News Clips April 18, 2018

Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets | Alex Ovechkin’s prediction bold, but not outrageous PAGE 04: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets | retains sense of humor after losing teeth PAGE 06: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets | Players can’t wait to feed off crowd in Nationwide Arena PAGE 08: Columbus Dispatch: Even in defeat, Blue Jackets were still tough to beat PAGE 10: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets | Third straight overtime game a rarity PAGE 12: Columbus Dispatch: Capitals 3, Blue Jackets 2, 2OT | sends Jackets to late loss PAGE 14: The Athletic: Chew on this: Blue Jackets' Ian Cole tucks retainer of false teeth behind his ear as he dines PAGE 16: The Athletic: Blue Jackets fans learning about the torture of playoff overtime and the random heroes it can create PAGE 19: The Athletic: Tight series, sure, but 'resilient' Blue Jackets have barely held the lead through three games

Cleveland Monsters/Prospects

NHL/Websites PAGE 23: The Athletic: Max Pacioretty’s value in dollars and on the trade market doesn’t help the Canadiens PAGE 29: Sportsnet.ca: Connor Hellebuyck comes up with 'textbook' bounce back game for Jets PAGE 31: Sportsnet.ca: Responsibility for Flames' collapse not solely on Gulutzan PAGE 34: USA Today: Golden Knights complete sweep of Kings, and they look poised for even greater things

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Blue Jackets | Alex Ovechkin’s prediction bold, but not outrageous By Steve Gorten – April 18, 2018

Alex Ovechkin’s assertion Tuesday morning in Nationwide Arena that the would win Games 3 and 4 against the Blue Jackets and return home with the best-of-seven NHL playoff series tied was bold, but not outrageous.

Blue Jackets defenseman Ian Cole can attest to that.

Cole’s former team, the , won the first two games in Washington in a playoff series against the Capitals last season but still needed seven games to advance.

While the Caps didn’t win both Games 3 and 4 on the road, they won two of the three games in Pittsburgh. And in 2009, the Caps lost the first two at home and overcame a 3-1 series deficit to beat the John Tortorella-coached New York Rangers in seven.

So while history isn’t on their side — according to Hockey Reference, only 19 times in 103 attempts has an NHL team lost the first two games at home and gone on to win a series — the Capitals could still keep the Jackets from their first series win in franchise history.

“They have future Hall of Famers galore on that team. We’ve got a ton of respect for them as a team and what they can do,” Cole said. “To put ourselves in the best spot, we need to realize how dangerous they are. We have an idea with the first two games, and we know in this room we can play better and put ourselves in a better spot. Certainly by taking less penalties, and doing a better job against their power play, which is one of the best in the league and has been for a decade now.”

Said defenseman Seth Jones, “It’s not over. They’re fully capable of coming in and winning games. We understand that with the offensive firepower they have. We’re not taking anything lightly here. We’re not going to lose a game and see what happens the next. We’re going to try to come out and make a statement right away in front of our fans here.”

The Jackets were trying to match the number of playoff wins (three) from their previous three appearances combined, but Cole said the team can’t focus on the significance of its achievements.

“Whatever history we create is a side effect of winning hockey games,” he said. “The more we concentrate on trying to win each and every individual game, rather than what we’re doing in terms of franchise history or relevancy in the league, we’ll put ourselves in a better spot.”

Holtby gets the call

Braden Holtby received his first start of the series after replacing Philipp Grubauer in to start the third period of Game 2. Holtby allowed one goal on eight shots in the Jackets’ 5-4 overtime win.

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Entering Tuesday’s game, Holtby was 14-4-2 with a 2.62 goals-against average in 21 games all-time against the Jackets. His .932 career save percentage in the playoffs ranked second in NHL history among goalies who’ve played at least 50 games.

Vrana fills in

Jakub Vrana replaced injured left wing Andre Burakovsky on the second line. Burakovsky didn’t make the trip because of an upper-body injury suffered on a Game 2 hit by Boone Jenner.

Jenner, who had a team-high five hits in the game, said of being physical, “It’s something that’s ramped up in the playoffs, and something I can bring, drag guys in and ignite (the team) a little bit that way.”

Milano accepts role

Rookie left wing Sonny Milano, who remained in the lineup, said he hadn’t talked to Tortorella about why he received only 3:13 of ice time (five shifts) in Game 2 but wasn’t upset about it.

“It was still a good experience,” said Milano, whose only other playoff game came last season against the Penguins. “Obviously, I want to play a little more, but at this time of the year, it’s about the team. When I get on the ice, I’ll just try to do my best and see what I can do.”

Just getting started

Cole said the team’s younger players were”jacked up” after two wins in two overtime games, and their enthusiasm “certainly helps a team” during the grind of what the Jackets hope will be a long playoff run.

Noted Cole, “Guys are commenting, like, ‘Oh, man, blocked a ton of shots already. I feel pretty beat up.’ I’m, like, ‘Yeah, we’ve got two more months of this.’ ”

No Wennberg again

Center Alexander Wennberg missed his second game because of an upper-body injury. He didn’t participate in the morning skate. Nick Foligno again centered Wennberg’s linemates Boone Jenner and Thomas Vanek.

“We were talking earlier, and we want to be better (in Game 3),” Jenner said after the morning skate. “That was our first game together, but we want to keep going in the right direction and create some more (scoring) chances.”

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Blue Jackets | Ian Cole retains sense of humor after losing teeth By Steve Gorten – April 18, 2018

Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella elicited laughter with his response to a nondescript question about defenseman Ian Cole on Sunday.

“One thing that’s pretty cool, when he doesn’t have his (false) teeth in his (mouth), he wears them on his ear,” Tortorella said, admiringly. “I’ve always asked him why. Still haven’t gotten a straight answer on that. He’s got some old-school in him.”

So what is the story behind Cole’s dentures?

“I got my teeth knocked out this year,” he said after Tuesday’s morning skate in preparation for Game 3 of a first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals at Nationwide Arena. “So I have what they call a flipper — basically three teeth on a retainer. Everybody that’s had retainers or braces knows, me included, it’s pretty easy to lose those retainers.

“It’s kind of a half-moon shape, so when I’m eating, can’t eat with it in, drinking coffee or whatever, I’ll take it and put it up on my ear like a pencil,” Cole continued. “Just so I know I won’t lose it. Because otherwise I’ll leave it in a napkin on the table. It seemed like a good place to put it so I wouldn’t lose it. (Tortorella) saw it the first time and said, ‘Whaaaat the heck is that?!’ I thought it was a good idea. Maybe I need to rethink where I put my teeth.”

Replacement teeth are common in the NHL, but Cole said he’s the only Jackets player who stores them on his ear.

“Well, if I forget it, I know where it is,” Cole explained.

He said he had never lost teeth in his hockey career until a slap shot struck him in the mouth the third game of this season. The then-Pittsburgh Penguin had gone down to block the drive, just as he had done so often the season before when he blocked 194 shots — third-most among NHL defensemen and a Penguins franchise record.

During the next few days, Cole had loose bone pieces “clipped out” of his jaw and relied mostly on smoothies, soup and rice cakes for sustenance. The son of a dentist, “I had really nice, perfect teeth the whole way, almost eight years (in the NHL) with no teeth knocked out” before the incident, Cole said.

“Then Josi puts a one-timer right in my teeth. (My dad) always told me to wear a mouth guard, which I was wearing at the time, but when a hundred mile (per hour) slap shot is coming right at your face, it doesn’t really do too much. So he was, like, ‘Well, you know what, you tried. You did a good job. We’ll fix them. They’re pretty easy to replace.’ ”

Certainly, his dad wouldn’t endorse the hygiene — or lack of it — associated with storing his teeth on his ear.

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Said Cole, “I still brush them every once in a while and put them in some mouthwash, so they don’t stink too bad. I tend to wash the hair and wash behind my ears like my mom told me. Hopefully, it’s pretty clean.”

He added, “I don’t know if he’s seen it quite yet. I usually do it on the road when I’m eating quick. For family dinners, I’ll put it in a napkin and put it in my pocket or something. I try not to gross too many people out at actual restaurants with it.”

Such as dinner dates with his wife?

“Yeah. I usually ask for a paper bar napkin, fold it up and put it in my pocket, just so I’m not grossing people out,” Cole said. “But on the bus with the boys, when I’m having a coffee, I’ll just plug it behind my ear because we’re all hockey players. At a team meal, I’ll take them just put them on the table. I’m not worried about grossing these guys out, just the general public.”

