SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 02/10/19 1129910 Ducks' road woes continue in 6-2 loss to Flyers 1129946 Avalanche’s losing streak continues with loss to 1129911 Ducks rookie Kevin Boyle thrilled after making Islanders NHL debut 1129947 Colorado Eagles soaring under the Colorado Avalanche’s 1129912 Ducks fall to Flyers and last in the West as losing streak wing reaches 7 1129948 Overtime woes continue for the Avalanche in loss to Islanders 1129949 This was the most frustrating OT loss of them all (all 10 of 1129913 Arizona Coyotes net two power play goals ending post them) for Avs All-Star drought 1129950 Avs-Islanders player grades: more overtime futility 1129914 Arizona Coyotes end losing streak, ignite power play in 1129951 The Avalanche defense just took a big hit win vs. Stars 1129916 The Neutral Zone: Perspective on Coyotes’ injuries shows it’s about as bad as it seems 1129952 Blue Jackets 4, Golden Knights 3: Cam Atkinson's two 1129917 19 Days of Doan, Day 4: Martinook, Duclair on bringing goals caps unbeaten trip down the bear 1129954 Blue Jackets getting boost from special teams 1129955 Blue Jackets | Potent line could be playoff weapon 1129956 The next six weeks could be volatile for the Blue Jackets’ 1129918 Bruins beat Kings in overtime goaltending position 1129919 Bruins kids have seven games to end their struggles 1129920 After being honored, Patrice Bergeron delivered 1129921 Maple Leafs are banking on Auston Matthews 1129957 Stars notebook: Martin Hanzal 'not close' to returning, 1129922 Bruins notebook: Patrice Bergeron earns high praise Roman Polak leaves game early 1129923 Heinen’s improved play resembles past flashes of promise 1129958 Stars' favorable playoff picture can't always mask this for Bruins lurking issue... 1129924 Patrice Bergeron’s overtime heroics get Bruins past Kings, 1129959 Galchenyuk’s 2 goals help Coyotes beat Stars, end losing 5-4 streak 1129925 NHL Notebook: With Panarin, proceed with caution 1129960 Stars 20/20: Too little and too late, Stars offense not 1129926 Cassidy helping to spark B's offense with changes up front enough in loss to Coyotes 1129927 In the highest of praise, Marchand calls Bergeron "God" after OT win 1129928 Kings gave Patrice Bergeron $1,000 bottle of wine to 1129961 Dylan Larkin remains Detroit Red Wings' brightest star in honor 1,000th game dark season 1129929 Talking Points from the Bruins' 5-4 OT win over the LA 1129962 Detroit Red Wings flop at , lose matinee, 3- Kings 1 1129930 Highlights from Bruins 5-4 OT victory over the Kings 1129963 Game thread: Red Wings lose to Sabres, 3-1 1129931 Bruins prepared for whatever might happen (or not) at 1129964 Red Wings put on a weak show for Dad, fall to Sabres trade deadline 1129965 Red Wings prospect Zadina will get opportunity in NHL 1129932 Bruins marvel at Kings’ gesture of sportsmanship for before end of season Patrice Bergeron ceremony 1129966 Red Wings begin trip with loss to Sabres Buffalo Sabres 1129933 Linus Ullmark stands tall again, backstops Sabres with 28 1129967 Edmonton Oilers notes: Kyle Brodziak's healthy scratch saves lasts one game 1129934 Mike Harrington: At least for one day, Sabres' defense 1129968 take another big bite out of Edmonton doesn't rest Oilers 1129935 Sabres pounce on power play, setting stage for 3-1 win 1129969 Edmonton Oilers Game Day: Oh no, the San Jose Sharks! over Red Wings 1129936 The Wraparound: Sabres 3, Red Wings 1 1129937 Inside the NHL: standout Mark Scheifele has 1129970 Hoffman scores in OT, Panthers beat Capitals 5-4 developed friendship with Eichel 1129971 Preview: Lightning at Panthers, 6 p.m., Sunday Flames Kings 1129938 FLAMES SNAPSHOTS: No doubting Hamonic’s 1129972 Kings fall in OT in Boston to snap 3-game winning streak toughness 1129973 FEBRUARY 9 RAPID REACTION (FEAT. DANA 1129939 Flames lose shootout thriller against Canucks BRYSON): BRUINS 5, KINGS 4 (OT) 1129974 GAME 54: LOS ANGELES AT BOSTON 1129940 Canes’ mystery man Maenalanen is making his mark. Just ask the Rangers. 1129941 Corey Crawford practices for the first time since December: 'He looked sharp' 1129942 5 things that must happen for the Blackhawks to make the playoffs 1129943 Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford practices for first time since concussion 1129944 Corey Crawford takes 'definitely positive' step with Saturday practice 1129945 Blackhawks not putting timeline on Corey Crawford's potential return despite first practice since concussion 1129975 NHL trade deadline likely to be a no-win situation for the 1130011 Caps and restrictions are not needed for every little Wild ‘loophole’ 1129976 Wild's Marcus Foligno says timing was right for fight with 1130012 The trade-deadline deal Rangers are still reaping the Devils winger Kurtis Gabriel benefits of 1129977 Islanders coming in hot ahead of Sunday's game vs. Wild 1129978 Parise scores go-ahead , Wild snap 4-game losing streak 1130013 Nilsson and Borowiecki to march for LGBQT cause 1129979 Wild snaps four-game losing streak with 4-2 win over New Sunday Jersey 1130014 WARREN: Jaros steps up to help shut down Winnipeg’s 1129980 Wild returns to road to visit Devils for matinee in New stars Jersey 1130015 GARRIOCH GAME REPORT: Stone, Duchene, Dzingel 1129981 Wild’s Marcus Foligno posts the Gordie Howe hat trick lead Senators to win over Jets 1129982 Charley Walters: Paul Holmgren looking forward to Wild’s Joe Mauer salute 1129983 Third line propels Wild past Devils to end losing streak 1130016 Carter Hart ties rookie record as red-hot Flyers jump 1129984 Marcus Foligno backs up his talk and leads Wild to a Ducks needed win, Gordie-style 1130017 Flyers trade Dale Weise, Christian Folin to Canadiens; acquire David Schlemko, Byron Froese Canadiens 1130018 Flyers recall Phil Myers from Phantoms; Corban Knight 1129985 In the Habs' Room: Power play is weak link against Leafs put on waivers despite playoff atmosphere 1130019 Flyers give Carter Hart a deserved breather with 6-2 win 1129986 About last night ... Leafs win 4-3 in OT 1130020 Flyers trade for Montreal's David Schlemko, Byron Froese 1129987 Tavares' OT goal gives Leafs 4-3 decision in slugfest with 1130021 Fish: Not too early to tout Carter Hart for rookie of the year Canadiens 1130022 Hart still beating on Flyers' points streak; roll over Ducks 1129988 Liveblog: Leafs win 4-3 in OT for 9th win in 10 games 1129989 Canadiens Game Day: Could your heart handle Habs vs. 1130023 Fletcher's office cleaning should make room for other Leafs in playoffs? moves 1129990 Canadiens acquire Christian Folin and Dale Weise from 1130024 Flyers deal Folin, Weise to Canadiens Flyers 1130025 Flyers' van Riemsdyk fined $5,000 for high-sticking 1129991 Maple Leafs at Canadiens: Five things you should know 1130026 How Philippe Myers might fit into Flyers' defensive plans 1129992 The Canadiens’ present and future have collided head on, 1130027 Flyers 6, Ducks 2: Loud start pushes point streak to 10 and needs to deal with the wreckage games 1129993 The Canadiens and Flyers trade problems, contracts, and 1130028 Flyers call up Philippe Myers after trading Dale Weise, a couple of chances at redemption Christian Folin to Canadiens for David Schlemko, Byron 1129994 The Canadiens trade punches with the Leafs and last to 1130029 Flyers 5 takeaways: Carter Hart gets goal support as his the final round before hitting the mat streak continues 1129995 Dellow: Contrasting the approaches of Montreal and 1130030 Flyers prospect WATCH: Could Carter Hart be blazing a Toronto on offensive zone faceoff wins trail for young goalies? 1130031 Flyers vs. Ducks: Game 55 preview, line combinations, broadcast info 1129996 Blues top Predators for fifth straight win 1130032 NHL trade rumors: Top 35 targets before 2019 deadline | Artemi Panarin switches agents; Wayne Simmonds, Mark S 1129997 New Jersey Devils vs. Minnesota Wild: LIVE score updates and chat (2/9/19) 1129998 3 takeaways from NJ Devils' loss to Wild: Penalties adding 1130033 Penguins' grip on playoff spot loosens with loss at Tampa up for killers Bay 1129999 Devils fall to Wild for 3rd straight loss as Cory Schneider 1130034 Inconsistency could keep Penguins from early postseason waits for first win since 2017 clinching 1130000 Ariana Grande braved being struck by two hockey pucks 1130035 Penguins expect physical fireworks in matchup with as a kid and this is the 'cutie' pic to prove it Lightning 1130001 Ex-Devil Parise scores go-ahead goal as Wild snap losing 1130036 Penguins' Sullivan picks DeSmith over Murray for streak, beat New Jersey 4-2 Saturday night showdown in Tampa 1130002 Familiar face helps send Devils to third straight defeat 1130037 Garrett Wilson finally scores first NHL goal 1130038 Power-play troubles persist for Penguins in loss to Lightning 1130003 Islanders rally from 2-0 deficit to beat the Avalanche 4-3 in 1130039 Penguins show fight but come up short in Tampa OT 1130040 Jared McCann is the Penguins’ anti-Derick Brassard 1130004 Islanders need late surge to earn OT win over reeling 1130041 Frustrated Phil Kessel opens up after loss: ‘I need to be Avalanche better’ 1130005 How Matt Martin literally saved the day for the Islanders 1130006 Isles defenseman Ryan Pulock ends scoring drought with pair of goals 1130007 How Barry Trotz, Lou Lamoriello transformed Islanders' defense from worst to best 1130008 Matt Martin's hustle play illustrates why Islanders are on top 1130009 Islanders announcer Chris King returns to booth after streak ends 1130010 Ryan Pulock scores in overtime as Islanders rally to beat Avalanche San Jose Sharks 1130042 Takeaways: Sharks’ Labanc is trying to ‘prove a point’ with 1130068 Late goal dooms Golden Knights in 4-3 loss to Blue trade deadline looming Jackets 1130043 Labanc, Sharks play spoiler role on Hockey Day in 1130069 Golden Knights’ Reilly Smith savors first point since return Canada 1130070 NHL analyst predicts ‘active’ trade market before deadline 1130044 Kevin Labanc’s hat trick lifts Sharks 1130071 Rare off night from Marc-Andre Fleury results in loss to 1130045 Sharks praise Kevin Labanc after he tallies his first career Blue Jackets NHL hat trick 1130072 Golden Knights surrender late lead, fall to Blue Jackets 1130046 Sharks vs. Oilers watch guide: Projected lines and 1130073 Gerard Gallant’s message heard loud and clear by Golden defensive pairs Knights’ top line 1130047 Marc-Edouard Vlasic is finally rounding into form — just 1130074 Golden Knights Lose, 4-3, to Columbus as CBJ Score 2 don’t ask him to talk about it Late-Game Goals 1130075 Bicycle Tour of Las Vegas Stadiums Reveals Market’s St Louis Blues Expanding Sports Industry 1130048 Blues notebook: MacEachern shines Saturday 1130049 Blues push winning streak to a season-high five 1130050 Binnington keeps winning, and so do Blues _ 3-2 over 1130076 Capitals rally to force OT but fall back into bad habits in Nashville loss to Panthers 1130051 Blues call up Butler from San Antonio 1130077 Top NHL centers get top minutes, but how much is too much? 1130078 Capitals’ Christian Djoos to return Saturday after missing 1130052 Some Lightning thoughts as the trade deadline 24 games due to injury approaches 1130079 Mike Hoffman scores in OT for Panthers to beat Capitals 1130053 Lightning pregame: Tampa Bay prepared for another 1130080 Remembering a record-tying game as Capitals and physical game against Penguins Panthers meet again Saturday night 1130054 Lightning coach Jon Cooper and Bucs coach Bruce Arians meet before game Websites 1130055 Lightning solves scoring issues to beat Penguins 1130092 .ca / Maple Leafs-Canadiens crawls out of hibernation with thrilling clash 1130093 Sportsnet.ca / Ken Hitchcock feeling sobering reality with 1130056 An old rivalry is renewed between the Leafs and the Oilers' situation Canadiens 1130094 Sportsnet.ca / Sensational Markstrom masks Canucks' 1130057 Leafs outlast Canadiens in what we can only hope was a awful second period playoff preview 1130095 Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens' maturity in loss to Maple Leafs 1130058 Sunday NHL preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at New York step in right direction Rangers 1130096 Sportsnet.ca / Ron and Don: Jets' Patrik Laine needs to 1130059 Saturday NHL preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal 'get going' Canadiens 1130097 Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs not willing to trade prospects 1130060 Game Day: Maple Leafs at Rangers Sandin, Liljegren for rental 1130061 Leafs beat Habs on Tavares' OT winner 1130098 Sportsnet.ca / Dismal losing skid could force Ducks to 1130062 Big day for Leafs' hometown boy Gauthier in Montreal rush coaching change 1130063 The Maple Leafs need to find more minutes for Andreas 1130099 Sportsnet.ca / Jets could put top prospect Sami Niku on Johnsson trade market 1130064 Leafs Report Cards – Game 54 at Montreal 1130100 Sportsnet.ca / Senators nearing decision time on 1130065 Dellow: Contrasting the approaches of Montreal and Duchene, Stone, Dzingel Toronto on offensive zone faceoff wins 1130101 Sportsnet.ca / Dale Weise thrilled to return to Canadiens 1130066 Tulloch: When are the Leafs playing their best? Saturday 1130102 TSN.CA / Five Takeaways: Canucks vs Flames could be the secret 1130103 TSN.CA / Babcock taking wait and see approach to 1130067 ‘He’s just his own brand’: To understand Jeremy Bracco’s defence chemistry success, you must first understand Jeremy Bracco 1130104 TSN.CA / Canucks vs Flames gameday preview 1130105 USA TODAY / ' James Neal has teeth fly out of mouth after he's high-sticked 1130085 Canucks Extra: Markstrom making his mark 1130086 Canucks 4, Flames 3 (SO): Markstrom puts out the fire as Vancouver survives, thrives in shootout 1130081 Stone-cold homebrew 1130087 Patrick Johnston: Canucks ‘Chris-cross’ defencemen while 1130082 Road woes persist for sliding Jets Edler recovers from concussion 1130083 JETS GAMEDAY: Five keys to Jets vs Sabres 1130088 Canucks injury update: Sven Baertschi diagnosed with 1130084 WIEBE'S GAME REPORT: Jets drop third straight to lowly post-concussion syndrome Sens 1130089 Canucks Game Day: Rested Vancouver aims to re-ignite SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 playoff push tonight against Flames 1130090 The Athletties: Clark’s impact, Boeser’s sneaky plan, Stecher’s rave reviews and how the Canucks got Leivo 1130091 Will the past dictate the future? A look at Jim Benning’s work at previous trade deadlines 1129910 Anaheim Ducks

LA Times: LOADED: 02.10.2019

Ducks' road woes continue in 6-2 loss to Flyers

Staff Report By ASSOCIATED PRESS

FEB 09, 2019 | 3:10 PM

PHILADELPHIA

Carter Hart's approach to making big saves is simple and effective.

Hart stopped 30 shots for his eighth straight victory, Sean Couturier had a goal and two assists and the Philadelphia Flyers scored four times in the first period to rout the slumping Anaheim Ducks 6-2 on Saturday.

Michael Raffl, Oskar Lindblom, Phil Varone, Nolan Patrick and Travis Konecny also scored for the Flyers, who have won nine of 10.

The 20-year-old Hart helped the Flyers to a fast start, denying Jakob Silfverberg on a breakaway with a save 1:15 into the contest.

“You see the play develop and you get ready,” a nonchalant Hart said. “You hopefully make the save or you don't.”

Hart tied an NHL rookie record for most consecutive victories before turning 21, matching former Quebec netminder Jocelyn Thibault's performance in March 1995.

“I don't look at those things,” Hart said. “Sure it's cool, but we just want to win hockey games.”

Hart was rested in favor of Anthony Stolarz in Thursday's 3-2 shootout loss to Los Angeles that snapped Philadelphia's eight-game winning streak.

Buoyed by Hart's early-game performance, Philadelphia broke away early.

“It could've been a whole different game,” Couturier said. “He's been keeping us in games, making us believe even when we're not playing our best. It's nice to get him some goals. He's been unbelievable.”

Adam Henrique and Nick Ritchie scored for Anaheim, which lost its seventh in a row and 19th in the last 21 while ending a forgettable six- game road trip. The Ducks have been outscored 37-8 during their skid.

“You don't expect to have to live through this stuff for an extended period of time,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said.

Ryan Getzlaf had two assists while playing in his 967th contest, which set a club record for most games with the Ducks.

Kevin Boyle made 24 saves in his NHL debut in his relief of Chad Johnson, who was lifted after the first period for allowing four goals on 14 shots. Johnson was in net in place of All-Star John Gibson, who suffered an upper body injury in the third period of the Ducks' 4-0 loss at Ottawa on Thursday.

Varone got the goal-barrage started in the first by scoring from close range with a shot over Johnson's right arm 2:44 into the contest.

Couturier's wrist shot from the left circle went off the post and in with 9:36 left in the period to make it 2-0, and Raffl added another with a short- handed tally 1 minute later with a wrist shot that beat Johnson on the glove side after a great outlet pass from Scott Laughton.

And Lindblom finished Philadelphia's first-period burst with a bit of luck. Couturier's pass in front went off Lindblom's skate and over the goal line with 2:14 left in the period.

“It's mind-boggling,” Carlyle said of Anaheim's slow starts of late. “It seems that everything bad that can happen, happens. We had four glorious opportunities in the first period to give us some life. They get their four goals in an area that we have to defend. That's one-on-one battles and defending with some stiffness and we didn't do that.”

Boyle kept the Flyers off the board with a solid, 13-save second period, and the Ducks got a power-play goal 51 seconds into the second when Henrique finished Ritchie's pass from behind the net. 1129911 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks rookie goaltender Kevin Boyle thrilled after making NHL debut

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | [email protected] | Orange County Register

PUBLISHED: February 9, 2019 at 5:34 pm | UPDATED: February 9, 2019 at 5:34 PM

PHILADELPHIA — All-Star goaltender John Gibson couldn’t play because of an unspecified upper-body injury and Chad Johnson gave up four goals on 14 shots in the first period, so 26-year-old Kevin Boyle got a chance to make his NHL debut Saturday for the Ducks.

Boyle made the cross-country journey from San Diego and didn’t look out of place in the least. He was poised and confident while stepping into the chaos that has enveloped the reeling Ducks, losers of seven in a row and 19 of 21 after a 6-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

While his new teammates walked through the postgame dressing room with their chins on their chests, buried in thought, Boyle smiled broadly and sounded a joyful tone after making 24 saves in his first NHL game after he was recalled from the AHL’s Gulls.

Boyle’s parents drove the 45 minutes from the family’s central New Jersey home to Philadelphia to meet him for dinner after he arrived from California on Friday night. His brother and sister-in-law made the 90- minute trek from Washington and the Boyle family then celebrated the 26-year-old’s debut.

Coach Randy Carlyle said he considered starting Boyle rather than Johnson.

“We thought about it,” Carlyle said. “It was a real consideration.”

Boyle said he was prepared to play. Or as prepared as he could be under the circumstances.

“You go in without any real pressure on you,” Boyle said of replacing Johnson to start the second period. “You’re just going in and trying to do whatever you can to try to get the team in the game at that point. A lot of the pressure is off you.

“You always have to be ready as a goalie. To be honest, I think we did a lot of good things in that game, especially starting in the second period. We had a lot of great scoring chances. Their goalie (Carter Hart) made a lot of great saves.”

Carlyle was impressed.

“I thought he showed some composure,” Carlyle said. “He didn’t look nervous at all.”

Was it enough to earn another start Wednesday, when the Ducks host the Vancouver Canucks? Carlyle said Gibson’s status was day-to-day and it was too early to determine which of the three goalies would face the Canucks as the Ducks attempt to end their skid.

“That’s off in the future,” Carlyle said.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Cam Fowler tied Ruslan Salei for the most games played by a Ducks defenseman with 594. Fowler can break Salei’s franchise record Wednesday against the Canucks. Salei played for the Ducks from 1996 to 2006. He died in a plane crash that killed 44 in Russia in 2011. …

Gulls coach Dallas Eakins became the 21st coach in AHL history to record 300 victories in his career when San Diego defeat the on Friday. Eakins is 300-199-27-34 with the Gulls (2015-present) and the Toronto Marlies (2009-13).

Orange County Register: LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129912 Anaheim Ducks record right now. It makes zero difference to me at the moment and I apologize. It means nothing to me right now.”

Ducks fall to Flyers and last in the West as losing streak reaches 7 Orange County Register: LOADED: 02.10.2019

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | [email protected] | Orange County Register

PUBLISHED: February 9, 2019 at 12:54 pm | UPDATED: February 9, 2019 at 3:54 PM

PHILADELPHIA — Last at last. The Ducks’ downward spiral finally dropped them to the bottom of the Western Conference standings after a 6-2 loss Saturday to the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center, their seventh consecutive and 19th in their past 21 games.

Coach Randy Carlyle emerged from the dressing room looking fatigued, the strain of the Ducks’ losing streak clearly etched on his face as he met with reporters. As the losses have mounted, the calls for General Manager Bob Murray to fire Carlyle have increased.

Murray took the unusual step last month of issuing a statement through the Ducks’ media relations department that suggested Carlyle’s job was safe and that he would look to make changes to the roster to jolt the team from what became a franchise-record 12-game losing streak.

After four separate trades in a three-day span, the Ducks ended that skid with consecutive victories Jan. 17 over the Minnesota Wild and then Jan. 19 over the New Jersey Devils. But the Ducks began a new streak with a loss Jan. 20 against the New York Islanders.

Now, the pressure from fans and the media has increased exponentially, and with good reason.

The Ducks continue to suffer losses that bear a distinct resemblance to each other. They gave up the first goal of the game Saturday for the fifth consecutive game. They also left their goaltender to fend for himself and Carlyle was forced to make a change in net for the fifth time in six games

“It’s hard,” Carlyle said after the Ducks gave up the game’s first four goals and he replaced starting goalie Chad Johnson with Kevin Boyle, who made his NHL debut. “You don’t expect to have to live through this stuff for this extended period of time.”

Johnson started in place of All-Star goalie John Gibson, who was removed from the Ducks’ loss Thursday to the Ottawa Senators because of an unspecified upper-body injury. Boyle was summoned from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL and made 24 saves.

The Ducks narrowed the Flyers’ 4-0 lead to 4-2 after power-play goals from in the second period and Nick Ritchie in the third. Nolan Patrick (power play) and Travis Konecny beat Boyle for third- period goals to pad the Flyers lead and turn the game into a rout.

“It was awesome,” Boyle said of his debut. “It was kind of a nerve-racking experience getting the call for the first time. I just went out and there and tried to have fun with it. Those last two I’d want back. If I could have stopped those, maybe we would have made a late push there at the end.”

The Ducks didn’t give themselves much of a chance to win, giving up four first-period goals before Henrique’s goal 51 seconds into the second narrowed Philadelphia’s lead to 4-1. Boyle replaced Johnson to start the second and was sharp, because, well, he had to be.

Phil Varone, Sean Couturier, Michael Raffl (shorthanded) and Oskar Lindblom scored for Philadelphia, chasing Johnson. Gibson was sidelined after teammate Jaycob Megna crashed into him during the closing minutes of the second period of Thursday’s 4-0 loss.

Ritchie’s power-play goal cut the Ducks’ deficit to 4-2 at 4:57 of the third period. Ritchie also assisted on Henrique’s goal. Ryan Getzlaf, playing in his franchise-record 967th game, assisted on both goals. Hall of Fame right wing Teemu Selanne held the previous mark with 966 games for the Ducks.

Getzlaf was in no mood to talk about passing Selanne, his former teammate.

“Nothing, zero,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for you and what you guys do, but I’m not in any position to make any comment about any 1129913 Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes net two power play goals ending post All-Star drought

BY TOM KUEBEL

FEBRUARY 9, 2019 AT 3:30 PM

UPDATED: FEBRUARY 9, 2019 AT 3:41 PM

The Arizona Coyotes snapped a power play drought that had lasted since before the All-Star break on a first period goal by Alex Goligoski against the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

In the second period, Alex Galchenyuk slapped home a one-timer on a power play to keep the Arizona special teams hot.

Goligoski’s goal was the first power play goal for the Coyotes since Jan. 23 against the and snapped an 0-16 streak for the team on the man advantage.

Arizona’s special teams has been key to keeping the Coyotes in playoff contention in the cluttered Western Conference. The bottom nine teams in the conference are all within eight points of each other and battling for the final two wildcard spots.

The Coyotes have the top power play kill percentage in the NHL and rank No. 18 in total power play goals.

Lately, the penalty kill has stumbled giving up six power play goals in the last five games, resulting in a five-game losing streak for the Coyotes. That includes a 5-4 loss to the Stars on Monday when Dallas scored on three of four power play opportunities.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129914 Arizona Coyotes game like that last time in Dallas. So we stick to it and guys in the end made a lot of great blocks and we’re happy about the win.”

Arizona Coyotes end losing streak, ignite power play in win vs. Stars Arizona Sports LOADED: 02.10.2019

BY MATT LAYMAN

FEBRUARY 9, 2019 AT 5:53 PM

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes needed what came of Saturday’s game against the Stars.

First and foremost, they needed a win. The Coyotes were on a five-game losing streak going into Saturday and hadn’t won since Jan. 22, prior to the All-Star break. In that span, they earned just one point by forcing OT against the Sharks coming out of the break.

Arizona also needed more out of its power play. They hadn’t scored a power play goal since Jan. 23 at Montreal and had been 0-for-17 since then.

The Coyotes accomplished both of those tasks in a 3-2 over Dallas, outshooting the Stars 39-35 as Darcy Kuemper made 33 saves. Arizona went 2-for-3 on the power play.

“It was an important win,” head coach Rick Tocchet said. “We had to have this win tonight and it was a nice win. The Stars are fighting for a playoff spot, too. They’ve got some high-end guys, I thought we shut them down until the end.”

Wins and losses count the same in the standings at the beginning, middle and end of the season. But the recent stretch of losses for the Coyotes felt magnified by a playoff race where no team in the Western Conference seemed to be pulling away. Arizona was losing ground.

“Every game, I think we’ve lost the special teams battle probably for the last three or four,” Alex Goligoski said. “We’re obviously aware of it. So it’s nice to always get the power play going when you haven’t been scoring, and the flip side of that is our PK has been great all year but it’s kind of let us down the last few. We were solid there tonight, too. So that’s good confidence going forward.”

The win on Saturday stopped that bleeding as the Coyotes will turn it over to a new week, one that includes contests against the Vegas Golden Knights (third place in the Pacific Division), St. Louis Blues (currently occupying the second wild card spot in the Western Conference) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (third-highest goal differential in the NHL).

“We knew it was a big game,” Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. “Came out really good in the first period, played good in the second. Felt pretty comfortable all game and I thought the whole team played good, Kuemper back there made some good saves when we needed him.”

Meanwhile, Alex Galchenyuk scored two goals for the Coyotes for the second time since his trade to the desert. Since Dec. 23, Galchenyuk has played 20 games, scoring seven goals with nine assists for 16 points.

The Coyotes got on the board first when a faceoff win in the offensive zone on the power play resulted in a play in which Galchenyuk set up Goligoski for a goal. That made it 1-0 Coyotes in the first period and marked one of three points on the night for Galchenyuk.

In the second period, Galchenyuk would score his first of the night on the power play before tacking on a second goal — this one at even-strength — in the third period.

“That’s the stuff we need,” Tocchet said. “I’ve liked our game in San Jose and Dallas and stuff, we just couldn’t get that play at the end and Alex made those plays tonight. That’s the difference for us.”

Two Dallas goals just 27 seconds apart in the 16th minute of the third period ruined Keumper’s and made things close, but the Coyotes held on for the win to snap the losing streak.

Arizona is now tied for fifth in the Western Conference wild card race with 53 points, just four points back of St. Louis.

“It was definitely a little bit of a dramatic ending there, but we talked about it. We knew they were going to keep going, keep going. We lost a 1129915 Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes net two power play goals ending post All-Star drought

BY TOM KUEBEL

FEBRUARY 9, 2019 AT 3:30 PM

UPDATED: FEBRUARY 9, 2019 AT 3:41 PM

The Arizona Coyotes snapped a power play drought that had lasted since before the All-Star break on a first period goal by Alex Goligoski against the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

In the second period, Alex Galchenyuk slapped home a one-timer on a power play to keep the Arizona special teams hot.

Goligoski’s goal was the first power play goal for the Coyotes since Jan. 23 against the Montreal Canadiens and snapped an 0-16 streak for the team on the man advantage.

Arizona’s special teams has been key to keeping the Coyotes in playoff contention in the cluttered Western Conference. The bottom nine teams in the conference are all within eight points of each other and battling for the final two wildcard spots.

The Coyotes have the top power play kill percentage in the NHL and rank No. 18 in total power play goals.

Lately, the penalty kill has stumbled giving up six power play goals in the last five games, resulting in a five-game losing streak for the Coyotes. That includes a 5-4 loss to the Stars on Monday when Dallas scored on three of four power play opportunities.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129916 Arizona Coyotes with the site, but right now, the site is the limit of what I can do, time-wise, knowledge-wise and experience-wise.

“I don’t have formal stats training. Would I like a business partner? Yes. The Neutral Zone: Perspective on Coyotes’ injuries shows it’s about as Would I like to hire people and have them help me out doing the things I bad as it seems want to do? Absolutely. I have looked at the possibility of selling the site to make it better but I have never gained any traction in conversations with Stats Inc. and other sports stats companies. It may be my fault. I By Craig Morgan may not have packaged it properly or marketed it. I have no acumen for marketing. I haven’t given up, but I’m fine with postponing it until a later Feb 9, 2019 date.”

Currier said he has engaged in some Twitter disagreements with fans Nathan Currier was frustrated. His favorite team, the Montreal who don’t believe in his numbers. Canadiens, was enduring what appeared to be an inordinate amount of “Every fan base thinks their team is the most injured in the league,” he injuries in the 2010-11 season, but an extensive Google search turned up said, laughing. “Arizona is, in fact, the most injured team this season, but little more than basic information on those injuries. I have found that fans habitually overestimate their team’s injury “I found out who was injured and when they were injured, but I had no situation. idea how it compared to the other teams,” Currier said. “It bothered me “I’m a data-driven guy. I’m a scientist. People let emotions rule their for a few months and then I decided to do the work myself.” thinking so I want them not to jump to conclusions but to educate In that moment, the underappreciated website, mangameslost.com, was themselves before they get in that Twitter or chatroom battle. Educate born. yourself before you put your flag in the ground and make your claim. All of my data is from publicly accessible and reputable sources. I just “It was just a hobby at first, and I just covered the NHL,” Currier said. “It assemble it and analyze it in a way people haven’t done before.” was very crude and rudimentary how I did everything back then. I tracked everything by hand in Excel but then I started getting attention from NHL When the Coyotes announced Friday that defenseman Kyle Capobianco media and then some of the teams wrote me and then the NHLPA wrote (ACL tear) would miss the rest of the season, Coyotes fans turned to me and people asked, ‘Why not do this for other sports?’” gallows humor to cope with a season that has also cost them Raanta (knee), defenseman Jason Demers (knee), Jakob Chychrun (ACL), and By 2014, Currier had branched into the four major North American pro forwards Christian Dvorak (pectoral muscle) Michael Grabner (eye), Brad sports leagues – adding the NFL, MLB and the NBA. Two years ago, he Richardson (hand), Alex Galchenyuk (knee) and Nick Schmaltz (knee) started monetizing the site with subscriptions, while adding more metrics for lengthy periods of time. to dive down into the impact injuries had on teams. The weekly updates he provides on each league used to take four to five hours to produce. The knee-jerk reaction (no pun intended) was to assume this was the Now they are completely automated and take 20 minutes. worst injury season in recorded NHL history. Currier acknowledged that the Coyotes are trending toward the top five since he started tracking the Currier is not aware of other sites that track injuries in the other sports, stats nearly a decade ago, but they are not the most injured team of all and only one that tracks the NHL but bases the value of those lost man time. games on salaries. You can find all manner of data on each of the four sports. Currier has incorporated well-known metrics such as WAR “Arizona will end high; they may even increase their rate and become the (baseball) and WARP (basketball), and there is greater meaning to the most injured team in the last nine seasons but it is not likely,” he said. numbers than the raw count of injuries. With the NHL, Currier uses “And if you add all those seasons together, the Pittsburgh Penguins and acronyms such as IIT (Injury Impact to Team) and CMIP (Cumulative Vancouver Canucks have been by far the most injured teams over the Minutes of Injured Players) to provide a deeper understanding of each last eight seasons. The Coyotes were 23rd heading into this season, but team’s situation. this season has been a different story.”

His work has caught the attention of the Coyotes fan base this season The site includes historical data and a wealth of other helpful information, because Arizona is leading the NHL in man-games lost to injury (303 as including a Frequently Asked Questions page. As for this season, if of the last update through 53 games). What is rare about the Coyotes’ you’re wondering how the Coyotes stack up against injury-ravaged teams situation is the type of players they have lost to injuries. of the past, here are the raw numbers. Given the way this season has panned out, there is still time to catch the leaders. “The Arizona story is a powerful story not just because they have lost the most man games to injury, but also because they have lost the most The top man-game lost NHL seasons since Currier started tracking the value,” Currier said. “Part of that is (goalie) Antti Raanta, but they have data lost other valuable players as well.” 2010-11: New York Islanders, 578 Among the metrics Currier uses to measure value lost are average ice 2011-12: Philadelphia, 439 time and point shares (developed by hockey reference.com). 2012-13: Lockout-shortened season “Anaheim is close behind the Coyotes in total man-games lost, but not in quality terms,” Currier said. “Korbinian Holzer is not a quality player by 2013-14: Pittsburgh, 527 most measures and he makes up a huge chunk of their man games lost.” *2014-15: Columbus, 509 By Currier’s measures, the Coyotes have lost 17 points in the standings due to injuries – the top mark in the league and nearly five points ahead *2015-16: Toronto, 455 of the second-place Vancouver Canucks. 2016-17: Vancouver, 439

The Coyotes’ injury situation also stands in stark contrast to other teams. 2017-18: Vegas, 383

Currier runs the site alone. There is no part-time staff and no marketing #2018-19: Coyotes, 469 department, whether freelance or full time. With a PhD in cellular and molecular biology from McGill University, he holds a demanding job as * — includes Nathan Horton, on long-term injured reserve the director of oncology strategy at Novella Clinical, a company that manages clinical trials for oncology companies developing cancer drugs. # — projected for full season

He is also married with two children, so mangameslost.com is his third Power-play perplexity priority. The Coyotes’ impotent power play has drawn lots of attention recently.

“I have probably invested 40,000-50,000 hours over the past eight years, Failed 5-minute, and 5-on-3 power plays in back-to-back road games at and I’m probably out of pocket $30,000 to $40,000, although I am slowly Dallas and Nashville cost the Coyotes strong chances at wins in both clawing that back,” he said. “I had grand plans for what I would like to do games, and the unit had not scored a goal in its past 16 opportunities (dating back to Conor Garland’s power-play goal in Montreal on Jan. 23.), before Alex Goligoski ended the drought in Saturday’s 3-2 win Tocchet said Raanta is also ahead of schedule, although it still appears against the Stars with a first-period, power-play goal (Alex Galchenyuk he will not return this season. added another in the second period). I have received a lot of feedback from fans, who insist the Coyotes Coach Rick Tocchet and assistant John MacLean have tried a variety of should not rush players back from injuries when playoff hopes are fading, tactics to awaken the unit. They inserted defenseman Jakob Chychrun and the odds of playoff success look slim. The assertion assumes much. into a shooting lane, they tried Capobianco at the point before his injury, they have used different net-front personnel and different half-wall With 27 games remaining ion the regular season, the Coyotes were four personnel. points out of the playoffs.

Entering Saturday’s game against the Stars, Arizona ranked 22nd in the How do you know what the matchup situation would be if they did make NHL at 16.7 percent so clearly little has worked consistently. the playoffs? Their opponent could be banged up by then, or slumping.

It’s fair to question several factors in that unit’s lack of success, among Who says the Coyotes would be rushing players back? them. Here’s president of hockey operations John Chayka on the topic.

Has MacLean pushed the right buttons and employed the right “Our goal is always to put our players in a position to have success. strategies, or does the coach warrant greater scrutiny? These are pro athletes who are wired to want to play and compete. Our What is the best for fit for Clayton Keller on the unit? staff does a good job of balancing their desire to play with ensuring their safety with a well thought out return-to-play protocol.” Can Galchenyuk move around more to find openings instead of trying to rip one-timers from his favorite spots or bad angles? For those who wonder what the value of returning late in the season if the Coyotes are out of the playoffs, it also allows players to overcome Do the Coyotes have the appropriate personnel on the unit for net-front whatever mental hurdles they have from the injury, including concerns responsibilities? that they have healed enough to play the game as they used to play it.

As the unit’s quarterback, can defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson be Five Thirty Eight had an interesting story on the increase in scoring in the more assertive? NHL this season, and the corresponding decrease in average save percentages. Entering play on Saturday, 40 players who had played the “When I’m overthinking it, I’m holding onto the puck a little too long and requisite number of games were averaging a point per game or better – a that might be the case with the other guys, too,” Ekman-Larsson said. “It stat that becomes outright depressing if you are a Coyotes fan. might be the problem is that everybody is looking to make the right play instead of taking whatever is open, not overthinking it. Sometimes, it’s Nick Schmaltz averaged a team-high 0.82 points per game, but that was just a simple shot to the net and everything comes from there, working only over a 17-game stretch before he was injured. The current Coyotes hard to get the puck back and just keeping it simple.” leader among qualifiers is Clayton Keller at 0.69, with Alex Galchenyuk next at 0.64. There are 142 NHL players that have scored at least 12 While all of those areas mentioned above merit examination, it’s also goals. No Coyotes player had topped 11. important to remember just how much injuries have ravaged the unit’s personnel and any consistency it has tried to build. Galchenyuk and Chychrun were out early in the season, and Nick Schmaltz is out for the remainder of the season. The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019

Although it was a small sample size, as we noted in a previous story, the unit was converting at an acceptable 20-percent rate when Schmaltz was healthy. He was probably the most effective player the Coyotes had to work the half wall because he had poise with the puck, good vision and the skill to make plays. His return next season could boost the unit, but it doesn’t help a team that is struggling to stay in the playoff race this season.

“The ability to put a team away or the ability to get back in a game, all of those elements happened in those three games (on the last road trip),” Tocchet said. “We need results. It has been addressed. You want to stick with the same guys because they’re your go-to guys but after a while we need results. I think we’ve got to start putting some pressure on each other to score these goals.”

Injury updates

Center Christian Dvorak started practicing with a non-contact jersey on Thursday as he nears a return from pectoral surgery. As a general rule, president of hockey operations John Chayka has said that players require two weeks of practice once returning to contact before they can play games. The Coyotes are also considering sending Dvorak to Tucson for a conditioning stint and to play some games.

Dvorak would help the Coyotes center depth, but it’s important to remember he hasn’t played a game this season and he missed all of training camp. It will take a while for him to get up to speed and produce.

Forward Michael Grabner began practicing with the team in a non- contact jersey on Friday. Grabner has been doing everything else for a while. Skating in traffic and contact are the major hurdles still ahead as he recovers from a scary eye injury.

Center appeared to do some light stick work this week, but he has not yet ramped it up to full shooting or passing. Once he reaches that point, his return to the lineup should come relatively quickly because he has been skating and is in shape.

Defenseman Jason Demers is skating on his own and the general feeling is that he is ahead of schedule. Demers has said since the day of his knee injury that he would return this season. He could return to practice soon. 1129917 Arizona Coyotes The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019

19 Days of Doan, Day 4: Martinook, Duclair on bringing down the bear

By Craig Morgan

Feb 8, 2019

There have been other significant figures in the Coyotes’ 23-year Valley history – franchise-saving ownership groups, an always-quotable GM, iconic captains, two Jack Adams Award-winning coaches and a host of key players. Most of them will be at Gila River Arena on Feb. 24 to watch the most significant Coyotes player in franchise history properly fêted.

Shane Doan will have his number retired before the Coyotes game against the Winnipeg Jets — the first player to have his jersey retired by the Coyotes organization. He will also join Bobby Hull, Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen, Keith Tkachuk, and Teppo Numminen in the team’s ring of honor. The Athletic is running a special series titled “19 Days of Doan” to honor the longtime . We’ve collected stories, anecdotes and tributes from all of the groups mentioned above.

Tyson Nash describes Shane Doan as “country strong.” Jordan Martinook, Anthony Duclair and Max Domi witnessed that strength firsthand in their collective rookie seasons of 2015-16.

“Me, Max and Duke would always be out at the end of practice because we were rookies and we had to stay out late to pick up pucks,” Martinook said. “It was something like Doaner’s 20th year and he would still be out there as long as we were.

“After practice was over and we were screwing around, we’d usually play a game of keep-away in the corner and it would always turn into a wrestling match.”

The goal of that match was simple: take down Doan. The make-up of the teams appeared to tilt the odds because It was all three rookies vs. Doan, but it was never that simple.

“We’d try to wrestle him down but he’s so powerful, so strong, so big that all three of us would try our hardest to put him down and instead, he would put us all down, one by one,” Duclair said. “We even tried sneaking up from behind and it never worked.”

After multiple failures, the rookies tried honing their strategy, figuring they’d eventually hit on a winning formula.

“We were like three Coyotes trying to take down a bear,” Martinook said. “We’d go at him from different angles. We’d send one guy in as the guinea pig and let him try to hold his own, then one guy would come and grab Doaner’s legs and the other would try to grab his arms. We definitely had a strategy behind it. It just wasn’t a very good strategy.”

Doan agreed.

“The key for me was that they would never all go as hard as they could at the same time,” he said. “One of them would go as hard as he could and the others would try to help out, but usually they would end up hurting the guy they were trying to help.”

When all else failed, Duclair tried an extreme tactic.

“I was usually the one to jump on his back,” Duclair said. “There was just no other way to bring him down but then he’d get full-on mad and that’s when you’d just want to skate away. You don’t want to get him going.”

“Once or twice, we actually got him down,” Martinook added, “but then it was like the Hulk came over him. He’d get real mad. Once he got mad, a whole other level took over and it was like, ‘It’s over. We’re done.’ He was a freak of nature. It’s like he’s not even human.”

Doan can’t trace the genesis of the game, but he admits that in the rare instances where he was gasping for air, something did, in fact, come over him.

“I love to wrestle and there were moments where they’d think they’d have an opportunity, but I loved that,” he said. “I’ve been accused of taking things a little too far before. I probably did that a few times when I needed to.”

1129918 Boston Bruins “It’s February, so we should know what to do,” Krejci said. “We got the 2 points, and in February, that’s what matters.”

They looked like a sure-fire winner early in the third. Bruins beat Kings in overtime Heinen, whom everyone in Black and Gold believed would skate into some puck luck playing on the top line with Marchand and Bergeron, tied By Matt Porter it 3:27 in, when he finished a McAvoy rebound with Bergeron occupying Kopitar in front. Heinen outworked for his goal.

Just 90 seconds later, at 4:57, Krejci followed a Krug shot off the post, What kind and generous hosts the Bruins were on Saturday afternoon. generated off a rush entry by Pastrnak.

After showering Patrice Bergeron with gifts, honoring their beloved Bergy Marchand’s shorty, at 6:49, which made it 4-2, was his first shorthanded for reaching the 1,000-game mark, the Bruins bestowed several more goal of the season and 24th of his career. It is the most among active upon the Kings: namely, a basket of shiny power-play opportunities, players and one shy of the franchise lead. He is tied with Derek permissive defending, and a blown two-goal lead. The Bruins even sent Sanderson for second. Rick Middleton (25) owns the record. the Kings out of town with a point. The Kings, who entered 16-1-1 when leading after two periods, pulled to But nothing more, thanks to a power-play winner from Bergeron — of within a goal when Nate Thompson deflected a pass past Rask (25 course — that finished a seesaw 5-4 win at 2:34 of overtime. saves) at 9:19 of the third, and tied it at 15:13 on a seeing-eye shot by defenseman Oscar Fantenberg. It was the 20th goal of the season for the 15-year veteran, and gave him his 10th season of 20 or more. Alone in the right circle after an Ilya Rask, unbeaten (9-0-2) in his last 11 starts, saved Boston’s bacon in OT. Kovalchuk tripping penalty, Bergeron snapped a shot over the shoulder He produced a save on Adrian Kempe, who broke in alone. Kovalchuk of Los Angeles netminder , off the far post, and in. tripped Pastrnak 1:27 in, setting up Bergeron for another memorable moment in his adopted hometown. “The legend continues,” said Brad Marchand, who finished one of Bergeron’s two assists and helped the Bruins earn their 30th win, eight “He is a big-time player,” Krejci said. “Every time there is a big game, he days later on the calendar than last year’s 50-win season. shows up and is leading the way.”

A four-time Selke Trophy winner as the league’s best defensive forward, Bergeron, 33, is on track for a career offensive season despite missing 16 games with a nasty rib/shoulder injury. His 1-2—3 line Saturday Boston Globe LOADED: 02.10.2019 boosted him to 20-30—50 in 39 games.

Should Bergeron remain this hot (1.26 points per game, seventh best in the league) over Boston’s remaining 27 outings, he would eclipse his previous high (73 points, reached as a 20-year-old in 2005-06) by 10 points.

The Bruins, trailing 2-1 after two periods, got goals from Danton Heinen, the newly minted first-liner, and David Krejci in the first five minutes of the third, and Marchand’s shorthanded goal at 6:49 gave them room to breathe.

Defenseman Charlie McAvoy also scored for Boston, which pulled even with Montreal (68 points) for third place in the Atlantic Division before the Habs’ evening showdown with Toronto.

After dispatching the Kings, who remain last in the Western Conference, Boston hosts another West also-ran, Colorado, at 3 p.m. Sunday.

McAvoy opened the scoring 4:38 into the second period off a brilliant net- front feed from Bergeron. Bergeron, playing in Game No. 1,002, was feted pregame and during first-period breaks for reaching the millennium mark on Tuesday. He added another pair of highlights to his reel by twisting his wrists and dishing no-look to a pinching McAvoy, and later, when Marchand made it 4-2 on a shorthanded two-on-one, No. 37 set up him with a curl-and-drag move on a rush down the right wing.

“To get the win was very special,” Bergeron said. “That’s what I said on the bench: We’ve got to find a way.”

McAvoy’s goal was a nice reward for the second-year defenseman, his season sidetracked by injuries. It was the second goal in 28 games (2- 12—14) for the skilled puck mover, who started many a breakout with head-up plays out of the zone.

The Bruins, who outshot the Kings, 15-6, in the first period, saw the script flipped on them in the second. LA’s 16-7 shot edge produced two goals, thanks in part to Boston’s penalties and so-so defending.

After Zdeno Chara interfered with Alex Iafallo at 5:17, the Kings were of little threat on the man-advantage, but Iafallo had more in store. Krejci slashed Anze Kopitar, and Iafallo’s power-play shot caromed off ’s midsection and into the net at 8:13.

The Kings went ahead, 2-1, at 14:02 of the middle frame. Kopitar cashed a feed from Dustin Brown, who outflanked Brandon Carlo behind the net and fed a pass through Torey Krug. The Peter Cehlarik-Krejci-David Pastrnak second line, which regularly creates offense, was charged with some sketchy defending there. 1129919 Boston Bruins “I’m trying to get a lot better at that,” said McAvoy, reflecting briefly on Heinen’s goal, “making sure I get pucks to the net. Because good things like that happen. It was nice to get rewarded tonight.”

Bruins kids have seven games to end their struggles McAvoy’s only previous goal was Oct. 13. Heinen, now only 8-8—16 for the season through 51 games, for only the third time this season has points in back-to-back games. In 37 games this year (72.5 percent of his By Kevin Paul Dupont games), he has finished the night 0-0—0. A man with that many goose eggs is understandably encouraged by a goal and assist.

Now what for DeBrusk? Cassidy on Wednesday finally pulled him off the Danton Heinen and Charlie Mc-Avoy had the kind of February afternoon No. 2 line, part of the new world order that pushed Heinen to first-line on Saturday that most Bruins fans figured would fill up their calendar duty and shifted Pastrnak to David Krejci’s right side. from the first drop of the puck in October. “It’s not happening for him offensively,” noted Cassidy, who has They each potted a goal. They eached picked up an assist. Two of the reminded DeBrusk, amid the slump, to keep after all the other parts of his brightest, youngest faces in the Black-and-Gold lineup, they were key game and “hopefully he’ll get some rewards down the road.” components in the 5-4 OT win over the Kings at the Garden. McAvoy, for one, is sure of it. “They are young guys going into their second full year in the NHL,” noted coach Bruce Cassidy, whose patience with both kids this season has “We were talking about this with each other the other day because it feels rivaled the Big Dig in terms of length and tolerating, shall we say, like it’s been a while since we’ve been able to contribute offensively,” hiccups. “I think there’s a reason they call it the sophomore slump. McAvoy said. “That’s when you’ve just got to go back to square one . . . Everyone assumes it’s going to go even better than the first year.” you just have to stay true, play an honest game. For me, it’s being smart, making good reads and good plays, not being on the wrong side of the Frankly, and some times painfully, that hasn’t been the case in 2018-19 puck so good things will happen.” for Heinen and McAvoy. Ditto for fellow sophomore Jake DeBrusk. Last season they looked like they would be the nucleus of a humongous talent For DeBrusk, said his fellow sophomore in recovery, it will be the same. surge, the needed youth movement, only to spend so much of this season fumbling to gain a foothold in their game, their confidence. “We all know in here that he is a gifted offensive player,” McAvoy said. “He is one of those guys you love to be on the ice with because he is “Confidence is a funny thing,” said Heinen, his role enhanced the last two going to make plays happen. We’ll stay on him. We support him. And games by joining Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron on the No. 1 line. we’ll feed him that confidence. It’s just a matter of time before he breaks “But it felt pretty good tonight. I think you automatically get a little bit of through and hopefully it will be waves.” confidence when you see them going in. I’m going to try to build off it.” Two weeks to go before the trade deadline. A matter of time . . . for The most recent sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning. Sweeney to decide if these kids are really in, and whether it’s worth his time to add more. With two weeks to go before the trade deadline, the play of the likes of Heinen, McAvoy, and perhaps DeBrusk will factor significantly in how GM Don Sweeney approaches the market. Boston Globe LOADED: 02.10.2019 If they can be counted on for offense, and make the Bruins look like a true Cup challenger, then Sweeney can consider being more aggressive in his deals. He can look for another Rick Nash, that one player to make a difference, separate the Bruins from the pack of “also-rans.”

If the kids aren’t adding to the offensive pop, then a realistic Sweeney should be more reserved. He wouldn’t be in position to look for one player — a needed winger or centerman — to put his squad over the top. Teams try to top off the tank at the trade deadline. Thus far, the tank’s been far too many gallons short.

All of which leaves Cassidy and Sweeney with seven more games, including Sunday’s matinee on Causeway with the Avalanche, to decide just how realistic it is to chase a Cup this spring. To this point in the season, it’s a team that will rise or fall around the performance of three forwards — Marchand, Bergeron, David Pastrnak — and Tuukka Rask’s goaltending.

Rask, by the way, is now 9-0-2 over his last 11 decisions and looking more like the goalie who had Sweeney, et al, believing this time last year they had the tender to make a serious run. That’s no small piece of the puzzle.

McAvoy, hindered this year by a concussion and then a foot infection, against the Kings looked far more like the bold, dynamic backliner who often put a charge into the roster last season. His goal, only his second this season, came with him pressing in the offensive zone, and thus rewarded with a velvety feed from Bergeron that left him with an easy top-of-the-crease tap.

“That one was nice,” said a smiling McAvoy. “I’ve been trying to contribute offensively, be a part of it . . . [Cassidy] does a good job of making sure that we know we are included — encouraging us and our creativity. We’ve just got to be a part of it.”

In the third period, McAvoy’s shot on net (one of his four for the day) provided the rebound off Jonathan Quick that Heinen cashed in for the equalizer. If Sweeney were mixing metaphors into his managerial tool kit, there it was, two of his best kids showing the way for the day — and perhaps for the spring. 1129920 Boston Bruins Asked if Bergeron could be summed up as “a pro,” Marchand, his longtime linemate, piled on the praise.

“Yeah,” cracked Marchand, “or God. One of the two.” After being honored, Patrice Bergeron delivered Grzelcyk likely out

Cassidy wouldn’t rule out defenseman Matt Grzelcyk for Sunday against By Matt Porter Colorado, but said it “wouldn’t be ideal” to throw him back in the fire after Globe Staff resting him since Thursday. Grzelcyk sat out Saturday after playing through a pulled (lower body) muscle Wednesday against the Rangers. Grzelcyk, who typically skates with Kevan Miller, was replaced by John Moore. Miller began the game with Torey Krug, Moore with Brandon Glen Murray remembered a rookie who was ready to shine. Carlo . . . Moore, playing his first game since Jan. 31 and third in the last Mark Recchi recalled a young star who “didn’t take a shift off.” four weeks, blocked a game-high five shots in 15:58. He played in all but three of the Bruins’ first 44 games (the absence owing to a lower-body Shawn Thornton brought the jokes for his old pal. injury), but was pushed out of the lineup with Charlie McAvoy’s Jan. 12 return from injury . . . When he’s in, Moore is one of the Bruins’ most- “Patrick Cleary, I [bleppin’] love ya,” said Thornton, referencing used penalty killers (2:23 per game), but Grzelcyk has been consistent Bergeron’s Irish heritage. “I’d love to say you’ve got another 1,000 in you, enough to earn second-string PK minutes despite his size (5 feet 9 but you’re creeping up in age.” inches, 174 pounds) . . . Bergeron landed a game-high seven shots on Those were three of Patrice Bergeron’s friends who lauded the most eight attempts . . . Kings third-line right wing , in 17:42: one praiseworthy Bruin before Saturday’s game against the Kings, during the shot, five attempts, one fateful penalty in OT. official ceremony to recognize Bergeron for reaching the 1,000-game mark. Several more offered similar videotaped tributes, replayed for an adoring TD Garden crowd, that spoke volumes about No. 37. Boston Globe LOADED: 02.10.2019 The most recent sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.

Ex-Bruins coach Claude Julien weighed in (“The best two-way player I’ve ever coached”), as did former teammates Murray, Recchi, Thornton, Johnny Boychuk, Chris Kelly (“No better 200-foot player in the game”), Marco Sturm, and Adam McQuaid. Current Bruins Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, and David Backes said their pieces. Bergeron’s Team Canada contemporaries, Jonathan Toews, Shea Weber, and Sidney Crosby, wished him well. Local heroes Paul Pierce, Julian Edelman, Jason Varitek, and David Ortiz offered tributes, as did Bergeron’s rookie-year housemate, Martin Lapointe.

Kudos came from the highest levels of the franchise, in the person of coach Bruce Cassidy, general manager Don Sweeney, president Cam Neely, CEO Charlie Jacobs, and owner Jeremy Jacobs.

“I think the world appreciates the quality of the game you play,” the elder Jacobs said. “Thank you for all you have done.”

Bergeron watched the tributes from in front of the Bruins bench, with his parents (Gerard Cleary and Sylvie Bergeron), wife (Stephanie) and children (Zack, Victoria, and Noah) nearby, extended family in the stands, and the full Los Angeles lineup present and applauding from their bench.

“Had to look away a few times,” Bergeron said after Boston’s 5-4 overtime win, on the strength of his winning goal. “It was pretty special to hear from all of those guys . . . To have my family on the ice and my kids, I was definitely trying to enjoy it. I doubt there’s going to be 1,000 more, so I doubt there will be another ceremony. So I was trying to soak things in.”

The Bruins, of course, will surely host more Bergy ceremonies down the road. Retiring his number is all but a certainty. His résumé — 784 points in 1,002 games and counting; a 2011 , on a short list of the finest defensive forwards ever — makes a Hall of Fame celebration a possibility.

During the ceremony, which was MC’d by NESN analyst Andy Brickley, Bruins great Johnny Bucyk presented Bergeron with a commemorative Tiffany crystal on behalf of the franchise. His teammates, represented by veterans Chara, Marchand, Krejci, Backes, and Tuukka Rask, gave Bergeron’s family an all-inclusive vacation package to a destination of their choice; a dog-tag necklace; and a framed mosaic of Bergeron hoisting the 2011 Stanley Cup, composed of 1,000 smaller published Images.

Neely closed out the ceremony by offering a painting of three No. 37s in uniform, from his youth, mid-career, and now. The Bruins president also gave Bergeron an engraved golden stick, which he did not use to score the OT winner.

“It’s been an amazing ride,” he told the crowd moments after the game. “You guys have made it more fun.” 1129921 Boston Bruins Keep in mind, Matthews will be only 26 at the expiration of his new deal and still in his prime, able to enter the UFA market. If he indeed blossoms as the game’s next mega talent, at that point he should have 4-5 prime Toronto Maple Leafs are banking on Auston Matthews seasons ahead of him, enough possibly to entice someone to max him out at a figure that then could be $18 million a year or more.

Gretzky, the most prolific scorer in history, was at his peak at the ages By Kevin Paul Dupont 22-25. He was 26 headed into the 1987-88 season (his last in Edmonton) and he posted 100-plus-point seasons in six of his next seven seasons. Globe Staff Lemieux, who piled up 10 seasons of 100-plus points, was 27 when he was struck by Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He put up his final 100-point season, 1996-97, at age 31. If the Coyotes had any dream of pirating homeboy Auston Matthews away from Toronto with a humongous restricted free agent offer sheet in It may not be fair to compare anyone to Gretzky or Lemieux. Given how July, all that crumbled into the desert sand Tuesday when the Maple the game has shrunk the numbers the last 25 years, it’s possible Leafs dropped a mega “second” contract on the Scottsdale-raised center. Matthews retires without a single 100-point season. But he has posted that $58.17 million payday, 93 percent of it to be paid through rolling Beginning next season, Matthews, 21, will bank $11.634 million each of signing bonuses, making him the newest, richest, youngest kid on the the next five seasons, roughly 6 percent more than the John Tavares block. superstar book rate in Toronto. Alex Ovechkin set the standard for all second contracts midway through The Matthews-Tavares deals aren’t directly linked, of course, but it the third year of his entry-level deal (the same point of his career where became obvious last July, upon Tavares’s arrival from Long Island as an Matthews signed). Ovechkin, who clicked for 98 goals and 100 assists unrestricted free agent, that his wage would frame all contract over his first two seasons, at age 22 signed a 13-year, $124 million pact discussions at the top of the Leafs’ lineup. They still have a few deals to with the Capitals, an annual payout of $9.538 million that represented go, including the wizard-like Mitch Marner (RFA/July 1), and no doubt 16.82 percent of the cap. If the cap lands at $83 million for next season, Marner’s representatives have screenshots of the Tavares/Matthews Matthews will be at 14 percent. deals pasted to their foreheads in negotiations with general manager Kyle Dubas. Deals of Ovechkin’s length are no longer allowed. It took yet another lockout for owners to get players to agree that no one can be tied up for Marner led the Leafs in scoring last season. He leads them in scoring this more than eight years. Connor McDavid’s second deal in Edmonton was season. Give that man his $11 million a year and make it snappy. for eight years and $100 million, a 16.67 percent cap hit that came within a fraction of equaling Ovechkin’s second contract mark. Like all teams, the Leafs cannot afford every shiny car in their showroom. Every team’s payroll has a ceiling, $79.5 million this season and likely to Only Bruins fans long in the tooth and partial to leather skates likely bump to around $83 million for 2019-20. It will be getting very tight quite remember that Andy Hebenton, the ex-Ranger right winger who died late soon for the Leafs, who on Dec. 1 kept William Nylander aboard for $45 last month at age 89, played one season with the Bruins, what turned out million over six years. to be his NHL swan song in 1963-64.

Dubas is following the Tampa Bay model, constructed by outgoing GM Hebenton went on to play 10 more seasons in the pros, mostly in the Steve Yzerman, of pegging his team’s fate on a handful-plus of top-end, Western Hockey League, and in 1964-65 was a teammate of Tommy highly compensated performers. It has worked quite well in Tampa, albeit McVie (to this day a Bruins scout) on the WHL’s Portland Buckaroos. The with perhaps the Lightning’s most important player, No. 1 goalie Andrei Buckaroos coach: ex-Bruins defenseman Hal Laycoe. Vasilevskiy, on the books for a budget–friendly $3.5 million, a mere $750,000 more than the Bruins are paying backup Jaroslav Halak. Laycoe, who later coached the Kings and Canucks at the start of the ’70s, was a central character in perhaps hockey’s most infamous It likely will play out well in Toronto, too, even if the Leafs don’t have the incident, starting the night at the Garden, March 13, 1955, when his hit likes of the Norris-winning Victor Hedman on their blue line or the equal on Canadiens icon Maurice Richard ultimately led days later to rioting in of Vasilevskiy in net. Dubas is betting on youth, speed, skill, and offense, the Forum and in the streets of Montreal. the standard porridge of NHL 2019, and inevitably he will have to surround his core of 6-8 top-end earners with eager kids, and perhaps a An ex-Canadiens teammate of the Rocket, Laycoe opened up a five- sprinkling of vets, who are at the chump change end of the payroll. stitch gash on Richard’s face with a high stick as the Habs rushed the puck into Boston’s end. When the play was whistled down, the enraged The Matthews deal, and the one for Marner to follow, will have some Rocket, age 33, took his own stick to Laycoe, breaking it across his back. impact around the league, particularly in that “second contract” market — Laycoe, with gloves off, was poised for a fight. Instead, he was dealt a kids who are transitioning out of the their entry level deals. That market vicious assault. began shifting dramatically in recent years, as Bruins fans witnessed in September 2017 when David Pastrnak shook $40 million/six years out of His trademark fury ratcheting higher as he attempted to continue the the Jacobs family room couch with his second deal. beatdown on Laycoe, Richard fought off on-ice officials and ultimately knocked Cliff Thompson cold with two punches to the linesman’s kisser. Outside the Toronto market, the Matthews deal won’t have 21- and 22- Yep, old-time hockey right there. year-olds raising their hands for $11 million, but that ceiling, however temporary, will have a way of justifying and lifting the floor. Which is to Minor scraps, though increasingly rare, still bring NHL fans to their feet. say Pastrnak’s $6.666 million payout, and Nylander’s at $6.92 million, will Nothing today compares to the buckets of blood that were once the value become the baseline in negotiations for truly gifted kids. All of a sudden added, if not the centerpiece of, the days and lasted into the $8 million a year looks like a comfortable fit for a GM with a hot shot on ’80s. the rise. In Calgary, Johnny Gaudreau’s $6.75 million cap hit through NHL president Clarence Campbell summoned all concerned parties to 2021-22 is looking like a steal for the Flames. his office in Montreal three days later. In his defense, a contrite Richard Had Matthews hit the market as a restricted free agent, any of the offered that his consuming rage led him to mistake Thompson for another league’s other 30 teams, including the Coyotes, could have offered him a player (presumably a Bruin, but who knows?). max deal (seven years at just under $16 million a year). Viewed through Campbell rightly didn’t buy a word of it, and in his written decision said it that lens, the Leafs escaped with a comfortable savings. was behavior “which cannot be tolerated by any player — star or To date, Brad Richards is the only player to land a max deal, be it as a otherwise.” Campbell ruled Richard out for the season, including three free agent or through a negotiated extension, since the inception of the regular-season games and the entirety of the 1955 playoffs. cap in the fall of 2005. The max is 20 percent of the league cap figure, Some 64 years later, were the same to happen in ’s NHL, which netted Richards $7.8 million per year when he signed with Tampa the ruling likely would disqualify the player for the following season as Bay for five on May 23, 2006. It remains more theory than reality, tucked well, or possibly lifetime banishment. in the CBA to accommodate the day if (when?) another Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux arrives on the scene. That player is not Matthews, at Mayhem broke loose the next night, March 17, during a game at the least not the current Matthews. Forum against the Red Wings. Campbell insisted on attending the game, arrived midway through the first period, and was attacked by one fan. A “I’m sure there’s a lot of players in this league who play against Koivu homemade tear gas canister went off in the stands (Go Habs Go!) and who’ll be thinking, ‘Finally, we don’t have to play against that weight and the game eventually was halted and declared a win for the Wings. size.’ ” Koivu is 6-3, 220 pounds . . . As of Tuesday morning, both the Outside the Forum, rampant looting up and down Saint Catherine Street Blackhawks (in Boston on Tuesday) and Red Wings were tucked neatly damaged dozens of shops and lasted until the wee hours of March 18, among the bottom five in the overall standings. According to the Elias leading to scores of arrests and injuries. Sports Bureau, no NHL season in the post-Original-Six era has ended with those two storied franchises both in the bottom five . . . Nathan That was your granddaddy’s NHL. MacKinnon, the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft, will be at the Garden with Still two weeks to go, but the Maple Leafs thus far own the best deal of the Avalanche Sunday at 3 p.m. Headed into weekend play, he ranked the trade deadline season with their Jan. 28 acquisition of 6-foot-3-inch sixth in league scoring with 72 points and possibly will blow through the defenseman from the Kings. Cost: two prospects (Carl career-high 97 he posted last season. He signed his long-term extension Grundstrom, Sean Durzi) and the Leafs’ first-round pick in this year’s in 2016, with a cap hit ($6.3 million) that also looks a bit thin when draft. compared to the Auston Matthews deal. MacKinnon’s pact runs through the spring of 2023 . . . Noted here last week, the league’s salary cap, Muzzin (1-2—3 in his first four games with Toronto), provides size, originally $39 million, has increased by some 104 percent to $79.5 million steadiness, and consistency that the Leafs have lacked on the blue line. over 13 years, an average annual boost of 8 percent. Longtime hockey He’s about the same size of ex-Leaf Dion Phaneuf, who remains in LA, notes reader James Maguire quibbled with that simple math, noting the but he’s far more agile, mobile, and disciplined. He is also four years surge is more accurately portrayed as compound interest, an annual rate younger. of 5.7 percent. Your faithful puck chronicler feels 8 percent shame . . . Not too late to get your tickets for the Face Off For Ace annual fund- The deadline is Feb. 25, 3 p.m. (Eastern), and big names such as Artemi raiser, March 6 at the Royal Sonesta in Cambridge. Ex-Bruin Bill Guerin Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, both with the Blue Jackets, remain up for will be guest speaker. All proceeds benefit the Ace Bailey Children’s grabs. No telling how many others are placed into the mix. Foundation and its efforts at the Floating Hospital for Children. For ticket Detroit GM Ken Holland made clear to NHL.com that he’s ready to shake info: acebailey.org. Bailey, the ever-gregarious former Bruin, was 53 out the Winged Wheel sock drawer, willing to entertain offers on almost when he was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks . . . No firm anyone — though don’t bet on him moving youngsters Dylan Larkin, date set, but look for the NHL’s new Seattle franchise to pick its name by Andreas Athanasiou, Anthony Mantha or Tyler Bertuzzi. the end of the summer.

A couple of names in Hockeytown that could be of interest for the Bruins: Two hockey spots that would have been fun to witness last week: 1. With upcoming UFAs Gustav Nyquist and Thomas Vanek, both of whom the Flyers at their Voorhees practice rink, where they tutored blind would be candidates for second-line duty. students in how to skate and the basics of hockey; 2. On the subway in downtown Toronto when the Leafs, in full uniform, hopped aboard to A right winger who shoots from the left side, the speedy Nyquist is a make their way to an outdoor practice near City Hall. “Makes you feel like former University of Maine standout who looked capable of scoring 40 a kid,” said a bemused John Tavares. They all wore their helmets. In the goals a year earlier in his career. He has never exceeded the 28 he put interest of subway flooring and passengers’ toes, the boys didn’t wear up in 2013-14. The well-traveled Vanek, who went from Vancouver to their skates on board. Columbus at the deadline last February, plays left wing and shoots from the right side.

Vanek was on the Bruins’ radar this time a year ago, but any interest Boston Globe LOADED: 02.10.2019 ended when GM Don Sweeney landed Rick Nash from the Rangers.

Tuukka Rask became the Bruins’ all-time wins leader for goalies with a 1- 0 shutout of the Capitals last Sunday.

Tuukka Rask became the Bruins’ all-time wins leader for goalies with a 1- 0 shutout of the Capitals last Sunday.

Tuukka Rask, now the Bruins’ all-time winner in net, grew up in Savonlinna, Finland, about a half-hour from the Russian border and a world away from the mining town of Sandon, British Columbia, where Cecil “Tiny” Thompson was born. Until Rask, Thompson held the standard for Bruins goalies with 252 wins.

Apprised that Sandon became a ghost town in the mid-20th century, Rask quipped that Savonlinna “is almost the same . . . not quite a ghost town, I would say, but kind of like anywhere in Finland during the winter it’s dark and not so pleasant.”

Savonlinna’s summers are much more welcoming, added Rask. The town of 30,000-plus features a world famous opera festival each summer that is staged inside a 17th century castle. Rask and family return there every summer.

“We grew up playing hockey just outside in the backyard and outside rinks,” he recalled. “Pretty similar to Canada.”

Though born in Sandon, Thompson spent most of his childhood in Calgary. He picked up the nickname Tiny as a teenager when he was actually the tallest player on his amateur team. In his NHL days, he was 5-10, actually an inch taller than , the proud son of Eveleth, Minn., who succeeded him in the Boston net.

Loose pucks

In possession of a wild-card spot at the start of the week, the Wild’s playoff chances dimmed considerably Tuesday night when they lost grinding center Mikko Koivu for the season in a collision with Buffalo’s Tage Thompson. Koivu, 35 and closing in on 1,000 games, blew out his right ACL and tore some of the knee’s cartilage, delivering him to surgery by end of the week. Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock on the loss of Koivu and his ability, much like that of Patrice Bergeron, to eliminate top players: 1129922 Boston Bruins

Bruins notebook: Patrice Bergeron earns high praise

By MARISA INGEMI | [email protected] | Boston Herald

February 9, 2019 at 11:21 PM

It’s been a heck of a week for Patrice Bergeron, and even that might be an understatement.

The Bruins center played in his 1,000th career game Tuesday night in a win over the Islanders, scoring two goals. He netted another goal in the B’s shootout loss to the Rangers in New York on Wednesday.

Yesterday against the , after he was honored with a pregame ceremony commemorating his grand achievement, he scored the game-winner in overtime.

At this point, the Bruins expect nothing less.

“The legend continues,” linemate Brad Marchand said. “It’s great to see him have the game that he had. It was a great ceremony to start and he deserves all the recognition that he’s been getting and has gotten over the last few years. So, he’s an incredible player, teammate, friend, and family man, so it was great that he had the night that he did.”

Bergeron finished the game with the goal and two assists for a three- point afternoon, and helped extend the Bruins point streak to six consecutive games.

A congratulatory video was played at the Garden before the game featuring a number of former teammates — including Marco Sturm, Mark Recchi, Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid — along with NHL stars and former coaches and current members of the Bruins organization.

“Had to look away a few times,” Bergeron said. “It was pretty special to hear from all these guys. Like I said to me winning and the friendships I’ve made over the years are what is most important and that was really special.”

With 20 goals this season, Bergeron is well on his way to eclipsing his 30 from a year ago, even after missing 16 games with a rib injury.

While a lack of secondary scoring continuing to be an issue for the Bruins, he’s stepped up whenever he’s had to. Yesterday’s game was important after the B’s blew a two-goal lead in New York three nights before, and Bergeron helped them respond.

“Every time there is a big game, he shows up and he is leading the way.” David Krejci said.

It’s been an up-and-down season for Charlie McAvoy. The puck-moving defenseman scored for the first time since Oct. 13, pinching up and potting a Bergeron pass to give the B’s a 1-0 lead in the second period against the Kings.

Overall he played one of his better contests since dealing with his injuries; first a concussion, then an infected foot after blocking a shot at the end of December.

“With Charlie, it’s a little bit more about when to go and when not to and to shoot the puck,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Now, he didn’t have to shoot his goal very far, about two feet, but I thought there were some other decisions he made that were good. On the (Danton) Heinen goal, he could’ve shot originally but if you look at it that lane was clogged pretty good. He made a good decision to get around and then get it to the net.”

Halak time

Jaroslav Halak will get the start in net Sunday afternoon against the Colorado Avalanche after Tuukka Rask’s 25-save performance Saturday.

Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk is expected to miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury.

Boston Herald LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129923 Boston Bruins to keep working hard and wherever they want me to play, I’ll try and do my best.”

Whether he can stick on that top line may not be up to his own play. Heinen’s improved play resembles past flashes of promise for Bruins While the rejiggered second line also produced an even strength goal from David Krejci, that trio with Peter Cehlarik and David Pastrnak was on the ice for three Kings’ goals, which was surely part of the trepidation By STEVE CONROY | [email protected] | Boston Herald that kept Cassidy from mixing up the top two lines until now. More grist for the nattering nabobs. PUBLISHED: February 9, 2019 at 6:17 pm | UPDATED: February 9, 2019 at 6:18 PM But Heinen, at least, is starting to look like the player he promised to be last year, and that might be the best thing to come out of Saturday’s

messy victory. If you are a glass-half-empty kind of Bruins fan, there was plenty for you to gnaw on in the B’s 5-4 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. There was the second blown two-goal third period lead in as Boston Herald LOADED: 02.10.2019 many games. And then there was the seventh power-play goal against in the past seven games.

But considering Patrice Bergeron sent everyone home from the Garden happy with his all’s-well-that-ends-well overtime winner, we’ll take a positive look at the much-needed two points that extended the B’s points streak to six games.

At the head of the list was the play of Danton Heinen. Dumped like trash at the side of the road in the minds of some frustrated fans, the quietly gritty wing is demonstrating he just might be able to salvage what looked like a lost season for him.

Bumped up to the Patrice Bergeron-Brad Marchand line in the second period of the B’s shootout loss to the Rangers on Wednesday, he played well enough in that game to get a second look on Saturday. And against the Kings, he fit snugly with the dynamic duo. In the second period, Heinen helped put the B’s on the board with a secondary assist on Charlie McAvoy’s goal that will no doubt get overshadowed by the tremendous primary assist by Bergeron. But Heinen generated the play, showing a level of confidence that had been missing when he held on to the puck to avoid the first layer of defense and zipped the puck down to Bergeron at the right side of the net. Bergeron did the rest with a body- bending feed to McAvoy for the tap-in.

On Wednesday in New York, Heinen scored a goal on a nice tip of a Matt Grzelcyk shot from in front of the net. He was in that spot again Saturday, but this time it came off a rebound when McAvoy (another needed bright spot for the B’s) got his shot through and Heinen was able to pop it in off Jonathan Quick’s pad save to tie it early in the third.

It is the first time all year he’s scored goals in consecutive games.

“He was great,” said his new liney Marchand. “He worked really hard, he competed, he was around the net front. He got rewarded with a couple of big plays, a big goal for us to tie the game. It was a really nice play to get the first one to Bergy, who go it to Chuckie. But he was all around the net tonight. He had some really good looks other than that. It was great to see him have that confidence and step into a little bit of a bigger role and compete the way he did. It’s great to see.”

Coach Bruce Cassidy has been a strong defender of Heinen’s overall play lately, but when he muffed on what could have been a game- winning goal in the B’s overtime loss to Philadelphia here January 31, the coach sensed it was time to sit him out for a couple of games. Heinen was fifth on the B’s in scoring last year as a rookie (16-31-47 totals) but he’d been a train wreck in scoring situations this year. Whether or not Heinen’s desire to leave the press box helped him find his hands, he’s got them now. And all the details of his game that he’d maintained are still there, too.

“He was real good,” Cassidy said. “He complemented that line well. He made some plays off the rush, to get the puck early on to Bergy, drove the net, kept pucks alive, shot the puck when it was his opportunity to do that, finished a nice play by going to the net. Defensively, I didn’t see any issues either, so I thought that worked out real well for him and the group.”

Heinen had previous opportunities to play in the top six on David Krejci’s line, both in training camp and in the regular season, but he wasn’t able to click. He admitted he thought his chance to play in the top six might have passed him by, at least for this season.

“Naturally, that may creep into your mind,” said the 23-year-old Heinen, “but I believe in myself and it’s not worth it to think about it. You just have 1129924 Boston Bruins The Bruins are back in action Sunday afternoon against the Avalanche before hosting the Blackhawks on Tuesday ahead of their five-game West Coast swing.

Patrice Bergeron’s overtime heroics get Bruins past Kings, 5-4

Boston Herald LOADED: 02.10.2019 By MARISA INGEMI | [email protected] | Boston Herald

PUBLISHED: February 9, 2019 at 3:52 pm | UPDATED: February 9, 2019 at 11:37 PM

The Bruins entered Saturday’s contest having one won game all season when trailing after two. The Kings had lost just once in regulation when leading after two.

One of those things changed, at least.

The Bruins were guilty of blowing another lead after going out front with a three-goal spurt over 3:22 in the third period only to let the Kings back in the game. But this time they recovered in overtime to win 5-4 in the first game of three in four days. The win extended the Bruins’ point streak to six games.

Patrice Bergeron was open in the slot on an overtime power play with a tick under two and a half minutes to go, and moments after he was stopped on a similar shot, he found the back of the net to conclude a three-point night.

The Bruins blew a two goal lead against the Rangers on Wednesday night, and led by two once again with 13:11 left in the contest on Saturday. The Kings scored twice, setting up Bergeron’s extra-period heroics.

Bergeron, who was honored before the opening faceoff for playing in his 1,000th career game on Tuesday night, fed a no-look pass to Charlie McAvoy, who snuck down below the slot. The defenseman netted his first goal since October 13 to make it 1-0 with 15:22 left in the middle frame.

The Bruins committed back-to-back penalties and the Kings took advantage of their second look. Alex Iafallo’s shot beat Tuukka Rask to knot the game with 11:47 in the second.

Anze Kopitar found room underneath the left circle and took a pass from Dustin Brown across the crease to put the Kings ahead 2-1 with 5:58 to go.

The Bruins third period was a lot better, at least to start.

Danton Heinen netted his second goal in as many games on a rebound from a McAvoy shot to tie the game 2-2 just 3:27 into the period.

It appeared to unravel for the Kings from there.

David Krejci had a wide open look on a half-covered net after Torey Krug rang the left post and he fired it in to put the Bruins ahead just a minute and a half later.

Not even a Chris Wagner tripping call just 18 seconds after that could stall the Bruins new-found momentum. Bergeron and Brad Marchand broke free for a shorthanded 2-on-1 and Marchand buried his 20th goal of the season for a 4-2 advantage.

The Kings, however, weren’t dead yet. With 10:41 to go in the third, Nate Thompson deflected an elevated pass from Brendan Leipsic to bring them back within one.

Then Oscar Fantenberg scored his first of the year with 4:47 left in the third on a shot from just below the blue line to force overtime.

Just about 90 seconds into the extra period, David Pastrnak was tripped up, giving the Bruins a power play. Bergeron scored the game winner with 2:26 left in the overtime.

Rask finished with 25 saves.

The Bruins had blown a lead in each of their past six losses, including Wednesday night in New York, where they held a two-goal advantage into the third period.

The past three Bruins losses coming into Saturday came in overtime or the shootout, but they avoided that fate Saturday. 1129925 Boston Bruins Even though Mitch Marner’s agent tried to walk back his sabre-rattling quotes in the Toronto Star in the wake of the Auston Matthews signing, the feeling here is that Marner’s agent Darren Ferris has a reason to be NHL Notebook: With Panarin, proceed with caution agitated if the Maple Leafs have been offering his client anything significantly lower than the massive five-year, $58.17 million deal GM Kyle Dubas handed Matthews last week.

By STEVE CONROY | [email protected] | Boston Herald I can understand that a strong, goal-scoring No. 1 center is usually placed above a smallish, play-making wing in the pay hierarchy. But to February 9, 2019 at 2:00 PM these eyes, Marner is consistently the more dangerous player. Wasn’t it less than a year ago that coach Mike Babcock desperately tried to shield Matthews from the Patrice Bergeron line, leading to an underwhelming 1- We have seen enough of this Bruins’ team to come to the conclusion that 1-2 performance in the seven-game series? Now, some of that is on it needs and, yes, deserves some help from GM Don Sweeney by the Babcock and being a little overprotective of his star – the one goal trade deadline in two weeks, despite a few troubling losses in the last Matthews did score in the series came against the Bergeron line – couple of weeks. A legitimate, grown-up top six wing and/or a third line Matthews has disappeared at times against the double-whammy of center could do a lot for this team. Bergeron and Zdeno Chara, despite having 2-6-8 totals in seven regular season games against the B’s. Matthews is a great, young player and But should Sweeney approach the deadline with an all-in, future-be- he’ll get over the hump one day, but I haven’t seen it yet. damned approach that it would seem to take to bring in an Artemi Panarin? Well, apply the brakes on that one for just a second, please. If Against Marner, howeer, the B’s have had no answers. In 12 regular the dynamic Russian can be procured for a first round pick and the right season games, the speedy wing has 5-13-18 totals and had 2-7-9 in the two prospects, then by all means go for it. But if Panarin is strictly a last April’s series. His speed has given them fits. And he deserves every rental, and so far there’s been no indication that he doesn’t plan to test penny that Matthews received. the free agent waters in July (Panarin changed agents late last week, the significance of which is not yet known), a few prospects need to be off Maybe that’s a typically provincial, Boston view of things. But these two limits. teams could well be battling in the playoffs for years to come, so its not a bad view to consider. Who should be the non-starter prospects in any Panarin rental talks? There are three. The first is Urho Vaakanainen. The B’s 2017 first round Wheels falling? pick, a left-shot defenseman, has first pairing potential and can play Are the wheels falling off the Sabres’ wagon yet again? When they won either side. He’s seen limited playing time this year because of a 10 straight earlier in the season, the Sabres looked like a lock for the concussion that kept him out for two months and then he was with Team playoffs. But when they lost in overtime to Carolina on Thursday, they Finland for the World Juniors during the holidays. But he’s got eight remained four points out of the second wildcard spot (seven behind the assists in 13 games and looked like a player who was ready to deliver on second wildcard Bruins going into the weekend) and the Hurricanes his promise in rookie camp and in training camp. With Zdeno Chara jumped over them in the standings by a point. After the game, forward turning 42 next month and Torey Krug’s future uncertain after next Sam Reinhart had this beauty of a quote. season, it would not be wise move the smooth skating Finn. “We can’t expect to win hockey games, 6-5, 7-6,” Reinhart said. “We The second is Ryan Donato. I realize the shine on this bright new toy need more from our goalies and we need it from the start of hockey might have dimmed for a lot of people with the way this season has gone games. It’s frustrating.” for him. The physical parts as the game as well as the small details are lacking, as they were for Danton Heinen in his first pro season. But those The quote was so raw, Reinhart had to issue a serious mea culpa on can be taught and improved upon, as Heinen has shown. It is much Friday and, to his credit, he accepted the blame instead of deflecting it. harder to teach Donato’s natural skill level. For all the warts in his young He also believably said he meant to indict the whole team defense. game that became visible, Donato is still one of the few young Black and Gold hands who can simply shoot it past the goalie from mid-circle Still, the Sabres were 3-6-1 in their previous 10 going into Saturday’s without any interference in front. In fact, he might be the only one. game and another DNQ was looking like a distinct possibility.

The third is center Jack Studnicka. While he showed he wasn’t quite Final thought: Apparently, Claude Julien can still coach in the new go-go ready for pro hockey in training camp, he looks to these eyes to have the NHL. And he doesn’t hate the kids! best combination of skill and competitiveness of their young pivot prospects. Boston Herald LOADED: 02.10.2019 But that still leaves some decent prospects from which Columbus can choose — defensemen Jeremy Lauzon and Connor Clifton; centers Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson or Trent Frederic (the B’s could only stand to lose one), wings Ryan Fitzgerald and Zach Zenyshyn (the 2015 first rounder who is starting to show signs of life). They could also dangle one of their amateur goalie prospects Kyle Keyser or Jeremy Swayman.

And for the record, Charlie McAvoy and Jake DeBrusk are not prospects, they are NHL players and the loss of either of them would only create another hole on the roster.

If for some unforeseen reason Sweeney gets an indication that there would be a good shot of signing Panarin long-term, then Donato, Vaakanainen or Studnicka would have to be on the table. How they would fit Panarin’s surely high salary demands is another question, but the B’s were one of the few teams to make it to John Tavares’ bargaining table last summer so they must have some plan in place to shed salary if a similar opportunity to add a Grade A talent in his prime presented itself again.

But if the B’s find themselves in a bidding war for a Panarin rental, then it would be best to look elsewhere. And with Mark Stone, Ryan Dzingel, Matt Duchene, Wayne Simmonds, Michael Ferland, Artem Anisimov and Brayden Schenn all possibly available, they should be able to improve themselves without raiding the crops too badly.

Shaken Leaf 1129926 Boston Bruins the Black and Gold a more difficult team to defend at this point. The hope is that it will make them stay longer in the playoffs than the Bruins team that crumbled in the second round vs. Tampa.

Cassidy helping to spark B's offense with changes up front Heinen is playing his best hockey of the season on Boston’s top line and Pastrnak has sparked Krejci in many ways with the chemistry now beginning to flow between fellow Czech forwards in Pastrnak and Krejci. By Joe Haggerty Nobody can say what exactly the Bruins are going to look like once the February 09, 2019 11:38 PM NHL trade deadline has passed at the end of the month, but it will arrive just as Boston seems to finally be finding some answers up front among

the forward group. BOSTON – Don’t look now but the changes that Bruce Cassidy is making with his forwards are finally beginning to pay off. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 After mostly leaving the Perfection Line productively intact in the first half of the season, the Bruins head coach has mixed things up and got another two points on Saturday with a 5-4 overtime matinee win at TD Garden. Danton Heinen has scored goals in each of the last two games after getting bumped up to the top line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, and David Krejci powered home a goal from the B’s second line in the win as well.

The mixing and matching has clearly worked well this time around for the Bruins.

“I thought [Heinen] was real good. He complemented that line well,” said Bruce Cassidy. “He made some plays off the rush to get the puck to, early on, to Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] there off the rush and drive the net, kept some pucks alive, shot the puck when it was his opportunity to do that, finished a nice play by going to the net. Defensively, I didn’t see any issues either, so I thought that worked out real well for him and the group.”

It remains to be seen how long those changes are going to stay in place, but it has to give the B’s organization some confidence that they may yet have some of the best answers to their roster problems with in-house solutions. It’s also very clear it brought a whole world of confidence to Heinen, after the 23-year-old struggled through the first 50 plus games of the season while failing to match the pace of last season’s rookie totals of 16 goals and 47 points.

But those struggles seem to be fading from Heinen’s memory now that he’s been charged with top line duties -- and with that, a prime spot on the right wing with two of the NHL’s elite players.

“I think it’s always just be hard on pucks, win your battles, you know, other things will take of itself after that. So, no I mean, Bergy and Marchy [Brad Marchand] they win so many battles and so I try to put a little pressure on myself to help them out there and get them the puck,” said Heinen. “Confidence is a funny thing, but felt good tonight. I think you automatically get a little bit of confidence when you see them going in. So yeah, I’m going to try to build off of it, keep on working, and yeah build off it.”

It will be interesting to see just how much the move ends up sparking Heinen’s game, and how much an elevated performance could raise his stock around the league ahead of this month’s trade deadline. But the other big part of this equation is David Pastrnak joining David Krejci and Peter Cehlarik on Boston’s second line.

The second line kicked in a goal in the third period of the Saturday afternoon win when David Krejci fired home a shot into a largely vacant net for his 12thgoal of the season. It was a key goal during Boston’s third period offensive outburst and it also offset a few defensive mistakes that left each of the line’s members a minus-2 for the game. David Pastrnak actually one of his more ineffective games of the season with no shots on net to along with the minus plays, and all three only combined for three total shots on net.

So Boston’s playmaking Krejci was appropriately self-critical following a game that the B’s barely escaped with their two points intact.

“Sometimes bounces don’t go your way but I think we stuck with it, even when we got scored on, and we came hard again in the next shift and we had some good looks,” said David Krejci. “Obviously there is no perfect game and we know that we have to be better in certain areas but at the same time we got two points. Tomorrow is a new game so we need to get good sleep and get back at it tomorrow [in another matinee against the Avalanche].”

But the bottom line is that a number of forward line changes that Cassidy made earlier this week are pumping up the Bruins offense, and making 1129927 Boston Bruins

In the highest of praise, Marchand calls Bergeron "God" after OT win

By Joe Haggerty

February 09, 2019 10:52 PM

BOSTON -- Brad Marchand has never hidden his love for his longtime linemate Patrice Bergeron.

The two have become close friends as well as teammates over the last eight years skating together on the same line, so it’s no surprise that No. 63 was front and center during Saturday’s pregame ceremony honoring Bergeron for his 1,000 NHL game played earlier this week.

Marchand scored a shorthanded goal in Boston’s 5-4 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings as well, and had a front row seat to Bergeron netting the game-winner in overtime mere hours after he’d celebrated on the ice with his family. It was Bergeron’s 20th goal of the season and marks the 10th time in his 15-year-old NHL career that he has eclipsed the 20-goal plateau in the regular season.

So it’s not surprising that Marchand had the highest of reverence for Bergeron following the game after once again watching the storybook heroics that No. 37 seems to make look routine.

Marchand was asked following the win if “pro” was the word he would think of to describe Bergeron, and the Nose Face Killah took it at least three steps further.

“Yeah, or God. One of the two,” said Marchand to laughter from the assorted media. “No, he is. He’s the ultimate pro, the way he conducts himself and prepares himself each and every day and shows up consistently and in the big moments continues to prove himself. So, yeah, ‘pro’ is a great word, but I think God is a little more fitting.”

Marchand has called Bergeron perfect and referred to him as Superman in the past, so clearly the B's left winger upped his game for his linemate's ceremony.

Clearly Marchand had some kind of religious experience watching Bergeron net the top corner goal for the game-winner in Saturday’s overtime winner, or he just confirmed that No. 37 truly is Boston’s hockey lord and savior. That would be up to each and every Bruins fan to ultimately decide for themselves, but there’s no denying on Saturday that Bergeron did add another chapter to a remarkably clutch and productive career.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129928 Boston Bruins

Kings gave Patrice Bergeron $1,000 bottle of wine to honor 1,000th game

By Darren Hartwell

February 09, 2019 7:15 PM

How much is Patrice Bergeron respected around the NHL?

A team it plays just twice this season gave him a gift worthy of a king.

Before Saturday's game at TD Garden, the Los Angeles Kings presented the Boston Bruins forward with a bottle of wine worth one dollar for every game he played in his career through Tuesday, according to The Athletic's Joe McDonald.

Bergeron played in his 1,000th NHL game -- all with the Bruins -- Tuesday night against the New York Islanders, a milestone only four other players in team history have reached.

The Kings also came out to their bench early to watch a pregame ceremony honoring Bergeron for his accomplishment.

"It shows respect," Kings forward Nate Thompson told McDonald about the team's decision to watch the ceremony. “He’s a caliber player and a caliber person. He’s an all-around world-class person. There’s so much you can say about Bergy; when you think of the Bruins, you think of Patrice Bergeron. He’s represented the Bruins very well.”

Bergeron represented the B's well between the whistles, too, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime in a 5-4 victory. Maybe he'll celebrate with his new gift?

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129929 Boston Bruins

Talking Points from the Bruins' 5-4 OT win over the LA Kings

By Joe Haggerty

February 09, 2019 6:45 PM

Here are my talking points tonight after a thrilling overtime win over the LA Kings saved by -- who else? -- Patrice Bergeron:

GOLD STAR: As Brad Marchand said of his linemate, “the legend continues.” Bergeron scored the overtime game-winner on the day he was presented with a video tribute for his 1,000th game played along with a number of gifts from the Bruins organization. He also had a whale of a game with a goal and three points, a plus-three, a game-high seven shots on and 13-of-24 face-off wins in 21:23 of dominant ice time. Beyond doing it on a day when his entire family was there to celebrate his moment with him, Bergeron also picked a day where he was up against one of the other top two-way centers in Anze Kopitar. These kinds of moments are when Bergeron always decides to be at his very best and he did it again on Saturday afternoon.

Who else? Bergy gets the OT winner

BLACK EYE: is supposed to be a physical player, a tough guy and somebody that makes himself a factor in games with his energy and his physicality. Well, he was nowhere to be found in a game that wasn’t really physical or intense on a Saturday afternoon matinee. Clifford didn’t even register a hit in his nearly 10 minutes of ice time, and really didn’t do much of anything else during his time on the ice. Granted nine goals were scored and this was more of an offensive showcase than anything else between the Kings and Bruins, but it’s total mail-in performances like today’s that have the Kings in their bad position in the standings.

TURNING POINT: The Bruins dominated the overtime with four shots to one for Los Angeles and decided they were going to take the extra point after looking both good and bad in the third period. The good was scoring three goals to get back into the game, but the bad was then blowing a two-goal lead that segued into overtime. There the Bruins had Tuukka Rask make one huge save on Adrian Kempe after David Krejci turned the puck over turning the sequence into an LA breakaway. Then the Bruins came down on a 4-on-3 advantage and fed Patrice Bergeron as the trailer for the game-winning top corner sniper shot. They did a lot of good things in overtime after some real up-and-down moments through the first 60 minutes.

HONORABLE MENTION: Charlie McAvoy has had some ups and downs this season amid injuries and inconsistency, but he showed on Saturday afternoon why he’s still a talent that needs to be harnessed. McAvoy was in the middle of all kinds of good offensive things for the Bruins while scoring their first goal of the game and setting up another one in the third period, and also avoided any big defensive hiccups as well while on the ice. McAvoy finished with a goal, two points and a plus-2 in 23:35 of ice time, had seven shot attempts and three hits and generally played like he wants to be the future No. 1 defenseman for the Bruins.

BY THE NUMBERS: 24 – the number of career shorthanded goals for Brad Marchand after today’s tally, which gives him the most in the NHL among players that have entered the league since the 2009-10 season.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I don’t think our guys got down. Obviously, we don’t want to give up a lead, but it didn’t completely cripple us, so to speak. We kept playing and eventually got the two points.” –Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy on blowing a two-goal lead in the third period, but eventually winning the game in overtime.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129930 Boston Bruins

Highlights from Bruins 5-4 OT victory over the Kings

By Joe Haggerty

February 09, 2019 3:46 PM

FINAL SCORE: Bruins 5, Kings 4 (OT)

IN BRIEF: Patrice Bergeron scored on a power play in overtime to give the Bruins a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in a Saturday matinee at TD Garden. After trailing 2-1 entering the third period, the Bruins scored three unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead before L.A. came back to tie it a 4 and send it to OT. BOX SCORE

BRUINS RECORD: 30-17-8, 68 points, tied for third in the Atlantic Division with the Montreal Canadiens.

FROM JOE HAGGERTY:

*The 10th career 20-goal season for Bergeron, who gets the top corner snipe in OT on the day he was honored with a great pregame tribute video and a roomful of gifts for playing in his 1,000th game earlier in the week. He is just too damn perfect. Perfect Patrice finished with a goal and three points along with a plus-3 rating, had a team-high seven shots on net and won 13-of-24 face-offs on his way to getting the First Star of the Game.

*Danton Heinen finished with a goal and an assist in 15:01 of ice time and continues to look like a much-improved player skating on the top line with Bergeron and Brad Marchand. It was Heinen that helped spearhead a third-period comeback when he shoveled the rebound of a Charlie McAvoy shot back into the net in the final 20 minutes to help the Bruins earn the OT win. Heinen also had a strong shift in the second period that eventually led to Bergeron feeding McAvoy for Boston’s first score of the game. It remains to be seen if he’s being showcased to raise his trade value or if this is just the spot where the B's think he can succeed, but Heinen is playing his best hockey of the season.

