SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 04/15/18 1091464 Ducks lose with their best defenseman in the press box 1091502 Blue Jackets | Momentous third period vs. Capitals 1091465 Ducks’ Kevin Bieksa moves past hand injury, will bring brought their best physical style into Game 2 1091503 Blue Jackets | Alexander Wennberg injury a blow to 1091466 Ducks’ rally falls short as Sharks take 2-0 lead back to emerging line San Jose 1091504 Blue Jackets | Pierre-Luc Dubois earns coach’s trust 1091505 Blue Jackets | It’s full speed ahead in seeking Game 2 win 1091506 playoffs finally become family affair for Nick 1091467 Back in Tucson, Coyotes' Dylan Strome is primed for a and Marcus Foligno playoff 1091507 Blue Jackets' Boone Jenner found a new gear when he rediscovered his confidence 1091508 Burnside: Player Safety head George Parros has held 1091468 David Pastrnak, Bruins make quick work of Maple Leafs strong in difficult start to playoffs 1091469 Historic night for David Pastrnak 1091470 After Game 2 romp, it’s not too early to talk Stanley Cup 1091471 Tommy Wingels feeling better, but a no-go for Game 2 1091509 10 things to know about Stars head coaching candidate 1091472 Adam McQuaid blocks out distractions (as well as shots) : This isn't the first time he's been up 1091473 ’s suspension will help keep clean play in 1091510 Stars need next head coach to do what Ken Hitchcock check wouldn't: Trust the young guys 1091474 Al Iafrate’s advice? ‘Stay in school and get the degree, 1091511 Q&A: Mike Modano on Ken Hitchcock, Tyler Seguin, and man’ the future of the Stars 1091475 This sports week is about as good as it gets in Boston 1091476 Bruins' bottom six in question for Game 2 tonight Red Wings 1091477 Haula's in 2nd OT gives Vegas 2-1 win over Kings 1091512 Breaking down the '18-19 roster 1091478 Bruins notebook: Winger Tommy Wingels approves of keepers and sleepers suspension for ’s Nazem Kadri 1091513 Red Wings prospect Dennis Cholowski to join Grand 1091479 David Pastrnak sparkles as Bruins swamp Toronto for 2-0 Rapids Griffins edge 1091514 After son's death, Red Wings announcer joins 1091480 David Pastrnak continues his special ascension for Bruins opioid fight 1091481 Conroy: Bruins quash any thought of letdown, destroy 1091515 Gordie Howe's legacy lives on in son's book Leafs 1091516 Red Wings prospect Cholowski to join Grand Rapids 1091482 Bruins rookie Ryan Donato makes playoff debut in Game 1091517 Son shares Gordie Howe’s legacy at book signing 2 1091518 Prospect Dennis Cholowski to join 1091483 Morning Skate: Gronk loves Pasta - the black and gold for playoffs kind 1091519 Griffins head into regular-season finale knowing first-round 1091484 Bruins know Leafs 'are gonna bring it' in Game 2 playoff foe 1091485 Haggerty: Marchand in perfect spot with his game and 1091520 A look at playoff schedule for Grand Rapids goofy antics Griffins- 1091486 Wingels a game-time decision, Donato steps in if he's out 1091521 Griffins get big performances to clinch second place 1091487 Pastrnak makes history in Game 2 vs Maple Leafs 1091522 Griffins have moment of silence to remember Humbolt 1091488 Pastrnak's hat trick helps Bruins dominate Maple Leafs in hockey team Game 2, 7-3 Edmonton Oilers 1091523 Edmonton Oilers’ call-up Ty Rattie could be an 1091489 Amerks clinch third place, will face Crunch in first round inexpensive solution on Connor McDavid’s wing next year 1091490 Inside the NHL: Chiarelli is wasting McDavid and 1091524 Black Dog Pat: Not firing Chiarelli is a slap in the face to somehow surviving as Oilers GM Oiler fans everywhere 1091491 Inside the Sabres: The curious case of Ryan O'Reilly 1091525 Lowetide: Trio of Condors defencemen have very different rookie experiences 1091492 David Rittich reflects on whirlwind season with Flames 1091526 Kings' patchwork defense held up in Game 2 but lack of Blackhawks scoring chances led to loss 1091493 Big playoff looms for Chicago Wolves, Rockford 1091527 Kings in search of offense after - loss to IceHogs Golden Knights 1091528 Kings coach John Stevens: Time for some Staples Center cooking 1091494 Avalanche again allows 5 goals in another playoff loss to 1091529 Kings’ has stolen postseason show Predators 1091530 RECOVERY SATURDAY AT TSC; CARTER, PHANEUF, 1091495 Avalanche vs. Predators live blog: Real-time updates from KEMPE QUOTES the 1091531 STEVENS ON THE AFTERMATH OF GAME 2; 1091496 With Colorado Avalanche playoff run, a resurgent fan base FANTENBERG; MARTINEZ revels in the team’s long-awaited success 1091532 WAKING UP WITH THE KINGS: APRIL 14 1091497 Kiszla: The Avalanche’s sad playoff song: Star Nathan MacKinnon looks so lonesome he could cry 1091498 Avalanche played Game 2 without defenseman Sam Girard 1091499 Paul Klee: Loud noises! Can Pepsi Center carry Avalanche back into series as they face 2-0 deficit to Predator 1091500 Klee's Game 2 Rapid Reactions: Predators 5, Avalanche 4 1091501 Klee blog: Avs stud defenseman Sam Girard ruled out for Game 2 1091533 Predators take 2-0 lead after holding off Avalanche 5-4 1091572 Flyers' Matt Read helps quiet Penguins' power play in 1091534 Bruce Boudreau tries to shake up Wild offense; Matt Game 2 of NHL playoffs, but Dave Hakstol's team playing Dumba sits out 1091573 Flyers' Claude Giroux not disciplined for '' in Game 2 vs. 1091535 Down 2-0, Wild faces 'huge' game against Winnipeg Penguins 1091536 It's 0-2 all over again for the Wild 1091574 Flyers mantra going forward in NHL playoffs: Embrace the 1091537 Wild needs to show some fight, but not the chippy kind underdog role 1091538 As Wild, Jets grind their bodies suffer – and recover in 1091575 Flyers, Capitals riding same new ways 1091576 Flyers beat Penguins in Game 2 to tie series 1091539 Wild-Jets Game 3 preview 1091577 ‘Cinderella’ Flyers looking to lead at series homecoming 1091540 Jets head back to Winnipeg, will try to make it to St. Paul ball on Sunday 1091578 Have Flyers found key to beating Penguins? 1091541 Wild need to play their ‘best game’ heading into Game 3 1091579 5 insights from Flyers' 5-1 win over Penguins in Game 2 against Jets 1091580 No supplemental discipline for Claude Giroux on Kris 1091542 Down 0-2 yet again, Wild hope return to St. Paul can Letang hit spark struggling offense 1091581 So far so good in Matt Read’s ‘last opportunity to prove 1091543 Game 2 Walkthrough: Jets' pressure wreaking havoc with myself’ Wild's game 1091544 Russo: Wild need more than a return home to fight back against Jets 1091584 Penguins' playoff road vs. Flyers suddenly is very rocky 1091545 LeBrun: Dustin Byfuglien's presence is taking over the 1091585 Penguins notebook: Blocked shots take step backward series 1091586 Penguins work on power play in preparation for Game 3 1091587 Penguins' Kris Letang misses practice but is expected to Canadiens play in Game 3 against Flyers 1091546 Sylvain Lefebvre experienced many sleepless nights 1091588 Penguins Jake Guentzel works in front of Flyers during Laval's inaugural season Brian Elliott in the first period of Game 2 of thei 1091589 Evgeni Malkin rips officiating in Penguins-Flyers series 1091590 Penguins ready to reverse regular-season road woes in 1091547 Catfish wearing 'Rinne for Vezina' shirt makes appearance Philadelphia at Predators game 1091591 Kris Letang leaves the ice at PPG Paints Arena on Friday 1091548 Nashville Predators anthem singer: Brad Paisley gets at the 7-minute mark of the second period. honor before Game 2 in playoffs 1091592 No hearing for Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux 1091549 Avalanche hang, but Predators prevail — and officials 1091593 Gene Collier: Puck explains why it just wouldn't go in for dominate — in Game 2 Crosby in Game 2 1091550 Predators overcome Avalanche's desperation in Game 2 win, but expect big pushback 1091594 Things to know: Sharks’ Joe Thornton explains why he New Jersey Devils stays away from Twitter 1091551 Alex Killorn Scores Twice as Lightning Beat Devils in 1091595 Gackle: How another Sharks victory will impact Joe Game 2 Thornton’s return 1091552 2nd period defense dooms Devils in Game 2 loss to 1091596 Sharks’ takeaways: smart and fast beats rough and stupid Lightning | Rapid reaction 1091597 Martin Jones clutch in late going as Sharks take 2-0 series 1091553 New Jersey Devils vs. : Game 2 lead over Ducks LIVE score updates and chat (4/14/18) 1091598 Sharks win tussle in Anaheim to take 2-0 series lead on 1091554 Devils' Game 2 lines, pairings vs. Lightning (4/14/18) | Ducks Damon Severson in 1091599 Timo Meier primed for scoring breakout 1091555 What Devils need to avoid 2-0 series hole in Game 2 vs. 1091600 After two wins vs Ducks, biggest threat to Sharks is their Lightning own complacency 1091556 How does Cory Schneider's play impact Devils' goalie 1091601 Sharks hang on to beat Ducks, take 2-0 series lead situation for Game 3? 1091557 Dismal second period dooms Devils in 5-3 Game 2 loss to St Louis Blues Lightning 1091602 Blues in 2017-18: High peaks, deep valleys, no 1091558 Will the Devils' use Cory Schneider instead of Keith postseason Kinkaid in Game 3? 1091559 Devils morning notes: Could lineup changes be on the Tampa Bay Lightning way for Game 2? 1091603 Lightning vs. Devils: Game 2 notes 1091563 Scott Stevens is just the leader the Rangers need 1091604 Lightning-Devils: Why the Game 2 breaks went Tampa 1091565 Devils are in a hole and may have a goalie controversy Bay’s way brewing 1091605 Roger Mooney’s takeaways from the Lightning’s Game 2 win over the Devils 1091606 Ryan Callahan, Dan Girardi question marks for Lightning 1091566 Analyzing 6 NYC teams battling through long title droughts after leaving with injuries 1091567 What you need to know about the Islanders-John Tavares 1091607 Worried about how the Lightning closed Game 2? Read situation this 1091608 What the prince of Sweden was doing at Lightning-Devils Game 2 1091568 Scott Stevens is just the leader the Rangers need 1091609 Lightning-Devils: Grading the Lightning’s 5-3 victory 1091569 Analyzing 6 NYC teams battling through long title droughts Saturday in Game 2 1091610 Lightning uses four-goal second period to beat Devils 5-3, take 2-0 series lead 1091570 Where did the fans go and how do the Ottawa Senators win them back? 1091571 An oral history of the Ottawa Senators' 2008 playoff pregame gladiator speech Websites 1091611 Bruins’ Pastrnak scores hat trick to send Maple Leafs back 1091661 The Athletic / Duhatschek Notebook: Joe Thornton being to Toronto down 2-0 patient with recovery, as difficult as that is 1091612 Double overtime goal gives Knights victory over Kings 1091662 The Athletic / Like Pittsburgh before it, Las Vegas has 1091613 Babcock, Leafs lack answers for Bruins in Game 2 loss fallen under the charm of Marc-André Fleury 1091614 Lost Leafs need to embrace the future to survive 1091663 The Athletic / Burnside: Player Safety head George Parros 1091615 One-hit wonder: Would Matt Martin’s presence have made has held strong in difficult start to playoffs a difference in Game 1? 1091664 .ca / Leafs shoot selves in foot in redemption 1091616 Leafs set for Game 2 tilt with Bruins, minus suspended against Bruins Kadri 1091665 Sportsnet.ca / Big, physical hockey as important as ever in 1091617 Lethargic Leafs bounced in Beantown again, head home Stanley Cup Playoffs down 2-0 1091666 Sportsnet.ca / Donato on playoff debut: 'These are the 1091618 The scorecard after two games: Bergeron line 20 points, types of games you dream about' Auston Matthews zero 1091667 Sportsnet.ca / Vegas' James Neal feels at his best for 1091619 Kadri is not the only no-show for Leafs in disastrous defeat playoffs: 'It's perfect timing' 1091620 Maple Leafs’ Kadri now a caged tiger 1091668 TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Bruins' top line punishes 1091621 Toronto sports teams move past the ‘art of losing’ the Leafs 1091622 SIMMONS: Without Nazem Kadri, judging these playoff 1091669 TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Flyers bounce back in Leafs impossible Game Two 1091623 Maple Leafs' implosion will bring tough questions if they 1091670 TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Panarin pulls through in can't extend series OT 1091624 Player Safety head George Parros has held strong in 1091671 TSN.CA / Leafs struggle in every facet of Game 2 against difficult start to playoffs Bruins 1091625 Dissecting recent kill woes: What's gone wrong for 1091672 TSN.CA / With Kadri out, Leafs look to Johnsson for PP Leafs? spark 1091626 Mirtle Notebook: Nazem Kadri’s recklessness proves 1091673 USA TODAY / NHL playoffs: Which 0-2 teams have best costly and other tidbits leading into Game 2 shot at rallying in first round? Canucks Winnipeg Jets 1091660 Boeser’s rapid rise featured defining, magical moments 1091644 Jets forced to return home after real whiteout closes Minneapolis airport Vegas Golden Knights 1091645 Jets fans ensure Main Street Project clients will have 1091627 Knights’ successful inaugural season boosts Las Vegas plenty of pizza for playoff parties branding 1091646 No signs of stage fright for Jets' young stars 1091628 How the L.A. Kings recruited a star on the Las Vegas Strip 1091647 Whiteout street party packed with worshippers praying for 1091629 Kings won’t panic despite trailing Golden Knights 2-0 playoff victory 1091630 Forward depth key to 2-0 series lead for Golden Knights 1091648 Lowry loves to draw 1091631 Knights’ Nate Schmidt handles extra workload in Game 2 1091649 Myers move made Jets teammates nervous but it paid off marathon 1091650 Jets in driver’s seat but expect Wild to be different team at 1091632 Golden Knights relied on their fitness for 2-0 series lead home 1091633 Knights’ Reilly Smith tries to find timing after injury layoff 1091651 Jets looking like every bit the contenders they are touted 1091634 Mark Shunock a natural as announcer for Vegas Golden to be so far in playoffs Knights 1091652 Grace under pressure: Jets youngsters passing all the 1091635 Knights’ Game 1 playoff win was monumental but not a tests so far first in Las Vegas 1091653 Bad blood boils over: Jets and Wild rivalry coming of age 1091636 Fans rally to send off Golden Knights to Los Angeles 1091654 FRIESEN: Jets need killer instinct, now 1091655 Whiteout blasts Jets flight to Minny 1091656 Down 0-2 yet again, Wild hope return to St. Paul can 1091637 Caps know they need to be better in Game 2, but they’re spark struggling offense also not overreacting 1091657 Game 2 Walkthrough: Jets' pressure wreaking havoc with 1091638 After sitting Game 1, YouTube sensation turned NHL Wild's game player will get his chance against the Capitals 1091658 Russo: Wild need more than a return home to fight back 1091639 Capitals could be at full strength in Game 2 with Jay against Jets Beagle back in the lineup 1091659 LeBrun: Dustin Byfuglien's presence is taking over the 1091640 After Capitals feel his absence in Game 1, Beagle nearing series return SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1091641 Grubauer to remain Washington Capitals’ starting goaltender Game 2 vs. Columbus 1091642 Controversial hits from Game 1 are about the only thing won't give his opinion on 1091643 Philipp Grubauer remains the starter for Game 2 1091464 Anaheim Ducks Their arrivals pushed Brown out of the lineup, but he was back in the fold at the end of the regular season. Brown played in 37 playoff games during his three seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and was a Ducks lose with their best defenseman in the press box member of the squad that lost in the 2015 . “If you win the [first] game, you have more things to build off of,” Brown said, “whereas we didn’t win this game so we kind of have to turn the By MIKE COPPINGER page.” APR 14, 2018 | 10:35 PM LA Times: LOADED: 04.15.2018

Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa (3) sends Sharks right wing Timo Meier (28) into center Adam Henrique (14) during thefirst period of Game 2 at Honda Center. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) The Ducks were destined for success in the playoffs, Cam Fowler was sure of it. His club first had to qualify for the postseason, no easy task considering how tightly contested the spots were. Of course, the Ducks accomplished that goal, but Fowler was injured before they even clinched a playoff berth. He missed the team's final three regular-season games because of a left shoulder injury and remained on the mend Saturday as the Ducks lost to the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in a first-round series at Honda Center. The team's top defenseman still isn't practicing, and Fowler's been forced to watch the club's first two games from the press box. There's no way to truly replace such a pivotal player, and his absence was felt in a Game 1 loss. Without Fowler, the breakouts were few and far between. There is hope, though. Coach Randy Carlyle expects Fowler to resume skating soon, and he hasn't been ruled out for the first round. The Ducks did welcome back Kevin Bieksa for Game 2 after he sat out the playoff opener. Bieksa underwent surgery to remove scar tissue from his left hand on March 16 and missed the rest of the regular season. Bieksa, who loves to mix it up, fought Philadelphia Flyers tough man Radko Gudas in October and, after landing a crushing right hand, used his left hand to break his fall. He opted against surgery and instead played through the pain. Fans cheer as teammates swarm Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm (47) after his power-play goal on Sharks goaltender Martin Jones during the second period of Game 2 on Saturday at Honda Center. Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm beats Sharks goaltender Martin Jones on a power play during the second period of Game 2 on Saturday at Honda Center. Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf (15) congratulates right wing Jakob Silfverberg (33) after his goal against the Sharks 40 seconds into the first period of Game 2 on Saturday at Honda Center. "It wasn't an easy decision and it was one that — not to get too much into injuries — but it's something that happened in the beginning of the season," said Bieksa, who struggled this season with a team-worst minus-13 rating. "If I look back, yeah, maybe I should have had it done right away. But I didn't. "The situations that we were in at the time or whatever, I kind of decided to stick with it. ... Playoff hockey is the best time of the year and I feel like I play my best hockey then." The Ducks must hope he's right. The 36-year-old replaced rookie Andy Welinski in the lineup Saturday, adding toughness to a club looking for a physical edge. Bieksa won't be able to replace Fowler, though. That's going to be a team effort. Ducks center Adam Henrique (14) and Sharks defenseman Paul Martin (7) tangle in front of Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) during the first period of Game 2 on Saturday at Honda Center. Ducks goaltender John Gibson stops a shot from Sharks center Chris Tierney with his blocker after losing his stick during Game 2 on Saturday at Honda Center. And the kind of speed and grit J.T. Brown displayed in Game 1 amid an otherwise forgettable performance for the Ducks is exactly what they need. The speedy winger was picked up off waivers in January to help solidify the fourth line, but one month later, general manager Bob Murray traded for Jason Chimera at the deadline and also signed Chris Kelly. 1091465 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks’ Kevin Bieksa moves past hand injury, will bring physical style into Game 2