Cole recounted a story from his earlier days in the NHL.

“A couple of years ago when I was in St. Louis, I was playing with Paul Stastny, I was getting undressed ... I looked up in his stall and you just see a watch, a money clip, a phone and teeth sitting right across the top of the stall. It just popped into my head, ‘That is a hockey player’s stall, right there.’ I guess now I’m part of the club.”

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Blue Jackets | Players can’t wait to feed off crowd in Nationwide Arena By George Richards – April 18, 2018

The patriotic bunting has been brought out and hung with care.

Free blue T-shirts sit on the seats throughout Nationwide Arena.

New “Lets Go Jackets” signage is on the facade of the upper deck.

Yes, playoff hockey returns to Columbus on Tuesday night as Game 3 between the Blue Jackets and Metropolitan Division champion Washington Capitals is set for 7:30 p.m.

“This is fun,” Jackets captain Nick Foligno said after an optional morning skate Tuesday.

“We have been building something here for a little while now and are hoping to reap the benefits. Our job is to go out and play this game knowing our fans are behind us. We have to play well at home. We’ve been pretty good at home of late and know how important home-ice advantage is.

“We don’t want to waste that. We want to come out flying and use our fans as energy, put our best foot forward against a team that will play well. We have to match it — if not be better.”

The Capitals are desperate to get back into this thing after losing the first two home games of the best- of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal.

Columbus, despite being up 2-0 in the series, knows it could be better. The Jackets have been charged with killing 11 power plays in this series and have surrendered five goals to the potent Caps.

While the Jackets love the final scores, they all know they can play better.

“We didn’t play our best hockey,” defenseman Seth Jones said. “We didn’t get a great flow because we were in the box so much. We’ll come out and get our feet moving. It’s exciting to play in front of our fans here. It’s going to be rocking, for sure. Home ice is a factor. We need to feed off that.”

Said Foligno: “I don’t think we’re in any position to look ahead. This is obviously a team that’s going to come in that has played well all year long and has a lot of pride. So do we. This is going to be the toughest game of the series.”

Coach John Tortorella didn’t have much to say in his quick meeting with the media, giving mostly yes or no answers.

Will Sonny Milano remain in the lineup after playing just 3:12 in Game 2?

“Yes,” Tortorella said.

Any update on Alexander Wennberg and his injury sustained in the third period of Game 1?

“No,” he said.

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Tortorella did say he expects NHL players — he wouldn’t comment specifically on the Capitals — have plenty of pride and will bring it when their backs are to the wall.

“I’m not going to talk about Washington and how they go about their business,” Tortorella said. “I will speak in general; the athletes in this league are character people all the way through the league. We need to stay about our business because all players in this league don’t give up. It’s going to be a competitive series.”

Tortorella added he wants his players to “play with emotion. I think we’re a smart enough group and have gone through enough ... I’m not going to tamp down and slow things down.”

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Even in defeat, Blue Jackets were still tough to beat By Michael Arace – April 18, 2018

It had to happen like that. It always does, doesn’t it?

You were probably sitting on the edge of your couch for three hours, riveted to Game 3 of the Blue Jackets-Washington Capitals series. On it goes into one overtime, and then another — and the winning goal is scored the way your kid pots one between the legs of pop’s Barcalounger, after bouncing off the couch, the ficus tree and the tail of your Labrador retriever, with potato chips flying everywhere.

After 89 minutes of hockey, that one goes in? The post was ringing through four and a half periods, the goalies were making unbelievable saves and there were power plays all over the place. And that one goes in?

“Overtime games build character,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz said.

There were 19,337 jammed into Nationwide Arena on Tuesday night and when the winning goal was scored at 9-minute mark of the second overtime, it took one instant for them to be utterly free of any character whatsoever, unless “character” means ramming a nacho covered in molten cheese sauce directly into the eye socket of the person who happened to be in the next seat.

“NHL playoff hockey is a strange animal,” Jackets coach John Tortorella said.

It’s like something a 3-year-old who might someday need professional help paints on the wall.

The Jackets get half-caught in a line change. The Capitals move ahead in space and fires a shot on net from the top of the right circle. It’s the kind of shot where Connolly is hoping against hope for a rebound. It’s the kind of shot that Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky usually swallows with a Gatorade chaser.

This time, Bob fumbled it — but rest easy, Jackets fans, for defenseman Zach Werenski is there to clean up the rebound. Werenski gets his full blade on the puck and whips it in the direction of the far wall. Problem is, third-line center Lars Eller is driving the far post. Here, in Werenski’s words, is what happened with the puck:

“It went off me, it went off (Eller), it hit me, it hit him, it bounced like four times before it went in.”

The last thing it hit before it dribbled over the goal line was Eller’s toe. The goal was reviewed — probably to check whether Eller made an illegal “distinct kicking motion” — but he did not. His toe was merely the last bumper in a wicked pinball machine that provided the Capitals a 3-2 victory.

Oh, this series. When do the fine denizens of Columbus get to sleep? The Jackets won Game 1 in overtime (Artemi Panarin, with a truly evil wrist shot). The Jackets won Game 2 in overtime (Matt Calvert, with a one-handed garbage goal). The series shifted from our nation’s capital to Ohio’s capital city and Eller wins it in double OT.

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“I think as a fan you’re liking this series,” Trotz said.

Thank you sir, may I have another? There are eight playoff series that have been raging for a week now. As of the final buzzer Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena, there were four OT games, and the Jackets- Capitals have played three of them. I guess it’s some kind of fun. It’s thrilling. It’s also dangerous to your cardiovascular health.

For the players and coaches, it’s a different matter.

The Capitals finally came away happy. They have relieved some of the pressure that comes with their history of underwhelming playoff runs, generally, and the stain of dropping the first two games at home, specifically. Caps star Alex Ovechkin has oft had his leadership ability questioned. He promised that the series would return to Washington in a 2-2 tie, and he and his mates are halfway home.

The Jackets, while feeling the sting of a snakebite, did not come off as particularly sensitive to the venom. In fact, they were as upbeat as a team can be after a double-overtime loss.

“We stole two games in Washington — and it gives us a chance to go up 3-1 here,” Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. “This is a great opportunity. It gives us a chance to play the way we want to play. Guys are feeling really good in here.”

In the minds of the Jackets, they have yet to play a sterling 60 minutes. They’re looking forward to Game 4, and another home atmosphere like they had in Game 3.

“Tired?” Panarin said. “No. Nobody’s tired.”

Speak for yourself, pal.

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Blue Jackets | Third straight overtime game a rarity By Steve Gorten – April 18, 2018

They went to overtime again. And this time, they needed even more time to decide the outcome.

So the Blue Jackets and Capitals played on late into Tuesday — beyond the previous longest playoff game in Jackets history, a 91:10 two-overtime win against the Penguins that was also the Jackets’ first playoff win.

Then, finally, Lars Eller scored the winning goal for the Capitals nine minutes into the second overtime for a 3-2 victory.

“It’s a hell of a series,” Jackets coach John Tortorella said. “Three overtime (games).”

Said Capitals coach Barry Trotz: “As a fan, you’re liking these games.”

Tuesday marked only the sixth series in NHL history in which the first three games all went to overtime. Most recently, it happened last season with the Capitals and Maple Leafs.

The Capitals have made a habit of playing nail-biters this time of year. Twelve of their past 22 playoff games have gone beyond regulation, and they were desperate to win this one after two losses at home had sunk them into a 2-0 hole in the series.

“We understand. We’ve been there before a few times,” Trotz said. “You’ve just got to stay with it. You’ve got to believe in your group. ... Overtime games build character. Win or lose, you learn something. ... I think it has served us well going through that series last year in Toronto.”

Added Trotz: “If it takes eight periods, we just want to win. We won one game. ... To get fat and happy right now, we’re still in a hole.”

It may have been too deep to get out of had the Capitals become the first team in league history to lose each of the first three games of a series in overtime. But the puck went in off the toe of Eller’s skate after hitting Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski. It was all a blur for Werenski.

“I don’t even know — it hit them, it hit me, it hit us a couple of times and finally went into the net,” he said. “That’s how most overtime goals are going to be scored.”

Tortorella and Trotz echoed Werenski’s sentiments, noting that it’s often a lucky bounce, tip, deflection or screen that produces the dramatic, if ugly, winning goal.

