week to 10 days. The Canadian natives need to get their visas changed from academic to professional status. Kuffner is flying to Detroit Wednesday. Hirose will arrive Thursday.

“They were the top two free agent players we liked as a staff,” Jiri Fischer, the Red Wings’ director of player evaluation, said. “I don’t want to put who was No. 1 and who was No. 2 because they are different-type players. Ryan plays a little bit lower in the O-zone and Taro generally is the flank guy. (Hirose) would be more of a set-up guy, playmaker, whereas Ryan likes to be a little bit more of a shooter. They’re very complementary to each other.”

Kuffner (6-1, 195) is an Ottawa native who produced 22 goals and 22 assists in 31 games this season. In four years at Princeton, the left- shooting Kuffner has collected 75 goals and 152 points in 132 games.

“He’s got decent size, goes to the hard areas.” Red Wings assistant general manager Ryan Martin said. “I think he and his linemate, (Max) Veronneau (who signed with Ottawa Tuesday), were two of the best college hockey players in the country and really worked well together, so he can play a skilled game. He’s good at getting open away from the puck and can finish. He’s also got a pretty mature game without the puck. He’s a guy that’s responsible.”

Fischer said Kuffner would have been one of the top college free agents last year had he left Princeton early.

“He came into the season with big expectations of somebody that did extremely well a season ago,” Fischer said. “Now he was on the radar for all the teams to be the guy to shut down. I really liked the fact that he hasn’t done it just once, he’s done it back-to-back seasons, he’s produced.

“He is a very smart player playing in traffic. He’s got a quick release. He likes to play down low in the offensive zone. He can play quick, he can make fast decisions. We believe his game is going to translate to pro.”

Fischer lauded Kuffner’s hockey IQ.

“He is very smart,” Fischer said. “Out of all players I’ve met with last several years – free agents in Europe, college or overage juniors – he was the most self-aware of what he needed to work on as far as how to get better on the ice, what are his strengths, what are his weaknesses and also figuring out a plan and how to work on it. Going to Princeton, it’s one of the hardest schools to get in, academically, one of the hardest schools to graduate from.”

Hirose, 22, has spent the past three seasons at MSU, collecting 116 points (33 goals, 83 assists) in 106 games. This season, Hirose led the nation in points (50), points-per-game (1.47), assists (35), multi-point games (15) and three-point games (nine).

The 5-10, 160-pound Hirose, who is from Calgary, also was the Big Ten scoring champion, tallying 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) in 24 conference games.

“He can really make quick plays in traffic,” Fischer said. “He is extremely aware of the surroundings with and without the puck. He ran the half-wall on the power play, he’s also been used on the PK. Obviously, heavy minutes.

“He came to our development camp last summer, we got to know him personally.” 1135680 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings sign Ryan Kuffner, college free agent, to two-year deal

By Ansar Khan

The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Ryan Kuffner, a free agent from Princeton University, to a two-year entry-level contract.

Kuffner (6-1, 195) is an Ottawa native who produced 22 goals and 22 assists in 31 games this season.

In four years at Princeton, the left-shooting Kuffner has collected 75 goals and 152 points in 132 games.

Check back later for more details.

Michigan Live LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135681 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings look to raise compete level vs. nemesis Canadiens

By Ansar Khan

The Detroit Red Wings will try to snap an eight-game losing streak to Montreal when they face the Canadiens tonight at Bell Centre (7:30, Fox Sports Detroit).

The first step is competing, which they haven’t done in a few recent meetings with Montreal.

The Canadiens embarrassed the Red Wings 8-1 at Little Caesars Arena in their most recent matchup on Feb. 26. Montreal, in the past couple of seasons, also has defeated Detroit 10-1 (Dec. 2, 2017) and 7-3 (Oct. 15, 2018).

The Canadiens, an average team at best, have outscored the Red Wings 45-17 during this eight-game run.

The dominance is difficult to explain.

“I don’t understand why it comes against that team,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said after the latest game between the teams. “If I knew we’d have it solved.”

The Red Wings (24-35-10) are 1-7-3 in their past 11 games and coming off a 6-1 loss at Florida Sunday, another game in which their competition level was lacking.

While losing is better for the Red Wings’ future – a top-three draft pick would enable them to select one of three blue-chip forward prospects (Jack Hughes, Kaapo Kakko or Vasili Podkolzin) – getting blown out does them no good.

The Red Wings, with 58 points, are tied with the Los Angeles Kings for 29th place overall. The Ottawa Senators are last with 52 points. The team with the fewest points will have an 18.5 percent chance of winning the draft lottery (the Senators’ pick belongs to the Colorado Avalanche).

Montreal (36-26-7) is coming off back-to-back losses, including an 8-2 setback at Anaheim on Friday. The Canadiens, with 79 points, are tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final wild-card spot in the East.

Michigan Live LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135682 Edmonton Oilers “There’s two things you look at as a coach when you’re gauging a team: How many 20-goal scorers does a team have? And how many double digits? If you’ve got nine or more of those, you know that’s a playoff Oilers forward Alex Chiasson would be dancing in streets if he got 20 team,” said Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock, who has five in Draisaitl (42), McDavid (34), Nugent-Hopkins (22), Chiasson (19) and Zack Kassian (12). “When Alex gets to 20 and you have four or five at that number or more, you know you’ve got a good hockey club. It’s good for Alex but it’s Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal good for us to know we’ve got some weapons to use.

“Alex has played a lot better in the last three games and the line created We all know about Leon Draisaitl’s Quest for Fifty. lots of scoring chances against the Rangers. You would like to see him rewarded more but I like that Alex gets to spaces and he’s got speed that But how about Alex Chiasson’s Search for Twenty? people don’t fully realize. He doesn’t have the endurance of some skaters but he gets into scoring areas.” Getting 50 means the keys to a very exclusive club and all the cigars you want, because no Edmonton Oilers player has done it since Craig Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.13.2019 Simpson in 1987-88, when he had 56 — 43 here and 13 in Pittsburgh, before he came from the Penguins along with Chris Joseph for Paul Coffey.

But getting 20 if you’re Chiasson would be the stuff of dreams. It would be the second-best thing to lifting that Stanley Cup over his head last June when he was on the fourth line with the Washington Capitals. He’s never done it as a pro, never did it in college, and not in junior.

“Maybe in prep school,” said Chiasson.

That would have been the 35 he scored at Northwood Prep in Lake Placid 11 years ago, when he was 17, before he went to play in Des Moines, Iowa, in the USHL, before Boston University, before pro stops with Texas, Dallas, Ottawa, Calgary and Washington.

If you’re Chiasson, 20 is a feat for a role player. It means you’ve arrived as a scorer. There are only 84 forwards with 20 or more goals out of the 400 in the NHL.

Absolutely a feel-good story.

“Twenty? It’s a tough league to score in, once you get around 15 you’re having a pretty good year. Once you hit 20, you’ve done pretty well for yourself,” said Chiasson. “Yeah, I’m hoping to get there.

“With all that’s happened in my career, moving around, I’m not going to argue, it’s quite neat to be where I am right now with the opportunity I’m having, the amount of minutes I’m getting, and my play. You can’t be satisfied or you will be out of this league before you know it, though.”

And Chiasson, with 19 goals in 98 shots, knows it better than most. He’s been a journeyman throughout his 441 NHL games, never laying down any roots, always with a bag packed.

Have Skates and Passport, Will Travel.

When you score 20, you are looked at differently. It isn’t just a number.

“I’m not saying I’m a top-six forward, but I think this year I’ve proven I can be in the top nine and be on the power play and I can help out offensively. In the past years, I’ve had those opportunities and haven’t capitalized on them,” said Chiasson.

“This year, from the get-go I’ve grabbed it. From a guy who has had three one-year contracts, two PTO’s (pro tryouts), this is my best NHL season,” said Chiasson, who has played with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 17 minutes a night, when his career average has been about 13. Twelve games at over 20.

Chiasson had a wonderful shot at 20 against the Rangers Monday but scooped it wide in the slot, on the power play when the puck bobbled.

“I should have 25 now with all the opportunities. But this is a funny game. At the start of the year, everything I touched went in and my looks have been there lately, but they’re not going in,” he said. “I saw that Phil Kessel, a pretty good player in this league with lots of goals, had gone 16 games without scoring. I’m not comparing myself to Kessel, at all, but this is a tough league to score in.”

There are nights when Chiasson’s foot-speed seems off and he’s chasing the game a bit. But, he’s usually around the puck. If he got a two-year free-agent offer for the same money Drake Caggiula got last year, $1.5 million a season, he might jump at that, considering he’s currently making the league-minimum $650,000.

He’s proven at 28 he can be a Swiss Army Knife player: On the power play as a net-front, killing some penalties, third line to first line. 1135683 Edmonton Oilers The Oilers may be looking to older free-agent Europeans because they could step in immediately. They have 48 players on their reserve list, two under the max allowed.

Milan Lucic doesn't see inside of Oilers trainer's room very often Two possibles: Joakim Nygard, 26, (LW, Farjestads, Sweden) and Oulu Palve, 27, (C TPS Finland). In the past, the Oilers have signed Iiro Pakarinen and Lennart Petrell, and they could play in the NHL, but they Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal had no hands. They don’t want checkers.

This ’n’ that: Matt Benning came back for the last eight minutes of the third after taking a shoulder to his face from Connor Brickley 81 seconds Milan Lucic has been an Iron Man throughout his NHL career, missing into the period, but didn’t play. “That was a tough hit and we were unsure only 10 games over almost nine full seasons. (how he would look) and he’s such a courageous player who’s not going But when his sore hip KO’d him the past two games, he had the brass to to tell you the truth on how he’s feeling, like Kris Russell,” said Hitchcock. become a cheerleader for a change. “So we opted to stay with four defenceman.”… Zack Kassian is scoring a storm and on the top line, but says nothing can compare to seeing his “I’ve played through a lot in my career and found a way to keep healthy baby girl, Ellery, who was born on Sunday … Former Oilers back-up but it happened in practice, kind of a muscular thing. Maybe it is wear goalie Mike Zanier, who does colour commentary for Vaxjo in Sweden, and tear,” said the Edmonton Oilers winger, who was out there with his was in town for three games with a group of fans. He was the guy who teammates Tuesday and will likely return after he tests out the hip again tipped off the Oilers about free-agent defenceman Joel Persson during in the morning skate ahead of Wednesday’s game against the New the 2017-18 season … Jujhar Khaira (foot) didn’t skate Tuesday but Jersey Devils. there’s a good chance he’ll play third-line wing against the Devils … Devils winger Jesper Bratt, who was hit in the face in practice in Sweden It’s hard playing every game, obviously. before the Oilers game in October and brokw his jaw, was in New “I tried to play through it on Thursday but I needed a couple of games off. Jersey’s dressing room this week with a limp and a crutch in his right The guy I’m most impressed by is (Andrew) Cogliano in how he could hand, and won’t be seeing the Oilers this time around either. New Jersey stay healthy, but eventually it caught up to him too. Happens to has seven regulars injured. everyone,” said Lucic. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.13.2019 Cogliano played 929 games without missing any through injury. He sat out two with a suspension but that was it until he got caught by a freight train. He hurt his shoulder late last month when hit by Vegas’s winger Ryan Reaves.

SWEET SPOT

Nobody can truly know the pain of taking a slapper in the testicles unless you’ve been through it.

So Oscar Klefbom, predictably, wasn’t on the ice for practice Tuesday after Brendan Smith’s shot Monday in the Rangers’ game.

There doesn’t appear to be serious damage but he’s iffy for New Jersey on Wednesday, and if he can’t go, Kevin Gravel will likely take his spot.

“Oscar wasn’t blocking a shot but it came underneath,” said Oilers head coach Ken Hitchcock. “When you see how bad it was, you get really worried. And that’s how we were last night when he couldn’t come back. There’s a lot of gladiators on this team, they’re fearless blocking shots. This is the first team I’ve coached where the players don’t wear shot- blockers.”

GAME SHAPE

Oilers defenceman Andrej Sekera was stretched to the limit, playing a season-high 23:32 against New York, six minutes more than he averaged over his first 10 games.

“He was a very tired guy today. This was a big extensio with us only having five defenceman. I’ve expected Andrej to hit the wall hard with his injury (torn achilles), with as long as he was out, but he hasn’t yet and that’s a good sign,” said Hitchcock.

MAXED OUT

The Oilers went hard after Princeton captain Max Veronneau but the college free-agent centre decided to sign with his hometown Ottawa Senators, who lured him with the chance to play right away on the NHL’s worst team.

He has 144 points in 130 career games with Princeton. The Oilers, one of the finalists for Veronneau, loved his speed, even if they need wingers more, organizationally.

They also looked at Veronneau’s college line-mate Ryan Kuffner. With 51 goals in 67 games the past two seasons, he can obviously score but his footspeed at the NHL level was a bit of a red flat for them. Kuffner signed with Red Wings.

The Oilers were pitching for centre Taro Hirose, the leading NCAA point producer with Michigan State, but he opted for the Wings, too. 1135684 Edmonton Oilers

Oilers winger Milan Lucic talks about the NHL's brand of justice

Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal

So, Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Jake Voracek have all be suspended for two games.

Big guns silenced for hits the NHL didn’t like. Unusual stuff, eh?

“When Connor got suspended, I told him we’ve now been suspended for the same amount of games. So you can put him in the same category as me, if you want,” said Edmonton Oilers’ rough ’n’ tumble winger Milan Lucic.

Lucic doesn’t think the NHL can play favourites: Stars vs. role players or beat cops.

“Everyone has to be treated evenly, I guess, for dirty plays, if you want to call them that, or head shots,” said Lucic. “I mean, those are three guys with not much history. They aren’t out there picking heads or trying to hurt guys, by any means.

“But they (the NHL) is trying to keep the head shots down. They (the stars) get dinged up a little more with their salaries (as financial penalties) coming off on a game-to-game basis when you sit out.

“Obviously, those are guys you want to show-case, you don’t want them sitting in the stands. You want them on the ice promoting the game because the fans are paying top dollar to come and watch them but at the end of the day George (Parros, head of Player Safety) and his staff have a job to do.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135685 Edmonton Oilers “If you’re missing you’re No. 1 D, it’s a big blow for any team in this league,” said Koskinen of Klefbom. “How good Sekera has been since a pretty bad injury has been impressive.”

JONES: Klefbom and Sekera the underlying force behind Oilers' playoff Koskinen did not have a great game against the Rangers, letting in a push particularly ghastly goal that allowed New York back into what was, up to that point, an under-control 2-0 hockey game. But two goals against, is two goals against. Terry Jones Keep the opposition down to that most nights and you’re going to win a lot of hockey games.

Despite the sudden burst of optimism in Rogers Place on Monday, there Koskinen, who is now 21-15-4 in the Oilers nets with a 2.74 goals-against was an accompanying jolt of gloom and doom when Oscar Klefbom average, has now brought his save percentage up to .913. That places when down the corridor to the Edmonton Oilers dressing room after him tied for 20th in the league with Pekka Rinne of Nashville, one spot playing only 5:45 against the New York Rangers and didn’t return. behind Carey Price (.914) of Montreal and one position ahead of Marc- Andre Fleury (9.12) of Vegas. Klefbom, who set-up Leon Draisaitl for his first of two against the Rangers, was not on the ice for practice Tuesday morning either. But After losing six straight, Koskinen has now won seven of his last eight after practice, head coach Ken Hitchcock said his No. 1 defenceman was and allowed two or fewer goals against in seven of his last 10 since the expected to return from the shot to the family jewels — I mean, lower- Oilers had both Sekera and Klefbom back. body injury — for Game 70 Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils. This is the thing. With the two back, the Oilers at least have a reasonable So relax. facsimile of an NHL defence compared to the fire drill they’ve had back there with Sekera missing a total of 117 games the past two seasons and It is no coincidence that the Oilers are 25-18-4 with Klefbom in the line-up Klefbom missing 45 in the same stretch. and 6-12-13 with him out his year. On Twitter: @ByTerryJones It is also no coincidence the Oilers are 7-2-2 since Andrej Sekera has returned from his second consecutive major injury to keep him out of the Postmedia reporter Trevor Robb speaks with hockey writers Derek Van majority of the last two seasons. Diest and Rob Tychkowski on the possibility of the Edmonton Oilers making the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs this spring. The Oilers have pulled To most looking in from afar, Draisaitl and Connor McDavid (Draisaitl within five points of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with being so hot right now with his 18th goal in his last 21 games played that 13 games left to play. you currently have to list them in that order) probably appear to be the top two reasons a pinch of hope has returned here for Edmonton fans in Is there really an opportunity for the Oilers to get into the playoffs? They this supposedly long, lost hockey season. are playing their best hockey of the season, currently on a 7-2-1 run. The team is starting to turn skeptics into believers. And even the Hockey But I submit the No. 1 and No. 2 reasons the Oilers have only two Gods seem to be cooperating. outright loses in their last 11 games — both to the Toronto Maple Leafs — are actually Klefbom and Sekera. Either way, it’s nice to have the Oilers play meaningful games in March.

Draisaitl, moving up to fourth place (89 points) behind leaders Nikita Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.13.2019 Kucherov (111), Patrick Kane (98) and McDavid (98), is definitely an obvious story to the team that went from a 1.5 per-cent chance to a five per-cent chance of making the playoffs, according to Sports Club Stats computerized website, with the Edmonton win and losses by Minnesota, Colorado and Arizona Monday.

But it’s not hard to make the case that the real reasons are Klefbom and Sekera.

When Klefbom, who set Drisaitl up for his first of two against the Rangers, was announced recovered to return from the shot to the family jewels for Game 70 Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils, there were waves of relief from the fans still holding out hope.

“Where we’re better is that we spend less time in our own zone. That’s the No. 1 area. I’m not saying we’re any better defending but we spend way less time in our own zone than we have previously and that’s with the addition of Sekera and the addition of Klefbom,” said head coach Ken Hitchcock, when I asked him to chew on the thought. “They transition the puck out of there. We are not in near as much trouble as we were before. We were in a lot of trouble before. We’d get hemmed in for extended periods of time. So you were seeing way more shots.

“Those two guys have augmented two pairs for us and made two pairs a lot better because they are comfortable when they’re in their own zone and they help us get out of there.”

If you were to list two reasons goaltender Mikko Koskinen will take a personal five-game winning streak into the New Jersey game, the reasons are Klefbom and Sekera.

“What Mikko is not seeing is a lot of the garbage that is around the front of the net when there’s three or four opportunities. He’s not seeing the bang-bang-bang plays that were in the goal crease before,” said the head coach, who watched Leon Draisaitl pull the trigger in overtime to produce a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers in overtime.

The win moved the Oilers within five points, with a game in hand and 13- games to go. 1135686 Edmonton Oilers

'It’s such a cool experience': Life is good for new dad Zack Kassian

Robert Tychkowski

Hockey team is rising from the dead to challenge for a playoff spot.

And his first child is born.

Life could not get much better for Oilers winger Zack Kassian.

The hockey stuff alone would be enough to put anyone’s head n the clouds, but all of it is a distant second to the birth of his daughter Ellery on Sunday morning.

“It’s definitely been an exciting 48 hours,” said Kassian, who pitched in an assist in Monday’s win over the New York Rangers.

“People who have kids know what that experience is like. It’s something me and my wife will never forget.”

Kassian has been running on fumes for a few days now. Saturday night game against the Leafs. Sunday morning at the hospital. Monday night game against the Rangers.

“You run on adrenaline,” he said. “I think it hit me (Monday) when we finally came home from the hospital in the afternoon. Baby is healthy, my wife is healthy. It’s such a cool experience. We’re so grateful and thankful for it.”

Kassian, who’s been playing his best hockey in years, has made the adjustment to first line winger surprisingly well, as evidenced by his recent four-game goal scoring streak. Now comes an even bigger challenge: Adjusting to fatherhood.

“I knew this time was coming sooner or later,” he laughed adding his life experiences might give him a bit of an advantage.

“Me and my wife joke that I’ve been through a lot of things in my life so I don’t think she will be able to pull any fast ones on me growing up. It’s cool. It’s the best day of my life, and hers.

“And then you have our hockey team, we’re fighting to get in the playoffs, we’re five points out. We have to get some rest and be ready to go for the final stretch.”

Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock says the team couldn’t be happier that things are going so well for a hard-working guy who wears his heart on his sleeve.

“He’s arguably the most popular guy in the room. And this is pretty exciting time for him. This is the best I’ve ever seen him play,” said Hitchcock. “He has great composure with his game and it’s good to see.

“He’s augmented that line in a really positive way and I think everybody feels really good for him because he’s such a sincere guy in the locker room.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135687 Edmonton Oilers “From an evaluation standpoint, this was a really rich hockey game. They’re a deep team and the competition is rich, so, unless you were on top of your game every shift, you got exposed.”

JONES: Edmonton Oilers still in the fight for a playoff spot There were plenty of other games that showed the same things but off that one game alone Edmonton Sun readers shouldn’t have a difficult time filling out their ‘Who Should Go? Who Should Stay’ ballots at the Terry Jones end of the season.

Monday night to their credit the Oilers, as was the case after that humiliating 6-2 loss in Toronto on the previous road trip, were able to Perhaps you noticed. park the 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs at home. Coming off the loss in In their last 11 games, as a result of their 3-2 overtime win Monday night Toronto, Edmonton equaled a season-high winning streak of four over the New York Rangers, the Edmonton Oilers are 7-2-2. straight.

Perhaps you didn’t notice. Monday night, to the credit of the players inside of the dressing room who aren’t giving up hope until the mathematicians tell them they’re out, In the last month the Oilers have won all their games against teams picked themselves up and got back, dusted themselves off, and went positioned out of the playoffs and lost all their games to teams positioned back to the rodeo. in the playoffs. It’s not like the Rangers came to town looking like the Ottawa Senators. Which is to say, in the last month, Edmonton has basically proved to be They brought a 28-28-12 record to Rogers Place, slightly better than the now better than the other out-of-the-playoff teams and yet still unable to 30-31-7 record of the Oilers. compete against the teams who will be playing for the Stanley Cup at the conclusion of the 82-game season. It could have very easily have turned out the other way with a lot of wrist slashing. But it didn’t. It was a night the Oilers had waited an entire month to experience — when three teams ahead of them in the Western Conference standings The odds are still very much against the miracle but the thimble full of would lose on the out-of-town scoreboards — Minnesota and Colorado 3- hope became more of a shot glass full of hope and the Oilers at least 0 at home and Arizona 7-1 in Chicago. were paid off to some extent for not giving up. And next year doesn’t look quite so bleak as it did a month ago. And it wasn’t exactly dominating. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.13.2019 Leon Draisaitl won it with his 42nd goal of the season in overtime after the Oilers blew a 2-0 lead. Draisaitl also two assists for 89 points on the year.

The win and combined with the losses on the out of town scoreboards moved the Oilers within five points of the final playoff spots with 13 games to go. But it also did more than that.

As you watch the Oilers complete their 40th season in the NHL with an eye going forward what you are seeing now isn’t what you thought you were seeing a month ago.

They’re not the total fixer-upper they appeared to be.

That’s especially true when the other eye is on the farm club in Bakersfield where the Condors have won 20 of their last 22 and rule their division and developing players are now clearly identifiable.

If only GM Peter Chiarelli hadn’t left them in salary cap hell you could even come to the conclusion it could be a quick fix.

But they ARE in salary cap hell.

So it won’t be.

What we’ve watched lately, however, I believe, tells you once they start the fixing, the roof shouldn’t fall in again like it has after ending the Decade of Darkness two years ago with that 103-point season and going to Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinal.

Dating back to February 13, they’ve lost to Pittsburgh, Carolina, NY Islanders, Nashville and Toronto twice.

Their outright wins have been to Anaheim, Ottawa, Columbus, Buffalo, Vancouver and now the Rangers.

Going forward to the final 13 games of the season, you could project wins against New Jersey, Arizona, Ottawa, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Colorado and maybe Columbus again (although they are now in possession of a playoff position) with losses to Vegas, St. Louis, Dallas, Vegas again, San Jose and Calgary.

Forget examining what we’ve watched here in the last month. Examine just what we’ve watched here with just the last two games.

After the Oilers loss to the Leafs Saturday, head coach Ken Hitchcock made the statement.

“It’s a great game to evaluate on. It tells you who what you’ve got now and what you’ve got moving forward. And when you have a team that can play at that tempo, especially through the middle of the ice, any mistakes get exposed. And time that you decide on the ice to rest, you get exposed. 1135688 Edmonton Oilers So, the Oilers’ McDavid window is 2021-22 through 2025-26 — five seasons — with Draisaitl possibly re-signing should things go well. Five years is a nice period of time, and if the new manager makes good Lowetide: How the Oilers can build a contender during Connor McDavid’s decisions, Oilers fans should be in a position to cheer playoff games for prime most of the next decade.

The genesis for this article is the fine work done by Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic. His projection of the top 50 NHL players in 2021-22 is a By Allan Mitchell Mar 12, 2019 revelation for Oilers fans (McDavid is No. 1, Draisaitl is inside the top 30), and he applies game score and aging curves to arrive at reasonable

conclusions. You can read about the process in depth here. His Daniel Nugent-Bowman recently wrote about a turning point for Leon projection model is the centrepiece of our discussion. Draisaitl and the impact he’s having on games since mid-January. A few quick things before proceeding: Nugent-Bowman quoted coach Ken Hitchcock (“he needed to change and just kinda slow down and understand that positioning and spacing on A defenceman like Adam Larsson doesn’t show full value here, mostly the ice was just as important as effort”) and offered what might be a key because a large part of his value comes on the defensive side of the element involving the future of the Edmonton Oilers. Draisaitl’s puck. adjustment, the tweak Hitchcock mentions, may be central in addressing the hurdles facing the club in the years to come. If your favourite player is judged as a second-line winger instead of elite, there could be reasons for the gap. As I mentioned with Larsson and his The biggest challenge for this team? Same as it ever was, since fall defensive acumen, two-way forwards and playmakers are sometimes 2015: Closing the gap between Connor McDavid on the ice and the viewed as underrated in Dom’s system. minutes he is at rest. Oilers fans have argued well past the midnight hour about how best to use Draisaitl (with or without 97) but the truth is two For prospects, NHLe’s were used and then extrapolated in Dom’s veteran coaches have found a common answer. Both Todd McLellan and projections. Ken Hitchcock have tried to split them, but when push comes to shove, There are surprises up and down, make sure you understand the both found that playing the men together was necessary when chasing rankings (the colour codes are helpful) and remember we are talking games from behind. several years in the distance. Some of the older players may be exiting The roster wrinkle, McDavid on the No. 1 line and Draisaitl at centre on prime years in 2021-22. the second unit with both men outscoring opponents 5-on-5, is If your favourite prospect isn’t here, that’s not because the system hates Edmonton’s key to the highway. Management must give the coach more him. Rather, there may be a player in the system currently who delivers elite talent in order to optimize both centres. more promise at this time.

The template: It was there all along Goalies aren’t listed, but we’ll discuss that briefly later.

In 2016-17, the Oilers enjoyed a strong regular season followed by a The immediate conclusion we can draw is the fantastic luck the Oilers substantial playoff run that included a series win over the San Jose enjoy having McDavid and Draisaitl together in their prime. It’s also true Sharks and an epic seven-game war against the Anaheim Ducks. In the both men being signed and having cost certainty gives the new general series against the Ducks, McDavid drove his line and Draisaitl’s trio manager an advantage. (despite losing the possession battle) found ways to score against the Ducks consistently. The strength of the centremen allows the 2021-22 Oilers to run slightly below average wingers (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Tyler Benson on left Although the two seasons that have followed suggest 2017 was a false wing, Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi on the other side) because spring, there are lessons to be learned from that team and a template the impact pivots will float all boats. that can be utilized in cobbling together a future roster that reaches the level of Stanley Cup contender. The keys for me are the top two lines, top two pairings and No. 3 centre. Dom’s model gives the future Oilers a thumbs up. Of course, the Oilers true folly during the Peter Chiarelli era happened on June 29, 2016. In sending Taylor Hall to New Jersey, the Oilers lost an The trajectory of Evan Bouchard as a legit top pairing option is a major enormous weapon: A second forward who could drive possession, push positive for the 2021-22 Oilers. Along with Klefbom’s health and a steady the river against elite opposition and cut the game in half for Edmonton’s flow of value contracts, Bouchard delivering on promise is vital. coach. McDavid’s line driving results for 15 minutes 5-on-5 per evening, followed by Hall’s trio doing the same thing, would have meant a The big hole is No. 2 RD. Dom’s numbers give the team solid marks tremendous advantage for the Oilers. It was not to be, as Chiarelli’s elsewhere but there’s simply no player in that spot at this time. One could search for a right defenceman (to replace Jeff Petry, who had been sent argue Larsson will fill the role, but in 2021-22 the league will be even away for draft picks in March 2015) found flight with Adam Larsson and faster and Larsson will be 29. the Devils. Cooper Marody, Kirill Maksimov, Ryan McLeod and Caleb Jones offer For Edmonton’s new management, the ‘twin drivers’ idea remains, with average or slightly above average options in support roles. If Marody can Draisaitl being the key. If he can stand and deliver in the No. 2 centre fill that No. 3 centre spot, Edmonton will have solved a problem that has slot, things fall into place for the club and allow a quick turnaround if the been an issue for some time. cap issues can be dealt with in rapid fashion. Those cap issues are All of that said, this roster looks like a contender using Dom’s system. represented on the roster by contracts belonging to Milan Lucic, Andrej McDavid and Draisaitl give the team an edge on the top two lines, and Sekera, Kris Russell, Sam Gagner and Brandon Manning. the big three on defence (by that time Klefbom, Bouchard and Nurse) For the incoming management group, the next 15 months will be key to form a strong foundation. The key is on the wings. Benson, Yamamoto success. Offloading cap problems while building a stronger pipeline, and Puljujarvi are all shy but should cover the bet due to their centres. getting immediate help on the wing and contending for the 2020 playoffs That said, Edmonton’s room to grow is on the wings. are going to make things interesting. How will it look after that? Dom’s table gives us three future issues: No. 3 left wing, No. 4 right wing The window to win and No. 2 right defenceman. The bigger issue could be on defence, especially if Larsson fades to the point he is unable to cover a top-four Connor McDavid’s $12.5 million AAV contract ends in the summer of position. Edmonton does have some internal options (Ethan Bear, Joel 2026; Leon Draisaitl’s deal for $8.5 million AAV expires one year earlier. Persson) but it would be a bad idea to count on Bouchard and one of If we’re looking for optimal, I’d suggest two summers to get the cap those two solving the top righty slots on the most important pairings. That house in order and to allow draft picks already procured to continue means an outside option. developing. Add another year for those developing prospects to arrive as NHL players contributing to wins, and the Oilers should be poised to One trade piece he can’t use is the 2019 first-round selection. It’s too begin the journey to win Stanley. valuable and could be that scoring winger the Oilers covet currently. Using the pick this summer means the player selected would avoid the Seattle expansion draft and give Edmonton another full shot at a driver for the forward group. There’s a good chance that pick will be inside the That said, and with the understanding Charlie McAvoy and Aaron Ekblad top 10, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility the team can select a aren’t going to be available, the numbers I value suggest Detroit Red forward like Matthew Boldy, whose scouting report reads like something Wings defenceman Filip Hronek (great possession numbers compared to close to a dream for a team in need of a natural goal scorer. his teammates) and Chicago Blackhawks youngster Henri Jokiharju would be reasonable bets. Now, good luck acquiring them. Projecting the 2021-22 salary cap Conclusion The combined cost of McDavid and Draisaitl is $21 million and that’s a hard cost no one should ever complain about. Also signed for 2021-22 Dom’s model and waiting for the Chiarelli albatross contracts to expire are Milan Lucic, Oscar Klefbom and Mikko Koskinen. Edmonton will allow us to see two things clearly: There is an enormous chance for this probably sign Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Adam Larsson to extensions next manager to have success and there is a considerable number of when their contracts are due. Offloading Lucic is a problem now, so it’s a useful pieces bubbling under the NHL group right now. Some of the good bet it will be an albatross three years down the line. At some point, assets are in limbo (Jesse Puljujarvi) and others are matriculating in possibly this summer, Edmonton’s general manager will need to find a uneven fashion (Kailer Yamamoto) but the talent is there. trade or buy out the Lucic contract. The difficulty for Edmonton’s next GM will be the multiple tasks of If we take the cap hits of McDavid, Draisaitl, Klefbom, Koskinen, Boldy on competing for the Stanley Cup while also building up the system and an entry-level deal (with full bonus likely) and re-signed Nuge, Nurse and finding that final offensive piece (represented by Boldy in our Larsson, we’re approaching $50 million for eight players. If we assume a conversation). 2021-22 cap hit of $88 million, that’s $38 million available for 15 players. Adding in youngsters Evan Bouchard, Jesse Puljujarvi, Jujhar Khaira, Having taken the time to go through the experience of projecting the Kailer Yamamoto, Tyler Benson, Cooper Marody, Kirill Maksimov, Ryan 2021-22 Oilers, I’m convinced the damage done can be repaired. It’s vital McLeod and Caleb Jones from Dom’s list, we can push that cap hit to for the new management group to stop bleeding talent, to add skill and around $72 million (with the understanding we are now outside the realm speed and to identify a quality goaltender who can serve as an above of great accuracy on estimates) for 17 men. average No. 1 from 2021 through 2026.

That leaves $16 million (assuming the Lucic deal is gone and Edmonton It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. doesn’t buy out anyone else this summer) for six players: No. 2 RHD, No. The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 4 right wing, forwards No. 13 and 14, defenceman No. 7 and a backup goaltender.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins—Connor McDavid—Kailer Yamamoto

Matthew Boldy—Leon Draisaitl—Jesse Puljujarvi

Tyler Benson—Cooper Marody—Kirill Maksimov

Jujhar Khaira—Ryan McLeod—???

Oscar Klefbom—Evan Bouchard

Darnell Nurse—???

Caleb Jones—Adam Larsson

Mikko Koskinen

What does it mean? Edmonton would have big time walking around money. The general manager, freed from the Lucic, Sekera, Russell contracts and all of the money leaking from deals bought out, can sign a top flight righty defenceman, upgrade in goal and still have enough to get a rocket offensive forward. Music! To further the idea of internal solutions, William Lagesson is shining brightly in Bakersfield and has played right side defence effectively for the Condors this season. Perhaps the Oilers will solve everything internally, although best to wait for all these kids to prove it.

I haven’t mentioned goaltending much in this look at the 2021-22 Oilers, mostly because the team could succeed in any number of ways. Koskinen’s acquisition last summer cost just money and chances are the team will add a substantial backup this summer. Several draft picks in recent seasons are developing; it’s possible one of them develops into a viable option. A trade for a proven goaltender who is being pushed by a phenom (the scenario that allowed the Toronto Maple Leafs to acquire Frederik Andersen from the Anaheim Ducks) may appear in the next couple of summers for Edmonton. What could the 2020 first-round pick and the 2021 second-round selection acquire in the way of goaltending?

Trade targets

Wingers like Taylor Hall and Nik Ehlers could shake loose due to cap or signability issues as soon as this summer, so it would behoove the new general manager to check all available options. Hurrying up the process is fine, but Edmonton has to avoid long-term contracts given to players around 30 years old and sending away its own players before or during their prime seasons. So, as tempting as Hall might be, acquiring and then signing him to a long-term deal has some risks.

Right defence is quickly becoming the ‘hope diamond’ position in the NHL, so the prices are extreme now and will likely be more severe in the days to come. I think the asset cost is so severe it’s prudent to draft this position heavily and hope one or more turn out in the next couple of years. 1135689 Los Angeles Kings Wagner has nine goals and seven assists in 49 games.

This and that

Kings captain Anze Kopitar sings Carl Grundstrom’s praises The numbers this season say a lot about the results. The Kings average 2.35 goals, second-fewest in the league. Their power-play success rate The 21-year-old rookie forward has made an impact quickly after arriving is 15.1 percent, which ranks 27th. Their penalty-kill success rate is 75.6, from Toronto in the Jake Muzzin trade which ranks 29th. Annually one of the top defensive teams, the Kings are allowing 3.14 goals per game and only nine teams allow more. … After Thursday, the Kings will host Florida at 1 p.m. Saturday. By Robert Morales Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.13.2019

EL SEGUNDO — Immediate reviews on Kings young forward Carl Grundstrom are in, and they are good. Not just because he is only the second player in franchise history to score goals in his first two NHL games, either.

Grundstrom turned the trick when he scored in Saturday’s 4-2 loss at Arizona and Sunday’s 3-2 victory at Anaheim.

To team captain Anze Kopitar, the 21-year-old from Sweden has been impressive.

“Well, he’s certainly made an impact on our team and he had his name all over the two games that he played,” Kopitar said. “He’s physical, he competes and he can finish, obviously, so it’s really nice to see.”

Grundstrom sat at his locker after practice Tuesday and was told of Kopitar’s assessment. The soft-spoken Grundstrom smiled, seeming almost embarrassed to get such an analysis from the likes of Kopitar.

“Obviously, that’s real big,” said Grundstrom, who is listed at 6-foot, 201 pounds. “He’s a great player who won two Stanley Cups and, obviously, that means a lot.”

Second-year forward Alex Iafallo also sings Grundstrom’s praises.

“Yeah, he’s doing well. First two games and he’s driving to the net and getting to those scoring areas, so it’s good to see and it definitely helps give us momentum getting to the right areas and putting those in,” Iafallo said.

That all sounds good, but interim coach Willie Desjardins gives Grundstrom more than a round of applause for showing so well his first two games. He was asked Tuesday to identify what he likes, and doesn’t like, about Grundstrom.

“I don’t know about his weakness; I haven’t seen one that I would really call glaring,” said Desjardins, whose Kings (25-36-8, 58 points) will open a five-game homestand against Nashville at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Staples Center.

That in itself was a compliment. But Desjardins saw something at practice that opened his eyes even more.

“I like how he practiced,” Desjardins said. “That’s the first time I’ve really gotten a chance to see him in practice and get a good look at him. I like it. Like, he practices the right way, which is good. And I think it shows in the games.

“He’s not going to score every night for us; that’s not a fair thing to expect. But it is fair to expect him to give a good effort and he does that every shift, so I think that’s the best part of his game.”

They say for a boxer, a fight is won or lost during training camp. That’s what Desjardins means when he says Grundstrom practices the right way.

“He practices hard, he has lots of intensity,” Desjardins said. “When he does a drill, he goes all out in the drill. Like, he doesn’t go at 80 percent, he goes all out. And I think that just pays off.

“I think that’s your habit and when you get to a game, that’s your habit. And you get used to doing things at high speeds, and that’s how he plays.”

Wagner about ready

Rookie forward Austin Wagner has missed the past four games with a lower-body injury. He practiced Tuesday and although Desjardins said he would have to wait and see how sore Wagner was post-practice, he believes there is a chance Wagner will play Thursday.

“It looked like he might be good to go,” Desjardins said. 1135690 Los Angeles Kings needed to get back on track and dial back in and realize that we need to continue to play a certain way. And when you don’t, it makes for a long night.

FINAL – COLORADO 5, ONTARIO 1 On the young blueline and the struggle of lacking a “veteran voice” on the backend

ZACH DOOLEY MARCH 12, 2019 It’s more than just a voice, it’s going out and settling things down when things are going a little chaotic. We had some success in Tucson, but we played most of the first game with five D because Clague got hurt and in the second game, we were with the same inexperience and sooner or Tuesday Night in Colorado was one to forget for the Reign, and later, it’s going to catch up with you. You can’t expect that they’re going thankfully for the visitors, they’ve got another crack at things tomorrow. to keep playing above, maybe their level or what they’re ready for, but Ontario began a back-to-back set at Budweiser Events Center with a 5-1 our forwards were much better for them in those games and we weren’t defeat against the Eagles, their first defeat on what had previously been [tonight]. When you get just over your own blueline, and you’re turning a 2-0 start to the road trip. pucks over, that’s not helping those guys. We spent too much time To their credit, the Reign would not use any of the potentialy available retreating and trying to recover pucks, the onus is on everybody to excuses, focusing on their own play with a common theme of needing to manage the puck better and we put a lot of stress on a young, be better tomorrow night. inexperienced D. If you look, there’s a big difference – say you’re fortunate enough to grab MacDermid, Roy and Walker, it changes your The Eagles had speed and energy on the forecheck from the start of the backend dramatically. But we don’t want them, they’re playing with the game, skating with pace in the offensive zone leading to the game- Kings, so let them keep playing with the Kings. Now, it’s up to these opening goal from defenseman Kevin Davis, whose shot from the right guys. Lintuniemi, he’s probably our most experienced presence back point deflected off of Reign forward Kyle Bauman and past Petersen for there and we’ve got some younger guys, Brickley’s just back, and in the his second tally of the season. The play was really a tough break for long run, I think this is only going to benefit these guys, but you’re going Bauman, who actually made the right play to get into the shooting lane. to experience nights like this for them. It’s part of the growing pains.

Ontario bounced back quickly, however, to knot the game at one less On losing Kale Clague from the lineup than two minutes after the Colorado opener, through forward Sam Herr, who picked up his seventh tally of the season as he tied a professional It was a shame for Kale. We really feel good about where Kale was career high with his 14th point of the season. Forward Sheldon Rempal headed. Who knows, things were going so well, maybe he gets a look collected a point for the third straight game with the primary assist, while with the Kings as they wind down their season. I don’t know for certain, defenseman Austin Strand picked up the secondary helper. but with they way things are going, they’re trying to have a look at some players of the future, maybe that would have worked out. Even with that The Eagles took control of the game in the middle stanza with a trio of said, he was logging a lot of minutes with us, he was playing in all goals, beginning with Davis’ second tally of the evening. Colorado also situations. You encourage your guys to block shots on the PK, he blocks got a breakaway tally from forward Julien Nantel, who scored through the a shot, breaks his foot and now he’s going to be out for four to six weeks. five hole for his first goal of the season, and defenseman Mason It’s a shame, it really is. I guess it’s kind of typical for the way that things Geertsen, as the hosts opened up a 4-1 lead through 40 minutes. have gone for the Kings organization this year. But, he did it doing the right thing, blocking a shot on the PK. It’s been a good first year for Kale, Forward A.J. Greer scored from a sharp angle midway through the third it just would’ve been nice to see it go a little bit longer for him. period to close out the scoring. Matt Luff on tonight’s loss Petersen concluded his evening with 39 saves on 44 shots, as he faced less than 45 shots in a game for the first time in seven starts that he I don’t think we really gave ourselves a chance to win from the start. A lot played the entirety of. For his part, Petersen turned aside several of turnovers, I think every man knows that wasn’t an acceptable breakaways in the early stages of the game, in addition to a few odd-man performance. I think energy was low, you could see it from warmups, not rushes, to keep the Reign in it when they were. a lot of tempo, not a lot of good passes. You’ve got to look at it real quick, but we’ve got them again tomorrow and I think, looking at this road trip, if On an injury note, defenseman Chaz Reddekopp and Daniel Brickley we can go home with a 3-1 [record]….I think we can play with these each blocked a shot and went to the locker room at points during the guys, but it has to be a full compete and a full 60 from us. game, but both later returned and finished the game. On what went wrong, whether it was travel or altitude, or something else Forward Brett Sutter reached an AHL milestone, as he became the 39th player in league history to appear in 800 AHL games. Sutter reached his I mean, at the end of the day, we’re pros. Can’t really say travel, we got 750th AHL game earlier this season and the 800-game mark as a in two days ago, practiced yesterday and got a feel for the air and we got professional late in the 2017-18 campaign. our legs under us. We had a practice this morning. I don’t think there’s any reason we can blame travel. At the end of the day, we had a good The two teams will be right back at it tomorrow night, with puck drop break, it’s not like it’s a 3-in-3. I think it just comes down to all the guys slated for 6:05 Pacific time. buying in and putting in a lot more of an effort. Mike Stothers with his thoughts on tonight’s defeat On whether he feels the altitude when playing in Colorado Well, I didn’t think we were very good. We were slow, and slow with Yeah, you can feel it a bit but you can’t use that as an excuse. Those everything we did, whether it was getting back for pucks, or moving our guys travel too, and they come back to it. At the end of the day, I think it’s feet or making passes and then we compounded the problem [because] just who wants it more and I don’t think today we showed that we wanted we had a lot of turnovers in all three zones. We were chasing a very fast it. team all night long. It certainly wasn’t the type of game that we wanted. If you look at the first two shifts, they had us hemmed in pretty good with a On the biggest difference for him between the AHL and NHL good forecheck and they were good at getting pucks in behind us and making us turn to go back and get them, and we weren’t very good at Just overall, the play. You look at guys like [Kopitar and Brown]. Every getting pucks behind them and making them turn. It was a game of day they’re in the gym, they’re on the ice getting better and those are chase, and you don’t win those ones. guys that have had long career and are winners. You look at them, seeing how they prepare, I’ve got to kind of see how that goes. They play On tonight’s game being attributed to altitude, travel or something else 23 minutes a night, back-to-backs, I don’t think I’ve seen them play a bad game. That’s the biggest thing for me, being consistent that this level and You can over-analyze it all you want. You can say the altitude, you can then when I go up, being consistent up there. say the middle of the trip, but other teams come in here and have to deal with the altitude, other teams have road trips and are in the middle of it, I Mike Amadio on what went wrong in tonight’s loss can’t put my finger on it. I guess if you can say anything, it wasn’t just one or two guys, I didn’t think any of us were any good. You know that I don’t think we played very well and obviously the score reflects that. we’ll be better tomorrow, or most of the guys will be better tomorrow. We’ve just got to come back tomorrow morning with a good attitude and Things have been pretty good for us, so maybe that’s exactly what we hopefully get the two points. On what was missing for the Reign tonight

I’m not sure. I don’t want to really put the blame on just one thing. I think we can be a lot better and move forward.

On playing in the altitude and elevation

It definitely catches up to you by the time the third period rolls around, you’re not used to it. It’s definitely a factor, but we can be a lot better in our execution and cleaner in our own end and down the ice.

On what he needs to work on to become a full-time NHL regular

Probably being consistent. Bringing the same thing every night, being able to be reliable in my own end and contribute offensively. I think that’s one of the biggest things for me.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135691 Los Angeles Kings

REIGN ADD BAUDRY ON ATO

ZACH DOOLEYMARCH 12, 2019

ONTARIO REIGN ROSTER MOVES

The Ontario Reign made a roster move this afternoon, adding defenseman Justin Baudry on an ATO. The 5-11 blueliner recently completed his collegiate career at Bemidji State with the Beavers, where he was teammates for three seasons with current Ontario forward Kyle Bauman, who also began his Reign career on an ATO. Baudry ranks fifth all-time in games played by a Bemidji blueliner and led the Beavers in scoring this past season with 31 points (9-22-31).

The move to add a blueliner was expected, with Ontario having only six healthy defensemen on the roster following Kale Clague breaking a bone in his foot on Friday in Tucson. Baudry took warmups tonight but will not dress for tonight’s game. The blueliner is expected to wear #6 with the Reign, last worn by now Kings defenseman Paul LaDue.

From the Reign’s official press release –

ONTARIO, CA – The Ontario Reign, proud AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, have added defenseman Justin Baudry on an amateur try out (ATO).

The 22-year-old Baudry (born Oct. 23, 1996) is a 5-11, 196-pound native of LaBroquerie, Manitoba. Baudry recently completed a four-season career at Bemidji State University, where he ranks fifth all-time amongst defensemen with 146 games played. Baudry amassed 68 points (21-47- 68) throughout his collegiate career and led all scorers with 31 points (9- 22-31) as a senior in 2018-19. Baudry served as a co-captain during his senior season and was teammates with Reign forward Kyle Bauman from 2015-18.

The Ontario Reign are in the midst of their 2018-19 season, their fourth as members of the American Hockey League. For more information regarding upcoming home games, promotions and ticket offers, visit http://www.ontarioreign.com/schedule/, and to secure your seats with a Reign ticket plan, call 909.941.7825 or visit OntarioReign.com.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135692 Los Angeles Kings him as a 200-foot player. I want to see him at both ends of the rink, but if he plays that way, he will contribute offensively, he just will, so that’ll happen.”

WAGNER CLOSE; KEMPE’S PLAY, EVALUATING YOUNG D; –More evaluations. On defense, Paul LaDue entered into the lineup in SATURDAY: OSMENT JOINS HNILA Arizona and stayed there against Anaheim, totaling one assist, two shots, three hits and two blocked shots in 12:28 of action. Line rushes Tuesday morning suggested that he could remain alongside Dion Phaneuf for this JON ROSEN MARCH 12, 2019 Thursday’s game against Nashville.

Should he remain in, Desjardins wants to continue to see him build his consistency. “You always love to see intensity, you always love to see FOX SPORTS WESTINJURIESKINGS OPERATIONS guys going hard, but he works hard. He works hard off the ice in practice, INSIDERS. The Kings were back at it Tuesday morning in El Segundo, he always is a hard worker, and that’s always good to see,” he said. taking the Toyota Sports Center ice just prior to 10:00 a.m. and Matt Roy took a page out of Drew Doughty’s book and dove to break up remaining there for the better part of an hour. There was a heavy amount a Ryan Getzlaf two-on-one feed to Rickard Rakell on Sunday, providing of rush-and-flow activity – for line rushes,– before practice segued into the most visible representation of his style of play in his own end of the more competitive battle drills, one of which brought the nets and goalies ice. close together for some reduced range, shoulder pad-to-shoulder pad combat. “He’s moved through the lineup. He’s moved up,” Desjardins said. “He skates well and he defends well, and those are two good assets to have. Notes! He played that two-on-one, and he did a great job on it. I know his –Austin Wagner skated as a full participant in practice. His return is on teammates appreciate that. One thing too, I just think that he’s going to the horizon. Could that be Thursday against Nashville? Perhaps. “Yeah, keep getting better. I don’t think he’s reached the best he can be. I think everything felt good,” he said. “Just trying to work my way back into the he’s still got an upside.” lineup, and hopefully I’m in this week, but if not, I’ve just got to keep And that’s good! But as for the here-and-now, Roy has appeared in 11 working hard and trying to get better every day.” straight games since his debut last month in Boston. There, of course, He said he skated on his own “three or four times” before joining his were plans for a defensive rotation – before Alec Martinez was injured. Is teammates today at practice. “It looked like he was good today, but we’ll Roy still a part of that evolved rotation, or has his play elevated him into a have to see after tomorrow where exactly he is – if he gets sore from new tier? practice, or whatever,” Willie Desjardins said. “But it looked like he might “I wouldn’t say he’s played his way above that, because you always be good to go.” evaluate, and we’ll want to see different guys in the lineup. I can say that –It’s interesting – when the Kings forged ahead with an evolution away he’s played his way up the lineup,” Desjardins said. “I think he’s played from heavier, possession-driven hockey and towards the model of a well, and if he keeps playing like that, it would be difficult to take him out.” faster and more skilled team, John Stevens used highlight clips of Adrian –Happy trails: NCAA free agent and Princeton junior Max Verroneau, Kempe driving through the center of the ice with the puck on his stick to who included Los Angeles in his training camp circuit last year, has demonstrate their focus. signed with his hometown team, the Ottawa Senators. This was reported Obviously, this is still a work in progress. But as Kempe has played his by Bob McKenzie of TSN, who also reported Princeton forward Ryan best hockey this season over the last month, he’s showing an improved Kuffner will sign with Detroit and Princeton defenseman Josh Teves has aptitude at playing with the puck and making more plays, which comes chosen Vancouver. from improved confidence. It’s led to six goals, 12 points, 36 shots on One additional player to keep an eye on today and tomorrow: skilled goal, a plus-one rating and possession rates well in the black over the Michigan State junior forward Taro Hirose, who the Kings took a long last 18 games. look at. I can’t say for certain that they offered a contract, but they had “Starting from the D zone, if I get the puck, I think I’ve been using my representatives scouting him live and on video and given the option very speed a little better and taking care of the puck a little bit more, and I serious consideration internally. Per McKenzie, Toronto is one of the final think on the power play and breakouts, making some good plays,” he few teams he’s considering, for what it’s worth. The Leafs are also said. “Overall, better confidence out there playing the game, and it just expected to sign Mercyhurst defenseman Joseph Duszak. helps a lot when you play better and you have more confidence. You can –Haley Joel Osment, who earned an Academy Award Best Supporting do more stuff with the puck and you’re not afraid to lose it, so that’s Actor nomination for his role in The Sixth Sense, will be this Saturday’s obviously a big thing that’s going to make me a lot better, as well.” guest on Hockey Night in LA. He’s also a Los Angels native and a Kings Desjardins has been happy with Kempe’s makeup, noting that he thrives fan. with added responsibility and minutes. Getting rewarded has boosted this Via the LA Kings: confidence and gets his gears going. “I think whenever he skates, he plays well,” Desjardins said. Academy Award-nominated actor Haley Joel Osment will serve as the special Celebrity Guest of Honor for Hockey Night in LA presented by His numbers remain down from last year because he logged just one Attendee.com this Saturday, March 16, when the Los Angeles Kings host assist over a 14-game stretch that followed the Christmas break. If he the Florida Panthers at STAPLES Center. Game time is 1 p.m. were to register 12 points over the final 13 games, he’d equal last year’s total. Osment has been one of Hollywood’s most versatile performers over the last 25 years. Ranging from dark, dramatic roles to off-the-wall comedic But his overall game has surged recently, and the new Grundstrom- performances across film, television and the stage, Osment has proven Kempe-Toffoli combination has generated a disproportionate number of time and again why he is one of show business’ treasures. shots and scoring chances over the last two games, accentuating Kempe’s second half trajectory. This year Osment stars with Josh Hutcherson in Season 2 of the Hulu science fiction comedy Future Man, directed and produced by Seth But how integral are his numbers to his overall evaluation? As a former Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Osment plays Dr. Stu Camillo, a former first round draft pick who scored his 16 goals through the first 52 games classmate of Hutcherson’s who survives into the 22nd century as a last season, should this production be the norm, rather than the hologram and attempts to resettle human civilization on the planet Mars. exception? Or would the team be content with him in a similar role as a Later this year, he will also be in Seth Rogen’s The Boys for Amazon third line center who earns hard minutes and plays responsibly, with which centers on a group of vigilantes who set out to take down corrupt goals as added value? superheroes who abuse their superpowers. “With a younger player you never want to put the burden on them that Osment will soon appear on Netflix in the true crime thriller and 2019 they have to produce offensively, but I don’t see him as a younger player Sundance Film Festival Selection Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and anymore,” Desjardins said. “I see him as a guy that we need to Vile starring Zac Efron as Ted Bundy, and featuring Lily Collins, Kaya contribute, so I would expect that to be part of his performance, that he’s Scodelario, Jim Parsons and John Malkovich. Osment plays a coworker going to contribute offensively. But more important, I would like to see of Collins’ character who seeks her affections as her husband’s legal woes pile up. He was also featured in Bridey Elliot’s film Clara’s Ghost at Sundance in 2018.

Osment’s recent television appearances have included Silicon Valley, for which he received rave reviews as VR entrepreneur Keenan Feldspar, and a special episode of The X-Files in a chilling dual role. Earlier, he appeared in two seasons of the epic IFC comedy miniseries The Spoils Of Babylon alongside Will Ferrell, Kristin Wiig, Tobey Maguire and Michael K. Williams.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135693 Los Angeles Kings

PREVIEW – ONTARIO @ COLORADO, 3/12

ZACH DOOLEY MARCH 12, 2019

GAME PREVIEWONTARIO REIGN

WHO: Ontario Reign (21-26-5-2) @ Colorado Eagles (30-22-3-1)

WHAT: AHL REGULAR SEASON GAME

WHEN: Tuesday, March 12, @ 6:05 PM (Pacific)

WHERE: Budweiser Events Center, Loveland, CO

HOW TO FOLLOW: Video: AHLTV – AUDIO – iHeart Radio (Away Feed) – TWITTER: @ontarioreign & @reigninsider

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The road trip continues for the Ontario Reign, who begin a two-game set in Colorado this evening. Ontario enters tonight’s action off of a weekend sweep in Tucson, winning 3-1 and 5-2 over the Roadrunners on Friday and Saturday respectively.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Reign and Eagles will square off tonight and tomorrow at Budweiser Events Center, the final matchups of the season between the two teams. The Reign are 2-3-1 to date against the Eagles, but have won each of the previous two meetings, most recently a 2-0 win on February 23, courtesy of a 47-save shutout from Peter Budaj. Colorado, however, was victorious in both of the previous matchups on home ice, winning a pair of games in October. Cal Petersen was the first goaltender off for Ontario, while forward Nikita Scherbak was on late after morning skate.

TALE OF TWO TEAMS: The Reign, winners of five of their last six, and Eagles, winners of six straight, square off tonight as two of the hotter teams in the AHL, though they’ve won in different ways. Ontario has scored 25 goals over its last five games played, while the Eagles have allowed just six goals on its six-game winning streak, posting a shutout in three of their six victories.

TIED AT THE TOP: Reign forward Matt Moulson currently leads all Ontario skaters with 55 points this season (25-30-55), placing him tied for the franchise’s single-season scoring record. Moulson is currently even with his brother-in-law, Sean Backman, who collected 55 points during the 2015-16 season. Moulson is also two goals shy of Jonny Brodzinski’s single-season goal record of 27, set during the 2016-17 season.

THE SIXTH SENSE: Ontario forward Mike Amadio tallied his sixth goal of the season in Saturday’s victory, as he extended his scoring streak to six games. Amadio has collected 11 points (4-7-11) over the scoring streak and has now scored a goal in three consecutive games. The third-year forward has amassed 21 points (6-15-21) over 19 games played in the AHL with the Reign this season, scoring at a 1.11 points-per-game clip.

THIS IS 40: Reign netminder Cal Petersen stopped 46 of the 47 shots he faced in his most recent start, a 3-1 win over Tucson on Friday. Petersen has now faced at least 45 shots in each of his last six starts in which he has gone the distance, making at least 40 saves in each of them and posting a 4-2-0 record and a .937 save percentage in those contests, to go along with a 3.19 goals against average.

LILO AND MITCH: Ontario forward Zack Mitchell led his team with three assists in Saturday’s win, the first time he’s collected a trio of helpers in one game in his professional career. Mitchell recently saw an eight-game point streak come to an end, but has collected 14 points (5-9-14) over his last 11 games played. The Orangeville, ONT native has tallied 23 points (9-14-23) in 48 games played this season.

BLUE-LINE BONANZA: The Reign lost defenseman Kale Clague to a broken foot on Friday in Tucson (the rookie blueliner is expected to be out four weeks) but added Daniel Brickley back into the fold, who returned to the Reign lineup on Friday after nearly a two-month absence due to a lower-body injury, suffered on January 9 in San Jose. In the two games in Tucson, Brickley posted a +2 rating with four shots on goal and two penalty minutes.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135694 Los Angeles Kings

CLAGUE OUT WITH BROKEN BONE IN FOOT; KINGS LINES, PAIRINGS

JON ROSEN MARCH 12, 2019

Good morning from El Segundo, Insiders. Several quick notes to pass along before the day’s proceedings:

–Kale Clague, who left Friday’s game in Tucson after blocking a shot with his foot, had left Ontario’s road trip to Los Angeles for evaluation. The diagnosis, per a team source, is a broken metatarsal bone that is expected to sideline him for four weeks.

Kale Clague went to the locker room after blocking this shot early in the 1st period.#LAKings #Reign pic.twitter.com/3TBfhYn3si

— Eric (@Kingsgifs) March 9, 2019

This is a difficult blow for Clague, who was thrown into the fire on the Ontario defense this year and largely showed well. This isn’t an easy process for a 20-year-old first-year pro making the jump into first-pairing minutes from junior hockey, and while Clague wasn’t immune to some of the team’s challenges defensively, he was playing good hockey at the time of his injury. His offensive bent was illustrated with seven goals and 29 points in 52 games, while his minus-20 rating was more representative of jumping up a rung or two on the blue line from what had been projected at the start of the preseason. Even if it wasn’t a surprise that some of his best hockey was played while Sean Walker was manning a top slot on the right – Clague is a left-shot who can play on both the left and right sides – the team was happy with Clague’s development and what he was able to show in his first pro season. Had he’d been healthy, he’d be a strong candidate to be called up for an NHL look at the end of the season. It’s a tough conclusion to a very good body of work he’d put in this season, and whgile he might not make the Kings out of camp in his 21-year-old season next year, but he’ll be expected to get in his games. There’s lots of good hockey in his future.

–Lines and pairings from today’s practice in El Segundo:

Iafallo-Kopitar-Brown

Grundstrom-Kempe-Toffoli

Leipsic-Carter-Kovalchuk

Clifford-Lewis-Wagner-Brodzinski

Forbort-Doughty

Martinez-Roy

Phaneuf-LaDue

MacDermid-Walker

–Per the first set of rushes, Jonny Brodzinski was the odd man out on the Trevor Lewis line, which suggests that Austin Wagner’s return is on the horizon. Kurtis MacDermid and Sean Walker were the extra defensive pair. More to come after practice.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135695 Minnesota Wild and understand that the margin between winning and losing is very small, and that we’re more than capable of winning hockey games.”

Pioneer Press LOADED: 03.13.2019 Rest or practice? For Wild, it’s a difficult balance

By John Shipley

With the Wild in the stretch run and fighting for every point it can get, coach Bruce Boudreau is trying to balance rest and practice. With new players in key roles, that balance is proving a delicate one. “With our team, rest is probably more useful than grinding the motor at this stage,” Boudreau said. “On the other hand, we have a lot of new guys in the lineup from the last month, so we have to get something out of every practice.” With only 12 games remaining, and the Wild clinging to a Western Conference playoff spot, there might not be a definitive answer, but the specter of chemistry raised its head after Minnesota went 0 for 3 on the power play and failed to generate many good scoring chances Monday in a 3-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks at Xcel Energy Center. Forwards Kevin Fiala and Ryan Donato, acquired at or near the Feb. 25 trade deadline, have played well since joining the Wild but that hasn’t helped on the power play, now scoreless in its past 18 chances. Asked after Monday’s game how the Wild can fix it, veteran wing Zach Parise said, “We’ve got to practice it. Right now it feels like it’s five strangers on the ice.” Boudreau acknowledged the issue. “Quite frankly, we’ve tried new things and we haven’t had the practice time to really emphasize it,” the coach said. “I can guarantee the next practice we have will be mostly special teams. But last week we played five games in seven nights. We’re not going to practice the other two days. And with the addition of new guys, we’re having to do it visually and verbally, and sometimes it’s just as effective.” The Wild practice Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s 7 p.m. puck drop against Dallas at the X, a big game against the team ahead of them in the conference playoff race, and promised an intensive effort to improve the special teams (the Wild killed all three Sharks power plays on Monday). “Good power plays have their outs, their free outs. (You) know where guys are,” Parise said. “Right now, it just doesn’t feel like we know that. I mean, the units have been switching a lot, so at this time of the year when teams are getting their penalty kills really dialed in, you need those free outs. You need to know without looking where a guy is and how you can settle down their pressure, and we’re struggling with that big time.” It wasn’t just with a man advantage against the Sharks, which won for the fifth straight time and moved into first place in the West by a point over Calgary. Center Victor Rask has been in Minnesota since being acquired Jan. 17 in a deal that sent Nino Niederreiter to Carolina but played Monday for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury on Feb. 12. Whether it was rust or conditioning, he struggled to control the puck and keep up with linemates Parise and Fiala until Boudreau replaced him with Eric Staal for the third period. In the first two periods, the Wild’s second line combined for just one shot. “The reality this time of year is the deadline (deals) subtracted some familiar faces and added some new names, lots of changes,” Parise said. Starting with Dallas, the Wild play four home games in six days; that includes a March 19 game against Colorado, which on Tuesday sat two points behind Minnesota in the standings. The Wild have lost two straight but are 6-2-2 in their past 10 games and seem to have recovered from a 1-7-2 return from the all-star break that briefly knocked them out of a playoff spot. There is no more time for that kind of skid. “You have to enjoy it (the race). This is why we play,” goaltender Devan Dubnyk said. “You can be at this point in the season and have it not matter, and that’s not fun, it’s not where you want to be. This is why we play and this is where we want to be, so you have to enjoy the opportunity and the pressure that comes with it and go play. “With that, you can’t let one mistake or one play crush you, or affect what you’re doing. You just have to make sure that you have real good focus 1135696 Montreal Canadiens

Carey Price earns 315th win to surpass Jacques Plante for most as a Canadien

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Carey Price made 20 saves and became the winningest goaltender in Canadiens history as Montreal defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 on Tuesday night. Price set a new Habs record with 315 victories, surpassing legendary Jacques Plante’s 314-win record established in 1963. Max Domi scored twice and Brett Kulak added a goal as the Canadiens (37-26-7) snapped a two-game losing skid. Tomas Tatar, who played for the Wings from 2010 to 2018, had two assists against his former team. Andreas Athanasiou scored in the third period for the Red Wings (24-36- 10), who have lost three games in a row. Jonathan Bernier stopped 33- of-35 shots in defeat. The Wings have won just once in their past 12 games. The Canadiens have beaten Detroit in nine straight contests. Despite the win, Montreal remains out of a playoff spot as both the Pittsburgh Penguins (83 points) and Columbus Blue Jackets (81 points) won on Tuesday to keep the playoff race close in the Eastern Conference. Montreal has 81 points with 12 games to play this season. Price was on his game from the opening faceoff, stopping Athanasiou on the breakaway with a nice pad save in the game’s first minute. With the game still scoreless in the second period, Price made a spectacular pad save on Michael Rasmussen before Shea Weber knocked the rebound away out of mid-air. Domi gave Montreal the 1-0 lead at 12:27 of the second when he deflected Andrew Shaw’s hard pass from the half-wall past Bernier for his 23rd goal of the season. Kulak made it 2-0 five minutes later with a one-timer through traffic that knuckled on Bernier and trickled past him. Athanasiou cut the deficit when he beat Price between the pads 40 seconds into the third period. With 12 minutes to play, Price made his biggest saves of the night. The 31-year-old was fully outstretched to deny Tyler Bertuzzi on the breakaway with his toe before freezing the puck on Frans Nielsen’s dangerous rebound. The Canadiens goalie is 315-221-67 all-time in 12 seasons with the Canadiens. Plante, who played for the Habs from 1952 to 1963, was 314-133-107 in his career in Montreal. He also played for the New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins before playing 40 games for the World Hockey Association’s Edmonton Oilers in 1974-75. Domi added the empty-netter with 49 seconds to play. Globe And Mail LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135697 Montreal Canadiens “First time I met him was training camp, so it was pretty cool,” Domi recalled. “I think he introduced himself to me. I was obviously the new guy and he’s the leader on the team, so he came up to me and said hi. Stu Cowan: The Carey Price story with Canadiens isn't over yet He’s such a cool guy. To be honest, when I first met him I was a little nervous. I never played goalie, but he’s a guy that I looked up to for a "That record, to break that is just insane," Max Domi says after goalie long time. Before I got in the league, I was a fan of his. He’s just the passes Jacques Plante and sets franchise record with win No. 315. coolest dude ever. He’s so chill. Nothing fazes him. He does whatever it takes to win. He works harder than anyone. He makes it look easy. It’s unbelievable. It’s really an art what he can do. STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE “The faces that have been a part of this franchise and how they represented it, for him to be at the top like that it’s pretty remarkable,”

Domi added. “Being able to play with him and share this moment with Max Domi is going to have a great story to tell when he’s an old man. him was pretty special and he deserves every bit of it. He’s the best goalie in the world. He’s been the best goalie for a long time and he’s Domi scored two goals — including an empty-netter — as the Canadiens going to continue to be the best goalie for a long time, so we’re lucky to beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 Tuesday night at the Bell Centre and have him.” Carey Price earned career victory No. 315 to move ahead of Hall of Famer Jacques Plante to the top of the list for wins by a Canadiens Price will go for career win No. 316 Thursday night when the Canadiens goalie. visit the New York Islanders. “I don’t know if I’ll ever have kids, but if I ever do it’s definitely something This story isn’t over yet. I’ll be telling them about,” Domi said after the game while Price was Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 surrounded by a media mob a few feet away in the Canadiens locker room. “That record, to break that is just insane. And he’s still got so many years left. However many wins he ends up with, that will never be touched.” Considering Price, 31, has seven more seasons remaining on his eight- year, US$84-million contract, who knows what his final career win number will be. Price was at his best Tuesday night and showed why GM Marc Bergevin gave him so much money, making 20 saves and earning the first star in a game the Canadiens had to win to keep pace in the tight race for the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference after the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets both won their games. Price’s first save of the night came in the first minute of play when he stopped Andreas Athanasiou on a breakaway. Price’s best save came with the Canadiens clinging to a 2-1 lead in the third period when he did the splits to stop Tyler Bertuzzi on another breakaway. Men who are 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds aren’t supposed to be able to stretch like Price did to make that stop. “He’s a goalie for a reason, right,” Domi said with a grin when asked about that save. “I definitely can’t do that. That’s pretty cool to see. But that’s a huge save. With his record-breaking thing aside, that’s a huge win for our team. We needed that and he was a huge part of that.” Toute une soirée. Great night.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/oJEyNzCvFV— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 13, 2019 Surprisingly, about half the crowd at the Bell Centre left following Domi’s empty-net goal with 59 seconds left in the third period on what was a historic night. But the fans who remained gave the Canadiens goaltender a standing ovation and chanted “Car-ey! Car-ey!” before he was interviewed on the ice by RDS’s Marc Denis. “It means a lot,” Price told Denis about the record. “Obviously, I’ve played with a lot of great players. I’ve had an emotional time here so far and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be standing here today. It’s definitely an emotional evening for myself. I’d like to thank everybody here for coming out and watching and cheering me on. Thank you for your continued support. Merci beaucoup. “You have to have thick skin (to be a No. 1 goalie in Montreal) but at the end of the day it’s an honour to be standing here,” Price added. “I’ve had such a great time here so far. Can’t wait to continue.”

31⃣ 5⃣ ⃣ #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/vDFe5P2jnH— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 13, 2019 While Plante was surrounded by future Hall of Famers when he won six Stanley Cups with the Canadiens, Price has too often been counted on to carry the team almost alone on his shoulders. This year’s version of the Canadiens has shown they won’t go down without a fight in the playoff race, but again they will go only as far as Price can carry them and he will probably be counted on to play the final 12 games of the regular season. If Price continues to play like he did Tuesday night, he can carry them to the playoffs. Domi had never met Price before being acquired by the Canadiens from the Arizona Coyotes last summer in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk.

珞 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/55o9n5k06v— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 13, 2019 1135698 Montreal Canadiens

In the Habs' Room: Carey Price grateful on record-setting night "I'm proud to be standing here with his puck in my hand," said Price. "I want to thank the people for all the help I've had."