By ERIC STEPHENS | [email protected] | Orange County Register PUBLISHED: April 14, 2018 at 1:37 pm | UPDATED: April 14, 2018 at 1:41 PM

ANAHEIM – Kevin Bieksa will suit up for the Ducks in Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals against San Jose on Saturday night after missing a month of action. Bieksa underwent surgery on his left hand on March 16 to remove scar tissue that had impacted his play since originally injuring it in October. This will be his third straight postseason with the Ducks after spending a decade in Vancouver, where he reached the postseason another seven times. “I feel good,” Bieksa said. “If you watch the practices, I’ve been shooting it pretty good for a couple of days. I’m at the point where I’m ready to go.” As he has done, Bieksa didn’t offer many other specifics about the injury. Asked he is free of pain in the hand, the 36-year-old defenseman said, “I’m at the point where I’m ready to go. We’re not going to dissect this too much.” Bieksa will draw in on the third defense pairing alongside rookie Marcus Pettersson and take the place of youngster Andy Welinski, who made his NHL playoff debut and played nearly 14 minutes in Game 1. Welinski and Pettersson struggled on some of their shifts and were on the ice for Brent Burns’s goal in the Sharks’ 3-0 victory. Bieksa offers a decisive edge in terms of experience as this will be his 86th playoff game. “Hopefully that experience that he can bring to our hockey club will give us a little bit more of a rugged, defending side of it,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said Saturday. “We feel we didn’t do enough impeding of progress and they had opportunities to freely get to our net too often in the situation we were presented the other night. “Just one of those decisions you make. When you have people available to you, you try to utilize them to their strengths.” San Jose coach Peter DeBoer has seen enough of Bieksa to have a book on him. “Hard guy to play against,” DeBoer said. “Veteran player. Randy trusts him obviously with the way they play him. It’s another guy that they can throw out there and take some minutes from some of their other guys. “I’m sure for them, that’s an important piece. For us, we’re just concentrating in our game. We don’t spend a lot of time on who they have in or out.” Bieksa’s physical edge is what Carlyle is seeking to inject into this team. The Ducks are at their best when they’re able to play the body against teams and come at them with a heavy forecheck in order to create turnovers in the offensive zone. In Game 1, they were conspicuously disengaged in that area. “I like this time of year,” Bieksa said. “Every shift is magnified. It’s physical. We’d like to maybe turn into a more physical, more emotional battle tonight because that’s where we play into our strengths. We’ll have some fun.” His hand issues played a role in a tough regular season, where he didn’t score a goal for the first time since his rookie year and had a minus-13 rating. But Bieksa isn’t planning on taking it easy or changing the game he’s played after 13 seasons. “I think there is only one way to play and that’s the right way,” Bieksa said. “You make the play when it’s there. If not, you make the simple play. It’s playoff hockey. You feel it out. I’ve been skating every day for the past 17, 18 days now. I should just keep going. “I’m ready for it and just go out and have fun.”

Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091466 Anaheim Ducks pinpoint power-play wrist shot that beat Jones after the defenseman got a feed from Getzlaf.

Flush with momentum, Corey Perry had a tie game on his stick after a Ducks’ rally falls short as Sharks take 2-0 lead back to San Jose terrific pass from Montour. The winger made a move on Jones to get him off his skates but put his shot off the post and the Sharks managed to clear the puck away. by Eric Stephens

Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.15.2018 ANAHEIM – The Ducks were better in Game 2 but that was to be expected after a dismal Game 1. Much better. San Jose stayed better and that is the Ducks’ unshakable problem. And the Sharks are heading home with a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of- 7 Western Conference first-round series. Martin Jones followed up his Game 1 shutout with a 28-save effort Saturday night and San Jose made a two-goal lead stand up in a 3-2 victory over the Ducks in front of an overflow crowd of 17,430 at Honda Center. The Ducks are dealing with a 2-0 series deficit for the second straight postseason. They faced that against Edmonton in the second round after losing two home games to open it but rallied and won Game 7 to capture their first playoff round after dropping the first two games. They’ll need to pull off some similar heroics to advance. Jakob Silfverberg and Hampus Lindholm scored goals in a decisive improved effort for Game 2 but they weren’t enough. Jones outdueled Ducks goalie John Gibson, who made 32 stops. Game 3 is Monday in San Jose. The message after Game 1 was that the Ducks had to skate harder and get in position to deliver the physical edge to their game. It was heeded with emphasis in the early going. Nick Ritchie put a big hit on San Jose’s Paul Martin in the opening minutes. Hampus Lindholm dropped Sharks forward Evander Kane, who had two goals in Game 1, with a clean open-ice hit. Francois Beauchemin crushed San Jose winger Kevin Labanc with a hit that knocked his helmet off. There was energy that they played with. Silfverberg provided that jolt just 40 seconds in with the game’s first shot, a hard wrist try from distance that Jones didn’t get a good read on and watched sail through him for the Ducks’ first goal of the series and initial lead. And the Ducks stayed engaged. San Jose went about withstanding the expected surge and forged a tie game. The Sharks did it by taking advantage of Anaheim’s third defensive pairing, with Kevin Bieksa making his series debut and playing his first game since March 16. Sidelined for a month in order to have surgery on his left hand, Bieksa couldn’t keep San Jose’s Marcus Sorensen from keeping the puck and getting a pass back to Brenden Dillon back at the point. Dillon threw it behind the Ducks’ net for a designed carom and Sorensen read it, getting to the net. With Gibson up in the crease, it left enough room for Sorensen to easily tap it in for a 1-1 tie. The Sharks were back on even footing and went about seizing some control. Two dazzling plays had them grabbing a two-goal lead. First, Labanc survived his hit from Beauchemin and hit Logan Couture with a pass, which Couture took and then made a move to his backhand on the sprawling Gibson and put a shot by him for a power-play conversion. The Ducks could feel salty about San Jose getting a man advantage in the first place with referee Francois Charron calling a questionable hooking penalty on Brandon Montour but not getting a power play earlier when Ondrej Kase was tripped by the Sharks’ Tomas Hertl. But they couldn’t kill off the Montour minor. Brent Burns factored into that, intercepting an attempted Ducks clear allowed the scoring play to start. Hertl made a play all on his own to lift the Sharks into a 3-1 lead. With Ducks Ryan Getzlaf trailing the play, Hertl moved into the offensive zone and backed off Montour and Beauchemin enough to cut through the two and then beat Gibson cleanly with a shot the goalie could have played better. From that moment, Gibson was lights out. The Ducks stayed in the game because their netminder kept them in it, making several do-or-die saves. and Timo Meier were stopped on strong back-to-back chances in the second and Chris Tierney had a grade-A chance stolen away in the third. Those helped the Ducks have a look at this one after being totally shut down in Game 1. Lindholm got them close at 7:51 in the second with a 1091467 Arizona Coyotes In addition to Strome the Coyotes own two other players who were selected in that first round. There is Nick Merkley – whom Arizona took 30th overall – and Lawson Crouse, originally picked by the Panthers at Back in Tucson, Coyotes' Dylan Strome is primed for a playoff run No. 11. To date, none of them have been able to stick at the NHL level. Richard Morin, azcentral sports Published 12:53 p.m. MT April 14, 2018 But they’ve been thriving in Tucson, where – despite Merkley’s season ending prematurely with a knee injury – Strome and Crouse are at the center of the Roadrunners’ Calder Cup playoff run. Since he was drafted third overall in 2015, there might not be a player in "Going into Tucson now in the playoffs," Chayka said. "(Dylan is) a guy hockey who has been scrutinized more than Coyotes center Dylan that’s done a lot down there and I just told him to make the most of it and Strome. to lead that team down there. Certainly the better he does down there and down the stretch will say a lot about what’s in store next season for Selected after generational talents Connor McDavid (Oilers) and Jack him." Eichel (Sabres), Strome was considered a consensus top-five pick along with Mitch Marner and Noah Hanifin, who were picked fourth and fifth by At times this season, Strome said he became prone to overthinking and the Maple Leafs and Hurricanes, respectively. over-complicating his game. He would lie awake at night thinking about the next game. Fast forward nearly three years and each of those players, as well as several others selected in that first round, have established themselves Strome’s latest stretch in the NHL has put his mind at ease. He knows as high-level NHLers. the hard work he's going to have to put in this summer. But for now, it’s about hoisting a Calder Cup. It's about using his newfound motivation to Among those first-round picks, Ivan Provorov (No. 7, Flyers), Zach help him do that. Werenski (No. 8, Blue Jackets), Timo Meier (No. 9, Sharks), Mikko Rantanen (No. 10, Avalanche), Jake DeBrusk (No. 14, Bruins), Kyle “During this last run, I wasn’t thinking too much about hockey,” Strome Connor (No. 17, Jets), Joel Eriksson Ek (No. 20, Wild) and Travis said. “I’m just living day-to-day, practice-by-practice and shift-by-shift and Konecny (No. 24, Flyers) are all playing key roles for their respective letting myself play it out. I’m not focusing too much on every little thing. teams in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I’m just kind of playing. ... When you have that confidence about the way you’re playing, I think you’re just going in and you can’t wait for the next And then there’s Mathew Barzal (No. 16, Islanders) and Brock Boeser game. (No. 23, Canucks), both of whom could be finalists for this year’s Calder trophy. “It’s a good feeling to have, and hopefully I can bring that down here (to Tucson) and just continue to play.” To the untrained eye, it would be easy to paint the 6-foot-3-inch, 200- pound center as a bust. But Strome doesn’t see it that way. And neither The Roadrunners wrapped up their regular season Saturday. Because do the Coyotes. they locked up a higher seed, the Roadrunners elected to play on the road for the first two games of the opening round with Games 3, 4 and 5 “I spoke to Dylan and told him we have high expectations for him,” to be held in Tucson. Game 3 is scheduled for April 25 and, if necessary, Coyotes President of Hockey Operations and General Manager John Games 4 and 5 would be played on April 27 and 28, respectively. Their Chayka said. “We’ve made him earn things and playing a top-six center opponent is not yet known. position as a 20-year-old is a very hard thing to do.