The Jackets had several great chances in the first overtime, Tortorella said.

“It’s a tough feeling right now, but we’re going to have to forget about it and look forward to Thursday,” Werenski said.

Both teams were scheduled to practice Wednesday but decided to take the day off.

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“We’ll need to get some rest because it’s a lot of minutes for a lot of guys,” Tortorella said.

Defenseman Seth Jones led all Jackets in ice time at 35:04. Forwards Cam Atkinson (31:51), Artemi Panarin (31:39) and Pierre-Luc Dubois (31:09) and defenseman Zach Werenski (30:28) all played more than 30 minutes.

“These are the games you envision as a kid — you have the chance to be the overtime hero, you’re tight checking. They’re fun. They’re really fun,” Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. “No one wants to give an inch. No one wants to be the guy that makes the mistake. We’re learning about ourselves a lot through this. We handled it well tonight. It’s just a game of inches, and this night, we were on the other side of it.”

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Capitals 3, Blue Jackets 2, 2OT | Lars Eller sends Jackets to late loss By George Richards – April 18, 2018

The longer an overtime NHL playoff game goes, the wackier the winning goal usually is.

And many times, the biggest stars on a team are not involved.

That was the case for the Washington Capitals late Tuesday as they got back into their series against the Blue Jackets with a fluky goal in double overtime.

The Capitals beat the Jackets 3-2 in Game 3 of the best-of-seven quarterfinal series when Lars Eller and Zach Werenski got tangled up in front of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Werenski, the Jackets defenseman, tried clearing a loose puck out of harm’s way during the ninth minute. It struck Eller, the Capitals center, bounced back off of Werenski and into the net.

Ballgame.

“Sometimes, the heroes aren’t your big names,” Washington coach Barry Trotz said, “but the next group which gets it done for you.”

Eller was credited with the goal since he was the last Washington player to touch the puck. The Blue Jackets lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena. Tortorella gave his team Wednesday off.

Everyone else will be slamming coffee and energy drinks.

“I thought we played better than we did the other night,” Tortorella said. “It’s a hell of a series. Three overtimes; yeah. We get some rest (Wednesday) and get ready to play the next one.”

At an even 90 minutes, it was the longest game in franchise history for the Jackets, eclipsing the 81:10 it took for them to get a Matt Calvert goal and beat the Penguins in Game 2 of a opening-round series in 2014.

The game was also played in front of the largest crowd in the history of the 18-year-old Downtown arena as an announced 19,337 packed Nationwide and had it hopping as the teams matched goals.

Washington never trailed, taking leads of 1-0 and 2-1 before the goal in double overtime broke a tie forged by a Artemi Panarin goal 4:12 into the third.

All three games in the series have been decided after regulation.

“The margin for error, in these games, is so small,” Nick Foligno said. “Look at how we scored our goals in overtime in their barn and how they scored here. It makes you realize, the opportunities you have, you better step on their throat. You have a chance on the power play in overtime, you better get it done.”

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As was the case in the first two games in Washington, the Jackets found themselves down, yet after 60 minutes, the score was tied.

This time, however, the game needed a second overtime to be settled.

Bobrovsky and Braden Holtby were strong throughout, willing their teams through. The Blue Jackets hitting the goal cage at least four times during the first 80 minutes helped Holtby tremendously.

Washington struck first in the second, with giving the Capitals the opening lead for the third consecutive game as he reached up and knocked down a Matt Niskanen shot from 45 feet out.

It appeared the Capitals would make it 2-0 for the third straight game two minutes later after Bobrovsky hit the deck and was scrambling to keep the puck out of the net from his back. As Bobrovsky turtled on the ice, the Jackets failed to clear the puck and it scooted helplessly into the crease where Brett Connolly caught up to it and popped it into the empty net.

But wait.

Tortorella threw the challenge. The claim: Connolly was offside as he brought the puck into the Jackets zone. Video supported his view and the officials went along with it, erasing the goal off the books and restoring it to a 1-0 game.

“We were on top of it, figured it may come back,” Trotz said. “They made the right call.”

The Jackets took advantage, making a 1-1 game of it for the first time in the series at 11:18 of the second. Rookie center Pierre-Luc Dubois, so impressive in his postseason debut in Game 1, wristed a pretty pass from Panarin and went over Holtby’s shoulder.

Washington retook the lead on its third power play chance, taking advantage of having two extra skaters on the ice as Ryan Murray was called for slashing not long after Brandon Dubinsky was cited for the same infraction.

With a few seconds left in the 5-on-3, John Carlson let one fly from above the left circle past Bobrovsky.

As has been the case time and again in this series, the Jackets were far from done. Down 2-1 going into the third, Cam Atkinson helped pick off a puck with Panarin in the Washington zone and the two were off to the races.

Atkinson and Panarin played keep-away from Carlson with Panarin getting the tying goal after the two charged up the ice. That eventually led to another overtime.

“For the fans, it’s fun to watch,” Bobrovsky said, “but it may be tough on the families. For the fans, it is definitely fun.”

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Chew on this: Blue Jackets' Ian Cole tucks retainer of false teeth behind his ear as he dines By Tom Reed – April 18, 2018

Ian Cole made it more than 28 years without ever worrying about misplacing his teeth.

The son of a dentist and faithful wearer of mouth guards, Cole had a pristine set of choppers. He never left the ice during his first eight NHL seasons “spittin’ Chicklets,” as they say in hockey circles.

That changed in October when a Roman Josi slap shot struck Cole in the mouth, the force of the blow knocking out three teeth. Suddenly, his approach to corn on the cob and eating in general changed.

Fitted for a retainer with three cosmetic teeth, the Blue Jackets defenseman was concerned about losing his “flipper” during meals and cups of coffee. Cole elected to store it — germaphobes you should look away now — behind his right ear.

“Kind of put it up there like a pencil,” Cole said Tuesday morning hours before Game 3 of the Blue Jackets’ playoff series with the Capitals. “Just so I know I won’t lose it. Otherwise, I will leave it on a napkin on a table.”

Hockey players have been getting teeth dislodged since the late Johnny Bower grew up in the Canadian Prairies, substituting frozen horse dung for pucks.

“We called them road apples,” Bower said in his Legends of Hockey biography.

Former defenseman Ken Daneyko told The New York Times he was photographed so often during his playing days without his pearly whites that fans recognizing him in public would exclaim, “You’ve got teeth!”

What makes Cole’s story more unusual is where he keeps his falsies when they are not in his mouth. John Tortorella recently told reporters he was shocked to see the retainer tucked behind Cole’s ear as he ate.

Added Blue Jackets defenseman Ryan Murray: “I wouldn’t say it’s weird, but it’s probably the most unique place I’ve seen someone put it. It’s funny because when you go to dinner he always has them up there.”

Well, not always.

When Cole dines with his wife, Jordan, or family members at finer establishments, he observes a different etiquette.

“I usually ask for a paper bar napkin and pull it out and put it in my pocket at a restaurant just so I’m not grossing people out,” Cole explained. “But on the bus with the boys, I’ll just plug it behind my ear quick because we are all hockey players.”

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Cole was asked about hygienic concerns involving the frequent ear-to-mouth transfer.

“I still brush them every once and a while and put them in some mouthwash so they don’t stink too bad,” he said. “I tend to wash my hair and wash behind my ears like my mom told me.”

The league is full of false-teeth gags. Some locker-room pranksters have been known to grab similar bridges of teeth in teammates’ stalls and swap them. Former Blue Jackets enforcer Jody Shelley said David Ling liked to drop his cosmetic teeth into glasses of beer being guzzled by unsuspecting people seated at his table.

Cole began his career in St. Louis and fondly recalled how teammate Paul Stastny arranged his valuables before games and practices.

“A watch, a money clip, a phone and teeth sitting right across the top of his stall,” Cole said. “It popped into my head, ‘that’s a hockey player’s stall right there.’ I guess now I’m part of the club.”

Notebook

• Much like they did during training camp, the Blue Jackets have split their morning skate into two groups — playing and non-playing. Only three regulars were missing from the playing group: Artemi Panarin, Nick Foligno and Cam Atkinson. All three will play Tuesday night. Just resting up.

• The last player off the ice for the Blue Jackets Tuesday morning? Incredibly it was starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. In his defense, “I was the last guy on the ice, too.”