PAT HICKEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE

When Max Domi scored an empty-net goal with 49 seconds left to seal the Canadiens’ 3-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday night, goaltender Carey Price calmly turned around and took a swig from his water bottle. “My first thought was the game’s not over,” said Price, who earned as place in the Canadiens’ record book with his 315th win, one more than the late Jacques Plante. “I tried to just stay focused. We pretty much had the game in hand at that point but until the whistle blows, I want to stay focused.” “I’m proud to be standing here with his puck in my hand,” said Price. “I want to thank the people for all the help I’ve had.” Price was the first star of the game, which meant that he came out of the ice for a short TV interview and a chance to throw some pucks to the fans. On this night, there was a short delay. “I had to come in here and enjoy it with my teammates,” said Price. “They worked extremely hard to get the win. It was great to share with the fans as well.” There were times when the Canadiens appeared to be working to lose the game. Andreas Athanasiou had a breakaway in the first minute after a Tomas Tatar breakaway. Price had to deal with a shorthanded 2-on-1 opportunity in the second period as well as a Darren Helm breakaway. But the most impressive save came in the third period with Montreal clinging to a one-goal lead. Tyler Bertuzzi came hard with a burst of speed and the puck remained in the crease after Price made the initial save. That’s when he adopted the unorthodox tactics once employed so successfully by Dominik Hasek. With his stick caught in the netting, Price spread his legs wide as the puck rattled around the crease.. “I tried to do The Dominator and sprawl out and cover the goal line,” said Price. “I was trying to cover everything low and our guys dog-paddled it into the crease. There was a sigh of relief after the whistle blew.” “That was a really big save,” said Tatar, who picked up a couple of assists against his former team. “It would have been really hard if we let them come back. “It was never fun playing against him,” said Tatar. “He’s really calm in the net That’s what I noticed when I played against him. He’s an outstanding teammate who works really hard.” While the milestone dominated the post-game conversation, Price was quick to point out the significance of the win in terms of the playoff race. “It was an important two points and a great effort, but we’re in a dog fight and every effort we put out for the rest of the season will be very important. If we can continue to play like tonight, we’ll be successful.” Price said he was goal-oriented but didn’t think about the Plante mark until a member of the PR staff mentioned it to him earlier this season. Coach Claude Julien was effusive in his praise of Price. “It was a big night for him in all the different areas,” said Julien. “He was by far our best player and, fittingly, he broke a record. “I’m sure he’s proud but he’s a humble guy,” added Julien. “It’s quite an accomplishment. He’s taken the good with the bad, the bad with the good. One thing people don’t remember is that I was here when he was drafted, I saw him as part of the coaching staff when he was in the All- Star game here and I’ve seen how he’s matured and evolved over the years. “When you’ve coached against him, nothing surprises you. He frustrates you as he did with Detroit tonight.” Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135699 Montreal Canadiens

Carey Price sets franchise wins record as Canadiens beat Red Wings 3- 1

PAT HICKEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: March 13, 2019

Carey Price passed Jacques Plante as the Canadiens’ all-time wins leader but it was more difficult than it should have been. The Canadiens’ offence produced only two goals before Max Domi’s empty-netter put the game out of reach and Price had to stop at least three breakaways before Montreal beat Detroit 3-1 for the goaltender’s 315th win. The Canadiens outshot the Red Wings 36-21 but Andreas Athanasiou’s goal in the first minute of the third period cut Montreal’s lead to one goal and there was an anxious moment midway through the period when Price stopped a clean breakaway by Tyler Bertuzzi and then battled to find the puck as it rattled around the crease. The Canadiens needed the win to stay even with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the battle for a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Each team has 81 points from 70 games but the Blue Jackets occupy the second wild-card spot because they have 38 regulation and overtime wins while the Canadiens have 35. Columbus stayed ahead of Montreal with an impressive 7-4 win over Boston. Domi snapped a 0-0 tie when he deflected Andrew Shaw’s pass from the side boards through the legs of goaltender Jonathan Bernier at 12:27 of the second period. It was the 23rd goal of the season for Domi, who had only one point in his previous five games. The Canadiens took some momentum from a power play that produced scoring chances for both teams. Brendan Gallagher set up Danault in the slot but Bernier made the save and he also stood up to a Shea Weber slapshot. But Montreal also allowed the Red Wings to counter with a shorthanded 2-on-1 rush, which finished with Price stopping Justin Abdelkader. Defenceman Brett Kulak made it 2-0 when he scored on a shot from the blue line late in the period. Tomas Tatar picked up his second assist of the night and has two goals and six assists in four games against his former team. Price had to be at his best during a Detroit power play earlier in the second period. He stopped a slapshot from Anthony Mantha and was sprawled on the ice when Michael Rasmussen grabbed a rebound in front of the crease. Price managed to raise his leg to make a pad save. The puck popped into the air and Shea Weber knocked it out of harm’s way. Each team had a breakaway in a freewheeling start to the game. A Tatar turnover forced Price to make a save on Athanasiou on the second shift of the game. Tatar had a breakaway later in the same shift and was stopped by Bernier. The Canadiens outshot the Red Wings 13-5 in the first period but were unable to capitalize on their chances. Their frustration was reflected in a shift less than seven minutes from the end of the period. Domi set up Kulak with a precision cross-ice pass but Kulak shot wide. Domi had a chance off a rebound later in the shift but missed the net. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135700 Montreal Canadiens “It hurt, yeah,” Danault said. “Three or four cracks (during the reset). It’s not too bad … I got lucky.”

When it was mentioned that his nose still looked a little crooked, Danault Stu Cowan: Fatherhood helps Canadiens deal with NHL grind smiled and said: “It’s always been a little bit sideways.” It has been a memorable season for Phil Danault, who got married in Does his son look like him? July, signed a contract worth US$9.25 million and became a dad last month. “He looks exactly the same,” Danault said with a big smile. Does baby Phillip-Édouard have his father’s nose? STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE “No, he doesn’t … hopefully,” Danault said. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 Phillip Danault’s wife gave birth to their first child — a boy named Phillip- Édouard — on Feb. 20. Danault was in the Canadiens lineup the next night, picking up an assist in a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Bell Centre and keeping a puck as a souvenir from his first game as a father. After that, the Canadiens played seven of their next eight games on the road, including a weeklong trip to California. That meant Danault didn’t get to spend a lot of quality time with his baby boy. “I didn’t really see him for like the first 16 days, so it was good to be back home and see my wife, too,” Danault said after Tuesday’s morning skate in Brossard before facing the Detroit Red Wings at the Bell Centre. “He’s started smiling a little bit, which is the coolest part. I gave him milk at night the last two nights, so that’s some good memories I’ll never forget.” This has been a memorable season for Danault, who married Marie- Pierre Fortin in July, less than a week after signing a three-year contract worth US$9.25 million. Heading into Tuesday night’s game, the new father had already set a career high with 46 points and needed two goals to match his career high of 13 set in 2016-17 with the Canadiens. “It’s a good year,” Danault said. “Obviously, I want to have even better years in the future. But this is a good year for me.” It will be even better if Danault can help the Canadiens make the playoffs. “We’ve been pushing all season for that,” Danault said. “It’s obviously a great challenge for us and we want to bounce back at home, starting tonight. Just the character and the passion we have in here, I think we can do it, definitely.” Danault’s not worried about a lack of sleep with a new baby at home, noting his mother-in-law — who is retired — has moved in with him and his wife to help out. Danault said he will definitely put a hockey stick in his son’s hands at some point and give him the same advice he received from his father, Alain. “My father always pushed me to my limits and told me to follow my dreams, and I’ll do the same thing for my kid,” Danault said. If Danault needs any other fatherly advice, he doesn’t have to look far in the Canadiens’ locker room, where there are a lot of fathers with young children, including Paul Byron, Carey Price, Shea Weber, Jeff Petry, Charles Hudon, Andrew Shaw and Dale Weise. Byron said becoming a father can help a hockey player deal with the pressure of being in the NHL and also helps create a bond with other dads on the team. “Days off, you can set up play dates pretty easily,” said Byron, who has two young children and, like most of the players with kids, lives on the South Shore near the Canadiens’ practice facility. “I know all the wives get together and the kids have fun during the games at the daycare (in the Bell Centre). All the older guys, it’s certainly something to bond over. Maybe we hang out a little bit more because of it. My son is playing hockey with Shea’s son and maybe I spent a little bit more time with him than I would otherwise. So sure, it helps. “Everyone’s different,” Byron added. “But (being a father) kind of lets me release some of the emotions I had from games past … holding onto bad moments in a game or keeping negative energy. You’re more pissed off and disappointed in yourself. Whereas now, it helps when you go home to reset and helps you get back to your state of mind because you know there’s not just one person depending on you anymore. You’ve got family, you’ve got kids, and when you see them smile after a road trip — no matter how bad it was — it certainly makes your day and brings some positivity to it. So … it helped me in that way. It helped me mentally and every day is kind of a reset day for me now.” Danault had another kind of reset day on Monday. After suffering a broken nose during a 5-2 loss to the Sharks in San Jose last Thursday on what he said was an unintentional elbow from Gustav Nyquist, Danault missed practice Monday in Brossard to have his nose reset. 1135701 Montreal Canadiens The Red Wings (24-35-10) are already out of the playoff race and sit in 15th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

“I think we all understand — players and coaches — that every game is a Canadiens Game Day: Another chance to make history for Carey Price must win and we have to be ready and focus on what we have to do,” Victory over Red Wings would move him ahead of Hall of Famer Jacques Julien said about facing the Red Wings. “You can’t expect your team to Plante and into first place alone in career wins for Habs goalies. be unprepared at this time of year. It’s unacceptable. “If I’m basing myself on the kind of jump that we had in yesterday’s practice, I’m hopeful we’re going to be ready to go tonight,” the coach STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE added. The Red Wings will be looking to end an eight-game winless streak against the Canadiens (0-7-1). After getting shelled 8-2 by the Ducks last Friday night in Anaheim, Canadiens goalie Carey Price will get another chance to make history Julien’s next win will be the 620th of his NHL career, moving him into a Tuesday night when the Detroit Red Wings visit the Bell Centre (7:30 tie for 15th place all-time for most wins by a head coach with Bryan p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio). Murray. Price needs one victory to move into first place alone on the all-time list Where the Canadiens stand for Canadiens goalies. Heading into the game, Price is tied with Hall of Famer Jacques Plante with 314 career wins. Price’s career regular- The Canadiens rank 15th in the NHL in offence, scoring an average of season record with the Canadiens is 314-221-110. This season, Price 2.99 goals per game, and rank 16th in defence, allowing an average of has a 28-20-5 record with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .914 save 3.00. They are dead-last on the power play, ranking 31st at 12.4 per percentage. cent, rank 19th in penalty-killing (80.2 per cent) and 24th in faceoffs (48.6 per cent). The Canadiens called up goalie Charlie Lindgren from the AHL’s Laval Rocket on Monday afternoon, but Antti Niemi will serve as Price’s backup Max Domi leads the Canadiens in scoring with 22-38-60 totals, followed against the Red Wings. by Jonathan Drouin (17-33-50), Tatar (22-26-48), Phillip Danault (11-35- 46) and Brendan Gallagher (30-15-45). “Carey’s going to take some rest here at times,” coach Claude Julien said after Tuesday’s optional morning skate in Brossard when asked about Gallagher has had a lot of success against the Red Wings in the past how he planned to use Lindgren. “Obviously, we plan on using (Price) a with 13-6-19 totals in 20 career games against Detroit. Drouin has 5-13- lot from here until the end of the year. So when he needs rest, we’ll 18 totals in 14 career games against the Red Wings. always have two goaltenders. Never a bad thing this time of year to have Where the Red Wings stand three goaltenders around.” The Red Wings rank 26th in the NHL in offence, scoring an average of When asked if he was planning to only use Lindgren in practices to give 2.68 goals per game, and rank 29th in defence, allowing an average of Price a day off, Julien said: “It will be a rest whenever needed.” 3.38. They rank 23rd on the power play (17.0 per cent), 27th in penalty- The Canadiens head into Tuesday night’s game with a 36-26-7 record. killing (77.6 per cent) and ninth in faceoffs (51.1 per cent). They trail the Pittsburgh Penguins (37-23-9), who hold the first wild-card Dylan Larkin leads the Red Wings in scoring with 27-35-62 totals, playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, by four points, and are tied in followed by Andreas Athanasiou (23-18-41), Anthony Mantha (17-16-33), points with the Columbus Blue Jackets (38-28-3), who hold the second Tyler Bertuzzi (16-17-33) and Thomas Vanek (14-19-33). Larkin won’t wild-card spot. The Penguins play host to the Washington Capitals play against the Canadiens because of an upper-body injury. Tuesday night (7 p.m, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVA Sports), while the Blue Jackets play host to the Boston Bruins. Jonathan Bernier is expected to start in goal for the Red Wings against the Canadiens. He has a 6-16-5 record with a 3.38 goals-against The sportsclubstats.com website has the Canadiens’ chances of making average and a .897 save percentage. the playoffs listed at 44.9 per cent and Julien said he’s confident his club will make it to the postseason. This Date in #Habs History – March 12, 1967: During a 2-2 tie with the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, Canadiens goalie Gump “It’s the same confidence we had right from the beginning of the year,” Worsley was injured when hit on the head by an egg tossed from the the coach said. “We believed in ourselves, but we didn’t say it was doing crowd. He was replaced by Rogie Vachon. #HabsIO: to be a cakewalk. We knew it would be a battle, so we still have https://t.co/tFvfnqIzYM pic.twitter.com/qtAvEdrWUo— Stu Cowan confidence that we’re good enough to be a playoff team and we’re going (@StuCowan1) March 12, 2019 to battle right to the end.” The schedule Kulak gets back in lineup Heading into Tuesday night’s game, the Canadiens had 13 games Defenceman Brett Kulak will return to the Canadiens lineup against the remaining in the NHL regular-season schedule spread out over 26 days. Red Wings after being a healthy scratch in Anaheim. Mike Reilly will Seven of those games are at the Bell Centre, where the Canadiens had a come out of the lineup to make room for Kulak. 19-11-4 record, and six on the road, where the Canadiens are 17-15-3. Forward Tomas Tatar, who missed the game in Anaheim while battling a “This is where teams are battling for those last playoffs spots,” Julien said flu bug, will also return to the lineup. after Tuesday’s morning skate. “You look around and every team seems “I’ll make a game-time decision as far as who we’re going to scratch from to be going through that right now. We’ve had a couple of days of rest the forwards,” Julien said. and a good day of practice yesterday, so you hope that you can manage the rest of the season well. I think to a certain extent it’s not a bad Phillip Danault and Paul Byron, who both missed practice on Monday for position to be in right now when you look at the games. We are playing therapy days, will be in the lineup. Danault had his broken nose — every second night, but there’s a lot of teams that have worse schedules suffered during last Thursday’s 5-2 loss to the Sharks in San Jose — than we have right now. So we need to take advantage of that.” reset on Monday, while Byron was told to take a rest. How the Habs were built “It was just a decision done by our trainers and coaches to try and maximize myself,” Byron said. “I could have practised, but they felt it was Here’s a look at how the current Canadiens roster was built: best that I take that rest. They seem to know a little better than me and I’ll Drafted players (6): Brendan Gallagher, Charles Hudon, Jesperi take it when they give it, that’s for sure.” Kotkaniemi, Artturi Lehkonen, Victor Mete, Carey Price. #Habs morning skate getting started in Brossard #HabsIO Free agents (2): Charlie Lindgren, Matthew Peca. pic.twitter.com/J7PUACWQh3— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 12, 2019 Trades (16): Joel Armia, Jordie Benn, Phillip Danault, Nicolas Deslauriers, Max Domi, Jonathan Drouin, Christian Folin, Brett Kulak, Last game against Red Wings Jeff Petry, Mike Reilly, Andrew Shaw, Tomas Tatar, Nate Thompson, This will be the fourth an final meeting this season between the Jordan Weal, Shea Weber, Dale Weise. Canadiens and Red Wings. The Canadiens won the first three games, Waivers (2): Paul Byron, Antti Niemi. beating the Red Wings 7-3 at the Bell Centre on Oct. 15 before winning 3-2 in Detroit on Jan. 8 and then blowing out the Red Wings 8-1 in Detroit What’s next? on Feb. 26. The Canadiens will practise at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday in Brossard as they prepare to face the Islanders Thursday night in New York (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio). The Canadiens will practise again at 11 a.m. Friday in Brossard as they prepare to face the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday night at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., CITY, SNE, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio). Next week, the Canadiens will visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio) before playing back-to-back home games against the Islanders on Thursday (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio) and the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday (7 p.m., CITY, SNE, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio). The Canadiens will then play a rare Sunday night game against the Hurricanes in Carolina (7 p.m., SN, RDS, TSN 690 Radio). Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135702 Montreal Canadiens

Detroit Red Wings at Canadiens: Five things you should know The best news coming out of the Habs' practice Monday was the appearance of Tomas Tatar.

PAT HICKEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: March 12, 2019

Here are five things you should know about the Canadiens-Red Wings game at the Bell Centre Tuesday (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio). The matchup: This is the last of four meetings between these Original Six rivals and the Canadiens are 3-0 and have outscored the Red Wings 18- 6 in those games. After losing back-to-back road games in San Jose and Anaheim, the Canadiens desperately need a win because this is one of the few softies remaining on their schedule. Montreal is sitting in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and out of a playoff position, while Detroit (24-35-10) has the second-worst record in the NHL and will miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season. Losses a team effort: Antti Niemi wasn’t very good in San Jose and Carey Price was terrible in Anaheim, but you can’t blame the goaltenders for what was, in both cases, a total team meltdown. The offence failed to produce and the power play has shown no signs of improvement despite a Shea Weber goal in San Jose. Price will start against the Red Wings and will likely carry the load for the rest of the regular season. He has to be better, but the same can be said of his supporting cast. Tatar recovers from flu: The best news coming out of the practice Monday was the appearance of Tomas Tatar. His value to the team was reflected in the loss to Anaheim because he was out with the flu. The veteran from Slovakia has been one of the Canadiens’ hardest-working players and has been particularly effective on the road, where he has scored 12 of his 22 goals and has added eight assists. He started his career in Detroit and he has thee goals and three assists in the three games against his former team. Paul Byron and Phillip Danault had therapy days Monday, but will play Tuesday. Is Weber healthy? Players are reluctant to admit they’re banged up and that’s particularly true for a warrior like defenceman Shea Weber. But the Canadiens’ captain and top defenceman has been struggling of late. He has had difficulty moving laterally and hasn’t delivered many big hits. He has a minus-4 rating during the past month and head coach Claude Julien has cut back his ice time, most notably taking him off the top power-play unit. Weber made a strong comeback from foot and knee surgeries, but a heavy workload might be taking its toll. Lose for Hughes: The Red Wings have reached the point where the Detroit Free Press is offering daily updates on the team’s chances of winning the draft lottery and an opportunity to select centre Jack Hughes. As of Monday, Detroit had a 13.5 per cent chance of winning. Hughes would complement Dylan Larkin and give the Red Wings a solid 1-2 combination at centre. Larkin, 22, is the Red Wings’ top scorer, with 27 goals and 35 assists for 62 points, but he is a question mark for the Canadiens game. He has missed Detroit’s last three games because of a strained neck. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135703 Montreal Canadiens getting a golden opportunity to tie it up and perhaps derail the entire Montreal season. That’s all.

Price bailed out his team, making a spectacular save by stretching the ‘Him in a nutshell’: How Carey Price’s historic night exemplified who he is laws of biology to take away the entire bottom of the net and stuff in so many ways Bertuzzi’s attempt to slide it past him. The puck was still live after the save and Price still kept it out. A goal there would have been devastating considering the larger context of the Canadiens’ playoff push, but Price By Arpon Basu said no. He didn’t allow it. “I was just trying to cover everything low and our guys just dogpiled it in the crease, and we were able to get a whistle and it was a sigh of relief,” There were 12 seconds left when the chants began, and it became clear Price said. how appropriate it was to have this happen here. In this building. In this city. If there is one thing that has defined Price’s career, it is providing his team a sigh of relief when they least deserved one. Carey Price had a chance to set the Canadiens’ wins record for a goalie in Anaheim four nights earlier, but that wouldn’t have felt right and, well, Him in a nutshell. both he and the Canadiens did a great job avoiding that from happening. After the final buzzer sounded, after whatever Witkowski was trying to do Instead, Price was at home, in the Bell Centre, in Montreal, hearing his had ended, Price skated toward centre ice and raised his stick to name chanted over and over as the seconds ticked down on his 315th acknowledge the crowd’s response, that game puck firmly secured in his career win that broke Jacques Plante’s franchise record that had stood trapper. for 56 years. His teammates joined him soon thereafter, and then Price began the Just after the chanting began, with both teams having accepted what was parade off the ice as the crowd again chanted his name. He knew he about to happen and just waiting out the clock, the puck was slowly would be back soon. rolling around the boards into the Canadiens’ zone. After retreating to the dressing room to celebrate in private with his It was almost as if it was intentionally timed to arrive behind the teammates, Price returned for his inevitable first-star twirl around the ice. Canadiens’ net just as the buzzer went, and Price was there waiting for it. As he walked back to the ice, he turned toward the bench where a He wanted that puck, and there it was, coming right to him. familiar face awaited him. Also coming right at him at that very moment, a moment in which the That familiar face was Marc Morneau, a security guard who has worked game was over and there was no reason to do anything like what this for the Canadiens since 1986, a man Price has seen at the Bell Centre individual ultimately did, was Luke Witkowski. and the practice facility in Brossard his entire career. Morneau works in the players’ parking garage, both at the Bell Centre and in Brossard, so He had been skating all over the place all night — on a single shift in the he is someone the players know very well. He is someone that Price first period Witkowski took a run at Jonathan Drouin, had a big collision knows very well. with Joel Armia and got tangled up with Brett Kulak along the boards. Now, he appeared to be running at Price. Morneau was stationed behind the Canadiens’ bench as the stars were coming out, and when it was Price’s turn he just stood there, waiting for Everyone was watching Witkowski, even Shea Weber sitting on the him to go by. bench, waiting to jump over the boards and congratulate Price for this very cool accomplishment except there was this guy on the opposing Except every time Price hits the ice during a home game, three times a team running right at the guy who was about to accomplish that very cool night at the start of each period, he gives Morneau a fist bump with his accomplishment. blocker and another bump to his chest. It is a ritual that says so much about Price. Doesn’t matter who you are, Price treats you with respect. “I was watching Witkowski,” Weber said. At this moment, as he went out on the ice as the first star of the game, Everyone was. Everyone but Price. Price saw Morneau and did the same thing he always does. As Witkowski was following the puck into the Canadiens’ zone, he tried to “Every time he goes out, he gives me one of these with his blocker,” start something with Jeff Petry, hooking at his arm in an attempt to Morneau said, pointing to his fist and then his chest. “This time was provoke an altercation at the end of the game. Price was behind the net different. He didn’t have his blocker.” focused on that puck slowly rolling around the boards. Again, he wanted it. This time was indeed different. He was celebrating what he considered to be one of the top pretty cool accomplishments of his career. Except Price As Witkowski was attempting to ruin the moment by getting into a minor behaved no differently. The first person he acknowledged as he exited mix up with the Canadiens players surrounding their goalie, Price calmly the tunnel was Morneau. stopped the puck with his stick, slowly bent down and picked it up with his glove. “That’s just who he is,” Morneau said. It was as if nothing was happening, even though the potential for chaos Him in a nutshell. was very real at that moment. After the game, there was a larger-than-usual gathering around Price to Except Price doesn’t do chaos. get his comments, and he tolerated the attention a little more than usual. This was a special night not only for him, but for his fans, and he knew it. “Yeah,” Price said when asked if he saw Witkowski. “But I knew how much time was left.” This is not something that Price loves about his job, but he stood in there and answered all the questions, and seemed happy to do it. This is not Of course he did. Because he’s Carey Price. him in a nutshell. “Him in a nutshell, right?” Weber said, laughing. But this is. It was indeed him in a nutshell. Like so many other moments that Among the horde of people surrounding was a television crew from happened on this historic night. APTN, the Aboriginal People’s Television Network. This is not normally an event APTN would cover, but Price is a role model for indigenous The Canadiens are up 2-1 in the third period and Joel Armia puts Jordie communities across the country, and this was a moment for him to Benn in a horrible position at the Detroit blue line. Tyler Bertuzzi inspire, to have a bigger impact in that sector of our population than he capitalizes and he’s off to the races, a clean breakaway from his own already has, which is massive. blue line. The reporter from APTN asked Price a question about bullying in hockey, In the context of the Canadiens’ season, this was an incredibly important exclusion, pain in a game that brings so many so much joy. moment. They needed this game, playing at home against a team they have owned and not playing like they understood just how important this Price is generally not one to deliver what reporters are seeking in game was. interviews. But in this case, he did exactly that. The Canadiens were sloppy at various points of the game, but none “I feel like this game is meant for everybody,” Price said. “It’s obviously a more so than the third period, nursing a one-goal lead with Bertuzzi league motto, but I definitely have seen that first hand. I think it’s important that you need to be proud of where you come from and enjoy the game for what it is. That’s what it’s meant to be.” Him in a nutshell. With all these nutshell moments, there is one thing that defines what Price is all about that wasn’t exemplified on this historic night, at least not by him. It is the fact that Carey Price has yet to accomplish his ultimate goal, what he wants more than a wins record, more than anything. “He’s very humble, but I’m sure he’s proud of what he accomplished,” Claude Julien said. “But he’s always had as a goal to win the Stanley Cup here in Montreal, and we hope he can do it soon.” Him in a nutshell. The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135704 Montreal Canadiens There are fairly good odds that much like the game against Detroit, the Canadiens’ fate this year will ultimately come down to how their star goaltender performs. Cracking the win: A fitting Canadiens victory secures another Carey Price But given his track record, there are good odds that Carey Price’s record teammates wouldn’t have it any other way. The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 By Marc Dumot

The Detroit Red Wings, owners of the second-worst record in the league, were without Dylan Larkin as they faced the Canadiens, which meant they were icing a team featuring such players as Andreas Athanasiou and … well, Anthanasiou is pretty good. The term ‘must win’ is thrown around way too often in sports, but given the current situation the Canadiens find themselves in and how poorly the Red Wings have performed this season, Tuesday night’s matchup at the Bell Centre was definitely a must-win game. It was the perfect opportunity for the Canadiens to not only take advantage of a weak opponent, but also put to rest the talk surrounding Carey Price’s inevitable record-setting night. Thanks to goals from Max Domi and Brett Kulak, the Canadiens gave Price just enough run support for him to earn his franchise-record 315th win, and he did so in classic Price fashion, making several highlight-reel saves to carry his team to a 3-1 victory. Domination The Canadiens controlled the play early, outshooting and outchancing the Red Wings by a significant margin through 30 minutes, but despite several of their shots coming from high danger areas, they weren’t particularly accurate. Most of them hit Jonathan Bernier in the chest until Max Domi took matters into his own hands, literally. Domi’s first-rate deflection on a rather innocent play was exactly what the Canadiens needed to take control of the game. They would go on to hit the post twice in the ensuing minutes. K stands for keeping him in the lineup Kulak constantly drives the play from his own end with crisp outlet passes and he never hesitates to join the rush. Not to mention, he’s got a pretty good shot: His play this season has been a real head-turner. Not only has he fit in seamlessly with his new team, taking advantage of the opportunity he received from the Canadiens, but he’s actually been one of the best defenders on the team, statistically speaking. He ranks first among Canadiens defenders when it comes to controlling shots (56.9 percent), goals (58.6 percent) and scoring chances (54.7 percent). Of course, he clearly doesn’t face the highest quality of competition, but he’s been a major boon to a shaky defence corps. Carey the weight There’s something incredibly fitting about the Canadiens sitting back and relying on Price to secure a win, as they did in the third period. It was an homage to his many years of excellent service and a reminder that despite their various improvements this year, this team will go as far as Price can take them. His save on Tyler Bertuzzi with 12 minutes left in the game was the exact same we’ve seen him make countless times throughout his career. Hell, it’s the same type of save we’ve seen him make countless times in a single game. Pick a game, any game. At this point, it’s almost become standard for Price, but it’s still highly entertaining to watch him make opponents look skyward. Price is single-handedly increasing the workload for chiropractors in 30 different cities, and he’s been doing it for years. Final Word Passing Jacques Plante for the most wins in franchise history is certainly a great story and Price will be showered with well-deserved praise, but now the Canadiens can get back to focusing on what matters most: securing a playoff spot. As important as it was to get two points against the lowly Red Wings, both the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Pittsburgh Penguins won Tuesday night. With the win, the Canadiens simply kept pace with their playoff rivals. 1135705 Montreal Canadiens Prior to the start of his senior year, LaCouvee had to make the biggest decision of his career. Was it time to give up and focus on a business degree? After all, he was a very good student. But he decided to give Two years after he considered giving up hockey, Connor LaCouvee is hockey one more shot. A transfer to Minnesota State University living his best life (Mankato) led to him playing 31 games that season, the most he had played since his time with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the BCHL.

“I needed to get back in the rhythm of hockey,” said LaCouvee, “and I By Marc Dumont Mar 12, 2019 needed to get back to enjoying it. To get to the next step in any facet of life, you’re going to have to go through some form of adversity. Everyone has to go through their own form of adversity, at every step. And that made me a better player and a better person. With Charlie Lindgren’s call up to the Canadiens on Monday, the Laval Rocket turned to goaltender Connor LaCouvee to fill the void left by his “With (Mankato head coach) Michael Hastings, I got an opportunity. And departure. that’s all I really wanted. I wanted a chance to prove myself. I got that opportunity and ran with it. I was so stoked. I was finally happy again.” It is impossible not to feel good about this story. LaCouvee finished the season with solid numbers; a 1.80 goals against LaCouvee, 24, is currently enjoying the best months of his life, but there average and a save percentage of .914. was a point in time when he was seriously considering giving up the game he loved. But more importantly, it re-ignited his love of the game. The lucky ones encounter little or no adversity on their path to becoming After signing a contract with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL, where he professional hockey players, but for most, the road is a constant, arduous quickly impressed general manager Daniel Brière, who happens to be challenge. Even the most upbeat players can fall victim to the grind. good friends with Rocket head coach Joël Bouchard, LaCouvee was Despite embodying positivity, LaCouvee is no exception. loaned to the Utica Comets of the AHL. He appeared in relief for two games and was given just one start, but an .877 save percentage meant Halfway through his sophomore season with Boston University, he was quickly returned to the ECHL. LaCouvee became an afterthought, losing the starting job to Sean Maguire, a 2012 fourth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Save “I was playing decently,” LaCouvee said. “But the other goalie took over, In the long run, the underwhelming results in Utica were a blessing in and I didn’t get a start for the whole second half of my sophomore year. It disguise, as the Laval Rocket prepared to offer him a professional tryout. was pretty brutal.” He was signed on Dec. 27 and made his first start for the team just a couple days later against the Charlotte Checkers. From that point on, his situation continued to deteriorate. “It wasn’t an easy situation for Connor,” explained Rocket goaltending During his junior year, LaCouvee went from an afterthought to feeling like coach Marco Marciano. “He had to adapt to a new team, new players, a an outsider, especially since he had to wait almost three months before new coach and a new environment. But he came here with a great getting his first start of the season. Though he maintained a .921 save attitude and wanted to learn. We often forget, but being a goaltender is percentage, LaCouvee finished the season with just five games under his 95 percent mental. You have to have the right mindset to perform.” belt, as Jake Oettinger, a 2017 first-round pick of the Dallas Stars, took over the vast majority of the goaltending duties. Not only did he have the right mindset in his victorious debut for the Rocket, but with a little over two minutes left to play in the second period, For goaltenders, there are two things necessary if they’re to develop into LaCouvee pulled off the save of the year in the AHL. professional hockey players. First, you need the peace of mind knowing there’s some sort of assurance when it comes to your role on the team. The save itself is a perfect window into what makes LaCouvee such an Secondly, and this goes without saying, you need to start games. interesting prospect. His lateral movements are quick and efficient, he does a great job tracking the puck, he anticipates the play quite well and LaCouvee had no idea as to his standing within the Boston University he never gives up on a potential save. hockey program, and even worse, he had played just 24 games through two of his most crucial development seasons, including games in which Since “The Save,” it’s been nothing but smooth sailing. During his time in he appeared in relief. At that stage of his career, he felt like he was dead the ECHL, where defence is often times optional, LaCouvee has in the water. maintained a .913 save percentage. Appearing in six games for the Rocket, LaCouvee has a 1.98 goals against average and an impressive Hockey went from a source of enjoyment to a source of toxic thoughts. .927 save percentage. Due to the lack of games played he doesn’t show “For a year and a half, it was terrible,” said LaCouvee. “It was very up on the AHL’s goaltending leaderboard, but if he did he would rank first mentally taxing. Going to the rink every day wasn’t fun. When you go in both statistical categories. through almost two seasons without playing, your focus and enjoyment of His six-game tryout was enough to convince the Rocket that they should the game really declines. Being younger, I didn’t have the right attitude to secure LaCouvee’s AHL rights by offering him a one-year, two-way deal with it.” contract. That rough stretch included periods of overindulgence with alcohol, Not too shabby for a player who was considering a future in finance something that is all too common in the student lifestyle. rather than hockey two years ago. “I felt like I was working as hard as I could, but I wasn’t getting starts,” “That’s what sport is all about,” said Bouchard, “It’s about having guys LaCouvee explained. “You start to feel helpless. You feel like anything that don’t stop progressing, that don’t give up, that work hard and are you do is not going to make a difference. Then, you lose a bit of faith in passionate. That describes Connor very well.” that system, and you lose faith in yourself. That’s when you start focusing on other things, some extracurriculars that aren’t very good for your On his first visit to Laval, LaCouvee was completely blown away by the career. amenities available at Place Bell, from the start-of-the-art facilities, the staff that caters to your every need, and even the opportunity to use his “It was a really, really tough year and a half. I don’t think I dealt with it the “broken French”. way I should have, even though it was really tough.” But the greatest blessing of all is his renewed love for the sport that has Beyond the allure of the party scene and the frustration of being a challenged him through the years. shelved athlete, LaCouvee was at a loss when it came to his future. Where would he go from here? “Right now, I’m really enjoying hockey,” he said. “I’m loving it again. It came full circle.” “It was probably the worst time in my life,” he said. “It was brutal.” The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 He wasn’t playing, which meant he wasn’t progressing. It felt like a dead end, to the point that he started considering changing his career ambitions. Maybe, like many before him, hockey simply wasn’t the right path. And though his family did a great job supporting him through tough times, it was almost too much to handle for the young goaltender. 1135706 Nashville Predators

Forsberg's two goals too little, too late for Predators in loss to Ducks

Paul Skrbina, March 13, 2019

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ryan Getzlaf got the first laugh Tuesday against the Predators. His Ducks teammate, Jakob Silfverberg, got the second. Daniel Sprong sprung a third on Predators goalie Pekka Rinne. Filip Forsberg got in a few late chuckles, but another poor start by the Predators resulted in Anaheim getting the last laugh, 3-2 at Honda Center. Not quite the start the Predators wanted -- or needed -- on the first game of a three-game, West coast road trip. Getzlaf struck for the Ducks first, 3 minutes, 39 seconds into the first to give Anaheim a 1-0 lead. Silfverberg pushed the score to 2-0 at 10:56. Sprong deked defenseman Matt Irwin, then Rinne at 13:59 of the second to give the home team a three-goal lead. "We were chasing a game again.," coach Peter Laviolette said. "We can't keep chasing a game. We made a mistake on the first goal in the offensive zone and it came back and bit us. The second one goes in and all of a sudden shortly into a game you're down 2-0 . You can't play that way. You can do that once in a while and come back, but the percentages aren’t with you." Forsberg returned to the Predators lineup Tuesday after missing Saturday's game and practices Thursday and Friday. Viktor Arvidsson played too after missing Monday's practice. Forsberg broke the shutout with a six-on-three score with 5:44 left in the third. He scored another power-play goal, this time six-on-four, 58 seconds later to make it 3-2. But it was too little too late for the Predators, who fell to 39-27-5 and remained a point behind the Jets in the Central Division. Big number: 99.8. Chance, percentage-wise, the Predators had of making the playoffs going into Tuesday's game, according to sportsclubstats.com. Notable: Rocco Grimaldi was a healthy scratch for the Predators. Quotable: "We're trying to win the division; that’s all we think about. We know that’s a tough task. Winnipeg is playing well. St. Louis is playing well. We’re just going to do everything to win the division to set us up (for the playoffs)." -- Forsberg. Quotable II: "They're both going to play. They're both playing well. (Rinne) is probabbly going to tilt the scale. You'll see Pekks probably get more than 50-50. We just watch the number and the rest more than anything. If somebody is hot were going to stay with them. ... Pekks getting what he needs for rest for what you hope to be a long spring and into the summer. Juuse (Saros) has played well enough to allow us to do that." -- Laviolette on how much he'll play his goalies down the stretch. READY OR NOT? Is Juuse Saros making a case to start more for Predators, maybe even in the postseason? Trending: The Ducks have won four of their last six. Next: At Kings, 9:30 p.m. Thursday at Staples Center, Los Angeles. TV/radio: Fox Sports Tennessee/102.5-FM. Tennessean LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135707 Nashville Predators best average on the team since he arrived. He’s also dropped the gloves once, fighting St. Louis’ Patrick Maroon.

McLeod hasn’t been a liability on the ice in his limited time, as he has a New arrivals analysis: Predators waiting on that post-trade surge like last Corsi For percentage of 49.2, despite seeing just 45.5 percent of his season starts in the offensive zone. It wouldn’t be a complete shock to see McLeod play Tuesday against a By John Glennon Mar 12, 2019 nasty Ducks team. With McLeod in the lineup, the Predators have gone 3-2-1 in six games. Every NHL team hopes a successful trade leads to an immediate boost Mikael Granlund (David Berding / USA Today) in the standings. Mikael Granlund The perfect example for Nashville occurred last season, when the As mentioned, it’s still early to evaluate Granlund and Simmonds. But at Predators surged to a 13-2-2 record in the team’s first 17 games after the same time, both players were acquired in order to make impacts acquiring center Kyle Turris from Ottawa. down the stretch and into the playoffs. We haven’t seen the same kind of post-trade uptick this year by the Granlund has been OK in the four games he’s played, scoring his first Predators, who added Brian Boyle, Cody McLeod, Mikael Granlund and goal as a member of the Preds in the loss to Carolina on Saturday. He’s Wayne Simmonds over the course of the past four-and-a-half weeks. also produced an assist, but has a minus-two rating in his four contests It’s admittedly early in the evaluation period for Granlund and Simmonds, with Nashville. as they’ve played just four and five games, respectively, in a Nashville “I thought (Granlund’s) line … I don’t think it was as forceful offensively uniform. In fact, the Preds have only played three games with Boyle, as it can be, but I do think that Granny played a pretty good game Granlund and Simmonds together in the lineup. (against Carolina),” Laviolette said. “I thought he was working. I thought But the team’s overall record since making the first two trades — adding he was physical.” Boyle and McLeod — is 7-7-1. The Predators were the second-place Granlund’s most frequent linemates have been Turris and Smith, and team in the Central Division before the first trades — three points behind that trio hasn’t put together great numbers to this point. In 16:07 together first-place Winnipeg — and Nashville sits in exactly the same spot on the ice, the line of Granlund-Turris-Smith has posted six scoring heading into its contest Tuesday night in Anaheim. chances and zero goals, while allowing 11 scoring chances and two There obviously have been other factors impacting the Preds’ record goals. over the past 15 games than just the new acquisitions. In the three games that Turris, Smith and Granlund have played together, Injuries, for example, have continued to disrupt chemistry, with forward the trio has posted a 50 percent Corsi For figure. But in the 39 games Craig Smith and defenseman Dan Hamhuis missing six games in the Turris and Smith have played with someone else as their third linemate past 15. Boyle, defenseman Mattias Ekholm and forward Filip Forsberg this season, they’ve posted a 53.94 percent Corsi For figure. have all missed one game during that stretch. Granlund has a 44.3 Corsi For percentage with all teammates this “We seem to keep being dinged up by one or two players, which has not season, down from the 52.4 percent figure he had in Minnesota this year. allowed us to get to some lines that we’re really looking to get towards,” “It’s getting better, for sure,” Granlund said of his transition. “It’s a good Preds coach Peter Laviolette said. “It will come at some point, but we team and a little different system here, so I knew it wasn’t going to go have to stay healthy to do that.” (quickly). But it’s getting better, and I’m feeling more and more In addition, a player like Granlund is dependent to a degree on the play comfortable.” of the team’s second-line center, which has been a trouble spot due to With Granlund in the lineup, the Preds are 2-2 in four games. Turris’ struggles. “When you’re used to something, you just go out there and you don’t Still, here’s a closer look at the impact each of the Preds’ trade need to think,” Granlund said. “Right now, it’s been thinking a little bit, acquisitions has delivered since arriving: figuring out positions and the other guys, their tendencies. It’s going to Brian Boyle take a couple of games. Boyle’s been a nice addition, putting up good numbers in several “But the game becomes much faster when you start to know people and categories. you can anticipate things. It’s been good so far, but it can get better.” Since arriving, the 6-6, 245-pound forward has scored four goals, the Wayne Simmonds third-best total on the team — trailing only Viktor Arvidsson (seven) and Like Granlund, Simmonds is off to a so-so start in his first handful of Roman Josi (five) — over the past 15 contests. Boyle is averaging .29 games. goals per game, a significant upgrade from his career average of .16 goals per contest. Simmonds has just one point (an assist) in five contests with the Predators, but he has a plus-three rating and seems to have found some Those figures don’t include his game-winning shootout goal against chemistry with Nick Bonino and Rocco Grimaldi. In 28:12 ice time, the Edmonton either. Grimaldi-Bonino-Simmonds line has a 59.26 percent Corsi For figure, Boyle has one power-play goal to his credit and has been a consistent and has produced two goals and 12 scoring chances — while giving up crease presence, but he alone hasn’t been able to improve the team’s one goal and 11 scoring chances. man-advantage overall. The Preds’ lowly power play is connecting at just In all situations, however, Simmonds has struggled to help push the 11.4 percent over the past 15 games, compared to 12.6 percent before attack. His individual Corsi For percentage is 43.1, despite the fact 65 Boyle arrived. percent of his starts have come in the offensive zone. In the face-off circle, Boyle has won 47-of-85 draws, a 55.3 percent “Personally, I think I’ve got to be better,” Simmonds said. “As a team, success rate that’s tops on the team over the past 15 games. Of we’ve played some decent hockey. But I still think this team can get particular note, Boyle has won 13-of-17 power-play faceoffs, thus better. Obviously, I think it’s just about everyone getting into a rhythm.” improving a Preds weakness in that department. The Preds would like to see Simmonds get more involved offensively, as For good measure, Boyle leads the team in hits since his arrival with 34, he’s averaging just 1.2 shots a game, a shot below his career average of averaging 2.4 per contest. With Boyle in the lineup, the Preds have gone 2.23. 6-7-1 in 14 games. But to his credit, Simmonds has made a physical impact, delivering Cody McLeod punishing hits and putting his strong frame to good use around the The Cody McLeod trade was expected to add some toughness to the opposition net. lineup, and wasn’t expected to make a big numbers splash. With Simmonds in the lineup, the Preds are 2-3. The results have been predictable, as McLeod has played in only six “Simmonds has been good,” Laviolette said. “He’s been noticeable at the games since the deal and averaged only 5:20 ice time in those contests. net front. Pucks have been on his stick. He’s strong on the pucks. He’s McLeod has averaged 2.5 hits per game during those six contests, the physical, he had some hits and some contact (against Carolina).” The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135708 New Jersey Devils

Johnny Gaudreau has 6 points as Flames scorch Devils 9-4

The Associated Press Published 1:27 a.m. ET March 13, 2019

CALGARY, Alberta — Johnny Gaudreau became the first player in more than five years to record six points in a game, and the Calgary Flames scored six times in the third period to scorch the New Jersey Devils 9-4 on Tuesday night. Gaudreau had a hat trick, including the go-ahead goal on a penalty shot in the third period, and added three assists for the Flames, who became the only team to score nine goals in a game twice this season. Gaudreau's six-point game is the first in the NHL since Dallas' Jamie Benn on Nov. 14, 2013, at Calgary. He's the first Flames player to accomplish the feat since Al MacInnis on March 20, 1994. Derek Ryan scored 41 seconds into the third to tie it 4-4, and then Gaudreau was hooked from behind on a breakaway by Damon Severson, resulting in a penalty shot. Gaudreau made no mistake, slowly winding his way in before ripping a shot past Mackenzie Blackwood. Gaudreau capped off his big night at 12:01, converting a setup from Sean Monahan, and sending hundreds of hats pouring onto the ice. Ryan finished with two goals. Sam Bennett, Elias Lindholm, Matthew Tkachuk and Monahan also scored for Calgary. Lindholm and Monahan both had four-point nights. The Flames remained one point back of the Pacific Division and Western Conference-leading San Jose Sharks, who won 5-4 in Winnipeg. Blake Coleman, Travis Zajac, Kyle Palmieri and Kenny Agostino scored for New Jersey, which is winless in its last seven (0-6-1). Making it three goals in less than two minutes, Calgary went ahead 6-4 at 2:37 when Ryan was set up by Gaudreau on a 2-on-1. Holding onto the puck patiently, Gaudreau froze Blackwood before sending the puck across to Ryan, who had a wide-open net. Gaudreau, who entered the night with just one goal in his previous 19 games, surpassed both of his previous highs of 30 goals and 84 points in a season. He's now up to 33 goals and 90 points. After falling behind 1-0 five minutes into the game, Coleman's breakaway goal was the first of three straight goals for the Devils. After coughing up a 3-1 lead earlier in the second, New Jersey regained the lead at 17:49 of the second on Zajac's short-handed goal. David Rittich had 22 stops for Calgary. Blackwood made 30 saves, falling to 6-8-0. Down 3-1, Calgary battled back to tie it on goals three minutes apart from Bennett and Lindholm. At 7:17, defenseman Mark Giordano won a puck battle and centered a perfect pass that Bennett one-timed past Blackwood. On another setup for Monahan, Lindholm jammed in his own rebound to make it 3-3. Calgary struck first when its slumping top line connected. Sent in alone on a pass by Monahan, Gaudreau made a slick move and tucked the puck through Blackwood's pads. NOTES: Michael Stone (blood clot) rejoined the Flames after a conditioning stint in the American Hockey League. His last NHL game was Nov. 11. Along with Oliver Kylington and Dalton Prout, that makes three extra, healthy defensemen. UP NEXT: Devils: At Edmonton on Wednesday night. Flames: Host the New York Rangers on Friday night. Bergen Record LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135709 New Jersey Devils Egor Yakovlev #74 and Connor Carrick #5 of the New Jersey Devils talk during a stop in play in the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 01, 2019 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Connor Carrick hoping to be 'spreader of poise' for Devils Sometimes it takes a change of scenery to finally find the right fit. In the case of Carrick, it’s taken a few moves but maybe the fourth organization is the charm. Abbey Mastracco, NHL writer Published 8:28 a.m. ET March 12, 2019 “I’m thrilled to be here,” he said. “I’m super impressed with the people and the culture and the attitude that guys are bringing in here. I know the talent in this room maybe isn’t all healthy but my long-term goal is to be NEWARK — Connor Carrick knew the routine all too well. here for a long time and be able to add.” The 24-year-old defenseman was changing teams for the second time in Bergen Record LOADED: 03.13.2019 one season, going from the Dallas Stars to the New Jersey Devils only a few short months after he had come from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Three years before that, he was going from Washington to Toronto. Carrick came to New Jersey (along with a third-round draft pick) the day before the trade deadline in exchange for veteran blue-liner Ben Lovejoy already knowing how the process would go. New Jersey Devils defenseman Connor Carrick (5) skates with the puck during the first period of their game against the Montreal Canadiens at Prudential Center. “It’s the same thing every time,” Carrick said. “You get a chance to evaluate what’s most important and what’s most in front of your face. That is usually sleep and food and some clothing. After that, it’s peripherals. My immediate focus was to get in, try and get everything with my gear right, the physical, and start to familiarize names. Right away I was able to come in on the off-day and hang my gear up and kind of take one more unknown out of the equation just getting to see the room a little bit.” A cerebral player with high drive, it didn’t take Carrick long to figure out how the Devils play and why they were sellers instead of buyers. A team with one of the worst goal differentials in the league has struggled to get the puck out of their own end into the offensive zone. It’s been a problem all season and much more so recently without high-end offensive players like Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier to drive possession. Solid defensive player: What to expect from NJ Devils' Connor Carrick “I think that as a group we can certainly be sharper with the puck,” Carrick said. “There’s an expectation to compete every night but certainly as an NHL player there’s a level of execution that’s expected and that’s going to be the pressure from within our group too.” That group is currently devoid of most of its offensive stars and has had new players in and out of the lineup all season, be it because of injuries or ineffectiveness. Coach John Hynes wants some of the organizational talent from American Hockey League to show they can make an impact but too many times play has gone awry and instead of the New Jersey skaters using their speed to get out on the forecheck and create offense, it’s been the Devils fending off an attack. “When the game is not going your way, it starts coming back the other way,” Carrick said. “Three of your guys are gassed from playing down low, you’ve got one guy to get the puck on the wall because it’s not a middle exit and you’re able to keep all five guys in a small area and NHLers have good sticks so they’ll pick lanes off. “So all of the sudden you’ve got one guy on the wall, D-man crunches him and it’s tough luck. We’ve got one guy kind of flying in the zone hoping for a miracle that it gets by the guy and you’re in your own end again.” As a puck-mover, this is where Carrick comes in. But it’s about more than moving the puck out of the defensive zone, it’s about keeping the play calm and being able to give the team a reset when things get frantic. “Hopefully I can be a sort of spreader of poise, let’s call it, where I’m able to calm other guys down and put the puck on their tape and make their job easy.” he said. So far, that’s exactly what he’s done for New Jersey. “He’s a guy who has poise under pressure,” Hynes said. “When he’s been in the lineup our breakouts have been strong. I think he can make good plays and he communicates really well. We have a really quiet group but he’s a talker. He talks on the bench, talks at practice and that’s really, really important.” The 5-foot-11, 192-pound defenseman boasts strong skating abilities and some offensive upside. He may be a better fit in a more speed-based, Eastern Conference system since he was pushed around the net-front by heavy Western Conference teams in Dallas. He may have a tendency to hang on to the puck a little too long but that’s not necessarily a bad thing if the Devils need him to calm things down on the ice. 1135710 New York Islanders

After bad patch, Islanders summon intensity, desperation for their playoff drive

By Andrew Gross

There’s a certain combination of intensity and desperation that define playoff games, or a playoff-like game. The Islanders, after stumbling through some inconsistent performances, believe they got back to that intensity and desperation their last time on the ice. But only by maintaining that level, and then continuing to raise it, will the Islanders truly be ready for their first postseason berth since 2016. The Islanders, who did not practice on Tuesday, conclude a stretch of eight of nine games at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum against the Canadiens on Thursday night after Monday night’s 2-0 win over the Blue Jackets in a crucial Metropolitan Division match. “Yeah, no question,” right wing Cal Clutterbuck said of needing to build off the positives from Monday night. “You’d be hard pressed to find a team outside of (NHL-leading) Tampa that hasn’t gone through a little stretch where they’re not on top of it. You’ve got to identify what’s gone wrong and you’ve got to fix it. “The basis for winning for us has always been hard work, just hard play” added Clutterbuck, whose return from a three-game absence because of an upper-body injury made an immediate impact on the lineup as his fourth line with Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin helped set the pace. “The execution could probably have been a little better. But the hardness was there and it paid off.” The Canadiens are certainly desperate as they vie for an Eastern Conference wild card spot, while unlikely to make up enough ground to get into the top three of the Atlantic Division. The Islanders, chasing the Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division, control their own destiny to secure home-ice advantage for the first round. But a 3-4-0 mark in this stretch at the Coliseum has not helped their playoff push and they are 11-7-2 since returning from their combined All- Star break and bye week on Feb. 1. They went into their extended vacation on a 15-3-1 run. The Islanders have players who have been quite successful in the playoffs. Defensemen Johnny Boychuk (Bruins) and Nick Leddy (Blackhawks), center Valtteri Filppula (Red Wings) and left wing Andrew Ladd (Hurricanes) have all played for Stanley Cup winners, defenseman Luca Sbisa (Golden Knights) played in last season’s Cup Final. Goalie Thomas Greiss started for the Islanders as they beat the Panthers in the first round in 2016 for the franchise’s first playoff series win since 1993. But, as a group, these Islanders don’t have the experience of going through a playoff push like the Capitals, who won last season’s Stanley Cup under current Islanders coach Barry Trotz, or fellow divisional foe Penguins, who won back-to-back Cups in 2016-17. Those teams played on Tuesday night with the Capitals coming in on a seven-game winning streak and the Penguins on a 6-2-2 run. “I know about my old team, they’re ramping it up,” Trotz said. “There’s the pedigree of teams that have been there. They’re raising their games. At this time of the year, everybody raises their game. It’s how much can you raise your game?” Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135711 New York Islanders 1.00 WAR to calculate a player’s current value. The winger values to just under $1.7 million.

(Courtesy of Chris Watkins) What could Anthony Beauvillier’s next Islanders contract look like? It’s a bit complicated A one- or two-year deal at that price is a possible path for Beauvillier and the Islanders because it keeps costs as low as possible next season. The Isles may need that financial wiggle room for pending free agents and By Shayna Goldman Mar 12, 2019 anyone they acquire via free agency. If they’re in the hunt for some of the stars on the market, like Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, they’re going to need every dime they can get. There’s no John Tavares decision to hold your breath for this time Using the $1.7 value number as a guide, along with Beauvillier’s years of around, but much of the focus on the New York Islanders again this NHL experience and point production, we can identify comparable deals offseason will be on their pending free agents. This year that’s seven from around the league. unrestricted free agents and three restricted free agents who are currently at the NHL level. The group is headlined by the new captain, *Beauvillier’s 2018-19 season was paced out to 28 points in 81 games to Anders Lee, who becomes a UFA for the first time in his career on July 1. put him at a career total of 218 NHL goals and 111 points. What may get lost amid the Isles’ UFA extensions and possible free- All of the contracts outlined above are the players’ second after their agent pursuits — but can’t be overlooked — are their RFAs. Left winger ELCs and most are in the slightly lower range as one-year deals. But Anthony Beauvillier leads that group, while Michael Dal Colle and Josh when considering cap-hit percentage and scoring rates, Beauvillier’s Ho-Sang, who have both bounced between the NHL and AHL levels this number is still realistic for him. There are even a few two-year contracts season, will also see their contracts expire. Plus, with every move, the with similar cap hits the Islanders could model Beauvillier’s deal off of Islanders have to look a year ahead to Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock and buy themselves more time to make a decision. becoming RFAs. That extra time to assess could lead to a player either signing another With RFAs, there isn’t always an urgency to lock the player up for years short-term deal, like Reilly Smith did (a two-year contract before the five- unless that player is clearly an elite talent that is going to become costly year, $5 million average annual value deal he inked in 2016), or quickly, like Barzal — especially when it’s the player’s second contract, extending long-term. after his entry-level contract expires. That’s why a general manager often The Islanders could also offer a bridge-deal with a higher cap hit to pay opts to give that player a short-term deal before committing to what role for future performance, and that may start at $2 million a season for two he’ll have in the team’s future and at what cost. years. A number of players around the league have been signed to Sometimes, though, a manager will take the risk and give the player term similar type deals over the years as their second and third contracts (for after his ELC, ensuring he is paid through his prime and betting on the our purposes, that’s since the latest collective bargaining agreement was chance that it’ll pay dividends. signed), which the Islanders could use for reference. There’s risk involved with either method. Moving forward with a bridge- For all besides Zucker, Baertschi, and Namestnikov, the contracts listed deal can end up becoming the more costly method if the player proves here are ones the players signed after their ELCs expired; for those himself throughout his “show me” deal. Proceeding with a longer-term three, it was their third contract. contract can become problematic if he plateaus too soon or falls short of Beauvillier’s career scoring rate of .509 per game leads all of these expectations. players, so while his production essentially matches that of last year, the On the other side of the equation, there’s also what the player wants, and value proposed above still could be too low of a gauge for his next an RFA has far less freedom to get the exact contract he covets. He has contract. When factoring in the cap-hit percentage, it’s even lower. If this even less when he can’t file for arbitration to gain some sort of leverage. is the contract Isles management leans towards, then it’s likely And in a league where offer sheets are threatened, but rarely occur, Beauvillier’s past season had a lot of influence on the negotiations. there’s less pressure on the teams to come up with player-friendly So, let’s raise the cap hit to $3 million to get a sense of players that contracts. earned somewhere in that range. With all of that in mind, let’s get back to Beauvillier. While he’s become a Of this group, the low end is Lindholm’s $2.7 million cap hit, while the mainstay in the Islanders lineup in his third season, he hasn’t quite high is Reinhart’s $3.65 million. Lindholm’s cap hit at the time of the cemented his role on the Islanders for years to come. At 21 years old, signing was worth 3.78 percent of the salary cap, which is comparable to there’s still time for him to grow and develop, but how much management about $3 million today (3.77 percent). The rest of these signings took up feels he’s going to — especially after first-year GM Lou Lamoriello has more cap space in the first year of their contracts. Since all of these had a season to watch him up-close — may determine the value of his players’ scoring rates are much closer to Beauvillier’s than those of the upcoming extension. last bracket of wingers, it’s a reasonable projection for a multi-year deal. Through 67 games this season, Beauvillier has posted 16 goals and With a bridge-deal, it’s still important to anticipate what the next contract seven assists for 23 points (10th on the team). He’s on pace for 28 may be, including its impact on the salary cap. For Lindholm, that’s a six- points, which is eight fewer than the career high he set in 2017-18 and year contract with a $4.85 million cap hit and, for Teräväinen, a five-year just four more than what he produced in 66 games his rookie season. deal worth $5.4 million on average that activates this summer. Beauvillier All but three of those points this year have come at 5-on-5, which is good will be 22 when his next contract starts and 24 when a two-year deal for ninth on the team. When weighing ice time — he averages 12:39, expires, so it could be cost-effective to sign a short-term deal before roughly equivalent to that of a third-liner — his scoring rate of 1.41 points adding length. per 60 is tenth among his teammates and still not very overwhelming. If not a short-term deal, there is a chance — albeit a very small one — of One area in which Beauvillier stands out is his goal-scoring, particularly Beauvillier and the Isles agreeing to a longer-term contract. Few 22-year- at 5-on-5. His 14 goals are good for third on the team and, based on the old wingers with similar scoring production have signed long-term deals shot quality and how likely his chances are to go in the net, he leads with this early in their careers. a 14.06 individual expected goals rating. Center Ryan Johansen signed a three-year contract worth $4 million a (Courtesy of HockeyViz) year on average when he was 22 in 2014. While he had less NHL Over the last two years, Beauvillier has gone from being a threat on the experience than Beauvillier, he was scoring at a similar rate at that point power play and scoring like a lower-end first-liner at even strength to just in his career (96 points in 189 games for a rate of .508 per game, which into third-liner territory at even strength with barely any power-play is just behind Beauvillier’s .509). 23-year-old winger Ondrej Palat signed production. The Islanders went from shooting and scoring more with him a three-year contract with a $3.33 million cap hit after accumulating 63 on the ice, to more shots for, fewer goals for and far more goals more points in 95 games (.663 per game rate), while teammate Tyler Johnson against when he’s deployed. signed the same contract at the same age that offseason after a 58-point, 100-game season (.58 rate). The combination of Beauvillier’s small NHL sample size and recency bias all but guarantees the Islanders sign him to a less significant contract this On the lower end of cost, there’s Ondrej Kase’s deal that the Islanders offseason — unless management sees a way to lower the costs in the could try to emulate. The 22-year-old signed for three years in Anaheim future with an inexpensive long-term deal. So, what could that look like? with an average cap hit of $2.6 million (53 points in 119 games). There’s also Columbus’ Oliver Bjorkstrand, who at 23 signed a three-year To figure out what Beauvillier could command, let’s dip into Chris contract with a $2.5 million cap hit (61 points in 121 games). Watkins’ Player Valuation Model, which uses statistics like Beauvillier’s Few with Beauvillier’s experience and accomplishments have gotten more than three years. The only comparable in the last few years is Miles Wood with the New Jersey Devils. After a successful 2017-18, he signed in September for four years at a cost of $2.75 million per despite an overall production of 49 points in 139 games, or .353 points on average. What Beauvillier’s next contract will be hinges on Lamoriello. It’s been less than a year since he’s taken over, which hasn’t left enough time to get accustomed to his tendencies. He’s extended five RFAs since joining the Islanders, including Brock Nelson (one year, $4.25 million cap hit), Ryan Pulock (two years, $2 million cap hit) and Ross Johnston (four years, $1 million cap hit) — who seemed to be the least likely of the bunch to get term. For comparison’s sake, Lamoriello has signed forwards to their second and third contracts while with the Maple Leafs and Devils (each of the above contracts was the player’s second after his ELC, besides Clarkson). The list shows that Lamoriello was willing to give a player term even if he didn’t have much NHL experience and hadn’t overwhelmed on the scoresheet up to that point. Whether he’ll try to proceed this same way with Beauvillier isn’t clear; at the time of those contracts, Zach Hyman was appreciated for more than just his scoring, while Adam Henrique had playoff experience. With a more traditional approach, Lamoriello may not dig into Beauvillier’s underlying numbers or aging curves to determine how to extend him. What is clear is that Lamoriello is willing to go with a short-term “show me” contract, as he did with both Nelson and Pulock last summer. But the GM is also willing to go long-term with a player even if he has little NHL experience, as he did with Nikita Zaitsev in Toronto after the defender’s first year. It’s important to note that Lamoriello doesn’t have the same connections to these players as a GM that drafted them and studied them throughout the years. The smaller window with Beauvillier may not be enough to sway him towards a long-term contract, especially after this season. Plus, Beauvillier may want another year or two to prove that he’s worth a longer investment, and that option may not be on the table with the busy offseason the Isles have ahead of them. By the time the Islanders approach a decision on Beauvillier’s extension, they’ll have a clearer picture of the salary cap. How much or how little space remains may decide what Beauvillier’s next contract looks like, but if there’s room to maneuver, the Islanders have options. Will Lamoriello and the Islanders risk Beauvillier’s value increasing that much over the next two years, or will they risk investing in him now in an effort to lower future costs? The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135712 New York Islanders that, those two are the worst lineup regulars in HDCF% at 45.5 for Komarov and 45.3 for Filppula.

In the back half of the third period, Trotz swapped out Martin for Brock Cal Clutterbuck reminds why he’s the unsung hero of this Isles team, Nelson to give the line a little more agility to preserve the one-goal lead. whose identity is to grind it out That trio was on when Columbus pulled its goalie and, as happened in most of the third period, they kept the Jackets on the perimeter before Clutterbuck intercepted a cross-ice feed and oomphed the puck out of By Arthur Staple Mar 12, 2019 the zone before going off on a change. The Islanders are what they are this season: offensively challenged, structurally sound, dependent on their goalies making the first save and UNIONDALE, N.Y. — There’s an argument to be made that the scratching and clawing their way out of trouble to prevent any further Islanders’ Most Valuable Skater this season is this guy: opportunities on a given play. These last 13 games won’t be pretty and neither will a playoff series against any of their possible opponents. Notice we said skater — the goalie tandem of Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss, who was Monday night’s deserving first star after turning aside 31 The Penguins? Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, etc. Columbus can’t seem to shots for his fifth shutout in 33 starts, is far and away the MVP of this score but is still dangerous with half a dozen high-end players. The season. Greiss and Lehner have combined for nine shutouts, one off the Hurricanes are flying high and have mobile defensemen who will cause Isles’ season record from 1975-76 when it was Chico Resch (seven) and trouble. The Canadiens play fast. And, should the Isles slip, the Caps Billy Smith (three). and Lightning are loaded. Then, there are other Isles skaters who have been hugely important. So, grinding is the way and Islander hockey, as Trotz likes to call it, runs Casey Cizikas and his 19 goals. Anders Lee, proving himself to be the through that fourth line. And the fourth line runs through Clutterbuck. sort of captain this Islander team needs along with his team-high 23 Who’d have believed it? goals. Ryan Pulock, who day by day is looking like a true top-pair defenseman. The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 But if Monday night showed us anything, it’s that Cal Clutterbuck and all of his 21 points in 60 games are perhaps the key to this unlikely Islanders season. “He’s so important to what we do — on and off the ice,” Lee said. “He’s an important voice in the room and obviously their line sets the tone like they did tonight.” Clutterbuck returned after missing three games with a suspected concussion after he took a puck to the head while sitting on the bench in last Sunday’s loss to the Flyers. With the Matt Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck line intact for the first time since the 6-1 beatdown of the Leafs back on Feb. 28, Barry Trotz had his security blanket once more. They started Monday’s game against the Blue Jackets’ version of that energy line, with Nick Foligno, Brandon Dubinsky and Josh Anderson. An effective trio. But right off the opening draw, the Isles dumped it in and went to work, with Clutterbuck digging one out and Cizikas nearly snapping home his 20th from the slot. On their next shift, a soft reverse by Matt Duchene gave possession back. Clutterbuck, as the F3 high, sped into Adam Pelech’s spot as Pelech pinched and dropped the puck back. Clutterbuck’s shot was blocked and deflected right to Pulock, who blasted home the lone goal to beat either goalie. That’s not a play Leo Komarov makes. Komarov was with Cizikas and Martin the previous two games, including for the pivotal goal in Saturday’s loss to the Flyers. With Komarov already in deep on the forecheck in the closing seconds of the first period in a 1-1 game (already a bit of a no-no), Cizikas lost his position on the forecheck and then fell down. The Flyers raced away and scored with 3.1 seconds to go, setting the stage for an ugly second. With Clutterbuck back Monday night, the line returned to being as effective as it’s been all year. “Whatever they’ve got, they’ve got,” Trotz said of the line. “In every sport, there are combinations or whatever, when they’re not together they don’t have the same chemistry. This was the first time in a few games they were back, and they were impactful.” Among NHL players with at least 500 minutes this season, Clutterbuck’s 60.1 high-danger chance percentage ranks 11th. Vegas has four players in the top 10, including all three members of the Knights’ version of the Cizikas line (Tomas Nosek, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Ryan Reaves). The Islander with the closest percentage to Clutterbuck’s is Devon Toews at 57.8 percent. On a team like the Islanders, relatively devoid of star power and high- octane offense, the Cizikas line is the key. And within that trio, Clutterbuck is the one that makes it tick. When Martin and Clutterbuck were out, Trotz could have rewarded Cizikas with a step up in the lineup to play withs some higher-end wings, but Trotz moved Komarov and Ross Johnston in. Now, Johnston has been no slouch in his few appearances this season; if you remove any minutes-played minimums, it’s Johnston who’s actually second behind Clutterbuck in HDCF% at 58.8. But Komarov’s limited skating ability seems to work only alongside Valtteri Filppula, and even at 1135713 New York Rangers Rosenberg (who appeared to be acting as a Dolan’s defacto PR man) was when Kay asked Dolan if he wanted to be beloved?

Dolan said he had no need for that kind of sentiment. James Dolan says he isn't to blame for his poor PR, the New York Daily News is Then, making sure he hit all the points he wanted to cover. Dolan, reading from his notes, started talking about “if someone gets in his face again…..” Then what? By BOB RAISSMAN Who knows, And why even care. Just blame it all on The New York Daily News. At least James (Guitar Jimmy) Dolan is consistent. New York Daily News LOADED: 03.13.2019 The band leader, who doubles as Madison Square Gulag boss, brought his set-list (we could see him checking it) to ESPN-98.7/YES’ “The Michael Kay Show” on Tuesday and sang the blues, once again blaming others for his failed, dysfunctional regime. This amounted to his rendition, albeit a poor one, of Linda Ronstadt’s “Poor Poor Pitiful me.” No matter who does the interviewing, Dolan, who turned on his smiling nebbish persona, is always the victim, always travelling with a packet of Pity Party invitations. So, it wasn’t Dolan’s fault for stopping to confront that fan (“sell the team”) as he walked through the Garden tunnel Saturday afternoon. James Dolan: Knicks rival is sabotaging our foolproof free agency plan » No, this was all about getting poor Jimmy, Dolan said. It was the fan’s fault for “stalking” him and setting a trap for him to be “ambushed” in a plot hatched by the dastardly TMZ, who just happened to be doing its job. And in a stunning revelation, Dolan said he has nothing to do with the negative publicity his inept, alleged NBA franchise receives. He told Kay he blames The New York Daily News for that. Dolan gleefully told Kay he, personally, has banned various News Knicks beat reporters (the most recent Stefan Bondy) from press conferences and conference calls. If Kay probed just a bit further, Dolan would have admitted to having his PR operatives following News reporters around MSG since he took over the franchise. See, Guitar Jimmy wrote the book on stalking. “We’re sending the Daily News a message,” a “defiant” Dolan told Kay. “… If they hate us that much why are they there?” Dolan also accused the fan who confronted him of “reading the Daily News too much.” Dolan should be absolutely thrilled the News, or any other outlet, still covers the Knicks. In reality, the Knicks receive mostly positive coverage from the media outlets (especially inside the Valley of the Stupid) who put up with Dolan’s control/crap because they don’t want to be cut-off and lose the potential crumbs MSG feeds newspapers like The New York Post. For years, the only Knicks stuff to cover is what they might do “in the summer” or “next season.” The only time the Knicks make “compelling” news is when Dolan publicly shows his true colors, acting like a jackass. And even when he is the story, he can’t keep his story straight. James Dolan is no stranger to banning people or journalists from games or press conferences. Kay exposed Dolan as a flip-flopper on the fan thing. When asked if he should’ve just walked on by, or just waved to the fan, Dolan said it “might” have been the best course to take. Dolan even said he considered inviting the fan back to another Knicks game. But when his security force (was it “Kevin?”) unearthed this twisted TMZ “plot” all bets were off and the fan has been banned from the Gulag, relegated to watching games on Dolan’s Knicks See-No-Evil Network. Yet even Dolan’s Trumpian conspiracy theory, finished a distant second to his dismissal of the Knicks being a public trust, an essential vein of the city’s heartbeat. While this is a romantic notion, it was thoroughly embraced by the public companies that owned the Knicks before Dolan’s poppa Charles put it under little Jimmy’s Christmas tree. Kay gave Dolan every opportunity to say that, at least in spirit, the Knicks belong to their loyal fan base. He wasn’t buying that notion. Instead he gloated over the fact that the Gulag is averaging over 18,000 for Knick games (10th best attendance in the league). “For a team with as many losses as we have, that might be some sort of NBA record,” Dolan said. Yep, that’s something to be proud of. One of the most telling moments of the interview, which also featured Don La Greca (who works for Dolan as a Rangers voice) and Peter 1135714 New York Rangers to 6:59) before being designated as a healthy scratch against the Oilers wouldn’t seem to present the optimum opportunity for success.