“Those guys are unicorns, to find a big center that can produce like that.” Arizona Republic LOADED: 04.15.2018 Arizona Coyotes general manager and president of hockey operations, John Chayka, meets the press to talk about last season and next. In 28 career NHL games, Strome has registered just four goals and six assists. But in his latest recall with the team, he tallied eight points in 10 games to finish the Coyotes’ regular season. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well when I go up there each time,” said Strome, who turned 21 in March. “I think I had three or four different stints before this last one where I always felt like I was doing okay, but I always feel like I could do better. I knew I could produce more and create more chances.” When he wasn’t playing his home games in Glendale this season, Strome was tearing up the ice for the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate in Tucson. Entering play Friday, he was averaging 1.06 points per game for the Roadrunners, the highest rate among qualified rookies in the AHL. And in his latest call-up to the big club, Strome looked like a different player during his than he did in his previous stint in December. He said he learned how to play a more NHL-style brand of hockey. The center credits that to the coaching staff in Tucson. “I think (the staff) taught me to play a little bit more defensive and to work for my chances,” Strome said. “I think that helped me when I got called back up. If you play well defensively and create turnovers, you’re going to create chances for yourself and for your linemates.” Now the Roadrunners, who clinched the best regular-season record in the Pacific Division and are gearing up for a playoff run beginning later this month, are re-equipped with their best weapon in Strome. This time around, with Strome having proved himself at the NHL level, being sent to the minors has a different ring to it. “It’s a little different,” Strome said. “I definitely feel like I proved myself at the NHL level. Obviously it’s only over a short time, but I definitely feel like I belong there and hopefully I can play there for a full year next year. At the same time, I’ve been in Tucson for most of the season and I’m excited for the playoffs. “I think we’ve built a lot here and have tried to change the culture around here by expecting to win. … I’m happy to be back and hopefully we can have a long run." 1091468 Boston Bruins chants of “And-er-sen, And-er-sen!”, and now he was back on the bench, mask off, a ballcap atop his bowed head.

After only two shots on McElhinney, the Bruins had the lead up to 4-0, David Pastrnak, Bruins make quick work of Maple Leafs newcomer Rick Nash potting his first playoff goal in a Black-and-Gold sweater. The high-energy Pastrnak fired the shot from high in the slot and the towering Nash used his long stick to make the deflection. Bruins, By Kevin Paul Dupont 4-0, and the building on Causeway was shaking on its foundation like the barn floor at a country dance. GLOBE STAFF APRIL 15, 2018 Marner’s goal, with 1:22 gone in the second, broke the Boston momentum slightly. Racing down the slot on a two-on-one break after Krejci mishandled the puck at the offensive blue line, Marner finally put Potent again from the start, and “Pasta” strong from wire to wire, the the Blue and White on the board when he batted home a return pass Bruins rolled up four goals on their first seven shots in the first period from Zach Hyman. Saturday night at TD Garden and shook down the Maple Leafs, 7-3, to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. Krejci atoned for his at 3:46 with his second goal of the series, again with help from . . . yep, Pastrnak. Krejci was deeper in the slot David Pastrnak, who scored the first, sixth, and seventh Black-and-Gold when Pastrnak let his shot go from up high and he made the redirect. It goals for his hat trick, finished with a franchise-high 6 points, equaling a was only Boston’s 10th shot of the night, but the lead stood at 5-1. postseason feat only performed before by sainted Causeway forwards Phil Esposito (1969) and Rick Middleton (1983). Espo’s No. 7 is retired in the rafters, while Middleton’s No. 16 is long overdue for its ascension in the Garden heavens. Boston Globe LOADED: 04.15.2018 Torey Krug assisted on three of the club’s four goals in the first period, and Pastrnak’s linemates, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, each bagged four assists on a night when the Bruins chewed through their Atlantic Division brethren the way Marathon tourists this weekend will devour the delicious foods of the North End. “He’s more comfortable in NHL playoff hockey, for one,” said coach Bruce Cassidy, attempting to explain Pastrnak’s magical night, in which he scored his three goals on only four shots. “A breakthrough night, that’s a good term. You could look back and say it is. I mean, 6 points in a Stanley Cup playoff game and a hat trick — that’s special.” Game 3 of the best-of-seven series will be in Toronto Monday night, with Game 4 there on Thursday. The Leafs, 5-1 losers two nights earlier, went into the second period down, 4-0. They dented the Bruins’ momentum in the second with goals by Mitch Marner and Tyler Bozak, wrapped around David Krejci’s second goal of the series. The Leafs were still down by three goals, 5-2, but they at least were able to take something back home to give them hope of planting a foothold in the series. The Maple Leafs, who were trounced in both games in the Hub of Hockey, remain a franchise looking for its first Stanley Cup since 1967. Short of a miracle growing inside the Air Canada Centre, they looked destined to still be Cupless when training camp opens in September. Pastrnak put on a clinic in the first period, beginning with his goal at 5:26 . The talented Czech right winger picked up a puck in the slot off a Krug dish and twirled around ballet style in front of the net before knocking home a doorstep backhander. “To be honest, I wish every young guy in the league would get a chance to play with these two guys,” said Pastrnak, his line with Bergeron and Marchand finishing the night with an astounding 14 points — and 20 in the two games. “You take the lessons, what they have for you. For me, I listen and learn a lot from them — especially this year.” After going 3 for 6 on the power play in Game 1, the Bruins used their first advantage of the night to strike for the 2-0 lead, this time with rookie Jake DeBrusk tipping in Krug’s feed on a flat angle from the right-wing corner. DeBrusk angled his stick perfectly and the puck bled by starting goalie Frederik Andersen for the two-goal lead at 9:46. It was DeBrusk’ first postseason goal of his career. Only eight seconds before the goal, a blazing Kasperi Kapanen broke in alone on (30 saves) for a shorthanded attempt that would have tied it. But Kapanen’s shot rang off the post and the Bruins turned the puck up the ice and promptly doubled their lead. But for a piece of red pipe, the night could have been markedly different. Less than three minutes later, at 12:13, a nimble-footed Kevan Miller struck for the goal that knocked Andersen out of the game. After artfully dancing around in the left-wing corner to escape pressure, Miller fired in a wrist shot that ricocheted off defenseman Nikita Zaitsev for the 3-0 lead. That was it for Andersen, who had stopped only two of the five shots the Bruins put on net. Leafs coach Mike Babcock, desperate to stop the trouble, summoned Curtis McElhinney for relief. The Garden crowd loved it. Less than a minute before, they had derided the Leafs’ tender with 1091469 Boston Bruins “It’s obviously a lot of fun when you’re watching a guy that wants to learn, wants to get better and asks questions, and works so hard to be at his best,” Bergeron said. “A lot of people in Boston already know how good Historic night for David Pastrnak he is. I think a lot of people are getting to know a little bit more from the outside. But that being said, it’s been a great transition from an 18-year- old to who he is now.” By Julian Benbow GLOBE STAFF APRIL 15, 2018 Boston Globe LOADED: 04.15.2018