• Braden Holtby manned the starting goaltender's net during the Capitals' morning skate. He came on in relief of Philipp Grubauer after two periods Sunday, stopping seven of eight shots in 32 minutes. He will start in Game 3.

• No sign of Alexander Wennberg this morning. He remains day to day with a suspected concussion from a Game 1 hit by Tom Wilson.

• Former Blue Jackets forward Trevor Letowski road tripped from Windsor, Ontario, to Columbus for the game Tuesday night. He's the coach of the OHL's Windsor Spitfires.

Letowski spent two seasons with the Blue Jackets (2003-04 and 2005-06), totaling 25-35-60 in 154 games. He was part of some great stories during that time. During the 2003-04 season, he was slashed so badly that the tip of his pinky finger was almost severed. It remained attached only by skin. Letowski was given two options: reset the finger with a pin (4-6 weeks) or have the tip amputated (two weeks). Let's just say he still has five full fingers.

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Blue Jackets fans learning about the torture of playoff overtime and the random heroes it can create By Tom Reed – April 18, 2018

The longest game in Blue Jackets’ history ended with Lars Eller and Zach Werenski ping-ponging the puck into the back of the Columbus net.

Eighty-nine minutes after it had started, a crowd of 19,337 fans stood in stunned silence as the joyous Capitals celebrated a goal that gave them a 3-2 double-overtime victory. As is sometimes the case in the playoffs, almost nobody in the building, players and coaches included, initially had any idea how the puck crossed the goal line.

Werenski, the Blue Jackets’ young defenseman, was the closest eyewitness to Eller’s weird winner that trimmed Columbus’ best-of-seven series lead to 2-1. Here’s his account:

“It hit me, it hit him, hit me, hit him, hit me,” Werenski said.

That clears it up, right?

In fact, video replays show just three caroms followed Brett Connolly’s quick wrist shot that Bobrovsky couldn’t field cleanly. Werenski’s attempt to clear the puck into the corner ricochetted off Eller and boomeranged back at the defender. The puck then struck the inside of Werenski’s left leg and bounced into the net off Eller’s right skate.

Sounds like Seinfeld, Kramer and Newman reconstructing the magic loogie launched by Roger McDowell. Back and to the left. Back and to the left.

“Ugly OT winner goal,” Eller said. “I had a feeling it could be one of those. It doesn’t make it any less sweet.”

Tell that to the largest crowd ever to watch a Blue Jackets game in Nationwide Arena.

Game-ending moments like these are what make hockey fans the most tortured souls in the sports universe. All that time spent pouring emotion into every thrilling rush, heavy hit and flash of skill only to see a game decided in the flukiest manner.

“NHL playoff hockey is a strange animal,” John Tortorella said minutes after midnight.

Torts is dead on. For every spectacular overtime winner like the one scored by Artemi Panarin in Game 1 of the series, there are 10 goals like the one credited to Eller. Off a body part. Through a screen. From a goal-mouth scramble.

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Overtime is the great equalizer, a bizarro world where Matt Calvert can own more OT winners (two) than the combined efforts of Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier and Mario Lemieux — a stat unearthed by Lori Schmidt of 105.7 The Zone.

The Kyrie Irvings and Michael Jordans deliver the beautiful shots to win epic NBA playoff games. It doesn’t work that way in hockey. It’s third-liners such as Stephane Matteau scoring two double-OT goals for the 1994 Stanley Cup winning Rangers, including the memorable Game 7 wrap-around in the Eastern Conference Final that deflected past Martin Brodeur off the stick of Slava Fetisov.

“When you are on the right end of the spectrum, you like the end result no matter what it is — a garbage goal or a highlight goal like Artemi Panarin,” said former Blue Jacket defenseman Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, who’s serving as a radio analyst for the series. “But most of the time it usually is a garbage goal. Especially, second overtimes. Fatigue starts creeping in, mental mistakes, not controlling a rebound. It’s usually these goals that go in off a leg, a pad, off a defenseman. They almost are never really highlight goals if you look at the percentages.”

The nerves of Blue Jackets’ and Capitals’ fans are frayed and we aren’t even a week into the tournament. Three games. Four overtime periods.

Washington-Columbus is easily the most compelling and thrilling series of the opening round.

The Golden Knights swept the Kings. The Sharks are thrashing the Ducks. The Jets hold a commanding 3- 1 lead over the Wild. The Penguins and Flyers are trading blowout victories. There are a few other competitive matchups, but nothing rivaling the end-game drama of the Blue Jackets and Capitals.

It’s just the sixth series in NHL history that’s seen its first three games extend beyond regulation.

“It’s been great,” said Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno, whose club had been 4-1 all-time in playoff OTs. “They are fun (games) to play in. You envision these ones as a kid. Tight checking. Nobody wants to give an inch. I think we are learning a lot about ourselves.”

It’s also becoming a series of sleep deprivation for the respective fan bases.

The Blue Jackets, seeking their first playoff series win, were one shot away from taking a 3-0 stranglehold. They hit four posts behind Braden Holtby. The Blue Jackets were much better in defeat Tuesday than they were in victory Sunday when Calvert ended it with a one-handed rebound.

“(With) the hockey gods, it always comes out in the wash,” Tortorella said.

Meanwhile, the Capitals find themselves down a game in a series in which they have trailed for less than 18 minutes — all coming in Game 2.

“It’s very fair that we have at least one win in these three games,” Eller said. “It’s been close every game.”

No sport features overtimes so radically different from regular season to playoffs. The five-minute, three-on-three format during the season often produces beautiful goals and breath-taking, end-to-end rushes. High-end skill usually trumps luck.

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Come April, May and June, NHL arenas can stay open later than fast food drive-thru windows. Coaches implore players to crash the net and shoot at every opportunity. Games get decided on fortuitous bounces.

Nine minutes into the second overtime, Connolly took a pass from Devante Smith-Pelly and fired a wrist shot that Bobrovsky, who's been so good in all three games, usually gloves for a stoppage. Maybe, it was a momentary lapse in concentration. Who knows? But the puck squirted free and chaos ensued.

Werenski can make that clearing attempt 20 times and 19 of them end up safely in the corner. This one hit Eller, who was driving to the right post.

You know the rest of the story.

“For the fans, it’s fun to watch,” said Bobrosky, who made 42 saves. “Maybe, it’s tough to watch for the families, but for the fans it’s fun to watch.”

Neutral parties? Yes. But for supporters of the teams involved, it’s gut wrenching.

In tournament soccer, they say there are no atheists during kicks. My guess is there are more prayers offered to the heavens during a Stanley Cup playoff OT.

The Blue Jackets are playing well and remain in an envious position heading into Game 4 on Thursday at Nationwide Arena. But getting a lead and holding it through the end of regulation time is advisable.

One bad bounce in overtime can cost you a game and good night’s sleep.

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Tight series, sure, but 'resilient' Blue Jackets have barely held the lead through three games By Aaron Portzline – April 18, 2018

The words “character” and “resilience” have been thrown about the Blue Jackets' dressing room with ease during their first-round series against the Washington Capitals, and it's not just hockey players regurgitating two of their favorite words.

In three games, the Blue Jackets have overcome five deficits, including two two-goal holes, to send all three games to overtime.

On Tuesday, the Blue Jackets came back from down 1-0 and 2-1 before suffering their first loss of the series, a 3-2 double overtime thriller that ended at 9:00 when a pinball puck went into the net behind Sergei Bobrovsky off the foot of Washington's Lars Eller.

The moment Eller's goal went into the net was the first time you could hear yourself think amid the biggest crowd in the history of Nationwide Arena: a standing-room-only 19,337.

The Blue Jackets still lead the best-of-seven series 2-1, heading into Game 4 on Thursday.

“I thought we played much better (Tuesday) than we did the other night (a 5-4 OT win on Sunday),” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. “It's a hell of a series. Three overtimes.

“Yeah, so we just get some rest (on Wednesday) and get ready to play our next one.”

The other side of the Blue Jackets' repeated comebacks is, of course, not so charming. What it means is that they've fallen behind routinely to the Capitals, and spent most of the game chasing.

In 227 minutes, 24 seconds of play total in the three games, the Blue Jackets have had the lead for only 17:33. In Game 1, they never had the lead until Artemi Panarin's overtime game-winner. In Game 3 on Tuesday, the Jackets never led.

The Capitals have led for 77:57 in the series, and the score has been tied a whopping 131:54.