I not only understand Quinn’s commitment to approaching these games Rangers will remember this Chris Kreider disappearing act as meaningful ones and using the rest of the season as a platform for next season, but endorse it, and won’t the coach sleep easier knowing that? By Larry Brooks March 12, 2019 | 6:51PM But is it honestly the worst idea to give Andersson a shot at playing top- six (maybe with Vladislav Namestnikov and either Ryan Strome or Jesper Fast) and see whether he can elevate his game when surrounded Regarding the Rangers, who somehow seem destined to compile a by better players and given more responsibility? poorer post-deadline record than last year’s remnants of a team: What is there to lose other than another game? 1. Despite playing for a coach in Alain Vigneault who was not terribly invested by that point and putting out a lineup that included defensemen New York Post LOADED: 03.13.2019 Ryan Sproul, Rob O’Gara and John Gilmour and forwards David Desharnais and Paul Carey — a quintet that has not played a second of NHL hockey this season since Carey was sent to the AHL by Ottawa after five games — the Rangers went 7-9-3 after tearing the team asunder a year ago. This year, with David Quinn coaching as if it were the first half of November with his team occupying a playoff position, the Blueshirts have gone 1-2-4 since both Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello were sent away. So Chris Kreider’s rather extended walkabout in which he was bounced off the first line, shuttled to the fourth unit for a time and has settled well, who knows where, either complicates the issue or confirms it for management. Because no one can tell me this stretch in which the winger has no goals and two assists in the last seven at exactly the wrong time is not going to factor considerably in the decision whether to sign Kreider to a pricey, long-term contract extension or trade the 28-year-old (as of April 30) at the draft before he gets into his walk year. But you know what, too? A couple of those games where Did You See Chris was followed only by a question mark should not have been enough for Quinn to separate Kreider from Mika Zibanejad, himself with no goals and two assists in the last half-dozen matches. 2. If my math is correct, Tony DeAngelo made it through six weeks and 17 games without needing correction for another breach of behavioral conduct. And this is supposed to represent progress? Are the Rangers and Ranger fans honestly supposed to feel good about this? DeAngelo is 23, not 18 or 19. This is his fourth season of pro hockey. And, given the opportunity of a lifetime to play first pair in the NHL, the New Jersey native could not make it through two months without being bounced from the lineup for being unable to meet one of the coach’s “non-negotiable” principles. The conundrum the Blueshirts face going forward with this pending restricted free agent (without arbitration rights) is weighing his immaturity against the tantalizing lure and promise of his talent he displayed through those last 17 games on the top matchup pair before sitting out Monday’s 3-2 overtime defeat in Edmonton. DeAngelo’s package of skills is not only elite, it stands out on a team that is sorely lacking in the highest-end NHL talent. So the Rangers try to believe and they put in the time and effort with the righty defenseman. But as far as being able to count on No. 77 as a building block for this operation, not so much. 3. New Rule: No more hype from anyone in the organization about Lias Andersson’s great off-the-ice progress because, honestly, it only serves to set up everyone for what at this point is an inevitable and almost immediate letdown. This is a player who was rated highly by every organization in the NHL, even if not to the extreme where the Rangers had the center at seventh- overall in 2017. At this still-early stage, however, Andersson’s game in the SEL and for Sweden in international competition has not translated to the Broadway stage. Of course there is room for improvement, of course it is ludicrous to write him off at the age of 20 and it serves no purpose to relitigate the draft, but Andersson appears to lack explosiveness in his skating and creativity in his game. Oh, is this the part where I’m bound by law to credit his competitiveness and work ethic? Then, too, getting under 10 minutes a night on the fourth line as Andersson was awarded in the three games (declining from 9:16 to 8:57 1135715 New York Rangers

Tony DeAngelo needs no explanation for benching

By Greg Joyce March 12, 2019 | 3:37am

EDMONTON, Alberta — Tony DeAngelo insisted “no explanation [was] needed” for him being a healthy scratch Monday night against the Oilers. The Rangers defenseman had been solid while playing 17 straight games since he was last in street clothes for a pair of games due to what coach David Quinn termed a “maturity issue,” but just over a month later, he was back to playing spectator. “He gave me a small reason to take him out,” Quinn said before the Rangers dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Oilers. “He’s made a lot of progress and a lot of strides and we’ve all watched what he’s done on the ice. He’s made a lot of strides off the ice too, like all young players have to make. But there are certain things that are non-negotiable.” Quinn declined to specify the reason, but Fredrik Claesson took DeAngelo’s spot on the blue line, the veteran playing his first game since Feb. 27 after being a healthy scratch himself for the past five games. Claesson had a tough return, striking goalie Alexandar Georgiev (30 saves) in the helmet as the Oilers scored their second goal. It was originally wiped off for contact with the goalie, but the Oilers challenged and video review showed Claesson delivering the blow. In 17 games between scratches, DeAngelo had recorded 13 assists, four on the power play. “I don’t make those choices,” DeAngelo said after skating in the morning. “Obviously still some stuff to work on, so kind of a little reset, hopefully get back in soon.” Asked if DeAngelo understands the message when he’s out, Quinn replied, “I’ll let you know in about three weeks.” Lias Andersson joined DeAngelo as a healthy scratch, sitting for the second time in four games while struggling to get minutes as the fourth- line center. “Lias is a young player, making his way in the league, making a lot of progress,” Quinn said. “I wanted to get [Connor] Brickley back in.” Libor Hajek underwent an MRI on his left shoulder Sunday, and while the rookie defenseman will likely still miss the rest of the season, the scan wasn’t as bad as the club initially feared. “Probably in all likelihood, not enough time for him to get back to play,” Quinn said. “But the results are a lot better than we thought.” Brett Howden’s goal in the third period was his first since Nov. 12, snapping a 35-game scoring drought. Playing their first game since the death of former defenseman and Hall of Famer Harry Howell, the Rangers wore an “HH” decal on their helmets. The Oilers also held a moment of silence pregame to honor Howell, their former scout. New York Post LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135716 New York Rangers

Rangers' Brett Howden finds relief in breaking goal drought

By Colin Stephenson

VANCOUVER — When he scored the tying goal in the third period for the Rangers, in what would eventually become a 3-2 overtime loss Monday night in Edmonton, Brett Howden spread his arms wide, leaned back and looked to the rafters as he celebrated. For Howden, the 20- year-old rookie center, scoring that goal had to feel like lifting a 1,000- pound weight off his shoulders. “It’s a big relief for sure,’’ said Howden Tuesday, after he was one of 10 players who skated at Rogers Arena in preparation for Wednesday’s game here against the Canucks. “It’s been something that sits in the back of your mind for any player, after it’s been that long, and it felt nice for one to finally go in after I’ve been getting lots of chances.’’ For the record it had been 35 straight games without a goal for Howden, who had last scored Nov. 12 at the Garden against the same Canucks team he’ll see Wednesday. That’s 35 games played, not including the 15 games he missed with a right knee injury suffered in the first game after the All-Star break. The drought had been so long, Howden said, that one of his teammates joked after he scored Monday that perhaps he might like the puck as a souvenir, as his first goal. But seriously, he said, his teammates couldn’t have been more thrilled. “Everybody was really happy for me and it was nice to see the support from everyone,’’ he said. “It’s a really good group here.’’ Howden admitted he’d been pressing for a while before the All-Star break. He doesn’t know how long his drought had gone on before he noticed it, “but after it’s been three or four months, it probably sticks in your mind a little bit.’’ The Winnipeg native, who was a first round pick by Tampa Bay in 2016 and was sent to the Rangers as part of the package in the massive Ryan McDonagh-J.T. Miller deal, went with the team on its trip to Winnipeg last month though he couldn’t play. He said the current trip to Western Canada, even though it doesn’t include Winnipeg, feels a little like being home. He played his junior hockey in the Western Hockey League, and had played in Edmonton’s Rogers Place with his junior team, the Moose Jaw Warriors. “It feels nice to get back over here,’’ he said. “I’ve played in the Edmonton rink, so I felt comfortable there. I’ve never played in this rink (in Vancouver), but I’ve been here before, too. It’s nice to see some familiar places.’’ Overall, Howden has played in 53 games in his first pro season, scoring five goals with 12 assists and averaging 14:52 in ice time. It’s been a good learning experience, he said. “It’s the most up-and-down year I’ve had, for sure,’’ he said. “It’s a long year, and I began to learn that. It’s a hard league to play in. I’ve been learning a lot from the older guys, and hopefully I can end on a high note here, with all of us, and just finish out the season strong.’’ Notes & quotes: Wisconsin defenseman K’Andre Miller, one of three first round picks by the Rangers last summer, was named a finalist for Big 10 Freshman of the Year. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135717 Ottawa Senators (Colorado) trip, I didn’t have my confidence. I played in one game during a six-day road trip.

“After my second call-up in January, I thought I was great and left on a As Ottawa free-falls and Belleville soars, what do the Senators do with good note and went down to the American League for the All-Star break.” prospects? Since his latest recall Feb. 24, Wolanin has played seven games, registering two assists and receiving regular time on the power play. Ken Warren Interim head coach Marc Crawford singled him out as having played a strong game on Monday. March 12, 2019 7:43 PM EDT “My belief in myself hasn’t changed a bit,” Wolanin said. “I think I can play in this league and continue to prove that I can play in this league, but how they use me, what they want to do with my future, is not up to PHILADELPHIA — From the ashes of yet another one-goal defeat in me.” which the Ottawa Senators were outcompeted in the stress points of a game by the resurgent Philadelphia Flyers, there is a note of optimism. Should the call come, though, Wolanin recognizes it’s all part of the big picture. It came not from the well-established veterans who should know better than to make the same old preventable mistakes that lead to easy goals “If I get a chance to go down there for the playoffs, I will be ready to go,” against. Afterwards, alternate captain Zack Smith said some established he said. players were in danger of either losing their jobs or slipping down the pecking order for 2019-20 if those mistakes weren’t erased. So, where was the hope? Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.13.2019 That came in the presence and words of American Hockey League call- up Filip Chlapik. Ottawa Senators sign Princeton star Max Veronneau as NHL free agent Chlapik left the affiliated Belleville Senators dressing room in Toronto on Monday afternoon, boarded a flight to Philadelphia and arrived in the Ottawa dressing room in the early evening. “The day was pretty busy, but, after I came here, I was so excited, you kind of gain energy,” said Chlapik, who ended up in the starting lineup and scored his second National Hockey League goal in the Senators’ 3-2 loss. “My family was watching, too.” Chlapik didn’t last long back in Ottawa. After being called up to replace forward Colin White against Philadelphia, he was re-assigned back to Belleville late Tuesday. Former Princeton star Max Veronneau, signed as a college free agent, will take his roster spot. The Chlapik move makes sense. Unless absolutely necessary, there’s little point in keeping prospects around Ottawa, where the challenge is on keeping negative thoughts out. Without question, the organizational excitement is in Belleville. Led by a crew of top forward prospects, including Drake Batherson, Logan Brown and Nick Paul, Belleville has come out of nowhere in the past five weeks and into playoff position. Without Chlapik, the B-Sens stormed back from a 3-2 third-period deficit to defeat the Toronto Marlies 5-3, improving their record to 13-2-5 in the past 20 games. Brown, Batherson and Paul have been dominant. Vitaly Abrimov, acquired from Columbus in the Matt Duchene trade, has added an offensive spark. Goaltender Marcus Hogberg has been the backbone to the impressive run. Defenceman Erik Brannstrom, acquired from Vegas in the Mark Stone trade, is also at the top of the prospect list. “Everyone is happy there,” Chlapik said. “It’s a great group of guys. Everyone is happy going to the rink.” All of that creates an intriguing situation for the Senators. For example, winger Rudolfs Balcers and defenceman Christian Wolanin are eligible to return to Belleville to play in the American Hockey League playoffs. Is there a point when the organization senses that the chance to win something and bask in all the “happy” in the minors outweighs playing out the string amid a stretch of losses in the big leagues? At this point, the Senators are carrying a bare minimum of 18 healthy skaters — 12 forwards and six defencemen — but defenceman Christian Jaros could return from his hamstring injury as soon as Thursday. Wolanin, who has been on a yo-yo between Ottawa and Belleville for much of the season, has all the respect in the world for Belleville coach Troy Mann and recognizes that Mann has helped make him a better player. Now that Wolanin is in the NHL, though, skating as a regular on the blue line — he played 17 minutes 50 seconds against the Flyers — he doesn’t want to take another step back. “Every time I come up, I improve in some way or another,” he said. “My first time when I was up (in October) during the Vegas, Arizona 1135718 Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators sign Princeton star Max Veronneau as NHL free agent

Ken Warren March 12, 2019 6:20 PM EDT

Max Veronneau is coming home. The Ottawa Senators signed the highly touted Princeton University star to a two-year entry-level contract on Tuesday. Veronneau, who grew up in Ottawa and starred with the Gloucester Rangers of the Central Canada Hockey League before entering college, scored 13 goals and 24 assists in 31 games with Princeton this past season. In 130 NCAA games overall, the 6-0, 180-pound centre registered 52 goals and 92 assists, leaving him fourth all-time in Princeton scoring. Ottawa native Max Veronneau has signed an NHL entry-level contract with the Senators after completing his U.S. college hockey eligibility at Princeton University. Shelley M. Szwast / Princeton Athletics “We aggressively pursued Max,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said in a statement. “He plays the game with tremendous pace and has terrific offensive instincts. Max will be given the opportunity to compete to be part of the Senators team, both now and in the future.” Veronneau has been nominated for the Hobey Baker Trophy as outstanding NCAA player for each of the past two seasons. As Ottawa free-falls and Belleville soars, what do the Senators do with prospects? With Gloucester, Veronneau scored 56 goals and 63 assists in 95 games. He is expected to join the National Hockey League Senators for practice on Wednesday.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135719 Philadelphia Flyers recall a forward from the Phantoms, Gordon said. ... The Flyers are 22- 12-4 under Gordon. ... The Flyers have lost a pair of 5-3 decisions to the Caps; the teams will meet two more times this season. Carter Hart returning Thursday against Washington Capitals as Flyers try to extend playoff surge Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.13.2019 by Sam Carchidi

Carter Hart’s first game in three weeks will be Thursday night against the defending Stanley Cup-champion Washington Capitals, a team that gives opposing goaltenders nightmares, a team led by the league’s top goal- scorer, Alex Ovechkin. The 20-year-old goalie has been sidelined by an injured ankle, suffered in warmups before a 5-1 loss in Montreal on Feb. 21. Hart hid the injury from the Flyers coaches, tried to play, and allowed three goals on nine shots before being pulled midway through the first period of that defeat. Now, he’s being thrown into the middle of a playoff race. It was Hart who helped the Flyers inch back into the playoff picture by his stellar play after being recalled from the AHL’s Phantoms. “I’m just excited to get back into a game,” Hart said after going through a long optional practice Tuesday in Voorhees. “I know it’s been a little while.” Hart served as Brian Elliott’s backup Monday, when the Flyers defeated Ottawa, 3-2, and moved to within three points of a playoff spot. (They fell five points out when Columbus defeated Boston on Tuesday.) “It was good to get back into the game lineup,” said Hart, owner of a 13- 8-1 record, 2.79 goals-against average, and .917 save percentage. “Even though I wasn’t playing, just kind of getting into the rhythm of warming up again and being around the guys again felt good.” Interim coach Scott Gordon has opted to start Hart against the high- scoring Caps on Thursday rather than in Toronto on Friday. Elliott, who is on a 5-1-1 run, will start the latter game. Elliott allowed four goals on 19 shots and was pulled from last Wednesday’s 5-3 loss to Washington early in the second period. At the time, the Flyers trailed, 4-0. Gordon said that game didn’t figure in his decision to name Hart his starter Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center. “I looked at what was best for Carter as far as routine-wise,” Gordon said, noting Hart will have typical practice sessions entering the home game, “as opposed to having to travel and no pregame skate the day of [Friday’s game]. So just from a comfort standpoint, I think it’ll probably be easier going through that routine than playing his first game back on the road.” Getting his first start against Ovechkin makes the game special for Hart. Ditto the chance to go against goalie Braden Holtby, the Caps’ expected starter. Hart and Holtby are close friends and have the same sports psychologist. “It’ll be cool playing him and Holts,” said Hart, adding that Montreal’s Carey Price and Holtby were his favorite goalies while he was growing up outside of Edmonton. As for trying to contain Ovechkin, “I’m just going to go out there and play my game and just have some fun,” Hart said. “It’s the same as when I played against [Sidney] Crosby a couple weeks ago. When you get out there and play against those guys, your game doesn’t change. I have the same approach going into every game.” Hart said he had no problems jumping back into the action after he had injuries (hamstring, groin) or an illness (mononucleosis) when he played on the junior level. He said he feels 100 percent and doesn’t anticipate any problems returning. The Flyers are on an 18-4-2 run, but still have little margin for error if they are going to sneak into the playoffs. “Right now, we’re just taking things one game at a time and worrying about what we can control,” Hart said. “We can’t control how other teams are playing. We just have to worry about what’s in this locker room right here. I mean, we have the guys and we have the group to do it. We all believe in each other, and I think that’s important in this stretch here." It’s a brutal stretch, with the next three games against Washington, Toronto, and Pittsburgh. Jake Voracek appealed his suspension in front of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Tuesday afternoon, and a decision is expected Wednesday. ... If Voracek’s suspension is not reduced, the Flyers will 1135720 Philadelphia Flyers Sean Couturier played a team-high 25:20 and had eight shots on goal. … Scott Laughton, who scored the first game-winning tally of his career, had a goal, four shots, four hits, and five faceoff wins in nine attempts. Flyers-Senators observations: Philly avoids looking ahead and takes care He has three goals in the last four games. … Rookie defenseman Phil of business Myers, who was solid on both ends, continues to look like he belongs in the NHL. … Claude Giroux had a strong game but saw his seven-game point streak end. He played 24:40, took seven shots (three on goal), had a plus-1 rating, and won 69 percent (9 of 13) of his faceoffs. … The by Sam Carchidi Flyers are 22-12-4 under Gordon.

The Flyers kept rolling Monday, defeating visiting Ottawa, 3-2, and Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.13.2019 running their record to 18-4-2 in their last 24 games. It would have been easy to glance ahead to difficult matchups against Washington, Toronto, and Pittsburgh and look past the worst-in-the-NHL Senators. But to the Flyers’ credit, they kept their focus and moved to within three points of a playoff spot — the closest they have been since Nov. 20. The Flyers faced a 1-0 deficit after 20 minutes, but not because they were outplayed. They had the better scoring chances and kept the puck down the Senators’ end but couldn’t solve goalie Craig Anderson. “I wasn’t worried about how we were playing,” interim coach Scott Gordon said of the deficit the Flyers took into the second period. “The Washington game [an eventual 5-3 loss last Wednesday], I was worried how we were playing.” Monday, the Flyers patiently waited for their opportunities. “We didn’t try to sell the farm to get one play,” Gordon said. “We did the right things and we started establishing more momentum and obviously had a great second period.” They swarmed the net in the second, outshot the Sens by 15-5, and took control with a 3-0 domination in the period. “We’re a pretty confident group right now, and we just find ways to win games,” winger Michael Raffl said. Oskar Lindblom has quietly joined the NHL’s top rookie scorers. The left winger scored his 13th goal of the season, tying him for fifth among rookies, to tie the game at 1. It wasn’t an artistic goal, but Lindblom worked hard to get position in front and he scored when Shayne Gostisbhere’s shot deflected off Sean Couturier’s knee and then Lindblom’s skate. “It was lucky, but I’ll take it,” he said of his fifth goal in his last 11 games. The goal energized the Flyers and triggered the three-goal second period. “We had the puck for most of the game, and the longer the game went, we got more shots on net and more traffic in there,” Lindblom said. “We did what we had to do.” The Flyers’ power play needs to be better if they are going to beat the Capitals on Thursday. The Flyers over-passed and went 0-for-4 with an extra skater Monday. The power play is 0-for-8 in the last four games. On the flip side, the penalty kill continued its impressive revival. It was 2- for-2 Monday and is 13-for-14 (92.9 percent) over the last six games. Provorov looking like himself After struggling mightily in the season’s first half, defenseman Ivan Provorov has looked like himself in the second half. Monday, he made several subtle plays to break up Senators chances. He finished with seven shots (four on goal), three blocked shots, and a plus- 1 rating in 23:49. Carter Hart time? The Flyers will host Washington on Thursday, then play in Toronto on Friday – and Gordon said goalie Carter Hart will play in one of those two challenging games. My gut: Gordon will play the rookie Thursday at home. Whenever Hart plays, it will be his first game since he was shelled and removed in the first period of a 5-1 loss in Montreal on Feb. 21. Hart had been sidelined by an ankle injury before serving as Elliott’s backup Monday. Elliott, who was solid (again) Monday, is 5-1-1 in his last seven decisions. “The guys back-checked like crazy,” Elliott said. Breakaways 1135721 Philadelphia Flyers opponent couldn’t get onto the ice. Those guys are invaluable — they are just as important as guys that are putting up the big points.’’

Laughton is a pending restricted free agent the Flyers are likely to sign to Michael Raffl, Scott Laughton claiming their corner of Flyers’ playoff push a long-term deal. An unrestricted free agent after this season, Raffl has a | Sam Donnellon less clear future here. Monday was his 400th NHL game as a Flyer (he scored his first NHL goal against Ottawa), and he’s made it very clear this season, as he sweated out the trade deadline, that he doesn’t want by Sam Donnellon to be anywhere else. Sam Donnellon | @samdonnellon | [email protected] ``I came in here with the attitude, signing a two-way contract, to try to get one game in and be proud of that,’’ the undrafted Austrian said. ``Here I am 400 games later. It’s kind of cool. I love it here. This is my team, my group. This is where I want to be.’’ They hang in the cool kids’ corner. OK, so it’s more like a curve, the back end of the Flyers’ practice-facility dressing room where Michael Raffl and He might want to take Gordon with him when he sits down with new GM Scott Laughton have adjacent lockers. To get there, you often must climb Chuck Fletcher at season’s end. And Laughton, too. It’s not a strong through dollies of laundry and equipment, occasionally even dodging a enough argument to stand on its own, but Raffl’s buddy could make the tossed sock or pad. case that the cool kids’ curve would not be the same without him. It’s a place for muckers and grinders, for players who don’t take ``Four hundred games with the same team,’’ Laughton said. ``He must themselves too seriously because they must do so with their assigned be doing something right.’’ jobs. Raffl has been known to poke fun at what he believes is Laughton’s unusual hairline. Laughton has been known to poke fun at Raffl about almost everything else. And if you bother to stop by for a chat, well, leave your sensitivities at the door because, well, you are now in the cool kids’ Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.13.2019 corner. So it was predictable that after a game in which both players scored — only the fourth time that has happened in the 226 regular-season and nine playoff games they have appeared in together (the Flyers are 5-0 in those games) — their postgame comments about each other took the form of a roast. ``He’s such a good guy to be around,’’ Laughton started off saying about Raffl after the Flyers pulled to within three points of a playoff spot with a 3-2 victory over Ottawa on Monday night. ``Just really proud of him and the way he stepped up and played good hockey for us so long.’’ Moments before, Raffl had said he was ``kind of pissed’’ that Laughton didn’t score on a breakaway created after Raffl had blocked a shot in the third period. Raffl also said that rather than making a move, his pal needs to ``close his eyes and shoot it. Just as I teach him in practice.’’ After Laughton was done with his praise, he was told Raffl had not been nearly as gracious with his postgame comments. ``Well, [bleep] him then,’’ he said to rolls of laughter. This is how it sounds after most practices. Always with smiles. Always with a great sense of fun, humility and appreciation. They are separated by a number of years — Laughton is 24; Raffl is 30 — but they are as like-minded as they come. Before this recent career-best point streak of five games, Laughton was on his own case about burying his chances. Raffl tried to spin his second-period goal, which broke a 1-1 tie, as a Herculean effort by Nolan Patrick, but that’s not what the replay showed. Raffl poked the puck away from Ottawa’s Oscar Lindberg to keep it inside the offensive zone, then got just enough of his stick on the puck that Mikael Boedker was trying to corral to interfere with a smooth pass. And when that pass slipped through the legs of Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki as Patrick bore down on him, Raffl anchored down in the slot for his teammate’s pass. Laughton’s subsequent goal began with the kind of play he’s more known for. He pulled a puck from a scrum above his own blue line and fed a teammate, took a check from Brady Tkachuk, then joined the rush as the trailer. Raffl fed Travis Konecny, who passed it cross-ice to Laughton, and he one-timed a wrist shot past Anderson for his 11th goal of the season. Look at just about any full game summary even before this points streak and you will see numbers in just about every slot across from Laughton’s name. Seven shot attempts, four hits, five of nine faceoffs won Monday. And with Jake Voracek sitting out the first of his two-game suspension, time spent on both the penalty kill and power play. ``Your whole team can’t be comprised of just goal-scoring and skill,’’ Flyers interim coach Scott Gordon was saying after Monday’s game. ``You have to have different elements on your lines — killing penalties, maybe a good check, a hard forecheck, good defensively, good faceoffs, whatever it might be — and not all of your offensive players are going to have those attributes. ``So when you look at Laughts and Raff, they play some heavy minutes; they can grind it out in the offensive zone and make it hard for the opposition. They can change momentum, so the next line that comes out there can have an easier time because the previous line from the 1135722 Philadelphia Flyers Raffl never received a trade call back on Feb. 25. Instead, he got one from his friend looking for good news. Raffl was staying put, helping at least one more postseason drive in Philadelphia. Appreciating the underappreciated Michael Raffl, still here for another "I love it here, this is my team, this is where I signed, so this is where I Flyers run want to stay," Raffl said. "I've never asked for a trade in my career and I never got traded. This is my group, this is where I want to be." By Jordan Hall It's where he was for his 400th game, a feat that snuck up on everybody — fittingly and appropriately for a player like Michael Raffl. March 12, 2019 6:47 PM

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2019 Scott Laughton was anxious, almost as if he was about to be dealt. He picked up his phone and called Michael Raffl right around the 3 p.m. cutoff point of the NHL trade deadline. With a new general manager and some roster retooling underway, Raffl seemed like a candidate to be moved as a 30-year-old pending unrestricted free agent on a team not quite there in contending mode. What did Raffl say on the other end? "He told me to wait an hour or so," Laughton said Monday night with a smile. Can't hurt to play it safe. "It was a weird day," Laughton said of the Feb. 25 deadline, "to think you're going to lose one of your best buddies or your best buddy on the team. "It's nice to have him here, he does so much on and off the ice and provides so much for us." Raffl is quietly still here and has been for longer than so many realize. He played his 400th career game in a Flyers uniform Monday night. Only Claude Giroux (474), Jakub Voracek (467), Wayne Simmonds (457) and Sean Couturier (442) have played more in orange and black since the start of the 2013-14 season. The Austrian was signed in May 2013 to an entry-level contract at 24 years old. "I came in here with the attitude, signing a two-way contract, to try and get one game in and be proud of that," Raffl said. "Here I am, 400 games later, it's kind of cool." Over that span, Raffl's plus-27 mark is second on the team to Couturier's plus-70. He has played up and down the lineup, from complementing Giroux and Voracek to scoring 21 goals in his second season to grinding on the fourth unit in limited minutes. When the Flyers had the NHL's seventh-best penalty kill in 2013-14, Raffl played a career-high 117:55 minutes shorthanded. He has turned back into a PK piece the past two seasons and is one of the Flyers' smartest puck-possession forwards. These are the underrated traits that would have made Raffl a valuable trade acquisition for a team eyeing that prototypical role forward to gain a slight but decisive edge. However, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher likely saw Raffl's strengths as a valued component to the team's 2018-19 hopes for a playoff berth outweighing the potential return on a trade. After a two-point effort in Monday's 3-2 win over the Senators, Raffl has recorded nine points and a plus-7 rating in 11:38 ice time per night through the last 15 games. Following his 400th game, the Flyers were three points out of the Eastern Conference's second wild-card position, the closest they've been to a playoff spot since Nov. 20. "Your whole team can't be comprised of just goal scoring and skill," Flyers interim head coach Scott Gordon said. "You have to have different elements on your lines — killing penalties, maybe a good check, a hard forecheck, good defensively, win faceoffs, whatever it might be. And not all of your offensive players are going to have those attributes. "So when you look at Laughts and Raf, they play some heavy minutes, they can grind it out in the offensive zone and make it hard for the opposition and change momentum, so the next line that comes out there can have an easier time because the previous line from the opponent couldn't get onto the ice. "Those guys are invaluable and they are just as important as guys that are putting up the big points." 1135723 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers' Carter Hart will make his first start in three weeks on Thursday

By John Boruk March 12, 2019 2:16 PM

VOORHEES, N.J. — Carter Hart was the last player off for Tuesday’s optional skate. The rookie goaltender will be the first guy to take the ice when the Flyers host the Washington Capitals Thursday night. Head coach Scott Gordon announced that Hart will make his first start since injuring his ankle on Feb. 21, exactly three weeks to the day of his last appearance. Gordon made the decision not based on Brian Elliott’s last start against the Capitals, which may have been his worst since returning from injury, but which game made the most sense for Hart. “I looked at what would be best for Carter routine-wise,” Gordon said. “As opposed to having to travel, no pregame skate the day of. I think just from a comfort standpoint, it would be easy to go through that routine than having to play his first game back on the road.” With most of the team staying off the ice Tuesday, Hart got in a full workout with goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh and will have two more practices under his belt leading up to Thursday’s game. “I’m just excited to get back into a game. I know it’s been a little while,” Hart said. “Last night was good to get back into the lineup even though I wasn’t playing, just to get back into the rhythm of warming up again.” Now, just three points back of the wild card, the Flyers will need Hart to pick where he left off prior to his injury and before the two games where he was pulled early after allowing three goals in the first 10 minutes of the opening period. Hart will be the fourth different Flyers goaltender the Capitals have seen this season, and they don’t really seem to mind who’s in net. They ripped off five goals against Mike McKenna on Feb. 8 and then torched Elliott and Cam Talbot (who allowed just one goal in relief) for five more goals just a week ago. Statistically, it seems to make sense as well. In 16 appearances against the Capitals, Brian Elliott has a 3.24 GAA with a .890 save percentage — the worst career numbers against any Eastern Conference opponent. Elliott will then pick up the start in the second game of the back-to-back on Friday in Toronto. Where Gordon goes from there, with Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh, hasn’t been determined. It appears Elliott is still Gordon’s go-to guy for now with a .923 save percentage in the 486-plus minutes he’s played since returning from injury. At the very least, expect Hart to pick up a couple of more starts with a jam-packed calendar this month, as the Flyers play 10 games over an 18-day span, including two more back-to-backs.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135724 Philadelphia Flyers In the first two meetings between the two teams, the Flyers had some trouble with fourth-overall pick Brady Tkachuk. He had two goals in each game and six points total. Considering the Senators traded all their other Flyers 5 takeaways: A playoff spot closer within reach best players like Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, Ryan Dzingel and Erik Karlsson before the season began, Tkachuk is left to be the face of the franchise. Dave Isaac, NHL writer And that face has ticked off a lot of teams between the chirping and the grin from the rookie as he takes an extra jab or poke. The Flyers held him Published 10:39 p.m. ET March 11, 2019 | Updated 8:18 a.m. ET March off the scoresheet even though he led the Senators with five shots. 12, 2019 “Everybody knows when he is out there,” said Gudas, who played 6:13 against Tkachuk, a lot of it in the trenches. “He’s tough to miss. I embrace these battles and I want to play as hard as I can against these PHILADELPHIA — The Flyers won’t say the “P” word in their locker guys.” room. It’s not so much a superstition, rather a focus that they don’t want to leave. Take care of business, they say, and they’ll end up in the “He’s impressive,” Elliott added. “He’s a big body, not afraid of anybody playoffs. out there. Maybe he should be sometimes, but I know his brother (Matthew, who plays for Calgary) really well and his dad (Keith, who After beating the Ottawa Senators 3-2, their sixth win in eight games, the played 1,201 games in the NHL) and it’s the same type of attitude, same Flyers are within three points of the last spot in the East. They would type of player. Both those guys are gonna be players in the league for a need four to get in though, because they don't hold the tiebreaker against long time.” any of the clubs they're chasing. The last time they were this close was November 20. Jake Voracek had to sit out Monday night for the first of a two-game suspension. He and the Flyers are hoping he doesn’t have to serve the Still not close enough for them to start talking about the NHL’s second second in a pivotal division game against the Capitals on Thursday. season. Voracek was suspended Sunday for interference on Johnny Boychuk “We can’t right now. We haven’t earned it yet. Until you get that spot you Saturday in New York. The NHLPA filed an appeal on the Flyer’s behalf don’t really focus on it. Like we said, it’s that one-game-at-a-time and requested an expedited hearing. Tuesday in New York, mentality,” said goalie Brian Elliott, who made 20 saves in the win, commissioner Gary Bettman will hear the appeal at the league’s office. smiling knowing his answer was cliché as they come. “Sorry I can’t give you any more quotes for your piece.” “Guy’s sprinting down the boards, has no intention of slowing down, sees Jake in front of him and never slows down and Jake’s not just gonna “It’s getting closer and closer for sure,” Radko Gudas added. “For us, the stand there and absorb the hit,” Gordon said. “As it was, he started focus is on the next game. We can’t be looking at the big picture right above the hash mark and by the time the contact was made he ended up now. It’s been working, looking at the game ahead. It’s been working so being below the hash mark. I don’t think there was a whole lot of force on that’s the way we need to approach it.” Jake’s end of it as much as the force of Boychuk pushing Jake, going Even though Ottawa scored the first goal, Chris Tierney deflecting a goal back the other way. If Jake’s a lighter man he probably would have past Elliott midway through the first period, the Flyers controlled the play. received the worst part of the hit.” With Ottawa being basement-dwellers in the NHL, it was setting up for a One would think that part of Voracek’s appeal will be that he had no prior classic trap game, one that the Flyers have fallen into many times. There history of supplemental discipline with the league before Sunday’s ruling. was no let-down this time and when Oskar Lindblom scored in the The suspension also cost him $88,709.68, so his wallet would also reap opening minutes of the second period, the Flyers really took over. some benefit if the suspension were to be reduced. “I’ve been here for a lot of those games we lost. It feels different coming Two weeks ago, Raffl said he was walking all over the city and taking into a game like that,” said Michael Raffl, who had a goal and assist and coffee breaks trying to kill time before the trade deadline and hoped that earned the team’s player-of-the-game motorcycle helmet. “You’ve got to he’d stay. He did and registered his 70th career goal in his 400th career make sure you’re ready. You see them getting the first goal and you’re game. Not bad for a kid from Austria that the Flyers signed as a free like, ‘Oh, here we go.’ So I was very happy we got that one back and agent and gave no guarantees. took off from there.” Considering all the turnover the Flyers have had, Raffl’s got a lot of The win satisfied the club because they got another win closer to the “P” memories from 400 games across six seasons. word and even more so because they’ve utilized this unwanted blueprint “There’s so many. Four hundred games I don’t remember every one and before. I haven’t scored that many goals to remember either,” Raffl joked. Last spring the Flyers had to finish 7-1-3 to sneak into the playoffs on “Obviously you remember your first game. I came in here with the their last game of the regular season and in 2016 they slipped in to take attitude, signing a two-way contract, trying to get one game in and be the last spot in the Eastern Conference thanks to a pair of wins in Games proud of that. Here I am 400 games later. It’s kind of cool.” 81 and 82.

“Honestly I haven’t heard too many guys talking about it,” Raffl said. “I Courier-Post LOADED: 03.13.2019 think it’s pretty imprinted here that we have to take it one game at a time and I honestly think that’s the only way to look at it. You can watch the scoreboards all you want but at the end of the game you’ve got to win your games to stay in the race and we did that tonight.” Here are four more takeaways from Monday night’s game… A look at the schedule this week and Monday’s opponent, on paper, looked like the clear game to work a healthy Carter Hart back into the lineup. Instead he was Elliott’s backup. Interim coach Scott Gordon said that Hart will start one of the back-to-back games the Flyers have this week with the Washington Capitals at home Thursday and the Toronto Maple Leafs on the road Friday. “He’s gone 4-1-1 in his last six games and right now he’s playing well,” Gordon said of Elliott Monday morning. “I can’t just take him out of the lineup because it’s a perceived lesser opponent, because I don’t feel that way. I feel like, like I said to the players, we’re playing on a nightly basis we’re playing Columbus and Montreal every single night so we’ve got to treat it like that. Brian has played well and he deserves to be in there. He played well on (Saturday). There’s no reason not to play him.” Elliott made 20 saves on 22 shots against the Senators and he’s certainly played well since coming back from the injury that had him miss three months. In that span up through Monday’s game, Elliott has a .923 save percentage. 1135725 Philadelphia Flyers into the playoffs. At the time, with 34 games remaining, the Flyers had just 44 standings points. I noted that in order to reach last year’s Eastern Conference playoff threshold of 97 points, they’d need to collect 77.9 Flyers 3, Senators 2: 10 things we learned from a necessary win as percent of the possible points the rest of the way — a rate higher than improbable playoff push continues that of the league-best Tampa Bay Lightning (77.5%) in 2018-19. My aim was to illustrate the unlikelihood of the Flyers racking up wins at such a rate after disappointing so thoroughly for four months. By Charlie O'Connor Yet two months have passed, and here are the Flyers — somehow still alive in the playoff chase, and now within three points of both Columbus Mar 12, 2019 and Montreal. How have they done it? By playing like the Lightning, of course. Philadelphia hasn’t quite produced points at the projected 77.9

percent clip I used as a reference point in late January, but their 76.2 Two months ago, the Philadelphia Flyers seemed more concerned about percent rate almost matches it. And if one accounts for the two victories jockeying for the best odds to add Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko in this the Flyers secured immediately before that Jan. 20 win over Montreal, summer’s draft than they were interested in piling up actual victories they’re right where they need to be — at a 79.2 percentage since Jan. during the 2018-19 season. Now, against all odds, they’re in the thick of 14, an almost identical rate to Tampa Bay’s full-season 78.6 percent rate. a playoff rush. The fact that they’ve been producing results on par with the best NHL Facing an Ottawa Senators team that was already one of the worst in the regular-season team since the 1995-96 Red Wings for a couple months league before it shipped out Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan and still remain three points out of a playoff spot speaks to the enormity Dzingel at the trade deadline, the Flyers overcame an early 1-0 deficit to of the hole the Flyers faced prior to this ridiculous run. But how they were roll to a 3-2 victory. With the win, Philadelphia cut its playoff deficit to able to somehow pull themselves back into the race — with a nearly two- three points, trailing both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal month stretch of play rivaling that of one of the best teams in recent Canadiens for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. To earn history — warrants applause as well. The improbability of this late surge a spot in the postseason, they’ll likely have to pass both clubs. can’t be ignored. Oskar Lindblom, Michael Raffl and Scott Laughton all scored for the 3: Depth comes through in Voracek’s absence Flyers, who were backstopped to the win by Brian Elliott (20 saves on 22 The consensus prior to puck drop was that Jakub Voracek’s absence shots). Ottawa’s Craig Anderson was the tough-luck loser, making 33 from the Flyers’ lineup — due to a two-game suspension handed down saves on 36 shots in defeat. from the Department of Player Safety as a result of his reverse hit on Note: This article will reference advanced hockey stats. If you’re looking Johnny Boychuk on Sunday — wouldn’t have much of an impact on to better understand any of the referenced metrics, please read this Monday’s outcome. Ottawa was too weak of a team, the thinking went; primer, which explains the concepts behind them. the real blow would come on Thursday against the division-leading Washington Capitals, the second game of Voracek’s ban. 1: Flyers just plain better than the Sens But the Flyers still had to survive last night without one of their best One of the reasons why it becomes so difficult to pick up standings points offensive players, and even accounting for the low quality of opponent, on other clubs during the latter stages of the regular season is a simple that missing scoring was going to have to come from somewhere. It product of what happens in the final third of an NHL schedule. The good could have been extra production from a star like Claude Giroux or Sean teams — playoff locks and legitimate contenders for spots — get better Couturier, of course. But instead, the depth forwards stepped up in as a result of trade deadline acquisitions and hitting their stride in order to Voracek’s absence: Lindblom, Raffl and Laughton provided the remain in contention, while the already bad teams get even worse, due to necessary goals, and out of the three, only Lindblom has a viable case to dealing away key assets to the contenders, and placing an emphasis on be viewed as more than a third liner on a regular basis. evaluating young pieces that may or may not be NHL caliber, trying to determine which players could fit on their next competitive team. It’s no coincidence that the players who came through on Monday night all qualify as the “right” kind of role players: Raffl has long been a strong In other words, there aren’t many “upsets” down the stretch. Games are 5-on-5 play-driver; Laughton is on pace for 32 points despite largely either tightly contested “wars,” or total mismatches between teams with playing on the third and fourth lines; Lindblom is both scoring and driving everything on the line and those made purposely weaker by front offices play at strong 5-on-5 rates this season. Not every forward on a team is than they were back in October. Of course, that means when a bubble going to be a flashy point-producer — there just isn’t enough cap space playoff team gets one of those mismatches, they can’t squander it — for 12-plus players who fit that mold. But the guys who aren’t high-end because the clubs they are chasing likely won’t be doing so. offensive weapons need to be useful in other areas that provide tangible value to the team. Players like Lindblom, Raffl and Laughton fit that bill. On Monday night, the Flyers took care of business. If anything, the score underrates the quality of Philadelphia’s play — by all-situations Expected Yet those players obviously still want to contribute offensively, and even Goals, they came out on top 4.28 to 1.25, delivering the framework of a after the Laughton-Raffl duo combined for two goals, the latter couldn’t blowout. A rough-luck first period and a just-OK Elliott turned it into a resist taking a shot at the former in his post-game availability (Note: They one-goal final score, but don’t be fooled. The Flyers were clearly the are extremely close friends). “I blocked a shot, backed it out to Scotty,” better team on this night, dominating on the shot counter (36-22 by shots said Raffl, describing a late third-period sequence that ended with a on goal), winning the vast majority of puck races and battles, and making Laughton scoring chance. “Was kinda pissed he didn’t score, nice move it obvious throughout the game that they were the superior true talent though. (He should) close his eyes and shoot, just like in practice, just team. like I teach him in practice,” Raffl laughed. These are the kind of games — against a club with literally the worst 4: An ‘everyone’s stats look good’ game for the Flyers record in hockey — where a team with playoff hopes simply cannot lose sight of what really matters. Head coach Scott Gordon did his best before Even as the Flyers have posted a 17-4-2 record in their last 23 games, puck drop to communicate that truth to his team, positioning the contest they haven’t exactly been dominating by advanced metrics. Per Natural as far larger than a March mismatch. Stat Trick, Philadelphia has a 45.37% score-adjusted Corsi For Percentage at 5-on-5, a 45.46% Scoring Chance For differential and a “Well, like I told the guys after the pregame skate … I asked them who 46.74% rate by high-danger chances since Jan. 14, when the run of we were playing,” Gordon said. “They threw out random things. (I told success began. Last night, however, was a chance for Philadelphia them) the bottom line is, every night, we’re playing against two teams in players to boost their stats, and almost every player took advantage of front of us, because they’re tied: We’re playing against Montreal and the opportunity. we’re playing against Columbus. That’s where we are. It doesn’t matter what the other jerseys look like, that’s what we’re up against, so we’ve As the above chart from MoneyPuck.com shows, every Flyers player not gotta be mindful of that and understand that whether it’s Ottawa, Boston, named James van Riemsdyk was on the ice for more Philadelphia Tampa Bay, the task is still the same, it’s two points.” Whether those Expected Goals (at 5v5) than Ottawa xG, putting all except JvR over 50 words served as inspiration or if they were prelude to an inevitable percent by the metric. On the other side of the coin, not a single Ottawa outcome cannot be known. But two pivotal points were indeed secured. player won the shot-attempt battle after accounting for quality. That’s about as thorough a thrashing as one sees in the NHL these days. 2: Flyers somehow pulling off ‘Tampa’ pace 5: When the scoreboard lies Back on Jan. 20, following an impressive road victory over the Canadiens, I made this point: Regardless of the excitement the After 10 minutes had passed in last night’s game, a brief glance at the emergence of Carter Hart had sparked among fans, the Flyers were jumbotron far above the ice surface at the Wells Fargo Center told the going to need to win games at an incredible pace to push themselves tale of another slow start for the Flyers. They were down 1-0 to the lowly Senators, and in those 10 minutes of play, had managed just one 8: Giroux back on left side on PP? registered shot on goal — a neutral zone blast from Robert Hagg that careened off the boards, then harmlessly toward Anderson. Based on the Prior to Saturday’s game against the Islanders, the Courier Post’s Dave scoreboard, one may have initially concluded that the Flyers had failed to Isaac asked Gordon why Giroux has been stationed on the right side of show up against an inferior opponent. the top power play unit’s formation for such an extended period of time, when his position for basically this entire decade had been on the left But that’s not quite how things had played out in reality. The bulk of the half-boards. Gordon provided a detailed answer, but at its core, it boiled shifts were being spent in the Ottawa zone, and Philadelphia’s early down to two key points: Using Giroux on the right fit better with van failings were mostly the result of poor execution in the final step of an Riemsdyk’s left-handedness (as opposed to previous netfront man otherwise-sound process, rather than an example of a team getting Wayne Simmonds being a righty), and the old formation structure wasn’t dominated. “It was very deceiving, the first 10 minutes,” Gordon said working in 2018-19, so some type of change was necessary. afterward. “We were down 1-0 and shots were 5-0, (but) we missed some great opportunities that didn’t even get a shot on net, had some O- Monday’s game started with Giroux still on the right; immediately after zone possession. (The) shots that we gave up, maybe with the exception the offensive zone faceoff during the Flyers’ first power play, Giroux of one, were all perimeter. The goal they scored, we got good coverage, leaned over to the right side, and did the same on their first zone entry. they get a stick on it and it just squeaks through Brian (Elliott). I wasn’t But the status quo quickly changed. On their next setup, Giroux began on worried about how we were playing. The Washington game, I was the right side, but then slid around the formation to the left side below the worried about how we were playing (in the first period), but I thought we goal line (with his spot on the right half-boards filled by Couturier), before were playing the right way (on Monday).” moving up to his classic location on the left side shortly thereafter. His return to the left would hold through the majority of the third period as In fact, during that stretch the Flyers had three missed shots that well. originated from within 20 feet of the net, and a fourth from Lindblom in the slot area that easily qualified as a dangerous shot. Yes, Philadelphia Now, the Flyers were missing Voracek — a key cog on PP1 — so that failed to put any of them on net. But as the rest of the game showed, they may have driven Giroux’s temporary “move” back to the left. Also, were doing a number of things correctly to generate those opportunities Philadelphia was using lots of in-zone motion in their PP1 formation; in the first place, work that would pay off later. “Yeah, we thought so,” maybe this was just a case of Giroux naturally ending up on the left Radko Gudas said when asked if he felt the team was doing the right rather than an intentional plan. But at the very least, it’s a situation worth things early. “I think the whole team thought so. We had some O-zone monitoring the rest of the week, especially because Gordon provided time. We had some shots with the tips. We had some deflections that such a vehement defense of the “Giroux on the right” structure mere went wide. I thought we had a lot puck possession in the O-zone and just days ago. couldn’t connect and score a goal.” 9: Giroux looking fine at RW 6: Elliott gets nod over Hart, holds own, but jury still out on decision In addition to starting last night’s game on the right side of the power play Carter Hart is healthy enough to play. He was clearly healthy enough to formation, Giroux also spent a large number of his shifts on the right side dress for Monday’s game, as he spent the entire contest sitting on the at 5-on-5 — flanking Couturier and Lindblom on the club’s presumptive bench with his helmet off, prepared to jump in to relieve starter Brian “top” line. Elliott if necessary. During his career year on the wing in 2017-18, Giroux exclusively played But Hart was not the starter. Elliott, who shined in Saturday night’s game the left side. But he does have experience on the right; when Giroux against the New York Islanders, got the nod instead. And at least from a broke into the NHL, that was his primary position before the Flyers result standpoint, Elliott came through, making 20 saves on 22 shots and transitioned him full-time to the center position. So it really shouldn’t have helping the Flyers to the victory. If Gordon’s primary goal — as it should been a major surprise that he looked completely comfortable at RW, to be — is to win each and every game the rest of the way, his decision to the point where his regular line took apart the Senators. go with Elliott over a now-healthy Hart was correct, or at the very least, it In 13:34 at 5-on-5, the Lindblom-Couturier-Giroux trio produced a 20-7 was “not incorrect.” shot-attempt advantage and a whopping 13-1 edge in scoring chances However, the cost of going with Elliott over Hart might not reveal itself (7-1 by high-danger chances). On a night where Gordon had only 11 until later in the week. Gordon said that Hart will check back into the forwards, they proved to be the only line that saw more than four minutes lineup on either Thursday or Friday, during the home/road back-to-back together as a group. It was a no-brainer for the Flyers head coach — the versus Washington and Toronto. He isn’t going to ride Elliott indefinitely trio was taking on all comers and coming out on top. — Hart is getting back into the lineup in one of the next two games. When Voracek returns to the lineup, Giroux will most likely move back to Don’t forget that Hart hasn’t played since Feb. 21; there’s a real risk that the left side. But the knowledge that he can thrive on the right means that when he returns, he’ll need some time to shake off the rust of not Philadelphia’s best player also comes with the bonus of being one of its appearing in a game for three weeks. Against Ottawa, Hart could have most versatile — Giroux can deliver MVP-caliber results at LW (like he gone through that process, knowing that the talent disparity between the did last year), hold his own at center if necessary and could move over to two clubs was so large that a mistake or two wouldn’t necessarily bury the right side if a big offseason addition can only play the left. It’s a major the Flyers. Versus the Capitals or Maple Leafs, however? From a true benefit when it comes to fitting in potential upgrades on the Flyers’ roster. talent standpoint, Philadelphia is likely inferior to both teams. They’ll need 10: Myers continues to wow their netminder — whether it be Elliott or Hart — to be especially sharp to earn a win in either game. In this week’s edition of “Things Phil Myers can do that a 6-foot-5 defenseman shouldn’t be able to pull off,” we have poor Rudolfs Balcers, By going with Elliott over Hart last night, Gordon took away the latter’s getting fooled so badly by a Myers stickhandling maneuver that he can’t opportunity to ease back into action. Instead, Hart will now have to hit the even stay upright as he tries to defend the 22-year-old in his own zone. ground running against a fearsome offensive attack. If a less-than-sharp Hart shows up on Thursday or Friday, it will be fair to wonder if that lack Yes, Balcers isn’t exactly a no-doubt-about-it NHLer; he entered the of crispness is a direct result of the decision to sit him on Monday. game with just 24 appearances in the best league in the world. Still, Myers looks like Shayne Gostisbehere in fooling him — except Myers 7: Patrick continues his strong second half has at least seven inches and more than 30 pounds on Ghost, yet he’s After the past two-and-a-half months, it may be difficult to recall that able to easily tangle up Balcers to the point where he hits the deck and Nolan Patrick concluded the 2018 portion of the 2018-19 season with just gives the Philadelphia blueliner a clean path deep into the offensive 11 points in 33 games — hardly an acceptable pace for a player trusted zone. to be Philadelphia’s 2C entering the year. However, after 17 points in 28 Myers simply has the physical ability to pull things off on the ice that few games in 2019, he’s back to being in the fans’ good graces. Oh, and other NHLers can. Every game he seems to be providing a new “Did he plays like this one don’t hurt, either. actually do that?” highlight. That’s a hard-working, relentless setup by Patrick, and a well-earned assist. It also wasn’t the only time on Monday night when Patrick looked every bit the second-overall pick from 2017. He displayed a combination The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 of skill and grit in this one — a potent mix for a player still looking to establish his actual ceiling. By 5-on-5 metrics, Patrick didn’t grade out especially well — a 36.36 percent Corsi and 59.37 percent xG when the team average was 74.13 percent. But anyone who watched Monday’s game likely came away impressed with the 20-year-old’s work. 1135726 Pittsburgh Penguins “He wants that,” Malkin said. “We talked before and he said, ‘I hope I score your 1,000th point.’ He’s unbelievable. It’s special for him, too. We’ve played a long time together. It’s not an easy year for him, too. We Kevin Gorman: Spotlight shines on Evgeni Malkin as Penguins star try to play better every game. I’m glad he scored and gave me a chance scores 1,000th point to get 1,000 points. “It’s a huge goal for him and huge point for me.” KEVIN GORMAN This is the biggest point for Malkin: Reaching the milestone should allow him to stop pressing and start playing the way he can, with highlight-reel Wednesday, March 13, 2019 12:19 a.m plays that make opponents marvel at his talent and a touch envious of his effortless approach to making it appear so easy.

“Now I hope I breathe normally, am able to relax and play a little bit TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want better,” said Malkin, who has 21 goals and 70 points this season. “It’s and information you need, right to your inbox. been a tough year for me, but every game the team plays better and I feel like my game gets back. I feel so much better every night. My Even after his milestone moment, Evgeni Malkin expression was more of confidence is back.” relief than reward, more exasperation than celebration. So is his scoring touch. His two points led the Penguins to two points on Scoring the 1,000th point of his NHL career had become more a night when Malkin escaped the shadows and shined in the spotlight, burdensome than anything for the Pittsburgh Penguins center, who when he wasn’t the biggest-name superstar but was deserving of the first prefers to play in the shadows instead of the spotlight but was a shining star. Crosby had a two-goal game, Ovechkin scored his 1,200th point. star in the 5-3 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. But this night belonged to Malkin. “I feel overwhelmed, like, ‘Finally,’ ” Malkin said. “These last couple weeks, I was a little bit nervous. Finally, over 1,000 and I can breathe normally.” Tribune Review LOADED: 03.13.2019 Although it wasn’t pretty, there was something poetic about the way Malkin made history. He entered the game Tuesday night with 998 points, so Malkin and the Penguins were trying to get two points against their first-place Metropolitan Division nemesis. The importance of the opponent should be underscored. For all of his magical play, Malkin has been something of a mystery to the hockey world, his career overshadowed by two superstar contemporaries. One is his teammate, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, the other his countryman and counterpart, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. “He doesn’t get the credit that he deserves outside of Pittsburgh in the hockey world,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He has been one of the elite players in this league for a decade-plus, and he deserves more attention for that. His body of work speaks for itself, with what he’s accomplished.” Even though Malkin has won three Stanley Cup championships and a treasure trove of trophies — from Conn Smythe to Hart to Art Ross (twice) to Calder to the Ted Lindsay Award — it’s an insult he wasn’t named one the NHL’s top 100 players of all time. “That top-100 player thing, that was pretty outrageous, in my opinion, that he wasn’t part of that,” said Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik, who spent his first 11 NHL seasons with the Penguins. “He’ll say he doesn’t care. I’m sure he cares a little bit about that kind of stuff. I know the guys who’ve always played him appreciate what he does.” Ovechkin has reigned as Russia’s greatest star, so it only made sense that his closing in on 1,200 points coincided with Malkin going for his 1,000th. This time, Malkin overshadowed Ovechkin while joining him, Sergei Fedorov (1,179), Alexander Mogilny (1,032) and Alexei Kovalev (1,029) as the fifth Russian to crack the NHL 1,000-point mark. Never mind both points came on secondary assists. More important is both came on the power play, which Sullivan had tried to jolt by moving Malkin and Phil Kessel to the second unit Sunday against Boston and to start the game against Washington. The first assist helped set up the tying goal, as Malkin passed from the high slot to the goal line, where Kessel fed Crosby in the right circle to give the Penguins a 3-2 lead at 14:25 of the second period. Malkin scored his 1,000th point on what proved to be the winner, passing from the right circle to defenseman Justin Schultz for a slap shot from center point that Kessel poked in on the rebound at 11:56 of the third. When the goal horn sounded, the PPG Paints Arena crowd responded with a roaring ovation. Malkin got a group hug from his teammates. “I don’t know if he thought I might have touched that,” Crosby said. “I’m just glad that I didn’t, and he got that. It’s a special moment. You don’t see that happen very often. To be teammates this long and to be on the ice when he got it was just really special.” What was really special is Crosby has factored into 303 points with Malkin, the most of any teammate, and Kessel ranks second with 151 points. They are the Penguins with whom Malkin forever will be associated, especially Kessel as a linemate. They have shared struggles this season, so it was fitting they got to share this memory. 1135727 Pittsburgh Penguins Tribune Review LOADED: 03.13.2019 Three-goal flurry in 2nd period helps Penguins knock off Capitals

JONATHAN BOMBULIE Tuesday, March 12, 2019 9:47 p.m

TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. If he tried really hard, Evgeni Malkin could think up a thing or two that could have gone better on the night he became the 88th player in NHL history to record 1,000 career points. The milestone moment could have come on one of those trademark Malkin goals where he gallops through the neutral zone, splits the defense and gets a crowd on its feet, as opposed to a secondary assist. It could have come in the first period rather than the third, so it didn’t happen after his 2-year-old son Nikita’s bedtime. When all was said and done, though, Malkin was in no mood to quibble. He was in the mood to celebrate and reflect on a great moment in his legendary career after his pair of power-play assists helped the Penguins to a 5-3 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena. “A thousand points, it’s a crazy number, for sure,” Malkin said. “Growing up in a small city, I never (thought) I’d play in the NHL and score 1,000 points. It’s probably a special day for my hometown, too. First guy to make 1,000 points, win a Stanley Cup. I’m so glad.” Malkin reached the milestone in a crucial late-season win over one of his team’s longest-standing rivals. The victory helped the Penguins move one step closer to a playoff berth. They are in third place in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind the first-place Capitals with 12 games to play. “It’s two huge points, and I make 1,000 points. It’s absolutely an amazing night for me. It’s like one of the best nights of my life, for sure,” Malkin said, noting his parents and wife were in attendance. On a night when two of their nearest rivals for the last few playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, Columbus and Montreal, secured wins, the Penguins fell behind 2-0 midway through the second period on a pair of Jakub Vrana goals. Their comeback began when Jared McCann stripped a puck from Evgeny Kuznetsov and started a successful two-on-one with Jake Guentzel. It continued when Sidney Crosby beat defenseman Michal Kempny to a long, high lob from Justin Schultz and jammed a puck between the pads of goalie Braden Holtby to make it 2-2. That’s when Malkin stepped into the spotlight. Thirty-one seconds after the tying goal, Nicklas Backstrom tripped Malkin, and the Penguins took to the power play. Having used split power-play units for the team’s first two advantages of the game, coach Mike Sullivan loaded up his top group on this occasion. “I keep going back to them because I believe in them,” Sullivan said. It worked the way it often has over the past four seasons, with Malkin feeding Phil Kessel on the left wing and Kessel passing between the legs of defenseman John Carlson to Crosby for a one-timer from the right faceoff dot. It worked again in the third period on the play that gave Malkin his 1,000th point. He fed Schultz for a shot from the center point, and Kessel cashed in the rebound to make it 4-2. “Last game, we absolutely (were) so bad on the power play,” Malkin said. “Tonight, we started on different lines, me and Sid. After first period, coach switch again. If we score on the power play, we help the team win. It’s huge. We have five unbelievable players. Every game, we have a chance to help the team to win.” It wasn’t the first time Malkin helped spark his team to victory with a show of power-play skill. It surely won’t be the last. “It’s a crazy life,” Malkin said. “It’s not over. I’ll just work next game. Keep going.” 1135728 Pittsburgh Penguins The second goal was even more perplexing, especially to Murray. Vrana shot a wrister from the far side of the right circle that Murray blocked with his chest. The puck, however, bounced over Murray and behind his back. Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Two points for Penguins, 1,000 for Evgeni He tried to swipe behind him with his glove but missed. Malkin Suddenly, it was 2-0 at 10:24 of the second period. 4. Triple threat: The turning point occurred on an innocuous play that led KEVIN GORMAN to a momentum-changing goal. Tuesday, March 12, 2019 1:30 a.m Jared McCann stripped Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov from behind in the offensive zone, disrupting a potential rush and creating a two-on-one opportunity for the Penguins. TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want McCann fed a pass to Jake Guentzel, who scored his 35th goal of the and information you need, right to your inbox. season to cut the deficit to 2-1 at 12:37 of the second period. The Pittsburgh Penguins made it clear every point counts. It’s the kind of play that pains Penguins fans when skilled forwards like Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel make similar mistakes but goes largely That was especially true against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday unnoticed when they take advantage of an opponent. night at PPG Paints Arena, where the Penguins were going for two points. Not only did they want the two points to pull within four points of And it was the kind of play that makes McCann the perfect complement the first-place Caps in the Metropolitan Division but that’s how many to play on the top line with Crosby and Guentzel, scorers with the flourish Evgeni Malkin needed to reach a major milestone. to finish an odd-man rush. They got both. As predicted, the goal-scoring competition between Guentzel and Crosby could make for an exciting race in the final month. Their focus is on 1. Nice to see you: The game marked the return to PPG Paints Arean for winning games, but they know the best way to do that is by scoring Carl Hagelin, a two-time Stanley Cup champion winger with the Penguins goals. who was traded to the L.A. Kings in November and then dealt to the Capitals in February. The Penguins got three in a span of 1:48. Penguins winger Patric Hornqvist made light of Hagelin going from Only 47 seconds after Guentzel got his, Crosby got one. And it came on teammate to rival in such a short span. a lob from defenseman Justin Schultz — almost a carbon copy of Crosby’s to Guentzel for the overtime winner against Florida a week “Obviously, we’re very good friends,” Hornqvist said, “but when the puck earlier — for a five-hole shot on Braden Holtby. drops, he’s like any other guys on that team — obviously, we don’t like each other. … He will be a good friend for the rest of my life but at 7 Crosby scored again — his 33rd of the season — on the power play, as o’clock, we’re not friends.” Malkin passed from the high slot to Kessel at the goal line left of the net, who fed Crosby in the right circle to give the Penguins a 3-2 lead at 14:25 Capitals coach Todd Reirden, a former Penguins assistant, enjoyed of the second period. having Hagelin on his team when it came to pre-game preparation. 5. Geno gets 1,000: Malkin entered the game two points shy of a major “When you’re breaking down special teams, and it certainly was nice for milestone and reached the mark midway through the third. us when we were doing our power play stuff today to not have to talk about Carl Hagelin on the opposition,” Reirden said. “I know he’ll be a Malkin scored his 1,000th point on a secondary assist at 11:56 of the factor up ice, disrupting and now allow easy entries and pressuring pucks third, passing from the right circle to Schultz for a slap shot from center in zone when he gets against them. They know the danger he can be in point that Kessel poked in on the rebound. short-handed situations.” Malkin is the fourth player to record 1,000 points in a Penguins uniform, After a John Carlson shot at an open net was deflected by defenseman joining Mario Lemieux (1,723), Crosby (1,203) and Jaromir Jagr (1,079). Justin Schultz, the Penguins played a tribute video to Hagelin that drew Malkin is the fifth active NHL player to reach the total, joining Crosby, cheers from the crowd and stick taps from Penguins players. San Jose’s Joe Thornton (1,467), Ovechkin (1,199) and Toronto’s Patrick Marleau (1,163). 2. No cheap shots: The Penguins’ big trade-deadline deal for Erik Gudbranson was made to fortify a defense short on depth, but his Malkin is the fifth highest-scoring Russian-born player in NHL history, physicality and toughness also were considerations. behind Ovechkin, Sergei Fedorov (1,179), Alexander Mogilny (1,032) and Alexei Kovalev (1,029). That’s especially necessary when the Penguins play the Capitals, as Tom Wilson has proven to be, at best, opportunistic and, at worst, a And I’m not sure which was more poetic, that Malkin assisted on a player who punishes the Penguins with head shots. Kessel goal or that he did it against the Capitals. Wilson took out Zach Aston-Reese and Brian Dumoulin in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last year and gave Jamie Oleksiak a concussion with a one-punch knockout earlier this season. Tribune Review LOADED: 03.13.2019 So Gudbranson endeared himself to Penguins fans when landed a forceful shoulder to the chest of Wilson only 2 minutes, 10 seconds into the first period. Four minutes later, Gudbranson fired a shot from the right circle that led to several chances on rebounds. Wilson delivered a big blow when on a clean hit that knocked defenseman Jack Johnson off his skates. But when Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin tangled late in the period, Gudbranson exchanged words with Wilson as they skated off the ice. The presence alone of Gudbranson kept Wilson honest — until the third period. When Wilson knocked defenseman Marcus Pettersson to the ice, Gudbranson tackled Wilson, but officials stepped between the heavyweights to prevent them from fighting. 3. Double trouble: Jakub Vrana scored three points, including the winning goal, to give the Capitals a 3-2 series lead over the Penguins in the playoffs last year. The 23-year-old winger scored two goals to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead Tuesday, although neither was a thing of beauty. Vrana got a good shot on a rolling puck and fired a shot over Matt Murray’s glove hand and under the crossbar at 19:27 of the first period for a 1-0 lead. 1135729 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins star Evgeni Malkin scores 1,000th career point against Capitals

KEVIN GORMAN Tuesday, March 12, 2019 9:33 p.m

TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. Evgeni Malkin is the 88th player in NHL history to record 1,000 career points. Malkin reached the milestone when he recorded the second assist on a Phil Kessel power-play goal in the third period as the Pittsburgh Penguins took on the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. Malkin came into the game with 998 points. He also assisted on a Sidney Crosby power-play goal in the second period. Malkin is the fourth player to record 1,000 points in a Penguins uniform, joining Mario Lemieux (1,723), Crosby (1,203) and Jaromir Jagr (1,079). He’s the fifth active player to hit the milestone, joining Crosby, Joe Thornton (1,467), Alex Ovechkin (1,199) and Patrick Marleau (1,163). Malkin is the fifth highest-scoring Russian-born player in NHL history, behind Ovechkin, Sergei Fedorov (1,179), Alexander Mogilny (1,032) and Alexei Kovalev (1,029).

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Trade to Capitals blurs line between good guys, bad guys for ex-Penguin Carl Hagelin

JONATHAN BOMBULIE Tuesday, March 12, 2019 5:06 p.m

TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. A short time after he was traded to the Washington Capitals on Feb. 23, Carl Hagelin came to a shocking realization. They’re not the jerks he thought they were all those years. Playing against the Capitals in high-pressure, high-intensity games for the better part of three seasons while with the Pittsburgh Penguins made Hagelin assume their locker room was filled with bad guys. It’s not. “There’s a lot of good guys in the room,” Hagelin said. “Before, you obviously hated every single player on this team. You said some things to them and they said some things to you throughout the year. That’s thrown out of the window and you’re good friends with them now.” The fit on the ice has been as good as the fit in the locker room for Hagelin since joining the Capitals. He’s got two goals in eight games for Washington, already surpassing his total of one in 16 games with the Penguins to start the season and one in 22 games with the Los Angeles Kings in between. Since trading for Hagelin, the Capitals have an 88 percent success rate on the penalty kill. Before he arrived, it was 78.6 percent. “It’s been good,” Hagelin said. “I got thrown in the heat right away. First games, I was playing PK right away and getting some good minutes five on five. It’s a team with a lot of skill, but also some toughness to it, some big dudes.” While Tuesday’s game was his first visit to PPG Paints Arena since the Penguins traded him away in November, it wasn’t Hagelin’s first meeting with his old team. That came at Staples Center when the Kings played the Penguins on Jan. 12. Patric Hornqvist missed that game with an injury, however, so he was facing Hagelin, a close friend, for the first time since the trade. Before the game, he echoed a sentiment often shared by players in that position. “He’ll be a good friend for the rest of my life, but 7 o’clock tonight, we’re not friends,” Hornqvist said. Hagelin said the chance to catch up with the Hornqvist family on Monday was a highlight of his trip back to town. “That was great,” Hagelin said. “We lived next door for three years, spent a lot of time with his family. It’s good to see him and his wife and his two daughters. That’s the one thing in this sport. You create a lot of good friendships and he’s definitely one of them.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135731 Pittsburgh Penguins

Erik Gudbranson latest Penguins player to tackle Tom Wilson problem

JONATHAN BOMBULIE Tuesday, March 12, 2019 12:36 p.m

TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. Over the past year-plus, controversial winger Tom Wilson has been the centerpiece of the rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. From an illegal hit that injured Zach Aston-Reese in last year’s playoffs to a right hand that gave Jamie Oleksiak a concussion in a fight early this season, Wilson has been a thorn in the side of the Penguins. Erik Gudbranson is the latest player tasked with taking care of the Wilson situation, which can mean one of two things. First, it can mean actually dropping the gloves and fighting Wilson if the situation calls for it. The 6-foot-5, 217-pound Gudbranson is up to that challenge should it arise. He has 27 career fighting majors in the NHL, including a solid showing against Wilson in an October 2017 scrap. “I’m OK with it. I’ve always been OK with it,” Gudbranson said. “I don’t particularly like talking about it. I’m certainly not going to say I’m looking for it. Never have. If the situation arises, I’ve never been one to back down. That’s sort of how I put it. I guess I can leave it at that.” More likely, through, given how tight the Eastern Conference standings are and how late in the season it is, Gudbranson and Wilson will wage physical battles for valuable pieces of ice in front of the Penguins net. Gudbranson is up for that, too. “Obviously you’ve got to know he’s out on the ice,” Gudbranson said. “He’s a physical presence. He plays the game hard. He tickles that edge pretty much every game. You need to be aware of him, but there’s a number of other players as well you need to be aware of.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135732 Pittsburgh Penguins

Opportunity knocks for Penguins’ Teddy Blueger with Zach Aston-Reese hurt

JONATHAN BOMBULIE Tuesday, March 12, 2019 11:54 a.m

TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. With winger Zach Aston-Reese sidelined on a day-to-day basis with a lower-body injury, the Pittsburgh Penguins will have a different look up front when they face the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. Aston-Reese was injured in the second period of a 4-2 Penguins win over Boston on Sunday night. His spot on the left wing of the second line with Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel was taken by rookie Teddy Blueger. Based on morning skate combinations, Blueger will stay in that spot against the Capitals. For the vast majority of the first three years of his pro career, Blueger was training to fill a bottom-six center position. Now, he suddenly finds himself as a top-six winger. “I think the progression that’s been there, it’s like I was bottom six but I think I’ve gotten better and shown I can produce at (the AHL) level,” Blueger said. “As long as I keep working and keep getting better every day, I think there’s nothing than can stop me from doing that at the next level too.” Wilkes-Barre/Scranton call-up Joseph Blandisi moved into Blueger’s spot on the fourth line with Matt Cullen and Garrett Wilson. Blandisi, who has played 75 career NHL games with New Jersey, Anaheim and the Penguins, is known for his speed and his willingness to play an abrasive style of hockey. “Lots of energy. Make smart plays. Be responsible in our own zone,” Blandisi said of his approach. “Get pucks in and make it hard on their defensemen. Finish our checks and make some room for the other guys.” Matt Murray will make his ninth straight start in net for the Penguins, who are tied with Carolina for third place in the Metropolitan Division, six points behind the first-place Capitals. Kris Letang (upper body) participated in morning skate in a non-contact capacity. Bryan Rust (lower body) and Olli Maatta (shoulder) remain out.

Tribune Review LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135733 Pittsburgh Penguins where the Penguins had four power plays — in ice time against the Capitals at 22:43.

Gudbranson registered two hits, blocked three shots and had an even Erik Gudbranson a force and ‘force field’ in heated battle with Capitals rating. (He would’ve been a plus had it not been for a bad bounce on Washington’s second goal.) JASON MACKEY “He’s been a real solid defending defensemen for us,” Sullivan said of Gudbranson. “He moves the puck. He keeps his game simple. He plays Pittsburgh Post-Gazette within himself. And he adds that dimension that I think makes us a better team.” [email protected] The five-on-five goal-against was just the second for Gudbranson in five MAR 13, 2019 12:44 AM games as a Penguin. Overall, he’s a plus-5. Since the trade, Gudbranson continues to lead the Penguins in five-on-five shot share, scoring-chance

percentage and high-danger chance percentage. Tuesday was Erik Gudbranson’s first taste of the Penguins-Capitals Translated into more understandable terms, that means he’s basically rivalry. been the opposite of what pretty much everyone expected. Suffice to say, he wouldn’t mind going back for seconds. “I’m excited to be here,” Gudbranson said. “I’ve felt really good. And Penguins fans might offer to cook the meal for Gudbranson and [Tuesday] I felt really solid out on the ice. This is an easy team to step serve it on a silver platter given how the hulking defenseman has not only into. There’s a lot of good hockey players here. They make themselves handled Capitals winger Tom Wilson but what he’s done since that Feb. available all over the ice. It’s a team working together. It’s been a 23 trade. pleasure.” “He’s a tough kid,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Gudbranson Against a team like Washington that has had success pushing the after his team’s 5-3 victory at PPG Paints Arena. “He has great size. He’s Penguins around, it helped to have someone like Gudbranson, who hard to play against. He’s abrasive. And he knows his role. He provides seemed to instantly grasp the reason he was inserted into this already- that pushback aspect when we need it.” hot rivalry. Gudbranson seemed to grasp his role in this battle from the drop of the Gudbranson loved hearing the crowd and being able to help his team to puck. At the conclusion of his first shift, he gave Wilson a whack to the a key win. back of the legs with his stick — admittedly something for which he “That was a good hockey game,” Gudbranson said. “That was a good, could’ve and probably should’ve been penalized. physical hockey game with two teams that are very competitive against At 2:11 of the first period, with the Penguins short-handed, Gudbranson each other every single night. I think that was a good one for the fans to delivered a hard hit on Wilson, although Gudbranson insisted the contact watch. We batted back. We stuck with it. That was a character win for wasn’t directed at Wilson. us.” “He just happened to be there,” Gudbranson said. “If it was anybody else, I would have done the exact same thing.” Post Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 Was it at least more enjoyable that it was Wilson? “Maybe for you guys,” Gudbranson said, smiling. “For other people in Pittsburgh, for sure. “I knew if I could get a lick in on him or let him know that I’m on the ice, too … it was a good hit, I guess.” Early in the third period following a battle in front of the net, Gudbranson wound up grabbing Wilson and wrestling him to the ice. Wilson retaliated with a punch to the face, although the on-ice officials wouldn’t let the two fight. In their respective penalty boxes, Gudbranson and Wilson kept jawing at one another, the dislike between the two plenty evident. “There were two guys in between us,” Gudbranson said of the on-ice part. “It’s tough to start a fight when you start on the ground. Usually the refs are pretty good about breaking them up. They want to break stuff up like that before it gets going.” What Gudbranson brought the Penguins all night was something they have lacked in this games. They’ve called it pushback, and that’s not wrong. But it’s basically a tough guy, a card they hold, someone who isn’t afraid to mix it up with heavier teams and physical players. Jamie Oleksiak did it some, though Gudbranson is probably more of the Ryan Reaves role than anything else. Gudbranson was especially noticeable Tuesday clearing the front of the crease. “I think it makes life easier for everybody,” Matt Murray said. “He plays like he has a force field around him. Everybody is kinda scared to go near him. “He’s so big and strong. Plays hard in front of the net. That’s an underrated attribute, for sure, and he does it probably the best out of anybody.” Gudbranson also actually plays, which is more than Reaves was allowed to do here. Did the Penguins potentially change their thought process and realize they have to get Gudbranson on the ice more? Maybe. But he’s also earned his ice time. Get this: Gudbranson actually led all skaters — yes, including Sidney Crosby, 1,000-point man Evgeni Malkin and Justin Schultz, in a game 1135734 Pittsburgh Penguins minds that at some point they’re going to go back together because we just believe they’re that good.”