*Good to see McAvoy picking up the offensive pace in this one. McAvoy cut to the net and finished off a great pass from Patrice Bergeron for Boston’s first goal and has three shots on net, five shot attempts and a couple of hits in 14:22 of ice time after the first two periods. Some of it might be about playing the guy he’s modeled his game after in LA defenseman Drew Doughty, but some of it is also about McAvoy perhaps starting to show a little more urgency in his game when it comes to creating offensively for a B’s team that desperately needs secondary offense. McAvoy also then picked up an assist on Danton Heinen’s goal in the third period as well when the Bruins staged their big comeback entering things own a goal.

*Great tribute video from the Bruins honoring Patrice Bergeron for his 1,000th game played prior to puck drop. Plenty of Bruins players past and present were shown testifying to how great Bergeron is as a person as well as Claude Julien calling No. 37 “the best two-way player I ever coached.” Of note were many Bruins players from the 2011 Stanley Cup team including Mark Recchi, Shawn Thornton, Chris Kelly, Adam McQuaid and Johnny Boychuk among others. David Ortiz, Julian Edelman and Paul Pierce all got into the act as well to congratulate one of Boston’s iconic athletes.

*The Bruins came in 1-14-2 when trailing after two periods this season. Wow, that is an indictment on how positively “meh” they’ve been in third periods, whether it’s coming back, or simply locking down leads entering the final 20 minutes. The blown leads have been an issue lately. Almost on cue the Bruins came back and scored three goals in the third to take a lead and then blew that lead later in prime third-period fashion.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129931 Boston Bruins to trade for Panarin tonight.’ But that’s it and it’s gone and then I’m cooking burgers at home. I don’t concern myself with it a lot. I think Donnie is making calls, but whether if anything happens or not I don’t Bruins prepared for whatever might happen (or not) at trade deadline know.”

Wild Card may be the ticket for B's

By Joe Haggerty Cassidy was kidding about Panarin, of course, but it also perhaps lets everybody know that he’s as interested as anybody else in adding some February 09, 2019 12:41 AM offense to the Bruins attack. The reality, however, is that game-breaking players don’t come cheap and there’s a legitimate question as to whether

the Bruins are going to be willing to pay that kind of ransom for a rental BRIGHTON, Mass – With weeks to go until the NHL trade deadline, there player. are still many different possibilities as to how things could go down for They are prepared for either reality on the other side of the deadline, but the Boston Bruins. the hard truth for the B’s is that it’s going to take a few roster upgrades to They are comfortably in a wild card playoff spot and have already battled vault them toward top as legit contenders in the Eastern Conference. It through adversity in the first half of the season, so a 4-2-4 record in the remains to be seen if it’s too much to get done in a competitive trade last 10 games shouldn’t do a lot to shake the notion they are still pointed market with plenty of interested buyers other than Boston. toward the postseason. They also have pretty clear needs as the Bruins have been filtering through winger options on David Krejci’s line all season, and endured a whole lot of inconsistency on the third line as Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 well. The Bruins could certainly use a boost to their 5-on-5 offense from their forward group, and that means players like Wayne Simmonds, Artemi Panarin, Michael Ferland, Kevin Hayes and Tyler Toffoli are all in the discussion as potential trade targets for the Black and Gold.

But the Bruins won’t be alone in their pursuit of forward help over the next few weeks and have a real hesitancy to give up top assets for a rental player after sending a first round pick and D-man prospect Ryan Lindgren, among others, for Rick Nash last season. So perhaps it’s conceivable that the Bruins don’t make a major move at the trade deadline with a Bruins team that roster strength-wise appears to be well behind Tampa Bay and Toronto at the moment.

Interestingly enough, Bruins players in the dressing room say that the trade deadline hasn’t really been a major conversation point for them as it had been the last few years.

“I think in the past it’s kind of been an unspoken for us that things were needed to help our team and we were in a position to win. People had made it known that they were going to make deals to help us out and whatnot,” said Torey Krug. “This year for whatever reason it hasn’t even been talked about in the locker room. People will always say they’re trying to ignore the noise but it’s impossible to do because it’s out there. They’re lying if they say they’re doing that unless they’re a Bergeron or somebody like that because he never lies.

“I think it’s combination of guys focusing on working on improving their games because we know we have to the ability to win and move on. But we’re still trying to perfect our [collective] game right now. We have a similar group as last year when we were a couple of big plays away from being in the conference finals, and you never know what happens from there. They did a good job and they won 4-1 while being dominant at times against us, but if we win Game 4 and go down to Tampa 2-2 then you never know what happens. We know we have the ability, so we’re confident in our team no matter what happens [at the trade deadline].”

Perhaps they’re not worried about any major deals coming down, or perhaps they just don’t realize that the trade deadline is coming up quickly at the end of February. Either way, the Bruins have to at least face a possible reality that nothing significant is going to be under the B’s Christmas tree at the trade deadline.

Maybe it will actually happen and maybe it won’t, but the Bruins are prepared to move ahead either way with a team that’s in playoff position. It’s at least partially why Bruce Cassidy is now splitting up the Perfection Line and getting a look at a second line of Peter Cehlarik, David Krejci and David Pastrnak, and seeing if that’s enough to give the Bruins the offensive diversity that they’ve been seeking since last spring.

“We do go over it as an organization. Donnie [Sweeney], the coaches and whoever he wants to include. So there’s a discussion on players that could be available, and we talk about our lineup and what’s the biggest pressing need. Using last year as an example we knew that we could use a winger for [David Krejci],” said Cassidy. “We went out and got it. That becomes [the general manager’s] call. How do I approach it as a coach?

“I don’t talk to the players about the trade deadline and what’s going on. We just try to deal every day with the lineup we have, how we can make it better and move the pieces around. I try to just stay in the moment. Of course when I go home tonight I’ll be wondering ‘I wonder if we’re going 1129932 Boston Bruins “It means a lot,” he said. “A lot of their guys from their team congratulated me, and it means a lot. Obviously, a lot of class from their side and I played with one of their coaches (Marco Sturm), and he’s an amazing Bruins marvel at Kings’ gesture of sportsmanship for Patrice Bergeron guy as well. So, it meant a lot.” ceremony

The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 By Joe McDonald

Feb 9, 2019

At 1 o’clock Saturday afternoon, in a dimly lit TD Garden, the visiting Los Angeles Kings decided to sit on the bench during Patrice Bergeron’s pregame ceremony for one reason – respect.

Even though Bergeron played in his 1,000th NHL game last Tuesday, the team held a celebration before the Bruins’ 5-4 overtime victory over the Kings on Saturday. Since the on-ice ceremony was scheduled to last between six and 10 minutes, the visiting team could have stayed in the locker room in order to properly prepare for the game.

Instead, all the Kings players discussed it earlier and decided they would be ready to go and on the bench to honor Bergeron’s milestone.

Kings forward Nate Thompson broke into pro hockey with Bergeron. Both were drafted the same year (2003) by the Bruins and participated in their first NHL training camp together. They were also teammates for the Providence Bruins during the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

Thompson and Dustin Brown spoke to their Los Angeles teammates about being on the bench, and it was a unanimous decision.

“It shows respect,” Thompson told The Athletic. “He’s a caliber player and a caliber person. He’s an all-around world-class person. There’s so much you can say about Bergy; when you think of the Bruins, you think of Patrice Bergeron. He’s represented the Bruins very well.”

Prior to the game, the Kings also presented Bergeron with a $1,000 bottle of wine as a gift.

The fact that the Kings were on the bench did not go unnoticed by the Bruins.

“It shows how much respect Bergy has around the league for what he’s achieved,” said Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. “It’s a nice gesture of sportsmanship. Players realize how hard it is to play 1,000 games. It’s not easy and you’ve got to be healthy, you’ve got to have longevity and you’ve got to perform for a long time.”

Last season, when recently retired Ducks forward Antoine Vermette played in his 1,000th game, the Bruins were in Anaheim for the contest and they sat on the bench for that ceremony. In fact, Bergeron and Vermette are close friends, so it wasn’t a surprise to see the entire Bruins team on the bench that day.

This season, when the Bruins opened the campaign at the defending Stanley Cup-champion Washington Capitals, the Boston players weren’t on the bench because the banner-raising ceremony was 30 minutes long. But Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy was on the bench that day to represent the team.

On Saturday, Cassidy was appreciative of the Kings’ gesture.

“Respect,” Cassidy simply said.

During Bergeron’s 1,000th game on Tuesday, the visiting New York Islanders stood and tapped their sticks when Boston’s alternate captain was recognized for his accomplishment. That, and what the Kings did on Saturday, is a true indication of how well-respected Bergeron is around the league.

“It shows what Bergy stands for,” said veteran David Backes. “He’s a family man. He’s just an all-around good human, and it was on display today. It shows the respect he’s got from the other team and the whole league as well when players like (Drew) Doughty and (Anze) Kopitar are coming up to him before the first faceoff and saying, ‘Congrats.’

“You couldn’t be happier for a guy like Bergy. The way he’s done it: It’s the right way. There should be books written on how you should handle yourself, how you should play the right way and Patrice could be the one and only subject of such a book.”

Not one for the spotlight, Bergeron was thankful for the gesture. 1129933 Buffalo Sabres "We really played as a team today," Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt said. "When a mistake was made there was somebody there to help. Linus made some big saves to bail us out of situations. We have to be Linus Ullmark stands tall again, backstops Sabres with 28 saves there for each other."

By Lance Lysowski Buffalo News LOADED: 02.10.2019

Published Sat, Feb 9, 2019|Updated Sat, Feb 9, 2019

Linus Ullmark was sitting at his stall in KeyBank Center following practice Friday while Sam Reinhart stood across the home dressing room surrounded by reporters.

Reinhart was explaining how he misspoke the previous night when it appeared he blamed Ullmark for a loss to Carolina and called the 25- year-old goalie "already one of the best in the world."

While it is likely too soon to measure Ullmark against the league's best, he showed Saturday afternoon why his teammates have expressed an unwavering confidence in his ability in net. Ullmark made 28 saves, including his third-period stop on Andreas Athanasiou's breakaway, to help the Buffalo Sabres beat the Detroit Red Wings, 3-1.

"Nothing goes through your mind," Ullmark said of his breakaway save. "He's a very fast guy. It's all about taking away as much as possible. Put the pedal to the metal. Luckily it bounced off, and I kept it outside the net."

The Sabres made Ullmark's job easier with their improved defensive play. Jake McCabe and Zach Bogosian laid out to break up 2-on-1 backdoor passes. For the most part, they kept the Red Wings' scoring chances to the short side and cleared traffic from in front of the net.

Still, Detroit received a few scoring chances because of unforced errors by Buffalo. Ullmark stopped Darren Helm during a 2-on-1 with 5:34 left in the first period — Lawrence Pilut closed off the passing lane to force Helm to shoot — and managed to stay in front of Justin Abdelkader's deflection in the second period.

The Sabres were controlling play in the third period when Tage Thompson and Vladimir Sobotka rushed toward Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard for a 2-on-1. However, Thompson forced a pass and Athanasiou was sprung for a breakaway. Ullmark closed off his five-hole with a butterfly save and corralled the rebound to maintain a two-goal lead.

"It’s a fine line," coach Phil Housley said. "We have a two-goal lead and a guy gets a breakaway. Those things, we just have to be aware, especially [against] a team that likes to stretch the zone. Realize and sense that danger when possession is in question because we got enough goals to win the game at that point. Let's let them crack and Linus made a couple big saves for us."

Ullmark had a .871 save percentage in his previous five games — two of which were relief appearances when Carter Hutton was pulled — while receiving little help from his teammates. In the 6-5 overtime loss to Carolina, five of the six goals allowed were scored within a few feet of the net.

He has made acrobatic, highlight-reel saves following ugly defensive plays, yet he won only two of his previous seven starts. His one weakness crept up against the Red Wings. With the Sabres leading 2-0, Dylan Larkin skated past Bogosian and behind the net.

Ullmark was slow to get to the right post, and Larkin buried a backhanded wraparound at 17:14 into the second period. It was the second such goal Ullmark allowed this week.

"I kind of misread that a little bit," Ullmark explained. "I got outside my post. It's definitely a bad goal from my part, especially now that it happened in a short amount of time. We know what to do, and sometimes you screw up."

Despite Marco Scandella taking a penalty with 3:32 left in regulation, Ullmark held on for the win. In Sabres history, no goalie has a better save percentage in their first 50 appearances with the team than Ullmark (.914).

Housley typically splits back-to-back games between his two goalies, however, he left the door open for Ullmark to start Sunday against Winnipeg. After all, the Sabres have not won back-to-back games in almost two months. 1129934 Buffalo Sabres The Sabres gave up 45 goals while going 3-6-1 in that stretch and also gave up 310 shots on goal. That's only a save percentage of .855.

"It's a choice you've got to make, protecting your own net and having Mike Harrington: At least for one day, Sabres' defense doesn't rest respect for it," Housley said after Thursday's 6-5 overtime loss to Carolina. "You look at the game and five of the six goals come right in front of our net. That's an area that players from the opposition should be By Mike Harrington very wary of going into. We've got to be tougher to play against. We've got to start pushing guys out, boxing guys out." Published Sat, Feb 9, 2019|Updated Sat, Feb 9, 2019 Sabres pounce on power play, setting stage for 3-1 win over Red Wings

The Sabres are currently playing with eight defensemen and a ninth Lo and behold, the Buffalo Sabres actually can play some defense. (Casey Nelson) is on a conditioning loan to Rochester while trying to In the wake of Saturday's 3-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings in KeyBank work his way back after being on the injured list since Nov. 30. Center, the takeaway will be to see if that game is the outlier, the Housley has been forced to do plenty of shifting of his defensive pairs, aberration in a group of performances that have been among the some due to injury but most due to inefficiency. Ristolainen continues to franchise's worst defensively in many years. be the workhorse, entering Saturday averaging 25 minutes 13 seconds There were plenty of sights for coach Phil Housley's sore eyes in this per game. Bogosian (21:37) and 18-year-old wunderkind Rasmus Dahlin one. (20:47) are the only others averaging over 20 minutes.

Marco Scandella working over Luke Glendening in front of the Sabres Dahlin is running the best Corsi rating among the defense regulars at 5 goal and eventually putting him to the ice. Rasmus Ristolainen doing on 5, with just a shade over 51 percent of all shot attempts in Buffalo's likewise with old friend Thomas Vanek, allowing Linus Ullmark to grab favor while he's on the ice. Ristolainen (47.0) and Marco Scandella (46.9) the puck and force a faceoff. Zach Bogosian going prone with his stick are at the bottom of that list. extended to knock the puck away and foil a 2-on-1 break. It's interesting to note that rookie Lawrence Pilut, who has played only 20 There were few players easily strolling through the slot unimpeded for a games, has a 51.8 percent Corsi and oft-healthy scratched Nathan chance at the net, not a lot of odd-man rushes against. And when there Beaulieu is at 50.3. Social media has spent much of the season was a defensive misfire, like on Andreas Athanasiou's third-period bemoaning the on-ice presence of the veteran Scandella while Pilut and breakaway, goalie Linus Ullmark was there to make a save and keep Beaulieu often sit. things flowing in the right direction. "We've got to be more desperate in front of our net," Scandella said. Ullmark said it was a much easier game for a goalie to play because the "Every play counts this time of year. You have to play like it's playoff Sabres held their position and were guarding the far side of the ice, hockey. I feel like everyone is excited about it. We have a hungry group. allowing the goalie to mind the short side. Housley and defensive coach We're young and learning together. You have to embrace how hard it's Steve Smith had been pleading with their players to stay home and not gonna be." chase pucks behind the net or in corners, which was leading to the slot Like any NHL team, the Sabres spent countless hours in video sessions. being left wide open at times. Some are fun to watch. Others can be horrifying. Ullmark loved the Ristolainen play for its subtle impact. "It's about time we translate our words to action," Ristolainen said. "It's a small play that people might not notice because nothing fancy "We've been talking about it. It took a little while to do it. We saw when happened," Ullmark said. "It's just me putting my glove on top of the we do it, we'll get the result most of the nights. puck. It's what happening before that allowed me to do that." "In split seconds, you've got to make decisions. The guy you're with "Systemwise, we've got to be all on the same page, know what we're makes decisions. Sometimes they are different, sometimes they are right we're doing out there," Ristolainen said "Everyone has to know their ones. You have to read off each other, be on your toes and play hard." responsibility but today was a little better for sure. We got the result we The defense hasn't helped the goaltending out at times and the wanted, goalie played great and we go on to the next one." goaltending hasn't bailed out its team at other times. They've been equal By the numbers opportunity offenders, so both elements working in concert Saturday was especially important. How much of a turnaround did Saturday's win mark? "The game's wide open. You look across the league and there's a lot of The Sabres had given up 17 goals and 105 shots on goal in the last three high-scoring games," goalie Carter Hutton said after practice Friday. "It's games but still managed to go 1-1-1. In mid-January, meanwhile, they just the way the league is trending. I think they've changed the bunch of dropped three straight while giving up 16 goals on 85 shots. Just far too rules and it's the way the game is." many goals. Hutton was clearly referring to the reduction in the size of goalie Sabres 3, Red Wings 1 equipment and the emphasis on calling slashing penalties the last two years that has created more power-play chances. But that's the same, of The Red Wings managed 29 shots on goal Saturday but weren't all that course, for every team. What's different here? dangerous until the third period, when they were really pressing the action to try to overcome their two-goal deficit. "At certain points, our game fluctuates," Hutton said. "You look across the league at every game, there's a ton of Wild West shootouts. We need The Sabres entered Saturday having given up 51 goals in 13 games to do a better job in certain areas just like every team needs to do a since the calendar turned to 2019. That's an average of 3.92 per game — better job." and only Colorado (4.15) and Anaheim (4.0) have been worse. Hutton is 15-15-3 on the season with a 2.86 goals-against average and It has been a total defensive failure the last three weeks. Forwards not .909 save percentage. Saturday's win pushed Ullmark to 12-5-4, coming back and cheating too much to go for offense. Defenseman 2.97/.911. The biggest test of the homestand comes Sunday at 3 against dropping coverage and not using their bodies to clear a path in front of Winnipeg, which is fighting Calgary, San Jose and Nashville for the top the net. And ultimately, goalies not making nearly enough saves. spot in the West. The combined save percentage of Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark in Housley has an interesting choice to make in goal. Does he make it a that span was a paltry .875, ahead of only the woebegone Avalanche. rare back-to-back for a goalie by coming back with Ullmark, especially For the season, the Sabres stand 16th in the league in goals against with the team looking for its first two-game winning streak since mid- (166) and 20th in goals-against at 5-on-5 at 112. Those are hardly December? Or does he return to Hutton, who posted a shootout win over terrible figures, but they have been driven up by the nightmare of the 10 the Jets in Winnipeg in November but it just 2-7-2 in his last 11 starts? games that led into Saturday. Housley wasn't tipping his hand Saturday. And ultimately it won't matter which goalie plays against Winnipeg, which is fifth in the league in goals, if everyone in front of the net doesn't get the job done.

"Every team goes through it. You get into a rut," Housley said. "Sometimes your offensive game is in order, and your defense is lacking. Sometimes, you're shutting teams down and not getting production. I think guys have taken ownership with it and addressed it. We know what we have to do. We have to be harder in front of the net, that's obvious. We've talked about it and now we've just got to execute."

Buffalo News LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129935 Buffalo Sabres Wings, who entered the game with the third-fewest points in the Eastern Conference.

The Sabres' recent offensive success — both on the power play and Sabres pounce on power play, setting stage for 3-1 win over Red Wings during 5-on-5 — stems from improved play with the puck. Their passes and zone entries have been crisp as of late. As important, they are getting the puck to the net, though they managed only four shots on goal By Lance Lysowski in three power plays against Detroit. Entering Saturday, they had the fourth-most shots in the NHL over their previous 10 games. Published Sat, Feb 9, 2019|Updated Sat, Feb 9, 2019 Sabres 3, Red Wings 1

"Our net-front guys have done a really good job all year long," Sabres For all the Buffalo Sabres' faults in Phil Housley's second season as defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen said. "They've been there. Maybe coach, the franchise now possesses tantalizing offensive talent that can before these last few games, we just weren't shooting the puck enough. compete with the NHL's best. You've got to move it around but when you get the chance, you've got to At times, that strength has been a weakness. Gifted offensive players take the shot. We've been pretty good at recovering the puck so that's such as Jack Eichel or Casey Mittelstadt have an unwavering confidence been helping us too." that they can make the most difficult plays. That has led the Sabres to For much of this season, the Sabres have struggled to get an important pass up open shots in search for the perfect scoring opportunity, insurance goal, and Okposo's helped them improve to 13-1-3 this season particularly on the power play. when leading after two periods. Like others around the NHL, they are a Alas, following a change in lines, the Sabres' dynamic players again better defensive team when leading as opposed to chasing a deficit or bought into Housley's plea for simplicity, and the result was two power- trying to break a tie. Conor Sheary's goal at 1:15 into the second period play goals in a 3-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday afternoon — his ninth of the season — to make it 1-0 seemed to help the Sabres' in KeyBank Center. defensive play.

The Sabres, now 27-20-7 with 61 points, are 5-for-10 on the power play "This is the way we have to play if we want to win games," Evan this month after a 1-for-25 performance in January. This was one of their Rodrigues said. "It's not a hard recipe. ... We have enough talent to bury finer defensive performances in weeks and Linus Ullmark made 28 chances on power-play goals. That's what it comes down to. We defend, saves. However, power-play goals from Mittelstadt and Kyle Okposo we're going to win." allowed Buffalo to hold a third-period lead rather than chasing to tie the score. Buffalo News LOADED: 02.10.2019 "I think the power play is really doing a good job possessing the puck in the zone," Housley said afterward. "I would like to see them shoot a little bit more. You saw two goals that came by just getting pucks to the net, but they have done a terrific job in the month of February. It’s been a whole different story than it was in January. … We’re going to need them, especially in tight games like this."

The Wraparound: Sabres 3, Red Wings 1

Housley was unable to dedicate a significant portion of the little practice time he had to fixing the power play because the Sabres were forced to revisit the importance of finishing a check or being responsible without the puck. He and assistant coach Davis Payne would review weaknesses and basic tendencies through watching previous games, yet only so much can be accomplished on a whiteboard or through conversation.

Following a shutout loss in Dallas on Jan. 30, and a 1-for-3 showing against Chicago two days later, the Sabres revealed new-look power- play units this week with Mittelstadt skating with Eichel, Jeff Skinner, Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Dahlin.

The Sabres scored on both their opportunities in a 5-4 win Tuesday against Minnesota and went 2-for-3 Saturday afternoon.

After a failed attempt earlier in the second period Saturday, Dahlin received a pass near the blue line and sent the puck into the left faceoff circle, where Eichel immediately passed through three Red Wings to find Mittelstadt in the right circle. Mittelstadt's errant back-door pass attempt to Reinhart managed to find the back of the net for a 2-0 lead at 10:05 into the second period.

"I was excited when they told me I was going to work with those guys," Mittelstadt, who has eight goals in 54 games, beamed. "I knew I was ready. It doesn't change my job, though. I still have to move the puck well and keep possession. Both groups are doing that well right now."

Following Dylan Larkin's second-period goal to cut the deficit to one, Skinner drew a holding penalty against Michael Rasmussen. Twenty-one seconds later, with the Sabres' second power-play unit on the ice, Okposo collected the puck in the right-wing circle, patiently waited for a hole to emerge and fired a short-side snap shot over Jimmy Howard's glove for a 3-1 lead.

“Obviously when your [power play] clicks it helps the team out a lot," Okposo explained. "It creates some momentum. It created a couple big goals for us today so it’s definitely nice to see.”

Power-play success cannot only be measured by goals. After all, possession and shots create momentum — as Okposo noted — while wearing down an opponent, particularly a struggling one such as the Red 1129936 Buffalo Sabres

The Wraparound: Sabres 3, Red Wings 1

By Lance Lysowski

Published Sat, Feb 9, 2019|Updated Sat, Feb 9, 2019

The idea of a possible rift in the Buffalo Sabres' dressing room made Zach Bogosian laugh. No matter the public perception surrounding Sam Reinhart's postgame comments Thursday or the apology that followed, Bogosian and his teammates insisted they were as close Friday as they were at the end of the 10-game winning streak.

They appeared to be anything but a broken team Saturday afternoon inside KeyBank Center. The Sabres picked each other up when defensive mistakes were made, and their talent up front yielded two power-play goals in a 3-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

The Sabres improved to 27-20-7, including 2-1-1 on this seven-game homestand, after allowing four or more goals in eight of their previous 10 games. They have not won back-to-back games in nearly two months.

In addition to their defense correcting previous mistakes, the offense continued to thrive. Casey Mittelstadt and Kyle Okposo scored power- play goals, while Conor Sheary broke a scoreless tie early in the second period. Linus Ullmark made 28 saves, perhaps none more important than his stop on Andreas Athanasiou's third-period breakaway.

Dylan Larkin scored for Detroit (21-27-7) in the second period. Facing practically a 6-on-3 in the final minute — Evan Rodrigues lost his stick with the Red Wings on a power play and having an extra attacker because of an empty net — the Sabres killed a penalty to hold on for the win.

Opening salvo: Sheary intercepted a pass in the neutral zone, skated toward the Red Wings' slot and shot above Howard's to make it 1-0 at 1:15 into the second period. It was Sheary's ninth goal of the season and his third since Nov. 8.

Power-play breakthrough: The Sabres' other two second-period goals came on the power play, as they improved to 5-for-10 in February. First, Mittelstadt made it 2-0 with his eighth goal of the season with assists from Jack Eichel and Rasmus Dahlin. Secondly, two minutes after the Red Wings cut the deficit to one goal, Okposo scored with a high, short- side shot from the right-wing circle.

Wraparound: Amid an impressive game by his defensemen, Ullmark gave up another wraparound goal at 17:44 into the second period when Larkin sped past Zach Bogosian and tucked the puck around the far post using his backhand.

Finding iron: Though the game was scoreless after one period, the Red Wings outshot the Sabres, 12-4, and had five more shot attempts through 20 minutes. Buffalo's best scoring chance came when Casey Mittelstadt hit the crossbar with 11:50 remaining, and Bogosian nearly scored when he one-timed a backhanded pass from Eichel.

Streaking: Rodrigues assisted on Okposo's goal to extend his point streak to three games and has 10 points, including six goals, in his last 12 games. Mittelstadt also extended his point streak to a career-high four games, and Ristolainen has nine assists in his last nine games.

Milestones: Sabres defenseman Marco Scandella and Ristolainen appeared in their 500th and 400th career NHL games, respectively.

Lineup: In addition to Ullmark starting, Tage Thompson was inserted back into the lineup and C.J. Smith was a healthy scratch. Defensemen Nathan Beaulieu and Matt Hunwick were also out of the lineup. Detroit defenseman Trevor Daley and winger Tyler Bertuzzi did not play because of injury.

Buffalo News LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129937 Buffalo Sabres "You'll go through good times and bad times. The teams that go through that adversity the best come out ahead. They don't go through a big slide, they figure it out quick. That's what makes the best teams and Inside the NHL: Winnipeg standout Mark Scheifele has developed that's where Buffalo has to get better. They have a good core of players, friendship with Eichel budding superstars really. This kind of experience is going to be really good for Jack and for their team."

So Auston Matthews signed an extension with the Leafs for five years By Mike Harrington and $58.17 million, putting his cap hit at just more than $11.6 million. Starting next season, that would put him second in the league to Connor Published Sat, Feb 9, 2019|Updated Sat, Feb 9, 2019 McDavid's $12.5 million hit.

Matthews is getting $54.4 million of the deal in signing bonuses, which is It's fairly well-known who Jack Eichel's top friends are around the NHL. major lockout protection for him but has to be concerning for teams They all have backgrounds from the Boston area or the U.S. National without the big pockets the Leafs have. Look for ownership to move on Development Team. Think names such as Calgary's Noah Hanifin and that issue in the next collective bargaining agreement, limiting the Johnny Gaudreau, Toronto's Auston Matthews and Detroit's Dylan percentage of signing bonuses that can be handed out in a deal. Larkin. It's also interesting to note how he took a shorter term – not the max The one player Eichel has developed a tight bond with since his NHL eight-year deals that McDavid and Eichel got – and can go for another career began – and whom he had no prior relationship with – is in town big deal when he's 26. By then, how much might he be worth? Sunday. And that's Winnipeg standout center Mark Scheifele. And now the Leafs turn their attention to Mitch Marner, who won't get as On the surface, there's not much in common there. Scheifele is a much money as he thought. Had Matthews gone for an eight-year deal Canadian, from Kitchener, Ont. He's three years older than Eichel at 25. that would have paid a higher cap than McDavid, Marner could have They first met with Team North America at the 2016 World Cup camp. been looking at $10 million-$11 million per season.

Remember the infamous story of that first night: The staff brought the But Matthews and Leafs GM Kyle Dubas agreed to a shorter and players together on a Montreal hotel rooftop, but the Americans stayed cheaper deal in part to give the Leafs a better chance to win. With John with the Americans and Canadians stayed with the Canadians. Tavares already in the fold, it would have been difficult for the Leafs to keep all their key parts otherwise. While Marner's camp might have Coaches realized they had to forcefeed some crossover and eventually wanted Matthews money, the Leafs can now use a comparable such as got players from opposite sides of the border talking. Amazingly, that Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov at $9.5 million to try to keep Marner's group became one of the most memorable teams in hockey history in just money down as well. three weeks. Eichel and Scheifele still stay in touch regularly. That's some really good work by Dubas and some understanding by "It was really kind of weird how it came about," Scheifele told this corner Matthews of what it takes to keep a team together. Eichel's deal, by the at the All-Star Game in San Jose. "It actually started out that we found way, should be looking better and better as it goes on at $10 million per out we both did skills work in the offseason with [former NHL star] Adam season. The way the league is trending, he might be well underpaid by Oates. So you start bonding and talking about that. And then we went to Years 5-8. a Starbucks before all our games together in that tournament. That's how it started, but it's grown into a really good friendship." 1-2-3 from the '18 Draft

It didn't hurt in Eichel's eyes either that Scheifele is a big New England The top three players from last June's draft -- Sabres defenseman Patriots fan who has a signed Tom Brady jersey in his condo. Rasmus Dahlin, Carolina forward Andrei Svechnikov and Montreal center Kasperi Kotkaniemi -- all scored a goal Tuesday night, marking just the "Jack is a guy I talk to on a regular basis, check in how he's doing, send fifth time in NHL history that had been done in the season immediately him a note when he has a big game or whatever," Scheifele said. "He's a following their selection. really smart guy, a guy whose game I really appreciate. I love watching him, really respect the way he plays. He's a guy, who still has only The feat had not been pulled off in nearly 34 years, since Mario Lemieux touched the surface. He's going to be a star in this league for a long time, (Pittsburgh), Kirk Muller (New Jersey) and Ed Olczyk (Chicago) did it on but he's got a lot more in his game still." April 7, 1985.

"He's a guy I've been able to talk to all the time and not even about The last time three 18-year-old players each scored on the same day hockey," Eichel told me last season. "More about how things were going was March 20, 1984. That trio was Calgary's Dan Quinn, Boston's Cam for him, things he likes doing. He's a real big hockey nerd and I give him Neely and Detroit's Steve Yzerman. credit. He eats, sleeps, breathes hockey and is a good guy to talk to." Around the boards The Jets were my choice to win the Stanley Cup in September, and I * The Minnesota media swarmed former Eden Prairie High star Casey would still pick them as my choice to emerge from the uber-competitive Mittelstadt following the morning skate here Tuesday when the Sabres Western Conference. The Cup choice now, however, has to be Tampa played the Wild. What's life been like in the NHL so far? Mittelstadt said Bay. walking on airplane tarmacs and up stairs into private charters has been But it would be no shock if Winnipeg won it all –- and made good on The the biggest eye-opener for him. Hockey News' 2015 prediction that the Jets would raise the Cup in four “I was riding on a bus a couple of years ago going to Edina,” Mittelstadt years. told the visitors. “That’s been one of the biggest differences for me.” The Jets are a team full of speed and savvy (think Patrik Laine and Kyle * Sidney Crosby played in his 916th game for the Penguins Saturday Connor) as well as size (Scheifele, , Dustin Byfuglien, night in Tampa Bay, passing Lemieux for the most in team history. Jacob Trouba and Tyler Myers). And they have a terrific goaltending tandem in Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit. * The Blues and Blackhawks got hot, which brought both teams back into the Western Conference playoff race. But so did the collapses of others. Scheifele entered Saturday's game in Ottawa leading the Jets in goals The Ducks entered the weekend having lost 18 of 20; the Avalanche (27, two more than Laine) and second to Wheeler in points with 63. He have dropped 15 of their last 18; and the Canucks have lost eight of 12. entered Saturday at 12th in the NHL in scoring while Eichel was tied for 24th. * More hating on the NHL schedule: Just one game Friday night (Carolina at New York) but eight matinees on Saturday. Like the Sabres, The Sabres posted a shootout victory against Winnipeg in the teams' first lots of teams are trying to cut down on their back-to-backs by not playing meeting in November and Scheifele knows the Jets will be in for another as many Friday nights. tough test. Both teams will be on back-to-backs. And you wonder how much the league is looking to nudge up exposure in "Jack was out those few games, it really hurt that team," Scheifele said. Europe by not having so many games at night in North America, which "When you lose a guy of his stature, it's going to be a tough loss. That's are on in the wee hours of the morning across the ocean. hockey and that's what I told him. * NBC is giving a chance at hockey play-by-play for the first time in his long broadcasting career when he calls Wednesday's Chicago at Detroit game on NBC Sports Network. The network has used Tirico in host roles at last year's Stanley Cup final as well as this year's Winter Classic and All-Star Game. He will work with Ed Olczyk and .

Buffalo News LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129938 Calgary Flames The Flames assigned Rinat Valiev to the Stockton Heat on Saturday afternoon. The 23-year-old was called up last Saturday but didn’t play in a game for the team this week. He has one goal and 11 FLAMES SNAPSHOTS: No doubting Hamonic’s toughness assists in 36 games with the Heat in the AHL this season … The Flames opted to go back to David Rittich as their starter against the Canucks. He was pulled early against the Sharks on Thursday but Peters said there was no hesitation putting him back in the lineup. Daniel Austin

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 02.10.2019 VANCOUVER – Both times that Bill Peters was asked about Travis Hamonic this weekend, the Calgary Flames head coach described his defenceman in the same exact way.

“He’s a tough guy, he’s a real tough guy,” Peters said Friday, before following it up Saturday the same way. “He’s good to go, he’s a tough guy.”

Hamonic’s earning himself a reputation for being all-the-way willing to play through pain this season for the Flames, and he proved his toughness again this week by refusing to miss a practice after taking a puck to the hand during his team’s 5-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.

The 28-year-old was in a lot of pain at the time, he’s not trying to deny that, but he was back on the ice with his teammates for practices Friday and Saturday and was in the lineup for the Flames’ tilt with the Vancouver Canucks.

Hours before the game, he was downplaying the whole situation.

“Yeah, just another little bruise but those things happen,” Hamonic said. “I hurt my hand early in the season and whatever, took one on the hand and I’m lucky it’s not broken (but) no worse for wear.”

The close-call came less than a week after a lower-body injury forced Hamonic out of the Flames’ loss to the Washington Capitals on Feb. 1 and caused him to miss the team’s next game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

He’s also taken a puck to the face earlier in the year and has played through more than his fair share of bumps and bruises this season.

“Yeah, I mean, everyone battles through injuries,” Hamonic said. “There’s lots of guys who are banged-up, I’d say 95% of guys are playing through some stuff and that’s just kind of part of it, part of our job.

“There’s going to be some bumps and bruises and for me personally, as long as I can play, I’ll play. Those things happen and when you put yourself in harm’s way on the ice or play hard, those things are going to be expected.

“You count your blessing when it’s nothing too serious and appreciate your guardian angel kind of watching over you to make sure you’re OK.”

Hamonic might be downplaying what he’s had to play through this year, but his teammates definitely know and are happy to explain.

“He’s taken some crazy injuries this year,” said Hamonic’s defensive partner Noah Hafinin. “Pucks to the face and he hurt his hand pretty bad and his knee, but he always finds a way to skip back and laugh and help our team.

“He’s a warrior out there and a big part of this team.”

THEY KNOW

Canucks rookie Elias Pettersson has taken the league by storm this year, and the Flames are just as aware of what he brings to the ice as anybody else.

In three head-to-head games between the Flames and Canucks, Pettersson has made his mark on the rivalry with four goals and two assists, and Peters wasn’t downplaying the threat the Swede presents Saturday when the Flames coach was asked what makes him dangerous.

“Lots of things — that’s a loaded question,” Peters said. “His vision, his ability to hold onto pucks. I don’t know him inside-and-out, but he’s a very competitive guy who goes into the high traffic areas, has a real long wick with the pucks, holds onto it and lets guys get open and then when they get open he puts it in a good spot (and) we’ve all seen his shot.”

NOTES 1129939 Calgary Flames That doesn’t mean things don’t need to be improved or tweaked, but despite losing three of their last four games, it isn’t time to go back to the drawing board for Peters and his staff.

Flames lose shootout thriller against Canucks “Any game where you put up that many shots and get some looks, you’re not too disappointed,” Flames captain Mark Giordano said. “Obviously disappointed we didn’t get the extra point.” Daniel Austin

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 02.10.2019 VANCOUVER – The Calgary Flames have every right to feel frustrated.

For the second game in a row, the Flames did just about everything they could on the offensive end, but just couldn’t seem to find the back of the net.

For a team that soared to the top of the NHL’s Pacific Division on the back of their ability to score goals, it’s going to be a little frustrating when you run into a goalie like the Vancouver Canucks’ Jacob Markstrom and he turns away 44 of the 47 shots you throw his way and then turns away all three shooters in the game-deciding shootout.

On Saturday night, the Flames (34-15-6) just couldn’t find a way to score the go-ahead goal they needed against the Canucks (25-24-7), and it resulted in a painful dropped-point and a 4-3 shootout loss.

“Frustrated, right?” said Flames defenceman Travis Hamonic. “You need these points at this time of the year. It’s a grind, right? So every point matters and teams are close, things are tight. We thought it was a pretty good game on our part. We carried a lot of the play, but we just couldn’t get it.”

Saturday’s loss to the Canucks was very different from the Flames’ defeat on Thursday night at the hands of the San Jose Sharks.

That was a back-and-forth game where the Flames fell behind and then just couldn’t quite find a way to put the puck over the goalline despite a bunch of opportunities where it seemed easier to score than not to score.

On Saturday, though, they simply ran into a red-hot goalie. Markstrom stood on his head for the Canucks, particularly during a second-period in which the Flames seemed to be completely controlling the flow of the game and outshot their hosts 20-5.

The game had been 2-2 heading into the second after a freeflowing first period where Sam Bennett and Elias Lindholm potted goals for the Flames, while Bo Horvat and Josh Leivo put the Canucks on the board.

Nobody could really complain about the game being square coming out of the first, but the second was all Flames. When Andrew Mangiapane scored his first ever NHL goal at the 13:19 mark, it was no less than the Flames deserved.

Less than two minutes later, though, the game was tied when Canucks rookie sensation Elias Pettersson flew into the Flames zone and circled behind the net before feeding Brock Boeser, who buried behind David Rittich, who was largely solid and stopped 22-of-25 shots.

After all their dominance and shots on net, one moment of magic from Pettersson sent the teams into their locker rooms for the second intermission tied at 3-3.

“I really liked our second period, I thought we needed to come out of that one with the lead and we didn’t, it was 3-3,” said Flames head coach Bill Peters. “I liked a lot of things we did here tonight, and obviously you get into overtime, you get into the shootout, it’s up and down a little bit.”

The third period saw the Canucks grow into the game, although the Flames got a four-minute man advantage after James Neal was hit with a high stick from Alex Biega.

Again, though, they couldn’t get the puck past Markstrom, and it was more of the same through overtime and the shootout, where Pettersson scored the only goal and gave the Canucks a 4-3 win.

It was an incredibly frustrating way to lose, especially because the Sharks beat the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday and the Flames’ lead atop the Pacific Division is now only one-point.

But there is reason for optimism as the Flames head to Florida for a two- game stretch that will see them take on the Tampa Bay Lighting on Tuesday and the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

There’s simply too much offensive talent on this team to believe that if they keep creating this many chances the puck isn’t going to go in. 1129940 Carolina Hurricanes Maenalanen was a fifth-round pick by the Nashville Predators in 20134. His decision was to stay in Finland, first in junior hockey, then in the Finnish pro league. Canes’ mystery man Maenalanen is making his mark. Just ask the “I think it took him a little more time to get better,” Teravainen said. “He Rangers. was always tall but now he’s getting more muscle and getting stronger. You could see he had the skill to be a good player but it took him a while and he has been working hard to get to this point.” BY CHIP ALEXANDER Maenalanen and the Canes’ Sebastian Aho share the same hometown FEBRUARY 09, 2019 11:21 AM and have been friends for years. They played in juniors together, played for Oulu Karpat in the Finnish Liiga. They played for Finland in the World Championship last year, where Maenalanen drew the interest of NHL teams before signing a one-year contract with Carolina. It had a little of the feel of Clemson making The Citadel its homecoming opponent in football. Aho said Maenalanen stayed with him during the Canes’ preseason training camp, when Maenalanen caught the eye of Brind’Amour. The Carolina Hurricanes were in New York on Friday to play the Rangers in Madison Square Garden, but the Rangers also had other plans. They “He was winning his shifts,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s competitive.” were feting their 1994 Stanley Cup champions in a lengthy pregame ceremony filled with ’s tears. Caught in the numbers game at forward, Maenalanen began the season in Charlotte. Now, he has gotten in 18 NHL games -- with four goals and Many assumed what would then unfold: goalie Henrik Lundqvist would three assists -- and has a win over the Rangers in New York. again be in net for the Rangers, thus another Rangers win over Carolina. It was at the Garden, wasn’t it, where the Canes had not won since Jeff “I’m just working hard, skating hard, playing my own game,” Maenalanen Skinner was a rookie and Paul Maurice the coach. The Garden was the said. Canes’ Death Valley. That’s what the Canes need, from everyone. But this one was different. It was different, in a sense, from the moment the Canes forward Saku Maenalanen -- coincidentally born in 1994 -- put “He looks pretty comfortable,” Aho said. “It helps that he’s a big body who a shoulder into the chest of Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei along the can skate. It really makes it easier for him. I think he’s doing it right. He’s boards as Skjei hopped up to paw down the puck a little more than eight not cheating on the ice, just working hard.” minutes into the game. It was hammering hit, clean and hard, and left Skjei on the ice. The News Observer LOADED: 02.10.2019 Rangers’ Ryan Strome and others took exception, a scuffle ensued and both Maenalanen and Strome ended up in the penalty boxes. But both the hit and a point had been made. Nor was Maenalanen through. With Lundqvist and Canes goalie Petr Mrazek matching saves and the tension building, no one had scored almost seven minutes into the third period before the Canes’ fourth line struck. On a rush into the Rangers zone, center Greg McKegg got the puck to Maenalanen on the right wing and Maenalanen made a perfect backhand pass to Warren Foegele between the circles for the shot and score. “Great play, especially at that time of the game where somebody needs to do something,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. Foegele beat Lundqvist and soon the Canes beat the Rangers. Mrazek, in his best game of the season, turned back all 27 shots in a 3-0 victory that ended the Rangers’ 16-game winning streak over Carolina at the Garden. Foegele, Canes fans have come to know. The winger made the team this year after a training camp filled with grit and hustle. McKegg was a callup from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL as Jordan Staal struggled to recover from a concussion and has made his mark. In his first game with the Canes, McKegg was the game’s first star. Maenalanen, 24, still is something of a mystery guy -- the tall, lanky Finn who wears No. 8. He’s quiet. He’s still learning English. He’s still finding his way in his first hockey season in North America. “It’s a new world for him,” Canes forward Teuvo Teravainen said. Signed as a free agent out of the Finnish elite league in May 2018, Maenalanen made his NHL debut for the Canes in December before being sent back to the Checkers. Recalled Jan. 1, the 6-4, 207-pound winger scored his first NHL goal against the New York Islanders a week later. On Jan. 15, Maenalanen played his first game at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers won 6-2, another awful night for the Canes in New York, but Maenalanen scored both goals. Now, he has a victory at the Garden and is solidifying a spot in the lineup as the Canes (28-21-6) continue to surge. “He’s a good player and he works hard,” Teravainen said. “He has all the skills. He’s a goal-scorer. He can play a two-way game and he’s strong. He has a little of everything.” Teravainen and Maenalanen took different hockey paths in Finland. Teravainen, from Helsinki, was a big junior star and a first-round draft pick by the Chicago Blackhawks who quickly made the move to North America and to the NHL. 1129941 Chicago Blackhawks Kunitz sees limited time — his 9 minutes, 32 seconds of average ice time, according to hockey-reference.com, is third-lowest on the team — but it never affects his attitude, Kane said. Corey Crawford practices for the first time since December: 'He looked “I’m sure it’s a tough situation for him,” Kane said. “Everyone wants to be sharp' playing, I don’t know if he’s ever been in that position but he’s handling it great. He’s always one of the hardest workers in practice and even at his age he always wants to get better.” Phil Thompson

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 02.10.2019 Corey Crawford practiced at MB Ice Arena on Saturday, his first workout since suffering a concussion Dec. 16 and a big step toward his quest to return to game action this season. The Blackhawks goaltender took some shots before the workout and stayed on the ice for about the first 20 minutes of practice. He deflected some shots from Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome and others, skated around and then did some drills with goalie coach Jimmy Waite and fellow goaltender Collin Delia. “I thought he looked sharp,” Delia said. “He was tracking the puck really well. He was telling me, ‘The shots are coming fast.’ Yeah, but man, you’re there. “Obviously he’s been out (of action) for as long as he has, I was surprised he did as well as he did. That’s just how good of a goalie he is.” Coach Jeremy Colliton called Crawford’s return a “positive.” “It’s great to see him out there,” Colliton said. “I wouldn’t read too much into it. Obviously it’s a process here. He’s not going to get too high or too low and neither are we. But I’m happy for him he’s felt good enough to be on the ice, and we’ll see what happens.” Crawford has been on injured reserve since Strome collided with him after the Sharks’ Evander Kane shoved him. Crawford had done drills and other light work before two previous practices. Colliton said there’s no timeline for Crawford’s return. “There’s a bunch of hurdles,” Colliton said. “Just how he feels after today is a hurdle.” Colliton retired at 29 after five seasons in the NHL because of post- concussion symptoms, so he said one thing Crawford needs is space. “I try to leave him alone, and I encourage the others to leave him alone too,” Colliton said. “We ask him how he’s doing, like, as a human. But the last thing he needs is to answer the question how he’s feeling 35 times a day. It’s not helpful.” Offensive mindset Jonathan Toews has racked up 12 points during the Hawks’ six-game winning streak, and Colliton attributes the surge on offense to a change on defense. “He’s one of those guys that can produce offensively when he gets time and he’s put him in a situation where he has the advantage he can make a play,” Colliton said. “So we were trying to put him on those situations more and more and maybe rely on him a little less defensively. “When you have to battle so hard on your own end, sometimes you don’t have the juice to create offense. Last game (Thursday against the Canucks) is a perfect example. He was out there on the offensive zone and he had a little space and he made some magic happen. That’s why we won.” Milestone Left wing Chris Kunitz is two games away from his 1,000th. The four-time Stanley Cup champion and 2012-13 All Star has played for six teams over 15 years. “He’s a great person, great teammate, obviously his career has been fantastic,” Colliton said. “And he’s been playing pretty well lately, giving us professional shifts. He does a lot of little things away from the puck. There’s a reason he’s had so much success, played on championship teams over and over again.” Patrick Kane said he likes to pick the brain of someone with playoff experience outside of the organization. “It’s nice to have someone like that that you can kind of talk to about their different experiences, not just for us but for the young guys as well,” Kane said. 1129942 Chicago Blackhawks When the Hawks lost Corey Crawford to a concussion in December, it seemed it would be a turning point to the season. It has — but not in the way anyone imagined. 5 things that must happen for the Blackhawks to make the playoffs Instead of Crawford's injury sending the reeling Hawks even further into oblivion, their season turned around in part due to the goaltending. They are 12-5-3 since Crawford's injury, with Delia and Ward playing superbly Jimmy Greenfield while sharing time. Delia has started 11 games, Ward nine. They each have won games when opponents badly outshot the Hawks. They'll likely need to do that the rest of the way. Even during the Hawks' Didn’t think the Blackhawks had it in them, did you? Of course you didn’t, game winning streak, they've been outshot 219-199. and for good reason. The unknown here: a possible Crawford return. While it seems unlikely Everything the Hawks had shown before their current six-game winning he'll play again this season, Crawford occasionally has done drills before streak indicated this was a lost season. After falling to the Rangers on practices — he practiced with the team Saturday for the first time since Jan. 17, they were tied with the Senators for the fewest points in the Dec. 16 — and his return remains a possibility NHL. 5. The third and fourth lines need to contribute more. Now they’re only four points out of a wild-card spot — albeit with four teams to pass — and are miraculously gearing up to make a bid for the This might be the hardest one to pull off. During the winning streak, Kane postseason. (14 points), Toews (12), DeBrincat (11) and Strome (11) have combined for 48 points. Here are five things that must happen for the Hawks to make the playoffs. The other eight forwards have totaled 22 points. 1. Finish with at least 89 points. It's a bit of an unfair comparison because Kane, Toews, DeBrincat and Strome have been racking up points on the power play and getting more The Hawks need help to get into the playoffs; that's a given. The Blues, ice time than the other forwards. But they're getting more ice time — Canucks, Avalanche and Oilers will all need to maintain the mediocrity particularly Kane — because Colliton needs to play them more. that allowed the Hawks to get within range of them in the first place. Brandon Saad has six points in six games and is pulling his weight. But And the Hawks need to just keep winning. over the course of the season, the lack of depth outside the top two lines has been glaring. It’s not likely general manager Stan Bowman would be It's impossible to know how many points it will take to secure a playoff willing to trade the type of asset necessary to bring in a forward who berth, but the Blues, who hold the final wild-card spot, are on pace to could make a difference. finish with 88 points. The first wild-card tiebreaker is regulation plus overtime victories, and the Blues are up 26-21 over the Hawks. Which is why the Hawks would need to finish one point ahead of the Chicago Tribune LOADED: 02.10.2019 Blues. To get to 89 points, the Hawks would need 36 in their final 27 games. It would require going 16-7-4, which seemed impossible as recently as last week. Now, in light of the Hawks' six-game streak and with a favorable schedule, it seems realistic. 2. Patrick Kane has to remain superhuman. Kane has been so locked in the last two months that every time he touches the puck, you have to stop what you're doing and just watch. He has 29 points during his current 13-game point streak but has been on a roll for much longer than that. Over his last 32 games, Kane has 54 points and hasn't gone consecutive games without seeing his name on the score sheet. For the Hawks to make the playoffs, he'll have continue on his current pace for career highs in goals, assists and points. Can he keep this up for another two months? Absolutely. Even though opponents know Kane is going to get double-shifted and the Hawks don't have a lot of other weapons, they haven’t been able to stop him. 3. The power play has to stay hot, and the penalty kill has to be better. It seems like a distant memory now, but the Hawks began the season 12- for-105 on the power play and ranked last in the NHL. In Jeremy Colliton's first 15 games as coach, the Hawks went an abysmal 3-for-37 with a man advantage. Times have changed. Over the last 20 games, the power play is 25-for-64 (39 percent). It started to swing about the time Colliton added Erik Gustafsson to the first unit with Kane, Jonathan Toews, Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome and let them get comfortable together. On the other hand, the penalty kill is the worst in the league and to some extent has neutralized the success of the power play. The Canucks got a power play in the final minutes of Thursday's game, sent the game to overtime and, as a result, picked up a point in the standings. That could be big down the road. The Hawks just don't have a shutdown penalty-kill unit like they had a couple of years ago. Things appeared to be turning a corner, but the Hawks have allowed power-play goals in each of their last four games. 4. Goalies Collin Delia and Cam Ward need to keep stealing wins. 1129943 Chicago Blackhawks Delia has a .922 save percentage and 2.99 goals-against average, and Ward is at .891 and 3.75.

Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford practices for first time since concussion Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 02.10.2019

By Jason Lieser

Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton will keep downplaying any strides Corey Crawford makes as he works toward a return. He has been saying it over and over. That doesn’t mean anyone has to believe it. Crawford was back on the ice for the first 25 minutes of practice Saturday morning, and that’s no small step. It was his first session with the team since suffering a concussion in mid-December, and it is meaningful progress. “Great to see him out there,” Colliton said. “I wouldn’t read too much into it … but I’m happy for him that he felt good enough to be on the ice and we’ll see what happens. “It’s definitely positive. Doesn’t tell us anything about a timeline or anything like that, but he’s closer now than he was before.” Crawford has worked with goaltending coach Jimmy Waite before practices, but he usually skates off when team drills begin. This time, he stayed out there and took shots on goal. The Hawks kept him in net as forwards raced in for shots, and he handled close-range and rebound drills before doing individual -exercises and leaving about halfway through practice. With Crawford on injured reserve, the Hawks turned to veteran Cam Ward and Collin Delia the last two months. Colliton didn’t say who will start Sunday’s home game against the Red Wings. Delia, a minor-league call-up whose future is unclear if Crawford returns, rotated with Crawford in individual drills with Waite and came away impressed. “It’s awesome,” Delia said. “He looked sharp. It’ll take awhile, but I was surprised he did as well as he did. That’s just how good of a goalie he is and how competitive he is. “He’s had great success here and helped the team win big games, so we’re rooting for him to come back, regardless of what that means for me.” Crawford hasn’t talked to the media since the injury, but his actions have spoken. There’s no reason to do all this work if he doesn’t intend to play again. Colliton has said several times he believes Crawford will return once cleared. That’s the next step in his rehabilitation, and it’s in the hands of the medical staff. Crawford needs approval for full-contact, full-speed work, then it’s up to him whether he wants to resume playing. That won’t be an easy decision, no matter how much he misses the game. Crawford sat out 47 games with a concussion in 2017-18 and got a late start to this season because of it. At 34 and in his 12th season, he has accomplished everything a player could want. He won two Stanley Cups, is a two-time All-Star and has an estimated $39.7 million in career earnings. Colliton said there are still “a bunch of hurdles” to Crawford playing in a game and stressed that recovery from a concussion doesn’t always follow a smooth trajectory. He empathizes with Crawford’s situation because lingering symptoms from concussions ended his playing career in 2013. He acknowledged having a few conversations with him about their shared -experience but has mostly given him space. “I try to leave him alone, and I encourage the others to leave him alone, too,” Colliton said. “We ask him how he’s doing as a human, but the last thing he needs is to answer the question [of] how he’s feeling 35 times a day. It’s not helpful. “No one wants to come back more than him, and we’ll know when he’s ready.” Crawford will be an asset to the Hawks in their push for a playoff spot if he’s able to come back quickly and play at his usual level. He matched his career-high save percentage at .929 before the injury last season, and this season he was at .902 with a 3.28 goals-against average. 1129944 Chicago Blackhawks

Corey Crawford takes 'definitely positive' step with Saturday practice

John Dietz Updated 2/9/2019 5:38 PM

It wasn't one giant leap. But the step Corey Crawford took by practicing on Saturday at MB Ice Arena was nonetheless significant as the Blackhawks goalie attempts to return from a concussion he suffered against San Jose on Dec. 16. "It's definitely positive," said coach Jeremy Colliton. "He doesn't tell us anything about timeline … but he's closer now than he was before." Crawford spent about the first 20 minutes of practice on the ice with his teammates. He faced numerous shots during a 2-on-2 drill, then moved to the other side of the ice to work with goaltending coach Jimmy Waite. Asked what hurdles Crawford must still clear before he returns to game action, Colliton said: "There's a bunch of hurdles. Just how he feels after today is probably a hurdle. But that's the nature of this injury. It's up and down sometimes and you can't explain things. Hopefully he keeps feeling better." During training camp -- as Crawford was trying to come back from the concussion that kept him out of last season's 47 games -- he worked out almost every day before practice with Waite. He finally joined his teammates for practice Oct. 1, then appeared in his first game Oct. 18. Colliton, who was forced to retire because of two concussions, has had conversations with Crawford, but remains adamant that he's not pressuring his goaltender to find out every little detail about how he's feeling. "I try to leave him alone and encourage the others to leave him alone too," Colliton said. "We ask him how he's doing as a human. But I think the last thing he needs is to answer the question how he's feeling 35 times a day. It's not helpful." Still no call up: For the time being, the Blackhawks will continue to carry just 12 forwards on the roster. David Kampf is out three to four weeks with a foot injury, and the Hawks have chosen not to call anyone up from Rockford yet. "We're home right now and Rockford's home," Colliton said. "The guys we would potentially call up -- unless they're going to go right in -- I don't really see the need. We want them playing. We want them to continue to develop so when we are ready to use them they step right in and are fresh off games. ... For now I don't think there's an urgency." The IceHogs took a six-game winning streak into their game against Tucson on Saturday. Dylan Sikura (13G, 16A overall) has 7 goals and 7 assists in the last 16 games. Luke Johnson has 4 goals and 2 assists in the last six contests. Jokiharju update: Henrik Jokiharju, who was assigned to Rockford on Jan. 31, has a goal and an assist in four games with the IceHogs. Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton recently watched a game and is pleased with how the rookie defenseman is doing. "Reports I got, he's been really good," Colliton said. "I watched one game and he (had) that confidence, that swagger. That's important for an offensive guy like him. Also, he's going to continue to defend better and defend harder … so when he gets back here he can take even more of a role for us." Jokiharju had no goals and 12 assists in 37 games with the Hawks.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129945 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks not putting timeline on Corey Crawford's potential return despite first practice since concussion

By Charlie Roumeliotis February 09, 2019 1:15 PM

For the first time since suffering a concussion on Dec. 16, 2018, Corey Crawford practiced with the Blackhawks on Saturday at MB Ice Arena. His on-ice session lasted roughly 25 minutes, however, before he left as practice continued. Still, it's a positive step in his recovery process. "Great to see him out there," coach Jeremy Colliton said. "I wouldn't read too much into it. Obviously it's a process here. He's not going to get too high or too low, and neither are we. But I'm happy for him that he felt good enough to be on the ice, and we'll see what happens." With the Blackhawks on a six-game winning streak that has pulled themselves within two points out of a wild card spot, it's easy for Chicago to get excited and think about what he can bring to a team looking to make a legitimate playoff push. But there are still hurdles Crawford needs to get through. "I think there's a bunch of hurdles," Colliton said. "Just how he feels after today is probably a hurdle. But that's the nature of this injury. It's up and down sometimes, you can't explain things. But hopefully he keeps feeling better." Crawford is clearly taking steps forward. He's been seen around the United Center several times, he's making public appearances, and he's been on the ice off and on for weeks now. He's certainly inching closer to a return. But the Blackhawks aren't going to put a timeline on it. And neither is he. "He doesn't tell us anything about timeline or anything like that," Colliton said. "But he's closer than he was before. ... No one wants to come back more than him. We’ll know when he’s ready."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129946 Colorado Avalanche NOTES: Colorado also went 0-4-2 from Dec. 21 to Jan. 2. … Soderberg has eight goals and four assists in 15 games since Dec. 31. … Johnson has two goals and two assists in his last three games. … The Islanders Avalanche’s losing streak continues with overtime loss to Islanders swept the season series after winning the first meeting, 4-1 on Dec. 17 at Denver. … Pulock now has six points in his last four games. … Nelson has points in four straight games, totaling four assists and five points in the stretch. … Lehner is 12-2-1 in his last 15 games. By VIN A. CHERWOO and THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | The Associated Press PUBLISHED: February 9, 2019 at 2:37 pm | UPDATED: February 9, Denver Post: LOADED: 02.10.2019 2019 at 9:07 PM

NEW YORK (AP) — After rallying from two goals down early in the second period to take the lead in the third, the New York Islanders didn’t get discouraged when Colorado tied the score late. They kept their focus and beat the struggling Avalanche in overtime. Ryan Pulock scored his second goal of the game 2:23 into the extra period to lift New York to a 4-3 victory Saturday. “We kind of dug ourselves a hole to start, getting down 2-0, but we stuck with it,” Pulock said. “Kind of an unfortunate bounce late for them to tie it, but we didn’t go into a shell, we kept playing and we found a way to get it done.” Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist, Josh Bailey also scored and Brock Nelson had two assists for the Islanders. Robin Lehner stopped 25 shots as New York, which began the day two points ahead of Washington atop the Metropolitan Division, won for the eighth time in 11 games (8-1-2). On the winner, Pulock fired a one-timer from the left faceoff circle off a pass from Casey Cizikas for his fifth of the season. J.T. Compher had tied it 3-3 with 2:45 remaining when his shot deflected in off the skate of Islanders defenseman Devon Toews. The Islanders took their first lead of the game a little more than three minutes earlier with their third straight goal. Just 5 seconds after Soderberg and New York’s Mathew Barzal were sent off for roughing, the Avalanche’s Gabriel Landeskog was whistled for hooking to put the Islanders on a 4-on-3 power play. Pulock beat Varlamov just 23 seconds into the advantage on a slap shot from the left circle with 6:03 remaining for his first goal in 16 games. “It’s been a while since I scored, maybe at times gripping the stick a little too tight, but I was able to get a couple tonight. … I think my last goal was an empty-netter, so before that it’s been a while since I scored on a goalie, so it’s a good feeling.” Carl Soderberg had a goal and two assists, and Erik Johnson had a goal and an assist for Colorado, which matched a season high with its sixth straight loss (0-4-2). Semyon Varlamov finished with 37 saves in the Avalanche’s 16th loss in 19 games (3-12-4). Colorado’s last two losses have both come in overtime, also losing 4-3 at Washington two days earlier. “We kind of let this one slip away from us a little bit,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “It’s disappointing to a certain extent that we were unable to get two points out of this one, but we played two really good teams in their buildings and found a way to get points in both of them.” Tyson Barrie nearly won it for Colorado 15 seconds into overtime, but his shot went off the crossbar. Bailey tied it 2-2 at 8:03 of the third, putting in the rebound of his own shot after Varlamov stopped the initial attempt. It was Bailey’s 12th of the season and first since Jan. 18 against Washington. Johnson pushed the Avalanche’s lead to 2-0 at 2:36 of the second. With the teams skating 4-on-4 after a pair of penalties, he got a pass from Soderberg, skated into the offensive zone and cut to the right before firing it into the top left corner for his fifth. “When you’re winning, you find extra jump,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said. “The adversity — down two goals — it doesn’t bother us.” Eberle finally got the Islanders on the board with 1:47 left in the middle period. Varlamov stopped Lee’s shot from between the circles but was unaware the puck trickled behind him, and Eberle skated in from the left side and knocked it in for his 13th. Soderberg got Colorado on the scoreboard with 9:41 left in the opening period when he knocked in the rebound of Johnson’s shot that bounced off the end boards right in front for his 18th. 1129947 Colorado Avalanche The Avs play before bigger crowds, collect far bigger paychecks and travel in luxury. But the intimacy of Eagles games can be equally as exciting. Both squads play the same systems and Eagles players watch Colorado Eagles soaring under the Colorado Avalanche’s wing every Avalanche game on the NHL club’s Front Range television network, Altitude.

“Being a student of the game is crucial at this point, because minuscule By MIKE CHAMBERS | [email protected] | The Denver Post details and intangibles separate NHL to AHL players,” said first-year pro Logan O’Connor, a former University of Denver forward who has played PUBLISHED: February 9, 2019 at 6:00 am | UPDATED: February 9, five games with the Avs this season. 2019 at 11:08 am Added defenseman Anton Lindholm, who has had AHL homes in Colorado and Texas: “San Antonio being Texas and all, it’s not a hockey town … But the fans here are unreal and we have a really good owner LOVELAND — Go South, young man. (Martin Lind) who backs us. It’s better than San Antonio.” Czech Republic countrymen Martin Kaut and Pavel Francouz of the By all accounts, the Colorado Eagles are the perfect fit for the Avalanche. Colorado Eagles might be in their first year in North America, but it’s hard to get lost with directions so simple. After Tuesday’s practice at the Budweiser Events Center, all they needed Denver Post: LOADED: 02.10.2019 to do to get to that night’s Avalanche game was drive straight on Interstate 25 until they saw the Pepsi Center on their left — an example of the convenience and fluidity the Avs’ new affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, provides. Logistically, having your AHL affiliate 50 miles up the road has connected the big club and its top prospects like never before. Goalie coaches Ryan Bach (Eagles) and Jussi Parkkila (Avs) had a meeting in Denver last week when rehabilitating Avs defenseman Conor Timmins was sent to Loveland to practice with the Eagles while the big club began a road trip. The long-distance relationship the Avs used to have with the AHL is over. “It’s really been a dream for it to all come together,” said Avalanche assistant general manager Craig Billington, who previously oversaw the team’s AHL affiliates in Cleveland and San Antonio. “We can do face time — and I’m not talking from an iPhone. When you look at what we created here, it helps facilitate the development operation, the NHL operation, the player connectivity to the franchise, plus the coaches and personnel. It’s just a lot more connected than it’s ever been.” Kaut is the Avalanche’s 2018 first-round draft choice and Francouz is the organization’s No. 3 goalie. Both could become Avalanche regulars next season, but are enjoying their time with Colorado’s first-year AHL affiliate — the state’s first “Triple-A” hockey team. The Eagles, formerly of the Single-A Central Hockey League (2003-11) and Double-A ECHL (2011- 18), are now comprised of the NHL team’s top prospects who can regularly attend Avalanche games like Kaut and Francouz did Tuesday when the Avs played the Columbus Blue Jackets. “I love it here,” Kaut, 19, said from the Budweiser Event Center after practice Wednesday. After this weekend’s series against the visiting Stockton Heat, the Eagles will have sold out 20-of-22 home games at the 5,289-seat BEC. The Eagles ranked 15th in average attendance (5,223) through 20 home dates, and were second only to the in average capacity (98.8 percent). Utica’s area seats just 3,840 for hockey. “It’s awesome. It’s a great facility here and the fans are awesome,” said Eagles forward Tyson Jost, the Avs’ 2016 first-round draft pick who played his first 46 games this season with the big club. “It’s pretty cool to have it right up the road from Denver. Obviously, you want to be in the NHL. But it’s cool. It’s definitely a pretty awesome AHL experience from other places I’ve seen on the road. This is one of the best, for sure.” Most Eagles players live in Fort Collins, which borders Loveland to the north, and where a considerable amount of fans reside. They are often treated like rock stars around the BEC by a mature fan base that saw its previous two teams win back-to-back ECHL championships. “The fans have been a huge support for us,” O’Connor said. “I’d say they’re the best in the AHL, which makes a huge difference night in, night out. It’s fun to play here and feed off their energy.” In some ways, the Eagles and the Budweiser Event Center is a better combination than the Avalanche and the Pepsi Center, because the NHL team has two homes — its practice facility in Centennial and the arena where it plays games. Transferring equipment is a daily process, whether they’re playing at home or on the road. The Eagles, however, practice and play at the renovated BEC, which features new lighting and an entirely new underbelly for players and staff. Their locker room is bigger and nicer than what the Avs have at Family Sports Center in Centennial and the other components of a player’s needs — rooms to receive medical treatment, lift weights or relax — are similar in quality. 1129948 Colorado Avalanche

Overtime woes continue for the Avalanche in loss to Islanders

By Justin Michael February 9, 2019

The Colorado Avalanche continue to struggle in overtime. After being defeated by Washington in extra time on Thursday, the New York Islanders earned a 4-3 overtime victory over the Avs on Saturday. So far this season, Colorado is 1-9 in games decided in overtime and 1- 10 overall in games that go past regulation. Colorado led by as much as two, after Carl Soderberg (18) and Erik Johnson (5) were able to get the Avs on the board with a pair of early goals. Unfortunately for the Avalanche, New York responded with three consecutive goals to steal the lead (3-2). With less than 3 minutes remaining, J.T. Compher was able to give Colorado some hope with a game-tying goal (3-3). The excitement was short lived for the Avs though as Saturday’s contest was decided 2:23 into OT, when defenseman Ryan Pulock notched his second goal of the afternoon. Pulock, 24, had just three goals in New York’s first 53 games this season, but managed to find the back of the net twice in the Islanders victory. With Saturday’s loss, Colorado is 0-4 in the month of February and 2-8 in its last 10 games overall. That being said, the Avs will have another chance to earn its first win of the month on Sunday afternoon. The Avalanche and Boston Bruins will face off at 1:00 p.m. MT. milehighsports.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129949 Colorado Avalanche This hex will end at some point, folks. But it’s up to a hockey god who apparently isn’t quite done yet administering the misery. This was the most frustrating OT loss of them all (all 10 of them) for Avs Ryan Graves had been playing so well in the game until his giveaway that helped lead to Jordan Eberle’s goal with 1:47 left in the second BY ADRIAN DATER period. He had just made a nice takeaway of the puck in the neutral zone, but he skated too far back in his own zone to try and corral it, and FEBRUARY 9, 2019 bad things happened from there. “A player like me should just take the easy way out,” Graves told BSN Denver. “I should have thrown it out and lived to play another day. I tried to chip it out and they knocked it down.” BROOKLYN, N.Y. – This game is a cruel mistress sometimes. Graves got into New York at 1:30 a.m., after flying commercial. He’s the replacement for Ian Cole now, who is out indefinitely with an upper-body If there are truly some hockey gods up there, one of them really has it out injury (See story here). for the Colorado Avalanche when it comes to overtime. On a day when it looked like this team would finally win a game in OT, that hockey god I thought the Avs had a real good forecheck the first two periods. They laughed and said, “Nope, nope, nope, not today boys. Instead, here’s took away time and space for Islanders defenders, and it helped make a what’s gonna happen: You’re gonna dominate the first two minutes of solid difference. They need to do a lot more of that. OT, you’re gonna hit the crossbar, you’re gonna have a top guy hooked on a breakaway and there’s gonna be no call. Then, when the other guys That Erik Johnson goal, that made it 2-0, was a sick snipe. Suddenly, get the puck for the only time in OT, they’re gonna score on their first he’s got five goals on the season. He, too, needs to keep shooting the good shot. K, night.” puck. Losing for the 10th time in OT this season in 11 tries, the Avalanche lost Alexander Kerfoot got an assist on the Johnson goal, but, man, he in mind-numbingly frustrating fashion to the New York Islanders here at overpassed again a couple times. Shoot the puck! the Barclay’s Center, 4-3. Great game for Carl Soderberg. Points on all three goals. That’s six losses in a row for the Avs. The record in the last 25 games now is 5-15-5. Yes, a point was gained, and that’s something – thanks to Overall, just not a good enough game from the top line. They just didn’t another late, tying goal in regulation. The Avs can actually gain four out generate a lot out there, and chased the puck too much. They need to of six points on this Eastern road swing with a victory Sunday in Boston. step up in Boston. This is the biggest game of the season, to this point. Anyone feeling optimistic? The Avs were furious at losing that extra point here. Gabe Landeskog BSN DENVER LOADED: 02.10.2019 was about as mad after a loss as I’ve ever seen him. Not that he was ranting and raving, but he was mad. Mad at the refs, for not calling a hook on him he felt should have been called in OT, on what could have been a breakaway – the same kind of call made against him earlier in the game that led to a penalty and an Isles power-play goal. But also, mad at himself for not shooting into a vacated net early in the third period, when the Avs had a 2-1 lead and linemate Mikko Rantanen had just intercepted a clearout attempt by Isles goalie Robin Lehner in a race to a loose puck. Rantanen got it over to Landeskog, who essentially had a 2-on-1 left with Nathan MacKinnon on his left – and Lehner off to the side boards. Landeskog made what proved a fateful decision against his team. He tried to pass it over to MacKinnon, but the play got broken up. Bye-bye two-goal lead, hello tie game soon after. “That one’s gonna haunt me. That was a stupid play. It’s one of those things where I hear Nate behind me and I think it’s a tap-in for him. And, meanwhile, I should just shoot it,” Landeskog told BSN Denver. “Bad play by me.” Despite the 1-9 OT record coming in, Landeskog thought his team was going to win this one. And if not for a half-inch, they would have. Tyson Barrie started OT by coming down the right side and blasting a slap shot that had Lehner totally beat. But the puck hit the crossbar. Everybody on the Avs bench lept to their feet, thinking fate would smile on them this time. But no. “We were gonna go out and try to win the game,” Landeskog said. “Tyson hits crossbar, first shift. Then I’m on a breakaway and get hooked, no call from the refs.” The Avs had themselves to blame for losing, too. It wasn’t all bad luck. They got outworked after taking a 2-0 lead, on goals by Carl Soderberg and Erik Johnson. They got too cute with the puck offensively, playing too much east-west hockey, when north-south had been working just fine. Why do the Avs keep doing things like that, especially a team that’s lost five straight? Jared Bednar needs to find a way to put a stop to it. Bednar tried to accentuate the positive afterward, saying he saw another step in the right direction in getting out of this mess. But he also admitted: “We kind of let this one slip away from us a little bit. They’re a really good team. They forecheck really hard and they’re really disciplined. I liked what we were doing in overtime, but we don’t capitalize on a chance or two there.” So, on to Boston. 1129950 Colorado Avalanche made the right play in feeding Landeskog. That was it for Rantanen’s notable day, as he joined his linemates in otherwise getting crushed. His penalty was his 20th minor of the season, putting him in the top 15 in the Avs-Islanders player grades: more overtime futility NHL in minor penalties. He has to find a way to stop taking so many infractions.

Carl Soderberg (A) – A three-point game and the only Av outside of BY AJ HAEFELE Varlamov who seemed engaged from beginning to end. His fly by in OT helped create the space for Casey Cizikas (??) to make a play on the FEBRUARY 9, 2019 game-winning goal and that questionable decision is the only thing keeping him from the A+ here. I’m admittedly nitpicking an otherwise

great game from Soderberg. Sven Andrighetto (C-) – Didn’t really notice him at all today. Semyon Varlamov (B-) – He started off the game on fire, keeping the Avs Tyson Barrie (C-) – He had a really tough night in Washington and he in it and making a number of big saves. The first goal was a terrible usually responds to rough performances with a nice game after but today turnover but it was another puck that Varlamov stopped but ended up he just didn’t really have it going on. There were some turnovers and behind him. We saw it multiple times in Washington and again today. questionable pinches as it really looked to me like he was pressing a bit There wasn’t much of anything he could do on goals two and three as he too hard to make something happen. That ripper off the bar in OT was a got left hanging on two and three was a fantastic shot. I’d like to see him heartbreaker. come up with the OT goal, though, as it again looked like he got a piece of it and it found its way in. It felt like a step forward for him but he still Matt Calvert (C) – Calvert was okay today. That line had a hot start and gave up four goals. got it going early but fell off hard. Calvert is always good for hard work but there wasn’t enough actual shot generation there. Colin Wilson (C) – Was entirely anonymous all game until that great shift that led to the Avs tying the game late. Tough to grade those guys out. J.T. Compher (C+) – I was ready to give Compher a ‘D’ for his game today because he just wasn’t doing anything but hard work and a good Nikita Zadorov (C-) – Big Z responded to a terrible outing against bounce got him that much-needed goal late in the third period. Washington with another pretty poor performance here. He made a couple of mistakes that could have been big time but Varlamov bailed Sheldon Dries (C-) – The fourth line did pretty much nothing today. him out each time. Eyes said he was a non-factor and the numbers said the Isles didn’t mind him being on the ice. He needs a good effort Samuel Girard (D) – A good start from Girard but he fell off hard. Totally tomorrow in Boston to salvage this road trip. lost track of Josh Bailey on the game-tying goal in the third period and made no real attempt to recover once the puck got behind him. This was a pretty disappointing finish to this game from just about everyone. BSN DENVER LOADED: 02.10.2019 Ryan Graves (C) – Graves had a really nice start to the game, making the smart decisions we’ve become accustomed to seeing from him. It was all smooth sailing until he was taking the puck back into his own zone, stopped randomly to cause the contact with Kerfoot, and turned the puck over right to the Isles, who immediately capitalized to make it 2-1 and give them some serious life. Everything was going well for Colorado until that moment. It wasn’t the fault of Graves they totally collapsed in the third or anything but that turnover sparked the Islanders. Plenty of people wanted to blame Kerfoot but if you watch the whole play unfold, Graves causes that contact by doing the one thing he couldn’t do in that situation. It’s the big mistake he’s largely avoided until that moment. A.J. Greer (C-) – The fourth line wasn’t very good today but Greer took a totally avoidable penalty when he decided to elbow a guy in the face. Can’t do that when you’re looking for more minutes. Erik Johnson (B-) – Johnson followed the pattern of the rest of his team as he had a good start and then cratered as the game wore on. He continued his offensive resurgence with two well-earned points today. Even though his play tapered off, production still matters. Alexander Kerfoot (C-) – A lot of people immediately wanted to blame that first Isles goal on Kerfoot for causing the turnover but he’s going back to support the outlet there and that’s pretty standard stuff. Graves stopping and creating contact with Kerfoot isn’t on 13. That said, Kerfoot’s extremely lackadaisical follow-up where he casually followed Eberle but didn’t make any active attempt to play real defense was the real problem there. Execution is one thing but poor effort is always inexcusable. He got a freebie secondary assist on the Johnson goal. Gabriel Landeskog (F) – This was the worst showing from the top line maybe all season. They got simply dominated. His unwillingness to shoot on the empty net when up 2-1 was insane and may have cost them the game today. He scores in that situation, they go up 3-1 in the third period. Instead, they gave up the tying goal just minutes later. He HAS to shoot that puck. HAS TO. Nathan MacKinnon (F) – In the process of being dominated, MacKinnon’s total no-show was the most frustrating. He’s supposed to be the superstar of this group and I’m not sure he ever left Washington he was such a ghost today. Patrik Nemeth (C-) – Of all the issues Colorado had today, I didn’t really think Nemeth was really one of them. He didn’t end up involved in anything very good or bad and that’s something you’d take from Nemeth just about every night. Matt Nieto (C) – The effort outpaced the actual results. A nice assist on a hard-working shift for the game’s first goal but that was the end of the effectiveness from 83. Mikko Rantanen (F) – Almost made something out of nothing when Lehner left his net to play the puck but gave it right to Rantanen, who 1129951 Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche defense just took a big hit

BY ADRIAN DATER FEBRUARY 9, 2019

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Avalanche got some bad news earlier today: veteran defenseman Ian Cole will be out indefinitely with what the team says is an upper-body injury. Cole suffered the injury in a third-period fight with Washington’s Tom Wilson Thursday night. Cole clearly took the worst of the fight, absorbing several blows to the head. The Avs are simply saying it’s an upper-body injury, so it would be faulty to just assume the injury is a concussion, but obviously, that would be the worry. Ryan Graves was recalled by the Avs from the Colorado Eagles and was in the lineup for the game with the New York Islanders. Cole was challenged to the fight by Wilson after Cole was given a 5-minute major penalty for interference against Evgeny Kuznetsov. Cole simply got the worst of the fight. Cole hadn’t missed a game all season until today. Graves is the likely player to remain in the Avs lineup while he’s out.

BSN DENVER LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129952 Columbus Blue Jackets They're almost out of the pit now and feeling a lot better. The devil is in the details, as the saying goes, and the Jackets are all over them.

"It’s amazing, when you start doing that, the roll you can get on," Foligno Blue Jackets 4, Golden Knights 3: Cam Atkinson's two goals caps said. "I think that’s where we’re at right now. We just want to start to feed unbeaten trip that part of the game and really take off from there, because if you can get some distance at this point of the year it really helps you in the latter parts of the season." Brian Hedger

Feb 10, 2019 at 1:03 AM Feb 10, 2019 at 1:03 AM Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 02.10.2019

LAS VEGAS — It started with the Blue Jackets in a pit, wrestling with a five-game losing streak that threatened to drop them out of contention in the Metropolitan Division. Three games later, in a packed house just a short walk from the Vegas Strip, they ended a three-game trip with their hands secured to a rock and one foot out of the hole. Led by two goals from Cam Atkinson — giving him 31 this season — the Jackets swept their way through the challenging trip with a 4-3 victory at T-Mobile Arena that sent them, and a large contingent of Blue Jackets fans on hand, home happy. “There’s more work to do, but we found a way to win again,” said captain Nick Foligno, who helped the Jackets’ best checking line once again do its thing, giving Vegas fits. “That is a huge step in this league, but it’s the details that allow you to win consistently and I think that’s where we have to sharpen up.” All those details were on display, good and bad. On the good side, Josh Anderson scored another goal merely by standing in front of the net with Seth Jones winding up from the blue line. Jones’ blast from the right point hit a Vegas defender in front of the net, skipped off Anderson’s leg and snuck past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for a goal 4:04 after the opening face-off. It was Anderson’s third straight game with a goal, giving him 19 this season to tie a career-high set last season. And it was the second straight game Jones shot one off him into the net. Jackets fans, clad in home and road jerseys, let out a roar inside the arena — which rocks and rolls every game with a blaring sound system and raucous environment for a hockey game. The Blue Jackets were also burned by details, though, allowing a pair of first-period goals to defensemen Nate Schmidt and Jon Merrill — with Merrill giving the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead on the fourth short-handed goal the Jackets have allowed this season. It was Merrill’s second goal of the season and was scored with just 2:11 left in the first period. The Golden Knights nearly scored two more in the waning minutes of that period, but goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made two huge saves among his 22 in the game. Bobrovsky made several more in the first half of the third period, with the score tied at 2, but that’s skipping ahead a little too fast. There was also a second period and it belonged to the Jackets. They started taking care of those details again, owning the puck and holding Vegas to just three shots in the period — including none on a power play that preceded Artemi Panarin’s 21st goal of the season for a 2-2 tie. The goal was scored seconds after forcing Fleury to make a pad save off a hard wrist shot from the left face-off circle. Panarin stuck around that area while the puck went over to the boards on the right wing. He scored into an open net after the puck took a wicked bounce off the end boards and eluded Fleury, who had left the crease to get it. It highlighted an impressive period for the Blue Jackets, who held a 22-12 edge in shots after two periods. Vegas hit the jackpot first in the third, regaining the lead 3-2 off of Cody Eakin’s one-timer at 9:21 on an odd-man rush, but the Jackets kept clawing back up the side of that pit. Atkinson tied it again at 3 with just 5:12 left by scoring off a solo rush to the net — swatting the puck home after first losing it into Fleury’s pads. It set the stage for Atkinson's second goal, which he sent into the upper right corner of the net with a wrist shot he wired from the right wing to cap a late power play. It was the Blue Jackets' first lead since Anderson's goal in the first and third straight game with a power-play goal. It was also the capper on a successful trip. It wasn’t perfect, by any means other than their 3-0-0 record, but this was a healing trip for a team that started it mentally with two black eyes and a bloody nose. 1129953 Columbus Blue Jackets the puck took a wicked bounce behind the net and eluded Fleury’s attempt to corral it – scoring the equalizer into a wide opening and raising both hands in celebration. Blue Jackets 4, Golden Knights 3: Cam Atkinson's two goals caps It highlighted an impressive period for the Jackets, who held a 22-12 unbeaten trip edge in shots after two periods and outshot the Golden Knights 33-23 in the game. Brian Hedger “We played really well,” Tortorella said. “I thought our second period was probably one of our better periods all year long. They had a push in the third, (the) beginning of the third. We tried to catch up with them, but we just kept our patience and found a way.” LAS VEGAS — It started with the Blue Jackets in a pit, wrestling with a five-game losing streak that threatened to drop them out of a playoff spot As noted, Vegas hit the jackpot first in the third – regaining the lead 3-2 in the Metropolitan Division. off Cody Eakin’s one-timer at 9:21 on an odd-man rush. The Jackets, however, kept clawing their way back up the side of that pit. Three games later, in front of a packed house a short walk from the Vegas Strip, they ended an important trip with their hands secured to a Atkinson tied it again at 3 with 5:12 left, taking a great feed from Panarin rock and one foot out of the hole. Led by two goals from Cam Atkinson — and scoring off a solo rush to the net for his 30th goal — swatting the giving him 31 this season — the Jackets swept the roadie with a 4-3 puck home after first losing it into Fleury’s pads. come-from-behind victory at T-Mobile Arena that sent them, and a large contingent of Blue Jackets fans, home happy. It set the stage for his second goal of the night, which he sent into the upper right corner of the net to cap a late power play. It was the Blue “It’s huge,” said Atkinson, who topped the 30-goal plateau for the Jackets’ first lead since Anderson’s goal in the first and third straight second time in his career and second time in three seasons. “We knew game with a power-play goal. this game was going to be the hardest out of the bunch, especially in this environment. I think we played one of our best games of the year, but we It was also the capper on a successful trip, which wasn’t perfect but still need to continue to play like that to have success. When we do, we’re a finished with a 3-0-0 record. This was a healing trip for a team that hell of a team.” started it, mentally, with two black eyes and a bloody nose. They proved as much in all three games, downing the Golden Knights They’re almost out of the pit now, feeling a lot better and the devil was in after wins against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday at Pepsi Center taking care of the little details. and Thursday at the Arizona Coyotes. “It’s amazing when you start doing that, the roll you can get on,” Foligno The Blue Jackets 31-20-3 will now return home with 65 points to their said. “I think that’s where we’re at right now. We just want to start to feed credit, third place in the division and trailing the Washington Capitals by that part of the game and really take off from there, because if you can just two points for second. They’ll also host the first-place New York get some distance at this point of the year it really helps you in the latter Islanders on Thursday – hoping to create a hostile Valentine’s Day parts of the season.” atmosphere for the visitors at Nationwide Arena. “There’s more work to do, but we found a way to win again,” said captain Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 02.10.2019 Nick Foligno, whose blocked shot with 21 seconds left in the third period helped polish off the victory in Sin City. “That is a huge step in this league, but it’s the details that allow you to win consistently and I think that’s where we have to sharpen up.” Those details were on display against the Golden Knights (31-22-4), both good and bad. On the good side, Josh Anderson scored another goal merely by standing in front of the net with Seth Jones winding up at the blue line. Jones’ blast from the right point hit a Vegas defender, skipped off Anderson’s leg and snuck past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for a goal 4:04 after the opening face-off. It was Anderson’s third straight game with a goal, giving him 19 and tying his a career-high last season. It was also the second straight game Jones shot one off him into the net, which created a roar from Jackets fans in an arena that rocks and rolls every game with a blaring sound system, thumping bass and raucous environment for hockey. “This is a great building,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. “It’s fantastic. I’m not crazy about the city and all the noise out there, but the building? They do it right. They do it right and they have a good team, so our guys should feel good. They just beat a really good hockey club.” It wasn’t without its teachable moments, though. Columbus was also burned by the details, allowing a pair of first-period goals to defensemen Nate Schmidt and Jon Merrill in the first period — with Merrill giving the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead on the fourth short- handed goal the Jackets have allowed this season. It was Merrill’s second goal of the season and scored with 2:11 left in the first period. Vegas nearly popped two more in the net in the waning minutes, but goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made two huge saves among his 22 in the game. Bobrovsky made several more in the third period, with the score tied at 2, but that’s skipping ahead a little too fast. There was also a second period, which belonged to the Jackets. They began taking care of the little details again, owning the puck and holding Vegas to three shots in the period — including zero on a power play that preceded Artemi Panarin’s 21st goal of the season for a 2-2 tie. Panarin scored seconds after forcing Fleury to make a pad save off a hard wrist shot from the left face-off circle, hanging around that area while the puck slid over to the boards on the right wing. He scored after 1129954 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets getting boost from special teams

By Brian Hedger The Columbus Dispatch @BrianHedger Posted Feb 9, 2019 at 9:34 PM Updated Feb 9, 2019 at 9:34 PM

LAS VEGAS — It hasn’t been the best four-week stretch for the Blue Jackets, with a five-game losing streak that bookended a long break, but it hasn’t been all bad. Not only had they won the first two games of a key three-game road that wrapped up Saturday at the Vegas Golden Knights, but both of their special teams are hot at the same time — which isn’t easy to do. “They have confidence,” coach John Tortorella said. “Some pucks have gone in, and I think it gives (the power play) some confidence. I think both special teams have improved. Certainly, the penalty-killing started improving a lot earlier than our power play, but they’re both still very streaky, as you go through a long season. Hopefully we can keep them both going.” Before facing Vegas, the power play had scored a goal in each of the first two games of the trip — wins over the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes. The Blue Jackets also had generated power-play goals in five of their previous six games and eight of their previous 11 — after going 0 of 24 in 11 straight games from Dec. 15 to Jan. 8. Meanwhile, the Jackets continue to kill penalties at an impressive rate. They went into Saturday’s game ranked third in the NHL (84.0 percent) and second in road penalty-killing (84.6 percent). “Our penalty-killing has done a really good job pretty consistently here for quite a while, and as we always talk about, they’re always pressuring at the right time and all the guys are moving,” Tortorella said. “It’s important for us right now, as we try to dig out of this hole.” Vegas was the second tough test in a row for the recharged power play. After scoring with a man-advantage Thursday against the Coyotes, who were ranked first overall in penalty killing, they faced the Golden Knights — ranked fifth overall in penalty killing and first on home ice. After he was struck in the face during warmups Jan. 31 at Winnipeg, Cam Atkinson had one of his upper front teeth pushed back and received stitches in his upper lip. That wasn’t the reason he didn’t play in that game against the Jets, though — prompting Mark Letestu’s viral video hustle to the bench as a last-second replacement. “My mouth was (messed) up, but I felt really dizzy,” Atkinson said. “It just kind of rattled my head.” Atkinson was skating near the left post after taking a shot when a puck from another shot ricocheted off the post and hit his face above the lip. “The puck just came and I saw it at the last second,” Atkinson said. “It wasn’t my mouth. ... It was just the process of getting stitched up and going through the concussion protocol that took forever.” Foligno plays Captain Nick Foligno missed practice Friday as a maintenance day. What issue caused the absence is unknown. He didn’t get on the ice for an optional morning skate either, but he played against the Golden Knights.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129955 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets | Potent line could be playoff weapon

By Brian Hedger The Columbus Dispatch @BrianHedger Posted Feb 9, 2019 at 9:05 PM Updated Feb 9, 2019 at 9:24 PM

LAS VEGAS — There still are a couple of months left, so it’s way too early for coach John Tortorella to start throwing the word “playoffs” around. He knows better, with the Blue Jackets fighting to stay in playoff contention going into the finale of a three-game trip Saturday night at the Vegas Golden Knights. Still, it’s tough not to think ahead whenever Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner and Josh Anderson are used as a forechecking line. They’re big, strong, relish the opportunity to smash somebody — and now they’re proving they can put the puck in the net. They are exactly what you need in the ... well ... you know. “I don’t even want to say that word,” Tortorella said, when asked if his trio of board-rattlers could be a good playoff line. “It’s a line that, I think, creates an identity for us. I think if other players watch them, it’s more of the way we want to play.” In your face, basically. Since going with those three recently, the Blue Jackets have played with more of an edge when they’re on the ice. They love the dump-and-chase game, have a knack for keeping the puck in the offensive zone and just grind on opposing lines physically and mentally. It’s not a lot of fun to play against. “We know how we can play,” said Jenner, who is getting his first extended chance to play center in the NHL. “We want to be a line that gives our team energy and juice by the way we work, our forecheck, using our bodies and being that hard line to play against down low — in our zone and down in their zone. Once we do that, I think our chance is coming and we can put pucks in the net from there.” That’s the trick, though. They have to keep putting pucks in the net to stay together. Otherwise, Tortorella will just mix them up again to see if another combination works better. Lack of scoring was the reason Tortorella broke them up the first time, after their initial stretch playing together from late October through November, but he knew — in general terms — what he would get out of them. So, he stuffed that combination in his pocket and continued searching for other things that work. Tortorella has since called their numbers a couple of times, including Tuesday when the Jackets began the trip with a 6-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Foligno had a key check on Anderson’s winning goal in the third period and Jenner had two assists, including the primary assist on Anderson’s goal. “We need to bring both sides,” Foligno said. “That has to be a mindset of ours. We’re always going to play the heavy way and the hard way, but that offensive side is there and it has to be exploited more for us.” That will be especially true down the road, in that period of time that follows the regular season. “It’s three big guys that can skate, are hard on the forecheck and can scare a (defenseman) at certain times,” Anderson said. “We’re definitely a threat out there.”

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129956 Columbus Blue Jackets Edmonton’s Cam Talbot, Colorado’s Semyon Varlamov and New Jersey’s Keith Kinkaid are names to consider.

Sources told The Athletic that the Red Wings are asking for a first-round The next six weeks could be volatile for the Blue Jackets’ goaltending draft pick as part of any deal for Howard, 34, who has worked previously position with Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace. He’s had a pretty good season (.914) on a struggling team. By Aaron Portzline It’s been a frustrating season in Edmonton for Talbot (.895 save percentage), but the endlessly building and rebuilding Oilers are not an Feb 9, 2019 easy club to backstop. He’s looking to sign a short-term extension, per Sportsnet’s Mark Spector.