“We're comfortable in that,” Tortorella said. “We don't want to be there. But I don't think it's affected how we played. Sometimes, frankly, it's tougher to have the lead.

“I felt in that third period they were on their heels trying to protect that lead, and we end up scoring. It was one of the best periods of the game. Do we want to chase the game as much as we have? No. But we're still right there, involved, and we've played three overtime games.”

The Blue Jackets had an answer for the Capitals' twice Tuesday. When Tom Wilson's redirected goal put Washington ahead at 5:52 of the second, Pierre-Luc Dubois answered barely five minutes later with a wrister from the right circle.

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1-1.

When the Capitals scored another power-play goal at 14:43 of the second — their sixth already in the series — for a 2-1 lead, the Jackets answered early in the second.

A turnover by Washington's Dmitry Orlov at the Blue Jackets' blue line sent Cam Atkinson and Panarin racing the length of the ice on a 2-on-1 … Panarin to Atkinson to Panarin to Atkinson to Panarin for the easy bury off the rush.

2-2.

“We've been mostly comfortable when we're down, just playing our game and being aggressive,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said. “Obviously you want to have a lead, but that hasn't worked that way for us.

“We've found ways to win games and fight our way back into them. It would have been nice to have (a lead) tonight.”

The Blue Jackets have had long stretches in the series where they've carried play or at least played right with the Metro-winning Capitals. Again with the “character” and “resilience.”

The words they haven't used, however: “dictate, control, command.” The Blue Jackets have not had the upper hand since they lost a 4-3 lead late in the third period Sunday during Game 2.

“You don't want to write it up that way,” Tortorella said.

If you're the Capitals, this is perhaps your best argument that you've deserved a better fate. Washington, with a win in Game 4, can head back home with home-ice advantage restored.

“It's very fair that we have at least one win after these three games,” Eller said. “It's been close every game.”

Notebook

• This game ran 89 minutes on the official counter. The previous longest game in franchise history was April 19, 2014, when Matt Calvert ended a thriller in Pittsburgh with a goal at 1:10 of the second OT (81:10).

• Incredible: 12 of the Capitals' last 21 playoff games have required overtime, two of them double- overtime to settle. The Caps played a first-round series last spring against Toronto, in which five of the six games went beyond regulation.

• Tonight marked the 22nd time in NHL history that a playoff series has gone to overtime in at least three consecutive games.

• The Capitals appeared to have a 2-0 lead at 8:09 of the second period when, after a long shift in the Blue Jackets' end and chaotic scramble in front of Bobrovsky, Brett Connolly found a loose puck and lifted it over Bobrovsky's glove. It would have been the third consecutive game in which the Capitals took a 2-0 lead. But wait a minute. The Blue Jackets had the goal reviewed for offside, and, after a fairly quick review, the goal was disallowed. Replays showed Connolly was slightly offside as the puck entered the zone. Funny how fan bases go back and forth on the need for such reviews.

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• Capitals coach Barry Trotz had no issue with the goal being disallowed: “We were pretty on top of it. We saw the replay right away and thought it might come back. They made the right call.”

• Panarin played 31:39, second only to Atkinson (31:51) among Blue Jackets' forwards. He had his third consecutive multi-point playoff game — 1-1-2 — and was plus-1. He had an explosive one-timer late in regulation that caromed off the near post behind Holtby.

• Asked if he was tired, Panarin cut off an interpreter and handled the question himself: “No. Never. Never tired.” He didn't appear to be joking.

• The highlight of Panarin's interview came when he actually interpreted for the interpreter:

Question: “What do you think of Bob's play in this series?”

Interpreter: “Bob?”

Panarin: “Bobrovsky.”

Interpreter: “Oh, yes, Bobrovsky.”

• Bobrovsky's numbers through three games: .925 save percentage, 2.64 goals-against.

• One thing to keep in mind now that the Capitals have gone back to Holtby: he's much more adept and playing the puck behind the net, and that helped slow the Blue Jackets' forecheck at times Tuesday. Holtby had 33 saves. Here's Trotz: “Braden was solid. He made some really big saves late in the game and overtime. He was real, real solid. He handles the puck really well, saved our defensemen a few extra hits and whacks. His playoffs in the past have been pretty solid.”

• This is pretty remarkable about Panarin: in his past eight games — so three playoff games and his final five regular-season games — he has eight consecutive multi-point games and has totaled 4-16-20.

• Here's Trotz on Panarin: “He's an element the Blue Jackets have added that they haven't had for … for maybe ever. But at the same time, there are some very skilled players out there. Ovie's been the standard for a long time. We've got Kuznetsov, they have Panarin … there are some highly-skilled guys out there.”

• C Brandon Dubinsky is looking much, much better in recent games, and that trend continued Tuesday. He played 24:19, won 18 of 28 faceoffs and had three hits. The rest of the club was 25 of 52 on draws, including rookie Dubois 5 of 21.

• Even as the game drifted into overtime and second overtime, Tortorella essentially rolled three lines. The fourth line — Sonny Milano-Mark Letestu-Oliver Bjorkstrand — barely saw the ice. Milano (5:55) had four shifts in the first, one in the second, two in the third and one each in the first and second overtimes. Bjorkstrand (8:09) had four shifts in the first, two in the second, two in the third no shifts in the fourth and one in the fifth. Letestu (8:10) had just five shifts after the second period.

• The Blue Jackets' best opportunity to win the game might have come and gone late in the first overtime after Washington's John Carlson was whistled for tripping Werenski. The Jackets generated a great scoring chance — Atkinson, ping! — but could not convert.

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• A massive pile-up occurred at 9:48 of the second period when Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin tried to go wide through the left circle on Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones. As they neared Bobrovsky, Jones laid a hit on Ovechkin that sent both of them sailing. Ovechkin went hard into the end boards and Jones slammed into the post, knocking the net off its mooring.

• Dubois played 31:09 and led the Blue Jackets with six hits. His goal at 11:18 of the second was his first career playoff goal, making him the fourth Blue Jackets' rookie to score a playoff goal: Boone Jenner had three goals vs. Pittsburgh in 2013-14, while Markus Nutivaara and Werenski each scored goals last spring against the Penguins.

• The Blue Jackets have played 18 playoff games all-time. They have yet to hold an opponent to less than three goals in a game.

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Max Pacioretty’s value in dollars and on the trade market doesn’t help the Canadiens By Arpon Basu – April 18, 2018

The trade deadline had passed, and Max Pacioretty was still here, still wearing the uniform, still with a letter C on his chest.

After playing the Philadelphia Flyers on the night of Feb. 26, losing 1-0 in a shootout, a shootout in which he was not called upon to shoot and David Schlemko was, Pacioretty poured his heart out. He was practically expecting to be traded, and when he wasn’t, he took the opportunity to express how badly he wanted to stay in Montreal, a city he calls home year-round.

Fast forward six weeks, and Pacioretty is in the exact same position as he was prior to that game against the Flyers. The likelihood of him being traded remains high, largely because he is entering the final year of what has been one of the most team-friendly contracts in the NHL.

Pacioretty signed that six-year, $27 million contract on Aug. 12, 2012, one of the first things Marc Bergevin did after being hired as Canadiens general manager three months earlier. It remains one of his best moves six years later. From the day he signed that contract, one that came into effect in 2013-14, Pacioretty has been one of the most prolific scorers in the NHL, without the benefit of much offensive support or an upper tier centreman to play with. Pacioretty has scored 173 goals in 424 games since signing his current contract, or 0.41 per game, the 10th best rate in the NHL over that time. It is on par with Jamie Benn and Brad Marchand. On top of that, Pacioretty has consistently been one of the best possession players in the NHL and has developed into a fine penalty killer. All for the bargain price of $4.5 million a year.

But that contract has one year remaining on it, Pacioretty will turn 30 in November and is coming off the least productive season of his career with 17 goals and 37 points in 64 games, yet has still earned a significant pay raise. On a team with holes to fill, Pacioretty's goal-scoring pedigree and very affordable cap hit should make him an attractive trade target to any number of teams at the draft, or shortly afterward. The Canadiens practically have no choice but to take advantage of that, a reality that appears to have struck Pacioretty more than ever.

“I can’t answer those questions but if something were to happen I’m not going to be a baby about it,” he said when the Canadiens cleaned out their lockers last week. “It is a privilege to play in this league, it’s been a privilege to play for the Montreal Canadiens and I hope that keeps going. But if they have other plans then I’m just going to keep living my life.”