Sullivan added: “Sometimes when I split them up, you can affect a little Top Penguins power play, back together again, delivers in win over bit of a change, whether it be from a mindset standpoint or whatever it Capitals may be. Then when you do put them back together, it allows them the opportunity to have some success, whether it creates a little more urgency or it’s not taken for granted.” MATT VENSEL Whatever the reason, the Penguins got the results they were looking for. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette In the third period, with the Penguins still up 3-2, Sullivan sent Crosby, [email protected] Malkin and Kessel out for one more power play, though he went with two defensemen given it was a one-goal game. Malkin sent the puck back to MAR 12, 2019 11:57 PM Schultz, who put a heavy shot on goal. The rebound went to Kessel, who buried his second goal in 20 games.

Schultz got his 200th career point there. Someone else hit a milestone, When mulling whether to split up his dangerous – both in a good way and too. bad – top power-play unit at a few different points this season, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has said there is always an urge to stick with them “I should ask him if he wants to split the puck with me,” Schultz jokingly through the bad because of all the big goals they have scored during his said in reference to Malkin. “No, that’s all him. One thousand points is an three-plus years behind the bench. unbelievable achievement in this league. It’s so impressive. We’re all so happy for him.” Sullivan again couldn’t help himself Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. It was perhaps fitting that Malkin got those final two points he needed on The building was booming after Jared McCann and Sidney Crosby the power play. Of his 1,000 career points, 385 came with the penalty scored less than a minute apart. Then Nicklas Backstrom tripped up box occupied. Evgeni Malkin just 31 seconds after Crosby beat Braden Holtby on a breakaway to tie up the game, 2-2. For all of the “ups and downs this year,” as Sullivan put it, Tuesday’s win was another reminder that the Penguins can still take over a game with Sullivan gave Malkin and Phil Kessel the nod, sending them onto the ice. their power play. It now ranks fifth in the NHL at 25.3 percent and is not “I keep going back to them because I believe in them,” Sullivan said far off from their franchise-record mark of 26.2 from a season ago. later. “In my time here, they’ve been one of the best power plays, if not the His stubborn but completely understandable belief in his stars paid off, as best power play, in the league,” Sullivan said. “They’ve always shown the Crosby scored on that critical power play to seize the lead. In the third, ability to score.” Kessel got another one, the game-winner in a 5-3 victory over the And then came his familiar refrain, the reason why he won’t quit on them. Washington Capitals. “They score big goals at key times, and they did it tonight,” Sullivan said. The Penguins did not capitalize on either of their first two opportunities when starting with a top unit of Crosby, Patrick Hornqvist and Jake Guentzel up front and Justin Schultz and Marcus Pettersson on the blue line. After Backstrom went to the box, Sullivan pulled off Guentzel and Post Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 Pettersson for Malkin and Kessel. They produced what may be their prettiest power-play goal of the year. Kessel cruised through the neutral zone and slipped the puck to Malkin for a clean entry. Malkin walked down the left wall, cut to the middle between Tom Wilson and Matt Niskanen and gave the puck back to Kessel, parked on the goal line. Kessel one-timed a pass through the legs of John Carlson to Crosby, who dropped to one knee to rifle a shot from the right dot over the blocker of Holtby. “Geno just did a great job of weaving through there and found Phil. I just tried to be ready,” Crosby said of his 33rd goal. “Phil threw it through a couple guys and I think it ended up far side. I was just trying to get it off, so I didn’t see it go in.” Kessel saw it. If Crosby had shot the puck a couple of inches higher, he may have cracked Kessel in the face. Kessel flinched before raising his arms to celebrate. As Malkin hugged Crosby in the other corner, PPG Paints Arena went bonkers. “Those guys are some of the best talents in the world,” said Schultz, the point man with Kris Letang out. “To have them all out there on the ice at the same time during a power play makes my job pretty easy. Those guys did a great job for us.” He added: “Obviously, it hasn’t been going as great as we’ve wanted lately.” The Penguins had scored a power-play goal in just four of 16 games before a stretch early this month when they got at least one in four straight games. Then came Saturday’s loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, when Kessel blew a tire at his blue line and Cam Atkinson grabbed the loose puck and put it behind Matt Murray. Sullivan again vented after that short-handed goal, the NHL-high 14th the Penguins have handed out this season. When the top unit went 0-for-4 to start Sunday’s win over the Boston Bruins, the coach removed Malkin and Kessel, something he has now done a few times this season, though it never lasted very long. “Sometimes when we split them up, it’s a short-term decision,” he said. “But within the big picture, the coaching staff has in the back of their 1135735 Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin gets his 1,000 NHL point for the Penguins against the Capitals Tuesday, March 12, 2019, at PPG Paints Arena Dave Molinari’s Penguins Report Card: Penguins 5, Washington 3 Evgeni Malkin’s 1,000th point a memorable one Grade: C+. DAVE MOLINARI The Penguins’ first two power plays were, at best, forgettable, but their Pittsburgh Post-Gazette third yielded the goal that gave them a 3-2 lead, as Crosby took a cross- ice feed from Kessel and beat Holtby from below the right dot. They got [email protected] one more chance with the extra man and made the most of it, too, as Kessel converted a Schultz rebound to make it 4-2 at 11:56 of the third. MAR 12, 2019 10:26 PM Washington had just two tries with the man-advantage and took full advantage of the second, when Carlson threw in the Ovechkin rebound

to slice the Penguins’ lead to 4-3. With Zach Aston-Reese unavailable (After every Penguins home game, the Post-Gazette will assess how because of an unspecified injury, Teddy Blueger got work alongside Matt each unit performed and what it means during the playoff push.) Cullen on the top penalty-killing tandem. They were on the ice for the entire 66 seconds of the Capitals’ second man-advantage. FORWARDS COACHING Grade: B+. Grade: B. Evgeni Malkin became the 88th player in NHL history to record 1,000 career points, and he did it in style, with an assist on Phil Kessel’s game- Mike Sullivan didn’t seem to do anything eye-catching with his personnel, winning goal at 11:56 of the third period. Earlier, Malkin got No. 999 with but he did made an excellent decision to use his timeout with 1:34 left in an assist on Sidney Crosby’s power-play goal that put the Penguins in regulation and the Capitals pressing for a goal that would have forced front to stay, 3-2, at 14:25 of the second period. Although Crosby overtime. That break seemed to disrupt Washington’s momentum, and probably has a better chance of being elected the next prime minister of McCann put the game out of reach with his empty-netter not long after Canada than he does of winning the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP this play resumed. Sullivan does have a significant decision to make over the season, it’s hard to believe there are many, if any, guys performing better next few days: Should he give Murray yet another start when the at both ends of the rink. He was the driving force for this team yet again, Penguins visit Buffalo Thursday, or should Casey DeSmith get some scoring two goals and being a force all over the ice. But it was one of game action? The thinking here is that DeSmith will be in goal against Crosby’s linemates, left winger Jared McCann, who might have made the the Sabres, but won’t necessarily play in either of the Penguins’ home game-changing play. Little more than two minutes after Washington took games during the weekend that follows. a 2-0 lead, McCann swiped the puck from Capitals center Evgeny

Kuznetsov near the blue line, then drove through the offensive zone and set up Jake Guentzel at the edge of the crease for his team-leading 35th Post Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 goal of the season to spark a three-goal rampage in a span of one minute, 48 seconds. McCann capped another strong performance by scoring an empty-net goal from inside his own blue line with 55.8 seconds left to seal the victory. It was his ninth goal in 20 games since being acquired from Florida. And it shouldn’t be overlooked that Kessel has two goals in the past four games after going 16 without one. Erik Gudbranson a force and ‘force field’ in heated battle with Capitals DEFENSEMEN Grade: B. Brian Dumoulin turned in his usual stalwart performance in the defensive zone, but Justin Schultz was the dominant presence on the Penguins’ blue line in this game. Midway through the first period, he prevented a sure goal by deflecting Capitals defenseman John Carlson’s shot at an empty net from the left circle. Late in the second, Schultz delivered a perfect flip-pass — the kind in which Hall of Fame defenseman Larry Murphy specialized a few decades ago — that made Crosby’s game- tying goal possible. Schultz also chipped in with three shots and three blocks, just one fewer than Jack Johnson’s team-leading total. Erik Gudbranson, acquired from Vancouver to add muscle to the Penguins’ defense, showed that he’s quite capable of handling those duties when he went after Capitals tough guy Tom Wilson after Wilson had shoved Gudbranson’s defense partner, Marcus Pettersson, to the ice after a whistle during the third period. Gudbranson has been a solid addition to a defense corps that still is missing two key members, Kris Letang and Olli Maatta. GOALIE Grade: C- Matt Murray set a personal-high with his ninth consecutive start and finished with 38 saves, but the first two goals he allowed were the kind he’ would like to forget as quickly as possible, if he hasn’t already. The first came when Jakub Vrana scored with 32.4 seconds to go in the opening period, whipping a high shot past Murray on the short side from outside and above the right dot. That was a bad goal, but Vrana’s second was marshmallow-soft, as he flipped a high, harmless shot from the outside edge of the right circle, then watched as the puck hit Murray, dropped behind him and ended up in the net to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead. To Murray’s credit, he did not seem to dwell on either of Vrana’s goals, and the only other one he gave up came during a power play, when he had no chance to stop a John Carlson rebound of an Alex Ovechkin shot at 14:02 of the third period. SPECIAL TEAMS 1135736 Pittsburgh Penguins between these two teams — the Penguins flipped around the game’s momentum in a big way.

“We got that one and got a huge boost,” Crosby said. “It’s been a while Key second-period swing helps end Washington’s winning streak since we scored in bunches like that. That’s important. That’s fun. That’s when you want to use your home ice like that. That was a big momentum shift in the game.” JASON MACKEY First Boston, now this. On Sunday night the Penguins ended the Bruins’ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 19-game point streak. Tuesday’s win snapped the Capitals’ winning streak at seven. [email protected] “Those are two really good teams that we beat,” said Murray, who started MAR 13, 2019 12:04 AM his career-high ninth in a row and stopped 38 of 41 shots in the wining effort.

“I like our game the last couple here. We’re trending in the right direction. One swipe from Jared McCann got the Penguins going. We definitely have to keep it going.” After a terrific defensive play from a player who has taken to his role like The Penguins are 38-23-9, good enough for 85 points. That puts them a fish to water, the Penguins used a second-period surge to end the four behind the Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division, two Capitals’ seven-game winning streak with a 5-3 victory Tuesday at PPG back of the Islanders for second, although New York has played one Paints Arena. fewer game. Trailing 2-0 midway through the second period, McCann smartly lifted the Pittsburgh has a two-point lead on Carolina for the first wild card spot. stick of Evgeny Kuznetsov, stole the puck from the Capitals center, led a two-on-one with Jake Guentzel and slid a beautiful pass across the slot, The Penguins have earned standings points in eight of their past nine enabling Guentzel to score his 35th goal of the season. games, going 6-1-2 in those contests — all started by Murray — and tied their season-best stretch with four consecutive wins at home. Although the obvious story Tuesday was Evgeni Malkin notching his 1,000th NHL point, that play by McCann triggered a run of three goals in Around the boards 1 minute, 48 seconds that gave the Penguins all the momentum they would need. The Penguins have won 43 of 74 meetings between Crosby and Ovechkin. … In those games, Crosby has 37 goals and 100 points. … “That was a huge goal,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “It was a Malkin has points in 13 of his last 16 meetings against the Capitals (10- turning point in the game, I think. The way we grabbed a hold of 14–24). … In the last 30 NHL seasons, only Jaromir Jagr (10), Joe Sakic momentum right after, our bench got a foot taller after we scored that (9), Wayne Gretzky (8) and Mario Lemieux (7) have more 90-plus-point goal. seasons than Crosby’s six. … The Penguins improved to 10-1 this season in their yellow third jerseys. Guentzel now has six goals in his past six games, continuing his push for 40 on the season; as of now, Guentzel is on pace to score 41. McCann, meanwhile, scored an empty-net goal late for his 10th point and Post Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 sixth goal in the past eight games. “We talked about it after the first period, getting hard on the forecheck and pressuring their D,” McCann said. “I had to get my feet moving after the first period. It was a good play. I feel like Jake made a good play backdoor there.” Less than a minute after Guentzel's goal, Crosby tied the score at 2 with a play the Penguins used recently. While Guentzel chased down a high flip from Crosby last Tuesday to beat the Panthers in overtime, Crosby did the same after a terrific pass from Justin Schultz. After gaining control of the puck, Crosby beat Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby five-hole for his 32nd goal of the season at 13:24. Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Phil Kessel celebrates his goal with Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby against the Capitals Tuesday, March 12, 2019, at PPG Paints Arena. Crosby scored the Penguins’ third goal in a stretch of 1:48 whenever he converted a one-time pass from Kessel on the power play at 14:25. While the Penguins had been experimenting with split units, coach Mike Sullivan put the tradition top group back together before Crosby’s second goal. “We believe in those guys,” Sullivan said. After a clean zone entry, Malkin dished to Kessel at the left post. Kessel one-touched a pass through Washington defenseman John Carlson’s skates to Crosby, who buried a shot from the right circle, his left knee on the ice as the puck left his stick. “I was just trying to get it off,” Crosby said. “Was happy to see it go in.” The Penguins needed a little boost after how they started the game. The Capitals had the puck for most of a physical first period and jumped ahead, 1-0, on left wing Jakub Vrana’s wrister from the right circle at 19:27. Vrana’s rising shot beat Matt Murray glove-side. Vrana stretched Washington’s lead to 2-0 10:24 of the second period, when, from outside the circle, his shot hit Murray’s shoulder and bounced up and over the Penguins goaltender. “Just a weird bounce,” Murray said. “You just kind of move by it.” The Penguins certainly did. And because of McCann’s strip of Kuznetsov — arguably the best player on the ice in last year’s playoff series 1135737 Pittsburgh Penguins Malkin became the fifth active player to reach 1,000 points, joining San Jose’s Joe Thornton (1,468), Crosby (1,206), Alex Ovechkin (1,200) and Toronto’s Patrick Marleau (1,164). Evgeni Malkin’s 1,000th point a memorable one Malkin and Ovechkin are the fourth pair of players drafted 1-2 in the same year to hit 1,000, while the Penguins joined the Red Wings as the only franchise to have four players record 1,000 points entirely with their JASON MACKEY franchise. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Malkin had 110 players help him reach 1,000 points, with Crosby (303) factoring into the most points of any player who has skated alongside [email protected] Malkin. MAR 12, 2019 9:36 PM “He’s done so much over the years,” Crosby said. “Been a part of winning teams, highlight-reel goals, dominated games. Did a lot for the

organization. Taking laps around the PPG Paints Arena ice before Tuesday’s morning “It’s just been fun to be a part of that, watch that. You’re always happy for skate, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan and Evgeni Malkin had a your teammates when they do well, but a guy you’ve played this long conversation. with, it’s pretty special, pretty unique.” Realizing the Russian center who had gone four games without a goal Crosby’s one wish was for Malkin to get the honor at home, with his was potentially pressing, the result of being so close to 1,000 career family there to watch. The Penguins captain said that was the one thing points, Sullivan offered some advice. that he’ll cherish about his night more than anything. “I said, ‘You’ll score.’ “ Sullivan recalled. “He’s too good.” Kessel, who has become extremely close with Malkin, joked with his OK, so Sullivan wasn’t completely correct, but it’s doubtful at this point linemate that he wanted to score the goal on which Malkin reached anybody is going to sweat the details. 1,000. Similar to Chris Kunitz scoring to get Crosby there, Kessel made it happen. Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Phil Kessel celebrates his goal with Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby against the Capitals Tuesday, “He wanted that,” Malkin said. “He said I hope I score your 1,000th point. March 12, 2019, at PPG Paints Arena. He’s unbelievable. Special for him, too. We play a long time together. It’s not easy year for him, too. With a pair of assists Tuesday in a 5-3 victory over the Washington Capitals, Malkin reached 1,000 career points, becoming the 88th player “We try to play better every game. He gave me a chance to make in NHL history to do so, the fifth from Russia. 1,000th points. It’s a huge goal for him and huge points for me.” “Finally,” Malkin said. “Last couple weeks I was a little bit nervous. It Before the game, Ovechkin lauded Malkin and said he’d be thrilled when was a little bit slow. I’m over 1,000. I can breath normally. Malkin got to 1,000. “I want to thank my teammates. It’s a special day for my family, my “I’ll be happy if he gets it,” Ovechkin said. “It’s a big number. He’s a great friends. I play hockey all my life. It’s amazing to be here and win here player.” against Washington. Special day, for sure.” It’s almost too perfect that Malkin did it against the Capitals, opposite One that was shared by his wife and parents, too. fellow Russians Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov. As soon as Phil Kessel hammered the rebound of a Justin Schultz shot But most of all, Malkin has to love that he did it in front of the fans that — Malkin got the secondary assist — the players on the ice celebrated, simply adore him, for his goofy humor to how effortless he makes the Malkin, Kessel and Sidney Crosby knocking their heads together. game. Sometimes hockey players can be robotic. Malkin is most certainly not that. The in-arena camera then cut to the stands, where Malkin’s family was obviously and understandable emotional. The hope should also be that Malkin reaching 1,000 should open some eyes around the league. He’s still criminally underrated for someone who “It’s an absolutely amazing night for me,” Malkin said. “It’s one of the best has accomplished all that he has. nights for my life. My parents were here, my wife. Crazy.” “He doesn’t the credit he deserves outside Pittsburgh, in the hockey Erik Gudbranson a force and ‘force field’ in heated battle with Capitals world,” Sullivan said. “He has been one of the elite players in this league for a decade-plus. He deserves more attention for that.” Malkin joked that his son, Nikita, couldn’t make it, because he usually only stays for half a game. “Too small,” Malkin said. “He’s been fun to watch that over the years,” Crosby added. “I think 1,000 points puts a pretty good stamp on it.” Nikita will be at Saturday’s matinee against the Blues, though chances are dad wouldn’t have wanted to wait that long. As it stood, this was excruciating enough for Malkin, who had two assists Post Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 in his past four games, hence the little chat with Sullivan. Malkin was going stir-crazy, wanting to reach the milestone, and definitely was pressing a bit. “My experience of being around guys who reach those types of milestones, usually when you’re a couple points away, guys are pressing because they want to reach it,” Sullivan said. “I think it should take a little bit of pressure off Geno. He can relax and play the game the way he’s capable.” And that — as much as a key win over the Capitals, snapping Washington’s winning streak at seven — could be downright scary for opposing teams. Buried in the chase for 1,000 has been Malkin’s second-half turnaround. Since Jan. 2, Malkin has points in 21 of 25 games, producing nine goals and 30 points during that stretch. Whereas earlier this season Malkin lacked confidence — and admitted it — he now has a little bit of a swagger back to his game. His line has consistently produced chances, and Malkin is starting to convert, even if the past couple had been wearing on him. “It’s a tough year for me,” Malkin said. “But I think my game is back. I feel so much better every night. My confidence is back.” 1135738 Pittsburgh Penguins

Check out Mike Lange's new goal call

ADAM BITTNER Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [email protected] MAR 12, 2019 7:30 PM

Mike Lange has added a new goal call to his repertoire. The Penguins radio play-by-play man, known for delivering folksy catchphrases when the team scores, chose a new permanent addition to his rotation Tuesday after fans submitted ideas through a social media contest. The winner was announced before the game against the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena. “Buy me a banjo in Biloxi” will now join iconic “Lange-isms” including “scratch my back with a hacksaw” and “he’s smiling like a butcher’s dog” as a fixture on radio broadcasts moving forward. The phrase beat out four other finalists. They were: Penguins center Teddy Blueger celebrates his goal against the oilers in the second period Wednesday Feb.13, 2019 at PPG Paints Arena. Lange has long taken submissions from fans. He told the team’s website that he used to store them in a shoebox, but has since moved them to his computer. "It's just something that's ongoing, has been ever since I've been here with the people approaching me and asking me, 'Do you think this one's all right?'" Lange told the website. "And as I've always said, I take everything under consideration. It's been a great ride with the people and I've enjoyed it, and I think that they have fun with it, too."

Post Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135739 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins fans big donors to city Public Safety following Tree of Life shooting

ASHLEY MURRAY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [email protected] MAR 12, 2019 4:51 PM

Pittsburgh Public Safety has received nearly $200,000 in donations since the Tree of Life mass shooting, with a sizable chunk coming from Pittsburgh Penguins fans who opened their wallets at a game just days after the massacre. “We were the next big public event after that,” said Kevin Acklin, senior vice president and general counsel for the Penguins. “The shooting occurred on that Saturday, Oct. 27, and we had a game on Tuesday. Our team captain Sid Crosby came up with an idea that we would have a patch with the Pens logo and Star of David.” A gunman killed 11 inside the Squirrel Hill synagogue and wounded several others, including six police officers. Prior to the start of the Oct. 30 game against the New York Islanders at the PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins held a video presentation and ceremony, featuring members of the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh and a ceremonial puck drop with Pittsburgh police Chief Scott Schubert, public safety director Wendell Hissrich and two first responders, officers Anthony Burke and Mike Smidga. Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange announced a new catchphrase before the game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. “We were honored to be the convener of that for the city,” said Mr. Acklin, former chief of staff to Mayor Bill Peduto and board chairman of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Between the sale of the special game-day patches, a raffle of the game- used jerseys, the 50-50 raffle, and donations received online from private individuals and foundations, the Penguins Foundation raised just over $626,000. The team’s foundation split the donations — $420,000 to the Jewish Federation’s Victims of Terror Fund; $156,420 to the city’s Public Safety Trust Fund; and the remaining roughly $50,000 to be split among the injured police officers who responded to the attack. Mr. Hissrich said he “wasn’t expecting such an outpouring of support.” The donation will be used for training, equipment and supplies. “It will be used to ensure the first responders’ safety,” Mr. Hissrich said. “We did a lot of training prior to the Tree of Life, and we’ll continue to do that so if it ever happens again, we’re more prepared. And it probably will happen again sometime.” Pittsburgh City Council approved the creation of the trust fund in November 2018 after donations began pouring in. Aside from the Penguins, multiple donors have given a total of $43,521, including donations from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Alcoa Corp., the Greater Pittsburgh Chinese Restaurant Association and more. Each donation to the trust fund must be approved by council. “It’s great that organizations around Pittsburgh continue to donate,” said councilman Corey O’Connor, whose district includes a portion of Squirrel Hill. “They’ve received so much. It’s great to see that support from across the city.” Council introduced a resolution Tuesday to approve the donation from the Pittsburgh Penguins. A final vote is expected March 26.

Post Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135740 Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night game. Add to that the recent history — three consecutive playoff meetings — and there should be no shortage of vitriol or intensity on either side. Tom Wilson on Penguins fans: 'I don’t expect them to like me.' “Obviously, we don’t like each other,” Patric Hornqvist said. “We don’t like that team. It’s going to be a hard battle.” JASON MACKEY The trick for the Penguins will be not to fixate on Wilson, something Pittsburgh Post-Gazette they’ve probably been guilty of doing in the past. He’s expected to skate on a top line with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, and those two [email protected] require a lot of attention by themselves. MAR 12, 2019 1:35 PM Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals with 46. Kuznetsov, who might’ve been the best player on the ice in the playoff series last year, has nine goals and 22 points over his past 21 games. For Tom Wilson, the dynamic of the Penguins-Capitals rivalry definitely “You have to be aware of [Wilson], but there’s a number of other players has changed after what his team accomplished last year, Washington you need to be aware of, as well,” Gudbranson said. hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time in its history. That being said, if something does happen Tuesday, Gudbranson said Starting in October, on the second night of the NHL season, it took he’s “never been one to back down” and plans to push back on his Wilson and his teammates about three seconds to sense the shift in team’s behalf. power and re-live a few memories the group created with a six-game series victory in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The trick, again, will be to not isolate on Wilson. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel a little bit different coming back here “I’m obviously going to have my eye out for him,” Gudbranson said. “But having done what we did last year compared to years prior when you I’m going to play my game, play hard, be defensively sound and move have that bitter taste,” Wilson, who was suspended for that first meeting, pucks well. I’m certainly not going to wrap my head around one guy on said after the morning skate Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. that team, but you definitely do have to be aware of him on the ice.” While the Capitals, after years of hunting, finally have transformed into Those in Pittsburgh — and probably other NHL fans, too — might say the hunted, one thing that remains status quo when these teams meet that’s because of Wilson’s reputation as sort of a headhunter, the result involves the hard-hitting Washington winger. of many vicious hits Wilson has delivered throughout his career. Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange announced a new catchphrase before Wilson, of course, doesn’t agree with that assessment of his game. the game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday at PPG Paints Against the Penguins or anyone else, he reiterated Tuesday morning that Arena. he’s just trying to play the game hard. Penguins fans, of course, hate Wilson, in a way that might be “I’ve never seen myself as that,” Wilson said. “I’ve never tried to do that. I superseded only by taxes and rush-hour traffic. Then again, Wilson might finish hard checks. It’s a fast game, but even people who have watched actually win that battle. Meanwhile, players in Pittsburgh remain acutely my hits, I’m not headhunting. It’s different. It is what it is. We’ve moved aware of where Wilson is on the ice at all times and who in the dressing on from that. I’m just trying to worry about growing my game and helping room might be able to deal with him, should something go sideways. this team win.” Wilson understands the first part of that, although he has a tough time believing Penguins management thinks that much of him ... even though that same group has kept Ryan Reaves, Jamie Oleksiak, Garrett Wilson Post Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 or Erik Gudbranson around just in case. “It’s a rivalry,” Wilson said. “I don’t expect them to like me. We’ve had some good battles. It’s fun. … I think guys that grow up playing hockey, these are the games you love.” There’s been no shortage of criticism sent Wilson’s way, on the record, by Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, who told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after his team’s postseason exit that Wilson “couldn’t run quick enough to get away from” Oleksiak, who sought retaliation for Wilson’s illegal hit on Zach Aston-Reese. When Wilson and Oleksiak fought Dec. 19, Rutherford spoke out against how Wilson comported himself in the bout. “All I know is, in that fight, Wilson didn’t even give Oleksiak a chance to get his gloves off,” Rutherford said in late January. It wasn’t just the general manager, either. Matt Cullen, pictured with his family, waves to the PPG Paints Arena crowd last week. Earlier this season, Sidney Crosby was critical of Wilson’s hit on former Penguins forward Oskar Sundqvist and Matt Cullen spoke out against the appeal process that shortened Wilson’s suspension for that hit. Wilson attributed how much he’s talked about in Pittsburgh to a social media thing and said the Capitals have a bunch of other players worth worrying about besides him. “I just go out there and try and play,” Wilson said. “Whatever they want to say is fine. I would be surprised if they were going out for the game thinking about me. There’s other guys in this room. We’ve got a lot of different weapons. “What people don’t realize, you have Brooks Orpik, you have [T.J. Oshie], you have a number of guys who battle extremely hard every night. It’s a team game.” And one the Capitals have played extremely well of late. Enough to win the Cup, of course, but this year to take 14 of 19 since Feb. 1, including seven in a row before the 1135741 Pittsburgh Penguins With Malkin closing in on the 1,000-point milestone – he entered Tuesday’s game with 998 career points – Sullivan was asked if Malkin is “underappreciated.” Teddy Blueger gets a chance on Evgeni Malkin's line with Zach Aston- “Underappreciated probably isn’t the right word,” the coach said. “He Reese out probably gets overlooked and doesn't get the credit he deserves for his body of work. I think he does within our organization and I think he does within our fan base.” MATT VENSEL Sullivan, citing Malkin’s fingerprints on three Stanley Cups and the Conn Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Smythe he won in 2009, said, “When you look at what he's accomplished, it's remarkable.” [email protected] Around the boards MAR 12, 2019 1:27 PM Kris Letang and Olli Maatta skated before the team took the ice for the morning skate. Letang, still wearing a non-contact jersey, stayed on with the rest of the group but remained out Tuesday. … Matt Murray made his Teddy Blueger has mostly been used as a fourth-line forward and a ninth straight start. … When the Penguins worked on their power play penalty-killer during his time in Pittsburgh these past couple of months. during the morning skate, the top unit was Sidney Crosby, Jake But with Zach Aston-Reese out with an injury, Blueger got a chance to Guentzel, Patric Hornqvist and a pair of defensemen in Justin Schultz show he can do more. and Marcus Pettersson. Malkin and Kessel were on the second unit. Aston-Reese is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and officially out of

Tuesday’s game against the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena. So Blueger was bumped up to the second line, where he skated Post Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 alongside Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. “I always try not to change anything – play hard and defend well and try to create space for those guys,” he said. “Just try to give them the puck and go to the net, pretty much. Just keep it simple for me and let those guys make the plays.” Coach Mike Sullivan said Blueger, 24, held his own with those two after Aston-Reese was injured during the second period of Sunday’s win over the Boston Bruins. And he felt Blueger, “a good, solid two-way player,” deserved another look there. Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange announced a new catchphrase before the game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. But while Blueger was expected to be the responsible one on that line – and he’s OK with that – he also know he has to “chip in offensively” to remain there. When Blueger first joined the AHL club in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he was utilized in a bottom-six role. During his three seasons there, he honed his offensive skills and was the team’s leading scorer with 21 goals and 18 assists when first promoted. “I’ve gotten better and showed that I could produce at that level,” said the 2012 second-round pick. “I think as long as I keep working and keep getting better every day, there’s nothing that can stop me from doing that at the next level, too.” Blueger has three goals and two assists in 15 games in Pittsburgh, though in his last eight games he recorded just one assist. That came against the Bruins, when he sprung Jared McCann on a breakaway, leading to a huge short-handed goal. Still, when factoring in his strong defensive work, Blueger has made a positive impact on the Penguins, all while making the switch from center to left wing. “I’ve got used to it. I kind of think the transition went better than I expected,” he said. “I feel good playing there. There or center, it doesn’t matter to me.” Blandisi ready to get ‘gritty’ With Aston-Reese hobbled, the Penguins on Monday called up Joseph Blandisi, the winger whom they acquired for Derek Grant back in January. He played one game with the Penguins before spending the last two months in Wilkes-Barre. “We've been working hard down there. We've got a young group, so it gave me an opportunity to play in all sorts of situations,” said Blandisi, who had seven goals and 15 points in 17 games there. “I think it was good for my development.” Blandisi, who started out on the fourth line with Matt Cullen and Garrett Wilson, said he was “excited to get thrown into the fire” against the rival Capitals, and he felt his game was well-suited for when the intensity gets ratcheted up. “I like playing physical,” he said. “I like getting gritty and going to the dirty areas.” Malkin overlooked by NHL? 1135742 Pittsburgh Penguins 5. Apparently Bridget duped Matt by saying they needed to head into downtown Sewickley to load up his truck with a bunch of boxes from a local juice bar. Bridget drove and had Matt walk with their three boys. 20 Penguins Thoughts: OK, so is Matt Cullen really retiring? When Matt and Co. arrived, Bridget said that everything had been canceled — no boxes — but she had to pick up something from a store. JASON MACKEY “We walked past that store, we got to the restaurant, walked in, and a bunch of family and friends were just sitting there waiting,” Matt said. “I Pittsburgh Post-Gazette couldn’t believe it.” [email protected] 6. Moving on … MAR 12, 2019 9:55 AM Penguins players wear monitors strapped to their chest during practice that monitor their activity.

That data is collected by the team’s strength and conditioning staff, and it It’s as resolute as Matt Cullen has sounded regarding his potential gives coach Mike Sullivan input when it comes to deciding how hard to retirement. push his club. It’s not new in pro sports. Asked the night of his 1,500th NHL game whether he might have any But Zach Trotman goes above and beyond. interest in trying for 1,600, Cullen didn’t hesitate. A self-described “exercise science nerd from college,” Trotman wears “Nope,” he said with a smile. what’s called a “WHOOP” on his wrist. It’s essentially fitness tracker that looks a lot like an Apple Watch. Saturday morning in Columbus, I brought that moment up to Cullen, explaining that I thought he sounded rather convincing. Using a program called Strain, it measures your heart-rate variability and sleep. Evgeni Malkin notches 1,000th point “It gives me an idea of how recovered my body is and how much work I “I feel like this is it,” Cullen said. “That this is the last run.” should be doing the next day,” Trotman said. Then he paused. 7. This is not a team-issued thing. Trotman does it entirely on his own, “I know I’ve said that before.” but he loves it. The subject of retirement is going to come up when you’re 42 years old “I’m kinda big into all of that stuff,” Trotman said. “The team does a lot of and the NHL’s eldest statesmen. Shoot, even Cullen’s own dad, Terry, stuff for us, but I like to have my own numbers, too.” has been giving him grief about all the will-he-or-won’t-he talk that’s Trotman started wearing the WHOOP this summer, and so far he’s been surrounded his son for, oh, about half a decade now. very happy with the purchase. After talking to Matt Cullen a little bit about his future, I still genuinely “The more I’ve done it, the better I’ve got at predicting how I’m going to have no idea what he’s going to do. And I don’t think he does, either. be the next day,” Trotman said. “I’ve learned whether I should take it “I’m not thinking down the road like that at all,” Cullen said. “When you’re easy and go lay on the couch or if I should go out and take a walk. at this point in the season, that feels 100 miles away.” “I kinda can tell how it’s going to affect me the next day and where I need 2. A couple years ago — not sure exactly when — Cullen decided to to be at. It’s really cool.” change how he looks at things. 8. To be sure, Trotman still adheres to what the team wants him to do. By Evgeni Malkin nets 1,000th point as Penguins down Capitals no means is this a replacement for that. It’s more so he can think along with the training staff. He essentially wanted to stop thinking so much about the bigger picture and narrow his focus. It’s one of the reasons he’s been able to keep He said he loves learning more about preparation, rest and recovery and playing this long and enjoy it so much. views it as a possible career after hockey. “I’ve always been guilty at looking too far ahead in my career,” Cullen “I still have a year left on my degree, so I’m by no means anywhere near said. “The last few years I’ve enjoyed playing a lot more by being right in where they are,” said Trotman, who attended Lake Superior State in his the moment and enjoying it for what it’s worth. native Michigan. “It’s fun for me to be able to bounce ideas ideas off of them and ask why we do certain things and get their feedback, the “It’s easy to say that. It’s harder to do it, in our game especially.” reasoning behind everything. That helps me learn, too.” 3. The Cullen retirement talk is interesting to me because of what it might By the way, good for Trotman. Whether it’s here or elsewhere — he’ll be mean for his teammates. They obviously adore him. The Penguins have an unrestricted free agent this summer — the guy might be earning also been incredibly inconsistent this season. himself a nice next contract on July 1. I wonder if they think about this potentially being his last run and whether 9. Garrett Wilson was sporting a few stitches on the top of his forehead that serves as any extra motivation to get it together? To maybe get Saturday, the result of his fight two days earlier with Columbus captain Cullen a fourth Stanley Cup, pass it to him first (how could Sidney Crosby Nick Foligno. You’ve probably seen the picture of Wilson in the penalty not?) and let him go out on top. box, blood streaming down his face. It certainly wouldn’t hurt as a source of motivation, but they’d also have to Turns out Wilson’s hands were caught in Foligno’s jersey. As they know that’s where Cullen’s head is at. But again, I just don’t think he’s tumbled to the ice, Wilson couldn’t get his hands free and brace for anywhere close to that at this point. impact. And he’s not wrong for handling it that way. “I just had to eat it,” he said. 4. One funny thing about Cullen’s 1,500th game: His wife, Bridget, put Wilson was not subject to the concussion spotter’s intervention — together a surprise party for him at Mambo Italia in Sewickley last fortunately he was fine — because his head hit the ice, not another Monday, the night before the game. A few former teammates flew in. player’s fist. There was a bunch of family and current teammates, there, too. Yeah, because the human brain can tell the difference. Matt fell for it hook, line and sinker. (Full disclosure: Terry Cullen told me about it during the story I did on the two of them, and I, too, had to keep 10. Wilson told me that he had a similar thing happen to him in junior, my mouth shut.) when he couldn’t get his hands free and “smashed my head off the ice at the end of the fight.” That sounds … not fun. “I don’t know if I’m really gullible or what, but I had no idea it was happening,” Matt said. “I had no expectations going into the whole thing. More full disclosure: I’ve watched hockey fights my whole life … been in It was really cool seeing family and friends. It was a pretty special night. a few scraps myself, though never on skates, and I never thought about what Wilson brought up next. “The whole thing was crazy. It was beyond anything I would’ve ever expected.” “I’ve always been taught to not to put your hands on the ice,” Wilson said. The guy has points in 53 of the Lightning’s 70 games thus far. That, by “The linesmen coming in to break up the fight can skate over your itself, is crazy. fingers. I’m always hesitant putting my hands on the ice. But Tampa is also a bad team when Kucherov doesn’t score; the Lighting “Those are the scariest ones I see. When you fall and the linesmen are are 46-4-3 when Kucherov has at least one point, 7-9-1 when he does coming in to break it up. They skate right over your fingers.” not. That sounds … not fun. So, yeah, you can say that he’s just compiled on a top team, but Tampa has definitely benefitted from his steady-if-not-specular offense. 11. Moving on … I thought Sullivan’s answer to my question Sunday night on why Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann have had so much 16. Patric Hornqvist has one goal in his past 23 games. success here was pretty telling. It doesn’t look, to me anyway, like he’s doing anything that would lessen “They’re two real good players. They’ve embraced the roles that we’ve his chances of scoring — not going to the net, giving the puck away all put them in. When guys bring a certain level of enthusiasm and they the time, shooting less, that sort of thing. You certainly can’t question the embrace the challenge, that, for me, is where it starts, with that attitude of effort, and he does have points in six of eight. wanting to make a difference and wanting to help this team win games. I think both of these guys are really excited to be Penguins. They’re What confuses me here is this: Did the Penguins really give Hornqvist excited about the roles that we’ve put them in. They’ve done a great job $26.5 million on a five-year deal that runs through 2023 to play on the for us.” third line? I can’t imagine so. Derick Brassard was a “real good player” — or at least came here with Hornqvist doesn’t generate enough of his own offense. He needs the that reputation — but he definitely did not embrace the role he was put in. puck around the net to hack and whack and do what he does probably Or, at minimum, was never fully comfortable in it. better than anyone else in the league. I also don’t think Sullivan was any intentionally saying anything to bury Many of you have brought up his lack of goal-scoring, wondering if it’s Brassard. But I think the Penguins appreciate how much those guys concussion-related. I don’t think it is. But I do think it’s linemate- and role- appreciate being here. And they definitely do. related. By the way, how about this for a trade comparison: 17. It’s tough, though, because what do you do? Update: Brassard still has three goals and six points, and he’s a minus- McCann has looked really good with Crosby, you’re not moving Jake 12 in 18 games. Guentzel, and those three create an important speed element together. 12. Am I the only one who thinks the Penguins should be leading the Until you get Phil Kessel going, your best option for helping Kessel find Metropolitan Division right now? Stay with me here. his game is probably to keep him with Evgeni Malkin, then maybe think about trying Kessel on his own line. But until that point, best-case The Penguins are six points back of the Capitals. scenario, you’d be taking a pretty big chance. They’re just 6-9 in overtime, which is obviously terrible. But from 2015- It would help the Penguins if Kessel got it together, and they could use 16, the Penguins won 34 of 59 games that required more than 60 Hornqvist next to Malkin and allow Hornqvist to do his thing. minutes, a winning percentage of .576. 18. Had an interesting chat with David Savard, Jack Johnson’s former Apply that to this season and the Penguins theoretically should’ve gone defense partner with the Blue Jackets, over the weekend in Columbus. 9-6 in extra time, giving them three more points. Savard was interesting on the whole kerfuffle that started over the Furthermore, there are three games that stand out for me when it comes summer — “I think it just came out weird,” Savard said. “I think he’s glad to Sullivan’s choice in his starting goaltender: Jan. 19 at Vegas, Jan. 9 at to be with Pittsburgh, it’s a great organization, and he was glad for a new Tampa Bay and Feb. 21 at home against San Jose. beginning.” Those are three of the best teams in the NHL, and Sullivan started his Savard also credited Johnson with doing a lot to change the culture in the backup netminder each time; Casey DeSmith lost all three. Blue Jackets’ dressing room. I don’t think it’s insane to think Matt Murray could’ve earned three of a “He was really professional in all of his time here,” Savard said. “I know it possible six points. didn’t end really well for him, but he gave everything he had when he was playing for our team. You can only respect what he did for this team and 13. So here we are — without delving into the Penguins’ other issues how he helped us get to the next level. with inconsistency and underperformance this season — talking about potentially leading the division. “From the time he showed up here, he kind of changed the culture. He’s a guy who works really hard. If you ask anybody in the room, I think they The Penguins and Capitals, in this scenario, would both have 89 points. would only have good comments about him.” If one of those wins against Golden Knights, Lightning or Sharks came in regulation, they’d be tied in what’s used as the first tiebreaker — I could be crazy, but I’m starting to sense a small change in the fan regulation wins. sentiment relative to Johnson. Or maybe people have just directed their ire at Dominik Simon. Either way … Head-to-head, the Penguins have beaten the Capitals in two of three meetings. Thus, the Penguins would be in first via tiebreaker. At worst, 19. Number of the week: 1 Tuesday’s game could be for first place. That’s the number of five-on-five goals for which Erik Gudbranson has None of this, of course, means a blessed thing. But it’s interesting to me been on the ice in six games since the Feb. 25 trade, none of them anyway. coming in the past five. 14. The Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi host and I got into an interesting Furthermore, Gudbranson ranks No. 1 among Penguins defenseman discussion on-air last week about the Hart Trophy. during that time in five-on-five shot share at 57.23 percent. He’s second only to partner Marcus Pettersson in scoring-chance percentage (61.29) I made the point that Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov should be considered and high-danger percentage (76.47), both of those also coming five-on- the front-runner at this point because of the incredible offensive numbers five. he’s produced this season; he has 111 points, 13 more than second- place Patrick Kane of Chicago. This is all a fancy way of saying Gudbranson has been solid. Fillipponi’s rebuttal — it’s fair and accurate — was that, since the most Yes, the minutes are (relatively) sheltered. And no, he’s not a one-man recent lockout, a Hart Trophy winner has never come from the team that breakout. But remember that general manager Jim Rutherford took had the most points. Tanner Pearson — the missing Pearson, as Post-Gazette columnist Joe Starkey calls him — and turned him into Gudbranson, when then 15. I do think there’s a couple things that should be considered here, Penguins were in a pinch and had four of their top eight defensemen though. hurt. And no, I don’t know if I fully subscribe to this line of thinking. Just 20. Non-hockey Thought of the week: If you’ve read something better presenting it. I still think Kane (if Chicago makes it) and Crosby have than this recently, I’d love to see it. extremely compelling cases for the Hart and should maybe win it. My point is that we shouldn’t immediately discount Kucherov, and here’s why. Sally Jenkins, No. 1, is incredible in her own right, an absolute legend and titan in our field. But I found this piece interesting for how she paints the picture of family life in a sports writer’s house. Let’s just say that my wife and I can relate. We’re all weird people, let’s admit. It just depends where your quirks or eccentricities manifest themselves. And kids get a unique taste of what it’s like growing up around professional sports, in this wacky field, and I’m willing to bet it’s a heck of a lot different than growing up in a traditional household. “Don’t rob old people,” might’ve been my favorite line in the whole thing. Definitely can relate to that. Life in our world is … just a little different, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Post Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135743 Pittsburgh Penguins Intergen is focused on building mixed-income affordable and market-rate housing in underdeveloped neighborhoods. KBK has been active in that regard in a number of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. No North Shore duplicate: Penguins see differences in their plan for According to its website, Buccini/Pollin has acquired or developed real former Civic Arena site estate assets valued at more than $5 billion, including more than 40 hotels, 7 million square feet of office and retail space, 10 residential communities and multiple entertainment venues. MARK BELKO Intergen plans to begin the first 274 units of housing in the fall, to be Pittsburgh Post-Gazette followed by a second phase in the same range. [email protected] Buccini/Pollin hopes to start the first commercial development — a 200,000-square-foot office building with 50,000 square feet of retail — in MAR 12, 2019 7:03 AM the winter. Under the team’s deal with the two local authorities that own the arena land, the Penguins must start development on 6.45 acres by October Office buildings, a music venue, restaurants, a hotel — it all sounds a lot 2020 or forfeit 20 percent of the parking revenue now generated from the like what has been built between Heinz Field and PNC Park over the past site. 16 years. While developers haven’t had much success in building new Downtown But the Pittsburgh Penguins insist their new $750 million plan for the office towers in recent years, with most of the activity taking place in the redevelopment of the 28-acre former Civic Arena site in the lower Hill Strip and East End, the arena site could have a chance, said Gerard District will be no North Shore redux. McLaughlin, the executive managing director of the Newmark Knight For starters, the team is planning to build up to 1,420 units of housing, Frank real estate firm. including 274 in a first phase to start this fall, in the lower Hill. A key piece, he said, is the completion of the park to be built over That’s far different than what has happened between the two North Crosstown Expressway to link the site to Downtown. Shore sports venues, where there currently are no residential buildings. The 28 acres affords Buccini/Pollin the opportunity to erect office Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange announced a new catchphrase before buildings in the 100,000- to 200,000-square-foot range rather than the game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday at PPG Paints needing to go bigger to support the economics of developing Downtown. Arena. “It’s a matter of getting the first one,” Mr. McLaughlin said of potential The first units — condominiums — could be built as part of a new mixed- tenants. “After that, I think you will see things start to come together on use project being planned by Continental Real Estate Companies, the that project.” developer for the Steelers and Pirates, but only after prodding by The site also could be attractive to tech companies once the bus rapid Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto. transit system between Downtown and Oakland is finished, he said. Even then, whatever North Shore housing is erected would be nowhere Buccini/Pollin has plans for a 50,000-square-foot music venue on the near as grand in scale as that contemplated at the former arena site. property. The company is in “intense conversations with a few groups But there are other key distinctions as well, according to the Penguins right now,” Mr. Buccini said, although he declined to name them. and their developers. One potential operator could be Live Nation, which has been opening With a 10,000-square-foot food hall, the apartments, 810,000 square feet new venues around the country. It took over management of of office space, 190,000 square feet of retail, the music venue and a 220- Wilmington’s historic Queen Theatre, owned by Buccini/Pollin, in 2017. room hotel, the arena development is “almost mixed use on steroids,” “We own and have developed live music venues in the past with multiple said Chris Buccini, president of the Buccini/Pollin Group, the firm hired by operators. Live Nation is one of the greatest in the world, but we’re still in the Penguins to develop the office and commercial aspects. advanced discussions with a few people right now,” Mr. Buccini said. In terms of comparisons between the North Shore and the arena site, Mr. The Penguins’ latest development plan still will have to go through a Buccini should know. His Wilmington, Del.-based real estate firm owns neighborhood review process in the Hill to ensure that it fulfills the former Del Monte Food Building on the North Shore riverfront. requirements of a community collaboration agreement. While he sees similarities between the two developments, he views the That not only includes mandates on affordable housing, but also minority arena site as a “unique opportunity” given its location — sandwiched and women business enterprise inclusion, workforce development, local between Downtown, the Hill, Uptown and the Strip District. hiring and wealth-building initiatives. “We’re not separated by a river. We’re connected to the core and we’re Marimba Milliones, CEO and president of the Hill Community connected to the community,” added David Morehouse, the Penguins Development Corp., said the point is to accelerate the development CEO and president. “There’s not a highway dividing us behind us and process while including the community. there’s not a river dividing us in front of us.” “Everyone is past ready to see the project move forward,” she said. This is a rendering of the first phase of the residential development on the former Civic Arena site. As part of the community agreement, 20 percent of the up to 1,420 units planned at the site would be affordable — 15 percent at 80 percent of the Keith B. Key, CEO of KBK Enterprises and a principal in Intergen — the area median income, 2.5 percent at 70 percent of the AMI and 2.5 company hired to do the first 500 units of housing on the arena site — percent at 60 percent. said the North Shore is more of a destination for visitors. Even so, Carl Redwood, chairperson of the Hill District Consensus The publicly owned arena property, he believes, has a chance to become Group, questioned whether rents would be low enough. He said at 80 a true neighborhood, blending in with the rest of the Hill. percent AMI, a one-bedroom apartment could lease for $900 a month — “This one is much different, where you have people who will come who out of the range for many black families. will be visitors for the game and so forth, but you’ll have residents Kevin Acklin, the Penguins’ senior vice president who is spearheading interfacing at the same time. So this is like a combination of the North the arena development, said the team’s commitments to community Shore, Oakland, and East Liberty,” he said. “This is unusual.” engagement and empowerment “far exceed any comparable The right teams? development in the city.” Whether the Penguins can pull off their latest vision for the site remains He said having Intergen to do the first 500 units of housing more than to be seen. They were unable to generate any momentum after U.S. doubles the commitment in the community agreement to have at least Steel pulled out of a deal in 2015 to build a new headquarters there. 200 units done by a minority developer. But they now believe they have the right teams in place in Buccini/Pollin The development also is expected to generate $25 million in Local and Pittsburgh-based Intergen, a minority-owned firm led by Mr. Key; Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act funding to be used to invest developer Bomani Howze, son of former city councilman Sala Udin; and in affordable housing, small business development and other business executive Robert Agbede. opportunities in other parts of the Hill.

Post Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135744 Pittsburgh Penguins Crosby keeps scoring too, of course. He sits at 1,204 career points, a mere five ahead of Ovechkin, who will hit the 1,200-point mark with a goal or an assist against the Penguins on Tuesday. Sidney Crosby on Alex Ovechkin, their relationship and the rivalry that Ovechkin is the greatest goal-scorer of his time and Crosby is universally matters most regarded as the greatest player of his generation. They will always be linked to each other even if an awkward overtone to their relationship may always remain. By Josh Yohe Some of the great rivals in sports history become friends after years of Mar 12, 2019 hostility. There is the iconic video of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird exchanging a fist-bump during the NBA Finals. Bjorn Borg was in John McEnroe’s wedding. Having conducted interviews for 24 of his 31 years, Sidney Crosby Perhaps, one day, Crosby and Ovechkin will grow closer. For now, mastered the rare ability of never lying while also never offending. It’s his though, there is a sense that Penguins vs. Capitals is the priority. way. “You see a lot of players here and there, All-Star games, things like that,” Underneath the politeness and sincere respectfulness, however, resides Crosby said. “It’s probably the same kind of relationship I have with a lot a fierce competitiveness that all of the great ones possess. of guys that I’ve played against a lot over the years. I’d say that we are cordial. The rivalry between the teams is just a lot more important to me.” This brings us to last week, as Crosby sat at his locker following practice and considered a question that was raised. The perspective around many hockey circles is that the rivalry is renewed because Ovechkin and the Capitals finally got their Cup. You were 21 when you won your first Cup. It took Alex Ovechkin a decade longer. Was there a part of you that was happy to see him finally “I can relate with what he’s gone through, the expectations, the win it? pressure,” Crosby said. “When you think about it, I mean, yeah, I’ve been compared to him a lot over the years.” Crosby considered his thoughts and emotions for a moment. He has been compared with Ovechkin since they were teenagers. They battled Evgeni Malkin and Ovechkin were friends as teenagers in Russia. Their in four unforgettable, dramatic playoff series, with the winner of each relationship took a bizarre swing and Ovechkin went out of his way to meeting going on to win the Stanley Cup one month later. take runs at Malkin for years around a decade ago. Things thawed between them in recent years, as they generally speak outside of their Their personalities couldn’t possibly be more different, as illustrated by respective dressing rooms following games. Crosby’s much more subdued celebration the Cup in contrast to Ovechkin’s party through Washington, D.C., last June. Both are Crosby said he’s never explored Ovechkin via Malkin. The curiosity immeasurably popular, but for completely different reasons. Penguins simply doesn’t seem to exist. fans take such pride in Crosby’s down to earth nature. Capitals fans would love nothing more than to have a drink with Ovechkin. “I’ve been around him a little bit. … Like I said, we’re cordial. We’re just different in a lot of ways,” Crosby said. After pausing, Crosby offers this. The two have feuded on the ice on a number of occasions, Ovechkin “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s hard to say. I can relate to the expectations. I often the instigator. Things got a little hostile between them in guess it’s unique that way between us.” Washington in December. They probably will again Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. Then, the memory of May 7, 2018, sweeps over Crosby. Evgeny Kuznetsov scored on a breakaway to end the Penguins’ three-peat “Of course, it always gets blown up when there is an interaction between dreams, giving the Capitals a series victory against the Penguins for the us,” Crosby said. first time since Crosby was 7 years old. This is true. And this is because there is only one Crosby and only one “It’s hard to say,” Crosby continued. “Because that’s the team that beat Ovechkin, and for all of their differences, both are equipped with the us.” rarest of competitive fire, and both came along in the same generation, two icons who happen to play in the same division. Crosby doesn’t like talking about “Sid vs. Ovi.” He receives questions about their rivalry on a regular basis, but to him, it’s not the rivalry that What possibly lies ahead is mostly on Crosby’s mind. The Penguins and matters. Crosby isn’t big on promoting himself. His default mode of Capitals have met in the playoffs in three straight seasons. Both teams turning questions about himself and Ovechkin into answers pertaining to are playing their best hockey of the season with spring in the air, and the the Penguins and Capitals is a sincere one. reality is that another postseason meeting possibly awaits. The Capitals would love nothing more than to prove their victory last spring was the “That’s just who I am,” he said. “I just want to win games against them. I new normal, not an aberration. The Penguins? They’d love nothing more don’t like turning it into me and him.” than to reassert their dominance. Crosby isn’t being dismissive of Ovechkin’s greatness, though. Far from With such important moments possible in the near future, relationships it. The greatest playmaker of his generation once said, with a smile, of with the competition can wait. the greatest goal scorer of his generation: “I’d shoot more if I had a shot like Ovechkin’s got. Anybody would.” “We play each other a lot, and we both get up for that challenge,” Crosby said of Ovechkin. “I’m focused on winning, though. That’s what it comes As Ovechkin climbs the all-time goal scoring ladder, Crosby looks on in down to. That’s my motivation.” awe. At his current pace, Ovechkin, who has 653 career goals, will pass Brendan Shanahan, Luc Robitaille, Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman and Then, the familiar refrain strikes again. Mark Messier in the next year. “That’s the team that beat us last year,” Crosby said. And if that pace continues, Ovechkin, 33, will have a chance to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals before he is through. “Oh, I think he’s got a real chance to do it,” Crosby said. “I don’t think it’s The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 out of the realm of possibility at all. If anybody is ever going to do it, it’s going to be him. I don’t think we’ll see anyone quite like him again.” Crosby still marvels at Ovechkin’s physical gifts after all of these years. The two produced a show for the ages in Game 2 of their 2009 postseason meeting, each recording hat tricks. Ovechkin’s Capitals won that game, but Crosby’s Penguins won the series. “I remember some of the goals he scored in 2009,” Crosby said. “The hat trick game, he had this one shot, he was barely past the blueline, and he just ripped it. I’ve never seen a guy shoot the puck like that. And when teams would scout him and figure something out, he would just find another way to score. He’s always been like that. The way he shoots the puck, he’ll just keep scoring.” 1135745 San Jose Sharks plugged his spot on Tomas Hertl’s line and the wheels just kept rolling. The Sharks are now 6-1 since the trade.

Though Nyquist has fit in quite seamlessly since he joined the team in Takeaways: the Sharks are the team to beat in the Western Conference Boston on Feb. 26, he finally got rewarded on the scoresheet against the Jets. Nyquist scored his first Sharks goal into a manned net at 16:04 of the first, making it 2-2 by flipping in a 16-foot backhander off a pass from By Paul Gackle | [email protected] | Bay Area News Tomas Hertl. He scored his second of the night in the middle of the Group second, tying it up at 3-3 by redirecting a Marc-Edouard Vlasic shot. March 12, 2019 at 9:46 PM A lot of trade deadline deals don’t end up working out. With the deadline coming in the final week of February, there isn’t a lot of time to develop chemistry with new teammates. Nyquist’s ability to fit in so quickly is a testament to his hockey IQ. WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Captain America is Captain Clutch, and apparently, Mr. Jet Killer, as well. “A very good (fit),” Pavelski said. “That’s a credit to him and his hockey smarts. It’s great because there’s times where someone will come in and Joe Pavelski lifted the Sharks to a 5-4 win over the Winnipeg Jets on it doesn’t happen. It takes a while and maybe never happens. He’s been Tuesday, scoring his sixth game-winning goal of the season by chipping a great teammate so far.” in a pass from Timo Meier on a two-on-one play with just 3.6 seconds left in regulation. Pavelski also scored the overtime winner when the Sharks Nyquist deflected the praise, nudging the credit along to his teammates. beat the Jets in Winnipeg back on Feb. 5. It’s easy to mesh with a group of smart-talented players. With the win, the Sharks maintained a one-point lead for first place in the “To be honest with you, they’re all really-good players on this team,” Western Conference over the Calgary Flames, who picked up a 9-4 win Nyquist said. “That makes it a lot easier.” over the New Jersey Devils. They also stretched their lead over the Jets to 10 points, all but guaranteeing that they’ll receive home-ice advantage 3. Sharks are crossing their fingers. if they meet the Central Division’s first place team in the Western Conference Final. The Sharks are hoping to get some good news regarding Simek when they return to San Jose on Wednesday. As the Sharks extended their winning streak to six games, Joe Thornton passed Stan Mikita on the NHL’s all-time scoring list, moving into 14th Simek appeared to suffer a devastating lower-body injury when his knee place by picking up his 1,468th career point on Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s was bent awkwardly after Andrew Copp fell on his right leg. The Czech first period goal. He also set up Marcus Sorensen’s goal in the third, defensemen spent a few minutes down on the ice before Burns and threading the needle on a pass from below the goal line. Tomas Hertl carried him toward the tunnel. Here’s what we learned as the Sharks improved to 2-0 in Manitoba this Simek gets injured and is putting no weight on his right side as he goes season: But the Athletic’s Kevin Kurz spotted Simek walking out of the arena, 1. The Sharks are the team to beat in the Western Conference. suggesting that the injury might not be as serious as initially expected. Simek played a key role in the Sharks midseason turnaround, stabilizing The Minnesota Wild struggled to generate offense against the Sharks on Burns’ pairing when he joined the lineup on Dec. 2. Monday. They clearly missed first line center Mikko Koivu and top-pairing defenseman Matt Dumba. The Jets are struggling with their own injuries The Sharks are 28-9-3 with Simek in the lineup this season. He’s posted right now, producing a 3-4 record without top defensemen Josh a plus-7 rating while averaging 15:33 of ice time. The Sharks won’t be Morrissey and Dustin Byfuglien. providing an update on Simek’s health until Thursday. The Sharks, meanwhile, are rolling along just fine without Erik Karlsson “I don’t know anything about what happened, but it’s always tough to see and Evander Kane. They’ve gone 6-0 during their absences, earning somebody (get hurt),” Burns said. “He’s been playing awesome for us. wins over the playoff-desperate Wild, St. Louis Blues, Colorado It’s tough.” Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens, not to mention a Central Division titan in the Jets. How many teams can lose a two-time Norris Trophy winner and a potential 30-goal scorer without skipping a beat? San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 03.13.2019 Yes, last week’s perfect homestand was impressive, but Tuesday’s win should put the rest of the Western Conference on alert: the road to the Stanley Cup Final goes through San Jose. Who would have faulted the Sharks if they’d driven a clunker into BellMTS Place? They were playing their fourth game in six nights, including the second end of a back to back after traveling across two time zones on daylight savings day. To make matters worse, several players are playing through sickness after a flu bug swept through the locker room last week. The Sharks also played the last 53:32 with just five defenseman as Radim Simek left the game at 6:28 of the first with a lower-body injury (more on that coming). “We’re just deep,” Thornton said. “We’ve got eight good D. We’ve got 14 good forwards. We’ve got goalies that win us games. We’re a very, very deep group and, hopefully, that’s going to spell success for us.” The Sharks received every opportunity to pack their bags for their flight back to California a little early on Tuesday. They erased two Jets leads and bounced back from a deflating goal that tied the game with 3:38 left in the third. In addition, they coughed up three seeing-eye goals off bounces and deflections, getting back to work instead of allowing their frustration to bubble over. For a stretch of 27:56 during the second and third periods, they held the Jets to a single shot before Mathieu Perreault, showing their superiority against one of the Western Conference’s top teams. “It was a gutsy effort,” head coach Pete DeBoer said. “It was one of those nights, we easily could have said, hey, the bounces aren’t going our way and packed it up. But we hung in there. This group’s got a lot of resiliency.” 2. Gus Nyquist breaks out. One reason the Sharks are making due without Karlsson and Kane is Nyquist’s addition at the trade deadline. When Kane went down, Nyquist 1135746 San Jose Sharks

Sharks winning streak reaches six games with dramatic win

By Paul Gackle | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: March 12, 2019 at 7:38 pm | UPDATED: March 12, 2019 at 8:08 PM

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Through injuries, jet-lag and a string of playoff- hungry opponents, the Sharks streak goes on. The Sharks extended their winning streak to six games on Tuesday, improving to 6-0 without Erik Karlsson and Evander Kane with a 5-4 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Joe Pavelski scored the winner with just 3.6 seconds left on the clock, chipping in a pass from Timo Meier on a 2-on-1 play. With the win, the Sharks kept their hold on first place in the Pacific Division as the Calgary Flames battled the New Jersey Devils in Alberta. They also stretched their lead over the Jets in the race for first place in the Western Conference to 10 points. Marcus Sorensen put the Sharks ahead 4-3 just two minutes into the third, burying pass from Joe Thornton, who had thread the needle on a pass from below the goal line. Earlier in the game, Thornton moved into 14th place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list, passing Stan Mikita by earning his 1,468th career point on Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s opening goal at 8:05 of the first. The Jets tied it up with 3:38 left in the third stanza when Mathieu Perreault redirected a Tyler Myers shot and bounced it through Sharks goalie Aaron Dell’s legs. Though they earned a road win over the NHL’s fourth-best home team, the Sharks suffered a potentially-big loss en route to earning two points in the standings. Radim Simek left the game at 6:28 of the first after he suffered an apparent right-knee injury. Simek’s knee bent awkwardly after his right leg got caught under Andrew Copp’s body as he took a hit. The Czech defenseman played a key role in the Sharks midseason turnaround when he replaced Joakim Ryan as Brent Burns’ partner on Dec. 2. The Sharks are 28-9-3 with Simek in the lineup this season. He brought a stabilizing presence to Burns’ pairing, scoring one goal, recording nine points and posting a plus-7 rating while averaging 15:33 of ice time. The Jets took a 2-1 lead just 1:05 after Vlasic’s first period goal, recording a pair of tallies just 33 seconds apart. First, Andrew Copp got the Jets on the board by redirecting a shot from the point. Then, Bryan Little threw the puck at the net from the blue line, bouncing it in off Justin Braun’s left leg. Gustav Nyquist tied the game at 16:04 of the first, beating Connor Hellebucyk with a 16-foot backhander after Tomas Hertl created space for him by dancing through the Jets defense into the slot. Nyquist also tied the game at 3-3 in the second, tipping in a Vlasic shot in the middle of the frame. Kyle Connor had put the Jets ahead 3-2 with a power play goal just 45 seconds into the period. Dell, who got the start in place of Martin Jones on the second day of back to back, made 21 saves on 25 shots. The Sharks will return to action on Thursday, opening up a three-game homestand against the Florida Panthers.

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Pavelski's late goal lifts Sharks over Jets 5-4

Staff Report Updated 9:50 pm PDT, Tuesday, March 12, 2019

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Joe Pavelski did it again. Pavelski scored with 4.3 seconds left, lifting the San Jose Sharks to a 5-4 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night in a matchup of division leaders. San Jose remained undefeated in March with its sixth straight win. It also got a dramatic victory in its previous trip to Winnipeg, topping the Jets 3-2 on Pavelski's short-handed overtime goal on Feb. 5. "Back-to-back, coming into a tough building, a good team. We found a gutsy win, for sure," the 34-year-old Pavelski said. Gustav Nyquist had two goals for San Jose (43-19-8), giving him three in his six games since being traded to the Sharks in late February. Marc- Edouard Vlasic and Marcus Sorensen also scored, and Aaron Dell made 21 saves. Sharks coach Pete DeBoer continues to be impressed with Nyquist. "Smart player," he said. "He fits with our group. Guys like to play with him. He's a puck hound out there and does a good job." San Jose Sharks' Timo Meier (28) and Joe Pavelski (8) celebrate after Pavelski scored with just seconds left to beat the Winnipeg Jets during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, ... more Mathieu Perreault had a goal and an assist for Winnipeg (40-25-4), which dropped to 12-5-2 against the Pacific Division this season. Andrew Copp, Bryan Little, and Kyle Connor also scored, and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 31 shots. "(Four) seconds left in the game, it's terrible," Perreault said. "They played a good game, they're one of the hottest teams in the league right now. But we gave them a good battle, we were in a tie game until (four) seconds left. If any positives out of this one, we know we can compete with teams like that." Vlasic opened the scoring by burying his own rebound 8:05 into the game. It was his first goal since Nov. 15 and his second of the season. Winnipeg responded 32 seconds later. Copp got his 10th with a redirect of Ben Chiarot's point shot. Little gave the Jets their first lead midway through the opening period, but Nyquist responded with his 18th at 16:04. "We had some good things offensively and in the offensive zone but we were a little slow to our check in the defensive zone," Copp said. "We needed a little more sense of urgency in that end of the ice." After Connor put Winnipeg in front with a power-play goal for his 27th of the season, Nyquist tied it again midway through the second. Sorenson then got the lead for San Jose early in the third. Perreault tied the game up yet again with less than four minutes remaining.

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Sharks regroup after Radim Simek injury to complete big win over Jets

By Chelena Goldman March 12, 2019 9:01 PM

The Sharks had to make some adjustments early in their game against the Winnipeg Jets -- and not for a positive reason. In the first frame of Tuesday’s contest, San Jose defenseman Radim Simek got tangled up with Winnipeg’s Andrew Copp. The forward fell backward near the boards and pinned Simek’s right leg in the process. The Czech rookie didn’t get back up, writhing in pain on the ice until he was escorted with assistance into the dressing room. The Sharks didn’t know what exactly happened to Simek. Even after the game, players weren’t sure of his status. “Just saw a replay there and it didn’t look great, so hopefully Simer will be okay,” teammate Gustav Nyquist told the media after the game. Nevertheless, San Jose had to keep pushing on, even though they were down to five defensemen early in the game. And this was against a heavy team on the second night of a back-to-back on the road. They did just that as they rallied to defeat the Central Division-leading Jets 5-4. “It was a gutsy effort. Back-to-back, five d-men,” Sharks’ coach Peter DeBoer told the press after the win. “It was one of those nights that, easily, we could’ve easily said 'hey, the bounces weren’t going our way' and packed it up. But we hung in there. This group’s got a lot of resiliency.” Filling that void meant the rest of the d-corps had to pick up the minutes in order to contain the heavy-hitting Jets. Brent Burns -- Simek’s partner and the guy who has come up big for San Jose when it comes to leading the blue line when a skater has been injured -- ended the night clocking 28:41 minutes. Fellow veteran Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who tallied the Sharks’ first goal on the night right after Simek got hurt, clocked 23:36 minutes. Team plus-minus leader Brenden Dillon was right there as well, registering 23:30 on the evening. But it wasn’t just the blue line that had to pick up the slack for Simek’s absence. Sharks captain Joe Pavelski, who scored the game-winning goal with seconds left in regulation, told the NBC Sports California postgame show the forward attack had to adjust to the defenseman’s absence as well. “As forwards, you don’t want to turn pucks over, you never do,” he explained. “Then when you’re short (a defenseman) you don’t want to be doubling them up where they have to go back and spend extra time in the d-zone.” As it turned out, the Sharks all-around effort was enough to accomplish that. Not bad for a team playing a tough game on the second half of a back-to-back on the road. There was no further detail on Tuesday evening as to what Simek’s prognosis is, but San Jose, no doubt, is crossing their fingers he didn’t sustain an injury too serious. The Czech product has made a big impact on the lineup in his rookie campaign, finding chemistry with Burns despite not speaking English very well. “We just complement each other with our reads without communicating,” Burns told the press with a slight smile. “He’s a smart player. He’s in the right place before he has to be there.” The Sharks only have 12 games left in the regular season as they try to get the whole team ready to make a big showing in the playoffs. They now return to home ice for three games, starting with a contest Thursday evening against the Florida Panthers.

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Sharks takeaways: What we learned in thrilling 5-4 road win over Jets

By Chelena Goldman March 12, 2019 8:02 PM

It was yet another heavyweight battle between the Sharks and Jets on Tuesday, just like the previous two contests between the teams. With the score tied up in the final minute of the contest, captain Joe Pavelski scored an unbelievable game-winner to lift San Jose to a 5-4 victory. Here are three takeaways from the Sharks' second win in as many nights: San Jose responded after an emotional start Things really took a turn early on after an unfortunate collision resulted in Radim Simek being helped off the ice, not to return for the rest of the game. With an important member of their blue line sidelined, the entire team -- all four lines included -- needed to step up on the offensive end. For a team who was playing a tough opponent on the tail end of a back- to-back, you have to admire San Jose’s pushback against a Winnipeg squad who, clearly, had more firepower than the Minnesota Wild. The Sharks did a particularly good job taking over the pace late in the game, helping them take a 4-3 lead early in the third frame. Aaron Dell passed the test While there may have been some question as to why Martin Jones didn’t get the start after shutting out the Wild on Monday evening, it did make sense for Dell to start against the Jets in a playoff-like game. He has to get some looks before the regular season is over, and it’s not like he’s going to get that starting against the Florida Panthers next Thursday. Tuesday, in turn, ended up being a good test for him. Dell looked a bit out of his element when he gave up the Jets’ third goal - - a power-play marker that Kyle Connor roofed into the net. He did a good job after that, stopping some really dangerous looks from Winnipeg, particularly a huge save on Tyler Meyers with less than six minutes to go in regulation. It was too bad he couldn’t stop the tipped shot by Mathieu Perreault that tied the score up 4-4 with 3:38 left in regulation, but Dell hung in to provide a few clutch saves through the remainder of the contest. Never count this team out We’ve talked at length about the Sharks’ depth in the latter part of the season. Behind every Sharks’ victory, there seems to be a different skater or two that leads the way and makes a difference. Even before Timo Meier set up Pavelski for that amazing game-winner in the final seconds of regulation, multiple skaters stepped up to put the Sharks in a position to win. You can go down the list looking at who stepped up for San Jose on the tail end of a tough back-to-back. Marc-Edouard Vlasic responded from Simek’s injury by notching the first goal on the evening. Gustav Nyquist scored two goals -- his first two non-empty-netters as a member of the Sharks. Joe Thornton and Marcus Sorensen also provided San Jose their first lead of the night in the third frame.