Varlamov’s exit from Colorado has been hinted at since the Avalanche LAS VEGAS — Artemi Panarin is almost certainly in his final days with acquired Philipp Grubauer last summer in a trade with Washington. Oh, the Blue Jackets, whether he’s moved before the NHL trade deadline or the irony if this move went down. Paul Theofanous, the agent for walks away as a free agent after the season. His time in Columbus has Bobrovsky and now Panarin, is also Varlamov’s rep. been so brilliant and brief, it almost feels like he was borrowed. Kinkaid is not known to be available, but something has to give in New Sergei Bobrovsky’s time in Columbus is winding down, too. But Jersey. The Devils have Cory Schneider signed long term and a Bobrovsky has been such an integral part of the Blue Jackets for so long youngster, Mackenzie Blackwood, who looked very comfortable in the now — he was acquired in a trade with Philadelphia in 2012 — that his NHL earlier this season. inevitable departure will feel like the end of an era. Those are the options with short-term contracts, but there are also long- It’s unknown whether Bobrovsky, 30, will be traded by the Feb. 25 term fixes available. deadline. For one, he has a no-move clause in his contract that could throw the brakes on any trade. But the Florida Panthers have sniffed The Blue Jackets have reportedly expressed interest in Los Angeles’ around on Bobrovsky, and Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen is certain Jonathan Quick, and the Kings may be willing to trade their Cup-winning to field more calls in the coming days. goaltender. (He does not have a no-move or no-trade.) Los Angeles needs to shed contracts and reboot, and young Jack Campbell has The next six weeks could be incredibly volatile for the Blue Jackets at the played well enough to take the No. 1 job. most important position on the ice. But acquiring Quick would entail a much bigger return — and a longer A Bobrovsky trade alone would be jarring in its own right, and it would commitment — from the Blue Jackets. either include an established goaltender coming back to the Blue Jackets, or it would prompt a follow-up trade to acquire an established Quick is signed at $5.8 million through 2022-23, so acquiring him could netminder who could help them finish this season and bridge the gap to close the door on the Blue Jackets turning the position over to their their prospects. prospects once they’re ready. Then again, the Blue Jackets could turn around and trade Quick when they deem the prospect(s) to be ready. There’s also the possibility that that Blue Jackets’ top prospect, goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, could arrive in Columbus as soon as March if How long will it take for the prospects to be ready? Well … his Lugano club in Switzerland’s National League misses the playoffs. STEP 3: Elvis enters the building Big changes are coming to the Blue Jackets’ net, it’s just a matter of when. Here’s what it could look like through the end of the season: The feeling among many within the Blue Jackets’ organization is that Merzlikins is ready to play in the NHL. Maybe he needs a few games with STEP 1: What about Bob? AHL Cleveland to get acclimated to the smaller rinks in North America, but the 24-year-old has all the necessary tools. He’s always excelled on It’s rarely easy finding a market for starting at this time of the big stages, too, like the World Championships. season. The best teams in the NHL almost certainly have good goaltending, while the non-playoff teams would have no interest in pure Currently, his club in Switzerland, Lugano, is in ninth place, only one rentals. point out of the final spot in the Swiss National League. The regular season ends March 4. Case in point: Florida has made calls on Bobrovsky, but acquiring Bobrovsky now makes almost zero sense for the Panthers, who are 11 If Lugano qualifies for the playoffs and goes on any kind of run, points out of the eighth and final playoff spot. Merzlikins’ arrival in Columbus could be delayed until 2019-20. But if Lugano misses the playoffs or goes out early, there’s a chance the Kekalainen has signaled that he won’t allow other clubs access to colorful Latvian could come over before the end of this season. negotiate a contract extension with Bobrovsky, even though that could greatly enhance the likelihood of a trade, not to mention bring a better What would that look like? immediate return for the Blue Jackets. Well, the first order of business would be the Blue Jackets signing him to Instead, Kekalainen prefers keeping other GMs out of his dressing room a contract. Per the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, Merzlikins and making “conditional” trades. That is, the Blue Jackets would get an would sign a one-year, entry-level contract for the remainder of the initial return for Bobrovsky at the trade deadline, then get an additional season. He would be a restricted free agent on July 1. high draft pick or top prospect if Bobrovsky signs an extension. The Blue Jackets could then decide whether Merzlikins should start with But that type of trade might be difficult to swing. Bobrovsky has a no- AHL Cleveland or come straight to the NHL, but they would have roster move clause, so he could reject any trade unless an eight-year contract flexibility — the 23-man roster limit is lifted after the trade deadline — to extension seems in the offing. move him back and forth between Cleveland and Columbus for practices or games. In an ideal season, backup Joonas Korpisalo would have pushed Bobrovsky for playing time and looked the part of a budding No. 1 Imagine the scene in Nationwide Arena should Merzlikins — the long- goaltender. There have been bright spots for Korpisalo, for sure, and awaited prospect — draw a start for the Blue Jackets down the stretch. nobody inside the organization has given up on him. Imagine the reaction from fans, after a long, cold winter worrying about But if Bobrovsky is traded, it’s hard to imagine the Blue Jackets having Bobrovsky and Panarin, throwing their arms around a talented, eccentric much confidence that Korpisalo is ready to be the go-to guy, either for newcomer. the stretch run or in the . Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella is often lamenting the lack of Which is why the Blue Jackets would have to consider … characters in today’s NHL. But when one long-time scout was asked how Tortorella might take to the flamboyant Merzlikins, he smiled and said, STEP 2: Life after Bob “Depends on how many pucks he stops.” If Bobrovsky is traded, the Blue Jackets will need a veteran goaltender to There are no guarantees Bobrovsky is traded, obviously. Right now it’s serve as a bridge until one or more of their prospect goalies — or probably 50-50, so Merzlikins’ debut in Columbus probably has the same Korpisalo — is ready to be the No. 1. chance of happening this season. If the Blue Jackets think they need a short bridge, then the crop of But big changes are coming for the Blue Jackets. Those changes could unrestricted free agents would be of interest. Detroit’s Jimmy Howard, wait until 2019-20, or they could happen in the next six weeks or so.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129957 Dallas Stars

Stars notebook: Martin Hanzal 'not close' to returning, Roman Polak leaves game early

Matthew DeFranks

Before Saturday's game, Montgomery said injured forward Martin Hanzal was "not close to being a player." Hanzal is dealing with a back injury that cut his season short last year, and limited him to seven games this year. He hasn't played since Dec. 23. "I know for him, it's very frustrating right now, as it is for us," Hanzal said. "We know how much he could help us, and he's someone you win hockey games with, so it's frustrating for us as a team, but not as frustrating as it is for him because he's a competitor." Montgomery said Hanzal is able to ride a bike, exercise on the elliptical, and do "a little bit of stretching and some core strength stuff, but not much more than that right now." Polak leaves early: Stars defenseman Roman Polak left Saturday's game in the first period after he was boarded into the corner by Coyotes forward Lawson Crouse. Polak has an upper-body injury and Montgomery classified him as day-to-day. Polak went through concussion protocol, and passed. Initially, Montgomery said Polak failed the test and tried to re-take it, but later clarified that Polak passed. Crouse received a two-minute minor for boarding, marking the second straight Coyotes-Stars game to include a boarding penalty. Brett Ritchie was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct Monday after he hit Alex Goligoski. -- Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak missed the final 4:37 of the first period after he was cut on his arm. Montgomery said Oleksiak got stitched up, and he played the rest of the game.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129958 Dallas Stars Dallas Morning News LOADED: 02.10.2019 Stars' favorable playoff picture can't always mask this lurking issue...

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

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Many times throughout a grinding season, the Stars can mask their lack of scoring. They filter it through solid defense and elite goaltending to produce a playoff position with two months left in the season. They strike in bunches to hide an otherwise unremarkable performance. They can ask above-average special-teams units to chip in. But the lack of scoring still lurks in the shadows, most recently in a 3-2 loss to Arizona on Saturday afternoon that snapped a six-game points streak and handed the Stars their second straight loss. Dallas was scoreless through the game's first 56:21 before Brett Ritchie and Alexander Radulov scored 27 seconds apart to tighten the score late in the third period. "I think we tried to do sometimes too much, and when it was there to take a shot, we took it," Radulov said. "But there was no one in front of the net, the puck was there loose and we didn't battle enough for it for 60 minutes. It cost us the hockey game, that's it." The Stars' defense and goaltending resemble that of a Stanley Cup contender. At 2.54 goals per game, they own the third-best defense in the NHL. and Anton Khudobin form one of the league's best goaltending duos. But the offense lags far behind and is among the league's worst. The Stars are 29th in the NHL in scoring and are the only team in the bottom six that currently owns a playoff spot. Saturday was the 31st time this season the Stars scored two or fewer goals, the third-most in the league. The problem lies on the road. At American Airlines Center, the Stars' offense is an average one. They rank a middling 14th in goals. On the road, they are last with 58 goals in 27 games. The Stars' current stretch of five straight road games offers them an opportunity to change the numbers. They did so with third periods, turning what was once a weakness into a strength thanks to their more consistent overall play. The same hasn't translated to the road, and they've won just two of their last six away from Dallas while averaging two goals per game. Coach Jim Montgomery has tried to jump-start the offense by working on finishing during practices, or by juggling lines midgame to reunite Radulov, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. He's asked players to drive more to the net on the rush, and both of Dallas' goals Saturday came in close. Ritchie's was a rebound that he hammered home. Radulov's was a deflection. But 56 minutes were wasted before those goals, again opening the case that an acquisition before the Feb. 25 trade deadline is necessary to fix the team's scoring woes. "I thought that we had some good possession time, but I didn't think we penetrated the middle of the ice with either bodies or pucks well enough," Montgomery said. Radulov said, "I think we were outside most of the time. It's on us. I think on the power play, we've got to execute more and win those battles." The Stars' power play went 0 for 3 and watched as the Coyotes capitalized by scoring twice on the power play. It was the reverse of Monday's game between the teams in Dallas, when the Stars scored three times on the power play and held Arizona scoreless in four tries. "They won the special teams," Seguin said. "They weren't generating much the first half. At 5 on 5, I thought we were controlling the play. Special teams gave them the lead. Third period, they got that third goal and we stopped playing, and then we started again. Just wasn't a good, full 60-minute effort by us." It was the first time since Dec. 15 at Colorado that the Stars allowed multiple power-play goals. The Stars return home for a couple of days, including a practice Monday, before playing three more road games at Florida, Tampa Bay and Carolina. "We've got to bounce back from this and show that we're not just streaky and up and down," Seguin said. "Win a few, lose a few. You want to be able to bounce back quick. Go home, get some rest for 24 hours and get back at it." 1129959 Dallas Stars Star-Telegram LOADED: 02.10.2019 Galchenyuk’s 2 goals help Coyotes beat Stars, end losing streak

BY TOM SEALS FEBRUARY 09, 2019 08:45 PM

GLENDALE, ARIZ. For 56 minutes, the Arizona Coyotes were in control defensively against the playoff-contending Dallas Stars. That situation changed quickly, but the Coyotes held on. Alex Galchenyuk scored twice and assisted on another goal, and Darcy Kuemper stopped 33 shots to help the Coyotes beat the Stars 3-2 on Saturday. The Coyotes ended a five-game losing streak and kept pace in the battle for a Western Conference wild card spot, while the Stars lost for the second time in seven games and ended a six-game points streak. Arizona also ended a nine-game losing streak overall to the Stars with its first win since March of 2016. “We lost a game like that last time in Dallas,” Galchenyuk said. “Guys in the end made a lot of great blocks, and we’re happy we got the win.” Alex Goligoski also scored for Arizona. His goal came on a power play in the first period, at 8:49, with Galchenyuk earning an assist. Nick Cousins chipped in two assists. The Stars made it close with two goals in 27 seconds late in the game. Brett Ritchie scored with 3:39 left, and Alexander Radulov made it 3-2 with 3:12 to go when he put in a shot that deflected off a Coyotes defender. The Stars pulled goaltender Anton Khudobin with a little over a minute left, but the Coyotes survived. Khudobin had 35 saves. “I thought they did a really good job at pressuring. I also thought we did break them down, but we just didn’t make finishing plays,” Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. “Their one-timers were right in the wheelhouse. We had opportunities for one-timers and we didn’t put it right in the wheelhouse. We were a little off with our passing execution on the power play.” Galchenyuk also scored on a man advantage, at 15:31 of the second. The Coyotes scored two power-play goals in a game for the third time this season. “It’s been up and down. Definitely working on finding my consistency and finding my game,” Galchenyuk said. The Coyotes went ahead 3-0 with Galchenyuk’s second goal of the day. Nick Cousins dug a Stars turnover out off the boards behind the net and fed Clayton Keller, whose pass to an open Galchenyuk produced a quick shot past Khudobin at 3:39 of the third period. Goligoski’s goal, his third of the season, ended a streak of four straight games without a power-play goal for the Coyotes. Jordan Oesterle was credited with an assist and has a point in four straight games, a career best. “We felt like we were in control the entire way until the very end there,” Goligoski said. “They got a couple of bounces and made a nice play. Any way to get two points right now, so that was a big win for us.” Galchenyuk scored his 10th and 11th goals of the season, and he has 14 points in 12 career games against the Stars. Six Coyotes players have 10 or more goals this season, with five players at 11. “We were really decisive, and that’s what we need on the power play,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. “We had to have this win ... and it was a nice win.” NOTES: Newly acquired C Emil Pettersson, who arrived to the Coyotes on Friday in a trade with the Nashville Predators, will report to AHL Tucson. ... F Lawson Crouse was called for boarding in the first period and served a 2-minute penalty. He leads Arizona with 60 penalty minutes this season. ... The player Crouse hit, Dallas D Roman Polak, was evaluated for a concussion and didn’t return. D Jamie Oleksiak was cut on the arm in the game and needed stitches but returned. ... G Ben Bishop missed his second straight game with an injury but is expected to be ready by Tuesday. 1129960 Dallas Stars We know that about a month ago the Stars were shopping Ritchie around and didn’t get the offer they were looking for. We also know that the Montreal Canadiens have recently taken more of an interest in acquiring Stars 20/20: Too little and too late, Stars offense not enough in loss to the forward. Coyotes Ritchie’s last two weeks, like his season, have been a bit of a roller coaster. There have been games when he’s fit well and been able to add a physical element to a line with Hintz and Denis Gurianov. There have By Sean Shapiro been others when he looks lost and out of place. Feb 9, 2019 Ritchie is what you could call consistently inconsistent, and it’s a fact multiple teams will have to think about as the deadline nears, the Stars in particular. GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Dallas Stars’ six-game point streak ended with 7. It was an off first period. a 3-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday afternoon. The teams combined for 33 shots, but overall it felt rather bland as Dallas Brett Ritchie and Alexander Radulov each scored for the Stars, who still and Arizona looked sleepy at times. have a two-point cushion over the Minnesota Wild for third place in the Central Division. Maybe it had something to do with the afternoon start, at 2 p.m. local time. On a typical game day with an evening game, 2 p.m. is right around 1. There was a dramatic flourish in the final minutes, but it wasn’t enough the time most players are taking a pregame nap. for the Stars to finish the comeback as they saw their six-game point streak come to an end in Arizona. Just some food for thought. It’s a classic case of too little too late for the Stars, who have struggled to 8. Khudobin stopped 35 of 38 shots and did a nice job throughout the score away from Texas. On Saturday, they didn’t attack the net enough game of reading situations and cutting down angles for Arizona. and were often kept to the perimeter by the Coyotes defense. Second- chance opportunities were rare in the first 55 minutes, and while Dallas The goalie didn’t have to make any real highlight saves, as he did in had a decent quantity of shots, the quality was severely lacking. Nashville, but he was solid overall, and you can’t give him much blame for the goals against. “We had good possession time, but I don’t think we penetrated the middle of the ice with either bodies or pucks enough,” Stars coach Jim 9. Darcy Kuemper had a similar game for the Coyotes, good while never Montgomery said. really needing to be great. 2. Power-play struggles were a key part of an offensively challenged At one point in the third period, I turned to another media member and contest for the Stars. said, “Kuemper is on track to have one of the easiest 30-plus save we’ll see this season.” Dallas had three power plays and managed only six shots with the man advantage. 10. The Stars started with this lineup again: Arizona is one of the NHL’s better penalty-killing teams and adjusted Jamie Benn – Radek Faksa – Blake Comeau after getting burned by Dallas earlier this week. The Coyotes were Mattias Janmark – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov aggressive on the penalty kill and pressured the puck well; when Dallas did have open space, it failed to create real high-danger chances. Andrew Cogliano – Jason Dickinson – Jason Spezza “We tried to do sometime too much,” Radulov said. “When there was Denis Gurianov – Roope Hintz – Brett Ritchie time to take a shot we took, but there was no one in front of the net or the puck was there loose and we didn’t battle there enough.” Esa Lindell – John Klingberg 3. On the other end of things, the Coyotes were efficient and crisp with Miro Heiskanen – Roman Polak the man advantage. Jamie Oleksiak – Taylor Fedun Dallas seemed a step behind when they had an extra skater, missing 11. Dallas spent most of the game playing with five defensemen after passes and failing to make connections in the wheelhouse. The Coyotes Polak was boarded by Lawson Crouse late in the first period. often entered the zone with speed, and tape-to-tape passes were more common, including Alex Galchenyuk’s one-timed blast that made it 2-0 in After the game, Montgomery said there would be more of an update on the second period. Polak later and initially said Polak went through and failed the concussion test. Montgomery later reached out with a clarification, stating that Polak Alex Goligoski’s goal wasn’t a one-timer, but it came in a similar situation had passed the concussion protocol. in which the Coyotes zipped the puck across the middle of the ice, and while everything was in motion the defenseman was able to pick the It’s a somewhat murky situation, and ideally there will be more clarity on corner behind Anton Khudobin. Polak’s ailment when the Stars practice Monday in Frisco. 4. Galchenyuk also scored the game-winner, this time at even strength, 12. With five defenders, it became a juggling job for Stars assistant in the third period to give Arizona a 3-0 lead at the time. coach Rick Bowness, who manages the defensive minutes. The Coyotes now have six players with 11 goals this season. In a loaded It played out this way: Western Conference playoff race, Arizona is a mirror image of the Stars. John Klingberg: 27:16 While Dallas relies on big-name scorers that have carried the load, the Coyotes are required to attack as a pack because they don’t have Miro Heiskanen: 26:35 forwards in the same category as the Stars’ top three. Esa Lindell: 22:50 5. The Dallas goals were examples of what the Stars needed to do more Jamie Oleksiak: 16:03 often throughout the game. Taylor Fedun: 15:56 On Ritchie’s goal, Roope Hintz did the hard work and drove the net to create the initial chance, while Ritchie was there for the rebound and Roman Polak: 5:46 crashed the paint. 13. There was a brief update on Martin Hanzal on Saturday when “We need more players to drive pucks wide and get it to the net like Mongomery met with media members. Roope Hintz does,” Montgomery said. “Then (Ritchie) does a good job getting to that hard area to score goals.” “Yeah, he’s not close to being a player, that’s the only update I can tell you,” Montgomery said. “How long and that stuff. I know for him it’s very Radulov’s goal was a tipped shot in which the Stars were able to get frustrating right now, as it is for us. We know how much he could help us traffic in front of the net and the forward was able to get a piece of the and he’s someone you win hockey games with. So it’s frustrating for us point offering from John Klingberg. as a team, but not as frustrating as it is for him because he’s a competitor.” 6. Ritchie’s goal comes at an interesting time for the forward, whose name has been circulated quite a bit in trade talks. 14. Hanzal is on this trip because it’s the moms trip and his mother, Eva Hanzalova, made the trip from the Czech Republic. Montgomery said having Hanzal on the trip can be an emotional boost for the injured forward. “I think it does, I think it allows him to realize why he’s still trying to overcome his setback with his back,” Montgomery said. At this point, Hanzal’s physical activity is limited to some cardio — riding the stationary bike, for example — and stretching. “But not much more than that,” Montgomery said. In talking to me the other day, Hanzal said his back hasn’t felt any better. 15. In other injury news, Ben Bishop was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Monday with an upper-body injury, meaning Landon Bow was backing up for a second straight game. Bishop went through a strenuous practice and put in extra work with goalie coach Jeff Reese on Friday afternoon and responded well physically. The goalie will be eligible to come off injured reserve Monday and could play against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. 16. Connor Carrick and Julius Honka continued to serve as healthy scratches Saturday. Honka hasn’t played since Jan. 15, while Carrick hasn’t played an NHL game since Jan. 19, but he did have an AHL conditioning stint three weeks ago. Montgomery discussed how he’s keeping the two players involved after practice Friday. “On the ice, we try to make sure that they get more reps than other people, especially in a practice like today, so they’re handling two-on- ones and getting their feet moving,” Montgomery said. “The onus is upon them to be good pros, and that when we call upon them, they can come in and add to us.” 17. Depending on Polak’s injury situation, either Carrick or Honka could be back in the lineup Tuesday against the Florida Panthers. Just a hunch, but I would bet Carrick is the one who gets into the lineup first. 18. This is the message Dallas needs to keep in mind: “You have to play 60 minutes, that’s the bottom line,” Radulov said. “It’s not enough to play two periods or 50 minutes.” 19. Scout lists can often be misleading and lead to internet fodder, but it was interesting that the Los Angeles Kings had a pair of scouts in attendance. 20. Here is how the Stars did in the various elements of Montgomery’s Process: Win 56 percent of faceoffs: Passed. The Stars won 62 percent of the draws. Zero undisciplined penalties: Failed. Three or fewer odd-man rushes: Passed. Win net-front battle: Failed. Win special teams: Failed.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129961 Detroit Red Wings “I don’t think there’s any question that Dylan has taken huge steps towards being that good, all-around centerman that you have to be to be a successful hockey team. He’s a huge building block for this team Dylan Larkin remains Detroit Red Wings' brightest star in dark season because of it. If all you do is score points, you’re not a building block. If you score points and play defense, now you’re a building block.”

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.10.2019 Published 5:21 p.m. ET Feb. 9, 2019

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dylan Larkin didn’t want to talk about himself, which is part of what makes him the player he is, the top rebuilding block for the Detroit Red Wings.

He matched his career high in goals during Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center, scoring No. 23 of the season on a wraparound. It was his third point the last two games, after he sat out a contest with a strained oblique.

“I think first of all with Dylan, it is his compete level every night,” fellow center Frans Nielsen said. “He rarely gets outworked out there, and that’s how you stay consistent in this league. If you compete like him, you are going to be OK even on bad days. He skates with the best in this league and has a good shot. He’s coming into a complete player.

“Nine out of 10 games, he’s our best player. You don’t see that a lot, but again, when you compete like him, even on bad days, you’re going to have good things happen out there.”

It was a bad day for the Wings as a team; they started well enough but couldn’t find the back of the net on any of 12 shots in the first period, and then fell behind, 2-0, before Larkin’s goal.

Their effort lacked after the last two periods. That’s what mattered to Larkin. Asked about his own play this season, Larkin’s first instinct was to fault his play against the Sabres

“I wasn’t nearly good enough,” he said. “There is still the next level for me. Do I know what that is? Do I know how to get there? No, because if I did, I would be there. I do think as my career has gone along I’ve built confidence and become a more well-rounded player, but I do still think there is a long way to go.”

At this point, Larkin hesitated. “I don’t really want to talk about this right now. I have to be better for our team. We have to find a way to step up in games like this. We’re working hard for our chances but when you are giving up chances like we are, you can’t be playing like that.”

Larkin cares foremost that the Wings make the playoffs. They’re all but mathematically eliminated, and the more they lose, the better for their draft lottery odds. That’s good for the organization, as it puts them in the running to draft a difference-maker like Jack Hughes.

But Larkin is the leader of the rebuild, and that’s why it’s so encouraging to see him, in just his fourth year, put on strong performances game after game. It’s Larkin who has filled the void left by Henrik Zetterberg, Larkin who has been the Wings’ best player out of the gate.

“Larks has a determination about him that is very rare,” defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. “He just goes, it’s almost like one of those Duracell rabbits or whatever it is, bunnies, that you wind it up before every game and he just goes. That’s in practice, also. It’s extremely impressive to have the determination that he has. It’s fun to watch every day.

“Whenever Z decided that he couldn’t do it anymore, it felt like he grew, not only as a player but as a person as well. He has taken his game to a whole other level.”

Jimmy Howard noted that Larkin is “one of the hardest workers on the team. He’s one of the first guys on the ice every single day and he’s one of the last guys off. He’s a workhorse for us. Every single game he brings it for us, and it’s great to see.”

Larkin hadn’t topped 20 goals since his rookie season, when played on a line with Zetterberg. With eight weeks to go this, his fourth season, Larkin leads the Wings with 52 points in 54 games. He has not gone more than two games in a row without producing, and has points all but 15 games.

“It’s been real impressive and I think on a consistent basis, he’s been a real good player,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “He gets lots of ice time with it, too, so there’s lots of responsibility on him, and he understands that and bears that burden. 1129962 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings flop at Buffalo Sabres, lose matinee, 3-1

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press

Published 3:44 p.m. ET Feb. 9, 2019

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Detroit Red Wings began their fathers trip with a dud.

After largely playing well for more than a month, their excursion Saturday at KeyBank Center disappointed. They started decently but couldn’t find the back of the net, and the last two periods they looked sloppy. It ended with a deserved 3-1 loss.

The Sabres came into the game have lost three of their previous four games. They are 9-14-5 since winning 10 straight games in November.

The game was the first on a three-stop trip during which the Wings have brought along their fathers or other male family members, or in a few cases, a friend. Other than Dylan Larkin scoring his 23rd goal of the season, there was little to cheer.

Andreas Athanasiou had a wide-open chance with about eight minutes to go in regulation, his second such of the game, but he’s been snake bit the past couple games. The Wings went on a power play with 7:40 to play but never got set up, never sustained any pressure.

Quiet start

The Wings tested Linus Ullmark early and often, but the chances weren’t particularly threatening. Anthony Mantha tried a slap shot from the blue line but Ullmark saw the puck the whole way. Darren Helm had a two-on- one denied. The Wings earned a power play at 11:19 when Sam Reinhart slashed Christoffer Ehn. Gustav Nyquist had the puck in the left circle but made a bad read and ended up turning over the puck. Jimmy Howard made a good save on a Kyle Okposo tip-in attempt and got help from his crossbar when Casey Mittelstadt broke in from the left side, but only ended up making four saves in the first period. The Wings had 12 shots.

Soft second

Two Wings skaters in particular did not look good as the Sabres took a 1- 0 lead 1:15 into the second period. Justin Abdelkader turned over the puck and Conor Sheary cut towards the high slot in Detroit’s zone, firing a shot through the legs of Mike Green to beat Howard. Mittelstadt converted on a power play at 10:05, connecting on a pass from Jack Eichel, to put the Wings down by two. Okposo scored during Buffalo’s second power play, with 31 seconds to go in the second period.

Vanek pours on the points

The Wings had been outshot, 11-3, in the second period when they went on a power play after Jeff Skinner was called for high-sticking Andreas Athanasiou. Larkin converted when he took a pass from Thomas Vanek, skated behind Buffalo’s net and flipped the puck in on a wrap-around. That extended Vanek’s point streak to four games. Since scoring two goals against his former team Jan. 12 at Minnesota, Vanek has four goals and six assists in nine games.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129963 Detroit Red Wings

Game thread: Red Wings lose to Sabres, 3-1

Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

Published 5:55 a.m. ET Feb. 9, 2019 | Updated 3:36 p.m. ET Feb. 9, 2019

Detroit Red Wings (21-26-7, 49 points) at Buffalo Sabres (26-20-7, 59 points)

Sabres rattled: The Sabres are having as tough a time winning as the Red Wings. Since Dec. 14, the Sabres have gone 7-11-3 (the Wings have gone 7-12-3). The Sabres most recently rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period against Carolina only to lose in overtime, and have allowed 17 goals the past three games.

Sizing up the opponent: The Sabres average 2.91 goals per game and allow an average of 3.11. Their power play (17.8 percent) ranks 20th in the NHL and their penalty kill (82.2 percent) ranks ninth. … Jack Eichel leads the team with 40 assists and 57 points. Jeff Skinner has 33 goals. Rookie Rasmus Dahlin, the first overall pick in the 2018 draft, has six goals and 23 assists in 53 games.

Winged wheel WATCH: The early start meant no morning skate, but everyone who played Thursday is believed to be available and the lines and defense pairings are expected to remain the same. … Forward Tyler Bertuzzi (upper body) and Trevor Daley (foot) are out.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129964 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit News LOADED: 02.10.2019

Red Wings put on a weak show for Dad, fall to Sabres

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News

Published 4:03 p.m. ET Feb. 9, 2019 | Updated 5:36 p.m. ET Feb. 9, 2019

Buffalo — Maybe the dads will give them a good talking to.

It would certainly be in order for the Red Wings, who have their dads on this trip and made the elders sit through an unenergetic, 3-1 loss to Buffalo Saturday afternoon.

“Just not enough oomph in our finishes,” said defenseman Niklas Kronwall, speaking primarily about the final 40 minutes. “Especially in the third period, we spent at least the first 10 or 12 minutes, way too much time in our defensive zone. We have to be better there.”

Just as the other night against Vegas, a poor second period hurt the Wings.

Dylan Larkin (power play) had the Wings goal, cutting the Sabres lead to 2-1 after Conor Sheary and Casey Mittelstadt (power play) had scored for Buffalo in the first half of the period.

Then, Buffalo’s Kyle Okposo whistled a shot past goaltender Jimmy Howard on the power play at 19:19, restoring a two-goal lead for Buffalo, 3-1, before the end of the second period.

“That was tough, we never seemed to come back from that,” Larkin said of the Okposo goal. “Maybe we can learn from how they played, they threw a dagger at us with that third goal.”

The Wings (21-27-7) have lost two straight after winning three in a row, and now travel to red-hot Chicago for a game at 3 p.m. Sunday (Fox Sports Detroit).

Jeff Blashill on the need for the Red Wings to score dirty goals. The Detroit News

“We have to get back to being dirty with our offense,” said coach Jeff Blashill, alluding to the gritty goals the Wings are lacking these days. “We have to get back to getting pucks to the cage with a guy on the cage, and finding a way to score those dirty goals.

“We passed up opportunities to shoot the puck at the goalie.”

Larkin’s 23rd goal, matching his career-high from his rookie season, gave the Wings a brief spark.

Larkin took a pass from Thomas Vanek, wheeled around the Sabres net, and tucked the wraparound goal past goalie Linus Ullmark, cutting the Buffalo lead to 2-1.

“There’s a determination about him (Larkin) that’s very rare,” Kronwall said. “He just goes. It’s almost like those Duracell battery bunnies that you wind up before every game. He just goes. But that’s in practice, also. It’s extremely impressive.”

But a Michael Rasmussen holding penalty at 19:08 proved to be costly, putting Buffalo on its third power play of the period.

And for the second time the Sabres converted, with Okposo whistling a shot from the dot, making it 3-1 — basically, the same spot Mittelstadt was for his goal (Mittelstadt’s eighth goal) to make it 2-0 at 10:05.

The Okopso goal, making it 3-1, was too much to overcome.

“They’ve given up a lot of goals, find a way to come out and be on the toes the whole period,” said Blashill, not satisfied with the lack of third- period drive. “Instead we played too much defensive zone coverage.”

Sheary, the former Pittsburgh Penguin, opened the scoring for Buffalo 1:15 into the second period.

Sheary cut through the middle of the ice and snapped a shot that Howard might have been screened on, Sheary’s ninth goal.

“We all need to play with more edge,” Howard said. “We did have opportunities, we had a great start, but again we came up short.” 1129965 Detroit Red Wings Daley hasn’t played since Dec. 29 because of a broken foot suffered in a morning skate Dec. 31. He’s been practicing this week, but still hasn’t been cleared to return to the lineup

Red Wings prospect Zadina will get opportunity in NHL before end of “I’ve been getting better every day, feeling a little better,” Daley said. “But season it’s still not where I would like it to be. Every day there’s progress. I’m just going to listen to my body and when I’m ready, I’ll be good to go.”

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Ice chips

Published 2:46 p.m. ET Feb. 9, 2019 | Updated 2:58 p.m. ET Feb. 9, Forward Cristoffer Ehn was a teammate of star Buffalo rookie 2019 defenseman Rasmus Dahlin last season in Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League.

…The Sabres recognized Wings assistant coach Dan Bylsma in the first Buffalo — Red Wings fans who have been asking for it since draft night period. Bylsma was head coach of the Sabres for two seasons (2015- are finally going to get their wish. 17).

Filip Zadina, the first-round draft pick last June, will play in the NHL this Red Wings at Blackhawks season. Faceoff: 3 p.m., Sunday, United Center. Just when, exactly, is still up the air. TV/radio: FSD/97.1 “It’s all about the future, and he’s a part of the future,” general manager Ken Holland said. “We’re going to bring him up so he can see what this is Outlook: Chicago (22-24-9, 53 points) has won six consecutive games all about. and moved into wild-card contention in the Western Conference…RW Patrick Kane is having a terrific offensive season (32 goals, 47 assists, “I don’t know when, and I don’t know for how many games. But he’ll be 79 points). here for some games.”

For sure, Zadina will not play more than nine games with the Wings, which will likely happen in March after the Feb. 25 trade deadline. Detroit News LOADED: 02.10.2019

Playing more than nine games would burn one year off Zadina’s entry- level NHL contract, which the Wings don’t want to do at this point.

It would also force the Wings to use a spot to protect Zadina in the 2021 expansion draft when Seattle enters the league.

So, Zadina’s NHL stay will be relatively brief.

Zadina, 19, was the sixth overall pick in June’s draft and instantly heightened expectations and enthusiasm among Wings fans.

But the adjustment to professional hockey hasn’t been entirely smooth.

Far from it.

Zadina had an uneven training camp, and never seriously threatened to land a spot on the roster.

He was sent to Grand Rapids, where, again, the American League has been an eye-opening experience for Zadina.

In 39 games, Zadina has 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) with a team- worse minus-14 plus-minus rating.

“He’s a 19-year-old playing against men,” Holland said. “Some nights has been real good, some nights he hasn’t been as good. He’s learning, he’s learning what it takes to be a pro hockey player.”

Zadina told The Detroit News several weeks ago the adjustment to the AHL had been a difficult transition.

“It’s pretty tough, so far, to play here,” Zadina said. “But it can make me a better player, so I have to learn down here.”

Zadina was excited about the chance of getting promoted by the Wings, but wasn’t sure when it would be.

“I think I’m playing well, but it’s up to them, if they will give me a chance to try the NHL at some point,” Zadina said. “If not, I’ll try to play a little better. Skate, compete, shoot the puck, do whatever the coaching staff wants.”

Holland hopes that after seeing what it takes to be successful in the NHL, Zadina will take the experience back to the AHL and then into the summer, to get physically stronger.

“It’s going to be a big summer for him,” Holland said.

Not there yet

Defenseman Trevor Daley is on this road trip but isn’t sure he’ll be playing. 1129966 Detroit Red Wings NOTES: Red Wings D Trevor Daley is nearing his return after missing his 24th game with foot injury. Coach Jeff Blashill ruled out Daley from playing at Chicago on Sunday while saying he’ll have an update on the Red Wings begin trip with loss to Sabres player’s status before the game at Nashville on Tuesday. ... Red Wings LW Tyler Bertuzzi (upper body) missed his sixth straight and Blashill expects him to miss at least the next two. ... Sabres assigned D Casey Nelson to AHL Rochester for a conditioning stint on Friday. He missed 24 Updated February 9, 2019 at 5:43 PM; Posted February 9, 2019 at 4:39 games with an upper body injury. ... Sabres Ds Marco Scandella played PM his 500th career game and Rasmus Ristolainen played his 400th. ... With Staff Report an assist on Mittelstadt’s goal, rookie Rasmus Dahlin became the NHL’s fifth defenseman to reach 30 points before turning 19. By The Associated Press

Michigan Live LOADED: 02.10.2019 BUFFALO, N.Y. — Casey Mittelstadt and Kyle Okposo scored power- play goals and the Buffalo Sabres won for just the fourth time in 11 games by beating the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 on Saturday.

Linus Ullmark stopped 28 shots, bouncing back after allowing 10 goals on 75 shots in his previous two outings, including a 6-5 overtime loss to Carolina on Thursday.

His best save came with 8:03 remaining, and immediately after Buffalo's Tage Thompson squandered a 2-on-1 break at the other end. Ullmark held his ground to prevent Andreas Athanasiou's attempt to beat him through the legs on a wide-open breakaway.

Dylan Larkin scored for Detroit, and Jimmy Howard finished with 18 saves, allowing three goals on 12 shots in the second period. Detroit has lost two straight since winning five of seven.

Conor Sheary also scored for the slow-starting Sabres, who scored three times in the second period after managing just four shots in the first.

Buffalo improved to 4-6-1 in its previous 11 games and 10-14-5 since ending a franchise-record-matching 10-game winning streak.

It was a much-needed victory for the Sabres (27-20-7), who have gone from briefly leading the Eastern Conference standings in November to 10th place. The Sabres began Saturday with 59 points, four behind Pittsburgh, which holds the East's second and final wild-card berth.

Frustration began settling in for the Sabres following their loss to Carolina.

Several Sabres spent Friday clarifying or apologizing for comments they made following the OT loss.

Forward Sam Reinhart said he misspoke in saying "we need more from our goalies," a comment that didn't reflect other comments he made. On Friday, Reinhart said he meant the team needs to do more for its goalies.

Coach Phil Housley clarified what some interpreted as him questioning general manager Jason Botterill.

"That's Jason's job," Housley had said when asked to evaluate whether the Sabres need help on defense. On Friday, Housley said he misunderstood the question, believing it was about whether the Sabres intended to call up defensemen from the minors, which is Botterill's responsibility.

Sheary opened the scoring 75 seconds into the second period when he intercepted Justin Abdelkader's soft pass at Detroit's blue line. Sheary cut into the middle and, using Mike Green as a screen, snapped a shot into the left side.

Mittelstadt scored nine minutes later by one-timing in Jack Eichel's pass into the right circle for Buffalo's first power-play goal.

After Larkin scored on a wrap-around to cut the Sabres' lead to 2-1 with 2:46 left in the second period, Okposo scored a power-play goal with 31 seconds to go, and shortly after Michael Rasmussen was penalized for holding.

Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen first passed the puck back and forth with Evan Rodrigues in the left circle, before swinging a pass to Okposo in the right circle. Okposo turned and stepped toward the net and snapped a shot that beat Howard high on the short side.

Buffalo's power-play unit is beginning to heat up, having converted five of 10 opportunities in its last four games after going two of 30 in its previous 12. 1129967 Edmonton Oilers Gravel was involved in two early plays; he worked Melker Karlsson over behind the net and Karlsson went to the dressing room and later accidentally got his stick on the way of a Kevin Labanc shot and it Edmonton Oilers notes: Kyle Brodziak's healthy scratch lasts one game deflected past Cam Talbot.

It hasn’t been much fun for the Edmonton native Petrovic since they got him in that Florida trade just before the New Year — Petrovic and Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal Swedish League D Robin Norell for a third-round 2019 pick and defenceman Chris Wideman. Petrovic thought this was a dream coming February 9, 2019 11:15 PM MST home, but it’s been far from that. He played five in a row, then got a concussion, missing 10 days and six games. He’s played once since Jan. 8 when Sharks Timo Meier drilled him into the boards. Ken Hitchcock has a better read than most people on what Kyle Brodziak should bring to the table because he’s coached him in St. Louis and When Sekera returns, the cap-crunched Oilers have to add his big salary here, and wants more decisiveness in his game. and move some other contracts out. There’s eight D here now and Sekera would be nine. If Petrovic isn’t playing that doesn’t bode well for “The reason he was brought here (free-agent signing) was to ramp up him. the competitive level in the bottom six and there was a period of time when we had 27 (Milan Lucic) and 44 (Zack Kassian) on the wings and “We’re working hard with him (Petrovic) on his composure to slow things that was very good, but Kyle’s game has really dropped off,” said down and make better decisions. Passing pucks around people is the Hitchcock, who scratched him Thursday in Minnesota, a blow considering term I use rather than passing through people. He’s getting better. We’ll he spent six NHL years with the Wild, but put him back a against see (what happens). We’re lucky we have eight and we’ll have some San Jose for game 899 of his NHL career. heavy decisions to make if Sekera comes healthy,” said Hitchcock.

“Kyle at times is his own worst enemy,” said Hitchcock. “He over-thinks This ’n that: Benning, whose game has really come on (plus-7 in the last but when you over-think, you under-react. We’ve had some good chats 11 games), didn’t play against Sharks after getting an upper-body injury about what’s in his game and I think we’ll see the player we saw before. late in the Minnesota win Thursday … Goalie Al Montoya has been out Sometimes you get so far ahead of yourself and you forget to play in the for weeks with a concussion in Bakersfield but Shane Starrett has been moment.” terrific as the No. 1 guy on the farm. His stock has risen dramatically in his second pro season. He’s won nine straight with a 1.37 goal average Brodziak, who has the best face-off percentage on the team (52.6), for the Condors, looking for their 12th straight win Saturday night against doesn’t get many breaks with where he plays, but that’s been his lot in San Diego. “He’s been the backbone of our success,” said Bakersfield life for years. He’s not a scoring threat. coach Jay Woodcroft … Wideman played one game for Florida after the trade and has played the last 10 for their Springfield AHL farm team. “Because he starts pretty much every shift in the defensive zone, he’s under a lot of pressure to start with and I think he’s trying to play outside of what he’s capable of. Hopefully we get him back to his gritty game,” said Hitchcock. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 02.10.2019

Brodziak was in and Colby Cave, who only played 5:51 in Minnesota, was out against the Sharks. Cave has sat three of the last four games after playing five in a row after his waiver pickup.

Andrej Sekera wasn’t broken in slowly Friday in Bakersfield in his first game since last spring’s world championship when he played for Slovakia.

“He played 22 plus minutes, they didn’t ease him in,” said Hitchcock, who watched the tape of the AHL farm team game against San Jose Barricuda and liked what he saw from the defenceman who tore his Achilles before September camp.

“He looked awfully composed and smart. Very encouraging,” said Hitchcock, who saw Sekera partnered with William Lagesson, who did lots of the heavy lifting while Sekera stayed back.

“Let’s see how he (Sekera) looks after a couple of (AHL) games.”

Indeed, there should be no rush to judgment on Sekera’s stint on the farm. His skating tempo will certainly have to improve before he’s ready for NHL work.

When Sekera returns from his conditioning stint — three games minimum but probably five when the Oilers petition the league for two additional ones because he’s been out for so long — he’ll be thrown into a deeper end in NHL games because he’s missed almost 60 games.

The Oilers could call Sekera back from the AHL, but if not ready they could ask if he would waive his no-move clause to be sent back to the minors for a longer period, determined by the player. He would have to clear waivers but nobody would take him.

“You see his composure with the puck, the way he passes. He passed a few so hard (Oiler practices) they just bounced off sticks. He does things that not many players in this league can do, the way he transitions the puck.”

It’s getting to be crunch time for defenceman Alex Petrovic, scratched for a fifth straight game with Sharks in town. Hitchcock considered playing him with Matt Benning hurt, a righty for a righty switch, but instead opted to bring Kevin Gravel back to play with Brandon Manning in the third pair. Two lefties. 1129968 Edmonton Oilers Zack Kassian scored his second goal in as many games in the loss. He has four goals in the last seven games … Not much went Edmonton’s way in the first period, but got the biggest roar when he San Jose Sharks take another big bite out of Edmonton Oilers laid out Tomas Hertl with a hit that sent the Sharks forward flying. Hertl was trying to be a little too cute in the offensive zone and Larsson called him on it … Jesse Puljujarvi contines to rot on the vine in Edmonton. He played 5:34 in the first two periods before getting rolled out late in Robert Tychkowski garbage time … Connor McDavid was held off the score sheet for just February 9, 2019 10:11 PM MST the eighth time this season.

RAT LUCK

With the San Jose Sharks chewing up the league and the Edmonton Ty Rattie left the ice in pain after blocking a shot in the final seconds of Oilers struggling at home, fans in Rogers Place were hoping for the best the first period. He couldn’t put any weight on his left leg. Could be and bracing for the worst Saturday. another tough break for the winger, who scored in Minnesota Thursday, had two goals in his last four games, and was just starting to get a little They got the worst. Again. traction again under Ken Hitchcock.

On a bitterly cold night when the temperature (-29C) dipped below the Oilers goal differential (-25), things were just as frosty on the inside as San Jose handed the Oilers another lopsided beating — one the Oilers Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 02.10.2019 seemed to accept with virtually no push back.

The Sharks led 2-0 after the first period and 3-1 after 40 before pulling away in the third period of a 5-2 victory that could have been 8-2 if San Jose felt like making it 8-2.

“We didn’t even give ourselves a fighting chance,” said head coach Ken Hitchcock, who’s feeling the frustration of the losing culture in Edmonton. “This, for players, has to be really unacceptable. To play that way, with so much at stake, to be able to move with two or three points of eighth place and play this way, it can’t be acceptable.”

This breakdown comes just two days after the Oilers turned in a solid road game to beat Minnesota 4-1. How can the same team be so awful 48 hours later? Yes, San Jose is better, but do the Oilers need to be that much worse?

“I don’t have the answers,” said one of the winningest coaches in NHL history. “But we can’t play this way and actually expect to win hockey games, not at this time of year. Quite frankly, not ever. Maybe in an exhibition game.”

San Jose winger Kevin Labanc, who had six goals in the first 55 games of the season, scored three in the win as Edmonton lost at home for the 11th time in the last 13 games. Edmonton is 0-5 and has been outscored 26-12 in its last five home games.

The Oilers have six wins in their last 22 starts overall and one win in their last eight.

“It sucks standing here sounding sorry for ourselves because we played so bad and the fans want to come here every night and see us win,” said defenceman Oscar Klefbom. “We have to approach the game better and play a solid game. We have to be smarter.”

Hitchcock says it comes down to commitment of fortitude, areas where the Oilers seem to be lacking on many nights.

“I think it’s a symptom of something much bigger. It’s priorities and what’s important. It just can’t be acceptable. At this time of year the coaches can’t want it more than the players.

“In the end, the players just have to reach a point where they’re just sick of it.”

MORE BAD NEWS

It wasn’t as bad as the last two games with San Jose, when the Sharks posted 7-2 and 7-4 wins, but this one hurts on a night when five other teams in the Western Conference wildcard race picked up points.

Arizona, St. Louis, and Minnesota all won while Los Angeles and Colorado picked up OTL points.

BRIGHT SIDE

Edmonton’s power play has been their best feature lately, scoring six goal in the last four games, including second period marker from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins that made it six goals on the last 12 chances. It’s climbed into the top 10 in the NHL at 22.4 per cent after finishing last season 31st in the NHL at 14.8 per cent.

THIS AND THAT 1129969 Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers Game Day: Oh no, the San Jose Sharks!

Robert Tychkowski

Published:February 9, 2019

Updated:February 9, 2019 3:00 AM MST

FIVE THINGS

1. SHARK BAIT

San Jose hung a pair of lopsided beatings on Edmonton the last two times they met, crushing them 7-2 in early January and 7-4 (the Oilers scored a couple in garbage time) in late December. It hasn’t been all bad — Edmonton won 4-3 in the first game under Ken Hitchcock, but the recent massacres were painful to watch.

2. HOME AT LAST

The Oilers will once again try and figure out how to be as effective at home as they are on the road. They have two wins in their last 12 starts at Rogers Place and will bring a four-game losing streak into Saturday’s date with San Jose. The Sharks aren’t exactly world beaters on the road 14-12-3, but they just pounded the Flames in Calgary 5-2 for their fourth straight win.

3. TALBOT AGAIN

Cam Talbot will start for the fourth time in five games since the bye week. He’s coming off a 35-save performance in Minnesota Thursday. Even though the organization has already committed to Mikko Koskinen for next year, Hitchcock says he’s going with whoever gives him the best chance to win. Talbot is 1-1-1 in his last three starts.

4. HOT STICK

Leon Draisaitl has been wielding a lethal stick lately. He has nine goals in his last nine games and five in his last three. His 32 goals tie him for third in the NHL with Patrick Kane. They are already a career high with 28 games left in the season. He has two goals and three assists in three games against the Sharks this season.

5. POWER SURGE

The Oilers caught fire with the man advantage after the bye week, scoring five times goals in the last three games (11 chances). Confidence is running high when they have a power play and the results speak for themselves. They will be put to the test by the Sharks, who have the seventh best PK in the NHL.

BIG MATCH UP

SAN JOSE POWER PLAY VS OILERS PENALTY KILL

Edmonton’s penalty kill has been a soft spot for most of the season. It gave up four goals to the Philadelphia Flyers (ranked 29th on the power play at the time) in the first game after the bye week, one in Montreal (to the 30th ranked PP in the league), and two more in the 6-2 loss to Chicago. It pitched a shutout Thursday against Minnesota and will have to be sharp again against the Sharks, who are fifth in the NHL with the man advantage.

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129970 Florida Panthers different ways to win. We're getting a little bit of that momentum going like we did last year. It's just a matter of you've got to keep plugging away night after night here."

Hoffman scores in OT, Panthers beat Capitals 5-4 NOTES: Capitals D Christian Djoos returned after missing 24 games with compartment syndrome in his left leg. ... With Djoos back, the Capitals were fully healthy for the first time this season in their 55th game. ... RW BY STEPHEN WHYNO Devante Smith-Pelly was a healthy scratch for Washington. ... Panthers D MacKenzie Weegar missed his second consecutive game with an AP HOCKEY WRITER illness. FEBRUARY 09, 2019 10:45 PM

Miami Herald LOADED: 02.10.2019 WASHINGTON--Roberto Luongo doesn't want to think about the long climb the Florida Panthers would have to make get to the playoffs.

Each victory gets them a little closer, and they've won two in a row and six of their past eight games after beating the Washington Capitals 5-4 in overtime Saturday. Luongo made 26 saves and Mike Hoffman scored the winning goal on the power play to move Florida nine points back of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"Sometimes when you look at the big picture, it can get a little bit overwhelming and you want to stay focused on the task at hand," Luongo said after becoming just the third goaltender in NHL history to start 1,000 regular-season games. "Obviously we've got to win a lot of games. But I've always been the type of person that doesn't like to look at the big picture that much. Big win tonight."

Hoffman's goal came 1:31 into overtime with Brett Connolly in the penalty box for slashing with 3.6 seconds left in the third period. The Panthers bounced back from allowing the tying goal to Evgeny Kuznetsov with 3:06 remaining to win in overtime for the second consecutive game.

Frank Vatrano, Keith Yandle, Colton Sceviour and Derick Brassard scored in regulation for Florida, which is back on the fringe of the race in the East thanks to its recent run. The Panthers still have three teams between them and a playoff position in the conference and might need 12 out of 14 points on their upcoming homestand to stay in it ahead of the Feb. 25 trade deadline.

"We've got to play well," said Yandle, who set up Hoffman's 4-on-3 power play goal. "We know going forward there's not a lot of room for error, and we've got to play well every night."

The power play that is tops in the NHL since Nov. 1 delivered on a goal one second after T.J. Oshie's penalty expired in the first period and then again in overtime. Coach Bob Boughner called the power play his team's "backbone" all season.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals continued to lack discipline and lead the NHL with 199 minor penalties this season. Connolly scored twice, but his offensive-zone slash on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov with the clock running out contributed to Washington's winning streak being snapped at two.

"I can't take that penalty," Connolly said. "It's tough. It's an important time of the game."

Lars Eller also scored for Washington, and Kuznetsov's goal was his fourth in five games. Braden Holtby 26 saves and fell victim to some bad bounces, deflections and miscues on the goals he allowed.

Luongo picked up his first victory in Washington since 2011 and moved to within one of tying Ed Belfour for third on the NHL's all-time list. Luongo joined Hall of Famers and Patrick Roy as the only goaltenders with 1,000 career starts and tied Roy for second in all-time games played with 1,029.

The 39-year-old said he didn't know until about an hour before the game about the milestone.

"Sure, it's a lot of games," Luongo said. "We're just playing to win games, trying to get back in the playoff race. That's our goal, and that's my goal personally is, I want to take part in the playoffs again. They're nice when they come and go, but it's not really something I keep tabs on that much."

Luongo and the Panthers will keep tabs on the standings as they hope to replicate the 25-8-2 run that got them close to a playoff spot last season. With 29 games to go, Florida is still building to that point.

"I think we've just got a bit of our swagger back," Luongo said. "We believe in ourselves and the way we're playing. We've been finding 1129971 Florida Panthers

Preview: Lightning at Panthers, 6 p.m., Sunday

Wells Dusenbury

South Florida Sun Sentinel

Lightning at Panthers

When/where: 6 p.m./BB&T Center

TV: Fox Sports Florida; Radio: 560-AM; 640-AM (Palm Beach)

Scouting report: The Panthers are playing the first of seven consecutive games at the BB&T Center. … Florida entered Saturday night 11 points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. … Tampa Bay has beaten Florida in all three contests this season (2-1, 7-3, 5-4). … The Lightning (39-11-4) have the best record in the NHL. … Tampa Bay is coming off a 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues. … Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 81 points (22 goals, 59 assists), while Brayden Point has 66 points (31 goals, 35 assists).

Sun Sentinel LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129972 Los Angeles Kings slashing, they tied it on Iafallo’s power-play goal at 8:13, a shot from the right point that hit off Rask and into the net.

Kopitar made it 2-1 when he one-timed a pass from Dustin Brown from Kings fall in OT in Boston to snap 3-game winning streak the bottom of the right circle at 14:02.

“We worked hard to get the 2-1 lead and we kind of feel asleep there,” Staff Report Kings forward Brendan Leipsic said. By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | The Bruins had moved ahead 1-0 when Bergeron set up McAvoy’s goal 4:38 into the second period. Bergeron collected a pass down low, twisted PUBLISHED: February 9, 2019 at 1:21 pm | UPDATED: February 9, his hands quickly and made an off-balance feed to McAvoy, who was 2019 at 3:17 PM coming hard down the middle toward the net.

Quick made a couple of nice stops late in the scoreless first. The best was when he came across the crease to block Peter Cehlarik’s shot from BOSTON — The Boston Bruins honored Patrice Bergeron before the the bottom of the right circle. game. He made sure there was a celebration at the end.

Bergeron scored a power-play goal with 2:26 left in overtime, and the Bruins beat the Kings 5-4 on Saturday after blowing a two-goal lead. Orange County Register: LOADED: 02.10.2019 “The legend continues,” Boston’s Brad Marchand said. “It’s great to see him have the game that he had. It was a great ceremony at the start. He deserves all the recognition that he’s been getting, and he’s gotten over the last few years.”

The Bruins held a pregame ceremony for Bergeron, who earlier this week became the fifth player in team history to play 1,000 games with the club. During the first period, there was a video tribute that included congratulations from Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman and former Red Sox star David Ortiz.

“I had to kind of look away a few times,” Bergeron said. “It was pretty special to hear from all these guys.”

He had set up two other goals before beating goalie Jonathan Quick with a wrister from the right circle for the game-winner.

“To get the win was very special,” he said. “That’s what I said on the bench — ‘We’ve got to find a way’ — and we did.”

Marchand, David Krejci and Danton Heinen each scored a goal in a 3:22 span early in the third period to give the Bruins a 4-2 edge before the Kings came back. Los Angeles tied it on Oscar Fantenberg’s slap shot from the point with 4:47 left in regulation for his first goal of the season.

Nate Thompson’s goal cut the score to 4-3 with 10:41 to play.

Alex Iafallo and Anze Kopitar scored for the Kings (23-27-5, 51 points), who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Quick made 28 saves. Kings center missed his third consecutive game with a lower-body injury.

“The guys battled back,” Kings coach Willie Desjardins said. “Was a little disappointing to start the third. We could have been better at the start of the third for sure.”

Saturday was part of a Los Angeles-Boston professional sports doubleheader in TD Garden. The Celtics were set to host the Clippers at night. Loud chants of ‘Beat LA!’ echoed around the building after Boston tied it in the third.

The Kings were playing the fifth of a six-game road trip, wrapping it up Monday in Washington. They host the Bruins on Feb. 16 at .

Charlie McAvoy had the other goal, Bergeron set up two other goals and Tuukka Rask stopped 25 shots for Boston (30-17-8, 68 points), including Adrian Kempe’s breakaway in the first minute of OT. The Bruins have collected at least a point in eight of its last 10 games (4-2-4).

Krejci gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead just 90 seconds after Heinen tied it early in the third. Skating in on rush, Torey Krug fired a shot off the right post before Krejci sent the rebound into the net.

Heinen had banged in a rebound from the edge crease 3:27 into the third.

The Bruins then took their two-goal lead when Marchand converted on a perfect pass from Bergeron for a short-handed goal at the end of a 2-on- 1 break.

Trailing 1-0 midway into the second period, the Kings scored twice in just under 6 minutes to move ahead. With Krejci in the penalty box for 1129973 Los Angeles Kings It’s disappointing. We worked hard to get a 2-1 lead going into the third and then kind of fell asleep there. Weren’t ready to play for the first three and a half minutes out there until we got our feet under us. You know, FEBRUARY 9 RAPID REACTION (FEAT. DANA BRYSON): BRUINS 5, can’t sit back against a team like with some of their high-end skills. KINGS 4 (OT) Obviously a little disappointing, but I guess we’ll take the point.

Leipsic, on what he did well to get pucks to guys in scoring areas:

JON ROSEN Just trying to put pucks in good places to get ‘em back. Like you said, they play well in their own zone, they squeeze you off quickly, so FEBRUARY 9, 2019 whenever we can keep that puck moving in the O-zone and give us a little bit of space, go high to low, it helped us a little bit tonight.

Leipsic, on the Bruins being difficult to defend when they are cycling the Willie Desjardins, on whether this was a good or bad single point: puck: Well, in the end it was a good point. The guys battled back. It was easy They’ve got some players — Krejci, Bergeron, Marchand — guys who for us to kind of fall back. It was a little disappointing to start the third. We hold on to the puck, Pastrnak, they make plays and they put you on your could’ve been better at the start of the third, for sure. But the thing I’ve back and they’re definitely a lot to handle. But I thought we did a great liked about this group is they don’t give up, and it was good to see ‘em job throughout most of the game other than that three four, minutes that turn around and get a couple and end up with one point, anyways. we kind of weren’t ready to play, so it’s disappointing, but we’ll move on. Desjardins, on Nate Thompson and Brendan Leipsic: Leipsic, on developing chemistry with his linemates: I think both are good players. I thought Leipsic had a very good game I think we’re just keeping it simple. We’re getting back on our breakouts. tonight. He blocked a lot of shots, he jumped on that faceoff and turned We’re chipping pucks out a little bit and we’re putting guys with speed that one over. It was good to see him playing that well. I thought overall onto the puck and just trying to create turnovers. And then once we get as a group, I thought all our lines played pretty well. They’re a good those turnovers, try and get quick strikes to the net and get to those team, they’ve got two big lines and they’re hard to handle. second and third opportunities. I think we did a little bit of that tonight. I Desjardins, on whether the surge in scoring is due to generating more think we can do a better job, but it’s a good step forward. chances or capitalizing on them: Leipsic, on Thompson’s goal: Maybe capitalize a little bit more, but I think our power play creates, too. I Yeah it was, he found a little quiet area, he was able to put it into there thought the biggest thing, they had a pretty good first, and then we came and made a nice shot low glove and it was a big goal for us. out with a good power play. We got six or seven shots on that power play, we didn’t score, and then we scored on the next one. I thought that Oscar Fantenberg, on whether today’s point is a “good” or “bad” one: got us going, I thought that got us into the game. Those were big for us. It’s a tough kill at the end. I thought the guys did a good job, but it’s hard I mean we had a lead coming into the third, so it’s kind of a bad one and to kill four-on-three. a good one. We came back, but it still wasn’t good enough for what we had going into the third. Nate Thompson, on getting one out of a possible two point: Fantenberg, on the start of the third period: Well, a point’s a point and any points right now are good, but I think that in the third period they came out ready to play and we didn’t. We didn’t We knew they were going to come hard, so we were prepared, but it have an answer for their push there. It was a resilient second half, I wasn’t good enough in the beginning of the third and we have to play thought we did a good job coming back there, but I think for the most part better over 60 minutes. Like I said, it’s not good enough and not we were in the driver’s seat tonight and we let ‘em back in the game. acceptable to go into the third and have a lead 2-1 and let go to 4-2. So we have to be better over 60 minutes. Thompson, on if the Bruins’ three unanswered goals were a result of their play or what the Kings were lacking: Fantenberg, on what Leipsic does well that doesn’t show up on the scoresheet: I think a little bit of both. I mean, I think they came pretty hard, but I thought we made some mistakes and you know, just we weren’t as He’s fast, he’s quick, he’s kind of low balance — kind of hard to get him sound defensively and they make some good plays out of our zone … in the corners and stuff because he’s pretty quick. I mean, he has good hands too. That’s his main focus I think and I think he’s good so far and Thompson, on what Leipsic has been bringing to team’s game recently: he needs to improve getting the puck to the net and we were playing against him even in practice and he’s quick and fast, so he can move the I think he’s a guy, he’s obviously an undersize guy, but he makes a lot of puck and he can forecheck. He blocks shots and plays 200-feet. He’s a plays and he skates pretty well out there. He’s very elusive in the corners good player. and he’s a lot tougher on D down there. He’s kind of hard to handle down there, so I think he makes really good plays in tight spaces and he’s been Fantenberg, on whether he gets any added validation from scoring goals: playing very well for us. I mean I had a couple of chances and it’s always nice to score and get on Thompson, on Patrice Bergeron getting the game-winner for Boston: the scoresheet, but my main focus is to try and not let the other team score on me. So it’s good, but it’s not my main focus right now. Yeah, I mean Bergie and I were drafted here together. Came in together as 18 year-olds and I was a lot less mature than him when he came in as Post-game Notes an 18 year-old. But we got to play together in the minors in the lockout season too, and he’s just an all-around world class guy. Every time the –With the overtime loss, Los Angeles fell to 43-84-14 all-time against game’s on the line, he seems to rise to the occasion and be the guy and, Boston, a record that includes a road mark of 17-48-7. The Kings have you know, whenever you think of the Boston Bruins you think of Patrice points in 10 of their last 15 visits to TD Garden, going 7-5-1 with two ties. Bergeron, so couldn’t be more happy for him. He’s a future Hall of These teams will complete their season series in one week, February 16 Famer. at Staples Center.

Thompson, on Bergeron’s 1,00th game: –With the overtime loss, Los Angeles fell to 9-12-3 against the Eastern Conference, 2-7-2 against the Atlantic Division, 11-4-5 in one-goal Yeah, we all wanted to be out there to show respect for him and what games, 7-23-4 when their opponent scores first, 11-11-3 when tied after he’s done for the league and what he’s done for this city. I’m just going to one, 16-1-2 when leading after two, 7-5 in games decided after regulation say I’m extremely happy for him. He’s got a long ways to go. I don’t think and 14-7-4 when outshot by their opponent. he’s anywhere close to done, but I love Bergie. He’s a great guy and I’m extremely happy for him. –The Kings fell to 5-4 in games decided in overtime and 38-18 since the switch to three-on-three overtime in advance of the 2015-16 season. Brendan Leipsic, on whether today’s game was a point lost or a point With the overtime loss, Los Angeles’ winning percentage fell to .679, gained: dropping them to second place behind Calgary’s .682. Overtime game- winners against the Kings have been scored by Ryan O’Reilly, John Moore, Jaden Schwartz, Esa Lindell, Mikael Granlund, TJ Brodie, Shea Theodore, Sean Monahan, Viktor Arvidsson, Christian Fischer, Jordan Eberle, David Perron, Kyle Connor, Rickard Rakell, Kevin Labanc, Jeff Skinner, Phil Kessel and Patrice Bergeron.

–Patrice Bergeron’s goal ended a string of 13 consecutive penalty kills by Los Angeles.

–By assisting on Oscar Fantenberg’s goal, Tyler Toffoli extended his point streak to four games (3-3=6).

–By assisting on Alex Iafallo’s goal, Adrian Kempe extended his point streak to four games (4-2=6).

–By assisting on Anze Kopitar’s goal, Dustin Brown how has 599 career points (272-327=599).

–By assisting on Nate Thompson’s goal, Brendan Leipsic extended his assist streak to three games (0-3=3).

–With his second period goal, Anze Kopitar now has 10 points (4-6=10) in his last seven games.

–The Kings attempted 58 shots (29 on goal, 19 blocked, 10 missed). The Bruins attempted 58 shots (33 on goal, 14 blocked, 11 missed). Patrice Bergeron led all skaters with seven shots on goal, while Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown tied with a game-high four shots.

–Los Angeles won 24-of-56 faceoffs (43%). Adrian Kempe won 5-of-9, Michael Amadio won 1-of-2, Anze Kopitar won 12-of-24, Ilya Kolvachuk won 1-of-2, Nate Thompson won 5-of-15, Carl Hagelin won 0-of-2 and Tyler Toffoli won 0-of-2.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129974 Los Angeles Kings

GAME 54: LOS ANGELES AT BOSTON

JESSI MCDONALD

FEBRUARY 9, 2019

GAME THREADS

Boston Bruins 5, Los Angeles Kings 4

Ice Tracker

Fox Sports Live Stream

SOG: LAK – 29; BOS – 33

PP: LAK – 1/5; BOS – 1/3

First Period

No Scoring

Second Period

BOS – Charlie McAvoy (2) (Patrice Bergeron, Danton Heinen); 4:38

LAK PPG – Alex Iafallo (11) (, Adrian Kempe); 8:13

LAK – Anze Kopitar (17) (Dustin Brown, Dion Phaneuf); 14:02

Third Period

BOS – Danton Heinen (8) (Charlie McAvoy, Brad Marchand); 3:27

BOS – David Krejci (12) (Torey Krug, David Pastrnak); 4:57

BOS SHG – Brad Marchand (20) (Patrice Bergeron); 6:49

LAK – Nate Thompson (4) (Brendan Leipsic); 9:19

LAK – Oscar Fantenberg (1) (Drew Doughty, Tyler Toffoli); 15:13

Overtime

BOS PPG – Patrice Bergeron (20) (Torey Krug); 2:34

Los Angeles Kings (23-27-4) at Boston Bruins (29-17-8)

Saturday, February 9, 2019, 10:00 a.m. PT

TD Garden, Boston, MA

Referees: #7 Garrett Rank, #26 Jake Brenk

Linesmen: #61 James Tobias, #83 Matt MacPherson

Fox Sports West, FOX Sports GO, LA Kings Audio Network

LAK starters: G Jonathan Quick, D Derek Forbort, D Drew Doughty, LW Alex Iafallo, C Anze Kopitar, RW Dustin Brown

LAK scratches: D Paul LaDue, FWD , FWD Jeff Carter

BOS starters: G Tuukka Rask, D Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy, LW Brad Marchand, C Patrice Bergeron, RW Danton Heinen

BOS scratches: D Steven Kampfer, D Matt Grzelcyk, FWD Trent Frederic

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129975 Minnesota Wild Yet selling while in the playoff picture would be bad optics. Hurting your own chances by weakening the roster runs counter to the primary objective in sports. NHL trade deadline likely to be a no-win situation for the Wild A segment of fans has grown tired of simply making the playoffs, only to see the Wild fizzle out. Leipold’s competitive nature would never accept outright tanking to improve draft positioning. But if his team doesn’t catch FEBRUARY 9, 2019 — 9:31PM fire quickly, trading a veteran might become tempting, even in the heat of a playoff race. CHIP SCOGGINS

CHIP SCOGGINS @CHIPSCOGGINS Star Tribune LOADED: 02.10.2019

Craig Leipold was on the edge of his seat. The Wild owner leaned forward, literally at the edge of his personal seat inside his suite at Xcel Energy Center. Leipold’s face turned a shade of red that left no ambiguity about his mood. He was ticked. He smacked the palm of his hand with a rolled-up piece of paper. Something on the ice upset him. A bad play by his team. It happened in the first period. The first period of a preseason game a few years ago. The owner, who doubles as a super fan, was not happy. Wild fans honestly expect this guy to tank? The owner who asked for “tweaks” upon firing his general manager after last season’s playoff flameout? Leipold’s organization is at a crossroads, and he’s smack dab in the middle directing traffic. Buy or sell, that is the question the Wild faces as the NHL trade deadline looms. Actually, the more pertinent question should be, sell or stand pat? This is a tricky spot for Leipold and new General Manager Paul Fenton. The Wild is good enough to be a playoff team but not good enough to win the Stanley Cup. It’s also difficult to envision the Wild being bad enough to land a top-five draft pick, barring an all-time tank job. In that regard, the organization is stuck. The Wild’s lackluster return from the All-Star break coupled with Mikko Koivu’s season-ending injury has provided a sense of impending doom. Fans who are tired of the same old, same old are becoming increasingly agitated. The chorus grows louder after each loss: “Trade everybody! Tank!” One problem: The Wild’s playoff fate won’t have crystal-clear clarity by the Feb. 25 trade deadline. The NHL’s point system is designed to keep as many teams in the playoff hunt as long as possible, usually until the final few weeks. The Wild continues to hold the No. 1 wild-card spot in the Western Conference after Saturday’s 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils. Even if the team slips to, say, No. 9 or 10 in the West, the point differential will remain close enough that a playoff berth is realistic. So would Fenton essentially be willing to concede defeat by trading veterans? Better yet, would Leipold agree to turn an eye toward the future when his team still might make the playoffs and earn the owner another round of postseason revenue? Leipold doesn’t come across as a fold ’em kind of owner, but he’s also probably realistic about his team’s chances. The organization also knows its fan base is restless. The roster isn’t championship caliber as constructed, especially with the injury situation. A teardown this offseason will be prudent, to the extent that significant roster moves are possible. Playoff appearances become less appealing if they are followed by quick exits every year. And nothing to date this season suggests anything other than another quick exit if the Wild extends its playoff streak. The roster looks slow and lacking firepower, for starters. Fenton’s first attempt to shake things up — trading Nino Niederreiter to Carolina for Victor Rask — hasn’t exactly produced banner results. Rask centered the fourth line Saturday while Niederreiter has found his scoring touch in Carolina. That doesn’t mean Fenton was wrong to trade Niederreiter, who had plenty of opportunities to prove his value in a Wild uniform. At this point, the Wild isn’t in ideal position to act as buyers. The team doesn’t appear equipped for a lengthy playoff run, and Fenton can’t take on any more bad veteran contracts. 1129976 Minnesota Wild “They’re loyal,” Parise said. “I kind of expected it. There’s a lot of great memories here. We loved living here. I loved playing here, so I always enjoy coming back.” Wild's Marcus Foligno says timing was right for fight with Devils winger Kurtis Gabriel Star Tribune LOADED: 02.10.2019

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune FEBRUARY 9, 2019 — 8:15PM

NEWARK, N.J. – As wingers Marcus Foligno and Kurtis Gabriel leaned over to prepare for a center-ice faceoff after the Wild had just scored its second goal to move ahead of the Devils, the two began chatting. “He was pretty much drooling to ask me to go fight him,” Foligno said. Although Foligno could have denied, recognizing that momentum was already on the Wild’s side and could have been swayed in the other direction by the tussle, he accepted the challenge. And instead of the Devils getting a spark from the confrontation, it was the Wild that soared after it — pulling away for an eventual 4-2 decision Saturday at that ended the team’s four-game losing streak. “It worked out for us,” Foligno said. Before the fight, Foligno scored the Wild’s first goal on an impressive backhander. After it, he assisted on the game-winning goal to complete the second Gordie Howe hat trick of his career. His previous one came Dec. 19, 2013, against the Bruins when he was with the Sabres. “We really haven’t had a fight to get the guys going,” Foligno said. “So I just thought it was a time where you have a taker.” Foligno’s two points contributed to a standout showing for his line with center Joel Eriksson Ek and winger Luke Kunin, as the three combined for three goals and five points — a seamless reunion after the trio worked together before the Wild’s eight-day break last month. “It’s a lot of fun,” Foligno said. “It’s good to be clicking, especially when you kind of have now a week-and-a-half, two-week span playing with those guys. it’s good there. We want to continue it.” Eriksson Ek was pegged as someone who could help alleviate the sting of captain Mikko Koivu’s absence while he recovers from a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee, and so far Eriksson Ek hasn’t disappointed. In two games since he rejoined the Wild from the minors, he’s scored twice and is a plus-3. “That’s a lot of pressure on a guy that’s his age, his experience in this league,” Foligno said. “Mikko, you’re never going to fill that hole. But when you get called upon to fill it, you’ve got to look at it as a positive [and] not as big shoes to fill. I think he’s done a tremendous job. “He’s a defensive talent. He’s strong. He knows how to battle. He can shoot a puck, too. As his winger, I can help him out a little. [But] he’s doing a tremendous job. I don’t think we have any worries with him playing that role.” Saturday was coach Bruce Boudreau’s 900th career NHL game behind the bench, becoming the ninth active coach and 35th all-time to reach that plateau. “Somebody told me today, just today,” Boudreau said. “So I had no idea coming into the game.” Work in progress Mikael Granlund didn’t factor into any of the Wild’s goals after switching to center, but Boudreau was satisfied with the way Granlund played in the defensive zone. “I thought he worked really hard below the circles in our end,” Boudreau explained. “That’s where I was worried about him. The offensive thing is still not there yet, but I thought he did a really good job in our zone.” Boo birds Winger was greeted with a chorus of boos when he touched the puck Saturday, a reception from Devils fans that didn’t surprise him. Parise, who was drafted 17th overall in 2003 by New Jersey, ended his run with the organization in 2012 when he signed a 13-year, $98 million contract to join the Wild as a free agent. 1129977 Minnesota Wild

Islanders coming in hot ahead of Sunday's game vs. Wild

Staff Report FEBRUARY 9, 2019 — 9:05PM

Wild looks to slow the Islanders Preview: The Wild is vying for a weekend sweep against the Islanders, who are also finishing off a back-to-back. New York hosted Colorado on Saturday, getting by the Avalanche 4-3 in overtime. Last season, the Wild won both matchups vs. the Islanders. It scored 11 combined goals in the set. Players to WATCH: Islanders F Brock Nelson boasts five points in his past four games. F Mathew Barzal leads New York in points with 48. Wild F Luke Kunin has a goal and four assists during a career-best three- game point streak. Numbers: The Islanders have won 15 of their past 20 games. They’re also 6-0-1 in their past seven games on home ice. The Wild is 5-3-1 in the second half of a back-to-back. Injuries: Wild Fs Pontus Aberg (lower body) and Mikko Koivu (torn ACL and meniscus) and D Matt Dumba (torn pectoral) are out. Islanders Fs Andrew Ladd (lower body) and Cal Clutterbuck (undisclosed) and D Thomas Hickey (concussion) are also out.

Star Tribune LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129978 Minnesota Wild Star Tribune LOADED: 02.10.2019

Parise scores go-ahead goal, Wild snap 4-game losing streak

By TOM CANAVAN Associated Press FEBRUARY 9, 2019 — 4:40PM

NEWARK, N.J. — Riding a four-game losing streak, playing without team captain Mikko Kiovu for the rest of the season because of a knee injury and seeing their grip on a wild-card playoff berth slipping, the Minnesota Wild needed players to step up in coach Bruce Boudreau's 900th game. It wasn't surprising leading goal-scorer Zach Parise come through. The stunner was what the Wild's third line of Marcus Foligno, Joel Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin did. The trio each contributed a goal, and the Wild gave Boudreau something to smile about with a 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. "We were looking to snap out of the funk, it's good to get back in the win column for us with the standings and with losing Mikko we have to find something positive, and today will be the start of playing some better hockey," said Parise, who gave the Wild the lead for good early in the second period with his 22nd goal. Eriksson Ek made it 3-1 later in the period and Kunin provided the final margin in the third after Jesper Bratt scored in close against Devan Dubnyk, who had 16 saves. "It was nothing too flashy," Kunin said. "Just wanted to get pucks back and get them to the net and it worked tonight. It was nice that our line was able to set a tone. We just wanted to keep it simple, get a lot of chances and get our bodies to the net. That's when good things happen." The injury to Koivu earlier this week forced the Wild to recall Eriksson Ek from Iowa of the AHL. He has centered the line with Foligno and Kunin and has goals in two straight games. "It's a one-game thing, but if they can continue to play well against the other team's better lines and shut them down, it allows the other lines to get free and do things," Boudreau said of his third line. Brett Seney also scored for the Devils, who have lost the first three on a four-game homestand. Cory Schneider made 29 saves in his second straight start since an almost two-month stint on injured reserve with an abdominal issue. "Their game plan is to keep teams to the outside and the way we score goals is to get to that (inside) area and put pucks in the back of the net and we weren't able to do that," Devils leading goal-scorer Kyle Palmieri said. Parise, who signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 2012 after spending his first seven seasons in New Jersey, gave the Wild a 2-1 lead at 4:34 of the second period, tipping a power-play shot by Ryan Suter past Schneider. Eriksson Ek put a rebound into an open net with 4:53 left in the second period to increase the lead to two goals. Bratt got the Devils within a goal early in the third period with a backhander in close, but Kunin, a 2015 first-round pick who started the season in Iowa, beat Schneider from the left circle for his second goal of the season. "I think Cory played well," Devils coach John Hynes said. "I think the fourth goal, we would all like to have that one back. I think when you look at his game overall, he made some good saves and gave us an opportunity to win." Seney gave New Jersey an early lead with a blast past Dubnyk, but Foligno tied the game at 12:19 of the first period with a backhander into an open net. Schneider was defenseless on the play after losing his stick in a goal-mouth scramble. NOTES: Boudreau is now 530-266-104 in his career with Washington, Anaheim and the Wild. ... Hynes coached his 300th game and he is now 130-131-39. ... New Jersey placed F Miles Wood (upper body) on injured reserve, activated F Joey Anderson (broken ankle) off IR and recalled F Nick Lappin and D Ryan Murphy from Binghamton (AHL). Lappin and Murphy were scratched. ... Wild D Greg Pateryn got the primary assist on Foligno's goal. He has two assists in the last three games, and three overall in 54.

1129979 Minnesota Wild but there’s just so much outside noise right now that we just got to realize that it takes the guys in here to change it. And everyone’s willing to do it, and we know that we’re a playoff hockey team.” Wild snaps four-game losing streak with 4-2 win over New Jersey Star Tribune LOADED: 02.10.2019 By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune FEBRUARY 9, 2019 — 11:06PM

NEWARK, N.J. – The Wild was primed for a bounce-back performance. It was sputtering after deflating against the Oilers, a 4-1 wake-up call issued by Edmonton on Thursday that drew blunt reviews from coach Bruce Boudreau and players. And, in keeping with the season’s roller coaster theme, the Wild responded as expected Saturday afternoon. But where it went off-script was in who led the resistance. After concentrating its offensive leaders on the first two lines, it was the third trio featuring center Joel Eriksson Ek and wingers Marcus Foligno and Luke Kunin that was the Wild’s most effective — scoring three times to set up a 4-2 slump-busting win over the Devils in front of 15,783 at Prudential Center. The playoff chase: Where are the Wild? The playoff chase: Where are the Wild? A look at the NHL standings by division, conference and wild card races. “This was a game for us that we needed to step up,” Foligno said. Each player chipped in a goal, with Foligno’s Gordie Howe hat trick — a goal, assist and fight — headlining the unit’s five-point effort. Once the Wild went down by a goal 6 minutes, 57 seconds into the first period when New Jersey winger Brett Seney converted on a rising shot off the rush, it was the third line that erased the deficit on a blistering backhand by Foligno after a wraparound at 12:19 that Kunin helped put in motion. “We did a really good job of just keeping things simple and knowing where each other was going to go, and that contributed to the offense we had,” Foligno said. Just 4:34 into the second period, the Wild took the lead on a deflection by winger Zach Parise on the power play for his team-leading 22nd goal. Overall, the unit finished 1-for-3 while the penalty killers snuffed out both Devils chances. After that, the third line took over. With 4:53 to go in the period, it delivered its second of the game — a putback by Eriksson Ek that was assisted on by Foligno. That capped off a Gordie Howe hat trick for Foligno, who fought winger Kurtis Gabriel earlier in the period. “Everyone started calling me, ‘Gordie,’ ” said Foligno, who notched his first multipoint effort of the season. “I guess that’s a really good nickname to have in this league.” Eriksson Ek’s second goal in as many contests morphed into the game- winner in the third period when the Devils moved within one after winger Jesper Bratt cut inside and slid the puck by goalie Devan Dubnyk just 3:56 into the frame. But Kunin gave the team more breathing room when he intercepted a New Jersey clearing attempt and skated into the Devils zone to wire the puck by goalie Cory Schenider at 7:40 — an unassisted, workmanlike effort that extended his career-high point streak to three games and defined the play of his unit. Dubnyk had 16 saves, while Schneider totaled 29. “Nothing too flashy,” Kunin said. “Just get pucks back and get them to the net, and it worked.” This maintained the Wild’s grip on the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference and improved it to an impressive 6-0 in afternoon games on the road and 7-1 overall in matinees, a record that suddenly stokes optimism that the week can end on a high note since the team is back in action Sunday afternoon against the New York Islanders. “You get a goal, you get a fight, and it kind of fires the guys up and we need it here,” Foligno said. “There’s kind of not a lull around our team, 1129980 Minnesota Wild

Wild returns to road to visit Devils for matinee in New Jersey

By Sarah McLellan FEBRUARY 9, 2019 — 8:31AM

NEWARK, N.J. – The Wild is looking to recalibrate after a lackluster showing in a 4-1 loss to the Oilers Thursday, its fourth straight setback, and the road might be just the setting to get the team back on track. Before taking on the Devils Saturday afternoon in New Jersey, the start of back-to-back matinees, the Wild had gone 6-3-1 in its last 10 games away from home. Overall, it’s won just as many games as the visitor (13) as the host. Despite its recent slide, the Wild hasn’t fallen out of the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference. But its lead is shrinking. St. Louis and Vancouver are just two points behind, while Colorado, Edmonton and Chicago are four points away. A revamped lineup will be tasked with holding off those teams. Most noticeably, the Wild has shifted winger Mikael Granlund to center – a change of scenery amid a tough stretch for Granlund, who has just two goals in his last 37 games. This test against the Devils will also be a meaningful one for coach Bruce Boudreau. That’s because this is the 900th game of his coaching career. Boudreau leads active coaches in points percentage and will become the ninth active coach and the 35th all-time to reach the 900-game plateau.

Star Tribune LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129981 Minnesota Wild

Wild’s Marcus Foligno posts the Gordie Howe hat trick

By Brian Murphy | [email protected] | Pioneer Press PUBLISHED: February 9, 2019 at 6:39 pm | UPDATED: February 9, 2019 at 7:42 PM

NEWARK, N.J. — There is nothing more hockey than a Gordie Howe hat trick. Players who score, assist and fight in the same game are forever linked to the Red Wings hall of famer who personified skill and toughness during a remarkable 32-year pro career. Wild winger Marcus Foligno earned the honor again during Saturday’s 4- 2 victory over the New Jersey Devils. He scored Minnesota’s first goal 12:19 into the first period, beautifully roofing a backhand-wraparound past Corey Schneider. The Wild had just taken a 2-1 lead early in the second when Kurtis Gabriel on the ensuing faceoff challenged Foligno to a fight. He was happy to oblige. The two former Minnesota teammates tussled to a stilted draw. It was a risky move for Foligno to accept the challenge, considering the Wild had the momentum and the Devils were desperate for some. “We really haven’t had a fight to get the guys going, so I just thought it was a time where you have a taker,” Foligno said. “He was pretty much drooling to ask me to go fight him, so I just had to answer it, and it worked out for us.” Late in the second period, it happened. Foligno drew the second assist on Joel Eriksson Ek’s goal, linking himself to Mr. Hockey once more. As a Buffalo Sabre in 2013 he had a Gordie Howe hat trick against Boston. “Everyone was yelling at me to get the Gordie,” said Foligno. “Zach (Parise) was pretty vocal when we came through the line. Everyone started calling me Gordie. I guess that’s a really good nickname to have in this league.” The booing might not be as fierce as Ryan Suter faces in Nashville, but Devils fans let Parise know every time he touched the puck how bitter they are that he ditched New Jersey for Minnesota as a free agent in 2013. “Maybe they’re starting to warm up to me,” Parise quipped. “I was expecting it. I know it’s coming. That’s OK. They’re loyal.” He had the last laugh, notching a second-period goal and the victory in his triumphant return to Prudential Center. Parise scored 194 goals among 410 points in seven seasons with the Devils, helping lead the team to the 2012 , where they lost to the Los Angeles Kings in six games. “There’s a lot of great memories here,” he said. “We loved living here. I loved playing here, so I always enjoy coming back.” Saturday’s game was the 900th for Wild coach Bruce Boudreau, who ranks first among active coaches in points percentage and ninth overall in games. “Somebody told me today,” Boudreau said. “I had no idea coming into the game. I hope at the end of the year, this is the one that got us in (the postseason).”

Pioneer Press LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129982 Minnesota Wild Uh-oh: Following Saturday’s 79-55 blowout loss at Michigan State, the Gophers men’s basketball team (16-8) might need to win five of its remaining seven conference games — four of those are on the road — to Charley Walters: Paul Holmgren looking forward to Wild’s Joe Mauer get into the 68-team NCAA tournament. salute Entering the Michigan State game, the Gophers were projected as a 10th seed facing a No. 7 Cincinnati in the South Regional in Des Moines, Iowa, according to ESPN Bracketology. Most national media By Charley Walters | [email protected] | Pioneer Press prognosticators have Minnesota in the tournament at either Nos. 8, 9 or 10 seeds. PUBLISHED: February 9, 2019 at 5:40 pm | UPDATED: February 9, 2019 at 10:18 PM The college baseball season begins this week, and the Gophers are projected as a No. 2 regional seed for the 64-team NCAA tournament by Baseball America. An Xcel Energy Center sellout crowd of 17,954 will give a loud standing Some Big Ten men’s basketball officials are experiencing grueling ovation to St. Paul’s Joe Mauer when the recently retired Minnesota Twin schedules this season, especially for Saturday games when virtually all is honored Tuesday before the Wild’s game against the Philadelphia teams play. Flyers, whose team president is another St. Paul native, Paul Holmgren. For instance, a referee who worked a recent Wisconsin overtime game in Charley Walters (Pioneer Press) Madison that began at 8 p.m. on Friday then drove to after the game, getting in about 3 a.m., then worked an 11 a.m. start for a Holmgren, 63, the former North Star, Fighting Saint, Philly Flyer, Gophers Gophers game. and Harding star, will attend Tuesday’s game. He was asked what might be the reason St. Paul has produced so many acclaimed sports figures. Also, two officials who worked a recent Gophers night game at Williams Arena that finished about 9:30 p.m. then drove to Iowa City for a noon “St. Paul’s a hard-working town,” said Holmgren, who was a hard-nosed game. player. “Hard-working, hard fighting, middle-class, give-it-your-all type of town. That’s what I believe. Work hard, you’re going to get ahead — The Twins, hoping for comebacks from Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton and that’s what I was taught and how I grew up. Max Kepler, could finish with 86 victories. But if the trio flounders, only 75 victories. “I know (baseball hall of famer) Paul Molitor a little bit. I don’t know Joe Mauer, but I grew up with (former Eastside coach) Kenny Mauer and his The Timberwolves, purchased by Glen Taylor for $88 million in 1994, are family, and that’s kind of the attitude that everybody seemed to have — the 27th most valuable team in the NBA, worth $1.26 billion, according to you work hard and good things are going to happen.” new Forbes valuations, which show annual revenue of $223 million and operating income of $47 million. Holmgren said the Wild’s honoring of Joe Mauer “is awesome. I hope I get to meet him. That would be cool.” The Wolves will take 6-foot-8 sophomore shooting forward De’Andre Hunter from Virginia with the 12th pick in June’s NBA draft, projects Mauer and the Wild’s Zach Parise are good pals. DraftSite.com. A year ago, the Vikings were deemed a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Duke’s 6-2 freshman point guard Tre Jones from Apple Valley is Now, that Super Bowl has gone, and the Vikings are a team with a long projected to go No. 23 to the Boston Celtics. Kentucky’s 6-8 senior power way to go. forward Reid Travis from Minneapolis is projected in the second round If you’re general manager Rick Spielman these days, you’ve got to figure (No. 58 overall) to Toronto. Travis is averaging 11.9 points and 6.9 out how to fix the leaky offensive line. Also, as was demonstrated in the rebounds for No. 8 Kentucky. disastrous 24-10 season-ending loss to the Chicago Bears — a team that That was Ann Meyers Drysdale, the iconic former women’s basketball already had clinched a playoff spot — the defense needs fixing, too. player who was married to late Dodgers hall of fame pitcher Don April’s NFL draft should help improve the offensive line, but trading a high Drysdale, in Minneapolis recently doing broadcast analysis for the draft pick for more help also could be required. The rebuilding Dolphins Phoenix Suns-Timberwolves game. could easily be a trade partner. “I met Don in the summer of ’79 — I was competing in (TV’s) “Women’s It looks like Spielman and coach Mike Zimmer will enter next season on Superstars,” and he and Bob Uecker were the broadcasters,” Ann said. “I the last years of their contracts. If the Vikings don’t make the playoffs, really had no idea who he was even though I grew up in southern major changes are expected. California. My mom was with me and she’s from Milwaukee, so she knew who Bob Uecker was.” To afford free agent help, the Vikings will have to either cut players or restructure contracts, or both. Those affected probably will be Everson Ann and Don were married in 1986. Don died in 1993. They had three Griffen, Kyle Rudolph, Mike Remmers, Latavius Murray and Andrew children — two boys and a girl. Sendejo. “They all played soccer, baseball, all the sports growing up,” Ann said. If Murray leaves, a replacement would be necessary, because Dalvin Gophers women’s basketball alumni will be honored at halftime of Cook can’t be counted on to be healthy. Sunday afternoon’s game against Northwestern at Williams Arena. Under It looks like free agent linebacker Anthony Barr could end up with the first-year coach Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota is averaging attendance of New York Jets or Indianapolis Colts, teams with abundant salary cap 5,696 in six Big Ten games. Under six-year Gophers men’s coach room. If Barr were returning to the Vikings, a deal would already have Richard Pitino, attendance is averaging 11,027 in seven Big Ten games. been done at this juncture. Braham grad Rebekah Dahlman, the first Minnesota girls basketball Ex-Vikings tight ends coach Todd Downing from Eden Prairie has signed player to score more than 5,000 career points, is averaging 18.4 points with Tennessee as tight ends coach. Former special teams coach Mike as a senior guard for DePaul (15-6). She is a granddaughter of late Priefer has signed with Cleveland. Gophers-Lakers coach Johnny Kundla. John DeFilippo, fired as Vikings offensive coordinator, has been hired by South St. Paul native Alex Stalock, the Wild goaltender with a new Jacksonville as offensive coordinator. guaranteed $2.355 million, three-year contract, is overjoyed getting to play in his hometown. Paul Molitor has respectfully declined the Twins’ offer to remain active with the organization, at least for this year, after his dismissal as “Pretty amazing, you get to work for a team that you grew up watching,” manager following last season. The Twins this year begin paying Molitor, he said. “Not many people get this opportunity. I get to bring my kids to 62, as part of his remaining contract, $3 million over the next two years. the games now, and they cherish it. It’s pretty cool.” Fired Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau, 61, who the team confirmed Stalock, 31, is backup to all-star Devan Dubnyk. will be paid $20 million through 2021, has accepted a NBA analysis job “It’s a goofy position, the backup spot,” he said. “Man, you get starts here with ESPN. and there, and you want to be as good as you can every game you’re in. Despite all the local football recruiting bluster, the Gophers were ranked You get a game a couple weeks into the year, it’s your first game, and No. 10 in the Big Ten by the credible 247sports.com. then you sit and watch and you wait and wait and wait. “That’s the tough part. Being a competitor, you want to play, and you’re hosted by Harmon Killebew’s widow, Nita, to give autographs recently at not playing. But you work your butt off in practice, and the next crack you the Marriott Northwest. get in there, you want to prove them right.” People are still talking about Jim Kaat’s insightful presentation the other Odeen Tufto, the 5-7 former St. Thomas Academy hockey star from day at the Mounds View baseball fundraiser at North Oaks Country Club. Chaska, is men’s college hockey’s leading scorer among Minnesotans Kaat took questions for 30 minutes after his speech. Interestingly, no one with 13 goals and 23 assists in 25 games as a sophomore for No. 4 asked about the ex-Twin’s inexplicable omission from baseball’s hall of nationally-ranked Quinnipiac, the Minnesota Hockey Journal points out. fame. His freshman season, Tufto scored nine goals with 32 assists for the school in Hamden, Conn. The St. Thomas-St. John’s MIAC rivalry football game, which will be Oct. 19 this year at St. Paul’s Allianz Field, is scheduled to be played in Look for contract renegotiation talks for Vikings wide receiver Adam Collegeville in 2020, but for 2021, the Gophers’ TCF Bank Stadium is Thielen to begin at the NFL combine in three weeks in Indianapolis. positioning for the game. Under new Vikings assistant head coach/offensive advisor Gary Kubiak, Vikings longtime equipment manager Dennis Ryan, remembering the Vikings will utilize zone blocking with the offensive line with more quarterback Wade Wilson, who recently died at age 60, via the team’s emphasis on the run than the team had with now-departed offensive website: “He would always have me carry a bag of M&Ms on the sideline, coordinator John DeFilippo. and I always had them handy for him. He never needed them, ever. Until the one game that I got hungry during the first half, and I ate the M&Ms. If Gophers basketball senior Jordan Murphy continues at his current pace He came off the field and asked me for them, and I said, ‘Oh, crap,’ and and gets to play in two Big Ten tournament games plus two NCAA took off running. He laughed about it — he wasn’t the type of guy who tournament (or National Invitation Tournament) games, he would end up was going to be upset, but I ran back into the locker room and got with a career 1,800 points and 1,319 rebounds. another bag for him.” That would leave him second to Jerry Lucas, the former Ohio State icon, in rebounds in Big Ten history, but first in Gophers history. Scoring 1,800 points would leave Murphy tied for second among Gophers with Willie Pioneer Press LOADED: 02.10.2019 Burton, and surpassing Randy Breuer, Sam Jacobson and Kevin McHale. Mychal Thompson is first (1,992 points). By the way, to illustrate how dominating Lucas was, he averaged 24.3 points and 17.2 rebounds during a three-year career. Murphy is averaging 13.5 points and 119 rebounds in four seasons, and 14.9 points and 11.8 rebounds this season. The 6-6 Murphy is expected to be invited to the Timberwolves’ free agent camp, but he probably will end up playing in Europe. Former Cretin-Derham Hall sharpshooter Steve Sir still holds the NCAA all-time three-point shooting percentage record (.469) set with Northern Arizona. These days, Sir, a 2001 CDH grad, competes internationally in three-on-three tournaments. A reorganization took place in the Twins’ front office the other day, with a big change in corporate partnerships. That was St. Paul’s John “Hondo the Magician” Hughes performing at a suite at the noisy 16th hole at the Phoenix Open PGA tournament last week, then at a Super Bowl party at the home of Champions Tour golfer Michael Allen in Paradise Valley, Ariz. Ex-Gopher Tom Lehman of the PGA Champions Tour would have attended Hondo’s performance, but he texted that he was watching son Thomas play in a big golf tournament at Pebble Beach, Calif. Deephaven’s Tim Herron, a four-time PGA Tour winner, declined a chance to play in this weekend’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am because his game wasn’t up to par. On Tuesday, Gophers volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon and boys volleyball proponent Walt Weaver will present a proposal to the Minnesota State High School League’s board of directors to get the league to sanction boys volleyball as a sport. A year ago, McCutcheon and Weaver started a boys high school volleyball club league that included 22 schools and more than 400 participants. This spring, they estimate more than 40 schools with about 1,000 players will partake. That was Gary Fasching, the NCAA Division III football coach of the year from St. John’s, spotted at the recent St. Thomas Academy-Hill-Murray hockey game. St. Thomas Academy all-state running back Brendan McFadden, who also plays hockey, still has Ivy League interest for football, but is also considering options. Longtime Gophers good guy financial booster Dick Ames, who died recently at 89, gave generously but in later years expressed that he was getting impatient because he wasn’t seeing enough results for his efforts. A second memorial service for Ames will be Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz. Michelle Wie, who’s expected to play in the KPMG women’s golf major at Hazeltine National in June, reportedly is dating Jonnie West, son of basketball hall of famer Jerry West. The Houston Rockets (32-22), who the Timberwolves play host to on Wednesday, have the fifth-highest payroll ($133 million) among the NBA’s 30 teams. The Wolves (25-30) are 12th at $122 million. Those were former Twins Joe Mauer, Paul Molitor, Rod Carew and Tony Oliva staying an extra hour after a Crescent Cove children’s fundraiser 1129983 Minnesota Wild A turnover went to Greg Pateryn at the blue line. His shot sailed wide, but Foligno corralled it off the boards, spun around the net and uncorked a backhander under the crossbar with Schneider sprawled and out. Third line propels Wild past Devils to end losing streak Early in the second, Zach Parise bagged his team-leading 22nd of the season on a power play, redirecting Ryan Suter’s point shot. By Brian Murphy | [email protected] | Pioneer Press With five minutes left in the second period, Eriksson Ek swept in a rebound to open a 3-1 lead. PUBLISHED: February 9, 2019 at 4:06 pm | UPDATED: February 9, 2019 at 4:07 PM Jesper Bratt’s tally early in the third cut the deficit to 3-2. But Kunin responded with a bleeder through Schneider to put the Devils in a sleeper hold. NEWARK, N.J. — The Wild finally found a way to get the job done, The Wild improved to 6-0 in road matinees, a curious statistic they can because they simply had to get it done. pad Sunday when they bus over to Brooklyn for a 2 p.m. game against the Islanders, who are in first place in the Metropolitan Division. Four straight losses coming out of the bye allowed their wild-card pursuers to hammer and tong into closer contention, raising more alarms “Edmonton was just one of those games,” said Parise. “So it was nice for in a complacent Minnesota dressing room after a listless 4-1 home loss us to rebound. We were flat. There’s just no other way to describe it. We to Edmonton. were just flat. Now at least we have a winning feeling and carry that into tomorrow.” The woebegone Devils set another trap Saturday afternoon, inviting the Wild to step into it and fritter away valuable points to yet another inferior team — their 2018-19 modus operandi. Pioneer Press LOADED: 02.10.2019 Not this time. A revamped lineup tailored to leverage more production from slumping Mikael Granlund at center actually unleashed the unheralded third line to steal most of the glory in Minnesota’s 4-2 victory at Prudential Center. Marcus Foligno had a goal, assist and fight to earn a Gordie Howe hat trick. Luke Kunin potted a goal and assist while Joel Eriksson Ek scored for the second time in as many games since being called up from AHL Iowa. “It’s hard not to like the Ek-Kunin-Foligno line,” said coach Bruce Boudreau. “Young guys who came to play. I thought it was great.” Eriksson Ek and Kunin played together in the minors and for more minutes, never knowing when they would get their next opportunity in the NHL. Winger J.T. Brown was waived, center Mikko Koivu was hurt and suddenly the kids were back in Minnesota. “You hate to see what happened to Mikko, but Ek thinks he’s got a bigger role and this is his chance to cement something that I can play that bigger role rather than be a fourth-line center,” Boudreau. “And he’s doing it.” The line combined for eight shots and did its due diligence defensively as well. “This was a game for us that we needed to step up,” said Foligno. “We have a couple injuries and just needed some energy and last game against Edmonton we didn’t bring our best effort, so it’s just good that we got the line back together where we had success earlier before the break. We just kept it simple again and got rewarded tonight.” Entering play five teams were within four points of the Wild, who have a tenuous grip on the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference. St. Louis and Vancouver were within two points while Colorado, Edmonton and surging Chicago had closed the gap to four. The Devils’ 48 points are the second-fewest in the NHL. They are 15 points behind the Penguins for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. They were 2-5-1 in their last eight games and winless in their past four home games. Big surprise, but the Wild allowed the first goal of the game for the 36th time in 55 matches. The Devils skated 200 feet to get it. Off the rush, Brett Seney unloaded from the top of the right circle and beat Devan Dubnyk top shelf short side at 6:57. Here we go again. Or not. The Wild showed backbone and did not crumble. “After the first shot there, I thought he made a couple of big saves at the end of the first period to keep it a 1-1 game,” said Boudreau, who would not tip his hand about Dubnyk or Alex Stalock starting Sunday’s game against the New York Islanders. “The saves might not have looked tough, but the ones that were along the ice were going through bodies. So we couldn’t see them. Those were big.” Foligno answered for the Wild at 12:19 of the first period. Yeoman’s work by Kunin created a scrum in the slot that eventually cost Devils goaltender Corey Schneider his stick. 1129984 Minnesota Wild He suddenly looks fast. He’s a very strong kid and he’s suddenly playing that way. He’s making plays. And he’s shooting the puck.