By the time the puck found Bruins forward David Pastrnak midway through the third period of the Bruins’ 7-3 win in Game 2 of their first- round playoff matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the ice was Pastrnak’s stage and Maple Leafs goalie Curtis McElhinney was just a prop. McElhinney was practically the rabbit in Pastrnak’s historic hat trick. The magic act was set up by a pass from behind the net by Brad Marchand. When Pastrnak noticed the feed was a tad behind him, he realized he could break out something special. He caught the puck on his blade, made a quick flick between his legs, went back to his forehand, baited McElhinney into a futile dive, and poked in his third goal of the night with McElhinney on his stomach. As the hats came flying onto the ice, Pastrnak just grinned. “I do this move a lot and I felt confident to do it,” he said. Pastrnak’s teammates have gotten used to being dazzled. “He just thinks the game different than a lot of players,” Torey Krug said. “He’s high-end skill and he’s going to make those plays. We see it in practice all the time, so we’re not very surprised by it and when he gets to pull it off in a game, it’s fun to watch.” But watching it unfold in the postseason was special. With three goals and three assists, Pastrnak became just the second player in Bruins history to notch 6 points in a playoff game, tying Phil Esposito and Rick Middleton for the franchise’s postseason record. His 9 points through the Bruins’ first two games not only pushed the team to a 2-0 series lead as they head to Toronto for Game 3 on Monday, but they also tied Esposito’s NHL and Bruins records for the most points by any player through the first two games of the playoffs. “He’s got that confidence,” said his linemate Patrice Bergeron. “He wants to be the guy. He wants to make those plays. If we don’t have the puck, he hunts it back.’’ His first goal of the night put Maple Leafs starting goalie Frederik Andersen in an early daze. The Bruins had Toronto’s defense tilted after a gorgeous pass by Krug that Pastrnak finished with a dance move, spinning in front of the net and putting Andersen in a trance. Pastrnak chalked it up to circumstance. “I didn’t feel like I could get a shot on the forehand, so I just kind of spinned into my backhand,” he said. “And I had a little bit of time so I moved the puck farther and got a good goal for us.” The goal opened the floodgates on a four-goal period that overwhelmed the Maple Leafs. Pastrnak did his damage in just 15:46 of ice time, and what his teammates marveled at more than the scoring was the work he did hounding down pucks. “That’s what amazes me with him,” Bergeron said. “There’s a lot of skill players that are skilled when they have the puck and when they don’t have it, they don’t necessarily want it as much as this guy right here. So I think he’s taken a tremendous step this year by the way that he plays away from the puck.” After a disappointing postseason a year ago, Pastrnak said he was motivated to leave his fingerprints on these playoffs. “Especially after last year, I kind of felt a little bit of pressure to be honest,” he said. But having a career year during the regular season (35-45—80) on a line with Bergeron and Brad Marchand prepared him to make the leap this postseason. 1091470 Boston Bruins the room. Obviously to score five and seven [goals] in the playoffs, it’s not going to happen every night. We can’t go into Toronto thinking it’s going to happen. But guys believe they can in, from 1 to 12.” After Game 2 romp, it’s not too early to talk Stanley Cup Who says it can’t happen? This is team chemistry at its best. There’s youth: Pastrnak and DeBrusk are 21 years old, defenseman Charlie McAvoy is 20, and newly elevated rookie Ryan Donato is 22. There’s GLOBE STAFF APRIL 15, 2018 experience: defenseman Zdeno Chara is 41 and recent Olympic signee Brian Gionta is 39. And there’s the in betweens: -deadline acquisition Nash is 33, 2011 Cup winner Patrice Bergeron is 32, Brad Marchand is 29, and goalie Tuuka Rask is 31. Buzzsaw, thy name is Bruins. It’s all there — and not just because of the star wattage found in those The Maple Leafs never had a chance, not against the hottest team in individual names, but in what they have shown themselves to be hockey. collectively, the way they play together, the way they fight for each other, And suddenly, it’s Stanley Cup or bust. the way they handle the distribution of minutes and value the wisdom of their coach. Those are the hallmarks of championship teams. After witnessing what the Bruins did Saturday night, after feeling the thrum, hum, passion, and promise pulsing inside this sold-out arena, By the time Pastrnak put the final exclamation point on this one, after watching a first period so utterly lopsided the visiting goalie barely completing a hat trick with two third-period goals and tying a franchise made it past the halfway point, there is no other conclusion. These Bruins playoff record with six points (he also had three assists), he was the have it all — depth, talent, experience, youth — and they showed it all maestro leading his orchestra in the clearest chant of all. against the overmatched Maple Leafs, a 7-3 win in Game 2 of their “We want the Cup, we want the Cup!” opening-round playoff series sending them up to Toronto with a 2-0 series lead and confidence beyond measure. After 12 goals in two games, after 20 total points from the top line, after two indoor hockey parties that show no sign of ending, who would deny Forget the notion that a series doesn’t start until the home team loses a them? game. This series is over, buried by the falling lumber left in the buzzsaw’s dust. No matter how much the hometown players tried to insist otherwise, promising they have to get better after allowing the Maple Leafs (gasp) a glimmer of momentum across the second and third Boston Globe LOADED: 04.15.2018 periods Saturday, these two games have left absolutely no doubt about which is the better team. What were the Leafs to do? They came out so ready for Game 2, fulfilling every promise made in the aftermath of Game 1’s 5-1 blowout loss that this would be different, flying around the ice, forcing us all to heed those cautious postgame warnings that the opening-night dominance would be near impossible to duplicate. But the flurry quickly melted under the heat of a relentless Bruins machine, an unstoppable force undeterred by mistake or misfortune. Watch Rick Nash sail a breakaway point-blank shot wide left not two minutes into the game? No problem. Just give it a few more minutes — about another two — and watch 21-year-old David Pastrnak turn a beautiful spin move in front of the net into a pass to himself, and watch him put it past Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen for a 1-0 lead. Watch him blow a kiss to the rafters and cup his ear to the fans who’d been only bursting to break out their seat-dances and towel-waves, their sounds of celebration starting a party that wouldn’t end. Because watch Toronto unravel in the aftermath, a power play goal by Jake DeBrusk, who was somehow left alone in front of the net (ouch, three-game Nazem Kadri suspension) making it 2-0 at 9:46. Just 2½ minutes later it was Kevan Miller throwing a puck in front of the net only to see it carom off the stick of Andersen, off the back of a Toronto defender, and into the goal. Then watch Andersen’s lonely skate of shame down the tunnel toward his locker room, pulled in favor of Curtis McElhinney, pushed to the rear after surrendering three goals on five shots. Anyone in Toronto have the number for that accountant from Chicago? Because the ugliness was far from over. Listen to the crowd erupt once again, the late-period introduction of Red Sox relief Joe Kelly, complete with video replays of the brawl Kelly had ignited only a few nights earlier in Fenway Park, sending the fans into near delirium, their hollers for this new favorite son eclipsed only by their well-rehearsed verses of “Yankees Suck.” But baseball season is only beginning; hockey is just hitting its stride. Take the ride to the five-minute mark of the period, listen as the PA announcer is still reciting details of another penalty against Toronto and watch Nash make it all come full circle, whipping a backhand shot into the goal for a 4-0 lead. What couldn’t the Bruins do? When David Krejci joined the goal-scoring party with a wrist flick he made appear ridiculously easy, when he quickly erased any hint of angst caused by Toronto’s early second-period goal and pushed the advantage to 5-1, it marked the second straight game the Bruins would boast five different goal scorers. Otherwise known as concrete evidence of the quality of their depth and legitimacy of their talent. “It’s probably not going to happen every night and we know that, it’s hard to score in this league,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We do have different guys we believe can score for us, even when a lot of it is from the top line. We’ve had secondary scoring on our second and third lines. It’s in 1091471 Boston Bruins Komarov showed great restraint, not responding with a retaliatory smack of his own on Marchand, one that might have awarded the Bruins with two minutes or more of power-play time. Tommy Wingels feeling better, but a no-go for Game 2 Which begged the question: Was it harder for Marchand to deliver the kiss or for Komarov to play shy wallflower? By Kevin Paul Dupont “Uhh . . . ” said a smiling Cassidy, pondering the question, “I don’t think . . . it didn’t look like it was so hard for Marchy to deliver it.” GLOBE STAFF APRIL 14, 2018 Fellow Bruins winger Rick Nash, the 6-foot-3-inch ex-Ranger, kidded that he didn’t think the 5-9 Marchand could have reached him to engage in the romantic interlude that played out in front of a full house 17,565 at the Less than 48 hours after getting clobbered into the side boards by the Garden and millions more via TV. Leafs’ Nazem Kadri, winger Tommy Wingels was back on skates at the Bruins’ morning workout Saturday. Asked if it was harder for Komarov to resist retaliating, Nash said, “I don’t know, that’s probably a better question for that guy . . . I probably just “Feeling better now,” said Wingels, asked if he felt well enough to play in would have skated away earlier than that.” Game 2 Saturday, following his day off to cope with his injuries. Backes, who knocked home the 1-1 tiebreaker in Game 1, said he was However, when the puck dropped for Game 2 of the best-of-seven series “still waiting” for his first on-ice kiss from an opponent after 914 career at TD Garden, he was not in the active lineup. games, playoffs included. Wingels, who turned 30 on Thursday, was on his knees along the wall “I am sure, Marchy’s got the same problem other short guys do,” said the when he was lined up by the oncoming Kadri. The NHL on Friday 6-3 Backes. “I’ve got a tall kisser to get to. I don’t know, it’s one of those suspended Kadri for what the league’s Department of Player Safety things, in the heat of the moment it is probably shocking and you take a deemed to be both a dangerous and “message-sending” hit. step back and think, ‘What the heck happened?’ Then you gather yourself, giggle, and move on. For his part, Wingels said he “didn’t like the hit” and noted he was in a vulnerable spot. Kadri raced into him from the slot-side edge of the right “Maybe tonight there’s two willing participants and we see the first lip-to- wing faceoff circle and launched into him at point of contact. Kadri’s left lip on-ice kiss.” hip connected high on Wingels’s upper body and caused his head to slam against the wall. One media wag opening wondered if Komarov used mouthwash and flossed regularly. “I think as a game, as a league, as players, that’s the stuff we don’t want to see in our game,” he added. “It was handled with, and I think the “You never know,” pondered a good-humored Backes, “maybe he league did a good job and now it’s completely in the past. There is no doesn’t, to keep Marchy away. I’ve used that tactic before — I think my more need to talk about it, and that’s kind of my comment on it. The hit, wife has, too.” similar to Game 1, is in the past — our focus is on Game 2.” “Now they know . . . ,” kidded Marchand, “that I’ve got bad breath.” Asked if he had any sense Kadri was lining him up prior to the smack, Wingels made it clear he did not want to dissect the incident. Good company “Like I said, that’s kind of the comment I want to make on it,” he said. “I David Pastrnak’s 6 points tied the franchise record for most points in a want to move on here. I know you guys want to write stories and my playoff game. Phil Esposito put up his half-dozen (4-2—6) against the comments on it, but I always have had the mentality that when Game 1 Leafs in a 10-0 win on April 2, 1969, and Rick Middleton went 2-4—6 vs. ends, everything has to be put in the rearview mirror. Right when the the Sabres on April 18, 1983 . . . Kevan Miller trucked the Leafs’ game ended, I moved my focus to Game 2. That’s where it is right now.” Komarov along the right-wing wall in the second period, ending the winger’s night on his 10th shift and only 6:33 in ice time. Komarov made Coach Bruce Cassidy had two spare forwards, rookie Ryan Donato and his way gingerly to the dressing room, came back to sit for a while on the veteran Brian Gionta, at the ready for Game 1. He chose the rookie out bench, but ultimately retired for the night . . . The Leafs had the edge at of Harvard to get his first playoff action, a 7-3 Bruins win. the faceoff dot, winning 61 percent of the drops, and they also outshot the Bruins, 33-28, firing a total of 63 chances toward Tuukka Rask. The Donato played left wing with Noel Acciari and David Backes but the line Bruins put 28 shots on the two Leafs tenders and only fired a total of 39 did not register any points. attempts. Danton Heinen moved off third line left wing and was shifted to fourth line Target practice right wing with Tim Schaller and Sean Kuraly. The Bruins saw 33 shots in Game 1 get blocked or go off net, a total Cassidy felt the referee’s call on the ice Thursday, with Kadri assessed a easy surpassing the 27 shots the Leafs landed on Tuukka Rask. The charging major and a game misconduct, was “appropriate.” Leafs had a total 25 shots that were either blocked or weren’t on net . . . Kadri played 14:08 in the opener and won 7 of his 13 faceoffs . . . No “After that, I’ll say it again, it’s in the league’s hands,” he said. “I don’t surprise, Patrice Bergeron led everyone at the dot in Game 1, clipping 12 have any experience doling [suspensions] out. I just know what you see of 17 (71 percent) of his faceoffs. He also finished with a game-high six over time, so really not much to say there — they dealt with it how they shots on Leafs tender Frederik Andersen. see fit.”