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Sharks vs. Jets watch guide: Projected lines and defensive pairs

By Chelena Goldman March 12, 2019 10:25 AM

The Sharks are looking to extend their winning streak to six in a row – and build a lead in the Western Conference standings – as they finish off the tail and of their road back-to-back on Tuesday night against the Winnipeg Jets. San Jose is coming off an impressive 3-0 shutout of the Minnesota Wild, which helped bump them back into first place over the Calgary Flames. Barclay Goodrow, Logan Couture, and Tomas Hertl all found the back of the net in the State of Hockey, while netminder Martin Jones turned away 24 shots to tally his third shutout of the season. The Jets are still in first place in the Central Division, although they’re only ahead of the Nashville Predators by one point. They’ve also struggled with consistency since the Sharks beat them 3-2 in overtime at Bell MTS Place on Feb. 5, going 6-8-2 over that time while being outscored 56-48. This is the third and final time the Sharks and Jets will play each other in the regular season. In 31 total meetings with the franchise formerly known as the Atlanta Thrashers, San Jose has a 19-7-2-3 record.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135751 St Louis Blues missed my pass there and unfortunately it ended up in the goal and gave them the lead.”

Binnington originally looked like was going to send his clearing attempt Blues can't shoot straight in loss to Arizona around the other side of the net but was pressured by Arizona’s Clayton Keller and quickly went the other way and surprised Schwartz. By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch “I think (Schwartz) thought he was just going up the other way,” Berube said. “But (Schwartz) wasn’t ready for it. It’s just a miscue.”

The fluke goal didn’t seem to deflate the Blues. As Pietrangelo said: Life without Vladi wasn’t good for the Blues on Tuesday night. “They didn’t get much after that. I think we spent the last seven minutes of the second period in their zone.” With Vladimir Tarasenko in drydock with an apparent elbow injury, the Blues stumbled once again against Arizona, suffering a costly 3-1 loss But the Coyotes did get one more goal, just 23 seconds into the third before a crowd announced at 18,428 at Enterprise Center. period after an Oskar Sundqvist turnover to take a 2-0 lead. Vinnie Hinostroza’s 12th goal of the season proved to be the game-winner. (The The Blues had 76 shot attempts to 34 for Arizona. Of those 76 attempts, Coyotes’ third goal was an empty-netter with 22 seconds remaining.) they had 40 shots on goal to Arizona’s 22. But they got only one behind goalie Darcy Kuemper, who was shelled for four goals in 26 1/2 minutes The Blues lost Schenn, Joel Edmundson, and Sammy Blais to injuries in Monday in Chicago before being pulled. the second period. Schenn and Blais returned for the third, but Edmundson (lower-body) did not. Berube said he didn’t know the extent In six games without Brayden Schenn, the Blues averaged only 1.5 goals of the injury. per game. Now, in two games without Tarasenko, they are averaging ... 1.5 goals per game. Schenn left again with 7 1/2 minutes left in the game when he took a high stick, was bloodied, and left the ice. He summed up the night when he “It’s always a little bit harder when you’ve got such an elite scorer gone,” whacked his stick twice against the wall in the tunnel in frustration en defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. “That’s why you have depth and we route to treatment. No penalty was called. have the players we have. So I’m not worried about that. We just gotta look at it, watch the game, watch some film, and find ways that we can O’Reilly, for one, thought there should have been a whistle. get better.” “I saw the replay, and yeah, for sure,” he said. “I thought there were a The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for the Blues. The first two Arizona few calls that should — we had the puck the whole game. There were goals were gifts, one on a puck-handling miscue by goalie Jordan plenty of times I thought that there should have been calls that weren’t Binnington. made.” In the big picture, Dallas’ victory over Buffalo on Tuesday pulled the Stars Just one of several things that didn’t go the Blues’ way Tuesday. within two points of the Blues (36-26-7) in the Central Division standings. Meanwhile, surging Arizona (35-30-5) won for the ninth time in 11 games and is just four points behind St. Louis. The Coyotes, who have won four St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.13.2019 of their last five against the Blues, moved into the second wild-card spot behind Dallas. “It’s not gonna be easy,” Pietrangelo said. “We know that. I don’t know how many games we got left — 13, 14 games — you gotta play well. You gotta win hockey games. So get on the road here, regroup tomorrow, we got a big weekend ahead of us.” It’s 13 games. The Blues play the next three away from home, and if they don’t regroup and find a way to score goals, they could find themselves in a precarious position playoff-wise. Ryan O’Reilly, who had an assist on the Blues’ only goal of the night — a power play score by Jaden Schwartz (yes, Schwartz) with 1:11 to play — was as sour as he’s been after any Blues loss this season. “It’s embarrassing,” O’Reilly said. “It sucks. It’s a game we should have won. There’s no way those guys should have beat us.” And as invariably happens with O’Reilly after a loss, he blamed himself. “I was shooting the puck terrible tonight,” he said. “I had lots of opportunities where I could have done something. That was embarrassing. That was a game (where) we should have beat those guys.” O’Reilly had 10 attempts, but only five of them were on goal. The other five missed the net, part of a whopping 19 missed shots by the Blues on Tuesday. Arizona had only one missed shot. “I don’t think we shot the puck that well tonight, to be honest with you,” interim coach Craig Berube said. “We had a lot of shots. I think we could have made it harder on the goalie.” Arizona also got in the way a lot, blocking 17 Blues shots. “But the chances we had, we shoot the puck a little better, we win the game,” Berube said. The game turned on that miscue by Binnington early in the second period. It wasn’t as “spectacular” as the Jake Allen trapezoid misplay March 1 in Carolina. But Binnington made a bad, bad mistake trying to clear the puck from behind his net. With his back to the open ice, he didn’t see Arizona’s Richard Panik, obviously, because his clearing attempt went right to the Coyotes’ forward, who had a totally open net in front him. Panik’s 13th goal of the season gave Arizona a 1-0 lead just 65 seconds into the second period. “Not ideal timing to give that one up,” Binnington said. “I’ve got to be better there. I thought I had Schwartzie on the back side there. I just 1135752 St Louis Blues

Perron isn't feeling pressured to return

By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Forward David Perron doesn’t want to talk about his injury yet, but he went out of his way to stress Tuesday that he’s feeling no pressure from coach Craig Berube about his return nor feeling any expression of dissatisfaction with the time his recovery is taking. “Chief has been one of the most supportive people of me,” Perron said. It’s been almost eight weeks since Perron suffered a concussion against Boston on Jan. 17, and Tuesday’s game with Arizona was the 23rd consecutive game he’s missed. Berube said Monday, as he has said on more than one occasion, that Perron had been cleared to play and the decision to get back on the ice was up to Perron. “When he decides he wants to play, we’ve got a spot for him,” Berube said. This was perceived by some to be a criticism from Berube, though Perron clearly disagreed with that assessment. So did Berube. “I’ll tell you again,” Berube said Tuesday. “When he’s ready to play he’ll let us know and we’ll have a spot for him. It’s simple. We keep talking about him every day and I get it, that’s part of it all and that’s part of your job, but he’s not ready to play. So he’s practicing with us, which is great. When David’s ready to go, he’ll let us know. That’s basically what it boils down to.” Asked about how the comment was perceived by some, Berube said, “I didn’t mean it that way and it’s unfortunate it got out that way, but there’s nothing I can do about that now.” Just because forward Pat Maroon is 6-foot-3, 225 pounds and is one of the toughest guys on the Blues doesn’t mean he can’t be scared. That’s what happened Monday, when defenseman Colton Parayko stepped on Maroon’s ankle in a battle in the corner in practice and Maroon feared the worst. He left the ice with one arm around trainer Ray Barile, the other around Parayko and without putting any pressure on his right leg. “I couldn’t put pressure on it because we didn’t know what was going on,” Maroon said Tuesday. “Good thing I had cut-resistent socks. Just a little freak accident when you go down and something happens. I was just cautious at the time. I probably overreacted, but I was just making sure I was OK. “When you have scary moments like that, a skate blade coming anywhere near you, you just kind of freak out and you kind of panic a little bit. We just didn’t know if it was bleeding or what was going on. Just making sure everything was OK.” Elsewhere on the long-term injury front, defenseman Carl Gunnarsson has been out since Feb. 5 with a wrist injury. While Perron has been skating with the team in practice, Gunnarsson has been coming out at the end of sessions after most of practice is over the past few days. “It just, it never got over the hump,” he said. “So now we’re just trying something different. After giving it a little rest, we’re just going to try to ease into it now and not just go bang-on. So that’s where we’re at right now, just trying to take it day by day.” The hope for Gunnarsson is a bit more rest will speed up the process. “We’ll see if that does the trick,” he said. “I hope so. That’s why we don’t want to go back to (trying to push it). I want to get back quick, but just a couple days where we just had easy stickhandling and all that. “The sooner the better. It just takes time. It’s tough to have patience right now, though. ... I’d hoped to be playing in a week, but now it’s the second day kind of just skating and doing easy stuff right now. So we’ll see how it feels. It felt good yesterday after, so hopefully tonight it’ll feel pretty good and tomorrow.” SITTING Robby Fabbri and Michael Del Zotto were healthy scratches again. It was the 20th healthy scratch of the season for Fabbri, pushing him past Jordan Schmaltz and into the team lead in that category this season.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135753 St Louis Blues

Turnovers cost Blues in 3-1 loss to Coyotes

By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Two turnovers, one by goalie Jordan Binnington early in the second period and another by Oskar Sundqvist early in the third set up the goals as Arizona pulled out a desperately needed win and the Blues missed a chance to gain ground in the Central Division with a 3-1 loss at Enterprise Center on Tuesday. Binnington tried to backhand the puck out from behind his net and he missed Jaden Schwartz, putting the puck right on the stick of Richard Panik, and couldn't get in back in goal in time to stop the shot into an empty net. "Not ideal timing to give that one up," Binnington said. "I've got to be better there. I thought I had Schwartzie on the backside there. I just missed my pass there and unfortunately it ended up in the goal and gave them the lead." In the third, Sundqvist couldn't hang on to the puck in his own end and it was grabbed by Brad Richardson, who fed Vinnie Hinostroza for the goal. Jaden Schwartz scored a power-play goal with 1:11 to play after the Blues had pulled Binnington for a two-man advantage late in a power play. The Blues pulled Binnington after winning the next faceoff but couldn't score. Pat Maroon passed to Tyler Bozak in front of the goal but they didn't connect and Ekman-Larsson shot the puck the length of the ice for an empty net goal. Those were among the few chances Arizona had in the game but they were all they needed. The Blues had a significant edge in shots on goal on Arizona, 40-22, but couldn't beat goalie Darcy Kuemper. The Blues had a 76-34 edge in shot attempts. "We outshot them, we played well," captain Alex Pietrangelo said. "But again, we can say we had zone time but we just gotta find ways to score goals. One goal, six-on-five, or just on the power play isn't good enough right now. We gotta find a way to score." By the end of the period, the Blues had three players -- Brayden Schenn, Sammy Blais and Joel Edmundson -- in the training room after being shaken up on the ice. Earlier, Oskar Sundqvist went to the training room but returned. Schenn went slowly to the bench after a crash into the boards behind the Arizona goal. Blais collided with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and was crawling to the bench before play stopped. He went down the hallway to the training room with no weight on his left leg. Edmundson did not return to the game with what was termed a lower- body injury. Blais and Schenn returned to play the third period. With the win, Arizona jumped over Minnesota and into the second wild- card spot in the West. Both teams are even on games played. Pat Maroon got in a fight with Arizona's Ilya Lyubushkin and easily outslugged the defenseman. The Blues are in their second game without forward Vladimir Tarasenko, and for this one, they moved rookie Robert Thomas onto the top line. The trio of Ryan O'Reilly, Schenn and Thomas combined for eight shots on goal in the first two periods, none by Thomas, who had one shot attempt. The Blues outshot Arizona 12-5 in the period and 10-7 in the second. It's a big game playoff wise for Arizona. According to hockeyviz.com, a Coyotes win would increase their postseason chances from 42 to 53 percent, while a loss would drop them to 33 percent. Dallas won, moving two points back of the Blues, while Winnipeg lost, costing the Blues a chance to pull within three points of the division leader. "It's not gonna be easy," Pietrangelo said. "We know that. I don't know how many games we got left, 13-14 games, you gotta play well. You gotta win hockey games. So get on the road here, regroup tomorrow, we got a big weekend ahead of us."

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135754 St Louis Blues sends a message that you don't think he can do it. And as Armstrong said when he signed his extension, just because you get a contract for "X" years doesn't mean you'll be on the job that long. It just means you'll After scare on Monday, Maroon ready to go on Tuesday be getting paid that long. QUESTION: Better coach in terms of game strategy: Yeo or Berube? Evidence? By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch TOM T.: I don't know that there's much of a difference in game strategy between the two. Someone earlier this season said what the Blues needed was a psychologist rather than a coach because they were Pat Maroon, last seen being helped off the ice in practice on Monday, mentally all out of whack, and that's what Berube has done. In terms of with no weight being put on his right leg, was back out there on Tuesday accountability and motivation, he seems to be doing a better job than and will be in the lineup on Tuesday night when the Blues face Arizona at Yeo did. Enterprise Center. Not that Yeo didn't scratch guys. He sat Bouwmeester and Maroon early Maroon said the problem on Monday was that teammate Colton Parayko in the season. But Berube has gotten more out of the team in ways that had stepped on his ankle with his skate, which raised all sorts of possible haven't had much to do with strategy. concerns. QUESTION: I’m concerned about Perron and Schenn’s availability for the “I couldn't put pressure on it because we didn't know what was going on,” remainder of the season. Schenn is on the trip, but Perron is still out Maroon said. “Good thing I had cut-resistent socks. Just a little freak even though he has been cleared to practice. I’m starting to wonder accident when you go down and something happens. I was just cautious about his heart. at the time. I probably overreacted, but I was just making sure I was OK. TOM T.: Schenn will be back and should be fine unless he gets hurt “Obviously for me it was scary (when a) big man like Parayko's skate again. The fact that Perron hasn't come back and won't play this comes across you. Luckily I'm OK and nothing came about it. I was just weekend has to make you wonder about how much longer he'll be out. nervous at the time and obviously anyone would be nervous when a He's at almost the seven-week mark on being out, and while he looks skate blade comes across.” good on the ice, he feels he's not ready to return. Arizona lost 7-1 to Chicago on Monday night, depriving them of a chance Considering how long Perron missed earlier in his career with a to move into a wild card spot in the Western Conference. concussion, and that this injury is believed to be a concussion, he knows what's going on. And if he's waking up every morning with a headache, “They're going to be a desperate team for sure,” coach Craig Berube or however the symptoms manifest themselves, that's no way to live and said. “They've been playing really well. That was a game that didn't go he needs to take care of that. There are some injuries you can play their way early, got away from them, they've been playing real good through. A concussion isn't one of them. hockey and I expect them to play the same tonight. They're going to be a good team tonight, they're going to come out with urgency and we need QUESTION: Gotta know: Is there any way the Blues blow this and don't to match that urgency early on in the game for sure.” make the playoffs? I'm not asking for a run to the Cup — just something else to watch in April (and May?) besides 3 hour 47 minute baseball “We know Arizona and what happened last night, but we can't focus on games polluted by 12 pitching changes. that,” Maroon said. “We've got to focus on what we can control and how we're going to play and dictate the play tonight. I think if we dictate the TOM T.: Sure there's a way. If the offense doesn't perk up a bit, it's going play and come with our forecheck, breaking out clean and doing the to take a bunch of shutouts from Binnington to get them wins. And the simple things that makes this team a good hockey team, I think we'll be West is so tightly packed that a four-game losing streak coupled with all right, but we know they're going to come out full tilt tonight. Last someone else's four-game win streak can flip-flop everything. night's over, but they're a good-working team and young, skilled and fast and we've just got to be ready for that.” But I think the Blues schedule is conducive enough to getting the points they need, and the other teams' schedules are unconducive, if that's a Craig Berube's comment Monday on the status of injured David Perron word, to them getting points. The Blues analytics say the offense isn't as struck some people as being a criticism of the forward, who has been out dominant as it had been, but it's still effective enough to win games. But, almost two months and missed 23 games. Berube said Perron would pucks take bounces. come back when he was ready and there would be a spot for him when he did. QUESTION: Any way "Army" can bring up another goalie to play besides Jake Allen? I know Tom Stillman doesn't want to eat his salary, but Jake Perron didn't want to talk about his concussion symptoms on Tuesday, is terrible. but he did say, “Chief has been one of the most supportive people of me.” TOM T.: At this point, it would have to be a goalie already in the organization, so you're talking Coreau or Husso, the two guys at San “I'll tell you again,” Berube said. “When he's ready to play he'll let us Antonio, or Fitzpatrick in the ECHL. None of them right now seem to be know and we'll have a spot for him. It's simple. We keep talking about candidates to be put in a game. him every day and I get it, that's part of it all and that's part of your job, but he's not ready to play. So he's practicing with us, which is great. Husso, of course, should be the guy — if he hadn't been hurt and had When David's ready to go, he'll let us know. That's basically what it boils been playing better, he would have gotten the look rather than Binnington down to.” — but he was out a long time and hasn't gotten back to speed yet. So right now, it's going to be Binnington and Allen. And I would say it's going Asked about how the comment was perceived in some corners, Berube to be Binnington and Binnington and Binnington, with Allen only playing said, “I didn't mean it that way and it's unfortunate it got out that way but when there are back to backs. there's nothing I can do about that now.” Follow-up: What planet was Jake Allen orbiting during that game the QUESTION: Will the St. Louis Blues bring back Coach Q? other night? Will this guy ever make a routine stop when someone winds up to fire in a long shot? TOM T.: At the current rate, no. As I said on Twitter on Tuesday morning, imagine a world where the Blues fire Mike Yeo, hire Joel Quenneville and TOM T.: Just when it looks like Allen is putting together good games, everything goes exactly the same. They win 11 in a row, get back in a along comes Carolina. Maybe that's the result of not playing as much, playoff spot, are talked about as a team that can make a deep run. You that play in the corner, but Allen not playing much is the new reality. He would start hearing Quenneville and God in the same sentence, and makes a lot of routine saves, and a lot of tough saves, but there always Quenneville would probably be talked about in more glowing terms. seems to be that soft goal, or that weird goal, that happens to him and no ("Why can't God be more like Joel Quenneville?") one else. So Berube has done all those things and he deserves credit for that. He QUESTION: If Craig Berube is coach next year, what is Jordan Kyrou’s gets along with the players and the players have responded to him and future? I trust that Berube isn’t playing him for a reason. What does they're winning games. If they falter down the stretch and don't make the Kyrou need to do to earn playing time in the NHL? playoffs, maybe the scenario changes. TOM T.: Doug Armstrong determines who's on the roster, though Berube Follow-up: If Chief is named full-time head coach, due you believe it and the coaching staff obviously have input. If Armstrong puts him on the would be for a 2 year deal or 2+? roster, then Berube gets to determine his ice time. Kyrou turns 21 in May. He is still young, is still learning the game, and fitting him into the Blues TOM T.: If I recall, the Blues gave Yeo three years (plus one as an assistant), so I'm sure Berube would want the same. Giving him less top nine this season wouldn't be easy. Spending this season in San St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.13.2019 Antonio is good for him, and shouldn't hold back his career at all. Again, he'll be 21 next season and will have played one year of professional hockey. The Blues will be looking at him as a top nine forward next season and he'll have his chance to earn it in camp. And coaches always like it when you play as strongly on the defensive end as on the offensive end. MAD ABOUT MAROON Blues vs. Capitals COMMENT: You said Pat Maroon is playing as well as he has all season, but he adds nothing to the offense. Sure, he holds onto the puck, but that usually ends with him passing it to the other team. He plays little defense, and now he’s on the second line? If he was a rookie he would be scratched or sent down. TOM T.: The Blues did scratch him a few times in midseason and it looked like he was going to be a healthy scratch for the rest of the way until some injuries forced him back in the lineup and then his game picked up. Had it not, and had the Blues not started winning, Maroon seemed certain to be traded at the deadline. If they scratched him now, it would be to put in Sanford, who hasn't brought much over the past few weeks either, or Fabbri, who the coaching staff is obviously hesitant to play. (His minus-4 in Carolina was enough to have them call up Blais.) If the Blues are fully healthy, Maroon isn't on the top two lines -- he's probably on the fourth -- but at the moment, with Perron out and Schwartz struggling, their options are limited. And as physical as Blais or MacEachern may be, I don't think they bring the physical presence of Maroon. WAIT ... WHAT'S THIS? PRAISE FOR 'ARMY'? Berube named Blues' interim head coach COMMENT: I just want to give a shout-out to Blues GM Doug Armstrong for fleecing the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan O'Reilly is one of the best all- around hockey players I have ever seen. Army, I take back all the crummier things I ever posted about you. Please pull off another great trade like that one! TOM T.: Boy, has that deal worked in the Blues favor. And as Buffalo slowly sinks in the East, it keeps looking better. I tweeted out a link to a Sabres story from The Buffalo News last night, and Sabres stories now read like Blues stories did early in the season. They're a fragile team and they give up a goal and everything falls apart. HOW THE LINES SET UP ... FOR NOW Blues Lightning Hockey QUESTION: Schenn is back, Perron (presumably) coming soon. Show me your lines. TOM T.: With Schenn back, I can tell you the lines it looks like the Blues will use Wednesday: Schenn-O'Reilly-Tarasenko Maroon-Bozak-Thomas Schwartz-Sundqvist-Steen MacEachern-Barbashev-Blais So Sanford comes out, which is what we thought all along when Schenn or Perron came back, and Blais is staying in. The biggest switch, of course, is that Schwartz is on what would seem to be the third line, with Sundqvist and Steen. Berube said that would be a good 200-foot line they could use both offensively and defensively. In the past, I've advocated/proposed a second line centered by Thomas with Schwartz and Perron, (with Bozak then centering the third line) but the way the Schwartz has gone, the Blues may no longer be seeing that as an option until he starts scoring again and you can't blame them. And with Perron not on this trip, that's three more games he'll miss. QUESTION: Berube looks intimidating. What's his presence like? TOM T.: Stern, tight-lipped, though he seems to be lightening up in his media sessions and he's starting to laugh and make jokes when we talk. He still is a man of few words. His interview sessions last about half as long as Yeo's or Hitchcock's did. If I were playing for him or against him, I could see him being intimidating.

1135755 St Louis Blues 7th shift (1st period: 1:28-0:16) This wound up being a long shift, as Thomas stayed on the ice for 1:12. The puck went back and forth seven times between the two offensive Video session: Breaking down rookie Robert Thomas’ first game on the zones before it ended up in front of Arizona’s net. At one point, Thomas top line, shift by shift took a drop pass from Schenn, but with three Coyotes in the vicinity, he lost the handle. Eventually, O’Reilly put a shot on net, and though Thomas was there for the rebound opportunity, goalie Darcy Kuemper By Jeremy Rutherford covered up and the whistle blew the play dead. Mar 13, 2019 Thomas: “It took a little bit there in the first period just to adjust to how fast they want to play and how quick they want to move the puck. I thought as the game went on, I was able to adjust well. But we were just trying to transition quick and keep the puck moving. Schenner made a When Vladimir Tarasenko left the lineup with an elbow injury Saturday in good play to me there and then we’re just looking for a give-and-go. He San Jose, Blues interim coach Craig Berube turned to Jaden Schwartz to anticipated that there would be a little bit of a gap there from the d-man replace him on the team’s top line with Ryan O’Reilly and Brayden jumping on him, and the winger just had a good stick. If not for that, we Schenn. probably would have had a good chance on that.” But it’s a been a silent offensive season for Schwartz, and it was again in 11th shift (2nd period: 7:59-6:42) a 3-2 overtime loss to the Sharks. So with Tarasenko expected to be out at least 10 days, many fans were hoping for Robert Thomas to get a A misplay by Blues goalie Jordan Binnington just 1:05 into the second promotion. period led to the first goal of the game by Arizona. So suddenly the Blues were chasing the score, despite outshooting the Coyotes 18-9 when the To his credit, Berube made that move in Monday’s practice, giving line came onto the ice. Thomas showed off a little razzle dazzle, entering Thomas the prime-time assignment Tuesday against the Arizona the offensive zone 1-on-2, but he had no lane to the net and had to curl Coyotes at Enterprise Center. back. The puck was eventually cleared, and though Thomas helped bring “He’s a good kid and he’s got a good attitude,” Berube said. “He didn’t it back in, leading to another shot on goal by O’Reilly, and a Blues’ expect that, I don’t think. Not that he didn’t want it — I’m sure he did — unforced error forced the group to go for a line change. but he didn’t expect it. But he worked hard and learned the game as he Thomas: “I was the only one in the offensive zone, so I was just trying to went along. He’s getting better and better and as that happens, his buy time to allow Schenner and O’Reilly to come off the bench. I almost minutes go up.” had them on the delay. If I had a little more speed, I probably could have Thomas, 19, started the season centering the Blues’ fourth line, and in taken that one right to the net, but I’m just delaying to wait for them and game No. 69 of the season, with seven goals and 18 assists on the hopefully find an open lane. We got some good zone time there and a rookie’s resume, he was playing right wing on a line with O’Reilly and couple of good looks.” Schenn. 12th shift (2nd period: 4:03-2:44) “It’s a great opportunity,” Thomas said after Monday’s practice. “It kind of Late in the period, still trailing Arizona, 1-0, the line spent the start of the makes you feel good that all the work you’ve got done allows you to get shift in the defensive zone. But this might have been the group’s most this opportunity. So yeah, it’s another step in the right direction.” productive offensive shift of the game, including a 3-on-2 rush attempt The Blues lost 3-1 to Arizona on Tuesday, and Thomas was held off the with some speed. Thomas carried the puck across the blue line and board. In fact, he didn’t have a shot on goal. But he finished with 18:36 of directed it on net, but it got by Schenn’s stick. Schenn had another ice time, which was the second-most he’s seen this season, covering 20 quality shot on net, but Kuemper made the save, and then later Schenn shifts. left the game with an injury. The Athletic clipped six of those shifts during the game, and afterward, Thomas: “I just tried to make a play to Schenner, and it just bounced over Thomas agreed to talk us through each of them. Overall, he wasn’t his stick. It was close, but Arizona did a pretty good job of collapsing on thrilled with the outcome but believed there were moments he could build us. There’s another good transition from us that leads to a nice shot. We off if he gets a chance to stay with O’Reilly and Schenn. get some zone time here, and Schenner gets a good shot and it hits off the goalie’s blocker. It was unfortunate when Schenner got hurt. He’s a 1st shift (1st period: 19:32-18:43) huge part of our team and our line. He carries the puck a lot and he’s really good down low, so losing him hurt a lot.” The three weren’t on the ice for the puck-drop, but it didn’t take them long to climb over the boards. Jay Bouwmeester was reloading behind the 13th shift (2nd period: 0:25-0:00) Blues’ net when they come on, and the defenseman moved the puck ahead to O’Reilly, who carried it into the zone. He dropped the puck back This shift might have seen Thomas’ best scoring chance of the game, for Thomas, who tried to backhand it around the end boards, but it got which would have been his third goal in the last four games. But when a intercepted by Arizona’s Jason Demers. After the turnover, the Blues shot on net by Schwartz hit Thomas and dropped to the ice, he could not regained possession, and although the line didn’t register a shot on goal put the puck past Kuemper. Kuemper covered it up with nine seconds on this shift, the three had 32 seconds of zone time. remaining in regulation, and when the Coyotes won the ensuing faceoff, they killed the clock and then carried a 1-0 lead into the third period. Thomas: “It definitely gave me an extra jump going out with those guys. I kind of knew what O’Reilly was thinking there; he wants me to kind of cut Thomas: “This one actually hit off my pants and I just couldn’t get enough in behind him. That was a good entry play and then when we get in the of it to raise it up. It was a good chance toward the end of the period. It zone, we’re just working hard. For me, I was just hounding the puck and was just a game where we were so close on so many different chances, trying to get to the net, but (Arizona) made a lot of good plays around the but it comes down to finishing on those plays. But I thought we built our net. We were pretty much in their zone the whole time, so that was a game throughout the night and got a lot of shots on net.” good start for us.” Thomas was on the ice for the Blues’ lone goal of the game by Schwartz, 4th shift (1st period: 10:02-9:19) a 6-on-5 goal in which he came on as the extra attacker. That cut the Coyotes’ lead to 2-1 with 1:11 remaining in regulation, but the visitors The Blues had a power-play opportunity in the first period but didn’t added an empty-netter. score. Then, midway through the period, the line took the ice for a neutral-zone faceoff. The puck got sent into the Blues’ defensive zone, All in all, Thomas would have liked more from his first game on the Blues’ and Thomas helped the team exit quickly. Once in the offensive zone, top line, but he hopes Berube will stick with him when the team begins a the rookie poked the puck to keep possession alive, and that led to a three-game road trip Thursday in Ottawa. shot on goal by O’Reilly that sailed high and wide. The Coyotes cleared “I’m not too thrilled with it,” he said. “We were feeding off each other well it, and then the shift ended with a hooking penalty by Schenn. and moving the puck well, but I could have made a couple of better plays Thomas: “I knew O’Reilly was coming out with speed, so I just tried to and executed, whether it’s a couple of passes or spinning off a defender. bump it to him there. In the offensive zone, Schenner just lost the puck, I’d say it didn’t go as planned. I can definitely be better. or else it probably would’ve come right up to me in the high slot there. “It’s tough that we lost, so you never really know what’s going to happen The puck stays in the zone, and again, I’m just really hounding the puck next game. The lines might shuffle, they might not. But either way, it was and trying to find the open areas. I was just trying to cause turnovers and a good chance for me and it just shows that they’re thinking about it. I’ve get the puck to O’Reilly and Schenner, and have them capitalize off it. just got to keep on playing well.” O’Reilly gets a good shot there.”

The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135756 Tampa Bay Lightning Season ticket members are also looking at paying anywhere between $30 for those in the Terrace Level and $375 for those in the Lexus Lounge Row A for this year’s first round playoff tickets. Those prices will In the midst of landmark season, Lightning raises 2019-20 prices continue to jump with every round if the Lightning make it to Rounds 2, 3 and 4.

Playoff tickets for Round 2 range from $43 to $540 per game. For Round By Mari Faiello 3, the ticket prices per game range from $62 to $700 and for Round 4 the tickets are priced at $102 to $1,100 per game. Published Yesterday The team’s “Cheer Now, Pay Later” option gives season ticket members Updated 26 minutes ago a chance to pay for their tickets at the end of each round instead of before each game.

On the other hand, STMs are not automatically required to attend the TAMPA — Randy O’Connell recently received notice his Lightning playoff games if they don’t have the desire to do so. They are given the season-ticket price would rise by $400 for 2019-20. chance to opt-out of this every season. But if you’re a “Bolt for Life” you The initial renewal proved a bit of a shock, but O’Connell, however, was are automatically opted-in to playoff tickets. far from outraged about the increase for his seat in section 309. “You’re on the ride until you tell us you want off,” Pelleymounter said. “I honestly can’t really complain because of all the discounts we get,” Average prices for elite product O’Connell said. “I really can’t complain too much. Season ticket prices increased for next season, but Pelleymounter “The Bucs reach out to me for season tickets, and I laugh at them,” he believes the organization is able to balance what fans need and what the added. “The Rays reach out to me for season tickets and I laugh at them business needs on a value proposition. He asks himself if fans are because that’s just a joke in itself. The Lightning, that’s where it’s at.” getting an above-average product for an average price. The Lightning has literally banked on such loyalty in the midst of its “I would argue we’re at that,” he said. “They’re probably getting an elite landmark season. As Tampa Bay bids for a record-setting 62 wins during product, right now, for what I would still consider an average price or its Stanley Cup or bust march, team officials quietly sent out renewal below average price in the NHL.” notices and playoff ticket sales for season ticket holders last month with a 10 percent increase — the same year after year price hike it’s had before Still, fans took notice of the surge in ticket prices. — and not much fanfare. The increase surprised Carl Wagenfohr when he got his notice but he Season ticket members saw prices change across the board with the has already renewed his two seats for next season. He hopes that the most premium seats, the Lexus Lounge Row A, coming in at $325 per increase in prices goes toward the salary cap and retaining key players game. The cheapest of seats offered at Amalie at the Terrace Level have like Brayden Point. next season’s prices listed at $24 per game. O’Connell, however, cautioned that the team risks losing fans if the price Victories are not the team’s only defense for the increase. The average increases continue. ticket price for a Lightning game remains one of the lowest in the league, ranking 24th out of the 31 teams in the NHL. And the market has helped "It seems like they’re going to start pressing out some of their season set the price tag. ticket members who have been out there for a long time,” said O’Connell, 34. Travis Pelleymounter, vice president of ticket sales and service, said that things have turned very analytic in terms of how season ticket prices are For now, loyalty wins out. O’Connell hasn’t missed more than five games determined from one season to the next. since 2011, when he first became a season ticket holder. And he’s not about to start. He’ll be in Section 309 for every game, and the playoffs. “We lean really heavily on historical data,” he said. “We also look at what tickets have sold for on the single-game market and from what we can “If I’m paying that kind of money for something, I’m going to be there,” he determine on the secondary market. And then try to set fair prices based said. on what happened that season.”

Pelleymounter said part of the reason why the organization is able to maintain a lower ticket price is because of Amalie’s capacity and Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.13.2019 Tampa’s support. He said the attendance rate definitely plays a factor in the sense that the team is near the top of the league in total attendance. And the team makes a point of setting aside single-game tickets to keep adding to the base. “Tampa is very supportive and we’re lucky that they’ve been coming out, filling the building for a long time,” he said. Amalie Arena has sold out 193-consecutive games, including playoffs. The streak started when Tampa Bay took on Nashville March 23, 2015. The Lightning set their ticket pricing so that fans get more for their dollar. Regular season ticket prices are the least expensive compared to regular season single game prices. The hierarchy continues with group ticket prices ending up more expensive than a 10-pack, half-season and eventually a whole season. “We try not to be too influenced or biased, but at the end of the day we try to do what’s fair for the market,” Pelleymounter said. “Our philosophy is to be as fair as we can and still run a business.” Season ticket members also get a bonus. They receive a 35 percent discount off of all merchandise purchased at Amalie Arena and 25 percent off food and beverages, including alcohol sales during the regular season. The STM discount began with the 2011-12 season and has become a staple for most ticket holders. “We do know that has become almost an expectation from our fans and they really like it,” Pelleymounter said. On average, STMs were saving $288 per seat on food, beverage and retail at the time their renewal emails were sent Feb. 8. In addition to regular season tickets for the 2019-20 season, Lightning fans have the option to opt-in to their 2019 Stanley Cup playoff tickets. 1135757 Tampa Bay Lightning

NHL determines Morgan Rielly did not use a homophobic slur during Lightning-Maple Leafs game

Times staff and wires Published Yesterday

TORONTO — The NHL determined that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly did not use a homophobic slur during the Tampa Bay Lightning's 6-2 victory over the Maple Leafs Monday night in Toronto. Television cameras picked up what sounded like a slur with 1:51 left in the second period. "Following a thorough investigation, the National Hockey League has determined that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly did not direct a homophobic slur at referee Brad Meier during last night's game with the Tampa Bay Lightning at Scotiabank Arena," NHL senior EVP of hockey operations Colin Campbell said in a statement. "League officials interviewed several of the participants in the game -- including Rielly and Meier -- and reviewed audio of the alleged incident. All of those interviewed adamantly denied that Rielly uttered a slur and the audio supported their statements. "The National Hockey League does not tolerate language or gestures that disparage anyone based upon their race, creed or sexual orientation and continues to work to ensure that our games are played in a welcoming atmosphere for all of our players, coaches, officials and fans." Said Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, "The issue of homophobia is one the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club strongly condemns and takes very seriously." In a video shared on Twitter, and then deleted, what was at first believed to be a slur is heard as Cedric Paquette and Morgan Reilly skate down the ice. The play came just after a no-call on a potential penalty against the Lightning.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135758 Tampa Bay Lightning The Lightning wanted to make a statement and did. Paquette said the team “really wanted to show them that’s why we are the best team in the league.” Lightning journal: Blink and you might miss a Nikita Kucherov goal But Tampa Bay didn’t see Toronto’s best this time around. As Tyler Johnson pointed out, the playoffs are an entirely different entity. By Diana C. Nearhos Published Yesterday Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.13.2019

TORONTO — Nikita Kucherov turns Jon Cooper into a fan behind the bench, as the coach watches to see what Kucherov can do next. Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock called Kucherov the most dangerous player in the NHL. Kucherov is just fun to watch. He has 111 points, and is 13 points ahead of Patrick Kane and Connor McDavid, who are tied for second. Here’s the interesting thing (or with Kucherov, maybe it’s an interesting thing): He’s doing that with less time on ice than other stars. Kucherov averages 19:41 on the ice per game. The only other skater in the top 10 in points below him is linemate Brayden Point (18:44). Mitch Marner is the highest-scoring player with the least time on ice not on the Lightning (19:35). He has 82 points and is 12th in the league. Where would Kucherov fall if we evened out the time on ice? Still in the lead, of course, but by an even bigger margin. Kucherov averages 4.92 points per 60 minutes. McDavid is the next closest out of the top 10 scorers with 4.02 points. Sure, this is an arbitrary stat and not how hockey scoring is measured. But it just goes to show just how far above everyone else Kucherov is right now. The NHL investigated the use of a homophobic slur during Monday’s game between the Lightning and Maple Leafs. The league determined that Morgan Rielly did not direct a slur at the referee. “League officials interviewed several of the participants in the game - including Rielly and (referee Brad) Meier - and reviewed audio of the alleged incident,” senior executive vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell said in a statement. “All of those interviewed adamantly denied that Rielly uttered a slur and the audio supported their statements.” The TV camera picked up a string of two different f-words with 1:51 left in the second period. In a video shared on Twitter, then deleted, the slur is heard as Yanni Gourde and Rielly skated down the ice after a dump-in. Rielly appears to direct something at an official. The play came just after a no-call on a potential penalty against the Lightning. “The NHL is aware of reports that a homophobic slur was used during the Maple Leafs-Lightning game,” the league’s PR account tweeted. “The League is investigating the incident and will have no further comment until this investigation is completed.” The Maple Leafs tweeted a statement from general manager Kyle Dubas: “The Club is aware of the reports surrounding a homophobic slur used during the Maple Leafs versus Lightning game on Monday night. The issue of homophobia is one the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club strongly condemns and takes very seriously. We are in communication with the NHL and are cooperating fully with their office.” No statement from the Lightning, as the incident did not involve its players. Tampa Bay may very well meet Toronto again in May, in the second round of the playoffs. Baring something crazy in the final weeks of the season, the Maple Leafs will play Boston in the first round and the Lightning would take on the winner with a first-round win. What can the Lightning take away from Monday’s win over the Leafs with that in mind? Not much. “We caught a tired team,” Cooper said after the game. They just came off the West Coast and they’ve got to play another game at home in a different time zone, and you’ve got to take advantage of that.” 1135759 Tampa Bay Lightning McDonagh makes it to 600. Ryan McDonagh celebrated his 600th career game in the NHL Monday night in Toronto. He tallied two assists on the night, moving him to 28 assists on the season. Lightning-Maple Leafs: Observations from Tampa Bay’s 6-2 win Making history…again. With Monday’s win in Toronto, the Lightning are the seventh team in the history of the NHL to get to the 110-point mark in a season in just 70 or fewer games. The last team to do this in recent By Mari Faiello history is the 1971-72 Boston Bruins, who also reached that 110-point mark in just 70 games. Published Yesterday Celebrity appearance. Walter Gretzky, the famed father of Wayne Gretzky, made an appearance at Monday night’s game. He was welcomed to Scotiabank Arena with a standing ovation and stick taps TAMPA – Four Toronto players headed toward the bench late in the from the ice. second period for a line change as Yanni Gourde took the puck behind the Maple Leafs’ net, leaving defenseman Morgan Reilly to defend the Vasilevskiy makes big moves. Andrei Vasilevskiy leads in the NHL in home ice on his own. save percentage with .931, ahead of his former mentor Ben Bishop by just .001. His record following a loss is now 10-0-1. He made 26 saves Three Lightning players attacked the zone as Gourde made a quick pass on the night, only allowing two goals, and helping the Lightning pick up up the middle to Victor Hedman. their 53rd win of the year and 24th win on the road this season. The team The Lightning defenseman made a quick adjustment as he tossed the is now one win away from tying the franchise mark, set last season. puck to his right, just outside the crease and into the sweet spot for Down a ref. Linesman Brad Kovachik left Monday night’s contest early Cedric Paquette, who helped the Lightning notch a four-goal lead just and did not return to the ice because of an illness, according to the NHL. before the end of the second period with a short-handed goal. The rest of the game was officiated by three referees. It was this kind of play that propelled Tampa Bay to a 6-2 win over the #PoweredByFemaleFans. Toronto hosted a #PoweredByFemaleFans Maple Leafs in Toronto Monday night. night with its matchup against the Lightning Monday night. Every seat “It’s nice to see when these guys are working their tail off and doing all was covered with a special edition T-shirt, the team logo made up of the right things that they get rewarded,” coach Jon Cooper said. “It’s not smaller graphics and phrases, in women’s sizes. “If they don’t fit you, like he’s a guy (Paquette) that plays 20 minutes a night, and he plays in give it to a female fan in your life,” the in-arena video reporter suggested, all those situations in a grinding role and he kills penalties for us and for something women fans have been doing for years. One of the Lightning’s somebody like him to get two goals tonight, the guys on the bench were skating coaches, Barb Underhill, was one of the women recognized pretty fired up.” during the contest. Here are some odds and ends from Tampa Bay’s 6-2 win: Defense helps the offense. In the last six games Lightning defensemen Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.13.2019 have logged seven goals and 22 assists (with seven of those assists coming from the Toronto matchup). With Monday night’s win, the Lightning move to a 40-5-1 record on the season when at least two points are recorded by defensemen. All but one blue-liner logged a point on Monday (Erik Černák). Braydon Coburn led the way for the defensemen (and the roster) with the most shots on goal (six), one hitting the post. You get a point, you get a point, you get a point! More than half of the Lightning’s roster got on the point log Monday night with 13 different players logging a point in the 6-2 win and five players had multi-point games. It’s the first time 13 players have logged a point in the same game all season. Johnson with the (almost) hat trick. Johnson notched his 23rd and 24th goals on the season with the win on Monday. He finished the night with two goals, two points and five shots. It was Johnson’s third two-goal game of the season and first one since Dec. 22 at Edmonton. Pauquette with the (almost) hat trick, too. Paquette logged his second goal of the night early in the third period, though his second goal wasn’t as easy as his first one. His 12th goal on the season came off a pass from Gourde, again, and Jan Rutta. It was Paquette’s first two-goal game all season and first one in almost a year since playing at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers. Rutta logs first points as a Bolt. Rutta notched his first two points as a Bolt Monday night during the Toronto matchup. His first assist came on Ondřej Palát’s goal and his second came on Cedric Paquette’s second goal of the night. It was only Rutta’s second time in the Lightning lineup on Monday with his first happening on Saturday at home against the Red Wings. Point loses the race. It’s not too often the Lightning’s shut-down center gets beat on a play, but it happened Monday night as Auston Matthews beat Brayden Point to put the Maple Leafs on the board with a goal about halfway through the second period. Matthews carried the puck down the ice until he was about to hit the tip of the right faceoff circle. He swiped the puck from his left to his right, besting Point on the move and forcing an awkward turnaround attempt from the center. Matthews helped his team get on the board smoothly. Cirelli and Palát on the board. The Lightning rookie and veteran, respectively, notched two goals of their own to help the team come up 4- 0 in Toronto on Monday. Mikhail Sergachev wristed a shot from the blueline that Cirelli deflected into the goal. Palát deflected a goal off a slapper shot from Coburn which was actually helped into the net by Matthews who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Palát’s quirky goal forced a goaltender change for Toronto, bringing in Garret Sparks for Frederik Andersen. 1135760 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning gets some puck, makes some luck in win over Maple Leafs

By Diana C. Nearhos Published Yesterday

TORONTO—Is it better to be lucky or good? The Lightning was both on Monday night. Of the six goals, Tampa Bay scored four on some kind of flukey bounce. “That’s kind of what happens at the end of the season and in the playoffs,” Tyler Johnson said after the 6-2 win over Toronto. “A lot of times they are the garbage goals that go in. So we have to try to play more hockey that way.” First, Tyler Johnson’s shot deflected off Frederik Andersen’s glove to put the Lightning on the board midway through the first period. Mikhail Sergachev’s shot from the point deflected off Anthony Cirelli and then through traffic late in the first period. Cirelli wasn’t even sure if the puck hit his leg or his stick. In the second period, Johnson scored when Ryan McDonagh’s rebound went off Point’s skate in midair and then Johnson tapped it in. Then Ondrej Palat lept in the air and deflected Braydon Coburn’s shot. That’s a lot of puck luck on the Lightning’s side. “You can look at it as flukey, but we’re in the right spot for those to be able to happen,” Johnson said. The Lightning, like most hockey teams, would say the team earned its bounces. Being good led to being lucky, so to speak. If players weren’t in position, those goals wouldn’t have happened. Cirelli was in his spot in the slot. Johnson and Point followed the puck to the net for it to hit Point’s skate and then Johnson to score. Palat was trying to get out of the way of Coburn’s shot, but there’s an exception to every rule. “We’re getting our opportunities, getting our shots on net and guys are getting in front,” Johnson said. “Those are happens when you do. That’s the truth to the cliché of getting pucks to the net. That’s why teams station forwards at the net front. Tipped shots account for a lot of goals as goaltenders get better. On Monday, there were fewer skilled, shot for tips, kind of goals, but that’s only part of those players’ jobs. The rest is to be there for bounces. Defensemen shoot from the point to score, but also just to put the puck near where it needs to end up and then count on a forward to finish. “That’s what you’re going to need to do when goals are at a premium when you play in the playoffs,” coach Jon Cooper said. “Those are some of the ones you need. We got a bunch of them, but I thought we earned our breaks going there.” They were flukey goals but it wasn’t a flukey win. The Lightning also outplayed Toronto. The Maple Leafs had a few good moments, like Auston Matthews’ goal and the move he made on Brayden Point to get to the net, but for the most part this was Tampa Bay’s game. The Lightning put 41 shots on the Leafs’ two goaltenders and only allowed 26 itself. Andrei Vasilevskiy didn’t have to steal anything this time. He didn’t even have to make flashy saves. The Toronto team that has given Tampa Bay a hard time in two games back at Amalie Arena didn’t show up, coming off a Western Canada trip. The Lightning took advantage and put together a complete game. “It was a great overall game,” Victor Hedman said. “We know we have that strength: We have four lines that can score goals. Everyone knows their roles and what to do.” He added these games are good ones for players to keep in the back of their minds, to remember this is how good the Lightning is when it plays “the right way.”

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135761 Tampa Bay Lightning Stamkos said Cooper earns players’ trust with his open-door policy. They also notice how Cooper is rarely ever negative when talking about them in the press, with Stamkos quipping that his coach knows how to “play From ‘Wedding Crashers’ to Navy SEALs, the evolution of Lightning the crowd.” They have more candid conversations one-on-one, and coach Jon Cooper Cooper welcomes Stamkos’ push-back.

“I’ve always built my relationships with anyone in life on honesty, and I’m going to be completely honest, whether you like it or not,” Stamkos said. Joe Smith “I learned from guys like (Martin St. Louis) in terms of when it’s your time and place and you have the reputation in the room, your voice can be Mar 12, 2019 heard.

“Coop is great in being receptive to that. He wants to know what guys are TAMPA, Fla. — You might not know this, but Vince Vaughn is part of the feeling, what the mood of the room is. For the most part, he’s got a pretty celebration after every Tampa Bay Lightning victory. good gauge. But there are times he’ll pull in some of the older guys. There needs to be mutual respect, and there is.” No, the actor doesn’t show up in the team’s locker room. How do you earn that respect, that trust with players? See, coach Jon Cooper is a huge fan of “Wedding Crashers,” so he has incorporated the movie into his player of the game ritual ever since his “You’ve got to be honest with players. You can’t bullshit them,” Cooper days in the American Hockey League. There’s a camouflage jacket and said. “You have to show them you care. You have to believe in them. I fake rifle, homages to the quail-hunting scene from the film. Lightning think when you do that, in turn, you get a player that is willing to work. players pick who earns each one. Part of your job as a coach is to be a teacher, be a manager, to be a parent and to inspire. You have to inspire them in a way to get the most When the jacket is given out, you have to say, “Don’t wait for an out of them. That may be challenging, but you need them to feel like opportunity. Make one.” you’ve got their back in situations.”

As for the rifle? “Rule 76” must be repeated: “No excuses. Play like a “Part of the job is to find what buttons to push, what makes players tick,” champion.” Cooper says. “Some guys you need to bring into the office and you put an arm around them. Some players, they need a kick in the rear.” (Kim “I just thought it couldn’t have been more apropos — not only in sports Klement / USA Today) but in life,” Cooper said. “So we adopted that. That’s a mantra to live by.” Case in point was Game 1 of the Lightning’s second-round playoff series It’s vintage Cooper, whose historically good Lightning team is also one of against the Bruins last season. Tampa Bay had just lost, and their the loosest groups in the league. Cooper, 51, the former attorney turned shutdown line of Brayden Point, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat had coach, has earned a sterling reputation, tying with Vegas’ Gerard Gallant been embarrassed by Boston’s top trio of Brad Marchand, Patrice as the coach players would most want to play for in The Athletic’s Bergeron and David Pastrnak. anonymous player poll. Point, the team’s top two-way center all year, finished a minus-5. Cooper The outside perception of Cooper’s fun personality and fast-paced pulled Point into his office for a “stern” pep talk. He made it clear he was playing style are valid. But, behind the scenes, his team describes a sticking with the 22-year-old in the series’ most pivotal matchup. details-orientated leader who — humbled by playoff defeats — admits to having to check his ego at the door and evolve as he continues to chase “He said, ‘Don’t panic, just relax, we’re all good,’” Point recalled. “It’s the elusive Stanley Cup. huge after a game like that to hear a coach still have faith in you. It’s the playoffs, and every game is so important. So it’s nice to hear we’re all “You can just tell he’s gotten more comfortable and confident with what right because you’re thinking, ‘What’s wrong?’” works and what doesn’t,” captain Steven Stamkos said. “He knows how to push guys in certain ways. Like I’m still learning, he’s still learning. It’s Point rebounded with a stellar series as the Lightning won the next four about adapting, and he came in as a winner at every level he’s coached, games to advance to the Eastern Conference final. and we’ve been successful here and he’s a big part of it. “Part of the job is to find what buttons to push, what makes players tick,” “He’s a different coach. He’s not going to yell or scream in your face. Cooper said. “Some guys you need to bring into the office and you put an He’s going to demand respect in different ways.” arm around them. Some players, they need a kick in the rear. And there’s everything in between.” As he prepares to wrap up his sixth full season in Tampa Bay, Cooper is still shocked he’s the longest-tenured coach in the league. He’s gone There are more sensitive situations, like letting veteran defensemen like from the hot-shot newbie who thought he had to control everything to a Anton Stralman, Dan Girardi and Braydon Coburn know that they’d be mature veteran who has handed more of the responsibilities to his staff part of a blueline rotation, where they would each take turns being a and leadership group in the room. healthy scratch. Then there’s Ryan Callahan, who was told last month he’d be the team’s 13th forward. Callahan said it was a “tough Whether it’s relinquishing control over the power play, like he did a few conversation but one that had to be had,” and that Cooper handled it years ago, or adjusting practice and travel schedules based on player well. input, there’s been more collaboration in this part of the Cooper era. “He’s very laid back. He hates when he has to be the mean guy,” “I’ve learned you can’t let ego get in the way,” Cooper said. “For me to sit Stamkos said. “He wants guys to succeed and wants to be positive all here and say, ‘It’s my way or the highway,’ I think, is unfair. Even though the time. There are certain times we don’t play well and he has to be the in my mind you may want to win, and you want people to succumb, it’s bad guy. You can tell he’d much rather be positive. But it’s helped some not how it is. I’ve found as I got more time in the league you really have players who don’t react well to the yelling and screaming.” to listen to the players. Some players just need encouragement. “There may be disagreement in some areas, but you find common ground. My job is to filter all the information and get us a game plan, but Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon, for example, credited Cooper with the players are the ones executing. They should have a voice, too.” helping spark his MVP-caliber season last year. MacKinnon wasn’t happy with his 2016-17 campaign, but he was buoyed by his play in the World There have been many times this season when, after a bad period or Championships that summer for Team Canada, which was coached by loss, Cooper won’t even go in the dressing room, allowing leaders to get Cooper. MacKinnon was given quality playing time and said it boosted the message across. his confidence. “He’s got that fine balance of being intense and understanding where the “You can tell he’s a little different than the average coach,” MacKinnon team is at and being relaxed as far as letting the team handle situations,” said. “He’s not a cliché guy, he’s a very intelligent, very thoughtful. He’s said defenseman Ryan McDonagh. “It’s not always him telling us what not the stereotypical rah-rah coach. He expresses what he wants to say we need to do. He feels it out, and knows that right tone of when to in a different way.” speak up and when to leave it to the leaders.” Jets winger Mark Scheifele got to know Cooper while playing for the and how we incorporated all those things from the movie into how we run Under-23 team during the World Cup of Hockey in 2017. Cooper was an things. assistant, and he would often run power-play drills after practice. “So thanks, Vince.” “I noticed how knowledgeable he was at the game. His ideas were different than other coaches out there,” Scheifele said. “Just in terms of the way he looked at the game, the way he created offense, scoring The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 chances. He’s a very personable guy, a guy I’ll see walking in the hallway and strike up a 20-minute conversation with. Guys are drawn to the energetic, fun-loving soul that he is.”

You can tell how much more fun Cooper’s staff is having this year. They went through a makeover in the offseason, as veteran assistants Rick Bowness and Brad Lauer were let go. Bowness, hired by GM Steve Yzerman to help mentor Cooper in his early years, didn’t always see eye to eye with the head coach, who has admitted he used to be hesitant to change.

The new assistants hired, former Lightning center Jeff Halpern and longtime Cooper buddy Derek Lalonde, have added a new energy and synergy to the staff. Cooper has given them more rope, with Lalonde, Halpern and Todd Richards combining to work on the penalty kill, which has improved from 28th in the league to second this season.

Cooper wanted a more “inclusive” staff, and has built camaraderie with monthly nine-hole golf outings and games of chess and “Settlers of Catan.”

“I used to be very hands on where I did everything,” Cooper said. “It had to be this way, had to be A, B, C, D, and I had to have my hands in everything that went on. As I’ve grown, (I’ve learned that) you have to trust your assistants. My job is to step back and guide the ship instead of going down and fixing the pistons in the engine room and making the bed and cooking the meals. You need to trust your people. It was hard on me early on, but it’s been well worth it.”

Cooper has also brought in some outside voices to challenge him, including mental performance coach Ryan Hamilton and former Navy SEAL Tom Chaby. He asks, “What the (heck) am I doing wrong?” They are not afraid to tell him, and then they tell him how can he fix it.

“It’s opening your eyes,” Cooper said. “Not everything is black and white. There’s gray. I don’t know if, early in my career, I was willing to see it the other way. When you look at the big picture, it’s not playing an individual sport, it’s playing a team sport. You need a team to be successful, and the more cohesiveness you have, the more you’re going to get out of people.”

Cooper is open to analytics, but he prefers to focus on what his team does well as opposed to over-scouting opponents’ tendencies. He’s a big believer in betting on himself, culture over strategy.

“And always have one hell of a goalie,” Cooper said, laughing.

Cooper may have won at every level he’s coached, including the USHL and AHL, but he has yet to capture a Stanley Cup. It’s the final year of Cooper’s contract, though GM Julien BriseBois fully expects an extension.

“I don’t see anyone else I’d want to work with right now,” BriseBois said.

BriseBois has pushed Cooper for the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year. While that may go to Barry Trotz of the Islanders or Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour, Cooper warrants consideration. The award, voted on by broadcasters, has typically gone to a coach who has markedly improved a mediocre team.

But what about the guy who makes a good team great?

The ultimate judgment will come in mid-June, the Lightning hope. As spectacular as the Lightning have been, on pace to tie the 1995-96 Red Wings for the most points ever in a season, Cooper points out that there have been plenty of talented teams that have fallen short.

“Who won the President’s Trophy last year?” he asked. Nashville is the answer. “Who won the Cup?” Washington.

Cooper once met Vaughn during the run to the 2014-15 Cup final at a steakhouse in Chicago. Cooper was with a group of 20, and Vaughn picked up their tab. They chatted for 10 minutes.

“It was awesome how much he knew about hockey and our team and myself,” Cooper said. “All I wanted to do is talk about ‘Wedding Crashers’ 1135762 Tampa Bay Lightning Adjusting to a new team after all those years with the Rangers was tougher than he probably had anticipated. Even the little things in practice made an impression on him.

LeBrun: How Jake Muzzin and Ryan McDonagh handled similar trade “This team is as detailed-orientated as I can remember any team being,” experiences said McDonagh. “We don’t even go to the boards (during practice), we yell out drills and make adjustments on the fly on each drill. So when I first joined the team, we’re yelling out things and I’m trying to watch. Just By Pierre LeBrun to even have a full training camp was huge for me this season. Just to start from ground zero.” Mar 12, 2019 The old McDonagh is back this season, having an outstanding season.

He’s a matchup monster. It didn’t happen on the fly last year at the TORONTO — Few teams were busier adding than the Columbus Blue deadline, but he’s here now. Jackets before the trade deadline and few clubs with playoff aspirations “It’s just human nature,” fellow star blueliner Victor Hedman said of have struggled more since. McDonagh’s experience after the deadline last year. “It’s tough being Which isn’t entirely shocking. Deadline additions most often than not with the same team for so long and then get traded. The playoffs come need time before finding their stride and fit within their new surroundings. and he was hurt at the time. Just having all summer to get everything I truly believe the Jackets will be fine, but it’s not without risk, because of organized for himself and having training camp, he’s been a big horse for the inherent adjustment period new players need. us this year.”

Which is why more than ever you find Stanley Cup contenders The same might just be true for Muzzin next fall as far as getting to start measuring that reality with the cost of those deadline acquisitions and the the season from training camp on with the Leafs and the benefit of that. understanding of how long it might actually take for that new addition to Although getting to Toronto a month before the deadline as opposed to have an impact when it matters most. right at the deadline like McDonagh has already been beneficial.

I’m always reminded of the year Antoine Vermette was traded to Chicago Where the Leafs and Lightning have something in common is that they a few days before the deadline and for the longest time, he appeared to both added a top-four defenceman who had a year and a half left on their be a less-than-impactful addition in large part because head coach Joel contract at the time of their acquisition (McDonagh since signed a seven- Quenneville didn’t seem to find enough trust in him early on. But then year extension last summer at a $6.75-million AAV which kicks in next came an overtime goal in the 2015 Stanley Cup final by the veteran season). centre and nobody ever questioned that deal again. Adding a top defenceman like McDonagh was not just about last year’s Not when you win the Cup and Vermette scores twice in the Cup final playoffs for Tampa Bay, the Bolts were seeing it as a multi-playoff payoff series against Tampa Bay. just like Toronto is with Muzzin.

But for every Paul Stastny, who seemed to fit like a glove in Winnipeg as It helps warrant the steep price each paid but also softens the blow if the a rental player last spring, or a less heralded pickup like Michal Kempny first go-around in the playoffs doesn’t end up bringing the best out of the who ends up being an unbelievable fit playing on the top pairing on Cup player. They’re not rentals. champion Washington, there’s a long list of trade deadline additions who And because they’re not rentals, it was important for McDonagh to have simply don’t become worth the price. his family join him from New York to Tampa after the deadline last And a lot of it comes down to the lack of time to get properly adjusted in season. Which in itself added another level of stress to the situation. time for the playoffs. Consider that most teams play nearly every second “That aspect is a whole other dimension, too, trying to get your family day in March after the deadline, which means very little practice time as a moved, we have a young daughter, that’s mentally taxing,” said team. It’s hard to teach a new player and get him further integrated into McDonagh. “You’re worried about how they’re going to get down, how the system that way. they’re going to get settled, let alone trying to get up to speed to the top All of which is why it’s so important, if at all possible, to trade way before team in the East when I got traded.” the deadline. Veteran GM Jim Rutherford has been doing that for years. McDonagh and Muzzin traded situations when it comes to the media You don’t have to convince Jake Muzzin of the merits of this theory. spotlight. McDonagh went from the bright lights at MSG to a lower-key yet solid media coverage in Tampa. And Muzzin? Consider his answer Those four weeks he got with the Maple Leafs before the deadline were when I asked him what has been the biggest eye-opener since becoming huge for him. a Leaf.

“There’s a lot of benefits of it happening a month early,” Muzzin said “Well, this,” smiled Muzzin, motioning to the sea of media members Monday. “One, you get a month with the team which is more than the packing the Leafs dressing room Monday morning. “We had two or three other guys (traded). Two, you get to deadline day and your name is not people in the room in L.A., now we’ve got 30. I kind of knew coming in floating around. You’ve already been dealt. So the stress of that is but…” relieved. But mostly it’s about getting to the city, getting comfortable with your teammates, you get an extra month to do that.” But you still have to live it to see for yourself, I suggested to him, to which he nodded in agreement. What about a full year before the deadline? Not that there’s any complaints. For all the talk about the Tampa Bay Lightning doing nothing at this year’s trade deadline, one could argue in fact what they’re getting full “The city’s been great, they want you to win here as much as we want to impact from now a year later is the deadline blockbuster they made with win,” Muzzin said. “It’s encouraging. It’s exciting.” the New York Rangers which brought them Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Muzzin already has a Cup ring from his days in L.A. To win one in Miller. Toronto? That would be something else. There’s just no arguing the fact that we’re seeing the true McDonagh this McDonagh knocked at the door in the 2014 Stanley Cup final with the season, a more impactful player than when he first got to Tampa right Rangers and played on a team that constantly had a shot there. Now after the deadline last year. he’s part of a juggernaut running away with the Presidents’ Trophy. “When I got traded I had a broken hand at the time, so you’re waiting Which is why a year after that blockbuster trade with the Rangers, almost three weeks to actually play your first game and guys are players in that Lightning dressing room weren’t eagerly anticipating wondering, ‘What the heck did we trade for and where is this guy?’ It’s another trade. They like their roster just the way it is. tough,” McDonagh said Monday. “You want to be a big part of the team and you want to get up to speed as quickly as you can.” “Yeah, absolutely,” said Hedman. “I think Stammer said it pretty good, we’re having a pretty good season, if you’re going to bring someone in, you don’t want to lose a roster player. Our first-round pick for (June) is locked up if we win the Stanley Cup (in the trade with the Rangers). So, we’re a confident group. If anything, it was nice to get the deadline over with just so there’s no more speculation. We’re very happy with the group that we have. It’s good for our chemistry to keep it the same.”

Muzzin? I mentioned to him that it was funny after the past few years of his old pal Drew Doughty stoking the Toronto media market fires with his real or imaginary desire to one day play for the Leafs, that in the end it’s Muzzin instead who ends up here.

“He was excited for me,” Muzzin said of Doughty. “It was a surprise and a shock for me. But we joke about it a little bit here and there. He wants me to do well here, as do I. It’s a great opportunity, great team, great city, close to home, lots of positives here. I’m excited.”

The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135763 Toronto Maple Leafs The team hosted 30 players from the Toronto Gay Hockey Association and sold You Can Play/Leafs-branded scarves with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to You Can Play. The group works to ensure the safety NHL says Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly didn’t use and inclusion of all in sports – including LGBTQ athletes, coaches and homophobic slur during game against Lightning fans. You Can Play tweeted a statement prior to the NHL’s ruling on the matter, which the organization confirmed it stands by in an e-mail to The JOSHUA CLIPPERTON Canadian Press. TORONTO “Homophobic language has no place in sports,” the statement read. “The words used during last night’s game are unacceptable. We appreciate THE CANADIAN PRESS our partnership with the Leafs and will work with the team and the NHL to create and opportunity of everyone to learn more about the LGBTQ PUBLISHED MARCH 12, 2019 community, especially youth who are affected by the power of language.” UPDATED 14 HOURS AGO While the league cleared Rielly of any wrongdoing, Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf was fined US$10,000, the maximum under the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, when TV cameras recorded him The NHL says it has determined Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman appearing to shout an anti-gay slur in frustration with an official during the Morgan Rielly did not direct a homophobic slur at an official during 2017 playoffs. Monday’s 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Chicago forward Andrew Shaw, who is now a member of the Montreal Television cameras picked up what sounded like a slur with 1:51 left to Canadiens, was suspended one game and fined $5,000 for directing a play in the second period as Rielly and Tampa Bay’s Yanni Gourde homophobic slur toward an official during a Blackhawks’ playoff game in skated into Toronto’s defensive zone. 2016. Rielly appeared to be appealing for a penalty call from referee Brad And Toronto Blue Jays centrefielder Kevin Pillar was suspended by the Meier about halfway through a Leafs power play – a sequence that would club for two games in 2017 for directing a homophobic slur toward end with the Lightning scoring a short-handed goal. Atlanta Braves pitcher Jason Motte. The NHL launched an investigation into the alleged incident shortly after the game when clips began appearing on social media. Globe And Mail LOADED: 03.13.2019 “League officials interviewed several of the participants in the game – including Rielly and Meier – and reviewed video of the alleged incident. All of those interviewed adamantly denied that Rielly uttered a slur and the audio supported their statements,” Colin Campbell, the league’s executive vice-president and director of hockey operations, said in a statement Tuesday. “The National Hockey League does not tolerate language or gestures that disparage anyone based on their race, creed or sexual orientation and continues to work to ensure that our games are played in a welcoming atmosphere for all of our players, coaches officials and fans.” The league did not say if the slur had been used, just that it wasn’t uttered by the Toronto blueliner. Rielly and Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas held a news conference with reporters at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday afternoon shortly after the NHL released its findings. “I didn’t hear it,” Rielly said of the slur. “I know I didn’t use that word and I didn’t hear it during play. I did listen to the video. There are different ways to listen to the video. When it’s a topic that’s very serious, you tend to think what may have been said. But I know I didn’t say it and I didn’t hear it during play. “I’m not sure if it came from the ice or not. Either way, that word has no place in this building. This is a team that wants to be involved in the community and with the movement. And like I said, I didn’t say it.” Dubas said he was about to leave the rink Monday night when he was notified of the alleged comments. “When it came out that it was Morgan who was alleged to have used a homophobic slur it was surprising to me, to say the least,” said the GM. “I’ve known Morgan now for five years and this is a cause that he’s supported socially throughout his time here. And a few weeks ago, independent of all of this, he had gone to our community department and to (Leafs media relations director) Steve Keogh and asked to be formally involved in the Pride parade in Toronto this upcoming June. “So knowing that from a few weeks ago, and then combining that with the incident of last night, I was very surprised that Morgan was alleged to have said such a thing on the ice.” Rielly is second amongst NHL defencemen in scoring this season, registering 65 points (18 goals and 47 assists) in 69 games. The 25-year-old Vancouver native was Toronto’s first-round pick (fifth overall) in the 2012 draft. The NHL has been vocal in its support of the LGBTQ community in recent years. The NHL marked Hockey is For Everyone month in February, with the Leafs hosting a You Can Play awareness night on Feb. 24. 1135764 Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto, which was 6-1-1 over its previous eight, fell behind by three at 4:20 of the second when the rebound of McDonagh’s shot off Andersen’s mask fell to Brayden Point, who kicked the puck into Johnson’s path for a First-place Lightning spank Maple Leafs 6-2 as Toronto learns hard tap-in. lesson Tampa chased the unlucky Leafs goalie just 30 seconds later when Braydon Coburn’s blast hit Palat and ricocheted in off Matthews for his eighth. JOSHUA CLIPPERTON Matthews got Toronto on the board at 11:49 when he stepped past Point TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA – a centre back covering on defence – and beat Vasilevskiy for his 31st off the rush. THE CANADIAN PRESS But any thought of a comeback was put to rest with 1:44 left in period on PUBLISHED 1 DAY AGO a sequence that summed up the Leafs’ performance. UPDATED MARCH 11, 2019 The No. 1 power-play unit – save for defenceman Morgan Rielly – changed as Tampa threw the puck into the corner short-handed where

Sparks was unable to touch it, leading to a shocking 3-on-1 down low Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Braydon Coburn (55) watches as that Paquette finished off for his 13th. Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) leaps to make a “We were no good,” said Toronto head coach Mike Babcock, whose stop against the Toronto Maple Leafs during third period NHL hockey team sits third in the Atlantic and fifth in the NHL standings. “They were action in Toronto on March 11, 2019. better than us from start to finish, won more battles, more races, and just The Toronto Maple Leafs looked at Monday’s matchup against the NHL’s had more jump.” top team as a measuring stick. Tampa added its sixth at 5:59 of the third when Paquette tipped his What they got was major wake-up call. second of the night before Brown scored his sixth with 4.2 seconds left in regulation in a half-empty arena. Tyler Johnson and Cedric Paquette had two goals each as the Tampa Bay Lightning took advantage of some fortunate bounces early on the The teams split their first two meetings in Florida – Vasilevskiy made 48 way to thumping the listless Leafs 6-2. saves in Tampa’s 4-1 victory on Dec. 13 before Andersen stopped 36 shots in Toronto’s 4-2 triumph on Jan. 17. “We didn’t come ready to play,” Toronto centre Auston Matthews said. “They pretty much just slapped us.” It wasn’t nearly as close on this night. The Leafs found themselves down 2-0 after the first period and trailed 4- “They definitely got their bounces,” Andersen said. “But overall we can 0 before the game was 25 minutes old. probably learn a little bit from this. I thought their compete level was really high. That’s what happens when you win like they do. “The effort just wasn’t there at times,” Matthews added. “In the third period we pretty much just quit. “That’s a good lesson for us.” “We’ve got to wake up and do a much better job and hold each other accountable.” Globe And Mail LOADED: 03.13.2019 Anthony Cirelli and Ondrej Palat also scored for Tampa Bay (53-13-4), while Ryan McDonagh, Yanni Gourde and Jan Rutta chipped in with two assists apiece. Nikita Kucherov helped set up the game’s first goal for his league-best 111th point of the season. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 26 saves to improve to 12-1-2 over his last 15 starts. “We play to our strengths,” Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman said. “We were in the right spots. We earned those breaks.” Matthews and Connor Brown replied for Toronto (42-22-5). Frederik Andersen, who didn’t get much help from his teammates, allowed four goals on 19 shots before getting the hook. Garret Sparks finished with 21 saves in relief. The first team to clinch a playoff spot, Tampa continues to run away with things atop the Atlantic Division, Eastern Conference and NHL standings with 110 points – now 17 better than the Boston Bruins and 21 up on Toronto. The Lightning became just the seventh team in NHL history to reach 110 points through 70 games, joining the Montreal Canadiens (1975-76, 1976-77 and 1977-78), Boston Bruins (1970-71 and 1971-72) and Detroit Red Wings (1995-96). “We don’t really look at it so much about wins and losses,” Johnson said. “It’s about how we’re playing and what we need to do and just focus on the little things to prepare ourselves for playoffs.” Minus winger Kasperi Kapanen because of illness, as well as injured defencemen Jake Gardiner (back) and Travis Dermott (shoulder), the Leafs were playing the first game back at Scotiabank Arena after grabbing five of six points on their annual trip through Western Canada. “That’s definitely no excuse,” Toronto centre Nazem Kadri said of any lingering fatigue. “We should have showed a better effort.” The Lightning, who came in having lost two of their last five in regulation following a 12-0-2 run that included a 10-game winning streak, opened the scoring at 10:07 of the first when McDonagh’s pass in front went off Johnson’s skate and in for his 23rd goal of the season after Matthews turned the puck over. Tampa made it 2-0 with 1:22 left in period when Cirelli’s deft deflection from the slot fooled Andersen for his 14th. 1135765 Toronto Maple Leafs

Wednesday NHL game preview: Chicago Blackhawks at Toronto Maple Leafs

By Mark Zwolinski Sports Reporter Tues., March 12, 2019

KEY PLAYERS Tavares/Perlini The Blackhawks’ Brendan Perlini notched his career first hat trick in a 7-1 win over Arizona Monday. Perlini has six goals in his last five games. He was acquired from Arizona last November after his offence had dried up over a three-year period with the Coyotes. John Tavares, like every other Leaf, is looking for a return to form after a dreadful outing against Tampa Bay on Monday. Chicago has a definite big three with Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat. Kane is among the NHL leaders with 41 goals, while Toews has 30 and DeBrincat 37. The Blackhawks are on a three-game winning streak and five points behind Minnesota for the final wild-card berth. With 13 games remaining, Chicago must leap over both Arizona and Colorado to catch the Wild ... Toews, with 71 points, is having an excellent season after managing just 52 points in 72 games a year ago, when he was one of the scapegoats for a Chicago's failure to make the playoffs.