The reward has been goals in each of the past two games and a third Marcus Foligno backs up his talk and leads Wild to a needed win, career goal, believe it or not, in three career games in New Jersey, a Gordie-style place that has to be special to him because he scored at The Rock in his NHL debut in 2016. By Michael Russo Yes, three of Eriksson Ek’s 13 career goals have come in friggin’ Newark. Feb 9, 2019 “This is his chance to cement something that (he) can play that big a role rather than be a fourth-line center,” Boudreau said. NEWARK — His father was an NHL captain. His brother currently is an Added Foligno, “We talked to him. I talked to him, too. That’s a lot of NHL captain. pressure on a guy that’s his age, his experience in this league. I mean, Mikko, you’re never going to fill that hole. But when you get called upon So, it’s safe to say leadership courses through Marcus Foligno’s veins. to fill it, you’ve got to look at it as a positive, not as big shoes to fill. I think he’s done a tremendous job. He’s a defensive talent, he’s strong, he “The genes are there,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said of Foligno, knows how to battle, he can shoot a puck, too. whose dad, Mike, played 1,000 NHL games and coached as well, and whose brother, Nick, dons the “C” for the Columbus Blue Jackets. “I don’t think we have any worries with him playing that role.” So, it should come as no surprise that two days after pretty much Victor Rask was demoted to the fourth line against the Devils and hammering the Wild with some honest, blunt postgame assessments Eriksson Ek was centering a line with energetic, straightaway skaters following a laid egg against the Edmonton Oilers, Foligno came to play Foligno and Kunin. Saturday afternoon at the Prudential Center. Kunin is working his butt off right now. He’s physical. He’s shooting He called Thursday’s sleepy effort “embarrassing.” He questioned his pucks. He’s not afraid to play in traffic. He’s been defensively solid, even team’s “mental toughness” whenever they get down a goal. He said stripping a Devils player of the puck on the shift he eventually scored a things were “ugly” right now and the Wild were making the decision for big goal in the third period not long after New Jersey cut its deficit to 3-2. general manager Paul Fenton to potentially “sell” at the trade deadline an “easy” one. And, Foligno continues to find his voice and role on this team. Nobody could argue with any word that came out of the quote machine’s Remember, at the start of last season, Boudreau didn’t know what to do mouth, but if you talk like that, you probably should make sure you show with the former Buffalo Sabre. up the next game. Foligno was signed to a lucrative four-year contract worth $2.875 million That Foligno did during a 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils. per. But he wasn’t playing well, had trouble adjusting to the new team and surroundings and couldn’t seem to escape Boudreau’s doghouse. On a night each member of his “third line” scored an even-strength goal, Foligno scored what Zach Parise wisely called a “goal-scorer’s goal,” But in the final 20 or so games of last season and in the short playoff assisted on Joel Eriksson Ek’s winning goal, played a big part in Luke series against Winnipeg, Foligno started to find himself and more Kunin’s goal that essentially sealed the win and scrapped with old Wild importantly started to impress Boudreau. bruiser Kurtis Gabriel when the big forward was running around a wee bit too much. “I think it takes time,” Foligno said. “We didn’t know each other much coming over in the trade last season, and (Boudreau’s) got his guys from The assist on Eriksson Ek’s goal, which came not long after Foligno the season before. It’s just feeling each other out. We had talks, we had nearly set up Anthony Bitetto for a goal, secured the second career plenty of talks. I remember being scratched a couple times last year and “Gordie Howe hat trick” (goal, assist, fight) for the man they call “Moose” that kind of sits in your head a little bit over the summer. … I just wanted because he skated so awkwardly as a kid. more of a role, more of an opportunity to help this team win. And I think he saw that. “Everyone was yelling at me to get the Gordie,” Foligno said, laughing. “(Parise) was pretty vocal when we came through the line (during the “My physical play has been up now. That’s something I’ve grown into. I’m post-goal bench fly-by). Everyone started calling me, ‘Gordie.’ I guess 27. There’s a lot of things to learn in this league. I’m still learning. But I that’s a really good nickname to have in this league.” think right now consistently I feel pretty confident about my game.” You have to hand it to Boudreau, who in coaching his 900th career During exit meetings last April, Foligno reminded Boudreau that he killed regular-season game reunited the Foligno-Eriksson Ek-Kunin line that penalties in Buffalo. Boudreau absorbed that information and told him played so well before the All-Star break. right then and there to get ready to kill penalties this season. Look, you can see why Fenton likes Bitetto. Foligno prepped for the season and ultimately worked himself into pretty much the first penalty-kill set with Eric Fehr. That has given him He’s big and can skate and seems like a great dude and should only get confidence and a realization he’s no longer just relied upon to be a better with more playing time. Saturday’s game was his best of the three fourth-liner. he has played for Minnesota since being plucked off waivers from the Nashville Predators. “You never know how long it takes to get comfortable with the group, with the system, with the play,” Parise said of Foligno. “But I think this year But the confusing part of the timing of Bitetto’s pickup was it meant he’s played great, especially lately. He’s scored some pretty big goals for Fenton couldn’t recall Eriksson Ek or Kunin after the All-Star/bye break us.” despite those two starting to play better and more importantly the fact that the Foligno-Eriksson Ek-Kunin line was helping the Wild’s pre-break Naturally, the Wild fell down a goal early in the first period Saturday, but turnaround. this time they didn’t sag. Kunin got into a slot-scrum battle, pushed the puck back to Greg Pateryn, who fired wide of the net. Foligno grabbed Fenton has since rectified the situation. the ricocheted puck, circled the net on his backhand and roofed a beautiful tying, wraparound goal. He placed ineffective J.T. Brown on waivers and got Kunin back up to the big club. Then, when Mikko Koivu sustained a torn ACL and meniscus, Later, Parise, the old Devils’ captain, ignored the boo birds from the fans he recalled Eriksson Ek for his biggest NHL opportunity. by scoring a power-play goal — his first goal in New Jersey as a member of the Wild. One problem when you have a team as veteran-laden as the Wild is it means players are often blocked from elevating up the lineup. Perhaps The Wild took over from there. Playing against goalie Cory Schneider, that’s why Erik Haula, who was stuck behind guys like Koivu, Eric Staal who hadn’t won since Dec. 14, the Wild outshot the Devils 33-18 and at and even at one point Martin Hanzal, excelled so mightily last season for times overwhelmed New Jersey with big-time forechecks. None was Vegas. Perhaps it’s also part of the reason Nino Niederreiter’s off to a bigger than Eriksson Ek hammering a defender, then beelining to the torrid start with Carolina. In Minnesota, he was always behind guys like front of the net to bury Jonas Brodin’s rebound. Parise, Mikael Granlund, Jason Zucker and Charlie Coyle. He never found a permanent home or even position in the lineup. “Kuny and Ekker, they’re great, young players,” Foligno said. “Now with a little bit more responsibility, I think they’re doing a tremendous job just Nobody wants to see Koivu hurt, but suddenly Eriksson Ek can come up stepping up. It’s exciting to be on a line with them because I remember and bite off some more minutes in a much bigger role. when I was that age and just the energy that those guys can bring. Plus, they know how to score and they know how to get around the net.” Earlier in the period, Foligno decided to drop the gloves with Gabriel. Normally you don’t want to risk sparking the other team two seconds after taking a one-goal lead, but Foligno said, “It’s Gabriel. I know him from training camp. He was pretty talkative throughout the faceoff. At that moment, too, as a forward that kind of likes to be physical, you think about things that have gone on lately. We really haven’t had a fight to get the guys going, so I just thought it was a time where you have a taker. He was pretty much drooling to ask me to go fight him, so I just had to answer it and it worked out for us.” So, quality win for the Wild. Mikael Granlund moved to center. He had more of a shooting mentality with three shots on goal and five attempted, won 7 of 13 faceoffs and impressed Boudreau defensively below the defensive-zone circles, which was Boudreau’s biggest concern moving Granlund off the wing. But one win — the Wild’s first in five games this month — means little if they trip all over themselves Sunday afternoon against the Islanders. Devan Dubnyk only faced 18 shots, so it’ll be interesting to see if Boudreau comes back with his No. 1 goalie in Brooklyn. “There’s kind of … not a lull around our team, but there’s just so much outside noise right now that we just got to realize that it takes the guys in here to change it,” Foligno said. “And everyone’s willing to do it and we know that we’re a playoff hockey team.” Added Parise, “Edmonton was just one of those games. We were flat. There’s just no other way to describe it. We were just flat. So it was nice to come in here and rebound. Now at least we have a winning feeling and we have to carry that into (Sunday).”

The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129985 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.10.2019 In the Habs' Room: Power play is weak link against Leafs despite playoff atmosphere

PAT HICKEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: February 9, 2019

If Saturday’s game between the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs was a preview of the playoffs, we can look forward to some entertaining hockey in April. An overtime goal by John Tavares was the difference as the teams battled on even terms for most of the night. There was disappointment in the Canadiens’ room, but coach Claude Julien tried to put the result in perspective as Montreal completed a five- game homestand with a 3-0-2 record. “I think it’s great that the guys are mad, but we picked up eight of 10 points and if we can do that for the rest of the season, we’ll be in good shape,” Julien said. “We had a chance to win and we wanted to win. We’re a confident team and we think we can win every game. That’s the right attitude because winning can be contagious and so can losing.” The single point for overtime left the Canadiens in third place in the Atlantic Division with 69 points. They are one point ahead of Boston, but the Bruins hold a game in hand. If the current standings hold, the Canadiens and the Leafs would meet in the first round of the playoffs. There was a playoff atmosphere at the with a vocal contingent of Toronto fans showing their support for the Leafs. “There was playoff intensity,” Julien said. “You talk about Winnipeg, but tonight there was a lot of emotion and the guys were really into it. We have a lot of guys who haven’t been there and it was a good sample of what you see in the playoffs.” The difference in the game was the failure of the Canadiens to capitalize on two power-play opportunities. The first came in the opening period when Tavares was assessed a double minor for high-sticking Jordie Benn. What followed was four minutes of frustration. The Canadiens were able to set up only once during the advantage and that one moment of competency produced the lone shot by Joel Armia. The second opportunity came in overtime. A delay of game penalty to Nikita Zaitsev late in regulation meant the Canadiens started the overtime with a 4-on-3 advantage for 1:29. “On the 4-on-3 we have to move a little more,” Julien said. ”When you lose the draw, you have to get right on them. But we did score a power- play goal (Brendan Gallagher’s 22nd). We’re trending in the right direction.” The Canadiens didn’t get a shot on goal in the overtime and lost all three faceoffs. expressed disappointment at the loss and, while he cited the failure of the power play in overtime, he also noted he should have stopped William Nylander on the tying goal in the third period. One major plus for the Canadiens was the return of Andrew Shaw after missing 15 games with a neck injury. He scored a goal and displayed a lot of pent-up energy. “(The legs) felt pretty good,” said Shaw, who played close to 18 minutes and had three shots on goal. “Obviously, the stamina’s probably not where it needs to be. You can push yourself as hard as you want in the gym and on the ice for practice, but nothing compares to a game. “I think our line played really well,” Shaw added. “We worked for each other and we competed and we got some chances. But, obviously, the way the game ended it leaves a sour taste in your mouth.” Shaw played with Tomas Tatar, who scored his 17th goal and Max Domi, who had two assists. “I think that game is ours in the third (but) I had a little turnover at the blue line and they go down and score. It’s the game of hockey. Those are little mistakes that bite.” 1129986 Montreal Canadiens

About last night ... Leafs win 4-3 in OT

MIKE BOONE Updated: February 9, 2019

Seven games like this in April? That would be fun. If a Canadiens-Leafs playoffs series is anything like the game we saw at the Bell Centre on Saturday night, fans are in for some entertaining springtime hockey. It was Ali-Frazier on ice. Momentum kept swinging back and forth between the Canadiens and the visitors, and you just wanted the action to go on forever. But it didn’t. As the Canadiens’ eternally sputtering power play wasted a golden opportunity in overtime, a mounting sense of dread correctly anticipated the Leafs roaring up the ice and John Tavares bagging the winner. The teams have played twice this season. The Canadiens have had shot advantages in both games, and Toronto has won both in OT. What can we conclude after 123 minutes and 18 seconds of Canadiens- Leafs hockey? At the risk of enraging readers — all of whom I assume to be Canadiens fans — Toronto is the better team … for now. The difference is star power. The Canadiens don’t have any forwards as good as Tavares, Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner. Maybe Jesperi Kotkaniemi some day. But not yet. On the back end, no defenceman is as good as Morgan Rielly. The Canadiens are at a different stage of development. One of the worst teams in the NHL last season, they have retooled, played heroically and given us immensely entertaining hockey in 2018- ’19. But the Canadiens cannot be listed among the NHL’s elite. They work hard. They’re fun to watch. Their speed blew Winnipeg out of the building. Two nights later at the Bell Centre, Toronto was as fast as the home team. And a bit more skilled. With the score tied, there was a terrifying sequence midway through the third period when the Canadiens couldn’t get the puck out of their zone. Carey Price — who was not Priceian on either William Nylander’s tying goal or the OT winner — keep the score at 3-3, thus ensuing the Canadiens would get a point out of this game. And then that overtime power-play … The Canadiens are still third in the Atlantic Division. If the postseason began tomorrow, they’d play the Leafs in what could be a classic series. But the season isn’t over. And after four days off, the Canadiens play another elite team in Nashville. Then Tampa. Should be interesting … and maybe scary.

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Tavares' OT goal gives Leafs 4-3 decision in slugfest with Canadiens

PAT HICKEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: February 9, 2019

The Bell Centre matchup between the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs lived up to the hype Saturday as the teams went toe-to-toe for more than 62 minutes before John Tavares scored in overtime to give the Leafs a 4- 3 win. The game was seesaw affair with neither team able to open more than a one-goal lead. Montreal took a 3-2 lead when Brendan Gallagher scored his 22nd of the season on a power play at 5:35 of the third period, but the Leafs came back three minutes later on a goal by William Nylander. Max Domi thought he had a go-ahead goal at 5:08 of the third period when he forced a turnover and skated in alone on Frederik Andersen. The goaltender made the initial save and Domi batted the rebound into the net, but it was an obvious high-stick infraction. If you were late getting to your seat or switching on the TV, you missed the game’s first goal. Andrew Shaw, who hadn’t played since he experienced neck pains in Dallas on New Year’s Eve, deflected Jeff Petry’s shot from the blue line after only 51 seconds. Shaw’s 12th goal of the season was scored on the Canadiens’ fourth shot. The Leafs didn’t waste any time getting back into the game and they took a 2-1 lead before the game was five minutes old. Montreal’s fourth line was on the ice for both goals, but it was a mistake by captain Shea Weber that opened the door for Toronto’s first goal. Zach Hyman eluded Weber behind the net and he tested Carey Price with a wraparound attempt. Price made the save, but Andreas Johnsson buried the rebound for his 14th goal of the season. On the fourth line’s second shift, Nikita Zaitsev scored when his shot from the blue line found its way to the back of the net through the traffic in front. The Canadiens had a four-minute power play midway through the period when Tavares was handed a double minor for high-sticking Jordie Benn. The Leafs employed an aggressive penalty-kill and the Canadiens were able to set up only once and spent most of the time chasing the puck back into their own zone. Montreal had another fast start in the second period. Petry hit a post in the first minute and Tomas Tatar scored his 17th of the season to tie the game at 1:13. Tatar scored off a rush, beating Andersen with a rising shot to the glove side after taking a pass from Weber. Price picked up the second assist on the play. The Canadiens made a trade earlier in the day, picking up forward Dale Weise and defenceman Christian Folin from Philadelphia in return for David Schlemko and Byron Froese. Weise will report to Laval, while Folin will join the Canadiens on Monday. To make room for Shaw and Folin, Montreal placed Karl Alzner on waivers, while Paul Byron went on the injured reserve list.

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Liveblog: Leafs win 4-3 in OT

MIKE BOONE Updated: February 9, 2019

After the Canadiens wasted a power play in Overtime, John Tavares won it for the Leafs. Brendan Gallagher’s power-play goal put the Canadiens ahead 7:24 into the third. Jubilation didn’t last. William Nylander tied it up 71 seconds later. Andrew Shaw tipped home Jeff Petry’s shot 51 seconds into the game. But then Toronto’s fourth line tied it up on a goal by Andreas Johnsson at 2:20. And Nikita Zaitsev, on a point shot, gave the visitors the lead at 4:42. Tomas Tatar’s 17th tied the game at 2-2 1:13 into the second period. Shots were 38-32 Canadiens.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129989 Montreal Canadiens overtime. Obviously, you’d like to finish it right there, but if we do a job earlier on I think you’re not even put in that situation.”

Playoff atmosphere Canadiens Game Day: Could your heart handle Habs vs. Leafs in playoffs? Saturday’s game definitely had a playoff atmosphere to it and there were plenty of Toronto fans in the stands wearing Maple Leafs jerseys. The “Go Leafs Go!” chants were actually louder than the “Go Habs Go!” STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE chants during the game. Updated: February 10, 2019 One member of the media in the press box noted: “Leafs fans are never this loud in Toronto.”

Good point. These were the real Leafs fans who can’t get the corporate Can you imagine a Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs playoff series? seats at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Would your heart be able to handle it? “It was great,” Weber said about the atmosphere. “Probably as close to a playoff atmosphere as you’re going to get without being in the playoffs. It The two teams provided a preview of what it might be like Saturday night was energizing and exciting. It was fun to play in.” at the Bell Centre when the Leafs beat the Canadiens 4-3 on an overtime goal by John Tavares. It was the 33rd goal of the season for Tavares and Added Max Domi: “It was a lot of fun. That being said, losing’s not fun by his sixth game-winner. any means. You know what, I think we were right there. It stings a little bit, it hurts, but at the same time we’re going to get better from this and in Andrew Shaw, Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher (power play) scored the long run it’s going to do us more justice.” the goals for the Canadiens, while goalie Carey Price saw his personal seven-game winning streak come to an end while stopping 28 of 32 Julien said the game was a great experience for the young players on his shots. The Canadiens fired 38 shots at Toronto goalie Frederik team who have yet to experience the playoffs at the Bell Centre. Andersen, while the Leafs also got goals from Andreas Johnsson, Nikita Zaitsev and William Nylander. “You talk about Winnipeg, but Winnipeg I think we played well,” Julien said about Thursday night’s impressive 5-2 win over the Jets at the Bell With the win, the Leafs improved their record to 34-17-3 and remained in Centre. “But tonight there was a lot of emotion in the game. The Toronto second place in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of the Canadiens Maple Leafs against the Montreal Canadiens and you could see at times (31-18-7). Toronto holds two games in hand. on our bench, whether the linesman missed a call or the referees, guys were really into it to the point where we had to take a step back. So this If the NHL regular season had ended Saturday, the Canadiens and Leafs was great for us to be able to play in those kind of situations and be able would meet in the first round of the playoffs. The last time these Original to handle it better. We got a lot of guys that haven’t been there and we Six rivals met in the playoffs was 1979, when the Canadiens swept the hope that they’re going to get a chance to be there. So this was actually Leafs in the quarterfinals en route to winning the Stanley Cup. Canadiens a pretty good sample of what you would get in the playoffs.” coach Claude Julien was a 19-year-old defenceman with the junior Windsor Spitfires back then. Armia on the power play in OT? “It was intense,” Shaw said about Saturday night’s game. “It felt like a Joel Armia has been an effective forward for the Canadiens, but you playoff game. The rivalry we have with them, I’m sure we keep playing have to wonder why Julien had him on the ice for the four-on-three like this I’m sure we’re going to meet them in the playoffs. So we just got overtime along with Weber, Domi and Jonathan Drouin instead of to build on all the positives and work on some stuff. Andrew Shaw, Brendan Gallagher or rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi. “I think we knew since Day 1 we could compete with them,” Shaw added. After the game, Julien said that he wanted Armia’s right-hand shot on the “We played good against them in Toronto in the season opener (a 3-2 power play and noted that he’s a big body who can retrieve pucks. True, OT loss). We’re playing good teams right now and we’re at the top of our but in 210 career NHL games, Armia has never scored a power-play game. I just think we need to be better on the power play. We need to goal. capitalize on those opportunities for sure.” Tough night for fourth line Power-play problems continue It was not a good night for the Canadiens’ fourth line of Michael Chaput Before this season even gets to the playoffs, your heart might not be able between Matthew Peca and Nicolas Deslauriers as they all finished to handle the Canadiens’ power play if you’re a Habs fan. minus-2 after being on the ice for the first two Toronto goals. The Canadiens were given a golden opportunity to beat the Leafs when The Canadiens acquired former Canadien Dale Weise from the Toronto’s Nikita Zaitsev was penalized for delay of game after shooting Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday morning and said he would report to the the puck over the glass with 32 seconds left in the third period. The AHL’s . But after the fourth-line performance against the Canadiens couldn’t capitalize, just like they couldn’t capitalize during the Leafs, you have to think Weise might end up back in Montreal sooner first period when Tavares took a double-minor penalty for high-sticking rather than later. Canadiens defenceman Jordie Benn in the face. The Canadiens managed only one shot on goal during the four-minute power play and Julien was forced to cut his bench down to three lines for most of the the Leafs had the best scoring chance while short-handed. third period and the fourth line was almost scored on again on its second and final shift of the period. The Canadiens finished the night 1-for-5 on the power play after playing a whopping 9:47 with the man advantage. On the bright side, the The Canadiens’ fourth line hasn’t scored a goal since Dec. 29 in Florida, Canadiens killed off all three of the Leafs’ power plays. a span of 17 games. “They were really aggressive on us on that four-minute to Tavares,” Shaw returned to the Canadiens’ lineup after missing the last 15 games Canadiens coach Claude Julien said. “We seemed to be having trouble with a neck injury and showed just how important he is to this team with a sorting things out. So it wasn’t a good segment, I guess, those four goal and an assist while logging 17:52 of ice time. minutes. The four-on-three, we needed to move a little bit more. I didn’t Shaw suffered his neck injury, which also gave him headaches, during a like the fact that you lose a draw, we’re four-on-three and we should have game in Dallas on New Year’s Eve. Shaw has a history of concussions, been on those guys when you lost the draw. We gave them a chance to so the Canadiens medical staff has been careful with him and didn’t give ice it. So no doubt I wasn’t happy with that. I think we need to work on him the green light to return until Saturday morning. that some more. “I’ve also learned when you get older you got to be more patient with “Our power play has been a focal point so far this year,” Julien added. things,” Shaw said after Saturday’s morning skate. “I think that’s the thing “But lately it’s produced and it produced another goal tonight. So we’re I’ve been working on. Being patient, listening to others and making sure trying to take the positive and we’re trying to work with things that we I’m ready for when I do get the call.” have to get better at. But I think except for one game maybe in this five- game homestead we didn’t score a power-play goal. So I think we’re Shaw said he hasn’t had any symptoms from his injury for about a trending in the right direction, but you’re not going to turn your power play month, adding: “Just because the symptoms are gone doesn’t mean the into a No. 1 power play in a matter of just a week or two.” injury’s not still there and that’s something we’ve learned over the past. So extra time gives it a chance to heal fully and be ready for the rest of Said captain Shea Weber: “There were power plays during the game the season and a long playoff run.” where you could bury the game, so you can’t just look at the one in Shaw added: “The main thing was making sure I was healthy and nothing long-term was going to affect me. The staff here made sure I did everything possible to make sure everything was good.” Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.10.2019 With Shaw returning to the lineup, the Canadiens placed forward Paul Byron on the injured-reserve list with an arm injury. Victor Mete and Andrew Shaw lead team stretch at end of #Habs morning skate in Brossard #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/XkNdGlKkRs— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) February 9, 2019 Canadiens rookie Jesperi Jesperi saw his streak of scoring in four consecutive games come to an end. He was looking to become the first 18-year-old to score in five straight games in the NHL since Jordan Staal did it with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2006-07 season. Kotkaniemi, who was held pointless against the Leafs, has 10-17-27 totals for the season and needs 12 more points to tie ’s record for most points by an 18-year-old with the Canadiens. Tremblay posted 21-18-39 totals in 63 games as a rookie during the 1974-75 season. Kotkaniemi is only the sixth player in NHL history to score each of his first 10 career goals at home. The Canadiens finished their five-game homestand following their bye week in the schedule with a 3-0-2 record. “We picked up eight out of 10 points,” Julien said. “We do that the rest of the year, you know we’re in (the playoffs). I don’t think we should be disappointed in the segment of five games at home. Eight out of 10 is pretty good for any team in this league. But (the players are) disappointed because they wanted to win and a I like that because we believe in ourselves. We believe that we can go out there every night and give ourselves a chance to win. We wanted to win this game. I like our approach. We’re not on our high horses, but we’re a confident team that thinks that if they play well enough they could win any game. So that’s how they’re approaching every one of them so far and when you lose, for them it’s a loss. It’s a tough loss to take and, as we all know, winning can be contagious and so can losing. So when you get satisfied with losses it’s not a good sign for your hockey club.” Maple Leafs defenceman Ron Hainsey was selected by the Canadiens in the first round (13th overall) of the 2000 NHL Draft and he’s still playing at age 37. Not only is Hainsey playing, his plus 28 is the second-best plus/minus in the NHL, trailing only the Calgary Flames’ Mark Giordano at plus-29. Hainsey logged 21:47 of ice time against the Canadiens and was even in plus/minus. Former Canadiens defenceman Tom Kurvers is battling lung cancer. Kurvers, who played for both the Canadiens and Maple Leafs, is now an assistant general manager with the Minnesota Wild. Kurvers was selected by the Canadiens in the seventh round (145th overall) of the 1981 NHL Draft and won the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in U.S. college after posting 18-58-76 totals with the University of Minnesota-Duluth during the 1984-84 season. Kurvers joined the Canadiens the next season and was part of the team that won the 1986 Stanley Cup. He played 659 regular-season games during his NHL career with Montreal, Buffalo, New Jersey, Toronto, Vancouver, the New York Islanders and Anaheim, posting 93-328-421 totals. Kurvers was diagnosed last month by the Wild’s team doctor after having a cough that wouldn’t go away. The 56-year-old has four children. For now, Kurver’s cancer is inoperable. “Dr. (Sheldon) Burns said: ‘Tom, I’ve got some very bad news. There’s indications of cancer in your right lung, and I’m very worried,’” Kurvers told Michael Russo of The Athletic. “I spoke to him for a few minutes. You can’t process it. I don’t even know what I said. I remember handing my phone to my wife (Heather). And she wrote some stuff down. “That night was tough. A no-sleep night. Your mind races. Plenty of dark thoughts. Not all bad. It’s hard to explain. Your brain just starts moving around and you can’t catch up to it.” Russo reported that Kurvers was recently approved for Tagrisso, a pill- form medication used to treat non-small cell lung cancer. “Everybody has a story,” Kurvers told Russo. “This is now part of my story. I hope it’s a happy ending. I plan on it being so.” What’s next? The Canadiens will have the day off Sunday, then practice Monday (11 a.m.), Tuesday (11 a.m.) and Wednesday (10:45 a.m.) in Brossard before hitting the road for their next three games. 1129990 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens acquire Christian Folin and Dale Weise from Flyers Defenceman Folin will report to Canadiens, former Canadien Weise goes to Laval, while David Schlemko and Byron Froese head to Philadelphia.

STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: February 9, 2019

The NHL trade deadline isn’t until 3 p.m. on Feb. 25, but Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin got a head start Saturday morning when he acquired defenceman Christian Folin and forward Dale Weise from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman David Schlemko and forward Byron Froese, who were both playing with the AHL’s Laval Rocket. Folin will report to the Canadiens, while Weise will go to Laval. Folin won’t be in the lineup for the Canadiens Saturday night when they play the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., CBC, SN1, CITY, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio), but will join the team in time for practice Monday in Brossard. The Canadiens placed defenceman Karl Alzner on waivers after making the trade. The 6-foot-3, 204-pound Folin, who shoots right, played 26 games with the Flyers this season with no goals, two assists and a plus-5 while averaging 15:33 of ice time. The Swede, who was celebrating his 28th birthday on Saturday, was never selected at the NHL Draft, but has played in 209 career regular-season games with the Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings and the Flyers, posting 7-31-38 totals and 96 penalty minutes. Weise, 30, played 42 games this season with the Flyers, posting 5-6-11 totals. He cleared NHL waivers last month and was assigned to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, where he had 1-1-2 totals in three games. Weise played three seasons with the Canadiens after being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks during the 2013-14 campaign. Canadiens coach Claude Julien acknowledged after Saturday’s morning skate in Brossard that Weise was a good player when he was with the Canadiens and is also a good guy to have in the locker room. The coach added that Weise can bring some experience to Laval after the Rocket lost forward Mike McCarron for the rest of the season following shoulder surgery this week. Folin is playing on a one-year contract worth US$800,000, while Weise has one more season after this remaining on his four-year, US$9.4- million deal with an annual salary-cap hit of $2.35 million. Julien said Folin will bring size and experience to the Canadiens. When asked where Folin might slot in on the Canadiens’ blue line, Julien said: “He’s not even here yet, so it’s hard to slot him in. At the same time, right now our guys have been playing well, our six guys. We’ll see when the time comes. It’s hard for me to say: ‘Hey, this guy is out.’ He’s coming in, he’s not even here yet. We’ll see how he does. He’s going to practise with us for the first time on Monday, tomorrow is a day off for us. So we’ll see him here Monday and we’ll take it from there.” Julien noted that Folin had a “decent season” last year in Los Angeles, when he played 65 games with the Kings and posted 3-10-13 totals and 30 penalty minutes while averaging 15:39 of ice time. “He’s a pretty steady guy,” Julien said. “I would say it’s not that he’s flashy, but he’s pretty consistent. We like his size. When you’re looking for players to come in and give you some depth and some choices, a lot of it is about stability and that’s what we’re hoping he’s going to give us, some stability.” Schlemko, who is now headed to Philadelphia, played 18 games this season with the Canadiens, posting 0-2-2 totals, before clearing NHL waivers and being sent to Laval, where he had 1-3-4 totals in eight games with the Rocket. Froese, who was captain of the Rocket, posted 14-16-30 totals in 46 games this season with Laval. The Rocket were in last place in the AHL’s North Division with a 19-21-8 record heading into Saturday’s road game against the Belleville Senators.

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Maple Leafs at Canadiens: Five things you should know

PAT HICKEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: February 9, 2019

Here are five things you should know about the Canadiens-Maple Leafs game at the Bell Centre on Saturday (7 p.m., CBC, SN1, CITY, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio): The matchup: This is the second of four meetings between these teams and the Leafs were 3-2 overtime winners in the season opener on Oct. 3 in Toronto. This time around, the teams are battling for second place in the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens are one point behind the Leafs with 68 points, but Toronto also holds two games in hand. Each team is riding a three-game win streak, but Montreal is tied with Philadelphia for the best record in the NHL during the last 10 games with an 8-1-1 record, while the Leafs are 5-4-1 over that span. Danault line sparks offence: The line of Jonathan Drouin, Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher has provided the offence during Montreal’s three- game winning streak. Drouin had two goals and two assists in Thursday’s victory over Winnipeg and he has three goals and six assists in the past three games. He has 46 points for the season, one back of team leader Max Domi. Danault had a goal and three assists in the Winnipeg game and has three goals and four assists in a four-game point streak. Gallagher has two goals and three assists in his last two games. The goalies: Carey Price made 32 saves Thursday as he ran his win streak to seven games. Price, who has been one of the top goaltenders in the league since Dec. 1, boosted his record to 23-13-4 with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. He ranks fifth in the NHL in wins and he’s tied for third in shutouts with three. His 309 career wins are five off the team record held by the late Jacques Plante. The Leafs will counter with Frederik Andersen, who is 24-11-2 with a 2.56 GAA and a .923 save percentage. Can we get granny to stay? Jersperi Kotkaniemi’s grandmother is in town for a visit and it might be a coincidence, but the precocious 18-year-old has scored in each of the four games since her arrival. Kotkaniemi has 10 goals for the season and one measure of the confidence head coach Claude Julien has in the rookie’s ability is the frequency with which he has sent him out to take faceoffs. He took 19 draws against Winnipeg and won 10 of them. The only player to take more faceoffs was Danault, who won 12 of his 21 attempts. Leafs bring the offence: Toronto ranks fourth in the NHL in offence, averaging 3.58 goals a game. Mitch Marner leads the scoring parade with 65 points, including 20 goals, while prized free-agent signing John Tavares leads the team in goals with 32. Auston Matthews has been limited to 39 games because of a shoulder injury, but he’s healthy again and he has 24 goals and 23 assists along with a new contract. Other double-digit goal-scorers for Toronto are Kasperi Kapanen (15), Morgan Reilly (14), Nazem Kadri and Andreas Johnsson (13), Patrick Marleau (12) and Zack Hyman (10). Former Canadien Ron Hainsey is among the league leaders in plus/minus at plus-28.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129992 Montreal Canadiens future more so than its present, said as much a month ago, that the Canadiens are not a player away from winning the Stanley Cup. And you know what? Bergevin is right, that is a proper assessment of his club and The Canadiens’ present and future have collided head on, and Marc he should therefore resist doing anything rash between now and Feb. 25. Bergevin needs to deal with the wreckage He should stay in his lane and manage that future. But Bergevin can do that while also giving the present a little boost, and if there was a night that summarized to what extent a boost is needed, it By Arpon Basu was Saturday against the Leafs. Feb 9, 2019 Julien, for weeks, has been suggesting how he needs help on his fourth line, how critical it is. After the Canadiens played perhaps their best game of the season against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, Julien made it clear once again. The last time the Canadiens played the Toronto Maple Leafs, they lost in overtime. “The only way we can play like that is basically by playing with four lines,” Julien said after smothering the Jets. “We want to play a fast game, we It just didn’t feel like a loss. want to be on teams. If you shorten your bench you can never keep that It was opening night, the eyes of the country were on them, and the momentum and that pace going.” expectations for both teams coming into the game were at opposite ends About four minutes into the third period against the Leafs on Saturday, of the . John Tavares was making his Maple Leafs debut in his Julien shortened his bench. The fourth line of Matthew Peca, Michael hometown and the Canadiens were the lambs being sent to slaughter. Chaput and Nicolas Deslauriers played one more shift that lasted 22 Except they weren’t slaughtered. Instead, they came out of the game seconds and that was it. The Canadiens were a three-line team. with a point and generally dictated the play for most it, which was an encouraging sign for a team that had spent basically an entire season The line of Peca, Chaput and Deslauriers played 5:31 at 5-on-5 and over chasing the play. that time the Canadiens attempted two shots at the Maple Leafs goal, neither of which actually reached the net. The Leafs attempted 11, hit the No one in the Canadiens room was all that happy about losing, let’s be target on seven of those and scored on two of them. clear, but the disappointment was highly mitigated by the fact they played far better than anyone expected, maybe even themselves. On the first goal, it would be difficult to blame any of the three forwards with Weber losing his coverage on Andreas Johnsson in front of the “There’s no doubt if we compete the way we did tonight, we’re going to Canadiens’ net as he was converting a Zach Hyman feed through the give ourselves a chance every night,” Claude Julien said that night. “It’s a crease. Julien made sure to point that out. matter of trying to feel like that as often as possible.” But the fact is the puck was in the Canadiens zone, as it was seemingly Just prior to the game, Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin sat down with The every time that line was on the ice, and Julien has clearly identified this Athletic to discuss the upcoming season, but more generally, to discuss line as a problem area he would like to see addressed before the Feb. 25 his plan, the reset, and how he would go about it. Over the course of that trade deadline. discussion, he was presented with a hypothetical: What if the Canadiens hit February in a playoff spot and he is faced with a decision on helping It is a problem that essentially cost him a win. The Canadiens’ top-9 this edition of the team by sacrificing draft picks? forwards did their jobs, maintaining a territorial edge, generating chances and, for the most part, bottling up the best Leafs forwards by forcing them “Possible, because I don’t know what will be available,” Bergevin said to play without the puck. then. “I don’t know where our team will be.” The fourth line was completely and utterly owned. The hypothetical and the response, frankly, seemed a bit ridiculous at the time. And yet, here we are, in February with the Canadiens firmly in a “As a fourth line, you can’t be on the ice for a goal against and tonight playoff spot. they were on the ice for two and that hurt us,” Julien said. “It’s not to point the finger at them, as I always say it’s all five guys on the ice. I think The Canadiens faced the Maple Leafs for the second time this season there were others who could have helped on those two goals.” Saturday, and lost in overtime. Moments later, however, Julien said this: “Their fourth line was better It felt like a loss. than ours, we can’t hide from that.” They had a four-minute power play in the first period that generated Bergevin made a move Saturday in an attempt to help that fourth line, absolutely nothing, and a 4-on-3 power play in overtime that didn’t acquiring Dale Weise from the Philadelphia Flyers in a swap of unwanted generate so much as a shot on goal with all that open ice to work with. contracts, but this problem requires something more. If the Canadiens had managed to win the game in regulation, they would The hypothetical situation presented to Bergevin on opening night is now have passed the Leafs in the standings, which is bonkers. Yes, Toronto a reality. The Canadiens have an opportunity to play meaningful hockey would hold games in hand, but it would be bonkers nonetheless because in the spring, and while they are not serious Cup contenders, they it speaks to just how far past expectations the Canadiens have jumped deserve a reasonable investment to be made in their immediate future, a this season. future measured in weeks as opposed to years. It is a scenario that would have been unthinkable the last time the The Canadiens have played themselves into a situation where Saturday Canadiens faced the Maple Leafs. night was a potential first-round playoff preview. The Canadiens, this time, took no solace in the fact they got a point in a Bergevin needs to make sure what happened Saturday night does not 4-3 overtime loss Saturday. That in and of itself demonstrates to what happen in the playoffs. extent the Canadiens players — who live in the present more than anyone else — don’t consider it the least bit far-fetched that they can and should beat the Maple Leafs. The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 “I think we know we can,” Shea Weber said. “I don’t think we ever doubted ourselves.” “I think it’s great that the guys are mad,” Julien added. “They’re disappointed because they wanted to win, and I like that because we believe in ourselves, we believe that we can go out there every night and give ourselves a chance to win. They wanted to win this game.” The division of labour on a hockey team is pretty cut and dry. The present is the domain of the coach, the future is to be handled by the general manager. There are exceptions, but that’s basically how it works unless you are a serious contender to win a Stanley Cup. Which is the rub here. The Canadiens, everyone generally agrees, are not a serious contender. The general manager himself, the man in charge of managing the team’s 1129993 Montreal Canadiens zone exits. It’s probably best not to set high expectations regarding his ability to turn play back up the ice.

If Folin represents an upgrade on Alzner in the eyes of the Canadiens’ The Canadiens and Flyers trade problems, contracts, and a couple of brain trust, the fact he’s a righty is somewhat intriguing – given the chances at redemption Canadiens’ obvious, longstanding need is on the left side of defence. From that standpoint, you can link Folin’s status to that of incumbent third-pairing defenceman Jordie Benn, who is also playing on the right. By Marc Antoine Godin On the one hand, when Folin is inserted it will be possible to shunt the left-shooting Benn back to his natural side, given he’s the defenceman Feb 9, 2019 who seems most comfortable switching sides. On the other, if Folin were to make a decent first impression and one or more teams are keen on

acquiring the impending free-agent Benn – or at least interested enough At first glance the trade the Canadiens swung on Saturday morning isn’t to make an offer that tickles Bergevin’s fancy – the new guy could always a major one. But Marc Bergevin did pull off a savvy little manoeuvre by fill the right side of the third pairing on a more regular basis. It feels acquiring a pair of players who could well help bolster his lineup between unlikely, but not outside the realm of possibility. now and the end of the season in exchange for two men he was clearly Folin was the seventh defenceman in Philly, it seems fairly clear that’s not in any hurry to summon from the minors. what he’ll be in Montreal. In truth, this is a deal that should satisfy both clubs. The Philadelphia One thing’s for certain: the Canadiens suddenly find themselves Flyers had clearly given up on Dale Weise, after two-and-a-half seasons employing three defencemen who were involved in a game of musical where they paid him a salary that exceeded his value as a depth forward chairs to win ice time in Minnesota. We speak here of Folin, Mike Reilly who hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations. He was a strong buyout and Gustav Olofsson. The latter has yet to suit up for the Laval Rocket candidate this coming summer, was placed on waivers Jan. 15 and due to season-ending surgery last fall. reported to Lehigh Valley a few days later. Dale Weise As for Christian Folin, former Philly GM gave the defenceman a one-year contract last summer to be the Flyers’ seventh It’s no surprise the 30-year-old winger is over the moon at the prospect of option on the blue line. As we’ll get into later, things didn’t pan out all that suiting up for Montreal once again; most if not all of his career highlights well for him – and certainly took a decided turn for the worse when his have come in a Canadiens uniform. He was probably doomed in Philly former boss in Minnesota, Chuck Fletcher, was appointed to replace from the moment he signed a four-year, $9.4 million free agent contract; Hextall. The Flyers evidently considered defenceman Philippe Myers he’s not a player who can easily justify that expense. The Flyers noticed ready for his NHL bow. He’ll be the chief beneficiary from Folin’s pretty quickly, scratching Weise for 36 games last season. This year they departure. gave him another shot, but he was twice placed on waivers without being claimed. The Canadiens’ situation was analogous, in that it had become abundantly clear David Schlemko no longer figured in the plan. Had Of the Flyers’ 20 most used players at 5-on-5, Weise ranked sixth in Montreal not found a taker, he too would have been a logical buyout suppressing opposition shots, second for goals against per 60 minutes, candidate this summer. In sum, the deal allows Montreal to repatriate a and sixth for scoring chances against per 60 minutes. The main difficulty player who enjoyed the best years of his career in a Canadiens sweater, is he was a black hole in terms of offence. The Flyers didn’t give up much and whose contract ($2.35 million next year) basically offsets Schlemko’s when he was on the ice, they also created essentially nothing. ($2.1 million next year). Should anyone expect Weise to rediscover his offensive touch from the On the immediate horizon, Folin’s arrival allows Montreal to ice a lower- good old Canadiens days? It’s a risky bet. During his first stint in risk option than Karl Alzner. He slots in at the top of the list for reserve Montreal, Weise had David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty as his most blue line options, ahead of anyone currently in Laval. frequent linemates. When he comes back to the NHL – such is the expectation, anyway – it will be to play on a fourth line. But what, specifically, does the trade mean for those involved? Let’s examine each case in turn. The Winnipeg native has been sent to Laval until the picture resolves itself around which depth players will stick around when Paul Byron is Christian Folin ready to return to action. But we wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if The 28-year-old Swede first came to North America to play in the USHL, Weise isn’t recalled until after the trade deadline, when the 23-man roster and it was after a successful NCAA career that he found a taker in the limit is lifted. He has playoff experience, he has speed, he has good size, Minnesota Wild. The Wild’s GM at the time was Fletcher, the new boss in he’s a dervish on the forecheck and he doesn’t hurt his team defensively. Philadelphia. The Canadiens wouldn’t mind unearthing a fourth-line centre between After a promising rookie campaign, Folin wasn’t able to elbow enough now and Feb. 25, so other dominos could fall. But in spite of his travails room for himself to be a regular fixture on the Wild’s blue line. In fact, the in Philadelphia, Weise could well represent a better option for the fourth club declined to make him a qualifying offer after the 2016-17 season. line than the other players who are currently in the mix. So when Fletcher succeeded Hextall last December, he inherited a David Schlemko rearguard he knew well and about whom he already had a firm opinion. The problem with the Schlemdog wasn’t as much his level of play than Since Fletcher’s arrival – and more specifically since coach Dave Hakstol the frequency with which he was in the lineup long enough to reach it. was fired and replaced by Scott Gordon – Folin suited up for only nine of The team had clearly run out of patience with his inability to stay healthy the Flyers’ 23 games, and when he did play was out for an average of and the amount of time it would take to work himself back into form when 12:06 per game. Under Hakstol, he’d played an average of 17:22. he returned to action. It shouldn’t have been a surprise; it’s the story of his career. Folin was stapled to the bench for 16 consecutive games, and only returned to action because veteran defenceman Andrew MacDonald got The Schlemko and Weise contracts essentially cancel each other out, hurt. Before his extended layoff, his underlying metrics were somewhat and the Flyers are taking a, well, flier on the veteran in hopes he can encouraging (53.5 Corsi for percentage), but they’ve cratered since pitch in and provide blue line depth for the rest of this year and next. Gordon took over (35.5 per cent). Exhibiting a sharp decline in Schlemko is only 31, and if he’s able to stay in the lineup he should help performance as your team is enjoying a resurgence and playing its best Philadelphia’s back end. The question is, can he do that? hockey of the year just isn’t a terrific look. Byron Froese This is a man who is 6-foot-3, 204 pounds, and who has been known to, It’s an open question whether the long-term injuries to Michael McCarron on occasion, throw a shoulder into people. He’s also a serviceable shot- and Noah Juulsen convinced the Laval Rocket to raise the white flag on blocker. Among other things, he’s also adept at discouraging shot this year’s playoffs and jettison their captain. It’s not like Joël Bouchard’s attempts from the left circle. At the same time, opposing forwards who group is completely out of the AHL post-season picture, but the fact is it’s find themselves on Folin’s side of the ice have generally found little to bringing up the rear in the North division. We’ll see just how long Weise prevent them from taking close-range shots at the goalie. His advanced is in Laval to help the Rocket, it seems fairly clear this is a situation stats suggest he can acquit himself more than adequately on the penalty where the farm team is set up primarily to serve the big club’s needs this kill, but the Flyers seldom used him in that role. According to our year. Philadelphia-based colleague Charlie O’Connor, who has parsed the data collected by statistical analyst Corey Snazjder, Folin is among the least effective defenceman when it comes to making passes that lead to The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129994 Montreal Canadiens As for the game-winning goal in overtime by John Tavares, it was one of the few times this season that Phillip Danault was outplayed on what was a rather lazy display of coverage from the Canadiens’ defensive The Canadiens trade punches with the Leafs and last to the final round specialist. before hitting the mat Simple mistakes don’t end up in your net every game. Most of the time you get away with it, but against a team rich in elite talent like the Maple Leafs, you’re playing with fire whenever you drop your coverage or fail to By Marc Dumont execute on a play. Feb 9, 2019 In the long run, the fourth line cost the Canadiens an opportunity to pass the Maple Leafs in the standings, which can be spun into a positive if you’re so inclined. You can’t fix a team that constantly plays poorly 5-on- 5, but you can fix the fourth line relatively easily if you inject a little more When was the last time a Canadiens-Leafs matchup was relevant this far talent into the mix, whether it be an internal solution or via the trade into the season? market. I believe it was sometime shortly after World War II, but I can’t quite I’m sure the Canadiens players and the fans desperately wanted to win remember the date. that one. But there’s solace to be taken in the fact the Canadiens once Maybe that’s why the game was hyped up to incredible levels. There’s an again went toe-to-toe with a strong team and showed they were able to entire generation of Canadiens and Leafs fans who have only heard hang for all 10 rounds. about the mythical rivalry, but have yet to experience it. Hell, most fans They’re not quite ready for a heavyweight title match, but they have have gone through more lockouts than important Canadiens-Leafs shown they can trade punches with some of the best in the NHL. games.

Despite the high expectations going into it, both teams delivered in a fast- paced game that eventually saw the Leafs beat the Canadiens 4-3 in The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 overtime. It wasn’t the type of game that will make either coach very happy, as defence was optional through the majority of it, but it was a very entertaining showdown nonetheless. The Canadiens had an edge when it came to shot attempts, but the Leafs created the best chances, as evidenced by the heat map: Every day Andrew Shaw missed while nursing his latest injury must have been increasingly frustrating. If there’s one thing we can be sure of, it’s that Shaw is the type of athlete who’s constantly counting the minutes before he can get on the ice. His return to play wasn’t perfect, but it surely lifted a weight off his shoulders, as he scored less than a minute into the game. Shortly after Jeff Petry hit a post, his league-leading seventh post of the season, Tomas Tatar evened the score thanks to some quick thinking. Though the Leafs were doing a good job shutting down passing lanes, they did open up a skating lane right down the middle of the ice that Tatar immediately exploited. A tip of the hat goes out to Frederik Andersen on the play. The Canadiens are slow as molasses on the power play, but once in a while, they wake up from their zombie state to play hockey. The goal by Brendan Gallagher was a perfect example of what the Canadiens can do with the man advantage when they speed things up. It’s gotten to the point that I’m not sure the Canadiens should even attempt to set up on the power play. Maybe they should play as if they’re still 5-on-5, because that’s where they’re at their best, when they use their speed. On a scale of 1 to 10, the fourth line was reheated McDonald’s fries on Saturday night. They controlled a pathetic 15 percent of the shot attempts during their shifts, and were on the ice for the first two Maple Leafs goals. If not for some strong work from Carey Price, they would have been on the ice for a third goal against. Keep in mind that they only played about six minutes at 5-on-5. The first Maple Leafs goal involved the fourth line struggling to anticipate the play, with Michael Chaput chasing a forward behind the net while abandoning his own coverage. The second goal was almost identical, except this time Chaput decided to take a stroll behind the net while Jeff Petry was already there, then decided to screen Price for good measure. The Canadiens controlled 52 percent of the shots and 39 percent of the scoring chances against the Maple Leafs, according to NaturalStatTrick, but if you remove the fourth line from the equation, their numbers jump to 58 percent and 46 percent, respectively. Right now that line is the biggest thing holding the Canadiens back. It needs to be fixed as soon as possible and it’ll take more than Dale Weise to do it. Breakdown Shaw broke his stick out of frustration when the Leafs tied the game in the third period, perhaps because he assumed it was his fault the play went the other way, but it was actually Victor Mete’s pass that started it all. It was essentially a high-risk, no-reward pass. What’s worse, Mete could have simply dumped it in the offensive zone. He had already crossed the red line. 1129995 Montreal Canadiens a defenceman. The Canadiens have generated 52.7 more shot attempts from defencemen in the first 60 seconds after an offensive zone faceoff win than the typical team. By seven seconds post-faceoff, they’re at 41 Dellow: Contrasting the approaches of Montreal and Toronto on offensive more shot attempts from defencemen than the typical team. zone faceoff wins Toronto’s generated 47.2 more shot attempts from forwards in the first 60 seconds after an offensive zone faceoff win than the typical team. Their edge accrues more slowly. By seven seconds post-faceoff win, they’re at By Tyler Dellow just 6.2 more shot attempts from forwards than the typical team. By 27 seconds, they hit 40 more shot attempts from forwards than the typical Feb 9, 2019 team – they’re at +40.3 shot attempts by that point. They don’t really have any competition from the rest of the league in terms of the attempt

volume from their forwards they’ve generated by that point. The Canadiens and Maple Leafs have had a lot of success this year. Nashville being up there is interesting. As I’ve pointed out here before, Toronto’s success isn’t at all unexpected, but nobody really saw this Peter Laviolette has historically been something of an OZW goal coming from Montreal. We’re at the point where we’re now seriously producing wizard and it’s no different this year – the Predators are fourth contemplating the possibility of the first Montreal/Toronto playoff series in the NHL in terms of GF/60 after winning an offensive zone faceoff. since the dying days of the Original 17. With Justin Trudeau at 24 Unsurprisingly, their forwards are generating a pile of shots. Sussex, a Montreal-Toronto playoff series would leave us a TV ad about how physically unfit Canadians are in comparison to Swedes away from Just as a sanity check, I looked at the rates at which forwards are Peak Baby Boomer. generating shot attempts in the first 27 seconds after an offensive zone win. Faceoff win volume will impact things if you look on a counting basis. Looking over how the Maple Leafs and Canadiens have achieved Sure enough, Toronto holds up. success this year, there are some differences. One that jumps out is how the Maple Leafs and Canadiens play after offensive zone faceoff wins. None of the three teams that are really letting their defencemen bomb Toronto has enjoyed a lot more success there than the Canadiens. At the away in the seconds immediately after an OZW are getting that many highest and most important level, Toronto’s been better than Montreal. shot attempts from their forwards. The Maple Leafs have scored 16 goals on OZW shifts, the Canadiens have scored just 8. On a per 60 basis, Toronto’s scored 4.4 GF/60 to 2.6 So, having worked through this, you’re left with an inference that Toronto GF/60 for the Canadiens. Both teams are high volume shooting teams – and Montreal are approaching these situations somewhat differently. Two Toronto’s 121.1 CF/60 leads the league while Montreal’s 113.8 CF/60 is solitudes, if you will. Somewhat curiously, to me anyway, all of these fourth. As you’d expect, there’s a big shooting percentage difference. extra shots that the Maple Leafs generate relative to the league don’t Toronto’s shooting 7.8 percent on these shifts to 4.9 percent for really result in fewer shot attempts against – they’re just slightly better Montreal. than league average in terms of what they give up after winning an offensive zone faceoff. Montreal’s a little worse but there’s not a ton in it. Shooting percentage plays a big role in observed outcomes and there’s a lot of luck in it but when you look a little deeper into the Maple Leafs and As ever when you do something like this, you’re left with questions about Canadiens, you see some other differences. Montreal’s whole approach tactics vs. talent. I’m inclined to think that there’s a big tactical component to these situations is built around shots from the defence. I’ve put to what we’re seeing. Even if you think that Toronto’s got the best together a graph of the rate at which Toronto and Montreal are forward group in the NHL, which isn’t an unreasonable position to hold, a attempting shots by the D in each second post-faceoff. For the purposes lot of other talented forward groups don’t come remotely close to of comparison, I’ve also included the NHL rate. Toronto’s shot attempt production. Winnipeg and Calgary, in particular, have talented groups; they’re getting much less in the way of attempts The Canadiens love the point shot. So far this year, in the first seven from their forwards after offensive zone wins than the Maple Leafs. seconds after an offensive zone faceoff win, Montreal’s defencemen have attempted 41 more shots than the typical NHL team’s defencemen There’s one other particularly interesting angle here. You can organize would in the same amount of time. Three teams really stand out from the the OZW shifts into three types: OZW shifts without any shot attempts, rest of the league in pursuing that approach. OZW shifts with an attempt from a defenceman within seven seconds and OZW shifts without an attempt from a defenceman within seven Baseball analyst Bill James once wrote about how numbers in baseball seconds, but with at least one shot attempt. have acquired the power of language, in that you can look at a stat line and kind of imagine what a baseball player looks like. A first baseman Toronto and Montreal are actually strikingly similar when it comes to the who strikes out a lot, hits a lot of doubles and home runs, and rarely first set of shifts. Toronto’s generated no attempts on 31.6 percent of the steals a base? Your mind will imagine a big burly guy. When you look at OZW wins, Montreal on 32 percent. Montreal is much more likely than the data in the last two graphs, it’s pretty easy to imagine Montreal, San Toronto to have a shift on which they attempt a shot attempt from a Jose and Ottawa really letting their defencemen blast away when they defenceman within seven seconds – for the Canadiens, that number is win the offensive zone faceoff. Which isn’t to say that Toronto’s 33.1 percent and for Toronto it’s 25 percent. Intriguingly, the two teams defencemen don’t shoot (they do), but they’re much more in line with are otherwise pretty similar on those shifts – they both generate around league norms than the Canadiens, Sharks and Senators. 200 shot attempts per 60 on OZW shifts with an early shot attempt from a defenceman. Montreal’s scored 3.3 GF/60 and Toronto’s scored 3.9 Incidentally, the Senators and Sharks have been ok — “just ok” as a wise GF/60. Given the relatively small amount of time we’re dealing with, man once said — at scoring goals in these situations. Watching the those numbers are about as similar as they could be. video, Ottawa’s had a lot of pucks that have just seemed to magically find their way through from the point. San Jose’s situation is quite something. What you’re left with are the shifts that result in a shot attempt but don’t The Sharks let their defencemen shoot like crazy, have scored 16 goals feature one from a defenceman within seven seconds. Here’s where on OZW shifts (tied for seventh in the NHL) and have a GF/60 that ranks Toronto is crushing Montreal. 43.4 percent of Toronto’s OZW shifts are of 14th in the NHL. They also don’t have a goal from a defenceman on an this type compared to just 34.7 percent for Montreal. The Maple Leafs OZW shift. The defencemen are putting the puck into the mixer but the attempt a ton of shots on these shifts too. Toronto’s 174.8 CF/60 on forwards are making it happen for the Sharks. these shifts is second in the NHL and they’re one of only three teams to top 160 CF/60. So Toronto shoots a lot but isn’t particularly impressive when it comes generating attempts from their forwards. Unless they’re running things So if you’re interested in the bigger picture as to why the Maple Leafs through Frederik Andersen and Garrett Sparks, that leaves one source of produce more on these shifts than Montreal despite both teams shot attempts. Sure enough, Toronto’s forwards are generating a lot generating a lot of shots, you can start to see an alternative answer to compared to the typical team. “shooting percentage luck” when you push a little deeper in. Even though Montreal’s close in terms of the overall shot volume that they’re If you think in hockey terms, it’ll make sense to you that an advantage in generating, they push a lot more of it through the defence than the Maple shot attempts from forwards might take longer to build after an OZW. If Leafs. Claude Julien’s done an incredible job this year – he’ll likely be a you’re going to have your defencemen bomb away, it’s pretty finalist for the Jack Adams Trophy – but there’s probably something straightforward: You win the puck back to the point and they rip it. If you worth exploring here for the Canadiens. Come the spring, every small want to try and generate shots from your forwards, it’s more complex. edge that can be exploited matters. Maybe you’re playing for rebound shots but you might also be using your defencemen more to create some space with movement, pass it to a foward and let them go to work. That takes time. The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 Sure enough, Toronto’s advantage in shot attempts from a forward plays out over a longer time frame than Montreal’s edge in shot attempts from 1129996 Nashville Predators

Blues top Predators for fifth straight win

Paul Skrbina, Nashville Tennessean Published 3:39 p.m. CT Feb. 9, 2019 | Updated 4:28 p.m. CT Feb. 9, 2019

ST. LOUIS — There was no love and no gloves Saturday when the Predators faced the Blues at Enterprise Center. Nashville forward Cody McLeod dropped his gloves and tangled with St. Louis tough guy Pat Maroon for a good minute just two minutes into their afternoon matchup, the first of a home-and-home, back-to-back between the Central Division rivals. The Blues won round one 3-2, a scuffle-filled affair that featured goals from Vince Dunn, Vladimir Tarasenko and MacKenzie MacEachern. It was the Blues' fifth consecutive victory, extending their season-high streak. The Predators had won two in row and five of six. Dunn landed the first shot when he rebounded his own shot past Pekka Rinne 4:37 into the first for a 1-0 lead. Tarasenko extended his point streak to seven games with 1:15 left in the period when he scored to make it 2-0. Mattias Ekholm's power-play goal at 7:28 of the second gave the Predators brief hope. But MacEachern made it 3-1, as the Preds were outshot 18-7 in the period. Ryan Johansen made it 3-2 with 1:15 left in the third. Big number: 7. Times in seven tries going into Saturday the Predators earned at least a point in the first game of a back-to-back. They were 4- 0-3. Notable: Predators forward Rocco Grimaldi was a healthy scratch for the second straight game Saturday. Quotable: "I like the standard everyone is held to. Good is not good enough and we’re striving for better and better. It’s a fun group; these guys are pretty loose. Obviously, they take their job seriously though." -- new Predator Brian Boyle.

Tennessean LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129997 New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils vs. Minnesota Wild: LIVE score updates and chat (2/9/19)

Updated February 9, 2019 at 12:46 PM; Posted February 9, 2019 at 12:45 PM By Chris Ryan [email protected] NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Cory Schneider, Joey Anderson, , Kyle Palmieri and the New Jersey Devils will play the third game of a four-game home stand when they host the Minnesota Wild for the teams' first meeting of the season at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark. Schneider will make his second straight start in goal after losing a 2-1 shootout against the Islanders on Thursday. Anderson will play his first game since breaking his ankle in November.

Star Ledger LOADED: 02.10.2019 1129998 New Jersey Devils action is good sometimes, it keeps you in it. But part of the process is getting your legs back and trying to play a heavier workload.”

3 takeaways from NJ Devils' loss to Wild: Penalties adding up for penalty killers Bergen Record LOADED: 02.10.2019

Abbey Mastracco, NHL writer Published 5:51 p.m. ET Feb. 9, 2019

NEWARK – The Devils may have one of the best penalty kills in the NHL but when their key penalty killers are taking penalties on a near-nightly basis it can be challenging. In New Jersey’s 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday at Prudential Center, Zach Parise scored a power play goal 10 seconds after Ben Lovejoy caught Jason Zucker with a high stick. Blake Coleman took a penalty in his fifth straight game.

There are a few things to take away from Saturday’s game but this one may be the biggest. Coleman has his doubts about the legitimacy of some of the penalties he’s taken in the last five games but he knows he's made a few effort- based mistakes. The fiery forward has always been able to effectively toe the line between playing with an edge and going over it, always able to keep his emotions in check before things boil over. Third straight loss: Devils fall to Wild as Cory Schneider waits for first win since 2017 Right now, Coleman is admittedly operating on tired legs and the penalties have been a result of reacting to plays instead of being ahead of them. “I’m chasing the game more than I have all season right now,” he said. “I’ve had a little less jump in my legs this last week or so here. I’ve got to find that pop again. When you’re feeling a step behind you tend to reach and use your stick a little more than you would have if you’re skating. That’s my focus right now is getting back to the way I was playing.” Coach John Hynes is also dubious of some of those penalties but he can’t say he didn’t see this coming. Coleman had a five-game point streak and points in six of his last eight games before the bye week. But since then the Devils have lost even more bodies due to injuries and trades and Coleman has been forced into a bigger role. The increased ice time may have also increased his fatigue. This lack of production is exactly why the Devils have avoided putting Coleman on the penalty kill this season. “A month or two months ago there was an outcry for Coleman to be on the power play,” Hynes said. “But when players are playing the right roles in those situations, that’s when they can continue to thrive.” But New Jersey’s roster is so depleted right now they have veteran Drew Stafford playing on the second power play unit. They Devils need Coleman on the power play right now but they don't want those minutes to come at a detriment to one of their best forwards. “Sometimes when guys get in those situations, they lose their way a bit,” Hynes said. “He needs to pay a certain style of game for him to be able to have success. And that’s what happens. Just because a player happens to be scoring goals at a particular time in the year, you don’t take them out of what they’re real good at.” Feb 9, 2019; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider (35) makes a save during the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Prudential Center. Grading Schneider Schneider did little to lower his GAA but the stats aren’t as important as other aspects of his game right now. While Hynes said he played a solid game, Schneider himself said he was good but not great. It’s clear the veteran goalie is still easing his way into a heavier workload after an injury-riddled few years. “It’s good to play two in three days like this and I think my body felt better than it did the other night. I was pretty sore and pretty tired after,” he said. “I feel in shape, it’s just getting back into that game shape. More 1129999 New Jersey Devils Feb 9, 2019; Newark, NJ, USA; Minnesota Wild center Luke Kunin (19) looks for the puck after a save by New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider (35) during the first period at Prudential Center. Devils fall to Wild for 3rd straight loss as Cory Schneider waits for first The team has dropped its last three in Newark (0-2-1) with one more win since 2017 chance to salvage this homestand Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Abbey Mastracco, NHL writer Notes Published 3:49 p.m. ET Feb. 9, 2019 | Updated 4:45 p.m. ET Feb. 9, John Hynes coached in his 300th NHL game. He remains second all-time 2019 on the Devils’ list behind . … Prior to the game, the Devils placed forward Miles Wood on injured reserve and recalled forward Nick Lappin and defenseman Ryan Murphy from Binghamton of the American Hockey League. Both were healthy scratches, along with NEWARK — Twice during this four-game homestand, former Devils stars Steven Santini. … Right wing Joey Anderson was activated from IR and have come into the Rock and scored against their old team. slotted in on the second line with and Blake Coleman. … Keith Kinkaid is slated to start in net for New Jersey on Sunday. Zach Parise hasn’t even played for the Devils for seven seasons but fans remain bitter over his decision to sign a free agent contract with the Minnesota Wild after the team fell to the Los Angeles Kings in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. He gave them fuel for the fire on Saturday afternoon Bergen Record LOADED: 02.10.2019 with a second-period power play goal that helped the Wild defeat the Devils 4-2 at Prudential Center. That other player who spurned the Devils? That was Ilya Kovalchuk, also a member of that 2012 team, who came into New Jersey earlier in the week with his new team: The Kings. It all comes full circle, doesn’t it? Feb 9, 2019; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider (35) spits water during a break in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Prudential Center. "I was expecting the boos," Parise said. "But from what I heard, it wasn't as bad as Kovy the other night." Cory Schneider continues to search for his first regular season NHL win since Dec. 27, 2017, after this latest loss. The injury-depleted Devils (20- 26-8, 48 points) opened up to a 1-0 start when Brett Seney snapped one past Minnesota (27-23-5, 59 points) goaltender Devan Dubynk 6:57 into play for his fifth NHL goal. But around the 12-minute mark, Schneider lost his stick in traffic and 19 seconds later Marcus Foligno took advantage when he banked a shot off the crossbar and over Schneider off the wraparound. "When you look at a couple of the goals they scored, they were in and around the net-front," coach John Hynes said. "That was something we had talked quite a bit about. It was one of our game keys." Feb 9, 2019; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils left wing Brett Seney (43) celebrates after scoring a goal during the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Prudential Center. They failed to key in on Parise in the second period when he was positioned right in front of the net. Parise, the Devils first-round pick in the 2003 draft, was able to redirect Ryan Suter's shot on the power play to put the Wild up 2-1. Later in the period, Schneider stopped a point shot from Jonas Brodin but Joel Eriksson Ek caught the rebound on his stick and batted it past a diving Schneider. Jesper Bratt briefly gave the Devils hope in the third when he cut through the slot and slid the puck around Dubnyk to cut the lead to 3-2 a few seconds before the four-minute mark of the period. But a few minutes later, Luke Kunin caught an errant clearing attempt in the neutral zone when the puck took an odd bounce. He took it the other way, beat his defenseman to the left circle and snapped it past Schneider for Minnesota’s fourth and final goal. Feb 9, 2019; Newark, NJ, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Foligno (17) and New Jersey Devils right wing Kurtis Gabriel (39) fight during the second period at Prudential Center. “I felt good tonight aside from that last one,” Schneider said. “That’s on me. I have to get that one out of my game. But otherwise, they had some good looks, timing in the zone and scrambles and things like that. It was a little bit different from the game the other night.” Schneider, in his 11th start of the season, stopped 29 of 33 shots. "When you look at his game overall, he made some good saves and gave us an opportunity to be able to win the game," Hynes said. "It's good to see him continuing to progress to look like the goalie we need him to be." 1130000 New Jersey Devils

Ariana Grande braved being struck by two hockey pucks as a kid and this is the 'cutie' pic to prove it

By MARK FISCHER FEB 10, 2019 | 1:05 AM

The NHL first taught Ariana Grande love, patience and pain. Hockey historian Mike Commito sent Twitter ablaze on Saturday when he uncovered a 21-year-old article from the Sun Sentinel featuring a beaming five-year-old Ariana Grande-Butera, clad in a Panthers red jersey, riding the ‘ole Zamboni at a home game. But that’s barely breaking the ice. The 1998 story, headlined “Boca kid gets a puck and ice,” reads: “A real cutie in her red Panthers jersey, tiny Ariana Grande-Butera attracts plenty of attention when she sits in the first row behind the penalty box. Attention from the officials, from the players, from fellow Panther fans. Ariana Grande. See the newspaper clipping below. But the 5-year-old Boca Raton kid, who has gone to just about every home game since she turned 2, also attracts pucks. Yep. Hockey pucks. At last night's historic Panther home opener in the squeaky-new arena, her mom, Joan Grande-Butera, was telling Insider about a game last January when her daughter was hit in the right wrist by an errant Gord Murphy shot when — believe it or not — she was hit again. This time by a puck fired by an unidentified Tampa Bay player.” It turns out Grande reveled in packed arenas long before she turned into the mega-pop star you’ll likely see take home a Grammy on Sunday. And, in the hockey spirit, it only took a quick trip to the medics and an ice pack to get Grande back in action. Ariana Grande, circa 1998. Ariana Grande, circa 1998. (Sun Sentinel) "What are the odds of this happening," her dad, Edward, told the newspaper at the time. The celeb’s mother, Joan, said they shelled out $200 to hitch a ride in the ice-smoothing machine. And Joan had the purest response to the photo being broadcast all over social media, tweeting, “how cute is she??? this was the second time she got hit actually, right before the zamboni ride... but she was amazingly brave even then and wouldn't miss the ride.... proud of her then and now.. and honestly I still have that article on my refrigerator at my office..” Hopefully Grande doesn’t suffer a hat trick.

New York Daily News LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130001 New Jersey Devils

Ex-Devil Parise scores go-ahead goal as Wild snap losing streak, beat New Jersey 4-2

Staff Report THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | FEB 09, 2019 | 5:25 PM

NEWARK, N.J. — Former Devil Zach Parise scored the go-ahead goal, and the Minnesota Wild snapped a four-game losing streak and gave coach Bruce Boudreau something to smile about in his 900th NHL game with a 4-2 victory over New Jersey on Saturday. The third line of Marcus Foligno, Joel Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin all scored for the Wild, who are clinging to a wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference. Devan Dubnyk made 16 saves in winning for the first time in four starts. Brett Seney and Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils, who have lost the first three on a four-game homestand. Cory Schneider made 29 saves in his second straight start since an almost two-month stint on injured reserve with an abdominal issue. Parise, who signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 2012 after spending his first seven seasons in New Jersey, gave the Wild a 2-1 lead at 4:34 of the second period, tipping a power-play shot by Ryan Suter past Schneider. Eriksson Ek, who was recalled from Iowa (AHL) on Wednesday after Mikko Koivu suffered a season-ending knee injury, pushed the lead to 3- 1 with 4:53 left in the second period with his second goal in as many games. Schneider made a save on a shot from the point by defenseman Jonas Brodin, but the rebound went right to Eriksson Ek for a shot into an open net. Bratt got the Devils within a goal early in the third period with a backhander in close, but Kunin, a 2015 first-round pick who started the season in Iowa, beat Schneider from the left circle for his second goal of the season. Seney gave New Jersey an early lead with a blast past Dubnyk, but Foligno tied the game at 12:19 of the first period with a backhander into an open net. Schneider was defenseless on the play after losing his stick in a goal-mouth scramble. NOTES: Boudreau is now 530-266-104 in his career with Washington, Anaheim and the Wild. ... John Hynes of the Devils coached his 300th game. ... New Jersey placed F Miles Wood (upper body) on injured reserve, activated F Joey Anderson (broken ankle) off IR and recalled F Nick Lappin and D Ryan Murphy from Binghamton (AHL). Lappin and Murphy were scratched. ... Wild D Greg Pateryn got the primary assist on Foligno's goal. He has two assists in the last three games, and three overall in 54.

New York Daily News LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130002 New Jersey Devils

Familiar face helps send Devils to third straight defeat

Staff Report By Associated Press February 9, 2019 | 4:37PM

Former Devil Zach Parise scored the go-ahead goal, and the Wild snapped a four-game losing streak and gave coach Bruce Boudreau something to smile about in his 900th NHL game with a 4-2 victory over the Devils at Prudential Center on Saturday. The third line of Marcus Foligno, Joel Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin all scored for the Wild, who are clinging to a wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference. Devan Dubnyk made 16 saves in winning for the first time in four starts. “We were looking to snap out of the funk, it’s good to get back in the win column for us with the standings and with losing Mikko we have to find something positive, and today will be the start of playing some better hockey,” said Parise, who gave the Wild the lead for good early in the second period with his 22nd goal. Brett Seney and Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils, who have lost the first three on a four-game homestand. Cory Schneider made 29 saves in his second straight start since an almost two-month stint on injured reserve with an abdominal issue. Parise, who signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 2012 after spending his first seven seasons with the Devils, gave the Wild a 2-1 lead at 4:34 of the second period, tipping a power-play shot by Ryan Suter past Schneider. Eriksson Ek, who was recalled from Iowa (AHL) on Wednesday after Mikko Koivu suffered a season-ending knee injury, pushed the lead to 3- 1 with 4:53 left in the second period with his second goal in as many games. Schneider made a save on a shot from the point by defenseman Jonas Brodin, but the rebound went right to Eriksson Ek for a shot into an open net. Bratt got the Devils within a goal early in the third period with a backhander in close, but Kunin beat Schneider from the left circle for his second goal of the season. “I think Cory played well,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “I think the fourth goal, we would all like to have that one back. I think when you look at his game overall, he made some good saves and gave us an opportunity to win.” Seney gave the Devils an early lead with a blast past Dubnyk, but Foligno tied the game at 12:19 of the first period with a backhander into an open net. Schneider was defenseless on the play after losing his stick in a goal-mouth scramble.

New York Post LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130003 New York Islanders

Islanders rally from 2-0 deficit to beat the Avalanche 4-3 in OT

Staff Report THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | FEB 09, 2019 | 5:05 PM

Ryan Pulock scored his second goal of the game 2:23 into overtime to lift the New York Islanders to a 4-3 victory over the struggling Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist, Josh Bailey also scored and Brock Nelson had two assists for the Islanders. Robin Lehner stopped 25 shots as New York, which began the day two points ahead of Washington atop the Metropolitan Division, won for the eighth time in 11 games (8-1-2). On the winner, Pulock fired a one-timer from the left faceoff circle off a pass from Casey Cizikas for his fifth of the season. Carl Soderberg had a goal and two assists, Erik Johnson had a goal and an assist, and J.T Compher also scored for Colorado, which matched a season high with its sixth straight loss (0-4-2). Semyon Varlamov finished with 37 saves in the Avalanche's 16th loss in 19 games (3-12-4). Tyson Barrie nearly won it for Colorado 15 seconds into overtime, but his shot went off the crossbar. Compher tied it 3-3 with 2:45 remaining when his shot deflected in off the skate of Islanders defenseman Devon Toews. The Islanders had taken their first lead of the game a little more than three minutes earlier with their third straight goal after trailing 2-0 early in the second. Just 5 seconds after Soderberg and New York's Mathew Barzal were sent off for roughing, the Avalanche's Gabriel Landeskog was whistled for hooking to put the Islanders on a 4-on-3 power play. New York took advantage of the open ice 23 seconds in, with Pulock beating Varlamov with a slap shot from the left circle with 6:03 remaining. Bailey tied it 2-2 at 8:03 of the third, putting in the rebound of his own shot after Varlamov stopped the initial attempt. It was Bailey's 12th of the season and first since Jan. 18 against Washington. Johnson pushed the Avalanche's lead to 2-0 at 2:36 of the second. With the teams skating 4-on-4 after a pair of penalties, he got a pass from Soderberg, skated into the offensive zone and cut to the right before firing it into the top left corner for his fifth. Eberle finally got the Islanders on the board with 1:47 left in the middle period. Varlamov stopped Anders Lee's shot from between the circles but was unaware the puck trickled behind him, and Eberle skated in from the left side and knocked it in for his 13th. Lee nearly gave the Islanders the lead in the opening minute of the game from in close on the left side, but Varlamov deflected the puck with his stick. Varlamov also had to make a flurry of saves about eight minutes into the first period to keep the Islanders off the scoreboard. First, he stopped a shot by Pulock from the right circle, then denied Valtteri Filppula's rebound try seconds later. After Mikko Rantanen blocked a shot by Adam Pelech, Varlamov turned away another attempt by Pulock from the right circle. Soderberg then got Colorado on the scoreboard with 9:41 left in the opening period when he knocked in the rebound of Erik Johnson's shot that bounced off the end boards right in front for his 18th. NOTES: Colorado also went 0-4-2 from Dec. 21 to Jan. 2. ... Soderberg has eight goals and four assists in 15 games since Dec. 31. ... Johnson has two goals and two assists in his last three games. ... The Islanders swept the season series after winning the first meeting, 4-1 on Dec. 17 at Denver. ... New York F Cal Clutterbuck sat out with a lower body injury. Tom Kuhnhackl, who sat out the last 14 games since Jan. 3 vs. Chicago, took his place in the lineup. ... Pulock now has six points in his last four games. ... Nelson has points in four straight games, totaling four assists and five points in the stretch.

New York Daily News LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130004 New York Islanders

Islanders need late surge to earn OT win over reeling Avalanche

By Dave Blezow February 9, 2019 | 4:04PM

The Islanders are skating with the big boys now, having entered the weekend in first place in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of coach Barry Trotz’s former team, the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals, with one game in hand. This was not the time and was not the place for a clunker against the reeling Avalanche, who came in tied for last place in the Central Division. Well, a late wake-up call is better than no wake-up call as the Islanders scored four goals in the final 25 minutes to claim a 4-3 overtime victory in front of a matinee crowd of 14,216 on Captain America bobblehead giveaway day. Ryan Pulock’s second goal of the game, a one-time shot off a pass from Casey Cizikas 2:23 into overtime, ended matters. “When you’re up top in your division, you know you have to keep winning because there are teams behind you that are trying to catch us,” Pulock said. “We were down 2-0, but I didn’t think we were playing all that bad. We got that late goal in the second [from Jordan Eberle], which was really big, and we were able to continue to build momentum, get some more zone time and find a way to get it done.” Ryan Pulock Pulock put the Islanders ahead for the first time with a 4-on-3 power-play goal with 6:03 to go in the third. Earlier in the period Matt Martin dove in front of a shot by Nathan MacKinnon that would have hit an empty net after goalie Robin Lehner skated into to the left faceoff circle to retrieve a puck. Josh Bailey tied the score at 2-2 less than two minutes later. But the Islanders were unable to protect the 3-2 lead Pulock had given them. The Avalanche tied it with 2:45 to go when J.T. Compher’s shot bounced off the right skate of defenseman Devon Toews and past Lehner. The Islanders’ big challenge coming into the game was to try to shut down the Avalanche’s monster first line of Mikko Rantanen (third in the NHL in points with 75), MacKinnon (sixth with 73) and Gabriel Landeskog (27th with 56). By comparison, the Islanders’ leading scorer, Mathew Barzal, entered with 48 points. Trotz answered that call largely by matching the Anders Lee-Brock Nelson-Eberle line against Colorado’s big three, with Pulock and Adam Pelech seeing a lot of time against them on defense. “That’s one of the better lines in the game, so it’s important when you’re matching up against them to be hard and keep them to the outside as much as possible,” Pulock said. “I thought [today] we did a pretty good job. We were physical when we needed to be and just tried to take their time and space away.” Rantanen and Landeskog appeared on the scoresheet but only for penalties. Meanwhile, Eberle put the Islanders on the scoreboard with 1:47 to go in the second period when he made a steal in the offensive end and directed a rebound of a Lee shot past Semyon Varlamov. Nelson had two assists, including on the overtime winner. “We don’t really have one line, two lines. The strength’s kind of within the group,” said Eberle, who added an assist on Pulock’s tying goal. “When all four lines are playing well and all ‘D’ pairings, we seem to have success. We have the inner competition of trying to help each other get better and move forward. Those are what good teams are all about.”

New York Post LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130005 New York Islanders

How Matt Martin literally saved the day for the Islanders

By Dave Blezow February 10, 2019 | 2:52am

Islanders coach Barry Trotz declined to say in his pregame comments Saturday which of his two goaltenders would be starting a few hours later against the Avalanche. It was Robin Lehner, with Thomas Greiss backing up. But as it turned out, the biggest save in the Islanders’ 4-3 overtime victory was made by fourth-line left wing Matt Martin. “The turning point was the save that Marty made,” Trotz said. With the Islanders trailing 2-1 6:30 into the third period, Lehner left his net to try to retrieve a puck near the left faceoff circle. He tried to direct the puck into the boards but it was stolen by Mikko Rantanen, who fed Gabriel Landeskog, who then found Nathan MacKinnon alone in the left circle with the net wide open. But then, Martin dove in front of MacKinnon to block the shot, and less than two minutes later, the Islanders tied the game on a goal by Josh Bailey. Trotz defended his goalie’s decision to go out and try to play the puck. “He was trying to make the right play,” Trotz said. “We were getting beat to that puck. He had to come out. It was a good decision. Not every play is going to be executed correctly. “The reason it didn’t end up in the back of our net is because of urgency. It doesn’t happen if Marty takes his time coming back. He was coming back hard because he knew something bad might happen if we didn’t make a play, and that’s effort.” With the Islanders playing another afternoon game Sunday (3 p.m. vs. Minnesota at Barclays Center), Jordan Eberle said he enjoys these matinee engagements. “I’m used to them. We play quite a few so you have to be ready,” said Eberle, who had a goal and an assist against the Avalanche on Saturday. “I love them. You get up, you eat breakfast, you go play hockey and you don’t have to think about it.” More than 300 fans dressed in striped shirts filled two sections of seats on a self-proclaimed Referee Appreciation Day organized on Facebook. They chanted “R-E-F-S, refs, refs, refs” and, “Let’s go Refs” and reacted to routine offsides calls as if they were goals. The Islanders had not trailed after a first or second period since Jan. 8, but did so at both intermissions Saturday. Tom Kuhnhackl played for the first time since Jan. 3, filling in for Cal Clutterbuck on the fourth line and drew praise from Trotz: “He was really good coming back. He was diligent on the puck, diligent in the battle and detailed.”

New York Post LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130006 New York Islanders

Isles defenseman Ryan Pulock ends scoring drought with pair of goals

By Andrew Gross [email protected] @AGrossNewsday Updated February 10, 2019 12:30 AM

Ryan Pulock is hoping there’s more to come. The defenseman’s two goals, first on the power play and then the overtime winner in the Islanders’ 4-3 win over the Avalanche on Saturday at Barclays Center, gave him five for the season. He had gone 15 games without a goal dating to Dec. 31. “It’s been a while since I scored,” said Pulock, who took a game-high eight shots. “Maybe at times I was gripping the stick a little too tight. Hopefully I’ll stay hot.” Pulock has 25 points in 54 games after notching 10 goals and 22 assists in 68 games last season. The Islanders had gone 10 games without getting a goal from any of their defensemen. Cal Clutterbuck was unable to play after exiting Thursday’s 2-1 shootout win in New Jersey in the second period with an unspecified injury. Tom Kuhnhackl took his fourth-line spot and logged 13:11 with one shot, four hits and two blocked shots in his first game since Jan. 3 and third game since Dec. 8. “I thought he was really good coming back,” coach Barry Trotz said. “He was diligent on the puck, diligent in the battle and detailed.” Isles files C Brock Nelson had two assists to match his season high with a four- game point streak. He has one goal and four assists in that span . . . The Isles became the sixth team in the NHL to reach 70 points. Last season, they finished with 80 points. They are three victories short of matching their 35 wins from last season . . . Pulock on LW Matt Martin’s game- saving blocked shot in the third period: “There’s a lot of desperation for him to lay down. Guys have been doing it all year, laying down, putting their bodies on the line, doing whatever they can to keep it out. It’s what makes us successful.” . . . D Luca Sbisa and LW Ross Johnston were the healthy scratches.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130007 New York Islanders The Islanders also have become much more adept at defensive-zone rotations. For instance, when the center pursues the puck into a corner, one of the wings will take over his defensive spot, rather than using the How Barry Trotz, Lou Lamoriello transformed Islanders' defense from more static alignment from last season. worst to best “They protect the inside of the ice really well,” said defenseman Dan Girardi, whose Lightning lost Games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference finals to Trotz’s Capitals by an aggregate 7-0. “They’re making you shoot Staff Report it through three guys or make a few plays and hopefully open them up. But they’re not giving up a lot.” Updated February 10, 2019 1:50 AM The Islanders are getting solid goaltending from Robin Lehner (16-8-4, 2.02 goals-against average, .932 save percentage entering Saturday) and Greiss (15-8-2, 2.33, .926 entering Saturday). But it goes hand-in- It’s not complicated, really, to explain the Islanders’ rapid defensive hand. The goalies are prospering behind the improved defensive play. transformation from NHL-worst to stingiest in the league. But their improvement has exceeded any expectation that president and general Greiss explained it this way: Last season, he would need to make four or manager Lou Lamoriello and coach Barry Trotz created by proclaiming five reads on the opponent’s different options as they rushed up the ice. that this would be a relatively easy fix. This season, he needs to make only one or two reads on a particular play. X’s and O’s play a part, for sure, as opponents find little ice space in which to operate. In simple terms, the Islanders play in tight formation “As a goalie, it makes a world of difference,” said former Islanders near their crease, keeping opponents to the outside and limiting cross-ice netminder Marty Biron, an analyst for the NHL and MSG Networks. “I passes and rebound chances. That foundation has put them in strong don’t see the Islanders circling as much as other teams do. Some teams, position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. their defensemen chase all the way to the blue line. Early in the shift, when there’s more energy, they may be jumping pucks and covering your But if it were that easy, Doug Weight still might be coaching them. man. But after 10, 15 seconds, it’s a zone [defense] and ‘let’s defend the No, the master stroke from Trotz and his staff was getting these Islanders middle of the zone.’ ” — 17 players are back from last season’s defensive wreck — to But the defensive improvement is not limited to the Islanders’ zone. They immediately buy into the attention to detail needed for the new mindset. also have become stingier in the neutral zone and more assertive with “My observation of them last year was they created a lot offensively, but their forecheck. it just seemed like they left [goalies] Jaroslav Halak or Thomas Greiss out “In the neutral zone, they do the 2-3 and they send both their wingers to dry a lot of times,” said an NHL scout who requested anonymity. “The and then kind of lock on to their guys,” Kings left wing Carl Hagelin word was it was a pretty relaxed atmosphere in the room and in practice added. “They play pretty tight so you don’t have a lot of room. That’s and there wasn’t much focus on the defensive side of play, and it what they’re really good at.” showed. Kings interim coach Willie Desjardins said Trotz’s ability to consistently “Barry Trotz, with how he coaches with the details and emphasizes roll four lines — Trotz rarely looks to match lines, instead trusting that all defensive play, it clearly shows in the results now,” the scout added. “It’s can handle whatever defensive assignment is required — also is a matter of details defensively and holding players accountable and beneficial. making sure they know their responsibilities.” “When you have less minutes, it makes you a little fresher on the ice, so I The Islanders have allowed a league-low 132 goals in 54 games, putting think it helps at both ends of the rink,” Desjardins said. “You get back into them on pace to give up 200 in 82 games. Last season, they gave up your structure quicker.” 293 goals, the most in the NHL since 2007. It’s a similar turnaround to the one Trotz — who led the Capitals to the In five-on-five play, entering Saturday, the Islanders were seventh in the Stanley Cup last season — engineered in his first season in Washington league with 23.7 shots allowed per game, according to in 2014-15. The Caps were eighth in the NHL in allowing 21.7 shots per NaturalStatTrick.com, after ranking 30th last season at 27.8. They also game five-on-five and 11th in giving up 1.6 goals per game five-on-five were leading the league in giving up 1.5 goals per game in five-on-five after their respective numbers the previous season were 24.8 (25th in the play after finishing 30th last season at 2.3. NHL) and 1.9 (21st). “It just tells you their top guys take a lot of pride in playing both ends of In both spots, Trotz found players frustrated with a lack of success and the ice,” said the Kings’ Drew Doughty, who won the Norris Trophy in eager for direction. 2016 as the NHL’s top defenseman. “They’re not just cheating for offense. They’re looking to play good defense and then create offense The Islanders’ players also were motivated by doom-and-gloom when they get down there.” predictions about life after former captain John Tavares left for the Maple Leafs via free agency. “If you look at their defense corps, they have the guys,” Devils coach John Hynes added, citing defensemen Johnny Boychuk, Scott Mayfield, “I saw a hungry group of young men,” Trotz said. “I had a group focused Nick Leddy and Ryan Pulock, in particular, plus the offseason on trying to rectify some of the things that went on in the summer. You acquisitions of forwards Valtteri Filppula, Leo Komarov and Matt Martin. lose a guy like John Tavares, a lot of people put doubt on the New York “They’re big. They’re physical. They can skate. If you’re Lou and Barry Islanders. The players recognized we’re going to be OK. You don’t win and you come in and ask, ‘Can we be better defensively? Do we have with one player.” the horses to be able to do it?’ They had the horses. Then you come into the buy-in and the enforcement of the commitment to defend.” To fully understand the defensive system Trotz is using with the Islanders Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 02.10.2019 and, before that, with the Capitals and Predators, draw an imaginary line from the goal crease to the right faceoff dot, across the hashmarks to the opposite dot and then back to the crease to create a triangular “home plate.” All five defenders are supposed to have their skates in that area, the defensemen low by the crease, the wings up near the faceoff circles and the center active in pursuing the play, going either side to side or coming up high. Now draw an imaginary line down the center of the rink, from crease to crease. The defensive concept is to not let opponents pass the puck from one side of the line to the other. This is the “Royal Road” championed by former Islanders goalie Stephen Valiquette, now an analyst for MSG Network as well as the founder of Clear Sight Analytics. One of Valiquette’s analytical insights is that the puck crossing the “Royal Road” immediately preceding a shot increases the shooter’s scoring opportunity by more than 10 times. 1130008 New York Islanders Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 02.10.2019 Matt Martin's hustle play illustrates why Islanders are on top

Matt Martin of the Islanders checks Matt Calvert Updated February 10, 2019 12:28 AM

Matt Martin was not one of the official “” Saturday in the Islanders’ 4-3 overtime victory over the Avalanche at Barclays Center. He did not record a goal or an assist. He did not have so much as a shot on goal. Of the 16 boxes across from his name on the statistics sheet, 14 were blank. His only credits were six hits — his specialty, which led both teams — and a single blocked shot. But that one block was the biggest play of the afternoon, and a tidy illustration of the Islanders’ unlikely rise to the top of the Metropolitan Division. Coach Barry Trotz later called it “the TSN Turning Point,” referencing the Canadian TV network’s term for a pivotal moment. It came with 13 ½ minutes left in regulation in a game the Islanders trailed 2-1. Goaltender Robin Lehner came far out of his crease to try to beat the Avalanche to the puck, but Mikko Rantanen kept it in the zone. With the net unattended, Johnny Boychuk scrambled to take Lehner’s place. Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog saw Boychuk there and slid the puck to Nathan MacKinnon, who was coming down the left wing. It was then that Martin, tiring badly near the end of a shift, charged into the picture. He dived at the puck, poking it away from MacKinnon and out of harm’s way. About 90 seconds later, Josh Bailey scored to tie it. “The reason it didn’t end up in the back of the net was because of urgency and work ethic coming back,” Trotz said. “It doesn’t happen if Marty sort of takes his time getting back. He was coming back because he knew that something bad might happen if we didn’t make a play. That’s effort.” Before he had had time to watch a replay, Martin thought it was Nick Leddy who was covering for Lehner. At the time, he had more pressing issues to worry about than the identity of the maskless Islander in goal. “You just try to sort it out as fast as possible in your mind,” he said. “Obviously, it happened pretty quick . . . MacKinnon kind of opened up on the back door, so it was a pretty easy decision to go for him when I saw the ‘d’ man playing the shot. Luckily, I was able to get back in time.” Martin, a fan favorite during his original seven seasons as an Islander, has picked up where he left off after spending two seasons with the Maple Leafs. He credited the fans with an assist on Saturday. It was an unusually large crowd for a Barclays game; 14,216 showed up on Captain America bobblehead day. “We feed off their energy,” Martin said. “They’re great fans, and for our [fourth] line especially, we feed off that crowd. It was great to have them involved.” This is setting up to be an interesting spring for Martin. He turns 30 in May, around the time he hopes to help the Islanders mount a postseason run, and in early summer, he is to wed Sydney Esiason, daughter of WFAN host (and avid Rangers fan) Boomer. In the meantime, he vowed that neither he nor the team will allow a February doldrums letdown. “Things are going well for us and we’re playing some good hockey,” Martin said. “This is no time to have those dog days. You can’t get comfortable. You just have to continue to pile up points.” Is he having as much fun as he ever has as an Islander at this time of year? “Absolutely,” he said. “I think everyone is. I think everyone feels like they’re a big part of what’s going on around there. We do it by committee . . . We always talk about it being a family, but it really is in here, and a brotherhood. Guys are battling for one another.” And, when necessary, diving. 1130009 New York Islanders

Islanders announcer Chris King returns to booth after streak ends

By Neil Best [email protected] @sportswatch Updated February 9, 2019 7:17 PM

Chris King was not sure what was wrong when he felt tightness in his chest on Thursday morning, but he was sure about not taking any chances — not after his father and his father’s father died of heart attacks. So the Islanders’ radio play-by-play man went to the emergency room at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip for a series of tests, all of which provided good news. One problem: He was advised to stay for another round of tests, six hours later. “That’s when I realized I wasn’t going to make the game [against the Devils in Newark],” he said. King recalled the episode before Saturday’s game against the Avalanche at Barclays Center, when he began a new games-worked streak. Thursday marked the first broadcast he had missed because of illness or injury in 25 years on Islanders radio. But for King, it was “an easy decision” when he was faced with putting at risk his future with his wife, Beth, and children Maggie, 15, and Connor, 12. “The streak didn’t really play into it,” he said. “It was knowing that my wife and children need me a lot more than any game coverage.” The only other time King has missed work on a game day in 25 years was three games in late November 2009, when his father died. “I’ve been very sick and fought through it,” he said. “Believe me, there are a lot of games I probably shouldn’t have been at, but I found a way through.” This was different. He visited his cardiologist for further tests on Friday and is due back for more in the coming weeks. But so far, so good. King watched MSG Plus’ pregame show at the hospital, then listened to the Islanders’ radio coverage on the way home. It featured his partner, Greg Picker, alongside Hofstra student Kenny Conrade, filling in for King. When he got home, he watched on TV while alternating audio among MSG Plus, the Islanders’ broadcast and the Devils’ broadcast, which that night featured guest announcers Gregg Giannotti and Boomer Esiason of WFAN. King went to East Islip High School with Esiason. “It was very strange,” King said. “It was a unique experience to be able to watch the game on MSG Plus and see the great job they do, which I never see, listen to my own broadcast, which I wasn’t on, which was surreal, then to have Boomer, who I grew up with, doing the game with Gio. “It was probably the perfect night to have it happen, if you will, in that I could sit there and rotate through the three audio sources in my bedroom as I watched it on TV.” King, 57, urged everyone to have potential symptoms checked out. His doctor told him 10 percent of people who have heart attacks do not know they had one. He expressed gratitude for the outpouring of concern and well wishes from the hockey world and its fans. “The reason I have a job is people like to listen to Islanders hockey,” he said. “The fans] mean everything to me . . . It makes you realize how much people value the work that you do, and it was a great feeling, it really was.”