Kadri, said Cassidy, is a valuable player for the Leafs — a 32-goal scorer again this season, a regular on their power play, and proficient on Boston Globe LOADED: 04.15.2018 faceoffs. “So I am sure they will feel that loss,” he said. “But they’ve got a lot of good depth players. I am sure they will make the necessary adjustments. “But at the end of the day, the are missing a good player, I guess, and that’s it, end of story. They’ll put a guy in there and we’ve just go to play our game.” Kiss and tell That always-awkward first kiss out of the way, the question heading into Game 2 was whether the relationship between Brad Marchand (the kisser) and Leafs center Leo Komarov (the kissee) would take flight. In the series opener, the irascible Marchand, having grown tired of Komarov’s tight in-your-face checking, nuzzled his visored face up against the neck of the Leaf . . . and just like that . . . slurp! . . . love was in the air. 1091472 Boston Bruins

Adam McQuaid blocks out distractions (as well as shots)

By Julian Benbow GLOBE STAFF APRIL 14, 2018

There was no way for Adam McQuaid to know how much of a role he would play going into the Stanley Cup playoffs. Where he fit into coach Bruce Cassidy’s plans was still up in the air as the Bruins closed out the regular season. Cassidy had a call to make between defensemen Adam McQuaid and Nick Holden. No matter which way the coach went and no matter which scenario he might find himself in, McQuaid made sure he was ready. “When you’re called up to do your job to the best of your ability and kind of focus on what you do,” the nine-year veteran said. “Whether that’s a lot of PK time or not, whatever the case may be, it’s just being ready to go when you’re called upon.” McQuaid played 16:33 crucial minutes in the Bruins’ Game 1 win over the Maple Leafs on Thursday. His biggest impact came on the penalty kill. He was on the ice for 5:11 of the Bruins’ six shorthanded minutes, helping snuff all three of Toronto’s power plays. He gave up his body to block four Maple Leafs shot attempts, something he’s never shied away from. “Just different years of being on a penalty kill, being a defenseman, you’re more apt to be in a position where you have to try and block shots,” McQuaid said. “I guess it just comes from that willingness to try to do it.” But his biggest contribution came on a gritty 2:24 shorthanded shift in the second period that earned him some pats on the back and a few short moments to his breath once he got back to the bench. The Bruins had the third-best penalty kill in the league over the regular season (83.7 percent), and the 31-year-old McQuaid knows from experience how important it will be the deeper they go. “It’s an important part of the game itself, but obviously in the playoffs there’s a fine line between winning and losing and you’re just trying to do everything you can to preserve leads or just trying to keep the puck out of the net whatever ways you can,” McQuaid said. “I think it’s just part of what guys do, especially this time of year.” One of the Bruins focal points this series will be stopping a Maple Leafs power play that was second in the league (25 percent), a strategy McQuaid said requires a heightened attention to detail. “Guys are so skilled nowadays, every team can be dangerous on the power play,” he said. “Especially this team, they’re very dangerous. It’s a fine line between keeping the puck out of your net and not in some situations. We got a few bounces that went our way at times and beyond that [in Thursday’s win], just doing whatever you can to keep the puck out of the net.” Being able to contribute at this stage was especially gratifying for McQuaid after missing 10 weeks earlier in the season with a broken fibula. When he returned in January, the emergence of Matt Grzelcyk made it difficult for Cassidy to reintegrate him into the rotation. But in the postseason, experience is valuable and McQuaid proved it. “Having had an injury earlier in the year and missing significant time with that, you can’t really predict the future and you don’t really know what’s going to come out of a situation,” McQuaid said. “From game to game, you don’t really know how things are going to play out, so you just try and bring your best effort and be focused. Whether you end up playing whatever people may call a big role or a small role, whatever the case may be, I think everyone has their role and you just do it to the best of your ability.”