Toronto Star LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135766 Toronto Maple Leafs

Relieved Rielly was ‘100 per cent confident’ over homophobic slur investigation

By Mark Zwolinski Sports Reporter Tues., March 12, 2019

Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly returned to hockey life Tuesday, less than 15 hours after being plunged into the ugliness of homophobia when a video clip surfaced from the Leafs’ loss to Tampa Monday evening. Rielly was believed to have uttered a homophobic slur at referee Brad Meier on Monday but he was cleared by the NHL, which conducted an investigation after the video gained traction on social media Monday night. “After the game, when I got home, I was away made aware that there was a video and I was alleged to have used a slur on the ice,” Rielly told a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “At that point I came back to the rink to meet with (Leafs GM) Kyle (Dubas), and we talked about things and I told him what happened and at that point we agreed to let the process play out with the league, because they were going to take action. “I mean, I was 100-per-cent confident that I didn’t use the word, so we allowed the process to play out.” It also allowed plenty of time for accusers to strike out at him on social media. “It was difficult at times to not make a statement, because of how strongly I felt about it and the fact that it is a very important issue,” Rielly said. “But I’m very happy that it came out today that the word wasn’t used by me. And I think it’s an opportunity for us as a team to realize that there’s really no place for slurs like that in sport and in life ... I think it’s important that we realize that.” Rielly said he will join Dubas in the Toronto Pride Parade this year. The GM has marched for several years. Monday’s controversy came less than a week after the Leafs staged their annual celebration of the You Can Play program, which promotes the eradication of homophobic behaviour in sports. Rielly took a leading role in the celebration, speaking out about inclusivity in a video featuring messages from Leafs players. “When it came out that it was Morgan who was alleged to have used a homophobic slur it was surprising to me, to say the least,” Dubas said. “I’ve known Morgan now for five years and this is a cause that he’s supported socially throughout his time here. And a few weeks ago, independent of all of this, he had gone to our community department and to Steve Keogh and asked to be formally involved in the Pride Parade in Toronto this upcoming June.” Rielly did have to apologize in February, 2015 when he said his teammates can’t have a “little girl” attitude when it comes to work ethic. Vince Silva, one of the owners at Striker Sports Bar, Toronto’s first LGBQT sports bar, said he was “a bit shocked” by the initial reports. “But there’s a lot going on in the game, the heat of the moment ... I feel like, let’s wait and see … if it happens again, then we know we have a serious problem that needs to be addressed.” Rielly suggested the fact people thought the slur might have been used means there is more Leaf players and all NHLers can do to prevent it. “I didn’t hear it. I know I didn’t use that word and I didn't hear it during play,” Rielly said. “I did listen to the video. There are different ways to listen to the video. When it’s a topic that’s very serious, you tend to think what may have been said. But I know I didn’t say it and I didn’t hear it during play. I’m not sure if it came from the ice or not. “Either way, that word has no place in this building. This is a team that wants to be involved in the community and with the movement.”

Toronto Star LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135767 Toronto Maple Leafs Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe said he has seen improvements with Bracco’s defence.

“I trust him at key times in games, he really wants to do well for himself Maple Leafs won't stay down too long and for our team. When he’s committed on that side of it, he gets it done, just like he does on offence, a real difference-maker. He has to learn to do be able to do both, regardless of what’s happening on the Lance Hornby scoreboard.” March 12, 2019 9:02 PM EDT LOOSE LEAFS Never mind watching Kane on Wednesday, forward Brendan Perlini had a hat trick for Chicago on Monday and six goals in his past five games. They get knocked down, but they get up again. The son of former Marlboro junior Fred Perlini was born in Guildford, England, when his father played pro there … Matthews will play his 200th All that tub thumping about the Maple Leafs’ long-term playoff hopes NHL game Wednesday, having amassed 193 points to date … It’s also being dashed when teams such as Tampa Bay take the measuring stick First Responders Awareness Night with fans asked to donate a new and beat them over the head with it, have happened a few times this smoke alarm or donate to fire and life safety educational programs in season. Toronto … March 13, 1937, marked the day Turk Broda beat the Yet Toronto, despite its current thin roster and the aftershocks of Blackhawks 3-2 to become the first Toronto goalie to win 20 games in his Monday’s 6-2 loss to the Bolts, still has some time to get healthy and get rookie season. better before April. Tampa “slapped” them in Auston Matthews’ opinion and the young star lamented his team showed signs of “quit” in the latter stages. The crowd had given up before that, many booing the Leafs off Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.13.2019 the ice in the third period after an atrocious Toronto power play surrendered a 3-on-1 short-handed goal. But as they took a day off to regain strength from a Western road trip preceding the blowout, potential first-round foe Boston was getting into the meat of its season-ending safari, 10 of its final 14 games away from TD Garden. That could slow the Bruins’ recent surge, while Toronto readies for eight games in the next nine against clubs currently out of playoff contention. And as bad as the Leafs looked Monday, they have an impressive record of 5-0 in the match immediately following a loss with four or more goals against, since early January. While not wanting to make excuses when many NHL teams — in the race or out — are feeling the effects of the long season and the flu, the Leafs were in no shape to be playing the league leaders on Monday. Winger Kasperi Kapanen was a late scratch with a flu bug, Zach Hyman missed the morning skate and linesman Brad Kovachik didn’t make it through either. “It’s difficult when you’ve got to make game-time decisions and things get a little scrambly,” said centre Nazem Kadri. “I don’t think we’re quitters. You’ve just got to make adjustments. “(Ill health) is definitely no excuse. I think we should have showed a better effort, but that said, you’re not going to see that too often from us.” Arguably, the most exciting finish to a Toronto game this season was the last time they played Chicago on Canadian Thanksgiving Day weekend. It featured a season-high 13 combined goals, four in the game’s last 1:55. Patrick Kane scored, Matthews put the Leafs back in front — playfully cupping his ear as the United Center fell silent — then looking on in bemusement as Kane made it 6-6 and did the same for the Leafs bench to see. Morgan Rielly won it in overtime. “That was fun, with the circumstances, the time left and all the back and forth,” Kadri said. “If I was a fan, that’s the type of game I’d want to see, though probably not so much for the coaches. They want us to slow it down and not play such a run-and-gun style. We have to add some structure to our game for sure. “(The Hawks) understand this is generally a tough building to come in and get a win. But they won’t roll over.” BRACCO BETTER ON D The emphasis on the Marlies this year is developing defencemen; the two-way play of Calle Rosen that put him in line for NHL promotion before a foot injury and the continuing evolution of first-round picks Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin. But right winger Jeremy Bracco has provided an offensive lift on the farm and though a ways yet from making the NHL, it’s noteworthy he leads the AHL with 45 assists and is third in overall scoring. The 5-foot-11 Long Islander hopes to get in more than four playoff games, becoming a spectator as the Calder Cup playoffs wore on through last June. Defensive acumen will count when camp rolls around next year in St. John’s, Nfld. “Anyone you talk to will tell you that’s one of my weaker attributes,” said Bracco, a second-round pick in 2015, who turns 22 on Sunday. “But I’ll try and get better as the year goes on.” 1135768 Toronto Maple Leafs

GAME DAY: Blackhawks at Maple Leafs

Lance Hornby March 12, 2019 7:20 PM EDT

THE BIG MATCHUP C Auston Matthews vs. RW Patrick Kane We take you back to Oct. 7 at the United Center, a wild finish with the two American stars accounting for three goals in 55 seconds, a pair by Kane, as the lead changed hands and they traded celebrations designed to rile the opposition. Since that 7-6 Toronto overtime win, Kane has had the better season, now on the cusp of 100 points and before Tuesday, tied for second in the NHL. Matthews checks in with 61 in 55 games. KEYS TO THE GAME 1. OPERATION: DESPERATION The Hawks cleaned out Arizona 7-1 on Monday, continuing an improved second half and putting themselves in a crowd of teams just a handful of points out of wildcard country. The Leafs took Tuesday off to regain strength after they came off a week-long road trip with injuries and a flu bug that left them easy pickings for Tampa Bay. 2. BLUE LINE BLUES The Leafs were stumbling badly in their own end on Monday, notably the Martin Marincin – Igor Ozhiganov combination which must do better against elite teams with no sign of the injured Travis Dermott and Jake Gardiner and Marlie prospect Calle Rosen still hurt. 3. SWITCH ON MITCH After back-to-back three-point games, leading scorer Mitch Marner has been held to one assist in his last three outings and could be blanked in three straight appearances for just the second time this season. A couple of power play chances against Chicago’s league-worst penalty kill would help. 4. TOEW-ING THE LINE Jonathan Toews is at 30 goals for the first time since 2010-11 as the veteran Hawks from the Cup years keep showing they have some bite left. The Leafs need something from their warhorse forward with Patrick Marleau held to two goals since Feb. 1. 5. KAP SPACE One of the flu-ravaged Leafs, Kasperi Kapanen’s speed was definitely missing against the Lightning and in his place, William Nylander was still not quite clicking with Matthews.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135769 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs' Morgan Rielly did not use homophobic slur: NHL

Lance Hornby March 12, 2019 4:56 PM EDT

With a swirling social media storm late Monday night regarding an alleged on-ice homophobic slur, Kyle Dubas and defenceman Morgan Rielly drove back to Scotiabank Arena. “The first step was asking Morgan, directly to his face, ‘this is the video, what did you say?’” the Maple Leafs general manager recounted. “He was unequivocal. That word did not leave his mouth.” The National Hockey League, after interviewing Rielly, referee Brad Meier and going through the Sportsnet and Fox TV audio and visual feeds, cleared him on Tuesday afternoon. The 25-year-old Vancouver native said he fought the urge to go own Twitter in his own defence, before letting the league investigate following a post-game social media clip that upon first viewing gave a strong impression of inappropriate language. Rielly did utter an expletive towards Meier about a non-call up ice during the 6-2 loss to Tampa Bay but to Dubas, crossing the line with a slur would be totally out of character for the young man who three weeks earlier asked to follow the lead of others on the team and support the city’s June Pride Parade. Dubas says he listened to the audio multiple times and could see where a hockey term such as “rag it” might have been used and misconstrued and linked to Rielly being angry at the non- call. But there were other players on the ice, on the benches and fans near ice level that might also have yelled something. “I’ve heard every theory and you kind of convince yourself you hear hundreds of different things,” Dubas said. “What mic did it come from? There are about 10 (around the rink). Was it the same cadence of voice? It’s a difficult thing to discern.” If someone other than Rielly unleashed a slur, the league’s investigation didn’t detect them either. But Dubas said he doesn’t want Rielly to feel he was slandered or the team to feel victimized. “Some people rush to judgment and that’s what happens in 2019. But there are a lot of people in our community and family members … affected by homophobia.” Dubas, 33, has wanted to make the 101-year-old Toronto franchise an example of inclusion in the 21st century. He’s marched in the Pride Parade and the Leafs have sponsored a You Can Play event at home games that include Rielly in the video. “It matters to (my wife) Shannon and I and (club president) Brendan Shanahan,” Dubas said. “It’s incumbent upon us in management to build an environment, where if someone were gay or questioning their sexual orientation, they don’t feel they have to come in here and be somebody they’re not. Even if they don’t come out, that if they’re gay; if a homosexual, bisexual, transgender fan walks in the rink, they feel welcome and safe here. “If we have a player who is contemplating what their sexuality is, they (can) feel safe here and be themselves. Because of our role in the community and the country as the Toronto Maple Leafs we have a unique opportunity to be pro-active, take a stance on the matter and do more.”

Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135770 Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL investigating alleged homophobic slur in Leafs-Lightning game

Lance Hornby March 12, 2019 7:45 AM EDT

The NHL is looking into an apparent homophobic slur that Scotiabank Arena audio picked up from a player during the broadcast of Monday’s Maple Leafs-Lightning game. As Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly and Tampa Bay forward Yanni Gourde came into the Toronto zone chasing the puck after the Bolts dumped it on a penalty kill, rink microphones picked up a player shouting. As the Sportsnet broadcast crew noted, Rielly was upset about a non-call on a perceived foul back in the Tampa end. The Leafs were trailing 4-1 at the time in the second period and lost the game 6-2. Rielly was looking right at referee Brad Meier, as seen in clips on social media that include the audio, but the league did not name any player or players it was interviewing in the statement confirming its investigation. “The NHL is aware of reports that a homophobic slur was used during the Leafs-Lightning game,” the NHL’s Toronto office said in response to media requests. “The league is investigating the incident and will have no further comment until this investigation is completed.” Not long after that release, Leaf general manager Kyle Dubas tweeted through the team’s public relations account: “The issue of homophobia is one the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club strongly condemns and takes very seriously. We are in communication with the NHL and are cooperating fully with their office.” Rielly was made available to the media after the game, before the matter became a hot topic. He talked mostly about the Leafs shortcomings in the game and when asked about feeling unlucky he did not get the penalty call he sought, he replied “it’s not important.” The Leafs are among clubs sponsoring game night tributes for the You Can Play movement, which encourages all LGBTQ fans to participate in sports. In the 2017 playoffs, Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf was fined US$10,000, the maximum under the CBA, when TV cameras recorded him appearing to shout an inappropriate remark in frustration with an official. A year earlier, Andrew Shaw, then with Chicago, was suspended for one game and fined $5,000 for directing a homophobic slur toward an official during a playoff game. Tuesday is a day off for the Leafs, who play again Wednesday at home against Chicago, while the Lightning are off until Thursday in Detroit.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135771 Toronto Maple Leafs She grew up doing vocal competitions and performing at corporate events. Since James and Ortiz-Luis’ mother, Merj, immigrated from

Manila, she was able to audition and perform on the equivalent to The The Leafs are just the beginning for anthem singer Martina Ortiz-Luis Voice in the Philippines. She used to host a local Rogers Television show called “Music In My Hood” and once played the leading roll in a production of “Mary Poppins.”

By Scott Wheeler But the Leafs changed everything.

Mar 12, 2019 Singing the anthem at Canada Day festivities in Markham, Ont., became performances for the Prime Minister and the governor general as the

vocalist chosen to sing at the July 1 celebrations on Parliament Hill last More than 40 times a year, the noise at Scotiabank Arena fades when summer. public address announcer Mike Ross introduces her to the crowd at “Oh, that was something else. First of all, it was in the middle of a heat Maple Leafs home games. wave. So I was standing out there, the sun is beaming on me, I was “Ladies and gentlemen, will you please rise if you are able to, remove wearing a gown, and it was just ridiculously hot but I was so happy to be your hats, and join Martina Ortiz-Luis in the singing of our national there that I couldn’t even complain, Ortiz-Luis said. “It was just amazing. I anthems,” he says. was singing in front of the Trudeau family and I was on Parliament Hill. It was just incredible.” For the legions of viewers at home, the studio broadcast pivots to the in- arena video and audio. The Leafs’ players, either standing at the bench (SickKids) or the far blue line, try to stick to their pregame rituals. Her first performance as the Leafs’ full-time anthem singer, in front of And some of them now include her. 11,000 people at a preseason game in Halifax, was the largest crowd she’d ever performed for. “The best is Jake Gardiner. Have you seen (him) do it? You’ve got to keep an eye out for that. He mimics what the guy says. ‘Mar-tina Or-tiz “The last couple of years have been absolutely amazing, like I’m just so Lu-is’,” Connor Brown said with a cackle after a recent morning skate, thankful that the Leafs gave me this opportunity to sing for our city. It’s moving his lips in the exaggerated way Gardiner does during his routine. pretty amazing and I’m really excited to see the potential playoff environment this year. It really has been great. They have just given me “It’s hilarious. You gotta watch for it. She’s great. You gotta go No. 1 for so many awesome opportunities,” Ortiz-Luis said. her. She’s amazing from a straight skills perspective. She gets everyone fired up. We love her. She’s so good.” A few of the Leafs have pulled her aside at Scotiabank Arena to tell her how much they’ve enjoyed her rendition of the anthem. All of the Leafs agree: In the 31 rinks they play in each year, Ortiz-Luis is the best in the business. “They were are really nice and just gave me the most lovely feedback and I’m happy I have that effect on people where I can pump them up,” “She goes in the one hole for sure,” Mitch Marner said. “She can hold Ortiz-Luis said. that note on some pretty long ones. Her voice is crazy.” “The feedback is usually pretty good and my favourite thing ever is how “Wow, she’s a really talented singer,” Frederik Gauthier added. “When people usually tweet me their dogs or their babies reacting to me signing we come home, we know what to expect. She’s talented. She’s the best on TV.” in the league.” A couple summers ago, she was watching Shawn Mendes perform at If Frederik Andersen is starting, he tries to block her out. It’s not an easy Scotiabank Arena. Earlier this season, he too pulled her aside to task, though. compliment her voice while attending a Leafs game. She still calls it the “You get to hear the anthems a lot so it’s a time for me to get ready and highlight of her time singing for the Leafs and one of the most “insane” focus on what I need to focus on. And I’m no reviewer of anthems but experiences of her life. she gets the rink pretty riled up and they always join in with her,” She has started to run into strangers who recognize her in public, too. Andersen said. “I’ll be on the subway on my way home from school or I’ll be going to a “She’s great. It’s not really a time where I focus too much on what’s going game and I’m just like sitting there with my hoodie and people will come on. Everyone knows it’s right before the game and I have to get my mind up to me and be like ‘Oh my God, you’re the girl who sings for the Leafs, ready and I don’t just start there, I’m at the rink two or three hours before right?’” Ortiz-Luis said. the game, but that’s a big moment for me to get dialed in.” None of it gets old. Not those run-ins, not stepping out onto the The Leafs have become part of the 17-year-old’s routine, too. More than Scotiabank Arena ice. Ortiz-Luis removes one of her in-ear headpieces two and a half years after she won the gig at an August audition (an so that she can hear the crowd when she’s singing. She still says to audition she almost forgot about until she asked her dad, James, about it herself “Oh my God, it’s ‘Hockey Night In Canada’ and the whole country the day before her 7 a.m., try-out), Ortiz-Luis is still in high school. is watching,” every Saturday night.

A Grade 12 student at Toronto’s Cardinal Carter Academy of the Arts (a “At this point it’s just another day on the job but it’s a different experience school that now plays her rendition every morning), Ortiz-Luis, who is every day and it’s really great to hear and see all the fans. I can hear the from nearby Woodbridge, Ont., leaves school at 3 p.m. on game days crowd respond to me. I love hearing the crowd’s reactions and and hops on public transit to her aunt’s downtown house to get dressed sometimes it’s funny to hear off in the distance someone just yelling and do her makeup. By the time she steps out onto the ice, in front of ‘MARTINA!’ I’m just like ‘Oh my God! People know me!'” she said with a nearly 20,000 fans, she has already been at Scotiabank Arena for an laugh. hour and half, warming up in the the rink. “It’s still an incredible experience every time. It’s still absolutely mind When the Leafs aren’t playing, the team markets her in other ways too. blowing and a new experience every game. I absolutely love it. Once I’m On a recent day off, she joined Leafs alumni Darryl Sittler, Carlo on the ice it’s all about the people in the arena.” Colaiacovo, Gary Leeman, and Shayne Corson, play-by-play voice Joe The American anthem, which Ortiz-Luis says is the harder of the two Bowen, and mascot Carlton The Bear at SickKids’ annual bubble hockey because she has to jump through octaves, took some time to master. tournament. The Canadian anthem sits in a comfortable middle range and is all about The reaction to her rendition of “O Canada” from a crowd of a few the finish. These days, she feels like she’s reached mastery of both. hundred people inside the Evergreen Brick Works, in Toronto’s east end, Her future remains a little less certain, however. is the same as the one she receives every night at Scotiabank Arena: rousing applause. Ortiz-Luis recently auditioned for the University of Toronto’s music program — her top choice. And now that she’s signed with Edna Talent She has always had that talent. At 3, she began formal vocal training and Management Limited (ETM), she also wants to begin making original performing. Early on, she attended The Royal Conservatory of Music. music her focus. Someday, her career will take her beyond the Leafs, but neither side has committed to when that relationship will end.

“Right now I’m just going with the flow and I love singing for the Leafs. They have given me so many amazing opportunities. I’m just sort of going with that wave and seeing where it takes me,” Ortiz-Luis said.

By all accounts, though, this is just the beginning for the Leafs’ youngest star.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135772 Toronto Maple Leafs Adjusting to a new team after all those years with the Rangers was tougher than he probably had anticipated. Even the little things in

practice made an impression on him. LeBrun: How Jake Muzzin and Ryan McDonagh handled similar trade “This team is as detailed-orientated as I can remember any team being,” experiences said McDonagh. “We don’t even go to the boards (during practice), we yell out drills and make adjustments on the fly on each drill. So when I first joined the team, we’re yelling out things and I’m trying to watch. Just By Pierre LeBrun to even have a full training camp was huge for me this season. Just to start from ground zero.” Mar 12, 2019 The old McDonagh is back this season, having an outstanding season.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135773 Toronto Maple Leafs defencemen, but against the Lightning, their inability to move the puck was glaring.

Two-thirds of the even-strength minutes in this game went to Nikita Mirtle: With playoffs fast approaching, the Maple Leafs get ‘a wakeup Zaitsev, Ron Hainsey, Igor Ozhiganov and Martin Marincin, who all call.’ And they need it clocked more than 17.5 apiece. The latter two of those D have played only five and six games, respectively, since the Leafs acquired Jake Muzzin in late January. By James Mirtle They’ve looked like rusty, fringe NHL blueliners in those outings. Mar 12, 2019 Below are the Leafs D’s even-strength results since Gardiner was held out of the lineup seven games ago:

This one was a big yikes. So the Leafs’ results have clearly been pulled down by the third pair. And Mike Babcock has clearly felt the need to play Zaitsev and Hainsey even My condolences to the folks who paid $300 a ticket for this matchup, a more, given their minutes are up roughly two per game at 5-on-5 over supposed marquee meeting with the best team in the NHL. this span. One club looked in that upper echelon on Monday night. The other was 3. The Leafs’ schedule of late has been brutal. I know because I’ve the Toronto Maple Leafs. travelled a good chunk of it, including two West Coast swings in the past In fact, the most interesting thing that happened at Scotiabank Arena few weeks. I, too, have sampled the plague. Today’s Day 9 of my likely came in the Toronto dressing room after the game, a 6-2 loss to the antibiotic solution. (Not enough Purell.) Lightning. Auston Matthews was downright sour, and he wasted little time Since Feb. 9, Toronto has played 16 games in 31 days, including three throwing his team – including himself – under the bus. different road trips through four time zones. The Leafs can’t complain “We just didn’t come ready to play,” he said. “Despite bad bounces, they about travel compared to Western Conference teams, but this has been still beat us in every area of the ice so…” their taste of what those clubs go through and they haven’t been that well prepared – and certainly not while playing down two or three of their best He trailed off, until the next question came. players.

“They just get on top of you. We know that. We watched the video. We They’ve mixed in some real dog games with some good ones. This one watched the pre-scout. We know this coming into tonight, that they’re went bowwow early. going to be on you all game. We just didn’t give ourselves a chance. We didn’t take care of the puck. We didn’t do a lot of things that could have The problem with making these excuses? The Leafs have looked a little made it easier on us and our D to break out the puck… uneven for longer than a month. This isn’t just a no-Jake Gardiner problem or a team flu problem. “We’ve got to do a lot better. I think this is a wakeup call for us. Like you said, it was a measuring-stick game. It’s the best team in the league. And There’s been a general lack of cohesiveness to this group for some time. we didn’t come ready to play. They pretty much just slapped us. If we play “fun with endpoints,” the Leafs are 16-12-3 in their last 31 “That’s why you’ve got to be ready to play (against a team like this). I’m games, a 93-point pace. Prior to that point, they were 26-10-2, a 117- sure (in practice) we’ll go over a bunch of stuff, fix some things that need point pace, which ended in late December. to be fixed. Obviously, the effort kind of wasn’t there at times. I think in Something has gone sour in their results since Christmas, in spite of the the third period, we pretty much just quit. That’s on us as players. We’ve fact that Frederik Andersen continues to have a Vezina runner-up calibre got to wake up and do a much better job and hold each other season. Here’s that breakdown: accountable and not let Freddy or Sparksy out to dry and make sure we compete a whole 60 minutes despite the score.” That’s all situations data, so it’s a little messy. But we need to look at it this way given how big an impact the Leafs’ regression/implosion on “What was missing from the power play tonight?” Matthews was asked, special teams has been the last 30-odd games. to end his scrum. In terms of scoring-chance share (SCF%) and similar possession metrics “Uh, pfft, everything,” he said, letting out an exasperated laugh. “I mean (CF%), Toronto has not been any worse over this stretch, even if we look we weren’t communicating. We didn’t break the puck in. We were bad in at 5-on-5 data. But the Leafs’ overall shooting percentage is down the faceoff circle, in all areas tonight. They were just better than us, in significantly from an unsustainable 12 per cent, and that’s greatly every way.” impacted their ability to outscore some of their other problems. That is about as candid as Matthews has ever been, almost three full All season, the Leafs have struggled to be a dominant team on the puck. years into his career. And none of the self-criticism was undeserved. Early on, we could chalk some of that up to William Nylander’s absence I’ll pause here and make a few simple excuses for the Leafs, just to get and Matthews’ injury, but even as Toronto has gotten healthy, they them out of the way. In no way do they wash away Monday’s awfulness, haven’t sustained a high level of controlling play. but the caveats are worth adding in for context. They have so much offensive firepower up front that it hasn’t always 1. The Leafs are sick. Really sick. I don’t know exactly how many of them mattered, but when opposing teams have been able to nullify those high- caught the Edmonton plague, but Kasperi Kapanen couldn’t play and end chances – like Tampa did Monday night – the Leafs have looked Zach Hyman missed the morning skate. When I tried to talk to Hyman really flat and uneven. postgame, he sounded absolutely terrible, and I regretted my decision. I think there’s some frustrating building in that dressing room right now. Going to need some Purell. They’re locked into another meeting with the Bruins, but they have to Even an official left midgame due to illness, which is a new one. keep playing these games here in order to get there. Tampa’s been winning a ton. Boston’s been winning a ton. And that kind of consistency That’s a killer flu. has eluded the Leafs.

“It’s just everybody,” Nazem Kadri said. “Even talking to the linesman out Meanwhile, they’re beat up, missing two top-four D. They’re sick. And there, it seems like everyone’s catching a piece of it. Just have to make they’re just not getting enough production from anyone beyond their top sure you take care of yourself and get your rest.” five or six offensive players.

The Leafs cancelled practice on Tuesday to do just that. No point coming Right now, it looks like they’re going to limp into the postseason as a to the rink and further self-contaminating if you don’t have to. one- or two-line team, with mediocre special teams, and face one of the 2. No Jake Gardiner (back spasms) and no Travis Dermott (shoulder) on hottest teams in the league. Starting on the road. the back end is starting to add up. The Leafs have been able to handily It’s not a great situation, even with their record and even with their talent. beat teams like Edmonton and Buffalo without two of their top four So a wakeup call isn’t the worst thing, with 13 games to go. What they’re doing likely isn’t good enough to advance as far as they probably should be, given their roster.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019

1135774 Vegas Golden Knights “Playoffs are a month away, and you don’t got to worry about them. They’ll take care of themselves as you long as you win games and get some points.” ‘Playoffs’ no longer a forbidden word for Golden Knights LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 03.13.2019

By David Schoen / Las Vegas Review-Journal

Mark Stone is new, so the Golden Knights right wing is excused for saying “playoffs” in recent interviews. He wasn’t here last season when uttering that word before the Knights had a clinching ‘X’ beside their slot in the standings was a major no-no. But Jonathan Marchessault certainly was around, and the left wing said “playoffs” the other day. Defenseman Brayden McNabb did, too. And coach Gerard Gallant referenced the postseason multiple times when asked about it Tuesday at City National Arena. Gasp! So why the change? “We earned the right to say we’re a good team. We earned the right to say that we’re contenders,” Marchessault said. “We see all the teams that are there and we’ve beaten them before and they’ve beaten us, so I think it’s going to be a good battle. “It’s higher expectations, and we are giving ourselves those expectations. We want to be there. We’re a confident group, and we know we can do some damage.” Talk of the playoffs and magic numbers started in January of the Knights’ inaugural season when they were leading the Western Conference and on pace to finish with 119 points. Until the Knights clinched a berth in the postseason on March 26, nobody in the locker room wanted to be the cooler and publicly say the word “playoffs” for fear of jinxing the expansion team’s historic run. “There was no point of talking about it,” center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare said. It’s been safer to say this season. After overcoming an 8-11-1 start, the Knights have been entrenched in third place in the Pacific Division for the past two months. Perennial contenders Anaheim and Los Angeles each are in rebuilds, and Arizona is the only other team in the division above .500. According to website HockeyReference, the Knights had a 98.7 percent chance of reaching the postseason after Monday’s games. “You have that expectation of your group, and it’s kind of hitting a check box in your season,” defenseman Nate Schmidt said. “There’s still some time left, right? You still have to make sure you take care of your business, but I think that the feeling in the room is that (qualifying for the playoffs is) not good enough.” With 12 games remaining, it’s fair to start looking at the Knights’ magic points number for the postseason. The Knights (38-27-5, 81 points) need 19 more points to clinch third in the Pacific. With 75 points and 12 games left, Arizona (35-30-5) can only get to a maximum of 99 points. The soonest the Knights can surpass 99 points is April 1 against Edmonton. The Knights can clinch at least a wild-card berth as early as March 30. Should the Knights finish third, they would meet the division’s second- place finisher in the opening round of the postseason. HockeyReference projects San Jose with about a 53 percent chance to win the Pacific. The Knights trail first-place San Jose by 13 points and Calgary by 12. The Knights will have plenty of say in their own postseason fate, with games at San Jose on Monday and March 30. Arizona visits T-Mobile Arena in the penultimate game of the regular season April 4, but the Knights likely will have clinched a playoff berth by then. “Last year, at this time we knew we were in the playoffs,” Gallant said. “We’re in a good position. … But you still have to make it. You still have to win hockey games. You’ve still got to get prepared. 1135775 Washington Capitals “We know that they play that way,” Holtby said. “They don’t waste any shots. They don’t waste any opportunities. ... Sometimes you just have to stick with it and just came up a little short.” Malkin picks up 1,000th point, Pens rally by Caps 5-3 Kessel’s second goal since Jan. 30 11:16 into the third period put Pittsburgh up 4-2. Malkin earned the secondary assist to join Crosby, Ovechkin and San Jose’s Joe Thornton and Toronto’s Patrick Marleau as By Will Graves | AP March 12 at 11:24 PM the only active members of the NHL’s 1,000-point club. NOTES: Carl Hagelin, who helped the Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, played 13:13 in his return to Pittsburgh. Hagelin PITTSBURGH — Evgeni Malkin isn’t one for nerves. And yet they came was shipped to Los Angeles in November before being sent to anyway as the weeks crept by and the Pittsburgh Penguins star inched Washington at the trade deadline. ... Penguins D Kris Letang missed his closer to 1,000 career points. eighth straight game with an upper-body injury. ... Pittsburgh F Zach Aston-Reese sat out with a lower-body injury. A pep talk from coach Mike Sullivan helped. So did the return to form of one of the NHL’s most formidable power plays, one that pushed Malkin to Washington Post LOADED: 03.13.2019 the lofty milestone and lifted the Penguins past the Washington Capitals 5-3 on Tuesday night. Malkin collected a pair of secondary assists with the man advantage — the first one on a Sidney Crosby one-timer that capped a frantic flurry in the second period, the second on Phil Kessel’s second goal in six weeks — to become the 88th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 career points and help Pittsburgh snap Washington’s seven-game winning streak. “It’s like a little bit slow but it’s finally over, 1,000,” Malkin said. “I breathe normally. Thanking my teammates. Special day for my family, my friends. Like I play hockey all my life you know, it’s amazing to be here and win here against Washington. A special day for sure.” Malkin’s teammates mobbed him in the corner as the 32-year-old forward who has played 1B to Crosby’s 1A for much of his career tried to drink in the moment as the sellout crowd, including owner and Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux, rose in unison. “Making 1,000 points is crazy number for sure you know,” Malkin said. “I grow up in small city and never think I play in NHL and score like, 1,000 points.” Crosby collected his 32nd and 33rd goals during Pittsburgh’s second- period outburst. Jake Guentzel started Pittsburgh’s comeback with his team-leading 35th of the season after Jared McCann stripped Washington center Evgeny Kuznetzov for the first of three goals in 107 seconds. “We get that one, got a huge boost,” Crosby said. “It’s been a while since we scored in bunches like that. That’s important. That’s fun.” Kessel and McCann both added a goal and an assist for the Penguins, who have won six of eight. Matt Murray stopped 38 shots as Pittsburgh topped the rival Capitals for the third time in four meetings this season and moved within four points of Washington in the claustrophobic Metropolitan Division. Jakub Vrana scored twice for the Capitals. John Carlson collected his 11th and Alexander Ovechkin picked up an assist to become the 48th player in NHL history with 1,200 career points. Braden Holtby made 25 saves but briefly came undone during Pittsburgh’s decisive push in the second. “I thought we gave this one away, to be honest with you,” Washington center Nicklas Backstrom said. “They got one there and they get some energy from that, and they just kept going. That’s something we’re not happy about.” The reigning Stanley Cup champions came in unbeaten since Feb. 23, a stretch that vaulted them to the top spot in the Metropolitan. Ten months removed from a dramatic Game 6 overtime victory in the conference semifinals last spring that served as the springboard to their first championship, the Capitals spent the first 30 toying with the Penguins, smothering the Penguins offensively and riding Vrana’s marksmanship to a 2-0 advantage. The momentum Washington spent half a game building vanished shortly after Vrana’s wrist shot bounced off Murray’s blocker, over the goaltender’s head, off his back and into the net for a two-goal lead. McCann’s deft strip of Kuznetsov set up a 2-on-1 with Guentzel, who fired into the open net to make it 2-1. Crosby tied the game 47 seconds later, collecting a Justin Schultz flip pass that soared over the entirety of the neutral zone before it landed at the end of Crosby’s stick. Pittsburgh’s captain held off two defenders while slipping the puck between Holtby’s legs. Backstrom was called for tripping Malkin shortly after Crosby evened it up, and Crosby capped Pittsburgh’s outburst by finishing off a perfectly executed tic-tac-toe that started with Malkin feeding it to Kessel, who then fed a wide-open Crosby. 1135776 Washington Capitals Thirty-one seconds later, Backstrom went to the penalty box for tripping Malkin, putting the Penguins on the power play when they already had all of the momentum. Dropping to one knee, Crosby one-timed the go- Capitals’ seven-game winning streak ends after Penguins’ second-period ahead goal at 14:25, capping Pittsburgh’s three-goal outburst in 1:48. flurry “We let it slide too far and too fast,” Carlson said. “Stuff’s going to happen throughout a game, especially against a really good team. You just want to negate their momentum as much as you can, and we didn’t do that.” By Isabelle Khurshudyan March 12 at 9:59 PM These clubs have won the Stanley Cup each of the past three years, having to first get through the other on the way, and every game between them is a mini-drama. When Pittsburgh won its back-to-back PITTSBURGH — For the game’s first 30 minutes, the Washington championships in 2016 and 2017 with speed, Washington tweaked its Capitals looked like the defending Stanley Cup champions, the team that roster to get faster. After the Capitals won last season in large part won a playoff series on this ice just 10 months ago and might have to do because their physicality wore opponents down, the Penguins added to so again this spring. But then came two disastrous minutes in which their toughness this year, bringing in defenseman Erik Gudbranson and Washington unraveled like it had here in years past. center Nick Bjugstad. The Capitals lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-3, on Tuesday night at Entering this game, the teams were poised for a first-round playoff PPG Paints Arena, their seven-game winning streak snapped by a series matchup against each other, but the win pushed Pittsburgh to third place of miscues in the second period that led to the Penguins scoring three in the division for now. And while Tuesday’s whirlwind contest was the times in less than two minutes to take the lead. Washington (89 points) teams’ last meeting of the regular season, they could very well see each remains in first place in the Metropolitan Division, but it lost three of its other again soon. four meetings with •Pittsburgh this season. This one felt like a present for the Penguins. “I think it’s not frustrating, but it’s good lessons before playoffs, obviously,” Ovechkin said. “It’s bad when we didn’t get any points from “We just give them the points, obviously,” captain Alex Ovechkin said. that, but from that standpoint, we have to realize how we have to play. “We give them everything.” We have to play smarter. We get 2-0 middle of the second, and we make bad decision and it’s in the back of our net. Learn from that, and move With the Capitals down 3-2 entering the third period, they were assessed on.” a bench minor for having too many men on the ice at 10:33. The Penguins’ Phil Kessel scored at 11:56 to make it a two-goal game, and Washington Post LOADED: 03.13.2019 center Evgeni Malkin collected his second point of the game — and the 1,000th of his career — with a secondary assist. The crowd roared its appreciation for the achievement, but then Pittsburgh was called for the same infraction just a minute later. Ovechkin set up John Carlson’s power-play goal at 14:02 to trim Pittsburgh’s lead and record a milestone of his own: his 1,200th point. [Summary: Penguins 5, Capitals 3] But the Capitals’ rally fell short despite the visitors putting 41 shots on Penguins goaltender Matt Murray. Jared McCann’s empty-net tally in the final minute sealed the result. “We’ve got to be realistic, too: We just came off a seven-game win streak, so you’re not going to win all of them,” center Nicklas Backstrom said. “It’s all about how you bounce back, how you respond, and that’s what we’ve got to do on Thursday [in Philadelphia].” The loss was made more frustrating by the fact that the Capitals were the better team for the majority of the game, keeping it simple by putting the puck behind the Penguins’ goal line as they controlled possession for the first 30 minutes. It took until the final minute of the first period for them to be rewarded: a crisp passing play put the puck on Jakub Vrana’s stick before he shot it over Murray’s glove and just under the crossbar. After the players celebrated the tally, which gave Washington a 1-0 lead at 19:27, forward T.J. Oshie asked the official for the puck as a keepsake for Vrana. The 23-year-old had recorded his first 20-goal season — in just his second full year in the league. Vrana blew right past that milestone 10:24 into the second period when his shot from the right faceoff circle popped over Murray, the puck landing on his back before dropping into the net to lift the Capitals to a 2- 0 lead. Washington was executing its game plan perfectly, managing the puck well and making few mistakes. But one gaffe just two minutes after Vrana’s tally turned the game on its head. “That was a game we were fully in charge of,” Capitals Coach Todd Reirden said. “We make mistakes, and they’re able to convert back the other way.” [Capitals’ Wilson plays the role of villain in Pittsburgh] McCann swiped the puck from center Evgeny Kuznetsov as he was casually carrying it out of the defensive zone, and the turnover led to a two-on-one for McCann and Jake Guentzel, with the latter scoring his 35th goal of the season at 12:37. That wouldn’t have been disastrous had the Capitals stopped the bleeding, but less than a minute later, Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz flipped the puck down the ice for captain Sidney Crosby, who outmuscled defenseman Michal Kempny. Goaltender Braden Holtby played it aggressively, coming forward in the crease, and Crosby jammed the puck through his legs to tie the score at 13:24. “At first, I didn’t think it was going to be a breakaway, so I was kind of playing it a little more as if it was going to be a battle or quick shot,” Holtby said. “I got kind of flat-footed.” 1135777 Washington Capitals Burakovsky-Dowd-Boyd Kempny-Carlson On Pittsburgh’s stage, Tom Wilson plays the recurring role of the villain Orlov-Niskanen Orpik-Jensen By Isabelle Khurshudyan March 12 at 1:50 PM Holtby to start — Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) March 12, 2019 PITTSBURGH — Within the walls of PPG Paints Arena, Washington Washington Post LOADED: 03.13.2019 Capitals forward Tom Wilson’s name has surfaced often. He’s jeered in most rival rinks around the league, but Wilson’s presence in Pittsburgh seems to transcend fans’ understandable hatred. The Capitals and the Penguins have long had a rivalry headlined by superstars Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby and Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeni Malkin, but over the past year especially, Wilson has become a central character for how often Pittsburgh’s own general manager has referenced him. Wilson was the subject of considerable scrutiny in the teams’ playoff series last season after he was suspended three games for an illegal check to the head of Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese. A physical player, Wilson had also knocked out defenseman Brian Dumoulin for a game during that second-round matchup, and Pittsburgh General Manager Jim Rutherford said Wilson “couldn’t run quick enough to get away from” 6-foot-7 blueliner Jamie Oleksiak. In Wilson’s first game against the Penguins this season, he responded to Rutherford’s comments with a one-punch knockout of Oleksiak less than a minute into the game. Oleksiak was concussed by the blow, and the Penguins traded him to the Dallas Stars in January. Rutherford had some things to say about Wilson then, too. “All I know is, in that fight, Wilson didn’t even give Oleksiak a chance to get his gloves off,” Rutherford told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Penguins have since added big defenseman Erik Gudbranson, who is a candidate to challenge Wilson along with forward Garrett Wilson. “I try not to pay attention to that stuff,” Wilson said. “Our job is to go out there to play the game, and the rest of the stuff will take care of itself. ... You’ve got social media and you’ve got lots of media coverage. I just go out there and try to play, and whatever they want to say is fine.” It’s highly unusual for a general manager to talk about a player not on his team this much, but Wilson has been a recurring talking point in the Pittsburgh locker room as well. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby weighed in when Wilson was suspended to start the season for an illegal check to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist, and center Matt Cullen was critical of the NHL’s appeals process when Wilson’s suspension was eventually reduced from 20 games to 14. To be fair to Crosby, Cullen and Rutherford, they’re simply responding to reporters’ queries, and for Wilson, it could be a point of pride that he’s on their minds. “You never really know what they’re thinking,” Wilson said. “I would be surprised if they’re going out for the game thinking about me. There’s other guys in this room. ... What people don’t realize is that you’ve got Brooks Orpik, you’ve got [T.J. Oshie], you’ve got a number of guys that battle extremely hard every night, and it’s a team game. The reason we had success last year is because we were hard to play against last year as a team. Whatever they take away from that, whatever they want to talk about, we’re not worried about that in here.” [Pheonix Copley is up to the challenge as the Capitals slow down the high-flying Jets] That the Capitals’ physicality played such a large part in their Stanley Cup win has caused teams around the NHL to shift toward that model, the Penguins included. Along with adding Gudbranson, Pittsburgh got heavier with the additions of Jared McCann and Nick Bjugstad, both acquired in a midseason trade with the Florida Panthers. This will be the final meeting of the regular season between the Capitals and the Penguins, but it’s the first since both clubs tweaked their rosters for the run up to the playoffs. Washington is in first place in the Metropolitan Division with 89 points while Pittsburgh is the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card team with 83 points. “It always takes on a little bit of a life of its own, these type of games,” Capitals Coach Todd Reirden said. “We’ll see how it goes, but we’ll be ready for their best for sure tonight." Caps expected lineup vs. Pens Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson Vrana-Backstrom-Oshie Hagelin-Eller-Connolly 1135778 Washington Capitals Penguins: Travel to Buffalo on Thursday to face the Sabres. Pittsburgh lost each of its first two meetings with Buffalo in overtime.

Washington Times LOADED: 03.13.2019 Capitals' seven-game winning streak snapped by Penguins

By Will Graves - Associated Press - Tuesday, March 12, 2019

PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby scored twice during a furious second- period rally and Evgeni Malkin picked up two assists to reach 1,000 career points as the Pittsburgh Penguins edged the Washington Capitals 5-3 on Tuesday night. Crosby picked up his 32nd and 33rd goals during a three-goal outburst over a span of 1:48 as Pittsburgh erased a two-goal deficit to take the lead on its way to snapping Washington’s seven-game winning streak. Jake Guentzel started Pittsburgh’s comeback with his team-leading 35th of the season. Phil Kessel and Jared McCann both added a goal and an assist for the Penguins, who have won six of eight. Matt Murray stopped 38 shots as Pittsburgh topped the rival Capitals for the third time in four meetings this season. Jakub Vrana scored twice for Washington. John Carlson collected his 11th and Alexander Ovechkin picked up an assist to become the 48th player in NHL history with 1,200 career points. Braden Holtby made 25 saves but briefly came undone during Pittsburgh’s flurry that turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead. The reigning Stanley Cup champions came in riding a winning streak that vaulted them to the top spot in the Metropolitan Division and gave them some cushion in the claustrophobic jockeying for playoff position in the Eastern Conference. Ten months removed from a dramatic Game 6 overtime victory in the conference semifinals last spring that served as the springboard to their first championship, the Capitals spent the first 30 minutes looking like a serious threat to make another deep run. They smothered Pittsburgh offensively and rode Vrana’s marksmanship and a bit of luck to a 2-0 lead. Vrana’s wrist shot from the left circle whizzed over Murray’s glove with 32 seconds left in the first period. He scored again 9:36 into the second when his shot from low in the left circle smacked off Murray’s blocker, flipped up in the air, bounced off Murray’s back and then his right skate before trickling into the net. All of Washington’s momentum vanished in a flash. McCann started Pittsburgh’s rally by stripping Evgeny Kuznetzov high in the Washington zone before setting up Guentzel, who fired the puck into the empty net 12:37 into the second. Crosby then got on the board 47 seconds later. Justin Schultz lobbed a flip pass out of the Pittsburgh zone and over the entirety of the neutral zone before it landed at the end of Crosby’s stick. Pittsburgh’s captain held off two defenders while slipping the puck between Holtby’s legs to tie it at 2. Nicklas Backstrom was called for tripping Malkin shortly after Crosby evened it up, and Crosby capped Pittsburgh’s outburst by finishing off a perfectly executed tic-tac-toe that started with Malkin feeding it to Kessel, who then sent a cross-ice pass to Crosby for a one-timer. Kessel’s second goal since Jan. 30 11:16 into the third period put Pittsburgh up 4-2. Malkin earned the secondary assist to join Crosby, Ovechkin and San Jose’s Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau as the only active members of the NHL’s 1,000-point club. Carlson pulled Washington within 4-3 with just over six minutes to play but McCann’s empty-netter with 56 seconds left sealed Pittsburgh’s victory. NOTES: Oshie’s two assists boosted his career total to 300. … Carl Hagelin, who helped the Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, played 13:13 in his return to Pittsburgh. Hagelin was traded to Los Angeles in November before being sent to Washington at the trade deadline. … Penguins D Kris Letang missed his eighth straight game with an upper-body injury. … Pittsburgh F Zach Aston-Reese sat out with a lower-body injury. … The Penguins went 2 for 4 on the power play. Washington was 1 for 2 with the man advantage. UP NEXT Capitals: Continue a four-game road trip on Thursday in Philadelphia. 1135779 Washington Capitals

Ovechkin, Crosby hug it out after heated rivalry game

By Sammi Silber March 12, 2019 10:03 PM

It looks as though respective captains Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby put their rivalry aside and sportsmanship first. Following a rough-and-tumble rivalry contest between Washington and Pittsburgh Tuesday, Crosby and Ovechkin joined together in an embrace, leading referees to race over and examine the situation. But it was far from a confrontation, (something that they'd seen a whole lot of all night) it was a nice exchange between two of the top athletes in the NHL (and it also makes it hard to hate the Penguins). Game recognize game. #CapsPens pic.twitter.com/K3wWacnOT6 — NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) March 13, 2019 In the Caps loss, Ovechkin had an assist to register his 1,200th career NHL point, while Crosby scored twice for the Penguins. Their long-time rivalry began over a decade ago when both of them started as rookies in the 2005-06 campaign, fueled by multiple second- round playoff duels and debate over who's better from fans and critics alike. Despite seeming tension between the two, Ovechkin and Crosby have shown respect toward one another over the course of their careers; they were line-mates at the 2017 NHL All-Star game, and Crosby even recently said that Ovechkin, 33, could very well break Gretzky's goal- scoring record. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135780 Washington Capitals

Kuznetsov gaffe proves costly as Penguins rally, snap Caps’ seven- game streak

By J.J. Regan March 12, 2019 9:44 PM

PITTSBURGH – A horrendous turnover by Evgeny Kuznetsov in the second period proved to be the turning point Tuesday as the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win 5-3. The game was the final game of the season series between the two rivals, with Washington dropping three out of four. The loss also snaps a seven-game winning streak for the Caps. Alex Ovechkin and Jakub Vrana were the lone bright spots after the game as Ovechkin tallied his 1,200th career point in an assist on John Carlson's goal and Vrana hit 20 goals for the first time in his career. Here is the one reason the Caps lost. Evgeny Kuznetsov's turnover I could analyze each of Pittsburgh’s goals and go into detail over what happened, I could look into the number of missed offensive opportunities for the Caps, but the fact of the matter is there is one reason the Caps lost this game and one reason only. At the halfway mark of the game, Washington was putting together one heck of an effort. The Caps were defensively suffocating the Penguins, especially in the neutral zone. Pittsburgh could not advance the puck into the offensive zone. When Jakub Vrana scored his second goal just past the halfway mark of the game, it looked like it was lights out. And then one play changed the game completely. Nick Jensen snuffed out Jake Guentzel along the boards and Evgeny Kuznetsov intercepted his desperation pass. With options to start the breakout, Kuznetsov was far too lackadaisical with the puck. He took far too long deciding where he wanted to go, and just when he made up his mind, Jared McCann pickpocketed him from behind turning the Caps breakout into a 2-on-1 for Pittsburgh. McCann quickly got around Orpik and passed to Guentzel for the goal. From there it was a steady stream of one disaster after another: 47 seconds after Guentzel’s goal, Sidney Crosby tied the game at 2 with a one-handed breakaway goal 31 seconds after Crosby’s goal, Nicklas Backstrom was called for tripping Evgeni Malkin 30 seconds into the power play, Crosby scored his second goal of the night, snapping a streak of 18 straight penalty kills for Washington. It all took just 1:48 for a 2-0 lead for the Caps to turn into a 3-2 lead for Pittsburgh. It was the clear turning point of the game as the Penguins took all the momentum from that point on and rode it to the win. Phil Kessel added an insurance power-play tally in the third period and McCann scored the empty netter to put it out of reach. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135781 Washington Capitals

Penguins welcome Carl Hagelin back to Pittsburgh

By Sammi Silber March 12, 2019 7:35 PM

For Penguins fans, it may seem like Carl Hagelin crossed over to the dark side after joining the Capitals, but those feelings were turned aside when he finally came back to PPG Paints Arena Tuesday. In the Caps' familiar visit to enemy territory, Hagelin made his return to Pittsburgh for the first time since being dealt at the start of the season. He received a tribute from the Penguins in the first period showcasing some of his highlights two Cup championships. He also earned a standing ovation from fans. Hagelin played with the Pegnuins for three seasons, winning back-to- back titles in 2016 and 2017. He spent 16 games with them to kick off 2018-19 before he was shipped to the Los Angeles Kings for Tanner Pearson in November. The Caps would acquire him days before the trade deadline, seeking help on the penalty kill and depth on the bottom- 6. Hagelin was famous in Pittsburgh for being a known threat against Washington; in 35 playoff appearances against Washington, he recorded 15 points, one-game winning goal and four mult-point performances. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135782 Washington Capitals

Crosby thinks Ovi has a 'real chance' to beat Gretzky's goal record

By NBC Sports Washington Staff March 12, 2019 5:46 PM

Ever since Wayne Gretzky retired in 1999, his all-time goal record of 894 goals has stood for two decades. But Sidney Crosby, anointed the next Great One when he was drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005 and is considered the greatest player of his generation, thinks his longtime rival Alex Ovechkin will be the player that finally breaks the record. “Oh, I think he’s got a real chance to do it,” Crosby told Josh Yohe of the Athletic. “I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility at all. If anybody is ever going to do it, it’s going to be him. I don’t think we’ll see anyone quite like him again.” Crosby is intimately familiar with Ovechkin's goal-scoring prowess, as the two have traded milestones over their years of competition, including Ovechkin's 1,000th point against the Penguins in 2017. Ovechkin's next point will be 1,200, and he currently stands 14th in all- time goals with 653. Ovechkin's 50th goal this season would surpass former Detroit Red Wing great and current president of the Toronto Maple Leafs Brendan Shanahan, who has 656 goals. Assuming Ovechkin hits 50 goals this season, he'll rank 13th all-time in goals. Ovechkin would need 237 to catch Gretzky, and the Great One also believes Ovechkin has a chance to catch him. “If he can sustain his pace, there's no question in my mind that he has the ability and the talent and the work ethic to be able to do it,” Gretzky said in 2016 to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. “And if he does it, I'll be the first guy there to shake his hand." Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135783 Washington Capitals “Just telling [them] that you learn from me,” Kerfoot quips. “I’m the professional.”

Compher rolls his eyes and shoves the ball of sock tape back at him. Jakub Vrana one of the talented NHL youngsters taking a big leap in 2019 Gaining perspective All four players say that part of the improvement can’t be analyzed. It’s just in the process of growing up. By Scout Pruski March 12, 2019 11:54 AM “I think third year [in the league] you’re comfortable with training camp, you’re comfortable with the city, you know?” Tkachuk said. “You don’t WASHINGTON – After a win at Capital One Arena, Jakub Vrana really need to overthink things too much. Nothing’s really new.” approached his teammates in the locker room. He mimicked Evgeny “It’s hard to do damage in your first year,” Rantanen echoed. ”I think the Kuznetsov’s breakaway shot that sealed the game in overtime. Vrana’s second or third year you feel more comfortable, especially third when you smoothie lurched precariously in his hand as he twisted the barrel of an already have over 200 games, you know, you don’t really think about it imaginary stick, burying the puck somewhere in the distance. too much anymore. You think about it as another game, and just enjoying “It was sick,” he said of the goal, grinning. In his second full season with it.” Washington, Behind the bright lights, it makes sense. Young, early-twenties Vrana, who turned 23 last month, seems to have found his footing. professionals in other jobs typically experience some personal growth as they learn to understand their field and find their place. Why should He has become a staple of Washington’s top six, averaging 14:09 time hockey be different? on ice per game this season. Vrana is currently averaging almost twice his points per game compared to last year’s stats, on pace for about 49 “Finding your role on the team as well, getting comfortable with the points after netting 27 in the previous season. He isn’t alone in this minutes you’re playing, who you’re playing with, the system – all that stuff increase. comes with playing more games,” Compher explained. “I think it’s why you’re seeing guys in their second or third season take off a little more.” Across the league, a group of young players have pushed their point total by as much as twice the previous season’s tally. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2019 Calgary Flames assistant captain Matthew Tkachuk has leaped from 49 points last season to a projected 80. Montreal’s Jonathan Drouin is a little older in his fourth full NHL season, but is now on pace for 60 points after 46 last year. So how did the jump happen for so these young players this season? Is there a secret sauce, a magic formula? Is it just more experience? Have they found a larger spot to contribute? All the above? Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen, on pace for a 20-point increase and heading for his first 100-point season in his third full NHL campaign, was stumped. “I don’t know the reason why it’s like that, but it is happening.” Looking for answers For Colorado’s JT Compher, the pattern in point production is familiar. Compher, who left the University of Michigan in 2016 after his junior year, put up 31, then 21, then a whopping 63 points in the NCAA. He’s on pace for 38 points this year, up significantly from 23 last season. “You take stuff throughout junior hockey, college hockey, stuff you learned, and that’s what kinda shapes you as a player,” Compher said. “Obviously you get to the NHL and the knowledge is expanded by a lot.” Tkachuk praised his background with the OHL’s London Knights for getting him adjusted to a rigorous schedule that allows him to start the first stretch of a season strong. “If you have a good summer and you keep that going for as long as possible, I think it can translate easily to the first little bit of the season. It’s all about how you start.” Vrana also constantly develops his work ethic. “I feel like I’m a good player, and that I can take those chances, but of course it takes lots of work. You just gotta work hard every day and focus on the details.” To Vrana, the attitude of his coaches makes all the difference. “It’s all in trust, you know? We have different coaches here who believe in me way more, give me way more opportunity to show what I can do.” And, of course, his teammates. “In this team, we have lots of veteran guys, who do a really good job with the young guys, [with] making hockey fun for me and for themselves.” Colorado head coach Jared Bednar believes that cultivating a positive environment is central to team dynamic and player growth. “I think happy hockey players and players that are gonna have fun are productive hockey players,” Bednar said after practice in Washington. “I want our guys to come with a positive mindset and reset every day.” The effect of Bednar’s approach is instantly recognizable. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog taps Rantanen encouragingly after a great shot in practice, while locker room neighbor Alexander Kerfoot crashes Compher’s interview, tapping him on the shoulder. 1135784 Washington Capitals Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2019

Will the Penguins look for any retribution against Wilson for the Oleksiak beatdown?

By J.J. Regan March 12, 2019 2:23 PM

News flash: The Pittsburgh Penguins do not like Tom Wilson. OK, so that’s not exactly news. Even a casual hockey fan will know that Wilson has taken up so much room in the heads of the Penguins that he could sell real estate. The president of his anti-fan club has to be none other than Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford. Rutherford was quite vocal after Wilson delivered a hit to Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese in Game 3 of the second round last season – a hit that netted Wilson a three-game suspension – hinting that Wilson was afraid to fight 6-foot-7 defenseman Jamie Oleksiak who repeatedly challenged Wilson after the hit. “When Jamie challenged Wilson, he couldn’t run quick enough to get away from him,” Rutherford said. Well, careful what you wish for. Wilson was suspended for the first meeting between Washington and Pittsburgh this season, but he sure wasn’t running from Oleksiak the last time these teams met on Dec. 19 In the first minute of the game, Oleksiak hit Matt Niskanen and Wilson made a beeline for him. Just 55 seconds in, both players dropped the gloves. To call the fight one-sided would be an understatement. Wilson dropped Oleksiak like a ton of bricks leaving him unsteady afterward. After the game, it certainly sounded as if Wilson was well aware of what Rutherford had said about him. “I read the stuff that's said after last season and leading up to it,” Wilson said. Yeah, I think it probably had to be done sooner or later, give [Oleksiak] a chance to defend his teammate after what happened last year. Obviously, you never want to see a guy go down like that. That's hockey. I respect him as a player, and it's unfortunate to see that." The blood always seems to boil when the Caps and the Penguins meet. Oleksiak was traded and is no longer with the Penguins, but the hatred for Wilson in Pittsburgh likely shines no less bright than it would if the defenseman were still there. Will we see any more fisticuffs on Tuesday (7 p.m., NBC Sports Washington) in the rivalry rematch? Game notes Rinse, repeat The Caps have won seven straight games so it is no surprise that they again will be sticking with the same lineup. Should they extend the streak to eight games it will be a season-high. Return of the Holtbeast The one change from Sunday’s lineup will be in net as Braden Holtby will get the start. Since the Caps returned from the All-Star break, Holtby is 9- 4-1 with a .923 save percentage and 2.36 GAA. 1200? Alex Ovechkin sits at 1,199 career points after being held without a point in the past two games. Remarkably, rival Sidney Crosby reached the 1,200 point mark just one week ago adding yet another reason why these two will forever be linked. Et tu Hagelin? Tuesday’s game will mark the first for Carl Hagelin as a Cap against his former team. Hagelin won two Cups with the Penguins and certainly was a thorn in the side of Washington every time these two teams met in the postseason. It will be interesting to see the reception he receives from the Pittsburgh crowd given what he meant to the team. Standings watch Washington’s cushion atop the Metropolitan Division is down to two points after the New York Islanders shutout the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. A win for Washington will keep it just out of reach of the Islanders, but a loss will give New York a chance to pull even with it on Thursday when it hosts the Montreal Canadiens. 1135785 Washington Capitals

Why Tuesday’s Capitals-Penguins game could decide the Stanley Cup

By J.J. Regan March 12, 2019 10:25 AM

As the Capitals travel to Pittsburgh to take on the rival Penguins Tuesday (Coverage begins 6 p.m., NBC Sports Washington) , there may be much more on the line than just two points in the standings. The winners of the last three Stanley Cups will meet in Tuesday’s game as the Caps won last season and the Penguins won in 2016 and 2017. In each of those three seasons, Washington and Pittsburgh had to play one another in the postseason on their way to the championship. But, as divisional opponents, both teams had plenty of matchups in the regular season as well. The Caps have fared pretty well against their rivals in the regular season over the past three years. In the 2015-16 season, Washington managed a 2-2-1 record against the Penguins. That improved to 2-0-2 in 2016-17. Yet, the results in the postseason remained the same with the Caps falling in the second round each year. In 2017-18, Washington went 2-2- 0 against Pittsburgh, but defeated them in the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history. While the overall records do not shed much light, if you look a little closer you find that the final matchup of the season has proven key. In 2016, the Caps fell to the Penguins 4-3 in overtime on April 7. Marcus Johansson scored twice for Washington, but Sidney Crosby scored the overtime winner. In 2017, both teams met for the final time earlier in the season on Jan. 16 with the Caps losing in overtime again, this time 8-7. Washington gave up a 3-0 lead as Evgeni Malkin tallied a hat trick and Connor Sheary scored in overtime. Things were different, however, in 2018. With the Metropolitan Division very much up for grabs, Philipp Grubauer was brilliant in net to lead the Caps to the 3-1 win. So why does this matter? Because in each of the last three seasons, the winner of the final regular-season meeting between these two teams has gone on to win the Stanley Cup. Maybe it’s a coincidence and it doesn’t matter. But maybe a late-season game with major implications against a bitter rival in a playoff atmosphere is a good test of where a team stands heading into the postseason. The New York Islanders sit just two points behind Washington for first place in the Metropolitan Division. Behind them, Pittsburgh is tied for third with the Carolina Hurricanes. Not only would a loss for the Caps hurt them in the division race, but it also makes a first-round matchup against the Penguins very possible. Tuesday’s game is huge in terms of the standings, but make no mistake, this game is about a whole lot more than just those two points. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135786 Washington Capitals

A pregame ritual you can get behind: The origins of T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson’s butt tap

By J.J. Regan March 12, 2019 6:00 AM

ARLINGTON – T.J. Oshie stood ready and tightened his grip on his stick. He took careful aim at his target before pulling his stick back and WHAM! He released a good solid whack right into the keister of teammate Tom Wilson. Oshie then assumed the position and waited for the return shot. Wilson delivered a whack of his own that dropped Oshie down to his knees in fake agony. Pregame rituals are an important part of the preparation for every NHL team. The vast majority of them happen before the players ever take the ice. One tradition, however, has become a staple of the Capitals’ game- day preparation during the pregame warm-up. Oshie, one of the Capitals’ most energetic leaders, will find each and every teammate and tap them with his stick always saving Wilson for last. Oshie then delivers a whack right to the butt of Wilson. They then switch positions with Oshie on the blue line and Wilson standing behind. Wilson replicates the strength and intensity of the hit with Oshie dropping to his knees. “That goes back since he got here,” Wilson said. “I honestly don't even remember how it started. But obviously it took off and I think now he goes right down the line and gets everybody.” Sometimes it is a whack, sometimes a tap. Over the course of the team’s current seven-game win streak, Oshie and Wilson exchanged gentler taps. “We switch it up based upon whether we won or lost,” Oshie said. “Sometimes it's harder, sometimes there’s more slaps than one.“ The origin of one of the team’s most famous rituals is organic. Wilson, Oshie and former teammate Michael Latta took turns delivering whacks to one another prior to games. It was never meant to become a big deal or spread to the rest of the team. That was evidenced by the fact that both players had to stop and think to remember exactly how it all began. “I think I hit Lats and then Tom and then Lats hit me and then Tom hit me,” Oshie said. “I think that's how it started. I don't know. Originally, it was very violent, but now we have a little fun with it.” From there it just sort grew to include teammates. “Over the years guys felt left out or something so he wanted to get everybody and always comes back and finishes,” Wilson said. “If you watch it, it's the exact same almost every time. It's just routine, I guess.” “I don't even know if some guys want to be involved, but they're involved,” Oshie said. “Just something fun to kind of get going.” As silly as it may seem from the outside looking in, it is an example of the energy Oshie brings to the team. It is infectious and greatly appreciated by his teammates. An 82-game season is a grind and it is hard for everyone to bring energy for an entire campaign, but Oshie is a player you never have to worry about. He is someone you know can count on to be up for every single game. The point of bringing this specific ritual to the rest of the team is to provide an energetic spark that sometimes a player may need to get themselves up for the game. “Osh, that's just who he is. Lots of energy,” Wilson said. “On a day like today, you have a game last night, you come in, he's just one of those guys around the rink that you're so lucky to have because he's always got energy, he's always keeping it light, just such good teammate.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135787 Washington Capitals Crosby keeps scoring too, of course. He sits at 1,204 career points, a mere five ahead of Ovechkin, who will hit the 1,200-point mark with a goal or an assist against the Penguins on Tuesday. Sidney Crosby on Alex Ovechkin, their relationship and the rivalry that Ovechkin is the greatest goal-scorer of his time and Crosby is universally matters most regarded as the greatest player of his generation. They will always be linked to each other even if an awkward overtone to their relationship may always remain. By Josh Yohe Mar 12, 2019 40 Some of the great rivals in sports history become friends after years of hostility. There is the iconic video of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird exchanging a fist-bump during the NBA Finals. Bjorn Borg was in John Having conducted interviews for 24 of his 31 years, Sidney Crosby McEnroe’s wedding. mastered the rare ability of never lying while also never offending. It’s his way. Perhaps, one day, Crosby and Ovechkin will grow closer. For now, though, there is a sense that Penguins vs. Capitals is the priority. Underneath the politeness and sincere respectfulness, however, resides a fierce competitiveness that all of the great ones possess. “You see a lot of players here and there, All-Star games, things like that,” Crosby said. “It’s probably the same kind of relationship I have with a lot This brings us to last week, as Crosby sat at his locker following practice of guys that I’ve played against a lot over the years. I’d say that we are and considered a question that was raised. cordial. The rivalry between the teams is just a lot more important to me.” You were 21 when you won your first Cup. It took Alex Ovechkin a The perspective around many hockey circles is that the rivalry is renewed decade longer. Was there a part of you that was happy to see him finally because Ovechkin and the Capitals finally got their Cup. win it? “I can relate with what he’s gone through, the expectations, the Crosby considered his thoughts and emotions for a moment. He has pressure,” Crosby said. “When you think about it, I mean, yeah, I’ve been been compared with Ovechkin since they were teenagers. They battled compared to him a lot over the years.” in four unforgettable, dramatic playoff series, with the winner of each meeting going on to win the Stanley Cup one month later. Evgeni Malkin and Ovechkin were friends as teenagers in Russia. Their relationship took a bizarre swing and Ovechkin went out of his way to Their personalities couldn’t possibly be more different, as illustrated by take runs at Malkin for years around a decade ago. Things thawed Crosby’s much more subdued celebration the Cup in contrast to between them in recent years, as they generally speak outside of their Ovechkin’s party through Washington, D.C., last June. Both are respective dressing rooms following games. immeasurably popular, but for completely different reasons. Penguins fans take such pride in Crosby’s down to earth nature. Capitals fans Crosby said he’s never explored Ovechkin via Malkin. The curiosity would love nothing more than to have a drink with Ovechkin. simply doesn’t seem to exist. After pausing, Crosby offers this. “I’ve been around him a little bit. … Like I said, we’re cordial. We’re just different in a lot of ways,” Crosby said. “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s hard to say. I can relate to the expectations. I guess it’s unique that way between us.” The two have feuded on the ice on a number of occasions, Ovechkin often the instigator. Things got a little hostile between them in Then, the memory of May 7, 2018, sweeps over Crosby. Evgeny Washington in December. They probably will again Tuesday at PPG Kuznetsov scored on a breakaway to end the Penguins’ three-peat Paints Arena. dreams, giving the Capitals a series victory against the Penguins for the first time since Crosby was 7 years old. “Of course, it always gets blown up when there is an interaction between us,” Crosby said. “It’s hard to say,” Crosby continued. “Because that’s the team that beat us.” This is true. And this is because there is only one Crosby and only one Ovechkin, and for all of their differences, both are equipped with the Crosby doesn’t like talking about “Sid vs. Ovi.” He receives questions rarest of competitive fire, and both came along in the same generation, about their rivalry on a regular basis, but to him, it’s not the rivalry that two icons who happen to play in the same division. matters. Crosby isn’t big on promoting himself. His default mode of turning questions about himself and Ovechkin into answers pertaining to What possibly lies ahead is mostly on Crosby’s mind. The Penguins and the Penguins and Capitals is a sincere one. Capitals have met in the playoffs in three straight seasons. Both teams are playing their best hockey of the season with spring in the air, and the “That’s just who I am,” he said. “I just want to win games against them. I reality is that another postseason meeting possibly awaits. The Capitals don’t like turning it into me and him.” would love nothing more than to prove their victory last spring was the new normal, not an aberration. The Penguins? They’d love nothing more Crosby isn’t being dismissive of Ovechkin’s greatness, though. Far from than to reassert their dominance. it. The greatest playmaker of his generation once said, with a smile, of the greatest goal scorer of his generation: “I’d shoot more if I had a shot With such important moments possible in the near future, relationships like Ovechkin’s got. Anybody would.” with the competition can wait. As Ovechkin climbs the all-time goal scoring ladder, Crosby looks on in “We play each other a lot, and we both get up for that challenge,” Crosby awe. At his current pace, Ovechkin, who has 653 career goals, will pass said of Ovechkin. “I’m focused on winning, though. That’s what it comes Brendan Shanahan, Luc Robitaille, Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman and down to. That’s my motivation.” Mark Messier in the next year. Then, the familiar refrain strikes again. And if that pace continues, Ovechkin, 33, will have a chance to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals before he is through. “That’s the team that beat us last year,” Crosby said. “Oh, I think he’s got a real chance to do it,” Crosby said. “I don’t think it’s The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 out of the realm of possibility at all. If anybody is ever going to do it, it’s going to be him. I don’t think we’ll see anyone quite like him again.” Crosby still marvels at Ovechkin’s physical gifts after all of these years. The two produced a show for the ages in Game 2 of their 2009 postseason meeting, each recording hat tricks. Ovechkin’s Capitals won that game, but Crosby’s Penguins won the series. “I remember some of the goals he scored in 2009,” Crosby said. “The hat trick game, he had this one shot, he was barely past the blueline, and he just ripped it. I’ve never seen a guy shoot the puck like that. And when teams would scout him and figure something out, he would just find another way to score. He’s always been like that. The way he shoots the puck, he’ll just keep scoring.” 1135788 Washington Capitals know what you’re doing. One pulls out the wand. When you start wanding a hockey bag, you set off all sorts of alarms. There’s skate blades, a helmet, etc.” In the NHL, an emergency goalie’s night can change in the blink of an Security at Capital One Arena is always tight. Everyone gets stopped at eye the checkpoint that leads to locker room area, including players and team executives. By Tarik El-Bashir Mar 12, 2019 13 Then, just as Hanger grew exasperated as he explained himself to another group of guards, he caught a crucial break: Brandi Holtby walked past security checkpoint on her way to see about her husband. Something had just transpired in the Capitals’ crease, but Trevor Hanger “She stops and turns to me and says, ‘Are you like the backup wasn’t sure exactly what. emergency guy? Come with me. I’m Holtby’s wife,'” Hanger recalled. He sat up straight in his upper deck seat at Capital One Arena. After a few nervous minutes, Hanger was finally in. With his equipment bag slung over one shoulder and his pads over the other, he briskly On the ice below, goaltender Braden Holtby had lost his mask and now made his toward the locker room. was skating toward the home team’s bench for medical attention. Holtby squinted his left eye as athletic trainer Jason Serbus leaned in for a Goalie was in net at Yale closer look. Hockey has always been a huge part of Hanger’s life. Hanger, who was sitting in Section 407 with his wife, watched the situation intently. As a kid growing up in Connecticut, he starred in local youth leagues and dreamed of playing for the Hartford Whalers. And though he never got to Moments later, Holtby opened the dasher board door and headed down the pros, the game he so loved served him well. He played a year of the tunnel that leads to the Caps’ dressing room. Backup goalie Pheonix Junior A, reaching the USHL all-star game as teenager, and later spent Copley, meantime, began suiting up. four years tending goal for Yale University, a top Division I program. In the blink of an eye, Holtby was out, Copley was in and Hanger’s blood One of his teammates at Yale was Alex Westlund, the goalie coach for pressure had started to spike. the Hershey Bears, the Caps’ AHL affiliate. Westlund later married Hanger’s sister. For each of the past two seasons, four amateur goaltenders have split emergency backup duty in Washington. On this particular Saturday night So when the Caps needed to find some local amateur goalies in the — January 12th vs. Columbus — Hanger, a 41-year-old banking summer of 2017 to satisfy the NHL’s new rule, Hanger found himself at executive who lives on Capitol Hill, was the netminder on call. the top of the list, family ties and all. He had skated at a high level but never earned a paycheck — a prerequisite for EBUGs. The job of an EBUG, as they’re are called, is typically an uneventful one: be ready to suit up for either team in the extremely rare event that you’re There was no tryout and Hanger has never practiced with the Caps. In needed. fact, he doesn’t know any of the Capitals’ players, and they don’t know him. But the seven or so nights each year that he’s on call, he’s two With Holtby done for the night, Hanger was needed. injuries away from stepping into Washington’s crease, potentially with a couple of standings points on the line. “You could see something happened but you couldn’t really tell what,” he said of the play where Cam Atkinson’s stick blade found its way through “The fact that a player that really has no connection to your team can the bars of Holtby’s mask. “It looked like he was going to shake it off. come in and possibly decide a game … when you really break it down Then he skates over to the bench and you’re thinking, ‘Okkaaaayyyy…’ like that, it’s amazing,” said Caps Coach Todd Reirden, who also joked There’s a pause at the bench and Copley starts getting his stuff on. And that he’s lost sleep contemplating the possibility. “It’s a unique thing the then you’re like, ‘Holy shit.'” league has put in and it’s the same for everybody.” Hanger fired off a text to Capitals goaltending coach Scott Murray. At the end of the 2017-18 season, an emergency backup named Scott Foster made international headlines. An accountant by day, Foster was “I told him I was getting ready to go down and that he should keep me pressed into action in Chicago after both Anton Forsberg and Collin Delia posted,” Hanger said. “He replied, ‘Yep. Head downstairs. Start making suffered injuries. Foster stopped all seven shots he faced during a 14- your way to get your equipment and I’ll let you know what’s going on.'” minute span to preserve the Blackhawks’ 6-2 win over the Jets. Hanger considers himself a “low heart rate” kinda guy. Most of the time, In November, the Capitals needed an emergency goalie in Winnipeg that is the case. As he made his way from his seat to the elevator, when Holtby was scratched with an upper body injury. Copley started the though, his internal temperature started rising and his mind began racing. game but Gavin McHale, the goalie coach for the University of Alberta’s The march down to get ready women’s team, faced shots from Alex Ovechkin and the other Caps in warmups and watched from a stool that led to the Capitals’ room. Hanger had the next steps down cold. Take the elevator to P1. Locate his SUV, grab the hockey bag, pads and sticks in the trunk. Take the “It’s honestly a really cool and unique experience for those guys,” winger elevator back up to the event level. Proceed to the locker room. Get Tom Wilson said of McHale. “A lot of people would dream about dressed as quickly as possible. spending a game night in an NHL room, with the guys, in the elements. I think he came from work or happy hour or something. He showed up, This, however, was the first time in the two-year history of the NHL’s was a good guy and hit it off with the guys. He was just a normal guy, a EBUG requirement that the protocol had been put to the test in hockey guy.” Washington. McHale wasn’t needed that night, much to Reirden’s relief. It all seemed pretty straight forward on paper. “You just take a deep breath and hopefully your defensemen are doing a The process was a bit more complicated in reality. good job of boxing out and hopefully your (No. 2) goalie is warmed up and ready to go and you never have to use the emergency backup,” “I got to the main elevator and the attendants are down there with their Reirden said. “But we’ve seen a few examples of it. It happens. It’s not wands,” Hanger said. “They don’t know why you’re possibly showing up like it doesn’t ever happen. It’s a reality.” with hockey equipment halfway through a game. I explained to them what’s going on and they were very cool about it. But they were like, you Waiting on improbable call don’t want to come this way, you want to go over to the players’ entrance, through the cage.” Fast forward a couple of months, and the Caps suddenly found themselves in a similar situation to the one they experienced in At this point, Hanger is starting to get a little concerned. Murray had just Winnipeg. texted him. “Where are you? What’s going on?'” the message read. “Once you get to that point, it’s on your mind” Murray said of possibly “So now it’s been a couple of minutes,” Hanger continued. “The needing the emergency backup to perform in a game that matters. “Holts adrenaline is starting to flow a little bit. It’s starting to feel real. I got was knocked out of the game by a situation you don’t expect. And the walking as quick as I can — without actually breaking into a trot — back same thing could happen to Pheonix. So, for sure, you are very close to across the garage. The attendant at the door is great; he lets me right up. having a very unique situation happen.” But I get to the top of the stairwell, right near the players’ entrance, and once again, there are three security people there. And they all want to Hanger got dressed in an auxiliary locker room. He watched the game on a nearby TV. He stretched. A media relations staffer stopped by the room to confirm that the The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 information on his HockeyDB.com page was correct, just in case that information needed to be relayed to the broadcasters and writers. An equipment staffer brought Hanger a baseball hat and blue pants shells, since the Caps were wearing their third uniform that night. He also asked Hanger how to spell his last name. Hanger tried to hide his excitement as he called out the letters, “H … A … N …,” he said deliberately. “That night was full of all these little moments that just reinforced that this was a real thing,” he said. “All of that takes place over the course of 15- 20 minutes. It’s a huge adrenaline rush.” Every few seconds, Hanger’s phone buzzed. The EBUG’s group chat was on fire. “This was the first time it’s happened for any of us,” Hanger said, referring to the other three emergency goalies. “So they want to know what’s going on. There’s a little but of solidarity there. It’s a little bit of a union. So I’m trying to keep them up on what’s going on, while I’m doing everything else, including letting my wife knows this is really happening. It felt like a lot. But you get down there, you get most of the way dressed and then you’re just kinda sitting around waiting.” Hanger’s wife, Maggie Adams, returned to her seat and sent texts to the couple’s babysitter and Hanger’s sister Avery, who was instructed to let the rest of the family know. Adams’ phone gets poor reception on Capital One. “I called the babysitter and said, ‘Hey, turn on the DVR because Trevor got called,'” Adams recounted. “It’s so funny when you try to explain to people this thing that he does is. It’s really surreal. The babysitter was more excited that both us combined.” She added: “I think the whole thing is hilarious. He takes the responsibility seriously but he doesn’t get any self-importance from it, which is a good way to be. You just have to be like, this is an absurd thing that only happens in this one sport. It’s so weird.” As the second intermission wound down, Hanger wondered when someone would come to the auxiliary locker room and bring him to the bench for the third period. It never happened. Washington burned one of two exemptions every team gets for an extra goalie when McHale sat on the bench in Winnipeg. Because of that, the Caps decided not to use their final exemption on Hanger, Caps assistant general manager Don Fishman explained. Why? Just in case. So the closest Hanger actually got to living out his EBUG fantasy ended in about a 30 second walk from the room where he sat on a folding chair, alone, monitoring the developments on TV. It was a tight game; the Caps tied it in the third period on a goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov but Artemi Panarin scored the winner for the Blue Jackets in overtime. It wasn’t quite how Hanger had always envisioned making his NHL “debut.” No, the dream always went like this: “Someone wakes up from a pregame nap with a little food poisoning, ate something bad in the pregame meal. No one is hurt. No one is in a bad way, but you know they’re not going tonight. So you get there early, you’re in the room, you get dressed, you get the jersey, you get to skate in warmups, you get to take a few pucks and see what it’s really like. You make a save or two. And you hope The Washington Post photographer gets a good shot. Then you’re on the bench for a little while. There’s probably an AHL guy on his way. He gets there halfway through the game and you hit the showers. You get a little taste of everything but you’re not in the way. You’re on the periphery, living the dream scenario.” So, yeah, Hanger was a little bummed that he didn’t get a jersey or the chance to sit on the bench. But he was also understanding of the circumstances. “None of us belong in the NHL,” he said. “You have to understand where you belong on the spectrum.” After he changed out of his pads and back into his clothes, Hanger made his way down the hallway that leads from the locker room area to the garage. On his way to meet up with his wife and head home, he bumped into Murray, who introduced him to Holtby. “I was just like hey, ‘How’s your eye?” Hanger said. “I also told him the story about his wife and how helpful she was.” “I just said, can you tell her thank you for me? Because I’m probably never going to see you guys again.” 1135789 Winnipeg Jets prospects, will be returning to North America after spending most of the 2018-19 season with Jokerit of the KHL.