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130010 New York Islanders

Ryan Pulock scores in overtime as Islanders rally to beat Avalanche

By Andrew Gross [email protected] @AGrossNewsday Updated February 9, 2019 11:35 PM

The Islanders, for the most part, have not made a habit of trailing in games. Yet when they’ve found themselves playing from behind, they’ve proved adept at overcoming those deficits, as they did on Saturday afternoon. Defenseman Ryan Pulock’s second goal gave the Islanders a 4-3 overtime win over the Avalanche before a crowd of 14,216 at Barclays Center. Colorado scored the first two goals of the game, but the last five times the Islanders have fallen behind 2-0, they have come back to win. “Getting down early like that, it’s never easy,” Casey Cizikas said. “We’ve shown it all year. There’s no quit in this group. We just keep rolling.” The Islanders’ one-goal deficit after the first period marked the first time since Jan. 8 that they had trailed at a break. They had led or been tied going into 24 straight intermissions. It was the third straight game in which they allowed the first goal. “We’ve been able to just not get away from our game, up or down,” coach Barry Trotz said. “If you just stay with our game, it allows you to get back in the game, or for someone not to pull away. “I think we’re learning to just play Islander hockey.” Pulock’s one-timer off Cizikas’ feed and Brock Nelson’s strong stickhandling work won it at 2:23 of the three-on-three overtime. “We kind of dug ourselves a hole to start,” Pulock said. “We didn’t go into a shell. We just kept playing and found a way to get it done.” The Metropolitan Division-leading Islanders (32-16-6), who got 25 saves from Robin Lehner and a game-saving blocked shot from Matt Martin, have won three of four and are 8-1-2 since Jan. 13. Semyon Varlamov made 37 saves for the Avalanche (22-22-10). Pulock’s four-on-three power-play goal at 13:57 of the third period put the Islanders ahead 3-2, but J.T. Compher banked in a backhander off defenseman Devon Toews’ skate to tie it at 3-3 with 2:45 left in regulation. Jordan Eberle scored a crucial goal at 18:13 of the second period to bring the Islanders within 2-1, stuffing in the rebound of Anders Lee’s shot from the slot. The Islanders’ top line of Lee, Eberle and Nelson, which had scored only one five-on-five goal in the previous seven games, totaled 11 shots. Eberle notched his first five-on-five goal in nine games. “It makes a huge difference,” Cizikas said. “You see the momentum we gained after that goal, the way we finished the period and it led into the third. We were relentless, line after line. That’s just a big goal.” “You feel like you’re playing OK and creating chances but the puck is not going in,” Eberle added. “You get frustrated. Breaking through at the end of the second was big there.” Josh Bailey’s backhander at the crease tied the score at 2 at 8:03 of the third period, but it wouldn’t have been the equalizer if not for Martin’s diving blocked shot on Nathan MacKinnon in the left circle at 6:38 of the third period. Lehner had ventured out to the right boards to clear the puck off an awkward line shift with Cizikas going off and Nelson coming on the ice. But the goalie got caught too far out of his crease as the Avalanche attacked. “I saw we had guys back,” Cizikas said. “I was changing when I saw get turned over. I was kind of upset at myself to put Nellie in that spot going out there. But Marty made a heck of a play coming back and sacrificing himself and stopping a goal.”

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130011 New York Rangers “Today’s players, to me, are not engaged in the game as much,” Keenan said at the Garden on Friday in advance of the Blueshirts’ 25-year Stanley Cup reunion. “It’s not as compelling, and maybe that’s part of Caps and restrictions are not needed for every little ‘loophole’ what has transpired with the mentality of the new player coupled with the change in the rules.

“The athlete today is well-tuned, well-trained, well-conditioned [but] I’m By Larry Brooks not sure if they have the mental skills or toughness that the [1994 Rangers] had, or Vancouver.” February 10, 2019 | 1:11am Mike Richter had just six seasons in which he played 50 games or more. He did not play in an NHL playoff game after the age of 30. But at his peak, he was Hall of Fame worthy. Indeed, Richter may have delivered There they go again. the three most dominant, big-game periods of hockey within a three-year The owners, management people, compliant messengers in my stretch I can recall. business, there they go again throwing around the term “loophole” to The first was the second period of Game 6 in New Jersey in the 1994 define a business practice permissible under the collective bargaining semis, when Richter made a half-dozen spectacular saves to keep the agreement used by wealthy team ownership to sign a player. Devils’ lead at 2-0 and allowed the Rangers to buy time to figure how to There they went again, whining when the Maple Leafs’ five-year, $58.17 prevent Mark Messier’s guarantee from devolving into parody. million second contract to Auston Matthews featured $54.52 million in The second was the first period of the decisive Game 3 that stretched bonuses, or 93.725 percent of the total. And this just months after into the midway point of the second of the 1996 World Cup in Montreal, Toronto brought home 2018 free agent John Tavares with a seven-year, where Team USA was outshot 27-8 by Team Canada but maintained a $77 million contract containing $70.89 million in bonuses, or 92.06 1-0 lead until the final minute in the match the Yanks would ultimately win percent of the sum. 5-2. In the wake of the Matthews signing, calls have been renewed for the The third was the first period of Game 2 of the 1997 conference semis at NHL to place a cap on the amount/percentage of bonuses within the Meadowlands, where the Rangers, who had lost Game 1, were contracts, perhaps at 25 or 50 percent, on top of all of the other outshot 16-4 by the Devils yet led 1-0 en route to a 2-0 victory to tie the restrictive caps within the league’s unyielding system. It would be no series the Blueshirts would win in five. surprise to see the league include this in its proposal for a new CBA. If this were the mid-’90s, and your team was playing a big game, Richter But for goodness sakes, what the Leafs did with Matthews and Tavares was your goalie. Richter was your man. — and no doubt will do with Mitch Marner when the impending Group II free agent signs his new deal — is no “loophole.” So people should stop calling it one. New York Post LOADED: 02.10.2019 The front-loaded, long-term contract was never a “loophole” either, yet it was categorized and demonized as such once the Devils signed Ilya Kovalchuk to that 15-year, $100 million contract in 2010. A circumvention charge was upheld by a systems arbitrator and the front-loaded contract was not only eliminated under the CBA that followed the 2012-13 Owners’ Lockout III, but retroactive penalties were authorized against teams who previously had signed players using that perfectly legal approach. That’s the power of shouting “Loophole!” in a crowded movie theatre. You know how the debate whether to exercise the 5 percent escalator clause creates a division within the NHLPA between those players on long-term deals who are most concerned about controlling escrow losses and those coming up on new contracts who are most concerned with creation of additional cap space? All the NHL would have to do to create a civil war within the union is to include a cap on second contracts within its wish list for the new CBA, because the number of players on entry-level contracts who would be affected by the new regulation would be comparatively small. The overwhelming majority of members are already on second, third, fourth and fifth contracts. As such, if second contracts are capped, that would leave considerably more available under the cap for every older veteran in the NHL. Never forget this: The more money one player earns under this insidious hard cap system, the less that is available to everyone else, either because of cap space or escrow. Indeed, Slap Shots has been told by several individuals familiar with the bargaining process that the league has considered presenting such a request/demand, though there has yet been no hint of that during the preliminary talks between the interested parties. A year ago, the Predators ruled 2017 first-round winger Eeli Tolvanen off- limits in trade talks following the teenaged Finn’s breakout Olympics. They had seemed willing to consider the possibility of sending Tolvanen to the Rangers in a rental deal for Rick Nash, but placed the winger under quarantine following the Pyeongchang Games. Now, though, we are told Tolvanen is being used as bait while the Predators, who have already obtained bottom-sixers Brian Boyle and Cody McLeod, hunt big game of the Artemi Panarin-Mark Stone variety. Tolvanen for Mats Zuccarello? Not likely. So was asked how he compares the current game to the one in 1994, and the guy with the moniker “Iron” as the first part of his nickname answered pretty much as you could infer. Political correctness has never been a big part of the coach’s résumé. 1130012 New York Rangers New York Post LOADED: 02.10.2019

The trade-deadline deal Rangers are still reaping the benefits of

By Brett Cyrgalis February 9, 2019 | 4:20PM

As the Rangers’ front office prepares to wheel and deal before the Feb. 25 trade deadline it doesn’t have to look too far to be reminded of one move that is paying high dividends. That would be the swap that sent Derick Brassard to Ottawa in a deal that brought back in the summer of 2016. At the time, it was partially about getting younger — Zibanejad 23 at the time and Brassard 29. It was also about saving cap space, with Brassard about to start the third year of his five-year, $25 million deal while Zibanejad had one year left at $2.625 million before reaching restricted free agency. Since, Zibanejad has emerged into a legitimate top-line center and earned his five-year, $26.75 million deal he signed before the 2017-18 season. Brassard had a short run with the Senators before he was shipped off to the Penguins in the summer of 2017, and just two weeks ago was sent to the Panthers. There is a chance he could get flipped again — possibly going back to Columbus, from whence he came in that blockbuster deal that had the Rangers send Marian Gaborik to the Blue Jackets. But with all those machinations, Zibanejad is beginning to really thrive in the Broadway spotlight. He has 22 goals and a team-leading 53 points in 54 games this season, the club getting a day off Saturday before returning to action Sunday night with a Garden match against the Maple Leafs. “The only thing I wanted to make sure is that they were right trading for me,” Zibanejad told The Post recently. “I think they’re happy.” No qualms there from first-year head coach David Quinn, who has watched Zibanejad bloom into a leader, both in games and in the locker room. “I think he has embraced the role, not only on the ice, but off the ice,” Quinn said. “His play just keeps getting better and better. He’s really doing a lot of things that we need away from the rink to help us get to where we want to go. He’s a guy that does things the right way. He’s a team guy, he works hard on and off the ice. I just love his approach.” Both Zibanejad and Brassard are hockey nerds, players who follow the league closely and are intimately interested in what goes on — especially around this time of year. And looking back on the trade, Zibanejad reiterated a deep respect for Brassard. “Brass, I still think he’s a great player,” Zibanejad said. “I respect the guy. I really like the way he’s played and the type of player he is. I don’t know if honor is the right word, but there is something special about getting traded for a guy like that. I respect him and have an appreciation for him.” Zibanejad, who is mature well beyond his 25 years, doesn’t often think back on the day of that trade. He said maybe sometimes in the summers, right around the July 1 free-agent signing period, it might cross his mind. And when he does think about it, there is “mixed emotions.” He had been drafted by the Senators with the No. 6-overall pick in 2011 and played parts of five seasons there. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Swede had always shown flashes of talent, but consistency was his issue. The Rangers were going to give him an opportunity to play a lot of minutes against top opposition, and he embraced it immediately. “Thankful for all the years and all the things we went through in Ottawa,” he said. “Now here I am today. I feel like it was just different. The opportunity I’ve been given here, as well — not given to me, but making sure that I work for it and earn it. It’s been good.” Brassard did have a nice little postseason run with the Senators in 2017, putting up four goals and 11 points in 19 games — six of which were against the Rangers as Ottawa beat them in the second round. If that was the point of the trade from Ottawa’s perspective, who lost the Penguins in the conference finals, then what is happening now with Zibanejad on Broadway was the point for the Blueshirts. “I think it worked out well for both teams,” Quinn said. “Obviously you look, and we’re reaping the rewards right now.”

1130013 Ottawa Senators

Nilsson and Borowiecki to march for LGBQT cause Sunday

Ken Warren

Anders Nilsson will step out of the crease and onto the streets of Ottawa for a cause close to his family Sunday. “Hopefully, it’s going to be a really fun event,” Nilsson said of taking part in Ottawa’s Capital Pride March. Nilsson proudly wears a rainbow flag on the back of his mask in support of the LGBQT community. He and his wife have friends who are homosexual. Due to scheduling conflicts in his previous NHL homes, he has never been able to take part in a walk, but the Senators have an off day from the rink Sunday. “It’s great how the schedule has worked out,” Nilsson said. Defenceman Mark Borowiecki and his wife, Tara, will be joining Nilsson on the march. “Tara and I have some fundamental beliefs and morals and values and ways we try to live,” he said. “One of them is that everyone deserves to be in love and have a chance to love someone. It’s important to show our support for the LGBQT community. I was asked early in the year to maybe be a part of that and I was really proud and grateful for that opportunity. We’re genuinely excited to be there (Sunday).” Tuesday’s Senators game against the Carolina Hurricanes is also the organization’s first “Love is Love Night”. The NHL-wide initiative, in partnership with You Can Play, is aimed at fighting homophobia in sports.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130014 Ottawa Senators Ottawa Sun LOADED: 02.10.2019 WARREN: Jaros steps up to help shut down Winnipeg’s stars

Ken Warren

As hard as it is to take your eyes off the Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel trade or sign watch — the trio put on quite the show in Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets — there is some other intrigue surrounding the Ottawa Senators. For those who allow themselves to look beyond the short-term for down- the-road hope, the opportunities being granted a few of the kids in the lineup are astounding. When the puck dropped Saturday afternoon against the legitimate Stanley Cup-contending Winnipeg Jets, defenceman Christian Jaros was on the ice, charged with helping shut down the line of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. Now, a few big and little numbers to consider here. The Jets trio entered the game with a combined 60 goals and 171 points. Wheeler alone had 54 assists in 54 games. Meanwhile, the 22-year-old Jaros, paired with veteran Mark Borowiecki for most of the afternoon, had a grand total of 41 NHL games to his name, returning to the lineup after missing the previous two contests due to a banged up leg and foot. The opening was just the start. Over and over again, Jaros and Borowiecki saw the same three faces. “They are really good players, some of the top guys in the league,” Jaros said after playing a hard and tidy 15:07, almost all of those seconds matched directly against Scheifele, Wheeler and Connor. “Getting that opportunity to play against them, it builds confidence for me.” He finished the afternoon with three hits and one blocked shot, but the most impressive number was the fact the Jets’ big line left the building with no points. They did have their fair share of chances — 12 shots between them — and without the red-hot Anders Nilsson to occasionally bail out Jaros and Borowiecki, they wouldn’t have been shut out altogether. After Wheeler shook off a Jaros check deep along the end boards midway through the first, the Senators goaltender stretched out his left leg to prevent a wraparound goal. Eight minutes into the third, Brendan Lemieux, stepping onto the ice during a line change, turned Jaros the wrong way on a 3-on-2 break, but was stopped by Nilsson. Jaros and Borowiecki were also out for a two-minute shift in the third period, surviving the pressure after being hemmed in their own zone. “They will make their scoring chances,” said Jaros. “You just try to keep them outside and don’t let them get too close to the net because they are big bodies.” Borowiecki recognizes that if the Senators were in a different spot, Jaros might not be receiving the same chances, but he gives the rookie credit for taking advantage. “Yeah, that was a hard matchup, but we’ve been given that assignment (against top lines) a bunch of times now,” said Borowiecki, who topped the 20-minute mark himself due to his additional ice time killing penalties. “(Jaros) has all those natural athletic attributes and he’s such a strong skater. When he’s poised and he believes in himself, he makes good plays, offensively, too. My message to him is just to believe in himself. Once he settles in, he’s going to be a hell of a defenceman in this league for a long time.” Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has asked fans to practice patience amid the current struggles and the uncertainty surrounding the futures of Stone, Dzingel and Duchene. That message is easier to stomach when the youngsters — Jaros, Colin White and Rudolfs Balcers provided some sparks of promise Saturday — step up and meet the challenges they’ve been given. “That’s a very big first line,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said of the decision to put Jaros and Borowiecki against the Jets’ top line. “They’re tough and they’ve got skills and all that, and we’ve done that this year before, when we had Jaros and Borowiecki play against teams that have a big first line. It has paid off for us before and it paid off for us again (Saturday).” 1130015 Ottawa Senators You can be sure Winnipeg general manager was keeping a close eye on Stone and Duchene.

The Jets are expected to be a big player at the Feb. 25 NHL trade GARRIOCH GAME REPORT: Stone, Duchene, Dzingel lead Senators to deadline and don’t be surprised if they make a play for both of the win over Jets Senators’ unrestricted free agents if they turn down offers to remain in Ottawa. Bruce Garrioch While general manager Pierre Dorion is making an effort to sign both players, the situation is expected to come to a head early next week, with pressure on Stone and Duchene to make decisions on whether they’re going to sign with the Senators. If they decide not to, they’ll be dealt at On Hockey Day in Canada, the potential unrestricted free agents upped the deadline. their games for the Ottawa Senators … and their value. It’s hard to assess, at the moment, what might happen and the opinion Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel may face uncertain futures, on what’s going to happen changes daily. But if one or both comes but they all came through in the crunch by combining for five points available then the Jets are considered a team that will try to put together Saturday, leading the Senators to a surprising 5-2 victory against the a package to get both Stone and Duchene from the Senators. Winnipeg Jets in front of 16,263 at the Canadian Tire Centre. No, they don’t need both players and Cheveldayoff’s focus is on getting a Stone scored two goals, while Duchene, Dzingel and Zack Smith chipped second-line centre to have more depth in the middle, but teams in the in with one each in the Senators’ second straight win. Goaltender Anders West are trying to load up for the playoffs and there’s belief the Jets don’t Nilsson was solid in net, making 44 stops. want to see both players moved elsewhere if they’re dealt. Only Bryan Little and Josh Morrissey were able to score for the Jets, who Stone, who’s from Winnipeg, said he knows there’s always a little extra didn’t get much from goalie Laurent Brossoit. attention when he faces the Jets. “Good team. They pressed pretty hard on us in the third period, Anders “More buddies will watch for sure, and they’re probably not too happy had to make some incredible saves, but you have to expect that from a with me right now, but (it’s) not really (special), it’s more fun going home team like that,” said Stone. “Overall, I thought we did a pretty good job of than when they come here,” Stone said. containing them. A lot of teams are waiting to see what happens with Stone and Duchene “We’ve been right in games in most of the year. Other than the mishap in before making decisions on the deadline. If they do decide to go to Buffalo (a 9-2 loss on Nov. 3), we’ve played pretty hard most nights and market, then there will be no shortage of interest. The Jets feel they have given ourselves a chance to win. We haven’t been able to get over that to react because Nashville Predators GM David Poile has already made hump. The last couple of games we’ve done a good job of getting and moves. playing with the lead.” Naturally, the priority for the Jets is to get a centre. They tried to get The Senators were full value for this win. Derick Brassard from Ottawa at last year’s deadline before he was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins instead. The belief is Cheveldayoff thinks The Jets had hoped to bounce back after a lousy performance in a 5-2 Duchene would be a nice fit and give the club good depth in the middle. road loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, but Senators head coach Guy Boucher said he still considered them Stanley Cup The Senators would likely want a first-round pick, a player who can help contenders with lots of depth and believed the club would need a right away and a high-end prospect in return for Duchene, plus a “perfect” game to win. conditional pick if he re-signs. It would be the same asking price for Stone. No game is perfect, but this was pretty close for the Senators, who stuck with Nilsson in net after he blanked the Anaheim Ducks 4-0 on Thursday. It was Hockey Day in Canada on CBC and it’s become a nice tradition that’s a highlight of the NHL schedule. All seven teams were in action They pulled out to a 4-1 lead through two periods, and from there the Saturday. Jets didn’t stand much of a chance. The coaches and players involved in the Senators-Jets game “We came out strong and we were expecting them to come out strong,” appreciated being part of Hockey Day because it’s a good celebration of said Boucher. “They’re a big, hard team, they’re physical and they’ve got the game. The stories told on the CBC broadcast, which was based in everything. We’ve been playing really well. Swift Current on Saturday, are interesting and surround the game the “Our goalie was there for us (with 12 stops) in the third.” country loves. Duchene’s 25th goal of the season came in his 700th National Hockey “Everything that has to do with hockey I like,” Boucher said before facing League game. He tucked a loose puck past Brossoit at 12:39 of the the Jets. “We’re all kids inside, really, and that’s why we still do this job. second period, making it 4-1. Earlier, at 9:50, Stone’s second of the We wake up every day and we enjoy it because, deep down, it’s a game game came on a power play, with the Ottawa winger firing the puck past and anything we do as a country that revolves around hockey is usually Brossoit. something exciting.” After a strong start to the period, the Jets pulled to within a goal, at 2-1. Jets coach Paul Maurice appreciates the day as well and the players all Nilsson stood no chance as Patrik Laine threw a perfect pass across the wore Hockey Day in Canada tuques during the warmup in Ottawa. ice to Little, who one-timed the puck home on the stick side. “I love it and I really like being a part of it,” Maurice said. “I like Hockey “Winnipeg is a really good team and they pushed back in the third, but I Day in Canada and all of the Sunday games as well with Hometown liked the way we managed it and how we played in our zone,” said Hockey. We get to play a lot of those. I just really enjoy sitting and Nilsson. “We didn’t panic, we protected the middle really good and the listening to those stories. shots they had from the outside made it really easy for me. “A big chunk of us grew up exactly like that, with an outdoor rink, but “It’s still only two points no matter who you get them against, but I think maybe not so much today because even hearty Winnipegers might find it it’s a confidence boost to beat a team like Winnipeg, a really good team. a little fresh out there today. But that’s just a big part of our culture and it It just shows if we play the way we can, we can beat every team in this was a wonderful part of our life growing up, so we do enjoy it.” league.” THE LAST WORDS There were no shortage of opportunities for either team in the first period, Only seconds after Hockey Night played a feature on Zack Smith growing when the Senators pulled out a 2-0 lead despite being outshot 16-13. up in Swift Current, he scored his sixth of the season to end a 23-game Dzingel gave Ottawa a 2-0 lead with his 21st of the season at 12:21. He drought that stretched back to Dec. 11 against Nashville. “Maybe that’s fired a blast from the left circle by Brossoit on the glove side. what it takes, a good little feature every game,” a relieved Smith said with a smile. “I’ll do a feature every single game if that’s even remotely Stone opened the scoring at 2:57 on a shot that Brossoit should have related. It’s cool. It’s fun. I’m well-removed from Swift Current being stopped. It was Stone’s 24th of the season, and even he looked across the country, but it’s cool to know what’s going on with Hockey Day surprised the puck went in the net. in Canada.” Smith said he’s received texts from friends and family at home who are taking part in the event and he knows what it means to the That didn’t matter, though. That was still what the Senators needed to community. “They’re sporting (Bryan) Trottier rings on their fingers and start this one. they’re meeting Lanny McDonald and Darcy Tucker. It’s a little extra meaning and it’s always fun scoring on Hockey Night.” … With Jack Rodewald injured in the victory over the Ducks, the Senators recalled forward Darren Archibald from their AHL affiliate in Belleville. He was a healthy scratch as Boucher decided to dress 11 forwards and seven blueliners against the Jets. … Dylan DeMelo had just 13:51 of ice time and was plus-2. That’s pretty impressive. FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED 1. A goaltending controversy? Not really, but it was interesting to see backup Anders Nilsson get his second straight start in the club’s net. It made sense, he was coming off a shutout performance against the Ducks and starter Craig Anderson would understand why Boucher didn’t want to make a change. 2. Keep on rolling The best bet for the Senators is that Ryan Dzingel keeps putting the puck in the net. He had his first in five games when he gave the club a 2-0 lead in the first period Saturday. If he keeps scoring like that, the Senators will have a chance to get a first-round pick in return at the deadline. 3. Stone on a scoring roll With a two-goal effort, Mark Stone now has 25 goals this season and his next one will tie the career-high 26 he scored in 80 games in 2014-15. It was Stone’s fifth two-goal game of the season and the 14th of his career. He has never had a hat trick in his career. 4. Harpur won’t back down Unhappy with a hit on centre Chris Tierney in the first, Ben Harpur dropped the gloves with Winnipeg’s Brendan Lemieux. Harpur won easily in his sixth fight of the season. According to Hockeyfights.com, Harplur also scored a victory in the first five fights this year. 5. Strong on the penalty kill The Jets were 0-for-3 on the power play Saturday. The Senators haven’t allowed a power-play goal in eight games and the opposition is 0-for-16 in that stretch. Coach Guy Boucher noted made a change to the penalty killing in mid-November and it’s much-improved since then.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130016 Philadelphia Flyers Fletcher was responding to a status update for popular assistant captain Wayne Simmonds, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. Carter Hart ties rookie record as red-hot Flyers jump Ducks “Wayne’s played hard. He’s played very well of late,” Fletcher said. “I can’t commend him enough on his professionalism, on his attitude. You watch him in celebrations after we win a game. He’s pretty much the first by Sam Donnellon guy out there congratulating Carter or Anthony. He’s just a great teammate, done a lot for this franchise. We’ll try to work out a conclusion that does the best for everybody.” As winning recipes go, scoring four goals in a single period is a potent Breakaways one. Defenseman Philippe Myers, promoted from Lehigh Valley in the wake of But the Flyers found even that toxic during the barren earth portion of Saturday morning’s depth trade that sent Dale Weise and Christian Folin their season that has caused such team upheaval. The only other time to Montreal for defenseman David Schlemko and center Byron Froese, they did so before Saturday’s first period at the Wells Fargo Center, they was in the press box, but did not dress. He is expected to play Monday finished on the losing end of the score. against Pittsburgh. Said Myers: “I can’t wait to wear the colors. I can’t wait to get on the ice. I feel as ready as I’ve ever been.” In 48 games for That was in Calgary on Dec. 12, a debilitating loss in which the Flames the Phantoms this season, he has posted nine goals and 20 assists for scored twice in the final 66 seconds of regulation, then won it 36 seconds 29 points, along with 57 penalty minutes and a plus-5 rating. The 6-5, into overtime. 202-pound native of Moncton, New Brunswick, has appeared in 98 Carter Hart was still in Lehigh Valley, and the Western Conference- games for the Phantoms since joining the team before the 2017-18 leading Flames will never be confused with the Anaheim Ducks, who season, gathering a total of 14 goals and 36 assists for 50 points. entered Saturday’s game with 18 losses in their last 20 games – and spent the first 20 minutes giving a clinic on how that can be done. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 02.10.2019 In scoring the game’s first four goals in Saturday’s 6-2 victory over the Ducks, the Flyers scored from behind the net, shorthanded, even off Oskar Lindblom’s skate as he screeched to a halt unchecked in front of the Anaheim net. Two goals came from their fourth line of Michael Raffl, Mikhail Vorobyev, and Phil Varone, as they chased Anaheim starter Chad Johnson in favor of New-Jersey-raised Kevin Boyle (Manalapan), who made his NHL debut. Boyle, who was 19-7 with a 2.72 goals against average with the Ducks AHL team, became only the second goaltender from New Jersey to play in the NHL. Flyers backup Anthony Stolarz is the first. Boyle stopped 24 of 26 shots he faced, but Hart made that irrelevant. Before the Flyers built their lead, he made point blank saves on Jakub Silfverberg and Corey Perry. Hart finished with 30 saves on 32 shots “He made those saves, or it could have been a whole different game,” said Sean Couturier. "Kept us in it, once again...'' Early in the third period, his team sleep-skating, Hart made two early Grade A saves. Two power play goals by Anaheim, one early in the second period and more significantly 4 minutes, 57 seconds into the third, made this game more interesting than it needed to be, but there was Hart – who tied Jocelyn Thibault’s NHL record for consecutive victories by a goaltender under age 21 with eight. “We’ve been in those shoes, too,” said Raffl who had a goal and an assist. “It’s not fun to chase when you’re in a slump like that. But we have Hartsy back there. You’re in trouble and he was there again for us tonight. That’s a big difference right now. But don’t tell him.” Varone opened the scoring at 2:44 of the first, converting a great pass from Raffl from behind the net. Couturier made it 2-0 at 10:24, accepting a feed from Robert Hagg and snapping a shot that caught an Anaheim stick and seeped over Johnson’s left shoulder. Raffl pushed it to 3-0 with a shorthanded goal 80 seconds later, firing it past Johnson on a 2-on-1. A pass from Couturier found Lindblom’s skate as he crashed the net and the lead ballooned to 4-0 at 17:46. Couturier now has four goals and four assists in his last six games. Jake Voracek, who got the second assist on Lindblom’s goal, also has eight points (2-6) over his last six games. Nolan Patrick (power play) and Travis Konecny added third-period goals to account for the final score. The Flyers have now won nine of their last 10 games and have points in all of them. They host Pittsburgh on Monday. Simmonds update In discussing the four-player trade that accompanied the promotion of touted prospect Phillippe Myers to the Flyers, general manager Chuck Fletcher hinted that he might not be done. “Two weeks is a lifetime before the trade deadline so … we’ll continue to see and we’re working at it every day,” he said. “I guess when something happens, we’ll be in a position to let you know.” 1130017 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers trade Dale Weise, Christian Folin to Canadiens; acquire David Schlemko, Byron Froese by Sam Carchidi

In a minor four-player swap announced Saturday, the Flyers acquired defenseman David Schlemko and forward Byron Froese and sent forward Dale Weise and defenseman Christian Folin to Montreal. “Both players were looking for a bigger role and a different opportunity, and we tried to accommodate them,” general manager Chuck Fletcher said about Weise and Folin. Schlemko, 31, appeared in 19 games for Montreal this season, collecting two assists and averaging 19:51 per contest. He also played in eight games for the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, Laval. The 6-foot-1, 196-pound Schlemko, who has a $2.1 million cap hit through the end of 2019-20 if he is in the NHL, has played in 415 games with the Canadiens, Arizona, Dallas, Calgary, New Jersey and San Jose, and he has 18 goals and 94 points in his career. Fletcher said Schlemko provides experience and depth. Froese, 27, has appeared in 46 games this season for Laval, collecting 14 goals and 30 points. In 48 games last year for Montreal, the 6-1, 202-pound Froese had three goals and 11 points. Schlemko and Froese were sent to the Phantoms. Weise, 30, who previously had a three-year stint with Montreal — including a 14-goal season in 2015-16 — was recently demoted to the Phantoms. He had five goals and 11 points in 42 games with the Flyers this season. When in the NHL, Weise has a $2.35 million cap hit through the end of 2019-20. Folin, 28, played in 26 games for the Flyers this season and had two assists and a plus-5 rating.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130018 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers recall Phil Myers from Phantoms; Corban Knight put on waivers by Sam Carchidi

The Flyers recalled highly touted defenseman Phil Myers from the AHL’s Phantoms on Saturday, but it is not known if he will play in today’s matinee against Anaheim. In addition, the Flyers put forward Corban Knight on waivers. He has been injured most of the season after playing in just three games in October. Flyers goalie Carter Hart to be reunited with autistic boy who inspired him to wear No. 79 Myers will wear No. 61. BREAKING: It looks like Phil Myers will be called up to #Flyers and make his NHL debut tomorrow vs. Anaheim. Myers, 22, scored a goal in the Phantoms’ 5-2 loss Friday in Utica. For the season, the 6-foot-5, 202-pound defenseman had nine goals, 29 points and a plus-5 rating in 48 games. He signed with the Flyers as a free agent in 2015. The Flyers have allowed 44, 42 and 39 shots, respectively, in each of their last three games. The defensive duo of Shayne Gostisbehere and Andrew MacDonald struggled in Thursday’s 3-2 shootout loss to Los Angeles, ending the Flyers’ eight-game winning streak. In the Phantoms’ game Friday, Mike McKenna (28 saves) was the losing goalie and former Flyer Michael Leighton (25 saves) was the winner.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130019 Philadelphia Flyers “It’s just an honor,″ said Myers, who will wear No. 61. “I’m trying not to get too high or too low. Just control my emotions.″

Short shots Flyers give Carter Hart a deserved breather with 6-2 win The Flyers return to action Monday to play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins. ... Varone finished the game with two points. Previously, he Wayne Fishwww.flyingfishhockey.com had a grand total of three in his entire season (24 games) with the Flyers. It’s the third multi-point game of his NHL career. ... Philadelphia is 19-2-2 when leading after two periods. ... Anaheim’s team goal differential dropped to an NHL-worst minus-53. ... Couturier and Jake Voracek PHILADELPHIA — Carter Hart didn’t have time to buy thank-you cards extended their point-scoring streaks to six games. Couturier has seven but if he did, he would have sent one to each of his teammates on goals and six assists (13 points) in his last nine games. ... The Flyers Saturday. challenged the Henrique goal, hoping for an offsides call, but failed. ... The Flyers’ four-goal first period was their first four-goal first period since During the most recent four games of his personal winning streak, which March 30, 2017 vs. the Islanders. reached an NHL rookie record-tying eight (for goalies under the age of 21) in a game against the Anaheim Ducks, Hart had to stand on his head to pull out one-goal victories. Burlington County Times LOADED: 02.10.2019 But in this afternoon contest at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers struck early and often, racing out to a 4-0 lead after one period and coasting to a 6-2 victory. There was no letdown from a 3-2 shootout loss to Los Angeles on Thursday, which snapped the Flyers’ eight-game winning streak. Phil Varone, Sean Couturier, Michael Raffl (shorthanded) and Oskar Lindblom all scored in the first 17:46 and the Flyers were on their way to a bit of a laugher. Hart improved to 11-5-1 (2.45 goals-against average, .926 save percentage) giving up one power-play goal to Adam Henrique 51 seconds into the second period and another to Nick Ritchie at 4:57 in the third period. In winning, Hart ties the under-21 mark held by former Quebec Nordique goaltender Jocelyn Thibault (Thibault went 8-0-0 from March 6-26, 1995). Also, Hart is just one win away from tying the Flyers’ rookie record of nine held by the late Pelle Lindbergh and four away from the overall record of 12 established by Bob Froese. “Still early on in the game, he made a big save there on that breakaway (Jakob Silfverberg that) kept us in the game,″ Couturier said. “It could have been a whole different game. It’s nice to give him some support.″ Other Flyers said Hart deserved something besides a nail-biter for a change. “He still made some big saves in the first period,″ Varone said. “He’s been playing great. But it was nice to get him some goal support.″ Hart takes all these successes in stride. “I don’t really think about that (records),″ he said. “I don’t look at those things. Sure it’s cool but we just want to win games. Right now we’ve been playing really good, got a lot of support today with six goals. I thought we pressured them for the full 60 minutes.″ Anaheim starting goaltender Chad Johnson could be excused from taking much of the blame for the lopsided first period. He had almost no support and was replaced for the second period by Kevin Boyle, the Manalapan, N.J. native who made his NHL debut and became the second N.J.-born goaltender to play in the NHL. The Flyers’ Anthony Stolarz was the first. Varone started the parade at 2:44. Raffl knocked down a Johnson clear attempt behind the net and fed Varone in front. At 10:24, Couturier scored off a lead pass from Robert Hagg. Raffl made it 3-0 when he scored shorthanded at 11:44. It was just the Flyers’ fourth shorthanded goal of the season. Lindblom completed the onslaught when he converted a Couturier pass at 17:46. Raffl and Hagg finished the game plus-3. Patrick scored a power-play goal at 12:15 of the third to make it 5-2. Travis Konecny added a goal with 1:11 to play. The Flyers called up Philippe Myers from the Phantoms on Saturday and he could be available to play in Philadelphia’s next game. “It feels great,″ Myers said in an interview on 97.5 The Fanatic. “Obviously I’m really grateful to get the opportunity to play for the Flyers. It’s been a goal of mine for quite a while now, a dream since I was a little child. I worked hard this year and I think I earned it.″ Myers’ progress has been hindered by injuries but he’s healthy now and ready to go. 1130020 Philadelphia Flyers Fletcher said the key time for Myers will be at the 2019 training camp where it is anticipated he will challenge for a starting job.

“He’s better than anyone we have down there (at Lehigh Valley),″ Flyers trade for Montreal's David Schlemko, Byron Froese Fletcher said. Fletcher gave the impression the Flyers are still talking with Wayne Wayne Fishwww.flyingfishhockey.com Simmonds about a possible contract extension amid speculation he might be moved at the deadline.

“Two weeks is a lifetime before the deadline,″ Fletcher said. “We’re PHILADELPHIA — The NHL trade deadline might be still two weeks off working at it [a possible extension] every day. Wayne’s played very well but Chuck Fletcher isn’t waiting around to make some moves. of late. I can’t commend him enough on his professionalism, his attitude.″ Looking to accommodate the wishes of Dale Weise, recently demoted to Fletcher was asked if the recent eight-game winning streak changed his the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and spare defenseman Christian Folin, attitude going into the trade deadline. Fletcher made a fairly significant transaction on Saturday. “I don’t think it’s changed it at all,″ Fletcher said. “We’re trying to win He acquired defenseman David Schlemko and forward Byron Froese every game. I think it’s really important that we start building the right from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Weise and Folin, who was habits. seventh (spare) on the Flyers’ depth chart. “Everybody we’re doing is building not only for now but next year.″ Also on Saturday, Fletcher called up defenseman Philippe Myers from the Phantoms and put forward Corban Knight on waivers. Knight has been sidelined since Oct. 31 with a dislocated collarbone but recently Burlington County Times LOADED: 02.10.2019 was cleared for contact. “It [the trade] is something we’ve worked on the last few weeks with Montreal,″ Fletcher said. “Schlemko has a lot of experience in the league [and] he can play left side, right side. We think Schlemko and Myers should give us pretty good depth up here in the NHL. “Froese is captain of Laval [Montreal’s AHL affiliate]. He’s a real top two- way player at that level. He can provide depth.″ For the moment, both Schlemko and Froese will play for the Phantoms. Schlemko, 31, has appeared in 18 games for the Canadiens this season, averaging 19:51 of ice time per game while picking up two assists and four penalty minutes. He’s also appeared in eight games for Laval, where he’s scored a goal and added three assists. A 6-foot-1, 196-pound native of Edmonton, Schlemko has 415 games of NHL experience with Phoenix/Arizona, Dallas, Calgary, New Jersey and San Jose, during which time he’s scored 18 goals and added 76 assists for 94 points. Froese, 27, has appeared in 46 games for Laval this season, where he’s picked up 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points. He appeared in 48 games for the Canadiens last year, posting three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 48 games. A 6-foot-1, 202-pound native of Winkler, Manitoba, Froese has appeared in 110 NHL games for Toronto and Montreal, recording a total of five goals and 11 assists for 16 points. He was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fourth round (119th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Weise was signed by the Flyers as a free agent on July 1, 2016, and recorded 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 points in 152 games with the Flyers. Folin signed with the club on July 5, 2018 and posted two assists in 26 games this season. “Both players were, I think, looking for a bigger role and different opportunities,″ Fletcher said. “We tried to accommodate them going forward.″ Myers, 22, is in his second professional season. In 48 games for the Phantoms this year, he has posted nine goals and 20 assists for 29 points, along with a plus-5 rating. The 6-5, 202-pound Myers has appeared in 98 games for the Phantoms since joining the team prior to the 2017-18 season, gathering a total of 14 goals and 36 assists for 50 points. The Moncton, New Brunswick, native signed with the Flyers as a free agent on Sept. 21, 2015 before returning to his junior team, the Royun- Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he played a four-year career. In 2013 career games for the Huskies, he posted 29 goals and 63 assists for 90 points. As for Myers’ role with the team, Fletcher said he will leave that up to coach Scott Gordon. “That will be up to the coaches,″ Fletcher said. “Right now, after this trade, we’re down to 12 forwards and six defensemen, so we clearly need another player. “He is a player who is most deserving and we’ll see. If he gets into a game in the next few days, time will tell. He deserves this opportunity, he’s played great.″ 1130021 Philadelphia Flyers placed second to the Los Angeles Kings’ in the second go- round.

Some say the Flyers were robbed on both occasions, so let’s see how Fish: Not too early to tout Carter Hart for rookie of the year this one plays out. If Hart can keep this torrid pace going, he will be hard to beat, regardless Wayne Fishwww.flyingfishhockey.com of what Pettersson does. “It’s a simple argument,″ Jones said. “His (Hart’s) winning percentage would tell you that he’s got something special. His demeanor would tell Even though he’s played less than two months, the 20-year-old goalie is you that he’s got something even better than that. proving to be a difference-maker. “He’s been a calming influence on a team that was in a real messy Since their inception in 1967, the Flyers have never won a Calder Trophy situation and the young guy has come in and made everybody better.″ for NHL rookie of the year. In a way, it’s been a lot like Hextall’s first year, when he led the Flyers’ all But that might be changing soon. the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers. In the space of less than two weeks, we have seen 20-year-old goaltender Carter Hart earn not only NHL rookie of the month honors for Hextall was so good he won the Trophy for playoff MVP, January, but finish NHL second star of the week for all players. even though the Flyers lost that ultimate contest. That’s pretty amazing stuff. Afterward, the legendary Wayne Gretzky called it the greatest goaltending performance he had ever witnessed. Suddenly, in some people’s minds, Hart has rocketed all the way up to No. 2 (and maybe No. 1) on the odds list for taking home the Calder at Jones points to Hart’s recent performance at Montreal, in which he took the end of the season. his first road win in a pressure-filled Bell Centre environment, as a good example of the kid’s mettle. And why not? “Saturday night, ... he played spectacularly and Even though he’s only played less than two months, he’s already that tells you that he’s a big-game netminder,″ Jones said. “That was a compiled a seven-game winning streak heading into Saturday’s game very important game for him on a personal level. against Anaheim. “If he doesn’t come out and shut the door in the first period, Montreal His other numbers have been eye-catching as well: A record of 10-5-1, a goes on and wins that game. Those types of moments early on tells you goals-against average of 2.48 and a save percentage of .925. what you should be looking for in the future. Big games for the Flyers now started with small victories. Now the games are becoming bigger If he had enough games to qualify (he’s just two games under), Hart’s and more important and he continues to find ways to get the job done.″ save percentage would rank fifth in the NHL, trailing only the Kings’ Jack Campbell, the Islanders’ Robin Lehner, the Stars’ Anton Khudobin and For the first time since Hextall, it would appear the Flyers have a the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy. legitimate franchise guy between the pipes. His .667 winning percentage is better than Montreal’s Carey Price, “There are all kinds of signals that he’s going to be a great goaltender,″ Vegas’ Marc-Andre Fleury and Nashville’s Pekka Rinne. Jones said. “He’s been a game-changer. He has people talking about Flyers’ hockey when they weren’t before. He’s put the Flyers back on the And all those guys play for teams at least 10 games above .500. The map.″ Flyers entered Saturday action just one game above .500 and that’s only because of Hart’s excellence. Flyers and NBC television analyst played in front of Hockey Burlington County Times LOADED: 02.10.2019 Hall of Famer Patrick Roy just after the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 1996 and notices some similarities between Hart and Roy, who also started his career at age 20. “It’s an entirely different game than playing in front of an average goaltender,″ Jones said the other night. “This kid (Hart) is not average. “It’s the way that he moves in the net that is similar to Roy. The way that he’s reading the play demonstrates that he’s more intelligent than most players on the ice. He anticipates extremely well. Most of the best goaltenders to play this game are smarter than the guys who are shooting the puck.″ You don’t have to repeat that to the Flyers’ position guys. They’ve seen first-hand what Hart can do when he’s on – which is often. “That (hockey IQ) is what really makes the difference,″ Jones said. “He’s showing so far that he has that kind of mind. “The way you measure that as a fan is how quickly he is in position to make the save before the puck is shot. And he’s there.″ Jones says the Calder competition for this season could come down to Hart vs. Canucks forward Elias Pettersson, who is running away with the rookie scoring race. As of Friday, Pettersson held an 18-point lead on runnerup Rasmus Dahlin of Buffalo. “He (Hart) is the only guy who has a chance to take away the rookie of the year from Pettersson,″ Jones said. “That’s kind of been a runaway all season (Pettersson has won rookie of the month honors twice). “So Hart is a legitimate contender, he’s the second-best rookie in the game right now. And should the Flyers make the playoffs and Vancouver miss, then you have a legitimate argument that Carter Hart would be the rookie of the year.″ The closest the Flyers have ever come to winning the Calder came in the 1972-73 and 1986-87 seasons. The Flyers’ Bill Barber finished runnerup to New York Rangers’ Steve Vickers in the first matchup and Hextall 1130022 Philadelphia Flyers "Nothing, zero," Getzlaf responded to the Ducky questioner. "I have a lot of respect for you and what you guys do and I’m just not in a position to make any comment about any record right now. It makes zero difference Hart still beating on Flyers' points streak; roll over Ducks for 9th win in 10 to me at the moment. I apologize if that’s not the answer you’re looking games for. It means nothing to me right now.” Nor should it ... this Anaheim team which still boasts of such stars as Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Jakob Silfverberg and the Shadow of Ryan Kesler, By Rob Parent [email protected] @ReluctantSE on won its first three games of the season, went 5-1-1 over its first seven, Twitter lost six in a row, then won 11 of its next 13. That run, ending with a win in Pittsburgh Dec. 17, put them at 19-11-5.

Since then ... 19 losses in 21 games. PHILADELPHIA — The better of NHL teams only go streaking one way. Then there are the Flyers and the Anaheim Ducks. There are streaks. There are streaky teams (see Flyers, 2018-19). Equal opportunity streakers. Then there are the Ducks. While there is still plenty of time to be waylaid along the way, the Flyers "Yeah, I don't know," Sean Couturier said when asked if he could feel are rounding the season curve still streaking the right way. They were Anaheim's pain. "I've never been through ... well, I guess that's tougher gifted a 6-2 victory Saturday over the Ducks, at least temporarily putting than what we've been through. But then again, as much as they've lost, I the once-woebegone Flyers within six points of an Eastern Conference think they're still pretty tight in the playoff race. So that's still a dangerous playoff spot. team. If you look at their lineup you see they got a lot of talent still. So you can't take them too lightly." Over the last 10 games, the Flyers have somehow (Carter Hart), in some way (Carter Hart) registered points in 10 straight games, nine of them The Flyers didn't take them lightly, it's just that they weren't all that good outright wins. Even in February, even with the last four games coming Saturday. And still they won by (Carter Hart), um, four goals (Carter against lousy Pacific Division competition, that's an impressive run. Hart). By the way, the Penguins come to town Monday night. NOTES >> If Hart oversees a win over the Penguins Monday night, he would have tied Pelle Lindbergh for most wins in a row by a Flyers rookie "I’m happy right now," a Flyers goalie by the name of Carter Hart said. goalie. He is four wins away from the club record of 12, held by Bob "We’re winning, so that makes it a lot happier. Like I said, we just want to Froese. ... With Gibson shelved, and after seeing backup Chad Johnson win hockey games and that’s the only thing we’re thinking about right looked entirely unprepared in the first period, Ducks coach Randy Carlyle now; how we want to climb back into the playoff race and we’re doing a went with Manalapan, N.J. native Kevin Boyle, a 26-year-old rookie good job right now. But we have to approach things one game at a time. making his NHL debut a couple of hours from home. "It was awesome," ... That's the approach we have here. The guys have the right mindset he said. "It was kind of a nerve-racking experience, getting the call after and now we just have to prepare for Pittsburgh on Monday." the first period, but as a goalie you've always got to be ready." ... Carlyle on 19 losses in 21 games: "It’s frazzled and it’s hard. You don't expect to Remember those eight straight losses? Neither do the Flyers. And Hart have to live through this stuff for this extended period of time.” certainly acts like it never happened.

This goalie who is all of 20, has won eight consecutive games. And yes, the Ducks still count as a win. Thanks to those weird Elias Sports Bureau Delaware County Times LOADED: 02.10.2019 people, it's said that Hart has thereby tied a league "record" ... only one other goalie won eight straight games before his 21st birthday. Hey kid, remember Jocelyn Thibault? "I know he played for the Nordiques, right?" Hart said. "That's who he played for?" Yes at the age of 18 in 1993, Thibault started the season as a Quebec rookie with a huge future ahead of him. He set that eight in a row later, in 1995. He'd gone with the Nords to Colorado, then played for five other teams ... but we won't talk about that. And Carter Hart wouldn't, either. "I don’t know. I don’t really think about that," Hart said in response to the "record" questions. "I don’t really look at those things. Sure it’s cool, but we just want to win hockey games and right now we’ve been playing really good hockey. We got a lot of run support today with six goals." Yeah, but it was the Ducks, who also don't want to talk about things they'd be asked about. Desperate for a win, or at least the hope for one, the Ducks made the Flyers' defense look very culpable early in this game. In Philadelphia, we call that Saturday. Anyway, the Ducks, whose starting goalie John Gibson is now MIA with an injury, somehow managed to give up four first-period goals ... and even in Philadelphia on a Saturday, that means the game is over. It's been nearly nine years since the Ducks haven't qualified for the playoffs. It's been less than two years since they went to the Western Conference finals. It's been since the week before Christmas that they won more than two games in a row. When you've been the team leader of a club so used to success like the Ducks who have had the wildest, weirdest, most wrenching season ever ... you don't want to talk about "records." So on the first question after his club's 19th loss in 21 starts, Ryan Getzlaf was informed he just set the mark for most games as a Duck. That didn't make him feel any better. And it didn't quack him up, either. 1130023 Philadelphia Flyers Having largely breezed through a soft (as in Pacific Division) spot in the schedule now, the Flyers, 9-0-1 in their last 10 games, have to really get back to work Monday night when they take on the beloved Penguins. As Fletcher's office cleaning should make room for other moves it was, Pittsburgh had a six-point lead over the Flyers for the second wild card spot as the Pens entered into play in Tampa Saturday night.

For the Flyers, then, the thinking should be that achieving a must-win By Rob Parent [email protected] @ReluctantSE on Monday means that this club that was dead in the ice in mid-January Twitter really has a solid shot at the playoffs. So you have to wonder why Myers would be here to watch.

And you might wonder when or if Fletcher is going to start making moves PHILADELPHIA — You've got to hand it to Flyers general manager that actually improves his club's playoff chances rather than merely Chuck Fletcher ... no, really you do. If anything, in his brief time with the makes room for next year's rebuild. Flyers, the camera-shy general manager has shown an affinity for getting rid of his predecessor's old collectibles, and doing so quietly. To his credit, Fletcher said at the time of his hiring that roster improvements had to be made with the goal of getting what then was a In the weeks after boxing some spare bobbleheads that may have still terribly underachieving team into the playoffs. To the credit of Carter Hart been hanging around what used to be Ron Hextall's office, Fletcher has and the newly believing players around him, that should still be Fletcher's dumped some over-appreciated locker room statues. goal leading up to the Feb. 25 trade deadline. Just a couple of days after shipping never-again forward Jori Lehtera to It wouldn't be a surprise to find him just as surprised as anyone else that the AHL's Phantoms via a waiver clearance sale, Fletcher made a major that's the case. minor-talent move Saturday by trading Dale Weise – who was previously optioned out to the Phantoms – and veteran seventh defenseman Christian Folin to Montreal for David Schlemko and Byron Froese. Delaware County Times LOADED: 02.10.2019 Both of those veteran bubble players were reporting to the Phantoms while the streaking Flyers team they won't be a part of dismantled the Mighty Laughable Ducks of Anaheim, 6-2, at Wells Fargo Center in a sloppy matinee. For the serious Fletcher, however, this move, like his others since coming on-board, is more minor in nature than trade-deadline-esque. But certainly the philosophy is sound: You take what you can get rid of. "Both players were, I think, looking for a bigger role and different opportunity, so we tried to accommodate them going forward," Fletcher said at a rare press conference to thank Weise and Folin for time served. He added that the 31-year-old defender Schlemko, who has spread 415 NHL games over an 11-season professional career (18 goals, 94 points) can play on either side at the blue line. And as for Froese, an AHL captain and center, he's played 110 games in the NHL ... and has five goals. But hey, Fletcher did need to pump up the Phantoms' roster a bit in preparation for the Calder Cup playoffs. "He’s a real, top two-way player at that level," Fletcher said of Froese, "and a guy who has shown he can provide depth. I think what we tried to do is accommodate Dale and Christian, and yet to make sure we have enough depth going forward." Actually, the best part of Fletcher's Saturday swap was what he did after it was done, promoting Philippe Myers from the Phantoms to take Folin's spot. The 22-year-old undrafted defender can put his size (6-5, 210) and skills to good use on a defense that even during winning streaks has to count on Carter Hart bailing it out with way too much frequency. But if Folin was largely an extra defenseman on this shaky Flyers defensive team, apparently Fletcher only wants a real prospect like Myers (29 points in 48 Phantoms games this season) to spend most of his game time watching. Which begs the question ... why? "He’s been (the Phantoms') best defenseman all year, and one of the better defensemen in the American Hockey League," Fletcher said of Myers, who is just in his second pro season. "He’s earned this opportunity, and and he’s still a young man, and really his key time will be next year at training camp, when he has to come in and earn a full- time spot for a full season. "But right now, if we can get him some experience and practice ... being around the team is great. If he can get some games, that will only help him as he prepares for next year." In their win over the disastrous Ducks, who have now lost an amazing 19 of 21 games, the Flyers had the first period to themselves. They scored four times ... and then managed to give the Ducks a bunch of chances thereafter. Hart is shaping up to be a very valid Calder Trophy candidate as the league's top rookie, mostly because he's that good ... and partially because the Flyers' defense can be that chaotic. "He made a big save there on the breakaway," Sean Couturier said of Hart after he started this Ducky win with a breakaway stop on Jakob Silfverberg. "It could have been a whole different game. But he kept us in once again and it was nice to give him some support." 1130024 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers deal Folin, Weise to Canadiens

Staff Report

MONTREAL (AP) — The Montreal Canadiens acquired forward Dale Weise and defenseman Christian Folin from the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday for David Schlemko and Byron Froese. The Canadiens also announced they had waived defenseman Karl Alzner. Weise, a former Canadien, has played 42 games in 2018-19 with five goals and six assists. The 30-year-old had 59 points in 152 games with Montreal from 2013-2016. Weise has 54 goals and 66 assists in 481 career NHL regular-season games since his debut in 2010-11. He also has played for the New York Rangers, Vancouver and Chicago. Folin, a 27-year-old Swede, has been in 26 games with Philadelphia this season, recording two assists. Folin has seven goals, 31 assists and 96 penalty minutes in 209 career NHL regular-season games with Minnesota, Los Angeles and Philadelphia since his debut in 2013-14. Schlemko, acquired in a trade with Vegas in 2017, had two assists in 18 games with the Canadiens this season. Froese signed as a free agent with Montreal in 2017. He was leading the American Hockey League's Laval Rocket with 14 goals.

Delaware County Times LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130025 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers' van Riemsdyk fined $5,000 for high-sticking

Staff Report Feb 8, 2019

NEW YORK (AP) — Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk has been fined $5,000 for high-sticking Kings defenseman Alec Martinez during Los Angeles' 3-2 shootout win at Philadelphia. The NHL's Department of Player Safety announced the fine on Friday. Van Riemsdyk was docked the maximum amount under the league's collective bargaining agreement. The high-sticking occurred just over one minute into the first period of Thursday night's game. Van Riemsdyk was not penalized.

Delaware County Times LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130026 Philadelphia Flyers Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 How Philippe Myers might fit into Flyers' defensive plans

By Jordan Hall February 09, 2019 10:00 PM

Chuck Fletcher has given Scott Gordon a good problem. The Flyers are 9-0-1 over their last 10 games. They've been hockey's best team over that span, allowing just 21 goals. For some context on the improvement, the Flyers were yielding 3.55 goals per game before this stretch — third most in the league — and during the four-game losing streak that cost Dave Hakstol his job in mid- December, they surrendered 22 goals. Carter Hart's presence has done wonders, infusing confidence into the blue line — and just about everyone on the roster, for that matter. But the Flyers' defensemen have taken significant strides, which only grew Saturday in a 6-2 win over the Ducks (see observations). Robert Hagg had an assist and was a plus-3. Ivan Provorov tallied an assist, ate up 24 more minutes and finished as a plus-2. Travis Sanheim also delivered an assist and a plus-2 mark. Radko Gudas was a plus-2, as well, while Andrew MacDonald made a terrific pass to set up a goal and Shayne Gostisbehere played 20:34 and has been a plus-7 over his last 10 games. "I think our defense has played very well for a while now," Fletcher said before Saturday's game. "I've been very impressed with the young guys, how they’ve responded. Provorov has been playing very well of late. Gudas has been tremendous all season. Andrew MacDonald has played very well for, really, since I've been here, but certainly the last month. We can go through all of them — Sanheim has grown by leaps and bounds. It's a good group and they're playing well." And here comes Philippe Myers, the 22-year-old who was ranked as a top-50 prospect by the NHL Network entering the season and earned his way to the Flyers. His call-up from AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley came intertwined with the general manager's trade Saturday (see story). In the deal, Fletcher shipped away seventh defenseman Christian Folin, so the Flyers "need bodies," as Fletcher put it. But one of the chief motives behind the move was to clear way for Myers, who has a chance to be an integral part of the 2019-20 team, a big season for Fletcher with the Flyers seeking immediate progress. "Everything we do is about building not only for now, but for next year, too," Fletcher said. "To be better next year, we have to be better this year. "There's a lot of hockey down the stretch. So, to have some fresh, young legs up here will be great. We will see how the coaches integrate them into the lineup. Phil Myers can help this team win right now, too." Myers might not play right away, but he isn't here to sit, either. Gordon is now tasked with getting the 6-foot-5, 209-pounder into the lineup and managing his minutes and situations. There's no clear path for inserting Myers. The Flyers play 11 games in 21 days, with three back-to-back sets, so Gordon could mix Myers in throughout that stretch. Gordon was unsure if Myers would play in Monday's homestand finale against the Penguins or on the road Tuesday against the Wild. "With the trade here, we wanted to have a seventh defenseman to go on the trip," the Flyers' interim head coach said after Saturday's win. "We haven't talked about it. Right now, I would say no, but that's not to say that's the final decision." It's also possible Fletcher is trying to work another trade with a defenseman. Or, Myers may not be here for too long. His promotion very well could be for a taste of the NHL and to say job well done, kid, be ready for next season. "I think there's a good chance he can play again in Lehigh this year," Fletcher said. "We'll see, but the fact that he's getting the call is a recognition of what he's accomplished and that he's knocking on the door." Gordon must decide how much he opens it. 1130027 Philadelphia Flyers Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 Flyers 6, Ducks 2: Loud start pushes point streak to 10 games

By Jordan Hall February 09, 2019 3:43 PM

The Flyers left no doubt as they jumped back into the win column. After having their eight-game winning streak snapped, the Flyers pounded the hapless Ducks, 6-2, on Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center. Phil Varone, Sean Couturier, Michael Raffl and Oskar Lindblom all scored first-period goals for the Flyers (25-23-7), who extended their point streak to 10 games. Nolan Patrick and Travis Konecny tacked on third-period goals for good measure. The Flyers have won 10 of their last 12 contests and entered the day eight points back of the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot. Two teams they're chasing, the Penguins and Blue Jackets, have tough road matchups tonight as Pittsburgh visits the NHL-best Lightning and Columbus takes on the Golden Knights in Las Vegas. Give credit to the Flyers for besieging a bad Ducks (21-26-9) team that has lost 19 of its last 21 games. Anaheim is on a seven-game losing streak in which it has been outscored 37-8. • How good has Couturier been? He scored his fourth goal in as many games off a phenomenal play in which he played a pass off his skate right to his stick before whipping a shot past Ducks goalie Chad Johnson glove side. With a three-point effort, Couturier has points in 12 of his last 13 games, a stretch in which he has put up eight goals, 11 assists and a plus-14 rating. Since Oct. 30, the 26-year-old center has 45 points (20 goals, 25 assists) in 42 games. He's on pace for a new career-high 35 goals. Imagine if he had a full training camp and played more than just one preseason game? • Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds went scoreless and the Flyers won by four goals. That's a great sign and it was all possible because … • A pair of fourth-liners were superb. Varone played just 9:31 but had a goal, an assist and was a plus-3, while Raffl scored a shorthanded goal, tallied an assist and was a plus-3. Raffl delivered the big blow to the Ducks when he took an excellent pass from Andrew MacDonald to net his shorty, handing the Flyers a commanding 3-0 lead 11:44 into the game as the rout was on. When the Flyers are getting these types of contributions from role forwards, they're tough to beat. • Speaking of Raffl, he's such an underrated player. He's one of the team's better puck possession forwards and he fully understands his role. He can kill penalties, he can play up and down the lineup — just a sound and steady guy. With Raffl set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, he's an obvious trade chip for general manager Chuck Fletcher. Contending teams value players like Raffl, but the Flyers might not be so quick to move him because they're playing better and he's a reason why. Raffl's pass to Varone was a perfect example of what he does best. Raffl and Varone with some teamwork. • Fresh off a game of rest, Carter Hart made a glove save on a breakaway attempt in the opening 1:15 of the game and you got the sense he would be sharp. He made 30 saves and won his eighth straight start, matching Jocelyn Thibault's NHL record of most consecutive wins by a goalie before his 21st birthday. • Defensive prospect Philippe Myers was in the house after being called up Saturday morning from AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. 1130028 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers call up Philippe Myers after trading Dale Weise, Christian Folin to Canadiens for David Schlemko, Byron Froese

By Jordan Hall February 09, 2019 11:45 AM Updated: 1:45 p.m.

General manager Chuck Fletcher pulled off another trade Saturday. The Flyers dealt Dale Weise and Christian Folin to the Canadiens in exchange for David Schlemko and Byron Froese. Weise and Folin were likely trade candidates for Fletcher, who continues to retool the Flyers. Weise, a 30-year-old role forward, went unclaimed on waivers last month and had been demoted to the AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley, while Folin, 28, had been the Flyers' seventh defenseman and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. "This is an opportunity to make sure we have enough depth and try to help both players find a better spot for their career and just try to keep this going," Fletcher said before Saturday's game. Weise was in the third year of a four-year, $9.4 million contract and had a cap hit of $2,350,000. Next season, he's slated to make a base salary of $1,750,000. The move of Folin, who was on a one-year deal, also opens up a spot for touted prospect Philippe Myers, who has been called up from the Phantoms, while the team has placed Corban Knight on waivers. Myers, 22, is skilled and a strong skater for his 6-foot-5, 209-pound frame. The defenseman went from being undrafted to turning himself into a top-50 prospect by the NHL Network. In 48 games with Lehigh Valley this season, Myers had 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) and a plus-5 rating. Now, his NHL debut will be coming soon. "He's been our best defenseman all year and one of the better defensemen in the American Hockey League," Fletcher said. "He's earned this opportunity. He's still a young man and really, his key time will be next year at training camp and earning a full-time spot for a full season. But right now, if we can get him some experience, practice seems great, being around the team is great, if he can get some games, that'll only help him as he prepares for next year." Fletcher had no problem calling up Myers with the team playing its best hockey and back in the playoff race. The GM believes in on-the-job training and you can bet Myers is here to play, not sit. "That's how you have to learn. He's earned the right, he's better than anybody we have down there," Fletcher said. "He's a good hockey player. I believe he can help us up here, but we have six guys playing right now that have helped us a lot, too. I think our defense has played very well for a while now." Schlemko is a 31-year-old defenseman who has played for seven teams over 11 years of NHL experience. He had played 18 games this year for the Canadiens, posting two points. Schlemko is under contract through 2019-20 on a minor-league deal. "Adding David Schlemko, a player with a lot of experience in the league, a defenseman who can play left side, can play right side," Fletcher said. "Along with Phil Myers, we think Schlemko and Myers will give us pretty good depth up here in the NHL." Froese, a 27-year-old forward, was having a nice season as the captain of the AHL's Laval Rocket, putting up 14 goals and 16 assists in 46 games. He played 48 games last season for Montreal, scoring 11 points (three goals, eight assists). Froese is also on a minor-league deal and can become a UFA in the offseason. "Byron Froese is a young man who has played over 100 games in the NHL, he's a captain of his team in Laval, he's a real top two-way player at that level," Fletcher said. "A guy that is showing he can provide depth." Both Schlemko and Froese will report to the Phantoms for now. This marks the third trade by Fletcher, who moved forwards Taylor Leier and Jordan Weal in January. The NHL trade deadline is Feb. 25.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130029 Philadelphia Flyers “It just relieves some pressure off, say (Claude Giroux) and Jake and those guys,” Varone added. “Hopefully they don’t feel like they have to do it all, all of the time and that we can contribute a bit. It was nice to help Flyers 5 takeaways: Carter Hart gets goal support as his streak continues them out with that tonight.” Even center Mikhail Vorobyev played 9:11, the second most ice time since he was recalled late last month. Dave Isaac, NHL writer “Those guys had a terrific game tonight and I also I thought they had Published 5:15 p.m. ET Feb. 9, 2019 | Updated 5:16 p.m. ET Feb. 9, some pretty good shifts the other night in the offensive zone,” Gordon 2019 said. “It was nice to be able to see them capitalize on their chances and get some points for us.”

Couturier stays hot PHILADELPHIA — No more room service. No more housekeeping. Maybe even no more pregame rigatoni at a Marlton restaurant. It’s now goals in four straight games for Couturier and he had three points and a team-high five shots. He has 19 points in the last 13 games. Carter Hart‘s finally been given the OK to move out of the hotel near the He also, once again, had the task of stopping the opposing top line, practice rink and getting his own place (well, really he’s moving into Jake which wasn’t much of a chore the way Anaheim has been playing. Voracek’s apartment in Philadelphia). It’s a sign of what has seemed obvious for a while, that Hart is here to stay this season with the Flyers. “He’s a leader on the team. He’s showing up right now, a big part of the Tying a league record Saturday in a 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks team,” said Oskar Lindblom, who had one of the six goals and plays on was just the latest reason why it seems to be the right move. Couturier’s left wing. “Everyone has stepped up but he’s been the best player so far.” The victory marked Hart’s eighth consecutive victory, the longest win streak for a goalie before turning 21, tying Jocelyn Thibault back in 1995. “Competing against guys in other top lines, and we mix G in there too at This time the Flyers didn’t have to rely so heavily on Hart, who stopped different times, but I think your best offensive players have to have the 30 of 32 shots, to win a one-goal game for them. ability to play against other team’s top lines,” Gordon added, “otherwise they’re not going to get the minutes and not going to get the opportunities “Yeah you can say that again,” interim coach Scott Gordon said. “For me to score goals.” it was a relief to be able to get the power play goal (late in the game) and not have to worry about the (Ducks’) goalie coming out. He obviously What’s on deck? made some huge saves. It was 4-0 in the first period, but he made a couple huge saves in the first, I don’t know if that took momentum away So the Flyers continue to make a push toward the playoffs and the trade from them, but I thought they came out hard.” deadline is only getting closer. What’s Fletcher going to do with this crew now that time is ticking away? It doesn’t sound like things are any closer Hart’s first test came early with Jakob Silfverberg streaking in on a with Wayne Simmonds. He’s likely a rental being traded away before 3 breakaway. It was probably the most important save of the day because p.m. on Feb. 25. shortly thereafter Phil Varone gave the Flyers the lead and they were comfortably in the driver’s seat against an Anaheim team that has lost 19 “Two weeks is a lifetime before the trade deadline so we’ll continue to of its last 21. see and we’re working at it every day,” Fletcher said. “I guess when something happens we’ll be in a position to let you know. Wayne’s “It’s always better playing with the lead, even still early on in the game he played hard. He’s played very well of late. I can’t commend him enough made a big save there on that breakaway, could’ve been a whole on his professionalism, on his attitude. You watch him in celebrations different game,” Sean Couturier said. “He kept us in once again. In front, after we win a game he’s pretty much the first guy out there it’s nice to give him some support. congratulating Carter or Anthony. He’s just a great teammate, done a lot for this franchise.” “We try to make it as easy as we can on him, but sometimes we make it tough. It was nice, I guess tonight to get a few goals to support him.” Other possible players who could be available are Raffl, who is on an expiring contract, and some reports have had Radko Gudas in that group Here are four more takeaways from Saturday’s game… as well. He’s probably been the best defenseman on the team this year from October to early February and has another year at $3.35 million. In a minor move Saturday the Flyers traded Dale Weise and Christian Folin to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman David Schlemko and Fletcher balked at the notion that he was trying to keep things hands-off forward Byron Froese. Both of the newcomers will report to the American during the Flyers’ eight-game win streak. The late push doesn’t change Hockey League and defenseman Phil Myers was recalled. his plans. The 6-foot-5, 212-pound Myers has played particularly well as of late and “Everything we do is about building not just for now but for next year too,” general manager Chuck Fletcher wanted to get him up in the NHL at he said. “So to be better next year we’ve got to be better this year. some point. Helping Weise and Folin find new situations, which Fletcher Nothing’s changed. We’re still trying to do some things.” said they were coveting, provided a nice opportunity for that.

“He’s been our best defenseman all year and one of the better defensemen in the American Hockey League and he’s earned this Courier-Post LOADED: 02.10.2019 opportunity,” Fletcher said. “He’s still a young man. Really his key time will be next year at training camp. He’s gotta come in and earn a full-time spot for a full season. Right now, if we can get him some experience and practicing is great and being around the team is great. If he can get some games, that will only help him for next year. “We’ve three games in four days starting tonight, a lot of hockey down the stretch. To have some fresh young legs up here will be great. Again, we’ll see how the coaches integrate him into the lineup, but Phil Myers can help this team win right now, too.” Gordon said Myers probably wouldn’t immediately make his debut, that the recall was more about having an extra defenseman for the Flyers’ road trip Tuesday. In the first period alone, two members of the Flyers’ fourth line had two points apiece. Michael Raffl and Varone each had a goal and assist in the game and it was much needed for a line that hasn’t contributed much or had much ice time to do so. “It’s not an easy job to do to be at your best when you go out there and play eight minutes,” said Raffl, who notched only his second career shorthanded goal. “You’re not really in the games. it was big for us and a big confidence boost for our line.” 1130030 Philadelphia Flyers NHL contract limit that plays in the ECHL. Sounds like he’ll be with the Reading Royals next season.

Kalniņš’ take: “His stats might lie a little, playing for a contending team in Flyers prospect WATCH: Could Carter Hart be blazing a trail for young low-scoring league. He’s very athletic, very flexible and can move well for goalies? his size. Very good hockey sense, he reads the game at a high level. Sometimes chaotic and all over the place. He gets to play a lot, which is very good for a goalie, but I’d love to see him at pro level to assess his Dave Isaac, NHL writer game a little better. Doesn’t have to be at KHL level, but VHL would offer a better assessment on him.” Published 1:05 p.m. ET Feb. 9, 2019 Felix Sandström

Felix Sandström, HV71 (SHL) Carter Hart mania has gone international. Age: 22 Even in Sweden, where the national team’s goalie coach, Nizze Landén was speaking by phone about a couple Swedish prospects, he brought Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 192 pounds up what Hart has done for the Flyers. Acquired: 2015 third-round pick (70th overall) “Sometimes you have to give them the chance, the young goalies,” Landén said. “You can get a lot of experience if you’re playing in the This season: 14 games, 2.07 goals-against average, .911 save Swedish League or Swiss League or AHL, but give them the chance. percentage Give them the chance to fall, even if they’re young. I think it was a pretty The skinny: In his last season in his native Sweden, Sandström has good time when Philadelphia put him in the net because they had nothing fallen into the backup role for HV71 behind Jonas Gunnarsson. He was to lose. Everything they were doing should be positive and it’s an part of a tandem, but after a coaching change and strong play by investment for next season for the Flyers.” Gunnarsson, Sandström has been in a secondary role. Next season he Others share that point of view as well and the buzz is growing. After all, figures to be part of a tandem playing for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. the big paydays in the NHL have come more recently for young restricted With whom remains in question. free agents as opposed to established veterans that hit free agency and Landén’s take: “He’s a great goalie. I had him in the World Juniors two find a big payday. It's a young man's league and getting younger. years ago. You know what you get from him every day. It’s really easy to It’s been more common among forwards over the past five or 10 years, work with him and he picks up on small things very fast. I also had him but more recently it’s also been true that young defensemen can step for one and a half months last year. I was goalie coach in Oskarshamn right into the league even though they typically need more development. (where Sandström played on a conditioning loan) in the second league in Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen is only 19 and Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin is 18. Sweden. He left Brynäs in the season and we took him to Oskarshamn to Both are in contention (although trailing Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson) in get him on his feet again because he was really down at that point. After the Calder Trophy race. one and a half months, HV71 took him to their organization.” Can it be true for goalies also? Samuel Ersson, Västerås IK (Allsvenskan) “I think Carter’s the exception,” interim coach Scott Gordon said recently. Age: 19 “I think you’re less likely to see that because you can have goalies that Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 176 pounds might have his physical attributes (but) his mental part, how he handles it, he’s very even keeled, very focused. For a 20-year-old to be like that, Acquired: 2018 fifth-round pick (143rd overall) when you’re talking about Carey Price, there aren’t many of those.” This season: 27 games, 1.81 goals-against average, .938 save “He’s handled himself great, he’s 20 years old, certainly he’s got a bright percentage future ahead of him,” general manager Chuck Fletcher added. “Whether that means he can carry the ball every day starting now for the rest of his The skinny: Samuel Ersson surprised the Swedes in their pre-tournament career, I’m not sure. Certainly, he could. But we’ve used seven goalies camp ahead of the World Junior Championship this season. Then he this year and I guess I’ve been around long enough to know that things took the starting job and ran with it. He’s also played terrific for Västerås can change. We have three goalies under contract for next year, we have in the minors for Sweden and is a huge part of that team. He’ll probably Carter, we have Alex (Lyon), we have (Felix) Sandström. We’ve used spend at least one more season in Sweden before coming over to North seven this year ... so we have to add least four more this summer.” America. There’s plenty of time for him to improve and the Flyers to get more clarity. Fletcher was joking about adding four, but Hart does change the Flyers’ plan for the future. He’s shown he can handle the league and thus is Landén’s take: “I think he had taken major steps the last year and his almost certain to be the Flyers’ starter next season. They’ll need game is more compact and is more patient in the game. He knows what someone to play with him in the NHL and a couple more down in the he has to do and don’t do. That’s one of the major things for a goalie and minors. I see a lot of goalies, even in the NHL, they’re doing way too much head movement. I think his game right now is just getting better and better and That’s where we look at this week’s prospect report. hopefully they’re gonna make it to the playoffs with Västerås and it’s going to be fun to see how he acts in those games. He’s a big key for With so much interest in the team’s prospect group, the Courier-Post will them.” check in on the promising young players each week. Here’s the latest progress report with insights from Landén and KHL insider Aivis Kalniņš. * all statistics through Friday, February 8. Courier-Post LOADED: 02.10.2019 Kirill Ustimenko Kirill Ustimenko, MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg (MHL) Age: 20 Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 187 pounds Acquired: 2017 third-round pick (80th overall) This season: 40 games, 1.82 goals-against average, .927 save percentage The skinny: It was very interesting to hear Fletcher say recently that he wants to sign Ustimenko after this season and that he has to develop. Clearly Fletcher thinks he’ll do that better in North America than he will in Russia. A big part of that will surely be goalie development coach Brady Robinson and because he probably isn’t ready for the AHL quite yet, Ustimenko would likely be one of the rare players who counts against the 1130031 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers vs. Ducks: Game 55 preview, line combinations, broadcast info

Dave Isaac, NHL writer Published 7:00 a.m. ET Feb. 9, 2019

Carter Hart is aiming to be the first goalie to have an eight-game win streak before his 21st birthday since Jocelyn Thibault in 1995. (Photo: Joe Lamberti/Courier Post) Today: Flyers vs. Anaheim Ducks Site: Wells Fargo Center / Philadelphia, Pa. Bovada odds: Flyers -1.5 | O/U 6.0 Keep an eye on Ivan Provorov, who has looked much more like a No. 1 defenseman since the bye week than the player who looked confused most of the first half of the season. He led the Flyers with five shots on goal in their loss to the Los Angeles Kings Thursday night. “Obviously he’s playing more on his toes,” interim coach Scott Gordon said. “He’s skating more with the puck. He looks faster. It’s good to see because he has the ability to do that. I want all our D to get in the play, but especially someone like Ivan who’s got the skill level and the pace to do it consistently. “(With) all of our D I talk about that but when I’ve talked to Ivan specifically, I’ve talked about not standing still and waiting for something to open up as opposed to find your options while you’re skating.”

Courier-Post LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130032 Philadelphia Flyers Position: LW/RW Age: 27 NHL trade rumors: Top 35 targets before 2019 deadline | Artemi Panarin 2018-19 stats: 50 GP, 10 G, 12 A, 22 P switches agents; Wayne Simmonds, Mark Stone available Contract after 2018-19: UFA

Panik has been traded twice since 2016, and with the Coyotes not in By Chris Ryan contention this season, he's a candidate to move again. 31-Kasperi Kapanen The 2018-19 NHL season is approaching the trade deadline, where Current team: Toronto Maple Leafs contending teams around the league will turn into buyers, looking to add key players for the end of the regular season and the Stanley Cup Position: RW Playoffs. Age: 22 Teams out of postseason contention will be selling some strong pieces, 2018-19 stats: 52 GP, 15 G, 15 A, 30 P and some good players could be on the move prior to the Feb. 25 trade deadline. Contract after 2018-19: RFA Columbus Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin ranks among the top Kapanen will be coming off his entry level contract this summer, so he players potentially available, and he fired agent Dan Milstein in early has years of team control in front of him. If the Leafs are looking to February, according to multiple reports, to switch to Paul Theofanous. bolster their roster for a Stanley Cup run, using Kapanen to do so is a Under Milstein, Paranin said he would not negotiate a contract extension possibility. in Columbus during the season. 30-Cam Fowler Goalie and fellow Blue Jacket Sergei Bobrovsky is also represented by Theofanous. Bobrovsky is another potential trade target, and both Current team: Anaheim Ducks players will be unrestricted free agents this summer. Position: D Ottawa Senators forwards Mark Stone and Matt Duchene, New York Age: 27 Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello and Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard are also some of the names to watch in the coming weeks. The 2018-19 stats: 31 GP, 3 G, 8 A, 11 P New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers and other could be among the teams looking to move players. Contract after 2018-19: 7 years, $6.5 million AAV Here's a look at 35 of the top targets potentially on the trade market The idea of moving a player with that much term left on a contract might approaching the deadline. sound crazy, but things are strange in Anaheim right now. Outside of John Gibson, the team has struggled for most of the season, and their 35-Michael Raffl recent run has them outside of the playoff picture. If the team wants to blow everything up, trading Fowler to another team looking to rebuild its Current team: Philadelphia Flyers blue line could make sense. Position: LW 29-Eric Fehr 2018-19 stats: 39 GP, 3 G, 6 A, 9 P Current team: Minnesota Wild Contract after 2018-19: Unrestricted Free Agent Position: C Raffl's not a big scorer, but he brings some bottom-six and penalty kill Age: 33 stability for a team looking for an extra piece. With new management in place in Philly with GM Chuck Fletcher, the team could look to move the 2018-19 stats: 43 GP, 5 G, 5 A, 10 P pending free agent, even if the Flyers' hot streak continues. Contract after 2018-19: UFA 34-Adam McQuaid Fehr was traded prior to the 2018 deadline, going from the Maple Leafs 34-Adam McQuaid to the Sharks, and he signed a one-year deal with the Wild last summer. If the Wild sell, he's another option to move this month. Current team: New York Rangers 28-Jeff Carter Position: D Current team: Los Angeles Kings Age: 32 Position: C 2018-19 stats: 28 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 4 P Age: 34 Contract after 2018-19: UFA 2018-19 stats: 51 GP, 10 G, 15 A, 25 P McQuaid was traded during training camp in September, joining the Rangers after spending his entire career with the Bruins. The pending Contract after 2018-19: 3 years, $5,272,727 AAV free agent could fetch something from a contender looking for a cheap defensive addition. Carter still has a lot of term left on his contract, but considering the Kings have already started shedding some of their older talent, he could also 33-Ryan Dzingel be a player the team looks to move this month. If he stays, a summer deal is always an option, too. Current team: Ottawa Senators Chris Ryan Position: LW 27-Eric Staal Age: 26 Current team: Minnesota Wild 2018-19 stats: 50 GP, 20 G, 19 A, 39 P Position: C Contract after 2018-19: UFA Age: 34 In a lost season for Ottawa, Dzingel has been a bright spot. His numbers have increased in each of his four NHL seasons. Since he's just 26, he is 2018-19 stats: 52 GP, 17 G, 20 A, 37 P someone the Senators could look to lock up long term, but he could bring back a decent return if the team tried to move him. Contract after 2018-19: UFA 32-Richard Panik The Wild are very much in contention for the postseason in the Western Conference, so they're a team that could look to add rather than sell at Current team: Arizona Coyotes the deadline. But considering the front office changed hands last summer, new GM Paul Fenton could few Staal as an asset to sell before Contract after 2018-19: UFA his deal expires. Considering he has 87 goals and 91 assists since signing a three-year deal with the Wild, his $3.5 million AAV is a steal. Kinkaid is in the final year of his contract, and with the presence of Cory Schneider on a long-term deal and the emergence of Mackenzie 26-Cam Talbot Blackwood in New Jersey, the Devils could have the opening to trade him before the deadline. Kinkaid hasn't posted the same numbers as last Current team: Edmonton Oilers season, but he's still had strong outings and has shown he can win Position: G consistently in the NHL. Age: 31 2 20-Chris Kreider 018-19 stats: 28 GP, 9-13-3, 3.34 GAA, .893 save percentage Current team: New York Rangers Contract after 2018-19: UFA Position: LW The Oilers already gave a three-year contract extension to goalie Mikko Age: 27 Koskinen, who has played one more game than Talbot this season. If the 2018-19 stats: 52 GP, 24 G, 16 A, 40 P Oilers have the chance to move Talbot, they'll likely take it. Contract after 2018-19: 1 year, $4.625 million AAV 25-Alex Edler The Rangers have two forwards in the final years of their respective Current team: Vancouver Canucks contracts — both will be mentioned soon — so they're not in a spot Position: D where they have to deal Kreider. But the team hasn't shied away from trading players with term on their contracts over the past two seasons, so Age: 32 he will be an option if the Rangers sell. 2018-19 stats: 38 GP, 5 G, 15 A, 20 P 19-Jakub Silfverberg Contract after 2018-19: UFA Current team: Anaheim Ducks Edler has spent his entire career in Vancouver, but if the Canucks fall out Position: RW of the race approaching the trade deadline, he's a name to keep an eye on. He is currently sidelined with a concussion. Age: 28 24-Jamie McGinn 2018-19 stats: 45 GP, 12 G, 8 A, 20 P Current team: Florida Panthers Contract after 2018-19: UFA Position: LW/RW With the Ducks trending away from the postseason picture, Silfverberg could be one of the players the team moves ahead of the deadline before Age: 30 his current contract expires on July 1. 2018-19 stats: 0 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P Contract after 2018-19: UFA Star Ledger LOADED: 02.10.2019 McGinn hasn't played an NHL game this season while dealing with a back injury, but he recently made his first AHL appearance after clearing waivers. If he gets going in the next few weeks at either level, he's a possible gamble for a team looking for forward depth. 23-Cody Ceci Current team: Ottawa Senators Position: D Age: 25 2018-19 stats: 48 GP, 5 G, 10 A, 15 P Contract after 2018-19: Restricted Free Agent Ceci still has one season of restricted free agency left before he's eligible to hit the open market as early as the summer of 2020. So if the rebuilding Senators get the right package, Ceci could be another trade option for a selling team. 22-Carl Hagelin Current team: Los Angeles Kings Position: LW Age: 30 2018-19 stats: 31 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 P Contract after 2018-19: UFA Hagelin has already been traded once this season, going from the Penguins to the Kings. With the Kings set to sell, Hagelin is a natural option to move. His stats this season aren't overwhelming, but he has the experience of 121 postseason games. 21-Keith Kinkaid Current team: New Jersey Devils Position: G Age: 29 2018-19 stats: 36 GP, 14-15-6, 3.12 GAA, .893 save percentage 1130033 Pittsburgh Penguins Crosby played in his 916th career game with the Penguins, breaking Mario Lemieux’s franchise record of 915. Nick Bjugstad left the game with an injury in the third period. Penguins' grip on playoff spot loosens with loss at Tampa Bay Tribune Review LOADED: 02.10.2019 JONATHAN BOMBULIE Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, 10:09 p.m. Updated 6 hours ago

TAMPA, Fla. — After they played another wild, physical, barnburner Saturday night, there’s no doubt a playoff matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning would be a treat. Only problem is, there’s no guarantee the Penguins are going to get to the playoffs. Tyler Johnson broke a third-period tie, leading the Lightning to a 5-4 victory and sending the Penguins to their fourth straight loss. The Penguins erased a two-goal deficit and pushed back against a top- flight Tampa Bay team on the road, but none of those things will give them a point in the standings. If Carolina beats New Jersey on Sunday, the Penguins will be knocked out of the playoff picture and into ninth place in the Eastern Conference. “Close games like that are going to be pretty common all the way in here,” Sidney Crosby said. “We have to make sure we’re finding a way to get those big plays. I think that’s the more frustrating part than anything.” Two brutal, glaring errors stood out above the rest for the Penguins. Late in the first period, with the Penguins up 1-0 on Garrett Wilson’s first NHL goal, Bryan Rust turned a puck over inside the offensive blue line, giving Tampa Bay a naked two-on-none break. Yanni Gourde finished a pass from Brayden Point. “The decision was great. Sid was open. The pass was (expletive) horrendous,” Rust said. “That one’s on me.” Early in the second period, with the Penguins on the power play down 2- 1, Phil Kessel turned a puck over in the slot in the offensive zone. It led to an Anthony Cirelli goal on a two-on-one with Alex Killorn. It was the league-leading 12th short-handed goal allowed by the Penguins this season. “I have nothing more to say about the power play,” coach Mike Sullivan said. The Penguins battled back by scoring twice in the eight minutes that followed the Cirelli goal. Jared McCann lobbed a puck from the left wing past goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Rust stuffed in the rebound of a Jake Guentzel wrap- around. They also got a Tanner Pearson goal late to get back within one. “I thought we fought hard all night. We battled. We pushed,” Sullivan said. “I still think, to a certain extent, the types of mistakes we make, we beat ourselves with some of the decisions we make with the puck.” Tyler Johnson scored the winning goal on a shot from the left faceoff circle off the rush about five minutes into the third period. The Lightning came perilously close to entering the zone offside on the play, but Sullivan didn’t challenge. “(Video coach Andy Saucier) looked at it a number of different ways. He thought it was onside,” Sullivan said. Casey DeSmith, a bit of a surprise starter with cleared to return from an upper-body injury, made 29 saves. “I thought Casey was fine,” Sullivan said. “The goals they scored were good goals. They’re not easy to stop.” The bad blood that has percolated between the teams this season continued to boil. In the second period, after Teddy Blueger fought Adam Erne and before Jack Johnson fought Killorn, Crosby and Tyler Johnson were involved in a confrontation. Crosby dropped his right glove and cocked his fist but didn’t throw a punch. They exchanged words on the way to the penalty box. “I don’t have a great explanation,” Crosby said. “The first (game) kind of carried over to the next one and the next one.” 1130034 Pittsburgh Penguins

Inconsistency could keep Penguins from early postseason clinching

JONATHAN BOMBULIE Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, 7:33 p.m. Updated 10 hours ago

Coming into Saturday’s games, the teams in second through ninth place in the Eastern Conference were separated by seven points. At least one good team will be sitting at home disappointed when the playoffs start. Given their inconsistency, it’s reasonable to expect the Pittsburgh Penguins will be fighting for their playoff lives through to the last week of the season. Coach Mike Sullivan, however, said he has not yet resigned himself to that fact. “I haven’t really resigned myself to anything,” he said. “We’re trying to win the game right in front of us. As long as we focus on the short term and we control what we can to get the results, then everything else will take care of itself.” Injury report Justin Schultz continued to practice with the team Saturday morning as he gets closer to a return from a broken leg. Sullivan said the fact Schultz has yet to return to the lineup despite being cleared for contact since Monday is not unexpected. “He’s missed a fair amount of time, so we’re trying to get him as many practices and full-contact practices as we possibly can so that when he does go in, he has the ability to have success,” Sullivan said.

Tribune Review LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130035 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins expect physical fireworks in matchup with Lightning

JONATHAN BOMBULIE Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, 1:15 p.m. Updated 16 hours ago

TAMPA, Fla. – The last time the Pittsburgh Penguins met the Tampa Bay Lightning, on Jan. 30 at PPG Paints Arena, it was reasonable to expect a high-flying showdown between two of the NHL’s most skilled offenses. Instead, it got a little nasty. Cedric Paquette leveled Kris Letang with a late hit early in the game. Evgeni Malkin fought Steven Stamkos late. Scrums developed after the whistle more often than not. Letang wasn’t surprised. “They have a mix of both,” he said. “Their third and fourth line brings a lot of speed and energy and physicality. I was expecting it. They have big defensemen also. It’s what they do.” Winger Bryan Rust said he thinks previous playoff meetings between the teams have given birth to a bit of a rivalry. “It definitely got a little bit chippy,” he said. “I think that might have something to do with the history between these two teams. There have been some playoff series and some times where games get close and tight. I think anytime that happens in recent history, things boil over to the following seasons.” Given the construction of their roster, the Penguins clearly don’t specialize in physical play. Still, they tend to turn in some of their finer performances against aggressive opponents. Meetings with Washington, Winnipeg and Tampa Bay this season are evidence. “I think it just fires everyone up a little more, gets the competitive juices flowing a little more,” Rust said. “Guys get riled up and once it happens to one or two guys, it’s contagious throughout the bench.” Coach Mike Sullivan said he’s fine with that, as long as the Penguins don’t forget who they are. “Teams are going to try to play us different ways,” Sullivan said. “Sometimes teams are going to try to use aggression to beat us, and that’s OK. The most important thing is understanding what our game is and how we have to play in order to be successful. We can’t get lured into someone else’s game. When we do that, when we have that focus and that diligence and that discipline, that’s when I think our team’s at its best.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130036 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins' Sullivan picks DeSmith over Murray for Saturday night showdown in Tampa

JONATHAN BOMBULIE Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, 1:03 p.m. Updated 16 hours ago

TAMPA, Fla. – Matt Murray is medically cleared to return from an upper- body injury, but he’ll back up Casey DeSmith as the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. Throwing Murray into the fire against a potent Lightning offense after he sat out Wednesday’s practice and Thursday’s game at Florida would have been a difficult assignment, but coach Mike Sullivan said that’s not necessarily why he gave DeSmith the nod Saturday. “Do we talk about our opponents? Yes, but that doesn’t weigh in to the main part of the decision,” Sullivan said. “It’s more about putting our players in positions where they can be at their best and be successful, but also putting the best players on the ice that are going to give us the best chance to win on any given night.” Sullivan said DeSmith’s performance is a bigger factor, both over the course of the season and recently. Among goalies who have made at least 25 starts this season, DeSmith is eighth in the league with a .918 save percentage. Since the all-star break, DeSmith is 1-0-1 with a .927 save percentage while Murray is 1-3-0 with a .893. “Casey’s played extremely well,” Sullivan said. “When you look at Casey’s numbers to this point, he’s played 30 games, his save percentage is top 10 in the league. His last two outings, he’s had .929, .925 save percentage. He’s given us a chance to win. We think both of our guys right now are giving us a chance to win. We think it’s the best decision for both guys at this time.”

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Garrett Wilson finally scores first NHL goal

Jason Mackey Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [email protected]

TAMPA, Fla. — Garrett Wilson had been waiting a long time for this. A really long time. Like 59-plus games. But finally, after more than 70 percent of an 82-game regular season had passed, Wilson scored his first NHL goal Saturday in the Penguins’ 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. “Felt amazing,” Wilson said. “It’s a lot of weight off the shoulders. It’s nice to get that out of the way so I can stop thinking about it and just play hockey. It would have been nicer in a win, but it was nice to get it out of the way.” After Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov lost his footing, Matt Cullen and the Penguins transitioned the other way. Teddy Blueger did a terrific job in the left circle, essentially making a no-look pass across the slot with Lightning defenseman Hedman diving to try to stop it. The puck settled at just the right time, and Wilson finished for his first goal in 60 NHL games, the Penguins grabbing a 1-0 lead at 13:36 of the first period. Although he’s been playing strictly on the fourth line and definitely is not counted upon to score, Wilson has knocking on the doorstep of his first goal for weeks now, with several near-misses. “Cully made a good play on the wall there, sprung us on a two-on-one,” Wilson said. “Been playing with Teddy enough down in Wilkes that we have some chemistry. He made a great pass over to me. “I just tried to get it off as quick as I can and up over his glove. It was lucky enough to go in.” Even though the Penguins lost their fourth in a row, their fourth line was fairly effective. Wilson logged 7:42 and attempted five shots, putting three on goal. He also tallied three hits. Blueger wound up fighting Adam Erne, and the whole group turned in several quality shifts. “As a fourth line, we’re just trying to create energy and momentum,” Wilson said. “I thought we had a few pretty good shifts back-to-back. It was tough to lose a tough one like that. Wilson and Blueger started the season on a line together with Wilkes- Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, with Wilson serving as the team’s captain and Blueger its No. 1 prospect. In adjusting to life as a young NHL player, Blueger has often credited Wilson with helping him feel comfortable. The Penguins like Wilson because of his size and willingness to do the little things like throwing his body around, killing penalties and blocking shots. But any player who logs NHL minutes obviously wants to score sooner or later. And for Wilson, that wait started to feel really long. “Honestly, it was eating me alive,” Wilson said. “It was nice to get it over with. It felt like it took forever. Hopefully I can start putting more pucks behind goalies.” Around the boards • Nick Bjugstad adjourned to the locker room and did not take a shift after his final one ended at 13:12 of the third period. • Sidney Crosby played his 916th NHL game, overtaking Mario Lemieux for the Penguins all-time mark in games played. “I’m happy to be in Pittsburgh,” Crosby said. “Time certainly goes by pretty fast. I had a lot of great memories here, in those games. I’d like to play a lot more. That’s kind of how I look at it.”

Post Gazette LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130038 Pittsburgh Penguins It might feel good to yell and tell them to try harder and think a little bit more out there, but you also might risk creating a negative situation or having them tune you out. Power-play troubles persist for Penguins in loss to Lightning “I think everyone has to take ownership for their own game,” Sullivan said when asked whether Kessel needs to elevate his game with Malkin out. “Obviously Geno is a dynamic player and has shown at times to have Staff Report some chemistry with Phil. We’ve got to find ways to have an impact on the game.” Feb 10, 2019 5:17 AM

Post Gazette LOADED: 02.10.2019 TAMPA, Fla. — What else is there to say, seriously? After the Penguins allowed yet another short-handed goal Saturday, their NHL-worst 12th coming in a 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was clearly furious. But he decided against peeling the paint off the walls outside of the Penguins dressing room, choosing instead to stay silent on the issue. “No, nothing,” Sullivan responded when asked whether there was anything left to say about all the short-handed goals allowed, later adding, “I have nothing more to say about the power play.” Think about that for a second, and it makes sense for Sullivan to bite his tongue. The culprit Saturday night was Phil Kessel, whose careless pass into the middle of the ice was picked off. Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh quickly and smartly sent it the other way. Alex Killorn found Anthony Cirelli, and that was that. As frustrating as it might be to watch — from your couch or the bench — there’s literally nothing else for Sullivan to do aside from taking Kessel off the top power play, and that would be the definition of cutting off the nose to spite the face. Kessel leads the Penguins in power-play goals (eight) and power-play points (23) this season. Last year, Kessel led the entire lead in power- play points with 42. The entire operation runs through him. It’s also not one guy. Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin have been plenty guilty, too, and the power play’s recent ineffectiveness involves more than just allowing the other team to score. This group, which during the Penguins’ eight-game winning streak went 10 for 22, is just one for 19 over its past eight games. “[Opposing teams] have pressured us very hard up on top,” Patric Hornqvist said Friday after practice. “We have to play a little more simple from up top. Don’t play position, play possession instead. Go to spots. “Even me, I’m always around the net, but sometimes I have to go in the corners to help because they’re pressuring us hard. When you shoot the puck, you get the puck back. That’s when things will open up.” They haven’t lately, and that has to be concerning. The Penguins have dropped to seventh in the league in power-play conversion rate at just 23.5 percent. That’s not great when you consider the Penguins are 16-8-3 (.648) this season when they score a power-play goal. Speaking Saturday morning, Letang said the Penguins know they need to compensate by being better five-on-five whenever power-play goals, like they are now, are a rare commodity. “When you get the opportunity to go out there and score goals, it gives you a chance to win,” Letang said. “We have to find ways to win without [the power play] and be strong in the five-on-five game.” There are a couple explainable factors for the power play’s struggles right now. For one, Malkin has missed the five games with an upper-body injury and will probably miss a sixth Monday. He has not yet taken contact in his return. The Penguins are off Sunday, and it’s doubtful he’d take contact and play in a game the same day, which he’d have to do in order to play Monday against the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. Hornqvist, meanwhile, doesn’t have a point in eight games since returning from his concussion, while Kessel has gone four games without a point, the longest such stretch for him since December 2015. So while the easy answer might be for Sullivan to flip out and criticize Kessel or do something drastic such as yanking someone off the top unit, the reality is he needs more out of these guys. 1130039 Pittsburgh Penguins “[The puck] got flat,” Rust said. “Then once it hit my stick, I went to stop it, and it flipped up. I have to be aware of that.