So, given the current situation, it is worth looking at what the potential scenarios are for Pacioretty; what a new contract with the Canadiens might be and what a trade might look like, both in terms of evaluating his value and finding potential landing spots.

A new contract

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The chances of Pacioretty remaining with the Canadiens long term may have ended on June 23, 2017, the day T.J. Oshie signed an eight-year, $46 million contract extension with the Washington Capitals.

Oshie was 30 when he signed a week before hitting unrestricted free agency, the same age Pacioretty will be when his next contract kicks in. In the four seasons prior to signing his contract, Oshie had 99 goals and 222 points in 299 games. Pacioretty over his last four seasons has put up 119 goals and 235 points in 307 games.

The big difference here is that Oshie was coming off his best season – a career-high 33 goals in 68 games – when he signed and was on the verge of unrestricted free agency, not a year away. So the circumstances are not exactly the same. Still, Oshie just finished a season where he put up 47 points in 74 games, his worst point-per-game average since 2009-10, his second season in the NHL. In terms of proving you deserved a contract, this was not the most convincing way to do it.

If I’m Pat Brisson, Pacioretty’s agent, I’m looking at that Oshie contract and saying my client deserves a lot more than $5.75 million a year for eight years.

On the other hand, if I’m Bergevin, I can look at the contract extension Marchand got just prior to the start of the 2016-17 season. Marchand signed an eight-year, $49 million contract on Sept. 26, 2016 when he was 28, a contract that kicked in this season, when he was 29. That is an annual average value (AAV) of $6.125 million, which looks like one of the better bargains in the NHL right now, but could still serve as somewhat of a ceiling for Pacioretty considering Marchand has 170 points in 148 games since signing and had 85 points in 68 games this season, the first year of his new contract.

Another date Bergevin might look at when assessing whether or not to give Pacioretty a contract extension is July 1, 2016, when several mistakes were made around the NHL. Loui Eriksson (six years, $6 million AAV), Troy Brouwer (four years, $4.5 million AAV) and Andrew Ladd (seven years, $5.5 million AAV) were all signed to lucrative, long-term contracts at the age of 30. Two others close to that age – Kyle Okposo and Milan Lucic were each 28 – also signed identical seven-year, $42 million contracts that day. It would be fair to say the teams that signed each of those contracts would like a do-over today. Even if Pacioretty is a far superior player to any of them, it is not hard to see how this would lead to some reluctance in committing to a player of his age.

“It feels like yesterday people were asking me questions about me being a young player and having to improve my game in certain areas, but now I feel like people are labelling me as an old player,” Pacioretty said. “It happens pretty quickly.”

Finally, there is one more case that is very relevant to Pacioretty’s situation, and that is Alex Radulov. He was two days shy of his 31st birthday on July 3, 2017 when he signed a five-year contract with the Dallas Stars worth $6.25 million a year, as Bergevin knows very well. What is pertinent here is that Bergevin has repeated numerous times that he made Radulov the same offer, which means he has no philosophical issue with signing a 31-year-old to a five-year contract.

Would Pacioretty accept a five-year contract worth $7 million a year? Or maybe $6.5 million a year? Maybe?

“When you don’t have success you’re worrying about where you’re going to be more so than what you’re going to make,” Pacioretty said. “I’ve always said I love playing here and if I have to go

24 somewhere else it’s not about money, it’s about playing hockey and it’s about my family. I’ve always found that Montreal for me is the best fit but if it’s not the best fit for them then…you know.”

That’s the question, whether Bergevin feels Pacioretty is the best fit. He has been captain for three years, and the Canadiens not only failed to make the playoffs in two of those years, but crashed and burned badly. The one year they did make it, Pacioretty didn’t score a goal in six playoff games.

“We missed Shea Weber for about 50 games, so that didn’t help,” Bergevin said last week. “And I never felt someone step up, and that affected the team. The attitude of the team must improve. It’s not one individual, it’s the team in general. We have a lot of work to do.”

It is difficult to imagine in the context of a “retooling” team that is looking to get younger while still relying on Carey Price and Weber as the centrepieces that Pacioretty will get a contract extension, especially in light of that comment from Bergevin, a not-so-veiled shot at his captain. The contract offer to Radulov might suggest one could be coming for Pacioretty, but the context has changed drastically over the past year. It’s one thing to try and keep a playoff team together, it’s quite another when you finish 28th overall.

The one wildcard in this scenario is that Pacioretty is represented by Brisson, who is an old friend of Bergevin’s and also happens to represent a certain New York Islanders centre who could become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, one who would look pretty good lining up between Pacioretty and, say, Brendan Gallagher. Just a thought.

Pacioretty's trade value

Assuming Bergevin does not intend to sign Pacioretty to a contract extension, Pacioretty himself recognizes that having him come back to the team without one doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

“I think that wouldn’t be the ideal plan for the team and for the organization, given the position they’re in,” he said. “They would want to either commit to someone long term or want to not let someone expire and lose them for nothing. Given the salary cap world, that’s the way things work.”

So, what would Pacioretty be worth on the trade market? Would he be able to singlehandedly fetch a return that would fill one of the glaring holes on the team, whether that’s a top-6 centre or a mobile left defenceman to play with Weber on the top pairing? It’s difficult to say, but unless Pacioretty is bundled with another player or an attractive package of draft picks or both, it doesn’t look very likely.

Looking at every NHL trade over the past 10 years, a few things jump out immediately. First, a player of Pacioretty’s calibre is rarely traded. He has scored 158 goals over the last five years, which puts Pacioretty 10th in the NHL over that span just behind, interestingly, John Tavares (160) and Marchand (159). Seeing as goals are important, players who are able to score them tend to stay on their teams.

In attempting to find comparable trades to gauge Pacioretty’s value, the criteria used here was that it had to be a similarly productive player hovering around age 30, he had to have one year left on his contract and the trade had to be in the offseason. The only person who fit that criteria was Thomas Vanek, and the criteria needed to be stretched to fit him in.

Vanek was traded by the Buffalo Sabres to the Islanders on Oct. 27, 2013, so essentially the Islanders were getting one season of Vanek minus a few games. In the five seasons prior to the trade, Vanek

25 scored 146 goals, which placed him 10th in the NHL over that span. He was 29 at the time and was going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of that season, which is what led the Islanders to unload him at the trade deadline to the Canadiens, where he played on a line with Pacioretty. It's the circle of life.

In return for Vanek, the Sabres received Matt Moulson, who was also in the final year of his contract, a first round pick in 2014 and a second round pick in 2015. So, essentially, a poor man’s replacement for Vanek and futures, which is not necessarily what the Canadiens are looking for. The Sabres doubled down on this trade by signing Moulson to a five-year, $25 million contract when he was, you guessed it, 30. That contract has been buried in the minors all season.

If we play with the criteria a little further, three other comparisons emerge. Dropping the offseason requirement, Jason Pominville was traded by the Sabres at the 2013 deadline to the with one year left on his contract, but the Wild also had the benefit of having Pominville for the 2013 playoffs on top of the 2013-14 season. This is why Pacioretty’s value was higher at the trade deadline than it is now, even if more teams could theoretically be bidding for his services this summer.

Pominville, more of a playmaker than a pure scorer, was not quite in the same league as Pacioretty or Vanek – his 333 points in the five seasons prior to the trade ranked him 24th in the NHL – but the nature of the trade deadline boosted his value. In return for Pominville and a fourth round pick in 2014, the Sabres received goalie prospect Matt Hackett, forward Johan Larsson, a 2013 first round pick and a second round pick in 2014. Larsson is a serviceable centre who had 17 points in 80 games for the Sabres this season and that first round pick turned into defenceman Nikita Zadorov, who the Sabres traded in a package for Ryan O’Reilly.

Still, again in this instance there was no immediate help, which makes sense because the trade happened at the deadline, when teams are loading up for the playoffs. This is why deadline deals were originally omitted from the comparison.

If we drop the age criteria, two other comparisons are Brent Burns and Milan Lucic. Burns was 26 with one year left on his contract when he was traded along with a 2012 second round pick from the Wild to the at the 2011 draft for forwards Charlie Coyle, Devin Setoguchi and a late first-round pick. Coyle played a season of junior before joining the Wild in 2012-13 and Setoguchi scored 19 goals and 36 points in 69 games in 2011-12. So the Wild got some immediate help, but, again, Burns was 26 at the time, though he was eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of his contract.