Jokerit was recently eliminated from the playoffs and it is believed the 19- Enough red lights to start traffic jam year-old Vesalainen could finish the season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Mike Sawatzky By: Mike Sawatzky Vesalainen registered one assist in five games with the Jets to start the season, and added three goals and eight points in eight games with the Moose before opting to sign with Jokerit, where he tallied six goals and 17 points in 31 games. The Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks lit the lamp nine times Tuesday, but such isn't necessarily a recipe for success for a Jets team missing Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.13.2019 three of its top defencemen. Two of the NHL’s most potent offences put the goaltenders on high alert at Bell MTS Place on Tuesday night. The San Jose Sharks scored three goals on their first 16 shots before Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped nine in a row to finish the second period. Two of those early San Jose markers squeezed through after Hellebuyck got a piece of the shot. The visitors got a go-ahead goal early in the third period when Marcus Sorensen snapped Joe Thornton’s setup past Hellebuyck. It was another perfect play on the game-winner when Joe Pavelski rifled Timo Meier’s perfect feed past Hellebuyck with 4.3 seconds left in regulation. But Hellebuyck put the Jets in position to tie the game late with some excellent work earlier in the third, robbing Thornton and Gustav Nyquist on rapid-fire chances during a San Jose power play, and then denying Pavelski on a dangerous one-timer with 2:57 remaining. The Jets preferred not to dwell on the loss. Hellebuyck was unavailable for comment following the game. "It’s frustrating," Jets defenceman Ben Chiarot said. "I mean, (it’s) regular season. Especially this late, you just kinda wash it off and get to the next one. You’ve got good teams coming in, top teams, the next couple of days, so we’ll have to forget about this one." Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell didn’t fare much better, beaten on Andrew Copp’s redirection of Chiarot’s point shot for Winnipeg’s first goal, and victimized by a Bryan Little shot that banked in off of Sharks blue-liner Justin Braun to give the hosts a shortlived 2-1 lead during the opening frame. "I liked the way we played," Chiarot said. "It’s two of the top teams in the league going at it. There’s going to be chances back and forth. They just capitalized on the last one of the game, and that’s the way it goes sometimes. "You don’t like to lose to them in that fashion, but it’s going to happen a couple of times a year where you get sorta kicked in the groin that way," Chiarot said. "Like I said, you take the good things that we did. It was a good game all the way through. They get the last bounce, and it goes their way." ROUGH RIDE FOR WHEELER: Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler left the game twice due to injury in the third period, first going down after being inadvertently struck in the face by a referee with his hand outstretched and shortly thereafter when he appeared to take an elbow to the head from San Jose’s Logan Couture. Wheeler was not available for the post-game media availability, but Jets head coach Paul Maurice said he was, "fine," when asked about his condition. Couture wasn’t penalized on the play. "It was an elbow to the head... it was a mandatory head check," Maurice said. CLOSE SHAVE: Jets defenceman Tyler Myers escaped a significant injury early in Sunday’s game in Washington when he was struck in the midsection by T.J. Oshie’s errant skate. Myers took a hard body blow but recovered quickly and went on to log 19:56 of ice time, the second-highest total among Winnipeg defenceman. Want more on hockey? Get a weekly trip around the world of hockey right in your inbox. "I didn’t really see it until I felt it," Myers said Tuesday. "But luckily, it was mainly the boot that caught me, not the blade. I knew pretty quick it wasn’t a cut, so it didn’t scare me too much. It just kinda hurt." BACK TO AHL? Maurice would not comment on a Finnish media report that left-winger Kristian Vesalainen, one of the organization’s top 1135790 Winnipeg Jets were a little slow to our check in the defensive zone. We needed a little more sense of urgency in that end of the ice."

Copp and Bryan Little, with his 15th, scored 33 seconds apart in the first Sharks swim away with 5-4 win period on Sharks backup goalie Aaron Dell. Jets forward Kyle Connor provided an early spark in the second period, spinning off the post and lifting the puck to the far top corner for his 27th of the campaign, with the Jason Bell By: Jason Bell Sharks on the penalty kill. No Erik Karlsson? No Evander Kane? No cause for concern for San Jose. The San Jose Sharks' Joe Pavelski scores with 4.3 seconds left to quash the Winnipeg Jets' hopes for overtime. The absences of cosmically talented defenceman Karlsson (groin) and brutish point-producing winger Kane (personal leave) have not adversely Expect this one to really sting, although the Winnipeg Jets can't afford to affected the Sharks. Neither has been available during the winning sit and wallow. streak. The Jets rallied to pull even with the San Jose Sharks and pressed for Gustav Nyquist, acquired from the Detroit Red Wings for a pair of draft the winning goal Tuesday night — but Joe Pavelski made them pay. picks a day before the trade deadline, scored his 18th and 19th goals of the season. San Jose’s high-scoring captain deposited his 37th goal of the season behind netminder Connor Hellebuyck with 4.3 seconds left on the clock Vlasic opened the scoring with his second of the season off a goal-mouth to lift the Sharks to a 5-4 triumph at Bell MTS Place, the first of three scramble, knocking the puck through the wickets. Longtime Sharks straight on home ice this week for the Jets. centre Joe Thornton drew an assist on the play, the 1,468th point of his 21-year career, to move past legendary Chicago Blackhawks forward Winnipeg winger Mathieu Perreault’s long deflection of a Tyler Myers Stan Mikita for sole possession of 14th spot on the NHL all-time points point shot with under four minutes left tied the game 4-4. But his 13th list. goal of the season was really a moot point. Marcus Sorensen broke a 3-3 tie in the third period, rifling home a pass "That sucks. (Four) seconds left in the game, it’s terrible. They played a from Thornton. good game, they’re one of the hottest teams in the league right now. They’ve got a good team. But we gave them a good battle, we were in a Want to get a head start on your day? tie game until (four) seconds left," said Perreault. "If any positives (come) out of this one, we know we can compete with teams like that." The Sharks played just 24 hours earlier in Minnesota, shutting out the Wild 3-0 on a 24-save effort from goalie Martin Jones. San Jose Sharks' Radim Simek suffers a leg injury as Winnipeg Jets' Andrew Copp falls on it during the first period Tuesday. "Extremely gutsy (win). We’ve had a lot of guys contribute some big efforts lately, stepping up. We just have to keep winning," said Pavelski. Energized by the equalizer, the Jets stormed the Sharks end through the final few minutes. But a brilliant defensive play by Sharks defenceman "That’s the talk, come out and play hard, stick to our systems and do it Marc-Edouard Vlasic — he used his reach to break up a cross-ice pass right and keep winning. Tonight, back-to-back, coming into a tough from Nikolaj Ehlers to Andrew Copp — not only snuffed out a scoring building, good team, we found a gutsy win for sure." chance but sent Pavelski and linemate Timo Meier in on a two-on-one with Jets’ blue-liner Myers inexplicably caught deep. There was a frightening moment just over six minutes into the game when defenceman Radim Simek’s right leg crumpled after a collision with Meier waited out blue-liner Dmitry Kulikov and fed Pavelski, who jammed Copp. The Sharks rookie was helped to the dressing room and did not in the game-winner past Hellebuyck. It’s the second time he’s played the return. role of hero in Winnipeg this season. On Feb. 5, he ripped the overtime winner with San Jose short-handed in a 3-2 victory. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.13.2019 "It’s a great play, (Ehlers) trying to make a play to win the game. Kind of unfortunate that it bounces right to their guy for a two-on-one. A great player is trying to make a great play to win the game. That’s what you want. You want him to have the confidence to make that play," said Copp, who scored his 10th goal of the season in the first period, slipping into double-digits for the first time in his career. Jets head coach Paul Maurice refused to lay specific blame on the late back-breaker. "Well, we had five guys on the ice and a goalie and we gave up a goal. I’m not putting it on anybody. There’s enough guys out there," he said. "... we can’t turn the puck over and not have an event like that last goal. "We handed the puck to them too often." Winnipeg dropped to 40-25-4, while the Sharks posted their sixth consecutive victory, improving to 43-19-8 to remain atop the Western Conference. The NHL schedule-maker is hurling some hefty waves at the Jets this week, and the squad isn't exactly battening down the hatches to begin the storm surge. The Sharks were afforded plenty of room to hunt, outshooting Winnipeg 36-25. Winnipeg Jets' Mathieu Perreault (85) and Tyler Myers (57) celebrate after Perreault scored to tie the game against the San Jose Sharks during third period. San Jose's propensity for scoring goals (254) is only surpassed by the Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay Lightning (272), and Winnipeg didn't show enough respect. Loose defence play, giveaways in all three zones and some shaky goaltending by Hellebuyck through 40 minutes hurt the hosts, who need to regroup with the Boston Bruins in town Thursday and the Calgary Flames visiting Saturday. "Up and down, I think," summed up Copp, on the Jets' defensive effort. "We had some good things offensively and in the offensive zone, but we 1135791 Winnipeg Jets

Jets, Sharks both hungry for home ice in playoffs, Myers says

Mike Sawatzky By: Mike Sawatzky

Veteran defenceman Tyler Myers admits the red-hot race for first place in the NHL's Central Division is helping to motivate the Winnipeg Jets. "We like to say we take it one game at a time, which I think we do a pretty good job of, but you take a look at the points and adding to our chances for home ice in each series is something to play for," Myers said following Winnipeg's morning skate in advance of tonight's game against the visiting San Jose Sharks (7 p.m., TSN3, TSN 1290). "We'll try and add a couple tonight." The 40-24-4 Jets currently lead the Central by one point over the Nashville Predators while also holding a five-point cushion on the third- place St. Louis Blues. Winnipeg has two games in hand on the Preds; the Jets and Blues have both played 68 games. San Jose, meanwhile, is 42-19-8 and atop the Pacific Division with a one-point edge on the second-place Calgary Flames. Earning home-ice advantage for the post-season comes highly recommended for both clubs. "I would say it's nice, especially (with) the success we've had in our rink," added Myers. "We know it's a tough building to play in for opposing teams but it's not the be-all, end-all." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the day’s breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Winnipeg is currently playing without injured defencemen Dustin Byfuglien (lower body) and Josh Morrissey (upper body). Morrissey is expected to be sidelined until April. Byfuglien has taken some preliminary steps on the ice. "He has (skated) but there's not enough value to it right now," said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. "He can't push real hard on the ice. He's going heavier in the weight room, those sorts of things. He's skating around like a coach right now. I'm not a very good skater — I didn't get better from today, didn't make me faster. So we're going to wait until he can push." Meanwhile, Maurice had no comment on a Finnish media report that Kristian Vesalainen, one of the organization's top prospects, will be returning to North America after spending most of the 2018-19 season with Jokerit of the KHL. Jokerit was recently eliminated from the playoffs and it is believed Vesalainen could finish the season with the AHL's Manitoba Moose. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.13.2019 1135792 Winnipeg Jets The Jets have spoken often in recent weeks about the importance of clamping down defensively, but come playoff time, it’s tough to win games when giving up four goals or more. Jets fall to Sharks in heartbreaker “Up and down. We had some good things offensively and in the offensive zone but we were a little slow to our check in the defensive zone,” said Copp. “We needed a little more sense of urgency in that end of the ice. Ken WiebeMore from Ken Wiebe “On a night where you put up four, you want to win the game for sure.”

The Sharks, who showed no signs of being a tired team after playing the Ben Chiarot aptly compared the late goal to a kick to the nether region. night before against the Minnesota Wild, took two out of three games – sweeping the two in Winnipeg – to capture the season series with the The Winnipeg Jets defenceman seemed to capture the feeling of many in Jets, who slipped to 40-25-4 on the season and host the Boston Bruins attendance as Joe Paveleski provided a dagger with 4.3 seconds to go on Thursday as the continue a three-game homestand. as the San Jose Sharks earned a 5-4 victory on Tuesday night at Bell MTS Place. “Well, I like half our game,” said Maurice. “I liked the way we scored our even-strength goals, the power play is 1-for-2, put pucks to the net with Instead of discussing a third-period rally that featured a nifty redirection traffic after a real strong forechecks. And then I didn’t like at all the way goal from Mathieu Perreault with 3:38 to go, the Jets were forced to we were giving up goals “Seam plays, seam plays. I mean, they aren’t discuss an odd-man rush that came in the waning seconds of regulation there at this time of year and they sure as hell aren’t going to be there in time. a month. We were impressively stubborn with that play and continued to try and run it.” Instead of earning at least a point against another red-hot team that just so happens to be leading the Pacific Division standings, the Jets left the CLOSE CALL rink empty-handed. Jets defenceman Tyler Myers left the ice in some significant pain on “It’s frustrating. Regular season, especially this late, you just kind of wash Sunday after taking a skate to the rib area from Washington Capitals it off and move on to the next one,” said Jets defenceman Ben Chiarot. right-winger T.J. Oshie. “It’s two of the top teams in the league going at it and there are going to be chances back and forth. They just capitalized on the last one of the Myers and Oshie were battling for the puck in the corner when Oshie lost game and that’s the way it goes sometimes. We don’t like to lose in that his balance. fashion but it’s going to happen a couple of times a year where you sort of get kicked in the groin that way.” “I didn’t really see it until I felt it,” said Myers. “I honestly didn’t even look at the replay. You see that play happen every so often around the On a night when Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck wasn’t at his best – league, where a guy is off-balance and his foot comes up. I think that’s allowing five goals on 36 shots on goal, including three goals on the first what happened. I didn’t think there was any intent. It was mainly the boot 16 shots – the Jets were a bit loose defensively on a couple of others. that caught me and not the blade. I knew pretty quick that it wasn’t a cut, so it didn’t scare me too much. It just kind of hurt. It was a stinger, but Then on the game-winner, Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers used his speed to nothing that I’m thinking about now.” make an excellent zone entry, but he tried to force his pass to Andrew Copp through a tight window but it was intercepted by Sharks Myers said he hadn’t suffered a skate cut of any kind since his rookie defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic. season with the Buffalo Sabres in 2008-09, when he won the Calder Trophy and suited up in all 82 games. Vlasic’s active stick – coupled with Jets defenceman Tyler Myers getting caught up the ice – got the puck moving the other way and Sharks “I had to get a couple of stitches for a skate I got in the arm,” said Myers. winger Timoe Meier took it from there, feathering a perfect feed to “But, it wasn’t anything serious.” Pavelski, who scored his team-leading 37th goal and provided his second game-winner of the season series. STILL WAITING “(Ehlers) saw a lane. We’re trying to score, too,” said Jets forward Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien was in uniform for the official team Perreault. “They were able to get a stick on it, goes the other way and picture on Tuesday, but there was nothing new to report on his condition, what are you going to do? as he continues to recover from an ankle injury he suffered against the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 14. “That sucks, (4.3) seconds left in the game, it’s terrible. They played a good game, they’re one of the hottest teams in the league right now. “He has (skated), but there is not enough value to it right now. He can’t They’ve got a good team. But we gave them a good battle, we were in a push real hard on the ice,” said Maurice. “He’s going heavy in the weight tie game until (4.3) seconds left. If any positives out of this one, we know room and doing those kind of things. He’s skating around like a coach we can compete with teams like that.” right now. We’re going to wait until he can push.” Asked for his assessment of the game-winning goal, Jets head coach Byfuglien has four goals and 30 points in 37 games this season and Paul Maurice wasn’t about to put the finger in one general direction. there is still no timetable for his return. “Well, we had five guys on the ice and a goalie and we gave up a goal,” NOTHING NEW II said Maurice. “I’m not putting it on anybody. There’s enough guys out The Jets still aren’t commenting on a report in a Finnish newspaper that there.” top forward prospect Kristian Vesalainen is on the verge of returning to Copp also defended the attempt by Ehlers to find him for a one-timer. North America to join the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League. “It’s a great play, trying to make a play to win the game,” said Copp. “Kind of unfortunate that it bounces right to their guy for a two-on-one. A Jokerit was eliminated from the Kontinental Hockey League playoffs last great player is trying to make a great play to win the game. That’s what week and Vesalainen, the 24th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, is you want. You want him to have the confidence to make that play. expected to join the Moose for the stretch run – though there is some red tape to work through before that can happen. “You fight so hard to come back and they just take advantage of an attempted play to win the game. It’s a tough feeling right now, for sure.” There had been some question about whether or not Vesalainen would be eligible to play for the Moose during the Calder Cup playoffs if they As for the Jets overall performance, there was some offence created but advance, but since he’s a signed NHL player under the age of 22, he the Jets were a bit loose defensively, like on the fourth goal, when could suit up in the post-season. defenceman Nathan Beaulieu was in the vicinity of Marcus Sorensen, but wasn’t able to prevent the one-timer after a slick pass from Joe Thornton. “He’s still not skating with us,” said Maurice. “I have nothing on that.” Since Jan. 22, the Jets are third worst in the NHL with 73 goals against ON THE BOARD (only the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators have allowed more goals Jets left-winger Perreault is no stranger to saying that his game stretches during that stretch) and they’ve posted a 9-10-2 record during that time. well beyond points, but he went through a lengthy stretch without a goal Prior to the Jets going into the player and NHL All-Star break, the Jets (14 games) before scoring his 12th of the campaign against the Capitals were fourth-best in goals-against. on Sunday. “It has been a while for me. It was good to contribute, but we still lost the game, so it didn’t matter,” said Perreault, who had gone more than a month without denting the twine. “If our line can provide offence, it makes our team even better.” Going into Tuesday’s game, the Jets fourth line had three goals during the past two games and that secondary scoring comes in handy at this time of the season. Much like Maurice has, Perreault was quick to credit the play of Copp for helping the line get going. “Any line runs through their centreman and you’ve got to give him a lot of credit,” said Perreault. “He’s good in D-zone, he gets in there and gets the puck out, on the forecheck, he’s disrupting the play. He’s in the right spot and it makes my job a lot easier. As a winger, that makes a difference. Our line has been running through him and he’s been great.” THE RACE The Jets are locked in a battle with the Nashville Predators for top spot in the Central Division, so they’ve got plenty to play for during the stretch run. How much stock are they putting into finishing first? “Obviously, you want to finish as high as you can,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele. “We have to focus on getting our game where we want it to be going into this final stretch of the season. It would be nice to get on a run here.” Being such a strong home team during the past two seasons, the Jets know there would be some benefits to winning the race for top spot. “It would give us home-ice advantage for the first two rounds, at least,” said Perreault. “It’s nice to be up there, but our main focus is to come into the playoffs playing a style that we like and we feel comfortable that we can give it a good run and win games.” Facing 11 of 13 teams who are either above the playoff line or in the mix for a wild-card spot means the competition should be fierce for the next few weeks. “It’s almost what you want at this time of year,” said Myers. “To start ramping it up and to get ready for the playoffs and into playoff mode. Our group has done a pretty good job of creating a habit of getting to a level that has allowed us to win a bunch of hockey games. We’ll just keep doing the same thing.” FIVE TAKEAWAYS Gut punch: After the Jets got the tying goal on a redirection from Mathieu Perreault with 3:33 to go in the third period, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski delivered the knockout punch with four seconds to go in regulation, burying a perfect pass from Timo Meier for his team-leading 37th goal of the season. Fighting it: Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck wasn’t at his best, giving up three goals on the first 16 shots on goal that he faced through two periods. A couple of goals leaked through him and he looked behind him on several other occasions. These nights happen on occasion, but it was the second time in as many games that Hellebuyck was outplayed by the opposition’s backup. More secondary scoring: Along with Perreault’s goal, Andrew Copp scored his 10th goal of the campaign, giving the Jets fourth line goals in three consecutive games and five total during that span. That included three from Copp and two from Perreault, who has scored in consecutive games after a 14-game drought. Gruesome injury: The Sharks lost Radim Simek to a suspected knee injury in the first period. Simek delivered a hit on Copp and as Copp was falling to the ice, he landed on the right leg of the Sharks defenceman. Simek was in obvious pain and had to be helped off the ice. He did not return. Milestone match: Sharks centre Joe Thornton hit a couple more milestones on Tuesday. By suiting up in his 1,554th regular season game, he moved into a tie for 13th place on the NHL’s all-time games played list. By producing a pair of assists, Thornton moved into sole possession of 14th place on the NHL all-time scoring list with 1,469 points. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 03.13.2019 1135793 Vancouver Canucks In Overholt’s case it was a combination of time, the love of her family, the support of her coaches and teammates, and her own iron will that brought her through to the other side. Sinking in depression, B.C. Olympic swimmer Overholt given love, help, “It took a long time for me to figure things out,” she says. “I wasn’t ready hope to go back to swimming. I had to take time for myself.” “To see her arc, it’s amazing,” says Price, who recruited Overholt to UBC Ed Willes More from Ed Willes out of high school. “It transcends sports. Physically she’s climbing back up the ladder. And she’s in a much better place as a person. There’s more balance in her life.” The 21-year-old from West Van will be presented with the Harry Jerome As for 2020, well, Overholt knows it’s coming. But, unlike the run-up to Comeback Award on Wednesday by Sport B.C. and that’s a good thing. Rio, she also knows it’s one day at a time and if that sounds trite, ready her story again. Emily Overholt returned from the 2016 Rio Olympics with a bronze medal, an injured hamstring and the weight of the world on her 19-year- Today, she has the pool, her family, friends and her dog. There will be old shoulders. other days when there are bigger challenges — challenges she’ll be better prepared for — and they’re coming soon enough. She could handle the medal and everything it represented. In time, her hamstring would heal. But, until then, she has this day and that’s all she wants or needs. But the other thing, this black cloud that wouldn’t let in any light, was “Right now I’m happy with my swimming and where I am with my life,” different. What do you even call this thing? She didn’t really know. She she says. “But, yeah, it’s something that’s happened to me and I just knew it was taking away everything she loved and if she didn’t get definitely take better care of myself because of it. help, it would never give it back. “(In Rio) it took me a long time to be proud of what I did. I think this time “It got to the point where I wasn’t safe for myself,” says the star UBC I’ll appreciate it more and I’ll have a different idea of success.” swimmer. “It took me awhile to accept help and even then I was in denial. I didn’t want to be there (in a hospital getting treatment for depression). It She sees that now, sees that because light broke through that black was tough to open up but it was really the only way I was going to get cloud. better. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.13.2019 “I think the biggest thing was just accepting that what I was feeling was real. It was serious and could be treated and I could feel better.” In this line of work we write about concepts such as courage and character; perseverance and resilience. We talk about athletes overcoming obstacles and the life lessons they provide. Then you listen to this young woman tell you what she had, what she lost, and where she is now and you realize those terms have little meaning. On Wednesday night, the 21-year-old from West Van will be presented with the Harry Jerome Comeback Award by Sport B.C. and that’s a good thing. But it doesn’t begin to tell the story of her journey and her triumph, a journey that will likely take her to the Tokyo Olympics next summer but won’t stop there. “I’m happy with sharing my story,” she says. “I’m hoping it will help people. It was a really hard time in my life, a real struggle but I definitely learned a lot.” If you get to her Twitter feed, you will see links to a variety of posts and articles on mental health. You’ll also see this from MindHealth B.C.: “I may not be there yet but I’m closer than I was yesterday.” No, the journey never really ends but, sometimes, it gets easier. In another year, Overholt will attempt to qualify for Tokyo in a couple of disciplines. Her best event is the individual medley — she finished fifth in the 400 IM in Rio — but she’ll also be in the mix in the relays and freestyle. In Rio, she filled in for an ailing Brittany MacLean in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay and helped the Canadian team make it to the final where they eventually claimed bronze. She did all this with an uncooperative hamstring. Still, she remembers the Rio Games for other reasons. The first symptoms of depression appeared in the run-up to the Olympics. In its early stages, the illness wasn’t debilitating. She talked to her family — parents Carman and Deborah — she talked to her coaches — Tom Johnson on the national team and Stephen Price at UBC. She powered through it because that’s what she always did. But when she got home from Brazil things got worse. A lot worse. She would eventually be hospitalized for 10 weeks before she was discharged in December 2016. It would be another nine months before she returned to the pool and competition. “I had this hamstring injury and it was something I could talk about and people could see it,” she says. “Depression is really hard to talk about. People couldn’t see it. I hid it from everyone. It wasn’t until things really got bad that I asked for help.” It would take time. Depression isn’t a wonky hammy or a strained MCL. There’s no timetable or rehab regimen that makes everything right. 1135794 Vancouver Canucks first time an American family has ever had three players taken in the first round of the NHL draft.

Quinn’s father, Jim Hughes, was a former hockey player and team Five Things about Quinn Hughes, the newest Canucks defenceman captain for Providence College. He was also director of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs. His mother, Ellen Weinberg- Hughes, played for the United States women’s national ice hockey team Harrison Mooney More from Harrison Mooney and was a standout, three-sport, Hall of Fame athlete at the University of New Hampshire.

Quinn’s uncle, Marty Hughes, and his cousin, Teddy Doherty, played Quinn Hughes may be small, but the Vancouver Canucks are expecting professional hockey as well. In short, hockey runs in this family’s blood. big things from their prized defensive prospect. Hughes will be the first (real) no. 43 in Canucks history The 5-foot-10 blue-liner turned pro this weekend, signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canucks one night after a humiliating loss to Expectations are incredibly high for Hughes, who many believe has the the Vegas Golden Knights, and just eight months after the club selected potential to be the best defenceman in Canucks history. But even prior to the teen phenom with the seventh-overall pick at last summer’s NHL his NHL debut, Hughes is already flirting with Canucks history: according entry draft. Hughes will be a welcome addition to a Canucks’ defence to Hockey-Reference.com, he’ll be the first Canuck to rock the no. 43, the corps in dire need of a new identity, not to mention an offensive engine: same number he wore with the NCAA’s Michigan Wolverines. Alex Edler leads the Canucks’ blue-line with just 22 points in 43 games; no NHL team boasts a defensive scoring leader with fewer points. That said, two other Canucks have sported the number, albeit incredibly briefly. Winger Pat Kavanagh wore the number for three playoff games in On Wednesday, the Canucks will formally introduce the blue-liner to a 2001, and defenceman Don Gibson wore no. 43 for one game in 1991. hockey market desperate for exactly what he brings: elite skating, But those instances hardly count. smooth outlet passes, and a gift for creating offence from the back end. His NHL debut is soon to follow. But before we get a look at Hughes on Hughes will be the longest-serving no. 43 in franchise history by the time the ice, let’s take a closer look at the newest Canuck with five quick facts this season comes to a close, and if he lives up to the hype, he could about him: conceivably be the last. Hughes was recently named hockey’s top prospect Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.13.2019 In January, The Athletic’s prospect guru Corey Pronman ranked the top 50 prospects in the NHL’s 31 organizations. Quinn Hughes topped the list, beating out big names like Detroit’s Filip Zadina and Carolina’s Martin Necas. Hughes was labelled a future star, and was also just one of three prospects Pronman rated as elite. “Quinn Hughes is a special talent,” Pronman said. “The way he skates is unique and separates him from the pack. He’s a truly elite skater but it’s not just speed, his edges are ridiculously good. He spins off pressure and gets up to top speed incredibly well. He’s also very skilled and makes elite plays seems routine. He has a fluidity to his game that I’ve never seen before.” After years of watching a Vancouver blue-line that few would ever describe as “fluid,” Canucks fans can only hope that Pronman is correct in his analysis. Canucks prospect Quinn Hughes pivots around the puck as his team plays Team White in the second period of the Annual Showdown game at Rogers Arena, Vancouver, July 05 2018. Hughes came to the Canucks in a hurry Quinn Hughes is known for his speed, and you could argue the offensive sparkplug has already demonstrated this skill by arriving in Vancouver in such short order. Typically, Canucks fans have to wait at least a full season before the team’s top prospects arrive. But Hughes, who signed with Vancouver at the end of his sophomore season in Michigan, is ahead of schedule. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a prospect graduate to the NHL so quickly. The last player to make his Canucks debut in the year immediately following his draft (otherwise known as his D+1 year) was Ryan Kesler in 2003. Hughes is a Hobey Baker nominee After another point-per-game season with Michigan (5 goals, 28 assists in 32 games), Hughes finds himself in contention for this year’s Hobey Baker Award, given to the best hockey player in the NCAA. He’s on the long-list, and will find out next week if he’s on the short-list, which he should be. If he wins, that would give Canucks prospects back-to-back awards after Adam Gaudette took home the coveted prize last season. Either way, Hughes’ nomination marks the third time in as many years that the Canucks have had a candidate for the award in their prospect pool. Brock Boeser narrowly missed out in his final NCAA season a year before Gaudette. That certainly bodes well for a team in the middle of a rebuild. Hughes comes from a huge sports family You’ve probably heard of Quinn’s younger brother Jack, who is projected to go first overall at this year’s NHL entry draft in Vancouver. But the Hughes family has produced far more than just two notable athletes. Quinn and Jack’s younger brother, Luke, currently playing bantam hockey, is also projected to be a first-round draft pick, which would be the 1135795 Vancouver Canucks the next two drafts — used wisely, they sure could see themselves bouncing back quickly as contenders.

And for a young player like Howden, one day he may point back at this Patrick Johnston: Rookie Howden remains upbeat despite being thrown weird year he’s just endured and say it was all worth it. into Rangers rebuild Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.13.2019

Patrick Johnston More from Patrick Johnston

The Rangers have been all-in on a rebuild for the past year, amassing picks and dealing veterans. It has been quite the whirlwind season for New York Rangers’ rookie Brett Howden. Drafted late in the 2016 first round by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the former Moose Jaw Warrior was flipped — along with Libor Hajek and Vladislav Namestnikov — by the Bolts in a 2018 trade deadline day deal for J.T. Miller and Ryan McDonagh. It was an emphatic rebuilding move for the Rangers: parting with a couple veterans in exchange for a group of young players, plus draft picks. And it came just two weeks after the Rangers’ brass had published an open letter to their fans, openly declaring their intention to build a new team, a bold plan that could experience short-term hardship. Veterans who the fans had bonded themselves to were going to be sent away, with draft picks and young players coming to the Big Apple. For Howden, who was still skating with Moose Jaw, it was a lesson about the business of hockey. The Rangers’ plan, as outlined in the letter, he only learned about later. “I didn’t (know about the letter), the only reason I didn’t was because I didn’t even think it was an option I could get traded,” he said Tuesday morning after the Rangers held an optional practice at Rogers Arena ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Canucks. “But as I learned about the Rangers and the plan, I saw that maybe there was a chance I would get to make the NHL.” And make the NHL he has. Along with the 26-year-old Namestnikov, he’s been a regular fixture in coach David Quinn’s lineup. (Hajek played his first five NHL games this season, but suffered a separated shoulder over the weekend.) It’s been a tough transition on the stats sheet for Howden, who was a productive scorer for Moose Jaw. He scored his fifth goal of the season on Monday in Edmonton, ending a dry spell. (He hadn’t scored since mid-November.) “The guys congratulated me on scoring my first goal of the year,” he joked about the tally. In the middle of that swoon was a knee injury suffered in January. But Howden said he’s remained upbeat, just like he said he feels about the team’s overall focus. Sure, rebuild is the word being used on the outside, but it’s not one that’s used in the dressing room. “I think the thing we focus on is it’s not a rebuild to us … it’s a building year,” he said. “We’re building to keep being better. Not looking to take any steps back. “This year, it has been really cool for me, getting to learn from so many older guys, along with the other younger guys … it’s really cool for us young guys to take the same path, learning together from guys who have so much experience.” Of course, two of those veteran teammates, Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes, were shipped out at this year’s trade deadline — Hayes for a pair of picks and grinder Brendan Lemieux, Zuccarello for a pair of picks. “That was tough, obviously I’ve only known them for half the year but it felt like I’ve known them for a while,” he said. “If it was tough on me I can only imagine what it was like on the guys who’d known them longer.” The Rangers sit 25th overall in the league, one position up on the Canucks. The clarity of the plan suggests the bosses would probably hope to slip lower, raising their chances in the draft lottery. And while the players are surely playing hard, chasing wins — that’s just how athletic competition works — they’ve won just two of their last 10 games, a boon for their lottery chances. The Rangers have 20 picks in 1135796 Vancouver Canucks

Patrick Johnston: Canucks will wait for healthy Hughes to debut, add Tiger to blue-line

Patrick Johnston More from Patrick Johnston

As the Canucks wait to learn more about the health of Quinn Hughes' right foot, they've also added another college defenceman in Josh Teves. Call it a Captain Obvious moment: the official team answer to when Quinn Hughes will play for the Vancouver Canucks is: “when he’s healthy.” The Vancouver Canucks’ newest defenceman blocked a shot with his right foot Friday during an NCAA playoff game against the University of Minnesota. He managed to play the next night in the best-of-three playoff series, which his Michigan Wolverines lost, ending his collegiate career. The 19-year-old signed with the Canucks over the weekend — he was drafted last summer — and flew to Vancouver Tuesday. Another spoiler alert: his new coach is stoked. “It’s exciting,” Travis Green said Tuesday. “There’s been a lot of talk about a lot of our young guys. To get him signed and on his way to Vancouver is exciting.” But the timetable for Hughes’s first game in the NHL is unclear. Green said the only plan for the mobile blue-liner in the short-term is to determine the health of his foot. Once he’s healthy and ready to skate, he’s likely to get right into game action. “I’ll plug him in as soon as I can,” Green said. “He’s been off the ice now for, I think he played Saturday, tomorrow’s going on four days. He’s going to need to get on the ice here and skate. I want to see him as much as everyone else.” Players coming from college often talk about getting used to the quickness of the NHL game, but Alex Biega, who has plotted out an NHL career as a smaller defenceman after playing NCAA hockey (at Harvard), said there was one thing his newest teammate likely won’t have to worry about. “(Because) you’re playing 36 games or so, you’re in the gym, you’re working out in the gym maybe two to three times a week. Physically I would say that college guys are a little bit more prepared … for the man’s game,” he said. “I’m excited for him because the game’s changed. You can defend with your speed and your skating.” Adding a Tiger to blue-line Tuesday, the Canucks added another college player to the mix, signing 24-year-old Josh Teves to a one-year deal. “He’s a smart two-way defenceman, always makes good decisions with the puck,” general manager Jim Benning said. “A good passer. He’s a little bit older, so physically he’s mature.” Teves will join the Canucks for the remainder of the season. A late bloomer, he played one year in the B.C. Hockey League as a 19- year-old blue-liner with the Merritt Centennials and then played for four years for a solid hockey program at Princeton University. He posted decent though not spectacular numbers for the Tigers. “Our college scouts really like him,” Benning added. “A great kid, a character kid.” Because of his age, the collective bargaining agreement only allowed for Teves to be signed to a one-year deal, which will expire at the end of the season, leaving him as a restricted free agent. But expect him to be re-signed to a longer-term deal at that point: “If I could have signed him to a longer deal, I would have,” Benning said. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135797 Websites Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Niklas Hjalmarsson are pretty clear matchup favourites for Rick Tocchet in Arizona. Beyond that, he doesn’t really seem to have any preferred matchups, although, with the injuries that the The Athletic / Matchup data for defencemen from all 31 teams to find out Coyotes have endured this year, it might be difficult to spot trends there. who has earned their coach’s trust To the extent that Tocchet’s had a preferred matchup for opposition second lines, it’s probably depended a lot on who happens to be healthy on any given night. By Tyler Dellow Mar 11, 2019 35 Edmonton Oilers Edmonton’s basically run with a top four and bottom two this year. There’s a slight edge towards shifting the more difficult minutes to Adam One of the things I like to keep an eye on is how defencemen are being Larsson and Oscar Klefbom but it’s not particularly strong. Kevin Gravel matched up against opposing forwards. While there’s a debate about the and Matt Benning have been particularly sheltered. extent to which that matters, when you look at the data it’s pretty obvious that coaches believe in it. There a million ways to do this but the Vancouver Canucks approach that I like to take involves classifying opposition lines based on who the coach likes to use. In order to do this, I’ve simply classified the Travis Green is a coach who’s really impressed me as someone who forward with the highest average time on ice for the season as the first decides on the matchups he wants and in his time behind an NHL bench, line. I eliminate him and his two most common linemates in that game finds a way to get them. Sure enough, that shows up again, with Tanev from the data and then classify the forward with the second highest and Edler playing helaciously difficult minutes. After that, Ben Hutton average time on ice from the remaining nine as my proxy for the second stands out, particularly given that 2017-18 was a difficult year for him and line. Everything else is bottom six minutes. then you’ve got a group of four who look to have been more sheltered. It will be interesting to see where Quinn Hughes slots in here exactly. What this does is let us look at ice time profiles for a team’s defencemen. Green would presumably like to break him in slowly but there are a lot of Defence is a position where reputations sometimes last longer than a people in Vancouver fighting for those minutes. coach’s faith in a player. Looking at things like this lets us see what the coach is thinking. In order to provide a sense of the ranges involved, I’ve Anaheim Ducks put together a line graph showing the percentage of ice time played Curiously, given Randy Carlyle’s reputation as a matcher of lines and against opposition top lines, second line and bottom sixes by pairs, there aren’t all that many particularly strong trends with Anaheim defencemen this year. this year. The Ducks only have five defencemen who made the games Just to explain what we’re looking at here, the 100th percentile played limit due to the injuries and player churn that they’ve endured this defenceman against opposition bottom six forwards (the defenceman year. Unsurprisingly, Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson are the who played the highest percentage of his time against them) played just matchup pair but Carlyle and Bob Murray don’t really seem to have under 70 percent of his ice time against bottom six forwards. You can hidden any of the Ducks’ five regulars. see a few things in this. First of all, the distribution of ice time against Los Angeles Kings second lines is much narrower. If I’d broken this out further, we’d probably see the same thing with fourth lines too. It’s easier to control There’s not a ton of really hard matching going on in Los Angeles this matchups on the edges – against the opposition’s best and worst year. Drew Doughty and Derek Forbort are, I suppose, playing a little players. more against top line competition than Jake Muzzin, formerly of that parish, and Alec Martinez. Then you’ve got three guys who are clearly Second, the spread actually is fairly big for the top and bottom of the being more sheltered with Dion Phaneuf having been the most sheltered opposition’s lineup. Again, it’s more on the edges than anything. You can of the three. see in particular that things change starkly in the bottom and top ten percent of defencemen. Whether it’s impacting results or not, coaches Central Division deploy different defencemen differently. Finally, note that the second line is going to make up a smaller proportion of most defencemen’s ice time Winnipeg Jets than the first line (which plays more by definition) or the bottom six (which Winnipeg’s kind of been running with a top three this year. Dustin involves two lines rather than just one.) As you look through the various Byfuglien, Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey have all been playing teams, you can use the graph above for a sense of where a given minutes with markedly different profiles than the other Jets defencemen. player’s usage rates relative to the team. There was a school of thought amongst some smart Jets’ fans to whom I Pacific Division pay attention before the trade deadline that Winnipeg could really use a left-shot defenceman. As it so happens, Paul Maurice’s usage patterns San Jose Sharks kind of line up exactly with that. One of the things that you notice when you start looking at teams this Nashville Predators way is that the defenceman who plays the most ice time isn’t necessarily the one who has played the toughest minutes. There’s been a long time In the years that I’ve been paying attention to this, it seems like nothing trend in San Jose where Marc-Edouard Vlasic provides some shelter for has ever changed with Nashville. They roll out the big four defencemen Brent Burns. This year, that’s extended to Erik Karlsson as well. Justin against the opposition’s best and then the bottom pair is heavily Braun and Vlasic have played much tougher minute than the typical sheltered. Plus ça change … defenceman sees; this provides a benefit to the rest of San Jose’s St. Louis Blues defence. Vince Dunn is someone who’s gotten a lot of positive attention this year. Calgary Flames He’s had a good year, but St. Louis is fairly similar to Nashville in terms It’s not surprising that TJ Brodie and Mark Giordano are playing the of having a clear top four and bottom two. toughest minutes in Calgary. Two other things jump out at me looking at Dallas Stars this. First, Travis Hamonic and Noah Hanifin aren’t being particularly sheltered. Rasmus Andersson and Oliver Kylington on the other hand … Miro Heiskanen isn’t going to have much luck in the Calder Trophy race they’re getting a very nice introduction to life in the NHL. As we’ll see, this this year what with Elias Pettersson but a teenager playing top-four is something of a Mike Babcock trait and Calgary coach Bill Peters is a minutes and surviving on a likely playoff team is worthy of a mention. It’s product of the Mike Babcock finishing school for coaches. not all that common. Vegas Golden Knights Minnesota Wild Vegas is similar to San Jose, in the sense of one pair providing some The Wild are another team that’s kind of clearly running a top four and a cover for the rest of the defencemen, only more so. Nate Schmidt and bottom pair. If Matt Dumba had been healthy all year, Greg Pateryn’s Brayden McNabb are taking the hardest minutes; every other splits would probably look a lot more like Nick Seeler’s. defenceman on the team is nicely sheltered from the opposing first lines as a result. This will be worth keeping an eye on if the Golden Knights Colorado Avalanche run into deeper opposing teams in the playoffs. Their second and third Jared Bednar hasn’t run particularly strong matches this year. There pairs haven’t been asked to eat minutes against really high-end appears to be a bit of a preference for getting Erik Johnson, Samuel competition for most of the year. Girard and Ian Cole out against the other team’s best players and a bit of Arizona Coyotes a preference for Nikita Zadorov and Patrik Nemeth against bottom six forwards but beyond that, it’s a pretty generic looking split. Chicago Blackhawks Boston Bruins Surprisingly to me, Connor Murphy and Carl Dahlstrom (!) have been It’s hard to say that an inner circle Hall of Famer is underrated but if playing a lot against the opposition’s top players. In addition to them, there’s a case to be made for anyone, it’s Zdeno Chara. According to Jeremy Colliton seems to have given Duncan Keith and Henri Jokiharju a hockey-reference, only nine defencemen have even played in the NHL in bit of a run there. That leaves Erik Gustafsson, Gustav Forsling and their age 41 season – Chara, Tim Horton, Allen Stanley, Nicklas Brent Seabrook playing the more sheltered minutes in Chicago. Lidstrom, Chris Chelios, Doug Mohns, Tommy Albelin, Carl Brewer and Terry Harper. I’d be very surprised if anyone other than Lidstrom was Metro Division playing the hellacious competition level that Chara’s facing. Even at 41, Washington Capitals he’s still making life easier for Boston’s other defencemen. There’s not much to say here. This is a very clean example of a top four Toronto Maple Leafs and a bottom pair. It will be worth keeping an eye on whether or not the This is a very typical Mike Babcock split. He picks a pair and rides them usage patterns change now that Nick Jensen has been slotted into the hard. As with last year, Morgan Rielly and Ron Hainsey eat a lot of the third pair with Brooks Orpik. tough minutes. Travis Dermott and Igor Ozhiganov have had much more New York Islanders limited exposure to the opposition’s top players. In fact, of the 202 defencemen who qualified for this study, only Bogdan Kiselevich in One of the curious things about the Islanders last year was that they Florida has played a smaller share of his minutes against the opposition’s didn’t really have a lot of definition in their defence pairs. That’s changed top line. (Calgary’s Oliver Kylington is next on that list; as was mentioned this year, with Ryan Pulock having become someone who Barry Trotz is earlier, Peters and Babcock seem to share a philosophy with respect to using in a matchup role. Also of note: Johnny Boychuk’s competition sheltering their third pair.) seems to have been taken down a notch. Montreal Canadiens Pittsburgh Penguins About the only surprising thing with Montreal is that Victor Mete has One of the big stories coming out of the Stadium Series were the injuries played the second highest share of his minutes against the opposition’s suffered by Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin. When you see this, you can top line. This is, I suspect, a result of being the left-handed partner of see why. Letang and Dumoulin are very much Mike Sullivan’s preferred choice for Jeff Petry or Shea Weber when they were filling the matchup pair in terms of playing against the opposition’s first line. You can role. Other than that, Claude Julien has managed his bench very contrast that with a team like Washington, where that burden is being carefully. shared more evenly. Florida Panthers Carolina Hurricanes You can make a case that Aaron Ekblad has the toughest minutes Speaking of burdens that are evenly shared, Rod Brind’Amour seems to amongst NHL defencemen this year. He’s played the fifth highest share spread the work out fairly evenly in Carolina. There’s a slight tendency of his minutes against the opposition’s top line and the lowest share towards Calvin de Haan and Trevor van Riemsdyk playing a little bit against their bottom six forwards. The Panthers then kind of have a tier of more against bottom six opposition and a little bit less against top six Mike Matheson, Keith Yandle and Mark Pysyk, with MacKenzie Weegar opposition but it’s fairly weak compared to some other teams. and Bogdan Kiselevich being very heavily sheltered by Bob Boughner and his staff. Columbus Blue Jackets Buffalo Sabres Seth J0ones has evolved into a tough competition player in Columbus. About a quarter of the defencemen who qualified under the limits that I The Sabres are kind of similar to Winnipeg in that there are three established played a greater percentage of their time against opposition defencemen who their coaching staff seems to trust above the others: top lines than against bottom six forwards; Jones is one of them. More Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe and Marco Scandella. Rasmus surprisingly, so too is Ryan Murray. Murray’s had a bit of a tough start to Dahlin’s usage looks a little easier than Heiskanen’s in Dallas but fairly his career since going second to Columbus in 2012; judging by his usage similar. As with Heiskanen, it’s always noteworthy when a teenaged this year, he’s earned John Tortorella’s trust. defenceman takes on significant minutes in the NHL. Nathan Beaulieu was clearly less trusted than the others; unsurprisingly, he’s no longer a Philadelphia Flyers Sabre. He’s been getting a look in Winnipeg as the Jets deal with the absence of Josh Morrissey and look for a defenceman to solidify their top Ivan Provorov has become the clear first choice in Philadelphia, with four. Travis Sanheim and Robert Hagg also playing a reasonable share of their time against opposition first line players. After that, Shayne Detroit Red Wings Gostisbehere, Radko Gudas and Andrew MacDonald look to be players who the Flyers coaching staff has preferred to get on the ice for the Two things really jump out about Detroit. First, Nick Jensen was getting opposition’s bottom six forwards rather than their top six. some exposure to opposition top lines. He’s a bit of an analytics darling and analytics darlings are occasionally players who aren’t facing the New York Rangers strongest competition. You certainly can’t say that about him. Second, Filip Hronek’s usage this year is interesting, in terms of a coaching staff There appear to be three groups of defencemen who appear from the trusting a young player. If you contrast his usage with that of Dennis Rangers’ data. In the first tier, you have Neal Pionk and Marc Staal. Cholowski, it’s pretty easy to see a difference. Hronek’s ice time is still They’re followed by Brady Skjei, Tony DeAngelo and Adam McQuaid. reasonable but for a defenceman in his age 21 season, he’s getting Finally, you’ve got a more sheltered group that includes Fredrik some significant exposure to high-end opposition forwards. Claesson, Kevin Shattenkirk and Brendan Smith. Ottawa Senators New Jersey Devils The Senators kind of dialed back the usage of Cody Ceci against the New Jersey’s more in the mold of teams like Washington, with four opposition’s top players this year. He’s had years where he was much defencemen who the coaching staff uses against opposition top lines and more the main man for Ottawa than he is now. In fact, five of Ottawa’s then two who they tended to deploy more against the opposition’s bottom defencemen – Ceci, Max Lajoie, Ben Harpur, Mark Borowiecki and six. Christian Jaros all have fairly similar usage profiles. There are two that Atlantic Division are markedly different from the rest: Thomas Chabot and Dylan DeMelo. Tampa Bay Lightning Ottawa’s usage of Thomas Chabot is kind of surprising, in that with this being a bit of a transitional season for Ottawa, it seems like the sort of It’s surprising to see Victor Hedman third on this graph, which is sorted year in which you could get Chabot time against the opposition’s top lines by 5-on-5 ice time. The Lightning have reduced his minutes this year, and live with the consequences a little bit. That’s not the direction that the both overall and at 5-on-5. He still leads Tampa’s defence in overall ice Senators chose. time but his 5-on-5 minutes have been dialed back. So, uh, they can probably play him more in the playoffs if they’re so inclined. It’s also kind It’s all the more unusual because Chabot has led the Senators defence in of noteworthy to me that Hedman isn’t particularly someone who the average time on ice this season. That’s something that’s usually done by Lightning are matching up against opposition top lines this year. He’s not a player who the coaching staff is using against the opposition’s best being hidden or anything but Ryan McDonagh, Anton Stralman and Erik players. Chabot’s one of just three defencemen to lead his team in Cernak are carrying more of that load. Again, that kind of suggests to me average time on ice while spending less than 30 percent of his time on that Tampa could make things even more uncomfortable for the ice against the opposition’s top line (Brent Burns and Mike Green are the opposition in the playoffs if they’re so inclined. others); he’s the only one to come in below 25 percent. He is, obviously, very young – this is his age 21 season – but it seems like this would have been the sort of year for in which Ottawa could make that investment in him. It will be something to keep an eye on going forward – if Chabot is going to be the player that they ultimately want him to be, his minutes will have to start to skew away from the bottom six opposition at some point. There you have it – 31 teams worth of matchup data for defencemen. It’s important to remember that a defenceman isn’t good or bad simply by virtue of his matchups; coaches are fallible. At the same time, it’s a helpful point of context when looking at a defenceman, thinking about what he might be in other circumstances and understanding what his current coach thinks of him. While it’s not dispositive of anything, it’s another piece of information that can help in painting a picture of a player. From my perspective, going through this is useful for a couple of reasons. It gives you some insight into the ways in which different coaches are running their benches. I always find it particularly interesting to see who’s really riding one pair in tough matchups (San Jose, Vegas, Boston, Toronto, Florida, Montreal and Vancouver) both in terms of their immediate strategy and, in the case of Vancouver, how that might inform what they end up doing with Alex Edler this summer. Travis Green would, presumably, have a hard time seeing him leave. Similarly, with a team like Winnipeg, it’s easy to see how adding another left-shot defenceman might be a priority at the end of the year. It’s also useful in terms of identifying players with big names and reputations who the coaching staff doesn’t trust. When free agency rolls around in the summer, it’ll be worth checking back on this to see if the roles that teams are acquiring players to play are roles that their current coaches trusted them with during this past season. The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135798 Websites their best shot or to dangle with the puck as much as they’d like, it’s important to be attentive during the warmup. It may not be a game situation, players still tend to give free reign to their individual skills. So, The Athletic / On the road: A peek into the mind and eye of the you take notes. During the game, they’ll be assessed for how quickly Canadiens director of amateur scouting they execute, whether their skating stands out from the pack. But doesn’t knowing all eyes are on them heighten the risk that some of the kids will try to do too much and provide a somewhat doctored picture Marc Antoine Godin Mar 11, 2019 27 of what they’re actually capable of? Churla shrugs. Shane Churla never had a reputation for being a gentle, easygoing “The fibre of the player always shows.” customer. A few moments after the Canadiens beat the Vancouver Canucks on Among players who have suited up for at least 300 NHL games, no one Jan. 3 at the Bell Centre, the entire Montreal front office – literally has averaged more penalty minutes per game. everyone – crossed the hallway opposite the home dressing room en route to some private nook (or possibly a cranny). It’s not the sort of foot “He always has his game face on,” said Bob Boughner, now head coach traffic one normally sees after a game. The club was holding its mid- of the Florida Panthers and also known in the 1990s for a willingness to season organizational meetings. Most NHL teams do likewise, it provides shed his gloves. an opportunity to catch up and plot strategy for the coming weeks and months. At first glance, it’s obvious that Trevor Timmins’ right-hand man isn’t given to kidding around. During the meetings, the amateur scouting staff conducted its first draft simulations in order to get a better handle on where the prospects fit, and At second glance too, for that matter. which round to target which player. That first run through will serve as a The handshake is firm and all-engulfing. His gaze is serious, determined, template for the rest of the season. reinforcing the impression that every gesture, every step, serves a Thus, when the Canadiens’ mob rolls from Okotoks into Red Deer the specific purpose. The 53-year-old takes his job to heart; whether he’s in a next day to take in the CHL Top Prospects game, it already has a high school rink in Massachusetts or watching the Allsvenskan in preliminary sense of what each of the players on the ice is all about. But Sweden, he never, ever loses sight of the prize. there’s lots of hockey yet to be played, and those impressions are subject “I’m not in it to pay the light bill, I’m in it because I want to win the Stanley to change. Cup,” Churla says. “I went to the finals as a player and that taste is still in Trevor Timmins, whose official title is assistant general manager, has my mouth because I was on the wrong end of it.” overseen the scouting operation since 2004, and Churla has been his On this night, Churla is in Okotoks, Alberta, to watch the best Junior A second-in-command for the past three seasons. Churla joined the prospects in Canada. He’s flanked by a sizable delegation from the Canadiens in 2013 and was appointed director of amateur scouting three Canadiens. Several NHL general managers are also in attendance; in all years later when Frank Jay, the office’s previous occupant, left the there are more than 200 people who draw a paycheck from an NHL organization (Jay passed away last year). team. Timmins and Churla steer the ship, but the overall success of the “I always say this is the most dangerous game in the world,” he says, enterprise hinges on the quality of the regional scouts. They’re expected “not because of us, but because of management showing up.” to have thick skin, to be prepared to go the mat for the players they believe in. Scouts who recommend a pile of players to hedge their bets? Churla isn’t necessarily referring to the Canadiens – if Marc Bergevin is Yes-men who play the that’s-a-lovely-tie-sir game in meetings? Churla’s here, he’s not sitting with the rest of the Montreal contingent – but of the not a fan. It’s not possible for two men to appraise every leaf and branch broader peril that a manager will form a hard opinion on a player without on Planet Hockey by themselves. Others need to do a pruning job first, the benefit of deep knowledge of the prospect. and it has to be done well. Which, of course, runs against every principle of scouting. “It’s a cliché, but you’re only as strong as your weakest link,” Churla says. “So if one of your area guys is weak, you’re probably going to miss a guy “You can’t scout fast,” Churla explains. “Everybody wants us to find a guy over there and it could be a guy in range of your first round pick.” in one game, two games. It doesn’t work that way. You’re normally wrong more than you’re right, I can tell you that.” Churla adds he’s happy with his team of scouts and the way it operates, but that’s not to say he doesn’t hold everyone accountable for their work. Any scout worth his salt will insist on seeing a young player a half-dozen times, if not 10, before reaching any conclusions about his average “We’re always reading reports, watching games on video, and if you see performance level, and what he’s capable of when playing at his best. something that makes you go ‘did you give the guy enough credit for this’. You want to make them think all the time, and you want them to “I give the player the benefit of the doubt,” he said. “Patience is key. You make you think,” he says. “It goes both ways because if you think you can go watch a stinker, you can go watch two or three stinkers, and then know everything in this business … It’s a humbling business. When you the guy will show you what (former Canadiens assistant GM) Rick Dudley think you’re real smart, you usually get kicked right in the crotch.” would always talk about: ‘his best game.’ It was a great point because his best game is pretty good. So I always look at that, I go: if this guy could As in past years, the best prospects from the QMJHL, OHL and WHL are play at that level – he showed me that, I know he can play at it – now split into two groups, Team Cherry and Team Orr. why can’t he play to it every game? Those are things you have to figure out.” Churla has brought along a sheet of paper, it features a box for each player. Scouts around the league work from a similar evaluation grid, but The various delegations grab seats, the Canadiens’ guys all sit in the Churla isn’t going to spend the game busily scrawling on his. Perhaps same general vicinity, the Jets’ group huddles nearby. Some scouts have he’ll jot down an observation or a quick note, but nothing more. Here he opted to stand in the area above the seats that rings the building. There might identify a game situation that confirms the development trajectory are so many black jackets on display, they look like crows perched on a of a young player, or casts it into doubt. There he’ll underline the telephone wire. presence of a skill that might eventually grow to become a ‘dimension’, which is to say a fundamental ability a player can build his game around. One of the Canadiens’ regional scouts has done a preliminary triage of He might scribble out an impression on the quality of a defenceman’s the more intriguing players, and every member of the organization who’s reads, his footwork, his gap control as an opposing forward barrels down made the trek to Alberta knows which candidates are sitting for the wing . . . Montreal’s exam. Churla, however, is already well-versed on the players who could end up landing in his net. His primary preoccupation is those The next morning, at the hotel, Churla will enter all this information into who could be picked in the first two rounds of next June’s draft. But he the reports he’s constantly filling out on a software package called also knows the players who are destined for the later rounds. RinkNet. Every NHL team uses it. “We’ve targeted some guys already, but we don’t come with a closed “I find you go to a game and you can get too hard on a guy. That’s why I mentality,” Churla says. “One thing you learn in this job is to never close don’t do my reports right after a game. Because there is some emotion in the books, always keep the glass half full.” it,” Churla says. “After you sleep on it, it seems like you have a clear mind, like it comes together better. I think a lot on the way home after the Showcase games like this can create an instant impression, a peek at game as far as referencing other guys, other situations that you’ve seen. how a player handles himself when surrounded by the best prospects in his age group. Given that not all of them will have the opportunity to rip “I come back and I got all that stuff going through my head. Geez, he “It’s even more vital in today’s game,” Carbonneau said. “The game is so reminds me of that player … He does this really well, but I remember I fast. Offensive players are going to remain offensive players, but there overvalued that.” will be fewer scoring chances, and fewer opportunities overall. You have to be able to do other things and adjust.” Scouting is not simply showing up to the rink, making an evaluation and moving on to the next stop. For Churla, it’s also about plumbing the After a short break following his retirement as a player, Churla signed on depths of his experience to skirt around the traps he’s tumbled into in the as a scout with the then-Phoenix Coyotes. That’s where renowned talent past. It’s also paramount to possess the somewhat arcane talent of evaluator Vaughn Karpan, who he’d later link up with again in Montreal, accurately projecting what a young player can become in future. became his mentor. The two men were responsible for drafting Blake Wheeler fifth overall in 2004, a choice that generated considerable According to Timmins, that’s the key to being a good scout. debate within the Coyotes organization. “You have to think long term,” he says. “Too many inexperienced scouts Karpan never played in the NHL; his on-ice career ended with him in a today report on only what the player is doing, or how he is performing Team Canada sweater at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Churla, on today.” the other hand, is part of a large pool of ex-NHLers who work in scouting. The work is methodical, not unlike peeling back the layers of an onion. However, by most estimates they constitute only about a third of all Beyond what’s observable on the surface, what is the basic essence of amateur scouts in the league. That’s a much smaller percentage than the the player? What, if anything, lurks inside that could eventually make him professional scouting business, which remains the landing spot of choice better? for former players who want to stay in the game. On the amateur side, the correlation between former player and good scout is far from direct. “My mother can come and tell you who’s the best player in the game Some just don’t have the eye. Others have trouble taking their NHL today,” Churla says. “But who’s going to be the best player in five years blinkers off. Or they have difficulty adjusting their expectations when they and have the best career? Why are they going to have that best career, watch 16 and 17-year-old players and find themselves unable to project and what is going to allow that? That’s what we try to determine.” them into the future. Others aren’t willing to put in the work. The Top Prospects game is not a venue that yields definitive answers. “I don’t think necessarily you have to be a player to be a good scout. These kinds of events have limited value, even if it can be genuinely History shows us that’s not true. Because there’s been guys, Hall of useful to see players from bad teams finally have a chance to line up Fame coaches, that never played,” says Churla. “But I think as a player alongside top level talent. It’s only after Churla has met the player, his you can see those intangibles sometimes. They’re subtleties that the coach or his teachers, and has seen him play multiple times – preferably average eye won’t catch … some courage issues, some cheat issues, in his natural environment or away from prying eyes – that he’ll start those things.” forming an opinion. Churla is ambivalent about the first player he’s come to watch after This night is mostly a marketing exercise. For the three major junior leaving Alberta. It might not be a lack of courage, exactly, it may not rise leagues, for a paint company, and for a few youngsters who may have to the level of cheating, but he sees a lack of engagement during captured a random GM’s fancy. moments when the kid had an opportunity to get his nose dirty. And this isn’t the first time he’s noticed it. At the Calgary airport, familiar NHL faces are out in force. Hey, there’s Flames head coach Bill Peters. And there’s Johnny Gaudreau, the two of The Canadiens’ top scout expected to see more. He leaves the arena them waiting for a flight to All-Star weekend in California. Gaudreau, unconvinced. already not an imposing human, is sinking into his chair in the manner of someone who’d just as soon go unrecognized. Churla grew up in the mountains of southeastern British Columbia, not far from the Alberta and U.S. borders. He was five years old when the A little further down the departure concourse, Churla is handing his Canucks entered the NHL, but the family’s religious affiliation was boarding pass to a gate agent as he steps aboard a flight. This is where already entrenched: they were Canadiens fans. On the nights Montreal you might notice the knuckle on the index finger of his right hand has was on the television, an unmistakable intensity permeated the somehow disappeared, eroded by the dozens of fights he had over his household. For dad, it was serious business. Kids running around and 11 years in the NHL. making a racket? Completely out of the question. In minor hockey, Churla was a more than decent player. But like many So little Shane would stop and watch, captivated by the fastest skater on others from his era, he understood quickly upon arriving in the junior the rink: the Roadrunner. ranks that his only path to fulfilling his NHL dream was to let his fists do the talking. “I remember even when I was with Minnesota and we’d just go to Montreal, because of Bob Gainey we’d always have one or two of those “Nothing was ever given to him, he had to work for everything he got,” guys coming to dinner with us,” Churla recalls. “Like Yvan Cournoyer. My Timmins says. “He had an appreciation for talent.” god, I just loved him. He sat right next to me for dinner and I was just… Churla carved out a role in the 1980s as the Medicine Hat Tigers’ “Of course I liked Lafleur. I played against Lafleur there at the end. But I resident hard case, which evidently piqued the interest of the Hartford liked Cournoyer.” Whalers, who made him their sixth-round draft choice in 1985. The following year, his Tigers teammate Mark Pederson would become the The Churlas were far from the only Western Canadian family with deep Canadiens’ first-round pick. bleu-blanc-rouge allegiances. It’s a curious phenomenon, but one that manifests itself every time the team takes the ice out there. Pederson only ended up playing 169 NHL games, with only 56 of them in Montreal, while Churla stretched his career to nearly 500 games. The “It’s funny, I played for a long time, and I have more people coming up to guy with less abundant natural talent ended up being significantly better my wife, ‘Oh, I’m so proud Shane is working for the Habs…’ That’s the at acclimatizing to the NHL environment. mentality with the Montreal Canadiens. That’s why, to me, there would be nothing cooler than winning with this team,” he says. “He was an extremely dedicated team player,” said Guy Carbonneau, a teammate in Dallas. “He was a pretty tough guy, but he could play. A little The elder Churla may literally have burst with pride at the idea of his boy like Chris Nilan. He was a great teammate, and he was prepared to do working for the Canadiens. He passed away several years ago, aged just whatever he had to do to win games. 62. Sometimes, when he’s alone in the car driving to a game, Churla imagines himself criss-crossing North America with his pop at his side. “He’s a guy who was never afraid to give his opinion, and who was never scared of standing up for what he believed in. It was a form of leadership “My dad was a player, he was a high skilled player in his own right, hard for sure.” skilled. He loved the game. All through junior, he didn’t miss many games I played, and I played junior in Medicine Hat, five hours away from where Churla shared a dressing room with legends like Wayne Gretzky and we lived. He didn’t miss many of those games,” Churla says. “He was Mike Modano, but also with blue collar guys who showed him how to (already) passed when I started scouting, but I could see myself doing a survive by dint of hard work and character. They taught him that you lot of trips with him if he was still alive. He would have loved that. Just to adapt or you die, a lesson that allowed him to survive in the NHL and come around and watch hockey, watch players.” stayed in the back of his mind when he switched over to scouting. Eyes boring into the road, Churla is momentarily lost in his thoughts. The With the Stars he saw men like Carbonneau and Jere Lehtinen, prolific quiet takes him back through the decades. scorers at the lower levels, reinvent themselves as elite defensive players. When he looks at prospects today, Churla scrutinizes offensive “It would have been good fun for me too…” performers for elements that might later allow them to evolve into a Think playing in the NHL is tough on a family? Try scouting. different kind of player, should their scoring or playmaking abilities not follow them to the professional ranks. When Churla was a player he knew that, by hook or by crook, he’d be Fine, but a large number of other factors also come into play. home for 40 nights during the regular season, and several dozen more practice days. American high schoolers play a short season that finishes well before most other leagues, so if you want to get a decent look at them, you’d Last year, Churla the scout took in some 230 games on the road, and better do it quickly. You also have to forecast, based on the relative figures he watched at least as many on video. In the first half of this strength of each team and each league, which clubs are poised to go on season, before heading off to Europe, he made a trio of two-week road a deep playoff run, and which are likely to be eliminated quickly. trips. He spent two days at home between each of them. Four nights in his own bed in six weeks. Where possible, you also want to watch players in conditions that best allow them to perform. For example, if the prospect in question plays on “I’m gone a minimum of a week and I like to keep it at around 10 days or a terrible team there’s no point going to see him fight a losing battle, two weeks. Any more than that you start losing the ability to retain alone on his island, against a league powerhouse. At the same time, you information, you get tired or worn down,” he says. won’t learn as much from watching him torch mediocre opposition as you will from an evenly-matched contest. That’s not a luxury Timmins and “It’s funny, people think you’re just watching hockey, but you’re getting Churla can always afford for themselves, but it is one of the home from some of these games at 12 o’clock at night, you got to catch a recommendations they make to their regional scouts when it comes to flight at six in the morning. You’re working on three or four hours of sleep, choosing which games to attend. you got to drive five hours to a game and then do it all over again, and all over again, and all over again. Then you got to work on your list, work on Churla also makes it a point of personal pride to ensure he watches your scheduling, work on your staff, try to work out … by the end of the prospects play in their home rink. Schlepping all the way to Prince year I’m worn.” George or Brandon to see a guy might constitute a disincentive to some scouts. In 2003 the Boston Bruins grabbed Patrice Bergeron in the The job involves racking up a serious amount of mileage. If the West is second round, and there’s little doubt the fact he played in faraway Churla’s preferred stomping ground, he must also do a secondary sweep Bathurst gave him less visibility than he evidently deserved. There’s a of all the other territories the team covers. The industry term is the tangible benefit to evaluating a player in the surroundings where he plays “cross-over,” and Timmins and Churla are in charge of confirming their 50 percent of his games. regional scouts’ observations. Serge Boisvert, who played in Sweden, coached in Norway and now handles Eastern Canada for the Canadiens, Mostly, it’s about putting in the hours, particularly given there are far sometimes performs the same role in Europe, as does veteran Swedish fewer secrets in amateur scouting than in years past. The days of teams talent-spotter Christer Rockstrom. But most of the double-checking is finding a diamond in the rough in some far-flung place and keeping him done by Churla and Timmins. under wraps until draft day are pretty well over. Churla is thus able to get home for between four and six days in the There’s only one reliable way to build a competitive advantage: work average month. He’s fortunate in that his two daughters are grown and harder than the other guy. left the nest some time ago; if you have a young family, no Super Elite or Platinum status can erase the sacrifices demanded by life on the road. And so, scouts’ comings and goings have a cloak-and-dagger element to them. Think of it as a free-range game of poker played across multiple As he walks into the lounge reserved for frequent hotel guests to grab a continents. Sure, Churla sees a lot of the same faces as the year coffee for the road, Churla runs across a hotel employee, who says hello. progresses. He’ll have a coffee with them, and exchange banter, but he never reveals his next destination. “The concierge guys are my best friends.” “Some of these guys used to travel together, but I was never with them. The sun is trying hard to find an opening, but the snow hasn’t yet abated. I’m too competitive. I know what goes on in the car, they’re probably The road is icy; in the opposing highway lanes a white pickup truck loses talking about players,” he says with just a hint of disgust in his voice. control and veers into the ditch. It comes to rest with its nose pointed into oncoming traffic. The incident provides a handy reminder of the time Churla travels alone. another motorist t-boned the Yukon Churla was driving. He was trying to get to Detroit in a snowstorm, and the woman driving the other car slid at He prefers it when the competition doesn’t know his whereabouts, but as him all the way from the far right-hand lane, spinning like a top for the the season wears on, he develops a keener interest in finding out which entire distance. He managed to get the vehicle back to the rental teams are following which players. It’s the sort of detail that could company under its own steam, but it was a total write-off. eventually percolate its way into consideration as the Canadiens set their final draft list. “I always say, we deserve danger pay in this job on some days because nobody in their right mind should be on the road,” he says. “But here we On this particular afternoon, kids are cavorting in the stands. A mother are, blazing the trail to some game.” screams her lungs out with words of encouragement – and a few that aren’t exactly suitable for a family audience. The NHL feels a long way Today, Churla has two games on his schedule. He rarely stays in the away. same province or state for three days, but in this case the opportunity to kill several birds with one stone was too good to pass up. “Here we have to buy our ticket,” says Churla, who somehow knows the ins and outs of every neighbourhood arena, everywhere. He didn’t need Managing travel is one of the thorniest tasks a scouting director has to to pull out his wallet the previous day, his NHL identification card was all deal with. It’s like a particularly challenging level of Tetris. You have to he needed. Still, it’s not a huge price to pay to help out the local minor draw maximum benefit from every travel segment and juggle the hockey association. calendars of multiple teams in a given region in order to hit as many different targets as possible. If an appetizing prospect happens to get Churla wanders over to a sparsely populated section of the rink and hurt in the days preceding a viewing, it creates a domino effect on the takes a seat with a view of one of the faceoff circles. Sitting at the centre- rest of the trip. Same deal if a start time is postponed or a game gets ice red line, usually considered the best seats in the house, seems to rescheduled for some reason. hold little appeal. When he’s watching a defenceman, he likes to sit behind the net wherever possible. That way he can see the game unfold And then there are days like today, where Churla makes a two-hour trek from the same point of view as the player he’s studying. to spy on a player only to have him take 17 minutes in penalties in the first period. All that planning, all that time expended, and all you get out The atmosphere is a primeval expression of hockey, which is appropriate of it is a handful of shifts. given amateur scouting is the source from which all else flows. “It happens,” he says with a shrug. Churla has had multiple opportunities to jump over to the pro scouting department over the years. But in his considered view, amateur scouting Like the t-shirt said, shit does indeed sometimes happen. is where it’s at. Be that as it may, you could go a bit nuts from a job that hinges on so “This is where it starts. Like, if you get it wrong here then it’s a domino many maybes and abstract notions and instability. Scouts invest vast effect. Now the pro scouting has to make up for a missed pick and try to amounts of time and effort in pursuit of an objective that frequently sign a free agent, and so on and so forth,” he says. “So that’s why if you vanishes from view. don’t scout well it’s really, really hard, especially in the salary cap era. You just can’t go and buy players.” Patience is everything. Think long term. No instant gratification. Just follow the game plan. The pressure is undeniable, especially given the Canadiens had a multi- year stretch where they didn’t have much success filling the pipeline via “The players dictate my travel,” Churla says. “When we come out of the draft. The three most recent classes show encouraging promise, but those mid-term meetings, that’s my roadmap right there. I’ve got to see in the previous seven or eight the number of youngsters who made all those top players. Wherever they’re at, that’s where I got to go.” meaningful contributions at the NHL level was severely limited. And that’s not even counting the fact that Bergevin set the table in the weeks preceding the trade deadline by stating publicly and clearly he had no intention of cashing in on draft prospects to obtain immediate help. From a scouting standpoint, this year’s draft is at the heart of the club’s reboot or reset or whatever it’s being called these days (the Canadiens currently hold 10 picks). Success or failure at the draft table will be a determining factor as the Canadiens seek to add firepower and the other pieces they lack. However, Timmins and his group have created a values-based grid in order to better identify the prospects with the greatest chance of becoming viable NHL assets, and their faith in the model is unshakeable. They’re trying to find the players who will have the best and longest careers, and that philosophy doesn’t change in the later rounds. “The top guys are easy – well I shouldn’t say they’re easy because you still have to get that order right; there’s been a lot of mistakes at the top – but those complete guys that you see, they’re easy. It’s the guys that aren’t complete, that are missing something,” Churla says. “Can he survive without that? Can that grow? Is it coachable? Can it be brought up through with physical maturity?” Each of those questions is central to the reflection that goes into putting a draft list together. When Churla started in the business, he worried when his team showed up on the draft floor with barely 60 names on its list. He was afraid it wouldn’t be nearly enough. There is no such fretting today. “There’s some drafts where there’s all kinds of players and you can go to the draft, in all honesty, with a drafting board of about 60 names and there are names that are left over,” he says. “In a weaker draft, a lot of teams will have the same names, so you’re going to need more names. So it’s harder because the players dry up faster. It goes back to stronger area people. Know your area because that’s where you snatch the (Brett) Stapley, the (Cayden) Primeau, the Jake Evans.” And what of the quasi-consensus that emerges yearly from media outlets on the best prospects for the first round? It’s not necessarily reflected in the head scout’s list. Teams will take a gander at what’s being said in the media to take the temperature on who’s hot and who’s not, but their lists are usually far different, if not completely so. “Some of the high-profile guys are hyped up and we have them nowhere near that,” Churla says. Without going so far as to say scouts have two distinct draft lists, there are differences between the way teams rank players and the order in which they plan to select them. The idea is to stock the cupboard with as many quality prospects as possible, so a team may decide to take a player who slots a little lower in their ranking because they believe he’s prized by other teams. Conversely, the various morsels of intelligence gleaned throughout the season will sometimes convince a team to wait a while to choose a player they like because he should still be available the next time their turn comes up. Last June, the Canadiens sure seemed to deploy a version of the first approach with defenceman Alexander Romanov, who they rushed to draft in the second round. Other teams that day didn’t even include him on their list. Montreal, on the other hand, wanted the young Russian too much to run the risk of having him slip through their fingers. The old scouting standby of “if you like him, pick him” clearly prevailed. The Romanov selection already feels like it’s in the distant past. Everyone is completely submerged in analyzing and sorting the next crop of talent. The finish line may still be way off in the distance, but make no mistake: the sprint has already begun. As per his habit, Churla has booked a hotel next to the airport. Efficiency matters, so travel day movement is kept to a strict minimum. The time has come for him to settle the bill, hand in his room key and return the rental car. There’s no time to hesitate. The quest to unearth the next Romanov is already under way, and it waits for no man. Churla, unflinchingly, joins it for another day. The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135799 Websites Minnesota, Colorado and Arizona all combined for three losses and a single goal on Monday, while Edmonton (3-2 over the Rangers) and Chicago (7-1 over the Coyotes) pulled to within five points of the last Sportsnet.ca / Stanley Cup Playoff Push: The Oilers are somehow still playoff spot. It’s a tough road ahead of course, with at least three teams alive to leapfrog, but both are trending in the right direction. Edmonton, specifically, is 7-2-1 over its past 10. That stretch coincides with Andrej Sekera’s return to the roster, but it’s also worth noting five of those seven wins came in one-goal games, indicating this recent run could easily Rory Boylen | @RoryBoylen March 12, 2019, 1:00 PM have flipped the other way. The Oilers don’t play again until Wednesday, but with their next two against New Jersey and Arizona, there’s a chance now Edmonton heads After a terrible night for Western Conference wild-card teams that opened into next week within fair reach of the post-season. the door ever so slightly for a couple of long shots, Tuesday brings us eight more games that will all have some influence on the playoff picture. Leon Draisaitl of the @EdmontonOilers extended his point streak to 14 games. Here’s your look at what the first-round matchups would look like today, a couple of interesting stats, and games to keep an eye on Tuesday. Only one German-born player in NHL history has recorded longer point streaks: Dany Heatley from Oct. 5 – Nov. 29, 2005 (22 GP) and Ryan Dixon and Rory Boylen go deep on pucks with a mix of facts and Feb. 8 – March 15, 2007 (16 GP). #NHLStats fun, leaning on a varied group of hockey voices to give their take on the pic.twitter.com/bsqWGrx2HZ country’s most beloved game. — NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 12, 2019 EASTERN CONFERENCE Fun fact: Usually when seven of your remaining 12 games are at home If the regular season ended today… and you’re in the middle of a playoff race you’d consider that a favourable (A1) Tampa Bay vs. (WC2) Columbus schedule. But, in a stat fun to only those outside the fan base, the Wild have a horrid 1-5-3 record at Xcel Energy Center, during which time they (A2) Boston vs. (A3) Toronto have just 16 goals and have been shut out three times, including Monday’s 3-0 loss to San Jose. (M1) Washington vs. (WC1) Pittsburgh The best game on the slate and another possible Western Conference (M2) NY Islanders vs. (M3) Carolina final preview, we’re pointing this out as one to keep an eye on, with the Here’s what the Eastern Conference standings look like today: idea that your other eye is monitoring New Jersey-Calgary. With Vegas surging thanks to Marc-Andre Fleury’s Vezina pitch of a season, and a What’d I miss? The Philadelphia Flyers refuse to go away. They are now newly formed super line with Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone and Paul 18-4-2 since Jan. 19, tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for most points Stastny, it would seem vitally important to win the Pacific Division and over that stretch and their offence is carrying the load. They’re averaging end up in a first-round matchup against the second wild card instead. 3.7 goals per game and it’s been three weeks since they’ve scored less than three times in a game. A win over Ottawa Monday night pulled the The Sharks have a one-point lead on the Flames right now, but Calgary Flyers to within three points of Columbus and Montreal, with games has the easier schedule this week. Where San Jose follows tonight’s against Washington, Toronto and Pittsburgh this week. game with ones against Florida and Nashville to close the week, Calgary gets New Jersey and the Rangers at home before closing out in Fun fact: Remember how awful the NY Islanders were defensively last Winnipeg on Saturday. season, when they allowed a league-high 296 goals-against? The fact they are now one of the best shutdown teams in the league with a Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2019 tandem of goalies pushing for NHL-best save percentages is why Barry Trotz is the favourite to win the Jack Adams. In Monday’s 2-0 win over Columbus, the Islanders earned their ninth shutout of the season and are now just one off a franchise-best 10 in a season, set in 1975-76. Currently with a league-low 163 goals-against, the Islanders could become the first team to allow the most goals one season and then allow the fewest the next since the 1917-18 and 1918-19 Ottawa Senators. Always worth circling on the calendar, there are some playoff implications in the air Tuesday night. Think back a couple weeks ago to the outdoor game against Philadelphia in which the Penguins lost Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin, their top defence pair, and the game. It was a low point on the season and the following morning, Pittsburgh was out of a playoff spot. But the team rallied and has been 5-1-1 since, including a 4-2 win over Boston Sunday that ended the Bruins’ 19-game point streak. Goal scoring is coming, but more importantly, Matt Murray has settled into a groove with a .937 save percentage and 1.98 goals-against average over that stretch, which is among the league’s best. Now tied with Carolina in points and just four back of the Islanders, it’s still entirely possible the Penguins and Capitals will finish 1-2 in the Metro Division. WESTERN CONFERENCE If the regular season ended today… (P1) San Jose vs. (WC2) Minnesota (P2) Calgary vs. (P3) Vegas (C1) Winnipeg vs. (WC1) Dallas (C2) Nashville vs. (C3) St. Louis Here’s what the Western Conference standings look like today: What’d I miss? After a brief uptick, the snail race towards one of the West’s two wild-card spots is slowing down again, and so on another night where all the teams ahead of them lost, the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers kept their tiny chances alive. 1135800 Websites college. He’s done that. So I feel comfortable with the decision we made last summer.”