“That’s a goal that … I do that drill in morning skate all the time. [Jake Penguins show fight but come up short in Tampa Guentzel] gives me that pass, and I probably score nine times out of 10. I have to put that in.” Jason Mackey Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [email protected] In a vacuum, none of the aforementioned stuff is terrible. You chalk it up to playing a really good team, in their building and move on. The Penguins can’t do that. TAMPA, Fla. — Neither effort nor engagement lacked for the Penguins They now have dropped four in a row and are 5-8-1 since their eight- Saturday night. game winning streak. They need points. It was instead a lack of execution that doomed them. The Penguins (28-20-7) have just a one-point edge on the final playoff spot, and nearly half their games the rest of the way are against teams in Which, ultimately, led to the result they never got, one they needed at playoff position. this point in the season. “We know the situation,” Crosby said. “The fact that a few of the games The Penguins played one of their more spirited games in recent weeks, we’ve been in, we haven’t found a way to win them. Close games like but they simply ran into a really good team, as the Tampa Bay Lightning that are going to be pretty common all the way in here. looked like the high-powered machine that it is and won, 5-4, at Amalie Arena. “We need to make sure that we’re finding a way to get those big plays. I think that’s probably more the frustrating part than anything.” “It’s the way games are going to be this time of year,” captain Sidney Crosby said. “We have to find ways to be on the right side of it.” The Lighting leads the NHL in goals and points and ranks near the top of Post Gazette LOADED: 02.10.2019 the league in pretty much every meaningful statistical category. After the Penguins earned a 4-2 victory over Tampa Bay Jan. 30, the Lightning clearly was looking for revenge. Tampa Bay got it by winning a game that had a playoff feel from the start, featuring post-whistle scrums, fights and a tremendous amount of intensity. “They think they’re the top team in the league,” said Penguins left winger Garrett Wilson, who scored his first NHL goal. “We want to show that we can beat them. This was a tough game. They played hard. It would’ve been nice to scrounge a point.” So many ingredients went into the game — one of the most entertaining of the year for the Penguins — but three miscues stand out above the rest. They contributed to the lack of execution that proved so costly. The first was a Bryan Rust turnover that led to Tampa Bay’s first goal. Rust tried to find Crosby, but his pass was off the mark. Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman picked it off, and the result was a three-on- none the other way because Marcus Pettersson, the last man back, fell down. At the offensive end, left winger Yanni Gourde and center Brayden Point went back and forth until Gourde finished at 15:02. “The decision was great. Sid was open,” Rust explained. “The pass was [expletive] horrendous. That one’s on me.” The second put the Penguins in a 3-1 hole midway through the second period — another short-handed goal allowed, their NHL-worst 12th. The play started with a careless pass from Phil Kessel into the middle of the ice, which Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh quickly sent the other way. Alex Killorn slid a pass to center Anthony Cirelli, who went to his backhand to beat Casey DeSmith at 7:42 of the second period. The Penguins responded nicely, with Jared McCann and Rust combining to make it 3-3 after two periods, but if they don’t allow a short-handed goal there, the Penguins probably pick up at least a point. Allowing so many short-handed goals has been frustrating for the Penguins, and it left Sullivan speechless afterward. “No. Nothing,” Sullivan said when asked if there’s anything left to say about the power play, which is now 1 for 19 over the past eight games. “We kept fighting throughout the course of the game. I give our players a lot of credit for that. I have nothing more to say about the power play.” The final area where the execution lacked was in the third period, when the Penguins had just five shots. Right winger Tyler Johnson made it 4-3 on his goal from the left circle — with the Penguins over-committing to center Ondrej Palat and Jack Johnson giving Johnson space while screening DeSmith. Then when Coraopolis native J.T. Miller made it 5-3 at 14:03 of the third, sneaking a shot through while Pettersson battled with Cirelli in front. Earlier in the period, Rust had a glorious chance on a two-on-one with Crosby, but his shot — while staring at an open net — sailed wide. 1130040 Pittsburgh Penguins go the extra mile, to do certain things that most players quite honestly aren’t willing to do. I think that’s what separates Sid from others."

Sullivan made a few lineup tweaks with his forward lines for Saturday’s Jared McCann is the Penguins’ anti-Derick Brassard game. Sidney Crosby was between Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust to start, Jason Mackey Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [email protected] while Nick Bjugstad shifted back to center, on a line with Tanner Pearson and Phil Kessel.

McCann centered Dominik Simon and Patric Hornqvist. Matt Cullen was TAMPA, Fla. — When Jared McCann was in Vancouver, he acted like a between Teddy Blueger and Garrett Wilson. sponge around Daniel and Henrik Sedin, trying to model the twins’ on- and off-ice habits. No changes on defense, as the three pairings from Thursday’s game remained: Marcus Pettersson-Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin-Jack In Florida, McCann worked behind a couple terrific centers in Aleksander Johnson, and Olli Maatta-Juuso Riikola Barkov and Upper St. Clair native Vince Trocheck. While many expected Matt Murray to get the start in goal, Sullivan Those above him on the Penguins’ depth chart that position aren’t too instead went with Casey DeSmith, who has a .927 save percentage (76 shabby, either. of 82) over his past two starts. Which is why McCann is thrilled for the opportunity in front of him — not “Casey has played extremely well,” Sullivan said. “You look at Casey’s only to become an integral part of the team but also to lock down the numbers to this point, he’s played 30 games, his save percentage is top third-line center job in a way that Derick Brassard could not. 10 in the league (tied for ninth at .918). “I’m just trying to make the most of it, work hard every day and show “He’s given us a chance to win.” them they made the right decision in bringing me here,” McCann said. “I’m going to do whatever they say. If they continue to put me there, I’ll Murray did serve as the backup, which gave him more time to recover just continue to work at it and get better.” from the upper-body injury that kept him out of Thursday’s game. There are a few reasons why this experiment may work better than the Injury updates last one, but the biggest has to be McCann’s upbeat and tremendously Justin Schultz didn’t return Saturday, although he should be back soon. likable attitude. And even though Schultz has been taking contact for nearly a week now, While Brassard worried about what he wasn’t getting or what didn’t work, Sullivan said the Penguins want to ensure Schultz gets plenty of McCann is thrilled to be in this position. He’s geeked to look across the practices under his belt before inserting him back into the lineup. locker room to see Sidney Crosby as a mentor, not someone stealing his ice time. “He’s right on track for where we expected him to be,” Sullivan said. “He’s making progress. He’s missed a fair amount of time. We’re trying to Learning to appreciate what you have is a lesson McCann learned early get him as many practices and full contact practices as we possibly can in his career. so that when he does go in, he has the ability to have success.” “Coming in from junior at 19 years old, to the NHL, it was a big eye- Evgeni Malkin (upper-body) and Zach Aston-Reese (left hand) both kept opener for me, especially because I was one of the go-to guys in Sault their red, non-contact sweaters at Saturday’s morning skate, which could Ste. Marie [in the OHL],” said McCann, who played 69 games with the lessen the chances of either of them playing Monday. Canucks before spending the next 143 with the Panthers. “I was always one of those guys who got the extra ice. Then I went to Vancouver, and it was a different story. Post Gazette LOADED: 02.10.2019 “The way you handle different situations and keep yourself prepared because you’re always going to get those chances, I feel like that’s something that I picked up. “[The Sedins] are great human beings, great guys. Now I get to learn from one of the best players to ever play the game. It’s pretty exciting.” On the ice, McCann checks many of the necessary boxes for a Penguins third-line center. He has good vision, can skate, can facilitate to his linemates and can contribute on both special teams; he averaged 1:03 on the power play this season with the Panthers, :59 on the penalty kill. Thursday night against his former team, McCann showed a little offensive punch, too. After taking off on a two-on-one with Bryan Rust, McCann kept from the right circle and snapped a shot past Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo. It was the ninth goal of the season for McCann — ironically the same number as Brassard. Suffice to say, the Penguins’ latest option at third- line center has made a positive impression on his coach Mike Sullivan. “We think he’s capable,” Sullivan said. “He can really skate. He’s got a good, solid, two-way game. He’s sound defensively. He’s a good penalty killer, which is an indication of his defensive awareness. He’s a good faceoff guy. He’s competitive. And he can skate. He can play with pace. “I think he’s getting more comfortable with every day that he’s with us. He’s more familiar with how we’re trying to play but also the players that he’s playing with. We think he’s very capable of [third-line center] role.” Milestone night Finally — it happened. By playing in Saturday’s game, Sidney Crosby passed co-owner Mario Lemieux for the Penguins record in games played with No. 916. While Crosby was cautious in talking about it before it happened, Sullivan had no problem singing Crosby's praises after practice Friday. "He’s obviously a gifted player," Sullivan said. "He’s an elite player in that regard. When you combine that with his work ethic and his willingness to 1130041 Pittsburgh Penguins However, the fact remains, the Penguins were playing on the road against the NHL’s best and highest-scoring team. And, quite frankly, the Penguins aren’t a great defensive team and won’t be anytime soon. Frustrated Phil Kessel opens up after loss: ‘I need to be better’ That’s now how they win. They win because of their exceptional offensive skill. If they make a playoff run, their offense will likely be what carries them. It’s who they are. It’s who they’ve been for 35 years. By Josh Yohe Kessel needs to contribute in a big way. Crosby’s production has cooled a bit since the break, but he’s been marvelous since November. He’s Feb 9, 2019 been arguably the NHL’s best defensive forward since then and is still on pace for 94 points. That’s a pretty extraordinary thing.

Malkin has struggled mightily in recent weeks and has now missed five TAMPA, Fla. — Sidney Crosby was surrounded by reporters in the consecutive games. The Penguins need Kessel to start scoring more visitor’s locker room at Amalie Arena minutes after the Penguins’ hard- than ever right now. fought, 5-4 loss to the Lightning. A few feet to his right sat Phil Kessel, all alone, and all alone in his thoughts. “Well,” Sullivan started, “I think everybody has to take ownership of their game. Obviously, Geno is a dynamic player and he has shown, at times, Kessel has been pretty quiet in terms of production, too. And he knows it. chemistry with Phil. But we have to find ways to have an impact on the “I mean,” Kessel said, “I just can’t get anything going right now.” game.” He isn’t wrong. Kessel has now been held without a point for four Kessel’s impact hasn’t been positive lately. It needs to change, and he consecutive games. In five games with Evgeni Malkin absent from the knows it. lineup, Kessel has registered no goals and two assists. Saturday’s Sullivan specifically cited a lack of effort on a 5-on-3 faceoff in Florida on setback against the Lightning marked the fourth consecutive game in Thursday, as Crosby lost the draw, but not cleanly. Three Panthers still which Kessel has managed just one shot on goal. managed to clear the puck. Kessel was absolutely a culprit. The coaching staff consistently encourages Kessel to shoot with more Then there was the giveaway on the power play on Saturday, the inability regularity, but lately, he’s been a pass-first player. to bury a couple of goals and another night without a point. His recent production is well off of its usual pace: “We had our moments in this game,” Kessel said. “But that’s a really • Since the calendar turned into 2019, Kessel has managed only four good team, and we just weren’t quite good enough. Tough one to lose.” goals and 11 points in 16 games. It seemed especially tough for Kessel, who looked as disgusted as he • In seven games since the All-Star Game, Kessel has produced one has at any point during his time with the Penguins following a loss. goal, two assists and nine shots on goal. The Penguins are a mere one point ahead of the Hurricanes for the final • He has recorded precisely one shot on goal in eight of his past 11 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Malkin wants to play on Monday games. in Philadelphia, though it’s not official that he will play. “I’d say I’ve had some good games and some bad games since the It’s not known if Kessel will register any offense in that game, either. But break,” Kessel said. “But it hasn’t been good enough. I need to be better. it’s about time that he does. Crosby and Jake Guentzel have carried the Obviously, I need to be better.” offense for quite some time. Malkin figures to find his game at some point down the stretch, as he always does. Kessel’s best shift against the Lightning came in the second period. He made a couple of magnificent passes, one of which was directed toward The Penguins, though, are built to win because of their stars. Kessel an open Kris Letang at the right point. Letang returned the favor to a wide needs to start doing his part. He isn’t having a bad season by any open Kessel, who appeared to have something of a tap-in against an out- stretch, but lately, they’ve needed him. As the games become even more of-position Andrei Vasilevskiy. important down the stretch, the Penguins will need Kessel to find his form. However, Kessel didn’t have his stick in position to release the shot. Still, he managed to swing back on his forehand side and Vasilevskiy on the “I’ve got to be better,” he repeated. “And we’ll probably start winning ice. Although two Tampa Bay players were in the neighborhood, Kessel games when I do.” appeared to have the entire upper portion of the net open. He wasn’t able Ten postgame observations to lift the puck with any precision, though. Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta hits Lightning center Anthony Cirelli “I don’t know why I can’t get anything going,” Kessel said. “But one of during the third period at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. (Kim Klement/USA these days, it will come.” Today) There were plenty of reasons for the Penguins losing this game and, • This was a great, great hockey game and I’d be delighted to cover a make no mistake, they did not play a poor game. They went stride for playoff series between these two teams. It was fast, it was nasty, there stride, on the road, against the NHL’s best team. The Penguins easily was serious offensive talent all over the rink, and the crowd was on its could have won this game, but two Kessel plays in the second period feet for much of the evening. I can’t imagine there have been many badly hurt the cause. regular season games that were this entertaining. I’ll say this: If these two The inability to finish the previously described sequence didn’t help. Nor teams meet in the postseason — if the playoffs began today, incidentally, did his poor pass during a power play, which led to Anthony Cirelli’s the Lightning and Penguins would indeed play each other — I probably short-handed goal. wouldn’t pick against Tampa Bay. Jon Cooper’s team has been the NHL’s best this season. You don’t want to play against them in the first “Another short=handed goal,” Kessel said, shaking his head. round, or in any round. However, if I were the Lightning, I can absolutely say that I wouldn’t want to face the Penguins in the first round. The That would be 12 shorties against, to be precise, a total that easily leads Penguins aren’t the least bit afraid of the Lightning, and they match up the NHL. well against them. Also, Malkin didn’t play in this game, and his all-time And while the rest of the Penguins could have been more aware during numbers against this franchise are outrageous. that short-handed rush, Kessel’s poor pass triggered it. • Crosby dropped the gloves — well, his right one, anyway — and had a Mike Sullivan had nothing to offer about another short-handed goal when spirited altercation with Tyler Johnson in the second period. They were asked about it. shouting at each other from their respective penalty boxes during the next couple of minutes. Crosby confessed after the game that he wasn’t “No,” he said. “No.” sure why games between these two teams have turned so nasty. Cooper said the same thing during his press conference. Teddy Blueger dropped He was asked about Kessel’s performance, and questioning Kessel’s the gloves with Adam Erne in the first period. Jack Johnson had a nasty recent play isn’t without merit. Here’s why. fight with Alex Killorn in the second period. The Penguins don’t get rattled It would be easy to bury the Penguins for giving up five goals. Their often and don’t lost their tempers often. For whatever reason, the defensive play again wasn’t superb by any stretch. They allowed too Lightning brings it out in them. Like I said, bring on the playoff series. It many odd-man rushes, without question. Casey DeSmith, a surprise would be great drama. starter given that Matt Murray is healthy, was good in the first two periods • Garrett Wilson scored his first NHL goal, receiving a pretty feed from but needs to be better in the third. Blueger in the first period and scoring on a one-timer. Matt Cullen received the other assist and, while the fourth line was on the ice for a goal against in the final period, I thought that unit was outstanding for the Penguins. Give Wilson some credit, by the way. He has consistently done good things for the Penguins since being inserted into the lineup. To remain in the lineup, though, he needs to start scoring. Perhaps this was a start. • I found it a little curious that Murray didn’t get the start in this game. If he was healthy enough to be dressed, then he was healthy enough to play in the game. On the road. Against the best team in the league. Against a team that is gifted offensively. It strikes me as the kind of game in which you’d want to go with your No. 1 goalie. DeSmith was fine, and I wouldn’t hold him responsible for the loss. None of the goals allowed could be described as soft. But he needed to be better, especially in the third period. Perhaps Murray would have been better. Perhaps he wouldn’t have been. I’m surprised he wasn’t given the opportunity to show one way or the other. • I’ll give Kessel some credit. He has long been known as a player who dodges the media, and this reputation is accurate. But I found his tone — and I hope it came across this way — to be quite accountable. He patiently answered my questions and fully acknowledged that he knows the Penguins need him and that he must play better. Kessel was very candid and honest, I would say. I also received the sense that he feels like he is close to breaking out. History says this is true. • Bryan Rust had an interesting game and gave quite an interesting postgame comment. That’s 15 goals for Rust, who only had one until Dec. 12. He scored a goal thanks to a gorgeous feed from Guentzel. He also just missed on a two on one feed. Crosby brilliantly set him up, but the puck was on edge, and Rust’s shot sailed high. Rust also broke his stick on one shift, forcing him to slam it to the ice, was hit in a particularly painful part of the anatomy, and was a constant source of Tampa Bay’s aggression, absorbing a number of hits. Oh, and his giveaway was responsible for Tampa Bay’s first goal, as Yanni Gourde scored on a two on none thanks to an errant pass. I asked Rust if he made a bad decision on the play. This was his unfiltered response: “The decision was great. Sid was open. The pass was fucking horrendous. That one’s on me.” • Sullivan again kept Letang and Brian Dumoulin separated. Letang played with Marcus Pettersson and Dumoulin played with Jack Johnson. I don’t particularly like the plan. Letang and Dumoulin, in my view, are one of the NHL’s top two or three pairings. The Penguins, in my opinion, need them together and need them playing huge minutes right now. • That’s eight straight games without a point for Patric Hornqvist in the eight games in which he’s been back in the lineup following a concussion. For good measure, he received a 10-minute misconduct in the third period, bumping his season penalty minutes from a remarkable two to 12. I actually thought he was much better in this game. He was doing Hornqvist things, drawing penalties, aggravating the opposition. He was just more noticeable all night. Perhaps it’s a step in the right direction. The Penguins clearly need him. • Nick Bjugstad left the game in the third period, but no update was given on his injury. There is a chance that Malkin and Murray could return to the lineup in Philadelphia. I wouldn’t rule out Justin Schultz playing in that game, either. Zach Aston-Reese also is getting close to making his return. • Jared McCann has been impressive. He scored his second goal in as many nights and was a pest throughout the evening. I can tell you from conversations I’ve had that the coaching staff has been very, very pleased with him.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130042 San Jose Sharks Backup goalie Aaron Dell also took the ice Saturday with something to prove.

As Martin Jones struggled during the first three months of the season, Takeaways: Sharks’ Labanc is trying to ‘prove a point’ with trade Dell failed to capitalize and spark a goalie controversy, posting an .891 deadline looming save percentage in 17 appearances. In fairness to Dell, he has run into a lot of tough luck this season, getting hung out to dry by his defense while being on the receiving end of a lot of tough bounces. By Paul Gackle | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group Still, at one point, it seemed like a goalie trade involving Dell at the deadline could be a possibility. If Jones’ woes had continued, the Sharks PUBLISHED: February 9, 2019 at 8:28 pm | UPDATED: February 9, might have wanted to bring in a veteran netminder to serve as a security 2019 at 11:30 PM blanket down the stretch. But that seems less necessary now that Jones’ game is rounding back into the form he displayed during his first three seasons in San Jose. EDMONTON, Alberta — As Canadians indulged in a coast-to-coast celebration of the game they love, the lone American team on the slate Dell also helped his own cause in his first start since Jan. 16, making 21 played the role of spoilers. saves on 23 shots against the Oilers, a reminder of how good he can be when the Sharks defense limits the number of quality chances that he The Sharks stole the spotlight on Hockey Day in Canada, an annual faces. celebration of Canada’s favorite sport, thumping the Edmonton Oilers in a 5-2 win. The Sharks were the only American team that participated in If DeBoer lacks confidence in Dell, he could have beaten a lie detector in Saturday’s hockey smorgasbord, a showcase that also featured bouts his postgame scrum with reporters on Saturday. between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Winnipeg Jets and the Ottawa Senators and the Calgary Flames and the “That’s the luxury we have here is having (Dell) there ready to come in Vancouver Canucks. with a shot of energy on the road in tough buildings,” the Sharks coach said. “That was vintage Aaron Dell tonight.” Joe Thornton padded his milestone collection yet again, tying Gordie Howe for ninth place on the NHL’s all-time assists list (1,049) with a pair 3. Kane stays hot. of helpers and pulling even with Shane Doan and Johnny Bucyk on the After the Sharks win in Calgary on Thursday, DeBoer suggested that league’s games played list by suiting up for his 1,540th career game. Kane might be the Sharks best forward since the calendar turned to 2019 But the night belonged to Kevin Labanc, who recorded his first-career hat on Jan. 1. In reality, he might be the best forward in the league right now. trick to lead the Sharks to their fifth straight win. Kane scored another goal on Saturday, punching in a cross-ice feed from Here’s what we learned as the Sharks improved to 4-0 since All-Star Joonas Donskoi at 12:18 of the first for his 24th goal. He also earned the Weekend: secondary assist on Labanc’s second goal. His 13 goals since New Year’s Day is tied for tops in the NHL with Viktor Arvidsson of the 1. Labanc puts together a career night as the trade deadline looms. Nashville Predators. Labanc kicked off the second half with something to prove. He’s making “He’s been fantastic,” DeBoer said. his point. — Melker Karlsson left the game in the first period with an apparent With the NHL’s Feb. 25 trade deadline looming, Labanc’s spot in the upper-body injury after he fell into the boards awkwardly on a hit from lineup could be an area where the Sharks look to improve. With the top Gravel. At this point, the severity of the injury is unknown. two lines stacked with Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Timo Meier, Evander Kane, Tomas Hertl and Joonas Donskoi, the Sharks might look to add another top-six caliber forward to skate on the third line with Joe San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 02.10.2019 Thornton. Head coach Pete DeBoer wants a third line that can tip the scale in the depth of the lineup like the Pittsburgh Penguins did with Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino and Carl Hagelin en route to a pair of Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017. Labanc needs to prove that he can be that guy. Prior to the break, DeBoer gave Labanc a look on Logan Couture’s line after rookie Lukas Radil’s game started to backslide and he fumbled the opportunity by making a pair of costly mistakes in a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 19, leading to a fourth line demotion. Heading into the second half, DeBoer spoke bluntly with Labanc about what he needs to do to keep a top-nine spot in the lineup. “We had some good conversations with Kevin. This is the last 30 games of the year and you have to show that you can contribute and be trusted in critical times as we head to the playoffs,” DeBoer said. “I think he’s trying to prove a point.” Labanc heard the message loud and clear and he’s making a statement with six points in four games since the break. On Saturday, he looked like the offensively-gifted player that won an Ontario Hockey League scoring title during the 2015-16 season. He scored his first goal at 10:39 of the opening frame by banking a shot in off Oilers defenseman Kevin Gravel. In the second, he sniped a shot into the roof on the power play. He completed the hat trick at 1:36 of the third by burying a Thornton feed off the rush. But with Labanc, the key words are always details, consistency and confidence. His offensive talent is indisputable, but he needs to prove that he can stay out of the penalty box (14 minor penalties) and improve his game management by limiting his turnovers, watching his shift length and making smart decisions with the puck. “I’ve got to show that I’m doing everything that I can to be here,” Labanc said. The recent four-game sample suggests that he’s doing just that. 2. A goalie trade at the deadline seems unlikely. 1130043 San Jose Sharks

Labanc, Sharks play spoiler role on Hockey Day in Canada

By Paul Gackle | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: February 9, 2019 at 6:42 pm | UPDATED: February 9, 2019 at 11:30 PM

EDMONTON — As Canadians indulged in a coast-to-coast celebration of the game they love, the lone American team on the slate played the role of spoilers. The Sharks stole the spotlight on Hockey Day in Canada, an annual celebration of Canada’s favorite sport, extending their winning streak to five games with a 5-2 thumping of the Edmonton Oilers. The Sharks were the only American team that participated in Saturday’s showcase, an event that also featured bouts between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Winnipeg Jets and the Ottawa Senators and the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks. Kevin Labanc played a hand in ruining Canada’s special day for Edmonton by recording his first career hat trick. Labanc opened the scoring at 10:39 of the first, banking in a shot off Oilers defenseman Kevin Gravel. Joe Thornton, who tied Shane Doan and Johnny Bucyk for 15th place on the NHL’s all-time games played list by suiting up for his 1,540th game, set the goal up, earning his first of two points on the night. The 23-year-old forward put the Sharks ahead 3-0 at 6:10 of the second, scoring his second on a power play. Evander Kane earned his second point of the game on the goal while Timo Meier registered the primary assist. He completed the hat trick at 1:36 of the third, burying a feed from Thornton on the rush to give the Sharks a 4-1 lead. With the primary assist, Thornton tied Gordie Howe for ninth place on the NHL’s all-time assists list with his 1,049th career helper. With a career night, Labanc has now collected six points in four games since All-Star Weekend, a sign that his season might be turning around after he hit rock bottom before the break, getting demoted from Logan Couture’s line after a string of subpar performances. Evander Kane scored the Sharks second goal at 12:18 of the first, burning past Leon Draisaitl to punch in a cross-ice feed from Joonas Donskoi. With his 13th goal since Jan. 1, which is tied for tops in the NHL, Kane recorded his 400th NHL point. Tomas Hertl picked up an assist on the goal, reaching the 50-point mark for the first time in his six-year career. Hertl also scored the Sharks fifth goal at 4:24 of the third, his 25th of the season. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zack Kassian scored the Oilers goals. Melker Karlsson left the game in the first with an apparent upper-body injury after he fell into the boards awkwardly on a hit from Gravel. At this point, the severity of the injury is unknown. Aaron Dell made the most of his first start since Jan. 16, making 21 saves on 23 shots. The Sharks will return to action in Vancouver on Monday, wrapping up their four-game swing through Western Canada with a bout against the Canucks.

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130044 San Jose Sharks

Kevin Labanc’s hat trick lifts Sharks

Staff Report Associated Press Published 9:05 pm PST, Saturday, February 9, 2019

EDMONTON, Alberta — The Sharks have been getting contributions from just about everyone during their five-game winning streak. On Saturday night, it was Kevin Labanc’s turn. The 23-year-old recorded his first career hat trick as San Jose beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-2. “I have to show that I’m doing everything I can to be here and to make myself better and make this team better as well,” Labanc said. “We’re trying to improve ourselves in the standings. We have a great team here and we have to keep this rolling.” Evander Kane and Tomas Hertl also scored for the Sharks and Aaron Dell stopped 21 shots. “When mentally we want to engage, and do it the right way, we’ve eliminated a lot of odd-man rushes and on top of it our goalie has been playing really solid,” Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zack Kassian scored for the Oilers, who have lost seven of eight. Edmonton has also lost five straight at home and is 2- 11-0 in its past 13 games at Rogers Place. “We can’t play this way and actually expect to win hockey games, not at this time of year. Quite frankly, not ever. Maybe in an exhibition game,” Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock said. The Sharks got a break on the first goal of the game midway through the first period when Labanc’s shot caromed off of Oilers defenseman Kevin Gravel and past goalie Cam Talbot. San Jose added to its lead a couple of minutes later when Kane was left all alone on his path to the front of the net. He easily scored his 24th goal. The Sharks made it 3-0 on the power play six minutes into the middle period when Labanc rifled a shot top corner. Labanc recorded his third goal of the game and ninth of the season early in the third period, beating Talbot with a wrist shot from the slot.

San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130045 San Jose Sharks he has played on the line with Tomas Hertl and Joonas Donskoi, it was nice to see DeBoer put the faith in Kane to move throughout the lineup and pick up the slack. Sharks praise Kevin Labanc after he tallies his first career NHL hat trick Dell's last few starts weren’t very good, and he was definitely in need of a strong performance to boost his confidence. He had just that in Edmonton on Saturday, turning away all but one shot the Oilers sent his By Chelena Goldman way. February 09, 2019 8:13 PM Dell was particularly impressive in the second stanza when the Oilers started to make a push and tried to take over the game. Edmonton outshot San Jose in the second 20 minutes and began creating different chances. But Dell didn’t let Edmonton push, making a couple big saves Sharks veteran Joe Thornton recently commented on the depth of the much like Martin Jones did in Thursday’s contest against the Calgary team’s lineup, pointing out that a different player can step up in any game Flames. and lead the way. With the assist on Kevin Labanc’s third goal on the evening, Joe On Saturday night in Edmonton, that player was Thornton’s linemate, Thornton tied Gordie Howe on the NHL’s all-time assists list with 1,049 Kevin Labanc. career apples. Just one more time pitching in as a helper and Thornton The 23-year-old winger has been playing a confident game since the will take sole possession of ninth place on the all-time list, just 13 assists Sharks returned from their bye week, being reunited on a line with behind Steve Yzerman. Thornton and Marcus Sorensen. His game reached new heights against With the rate at which Thornton is reaching milestones, it’s almost hard to the Oilers as he tallied his first career hat trick and led the way for San keep track of all of them. But along with scoring his 400th goal, tying Mr. Jose to a 5-2 win. Hockey on the all-time assists list is likely a milestone no Sharks fan is “First one – that’s awesome to see,” Joe Pavelski said after the game. going to forget any time soon. “They were nice goals too. He shot the puck really well tonight. Quick, accurate, hard.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 All three of Labanc’s goals were, indeed, nice to watch. From his tricky snap shot to open up scoring in the first frame to his nifty wrister on a second-period power play and his nice shot to split the defense in the third. On a night where the Sharks got contributions from different parts of the lineup, Labanc’s performance was a standout. “He made some good plays out there and that was big for us,” Pavelski continued. “When we’ve come in here, we have guys that step up and have big nights. Kevin had a good one for us tonight.” Labanc went a month without finding the back of the net, going through a drought between December 16 and January 16. He has since been contributing to the offense on almost a nightly basis. Since the team returned from their break on February 2, he’s registered six points (four goals, two assists) in four games. Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer contributed Labanc’s recent success to putting in a lot of time and evolving how his work ethic. “Kevin’s a kid that has worked at his game since I got here, since four years ago at development camp,” DeBoer said. “He’s learned how to work. He’s learned from the Joe Thorntons and the Joe Pavelskis and the Brent Burnses of the world to put in extra time and take care of your body. "He’s changed everything about his habits. (You) get rewarded for that.” Having one of those veterans as a linemate doesn’t hurt either. “I think playing with Joe Thornton helps,” DeBoer said after Thornton tied Gordie Howe on the NHL all-time assists list with his set-up of Labanc’s third goal on the evening. “You can never underestimate the importance of a guy like that with you and talking to you all the time.” Above all, Labanc’s performance on Saturday night is a positive sign for the Sharks as regular season games wind down. San Jose needs contributions from all parts of the lineup on a nightly basis. In Edmonton, Labanc showed he can answer that call. “We’ve had some good conversations with Kevin, and this is the last 30 games of the year,” DeBoer said. “You have to show that you can contribute and that you can be trusted in critical times as we had to the playoffs. I think he’s trying to prove a point.” Sharks takeaways: What we learned from 5-2 win over Oilers in Edmonton The Sharks knew they were going to have a challenge on their hands on Saturday night playing Connor McDavid and a desperate Oilers team. But they rose to the occasion, fueled by Kevin Labanc’s first career hat trick to emerge with a 5-2 win. Here are three takeaways from the Sharks' fifth straight victory: What can be said about the way Evander Kane is playing that hasn’t already been said? Sharks coach Peter DeBoer recently told the media he thought Kane was the team’s best player over the passed month, and it’s hard to disagree. In addition to scoring his 13th goal of 2019 against Edmonton, he successfully filled in on the fourth line with Dylan Gambrell and Barclay Goodrow after Melker Karlsson left the game in the first frame. As well as 1130046 San Jose Sharks

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

By Chelena Goldman February 09, 2019 12:17 PM

The San Jose Sharks are looking to make it five straight as the road trip continues in Edmonton with a Saturday evening contest against the Oilers. Team Teal is coming off an emotional victory over the Calgary Flames. Evander Kane and Tomas Hertl scored two goals apiece in the rematch of their New Year’s Eve game to defeat the Flames 5-2 and move to two points within first place in the Pacific Division. The Oilers are also coming off of a win – one that snapped a six-game losing skid. Edmonton’s season continues to be one to forget, although they are currently sitting just two points out of a wild card spot in the Western Conference. This is the third meeting between the Sharks and Oilers this season. San Jose is 57-43-12-10 all time 122 meetings with Edmonton.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130047 San Jose Sharks tradition for the coach, who often refrains from offering even the slightest criticism of established veterans. But shortly after the All-Star break, DeBoer didn’t try to hide that there was room for improvement in Vlasic’s Marc-Edouard Vlasic is finally rounding into form — just don’t ask him to game. talk about it “This is a big final push for him. I don’t think he’s had the season he wanted to have so far,” DeBoer said on Feb. 1. “He’s dealt with some injuries and some other things. He’s a proud guy, and he’s a huge part of By Kevin Kurz this (team). He needs to find another level for us over the last 30 games. He knows that, and I think he will.”

DeBoer later clarified that the only injury he was referring to was the one EDMONTON, Alberta — If there’s one thing that Marc-Edouard Vlasic that kept Vlasic out after he fell awkwardly during a game in Colorado on has never lacked, it’s confidence. It’s a kind of confidence that some Jan. 2. might argue borders on cockiness. But what about those “other things”? And so what? It’s served him well for most of his 13 professional seasons. Not only has Vlasic established himself as one of the NHL’s When asked about what they might be — if anything — Vlasic made it premier shutdown defensemen, earning an eight-year, $56 million clear that he didn’t want to expand on it. contract extension with the Sharks that kicked in this season, but he’s also been a part of the blue line on some of the greatest international “You trying to find a story where there’s not one?” he asked. “I’m going to teams ever assembled. Vlasic won a gold medal as a key defenseman leave that open because I’m not going to answer that.” for Team Canada at the 2014 Olympics and again at the 2016 World Cup Whether Vlasic had something going on that might have been distracting of Hockey. him will remain a mystery, at least for now. From a team perspective, Vlasic has played in 528 wins in his career Vlasic does look like a rejuvenated and refocused player in the first four since 2006-07, the most by any NHL defenseman over that span games after the break, with one assist and a plus-3 rating while (according to NBC California statistician Darin Stephens). averaging about 21 minutes a night. His “big final push,” as DeBoer put it, But Vlasic has never dealt well with even the slightest suggestion that he is off to a solid start. either made an on-ice mistake, or might not be at the top of his game, While it hasn’t been perfect, including Vlasic’s ill-advised pinch in Calgary when cameras or recorders are pointed in his direction. It’s just not in his on Thursday in the third period that led to Elias Lindholm ringing a shot makeup. You can go all the way back to 2012 for a prime example, off the post on an odd-man rush, there are signs that the defensive when, after inadvertently shoveling a loose puck into the Sharks’ net stalwart is playing with more energy and enthusiasm. He’s using his legs during a playoff game in St. Louis, Vlasic remarked afterward that the and his stick more effectively and just seems to be playing with more puck “just popped up” on him. jump. There was no “I could have made a better play” or “that was my mistake” At least that’s how Sharks analyst and former NHL defenseman Bret coming from the defenseman. Instead, Vlasic wisecracked: “The game’s Hedican sees it. easy when you’re sitting in the press box. It is what it is.” “He’s moving his feet a lot better, for me, going back for loose pucks,” Fast forward to this season. Vlasic turned down the local media after a Hedican said Saturday before the Sharks-Oilers game. “I think that’s rough game in Dallas on Dec. 7, falsely claiming that the team’s public really a telltale sign with any defenseman, is how quickly can they go relations staff didn’t tell him he was requested to talk, and after another back for a puck? How accurately can they make the right decision by game on Dec. 23 in which he struggled, he again dodged the media anticipating what they need to do with it before they get there? I feel like under mysterious circumstances that were later labeled by a team these last couple games you’re starting to see him go after loose pucks a spokesman as a “miscommunication” between the PR staff and the little more aggressively and make the right play.” player. Before the Calgary game on Thursday, DeBoer spoke about Vlasic’s first All this isn’t intended to pile on Vlasic. That’s just how he operates. two games out of the break, Sharks wins over Arizona at home and Maybe you love it, maybe you hate it, or maybe you’re ambivalent about Winnipeg on the road. Vlasic’s effort against the powerful Jets, in it. Either way, that disposition could be part of the reason he’s had such a particular, was seemingly one of his best games of the season. He stellar career to this point, and that’s of the utmost importance. finished with one assist, three shots and a plus-1 rating in the Sharks’ 3-2 But maybe, too, it’s why the first half of the season was such a struggle overtime win. for him, as Vlasic had rarely, if ever, had to deal with such a prolonged “I think he’s playing with a little more jump, a little more urgency in his period of subpar play since he broke into the league as an 18-year-old game,” DeBoer said. “That’s probably the two things. A little more rookie. Perhaps he just didn’t know how to handle it or couldn’t even decisiveness, which has kind of been a hallmark of what his game is admit to himself that things weren’t going so well. He had just one goal about, especially ending plays and defending. He’s looked really good.” and eight assists for nine points and a minus-16 rating at the Christmas break. When told that DeBoer used words like “more jump” and “more urgency” to describe his game lately, Vlasic stayed true to form. “Well, it would be But after missing 10 games in January with what was thought to be a left hard for me to disagree with the coach, wouldn’t it?” shoulder injury that took him into the All-Star break, Vlasic finally seems to be finally putting that difficult first half behind him. He’s been a major Regardless, Vlasic and current partner Tim Heed have helped the Sharks part of the reason the Sharks have won their past four games — all climb up the standings despite their missing Karlsson for the past seven without Erik Karlsson — and have allowed just eight total goals. games. Vlasic’s longtime partner Justin Braun has been paired lately with Brenden Dillon, while Brent Burns and Radim Simek have rounded out Just don’t suggest to Vlasic that it was a rough October through the top six. Christmas. “Karlsson went down, we decided to go with these pairs, and they’ve “I’ve played in the league 13 years. I’m not going to have 13 perfect done a good job,” DeBoer said when asked about the Heed-Vlasic pair. “I seasons,” Vlasic said on Friday after a team workout in Edmonton. “Even think those guys have played well.” the superstars have off seasons. Everybody goes through that. It’s just funny, when you’re plus-30 or plus-20 nobody says anything, but all of a Vlasic playing well, though, could be the most encouraging sign of all. If sudden you’re minus, and it’s the biggest deal in the world. It’s funny how he can return to the consistent form that has made him such a steady things work.” defensive force throughout his career, the Sharks will be difficult to defeat come playoff time. He continued: “It’s just like everybody was talking about (Erik) Karlsson — why is he taking 30 games to get into it? Was he taking 30 games to “In a nutshell, his season has been a difficult one, but he’s human,” get into it? He was just finding his rhythm, finding the system. Now he Hedican said. “For whatever reason, he was battling some things early in found it. It took maybe more games that he wanted, but nobody was the year. The good news is that the most important games are ahead of questioning that, right? It’s the same way. Some bounces were going in. I us, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic looks to be that player that we all know he get on (the ice) for a line change, it goes in. Now, I’m catching the is.” breaks. You play well, the team plays well.” If there was one number that needed improvement coming out of the There’s more to it than that, of course, as anyone who watched Vlasic break, it was the Sharks’ team goals-against average, which sat 21st and the Sharks could attest. And Sharks coach Pete DeBoer has been overall in the NHL. Before the Edmonton game, Vlasic was asked if that more candid about Vlasic in recent weeks, which is a bit of a break with was a number that he thinks he can help lower over the final two months, especially considering the Sharks gave up just two goals in wins over the Coyotes, Jets and Flames. The reply was classic Vlasic. “Yeah, Pickles is three games back (after the All-Star break) and we’ve only allowed two goals in each of those games,” he said, referring to himself in the third person. “Figure it out.” That’s all we’re ever trying to do, Marc-Edouard.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130048 St Louis Blues and Bulgaria. The Blues game on March 16 at Pittsburgh will also be aired in Europe.

Blues notebook: MacEachern shines Saturday St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 02.10.2019

By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Well into his third season in the minors, Blues forward Mackenzie MacEachern knew that if he was to make it to the NHL, when he got his chance, he was going to have to grab it. “I was worried about myself, just trying to develop as a player and when you get the chance, just try and seize it, because obviously you only get one opportunity to show what you have,” he said. “So that was kind of my mindset and I’m just going to go out every day and continue to do that.” He has done just that. MacEachern scored his second NHL goal in 10 games Saturday, slapping in a rebound of a shot by Ivan Barbashev on another effective outing for the Blues’ fourth line. After the game, the Blues announced that MacEachern, who would have been a restricted free agent after the season, had signed a one-year extension, a one-way deal paying him $750,000. MacEachern played only 6:48 on Saturday and had only 10 shifts, but he continues to make his presence felt with his physical play and his knack for getting and creating scoring chances. “If I stay with it, I think I can keep building off it and get a little niche right there on the fourth line,” he said. “Hopefully I can keep building and keep growing.” Of all the young Blues forwards in San Antonio — Jordan Kyrou, Klim Kostin and Sammy Blais head the list — MacEachern wasn’t one most people had their eyes on. But he was scoring goals in San Antonio and when Alexander Steen got hurt, the Blues called him up and he immediately made a mark. He was sent down at the All-Star break to get in some games and would have stayed there if David Perron had returned to action as expected. But with Perron still on injured reserve, MacEachern got another chance and has run with it again. MacEachern was a good fit for a Nashville game that was as physical as expected. Pat Maroon got in a fight just two minutes in, and MacEachern found himself in the middle of a scrum of players in front of the Nashville bench early in the second. That’s what he does best and it’s what he’s determined will keep him in the NHL. “I’ve got to get my nose in there when I can,” said MacEachern, who had red marks on his nose that prove the point, “and get the boys riled up whenever I get the chance.” MacEachern’s goal turned out to be the winner and shifted the momentum back to the Blues after Nashville had cut the Blues lead to 2- 1, 3½ minutes earlier. “It’s definitely a pretty cool moment,” he said. “Obviously in the tight race that we’re in it’s cool to contribute so I’m going to keep my head down and keep going forward.” The Blues called up Chris Butler from San Antonio for the defenseman’s third stint with the team this season. Butler’s callup was necessary because Carl Gunnarsson won’t play this weekend. He also missed Thursday’s game against Tampa Bay with an upper body injury. How long Gunnarsson will be out is still unknown, coach Craig Berube said. “It’s going to be day-to-day right now,” he said. With six healthy defensemen all going well, Butler is likely to return to his role as the seventh defenseman who seldom plays until Gunnarsson returns. In his last callup, he played some of his best NHL hockey in years. Though he had just a goal and an assist, he was a plus-4 at a time when the Blues didn’t have many. Also not on the trip is forward David Perron, who will miss his eighth game with an upper-body injury on Sunday. NOTES Vladimir Tarasenko met the media after the game wearing a blue hat with a stylized version of his initials on it. “I know you were going to ask this,” he said. “I try to do something outside the sport. So just hope the kids and the guys like it.” … Robby Fabbri was a healthy scratch for the seventh straight game on Thursday and the 10th time this season. Only Jordan Schmaltz, who was a healthy scratch 14 times before being sent to San Antonio, has been a healthy scratch more. … Fans of Oskar Sundqvist, Carl Gunnarsson and Alexander Steen back in Sweden will have a better view of Sunday’s Blues game, which is the NHL’s European Game of the Week and will air in prime time on stations in Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom 1130049 St Louis Blues puck around Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne and put it in. Three times in the past four games the Blues have gotten goals from defensemen around the net. Blues push winning streak to a season-high five “They’re involved in the rush,” Berube said. “We want ’em up. We want a four-man attack all night. They’re up there and if you’re in the middle of the ice, they’re driving the net and getting there. We got rewarded By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch tonight. … You gotta work if you want to score goals against a lot of these goaltenders. You gotta work and get dirty.”

Dunn’s goal came 2 ½ minutes after Maroon got in a fight — a long fight All season long, as the Blues struggled to find traction in what seemed — with Nashville’s Cody McLeod. McLeod caught Maroon with his stick like it was going to be a wasted season, the team talked of what would at center ice, and that was all it took. be needed to get them back in the race: “I’m obviously not going to turn down a fight,” said Maroon, who has now A winning streak. had four this season. “Hopefully it got the fans going and the fans into it.” And not just any winning streak, but one where they won a whole bunch It did. of games in a row, not just two or three. For a team that didn’t manage to win even three games in a row until mid-January, that seemed far- “Always when somebody throws the gloves it’s nice,” Tarasenko said. fetched. “It’s a tough fight and of course picks us up. Great job by him.” Don’t look now, but the Blues have won five games in a row after There won’t be much time for the Blues to savor the win. They went knocking off Nashville at Enterprise Center on Saturday afternoon. It’s straight from Enterprise Center to the airport to fly to Nashville. their longest win streak of the season, and it includes wins over two of the best teams in the league, Tampa Bay and Nashville. “(Sunday) will be a tough one,” Tarasenko said. “It’s a quick turnaround. We need to be ready tomorrow in Nashville.” Since Jan. 1, the Blues are 11-4-1. They are 9-2-1 in their past 12. They have allowed more than two goals just twice in the past 12 games and they remained in the second wild-card spot in the West with the win. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 02.10.2019 Those are numbers. What they’re doing on the ice is equally telling as to how well this team is going right now. They’re limiting their opponent’s chances, they’re getting the puck out of their defensive end quickly, clearing rebounds, blocking shots, stealing pucks and then getting the puck in the offensive end, where they’re keeping it, generating shots, getting to the net for rebounds. It’s what was expected of the team at the beginning of the season but which, for long stretches, had become the unexpected. They will need to do it again on Sunday when they play the Predators again, this time in Nashville. “It was a really important game for us,” said right wing Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored his 19th goal of the season to put the Blues up 2- 0. “We don’t play at home for a long, long time. Especially against Nashville, it’s a big test for us. … You don’t grow confidence in one day. Just little steps and we really got hard work to do. We work for each other and this gives us a good result.” “We’re just building as a team,” said forward Pat Maroon, whose first- period fight gave the Blues a momentum boost in a game they could have come out slow in coming off their overtime win over Tampa Bay. “Around the room the chemistry is unbelievable. You can see it on the ice. The boys are playing the right way. Every line is chipping in at the right time. At the beginning of the year, you were getting one line at a time. I think now all the lines are rolling and you can see why. Our defense is playing great. We’re getting timely saves at the right time and we’re scoring and going to the net and doing the little things that make this team a good hockey team and you can see the results and it’s turned into a fun little streak here.” The game was, like many of their recent games, an example of what the team has wanted to see all season. Goals scored in front of the net. Goals scored by the team’s best players. A swarming defense. Solid goaltending. It’s just taken until February for those pieces to show up on a regular basis. On Saturday, there was a goal by defenseman Vince Dunn, putting in a rebound of his own shot. There was Tarasenko’s goal, set up by a slick, no-look backhand pass from Brayden Schenn, who has been revived by his move to the wing. (“It’s nice when you get it flat and this close to the net, and you’re by yourself. It’s a great play by Schenn-er,” Tarasenko said.) The third goal, also on a rebound, came from Mackenzie MacEachern, which might not have been expected a month ago but which now seems not totally out of the question. Jordan Binnington stopped 29 of 31 shots in goal to improve to 9-1-1, which is another thing which was unexpected a month ago but now seems totally routine. Nashville got its first goal on a power play, its second when it pulled the goalie down two goals in the closing minutes. Binnington and the Blues haven’t given up an even-strength goal since the Columbus game, which was Game 2 in this win streak. “It’s about playing the game,” coach Craig Berube said. “I think our team’s really come together as a unit and that’s huge. Goaltending, guys playing together, scoring goals, being a really good five-on-five team. There’s a lot of things that have to go into it.” The Blues defensemen continue to help on both ends. Dunn gave the Blues a 1-0 lead when he tracked down his own miss, maneuvered the 1130050 St Louis Blues Dunn and Vladimir Tarasenko scored goals to give the Blues a 2-0 lead after one period.

The last time the Blues played Nashville in St. Louis, the day after Binnington keeps winning, and so do Blues _ 3-2 over Nashville Thanksgiving, Maroon fought Austin Watson just 2 seconds into the game. (And then Brayden Schenn and Ryan Hartman went at it just 75 seconds into the game.) By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch Saturday's officiating crew let Maroon and McLeod go at it for a while _ the fight was pretty much a draw. Goalie sensation Jordan Binnington won again, and that meant so did the With under five minutes to go in the period, Oskar Sundqvist started a Blues. rush, passed to Robert Thomas, who then fed Dunn. Dunn shot and then pounced on his own rebound to score his seventh goal of the season and Getting goals from Vince Dunn, Vladimir Tarasenko and Mackenzie his fourth in his last 10 games. The Blues led 1-0 at the 437 mark. MacEachern, St. Louis survived a late push by Nashville to post a 3-2 victory over the rival Predators before 18,166 Saturday afternoon at Late in the period, it became 2-0 Blues when Brayden Schenn made a Enterprise Center. behind-the-back pass to Tarasenko who went top shelf on Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne for his 19th goal of the season. The goal came with Making his seventh start in a row, Binnington improved to 9-1-1 as an just 1:15 to play in the period, and was the seventh in the last 11 games NHL starter. In those games, he has a 1.54 goals-against average and a for Tarasenko. It also extended his points steak to seven games. .939 save percentage.

"Yeah, he's played great," interim coach Craig Berube said. "Every night he gives us a chance to win. I've said that a number of times, because St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 02.10.2019 that is the truth. "He's aggressive and challenges. He's standing tall. He had to make some key saves in the game, just like every game. Whoever you play in the league, you gotta make some big saves at big times and that's what he's doing." It was the Blues' fifth victory in a row, their longest winning streak since a six-game streak from March 17 through March 27 of last season, when they desperately _ and unsuccessfully _ were trying to work their way into the playoffs. At 26-22-5 this season, good for 57 points, the Blues stayed in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Nashville, which made things interesting with a late goal by Ryan Johansen, fell to 33-20-4. "It was a really important game for us," Tarasenko said. "We don't play at home for a long, long time. Especially against Nashville, it's a big test for us." Saturday marked the Blues first home game in 21 days. "Like I said before, you don't grow confidence in one day," said Tarasenko, who scored his seventh goal in his last 11 games. "Just little steps and we really got hard work to do. We work for each other and this gives us a good result. "But tomorrow will be a tough one. It's a quick turnaround. We need to be ready tomorrow in Nashville." Yes, the teams do it again Sunday in Nashville, in an 11:30 am. start. Jake Allen is expected to get his first start since Jan. 17 in goal, but Berube wouldn't name a starter before the team boarded its flight for Nashville. "I don't know yet," he said. "I'll think about it on the flight." MacEachern's second goal in 10 NHL games turned out to be the game- winner and the team announced after the game that he had signed a one-year, one-way contract extension worth $750,000. (Second Period) Nashville entered the game last in the NHL on the power play at 12.8 percent, but Mattias Ekholm's power play goal cut the Blues' lead to 2-1 at the 7:28 mark of the second period with Oskar Sundqvist in the penalty box for tripping. That snapped goalie Jordan Binnington's scoreless streak at 110 minutes 37 second. But it took only 3 1/2 minutes for the Blues to regain their two-goal cushion on MacKenzie MacEachern's second goal of the season at the 10:58 mark. MacEachern, in his 10th Blues game, pounced on an Ivan Barbashev rebound to beat Pekka Rinne net front for a 3-1 lead. The Blues outshot the Predators 18-6 in the period. (First Period) The Blues started fast Saturday afternoon against the Nashville Predators at Enterprise Center. Pat Maroon dropped gloves with Cody McLeod just 2 minutes 3 seconds into the contest. That fight got everyone's blood flowing, and then Vince 1130051 St Louis Blues

Blues call up Butler from San Antonio

By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The Blues called up defenseman Chris Butler from San Antonio, an indication that Carl Gunnarsson won't be available this weekend. Gunnarsson missed the Tampa Bay game with an upper-body injury and didn't take part in the team's optional skate on Friday. Coach Craig Berube said on Friday that he was "doubtful" for Saturday. Butler has played in 12 games for the Blues this season, with a goal and an assist. He was a plus-4 back at a time when few players on the team were in positive numbers and the team has been extremely pleased with his play. Butler, the captain at San Antonio, is likely on hand more as protection in case someone else gets banged up in Saturday's game with Nashville. He's appeared in 37 games for the Rampage, with 17 points (2 goals, 15 assists) and 20 penalty minutes. The Blues were at 22 players on their roster, so no moves had to be made to callup Butler. Gunnarsson has not been placed on injured reserve.

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Some Lightning thoughts as the trade deadline approaches

By Diana C. Nearhos Published Yesterday

TAMPA — The Lightning is no stranger to making moves at the trade deadline. Among the most notable: A year ago, it traded for defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller. Two years ago, it acquired defenseman Erik Cernak and goalie Peter Budaj for goalie Ben Bishop. Six years ago, it swapped forward Marty St. Louis for forward Ryan Callahan. With the Feb. 25 trade deadline on the horizon, here are some questions to consider about the Lightning this year. What does the Lightning need? At the moment, scoring, but Tampa Bay doesn’t need to trade for that. It just needs to work its way out of the goal slump of the past nine games. The usual answer is more physicality. General manager Julien BriseBois could look for a physical forward. Canada’s TSN TV network reported that the Lightning had inquired about the Flyers’ Wayne Simmonds and the Hurricanes’ Michael Ferland. Tampa Bay has held its own in some very physical games recently. So, though it wouldn’t hurt, more physicality is not necessarily a must. What does the Lightning have to trade? Tampa Bay has 14 forwards and seven defensemen. It’s currently starting Mathieu Joseph, Adam Erne and Cedric Paquette on its fourth line, with Callahan the odd-man out. Defensively, it has seven players for six starting spots. Most often, Cernak, Braydon Coburn, Mikhail Sergachev and Dan Girardi rotate in and out of three spots. There is the possibility of trading a bottom-six forward or a defenseman. The healthy scratches are not exactly scrubs. And depth is valuable in a playoff run. What about draft picks? This year Tampa Bay has either a first- or a second-round pick, not both, conditional from the McDonagh-Miller trade with the Rangers. With a Lightning Stanley Cup win, the Rangers get the first. Otherwise it’s the second. The Lightning also has one pick each in Rounds 3, 4 and 6, and two in Round 7. In 2020, the Lightning has a pick in each round to play with. A note on no-trade/no-movement clauses: Many Lightning players have one of the two, but some of those players can submit a list of teams they could be dealt to. Does the Lightning have the space to add without subtracting? The roster limit opens up after the trade deadline, so that’s a plus for a team with 14 forwards and seven defensemen it likes. Cross that concern off the list. As for the salary cap, the Lightning is okay there, too. Because the cap is calculated daily and cap space can be used (in part) later, Tampa Bay has $7,953,300 to work with, according to the cap website CapFriendly. Does the Lightning need to do anything? Short answer: No. The Lightning is in a good place. Even if it isn’t winning at the rate it did a month ago, it is still a strong team. It doesn’t have glaring holes. It doesn’t have much of a wish list and could do perfectly well standing pat.

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Lightning pregame: Tampa Bay prepared for another physical game against Penguins

By Mari Faiello Published Yesterday

TAMPA – The Lightning played a very physical game against the Penguins just 10 days ago, but coach Jon Cooper doesn’t expect anything to carry over. However, he does expect special teams to make a difference of some kind. “I expect a 5-on-3 to happen,” he chuckled. “It’s every single time we play the Penguins, one of us is getting a 5-on-3 power play, so look for that tonight.” He’s been right so far this season. In Lightning’s 4-3 win on Nov. 15, Tampa Bay scored two 5-on-3 goals. The Penguins had one 5-on-3 (that wasn’t capitalized on) in their 4-2 win on Jan. 30. Of seven total goals in the first game, six were on the power play (including all four of the Lightning’s). Special teams didn’t make a huge impact in the last meeting, but the Lightning set a franchise record for hits with 59. “It’s just the game against them,” Cedric Paquette said Saturday morning. “We have been really physical, and I think it’s the game plan for sure, but they have skilled guys over there so when we have a chance to hit them, it’s always a good thing.” Paquette said that the team addressed it’s physicality coming out of the break. In the net. Following the morning skate, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was the first one off the ice, presuming he will be the starter in the first half of the back-to-back matchup the Lightning has this weekend.

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Lightning coach Jon Cooper and Bucs coach Bruce Arians meet before game

By Diana C. Nearhos Published 1 hour ago

TAMPA—The two most-talked-about coaches in Tampa Bay were in the same room on Saturday. Lightning coach Jon Cooper and Bucs coach Bruce Arians met before Saturday’s Lightning game. The Lightning presented Arians with a personalized jersey, in the new alternate black and grey theme. Arians is a big hockey fan. He grew up a fan of the Flyers, in the Broad Street Bullies days. “The game’s so fast,” he said on the Fox Sports Sun intermission report, “there’s so much skill involved, it’s one of my favorite sports.” The Bucs coach was recognized on the videoboard and greeted by a loud cheer from the fans. He also milled about with the fans on the concourse. Arians has connections to at least one other coach with Tampa Bay ties. Former Rays manager Joe Maddon helped recruit him to the area. Also on the intermission report, Arians commented that the sky is the limit for Jameis Winston. He feels accountability will help build a winning culture. “The fact that we have to be accountable to each other,” he said, “on and off the field, at all times, with every decision you make has to be with a ring in mind.”

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Lightning solves scoring issues to beat Penguins

By Diana C. Nearhos and Mari Faiello Published Yesterday

TAMPA—The Lightning got its scoring touch back on Saturday. Tampa Bay tallied five goals for the second time in the last 10 games on the way to a 5-4 win over Pittsburgh. The Lightning had been in (relative) a scoring drought. After averaging four goals a game through 44 games, Tampa Bay was down to two in the previous nine games (1.6 without the outlier of a six-goal win over San Jose). Twice in the past four games, the Lightning had been held scoreless (Tampa Bay beat the Islanders in a shootout on Feb. 1 but did not score in 65 minutes of play). Saturday morning, coach Jon Cooper reiterated that he wasn’t worried. He knew the Lightning had been scoring at a hard-to-sustain pace, and went over the previous statistics and success with players to try to boost confidence. “It’s just that they’re not used to not scoring, so it happens for a couple days and the guys get a little rattled,” he said, “but I’m not worried.” Cooper also pointed to the defensive efforts of limiting goals against. After allowing 2.9 a game through the first 49 games, the Lightning was down to 1.5 in the last four games. The Lightning didn’t quite reach that middle ground Cooper referred to looking for on Saturday, though. It seems that the high-scoring games come with a high goals against as well. Tampa Bay gave up four to Pittsburgh. Depth scoring was one of the key factors that powered the Lightning to the top of the league. And it was an element in Saturday’s win. Tyler Johnson hadn’t scored in 14 games. Anthony Cirelli last scored Dec. 13. Yanni Gourde scored his third in the last 16 games. Erik Cernak had his second in his 32 NHL games. J.T. Miller had his second in 12 games (the last one coming a week ago at Pittsburgh). This so-called drought was ended by the Lightning’s scoring leaders. The Penguins scored first, Garrett Wilson and Teddy Blueger had a two- on-one and got around Victor Hedman, then Andrei Vasilevskiy. Gourde responded 86 seconds later. He and Brayden Point and a two- on-none, with a step on two Penguins and Gourde beat Casey DeSmith to tie the game up 1-1. Cernak put the Lightning on top 57 seconds later, with a shot from the point. It was his second career goal, the first came against the Rangers a week ago. Cirelli gave the Lightning a brief two-goal lead at 7:42 of the second period on a shorthanded breakaway. Jared McCann brought the Penguins back within one 49 seconds later, with a shot from above the outside hashmarks. Bryan Rust tied the game up with about five minutes left in the second period. Jake Guentzel’s wraparound attempt was wide and Rust scored from the opposite post. The Lightning added two more in the third period. First, Johnson beat DeSmith top shelf with a nice wrist shot, and a smooth assist from Ondrej Palat five minutes into the period. Miller added also went top shelf with six minutes to play. Tanner Pearson got one back for the Penguins with 4:38 to play, but the Lightning had the insurance goal to make the difference.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130056 Toronto Maple Leafs Ballard, whose dissatisfaction with head coach Roger Neilson wasn’t quelled when the Maple Leafs took the final two games of the series to overtime. An old rivalry is renewed between the Leafs and the Canadiens “We have five of the best players in the NHL and we aren’t winning. We’re not improving. We’re getting worse,” Ballard said. By DAVE FESCHUK Sports Columnist Fast forward 40 years and it was the Canadiens, at the outset of this season, that looked like the wayward organization. Fans of the Sat., Feb. 9, 2019 Canadiens, who, if they were realists, began this season bracing for pain. Instead, the Canadiens, thanks in no small part to a rejuvenated Carey Price, have been a surprising success story. Heading into Saturday they were one of the league’s top possession teams, ranking fourth in five-on- MONTREAL—Given the potential of springtime history, you could five Corsi percentage. A season after scoring the third-fewest goals in the understand the hype. NHL, the Canadiens counterintuitively traded away Max Pacioretty, the Saturday began with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens in captain who’d led them in goal scoring five of the previous six seasons. line to meet each other in the playoffs if the regular season would have Heading into Saturday they were among 14 NHL teams averaging three ended Friday night. So never mind, for a moment, that the regular goals a game. And never mind a power play that’s third-worst in the NHL; season won’t end for another couple of months, give or take. It was easy the Canadiens were 8-1-1 in their most recent 10 games. And that enough to watch Toronto’s 4-3 overtime win and ponder of the dormant power play? It found a way to score a goal on Saturday. intoxicating possibilities of a Montreal-Toronto first round. There was irony in Toronto’s win. If the season-ending goal is to meet the There won’t be much love lost if the Canadiens and Leafs meet in the Canadiens in the playoffs — and to avoid Boston — a Montreal win in playoffs, as Zach Hyman, left, discovered in a run-in with Montreal’s overtime would have arguably been the better result. Boston’s 5-4 Brendan Gallagher. afternoon win over the L.A. Kings moved the Bruins ahead of the Canadiens in the Atlantic Division standings, after all. But as Leafs “Absolutely,” said John Tavares, the Maple Leafs centreman who beat goaltender Frederik Andersen pointed out: “We have a few games before Carey Price with a top-shelf backhand on the game-winning goal, that.” Twenty-eight more, to be exactly. speaking of the prospect of a Leafs-Habs best-of-seven. Still, as Johnsson said: “It felt like a playoff game.” Saturday was Tavares’s first game as a Maple Leaf in Montreal. It was Toronto fourth-liner Andreas Johnsson’s first game as an NHLer at the Nobody would object if that feeling returns, for real, in April. Bell Centre. For both, the experience of the NHL’s best in-arena atmosphere and the sport’s oldest rivalry more than lived up to the billing. And they did their part to deliver a performance worthy of the tradition. Toronto Star LOADED: 02.10.2019 Tavares had the winner and an assist. Johnsson scored, too – his fourth goal in three games, a hot streak that suggests he’s due for something more than fourth-line ice time. “These (games against Montreal) are pretty cool because there’s so much history between the two teams, foundational franchises in the NHL,” said Tavares. Said Johnsson: “I just heard rumours … I heard it was going to be loud. And it was loud.” The rivalry between Canada’s oldest and most venerable NHL franchises, after all, is as ancient as it gets. As in: the last time these two teams met in the playoffs was 1979. It was so long ago that when the Maple Leafs beat the Flames in the first round that year, the Flames were from Atlanta. It was so long ago that Leafs defenceman Ron Wilson was an NHL rookie whose post-series plans included returning to Providence College to coach at the summer hockey school run by the varsity coach, whose name was Lou Lamoriello. And sure, the rivalry has waned for a lot of reasons. Between 1981 and 1998 the teams resided in opposite conferences, which meant their only opportunity to meet in the post-season would have come in the Stanley Cup final. If not for Kerry Fraser’s infamous missed call and Wayne Gretzky’s Game 7 hat trick in that memorable spring of 1993, when the Maple Leafs came within a game of meeting Montreal in the championship series, the hockey universe would be a different place. Which is to say, a lot has to happen for two teams to meet in the playoffs –— including both teams making the playoffs, which hasn’t been a given in recent years. Montreal missed last season. The Maple Leafs missed for 10 years out of a 11 before finally making it the past two seasons. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, over the past five seasons the Maple Leafs and Canadiens had met this late in a season just once with both teams still in a playoff spot. That was in 2017, when both teams made the playoffs but lost in the first round. “When we played them when I first got to Toronto, we were no good,” said Mike Babcock. “And then they had a down year last year. So we’ve never really played a good team playing good team in the season where it mattered. So tonight … obviously the crowd was fired up. The most people I’ve ever seen here in warm-up. They were ready to go tonight.” Certainly a 2019 first-round matchup would be a role reversal from the last post-season meeting. Back then, the Canadiens were living out the tail end of one of the great runs in NHL history, en route a series sweep of the Maple Leafs that would jump-start their journey to a fourth consecutive Stanley Cup. If Montreal was dynastic, the Maple Leafs were always verging on dysfunctional. For all the promise of an era led by talented players like Darryl Sittler, Lanny Macdonald, Borje Salming and beloved goaltender Mike Palmateer, the centrepiece of the headlines was often owner Harold 1130057 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs outlast Canadiens in what we can only hope was a playoff preview

By DAVE FESCHUK Sports Columnist Sat., Feb. 9, 2019

MONTREAL—The question coming into Saturday’s game was one for the dreamers: Wouldn’t it be fun if the Maple Leafs and Canadiens met in the playoffs? Forget the obvious pull of rich history and national iconography. If Toronto’s 4-3 overtime win at the Bell Centre was any measure, the answer was a resounding yes. Canadiens goaltender Carey Price had little chance on Nikita Zaitsev’s first period goal, which went through a screen. What’s not to like about a couple of built-for-speed teams trading chances while keeping their defensive-minded coaches relatively satisfied with dogged, turnover-producing puck pursuit? Certainly Saturday’s topsy-turvy sample of the form was worth your time. The Canadiens watched leads of 1-0 and 3-2 go kaput. The Maple Leafs led 2-1 after the first intermission only to see the Canadiens surge ahead. But John Tavares’s gorgeous backhand winner, off the tailor-made feed from Mitch Marner midway through the extra frame, gave the visitors their fifth win in six games. Glove-hand theory: Is Frederik Andersen vulnerable with the glove? After the Canadiens scored their opening two goals by beating the Maple Leafs goaltender on the side of his catching hand, Montreal certainly wanted to test the theory. While the home team’s first goal came on an Andrew Shaw tip of a point shot by Jeff Petry that understandably handcuffed Andersen, the second Montreal marker — which tied the game 2-2 just 32 seconds into the second period — seemed to, er, catch Andersen off guard, with Tomas Tatar’s wrister beating Andersen in the top corner. In the moments after that goal, the Canadiens took every opportunity to test the Maple Leafs netminder. Winger Joel Armia fired a long shot from the neutral zone toward Andersen’s mitted hand, which Andersen caught. In short order Armia fired another shot at Andersen’s glove, which Andersen stopped, but dropped. And the Brendan Gallagher power-play goal that made it 3-2 Montreal? That squeaked through Andersen’s glove side, too. Hyman’s non-stop hustle: With the Bell Centre in hysterics after the home team scored in 51 seconds into the proceedings, trust Toronto’s perpetual motion machine, Zach Hyman, with settling down the building. His relentless forechecking set up the goal that made it 1-1, Hyman winning a battle against Montreal captain Shea Weber, circling the net and feeding Andreas Johnsson for an easy score. Who had Zaitsev in the pool? As unlikely goal scorers go, Nikita Zaitsev is among the unlikeliest. But the right-handed defenceman’s line-walking wrister made it 2-1 for the Maple Leafs less than five minutes into the opening period. It was Zaitsev’s 11th goal in 196 games in Toronto. Who had Nylander? Though he’s been far too quiet for most tastes, Nylander scored his second goal in three games, giving him three on the season. His killer wrister over Carey Price’s blocker shoulder was a timely marker, tying it 3-3 with about 11:25 to play in the third period. Near misses: Toronto defenceman Jake Muzzin nearly had a highlight- reel goal, firing a one-timer off the post after an athletic play to knock down a puck in the neutral zone led to a nifty give-and-go with Mitch Marner. Montreal blueliner Petry, a right-handed gem who’d look good in a Toronto uniform, also pinged the red iron Saturday. And Max Domi, son of ex-Maple Leaf Tie, put a puck past Andersen in the third period that was rightly called back as a high stick. Up next: The longest road trip of the season continues with the second of six games, a Sunday-night date in New York against the Rangers before a Tuesday outing in Colorado.

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Sunday NHL preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Rangers

By DAVE FESCHUK Sports Columnist Sat., Feb. 9, 2019

KEY PLAYERS Sparks/Lundqvist If form holds, is expected get the start in goal for the Leafs on the second leg of a back-to-back set. With Henrik Lundqvist looming a night after Toronto faced Montreal’s Carey Price, Toronto could theoretically take shots at the two highest-paid goaltenders in the NHL in a 24-hour span. (When Price’s current cap hit of $10.5 million kicked in this season, it usurped Lundqvist’s $8.5 million annual average value as the NHL high-water mark). In any case, advantage Maple Leafs: Lundqvist, now age 36, has 32 career meetings against Toronto and sports an .897 save percentage, his worst mark against an Eastern Conference opponent. NEED TO KNOW Sparks has allowed two goals against in three of his past four starts … The struggles of the Toronto defensive pairing of Nikita Zaitsev and Jake Gardiner have been well documented. Leafs coach Mike Babcock acknowledged Saturday the possibility of a shakeup on the blue line, suggesting he could spread the wealth of Toronto’s top pairing, which currently consists of Morgan Rielly and Jake Muzzin. “I don’t know what I’ll do — maybe (move Muzzin to) a different pair. We’ll just see what happens.”

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Saturday NHL preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal Canadiens

By KEVIN MCGRAN Sports Reporter Sat., Feb. 9, 2019

KEY PLAYERS Matthews/Drouin Leafs centre Auston Matthews has nine goals and two assists in eight career games against the Canadiens, and four goals in his last five games overall. Montreal forward Jonathan Drouin has nine points this month, most in the NHL. With 46 points in 55 games, he has matched his point total for 77 games last season. NEED TO KNOW The Habs are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and just one point behind the Leafs in the race for second in the Eastern Conference … The Leafs have won the last five meetings, tying the longest streak head-to-head in franchise history ... Montreal had won 14 straight against Toronto before the current run ... Canadiens goalie Carey Price has won his last seven games. For the season he’s 23-13-4 with a 2.52 goals-against average, .916 save percentage and three shutouts. He has already won seven more times than all of last season, when he was limited to 49 games because of injuries … Montreal rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi has scored in each of his last four games, the first 18-year-old to do that since Calgary’s Sean Monahan in the 2013-14 season.

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Game Day: Maple Leafs at Rangers

Lance Hornby February 9, 2019 11:41 PM EST

THE BIG MATCHUP Garret Sparks vs. Henrik Lundqvist The Rangers’ 3-0 loss to Carolina on Friday sums up much of their season, a great game by Lundqvist with 30 saves, but no offensive support on a team blanked five times this season. Lundqvist has struggled against Toronto in the past, but was on the bench when rookie Alexander Georgiev faced the Leafs in a 5-3 loss in Toronto on Dec. 22. Sparks is expected to make his 13th appearance in pursuit of his eighth win. FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME Manhattan transfer Though the Leafs played Saturday, this could be a favourable matchup in a back-to-back. The Rangers had been defying the experts by staying in the playoff hunt, but have lost three of their past four and are 0-4 against the Leafs since the start of last season. These teams tend to open up as well, averaging more than a combined seven goals a game in that span, which would favour the more dynamic Leafs, though not their coach. J.T. is back No Leaf is more familiar with the MSG vibe than John Tavares, with 40 points in 44 overall games against the Rangers while getting a rough ride from the crowd. He had two assists in the Dec. 22 game. Linemate Mitch Marner is also averaging a point a game versus New York in his brief career. Aftershocks The Rangers saved one of their worst performances Friday for the 25- year reunion of their most recent Stanley Cup team. After a few of those stars such as Mark Messier dropped in to speak to the team, the flat effort was a huge disappointment to coach David Quinn. Centres of attention Tavares could come up a few times against Mika Zibanejad, the Rangers’ busiest faceoff man, who is ranked close to him in wins on the draw near the top of the NHL chart. Zibanejad is also New York’s top scorer. Hobbit habit If Zibanejad is the Big Zee, Mats Zuccarello, the Norwegian Hobbit, has a smaller profile, but 19 points in his last 12 games against the Maple Leafs, part of six career multi-point games against Toronto.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130061 Toronto Maple Leafs The presence of Max’s father Tie brought Marner a different experience, one of a Leafs fan getting to rub shoulders and hear the war stories of one of the most famous players in club history. Leafs beat Habs on Tavares' OT winner “His dad was at most of the games in London and around the room a lot. You were used to him and then, later in the year, I started to talk to him more, get more comfortable. He brought a lot of energy. What I Lance Hornby remember most is him coming in and talking to the fighters on our team, junior guys, trying to give them tips. February 9, 2019 11:13 PM EST “He was a great Leaf who did a lot for this team and this city. You hear it from all the top players (such as Mats Sundin), he was kind of their protector, but at the same time, he could do a lot of things out there.” MONTREAL — Everyone remembers the boyhood picture of John Tavares asleep in his Leafs pyjamas. Gauthier wanted a big game in front of his extended family, but Babcock was the person he wanted to impress most of all. He might have been dreaming of a night like this, an overtime winner to beat the Canadiens in a raucous road game. Others might be thinking After the coach said Saturday morning that Tyler Ennis was cleared to bigger picture, of a playoff series between the two rivals in this 40th play, the guessing game began on whom to take out of the fourth line for anniversary of their last meeting, but all that’s certain now is the Habs are the speedster with a scoring touch. Before Ennis broke his ankle at back in the race and they can run with the Leafs. Christmas, he played wing with Par Lindholm at centre. After that mishap, Gauthier was re-activated, Lindholm shifted left and whoever “It was a lot of fun to be part of, especially on a Saturday,” the GTA-born was odd-man out with the three scoring lines played the right side. Tavares said after taking a Mitch Marner feed 2:17 into the extra period to beat Carey Price in the 4-3 final. “My first time, Maple Leafs- The dilemma for Babcock is Gauthier has been playing well in averaging Canadiens at the Bell Centre. It was a fun way to start the year as well under 10 minutes of ice time, with assists in his past two games and is (scoring in Toronto’s 3-2 overtime win on opening night.” the Leafs biggest forward. There is a nice chemistry with Johnsson, now lighting it up on the right side of the line. The clubs came in separated by a point and played to their strengths, Montreal quick and tenacious, out-hitting the visitors 49-16, the Leafs “Ennis hasn’t been available to about a minute ago,” Babcock said after speedy on the counterattack, with their creativity challenged. checking with the staff following the morning skate at the Bell Centre. “So I haven’t thought of it.” Both goaltenders, Price and Toronto’s Frederik Andersen, combined for more than 60 saves, both teams had power-play woes. Montreal scored The earliest any lineup change can be made will be Sunday against the with Auston Matthews in the box for clearing the glass and, incredibly, Rangers. Lindholm was brought in as a centre from the Swedish League, Nikita Zaitsev did the same in the final minute of regulation, with Toronto but while solid defensively, he doesn’t have a point since Dec. 28. surviving. Meanwhile, fans on both sides were loving the wild swings in momentum. “The better you play, the more confidence you get,” Gauthier said of his own situation. “Lindy and Mango (Johnsson’s unusual nickname) are “There is so much history betwrn the two, foundational franchises in the playing well and getting our chances.” NHL,” Tavares said. “Both cities love their team dearly. You could see the competitiveness out there, both teams fighting for every inch.” Gauthier, meanwhile, was a centre of attention, taken out to dinner on Friday by his mother and sisters, in from the suburb of Laval, and After Brendan Gallagher scored the game’s only power-play goal in the scrambling to accommodate at least 12 guests for Saturday’s game, one third — Toronto killed an earlier double minor to Tavares, its second in as of the hottest tickets for the recharged Canadiens this season. One of many games — William Nylander tied it with his third point in as many those ducats was for his maternal grandfather, Guy, who took it hardest games. But other than a Marner assist on the OT winner, the Leafs big when he became a Leaf. guns were silenced. “He was a big Montreal fan,” laughed Gauthier. “He watched them in their “Our penalty kill and our fourth line was outstanding and got us two of the prime when they won a lot of Cups. We like to tease each other at goals,” head coach Mike Babcock said. “We found a way to hang around Christmas, he gives me something from the Canadiens, I give him some when there was no room either way.” Leaf gear. But I think it’s rubbing off him pretty good. It’s taken a little while, but now he’s more (excited) to watch me.” There were a couple of strange Montreal goals to open each period in the early stages. After Matthews lost a draw to Max Domi, the Leafs Jake Muzzin’s father, Ed, was also Montreal supporter back in couldn’t get to their checks, the puck getting to the point for a Jeff Petry Woodstock, Ont., so this 813th meeting (regular season and playoffs) shot that Andrew Shaw re-directed. Back came the Leafs with a good meant something special to his son. solo forechecking shift by Zach Hyman, who eventually came around the net to set up fourth-liner Andreas Johnsson’s sixth point the past three “He wasn’t a big (Montreal) fan, he just wanted to create some (trouble) games. in the house,” Jake figured. “It was always Toronto-Montreal growing up. Fast forward many years, here we are. It’s kind of cool.” Johnsson’s tall centre, Frederik Gauthier, then caused enough of a distraction in Price’s line of sight that he didn’t see Zaitsev’s blueline There are two more Toronto-Montreal games before the end of the wrister. season, but as long as the possibility of a playoff meeting exists, both teams will be taking long term notes, from last night, Feb. 23 at But the Habs steadied themselves and just 1:13 into the second period. Scotiabank Arena and back here April 7. Andersen whiffed with his glove on Tomas Tatar’s harmless looking shot that dipped off Jake Gardiner’s stick. “They’ve been scoring a lot, they have a lot of speed,” Muzzin said. “(Brendan) Gallagher is a tough competitor in front of the net and the two Andersen made no secret of being upset when Brady Tkachuk of the others (Jonathan Drouin and Phillip Danault) are scoring. Take away Senators crowded his crease on Wednesday and when a couple of Habs their time and space, similar stuff you preach against any top line.” landed there in the second period, he stayed down a few moments, if for no other reason than to get referee Tim Peel’s attention. LOOSE LEAFS “It’s the time of year where it intensifies in front of the net,” Andersen Saturday’s game came on the 101st anniversary of Toronto’s first road said. “People want to go to net, that’s what they’re paid to do as well.” win in Montreal. Ken Ranadall had two goals in 20 seconds as part of a 7-3 for the Toronto Arenas at the Jubilee Arena in the NHL’s first year … Domi is the leading scorer on the Habs, Mitch Marner for the Leafs and Early Saturday, the Canadiens made a trade with the Flyers, re-acquiring both had a lot of London Knights background between them for two forward Dale Weise and defenceman Christian Folin for defenceman productive seasons. David Schlemko and forward Byron Froese … The Marlies won on the road Saturday afternoon, 4-2 against Springfield on the strength of a “I think of how great a person he was in the room and in the streets of short-handed goal from Adam Brooks. They’re home to Belleville on London,” Marner said of Domi. “He’s doing great here and that’s great for Sunday afternoon. him. Right now, he’s at one of the top levels people have seen him. FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED “My best memory was going through (the course) of a year with him, especially my first one, just how he kind of brought me in and that 1. Crowded dance floor (helped) me mature a little quicker than other people would have. He was definitely a guy I looked up to and who helped me out.” There was little room for Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews up front and only at the end were William Nylander and John Tavares able to get past the Habs for rush goals. No matter who the Leafs meet in the first round, their quickest and creative players will have a tough slog . 2. Power sour Once again, the Leafs could not get much rolling with their big-name power play, going 0-for-3 when they had the Habs on the run early in the game. Conversely, the penalty kill saved their bacon, Jake Muzzin and Ron Hainsey among the busiest men with a double minor defused. 3. Crease crashing It was bumper cars at times and more of the same around the Leafs net with Frederik Andersen and Garret Sparks in coming weeks. The Habs were also trying to wear down bodyguard Muzzin. 4. Johnny on the spot In addition to the winning goal, Tavares took 21 faceoffs and won 11 and in an unsung role, William Nylander was 7-of-11. 5. Battlefield promotion After getting a first period goal, Andreas Johnsson took a late game shift on the third line with Nazem Kadri and Nylander, as coach Mike Babcock might have been taking a look in the future about how Tyler Ennis’ return changes the fourth line. Freddy Gauthier had another strong game.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130062 Toronto Maple Leafs father Tie, dropping in to watch — and give fighting tips to the Knights’ best scrappers.

Early Saturday, the Canadiens made a trade with the Flyers, re-acquiring Big day for Leafs' hometown boy Gauthier in Montreal forward Dale Weise and defenceman Christian Folin for defenceman David Schlemko and forward Byron Froese. Lance Hornby Frederik Andersen was expected to start in net against the Canadiens, leaving Garret Sparks to get the Manhattan end of the back-to-back February 9, 2019 1:01 PM EST versus the Rangers.

MONTREAL — This would be a good night for Frederik Gauthier to put Toronto Sun LOADED: 02.10.2019 on a show for his family — and Mike Babcock. The Maple Leafs coach said Saturday morning that Tyler Ennis has been cleared to play and now the guessing game ahead of Saturday’s tilt against the Canadiens is who to take out of the lineup for the speedy winger. Before Ennis broke his ankle at Christmas, he played wing with Par Lindholm at centre. After that mishap, Gauthier was re-activated, Lindholm shifted left and whoever was odd man out with the three scoring lines played the right side. The dilemma for Babcock is Gauthier has been playing well in averaging under 10 minutes of ice time, with assists in his past two games, and is the Leafs biggest forward. There is a nice chemistry with Andreas Johnsson, now lighting it up on the right side of the line. “Ennis hasn’t been available to about a minute ago,” Babcock said after checking with the staff following the morning skate at the Bell Centre. “So I haven’t thought of it.” The earliest any lineup change can be made will be Sunday in New York against the Rangers. Lindholm was brought in as a centre from the Swedish League, but while solid defensively, he doesn’t have a point since Dec. 28. Gauthier says his Grandfather, who watched the Habs dynasty teams in Quebec, took it hardest when he joined Toronto but now they buy each other Leaf and Hab themed Christmas gifts as a joke. “The better you play, the more confidence you get,” Gauthier said of his own situation. “Lindy and Mango (Johnsson’s unusual nickname) are playing well and getting our chances.” Gauthier, meanwhile, was a centre of attention, taken out to dinner on Friday by his mother and sisters in from the suburb of Laval and scrambling to accommodate at least 12 guests for Saturday’s game, one of the hottest tickets for the re-charged Canadiens this season. One of those ducats was for his maternal grandfather, Guy, who took it hardest when he became a Leaf. “He was a big Montreal fan,” laughed Gauthier. “He watched them in their prime when they won a lot of Cups. We like to tease each other at Christmas, he gives me something from the Canadiens, I give him some Leaf gear. But I think it’s rubbing off him pretty good. It’s taken a little while, but now he’s more (excited) to watch me.” With the ancient rivals separated by just as point coming in (the Leafs gave two games in hand) and Montreal with a record of 8-1-1, the visitors were wary of facing a mirror image track team with potential to expose their defence. Under Claude Julien, they have a system that takes more advantage of their wheels and Carey Price looks his old self in goal. New Leaf defenceman Jake Muzzin looks forward to the challenge of slowing them down. He and Morgan Rielly expect to see a lot of the Habs’ top line of Jonathan Drouin, Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher. Mike Babcock, who went to school in Montreal, said he went to Schwartz's Deli for a snack at a counter seat on Friday then to his alma mater at McGill where he spoke to their women's hockey team. “They have lots of speed, Gallagher is a tough competitor in front of the net and the two others are scoring,” Muzzin said. “Take away their time and space, similar stuff you preach against any top line.” Muzzin’s father, Ed, was also Montreal supporter back in Woodstock, Ont., so this 813th meeting (regular season and playoffs) means something to Jake. “He wasn’t a big fan, he just wanted to create some (trouble) in the house,” Jake figured. “It was always Toronto-Montreal growing up. Fast forward many years, here we are. It’s kind of cool.” Mitch Marner, Toronto’s leading scorer, is about to encounter opposite number and former London Knights teammate Max Domi. Marner recalled the older Domi welcoming him to the OHL team and his famous 1130063 Toronto Maple Leafs a concussion, sat out the next game versus Washington and took it easy with time off over the break.

“So I’d bike for 20 minutes,” Johnsson explained of the week-long layoff The Maple Leafs need to find more minutes for Andreas Johnsson after the game with Montreal, “see if that was OK. That worked. Next day, I worked out a little bit. That worked. Then I went for vacation, played volleyball and tried to be a little bit active, (rode) the bike too By Jonas Siegel there, and everything felt fine.”

Feb 9, 2019 When the Leafs returned to action to start February, Johnsson was back on the fourth line, where he started the year after a sluggish training

camp. Babcock seemed to like what he’d found between Nazem Kadri, MONTREAL — Andreas Johnsson said he wanted to bet on himself Brown and William Nylander — the trio combining for three goals in that when he accepted a one-year deal with the Leafs last summer. final pre-break game against the Capitals — and he’d somehow found his way back to having Marleau alongside Matthews, and Hyman, again, So is this what the 24-year-old, who scored again in Montreal, had in on the left wing of a line with Tavares and Marner. mind? And so, for the fifth straight game Saturday, Johnsson started with “Maybe even better,” Johnsson said with a big grin as teammates Lindholm and the Goat in fourth-line duty against the Habs. The tightened ties and threw on blazers in an emptying visitors dressing room threesome was dominant, with the Leafs winning almost 70 percent of at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. “Honestly, I didn’t really know what the shot attempts in the six minutes they were on the ice. to expect. That’s actually my answer. I didn’t really know what to expect this season. I felt like, OK, yeah, if everything goes exactly perfect, yeah “They were physical, they played right, they were competitive, they put then maybe I could score a lot of points. the puck in, they got on the cycle, they scored,” Babcock said afterward.

“And if everything goes to shit I’d get sent down.” Johnsson found his way higher in the lineup after the Leafs killed penalties — replacing Brown alongside Kadri and Nylander — and he In that worst-case scenario, Johnsson figured that maybe he would was up there again in the third frame when things were tight and the eventually end up back home in Sweden, where he thrived just before Leafs needed a goal. hopping over to North America, or perhaps he would find another league in some other European country. He ended the night with 13 minutes and sat ninth among Toronto forwards in five-on-five opportunity. (His 10 minutes and 40 seconds The middle path, he figured, would see him scoop up a few points and weren’t all that far off from the pack, albeit nearly three minutes less than scratch together some power-play time. Marleau.)

It’s gone far better than that obviously, if not exactly perfect — what with The easiest move to get Johnsson playing more is bumping Brown back another particularly slow start to the season. Since he broke out of that down to the fourth line. But there’s an argument to be made that early season funk with his first NHL hat trick against the Flyers on Nov. Johnsson should be playing higher in the lineup than that — that he 24, Johnsson has been humming at nearly a point per game — with 25 should get another shot with either Matthews or Tavares. points now in the last 30 games. Both have performed better with the Swede on their wing, and Matthews, More remarkably, Johnsson is tied for 11th in the league with 22 five-on- in particular, seems ripe for an upgrade on Marleau at this point. five points over that stretch, including his 14th goal of the year in the Leafs’ 4-3 win over the Habs. That’s more points than Auston Matthews, Consider that he’s mustered 4.1 points per 60 with Johnsson at his side Brad Marchand, Steven Stamkos, Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho, — 11 points in only 160 minutes — versus 2.7 points per 60 when he’s Evgeni Malkin, Nathan MacKinnon, Claude Giroux, David Pastrnak, played with Marleau — 15 points in 334 minutes. Mathew Barzal, Jack Eichel, Mark Scheifele and so on. Lines looking something like this might work (at least until Nylander and What’s so interesting, and intriguing really, is that Johnsson has done it Matthews finally reunite): with very modest ice time. Johnsson-Matthews-Kapanen Johnsson is not surprisingly leading the league in five-on-five points per Hyman-Tavares-Marner 60 minutes in that stretch (just ahead of Johnny Gaudreau), while ranking fourth in five-on-five goals per 60. Marleau-Kadri-Nylander

He’s tucked just inside the top-10 league-wide with 11 five-on-five goals Lindholm-Gauthier-Brown over those two-plus months, the same number as Evander Kane and Jeff Skinner, each of whom has logged upward of 100 more minutes. However they go about it, the Leafs need to find more minutes for Johnsson. He’s third in the rookie scoring race and on pace for 22 goals And again, this is no two-week hot streak. This is 11 weeks now in which and 44 points. Zoom into this 30-game run and Johnsson is producing at Johnsson has been not only one of the better Leaf performers, but also an 82-game pace of 68 points. one of the more prolific producers across the entire league. That bet on himself, well, it’s going to pay off this summer, that’s for Which raises the question of why Johnsson isn’t playing more — and certain. As for getting more minutes, Babcock concurred earlier in the playing of late on the Leafs’ fourth line. week that Johnsson was “making a case.”

Johnsson is ninth among Leaf forwards in five-on-five ice time per game “The great thing about him,” the Leafs coach said, “is he hasn’t sat there since his season turned around at the end of November, topping only and said, ‘I’m not getting any minutes.’ He’s just decided he’d produce Connor Brown (slightly), Par Lindholm, the Goat, Trevor Moore and Tyler and see if the coach is smart enough to get it figured out.” Ennis.

The fourth-liners, in other words. The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 It seems fair to say that he’s earned more ice than every winger but Mitch Marner, and surely begets a longer look at this point than 39-year-old Patrick Marleau, who has 15 five-on-five points all season.

Things had been changing before the All-Star break (and bye week) when the Leafs were scuffling, Zach Hyman was hurt and Mike Babcock was trying all kinds of looks in hopes of catching a spark.

Most nights, for a few weeks anyway, Johnsson was playing with either Matthews or John Tavares — and both seemed to benefit. Then, Johnsson took a hard hit into the boards from Niklas Hjalmarsson in the Leafs’ second-to-last game before the break against Arizona. He suffered 1130064 Toronto Maple Leafs Muzzin’s contributions to the team might not have shown up in the box score tonight, but he was doing a phenomenal job of passing his

teammates into open space. Leafs Report Cards – Game 54 at Montreal This was a big part of the reason Toronto had the puck so often when he was on the ice tonight, controlling shots (22-16) and scoring chances (12- 6) at even strength. When you throw in the fact that he was also By Ian Tulloch controlling his gaps well in transition and separating opposing forwards from the puck in the defensive zone, you have quite the complete game. Feb 9, 2019 He almost had a goal, too, hitting the post with his one-timer off the rush. If he didn’t get Nazem Kadri-ed there, he easily would have ended up with a five-star grade. In an exciting back-and-forth contest, the Leafs were able to pull off the overtime victory against the Canadiens 4-3. It was an interesting look at Morgan Rielly – 24.9 minutes, 1 assist, 4 controlled zone exits (team what could be a first-round matchup in the playoffs. Both teams seem to lead), 3 controlled zone entries (team lead among defencemen) match up well against each other (thriving in areas where the other team I thought Rielly was actually better in transition than Muzzin tonight, is weak), so it should be fun to break down this matchup. leading the team in controlled zone exits. He was one of Toronto’s only Quick heads-up: I’ve tinkered with the format tonight based on some players (other than Nylander) able to consistently slice through recommendations from the readers, so be sure to let me know in the Montreal’s neutral zone trap and get the puck into the offensive zone. It’s comments what you think about the changes (what works, what doesn’t) worth noting that he did have a defensive miscue on the penalty kill, or any recommendations you have to help improve these report cards. when he overcommitted to Andrew Shaw on the zone entry, leaving Hainsey on an island to cover both Max Domi and Brendan Gallagher Even Strength: Tight — Mike Babcock likes to talk about how “tight” (which didn’t go so well). I still think the pros far outweighed the cons, games are when you face some of the better teams later in the season, though, which is why he finds himself in the four-star club tonight. and this was an excellent example. Neither team had much room to operate, with both doing a great job of clogging up the neutral zone. It William Nylander – 13.7 minutes, 1 goal, 6 controlled zone entries (team was a tight-checking game at even strength, without any major scoring lead by far – next closest had 3) chances at either end. That doesn’t always lead to the most entertaining What’s funny is I thought Toronto’s third line had a pretty rough night as a brand of hockey, but I thought it was fun watching the chess match whole, but Nylander looked amazing. He was the Leafs’ best player in between Babcock and Claude Julien. transition by far, using his speed and skill to skate the puck up the ice Power Play: Ugly — This was one of Toronto’s least impressive games and into the offensive zone. Once he got there, he made a few brilliant with the man advantage. The second unit wasn’t able to generate plays (namely a behind-the-net pass to Gardiner in the slot that easily anything when it got possession in the offensive zone, while the first unit could have resulted in a goal, and a beautiful shot in the third period that never really got there because its zone entries were a disaster with the did beat Carey Price). He didn’t have much help, but I thought this was man advantage. You have to think this is going to be a point of emphasis one of Nylander’s better games of the season. tomorrow in practice. Kapanen had a similar night to Nylander, in that he was the player on his Penalty Kill: Solid — Although the Leafs gave up a power-play goal in the line that was clearly generating the most offence. Now, that’s obviously third period, I thought they were doing an excellent job of preventing not ideal when you’re playing alongside Auston Matthews, but it speaks Montreal’s power play from getting into the offensive zone. Toronto’s to how many chances Kapanen was generating off the rush. He didn’t get forwards were taking away space on the breakout, which disrupted the rewarded for it on the scoresheet, but I thought he was the Leafs’ most power play’s timing, forcing a number of turnovers and helping to create dangerous player in the offensive zone in this contest. He was also shorthanded chances the other way. incredible on the penalty kill (where I’d love to see him get some more minutes), making it quite the impressive 200-foot game for the Finnish Impressive — For anyone who’s been paying close attention, Montreal winger. has been one of the better teams in the league at driving play over the past few months, and we got a close-up view of it this evening. They do 䈏䈏䈏 such a good job of trapping things up in the neutral zone, forcing their opponents to play chip-and-chase hockey for 60 minutes. Considering Zach Hyman – Elite playmaker…? their limited scoring talent up front, it’s pretty remarkable what Claude Hyman made a great play in the first period to strip the puck from a Julien has done with that roster this year. If they can keep performing at Montreal defender behind the net and make a cross-crease pass to this level, you have to think he’s going to be getting some Jack Adams Johnsson for a tap-in. consideration. The rest of his game wasn’t quite as pretty, but that’s a few games in a Player Reports row where we’ve seen brilliant passes from Hyman. That’s obviously not 䈏䈏䈏䈏䈏 his calling card, but you have to be happy when he can chip in on the scoresheet on nights like this. Best player on the ice: The Fourth Line – 13-4 in shot differential, 6-0 in John Tavares – An off-night when he still racked up two primary points scoring chance differential This wasn’t Tavares’ best game at even strength (his line got outshot, It’s not very often that I group three players together, and even rarer that out-chanced, and he didn’t even manage a single zone exit tonight, I rate them this highly, but this was legitimately Toronto’s best line which has been one of his biggest strengths all season). With that being tonight. Frederik Gauthier was doing an excellent job of winning puck said, he did finish the night with two points and the winning goal (which battles in all three zones and even generating some scoring chances in was an absolute beauty), so we definitely have to give him some credit. the offensive zone; Par Lindholm was making some great plays with the puck to help get his team into space; and Andreas Johnsson is the After he gave up that wobbler on the second goal, I was worried this was team’s best left winger (I don’t know what else to say about him at this going to be an off-night for Andersen, but he found a way to fight his way point). back and help keep Toronto in this game. Despite the high volume of shots he faced, I thought the Leafs did a solid job of limiting high-quality I understand the argument behind wanting four lines that can hurt the chances against, which is consistent with what the numbers say (2.5 opposition offensively, but Johnsson has averaged 11:36 per game this Expected Goals Against). I’d say that makes this a pretty average game month. That’s far too low for the team’s best left winger. (Imagine if the for an NHL starting goalie, which isn’t an insult — you can win a lot of team’s best right winger, Mitch Marner, was getting that kind of ice time.) games with league-average goaltending (and Andersen has actually 䈏䈏䈏䈏 been above average for the past few seasons).