Boston Globe LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091473 Boston Bruins

Nazem Kadri’s suspension will help keep clean play in check

By Anthony Gulizia GLOBE CORRESPONDENT APRIL 14, 2018

The best retaliation for the Bruins would be another victory. Toronto’s Nazem Kadri was suspended three games Friday by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety after his hit on the Bruins’ Tommy Wingels in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series. Kadri’s 32 goals ranked third on the Maple Leafs this season and the absence of one of Toronto’s top forwards has the potential to change the landscape of the series. The 27-year-old Kadri is also a key component of the team’s power-play unit, which ranked second in the league during the regular season. Yet the Bruins know that they can’t look past Kadri’s absence. They are fully aware that the Maple Leafs are still a dangerous team. “We beat them in Game 1 and they were able to change things up so who knows if they’ll look better with a new look,” Bruins forward Sean Kuraly said Saturday after the team’s optional morning skate. “[Kadri’s] a good player, but little changed. We need to be ready and know that doesn’t mean it’s going to be any easier for us.” Kuraly, who scored a highlight-reel goal when he batted a puck out of the air in Game 1, said that the Bruins are ready to move on from the incident. “You never like to see somebody get hit from behind like that,” Kuraly said. “It’s a scary moment for us and Wingels has been a big part of our team, so you don’t want to see anybody go down like that. We let the league make their decision and they did and it was worthy. We’re going to take it, move on, and try to play smooth hockey.” For both teams, as well as the rest of those playing for the Stanley Cup, the league’s decision to suspend Kadri served as a clear reminder such plays will not be tolerated. “They’re trying to send a message that anything from behind or in the head won’t be tolerated,” Kuraly said. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was suspended a game after he checked Golden Knights forward William Carrier. Doughty made contact with Carrier near the shoulder and head area during Game 1 and missed the Kings’ 2-1 double-overtime loss Friday night. Regardless of the Bruins’ emotions after the Kadri hit, they know they need to steer clear of any retaliation that could draw the league’s attention. “We’re going to be at points in every playoff series, every game, somebody is going to be frustrated and want to physically assert themselves,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “And you need to make sure you stay in the moment, in the game, what’s acceptable and what’s not.” The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, felt that the three-game suspension was excessive punishment. “We expected . . . a game out of it,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock told reporters Saturday morning. “Adversity you face in the playoffs, if you’re going to have a long run, is always there. There’s not much you can do about it.”

Boston Globe LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091474 Boston Bruins Often the most alluring aspect of junior hockey, noted Iafrate, is the carrot of playing an expanded schedule without the added burden of the classroom. He remains an advocate of game experience, believing that Al Iafrate’s advice? ‘Stay in school and get the degree, man’ his amateur days with Compuware in Detroit — with teammates Alfie Turcotte and — went a long way in shaping his game.

“I bet we played at least 100 games together one year in midget hockey,” By Kevin Paul Dupont Iafrate recalled. “And I don’t care who you are, nothing makes you better than playing. But again, some of these young kids head off to junior GLOBE STAFF APRIL 14, 2018 because they’re told they’re going to play a lot right away. Often they don’t. So are they better being in junior, sitting in a press box and

watching games, or better in college, playing a lot and getting their Nothing might underscore the Bruins’ appreciation for the United States degree? Seems obvious, right?” college game better than how their man-game totals broke down for the After 10 years, life in the stick-manufacturing business “ran its course,” 2017-18 regular season. said Iafrate. He recently obtained his real estate license and he’s a To wit, man games for the following categories: residential broker in Plymouth, Mich., next to his hometown of Livonia. Out of the game now for 20 years, he’s still recognized by some of his Players with Division 1 NCAA experience: 823 games. clients as the former NHL defenseman with the powerful skating stride and booming slapper. Players with Canadian junior experience: 531 games. “This is the Detroit area, Hockeytown, right?” he said. “So let’s put it this Players solely with European experience: 207 games. way, a lot more people would know me if I’d played for the Red Wings. Indeed, things have changed dramatically from the days when Bob Miller, It’s like when you play for the Bruins, you’re a Bostonian. And what I proud son of the University of New Hampshire Wildcats, was somewhat loved about being in Boston was, if you’re not a Bruin, then they want a the anomaly as an ex-college kid wearing the Spoked-B, joined only his piece of you. Toronto and Boston fans are the best in the world.” rookie year by fellow Spoked-B collegians Peter McNab, , A prediction on the Bruins-Leafs series? and Ron Grahame. “No comment,” said the Planet. In Miller’s rookie season of 1977-78, the Bruins’ breakdown was: One of only 126 players to play for both franchises, Iafrate on Saturday Canadian junior: 1,113 games. night in the Garden had his choice to sit with Bruins alums or Leafs NCAA: 275 games. alums. A man torn. European: 15 games, all from Matti Hagman. “Not sure about that,” he said, asked if he would sit with the sinners or the saints at the Garden. “I’ll have to check out the food first.” Al Iafrate, among the most talented Americans to make it to the NHL, fast-tracked to the Maple Leafs’ lineup as an 18-year-old, after only a SLOW GOING one-year primer with the 1984 US Olympic team and 10 junior games Lucic couldn’t keep up the pace with OHL Belleville. Only one word for Milan Lucic’s second season in Edmonton: awful. Had he to do it all over again, Iafrate said during a telephone interview the other day, he likely would have chosen the same path. But he The ex-Bruins power forward, once the most menacing presence in the nonetheless laments the fact now that he doesn’t have a college degree, NHL, looked dial-up s-l-o-w all season and barely could buy himself a one he might have earned had he chosen to take up Ron Mason’s offer spot on the scoresheet. Final line: 82 games, 10-24—34. And the big to play at Michigan State during the Spartans’ heyday. fella is on the books for five more years at a whopping $6 million per. Nearly a decade spent in businesses related to the production of hockey “I felt like I let a lot of my teammates down,” said the hulking Lucic as he sticks, more than half of those employed by Warrior, opened Iafrate’s and his Oil buddies cleaned out their lockers last Sunday. eyes to what life is like in the business world without a college degree. Lucic’s game was descending in his final two years with Boston, well “A great business lesson,” said Iafrate, 52, who planned to be at the before general manager Don Sweeney broomed him out to Los Angeles Garden Saturday night for Game 2 of the playoffs between his Leafs and in the summer of 2015. Lucic agreed late into his tour here in the Hub of his Bruins. “I learned that in corporate America, without a degree, you’re Hockey that he found it difficult to reach his A-game if he wasn’t playing really limited in how far you can go. That’s the lesson, I guess — stay in in an emotional pique. For Looch, that meant fight-induced rage. school and get the degree, man.” And in a league that has all but turned sweet science into lost art, it’s Nonetheless, as Iafrate’s case illustrates, it’s not always as clear cut for, impossible to imagine him ever getting angry enough, even on a twice-a- say, kids who have a legit shot at being among the top 5-10 first-round month-basis, to deliver at Full Looch Level. draft picks in a given year. An uber talent on defense, the Planet was picked No. 4 overall by the Leafs in June 1984 and found himself that “I’m not happy or even proud with the way I played,” said Lucic. October manning a Blue and White back line with the likes of Jim If there is a way back, and it looks like a small window of opportunity for Benning, Borje Salming, Gary Nylund, and Bob McGill. His game the 6-foot-3-inch left wing heavyweight, it will be to trim some 12-15 certainly didn’t need time to incubate in college hockey. pounds this summer and report to camp with his head fixed on being a But that’s the exception, even in today’s game with clubs more eager to fleet-footed crash and banger. push teenagers into varsity lineups as a means of coping with salary-cap He doesn’t have the speed to keep up with Connor McDavid, which is to limitations. Far more typically, the kid drafted at 18, if he ever makes it, say he is in a group with everyone else in the NHL. Of all of McDavid’s probably won’t pull on a varsity NHL sweater until age 22 or 23. So talents, his most unique is that he can maintain his skill package while today, with three-plus decades of wisdom baked in, Iafrate figures most playing at top-end speed. kids are better off tracking through college. Lucic will be 30 when he reports to camp. He is durable, having only “I went the other way, obviously, and that’s not easy, either,” he said. missed one game in three years since being deported from Causeway “But for the grind most kids go through, heck, why not go the college Street. Age and game-to-game endurance remain on his side. route and have something in your hip pocket to fall back on, something to prepare you for something else, whenever the time comes?” “I’ve always found a way to come back even stronger, and that’s basically where my head is at heading into the offseason,” Lucic told the Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, a first-round pick of the Blackhawks in Edmonton media. “There are definitely ways to bounce back, but it’s all 1983, recently said much the same thing. He had numerous college on me to do that. I am not giving up on myself or this team.” offers, including looks from some of the top Boston-area programs, but opted for the junior route at age 17. Had he not been pegged as a first- Hard not to root for Lucic. He was a huge fan favorite in Boston, his No. rounder, he said, the college track would have been the wiser decision. 17 Bruins sweater a No. 1 seller league-wide for much of his time here, particularly when he was rolling up career highs of 62 and 61 points in “It prepares you better for life, I think,” said Iafrate. “And I’m saying that back-to-back seasons and beating down anyone nuts enough to as someone who didn’t do it, obviously. But I’ve worked a lot with kids challenge him. over the years, talked to kids, talked to their parents, and I just think it makes the most sense.” When he did fight, he often did so with frightening, intoxicating fury, and his big hits along the wall shook the entire house. It’s entirely possible we’ll never see that again from him, and an equal bet the game won’t see disappointment, particularly for those in the media. Hitch, sharp and anyone deliver like him again in a game that, quite frankly, ran too fast engaging, was among the game’s best talkers and a media favorite this season for him to catch. throughout the Original 31. And bless his soul, he refused to play the “upper-body” and “lower-body” charade when detailing player injuries. “With me,” Lucic said, “it’s about trying to get with the times and adjusting Sometimes a wrenched knee is just a wrenched knee, and saying it to the way the league is going.” would make everyone happy. Even adults . . . Brad Marchand going all ETC. smoochface on Leo Komarov in Game 1 of the Bruins-Leafs series might linger as long as the elbow Pat Quinn drilled into Bobby Orr’s noggin in The NHL will be hard pressed to find a classier brother duo, twins or the 1969 playoffs (we don’t let things go easily here). In Game 2 of that otherwise, than Daniel and , who called it a career last series at the old Garden, a stuffed dummy of Quinn, a noose around its weekend at age 37 after logging a combined 2,636 games and 2,111 neck, dangled from the second balcony. Now that’s an upper-body injury points. . . . In case you missed it, Fluto Shinzawa, curator of this space for the past three years, moved on last weekend as a charter member of The Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, who helped deny the Swedish twins the Athletic’s Boston venture. Stick salute to a good friend and colleague, Stanley Cup in 2011, saw plenty of them over his career, in both the NHL whose eye from six stories above the ice surface is sharper than the and international play. NHL’s entire on-ice officiating crew. “It’s pretty amazing what they were able to accomplish,” said Chara, whose charge often was to keep the duo from creating in Boston’s defensive zone. “With their skills and vision, you know, without even Boston Globe LOADED: 04.15.2018 having to look at each other, they changed the whole aspect of the cycle game.” The twins also instituted a change in the power-play attack, noted Chara, with Henrik backing away from the crease in the slot and providing far- out tips of Daniel’s feeds off the half-wall. “They were the first ones to use that play,” said Chara. “So credit to them. It’s pretty amazing that they both were able to reach 1,000 points and over 1,000 games. A pretty amazing career for both of them and I wish them the best in their lives after hockey.” Defenseman Shea Theodore scored the winning goal, and the only goal, in the Golden Knights’ 1-0 trimming of the Kings in Game 1 of their series. A former first-round draft pick (Anaheim, No. 26, 2013), Theodore and Bruins rookie Danton Heinen were born less than a month apart and grew up in adjacent towns in . “I was watching that,” said Heinen, his Bruins off Wednesday night and Heinen able to watch the broadcast of the Knights’ opener. “That was pretty cool to see.” Theodore, at age 16, headed off to junior hockey with WHL Seattle. A later bloomer, Heinen played lower-tier junior in British Columbia and then chose the college route, enrolling at the University of Denver as a 19-year-old freshman, just weeks after the Bruins selected him 116th overall in the 2014 draft. “We played on a couple of teams together back home, spring hockey and that stuff,” said Heinen, who grew up Langley, with Theodore in Aldergrove. “We were on the same teams till about 12. Then I played against him in midget and we skate together back home in summers.” Loose pucks Opening night playoff oddity: Penguins drub Flyers, 7-0, and in a winning cause, ex-Bruin Phil Kessel goes 0-0—0 and lands zero shots on net . . . Another ex-Bruin, Joe Morrow, knocked home the winner in Winnipeg’s 3-2 trimming of the Wild in Game 1. JoMo left the Hub as an unrestricted free agent after last season, hitched on with the Canadiens for the NHL minimum $650,000, then was moved to the Jets at the trade deadline for a fourth-round pick in this June’s draft. In Vegas this season, ex-Bruin goaltender Malcolm Subban finished with a better winning percentage (.737) in his 19 decisions than Marc-Andre Fleury (.674) in his 46 decisions. A couple of injuries sidelined Subban for the better part of two months, but the former first-round pick is back now as Fleury designated backup for the playoffs . . . Bruins netminding prospect Jeremy Swayman, picked No. 111 in last June’s draft, finished his freshman year at Maine as the Black Bears’ workhorse, going 15-12- 3 with a .921 save percentage. He won the No. 1 job over Weymouth’s Rob McGovern, a 6-foot-4-inch junior . . . Henrik Sedin, when asked by the Vancouver media about who would pick up the meal tab for teammates now that he and his brother are moving on: “I don’t know, there are a lot of cheap Canadians on this team.” . . . The Coyotes’ PR staff is pushing ex-Boston University standout Clayton Keller for Rookie of the Year (Calder) honors. But it looks from here like Islanders freshman Mathew Barzal, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2015 draft, will walk away with it. The dynamic Barzal led all rooks with 85 points (20 more than Keller at No. 2) and also topped the charts with 63 helpers. Winnipeg forward Kyle Connor led all rookies in goals with 31 . . . Champions are defined in many ways. Logan Boulet, one of the members of the Humboldt, Saskatchewan, junior team killed when their team bus collided with a tractor trailer, signed up to be an organ donor just weeks before the accident. At least six people received Boulet’s organs. There are some 4,500 Canadians in need of organs and hundreds die each year when no suitable matches are found . . . Ken Hitchcock’s resignation as Stars coach Friday was both a surprise and 1091475 Boston Bruins season in the playoffs. This feels like it’s heading somewhere memorable.