It may be one of the few things Benning can afford to be comfortable Sportsnet.ca / Quinn Hughes' arrival adds optimism, expectation to about. Canucks' future With Hughes in the NHL, Benning has a foundation in place. The defence still needs to get better beyond Hughes, and the Canucks will be looking Iain MacIntyre | @imacSportsnet March 11, 2019, 7:23 PM to add in free agency or trade for a reliable defencemen. Another winger who can score would also help.

But the Canucks’ progress is evident in the evolution of Pettersson and VANCOUVER – Quinn Hughes is the shaft of sunlight capable of piercing forwards Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser, Hutton and Stecher on defence, another perfect spring storm for the Vancouver Canucks. goalie Jacob Markstrom, the development of centre Adam Gaudette and the slow but noticeable improvement in wingers Jake Virtanen and The dynamic 19-year-old defenceman from the University of Michigan Nikolay Goldobin. turned pro on Sunday, arrives in Vancouver on Tuesday and could be in the Canucks’ lineup Friday when they play the New Jersey Devils. But As Benning said Monday: “It’s been hard. But going into our season, our after blocking a shot on his ankle during college playoffs last weekend, objective was the growth and development of our young players. And I Hughes first must get healthy, which seems appropriate because nearly think when you look at how they’ve developed over the course of the everyone on the Canucks has been injured this season. year, how much they’ve played, how many young players we’ve been able to get up and get games … I think if we look at it that way, it’s been It was another mass migration to the medical room that torpedoed the a successful year.” team’s unexpected playoff bid and started its current 4-10-3 freefall in the National Hockey League standings. The defence, especially, has been a But it’s been an awful month and owner Francesco Aquilini’s family, mess since top blue-liners Alex Edler and Chris Tanev were injured, which has given Benning a five-year-long runway to get the Canucks again, nine days apart in February. rebuilt, is going to want to see continued progress and, soon, playoff revenue. The Canucks have one win in six games and two of their worst performances of the season came last week against the Vegas Golden The bleakness of the current Vancouver tailspin feels a lot like the Knights. In its last home game, Saturday, Vancouver surrendered five periods of disintegration during the last three seasons. first-period goals for the first time in 15 years. On national TV. There must be progress. There has to be hope. The optimism that surrounded the team and rookie star Elias Pettersson a short time ago — and the pleasant novelty of a playoff race — has “Francesco is right on board with doing things the right way – drafting been replaced by the annual sense of despair and outrage in Canucks and developing,” Benning said. “Of course, they’re not happy if we’re not Nation, whose angriest activists are once again shouting for the head of winning games, but all owners are like that.” general manager Jim Benning. Playoffs this season were always going to be a bonus for the Canucks. Into this, Quinn Hughes comes. But next year, the Stanley Cup tournament will be the clear goal. “When I talked to Quinn, I explained to him there’s going to be lots of “That’s what we’re hoping for,” Benning said. “Depending on where we expectation,” Benning told reporters on Monday. “But just come in and do pick in the draft (in June), we’re going to add another real good player to the things you’re capable of doing and everyone’s going to be happy. our group. In free agency, maybe we can add a piece. And we need some luck with our health. “He’s an excellent skater. The transition part of the game, he’ll help our group. He’ll help us on the power play. I just said: ‘Come in, work hard “Our goal from a management side is every year to try to take the next and have fun, and don’t be nervous. Just do the things you’re capable of step. And for the most part, until these last five weeks, we were in the doing.’” hunt. If you look at the standings, we’re five wins away from being in a playoff spot. If we can make improvements to our group and win five Sportsnet NOW gives you access to over 500 NHL games this season, more games, then you’re part of it. That’s what we’re going to try to do.” blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the entire 2019 Stanley Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2019 Cup Playoffs and more. The problem is there’s an expectation that Hughes, an American who grew up in the Toronto area, is going to be Pettersson 2.0. Before this season began, Hughes and Pettersson were considered about equal in terms of skill and potential impact. They were not only the Canucks’ best prospects, but Vancouver’s most exciting draft picks since Daniel and Henrik Sedin were selected two decades ago. Partly out of the Canucks’ concern over physical strength and the difficulty of incorporating both rookies at the same time, Hughes returned to the University of Michigan while Pettersson, a year older and with an MVP season in Sweden already on his resume, went into the NHL lineup. Six months later, Pettersson merely leads the Canucks in scoring with 57 points in 57 games and is a heavy favourite to win the Calder Trophy. Benning admitted he approached Hughes’ advisor, agent Pat Brisson, after the world junior championships in Vancouver at Christmas time to see if the 5-foot-10 defenceman had any interest in joining the Canucks then. But there was no way Hughes was abandoning his college teammates in mid-season. The Canucks could have used Hughes, although by playing fewer than 11 NHL games, he won’t be subject to the Seattle expansion draft in 2021 when Vancouver projects to protect defencemen Ben Hutton, Troy Stecher and Olli Juolevi. “I can assure you that from an organizational standpoint, we’re going to look at that and (do) everything to safeguard ourselves,” Benning said. “But let’s just get (Hughes) in here and see where he’s at and see when he starts playing, and we can figure that out as we go. “Looking back on it, I think we made the right decision. His family and his advisor were part of that decision, too. The reasons for him to go back was to get physically stronger and have another real good year at 1135801 Websites In Year 1 of an eight-year, $84-million contract, it’ll be some time before Price reviews all the things that brought him to this moment. In sharper focus is the win notched to keep the Canadiens entrenched in their battle Sportsnet.ca / Carey Price's record-breaking performance was for one of the eight playoff spots available in the Eastern Conference. unforgettable “It was definitely an important two points for us,” Price said, surely aware that the Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins had done their part in games earlier in the evening to remain ahead in the race. Eric Engels March 13, 2019, 12:09 AM “Obviously we’re in a dog fight right now and every effort put out for the rest of the season’s going to be very important. So I feel like if we continue play the way we did tonight, we’ll be successful.” MONTREAL — It is a moment that will forever be etched in the memory The Canadiens weren’t necessarily at their peak, but they out-shot the of anyone who came to the Bell Centre to watch Carey Price make young, struggling Red Wings 36-21 and out-chanced them handily. history. A desperate pad save on Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi, who had a breakaway from his own blue line. The type of play Without Price, though? Different story. worthy of the winningest goaltender in Canadiens history. The type of play he’s made time and time again with his team’s hopes hanging in the “He controls the game and it just kind of settles everything down, just like balance—as they were in this one when he stretched the width of the the way he did tonight,” said captain Shea Weber, who was describing goal line to get his toe on the puck and preserved a 2-1 lead. what we’ve seen from Price since he first pulled on a Canadiens sweater in 2007. Think about the 110-year history of the Canadiens for a second. Think about it being made in this fashion by a player in 2019. A player notching The 31-year-old goaltender has created indelible moments over his 12 the 315th win of his career to pass one who recorded his 314th in 1963. years in uniform. The ones he authored on Tuesday will live forever. That is something miraculous. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2019 How Price notched this record-breaking win was something incredible, too, starting with a breakaway save on Andreas Athanasiou on the very first shot of the game and ending with a sharp challenge on a Danny DeKeyser shot to the blocker side. In between, he stopped Darren Helm’s sneaky backhand from the slot, got the shaft of his stick on a heat-seeking slapshot from Thomas Vanek, and he made the splits to stop Justin Abdelkader on the doorstep. At one point, Price took an Anthony Mantha slapshot to the chest and in desperation made a Martin Brodeur-like scorpion save on the rebound Michael Rasmussen pushed at him. When asked how he made that memorable save on Bertuzzi, Price laughed and quipped, “I just tried to do the Dominator and just spread out and cover the goal line,” paying homage to the great Dominik Hasek. Max Domi, who scored two goals to help the Canadiens beat the Red Wings 3-1, had a good view of the play from Montreal’s bench. “It’s an absolute joke,” Domi said. “Honestly, it’s crazy how good he is. The saves he makes—on the bench we’re just laughing. It’s just crazy. He’s the best in the world for a reason. He has been for a long time and he will be for an even longer time.” And on Price’s accomplishment? “It’s a pretty special night for him and we’re happy to be part of it,” Domi said. Carey Price on the pictures of Canadiens legends that line the walls of the team's dressing room: “Every one of them played hard for this organization and I feel like most people that have donned this jersey have laid it all out there and I’m proud to be a part of this.” — Eric Engels (@EricEngels) March 13, 2019 He wasn’t alone. There were 21,302 people who packed the Bell Centre to bear witness to this event. As many as half of them were still in the stands when Price took his final curtain call as the game’s first star. Among them were many people of his generation; people who know only of the legend of Plante—the first goalie to don a mask in a game, a Stanley Cup-winning Hall-of-Famer whose name is etched across a banner that hangs from the rafters of the Bell Centre. They are people who would have faint memories, if any, of Patrick Roy in his prime with the Canadiens; people who might vaguely recall Jose Theodore’s 2002 Hart Trophy bid; people who bore witness to Jaroslav Halak’s 2010 playoff heroics and didn’t quite value Price until they saw him backstop Team Canada to a gold medal in the 2014 Olympics before completing a season that had him collect the Hart, Vezina and Jennings Trophies and the Ted Lindsay Award. “It was a great time to share it with the fans,” Price said. His relationship with them has been tumultuous. When he’s struggled, they’ve been merciless—booing him and mock-cheering him. When he’s excelled, they’ve risen to their feet and chanted his name at full volume— like they did after he stopped Bertuzzi on that breakaway Tuesday night. Surely all of that was swirling around Price’s head in the lead-up to this event, but as he said, he’s not quite ready to think long on any of it. “I’ll definitely have time to reflect on it, but I don’t feel that time is quite yet,” Price added. 1135802 Websites Green: I spent the last three days kind of getting ready to talk to our group about hockey at this time of year. Now that we’re on the outside looking in, there’s still a lot to play for. Right from Day 1, there was a Sportsnet.ca / Canucks coach Green on tumble down standings, injuries, certain style we wanted to play. We wanted to develop and needed to get Quinn Hughes better. But if you can’t play at this time of year. . . we’re not going to have the same team back next year.

A weekly deep dive into the biggest hockey news in the world with hosts Iain MacIntyre | @imacSportsnet March 12, 2019, 7:52 PM Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek. New episodes every Thursday. Sportsnet: You’ve talked often about finding players you can win with. How many have you found? Two years ago, Travis Green took over a 69-point National Hockey League team and transformed the Vancouver Canucks into a 73-point Green: I haven’t looked at it that way, haven’t tried to put a number on it. team. We’ve got a lot of young players and they’ll determine whether they’re guys we can win with. Just because you’re playing a lot of minutes right One month ago, the Canucks held the last playoff spot in the Western now, doesn’t mean you’ll still be on the team next year. Do you have Conference and the team’s improvement during Green’s second season what it takes to win? We’re always finding out about our group and the as coach projected to be far more impressive than another four points. next 13 games will tell us a lot more. But seven injuries in seven games after the all-star break – on a team Sportsnet: By all accounts, college star Quinn Hughes is going to be a without depth to survive them – catapulted the Canucks out of the playoff guy you can win with, although perhaps we should actually see him play race and started the 4-10-3 free fall that reached terminal velocity a while a few NHL games down the stretch before retiring his number. But if ago. Hughes is as good as expected, and he joins Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser as a core piece, is that a big enough foundation on Nine points out with 13 games to go, the Canucks have failed in their pre- which to build a team? season objective to “play meaningful games in March” and need to win six more times just to replicate last year’s modest improvement in the Green: They are pieces, but they’re young pieces. And we have to make standings. Where did this go wrong again? sure we’re surrounding them with the right other pieces. You look at the teams that are trying to win a Stanley Cup, they’ve got a lot of pieces. Sportsnet sat down Tuesday with Green to ask him: Look at Tampa Bay, they lost in the finals four years ago. And they’ve got Sportsnet NOW gives you access to over 500 NHL games this season, a lot of the same guys. They even missed the playoffs one year. But blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown they’ve slowly added more pieces, made some trades, and they’re still Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the entire 2019 Stanley knocking on the door. We just need to keep getting better. Cup Playoffs and more. Sportsnet: Can you expedite the process? Sportsnet: How did things come apart so quickly in the last month? Green: Everyone has their own opinion on that. Part of it is sometimes Green: As a coach, you don’t sit there and say, ‘OK, we’re going to go on you get lucky and you get a player that maybe you’re not expecting. But a bad roll.’ I think we were playing well. I think we surprised some people. for me it’s: ‘OK, keep your eye on getting better. All the time.’ These last But I don’t know if we’re a team that’s capable of sustaining (injuries). few days have been good for me as well, just to refocus on that. With two of our top four D out, that was a huge loss. When you’re in it, as Sportsnet: It’s tough to argue that your young players, as a group, a coach, you’re trying to keep your team in it. So when injuries are piling haven’t gotten better. Players like defencemen Ben Hutton and Troy up, you start playing some guys more minutes out of necessity. And I Stecher, forwards Nikolay Goldobin and Jake Virtanen, even rookie think that’s a big part of why we’ve lost some games lately. Adam Gaudette, look better than they were at the end of last season. Sportsnet: So it’s about the injuries, which first piled up in November and Does that mean your tough-love approach, your willingness to scratch led to a 1-10-2 nosedive last fall? guys, is working? Green: I’ve always said I’m not going to use injuries as an excuse. But if Green: That’s the only way I know how to coach. Give the players you’re asking me, I think that’s a reason we’ve lost some games. opportunity, and then figure out when it needs to be taken away. Ice time is always a key. If you’re not making your young players better, then Sportsnet: When you were in the wild-card race and finally healthy, it you’re not going to get better (as a team). People aren’t always going to looked like you were only a few players away from being able to compete like when we do it, but they’re not privy to the conversations we have in with top teams. In the last couple of weeks, the Canucks have looked here and the messages we send. miles away from being competitive. So, are you near or far away? People don’t always see why we’re unhappy with a young player and Green: Even at the beginning of the year, I never sat here and said: ‘Our where he needs to improve. Look at a player like Brock Boeser. goal is to make the playoffs this year.’ I don’t think I’ve ever said that. Our Everyone talks about the goals and assists. But to me, Brock has gotten goal was to get better and try to play some meaningful games down the a lot better away from the puck. Is he a player you can just slot into a stretch. Do I think we’ve taken a step? I do. A lot of our young guys are Stanley Cup team? I don’t know, but he’s working on his game and better players than they were. And they’re playing in the hard part of the understands he has to get better in certain areas. When you have season. Last season, Hank and Danny (Sedin) were playing bigger players who can be honest with themselves and say, ‘Yeah, I have to do minutes at the end of the year, and they made our power play better. that,’ that goes a long way. The onus always goes back to the player. This year, our young guys are playing hard minutes and they’re being asked a lot. Ryan Dixon and Rory Boylen go deep on pucks with a mix of facts and fun, leaning on a varied group of hockey voices to give their take on the How close do I think we are? Our young guys are going to be a year country’s most beloved game. older next season. I want to take a step every year. Point-wise, I don’t know where we’re going to finish. But if we were healthy, I know we’d Sportsnet: Everyone wants Hughes to be a dynamic, offensive player, have a lot more points. but will you allow him to make some mistakes playing that way? Sportsnet: You probably knew what you were in for when you took the Green: I’ve been through it, seen it, been there first-hand as a young job. But how hard is the losing – being out of it in March – for you? player, and coached young players. I don’t talk to Petey (Pettersson) about taking away any part of his offensive game. I’ve told Goldie Green: I think just lately it’s been challenging. The last two weeks it’s (Goldobin), ‘I don’t care what you do with the puck in the offensive zone. been a challenge for me, and I could probably say the same thing for our But if your work ethic and compete level isn’t high enough, then you can’t veteran guys. I’m proud of our guys for putting themselves in the position play.’ And I’ll tell Quinn Hughes the same thing. We need him to be an they were in not long ago. The last 10 days, two weeks, yeah, it’s taken a offensive defenceman. We’ll help him in areas he needs to improve in, little wind out of us, and especially for our older guys. They know that but I’m not going to make him a checking defenceman. winning is everything. Sportsnet: He should help your power play, which is 6-for-76 since Jan. Sportsnet: Young guys don’t take losing as hard? 2. Shouldn’t it be better with Pettersson on one side, Boeser on the other and Horvat in the middle? Green: Everything is new to them. They’re kind of happy-go-lucky. But that’s what we talked about today: You’ve got to be dialled in this time of Green: There’s not a lot of power plays built on a 20-year-old year. If you’re just going out there to play, you’re going to stick out. (Pettersson), a 21-year-old (Boeser), a 23-year-old (Horvat) and your top defenceman (Alex Edler) is out of the lineup for a lot of the season. This Sportsnet: How do you make them understand these final 13 games still is a young power play. There are so many little details in the power play matter? in the NHL that are learned. Even Petey, he’s been good on the power play, but he’s going to be a lot better in two or three years. We also had a lot of production from our second unit last year. I think we had 19 goals from our second unit, so this can’t just fall all on our first unit, either. Sportsnet: Besides health, what does your lineup need in order to be better next season? Green: That’s something we’ll answer at the end of the year. We’re a young team that needs to get better in a lot of areas. Keep improving, keep developing and good things will happen. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135803 Websites kind of convince yourself you can hear hundreds of different things as you go through it."

"I know that I didn’t use that word and I didn’t hear it during play, but I did Sportsnet.ca / Rielly, Dubas leave no doubt about Leafs' stance on listen to the video," said Rielly. "There are different ways to listen to the LGBTQ rights video and when it’s a topic that’s very serious you tend to think what may have been said." Chris Johnston | @reporterchris March 12, 2019, 5:28 PM The mere possibility it was said was enough for the general manager to step back and reflect on what the organization is doing to create an inclusive atmosphere. Without getting into specifics, he said there’s more that can be done to be proactive and take a stance on these issues. TORONTO — Kyle Dubas and Morgan Rielly could have let the NHL investigation speak for itself. On a scheduled day off for the Toronto "If a homosexual, a bisexual or transgender fan walks in the rink, [we Maple Leafs, the general manager and star defenceman could easily want them to] feel welcome here and safe here," said Dubas. "If we have have let Colin Campbell’s determination that Rielly did not direct a a player whose contemplating what their sexuality is [we hope] they feel homophobic slur at referee Brad Meier carry the day. safe here and can be themselves here. That’s why the cause matters to me and I think that because of our role in the community and in the But, in deciding instead to meet the issue head-on, they left no doubt country as the Toronto Maple Leafs, we have a unique opportunity to be about where the Maple Leafs stand on LGBTQ rights and matters of proactive and to take a stance on the matter." inclusion. That will be remembered long after this particular incident has been "It’s incumbent on us in management to build an environment if someone forgotten. were gay, or were questioning their sexual orientation, that they don’t feel that they have to come in here and be somebody that they’re not," Dubas Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2019 told reporters Tuesday. "And that we can create an environment where even if they don’t come out, if they are gay, that they still feel safe within the confines of our building. "That’s really the hope, is that people see that we support it, we understand that it is a challenge for people to potentially come out if they are gay, but our goal as an organization … is that it’s more about the environment that we’re creating for everybody." That environment came into question during Monday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, where a microphone on the broadcast seemed to pick up a homophobic slur being yelled during game action. It was initially attributed to Rielly by multiple social media accounts, presumably because he was skating back into his own zone after being hooked and looking directly at Meier, and those serious allegations spread like wildfire before the player even had any idea a slur was potentially uttered in the game he just played. Rielly had essentially been found guilty on the internet before arriving home to his downtown condo. He immediately returned to Scotiabank Arena to meet with Dubas, and eventually be interviewed by NHL officials, and had his name cleared by their investigation a little more than 12 hours later. "I was 100 per cent confident that I didn’t use the word so we allowed the process to play out," said Rielly. "It was difficult at times to not make a statement because of how strongly I felt about it and the fact that it is a very important issue, but I’m very happy that it came out today that it wasn’t used by me. "I think it’s an opportunity for us as a team to realize that there’s really no place for slurs like that in sport and in life." Dubas took it even further. He’s marched in the Pride Parade in years past and saw his team host an awareness night for the "You Can Play" organization just over two weeks ago. As much as he didn’t liked seeing the allegations directed at Rielly, it offered an opportunity for the Leafs and the 25-year-old defenceman to stand alongside fans in the community and perhaps even some working within their own organization. "I don’t think the team or Morgan are victims at all," said Dubas. "I don’t want it to be perceived that Morgan feels that way or that the team feels that Morgan was slandered, I think some people rushed to judgment and that’s what happens in 2019. There are a lot of people in our community and people that we know and people who have family members where they are affected by homophobia every single day in our community and all throughout the world. "Every time it’s even thought that those types of words are uttered in our facility or anywhere, I think we have to do our part as the Toronto Maple Leafs to use this situation to continue to do our part to rid casual homophobia, vulgar homophobia, things that make people of any sexuality or sexual orientation feel uncomfortable and unsafe." It still isn’t entirely clear what was said or who said it. There were 10 microphones stationed around the ice surface and players’ benches for Monday’s game and a couple conspiracy theories popped up, including the possibility a common hockey term ("rag it") was confused for a homophobic slur. The NHL interviewed Meier and Rielly while also reviewing tape from both broadcasts. Dubas said he watched the clip so many times that "you 1135804 Websites practice. So Tomas Hertl arrives as a young player, and what does he do? He joins the Shooting Club. Then Kevin Labanc. Then Meier and Marcus Sorensen. Sportsnet.ca / Sharks' enviable culture on display in impressive win over Look at how good Marleau has been for the Maple Leafs dressing room? Jets Well, where did that all come from? In Boston West, Joe Pavelski is Patrice Bergeron, Joe Thornton is Zdeno Mark Spector | @sportsnetspec March 13, 2019, 12:45 AM Chara, and underneath is a collection of (mostly) homegrown talent that has produced a franchise that competes every single season for a Pacific Division title, showing no signs of being in need of a rebuild any time soon. WINNIPEG — When the Sedins retired, they wondered in Vancouver how it would affect the Canucks culture. In Boston there is no wondering: Pavelski is at the heart of it, one of the great leaders in today’s game Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara pass it down to players like David who’s on pace for a 40-goal season at age 34. Krejci and David Pastrnak, who in turn indoctrinate young guys like Jake DeBrusk and Charlie MacAvoy on how things are supposed to work “Everybody is different, their approach to the game, how they go about inside a perennially competitive NHL franchise. things,” Burns said of the Sharks captain. “He’s just a guy who always does things right. He’s that perfect kind of guy. He just works.” Hockey culture. A weekly deep dive into the biggest hockey news in the world with hosts To hockey analytics it is a unicorn. The thing you never see that can not Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek. New episodes every Thursday. be quantified. But all the best teams have it, and the worst ones are actively in search. I know what you’re thinking: How great can the Sharks be when they’ve never won a Cup. OK, but the sign of a great franchise is one that Well, meet the San Jose Sharks: A.K.A. “Boston West.” competes at that championship level year after year. One that never runs out of gas and has to start over, like pretty much every franchise in They may not have the best team every year, but do the Sharks ever Canada today. have to rebuild? Do they miss the playoffs? (Hint: just once in the last 15 seasons, including this one.) The Sharks are a point out of the Pacific lead this morning. If they edge out Calgary, it will be San Jose’s seventh divisional crown in 17 seasons. On Tuesday night in Winnipeg, just 24 hours after San Jose had rolled through Minnesota in a 3-0 road win, the Sharks outlasted a rested Jets One of these days it has to pan out in June. club in a battle of Western titans. “I don’t know. We haven’t won it yet,” shrugged Pavelski. “You know we Joe Pavelski, who epitomizes everything a leader should be, buried a just have fun. We like the game, and you hope that at the end of the year two-on-one pass from Timo Meier with less than five seconds left in that you’ve got the right team. regulation to complete the 5-4 victory. It was two points earned on the second of a back-to-back, on the road against an excellent Jets club, and “Each season is unique, and you never know which one is going to go. with five defencemen — Radim Simek having left with a leg injury early in That one run we went on (to the Final three years ago) was a team that, the game. maybe we didn’t expect it. But we had gotten better and better all year, similar to this year. There were a bunch of reasons to lose, none of which the Sharks accepted. “We’ve got good depth, and it’s just on us to compete every night.” “We’re just deep. We’re very, very deep,” said Joe Thornton, who had That’s a promise that gets kept around here. two silky primary assists Wednesday. “We’ve got eight good D, 14 good Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2019 forwards, and we’ve got goalies who win us games. We’re a vey, very deep group.” Give the management credit. The Sharks draft and develop with the best of them, and aren’t afraid to dip into the trade waters for an Erik Karlsson, a Brent Burns, or an Evander Kane along the way. Some teams were shy of Kane, with a history of immature actions and off-ice distractions. Not the Sharks, who have in their dressing room a culture that has extracted the positives from Kane’s game — he’ll score 30 this year — while quietly culling the negatives. “It makes my job easy,” said head coach Peter DeBoer. “They established the culture there… It’s been over a decade, with Jumbo and Pavelski, and Vlasic, and Burnsie, and on and on. That culture was there when I got there. They hold each other accountable, so you’re not having to do that like you would with a young team on a daily basis.” In a place like Edmonton, where the culture has been lost, they’ve tried to import it from outside, tapping Boston for players like Andrew Ference and Milan Lucic. It doesn’t work, they’ve learned, and even though it takes time they’ve figured out that it is better to allow Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse and the rest of the young core to build their own culture, the way they did in San Jose so long ago. “It’s a great culture,” Burns said, “All the way from the top, from Hasso (owner Plattner), to Doug (GM Wilson), to the coaching staff…. And then the guys. We work, but we have fun. It comes from the top down.” For years in San Jose, they’ve had something called Shooting Club, where players would go out 30-45 minutes before practice and hone their skills. It started with assistant coach Jay Woodcroft in the Todd McLellan years, and Pavelski took ownership of it. Then Patrick Marleau joined in. Then Logan Couture. Then Thornton… To this day, while Burns is working on his point shots, Pavelski is practising tipping pucks. Thornton is elsewhere, getting in some extra stick-handling drills. When hockey people speak of culture, this is a big part of it: The best players on the team are working daily to improve, outside of team 1135805 Websites “We just want to keep him playing right now. It’s exciting because Rasmus is popping all over and the other guy (Valimaki) is going to be a star. He’ll be back. He’s playing 24 to 25 minutes a night, in all situations Sportsnet.ca / Competition for places on blue line benefits Flames and has been dominant the last 3 or 4 games.” entering playoffs That’s why the GM refused all the proposed deadline deals that included the 20-year-old Finnish talent or the 22-year-old Andersson. Eric Francis | @EricFrancis March 12, 2019, 6:04 PM Stone participated in the morning skate with the Flames Tuesday morning ahead of their game against New Jersey, but wasn’t told when he’ll next see game action. CALGARY – There are no Welcome Wagon committees in the NHL. “I understand where we’re at at this time of season – it’s playoff hockey,” said Stone, who was scratched seven times before his arm ballooned in A veteran can miss four months with a blood clot, get some conditioning practice mid-November due to the blood-clot that required blood-thinners. in the AHL and return to the team only to be on a standby list to return to the lineup. “So, make the most of it when you get in there.” In Michael Stone’s case, the list is a long one, as the Calgary Flames are That’s clearly the message all nine are taking to heart. now carrying nine defencemen. “You need that depth going into the playoffs and I’m sure at different Brad Treliving’s plan is for it to be that way until he vows to add a 10th times guys are going to get their opportunity,” said captain Giordano, a before season’s end. frontrunner for the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenceman. “That’s how you come into training camp every year – you have a lot of “Everyone in the group is a good NHL defenceman. There a lot of bodies bodies and everybody wants to play at this level but there are only six out there during practice but it’s good – if anything it gives you a little bit spots a night,” shrugged Stone, 28, whose 436 NHL games don’t of extra rest out there which isn’t a bad thing at this time of year.” guarantee him anything upon his return. No one wants the rest game night or play forward during practice, which “Three games (in the AHL) was good for me. I got some good minutes, is what Peters said will likely happen. played some decent hockey and feel good to go. I’m ready.” “Some days we might use them as forwards, or some days they may go Treliving has long been focused on building his team from the blue line out early and skate by themselves – you’ve got to be creative,” said out, making the unusual logjam of defenders a delicious quandary. Peters. Sportsnet NOW gives you access to over 500 NHL games this season, “We’re real deep back there. Now it’s a matter of seeing how we play, blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown and how we are health wise and we’ll just move forward every day.” Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the entire 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and more. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2019 “Not a problem at all – it’s a good thing because if someone goes down we’ve got lots of depth there and they’re all NHL players,” said Treliving, whose only trade deadline move was to add Oscar Fantenberg from the Kings as defensive insurance. “It’s going to create a little competition. It’s what we wanted to have because coming down the stretch we’re going to need bodies. Touch wood we haven’t run into injury issues.” Stone’s return from a three-game conditioning stint in Stockton literally bumped rookie Oliver Kylington from the cozy confines of his stall, to a folding chair at the front of the dressing room. No shelves for his shaving kit, nowhere to hang anything and no neighbours to talk to. But he isn’t going anywhere. He still has just as good a chance at getting into the lineup as Stone, Fantenberg and Dalton Prout moving forward. With everyone healthy, the mainstays are as such: Rasmus Andersson and, well, take your pick. Coach Bill Peters said he likes the chemistry Fantenberg has built with Andersson over the bulk of his four games as a Flame. The coach likes to keep lefties on the left and righties on the right, with the exception of Brodie, a lefty who prefers playing on the right side, especially when it’s alongside Giordano. Andersson’s emergence from minor-league call-up to first-pairing fill-in bodes well for his playing status, as long as he’s healthy. The righty can swap spots with Brodie on the top pairing seamlessly, opening up more possibilities for the third duo. Unlike the three-headed goalie monster the Flames employed several seasons back with horrific consequences, the abundance of back-enders is something every team would cherish. Any deep playoff run requires plenty of manpower at the back due to the war of attrition NHL clubs go through each spring. Treliving insists all nine will stay in town for the balance of the year. He said he’ll soon need one of his four precious call-ups to summon first- round hotshot Juuso Valimaki from Stockton. “We actually have 10 defencemen when you think about it,” said Treliving of the left-shooting Valimaki, who is flourishing in the minors following a lengthy recovery from a high ankle sprain. 1135806 Websites “People are saying maybe we’re a paper tiger; that you want to play Winnipeg in the playoffs. We’re still tight for that Central Division lead. We’ll get home ice in the first round and take it from there.” Sportsnet.ca / Jets not fretting criticisms with playoffs approaching Those will be the only games that matter, in the end. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2019 Mark Spector | @sportsnetspec March 12, 2019, 4:30 PM

WINNIPEG — When the 2017-18 regular season concluded, with the Winnipeg Jets on an 11-1 run, they were in second place in the Central Division with 114 points. As the No. 2 team in the entire National Hockey League, behind only Nashville, it was clear that the cake was finally done in Winnipeg. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff’s tutorial in drafting and developing was panning out. Maybe Scott Oake’s town was ready for another Cup celebration, but this time it wouldn’t be the Avco Cup. Today, Winnipeg sits atop the Central. But is it a better team than a year ago? “We’re not too worried if people are worried about our advanced stats or whatnot,” said third-line centre Adam Lowry. “In a playoff series, the sample size is too small to worry about our Corsi number.” A weekly deep dive into the biggest hockey news in the world with hosts Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek. New episodes every Thursday. It’s not only the advanced stats, however, that indicate a Jets team that is still pretty good, but perhaps not quite the powerhouse it was a year ago. For instance, last year’s 118-point club is on pace for just 101 points this season. In a weaker Central Division, they’ve fallen six spots to eighth in the NHL, and facing a schedule that will make it awfully tough to replicate the run that shot these Jets into the playoffs a year ago. Patrik Laine, who had 44 goals last season, has 29 this year. And remember, 18 of those goals came in the month of November. Since Dec. 1, Laine has just eight goals while posting a minus-20 this season. Year over year, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck’s goals-against average has gone from 2.36 to 2.97, while his save percentage has fallen from .924 to .910. The latter is a significant statistic, considering the Jets allow the third-most shots in the NHL (33.5) — a full five more per game than tonight’s opponent, the San Jose Sharks (28.4). “We’ve given up a lot of chances, and we might be as tight defensively as we were last year,” Lowry said. “But people also have to look at, we’ve been without Dustin Byfuglien for almost two months. We’ve had some pretty key guys out of the lineup at different times. “Guys are now at the point where we know what it’s going to take to be successful in the post-season. I don’t want to say that guys have been saving themselves, but it’s about peaking at the right time.” Ryan Dixon and Rory Boylen go deep on pucks with a mix of facts and fun, leaning on a varied group of hockey voices to give their take on the country’s most beloved game. That is the hope here, with Byfuglien having left the team on the recent road trip to go back to Winnipeg for alternative treatment. He is a huge part of this team, both offensively and defensively, and add to that a shoulder problem that could keep Josh Morrissey out until very close to the playoff opener, and you have a team trying to perfect its game with two of its Top 4 defencemen watching from the press box. Then there are the expectations. For the first time in the history of NHL hockey in this city, the Jets were picked by some to win a Stanley Cup this season. Not only is that a new wrinkle for the team, but for the Winnipeg fans and media as well. “We played a game in late December, we won, and I think it put us in first place in the conference at that point,” head coach Paul Maurice recalled. “The theory was that it was out first complete game of the year — in, like, Game 45 or something. “Expectations are what they are.” Heavy is the head that wears the Central Division crown. The Jets went all the way to the Western Conference Final last season. The expectations are to go further in 2019. “When Helly’s on his game we’re going to put him up against any goalie in the league,” said Lowry. “Same with our D-corps. When they’re healthy, when we get those guys back, just look at that depth. You’ve got Tyler Myers on, arguably, your third pair. 1135807 Websites We suppose when you’ve had your heart snapped in the conference finals twice (2016, 2018), whiffed entirely on the post-season as a consensus Cup contender (2017) and come within two W’s of your Sportsnet.ca / Lightning's business approach gives Maple Leafs reason ultimate goal (2015), perspective digs its blades in. to worry “We’re trying to build a program like Tampa has done. You need some wounds and all that stuff, and you go through that over the years as you build your program,” Babcock said. Luke Fox | @lukefoxjukebox March 12, 2019, 12:43 AM “They have a real good team, a veteran-laden team. They’ve done a good job keeping their players and acquiring more players. Obviously, they’ve scouted real good, so they could trade and get more players.” TORONTO – The interesting thing about Jon Cooper making an excuse for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ fatigue after trouncing all over them for 60 It’s no secret the Kyle Dubas Maple Leafs are following the Tampa minutes in their own building is that the Tampa Bay Lightning have never blueprint. felt the need to play that card. Kill your enemies with speed, skill and superior goaltending. Fuel your In the losers’ dressing room, there were admissions of quit and lethargy roster by graduating AHLers as talented as they are cap-friendly. Then as the Leafs — on track for another best regular season in club history splash the pot by adding difference-makers like Ryan McDonagh (two and another third-place finish in their own top-heavy division — gave assists, plus-3 Monday) and J.T. Miller via trade. away 21 pucks, mustered all of 14 body checks, and surrendered one of the ugliest shorthanded goals you’ll see en route to a 6-2 beatdown by a Construct a powerhouse that can rank first-overall in both power play and polished armoured tank of a hockey team that’s breaking wills and penalty kill, that can register its 16th game in which its offence explodes records. for six or more goals. “The effort kind of just wasn’t there at times,” Auston Matthews admitted. Tyler Johnson (two goals) snuffed out the suggestion that the Lightning “I mean, I think in the third period we pretty much just quit. That’s on us benefitted from some lucky deflections. as players. We got to wake up and do a much better job and hold each “You can look at it as fluky, but we’re in the right spots for those to be other accountable.” able to happen. That’s what happens at the end of the season and in the Twenty-five minutes into the game it wasn’t one anymore. playoffs — a lot of times it is the garbage goals that go in. We’ve got to try to play more hockey that way,” Johnson said. “We’ve had a good The mighty Bolts had already scored four times, each puck touching a season, but we really haven’t done anything. Tampa skater within spitting distance of Frederik Andersen’s crease, and chased the Leafs netminder. “We just want to be better tomorrow than what we are today, and I think we’ve been doing that.” Mike Babcock so rarely pulls his starter, this was the equivalent of waving a white flag in surrender to a program he’d dubbed “the envy of So, is there anything the Lightning can learn about the Leafs on a night the league right now.” where they forecheck, backcheck, penalty-kill and cycle their high-flying rival into submission? Uncle. “Honestly, not much,” Johnson said. “Playoffs and regular season are “You get the lead like that, and it’s a little deflating to them,” reasoned completely different. If you ask them, they didn’t play a playoff game. If Cooper, citing his opponents’ exhausting swing through Western you ask us, we didn’t either. Canada. “I like the fact we kept going. We possessed the puck.” “Both teams still have a lot left in the tank in that regard. We’re just trying Sportsnet NOW gives you access to over 500 NHL games this season, to work on little things right now.” blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the entire 2019 Stanley Toronto still has a few big things to worry about. Cup Playoffs and more. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2019 Thing is, in this ridiculously consistent runaway Year of the Lightning, they never had a so-called “schedule loss” this lopsided. In October, when the Lightning returned East from a five-game voyage through the Central and Western states, they whooped New Jersey 8-3. To celebrate their first home date after a four-game roadie in November, they beat up Florida 7-3. In December, the Lightning were greeted home after long trips by Boston and Philadelphia, who were already in Tampa waiting for them. The Bolts won both of those games, too — one of them after an even longer trek through Western Canada than the Leafs just endured (it also included a stop in Winnipeg). In January, after their swing through California, the Lightning shut out Columbus 4-0. This is not to say the Leafs weren’t exhausted or depleted. Most certainly they were. This is to say that pushing through that pain and fatigue requires a roster depth and a desire and a level of perseverance only one of Monday’s NHL powers seems to have attained. “Like today: How good we are when we play the right way,” said Victor Hedman, excelling in his top lefty-lefty pairing with young Mikhail Sergachev. “Our consistency throughout the season has been phenomenal. We’re not tapping ourselves on the shoulder. We’re looking at the big picture. We’ve got [12] games here before the fun starts.” The business-as-usual atmosphere in the moments after a such a decisive victory over a potential playoff foe is arresting. No hooting or hollering. Another day, another victory. “Tonight we really wanted to show them that’s why we’re the best team in the league,” Cedric Paquette said after a two-goal outing. But that’s as juicy as things got. 1135808 Websites someone else coming off of one, but today I don’t at all. I think it’s just a great opportunity.”

The opportunity went up in smoke when Tyler Johnson and Anthony Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs unable to step up against powerhouse Cirelli tipped home shots from the high slot and then Johnson was wide Lightning open to score again after Frederik Andersen took a shot to the mask. Ondrej Palat made it 4-0 on a pinballing puck that last hit Auston Matthews before going in. Chris Johnston | @reporterchris March 11, 2019, 9:57 PM That prompted Babcock to pull Andersen for just the second time all season, granting him an extra 35 minutes of rest while backup Garret Sparks went in. TORONTO — In search of an explanation for what happened here, we’ll turn to a voice from beyond the hockey world, because it wouldn’t sound Matthews did score one highlight-reel goal to briefly spark thoughts of a very becoming for a serious hockey observer to trot out anything comeback inside Scotiabank Arena, but it didn’t last. He was the most resembling an excuse for a poor performance. visibly frustrated player in the losing dressing room when the game mercifully ended. So here goes: “I think one thing that we’re learning is it’s just really hard on your body. And mentally.” “I consider it a wake-up call for us,” he said. “It was a measuring-stick game, that’s the best team in the league and we didn’t come ready to That was Toronto Raptors general manager Bobby Webster, speaking play and they pretty much just slapped us.” earlier this year at a business luncheon about the impact of cross- continent travel on athletes and a schedule that includes as many as four As much as Babcock echoed that sentiment — “we were no good” — he games per week. did cancel a scheduled Tuesday practice. There was a time in this league when a coach would be looking to skate his players hard as punishment It seemed prescient while watching the Toronto Maple Leafs sleepwalk following a 6-2 loss to a division rival. through a 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning — not just the top team in the NHL this season, but arguably the best of the last two decades. Down the hall, the Lightning had their own view on what transpired. They were given two tough games from Toronto earlier this season and saw Toronto returned from a swing through Western Canada on Sunday, after something different this time around. seeing the clocks moved ahead an hour for daylight savings. It concluded a stretch which saw them spend 20 days in hotels compared to 10 in “We caught a tired team,” said Cooper. “They just came off the West their own beds while frequently bouncing between time zones. Coast and they’ve got to play another game at home in a different time zone, and you’ve got to take advantage of that.” Sportsnet NOW gives you access to over 500 NHL games this season, blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown It’s an easier observation to share publicly when you come out on the Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the entire 2019 Stanley winning end. Cup Playoffs and more. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2019 If they looked like they had no legs against the Lightning, it’s probably not a coincidence. “People will tell you if you take a red-eye and you have to go to work the next day you’re just bad,” Webster said during the January panel discussion with Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas. “Vegas has been able to quantify it, the oddsmakers. So if you play back-to-back, the second game of the back-to-back, you automatically get docked two points on the [betting] line. So they’re saying ‘We just know, over the course of however many games we’ve studied, that whether you’re the Raptors or you’re Golden State or you’re San Antonio, you’re going to start off that next game down two in Vegas.’ “So I think that’s just an example probably objectively of why this stuff, we need to look at it.” Now, the NBA is already way ahead in this department. It’s routine to see star players in that league, like Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard, sit out games in order to lessen their workload and maximize performance. The Montreal Canadiens did the same with rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi for two games in California last week, citing “load management,” but that’s far from the norm. Tampa has already clinched a playoff spot and coach Jon Cooper said Monday he hadn’t yet considered resting regulars. Mike Babcock also deflected that question, saying: “We plan on doing everything we can to make the playoffs.” If anyone was ever to introduce it as a regular practice in the NHL, the Leafs are a safe bet. They are at the forefront of the league’s use of sports science and performance, and Dubas acknowledged during that talk with Webster that he’s thought about it. “I think it will become something that moves over to hockey in time,” he said. Facing this return home, they did try to maximize sleep and recovery by flying back from Edmonton on Sunday morning rather than immediately after the game on Saturday night. But over an 82-game regular season, sometimes there’s only so much you can do. We are not yet at a point where Leafs coach Mike Babcock can freely acknowledge as much to reporters — not in a sport where players are celebrated for gutting their way through gruesome injuries, and not while coaching a team that has a less onerous schedule that many of its counterparts. Still, Babcock did slyly hint they were in tough before the game against the Lightning when he was asked if he bought into the notion of teams struggling when returning from a western road trip: “I would if it was 1135809 Websites include a series of recommendations for handling concussions moving forward.

TSN.CA LOADED: 03.13.2019 TSN.CA / Ambrosie to speak at government hearing on concussions

Rick Westhead

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie and former NFL player Chris Borland have confirmed they will speak before a Canadian parliamentary committee studying the issue of sports-related concussions before the committee winds up in early May. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has been asked to participate in the hearings but has not yet confirmed whether he will, said Peter Fonseca, a Liberal Party member of parliament from Mississauga, Ont. and former Canadian Olympic team member who is chairing the hearings. “We’ve heard from parents, and we’ve heard from young athletes who have played about how concussions have affected them,” Fonseca said in an interview on Friday. “We want to be able to share with these commissioners, whether it’s Randy Ambrosie or commissioner Bettman, the power that they have as decision-makers and leaders and that it is in their interest, we would think, to grow the grassroots of their sports and have parents feel their kids are playing in safe environments all the way through.” A CFL spokesman said Ambrosie was unavailable and an NHL spokesman did not respond to an email requesting comment. Ambrosie, a former offensive lineman who played with Calgary, Toronto and Edmonton, has sought to improve player safety since his hiring as the league's commissioner in July 2017. In September 2017, the CFL announced it would outlaw full-contact padded practices during the season, a move designed to cut down the number of collisions that players give and take during a season. CFL teams have also received an extra bye week each season to help reduce the risks of player injury. At the same time, Ambrosie has refused to acknowledge a link between repeated head trauma and long-term brain diseases. Bettman has taken the same stance publicly, although internal NHL emails have shown top NHL officials have acknowledged that head injuries led to a higher prevalence of depression and personal tragedies. It’s unclear how Bettman would respond to the claim that the NHL should embrace a leadership role when it comes to safety in amateur hockey. In one string of emails in 2014 that was unsealed in the NHL’s concussion lawsuit, Gary Meagher, the NHL’s vice-president for communications, wrote to a public relations firm executive that the league had a different approach toward safety from that of the NFL, which “is in the business of selling that they are making the game of football safer at all levels — it is smoke and mirrors but they are masters of smoke and mirrors.” “The N.H.L. has never been in the business of trying to make the game safer at all levels and we have never tried to sell the fact that this is who we are,” Meagher wrote. Borland retired in 2015 from the NFL after one season, citing worries about the long-term effects of head trauma. A linebacker with the San Francisco 49ers, Borland was 24 at the time he walked away from the game. Since his retirement, he has filmed a CTE public service announcement and done many news media interviews about the issue of brain injuries in sports. Since the hearings began Nov. 21, witnesses have discussed the issue of concussions in both professional and amateur sports. Hockey has been a repeated discussion point. Former Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden, the hearing’s first witness, reiterated a case he has made repeatedly that the NHL should introduce a no-tolerance rule for hits to the head. Former Flyers forward Eric Lindros delivered the same message, as did Mark Aubry, a doctor with the Ottawa Senators and Hockey Canada. The NHL has made some, but not all, head hits against the rules. In March 2010, the league’s general managers approved Rule 48, which penalized lateral, blindside hits to an opponent where the head was targeted. Fonseca said that when testimony wraps up, a group of government analysts will write a report that will be tabled in parliament. The report will 1135810 Websites didn’t have any energy right through our whole group, didn’t skate well, didn’t execute well, weren’t good.”

Toronto had already seen Tampa twice this season, and beaten them TSN.CA / Lightning depth players dominate ‘lethargic’ Leafs once, so how well the Lightning play isn’t exactly a mystery. It was the Leafs’ seeming lack of preparedness to manage their attack that was most bothersome. Kristen Shilton “I think it was a good measuring stick for us,” Matthews said. “That’s a veteran team. They obviously came out hungry…we just didn’t come ready to play. Despite bad bounces they still beat us in every area of the TORONTO – The Maple Leafs have no excuse for what happened on ice.” Monday night, nor are they accepting any offers of justification. Their spiritless performance in a 6-2 drubbing by the Tampa Bay Lightning Simply flushing the defeat isn’t good enough now, either. It’s too late in wouldn’t be hung on a long albeit successful trip through Western the year, with too few regular season games remaining before playoffs Canada that ended early Sunday, or any seasonal illnesses players may are slated to begin. If Toronto wants to be a better team in the future, be battling. there’s no shying away from the present. In taking on the NHL-leading Lightning, the Leafs were just bad. And “We have to learn from today,” Tavares stated. “This was a great there was no way to sugar coat that after the fact. opportunity for us. Certainly look ourselves in the mirror and look to bounce back and understand we have to be a lot better than we were “The effort just wasn’t there at times, and in the third period we pretty today.” much just quit,” assessed Auston Matthews, who scored one of Toronto’s two goals. “So, that’s on us as players. We have to wake up and do a TAKEAWAYS much better job and hold each other accountable. They were just better than us in every way.” NHL investigating alleged use of homophobic slur Even before the hits started coming in the first period, after which During Monday's game, a microphone picked up audio of a homophobic Toronto trailed its visitors 2-0, the Leafs were dealt an early blow with the slur being uttered on the ice. loss of top-six winger Kasperi Kapanen, held out for precautionary Toronto's general manager Kyle Dubas released the following statement reasons related to illness. That shoved William Nylander up to his old after the game in regards to the alleged incident: spot alongside Matthews and Andreas Johnsson, but the Leafs stars never played like star players. “The Club is aware of the reports surrounding a homophobic slur used during the Maple Leafs vs. Lightning game on Monday night. The issue Neither, really, did the Lightning’s big guns, who courted all the headlines of homophobia is one the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club strongly leading into Monday night. In a game Tampa won by four goals, the condemns and takes very seriously. We are in communication with the NHL’s points leader Nikita Kucherov, top-line centre Steven Stamkos and NHL and are cooperating fully with their office.” top-pairing defenceman Victor Hedman combined for just two assists. It was Tampa’s depth that drowned the Leafs on a night the hosts were NHL PR released a similar statement and said they will have no further outshot 42-28. comment until their investigation is complete. Tyler Johnson delivered the opening salvo, deflecting a puck off his skate Good, bad and ugly past Andersen for a 1-0 lead. Anthony Cirelli next deflected Mikhail Sergachev’s point blast to make it 2-0 before the end of the first. And Matthews had as fraught an outing in Monday’s game as any Leaf, then Johnson struck again early in the second, burying a puck that punctuating some difficult defensive zone errors with a highlight-reel ricocheted off Andersen’s mask (hard enough to dislodge the strap) and worthy goal to try and breathe life into his lagging team. found the winger waiting in the weeds to make it 3-0. Given the slight skid Matthews had hit offensively prior to Monday’s Within 30 seconds, Ondrej Palat put another goal past Andersen, game – with zero goals and two assists in his previous six games – all chasing the Leafs’ starter for the first time all season in favour of backup eyes were on the Leafs centre to deliver. The prospect of being reunited Garret Sparks. on a line with Nylander could have been the spark Matthews needed to get rolling, and he did have good jump skating throughout the game, but “They got some bounces early and I don’t think we responded that well,” initially the linemate swap did nothing to jog his scoring touch. Morgan Rielly said. “No excuses. There’s no reason for us not to be ready and [any lingering fatigue] is certainly not an excuse for what In fact, Matthews’ first period was altogether forgettable, starting with his happened on the ice tonight.” giveaway on a backwards pass attempt to Jake Muzzin that was intercepted and eventually shot past Andersen by Johnson to open the “We have to find a way to establish our game and grab some of that scoring. momentum back,” added John Tavares. “As frustrating as it could be, halfway through the game, we have to find a way to get our game going Matthews’ line was out again on Palat’s goal, scored off Matthews’ lost and execute better than we did.” defensive zone draw. Right after that draw is when Matthews went zone- to-zone for his 31st goal of the season, breaking out of his mini-slump As Andersen took the fall for a poor overall team showing, Matthews and giving Toronto momentum to cling to. came to life with an end-to-end rush and shot that beat Andrei Vasilevskiy, cutting the Leafs’ deficit to 4-1. But they didn’t, Matthews included. He did manage the third-highest possession total on the team at 48 per cent (the Leafs finished at 44 per If Toronto still had hope of a comeback at that point, it was rapidly cent overall), but it was clear after the game Matthews had higher extinguished by their own egregious error on an ensuing power play, expectations for his own game that what he showed against Tampa. when an inexplicably bad line change created a three-on-one Matthews finished with two shots on goal in 17:20 time on ice. shorthanded chance the other way, and Cedric Paquette delivered a dagger past Sparks to make it 5-1 Lightning. Andersen gets the hook Rielly thought he’d been hooked prior to that play developing, and As soon as Palat’s goal went in, Babcock didn’t flinch before turning to Nazem Kadri said he thought a penalty was coming, too, but one didn't Sparks on the Leafs bench and sending in his backup to replace materialize. Andersen. It was the first time all season Babcock had given Andersen the hook, but with four goals allowed on 19 shots and more than half a “I know personally I shouldn’t have changed when I changed. Really game still to play, it was in the Leafs’ best interest to make the change. unacceptable,” said Tavares of the mistake. “Our execution and the will to find a way to overcome some of the things they’re doing to counter us While Andersen wasn’t stellar over his 24:50 in net, the goalie was also [has to improve] and that’s just by bearing down and executing in certain victimized by some good deflection work by the Lightning. Both areas.” Johnson’s first goal and Cirelli’s score were re-directed, leaving Andersen with little chance of making a stop. When Palat scored, the Paquette would score again in the third, deflecting a shot up and over puck deflected twice before going past him. Sparks to pad Tampa’s total. Connor Brown added a late goal with 4.2 seconds left in regulation, right before Toronto limped off with the loss. Andersen’s teammates came to his defence after, saying they hung the goalie out to dry. “We were no good,” surmised coach Mike Babcock. “They were better than us from start to finish and won more battles, more races and just Assessing his own game, Andersen said he “felt pretty good” but had more jump. We looked like a lethargic group right from the get-go, sometimes, “you don’t get the bounces.” And the bottom line for Babcock was Andersen didn’t come up with the saves Toronto needed, and jolting his team awake with a goalie change was the right course of action. Andersen ended the night with a .789 save percentage, while Sparks topped out with 21 saves and a .913 save percentage. Devil in the details While the Leafs held an overall edge in faceoff wins at 55 per cent over the Lightning, the draws they did lose were a key cog in the final score. Four of Tampa’s six goals were scored nearly the same way, off offensive zone faceoff wins and quick passes that cut right through the reeling Leafs struggling to sort assignments down low. Blue and White Trending Tracking Leafs’ trends all season long Monday’s loss was the fifth time this season Toronto has given up six goals in a game, and the second time in six games. The four-goal loss was tied for the largest deficit Toronto has endured in a home loss this year. Next up Toronto continues its homestand on Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Last Word “We should have showed a better effort tonight, but that being said, you’re not going to see that very often from us. We’re not quitters. We’ve never been like that; we always finish it to the end. [But] did we want a better effort? Of course.” - Nazem Kadri, reflecting on the Leafs’ 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning TSN.CA LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135811 Websites

TSN.CA / NHL investigating alleged use of homophobic slur in Lightning- Leafs game

TORONTO — The NHL has launched an investigation into the possible use of a homophobic slur in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night. Television cameras picked up what sounded like a slur with 1:51 left to play in the second period as Tampa Bay's Yanni Gourde and Toronto's Morgan Rielly skated into the Maple Leafs' defensive zone on a dump in. "The NHL is aware of reports that a homophobic slur was used during the Maple Leafs-Lightning game," read the statement. "The League is investigating the incident and will have no further comment until this investigation is completed." Two hours after the game Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas also issued a statement. "The Club is aware of the reports surrounding a homophobic slur used during the Maple Leafs versus Lightning game on Monday night," said Dubas. "The issue of homophobia is one the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club strongly condemns and takes very seriously. We are in communication with the NHL and are co-operating fully with their office." TSN.CA LOADED: 03.13.2019 1135812 Websites

USA TODAY / Blue Jackets don't send out enough players onto ice for Bruins' fourth goal

Mike Brehm, USA TODAY Published 10:15 p.m. ET March 12, 2019 | Updated 4:52 a.m. ET March 13, 2019

Boston Bruins star Brad Marchand scored right off a faceoff in the second period Tuesday night to cut the Columbus Blue Jackets' lead to 5-4. There's a reason for the ease of his goal. The Blue Jackets didn't have the right number of players on the ice. It was a 5-on-5 situation after Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made a glove save to freeze play. But the Blue Jackets put out only four players on the ice for the ensuing faceoff: Boone Jenner, Riley Nash, Zach Werenski and Seth Jones. A forward was missing. Bruins center Patrice Bergeron's faceoff win went straight to Marchand, who ripped a shot past Bobrovsky for his second goal of the game and 30th of the season. The Bruins, who had trailed 5-1, were down by one heading into the second intermission. Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella, once he realized the mistake, was pretty animated. He said, "I'm not talking about it," after the game. Werenski told reporters he noticed the team was short-handed right as the puck was being dropped. "I turned around to tell Nasher that we were going to go short side," he said. "Usually I tell two forwards. When I turned around, I was like, 'Is he behind me?' I thought he was maybe following me. "Once I realized it, the puck was down and the puck was in our net. I've never seen that before. I probably won't ever see it again. But it happens, I guess." But the gaffe didn't cost the Blue Jackets. Werenski scored a power-play goal in the third period and Jenner scored an empty-netter for a hat trick and a 7-4 win that kept Columbus still holding onto the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The goal was Werenski's first in 30 games. "It's a big goal," Tortorella said. "We faced a little adversity, them coming back. I thought we answered really well in the third period. That's a big goal for us, obviously." USA TODAY LOADED: 03.13.2019