Jake Muzzin – 22.1 minutes, 1 slap shot off the post, +6 shot differential, I thought this was a solid game for Dermott, particularly without the puck. +6 scoring chance differential He was doing an excellent job of closing the gap in transition, angling opposing forwards towards the boards where he would use his strength to dislodge them from the puck. Once he got the puck, he wasn’t nearly as dangerous as he’s been most nights, often settling for a pass to did throughout the majority of the game, particularly at even strength. Hainsey or forward who was covered in the neutral zone. The Habs really This was clearly an off-night for Marner in that regard, finishing the game made it hard for Toronto to get through the neutral zone, but I’d like to without a scoring chance, shot on goal, 5-on-5 zone entry, or memorable see Dermott do a better job of moving the puck up the ice with cross-ice pass in the offensive zone. It’s worth noting that he looked possession against these types of teams (he’ll need to in the playoffs). great on the penalty kill, which would probably be worth a two-star grade for most players, but when we’re evaluating a legitimate Top 30 NHL 䈏䈏 talent like Marner, I think it’s fair to hold him to a higher standard.

Auston Matthews – There are nights when Matthews completely takes Are we sure he actually played tonight? over the game offensively, but unfortunately, this wasn’t one of them. He was making a few nice plays in transition to get the puck up the ice, but Nylander’s linemates – Connor Brown has become a common member he wasn’t able to create space for himself in the offensive zone to of this club, but it’s not very often I look through my notes and have generate offence at the rate that we’re used to seeing. Now, I’d argue nothing written beside Nazem Kadri’s name. Neither player was doing that he didn’t have much help from his left winger tonight, but when much to help get the puck moving in the right direction tonight, as it you’re a star player, you have to find ways to make things happen even seemed to be Nylander who had to single-handedly lug the puck from the when your linemates aren’t on top of their A-game. DZ to the OZ and create all of the offence once he got there. I’m glad that Babcock recognized this later in the game and got Andreas Johnsson on Ron Hainsey – Although Hainsey had a few good moments in this game his left wing as he shortened the bench in the third period, but I’d argue (e.g. this great neutral-zone breakup in the second period), his lack of that it’s been long overdue. foot speed got exposed on a few occasions, he really struggled moving the puck up the ice, and he wasn’t able to take away the passing lane on Patrick Marleau – This was one of those nights where I find it hard to Montreal’s power-play goal. To be fair, he wasn’t put in the greatest remember Marleau impacting the game in any significant way (he wasn’t situation by Rielly (or Kapanen, who arguably should have been covering winning puck battles like Hyman, generating offence like Johnsson, or Gallagher,) but you’d like to see him slide to take away the backdoor transitioning the puck like we’ve seen Trevor Moore do in his NHL pass. All in all, it wasn’t his greatest game on the third pairing, but it’s audition). I find myself wondering if we took the names off the back of the worth noting I have liked him there over his past few games (he’s been jerseys, would Marleau be one of Toronto’s three best left wingers? performing much better when he doesn’t have to go up against the Sometimes it’s the little things that I appreciate the most in hockey opposition’s best players). games. I still can’t get over how much of a difference Muzzin has made Mike Babcock – I liked the fact that Dom graded Babcock’s performance since arriving in Toronto. His ability to stop the cycle and make smooth in his last game, so I think it’s something we’re going to stick with moving plays like these give the Leafs something they haven’t had in more than forward. I’ll start with the positives: I liked the fact that he moved a decade: a legitimate top pairing that you can play 25-plus minutes in Johnsson up to the third line when it was time to shorten the bench in the big games. third period. Final thoughts from the game Now, time for the negatives: Toronto’s best left winger (who’s on pace for I thought tonight was a great example of what playoff hockey is going to 48 points this season) should never have been playing fourth-line look like; very little time or space for players to move the puck, which is minutes at right wing in the first place. We also have to point out the fact why you need game-breakers such as Nylander or Rielly to help blow the that the power play’s zone entries looked miserable in this game, which game open. The Leafs will likely have to face Montreal or Boston in the is technically Jim Hiller’s responsibility. first round come April, which will mean a lot more games like this one. It looks like Babcock didn’t look too happy with them, either, but when a Buckle up, Leafs fans … things could be getting interesting! team as talented as Toronto has been struggling on the power play for Final Grade: B this long, I think it’s fair to say that the man in charge has to shoulder some of the blame.

Nikita Zaitsev – The microcosm of Zaitsev’s season occurred with 30 The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 seconds left in the game, where he was trying to flip the puck off of the glass (his go-to breakout option over the past three seasons) and couldn’t even accomplish that, taking an extremely costly puck-over- glass penalty with the game on the line. Luckily, his teammates were able to kill off the ensuing power play, but I think this is a prime example of why fans get frustrated with Zaitsev. He clearly has the tools to be an effective NHL defenceman, but his decision-making under pressure results in him conceding possession so often that he ends up being a net-negative when he’s on the ice.

I’m going to bump him up to two stars because he made a nice play before his goal to get the puck up the ice and then walking the line to help get his point shot through traffic, so it wasn’t all bad tonight.

䈏

Worst player on the ice: Jake Gardiner – It’s not often that Gardiner finds himself ranked below Zaitsev in these report cards, but I’d argue that his spot in the one-star club is well deserved tonight. His role on Toronto’s second pairing is to move the puck up the ice (Zaitsev helps stop the cycle, get the puck to Gardiner, who then slings it up the ice with his trademark stretch passes). He wasn’t doing a good job of that tonight, often having to reverse it back to Zaitsev or waste time skating around the defensive zone so Montreal could set up their neutral zone trap. In the modern NHL, the goal is to get the puck up to your forwards with possession as quickly as possible (before the opposing defence has a chance to get set), but Gardiner was really struggling to do that in this game. It’s a big part of the reason the team got outshot and out-chanced when he was on the ice; if you’re not moving the puck up the ice with possession, you’re going to spend a lot of time defending in your own zone.

Mitch Marner – It’s important to note that I tend not to place much emphasis on 3-on-3 performance in these grades, so even though Marner notched the game-winning assist, I prefer to look at how players 1130065 Toronto Maple Leafs defencemen more to create some space with movement, pass it to a foward and let them go to work. That takes time.

Sure enough, Toronto’s advantage in shot attempts from a forward plays Dellow: Contrasting the approaches of Montreal and Toronto on offensive out over a longer time frame than Montreal’s edge in shot attempts from zone faceoff wins a defenceman. The Canadiens have generated 52.7 more shot attempts from defencemen in the first 60 seconds after an offensive zone faceoff win than the typical team. By seven seconds post-faceoff, they’re at 41 By Tyler Dellow more shot attempts from defencemen than the typical team.

Feb 9, 2019 Toronto’s generated 47.2 more shot attempts from forwards in the first 60 seconds after an offensive zone faceoff win than the typical team. Their

edge accrues more slowly. By seven seconds post-faceoff win, they’re at The Canadiens and Maple Leafs have had a lot of success this year. just 6.2 more shot attempts from forwards than the typical team. By 27 Toronto’s success isn’t at all unexpected, but nobody really saw this seconds, they hit 40 more shot attempts from forwards than the typical coming from Montreal. We’re at the point where we’re now seriously team – they’re at +40.3 shot attempts by that point. They don’t really contemplating the possibility of the first Montreal/Toronto playoff series have any competition from the rest of the league in terms of the attempt since the dying days of the Original 17. With Justin Trudeau at 24 volume from their forwards they’ve generated by that point. Sussex, a Montreal-Toronto playoff series would leave us a TV ad about Nashville being up there is interesting. As I’ve pointed out here before, how physically unfit Canadians are in comparison to Swedes away from Peter Laviolette has historically been something of an OZW goal Peak Baby Boomer. producing wizard and it’s no different this year – the Predators are fourth Looking over how the Maple Leafs and Canadiens have achieved in the NHL in terms of GF/60 after winning an offensive zone faceoff. success this year, there are some differences. One that jumps out is how Unsurprisingly, their forwards are generating a pile of shots. the Maple Leafs and Canadiens play after offensive zone faceoff wins. Just as a sanity check, I looked at the rates at which forwards are Toronto has enjoyed a lot more success there than the Canadiens. At the generating shot attempts in the first 27 seconds after an offensive zone highest and most important level, Toronto’s been better than Montreal. win. Faceoff win volume will impact things if you look on a counting basis. The Maple Leafs have scored 16 goals on OZW shifts, the Canadiens Sure enough, Toronto holds up. have scored just 8. On a per 60 basis, Toronto’s scored 4.4 GF/60 to 2.6 GF/60 for the Canadiens. Both teams are high volume shooting teams – None of the three teams that are really letting their defencemen bomb Toronto’s 121.1 CF/60 leads the league while Montreal’s 113.8 CF/60 is away in the seconds immediately after an OZW are getting that many fourth. As you’d expect, there’s a big shooting percentage difference. shot attempts from their forwards. Toronto’s shooting 7.8 percent on these shifts to 4.9 percent for Montreal. So, having worked through this, you’re left with an inference that Toronto and Montreal are approaching these situations somewhat differently. Two Shooting percentage plays a big role in observed outcomes and there’s a solitudes, if you will. Somewhat curiously, to me anyway, all of these lot of luck in it but when you look a little deeper into the Maple Leafs and extra shots that the Maple Leafs generate relative to the league don’t Canadiens, you see some other differences. Montreal’s whole approach really result in fewer shot attempts against – they’re just slightly better to these situations is built around shots from the defence. I’ve put than league average in terms of what they give up after winning an together a graph of the rate at which Toronto and Montreal are offensive zone faceoff. Montreal’s a little worse but there’s not a ton in it. attempting shots by the D in each second post-faceoff. For the purposes of comparison, I’ve also included the NHL rate. As ever when you do something like this, you’re left with questions about tactics vs. talent. I’m inclined to think that there’s a big tactical component The Canadiens love the point shot. So far this year, in the first seven to what we’re seeing. Even if you think that Toronto’s got the best seconds after an offensive zone faceoff win, Montreal’s defencemen forward group in the NHL, which isn’t an unreasonable position to hold, a have attempted 41 more shots than the typical NHL team’s defencemen lot of other talented forward groups don’t come remotely close to would in the same amount of time. Three teams really stand out from the Toronto’s shot attempt production. Winnipeg and Calgary, in particular, rest of the league in pursuing that approach. have talented groups; they’re getting much less in the way of attempts from their forwards after offensive zone wins than the Maple Leafs. Baseball analyst Bill James once wrote about how numbers in baseball have acquired the power of language, in that you can look at a stat line There’s one other particularly interesting angle here. You can organize and kind of imagine what a baseball player looks like. A first baseman the OZW shifts into three types: OZW shifts without any shot attempts, who strikes out a lot, hits a lot of doubles and home runs, and rarely OZW shifts with an attempt from a defenceman within seven seconds steals a base? Your mind will imagine a big burly guy. When you look at and OZW shifts without an attempt from a defenceman within seven the data in the last two graphs, it’s pretty easy to imagine Montreal, San seconds, but with at least one shot attempt. Jose and Ottawa really letting their defencemen blast away when they win the offensive zone faceoff. Which isn’t to say that Toronto’s Toronto and Montreal are actually strikingly similar when it comes to the defencemen don’t shoot (they do), but they’re much more in line with first set of shifts. Toronto’s generated no attempts on 31.6 percent of the league norms than the Canadiens, Sharks and Senators. OZW wins, Montreal on 32 percent. Montreal is much more likely than Toronto to have a shift on which they attempt a shot attempt from a Incidentally, the Senators and Sharks have been ok — “just ok” as a wise defenceman within seven seconds – for the Canadiens, that number is man once said — at scoring goals in these situations. Watching the 33.1 percent and for Toronto it’s 25 percent. Intriguingly, the two teams video, Ottawa’s had a lot of pucks that have just seemed to magically find are otherwise pretty similar on those shifts – they both generate around their way through from the point. San Jose’s situation is quite something. 200 shot attempts per 60 on OZW shifts with an early shot attempt from a The Sharks let their defencemen shoot like crazy, have scored 16 goals defenceman. Montreal’s scored 3.3 GF/60 and Toronto’s scored 3.9 on OZW shifts (tied for seventh in the NHL) and have a GF/60 that ranks GF/60. Given the relatively small amount of time we’re dealing with, 14th in the NHL. They also don’t have a goal from a defenceman on an those numbers are about as similar as they could be. OZW shift. The defencemen are putting the puck into the mixer but the forwards are making it happen for the Sharks. What you’re left with are the shifts that result in a shot attempt but don’t feature one from a defenceman within seven seconds. Here’s where So Toronto shoots a lot but isn’t particularly impressive when it comes Toronto is crushing Montreal. 43.4 percent of Toronto’s OZW shifts are of generating attempts from their forwards. Unless they’re running things this type compared to just 34.7 percent for Montreal. The Maple Leafs through Frederik Andersen and Garrett Sparks, that leaves one source of attempt a ton of shots on these shifts too. Toronto’s 174.8 CF/60 on shot attempts. Sure enough, Toronto’s forwards are generating a lot these shifts is second in the NHL and they’re one of only three teams to compared to the typical team. top 160 CF/60.

If you think in hockey terms, it’ll make sense to you that an advantage in So if you’re interested in the bigger picture as to why the Maple Leafs shot attempts from forwards might take longer to build after an OZW. If produce more on these shifts than Montreal despite both teams you’re going to have your defencemen bomb away, it’s pretty generating a lot of shots, you can start to see an alternative answer to straightforward: You win the puck back to the point and they rip it. If you “shooting percentage luck” when you push a little deeper in. Even though want to try and generate shots from your forwards, it’s more complex. Montreal’s close in terms of the overall shot volume that they’re Maybe you’re playing for rebound shots but you might also be using your generating, they push a lot more of it through the defence than the Maple Leafs. Claude Julien’s done an incredible job this year – he’ll likely be a finalist for the Jack Adams Trophy – but there’s probably something worth exploring here for the Canadiens. Come the spring, every small edge that can be exploited matters.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130066 Toronto Maple Leafs year, it feels like they’ve been performing well against top 10 NHL teams and occasionally taking nights off against bottom 10 teams, so I’d be

curious to see if the numbers backed up that hypothesis. Tulloch: When are the Leafs playing their best? Saturday could be the That’s something we can easily look at by grouping teams based on their secret rank in standings (based on point percentage), so let’s see if a similar pattern exists.

By Ian Tulloch Again, we’re not dealing with the largest samples in the world here, but it’s worth noting that both Toronto and Tampa Bay have played at least Feb 9, 2019 15 games against these types of teams so far this season (shot metrics tend to stabilize around 15-20 games). Despite the smaller sample, we’re

seeing a similar pattern; Toronto isn’t showing as much variance as The Toronto Maple Leafs are clearly one of the most talented teams in Tampa Bay in these charts. the NHL, but for anyone who’s been watching them closely this season, There are two ways to look at this. We could say that Toronto is playing you can’t help but feel there are nights that players have been taking off. significantly better against the best teams in the league. On the other We’ve seen them control games against elite teams like Tampa Bay, hand, we could say that they’ve been having a lot more trouble with Pittsburgh, or Boston, but we’ve also seen them get significantly some of the weaker teams in the NHL, which is a bit concerning: “Why outplayed by bottom-feeders like Ottawa and Detroit. aren’t you dominating these terrible teams?” It’s become a noticeable trend this season and it has a lot of Leafs fans Either way you slice it, this appears to fit our narrative from the beginning asking: “Why does this keep happening?” of the article. It’s obviously not to the extent that Toronto is actually This is something that Justin Bourne has written about in detail. I think it’s performing better against strong teams than they are against weaker an interesting topic, especially when we consider the human element of teams (that would be absurd), but they’ve been doing a much better job things. If we’re being honest with ourselves, we’ve all mailed it in at work of meeting and often exceeding expectations in the bigger games this on a slow Wednesday when we’re not really feeling it. If you put yourself season. in a professional athlete’s shoes, are you really going to be giving the Now, we need to be careful not to draw too many conclusions from this proverbial “110 percent” on a weeknight game in early February against information. For example, I don’t think to would be fair to say that Tampa the Ottawa Senators? Bay is only racking up points in the standings because they’re beating up For those of you who unequivocally answered yes, I salute you, but I on the league’s weaker teams. They’ve been dominant in every aspect of have to think that most human beings would treat that game the same the game this season (offensively, defensively, in transition, special way that most of us treated the Monday after the Super Bowl. We all teams, you name it), which is why they’re on pace for one of the best physically showed up to work and did our job, but we weren’t performing seasons we’ve seen this century. anywhere near optimal levels (much like the Los Angeles Rams the night Naturally, NHL teams are going to be performing better against weaker before). opponents than stronger opponents. That’s just how hockey works; the All kidding aside, I think there is some truth to teams not giving it their all games become much more of a coin flip when you’re facing the best of in the dog days of an 82-game season, especially when you’re as the best (it’s why the playoffs tend to be such a crapshoot). With that talented as the Leafs. Unlike Herb Brooks’ team in Miracle, Toronto being said, it has to be encouraging for Leafs fans to see that they’ve actually does have enough talent to win on talent alone against weaker been on the positive end of the weighted coin flip against top 10 teams teams like the Senators or Red Wings. It’s not a habit that the coaching this season. staff wants them to get into, but we’ve all seen it happen on multiple Hockey Night In Canada occasions this season. Another interesting thing I found when doing research for this piece was Now, I’m wondering how we can go about quantifying this phenomenon how much of an impact Saturdays have had on Toronto’s performance to help prove that it isn’t solely narrative-driven. Under the microscope in over the past few years. Before I get into that, though, here’s a little Toronto, it’s easy for hyperbole to take over after an underwhelming backstory on how I ended up discovering the pattern. performance against Ottawa, but when Tampa Bay plays a mid-week stinker against Anaheim, do they face the same criticism? I think we all For anyone who’s been reading the Leafs Report Cards this season, know the answer is no, which is why I wanted to break this down you’ll know the games that Dom Luszczyszyn does tend to be stinkers, objectively and see if the Leafs have been “playing down” to their whereas Toronto seems to have much better luck when I’m on duty. It’s opponents this season more often than other elite teams. been a running joke all season, but after 53 games of bitterness, Dom decided to look into it and break down just how drastic the difference My first thought was to look at how Toronto has been performing against was. teams in the top-half of the standings compared to the bottom-half (with 31 teams, I rounded up and made the 16th best team “above average”). The results were pretty hilarious. It’s incredibly simplistic, but I thought it would be a good starting point. I really don’t think the Leafs are heading into games thinking “we need to Since we’re dealing with such small samples here, we’re not going to win this one for Ian” (other than maybe Travis Dermott), so I found it bother looking at goal metrics (the shooting percentage and save pretty startling that the gap was this big, especially considering the fact percentage variance is way too crazy in a tiny sample like this). Instead, that I’ve done 26 games this season and Dom has graded 27. Part of me let’s take a look at how well the Leafs have been controlling shots and wanted to assume this was just a fluke (or Dom being a bad luck charm), scoring chances at five-on-five. but then I started thinking more about it.

Looking at those results intuitively, it’s tough to tell if there’s a meaningful I went back and looked at the games we’d each done this season. There pattern. Logically, we would expect NHL teams to perform better against didn’t seem to be a drastic difference in quality of opponents (we tend to weaker opponents and have more trouble with stronger teams. To help split the “good” games pretty equally), but there’s one thing that has been give us a better idea of what this should look like, let’s examine the pretty constant all season; Dom doesn’t work on Saturday nights. shining example of success this season: the Tampa Bay Lightning. The way our report card schedule works is that Dom tells me the games Now, I don’t think anyone would attribute Tampa Bay’s success to he doesn’t want to do…and I do them. As the new kid on the block at The dominating non-playoff teams (as Chris Rock would say, “that’s what Athletic, I’ve accepted my spot in the pecking order (having a life on you’re supposed to do”), but I do find it interesting that they have a much Saturday nights is a thing of the past — not that it was ever a thing of the bigger gap in these charts than Toronto. We’re obviously not dealing with present). Going back and looking at the results, though, I realized that huge samples here, but the evidence seems to indicate that the Leafs those games tended to be some of the Leafs’ better performances of the have been performing better than we’d expect against stronger teams season. and not quite as well against weaker teams this season. Now, Dom has warned me about the gambling fallacy of betting on a I’m wondering what would happen if we took this a step further and team that has been performing well on a certain day throughout the looked at their performance against the truly elite teams in the league season, but what’s crazy is that this has been a consistent trend over the compared to the basement-dwellers. Watching the Leafs closely this past couple years. For example, here’s a look at how last year’s team did on Saturday nights.

Going through these games, there isn’t a significant difference in venue (home vs away) or quality of opponent. For whatever reason, the Leafs just seem to play better on Saturday nights, especially when it comes to scoring chances (which are actually more predictive of future goals than shots).

This is consistent with the argument we’ve been building, in that Toronto seems to be playing much better than we’d expect in “big games” this season. For anyone who’s ever been to a Leafs home game, it’s hard to describe the difference between a mid-week game and Saturday night. I’ve been to a few Tuesday or Wednesday night games where you can hear a pin drop in the arena, whereas the Saturday night games tend to be much livelier.

I’m not sure if it’s the cultural impact of Hockey Night in Canada, but it’s pretty clear that Saturday night games in Toronto have a lot more meaning.

Now, I don’t think the team’s franchise centre (who grew up in Scottsdale, Ariz.) or starting goaltender (from Herning, Denmark) were watching the Leafs every Saturday night as kids. With that being said, I think there’s an argument to be made that they can understand the importance of those games after playing in Toronto. I’m not one to make major claims about things that are impossible to measure, but you can just feel the difference in the building on Saturday nights.

So…what does this all mean?

Maybe something, maybe nothing, but I find it pretty interesting that the Leafs have been performing significantly better in big games this season. Although the coaches and paying customers probably aren’t too thrilled when the Leafs play a mid-week stinker against the Senators, it’s clear that they’ve been bringing their A-game against the best teams in the league this season, which are the ones they’ll have to go through in the playoffs.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130067 Toronto Maple Leafs it is. Everyone brings a different dynamic to the room and for our team to gel, each guy has to be themselves. You don’t want guys to be who

they’re not when they come around the rink. You want people to be ‘He’s just his own brand’: To understand Jeremy Bracco’s success, you comfortable and you want people to have fun. And whenever I can bring must first understand Jeremy Bracco that, it’s a bonus for everyone,” says Bracco.

“Ever since I was a young kid, I’ve always had a loud personality. I like to have fun.” By Scott Wheeler He’s not alone, either. Feb 9, 2019 Bracco is able to be Bracco as a sophomore because his best friend, Rich Clune, took him under his wing as a rookie. And Clune’s business is the business of never tearing down a teammate. There’s a scene in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street in which Donnie Azoff (played by Jonah Hill), under the influence of Quaaludes “I love it. I mean, I love it. I certainly encourage him to be exactly who he and the narration of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort, tries to tell a wants to be, and I think that’s why him and I get along so well. When you room full of equally-inebriated people about his childhood friend, Steve put both of us in the same room together we can certainly take over a Madden, and his women’s shoe empire. room. There’s certain things that you can learn as your career goes on. But there are some things that are hard to learn, and that’s just his spirit Jeremy Bracco loves that scene. He can narrate it. and his energy. It’s invaluable. His influence on the team is real. For a On Friday morning, shortly after wrapping up a practice at Coca Cola young guy, he really influences the energy in the locker room and it’s just Coliseum, defenceman Steve Oleksy enters into Bracco’s chat with a going to make him more valuable as a player,” Clune says. reporter holding his stick high above him, as if as a microphone. After two years of rooming together on the road, Bracco and Clune both Bracco quickly quips back at his teammate, who shares the namesake of admit that they feed off each other. Azoff’s childhood friend. “I think we get along so well because we’re both people who’ve been told “Steeeeeve,” he says, taking on the role of Belfort before turning back to our whole lives to dial it back, and when we’re together we’re just the reporter. “This is Steve Madden, he’s women’s shoes. Get out of ourselves,” Clune says. He pauses to tell Bracco to quiet down with here, man! We always say ‘Steeeeeve,’ and then we call him women’s Stormy, like a disapproving father: “Hey!” shoes. I can do a Leonardo DiCaprio pretty good. Sorry, what was that?” “What!? The world doesn’t revolve around you!” Bracco yells back. As players exit the ice, they gravitate towards Bracco. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Clune says. He turns. “See? You put me and him in “Women’s shoes!” shouts Rich Clune at him. a room together, and it can get pretty loud.”

On his way to the dressing room, as players pet broadcaster Todd The feeling is mutual. Crocker’s dog Stormy as they pass by, Bracco pauses and lays down in “Whether it’s just him and I sitting in the pitch black together in our room full gear to play with Stormy, eventually removing the dog’s leash so that on the road or whether it’s us going out for dinner, there’s always he can throw his ball. Between questions, he shouts at players who don’t something happening,” Bracco says with a laugh. give the dog the same kind of attention. On a different team, or in different circumstances, Bracco might not have “Ball! Ball! Ball! Ball! Ball! Throw it! Throw it! Throw it! Uh, oh, Brooksy,” been adopted like he has with the Marlies. Bracco shouts at Adam Brooks. “His play is speaking for itself, but he has some innocent swagger,” “Are we talking about Jeremy? I don’t know if I can do that,” Brooks says Mueller explains. “You can’t take him too serious. But at the same time, to the reporter, ignoring Bracco’s demand. “Well, right now, you’re getting he does have good points and he’s a very knowledgeable kid. So even a pretty good look at Jeremy Bracco.” though he talks too much for his own good sometimes, he knows what Bracco is the mile-a-minute, loud, nonstop force of the Toronto Marlies. he’s doing. He is doing very well. He has taken a lot of steps forward.” His teammates and coaches react to him with laughs, head shakes and Bracco has tried to be cognizant of veterans like Mueller — and the role disbelief. they play within the framework of the team. He credits coach Sheldon “He’s definitely unique. That’s a pretty good way to describe him,” 32- Keefe for bringing the team together in that way. year-old Chris Mueller says of his decade-younger linemate. He “For the old guys there’s a fine line where you have to understand when chuckles. “Most of the time you tune him out. It’s a lot of fun. It keeps the it’s time to shut up and listen to a guy like Vinny, Sammy, Muels, Greeny, guys loose. It keeps the guys energized. He’s just his own brand.” Dickey. But also, they want you to be yourself, too, because everybody There’s a lot about Bracco that can’t be explained. How could one kid plays together, everybody works together, everybody wins together, have so much energy? Where’s the off switch? The simple answer is that everybody gets their next deal together, everybody plays longer,” Bracco there isn’t one. says.

“He brings a lot of energy every single day and some days maybe when He needed a coach who understood him. Sheldon Keefe does. you’re not feeling it or a little bit down, Jeremy’s always there to provide “A team is a team for a reason. You have different personalities enough energy to get you going and get you back on the right track. It’s throughout the room. So as much as you have a guy like Bracco who has good to have a guy like that and some days you wish he would tone it constant energy and is loud and you hear him a lot, we have other guys down a bit, but overall we wouldn’t change anything about Jeremy,” who contrast that by speaking just when they have something important Brooks says. “We love the energy he brings and how he’s always a to say or are very confident to say, ‘Shut up. This is not the right time,'” positive person.” Keefe says. It’s hard to be that confident, that comfortable, at that age. Last season, as a rookie on the best team in the league, Keefe had to “When I was 21, I didn’t even speak in the room so that’s definitely an explain to Bracco that his professional career wasn’t a sprint. Whenever easy way to give him a hard time. But at the same time, that’s when guys he sat, there had to be a conversation about the plan that was in place perform their best, is when they step in with swagger and they step in for him. When Keefe made Bracco a healthy scratch for the remainder of with confidence and he knows when to turn the respect factor on but he the Calder Cup playoffs in the midst of the first round (and after he also knows when to give it to the older guys, too. He’s doing very well, finished the season playing the best hockey of his career), it came with a he’s a lot of fun to be around, and he just has to continue to be himself,” promise of: “This is going to be your team next year.” Mueller says. Understanding his ego (something Bracco is open about), Keefe wanted It just comes naturally for Bracco. He’s always been that guy. his talented rookie to know that he should use his summer to capitalize on that vote of confidence. When Bracco came to training camp this “Everybody is brought into a team for a reason. When I was drafted here, season, Keefe knew immediately that message didn’t go to waste. I think that was something I’ve always had, was a lot of energy. It is what “That’s a difficult message for some players to hear, especially a player “He’s very effective, especially at doing it down the right side. It allows like Bracco, who has been an elite player virtually his whole life and a lot him to see the ice on his forehand, which not a lot of guys have the ability of people he grew up with are already in the NHL. It’s hard go be patient to do. I know I didn’t start learning that until I was 10 or 11, when Crosby and put in the work,” Keefe says. started using it in games. And by then, Jeremy could probably do it effortlessly,” Brooks says. “It’s a really cool talent, and not a lot of guys “I don’t know if you can quantify it, but I do know a player lacking can do it at the level that he can.” confidence is not a very effective player. I think confidence is huge. Part of our job is to create conditions that can breed confidence for the player From a coaching standpoint, Keefe has encouraged Bracco to use his and then the player has to prepare and work to give themselves the heel-to-heel mobility selectively — without discouraging him from using it confidence to be able to go out and perform. But we play a role in that as at all. a staff.” “It can create enough separation between he and defenders to be able to This season, that confidence has translated into production. In more make a play. And when he does that, he opens up and faces the play still ways than one, these Marlies are Bracco’s. His 45 points in 46 games sit and has the ability to survey the ice and see the play that he wants to seventh in the AHL in scoring. His 32 assists sit second. Among all make. He has the genetics for it in terms of the way his body allows him under-22 players, he ranks first in both points and assists. to move like that, and then he has turned it into a skill that he is able to pair with his vision,” Keefe says. All of it starts with that confidence. Bracco isn’t afraid to try things. It’s a skill Bracco developed while figure skating as a child. “I’m a guy that likes to play, to keep you on the edge of your seat, and Dickey (Clune) and I always laugh that you get your popcorn ready when And like his personality, it’s not going anywhere. one of us goes on the ice because something’s going to happen. Meeting a guy like that and Dickey being one of the leaders just from Day One “I remember from when I started, I just kind of had it in the repertoire. I do and to have an outgoing personality like I do, he definitely made me feel it in a unique way where I pick up speed. A lot of guys mess with me that comfortable from the beginning,” Bracco says. I skate faster sideways than I do backwards or forwards — I get a back leg kick and it’s just, I don’t know, it’s weird, but it helps me open up and “From Day One, I just figured this is going to be me. Guys are going to look at everything,” Bracco says. like me, guys aren’t going to like me, it is what it is. This is just the way I am. It’s how I want to be each day. It’s how I want people to perceive me It — the patented move, the personality, the DiCaprio impression — is all and be around me, so I feel like I play my best hockey when I’m having part of the Jeremy Bracco brand. fun messing around and it’s just something that everyone needs in their To understand him, you have to understand that. own way.”

And everyone has taken notice. The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 “I think it’s important for him to carry a certain amount of swagger. He should feel confident to express himself on the ice and make plays, and there might be a little bit of risk involved. But that’s what makes him who he is and he’s learning the defensive side of the game more and more, but I certainly don’t discourage any of his personality or his creativity,” says Clune.

Keefe can’t really explain him.

There’s something different that makes Bracco tick, and it’s hard to put a finger on.

“Uh, he’s very comfortable. As he should be. That’s part of his personality, it’s what makes him the player that he is. Because he goes out, he plays with confidence, he wants to make a difference and he needs to feel that way, I believe, in order to be at his best,” Keefe says. “I believe despite the fact that he’s a young guy that he brings a lot of energy to our team. He’s one of the more talkative guys on the bench. He is involved and engaged. What I’ve learned in my time with him is that that is a part of what makes him who he is.”

Bracco’s play has rubbed off on Mueller, too. After posting 19 goals and 52 points in 73 games last season, Mueller already has 22 goals and 47 points in just 45 games alongside Bracco this season.

“He’s one of the best in the league at making plays. Coaches preach that you want to have a shooting mentality. But when you play with a guy who is always looking for the play that’s a pass first, it’s good to play with and I just try to find the open areas and lanes because he’s one of the guys on the team that can make almost every play he wants to make. He’s a pleasure to play with, that’s for sure,” Mueller says.

There’s more than just personality that makes Bracco different.

All of his teammates marvel at his ability to go heel-to-heel in the offensive zone and open up his feet to survey the ice and make the plays Mueller talks about receiving. Bracco routinely dances around the dressing room with his hips open to get them laughing.

“It’s funny because older guys can’t really do it. We weren’t taught that. My hips don’t open the way his hips do. If you can do it and keep top speed — and that’s his biggest thing that he’s perfected is he knows how to do it with the puck and he can do it at top speed — it makes him that much of a better player. It just creates separation that old players like myself don’t have the luxury of being able to. It creates time for us to get open, and that’s how he makes the plays that he always does,” Mueller says.

Even the younger players don’t know how he does it, though. 1130068 Vegas Golden Knights LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 02.10.2019 Late goal dooms Golden Knights in 4-3 loss to Blue Jackets

By Adam Hill

The Golden Knights possess the NHL’s best penalty kill unit at home having allowed opponents to score on just more than 10 percent of their opportunities this season. It let them down at a bad time on Saturday night. Cam Atkinson fired a shot past Marc-Andre Fleury on the power play with 2:39 remaining in a tied game to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-3 win at T-Mobile Arena. The Knights (31-22-4) dropped their third consecutive home game for the first time this season. “We feel confident in our penalty kill, but sometimes they’re going to slip one through,” Knights forward William Karlsson said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a penalty kill or (even strength) or whatever. “It still sucks.” The game-winner was one Fleury would like back. “It barely missed my glove,” he said. “I think I got a little piece of it. That’s a shot I want to have to keep the game even. “I’ve got to be better. (There were) a couple of weird bounces but at the end of the day it’s four goals against. It’s frustrating.” It wasn’t Fleury’s best game, but Atkinson helped will the Blue Jackets (31-20-3) to the road win by taking control down the stretch. He knotted the game up for the third time with 5:12 remaining when he got past Brayden McNabb then followed up his own rebound and jammed it in the net past Fleury. “Sometimes good things happen when you drive the net hard,” Atkinson said. “I’ll take that one.” His heroics were nothing new to Karlsson, a teammate of Atkinson for three years in Columbus. “Cam does what he does,” Karlsson said. “He’s a good player and he got two goals and won the game for them. What can I say? “I thought we were the better team in the third period. Two individual efforts by Atkinson won the game for them.” The loss snapped a two-game overall winning streak for the Knights, who grabbed the lead early in the third period when Cody Eakin trailed a break and one-timed a pass from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare past Sergei Bobrovsky. It looked like it may hold up until Atkinson’s goals reversed the team’s fortunes. “I don’t think anything went wrong,” Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. “I think we played a real good third period. They scored two goals. Cam Atkinson’s got some great speed and he made a great play. Just because (McNabb) didn’t catch him … the guy’s got unbelievable feet. It happens and it’s part of the game. And the power-play goal was a great shot. Like I said, it was unfortunate because I thought we played a good first period and a real good third period and they capitalized late. “It doesn’t happen to us too often but it’s a tough one tonight.” Artemi Panarin assisted on both of Atkinson’s goals and scored one of his own to tie the game at 2-2 late in a second period controlled by the Blue Jackets. Josh Anderson opened the scoring for Columbus just 4:04 into the first period, but Nate Schmidt equalized just 32 seconds later. Jon Merrill gave the Knights a lead late in the opening period on a short-handed goal that would hold until Panarin’s tally. The Knights failed to build on the momentum in a sluggish second period that allowed Columbus to settle in before eventually rallying. “We didn’t bring our best second period,” Eakin said. “We let them dictate the play. Some turnovers and just kind of irresponsible hockey a little bit. They got some momentum. At the end we couldn’t hold on.” The Knights will look to snap their three-game home losing streak when they host Arizona on Tuesday at 7 p.m. 1130069 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights’ Reilly Smith savors first point since return

By Ben Gotz

Reilly Smith sounded like a man happy to be back on the score sheet Saturday morning. The Golden Knights forward was held without a point in his first three games since returning from an undisclosed injury, but Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings, he picked up an assist in a 4-3 win. Smith drove hard to the net, fired a backhand shot and created a rebound that teammate Jonathan Marchessault buried to give the Knights a 3-1 lead with 9:38 left in the second period. Smith then had two assists in the first period of Vegas’ 4-3 loss Saturday night to the Columbus Blue Jackets. “It’s frustrating not being offensively productive,” said Smith, who has 30 points in 50 games. “I think that’s one of the main things I’m on this team to do. I had more chances to score a couple and create some more plays last game, so I’ll have to keep my foot on the gas pedal and keep pushing for more.” Smith missed almost a month for the Knights after being injured in a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 6. He said he thought he came back at full strength because he was given the All-Star break and the Knights’ bye week to heal before returning Feb. 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes. “It’s always nice to have a little bit of extra time to be able to heal and not be rushed back,” Smith said. “When you have those extra couple days during the break to be able to skate a few more times, you can get your legs going. I think it helped me.” Still, he didn’t help create a goal until Thursday, when he was reunited with linemates Marchessault and William Karlsson on the Knights’ top line after two games apart. And even though he’s also crucial to the team as a forechecker and penalty killer, he admitted that felt good. “Sometimes the puck’s not going in and you’re not getting bounces, and I think that’s probably a frustrating part of it,” Smith said. “It was nice to pick up an assist last game and help our team offensively.” Carrier comes back The Knights activated William Carrier off injured reserve Saturday, and the bruising winger played his first game since Jan. 4. The 24-year-old, who was nursing an undisclosed injury, skated on the team’s fourth line against Columbus. Carrier has a career-high eight goals this season and leads the NHL in hits with 219 despite missing 12 games. Forward Ryan Carpenter was placed on IR to make room for Carrier on the roster. Carpenter suffered an undisclosed injury with 2:17 left in the second period of the Knights’ shootout win Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning after receiving a hard hit from Cedric Paquette. Holden update Knights coach Gerard Gallant said Saturday morning he didn’t know when defenseman Nick Holden (IR, lower-body injury) would play again because he hadn’t met with the Knights’ training staff since their four- game trip ended Thursday. “I don’t think it’s too serious, but seriously I haven’t had an update since I’ve got back,” Gallant said.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130070 Vegas Golden Knights

NHL analyst predicts ‘active’ trade market before deadline

By Ben Gotz February 9, 2019 - 4:25 PM Updated February 9, 2019 - 4:36 PM

The NHL’s trade market is already buzzing with activity as playoff hopefuls such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators have swung deals.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130071 Vegas Golden Knights Fleury stopped Atkinson’s first shot once he got past McNabb, but couldn’t turn away another attempt on the rebound. Fleury spoke critically of his performance as he replayed all the goals postgame, but his status Rare off night from Marc-Andre Fleury results in loss to Blue Jackets as the most revered Golden Knight remained clear. On a night where he wasn’t at his best, Fleury’s team stood behind him. By Case Keefer “Cam Atkinson has got some great speed and he made a great play — just because (McNabb) didn’t catch him, the guy has unbelievable feet,” Gallant said. “That happens in part of a game and the power-play goal was a great shot. It’s unfortunate because I thought we played a good Justin Emerson and Case Keefer look ahead to the Golden Knights' first period and a real good third period and they capitalized late. It upcoming homestand after a four-game road trip out of the All-Star doesn’t happen too often but it was a tough one tonight.” break. They scout the players not only on the ice, but also on the sand amid reports of a beach volleyball matchup being part of the team's Floridian stretch. LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 02.10.2019 Marc-Andre Fleury slapped his stick so hard on the ice late in the Vegas Golden Knights’ game against the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday night that the sound reverberated to the upper reaches of T-Mobile Arena. Vegas’ goalie was upset with himself for allowing a game-tying goal to the Blue Jackets’ Cam Atkinson with 5:12 remaining, but the worst was yet to come. Atkinson fired another puck past Fleury last than three minutes later on a power play to give the Blue Jackets a 4-3 win in the Golden Knights’ first home game in more than two weeks. “I’ve got to be better to give myself a chance to win,” Fleury said afterwards in the locker room. “A few goals might be a tough bounce here and there, but at the end of the day, they got four goals against so it’s frustrating.” Fleury’s aggressive goaltending style has been Vegas’ greatest asset over the last year and a half since the franchise’s formation. Against the Blue Jackets in front of 18,301 fans excited for the beginning of a long- awaited homestand, however, it was the Golden Knights’ undoing. In addition to Atkinson’s two decisive goals, Fleury gave up a second- period score to Blue Jackets star Artemi Panarin because of a decision he’d like to have back. He was a little overeager to leave the crease in pursuit of a loose puck, which clanked off the boards and towards Panarin for an easy goal on an empty net to tie the game at 2-2. “They skated well,” Fleury said of the Blue Jackets. “They worked hard all night. They put pressure and get turnovers off of it, chances off of it.” Fleury was far from the lone problem. Shot metrics graded the game as one of the Golden Knights’ most lopsided of the year, making it look fortunate that they were in position to eke out a late win in the first place. Columbus had a 33-23 advantage in shots on goal and a 50-33 Corsi — a measure of all shots sent towards the goal — edge. Vegas came out strong, and the teams traded fluky early goals with Nate Schmidt scoring off of a deflection to answer a similar fortunate bounce for the Blue Jackets’ Josh Anderson. But Vegas disappeared from there, rarely entering Columbus’ zone for several minutes as the period wound down. It got a reprieve in the form of a short-handed goal from defenseman Jon Merrill, his second of the year, to go up 2-1 before the issues resurfaced in the second period. Vegas managed only three shots on goal in the second period, alarming coach Gerard Gallant to the extent that he decided to limit third-period shifts to three lines. “We just didn’t have jump,” Gallant said. “It looked like we were skating in quicksand.” It seemed that Gallant made a savvy move when the Golden Knights fired out to a strong start to the third period. They cashed in on a transition opportunity about midway through the frame with the rare pairing of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Cody Eakin combining for a go- ahead goal. The deficit amped up Columbus’ attack, and Fleury couldn’t maintain the lead. None of the Golden Knights blamed their goaltender, though, and instead insisted that they could have done more. “I think we could have delivered a little better for him tonight and the rest of our team, especially our goaltender,” Schmidt said. Although the penalty kill unit broke through for a goal in the first period, Schmidt thought it could have done more to stymie Atkinson’s game- winning shot set up from an assist by Zach Werenski. Schmidt’s defensive partner, Brayden McNabb, was also beaten down the ice on Atkinson’s earlier goal. 1130072 Vegas Golden Knights Pre-game Fans heading to games at T-Mobile Arena last season grew to expect to see something spectacular on a nightly basis from the Vegas Golden Golden Knights surrender late lead, fall to Blue Jackets Knights’ first line. That expectation may be returning as the Golden Knights round into the By Case Keefer final two months of their second regular season. The NHL’s most productive line from a year ago is reunited with winger Reilly Smith Published Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019 | 3:04 p.m. coming off of injured reserve and getting back to full health to join Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson in Thursday’s 4-3 win at Updated Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019 | 9:57 p.m. Detroit. All eyes will be on the trio as they look to continue to show off their acclaimed chemistry at 7 p.m. tonight at T-Mobile Arena against the Those who subscribe to the old theory of a team not being at their best Columbus Blue Jackets. when they return home from a road trip surely weren’t surprised by the action Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. Marchessault has been particularly hot, as he scored two goals against the Red Wings and set up a game-tying goal in an eventual 3-2 shootout The Vegas Golden Knights had a mostly lethargic performance in a 4-3 win over league-leading Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Karlsson also has three loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets to snap a two-game win streak. points in the last two games (two assists and a goal). Prolonged offensive outages in the opening two periods and a number of defensive and goaltending mistakes proved too much to overcome as the Vegas' top two goal-scorers could be boosted by Smith’s presumed Blue Jackets’ Cam Atkinson scored a pair of goals in the final six return to the first line full time. Players like Valentin Zykov, who’s minutes. expected to play on the third line tonight, and Brandon Pirri, expected to be a healthy scratch, filled in admirably in Smith’s absence. Columbus controlled most of the action and piled up a commanding edge in shots on goal — finishing with a 33-23 margin — but looked to be in But if Vegas wants to be at its best in time for the playoffs, it’s likely going trouble with 10 minutes to go in the game. Vegas came out sharp in the to take Smith’s steadiness to raise the games of Marchessault and third period, peppering Columbus with shots and finally broke through Karlsson. when Cody Eakin scored from the slot off of a pass from Pierre-Eduouard Bellemare. They’ll have a tall task tonight in trying to crack one of the NHL’s top goalies in Sergei Bobrovsky, who shut out Vegas 1-0 in Columbus earlier It wouldn’t be enough. A rough night for Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, in the season. The Blue Jackets are one of the more talented teams in who had 29 saves, continued when he allowed Atkinson to loft a rebound the league, but whispers of uneasiness are circulating with Bobrovsky off of his own miss into the net. and points leader Artemi Panarin reportedly on their way out at the end of the season. Atkinson then scored again less than three minutes later at the start of a power play caused by a slashing call on Paul Stastny. Fleury also lost The Golden Knights have yet to encounter that type of tension, as the sight of the puck on a deflected first-period goal from Josh Anderson, and first line especially credited a tight-knit nature for last year’s run to the got caught behind the net on a second-period score from Artemi Panarin. Stanley Cup Final. Tonight’s game will be a chance to prove it still exists. Vegas led 2-1 at the first intermission off of goals from defensemen Nate Keefer’s Prediction: Golden Knights 2, Blue Jackets 1 Schmidt and Jon Merrill, the latter coming shorthanded. But the Golden Knights got only three shots on goal in the second period, and allowed Season record for predictions: Keefer 5-4, Emerson 12-7 the Blue Jackets to climb back in the game. TV: AT&T Sports Net (DirecTV 68, Cox 1313, CenturyLink 1760) Columbus stayed within striking range until taking advantage of late opportunities. Vegas returns to action at home Tuesday night against Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM Arizona. Betting line: Golden Knights minus-170, Blue Jackets plus-150; Marc-Andre Fleury got caught. over/under: 6 (minus-130, plus-110) Vegas’ goalie retreated behind his net to retrieve a loose puck only to Golden Knights (31-21-4) (16-6-3 home) see it hit off the boards right to Columbus’ Artemi Panarin in front of the Coach: Gerard Gallant (second season) crease. Panarin had what was likely his easiest of 21 goals this season as he slapped the puck into an empty net. Points leader: Alex Tuch (40) The goal broke a near 18-minute scoreless stretch to tie the game at 2-2 Goals leader: Jonathan Marchessault (19) going into the second intermission. It wasn’t the strongest second period for Vegas. Assists leader: Alex Tuch (24) The Golden Knights had only three shots on goal, and sit at a 22-12 Expected goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (2.48 gaa, .912 save percentage) deficit to the Blue Jackets overall on the night. Blue Jackets (30-20-3) (16-9-1 road) Golden Knights lead Blue Jackets 2-1 at the end of the first period Coach: John Tortorella (fourth season) Pucks find the wildest ways into the net. Points leader: Artemi Panarin (60) The early first between the Vegas Golden Knights and Columbus Blue Goals leader: Cam Atkinson (29) Jackets tonight at T-Mobile Arena was a reminder of that age-old hockey proverb. Both teams scored in the opening five minutes but neither did so Assists leader: Artemi Panarin (40) cleanly. Expected goalie: Sergei Bobrovsky (2.95 gaa, .901 save percentage) Vegas earned a more traditional goal shortly before the intermission to head to the locker room with a 2-1 lead over the Blue Jackets. Golden Knights expected lineup The Blue Jackets lit up the scoreboard first when a rebound deflected off Forwards of second-line winger Josh Anderson and past Marc-Andre Fleury four Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, Brandon Pirri, Max Pacioretty, Paul minutes into the game. Thirty-two seconds later, the Golden Knights tied Stastny, Alex Tuch, Valentin Zykov, Cody Eakin, William Carrier, Tomas it up with some of their own good fortune in the form of puck trajectory. Nosek, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Ryan Reaves Defenseman Nate Schmidt attempted to make a pass to the side of the Defensemen net that instead hit off of a Blue Jacket and past Sergei Bobrovsky. Fleury and Bobrovsky settled down from there and made several big Brayden McNabb, Nate Schmidt, Shea Theodore, Deryk Engelland, Jon saves before the Golden Knights took the lead on a shorthanded score Merrill, Colin Miller from Jon Merrill. Goalies The defenseman got his second goal of the year when he fired a rebound past Bobrovsky from about 10 feet out. Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban

LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130073 Vegas Golden Knights “Last year was an unbelievable year for them,” Gallant said. “They are still working hard but things aren’t going as easy for them and it feels like they’re pushing uphill. They find it in certain games. It’s not from a lack of Gerard Gallant’s message heard loud and clear by Golden Knights’ top effort from those guys. It’s all about timing.” line This story may be painting a bleak picture, but the line hasn’t been terrible this season. Far from it. By Jesse Granger They still lead the Golden Knights with 18 even-strength goals together, and have advantages in nearly every advanced analytics metric. In 528 minutes of ice time they hold a 570-485 advantage in Corsi, 274-210 in scoring chances and 93-73 in high danger chances. In the third period of the Golden Knights’ 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 1, Gerard Gallant barked to his bench that top-line But they’ve already been on the ice for as many goals allowed as all of winger Reilly Smith would be moving to the third line, to be replaced by last season, and certainly haven’t played up to their elite potential. waiver claim Valentin Zykov. And while Smith suffered the temporary demotion, he certainly isn’t solely Why? — or even mostly — to blame. He was injured for seven of the 11 games in 2019. “I didn’t think the line was going as good as they could, so sometimes you shake things up a little bit, and piss some people off a little, maybe, “I think Smith was not the problem, it was a matter of time that me and and it works,” Gallant said. “Sometimes it doesn’t.” Karlsson needed to wake up,” Marchessault said. “Right now we’re playing some better hockey, and we just need to be more consistent.” Smith remained on the third line for the next two and a half games until Gallant called him back up to the top line during the second period in Karlsson and Marchessault have played much better in the past few Detroit on Thursday. games, even showing flashes of the brilliant play and flair that drove Vegas’ to the Stanley Cup Final a year ago. Smith, William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault responded with two goals, two shots off of posts and seven high-danger scoring chances in Karlsson gathered a pass between his legs against Tampa Bay before just over six minutes of ice time together to fuel Vegas to a 4-3 win over feeding a gorgeous assist to Zykov, then in overtime he attempted a shot the Red Wings. between his legs that was saved by Andrei Vasilevskiy. Gallant sent a message, and the Golden Knights locker room heard it “I think after the break I got my jump back a little and I feel faster out loud and clear. there. I think I’m more confident right now than I was before,” Karlsson said. “When you have that confidence, stuff like that can happen. It’s “For sure I took it that way,” Karlsson told The Athletic. “It was kind of like nothing I think about, it just comes to you.” a wake-up call. Like, it’s time to get going here.” Marchessault has five goals in the last eight games after tallying only two When asked about the move to the third line, Smith wouldn’t say much, in the previous 16. but clearly wasn’t thrilled with the move. They’re all rounding into form, and could be on track to reclaim their “That’s not a question for me. That’s probably a question for coach place as one of the best lines in hockey. That’s what Gallant is expecting. (Gallant),” he said. “Whoever I’m playing with that’s who I play with. I don’t argue about it. I just go out there and do my job.” “It was a matter of time before I was going to get them back together,” Gallant said. “They play well together and it worked out because they Gallant’s lineup change ruffled some feathers, which is exactly what he had some jump and scored some goals. intended. “I expect them to be good for the next 25 games.” The immense respect Gallant has in the Golden Knights’ locker room allows him to make moves like this while maintaining the room. He pushed all the right buttons on his way to winning the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year in 2017-18, and is doing it again for an encore. The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 The top line’s drastically improved play continued into Saturday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, where Karlsson and Smith both set up goals by defensemen Nate Schmidt and Jon Merrill. “We’ve been playing pretty well lately, so it’s good to know that we’re heading in the right direction,” Karlsson said. Last season that line was arguably the best in the NHL, scoring 46 even- strength goals together while allowing only 23. Karlsson was nearly a Selke Trophy finalist, finishing third in the NHL with 43 goals and a league-best plus-minus of plus-49. Marchessault was right behind him with 75 points and a plus-minus of plus-36, and Smith was phenomenal with 60 points and a plus-minus of plus-31. The line was equally skilled defending and attacking, a nightmare matchup for opposing top lines. Their tenacious forecheck suffocated top defensive pairings on a nightly basis. But this season that hasn’t been the case. Karlsson is on pace for a respectable 25 goals, but will fall far short of his 2017-18 campaign. Marchessault and Smith have also seen a dip in production, especially since ringing in the new year. In the first 11 games of 2019, the Golden Knights’ top line combined for only four goals, while allowing nine goals while on the ice. “The team relies on us,” Marchessault said. “(Paul) Stastny’s line has been amazing all year, and we need to be better.” The Golden Knights’ second line of Stastny, Alex Tuch and Max Pacioretty have picked up the top line’s slack lately, scoring in bunches since Stastny returned from injury. But the Golden Knights know that in order to repeat last year’s postseason success the top line must be producing. 1130074 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights Lose, 4-3, to Columbus as CBJ Score 2 Late-Game Goals

February 9, 2019 By ALAN SNEL

It’s not every day that defenseman Jon Merrill scores a short-handed goal — and you’d think that would be a good sign for the Vegas Golden Knights in their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday night. But the Blue Jackets scored two late goals to erase a 3-2 deficit and left T-Mobile Arena with a hard-fought 4-3 win over the VGK. Of particular concern was a second period for the Golden Knights, which managed a paltry three shots on goal during the middle stanza. In a two-minute post- game press conference, coach Gerard Gallant addressed the sluggish second period. The crowd looked like 18,300 — and the actual attendance came in at 18,301, which is very close to the VGK average attendance of 18,304 (which happens to be 11th in the 31-team NHL.)

LVSportsBiz.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130075 Vegas Golden Knights

Bicycle Tour of Las Vegas Stadiums Reveals Market’s Expanding Sports Industry

February 9, 2019 By ALAN SNEL

Construction workers were digging a trench in the road next to the new Raiders stadium for utilities, while other workers flushed water pipes Saturday morning. About two miles to the northeast, Columbus Blue Jackets fans were at the T-Mobile Arena ticket windows buying tickets for tonight’s Vegas Golden Knights-Blue Jackets game at 7 p.m. About six miles to the north in downtown Las Vegas, the Golden Knights event truck was parked at the Chinese New Year parade route. And later that morning, cement was becoming concrete on a sidewalk in front of the Las Vegas Aviators’ new ballpark that’s scheduled to open April 9. The string tying all these sports stadium and event scenes together was my morning bicycle ride courtesy of a single-speed, steel bicycle with big ol’ fat tires. To grasp Las Vegas’ exploding sports industry, there are days like today when I hop on a bicycle and pedal the Tour de Stadiums to appreciate the accelerated growth in this particular entertainment industry category. T-Mobile Arena’s opening in April 2016 drove the creation of the Vegas Golden Knights. A publicly-subsidized stadium drove the Oakland Raiders’ decision to leave Oakland again for a new domed venue that opens in Las Vegas in July 2020. And a new ballpark in Summerlin drove the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Aviators to leave downtown Las Vegas for the affluent suburbs. Come along for the bike ride to see all the scenes. First, it’s the the $1.8 billion Raiders stadium project (about $1.3 billion is being spent on the actual stadium itself.) It’s easy to chat with workers when you’re biking along the stadium site on Polaris Avenue and see the progress. Let’s take a look at the utility work, the water on the street from the pipe flushing and the cranes. Then, it was of for a short ride to T-Mobile Arena, where fans were at ticket windows. And when you’re on a bicycle, you get to use the NY-NY parking garage for free. The top offers some cool views. From T-Mobile Arena it was off to downtown Las Vegas, where I headed to Fremont Street and biked literally into the Chinese New Year parade, where the Vegas Golden Knights were a sponsor and their VGK event truck was in front of Container Park right along the parade route. The bicycle is a Surly Pugsley, a tank of a two-wheeler that can handle Mount Charleston’s snow and Fremont Street’s downtown pavement. Then it was off to the hardest part of the Tour — biking the 1,000 feet in elevation gain back to Summerlin and the Aviators’ new ballpark site. It’s time to get ready for the Golden Knights-Columbus Blue Jackets game. LVSportsBiz.com will be at the Top of the Escalator, so see you there.

LVSportsBiz.com LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130076 Washington Capitals full roster of players available to him, with the team finally injury- and suspension-free after 55 games.

That’s especially helpful for evaluating the team with the trade deadline Capitals rally to force OT but fall back into bad habits in loss to Panthers coming up Feb. 25. Saturday was a mixed bag. “We were down almost the whole game,” Burakovsky said. “We’re not By Isabelle Khurshudyan giving up. That’s the mentality we have on this team — we’re never giving up. We’ve been down a lot of games before and coming back, so I February 9 at 10:40 PM think there are a lot of positive things we can take from this game and just bring them into the next two.”

For all the good Washington Capitals winger Brett Connolly had done Saturday night — his two goals helped his team come back twice from Washington Post LOADED: 02.10.2019 two-goal deficits — it was his blunder with four seconds left in the game that ultimately left the biggest mark. Connolly slashed center Aleksander Barkov in the offensive zone, putting the Florida Panthers’ impressive power play on the ice to start overtime. Mike Hoffman decided the game 91 seconds later, handing the Capitals a 5-4 overtime loss at Capital One Arena. “I can’t take that penalty,” Connolly said. “It’s tough. It’s an important time of the game.” That Washington was even able to get to overtime was a tribute to the play of Connolly’s third line, which accounted for three goals. With 3:06 left in regulation, center Evgeny Kuznetsov rifled a shot from the right wall, tying the game, the third time he had flashed some late-game heroism during this homestand. Along with Saturday night’s late goal, Kuznetsov scored the game-winning tally in the last minute against the Calgary Flames on Feb. 1 and scored the overtime winner Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche. Since returning from the bye week, he has four goals and four assists in the past five games. But even that couldn’t salvage a game in which Washington repeatedly clawed back despite its own mistakes. The Capitals had limited their penalties and buttoned up defensively over the past week, cutting down on allowing breakaways and odd-man rushes, but they fell back into some bad habits against the Panthers. The loss leaves Washington three points in back of the New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division. “It was one of those games where we played well enough to win but we also made enough mistakes to lose,” goaltender Braden Holtby said. A goal from center Lars Eller in the final minute of the second period made it a one-score game going into the third, but the first seven seconds of the frame couldn’t have unfolded more disastrously for the Capitals. Nicklas Backstrom won the neutral-zone draw, but the puck skipped past defenseman Michal Kempny, who fell trying to corral it. Evgenii Dadonov was sprung on a breakaway as a result, and while Holtby saved his shot, the puck got through his shirt. Florida’s Derick Brassard then scored on the rebound, and the Panthers were up 4-2. But for a third time in the game, the Capitals’ third line scored to make it a one-goal game. Connolly got his second goal and third point of the night; as he was falling in front of the net, left wing Andre Burakovsky passed the puck over to Connolly at the side of the net, and Connolly scored on his own rebound 6:12 into the third period. “He had a really strong game, and it’s unfortunate that it has to end that way for him,” Coach Todd Reirden said. “To take a penalty at that time of the game — good call, bad call, whatever — that’s one we can’t take there, and they made us pay for it,” Since the Capitals returned from their bye week at the start of the month, Reirden has emphasized cutting down on penalties with Washington leading the league in minors. In a game against Boston a week ago, he benched forwards Kuznetsov and Dmitrij Jaskin for most of the first period after they were called for stick infractions in the neutral and offensive zones. The Capitals’ penalty kill hadn’t allowed a power-play goal in the four games entering Saturday, and with Florida’s man- advantage unit ranked third in the NHL at 27.1 percent, giving it too many opportunities was ill-advised. Winger T.J. Oshie was assessed a tripping minor in the offensive zone 10:54 into the game, and while the Panthers allowed more chances than they generated to start the power play, Frank Vatrano scored on a rebound in front one second after Florida’s man-advantage expired. Thirty-five seconds later, a point shot from defenseman Keith Yandle deflected off Oshie before bouncing past Holtby, lifting the Panthers to a sudden 2-0 lead. The Capitals’ penalty kill then weathered a questionable elbowing call on defenseman Christian Djoos, playing in his first game since Dec. 11. He had to have left thigh surgery for compartment syndrome, and his return to the lineup made this the first game all season that Reirden has had his 1130077 Washington Capitals “I love to play,” Barkov said. “I love to try to help the team win the game in any way possible. I know sometimes I’m getting tired on the ice, but I just try to learn from that. During the shifts maybe, when I’m out there for Top NHL centers get top minutes, but how much is too much? 30 seconds and nothing is going on and I finally get the puck, maybe just change and wait for the next shift because you know you’re going to play a lot. Off ice, you just need to do everything you can and take care of your body and get enough rest and try to stay in shape during the By Isabelle Khurshudyan season.” February 9 at 6:05 PM Washington Post LOADED: 02.10.2019 The “TOI” column on the score sheet is one Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov checks after every game. It reflects time on ice, and Barkov gets a lot of it — his average of 22 minutes 55 seconds leads all NHL forwards. And while that kind of steady workload for a center might cause others distress, it doesn’t bother Barkov. “I don’t really care how much I play,” he said. “I can play 18 minutes and be tired, and I can play 25 minutes and be okay.” Barkov is one of seven forwards — all but one (Chicago’s Patrick Kane) are centers — averaging at least 22 minutes of ice time. Just two, Barkov and Los Angeles’s Anze Kopitar, played that much last year, and no forwards averaged more than 22 minutes the three seasons before that. Some believe this trend toward heavier workloads for top centers is troubling, exposing them to a higher risk of injury. “Those guys play too much, to be honest with you,” Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik said. “Especially when you play that position compared to wing or even defense, it’s so much skating for the center-ice position. I see some of those totals, I don’t care how good of shape you’re in, in this league, it’s not sustainable, especially if you’re going to try to make a deep run. … “If you’re asking those guys to play that many minutes, I think it’s unfair to those guys, to be honest. They can’t play to the level they’re capable of if they play that many minutes.” [Six strings and no five hole: How music helps Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby] Edmonton’s Connor McDavid has skated an average of 22:50 this season, second to Barkov, and after a November game against Toronto in 2016 that saw McDavid on the ice for 22:46, including 8:15 in the first period, Maple Leafs Coach Mike Babcock told reporters, “You jam a guy out there every shift or three in a row, stuff like that, and it’s hard to have the same pop.” A top-line, all-situations center is typically among the highest-paid players on the team, and in McDavid’s case, his $12.5 million cap hit accounts for 16.2 percent of the Oilers’ total salary cap space. The potential trickle- down of that is less depth throughout the forward corps, so in crucial situations, the bench gets shortened and McDavid gets deployed more frequently. “It’s probably coaches fearful for their jobs,” Orpik said. “That plays into it. I think they just ride those guys because they feel pressure from management and external pressure. … They probably look at the small picture instead of the big picture when it comes to stuff like that.” To Orpik’s point, of the seven forwards who play at least 22 minutes per game, six of them are on a team that’s currently out of a playoff spot and pushing to get into one. But as Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon put it, “I’ll never say no to ice time.” He said that the game feels easier the more he’s out there, that there’s more of a rhythm. MacKinnon is one of the league’s top scorers with 28 goals and 45 assists in 53 games, and he averages 22 minutes. In an overtime loss to Washington on Thursday, his final ice time was 23:29, and the next afternoon, he was one of the last forwards to leave the ice after the team’s practice. “I talk with Nathan not only before games on how he’s feeling but during the game, too,” Avalanche Coach Jared Bednar said. “We have a number where we like to keep him at, right around the 22-minute-a-night mark. We’ve been hitting that number or pretty close to that number on most nights, and there’s certain nights where he’ll get a little more ice time. But to be honest with you, he’s in phenomenal condition and takes care of himself so well that on lots of nights I feel like he can handle more. We just don’t want to wear him out in the long run, either.” MacKinnon and Barkov are both 23, and the oldest of the forwards skating at least 22 minutes per game is Kopitar, 31. There’s a case to be made that this new, young generation of player is in better shape with more sophisticated offseason training regimens. But Panthers Coach Bob Boughner acknowledged that Barkov was “overplayed” earlier in the season, when center Vincent Trocheck was out with an ankle injury, a two-month span that saw Barkov average more than 23 minutes per game — not that Barkov minded. 1130078 Washington Capitals Washington Post LOADED: 02.10.2019

Capitals’ Christian Djoos to return Saturday after missing 24 games due to injury

By Isabelle Khurshudyan February 9 at 11:57 AM

For the first time all season, 55 games in, the Washington Capitals have their full lineup available. Defenseman Christian Djoos is ready to make his return from injury against the Florida Panthers on Saturday night after missing the past 24 games following left thigh surgery for compartment syndrome. That means the team has no one hurt or suspended. With the Feb. 25 trade deadline less than three weeks away, Washington will be able to get a better sense of what its needs are for the postseason. “I’ve been waiting 50-plus games to at least have the option of playing all our guys that we looked at in the summer and felt like we had a good chance of repeating [as Stanley Cup champions] with,” Coach Todd Reirden said. To activate Djoos off long-term injured reserve, the Capitals cleared roster and salary cap room by reassigning rookie Jonas Siegenthaler, who has played in 25 games this season, to Hershey of the American Hockey League. Siegenthaler was the only player on the team who could be sent down without having to pass through waivers. The 23-man roster limit goes away after the trade deadline, so if Washington has salary cap space then, Siegenthaler could be recalled. “He’s done some good things, but as of right now, it’s a roster and salary cap situation, and he’s done all he can do at this point in terms of putting himself in a situation to continue to have success and grow in our organization,” Reirden said of Siegenthaler. “He’s set a standard for how he played, and now the people that will be taking his spot have to match that standard, or we’ll be looking to have him back here as soon as we can. “That being said, when he’s down, he’s got some things to work on. I think there’s some areas in his game that have dropped a little bit, and that’s stuff that he’s got to make sure and continue to improve on.” Djoos has played in 28 games this season, tallying four assists and skating an average of 13:13 on the third pairing beside Brooks Orpik. The duo was together for all but two games during last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, and according to Natural Stat Trick, in the more than 168 minutes they’ve both been on the ice together this season and last, the Capitals have taken roughly 52 percent of the shot attempts. “We like his ability to move the puck, to get it into our forwards’ hands as quick as possible and move it to them at the right time,” Reirden said of Djoos. “His hockey sense and his offensive awareness with the puck, he gives it to the players at the right times. They, for the most part, really enjoy having him as an option back there, and we can use him in different areas, whether it’s four-on-four and areas where we can create a little bit more offense. “I thought his ability to defend was beginning to be really solid as the year was going on until the injury. The stick-on-puck detail was better, and he’s finding ways to be physical when he has the chance. Obviously, he’s not going to play the same physical style that Brooks Orpik is going to play, but he still can box guys out and he can still finish and separate with his body. But for me, his stick detail and his hockey sense are difference- makers at this level.” Caps expected lineup: Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie Vrana-Kuznetsov-Wilson Burakovsky-Eller-Connolly Jaskin-Dowd-Boyd Kempny-Carlson Orlov-Niskanen Orpik-Djoos Holtby to start — Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) February 9, 2019

1130079 Washington Capitals Devante Smith-Pelly was a healthy scratch for Washington. … Panthers D MacKenzie Weegar missed his second consecutive game with an illness. Mike Hoffman scores in OT for Panthers to beat Capitals Washington Times LOADED: 02.10.2019 By Stephen Whyno Saturday, February 9, 2019

WASHINGTON — Roberto Luongo doesn’t want to think about the long climb the Florida Panthers would have to make get to the playoffs. Each victory gets them a little closer, and they’ve won two in a row and six of their past eight games after beating the Washington Capitals 5-4 in overtime Saturday. Luongo made 26 saves and Mike Hoffman scored the winning goal on the power play to move Florida nine points back of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. “Sometimes when you look at the big picture, it can get a little bit overwhelming and you want to stay focused on the task at hand,” Luongo said after becoming just the third goaltender in NHL history to start 1,000 regular-season games. “Obviously we’ve got to win a lot of games. But I’ve always been the type of person that doesn’t like to look at the big picture that much. Big win tonight.” Hoffman’s goal came 1:31 into overtime with Brett Connolly in the penalty box for slashing with 3.6 seconds left in the third period. The Panthers bounced back from allowing the tying goal to Evgeny Kuznetsov with 3:06 remaining to win in overtime for the second consecutive game. Frank Vatrano, Keith Yandle, Colton Sceviour and Derick Brassard scored in regulation for Florida, which is back on the fringe of the race in the East thanks to its recent run. The Panthers still have three teams between them and a playoff position in the conference and might need 12 out of 14 points on their upcoming homestand to stay in it ahead of the Feb. 25 trade deadline. “We’ve got to play well,” said Yandle, who set up Hoffman’s 4-on-3 power play goal. “We know going forward there’s not a lot of room for error, and we’ve got to play well every night.” The power play that is tops in the NHL since Nov. 1 delivered on a goal one second after T.J. Oshie’s penalty expired in the first period and then again in overtime. Coach Bob Boughner called the power play his team’s “backbone” all season. The defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals continued to lack discipline and lead the NHL with 199 minor penalties this season. Connolly scored twice, but his offensive-zone slash on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov with the clock running out contributed to Washington’s winning streak being snapped at two. “I can’t take that penalty,” Connolly said. “It’s tough. It’s an important time of the game.” Lars Eller also scored for Washington, and Kuznetsov’s goal was his fourth in five games. Braden Holtby 26 saves and fell victim to some bad bounces, deflections and miscues on the goals he allowed. Luongo picked up his first victory in Washington since 2011 and moved to within one of tying Ed Belfour for third on the NHL’s all-time list. Luongo joined Hall of Famers Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy as the only goaltenders with 1,000 career starts and tied Roy for second in all-time games played with 1,029. The 39-year-old said he didn’t know until about an hour before the game about the milestone. “Sure, it’s a lot of games,” Luongo said. “We’re just playing to win games, trying to get back in the playoff race. That’s our goal, and that’s my goal personally is, I want to take part in the playoffs again. They’re nice when they come and go, but it’s not really something I keep tabs on that much.” Luongo and the Panthers will keep tabs on the standings as they hope to replicate the 25-8-2 run that got them close to a playoff spot last season. With 29 games to go, Florida is still building to that point. “I think we’ve just got a bit of our swagger back,” Luongo said. “We believe in ourselves and the way we’re playing. We’ve been finding different ways to win. We’re getting a little bit of that momentum going like we did last year. It’s just a matter of you’ve got to keep plugging away night after night here.” NOTES: Capitals D Christian Djoos returned after missing 24 games with compartment syndrome in his left leg. … With Djoos back, the Capitals were fully healthy for the first time this season in their 55th game. … RW 1130080 Washington Capitals look like a team about to cash in. That’d be helpful since they haven’t had two power-play goals in a game since Oct. 22. They have drawn 14 penalties on this homestand already. Remembering a record-tying game as Capitals and Panthers meet again Saturday night Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.10.2019

By Brian McNally February 09, 2019 12:21 PM

ARLINGTON – It is a record that still stands all these years later. The Capitals and Florida Panthers have had a few memorable games dating to their days as Southeast Division rivals. One of them came 16 years ago at Capital One Arena when Washington scored 12 goals to tie a team record on Jan. 12, 2003. One of the two Florida goalies that night? Roberto Luongo, now 39, who is expected to start tonight for the Panthers when they visit the Capitals (7 p.m., NBC Sports Washington). Jaromir Jagr had three goals and four assists in that long-ago 12-2 victory. That tied his career high with seven points, something he only did twice in 1,733 NHL games over 24 seasons. The Capitals, too, tied their own goals record. The only other 12-goal game in franchise history came on Feb. 6, 1990 against the Quebec Nordiques. Washington has reached double digits just 12 times in 44 seasons. But that game against the Panthers in 2003 – during a year that marked the last time the Capitals would make the Stanley Cup playoffs until 2008 – was special for a host of players. Kip Miller tied his career best with four points. Peter Bondra and Dainus Zubrus each scored twice. Bondra and defenseman Sergei Gonchar had four points each. Robert Lang had a goal and two assists. Luongo started 72 games that season for Florida and had six shutouts. But what was supposed to be a night off went south when he was called into action just 17 seconds into the second period to take over for Jani Hurme, who earned a rare start that night. The score was already 5-0 after a Steve Konowalchuk goal. Luongo gave up four more on 14 Washington shots and by the end of the second period Jagr had a hat trick and Hurme came back in to finish the game. Don’t expect such fireworks tonight. The Capitals (30-18-6, 66 points) are 3-1 on a critical six-game homestand, but need to bank points with an extended six-game, 12-day road trip coming up. The Panthers (22-22-8, 52 points) have moved into sixth place in the Atlantic Division. And while they are far from an Eastern Conference wild card spot, they have won five of their past seven games with every one against a current playoff team. Here is what else to watch for tonight: Djoos is loose The Capitals will play defenseman Christian Djoos for the first time since Dec. 11 when he needed surgery to stem compartment syndrome in his thigh after taking a hit in a game against Detroit. This marks the first time all season Washington has its expected starting lineup all together on the ice. Djoos missed 24 games. 400 The number of the week for Washington. Brett Connolly played in his 400thNHL game on Thursday against Colorado. Braden Holtby is expected to make his 400thappearance tonight against the Panthers. Holtby has stopped 95 of 101 shots (.941 save percentage) in three games since the All-Star break. Ovechkin’s moving Alex Ovechkin has three assists in three games since the All-Star break, but he doesn’t have a goal yet. He is three points shy of passing Rod Brind’Amour for 48thplace on the NHL career scoring list and 18 away from 1,200. San Jose’s Joe Thornton is the only active player above the 1,200-point level. Power surge The Capitals had 15 shots on goal on the power play against Colorado on Thursday. They scored once and should have had another save for a quick whistle on a Nick Backstrom goal. Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov clearly did not have the puck when Backstrom tapped it in. So while Washington is 4-for-18 on the power play over the past six games, it has looked dangerous. Don’t expect six chances tonight, but the Caps 1130081 Winnipeg Jets

Stone-cold homebrew

By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 02/9/2019 5:53 PM Last Modified: 02/9/2019 10:59 PM

OTTAWA — Mark Stone figures he made a whole lot of people in his hometown quite grumpy Saturday. The Winnipeg product was the scoring hero for the Ottawa Senators, potting a pair to lead his team to a 5-2 victory over the Jets. Ottawa Senators goaltender Anders Nilsson (31) celebrates a win over the Winnipeg Jets with teammates Rudolfs Balcers (38) Maxime Lajoie (58) and Mark Stone (61) in Ottawa Saturday. It will likely take a king's ransom for a team to land Stone. "I think my buddies were watching, for sure. They’re probably not too happy with me right now," Stone told reporters at the Canadian Tire Centre following the game. Of course, Stone could turn some of those Winnipeg frowns upside-down if he were to join the Jets later this month. It’s no secret the 26-year-old pending unrestricted free agent is a strong candidate to be traded before the Feb. 25 deadline, as the rebuilding Senators look to get something for an asset that could walk away in the summer. The NHL rumour mill is working overtime these days, and the Jets have been linked to Stone, a right-winger — although some might argue their needs might be better filled with the addition of a centreman such as Ottawa’s Matt Duchene, who also scored Saturday. It will likely take a king’s ransom for a team to land Stone or Duchene, with a first-round draft pick and a couple top prospects and/or young players a likely starting point. Stone hasn’t wanted to publicly discuss his contract situation or trade speculation, but he did heap some praise on the Jets on Saturday. "Yeah, good team. They obviously pressed pretty hard on us in the third period there. Anders (Nilsson) had to make some incredible saves. You’ve kind of got to expect that from a team like that. I thought, overall, we did a really good job of containing them," said Stone, who leads the Senators in scoring with 25 goals and 31 assists through 55 games. Right behind him is Duchene, who has 25 goals and 28 assists, despite missing nine games earlier this year with an injury. It’s been a tough year in Ottawa, as the Senators languish at the bottom of the NHL standings. But Stone said it’s nice to get rewarded for a strong effort, as his team has now won two in a row. "We’ve been right in hockey games most of the year. Other than maybe the mishap in Buffalo (a 9-2 loss in November), I think we’ve played pretty hard most nights and given ourselves a chance to win. "We just haven’t been able to get over that hump. I think the last couple games, we’ve done a good job of getting a lead and playing with a lead," he said. And it starts with the top line. After a bit of a dry spell, Stone now has three goals and two assists in his past three games. "It’s been a tough stretch for our line. I think we’ve started to get back to where we were maybe in the middle of December there, when we were playing our best hockey. I think we’re starting to get that confidence back," he said. Just in time, perhaps, for him to help another club make a Stanley Cup run this spring.

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 02.10.2019 1130082 Winnipeg Jets Stone’s goal came just 15 seconds into Ottawa’s first power play, a nice shot, but one Brossoit had a good look at and should have stopped. And Duchene’s was especially ugly, as Brossoit and his teammates all lost Road woes persist for sliding Jets track of where the puck was during a scramble, only for Duchene to poke it home.

"It was a mad scramble, and everyone was trying to do a different thing. By: Mike McIntyre They were trying to get control of it and get it to the corner, and I was trying to freeze it, and a couple of other guys were trying to do the same. Posted: 02/9/2019 3:56 PM It just kept bouncing around, and then it was kind of an unlucky one," Brossoit said. Last Modified: 02/9/2019 11:00 PM Ottawa added one more late in the game as Zack Smith took advantage

of a turnover. Brendan Lemieux then tipped a Josh Morrissey shot with OTTAWA — A date with the NHL’s worst team wasn’t enough to cure the 43 seconds left, his ninth of the year and second in as many games. Winnipeg Jets of whatever is ailing them these days. And the final result Maurice brought out the line blender in the third period, moving Mathieu no doubt has some fans reaching for the air-sickness bags. Perreault up to the second line with Little and Laine, and reuniting the Two days after a dreadful performance in Montreal, the Jets produced TLC line of Brandon Tanev, Andrew Copp and Adam Lowry. Jack another lousy result. The basement-dwelling Ottawa Senators scored Roslovic moved off the second line to play on the fourth line with Mason early and often and cruised to a 5-2 victory Saturday afternoon at the Appleton and Lemieux. Canadian Tire Centre. Maurice did stick with a curious change from the Montreal game in which Goalie Laurent Brossoit had a game to forget. The Jets backup, who has Roslovic replaced Laine on the top power-play unit. The Jets went 0-for-3 been outstanding this season, was shaky all day. Saturday, and Laine barely got a sniff of the ice with the man-advantage while skating on the lesser-used second unit, playing just 1:02 of the six "Obviously, I was fighting the puck a little today. I didn’t feel at my best. I minutes. thought the team played pretty well," Brossoit said. "It’s a tough feeling to put a lot of pressure on your team to score six to win the game." "We’re getting the same shot. We’re getting one good slot one off, two seams off, something low. We’re just in a stretch of... the one unit, for Brossoit was making just his 13th start of the year and first in nearly two quite some time now. We’re not getting the puck to go for us. But I was weeks. That kind of break isn’t unusual, as Connor Hellebuyck’s fine with it," Maurice said. understudy, and he didn’t blame rust for his poor performance. However, Brossoit felt like his pre-game preparation was off. Wheeler was asked if other teams are now gearing up to play the Jets as a measuring stick, as Ottawa appeared to Saturday. "I’ll chalk it up to being a little nonchalant in that regard. And it came back and bit me in the ass," said Brossoit, who is now 10-3-1 on the season "That shouldn’t matter. If we consider ourselves one of the elite teams, with a 2.30 goals-against-average and .934 save-percentage. we should be in that category for a reason. Our best should beat other teams’ best. And it hasn’t been the case the last two games," he said. At the other end of the rink, Ottawa’s Anders Nilsson put on a clinic. The Jets had a whopping 86 shot attempts, with 46 going on net. And yet, they could only score twice against the Senators, who are not just dead Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 02.10.2019 last in the standings but also in goals against per game. "A big step in the right direction compared to the Montreal game (a 5-2 loss). Did a lot of things that we didn’t do in that game. Played with speed, spent the bulk of this game down in their end. Coming into the game we knew what this team was good at, they’re opportunistic, they can make you pay if you give them odd-man rushes. And they buried on their chances," Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. "Obviously, there’s frustration. The Montreal game was a considerably different feel. That was a little bit more of an embarrassment. I think, for the bulk of this game, we did what we set out to do. It was one that didn’t go our way." Winnipeg has gone three games without a win for the first time all season (0-2-1) and will try to at least salvage something off this eastern road trip when they take on the Buffalo Sabres this afternoon. The Jets are now 34-18-3 and continue to lead the Central Division by one point over Nashville, which also lost Saturday. Jets head coach Paul Maurice and his troops said all the right things following the Montreal game about flushing it out of their system and quickly getting back to what they do well. And then, the Jets promptly gave up the opening goal to Winnipegger Mark Stone at just 2:57, and were outshot 7-1 in just over four minutes of play. Ryan Dzingel made it 2-0 just 12:21 into the game on a shot, like Stone’s, that seemed to catch Brossoit by surprise. "Laurent’s been so good for us all year, I have a real difficult time critiquing him. That wasn’t his best game, we know that. But I don’t feel comfortable saying we lost the game because of it," Maurice said. The Jets showed some signs of life to start the second period, as the much-maligned Patrik Laine made a perfect setup to Bryan Little, who one-timed the feed past Nilsson for his 14th goal of the year, just two minutes into the period. No, Laine couldn’t snap his scoring drought, which is now at 10 games and counting, but his playmaking skills were impressive. "I had a feeling that he would pass. With where he’s at right now, he’s actually looking to pass more than shoot, and we’re trying to get him to shoot even more. That’s how you break out of those things. It was a great pass. Right on my tape, a great saucer pass," Little said. But Stone scored his second of the day at 9:50, followed less than three minutes later by Matt Duchene’s goal to put a dagger in the Jets. 1130083 Winnipeg Jets Defence

Josh Morrissey-Jacob Trouba

JETS GAMEDAY: Five keys to Jets vs Sabres Ben Chiarot-Dustin Byfuglien

Joe Morrow-Tyler Myers

Ken Wiebe Goalies

February 9, 2019 7:26 PM CST Connor Hellebuyck

Laurent Brossoit

WINNIPEG JETS at BUFFALO SABRES Buffalo Sabres

Sunday, 2 pm CT, Key Bank Center. Forwards

TV: TSN3. Radio: TSN 1290 Jeff Skinner-Jack Eichel-Jason Pominville

THE BIG MATCHUP Conor Sheary-Casey Mittelstadt-Sam Reinhart

Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey vs. Jeff Skinner Zemgus Girgensons-Johan Larsson-Kyle Okposo

The future of the Sabres’ top goal-scorer remains a question mark, with Vladimir Sobotka-Evan Rodrigues-Tage Thompson Skinner set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. However, what’s not a question is that Skinner remains one of the top goal-scorers Defence in the NHL (33) and he will garner plenty of attention from the Jets’ top Rasmus Dahlin-Zach Bogosian pairing of Trouba and Morrissey. Marco Scandella-Rasmus Ristolainen FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME Jake McCabe-Lawrence Pilut Uncharted territory Goalies For the first time this season, the Jets have lost three consecutive games (0-2-1) and they’re not happy with either of the efforts put forth on this Carter Hutton three-game trip so far. In Sunday’s finale, they’ll face a Sabres team in Linus Ullmark the midst of a playoff race in the Eastern Conference and is feeling good after a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. INJURIES

Back for more Jets: D Dmitry Kulikov (upper body, day-to-day), LW Nikolaj Ehlers (upper body, IR) Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck was given a breather on Saturday after starting five consecutive games. He deserved a break after making 48 Sabres: D Casey Nelson (upper-body) saves in the 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. Hellebuyck is set to play his 43rd game of the season. He has given up 10 goals in SPECIAL TEAMS four career appearances against the Sabres, going 1-2 with a 3.00 goals- POWER PLAY against average and .906 save %. Winnipeg: 26.5.% (4th) Speaking of goalies Buffalo: 17.8% (20th) With his team playing in consecutive games, Sabres starter Carter Hutton got an afternoon off on Saturday as well, so he should be fresh for PENALTY KILLING this tilt. Hutton has made 32 starts and had 25 saves in a 2-1 overtime victory over the Jets on Nov. 16. Hutton is 5-4-1 with a 2.02 goals-against Winnipeg 80.4% (14th) average and .936 save percentage in 11 career appearances against Buffalo: 82.2% (T8th) Winnipeg.

Lemieux contributing The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 With another late goal in Winnipeg’s 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, Jets fourth-line winger Brendan Lemieux is up to nine goals this season. Since Dec. 31, Lemieux has scored eight times and recorded nine points during the past 17 games. He has seen his ice time increase, and has done a good job of playing a hard-nosed, disciplined game.

Rookie rounds into form

Rasmus Dahlin, the first overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft, has settled into a groove on the Sabres’ top pairing. Going into play Saturday, Dahlin was second in rookie scoring behind Vancouver Canucks centre Elias Pettersson, with six goals and 30 points in 54 games this season, while averaging just under 21 minutes of ice time.

GAME DAY LINEUPS

Winnipeg Jets

Forwards

Kyle Connor-Mark Scheifele-Blake Wheeler

Patrik Laine-Bryan Little-Jack Roslovic

Mathieu Perreault-Adam Lowry-Brandon Tanev

Brendan Lemieux-Andrew Copp-Mason Appleton 1130084 Winnipeg Jets Not a lot of opponents take a night off against the Jets and that’s one of the things that comes with the territory when a group blossoms into a contender.

WIEBE'S GAME REPORT: Jets drop third straight to lowly Sens But Wheeler was quick to point out that’s not a crutch to lean on when the results don’t come.

Ken Wiebe “I mean, that shouldn’t matter. If we consider ourselves one of the elite teams, we should be in that category for a reason,” said Wheeler. “Our February 9, 2019 best should beat other team’s best. And it hasn’t been the case the last two games.” February 9, 2019 6:10 PM CST It’s the first time this season the Jets have gone three consecutive games

without recording a win (0-2-1). KANATA – Laurent Brossoit has bailed the Winnipeg Jets out on several In fact, the only time the Jets dropped three straight games during the occasions this season, providing the type of goaltending that has made past two seasons was during the Western Conference final – when the him one of the most effective backups in the NHL. Jets won the series opener against the Vegas Golden Knights and But on Saturday afternoon, Brossoit was quick to admit he wasn’t at his dropped four in a row. best while the guy at the other end of the ice – fellow backup Anders “The last couple of years, we’ve been really good at recouping when Nilsson – was outstanding in what ended up as a 5-2 victory for the we’ve needed to and playing a big game when we’ve lost a couple in a Ottawa Senators over the Jets at Canadian Tire Centre. row,” said Little. “Tomorrow is no different. (Saturday) was a lot of the Goaltending was definitely the difference in the contest, as the Jets things we wanted to do better and tomorrow, we take another step and managed 86 shot attempts and 46 shots on goal against Nilsson. get back on track here.”

Brossoit was beaten cleanly on three shots from the outside and he KEEP ON SHOOTING wasn’t happy about it. Jets forward Patrik Laine has now gone 10 games without scoring, but he “Obviously, I was fighting the puck a little today. I didn’t feel at my best,” showed good patience and delivered a slick pass to Little two minutes said Brossoit, who is 10-3-1 this season, with a 2.30 goals-against into the second period. average and a .934 save %. “To be honest. I didn’t like many of the goals The play allowed Little to blast home a one-timer for his 14th goal of the that I let in today. I didn’t think that they were necessarily great shots. I season. don’t think that I really forced them to beat me. It’s a tough feeling to put a lot of pressure on your team to score six to win the game. Of course, “Ah, I had a feeling that he would pass,” said Little, is up to 14 goals and it’s a game I’m going to put behind me and move forward.” 35 points this season after producing 16 goals and 43 points in 82 games last season. “With where he’s at right now, he’s actually looking to pass Brossoit has done an admirable job of managing large blocks of time more than shoot and we’re trying to get him to shoot even more. That’s between starts and he quickly dismissed a question about whether rust how you break out of those things. played a role in his performance. “It was a great pass. Right on my tape, a great sauce pass. I’m not Ultimately, Brossoit was going to chalk this up as a tough day at the complaining, but as a whole, we want him to shoot more.” office. On Saturday, Laine finished with two shots on goal and three shot “That’s kind of the mentality that I’m going to have,” said Brossoit. “I know attempts in 15:52 of ice time. where I went wrong, even in preparation and what would make me feel a bit off today. That makes it a bit easier to swallow, knowing that I can Laine remains on the second power-play unit for the time being and move forward and be better for sure. logged just 1:02 on the man-advantage in a game the Jets finished zero- for-three. “A couple of things I didn’t do that I normally do that I needed to. I’ll chalk it up to being a little nonchalant in that regard. In the end, it came back NICE AUDITION? and bit me in the ass.” For the past several weeks, it has been reported that the Jets have been Jets head coach Paul Maurice wasn’t about to pin the blame on Brossoit, said to be big-game hunting and the Senators are an obvious target, understanding how well he’s played for the bulk of the season. given the players on the roster that could be available.

“Well, in fairness, we’ve lost a couple games here where we’ve got With the Jets battling for top spot in the Central Division and the Senators spectacular goaltending, (like) the other night,” said Maurice. “Laurent in full-rebuild mode at the bottom of the standings, some folks see a has been so good for us all year, I have a real difficult time critiquing him. natural fit for one of Matt Duchene or Mark Stone. That wasn’t his best game, we know that. But I don’t feel comfortable saying we lost the game because of it.” Both of those players left an impression on Saturday afternoon, with Stone scoring twice and Duchene adding an insurance marker. Bryan Little and Brendan Lemieux scored for the Jets, who fell to 34-18-3 on the season and finish off a three-game road trip on Sunday afternoon Stone and Duchene are tied for the Senators team lead with 25 goals against the Buffalo Sabres. and both players will be in high demand in the coming weeks, provided they don’t sign a contract extension. Aside from the outcome, Jets captain Blake Wheeler thought the response to Thursday’s stinker against the Montreal Canadiens was Although the Jets are most likely in the market for a second-line centre, a something to build on. responsible, two-way winger like Stone could also make sense.

“A big step in the right direction compared to the Montreal game. Did a lot The former Brandon Wheat Kings captain could provide a spark on the of things that we didn’t do in that game,” said Wheeler. “Played with Jets second line, while also contributing to both special-teams units. speed, spent the bulk of this game down in their end. Coming into the IN AND OUT game we knew what this team was good at, they’re opportunistic, they can make you pay if you give them odd-man crushes. And they buried on Maurice revealed on Friday that the Jets had a question mark on the their chances. So at the end of the day, their goalie was the No. 1 star of back end for the game against the Senators and he wasn’t referring to the game. defenceman Josh Morrissey.

“We had a lot of looks that typically go in the net for us. Got way too As expected, Morrissey returned and provided some stability on the top many of them blocked as well. I think that’s indicative of how the game pairing with Jacob Trouba, playing nearly 20 minutes. went. They were packing it in and protecting the house. And the ones we got by, their goalie made big saves.” However, blue-liner Dmitry Kulikov missed the game with an upper-body injury and is officially listed as day-to-day, according to Maurice. For those wondering about forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who has been out with an upper-body injury since Jan. 4 suffered in a collision with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, Maurice said his window for getting closer to a return won’t open for roughly another week.

Friday was the first time Ehlers added puck-handling to the conditioning skating he’s been able to do.

“He’s on pace. But there’s not a lot of room on this one,” said Maurice. “We’re going to wait a certain amount of time and then see the result.”

Five takeaways

Tough day at the office

Jets backup goalie Laurent Brossoit has been dynamite this season and if anyone deserves a mulligan for a tough performance, it’s him. Brossoit was unhappy with his play and for good reason, he stopped just 28 of the 32 shots on goal directed his way. After going 11-0-1 in his first 12 starts of the season, Brossoit has suffered the loss in both of his games coming out of the break.

No shortage of scoring chances

The Jets did a better job of skating and generated plenty of offensive zone time and scoring chances, finishing with 46 shots on goal and 86 shot attempts. On most nights, those numbers would result in more than just two goals. Senators backup Anders Nilsson was excellent in this one.

Blender time

Jets head coach Paul Maurice tweaked his lines during the third period, putting Mathieu Perreault with Bryan Little and Patrik Laine and reuniting Andrew Copp with Adam Lowry and Brandon Tanev. But following the game, Maurice wouldn’t commit to keeping those lines together for Sunday’s matinee with the Buffalo Sabres. With four goals scored during the past two games – and two of them coming in garbage time – keeping those groupings together makes a lot of sense.

The return

After missing Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury, suffered after blocking a one-timer from San Jose Sharks forward Kevin Labanc, Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey showed no signs of any lingering effects. Morrissey was moving well and finished with an assist while logging 19:59 of ice time in his return to the lineup.