Lucic was 27 when the Boston Bruins traded him to the at the 2015 draft with one year left on his contract. Lucic’s value went beyond goals and assists – his 105 goals in five years ranked him 49th in the NHL – and his physical style of play seemed a perfect fit for the Kings. The return was a 2015 first round pick, defenceman Colin Miller, who just had a breakout season with the Vegas Golden Knights, and impending restricted free agent goaltender Martin Jones. The Bruins immediately flipped Jones to the Sharks for a 2016 first round pick and forward Sean Kuraly, who is a bottom-6 depth contributor in Boston this season. The Kings allowed Lucic to walk as a free agent after a pretty decent 55-point performance in 81 games, allowing him to sign that unfortunate contract with the Oilers, who outbid Bergevin and the Canadiens for his services. Phew.

If we expand the criteria of having one year left on a contract, a trade similar to what the Canadiens might hope to pull off happened at the 2014 draft when the Vancouver Canucks sent centre Ryan Kesler

26 to the Anaheim Ducks. Kesler, 29 at the time with two years left on his contract, was packaged with a 2015 third round pick for defenceman Luca Sbisa, centre Nick Bonino and a first and third round pick in 2014. The Ducks also traded Bobby Ryan with two years left on his contract to the on July 5, 2013, for forwards Jakob Silfverberg, Stefan Noesen and a 2014 first round pick. The second year on the contract is the big difference here, and the immediate help the Canucks and Ducks received in return for each player reflects that.

Based on the recent history of NHL trades, getting someone the Canadiens can immediately plug into their lineup for Pacioretty straight up doesn’t look likely. But the Canadiens have four second-round picks in the 2018 draft to sweeten the pot. There are also players who might be attractive to teams in a package, starting with Alex Galchenyuk, whose future in Montreal never seems to be all that secure, for some reason.

Potential partners in a trade

Trading for Pacioretty would make varying degrees of sense for roughly half the NHL because adding a perennial 30-goal scorer is usually a good thing. But the ideal team from the Canadiens perspective is one that is so desperate to add someone like Pacioretty that they might be willing to overpay a little in order to secure his services. Playoff teams excluded, because much of their offseason plans will depend on their postseason performance, here are three potential landing spots that meet that desperation requirement.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes have seemed like they are on the cusp of something for years. Yet they always fall short. They missed the playoffs for a ninth straight year and have a new owner in Tom Dundon who may like to make some sort of splash after “promoting” Ron Francis out of the general manager’s position. For a team that has finished 23rd, 20th, 27th, 27th and 22nd in goals scored over the past five seasons, adding a scorer like Pacioretty could be just the splash Dundon might be looking for. Deep on defence, perhaps prospect Jake Bean could be pried away with the right package.

Edmonton Oilers

A rare team that is deep at centre with insufficient talent on the wing, Pacioretty would be an ideal wing man for Connor McDavid. His most common linemate this season was Patrick Maroon, an impending unrestricted free agent who was traded to the New Jersey Devils at the deadline. Pacioretty would come as close as humanly possible to keeping up with McDavid and, considering what he’s done in his career without an elite centre to play with, the potential of this combination should be enticing. Defenceman Darnell Nurse will be a restricted free agent after the 2018-19 season, and the Oilers have more than $54 million committed to nine players in 2019-20. One way for the Oilers to free up some money to sign Nurse would be to trade centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, under contract for three more seasons at $6 million a year. Pacioretty alone would not be enough to get either Nurse or Nugent-Hopkins, but perhaps a package built around him could get it done.

Florida Panthers

One of the teams rumoured to be in on Pacioretty at the deadline, the Panthers aren't exactly desperate, but their window is opening and the timing is right to add a proven, veteran goal-scorer to a

27 young, talented lineup. The Panthers might also have a decent chance of re-signing Pacioretty considering he has a home in South Florida. Not only that, but this is clearly a team on the rise with tons of young talent already on the team, which provides leeway to trade a relatively high-end prospect in order to add a veteran scorer that might stick around long term.

The natural conclusion of this exercise is that whatever happens to Pacioretty, it will probably be a less than satisfactory conclusion. In order to keep him, the contract will be hefty and would infringe on Bergevin’s ability to go big game hunting in free agency. In order to trade him, the Canadiens will likely have to settle for an underwhelming return, based on the history of trading players with one year left on their contract. In the latter case, perhaps the Canadiens would have been best served trading Pacioretty sooner, like last summer, to maximize his value. Of course, that is easy to say now that we know what happened this season. It is less easy to trade away your best offensive player when you just finished first in the Atlantic Division with a 103-point season. It would have taken some major foresight and recognition of the glaring holes on the roster, and it’s unfair to expect that in hindsight.

No, it’s too late for that now. What’s done is done, or not done, as it were, and Bergevin now needs to find a way to get the most possible value for a valuable player who is currently at his lowest value, if that makes sense. It is incumbent on him to break the trend of low-return trades for players on expiring contracts.

Bergevin is sitting on more than $13 million in cap space with 20 players already signed for 2018-19, a number that could jump by $4.5 million if Pacioretty was traded for futures alone. Signing Tavares is clearly Plan A for this summer, assuming he makes it to July 1 without signing an extension with the Islanders, but that’s what makes the Pacioretty situation that much trickier. If Bergevin manages to land Tavares, which is a massive IF, it might make sense to bring Pacioretty back without an extension in place and see what they can do together. Except if Bergevin holds on to Pacioretty long enough to know whether or not he has landed Tavares, the potential trade market risks shrinking as other teams go about their business at the draft and the opening day of free agency.

In so many ways, when looked at in a vacuum, trading a player like Pacioretty at this stage of his career is delicate. Under the current circumstances, however, it is like a ticking time bomb sitting on Bergevin’s door step. He has never been under more pressure to perform than he is now, with owner Geoff Molson clearly stating that while Bergevin’s job was saved, tangible changes needed to happen. Molson didn’t come right out and say it, but the inference was clear that Bergevin needs to have one hell of an offseason, or else.

Bergevin's ability to defuse that time bomb sitting on his door step will likely go a long way in determining how long Molson's patience with him will last.

28 https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/connor-hellebuyck-comes-textbook-bounce-back-game-jets/

Connor Hellebuyck comes up with 'textbook' bounce back game for Jets By Mark Spector – April 18, 2018

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Game 4 of this playoff series was over, and the had their opponent down on the mat.

A road split in Minny, on a day when one of the Minnesota Wild’s most important players, Zach Parise, was shelved for the spring with a broken sternum.

Whatever happened in goalie Connor Hellebuyck’s post-game media, he knew that giving the Wild something to put up their dressing room wall was the one thing to avoid. Even if he had pitched a shutout and been named a Vezina finalist in the same day.

“I’m trying to underplay it right now,” he finally said to the gathered media. “You’ve got to let me.”

Sorry, kid. We’ve got deadlines.

So the questions kept coming.

About a little boy who dreamed of a day like this, growing up in the Detroit suburb of Commerce, Mich., cheering on the Red Wings and guys like Curtis Joseph, Dominik Hasek and Chris Osgood.

About a 24-year-old playoff rookie who had let in six and been pulled after 40 minutes in Game 3, then returned to the nets two nights later and been perfect.

About maybe, just maybe, having his name on the historic Vezina Trophy this spring among, perhaps, other hardware.

“It definitely added a little more hop to my step,” he said of the nomination, alongside Nashville’s Pekka Rinne and Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy. “It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to it, but I have to dial it back in. We’re here to do a job. We’re here to win a Stanley Cup. I have to worry about that first.”

Hellebuyck was one save better than Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk in Game 4, allowing Winnipeg to ride Mark Scheifele’s first period goal all the way to a late empty-netter (also Scheifele) that sealed the deal. A 2-0 road win puts the Jets in the driver’s seat, and now they’re heading home with a 3-1 series lead.

“We didn’t learn anything about him,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said of his goalie. The point being, every member of this club knew Hellebuyck would go unaffected by getting the hook in Game 4.

“You knew, five to 10 minutes into that game, he was right and feeling good. It’s really good for our hockey team to see that from him,” Maurice said. “To see that he can come back and rebound – those kind of confidence builders in the playoffs are critical.”