UFA power

The Senators got four of their five goals from pending free agents and before Feb. 25 comes and goes, all three of those players – Winnipegger Mark Stone, centre Matt Duchene and left-winger Ryan Dzingel might all be on the move. The Senators are in full rebuild mode and they’d like to keep at least a couple of those guys around, but without a contract extension, look for a number of trades to be made by general manager Pierre Dorion. One of those three players might even end up with the Jets.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130085 Vancouver Canucks “They were the same, worked hard, both ends of the rink,” he recalled. For the hyper-competitive Horvat, finding his team in the playoff hunt with 26 games to play is a nice change after three years of struggle. Canucks Extra: Markstrom making his mark “It feels great to be in it in February,” he said. He’s also aware that the last three years, the team’s results have fallen away down the stretch. Patrick Johnston He believes that won’t happen this season, and credits the inner discipline the coaching staff has instilled in the squad. Another one for the win is a win is a win file. “They’ve done a phenomenal job keeping guys honest,” he said. The fact they’ve been willing to go as far as scratch players speaks to the respect There have been more than a few bananas games this year. and connection they have with the team. This was one. “If somebody isn’t playing well, (Green’s) going to let them know and he’s going to tell them on the bench.” Let’s be clear, the team that had 47 shots should have won. They deserved to win. There were long stretches in the second period where Checking Gaudreau the only thing between the Calgary Flames and a 7-2 final score was one Jacob Markstrom. Troy Stecher was honest about the last-minute breakaway he ended up conceding to Flames superstar Johnny Gaudreau. The Canucks goalie is on fire of late. “He’s tough,” Stecher said of playing against Gaudreau. “That last shift in He has a .924 save percentage. the first, I looked up at the clock behind the net and it said 9.4 and I saw Hutty get it, and I thought I should go to the net looking for a rebound and By Evolving Hockey’s wins above replacement metric, Markstrom is the (Gaudreau) saw me and a moment later he was gone.” eighth-best starting goalie in the NHL. “He’s not always predictable … a bit like Patrick Kane, he’s a special So, yes, nicely above average. talent.” The kind of goalie who will steal you wins here and there. For the Getting Granular Canucks to be in the playoff chase at all, they needed their goalie to be on fire. There are other things too, like better team defence and a better Whither Markus Granlund? PK and more scoring, but most crucially, they needed true No. 1 play from their goalie. Early in the year, he was killing penalties. That didn’t go so well. So he’s been doing that less. They’ve got that right now. Still, just a few days ago, he was skating on Bo Horvat’s wing. The Flood He’s also seen tons of power play time. An octopus is taking hold of the Canucks’ net, Jeff Paterson joked to me. He’s also got nine goals. No kidding. And yet, he’s been a scratch twice since the all star break and tonight Now, the one thing I did note about Markstrom’s game was how well he was barely on the ice. Sure he was a shooter in the shootout, but he had saw most of the 47 shots that got to the net. a single three-second shift in the third period. “They did a good job … not letting them come on the rebound,” he said of Yes, he literally hadn’t been on the ice in more than 20 minutes of game the defencemen in front of him. He didn’t have a bad word for them, even time, which works out to be about 45 minutes or so, when he was tapped if his coach did. to shoot on David Rittich. “Our D struggled a bit tonight,” he said. The ship, it would seem, has sailed. He’s a spare part now, a restricted free agent in the summer. Is there a team out there that might trade for As for Markstrom, he’s been emphasizing his mental focus this season, him? Was there a team that was interested when he was actually getting something that perhaps eluded him in past seasons. ice time? Was he mad about how the second period played out? If he got mad at As much as this season has been about looking for progress in overall his teammates during the intermission, he wasn’t saying. performance in the team as a whole, it’s also been a search for players who might still be on the team two years from now, when the coach and “I’m trying to look forward the whole time; it’s a new period,” he said. his bosses hope their team is verging on contender status. He’s playing well right now, which is down to the system that goalie The question there, then, is “is this guy going to be on such a team?” coach Ian Clark has helped him build, and it’s also down to him keeping his head when stuff goes against him. For Granlund, the answer has been to outsiders a resounding “no.” He’s an NHLer, sure, but a guy who’s going to push you towards greater The Rooster success? Hard to see that. Antoine Roussel made his first appearance of the season, way back in (This is a question that’s also been surely asked about Nikolay Goldobin October in Florida, on Bo Horvat’s wing. and Sven Baertschi and Jake Virtanen and basically any winger not I wrote at the time about why it made sense to see him there, how he’d named Boeser or now probably Roussel and Leivo.) produced at second-line rate despite usually playing third-line minutes in Power play yikes Dallas. The first unit did move the puck well. Horvat did put a back hand shot off There’s also a long-standing two-way diligence to his game that was part the post in OT. But still, no goals. of the reason why people were on board with his signing last summer, even if there were legitimate reservations with the four-year term. There’s lots of potential in this squad. They had Troy Stecher manning the point for the first time in a donkey’s age. Stecher said he felt good “They both work,” Green said of why they’re a good partnership. “Rou’s a there. Green said he liked how they looked. guy I can put on any line, and he brings energy, he brings a real good forecheck. He’s a smart hockey player and he’s having a good year for That pivot spot, without Baertschi in it, looks troublesome. They’ve us.” discarded Sam Gagner despite the fact he was fitting well in November and his pedigree for playing in that spot. Horvat likes playing with him. It’s passed to Josh Leivo for now and he’s a fine, fine hockey player, but “I’ve always done well with someone who works extremely hard,” he said. is that really the spot for him. Boeser has been tried there too, though he “When he’s got the puck up the half wall and I’m (going up-ice) with prefers being a shooter on the outside. (Is he too high there though? It’s speed, I know the puck is coming.” a question I’m looking to explore.) He said Roussel’s hard-nosed two-way game reminded him of the Rupert And then there’s the second unit, which has nothing going either and is, twins from his days with the London Knights. in fact, using two guys who have exactly *one*, yes, *one* goal apiece on the man advantage in the last two calendar years. That’s not good enough from two guys making the money they’re making. (That’s $10.3 million if your abacus is broken.) And speaking of that earlier question about who shows up on a contending team: do Sutter and Eriksson? Quote of the night Green was asked about the night and was given a prompt and basically said no, I want to explain more. Even if he did plan it out beforehand, this is a helluva line: “We had a good first. We talked to our group and said, let’s just hem them in our own zone for the second period and tire them out, and that’s exactly what we did,” he said with a wry smile. He knew his team had escaped due to luck and great goaltending. “We were in trouble in the second. Just couldn’t make a pass to get out of our zone. But we hung in there.”

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130086 Vancouver Canucks Everything he does is fast. Everything he does is about precision. There are no wasted movements.

He took the shot that led to the loose puck that Sean Monahan put on Canucks 4, Flames 3 (SO): Markstrom puts out the fire as Vancouver Elias Lindholm’s stick, which the Swede then put behind Jacob survives, thrives in shootout Markstrom. It was the linemates who executed, but that wrist shot that Markstrom Patrick Johnston managed to turn to the end boards was no joke. He’s a pint-sized dynamo — and everything that’s right about where the game is evolving. The Canucks chased the play all night but somehow (read, Jacob Markstrom) survived to win in the shootout Super rookie One of the few structures to survive the Great Vancouver Fire of 1886 Pettersson’s setup of Boeser gave him 50 points on the season. He’s was owned by a man who stood on his roof, firing his gun into the air to played 45 games this year. blow the flames away. One could be convinced he was coaching the In the last quarter-century, there are three rookies who have recorded a Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. half-century of points in their first 45 or fewer games: Alex Ovechkin, The Canucks won, improbably, in a shootout over the visiting Calgary Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. Flames 4-3 at in a contest that was most certainly not Pettersson needs 10 more points to tie Pavel Bure’s rookie record. boring. The Canucks also got two crucial points in their hunt for the playoffs, which was pretty unexpected given the heavy tilt in shots on Only four players to debut in the NHL since Elias Pettersson was goal for the Flames. born on Nov. 12, 1998 have recorded 50 or more points in their first 45 career GP: The first period was wild, with each team scoring twice. The Canucks’ goals were both fine feats of skill; the Flames’ first was all about the fire- Ovechkin (60 pts in 45 GP) breathing first line, the second all about bad luck. Malkin (53 pts in 45 GP)@_EPettersson (50 pts in 45 GP) The second period was wild, with the Flames dominating play but not seizing control of the scoreboard. Crosby (50 pts in 45 GP)#NHLStats pic.twitter.com/5A1N7tKjfb The third period was also wild, even if there weren’t any goals, with the — NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 10, 2019 Flames getting a series of grade-A chances, especially on a four-minute To the left, to the left man advantage midway through the frame. Bo Horvat’s goal doesn’t happen if Chris Tanev isn’t playing the left side. Overtime was end to end. Flames captain Mark Giordano hit the crossbar, before Josh Leivo had a breakaway but was stopped by It was Tanev who found the open Horvat lurking to the left of the net, a Flames netminder David Rittich. few seconds after the centre had won the puck back to the top of the right face-off circle. Giordano then took a penalty, giving the Canucks a late power play. The closest the Canucks came to ending it was when Bo Horvat hit the post. A left-handed left-side defenceman would have an awfully hard time finding Horvat in that situation, but Tanev’s forced move to the left Now, in the end, the Canucks had no business being around for because of Alex Edler’s concussion created the opportunity. overtime, but while they won’t be happy with their overall play, they won’t be complaining about the points. Now, in the big picture, the Canucks can’t wait for Edler to return; but for now, Tanev is getting better on the left with every game. The Canucks, who got goals from Horvat, Josh Leivo and Brock Boeser, owe everything on the night to Jacob Markstrom. Farming Elias Pettersson scored the shootout winner. Zack MacEwen had four points in a 5-2 Utica Comets win on Saturday night. He had two points on Friday night. The Flames’ goals were scored by Elias Lindholm, Sam Bennett and Andrew Mangiapane. Surely it’s time to take a big-league look at the big, fast winger with hands. Here’s what we learned… Playoff chase Mighty Markstrom The Canucks remain on the outside looking in, as both the Minnesota Jacob Markstrom had 44 saves in regulation and stopped all three in the Wild and the St. Louis Blues, the two teams they’re chasing for a wild- shootout. Other than the Bennett goal, he was everything for the card spot in the playoffs, won on Saturday. Canucks. The Wild have 59 points, the Blues 57 and the Canucks 57. He moved in his crease well. He yielded few rebounds. He continues to show that he’s a fine No. 1 NHL goaltender. The Colorado Avalanche, who are right on the Canucks’ tail, lost and remain on 54 points. Rope-a-dope All three teams have games in hand on the Canucks. That was surely the strategy for the Canucks in the second period. It must have been. The Arizona Coyotes, the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers, who have all played one fewer game than the Canucks, are all sitting on How else to explain that shots were 18-1 for the Flames before Boeser 53 points. scored on a wrist shot from the right face-off dot off a gorgeous cross-ice pass from Elias Pettersson. That man with the gun (This was Pettersson’s second assist of the game, the first coming on a The anecdote at the top is true, and it comes courtesy of colleague near-no-look cross-ice pass to Josh Leivo, who whipped a powerful wrist Harrison Mooney’s excellent book, Weird and Wild Vancouver: shot from just inside the goal line past Rittich.) While the fire in 1886 is a truly sad story, there’s an excellent, smaller It was an ugly second period for the home team and the Canucks had to anecdote within it. Of the six homes that still stood after the fire, one thank Jacob Markstrom for them being in a surprising 3-3 tie going into belonged to a man who was seen perched atop his roof, surrounded by the second intermission. wet blankets, firing his revolver into the sky. The other remarkable part of that score line was that, but for the He staked his survival on the hope that the gunfire would create air flows Markstrom flub of a flipped-on-net puck from James Neal, which became that would direct the fire away from his house. While it remains one of the a goal for Sam Bennett after the puck caromed up, down and stupidest ideas in the history of Vancouver, it appears to have worked. everywhere, the Canucks would have been leading going into the break.

My Gaudreau-ness Vancouver Province: LOADED: 02.10.2019 To see Johnny Gaudreau live, in person, is a remarkable thing. 1130087 Vancouver Canucks

Patrick Johnston: Canucks ‘Chris-cross’ defencemen while Edler recovers from concussion

Patrick Johnston

"It’s a challenge for anyone to play their off side. I think he’s managing it all right." In a league where defencemen are almost always on the same side as their hand strength — right shots play the right side, left shots play the left side — it’s extremely rare to see a right-handed shooter playing on the left. Lefties switching to the right is something we witness from time to time. But right-handed shooters playing on the left? Not very common. Chris Tanev is now three games into his NHL career as a left-side defenceman, a move forced by the freak concussion sustained by Alex Edler last Monday in Philadelphia. It’s a position Tanev has rarely been in, but the decision to put him in this spot, as opposed to asking one of the other right-handed shooters — Erik Gudbranson, Troy Stecher or Alex Biega — to switch sides, or to insert minor-league call-up Guillaume Brisebois, a left-handed shooter, speaks to the belief coach Travis Green has in Tanev. “It’s a challenge for anyone to play their off side,” Green said Saturday after a brisk morning skate at Rogers Arena in front of some season ticket holders. “I think he’s managing it all right.” Tanev admitted it’s a difficult adjustment: on top of having your stick on the inside of the ice as opposed to the outside, the angles of defending are opposite to what he’s been wired to do for most of his life. “I felt better last game,” he said, referring to Thursday’s tilt against the Chicago Blackhawks. “It’s going to be a process. I’ve not done it in a while … the way you see the game is completely different.” Tanev has been partnered with Erik Gudbranson. The pair killed some penalties together, but as right-hand shots, it’s a rare moment the two are on the ice together. “First time we’ve really played together,” Tanev said. “It’s been good. Obviously he’s a big man, skates well and is physical. He creates a lot of loose pucks, makes it easy to pick up pucks and break them out.” For his part, Gudbranson said he’s been impressed by his new partner. “He’s a good player, a grizzled vet now; he can handle it,” he said. Gudbranson has some experience playing on the left — he did it a bit in junior — but admitted he’s happy to stay on the right. “For sure, it’s better on your own side,” he said. “The little plays, playing the puck behind the net, having to work cross body, it takes an extra second when you’re on the other side. “I still did end up there (on the left) a couple times (against Chicago). We talked about it, basically if we get out on the ice and we start opposite, we’ll stay there.” Given that Alex Edler is likely out of the lineup until at least Monday in his recovery, it’s a transition Tanev will have to pursue for at least another game or two.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130088 Vancouver Canucks

Canucks injury update: Sven Baertschi diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome

Patrick Johnston

Baertschi's symptoms are apparently related to a concussion suffered last October, not due to a new head injury. The mystery of Sven Baertschi’s ailment and absence from the Vancouver Canucks’ lineup is solved. The veteran winger is dealing with post-concussion syndrome, head coach Travis Green confirmed Saturday. Baertschi has been feeling ill since at least last Sunday, the day after the Canucks played the Colorado Avalanche in Denver. He hadn’t reported any symptoms before the NHL game, which the Canucks won 5-1. The symptoms he’s feeling appear to be related to a concussion sustained in October from a head-high hit by the Vegas Golden Knights’ Tomas Hyka. “It’s not a new concussion,” Green said before his team faced the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena. “He just wasn’t feeling right.” There wasn’t a specific play in the game against the Avalanche that seemed to cause the return of the symptoms, Green added. “We’re going to give him some time off,” he said. “(He’s) probably going to be out for a little bit.” Baertschi remained in Denver while his team travelled to Philadelphia, where they played the Flyers Monday. Green said earlier this week the team didn’t believe Baertschi’s problems were concussion-related but that the player would return to Vancouver and meet with the team’s medical staff. The findings led to Saturday’s announcement. Post-concussion syndrome can linger for months after the original injury. With a normal concussion, protocol calls for the player to follow a multi- day process to return to the lineup, which usually takes six days at minimum.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130089 Vancouver Canucks Defence pairings Chris Tanev — Erik Gudbranson Canucks Game Day: Rested Vancouver aims to re-ignite playoff push Ben Hutton — Troy Stecher tonight against Flames Derrick Pouliot — Alex Biega

Goalies: Jacob Markstrom, Michael DiPietro Patrick Johnston FLAMES’ LINES

LW – C – RW The struggling Canucks host the roaring Flames tonight at Rogers Arena in Vancouver Johnny Gaudreau — Sean Monahan — Elias Lindholm NEXT GAME: SATURDAY Matthew Tkachuk — Mikael Backlund — Michael Frolik Calgary Flames at Vancouver Canucks Sam Bennett — Mark Jankowski — James Neal 7 p.m., Rogers Arena, TV: CBC, Sportsnet, Radio: Sportsnet 650 AM Andrew Mangiapane — Derek Ryan — Garnet Hathaway Defence pairings THE BIG MATCHUP Mark Giordano — TJ Brodie Elias Pettersson vs. Johnny Gaudreau Noah Hanifin — Travis Hamonic Tonight’s tilt features the Calder Trophy favourite as rookie of the year Dalton Prout — Rasmus Andersson versus a leading contender for the Hart Trophy as league MVP. Goalies: David Rittich, Mike Smith The Flames are playing winning hockey for a lot of reasons: Gaudreau’s SICK BAY dazzling play is a major one. The Canucks are a wildly different team with and without Pettersson: With him they’re in the playoff discussion, Canucks: Sven Baertschi (ill), Thatcher Demko (knee), Alex Edler without him they’d be in the Jack Hughes discussion. (concussion) FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME Flames: Michael Stone (blood clot) 1. Home for a rest SPECIAL TEAMS After an intense four-game road trip — four games in six nights over Power play three time zones — the Canucks arrived home early Friday from Chicago and had the day off. They’re home until Tuesday, when they jet off to Canucks: 16.8% (21st); Flames: 22.9% (8th) California for another three-game road trip. Will home cooking be the key Penalty kill ingredient to end a three-game losing streak? Canucks: 78.9% (22nd); Flames: 79.2% (19th) 2. Burning hot — or not

Despite Thursday’s 5-2 loss to the Sharks, the Flames remain first in the Pacific and are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 02.10.2019 The Canucks are back chasing a playoff berth, having fallen behind St. Louis and Minnesota for the two wild-card spots in the West. The Canucks are still up on Colorado — on a four-game skid of their own — and then there are the who-knows squads in Edmonton and Chicago. Everyone but Chicago holds games in hand on Vancouver. 3. Depth on defence What the Flames have on defence is something the Canucks don’t have: depth. This has never been more evident than this week’s performance by the Canucks in the concussion-caused absence of Alex Edler. Chris Tanev is playing out of position and the struggling Erik Gudbranson is being pressed into top-pairing duty. The Flames, in comparison, are debating things like “why does Mark Giordano have so many points?” 4. Hamonic’s hand Flames blue-liner Travis Hamonic hurt his hand/wrist near the end of Thursday’s game against the Sharks, but was practising Friday with his mates and looks good to go tonight. 5. Puttering power play The Canucks’ power play, with Brock Boeser and Pettersson firing from opposite wings, should be an elite weapon in the Canucks’ thin arsenal. But they’re sitting just 21st in the league, scoring on 16.8 per cent of their opportunities. They’ve scored 29 times, 15 fewer goals than the Flames have on the man advantage. CANUCKS’ LINES LW – C – RW Josh Leivo — Elias Pettersson — Brock Boeser Antoine Roussel — Bo Horvat — Nikolay Goldobin Markus Granlund — Brandon Sutter — Jake Virtanen Loui Eriksson — Jay Beagle — Tyler Motte 1130090 Vancouver Canucks In all the wonderful areas Pettersson has made a difference, none feels more dramatic than the way he’s impacted the way the Canucks look in 3-on-3 overtime. The Athletties: Clark’s impact, Boeser’s sneaky plan, Stecher’s rave Remember when the Sedins came up with that defensive triangle trying reviews and how the Canucks got Leivo to kill overtime shifts? Now, every single Pettersson shift is riveting. By Jason Botchford It’s not even that he has blazing speed. He doesn’t, even though his Feb 10, 2019 acceleration through the 3-4 speeds he plays at is something. It’s that he can make plays out of nothing. BEST TRACING BACK Like this: Elias Pettersson had himself a game. BEST PLAYS He had two primary assists, one of which was a Dekey Pete signature, Remember people saying Pettersson looked tired? I’m-not-losing-this game, end-to-end rush. That may have been the coldest take of this Canucks season. He scored with a devastating penalty shot, a game-winning snipe which He played two games from Jan. 3 to Feb. 2 because of an injury and the went in and out of the net before the Flames goalie even had time to All-Star break. raise his glove. He didn’t need less ice time. He needed more. He needed playing time to Pettersson physically tore apart James Neal in the corner too, like Neal find his rhythm again. was two kids, one sitting on the other’s shoulders, in a big jersey skating around and pretending to be a 6-foot-3 power forward. He had the magic tonight and there’s probably no better example than the goal which tied the game. All this, but Pettersson wasn’t the Canucks best player. He wasn’t why they won the game. Not tonight. It was vintage EP. It is another example why he may be the most important player to his team in the NHL. The Canucks were lost. They No, that was Jacob Markstrom whose second period was the best 20 ended the second getting outshot 20-5. minutes of hockey he’s ever played in the NHL. But it was Pettersson who grabbed this collection of players and dragged By the end, Markstrom faced 47 shots, seven of which were directed at them out of the swamp by their collars on a play which was entirely him by Johnny Gaudreau. created by his determination, skill and that sauce. His sweeping glove save on Gaudreau with less than five minutes left This is the best angle because it shows the sticks EP had to get the puck may not be the best save he’s ever made, but damn it just may have through to get it to the other side. been the funnest. And it also shows Boeser getting on the ice just in time to finish the play Markstrom has been on some roll. after Leivo changed. Since the start of December he has a .924 save percentage and a 13-6-3 BOESER: “I was thinking ‘get open for him.’ record. “I was actually trying to duck once I got on the ice and was hoping they That’s about 25 percent of a season as his sample size expands. wouldn’t see me so I could come in behind him. It’s now impossible to tell Markstrom’s story without intertwining his “But he found me. I think him and I have a lot of chemistry. coach, Ian Clark. “We’re finding each other on the ice a lot.” Clark was in Columbus when the Jackets acquired Sergei Bobrovsky. He went on to coach Bobrovsky to two Vezinas. In six seasons there BEST ORIGIN STORY together, Bobrovsky’s save percentage was .923. In terms of what he’s meant for the position, and the amount of literature This year, without Clark, Bobrovsky’s save percentage is .902. and coaching he’s provided, Clark is putting together a career which could land him in the someday. “I feel great, body-wise, playing-wise and seeing the puck,” Markstrom said. There’s a couple of goalie coaches who would be ahead of him, but there’s not many, “I feel like I’m getting better every day.” Maybe the best Clark story I’ve heard recently came from Kevin There is a theory that Clark’s changes settled in for Markstrom in early Woodley, who has few peers when it comes to goalie analysis. December, but he’s not entirely buying it. In Vancouver, we’ve been spoiled to hear him break down the position, “It’s easy for you guys to say (this started) in December because that’s and its evolution, for a long time now. when we started winning.” If there’s a media member who has a better understanding of goaltending Well, when did you get into this groove? I haven’t met them. “Yesterday,” he said, smiling. I had always assumed Woodley was a lifelong netminder, but he just told “I got better yesterday. me he didn’t play the position until he got a job with Clark editing his writings when he was 32 years old. “That’s the day I trace it back to.” He actually learned how to play by reading and editing Clark’s work. If by yesterday he actually means the day he first met Clark, then we’re all in agreement. BEST CHART BEST HIT If Clark is building a Hall of Fame resume, he should include this next one. I need this sent to every hockey media person in Canada. Hell, the world. Markstrom has the eighth highest WAR among goalies in the NHL. I was just in Washington and heard their media talking about how small EP is and how he looks like your local paper boy. I was blown away to see it. You think your 12-year-old paper boy could do this to James Neal? By the way, Bobrovsky is 35th. That’s legit. Let that marinate. This hit in OT is less so but I wouldn’t mind Burke seeing it. BEST REQUEST BEST CHANGE Brough wanted me to mention Little Things looked good on the PK. Really? Didn’t really notice because I was too caught up watching his line get “Y0u can see his poise when he’s at the top and his ability to walk the obliterated at even strength all game. line is impressive. Can you imagine praising a player after his line produced zero scoring “The way he moved, really opened up some seams for us tonight and chances at evens? that opened up shots for us.” Not on my watch. He nearly helped win the game too on a slick play that had nothing to do with setting up Pettersson or Boeser. BEST CALL BACK HORVAT: “That was a great play. They were taking away Petey and In a little over a month, Stecher has gone from third pairing guy who was Boeser on both sides. stuck alongside Pouliot to being the Canucks’ No. 1 defenceman. “I was all alone up front and if you see it, he slid the puck through the MOST DRUNK PLAY defenceman’s legs. Sometimes there’s just too much bulldog in Biega. “I hit the post but it just shows you he has great vision back there.” He has so much energy and he wants to hit everything, it can create BEST OH SNAP problems. 2018-19 ASSIST LEADERS, GOALIES AND BRANDON SUTTER: Like this play that led directly to a goal against. T1. LUNDQVIST 3 Just get this puck out, and don’t worry about the hit. T1. HALAK 3 Or this one where he’s got time because Hathaway has lost his stick but he rushes the play and it’s a turnover. T3. CRAWFORD 2 BEST SHOT T3. FLEURY 2 Good lord. T3. GEORGIEV 2 BEST EXECUTION T3. STALOCK 2 GUDDY EXECUTED PERFECTLY HTTPS://T.CO/LPMI5OSZBW T3. HELLEBUYCK 2 — JE SUIS EARL (@CROWNROYAL22) FEBRUARY 10, 2019 T3. HOLTBY 2 There were so many giveaways from Canucks defencemen, but this one T3. SMITH 2 really got to me. T3. VASILEVSKIY 2 Just a couple minutes left in the game, and Guddy is on the ice with four of the Canucks best players, including Boeser, Pettersson and Tanev. T3. BRANDON SUTTER 2 He attempts the most ridiculous pass possible and it’s picked off in a T12. A BUNCH OF GOALIES. sequence where EP eventually bailed him out. — SIR EARL (@SIR_EARL) FEBRUARY 10, 2019 BEST DESCRIPTION Godspeed Jake Virtanen. GUDBRANSON IS JUST HOT SBISA BEST GIMME A BREAK — DUMB BYSSHE SHELLEY (@WHOLEGRAINNE) FEBRUARY 10, "AT THIS TIME OF YEAR THE COACHES CAN'T WANT IT MORE 2019 THAN THE PLAYERS." — OILERS COACH KEN HITCHCOCK. BEST BACKCHECK — ROB TYCHKOWSKI (@ROB_TYCHKOWSKI) FEBRUARY 10, 2019 Pettersson was doing things like this all game. Hitch, your team blows and I bet every forward except for the big three BEST STAT would clear waivers. This is incredible. BEST IDEA THIS IS THE PAST 24 MONTHS. SINCE FEB 9, 2017 #CANUCKS The more this “Tanev-for-life” story marinates, the more I don’t like it. PIC.TWITTER.COM/PFKXGHP7RB There’s been some regret about last summer when the Canucks failed to — JEFF PATERSON (@PATERSONJEFF) FEBRUARY 10, 2019 acquire a left-side blueliner who could be part of a succession plan for Edler. BEST HAT TIP It is possible to be proactive this summer and find someone who could be @BOTCHFORD WHO DO YOU THINK ELLIOT MEANT WHEN HE part of a succession plan for Tanev, who is already slowing down, has a SAID “PEOPLE WERE CLAMORING” FOR STETCHER ON THE PP? ton of miles/injuries and turns 30 later this year. — MIKE (@THEREALMKR) FEBRUARY 10, 2019 One of the underrated right-side defencemen who many think is going to be good value is Detroit’s Nick Jensen. There is only one place in Vancouver that was clamouring for Stecher on the power play and it was right here in The Cesspool. “Nick Jensen would be a perfect option as a UFA,” Boy Genius said. In fact, Boy Genius had been clamouring for Stecher longer than anyone “He’s played on Detroit’s top pairing with a busted up Kronwall and still in the city. managed to drive play. ANOTHER PIECE FOR @NUCKSMISCONDUCT, IN THIS ONE I “One year younger, and a lot less miles on his body than Tanev. He’s a EXPLORE WHY THE #CANUCKS WOULD BE WISE TO GIVE TROY good skater and can move the puck, but is also solid defensively. STECHER A SHOT ON THE TOP PP UNIT: HTTPS://T.CO/W0SFKCRRT3 “He’s better than Tanev right now and should be really reasonable cost- wise because of the lack of name brand.” — HARMAN DAYAL (@HARMANDAYAL2) JANUARY 7, 2018 Trade Guddy now, sign Jensen and use him in the top four with Stecher. Hat tips to BG because Stecher passed more to Boeser and Pettersson Tanev could be a third-pairing, right-shot defenceman until they move on the first power play tonight than Edler and Hutton did in three months. him at the 2020 TDL. I don’t know if it’s going to last, but I had more fun watching the Canucks Who says no? first power play unit tonight than at any time this season. BEST MERCHANDISING “He was awesome,” Boeser said. “I’m not surprised by it at all because he ran our power play at North Dakota. I swear if Ottawa gets a third-round pick for him… BEST AD Support The Patcast, catch the Buzz. The Anaheim Ducks are the laughingstock of the NHL. They have become a living, breathing meme about failure and dysfunction. WORST JERSEY They are on a pathetic 2-15-4 run that is almost as hard to believe as the Are you kidding me? fact GM Bob Murray recently got extended and didn’t even make a list Who the hell does this guy think he is? from The Athletic on NHL personnel who should be on the hot seat. Go home guy. We don’t want you here. In a word, the Ducks are ruined. And really everyone talking about a new coach should be quiet because what the Ducks need more than a few BEST SHOT wins are a few top 10 draft picks. Short side, top shelf? But what if I told you it was the Vancouver Canucks who ended the Ducks? Yes please. It is a story worthy of a place in Greek mythology if you really think Old ZACK MACEWEN'S 17TH GOAL OF THE SEASON WAS AN 17 earned this karma. ABSOLUTE SNIPE! #UTICACOMETS#CANUCKS PIC.TWITTER.COM/JP49ONKAXC There are two crucial Bob Murray decisions which unravelled the Ducks and neither would have happened without the Vancouver Canucks. — DARRYL KEEPING (@DKEEPING) FEBRUARY 10, 2019 The most obvious is Old 17. Kesler’s six-year extension is suffocating the BEST DREAM roster. BEST IDEA He still has three years after this one at a $6.875 million AAV. He has four goals in 48 games and he is killing the Ducks in every conceivable MACEWEN SHOULD GET DEMKO'S AGENT IF THEY STILL DON'T way. He’s averaging 17 minutes a game and his points-per-60 rate is CALL HIM UP. 0.32. No Canucks has a points rate lower than that, to put it in — TAJ (@TAJ1944) FEBRUARY 10, 2019 perspective. Tanev is last on the team with a 0.52/60 rate. BEST REGRESSION His goals-for rate is 35.71 percent. It’s sixth worst in the NHL. To put it in perspective, Erik Gudranson has done a more effective job in controlling Horvat on the Canucks recent road trip: goals-for than Kesler has. Goals – 0 But Old 17 isn’t even Murray’s most damaging blunder. For that we go back to the expansion draft to provide yet another cautionary tale about Shots – 13 how expansion mistakes can topple an empire, or in this case a pretty Control of unblocked shot attempts – 59.34 percent good hockey team. Control of scoring chances – 75 percent The Ducks had been to the Western Conference final twice in three years, and Murray decided he needed to keep the band together. He Control of goals-for percentage – 100 percent couldn’t protect all the players he had to, in large part because of a deal he made with the Canucks. There was no one more due than Horvat and he scored on his first shift tonight. The Bieksa trade came with a Bieksa extension and in that his agent got the defenceman a no-movement clause which meant he had to be BEST CESSPOOLING protected in the expansion draft. “A&W just said JV is never going to be more than a third line, 15-goal Murray had a chance to buy him out, but instead protected him and left guy.” both Vatanen, who they traded a few months later, and Josh Manson exposed. OK. To ensure those two didn’t get picked up by Vegas, Murray handed the Chances A&W is wrong? Golden Knights 21-year-old Shea Theodore. He instantly became a rock A year ago, he was telling the world Hutton sucked. defender in the Vegas top four. Now that Hutton has proved A&W incorrect, he’s holding the same He was Anaheim’s future and just like that he was gone. defenceman up as an example of what happens when a player improves Now, the Ducks roster is a wreck. Giving away Theodore was the end over time if a team is patient. and the peak years of Lindholm, Montour and Manson are up in flames Virtanen is already a 15 goal third-liner. because they’re saddled with a collection of washed-up forwards, including Old 17. In fact, right now he’s on pace for 18 goals. Yes, 17, karma is a bitch. That’s despite playing nearly 40 percent of his even-strength minutes on a line centred by defensive specialist Brandon Sutter. You know the BEST THREAD centre with two assists on the entire season. BEST GRAPHIC JV18 is 22. The player A&W was preaching patience about above, the BEST STORY one he said could improve in that tweet, is 23-year-old Madison Bowey. Sometimes an NHL manager is out to win a trade over the long haul. You know what Ferland was doing at 22? Other times, the motivation behind a transaction is to put its team in the He was scoring two NHL goals. best position to win a championship in the present. At 23, he played 71 games. He scored four. Then there are times, too few probably, when a deal is brokered because there is a desire to do the right thing. Why do I think if I turned back the clock and listened to A&W’s “free takes” in Calgary from a few years ago, I’d find him telling people about Toronto Maple Leafs did right by Josh Leivo. what Ferland could never be? Kyle Dubas, in his first season making Toronto’s decisions, stayed true to You ever think A&W is not the Takesman he thinks he is? his word. He had promised Leivo if he wasn’t going to play in Toronto regularly, he would move him to a team that would give him that BEST EL-OH-EL opportunity. I’ll be in Arizona soon for some remarkable work. The Leivo trade was essentially brought to the Canucks and placed in their lap. Vancouver had been targeted because of their lack of depth on BEST GIF the wing. It wasn’t about prying the biggest possible return for Leivo. It Is there anything more frightening than the Boat Capn in Hawaii? was about sending the winger to the best possible situation for him. I think not. And that right there is how a manager with integrity does business. BEST KARMA So far, it has worked better than anyone could have expected. Leivo has been a low-key force from the circles down. He does many of the same things Alex Burrows could do along the boards and behind the net in his heyday. Leivo wins puck battles. Lots of them. And it’s why his underlying data, presented in the last edition of The Athletties has been so encouraging. “You just see how he supports the puck and how hard he works to get it back,” Boeser said. “His details are huge for us and they are how you create offence down low. “When there are times we dump it in, he’s the first forechecker. He turns it into a battle and he turns those battles into possession. “It’s big for us to stay in the O-zone.” Leivo’s drive, and that motor, kept him improving during the past two seasons while he endured a situation that’s almost unthinkable. In two years, his 23-year-old and 24-year-old seasons, Leivo played 29 games. Combined. He essentially spent two years getting scratched so Leo Komarov and Matt Martin could play regularly. Just look at Toronto’s recent past to see the kind of damage not playing can have on a developing player. It broke Frankie Corrado’s career. It impacted Peter Holland significantly. And right now it’s happening to Justin Holl. “It wasn’t easy for Josh. It was hard for him,” said Ian Pulver, Leivo’s agent. “But he just kept working. He never stopped working to get better every single day. He worked on his skills, and his skating and every time he was called upon he was ready.” Last year, Lou was making the calls for Toronto and he knew he had a player in Leivo. It’s why he wasn’t going to trade him and just hand over a quality asset. It put Leivo in Babcock limbo. He wasn’t seen as good enough by his head coach to play but he was viewed as too good by his manager to move him. But when Leivo got to Vancouver, he was ready. It sure helped he got regular playing time when Nylander was out because of the prolonged contract negotiation. If there’s a knock on Leivo, it was supposed to be his skating. I haven’t heard anyone mention that mostly because it’s not an issue and it’s the work he put in which has made it a non-issue. Leivo has found himself playing regularly in Green’s top six. What has stood out for me has been his passing ability which wasn’t necessarily supposed to be one of his strengths. But he’s made some pretty great setups already like this one. His goal tonight gives him seven in 24 games. You make a play like Pettersson does here, you know what you need? A player who can finish. So far Leivo has been that. This is a great release. I know people want to see Virtanen in the top six, but Leivo has earned this chance and right now he’s making the most of it.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130091 Vancouver Canucks Toronto for virtually nothing, has to be considered a win at this point as well.

2016 Will the past dictate the future? A look at Jim Benning’s work at previous trade deadlines Position at the deadline: 24-25-12, 60 points, fifth in Pacific Division. Deals made: Markus Granlund from Calgary for Hunter Shinkaruk; Philip Larsen from Edmonton for a fifth-round pick; Dane Fox to Carolina for By Mike Halford future considerations. Feb 9, 2019 Deals not made: Do you really need reminding? Overview: TS, because you’re getting reminded. With all due respect to With just two weeks remaining until the 2019 NHL trade deadline, this felt the Granlund-Shinkaruk blockbuster (and the Larsen Experience), the ’16 like a useful exercise. GMs tend to be creatures of habit and familiarity, deadline will forever be known as The Time Benning Couldn’t Deal Dan and often the best way to gauge the future is to delve into their pasts. As Hamuis and Radim Vrbata. colleague Eric Duhatschek noted recently, an overwhelming majority of Since you’re paying to read this, I suspect you know the backstory. But in trades in this league have an “ah-ha!” connection from years gone by. the interest of complete narratives, let’s recap quickly. So with that said, let’s take a look at Canucks GM Jim Benning and his HAMHUIS: Local boy comes home in 2010, signs team-friendly deal (but work at the past four trade deadlines. What did we learn? What did he one that included *spoiler alert* a no-trade clause). Performs his job learn? And, most importantly, what does it mean for the future? dutifully, ingrains himself as a pillar of the community, helps the team 2015 reach the Cup Final in ’11. By the time his contract is set to expire, he’s 33. And while his best years are behind him, he’s still a competent top- Position at the deadline: 36-23-3, 75 points, second in Pacific Division. four NHL defenceman. Vancouver is ready to deal Hamhuis at the deadline, but his NTC and limited approved trade partners (Dallas and Deals made: Sven Baertschi from Calgary for a second-round pick; Cory Chicago, primarily) made things sticky. Benning plays the waiting game, Conacher from the Isles for Dustin Jeffrey. hoping other offers with surface. Meanwhile, Calgary struts in with eye- test-approved Kris Russell, and Dallas bites. Everything goes to hell. Deals not made: Benning acknowledged teams called on Zack Kassian, Hamhuis plays out the year and signs with the Stars in free agency. but the organization opted to retain him. (Kassian would be dealt four Dagger. months later, along with a fifth-round pick, to Montreal in exchange for Brandon Prust.) VRBATA: One year after representing Vancouver at the All-Star Game and scoring 31 goals, Vrbata got yanked off the Sedin line (cheers, Willie Overview: With the Canucks heading back to the playoffs following a D) and found the back of the net just 13 times. At 34 years old and armed one-year hiatus, little was expected at the deadline. The team was with an NTC of his own, albeit a limited one, Vrbata responded by flexing thought to be good, not great. And following an opening-round ouster to his contractual muscle. the Flames, good was downgraded to “Whoa, this whole thing was a mirage.” Hindsight being 20/20, the Canucks probably deserve some (not By the time the Canucks asked him for his list of eight teams he was much, but a little) credit for not buying at all. contractually obligated to waive his no-trade clause for, he was in an impossible situation. Turns out, so were the Canucks. But even that didn’t stop them from making a move that would become synonymous with the Benning regime: Buying (relatively) low on a once- Vrbata and his wife, who have no other family living in Canada, were promising prospect who’d fallen on hard times. expecting their baby in May, a timeline that left him loathe to switch hockey teams. Baertschi, the 13th overall selection in 2011, was once considered a top- shelf item in Calgary’s cupboard. Remember Svenmania? The former Choosing family first, Vrbata gave the Canucks a list with three playoff WHL Portland standout broke onto the scene with the Flames as a 19- teams, understanding it meant finding a fit would be like finding someone year-old but failed to develop beyond that. He shuttled back and forth to like on the New England Patriots. between the NHL and AHL for the majority of his time in Calgary, and things finally reached a breaking point in the spring of ’15. Repeatedly “I don’t think I handcuffed them, but I knew what I was doing,” Vrbata called out by Flames president Brian Burke — “There are three zones on said this week. “I could have given a lot more (options) and I would have the ice surfaces in this league, [and] I don’t see that he’s learned to play moved. and compete in two of them,” Burkie stated blunty — Baertschi and his camp said enough was enough. They requested a trade at the deadline, “If I wanted to get traded, I would have been traded.” adding that they wouldn’t sign an extension in Calgary (Baertschi’s ELC Ah, memories. was set to expire that summer). What we learned: Patience isn’t always a virtue. In his first go-round as From there, things happened quickly. The call was made to Vancouver, GM with guys who had to be moved, Benning played the long game and and Benning took the gamble. lost. Badly. He acknowledged the entire experience was frustrating and “I don’t like giving up draft picks but, in this case, we feel Baertschi is bemoaned his inability to secure additional draft picks for the ’16 draft. going to be a top-six NHL player for our team someday,” Benning The Canucks, subsequently, finished as the NHL’s third-worst team and explained. “So we weighed getting Sven versus what we would get in the went into Buffalo with just six picks, acquiring Olli Juolevi, William second round with our pick, and we made the decision to go ahead and Lockwood, Cole Candella, Jakob Stukel, Rodrigo Abols and Brett do this.” McKenzie. Of the six, none have appeared in a single NHL contest, and only two (Juolevi and Lockwood) remain Canucks property. What we learned: It was Benning’s first deadline as a GM and, at it, he seemed to mock up the blueprint for his signature move. Since arriving in This was a deadline to forget. But also one to learn from. Vancouver, he’s constantly been on the lookout for prospects who 2017 haven’t worked out elsewhere. And while it might be too simplistic to suggest he’s a scout-based GM with an affinity for high draft pedigrees, Position at the deadline: 26-29-6, 58 points, sixth in the Pacific Division. there’s certainly some proof in the pudding. Benning has mined organizations to acquire 10 (count ’em, 10) former top-50 picks: Deals made: Alex Burrows to Ottawa for Jonathan Dahlen; Jannik Baertschi, Erik Gudbranson (third overall, 2010), Derrick Pouliot (eighth Hansen to San Jose for Nikolay Goldobin and a fourth-round pick. overall, 2012), Brandon Sutter (11th overall, 2007), Luca Sbisa (19th Deals not made: There were rumblings that UFA goalie Ryan Miller overall, 2008), Nikolay Goldobin (27th overall, 2014), Emerson Etem would be flipped at the deadline, but Benning shot down the idea. Los (29th overall, 2010), Adam Clendening (36th overall, 2011), Jonathan Angeles was believed to be interested before getting Ben Bishop from Dahlen (42nd overall, 2016) and Markus Granlund (45th overall, 2011). Tampa. And don’t think this line of thinking has fallen by the wayside, either. Overview: Outside of his work at the draft table (Elias Pettersson and Benning has continued to try to find guys who need a change of scenery Brock Boeser, respectively), the ’17 deadline is considered Benning’s and, to his credit, two of his most recent additions have proven to be best moment as a GM. Burrows-for-Dahlen was a keen moment of taking good ones. Tyler Motte — acquired at the ’18 deadline for Thomas advantage of a vulnerable trade partner, while the Hansen trade got Vanek; more on that later — has been a solid foot soldier and dare I say a(nother) flawed prospect in the door and addressed potential protection pleasant surprise since being acquired. And Josh Leivo, plucked out of issues at the Vegas expansion draft. As for Goldy. Oh, Goldy. Say what you will about him, but he’s definitely So this was pretty much known from moments after the deadline. worked out better with the Canucks than Hansen did with the Sharks. The latter spent one-and-a-half uneventful seasons in the Bay Area The Stars say there was also a prospect, probably more as a toss-in. putting up minimal production amid frequent healthy scratches and is The Canucks never called back on this one, and it has thus become part now plying his trade in the KHL. Goldobin, meanwhile, has put up 41 of local legend. points in 97 games with the Canucks and for all his flaws is, y’know, still in the NHL. As mentioned above, Motte has become more than a deadline consolation prize. He’s played in 53 of 55 games, averaged just under 13 Big picture, one can say Benning’s failings in ’16 paved the way for the minutes per night and been an effective penalty killer (tied with Bo Horvat successes in ’17. A learning lesson, if you will. Just look at the timeline. for the team lead in shorthanded goals). He’s far exceeded expectations The Burrows trade was done early — four days ahead of the March 1 that folks had for him coming into the season and, if you’re into this sort deadline — and the Hansen deal was a longer-term play with the future of thing, has embodied the “opportunity is here; up to you to grab it” in mind. Remember, Hansen wasn’t a rental. He had an additional year mantra the club has tried to instill over the last few years. left on an extremely affordable ticket ($2.5M per, outstanding value for a guy who had 16 and 22 goals in the two seasons prior to getting dealt). So … what do we know? But Benning knew Hansen would be an issue when it came time for the Vegas expansion draft, so he acted early and recouped pretty good Let’s take what we know from the above and try to meld it with what assets. we’ve learned in recent weeks. 2018 — During his appearance on our show last week, Benning definitively stated he wouldn’t be trading away any of his ’19 picks. Position at the deadline: 24-32-7, 55 points, sixth in the Pacific Division. “With where we’re at right now as a team, we have the draft in Vancouver Deals made: Thomas Vanek to Columbus for Tyler Motte and Jussi this summer — I’m not trading any of my draft picks in this year’s draft,” Jokinen. he said. “I’m going to keep all of our picks. If we can do hockey trades, like player-for-player to improve our team and make our team better, I’m Deals not made: Erik Gudbranson was a hot topic of conversation, but going to look at those things.” the Canucks nixed any potential deal when they signed him to a three- year extension six days before the deadline. The Trade Chris Tanev and Within the context of the Benning era, the Canucks are quite flush. Trade Alex Edler Clubs were also alive and meeting with regularity. They’ve made 34 picks in five drafts under Benning — an average of just under seven per — and have never selected more than eight players in a Overview: Benning was enveloped by a unique set of circumstances on single class (that came in 2017, when they took eight players). At the this one. First, and perhaps most importantly, he went into the deadline in time of writing, the Canucks have nine picks: All of their own through the final year of his contract without any assurances of an extension. Rounds 1-7, plus Ottawa’s and Washington’s sixths. So if Benning sticks There were numerous debates and discussions about the inherent risks to his words, those are all being kept. of letting a lame duck GM work through the deadline but, in the span of a week, those conversations were muted. Benning signed his deal on Feb. But what if Benning wants to return to his playbook at the deadline? By 14 and, six days later, he signed Gudbranson. this, I’m referring to acquiring another young prospect who might need a change of scenery. If he does opt to go this route, logic suggests it’ll be a Which allowed everyone to move on to the next hot topic: What the deal that mirrors Shinkaruk-for-Granlund rather than, say, a second Canucks could get for Thomas Vanek. rounder-for-Baertschi. So, you’re basically flipping one guy who needs a Right from the moment Benning signed Vanek to a one-year, $2 million fresh start for another guy who needs a fresh start. late in free agency, everyone assumed it was a mechanism to buy picks. I’ve written in the past about mining organization, identifying the likes of And with good reason. The Vanek Plan had been hatched and executed Columbus’ Sonny Milano, Winnipeg’s Nic Petan and the Islanders’ twice prior: In 2014, the Isles flipped him to Montreal for Sebastian Michael Dal Colle as guys who might fit the bill. Given how things have Collberg and a second-round pick. And in 2017, the Red Wings sent him transpired this season, you could certainly add the likes of Washington’s to Florida for Dylan McIlrath and a third. Andre Burakovsky and Edmonton’s Jesse Puljujarvi to the mix. In short, you got Thomas Vanek so you could flip him at the deadline. As for what would go the other way? Goldobin makes the most sense This led many in Vancouver to believe the past would dictate the future logically. And after him, there’s not an awful lot. Derrick Pouliot has and, accordingly, the Canucks would get a similar return to the ones that played so poorly this year his value might be at an all-time low, and I New York and Detroit received. guess I should mention Markus Granlund’s name. Only it didn’t turn out that way. — Dante Fabbro out of Nashville remains an intriguing idea for a variety Despite a productive campaign in Vancouver — 41 points in 61 games — of reasons. One, he reportedly wants to turn pro at the end of this, his Vanek’s past experiences as a rental conspired against him. The stints in junior year at Boston University. I’m skeptical he’ll be making a jump from Montreal and Florida didn’t exactly earn him the reputation as a plug, college hockey into meaningful minutes on a blueline that features play and go guy. Perhaps the Canucks and their fans should’ve seen Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis. So, as TSN’s signs of steadily diminishing returns a year prior, when The Athletic Bob McKenzie suggested on Insider Trading, maybe this is just a Edmonton’s Jonathan Willis (back when he, too, was writing for the precursor to a trade. normies) pointed out that Vanek was an offensive zone specialist who Two, Fabbro is a local kid. Three, the Canucks need defencemen in a needed extreme sheltering to be productive. But even then, the market major way. Four, Nashville’s in go-for-it mode, so you’d think David Poile for him couldn’t be that soft, right? Benning earned his extension largely would be interested in a swap that brings in a roster player, as opposed on his ability to draft and restock the prospect cupboard. So, a couple of to future draft picks. Which brings us to five: picks for Vanek, any kind of picks, would do just fine. Shotgun Jake. What we learned: Yeah, Benning didn’t get any picks. Though he tried, teams reportedly weren’t ready to part with that kind of capital, So he did The possibility of moving Virtanen arose in the latest Athletties, when the next best thing and got something (Motte) rather than nothing. Botch reported teams had made calls about his availability. A Virtanen- for-Fabbro swap is pure speculation at this point, but there are certainly Many saw this as another nod to the disastrous ’16 deadline. Remember, enough dots to connect. Remember, Poile upgraded his forward group at one of the less heralded but important narratives in ’16 was that, after the the last deadline with a player similar to Virtanen — Ryan Hartman. Stars completed the Russell trade with Calgary, they circled back to Consider the similarities! Benning with a last-ditch, low-ball offer to get Hamhuis. Benning declined to “give away” Hamhuis, a decision neatly recapped by Botch: Hartman (at time of trade): 23 years old, coming off career high in goals (19), former first-round pick (30th, ’13), under contract for that season I do like that the late, circle-back offer from Dallas is henceforth known as and the next before going RFA (at $875,000) The Insulting Offer. Virtanen: 22 years old, career high in goals (12), former first-round pick By late today, The Insulting Offer had become a sixth-round pick. (sixth, ’14), under contract for this season and the next before going RFA Wow, that was fast. (at $1.25 million) Really, it was a third-round pick, but for 2017. And Benning pretty much — Finally, it must be said that Benning has no middling, veteran UFAs to admitted that during his post-deadline presser when he said: flip like in previous years. He already moved out Michael Del Zotto, and the guys planted in Utica (Tom Pyatt, Luke Schenn) are likely going to “We could have maybe done a third-round pick for him, but if you look at remain there. Which means we’re on the precipice of a trade deadline some of those good teams, that’s nearly a fourth.” first in the Benning regime. He might not do anything at all.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130092 Websites Then William Nylander, having rediscovered his old jump, lasered high on Carey Price to force a fourth period.

Once the Leafs killed its second puck-over-glass penalty, John Tavares Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs-Canadiens crawls out of hibernation with accepted a pretty saucer feed from Mitch Marner with time to consider thrilling clash his next move, then snapped a hard backhander over Price’s shoulder to OT glory in his first trip to Montreal as a Leaf. Luke Fox “I know he’s going to challenge hard and it’s a debate whether you want to wait and go around him. I just felt I could get it up quick enough,” February 9, 2019, 10:09 PM Tavares said of his winner. “Fun to be part of, especially on a Saturday.” All regular-season games may be measured equal, but that doesn’t mean they have to feel that way. A November Monday in Raleigh this MONTREAL – It is on an occasion like this — the Montreal Canadiens was not. hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs at their hockey cathedral on a Saturday night so frigid, the wind whips through the corridors the way it does “Loud, loud, loud, loud. Every shift, you have so much energy. It’s across frozen ponds — that we’re supposed to be stirred by memories of incredible,” said blue-bleeding Zach Hyman, estimating that a playoff a rivalry bitter and beautiful. duel at Bell Centre would multiply that volume tenfold. Problem is, the stories are too old to feel real. A generation has been “I can’t imagine what the atmosphere was like the last time Montreal and skipped, deprived. Toronto met in the postseason.” All the truly meaningful Habs-Buds showdowns, the win-or-die ones in Really, only the coaches — each on his second Original Six franchise springtime, predate the birth of anyone lacing up a pair for Saturday’s tilt after going all the way with his first — can remember when Highway 401 at the Bell Centre, second place in the Atlantic Division and a linked two relevant powers. consequential four-point swing hanging in the air. “I was a Montreal fan,” Claude Julien recalls. “At the time, my brother Fifteen years the Maple Leafs and Canadiens have clashed in the was a Leafs fan. We had the jerseys, and we played street hockey, and I playoffs (8-7 Habs, for those scoring at home), but not once since 1979. remember playing street hockey back in the 60s where, the finals, and all If Patrick Marleau saw that series, it was only through his mother’s of a sudden you hear this team won the last game they won the Stanley womb. Cup and a lot of times it was Montreal-Toronto.” So, the players who wore blue and white and red and scripted an action- Babcock loves coming here for the pageantry and the smoked meat on packed, air-tight, seesaw 4-3 overtime victory for the Maple Leafs the counter at Schwartz’s and the reunions with his McGill buddies. The Saturday dutifully acknowledge the history, but they repeatedly turn memories flood. But he also loves a hard match game with a shrewd empty pockets inside out when asked for a favourite memory of this hockey mind and the challenge of solving the game’s hottest goalie. storied rivalry. All the pages have yellowed. “They’re playing with speed. They’ve got different dimensions in each “This is the first year both teams look like real hockey clubs,” Mike group. The 24 car [top centre Phillip Danault] is real responsible both Babcock said. ways, [Brendan] Gallagher is tenacious, [Jonathan] Drouin can really pass the puck and shoot it,” Babcock said. “They were good; we weren’t good. They had an off year [in 2017-18]. This is the first time it’s actually been two teams that look like they’re “When you go through [lines] 1 through 4, their groups are all playing well pretty good teams, look like they’re going in the right direction. right now, and that’s why they’re feeling it.” “The crowd was fired up. This is the most people I’ve seen here at warm- Both sides prefer to transition at breakneck pace, spinning turnovers into up. They were ready to go tonight.” scoring chances. At its best, Montreal’s forecheck is fierce and its neutral-zone pressure resembles a goal-line stand, suffocating its enemy When Jake Muzzin was a boyhood Leafs fan, his dad cheered for the into mistakes. Habs out of spite: “Not a big fan. I think he just wanted to root against me growing up.” 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 — luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) February 9, 2019 country’s most beloved game. Sportsnet NOW gives you access to over 500 NHL games this season, “They’ve been playing with Claude now for over a year, so their systems blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown are down in their minds. They know how to play how he wants them to,” Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the entire 2019 Stanley Marner said. Cup Playoffs and more. “You saw him in Boston. He knows how to play the right way, how to Toronto embarked on its six-game road trip undefeated in regulation in coach a team, and I think when people bought in, that’s when they the Jake Muzzin Era, climbing to fourth overall in points percentage started winning.” (.651). Montreal, a wonderful surprise, is eighth (.618). Were it all to end in a blink, this, folks, would be your first-round playoff matchup. The Keep winning, and we’ll be treated to a series only 40 years in the exact type of draw Gary Bettman was gunning for when he rejigged the making. playoff format has eluded us. “Absolutely,” said Tavares, enticed by the possibility. “Both such great “This is a big game,” Morgan Rielly said. “There’s no other way to put it.” hockey markets. Love the game, love their team dearly. It means a lot to the fabric of both communities. You can see the passion.” Andrew Shaw, returning from a neck injury that had sidelined him since New Year’s Eve, started the party 51 seconds after puck drop, tipping a The bear that is Leafs-Habs has crawled out of hibernation, finally. Jeff Petry point shot through Frederik Andersen. Hockey deserves seven more like this one. Toronto’s fourth line responded immediately and repeatedly, going two- for-two in its first two shifts. Fourth-liner Andreas Johnsson potted his “The buzz around both cities would be pretty wicked,” Marner said. fourth goal in three games, and defenceman Nikita Zaitsev found the net “It’d be crazy.” for just the second time all season thanks to a Frederik Gauthier screen. Quand tu réalises que Toronto est en ville. “I heard it was going to be loud, and it was very loud,” Johnsson said. “It felt like a playoff game.” When you hear Toronto’s in town. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/liDRZPKqie But the home side, confidence soaring after its impressive victory over Winnipeg Thursday, refused to wilt. Tomas Tatar tied the game in the — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 9, 2019 second period when he wristed “a pretty good knuckleball” (Andersen’s phrase) over the goaltender’s left arm, which had been banged up earlier in the game. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.10.2019 Brendan Gallagher restored Montreal’s lead, beating Andersen’s same glove side by driving to the net and finishing off a Max Domi–fuelled rush. 1130093 Websites Yes, it’s not a strong roster. But it’s the good players who lack structure just as much as the rest. An example:

With the score 1-0 for San Jose in the first period, Edmonton’s second Sportsnet.ca / Ken Hitchcock feeling sobering reality with Oilers' situation best player, Leon Draisaitl, blindly turned a puck over in the offensive zone. Most times, the guy who turns the puck over checks the hardest. But Draisiaitl cruised back through the neutral zone, stopped skating at Mark Spector about centre ice, and watched as his guy (Evander Kane) blazed past, went in on net, took a pass and scored from the doorstep while February 9, 2019, 11:38 PM completely unchecked. It was flagrant nonchalance at a key point in the game by one of your best players. We asked Hitchcock afterwards: Is it worse when a leader EDMONTON – It hits them all here in Edmonton, eventually. makes a play like that? We’ve watched it from our seat at the post-game press conferences, year “That’s a good question,” he mused, buying time to chose his words on a after year and coach after coach. From Todd Nelson to Todd McLellan, question that clearly struck home. “I think it’s a symptom of something from Ralph Krueger to Dallas Eakins. much bigger. It’s priorities and what’s important. It just can’t be For each and every one of them, there comes a point where that acceptable. sobering realization regarding the culture of losing here in Edmonton “At this time of year the coaches can’t want it more than the players.” clubs them over the head, and on Saturday it was Ken Hitchcock’s turn.

It is bigger than he thought. It is bigger than all of them thought. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.10.2019 The culture is broken, and even the third winningest coach in NHL history can’t seem to repair it. Sportsnet NOW gives you access to over 500 NHL games this season, blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the entire 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and more. “I don’t have the answers,” said Hitchcock. “But we can’t play this way and actually expect to win hockey games, not at this time of year. Quite frankly, not ever. Maybe in an exhibition game.” Hitchcock spoke after a 5-2 loss to San Jose in which the score flattered the Oilers. The Sharks cruised through half the game on reserve power, as they have on so many nights in this building. Hitchcock has had some frustration this season, but this was different. There was far more gravity on Saturday. “You look at us, we’re walking down main street to score a goal — it’s just us and the goalie — and nine seconds later it’s in our net. We can’t do the things we’re doing to ourselves and expect to be a playoff team.” His forwards don’t back check with nearly the required intensity, while his defencemen are simply not of the pedigree to be left alone that way. His goaltending is average. Edmonton entered the game two points out of a wild-card spot and played like they couldn’t care less. Maybe this is what Peter Chiarelli built; maybe this is how good they are. But after a 4-1 win in Minnesota two days earlier, and some strong road play since the all-star break, this performance had Hitchcock reeling. He truly thought they were making progress, and then they sashayed out on a Saturday night and played like they were on the ODR, cold beers stacked in the snow. “At the end of the day we have to decide if we want to play the right way because it’s successful, or we just want to do our thing. Today was a game where we just wanted to do our thing,” he said. “To me, it’s priorities and what’s important. On the fifth goal: We just turned it over in the neutral zone and went dribbling to the bench. Just walked to the bench and changed. It can’t be acceptable.” It has been going on here for years, however, a sure sign that the culture is rotten. It goes right back to the days of Hall and Ebs and Gagner and Gilbert. No one knows how to win, because no one has been taught what it takes. There is no institutional knowledge on things like compete and character. It does not exist, missing the playoffs for 11 of the past 12 years. Hitchcock thought he had a bead on the issues when he arrived, after all of his visits as an opposing coach. Now he is seeing it firsthand, and it’s like a visit to the sausage factory. “When you put skill ahead of work you get burned, and there’s just too much of that going on,” he said. “We address it all the time, we think we’re moving in the right direction and we just stumble badly. It isn’t even what the other team is doing to us, we just shoot ourselves in the foot.” Not only has Hitchcock found himself in charge of a team that does not compete on a regular basis, they play at home — where the Oilers have lost 11 of their past 13 — as if structure is beneath them. Or, to be fair, so far beyond their means it’s pointless to try. 1130094 Websites Sportsnet NOW gives you access to over 500 NHL games this season, blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the entire 2019 Stanley Sportsnet.ca / Sensational Markstrom masks Canucks' awful second Cup Playoffs and more. period It was all Markstrom all the time after that. He finished with 44 saves, plus three more in the shootout against Iain MacIntyre Matthew Tkachuk, Sean Monahan and James Neal. Flame sniper Johnny Gaudreau, a Hart Trophy candidate, did not get a shootout February 10, 2019, 2:24 AM chance from Peters. Perhaps Gaudreau was tired after firing seven times in regulation on Markstrom, including on a first-period breakaway and twice in the final minutes when he had the game on his stick. VANCOUVER – In hockey – or anything – you don’t always get what you The Canucks poured off their bench after the shootout to mob deserve. But if you’re lucky, over time, you’ll get what you’re owed. Markstrom. The Vancouver Canucks, just back from a four-game road trip in which “You’re beating a divisional rival, you’re fighting for a playoff spot,” Horvat their one win was probably at least two fewer than they deserved, were said. “Those are a huge two points for us. And to beat a team like that awful in the second period Saturday, and outplayed in the game. Still, that’s been hot all year and getting the two points against them makes it they beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 in a shootout on the strength of Jacob even better.” Markstrom’s brilliant goaltending and rookie Elias Pettersson’s ability to get his team out of jail. The Canucks played poorly enough in the second period to lose badly to the Flames, but won. Last week, they played well enough to win in Pettersson set up Brock Boeser’s tying goal, at a point in the middle Philadelphia, Washington and Chicago but collected only one point. period when Vancouver was being outshot 18-1, then beat Flames’ goalie David Rittich in the shootout as the Canucks scrambled to cling to “That’s hockey, though,” Canuck defenceman Troy Stecher said. “It’s a a share of the final playoff spot in the ’s Western weird game.” Conference.

“It’s funny how it evens out,” Canucks leader Bo Horvat said. “When you’re not at your best, you pull out a win. And when you’re playing some Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.10.2019 of your best hockey of the year, you lose. Huge credit to Marky tonight. He was phenomenal.” Sportsnet NOW gives you access to over 500 NHL games this season, blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the entire 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and more. The second period might have been Markstrom’s best this season, which was good timing because it might have been his teammates’ worst. Turnover after turnover – which Canuck skater didn’t give away the puck in the middle period? – extended shifts in the Vancouver zone and led to numerous Calgary scoring chances. Canucks coach Travis Green said: “We talked to our group and said: ‘Let’s just hem them in our own zone for the second period and tire them out.’ And that’s exactly what we did.” Markstrom made 19 saves in the middle period and, equally astonishing, the Canucks left it tied 3-3 when Boeser’s far-post laser at 15:11, after Pettersson weaved through the Flames’ lineup before passing cross ice, offset Flame Andrew Mangiapane’s goal at 13:19 that followed Alex Biega’s giveaway. “There was a lot of good things,” Calgary coach Bill Peters said. “I really liked our second period but we needed to come out of that with a lead. We didn’t. That’s the period, for me, where we needed to come out with a lead. Definitely had some good looks. We’ll take some of the positives out of it and move on to Florida.” At least the Flames, 11-3-2 since Christmas, aren’t worried about making the playoffs but merely determining where and how they’ll start the Stanley Cup tournament. The Canucks are part of the Western Conference wildcard peloton getting ready for a mass sprint to the finish. All around them, the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche were picking up points on Saturday. “I don’t think you have to worry about it,” Boeser said of scoreboard watching. “If we’re not getting points, we’re not there with the other teams.” The Canucks were barely with the Flames on Saturday but got two points. With one goal in 62 shots in his previous 17 games, Horvat finished beautifully from Chris Tanev’s diagonal cross-ice pass to open scoring for Vancouver 44 seconds into the game. Unchecked by three Canucks, the nearest one Loui Eriksson, the Flames’ Elias Lindholm shot under Markstrom from the low slot to tie it at 6:39. But Vancouver retook the lead at 12:58 when Rittich allowed Josh Leivo’s shot from distance to clatter through his pads. But another Biega turnover led to the tying goal only 37 seconds later, as Markstrom had to contend by himself with a bouncing puck and Flames’ forward Sam Bennett, whose chip shot appeared to be tumbling in when the Canucks’ Derrick Pouliot got the final touch before it crossed the line. 1130095 Websites One mixed into a segment of five consecutive games at home that’s seen the Canadiens take eight of a possible 10 points — and from some pretty good teams too. But that didn’t make it any more digestible. Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens' maturity in loss to Maple Leafs step in right That considered, Saturday’s game may have been a bitter pill to swallow, direction but it was still valuable experience gained for a team on course to participate in this year’s playoffs. Eric Engels “I think those are the types of games we like to play in,” said the 23-year- old Domi. “We like the pressure, we like the circumstances, and that’s a February 10, 2019, 12:31 AM big stage. I think we did a pretty good job, but we can definitely learn from this and get even better.”

That’s a fact, and it’s something to be encouraged about for the MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens went toe-to-toe with the Toronto Canadiens, even if they derived no satisfaction from their effort on the Maple Leafs on Saturday, and they got knocked out in the dying seconds night. of the final round. “Tonight there was a lot of emotion in the game,” said Julien. “It’s the That they played a strong, passionate, hard-checking, in-your-face type Toronto Maple Leafs against the Montreal Canadiens and you could see of game, a game they took down to the wire — against one of the at times our bench — whether the linesman missed a call or the National Hockey League’s best and most talented teams — was referees—guys were really into it to the point where we kind of had to something to be proud of. take a step back. So this was great for us to be able to play in those types of situations and be able to handle it better. We’ve got a lot of guys But the Canadiens were anything but satisfied afterwards, and that is the who haven’t been there and we hope that they’re going to get a chance biggest sign of maturation we’ve seen from a group that came into the to be there, so this was a pretty good sample of what you would get in season as the second-youngest one in the league. the playoffs.” Bottom line: Moral victories are for losers, and this 30-18-7 team isn’t Their reaction to it was too. treating this like one of those.

“It’s very okay to be pissed off about that loss,” said Andrew Shaw, who returned from a neck injury to play his first game since New Year’s Eve Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.10.2019 and registered a goal and an assist in the process. “The game was ours and we let it go.” Stream over 500 NHL games blackout-free, including the Flames, Oilers, Leafs and Canucks. Plus Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey and more. Absolutely, they did. The Canadiens took the lead in the eighth minute of the third period when Brendan Gallagher scored on the power play, but they let their guard down 1:11 later — allowing William Nylander the time to take a shot that beat Carey Price from the slot. Tied at 3-3 with 31 seconds left in the frame, Nikita Zaitsev, who gave the Leafs a 2-1 lead in the fifth minute of the first, dumped a puck over the glass and sent the Canadiens to a power play that in the end produced nothing but momentum for their opposition. Montreal went from 5-on-4 to 4-on-3 in overtime and failed to manage a shot on net over that minute and 29-second advantage. They were in position to pull the trigger — both figuratively and literally — and just couldn’t do it. A little more than 45 seconds after Zaitsev’s penalty expired, John Tavares found a seam to skate through while Mitch Marner drew two Canadiens defenders towards him on a clean zone entry. Big No. 91 then buried the game, delivering a gut-punch to the Canadiens via a wrist shot to the top shelf of Price’s net. “We found a way to just hang on, hang on, and then we won the game,” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock. His team counter-punched all night, with Andreas Johnsson tying the game 1:29 after Shaw opened the scoring in the first minute, with Nylander’s goal, with Tavares’s, and on the shot clock nearly all the way through (16-15 Leafs in the first, 9-9 in the second, 14-6 Canadiens in the third, one and only in overtime). Price blamed himself for Nylander’s shot, and Canadiens captain Shea Weber, forward Max Domi and Shaw felt the power play let the team down — first on a four-minute advantage in the first period and then certainly in overtime. Phillip Danault left the dressing room cursing and shaking his head before reporters had a chance to catch up with him. “We’re frustrated about this game for sure,” said Weber. A chance to pass their Atlantic-Division rival in the standings — the two games in hand Toronto owns be damned — slipped from their grasp. “I think it’s great that the guys are mad,” said Canadiens coach Claude Julien. “They’re disappointed because they wanted to win, and I like that because we believe in ourselves, we believe that we can go out there and give ourselves a chance to win. They wanted to win this game. I like our approach; we’re not on our high horses, but we’re a confident team that thinks that if they play well enough they can win any game. So that’s how they’re approaching every one of them so far, so when you lose, for them it’s a loss.” 1130096 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Ron and Don: Jets' Patrik Laine needs to 'get going'

Emily Sadler February 9, 2019, 8:43 PM

As we prepare for the home stretch of the regular season, it’s time to dust off those pre-season Stanley Cup predictions and see how they’re looking. picked the Winnipeg Jets to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. And while he stands by his pick, he’s got a few concerns. “Listen, I’m still picking them,” Cherry said during Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada segment, live from Swift Current, Sask. “I’m still picking the Jets.” Sportsnet on Twitter Puck drop! @CoachsCornerDC is in the building for @SCBroncos vs. @BladesHockey! #HockeyDay Considering their current position in the standings — first in the Central, second in the West, and third in the entire league — that’s looking like a pretty strong pick. This week, however, wasn’t their strongest showing: the club lost to the surging San Jose Sharks Tuesday, fell to the Montreal Canadiens two nights later which led to a few post-game expletives from coach Paul Maurice, and didn’t look like Cup contenders Saturday afternoon against the Ottawa Senators in their third straight loss. “They’re having a tough time,” Cherry said. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stood on his head Thursday against the Habs, stopping 48 of 53 shots fired his way, but didn’t get much support from those playing in front of him. He got the day off Saturday, with backup Laurent Brossoit (27 saves on 32 shots) getting the start. But it was one of the club’s other bright young stars that Cherry is most concerned about. “Somebody better give [Patrik] Laine a smack,” Cherry said. “This is his contract year. Get going, kid.” Laine, who will be a restricted free agent on July 1, had an assist Saturday but has generally struggled to put points on the board in the second half of this season. The 20-year-old Finn hasn’t scored a goal since Jan. 13, and that remains his lone marker of the calendar year. “I know he’s got 25 goals [this season], but he’s done nothing,” Cherry said. “Give him a smack, they’ve got to get going.”

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130097 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs not willing to trade prospects Sandin, Liljegren for rental

Emily Sadler February 9, 2019, 11:48 PM

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a splash on the trade market late last month when they landed defenceman Jake Muzzin in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Carl Grundstrom, Sean Durzi and a 2019 first-round pick. The club got the veteran rearguard they’ve been looking for — for the remainder of this season and all of next year, too — but they might not be done dealing just yet. “The Maple Leafs have been linked to Micheal Ferland, who Carolina might keep. But they are looking for that kind of player,” Sportsnet’s reported Saturday on the Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada. But fear not, Leafs fans. According to Friedman, the Maple Leafs don’t plan on selling the future for a win right now. “They have indicated that, for a rental, they are not interested in dealing either of their top two defence prospects, [Rasmus] Sandin or [Timothy] Liljegren or another first-round pick,” Friedman said. “They’ve already dealt one for Jake Muzzin, who they have for another year.” Sandin was selected by the Maple Leafs 29th overall in 2018, and has five goals and 10 points in 18 AHL games with the Marlies since. Liljegren is a product of the 2017 draft (17th overall) and is known for his offensive skill set and elite skating. He has also spent the majority of this season with the Marlies, tallying two goals and eight points in 19 games.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130098 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Dismal losing skid could force Ducks to rush coaching change

Emily Sadler February 10, 2019, 12:07 AM

There are losing streaks, and then there’s the Anaheim Ducks‘ recent stretch of struggles. The club fell to the Philadelphia Flyers earlier on Saturday, marking their seventh straight loss. They have just two regulation wins in their last 25 appearances as they continue to fall down the standings. Currently sitting last in the Western Conference and 28th in the league, this season is lost — and, presumably, so is head coach Randy Carlyle’s job. “A big decision looming on Randy Carlyle,” Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston said during the Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “It’s clearly been management’s preference to try to ride this out, to keep the veteran coach behind the bench throughout the season, but they’ve hit a new low now losing seven games in a row, outscored 37-8 in those games.” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle after 7th straight loss. Ducks are 2-15-4 in past 21 games: "You don't expect to have to live through this stuff for this extended period of time." — Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) February 9, 2019 Ducks GM Bob Murray hasn't wanted to fire coach Randy Carlyle, and at this point it probably won't make a difference. They're done. But Murray has to say something to fans and show he feels this is unacceptable. Fans would be happy with some kind of hope expressed for the future. — Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) February 9, 2019 The next man up, according to Johnston, is likely Dallas Eakins — but he’s got the AHL’s San Diego Gulls doing well, currently sitting third in the Pacific. So, what’s a general manager to do? “There is some thought that they might now have to finally make that change,” Johnston explained. “They’ve wanted to keep Dallas Eakins down in the American Hockey League with the San Diego Gulls. He’s thought of as the eventual successor to Carlyle, but with the way this road trip went, they might be forced into a decision a little quicker than they wanted.”

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Sportsnet.ca / Jets could put top prospect Sami Niku on trade market

Emily Sadler February 10, 2019, 12:10 AM

The Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators have plenty in common. The Western heavyweights — No. 1 and No. 2 in the Central right now — are looking like legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, appear to be built for long playoff runs and, should they enter the trade market ahead of the deadline, both clubs have an enticing piece they could put into play. “As far as teams in the West, when we think about teams looking for Grade-A talent to trade for, we believe that Winnipeg and Nashville may be at the forefront here,” Sportsnet’s said during Saturday’s Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “We mentioned last week that the first-rounder would be in play, but when we talk about players like [Blue Jackets forward Artemi] Panarin being linked to Nashville or certainly [Senators pending UFA Mark] Stone to Winnipeg, it would be an additional top prospect involved. “Eeli Tolvanen is a first-rounder from 2017 from Nashville. This time last year, he was deemed an untouchable,” Kypreos continued. “And now, all of a sudden, his name constantly gets played as being one of those players involved in that type of deal.” Tolvanen, selected 30th overall in 2017, has NHL GMs drooling over his elusiveness and elite release. The 19-year-old has a goal and an assist in a brief four-game tryout with Nashville in December, and has tallied eight goals and 17 points through 33 games at the AHL level with the Milwaukee Admirals. “And as far as Winnipeg is concerned, it’s Sami Niku — AHL defenceman of the year — also mentioned a lot,” said Kypreos. “So if you’re talking about any teams wanting to deal with Winnipeg, it’s possible that that top prospect would be involved, too.” Niku, 22, has a dozen games’ worth of NHL experience — he scored in his NHL debut last season, and has appeared in 11 contests in 2018-19 — and has tallied three points with the Jets. The Finnish defenceman, known for his strong vision and puckhandling, was selected by the Jets in the seventh round in 2015 and rose quickly through the Jets’ deep prospect pool on his way to being voted the AHL’s top defenceman in 2017-18.

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Sportsnet.ca / Senators nearing decision time on Duchene, Stone, Dzingel

Emily Sadler February 9, 2019, 10:19 PM

The NHL Trade Deadline is just over two weeks away — do you know where your pending UFAs are? If you’re an Ottawa Senators fan, it sounds like you’ll know soon. “Ottawa is letting teams know if any of their players are going to be available, including the three key ones: Duchene, Dzingel, and Stone,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said during Saturday’s Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “Teams will know about 10 days out before the deadline hits, so that looks like it’s the middle of next week, when Ottawa will begin to let other teams know, are any of those UFAs going to be on the market … or are they going to be staying Senators.” The trade deadline is Monday, Feb. 25, so that means Feb. 15 could be a date Senators fans might be circling. A quick refresher: All three players — Duchene, Stone, and Dzingel, are due to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in their respective careers on July 1. Duchene’s current cap hit of $6 million would make him an affordable option for a contender looking to add some star power up front. The Senators could have locked up Stone, 26, last summer when he was a restricted free agent but the two sides instead agreed on a one-year deal worth $7.35 million — essentially buying both sides an extra year and delaying any decisions. Dzingel, 26, wouldn’t garner as big a return on the trade market — or as high a cap hit on a new deal — but his play has been a bright spot for this rebuilding club, and he’s endeared himself to fans during his time in the nation’s capital. The trio makes up the Senators’ top three goal-scorers this season, with 71 goals among them. “I think the big one that has to make a decision here is Matt Duchene,” Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston said. “There have been extensive talks this week with his agent, Pat Brisson, and Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. A lot of those discussions, actually, have been about the future of the franchise, what they’re expecting in terms of their window to get back to respectability, and things going on with the arena. And what it really comes down to now is what Matt Duchene wants and he hasn’t been given a firm deadline from the Senators, when he has to make his choice, but with the sides set to talk again on Monday, he knows this is coming to a head.” Johnston also noted that Duchene “really does love it in Ottawa,” and added another potential option for the two sides: “Even if he weren’t to sign now and was traded at the deadline, I don’t think he’d rule out a potential return on July 1 as a free agent,” Johnston said. A few weeks ago, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported that the Senators had issued an offer to Duchene, and suggested Saturday that the long- term offer could be his best shot at his biggest paycheque. “In past weeks, we’ve talked about the offer on the table from the Ottawa Senators being $64 million over eight years. Many believe that will be the best cash offer he will get,” Kypreos said. “Remember: if he goes and signs with another team July 1, he can only max out seven years. To match that offer from Ottawa, he’d have to have an [annual average value] over $9 million. A lot of people think that may not happen.” Now, we wait. The countdown is on, Senators fans.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130101 Websites He scored just 17 goals and 34 points in 152 games with the Flyers, but Weise feels this opportunity with the Canadiens will rejuvenate him.

“I think it’s amazing — from where they were last year (28th place) to Sportsnet.ca / Dale Weise thrilled to return to Canadiens where they are this year,” he said. “I haven’t watched a lot of hockey myself this year, but the times I have watched them (I see) they’re a quick team. Any time you have Carey Price in the net you have a chance Eric Engels to win every night, and I really like their team. It’s a fast team, they get contributions from everybody, and I’m just happy to get the opportunity to February 9, 2019, 1:11 PM be a part of it.” Schlemko leaves the Canadiens after having appeared in just 55 games following his trade to the team from the Golden Knights in the summer of MONTREAL — Dale Weise is going back to the team he enjoyed his 2017. Over that time, he missed several games due to injury and was best NHL seasons with. made a healthy scratch on several occasions. The defenceman split time It was on Saturday morning that the Montreal Canadiens traded between Montreal and Laval this season, tallying two assists in 18 games defenceman David Schlemko and forward Byron Froese to the with the Canadiens, along with four points in eight games with the Philadelphia Flyers for Weise and 28-year-old defenceman Christian Rocket. Folin.

Stream over 500 NHL games blackout-free, including the Flames, Oilers, Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.10.2019 Leafs and Canucks. Plus Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey and more. Froese, who served as Laval’s captain, didn’t appear in a game for the Canadiens this season, while Weise and Schlemko, who are the key pieces in the deal, were being paid near-identical salaries to play for minor-league affiliates, with both owning contracts set to expire in the summer of 2020. Both players were hoping for a change of scenery, both represented by agent Allain Roy, and the Flyers and Canadiens proved to be ideal trade partners to make that happen. “It feels absolutely surreal,” Weise said when contacted by Sportsnet. “It’s just crazy. I don’t even know what to feel right now. The first time I got traded to Montreal it was a dream come true, and ever since I left I just haven’t felt like the same player. My emotion–it just hasn’t felt the same since I left. To come back now, it just feels so surreal. I’m so excited. This is where I’ve always wanted to be; the team, the fans, the ownership, the coaches, just everything, it’s everything I want to be a part of.” Weise, who cleared waivers on Jan. 16, will report to the AHL’s Laval Rocket for the time being, but expect him to join the Canadiens in short order. They’ve been exploring different depth options on the trade market at forward, and despite three mostly down years with the Flyers, he qualifies as an upgrade to their fourth line. From 2014-16, after the 30-year-old Winnipeg native was traded to Montreal from the Vancouver Canucks, Weise scored 27 goals and 59 points with the Canadiens. More pertinently, he scored five goals and five assists in 28 playoff games. With the Canadiens firmly in a position with 27 games remaining in the regular season — they’re currently in third place in the Atlantic Division and eight points up on the Carolina Hurricanes, who are sitting just outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture — Weise’s low-cost acquisition fits with their plan. Getting some defensive depth in Folin, who will report to the NHL squad, only helps. A weekly deep dive into the biggest hockey news in the world with hosts Elliotte Friedman and . New episodes every Thursday. The Flyers retained close to 19 per cent of Folin’s $800,000 salary, and the Canadiens made room for him on their roster by placing defenceman Karl Alzner on waivers. The 28-year-old registered two helpers in 26 games this season with Philadelphia. A corresponding move to make room for Weise could be in the offing. Canadiens coach Claude Julien has been tinkering with his fourth line since the season began and is looking for a combination of players he can put on the ice more regularly. “We want to play a fast game, we want to be on teams,” Julien said after Thursday’s 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell Centre. “If you shorten your bench, you can never keep that momentum and that pace going.” Weise’s experience gives him an edge on players like Kenny Agostino and Matthew Peca, who will both be scratched from Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I’m going to go down to Laval and do what I do,” said Weise. “I’m going to be a good teammate, be a good leader down there, and I’m going to earn my way up. I’ll be ready when I get the opportunity.” 1130102 Websites money on the Flames winning four of them. They were the better team for much of the night and the vast amount of time the home team spent in its own zone would certainly be a concern to the Canucks. While they're TSN.CA / Five Takeaways: Canucks vs Flames separated by 17 points in the standings, the Canucks have found a way to keep the Flames top scorers in check for the most part while Elias Pettersson has torn the Flames to shreds with eight points in four meetings. If any team in the league should be starting to get a read on Jeff Paterson the Canucks rookie, it would seemingly be a Calgary team that has faced him four times now. But Pettersson had two assists Saturday and now

has 4+4=8 of his 25+25=50 on the season against the Flames. Elias 1) If Jacob Markstrom is getting worn down by a heavier than usual -- Lindholm had one of the Calgary goals on Saturday set up by Johnny and ideal -- workload in the absence of back-up Thatcher Demko, he Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. That trio has 6+7=13 in the four games certainly didn't show it on Saturday night. Markstrom made a season-high against the Canucks. The teams will meet -- at least -- one more time this 44 saves including 19 in a one-sided second period which saw Calgary season on March 23rd at Rogers Arena. hold a 17-2 edge at one point and a 20-5 advantage over the full 20 minutes. Markstrom made a potential game-saver off Flames scoring leader Johnny Gaudreau with just under five minutes to play in the third TSN.CA LOADED: 02.10.2019 period and the game tied 3-3. Gaudreau moved in from the slot and let a wrist shot go that was headed to the top corner, but Markstrom calmly flashed his glove out and made one of his better stops of the night. He also successfully stared down Johnny Hockey on a breakaway with time winding down in the first period and the game tied 2-2. On top of the 44 saves he made over three periods and overtime, Markstrom stopped all three Flames shootout attempts, too. Interestingly enough, he didn't have to face Gaudreau -- the league's fifth leading scorer -- in the skills competition as Calgary coach Bill Peters opened himself to some second guessing going with Matthew Tkachuk, Sean Monahan and five-goal scorer James Neal who has just one goal since the start of January. 2) It seemed the Hockey Gods smiled on the Canucks on Saturday night. After outplaying Philadelphia, Washington and Chicago for long stretches of recent one-goal losses, the Canucks were not the better team on the night, but they had the better goaltending and ended up with the result they wanted regardless how it looked. The Canucks struggled for much of the first two periods to cleanly exit their own zone and finished the night with 16 giveaways. They were fortunate Markstrom was there playing the role of a giant eraser to nullify so many of the team's mistakes. With San Jose in on Monday and the Canucks in the Bay Area next Saturday, they will see another top tier team twice in the next week and they have to know they likely won't get away with the sloppy miscues they did against the Flames. 3) It looks like the All-Star break did Brock Boeser some good. In five games since having a week off, Boeser has scored three times and his goal on Saturday against Calgary -- just like his goal last Saturday in Denver -- looked like Boeser from his rookie season. He's finding himself with the puck on his stick and with time and space to pick his target. That's when he's at his best. Late in the second period Saturday with the teams at four skaters aside, Elias Pettersson entered the Calgary zone on left wing, circled the net, drew a couple of Calgary defenders to him and then slid the puck across the slot to Boeser in the left circle. With his head up, he patiently picked out his spot and ripped a wrist shot past Flames netminder David Rittich. Boeser is now up to 19 goals on the season and seems to be energized for the home stretch with 26 games to go. He didn't get a chance to play in meaningful games in his rookie season, but he looks to be fully embracing the opportunity now. Starting with a hattrick in St. Louis on December 9th, Boeser has 13 goals in his last 25 games. He had a season-high 15 shot attempts on Saturday with seven hitting the target. 4) It seems it has taken Troy Stecher more than a season and a half to earn the trust of the coaching staff. But with Alex Edler out indefinitely with a concussion, the Canucks are looking for somebody to step up and fill the lead role on the blueline. On Thursday, it was Ben Hutton logging 31:18. On Saturday, it was Stecher's turn to step into the spotlight. He played a season-high 26:16, quarterbacked the first power play unit and saw shifts in overtime -- including a 4-on-3 power play for the final 1:23. Stecher was pleased with the result on the night, but didn't like much about the first two periods. Following the game, Travis Green wasn't prepared to heap too much praise on his team's overall defense after giving up 47 shots, but he did concede that Stecher and Hutton have elevated their games recently. Coming into the night, Stecher's season average for ice time was 17:34, however in his past three games he has logged 25:45 (his previous season high) in Washington on Tuesday, 22:49 in Chicago on Thursday and now more than 26 minutes against the Flames. That's a lot of hockey in a condensed period of time with travel and Stecher has certainly held his own over the past week. 5) It seems awfully premature to think about playoff match-ups for the Vancouver Canucks, but *IF* they get in and *IF* they draw the Calgary Flames in the opening round, the Canucks have given the Flames something to think about winning three of the first four meetings between the teams. After splitting a home and home series in the opening week, the Canucks have eked out wins in overtime (3-2 in Calgary on December 29th) and a shootout (on Saturday). Now, if the Canucks and Flames played Saturday's times, I'd most definitely put my 1130103 Websites "It'd be crazy, that’s for sure," said Toronto boy Mitch Marner, allowing himself to consider the possibility for just a moment. "I think the buzz around both cities would be pretty wicked, but it's a long ways away." TSN.CA / Babcock taking wait and see approach to defence chemistry Toronto leads Montreal by just one point in the Atlantic Division race although the Canadiens have played two more games than their historic rivals. Mark Masters "This is a big game," said Rielly. "There’s really no other way to put it. Points are close in the standings. In their building. We should be excited. We should be ready. I wouldn't expect anything less." What does Mike Babcock think of the chemistry between Jake Muzzin and Morgan Rielly so far? The Leafs have gone 3-0-1 since the bye week while the Canadiens have also won three straight, including a dominant performance against "Well, that’s a good question," the Maple Leafs coach said. "We'll just the Jets on Thursday. keep watching, how's that? There's lots of parts to that. Is Mo's game as good as it can be? So, that’s a big part, for me, as well. So, we’ll just see "I was very impressed with the way they played against Winnipeg," said over time. I said right from the get-go there will probably be some Babcock. "I thought their structure, their detail, their work ethic, all their difference in pairs." good players played well. They're 8-1-1 in their last 10, they're feeling really good right now. We haven't come in since I've been coach of the Babcock was up front about his reservations as soon as Muzzin joined Leafs where both teams were good teams. They were good, we weren't the Leafs via a trade with Los Angeles. In an ideal world, the coach good. They had an off-year. This is the first time it's actually been two would like to keep the guy who's making more plays with the puck on his teams that look like they're pretty good teams, look like they're going in strong side, but Rielly, a lefty like Muzzin, has shifted to the right to ease the right direction, that are playing and so I think it makes it exciting for the transition period for the ex-King. us and exciting for them." Toronto's top six currently features five lefties. So, is the plan to Starting tonight the Leafs will play the Habs three times down the stretch, eventually play Muzzin on the right? including the final game of the regular season. While Montreal's run this season wasn't expected by most pundits, Marner had a sense the team "I don't know what I'll do," Babcock said. "Maybe a different pair. We'll could turn things around considering who's behind the bench. just see what happens, you know what I mean? We've got some options now. Obviously, we feel our defence is way better than it was (with) more "They’ve played under Claude (Julien) for a year now so the systems are depth. We can play more players with more players. We'll see over time." all down in their minds," Toronto's leading scorer observed. "They know how to play how he wants them to. You saw in Boston, (his teams) play Rielly, who has already set a career high with 53 points in 53 games, has the right way. He knows how to coach a team and when they bought in a goal and two assists in the four games since joining forces with Muzzin. that’s when they started winning." "We're working on it," Rielly said of the new partnership. "There's always The Leafs have won five straight against the Canadiens, including a four- room to get better and things we can improve on and we’re aware of that game season sweep in 2017-18 and a 3-2 triumph in overtime on and we’re doing what we can to improve." opening night this season. Rielly and Muzzin were on the ice for Ottawa's two goals in the third Marner on potential Habs playoff series: 'It'd be crazy ... buzz would be period on Wednesday, marking the first time they've been on for even- pretty wicked' strength goals against since being united. The pair is driving possession with 56.6% CorsiFor in nearly 53 minutes together, per The Maple Leafs rivalry with the Canadiens is one of the most historic in NaturalStatTrick.com. the league and if the two were to meet in the playoffs, Mitch Marner knows how wild the buzz would be in both cities. "I think it starts with D-zone, playing against the rush," Rielly said when asked where improvements can be made, "and then we’ll go from there. Carey Price will be playing the 600th game of his NHL career and looking We got our hands full and we’re going to work hard to get better." to extend a personal seven-game win streak (.955 save percentage in that stretch) dating back to Jan. 12. The Canadiens goalie will also be Muzzin offered the most positive review of the new-look pairing. looking to turn the tide in his personal rivalry against Auston Matthews, "It’s been good," said the 29-year-old, who has made it clear he's more who has seven goals in seven career games against the Olympic gold comfortable on his natural side where he's played his entire career. "Still medallist. early. Only a handful of games so far, but so far, so good. I mean, we’ve Matthews is heating up of late with four goals and one assist in the last done some good things. We’ve talked about some things as we’ve gone five games and tonight will be facing an opponent he has absolutely along and we’ll continue to build." owned during his young career (11 points in eight games). After being Leafs Ice Chips: Despite arrival of Muzzin, D remains unsettled held without a goal in his first three games against Montreal, Matthews has scored in each of his last five games against the Canadiens (nine Many believed Jake Muzzin's arrival was the piece the Maple Leafs were goals, one assist in that blistering stretch). missing on their blue line but after a few games the defence remains unsettled while everyone adjusts to their new spots. Mark Masters has And tonight Matthews will be looking to get back on track after what he more from Montreal. admitted was a less-than-stellar performance. The Rielly-Muzzin duo will face a tough task should Babcock match them "Our line wasn't as good as we'd like it to be," Matthews said on against Montreal's surging top line featuring Jonathan Drouin, Phillip Wednesday night despite scoring a goal against the last-place Senators. Danault, and Brendan Gallagher. "I think we can be a lot better." "The 24 car is real responsible both ways," Babcock said referring to Leafs lines at morning skate: Danault. "Gallagher’s tenacious. Drouin can really pass the puck, shoot Hyman-Tavares-Marner it; a good player." Marleau-Matthews-Kapanen Drouin has four goals and nine assists in 10 games since joining Danault and Gallagher. What stands out to Rielly about the left winger? Brown-Kadri-Nylander "I mean, lots," he said. "His hands. His speed. I’ve played with him before Lindholm-Gauthier-Johnsson (at the 2016 World Cup) and he’s a smart player and he’s playing well right now. That whole line is." Ennis Habs Ice Chips: Drouin on track to set multiple career-highs Muzzin-Rielly After witnessing Jonathan Drouin achieve the most productive 10-game Gardiner-Zaitsev stretch of his career, John Lu explains how this hot-streak and being placed beside Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher isn't just a Dermott-Hainsey coincidence. Holl-Ozhiganov If the playoffs started today, the Leafs and Canadiens would be facing off Andersen stars in the opening round. The pair of Original Six franchises haven't met in the postseason since 1979. Sparks Leafs power play units at morning skate: Rielly Matthews-Kadri-Marner Tavares Muzzin Gardiner-Johnsson-Nylander Marleau

TSN.CA LOADED: 02.10.2019 1130104 Websites Vancouver on Mar. 23. Pettersson leads all scorers in the season series with 4+2=6 in the first three meetings while Tkachuk has 1+4=5.

TSN.CA / Canucks vs Flames gameday preview TSN.CA LOADED: 02.10.2019

Jeff Paterson

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks (24-24-7) are out to snap a three-game winless skid when they host the Pacific Division leading Calgary Flames (34-15-5) tonight at Rogers Arena. The Canucks are back in action after a 4-3 overtime setback in Chicago on Thursday. That dropped them to 0-2-1 in their past three games and 1-3-1 in their last five. In the process, the Canucks have fallen below the playoff bar in the Western Conference wildcard chase. Josh Leivo had a goal and two assists against the Blackhawks, while Elias Pettersson and Alex Biega scored the other Vancouver goals. Jacob Markstrom made 31 saves in his sixth straight start. He has been in goal for 12 of the past 13 Canucks games and will get the nod again tonight. Pettersson has scored in back to back games and now has 25 goals in his rookie season. Four of those goals have come in three games against the Flames, including his first NHL goal in his Canucks debut on Oct. 3. The Canucks will use the same 18 skaters they have for the past two games. They will move Antoine Roussel and Nikolay Goldobin to the wings on Bo Horvat’s line, while Josh Leivo plays the left side with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. Markus Granlund drops to left wing with Brandon Sutter and Jake Virtanen. The Canucks need Horvat and Jake Virtanen to find their scoring touches. Two of the team’s top four goal scorers on the season each have just one goal in their past 17 games. Horvat has gone five without a goal since a January 20th home game against Detroit, while Virtanen last scored last Saturday in Denver. They’re not alone in their offensive struggles -- Brandon Sutter and Nikolay Goldobin each have one goal in their last 17 games played, as well. Travis Green revealed this morning that Sven Baertschi is out indefinitely with post-concussion symptoms suffered a week ago tonight in Colorado. The winger missed 30 games earlier in the season with a head injury. Baertschi has appeared in just 22 games this season. Ben Hutton logged a career-high 31:18 on Thursday in Chicago. That was a season-high for any Canuck and was the ninth-highest ice time for a Vancouver skater in the past decade. Hutton played 11:13 of the third period with the Canucks trailing by a goal and looking for the equalizer. The Canucks registered 43 shots in Chicago on Thursday. That was two off the team’s season-high for shots in a game. They have hit the 40-shot mark in two of their last three outings and four of their last 17. On the season, they’ve recorded 40 or more shots on goal five times, however, they have just one win in those games (1-2-2). Their season-high is 45 shots in a 4-3 OT win in Ottawa on Jan. 2. The Canucks will play their next two games on home ice and have 16 of their final 27 at Rogers Arena. Tonight marks the start of six straight against divisional rivals and 15 of the final 27 are within the Pacific Division. Calgary jets into Vancouver on the heels of a 5-2 loss at home to San Jose on Thursday night. Mark Jankowski and TJ Brodie had the Flames goals and David Rittich got the start and allowed two early goals before being replaced by Mike Smith. While the Flames have dropped two of their last three, those are their only regulation losses during a 9-2-1 stretch. Johnny Gaudreau leads Calgary in goals, assists and points with 29+45=74 on the season. He started the day sitting fifth in NHL scoring. With Sean Monahan (62), Elias Lindholm (60), Matthew Tkachuk (57) and Mark Giordano (54), the Flames have five players in the top 30 of NHL scoring. Giordano trails only Brent Burns in scoring by defensemen this season. With 199 goals on the season, the Flames are the second-highest scoring team in the league averaging 3.69 goals per game. Calgary is starting its longest road trip of the season tonight. After a stop in Vancouver, the Flames will visit Tampa, Florida and Pittsburgh. They will also make a separate trip to Ottawa, New York Islanders and New Jersey before the month is through. The Canucks are 2-1 against the Flames so far this season with one more meeting still to come. Their last meeting resulted in a 3-2 Canucks overtime victory at the Saddledome on Dec. 29. Calgary will be back in 1130105 Websites

USA TODAY / Calgary Flames' James Neal has teeth fly out of mouth after he's high-sticked

Mike Brehm, Published 1:17 a.m. ET Feb. 10, 2019 Updated 2:59 a.m. ET Feb. 10, 2019

Hockey players are a dentist's dream. Between flying pucks and wayward sticks, there are plenty of opportunities to keep a dentist busy. But what happened to Calgary Flames forward James Neal on Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks seemed bizarre, even by NHL standards. Canucks defenseman Alex Biega was trying to swat at an airborne puck during the third period in Vancouver, missed and caught Neal in the mouth by mistake. And thanks to good camera work from CBC, it was possible to watch Neal's teeth fly out of his mouth in slow motion. One immediately fell to the ice and a couple more flew up after hitting his shoulder as he turned and grabbed his mouth. An on-ice official had to collect the teeth off the ice while Neal went to the dressing room to get repairs on a cut mouth. CBC was quick to point that the wayward upper teeth likely were fake, but still ... they went flying out of his mouth. And another trip to the dentist will need to be scheduled. "That's why there are dentists, right," coach Bill Peters told reporters. "I think for every tooth he lost, they got a minor." Biega received a four-minute penalty for high-sticking. And because hockey players are tough, in addition to prone to losing teeth, Neal was back on the ice before the penalty was over.

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