Tuesday marked a major swing day in this series with Parise’s exit, the Wild losing in regulation at home for only the seventh time all season and the Jets regaining the territorial advantage they’d lost in Game 3. Hellebuyck will have far tougher shutouts than this, though he made a couple of fabulous stops, the

29 kind that make the difference between a punctual flight home Tuesday evening and an overtime that could have ended who knows how?

This kid? He’s all goalie, and good goalies are all about recovery from tough nights and rough goals. That is, if you consider a shutout after being pulled a decent recovery.

“It might be textbook, I don’t know,” he joked. “You can read hockey books and it might say, ‘Shutout after pull.’ I don’t know.”

“That’s the dream,” said Joe Morrow, just one more piece of this patchwork blue line corps that has been slapped together in front of Hellebuyck. “It’s what you train yourself to do. To be able to have that attitude where … tomorrow is a new day. You wake up, you’re a whole new person and you’re ready to play again.”

Hellebuyck, referred to as “Bucky” by his teammates, has the qualities that teammates love in their netminders. He worries only about the next shot — never the last one — and he absolutely never shows his defencemen up when a puck sneaks past.

“If a goalie takes onus on every single shot, every single goal. That’s a guy you’ll do that little extra for,” Morrow said. “Bucky is one of those guys, even if you screen him and you say, ‘Hey, sorry buddy.’ He’ll say, ‘Just take a step to the left. We’re all good.’ There’s nothing to it.”

He’s a small-scale version of the Jets as a whole. Hellebuyck’s sloppy game last season that has taken on the detail and consistency required to win.

“I don’t think I pulled him this year, and I certainly got my fill of it the year before,” said Maurice. “He got pulled an awful lot, and that was all part of that process in the year, learning how to handle those things.

“Good for him.”

No, good for the Jets.

And for the Wild? Not so good, we’d say.

30 https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/responsibility-flames-collapse-not-solely-gulutzan/

Responsibility for Flames' collapse not solely on Gulutzan By Eric Francis – April 18, 2018

For obvious reasons, Brad Treliving was the one who stood at the podium to deliver, explain and defend the news.

However, those who watched the this year know it wasn’t the general manager who had coach Glen Gulutzan fired Tuesday.

It was the players. They did this to him.

A room short on emotional investment and long on passengers was responsible for one of the most epic face plants in franchise history, winning five of their final 19 games.

No wonder the coach heaved his stick skyward – herding these cats was futile.

With two months left in the season the Calgary Flames sat in a playoff spot, making it tough for Treliving to fathom he’d be at a podium Tuesday afternoon instead of a playoff game.

“It’s hard to get past how it ended,” said Treliving of the role the team’s collapse had in his decision.

“Glen is a good coach. He’s a wonderful person. We didn’t get our team to the point I felt we needed to. I felt we had a group of players underperforming.”

So, here they are, two years after the 46-year-old player-friendly coach was hired to be the anti-Bob Hartley, and the new-age bench boss is gone and the team’s search is on.

Not that he was willing to share, but Treliving said he has a crystal-clear profile of what he’s looking for in his second hire.

And you can bet the top of his priorities is finding a coach who commands enough respect to ensure the small number of players willing to do what it takes to out-will opponents grows exponentially.

The inmates can no longer run this asylum.

How do you find such a coach?

You look for experience, which Treliving hinted might just be the most important asset he’s looking for now.

“I think having experience in this league is critical,” said Treliving who axed Gulutzan with one year left on his relatively inexpensive contract, while also relieving assistants Paul Jerrard and Dave Cameron of their duties.

“I think knowing the league is a crucial aspect.”

That had always been the criticism of the anti-Gulutzan crowd, suggesting his two years as bench boss in Dallas wasn’t sufficient enough to move this young team forward.

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People constantly questioned his personnel decisions, (which, by the way, happens in every city in the league.)

Surely, they also know the battles the coach faced with the lack of offensive depth on the roster that Treliving accepts as part of his shortcomings.

As far as buying into Gultzan’s program, Treliving wouldn’t say his team is hard to coach. He can’t.

But they are.

On paper the Calgary Flames have the ingredients to be in the playoff mix.

On the ice they are a fragile, unpredictable bunch that faltered when the games mattered most, authoring one of the worst home records in the NHL.

Over the most crucial 13-game stretch of the season they won three games, including four must-wins in a row in which they never got within two goals of an opponent.

Several players took advantage of the rope Gulutzan gave them and let the team down because of it.

Now they’re going to get someone they won’t like as much, guaranteed.

“There’s responsibility to bear on a lot of shoulders and our players are not exempt from that,” said Treliving, who inherited (then extended) Hartley before replacing him with Gulutzan.

“Accountability lies with all of us. There is lots of blame to go around. The shortcomings of our season are not solely placed on the three coaches today.”

Treliving insisted Gulutzan is a good coach, but at the end of the day his team took a giant step backwards this season by any metric.

This move surprised no one.

He weighed the importance he and owners put on continuity with what is best for the club moving forward – finding a new voice to try tapping into the hearts of this bunch is clearly necessary.

The special teams were abysmal, which he said is one of the more direct reflections of coaching than most other aspects of the game. A 29th-ranked power play won’t get anyone very far.

Treliving said this is the first of many off-season moves, but insisted assistant coach Martin Gelinas, goalie coach Jordan Sigalet and video coach Jamie Pringle will remain with the team.

If experience is key, you can bet Treliving will have chats with Dave Tippett (who he worked with for years in Arizona) as well as Darryl Sutter, who is still highly-thought of by Flames brass and owners.

Alain Vigneault knows a thing or two about winning around the league too.

Bill Peters is still employed as coach of the Carolina Hurricanes but has strong ties to Alberta, never mind an out-clause with his current employer some believe prompted the Flames to axe Gulutzan when they did.

Peters, 51, was Canada’s gold-medal-winning coach at the 2016 world championships when Treliving was co-GM.

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The list will grow, with various NHL assistant coaches and minor league-hotshots throwing their hats in the ring.

But at the end of the day this team needs a coach who has been there, done that and won’t tolerate the kind of approach several players took that got Gulutzan fired.

33 https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/columnist/allen/2018/04/17/vegas-golden-knights-sweep- los-angeles-kings/526823002/

Golden Knights complete sweep of Kings, and they look poised for even greater things By Kevin Allen – April 18, 2018

NBC analyst Mike Milbury said Monday night that he wouldn’t be shocked to see the expansion Vegas Golden Knights to go “further than the second round.”

“They could actually play in June,” he said. “I shake my head when I say that, but it’s gone too long now.”

The Golden Knights continued one of the most fascinating seasons in pro history Tuesday when they downed the Los Angeles Kings with another 1-0 win to finish a four-game sweep of the Western Conference quarterfinal series.

Here are five reasons why the Golden Knights could win the Stanley Cup:

Fleury’s flying: No one, including the Boston Bruins' David Pastrnak, is having a greater impact for his team than Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. In his first three games, he had a 0.84 goals-against average and a .970 save percentage. Fleury, 33, might be playing the best hockey of his noteworthy career. He has been the Golden Knights’ MVP all season. He oozes charm, confidence and charisma. He was born to play in Las Vegas.

Pushy style: The Golden Knights have been in playoff mode since October. Most teams build up their intensity and championship ambition. But the Golden Knights stormed out of the gates in full gallop, displaying a speed-based, hard-charging, relentless, attacking style that is perfect for playoff success. Opponents believed the Golden Knights wouldn’t be able to sustain this taxing style into the playoffs. That theory has proved to be incorrect.

#VegasStrong: Vegas players wanted to do what they could to help their community heal from the mass shooting that left 58 dead just before the season opened. They have forged a bond with the community that seems to inspire them at every home game. Everyone in town is talking about the Golden Knights, and the overwhelming fan support has already made T-Mobile Arena one of the NHL’s loudest buildings. It’s a challenging road game for opponents.

Gallant men: Coach Gerard Gallant has played a major role in transforming a patchwork collection of players into a championship-caliber team. He is a player’s coach, an old-school hockey guy who gets the most out of his players by empowering them and propping up their confidence. He's an overwhelming favorite to win the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year.

Everything to prove, nothing to lose: Every player, coach and member of management came from somewhere else. Everyone performed this season as if they had a chip on their shoulder because their previous team deemed them expendable. Every game, the Golden Knights had someone on the roster who previously played for that night's opponent and had a special reason to beat that team. That

34 attitude fueled a unified effort to play every game with passion and purpose. The feeling that everyone had something to prove has now carried into the playoffs. It is working even better.

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