Their first clash of the season did nothing to quell the notion that the This sports week is about as good as it gets in Boston rivalry is back at full-throttle. It’s nice to have some real contentiousness back. Even better is winning two of three and entering Friday night’s series opener with the Orioles with a 4.5-game lead over the Yankees By Chad Finn already. GLOBE STAFF APRIL 14, 2018 Toronto is 2.5 back entering Friday night’s game, but that doesn’t really matter. It’s about the Sox and the Yankees, finally and again.

The Red Sox and Yankees don’t meet again until a four-game series in This sports week — beginning with the Red Sox-Yankees reintroduction the Bronx beginning May 8. That one is worth anticipating. But in the Tuesday night and culminating with Monday’s Patriots Day festivities — immediate interim, there’s so much to keep a Boston sports fan is about as good as it gets here. entertained. Which is to say that these seven days are as good as being a sports fan The Bruins and Leafs clash in Game 2 Saturday night. The Celtics take gets anywhere. on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in their first-round playoff series starting Sunday. Red Sox-Orioles games can get pretty Is that arrogant? I can see how fans in another market, envious of a contentious, too. And Monday is the best day of the year — the late- Boston sports fan’s assorted riches this century, could take it that way. morning Red Sox game overlapping the Boston Marathon. Especially in New York. Is it arrogant to acknowledge our sports riches? Go ahead and let the But more than anything, it’s the truth. outsiders call it that. We’ll be too busy appreciating all we have to pay it Just look at what we’ve got going on right now, in the recent days that much notice. have passed and the ones immediately ahead.

The Bruins opened their first-round series with the talented Maple Leafs Boston Globe LOADED: 04.15.2018 under the assumption that the teams were fairly evenly matched — or at the least, that the Leafs would be a worthy foe. For a well-played first period and moments in the second in the opener Thursday night, they were. Then the Bruins tapped the accelerator and pulled away from the Leafs a in 5-1 victory that was so satisfying and reassuring that you’d think it followed a script submitted by a Bruins fans. The Bruins excelled on the power play and the penalty kill, and were pretty darned good 5-on-5 too. They solved Leafs goalie Craig Anderson, with five different Bruins scoring. Meanwhile, Tuukka Rask stopped 26 of 27 shots, some in spectacular fashion. Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy were impenetrable, looking like the most well-rounded defensive pairing in the NHL. David Krejci — the player who has led the NHL in points in two different postseasons — found his playoff form. And Playoff Krejci is a dominator. Brad Marchand agitated in an especially creative way. There are no penalties or punishments for smooching a nemesis, right? Amusingly, the best baseball play of the night might have happened in the hockey game, when the Bruins’ Sean Kuraly bunted in a puck out of thin air for the home team’s fourth goal of the game. But there was plenty of compelling baseball action to be found a few miles away at Fenway yet again. Rick Porcello — sensational in 2016, suboptimal in ’17 — pitched like he’d found that old Cy Young form, pumping in sinking strikes to keep the allegedly mighty Yankees hitless into the seventh . I’ll cop to believing Porcello’s Cy Young season was a fluke — he’s not going 22-4 again — but if he can be 90 percent of the pitcher he was that season, the Red Sox will have the best No. 3 starter in the American League. He was as good Wednesday night as he has been in a Red Sox uniform. And it came at a relatively meaningful time. His performance and the Red Sox’ awakened offense propelled the Red Sox to a 6-3 win and their second victory in the three-game series. Given what happened Wednesday night — a good ol’ fashioned donnybrook in which the Yankees’ Tyler Austin charged Sox pitcher Joe Kelly after getting a retaliatory plunking in the ribs for a dirty earlier — Thursday’s victory felt as meaningful as any can on April 12. (Kelly’s almost casual “Let’s go” callout of Austin probably caused him the largest one-day rise in popularity among Red Sox fans since J.D. Drew’s in Game 6 of the 2007 ALCS.) It is nice to have some real contentiousness return to the rivalry. The Red Sox and Yankees look like ascending powerhouses in the American League, with new managers and reloaded rosters. While the champion Astros are the team to beat, this could be the first year since 2004 that the Red Sox and Yankees have a chance to end each other’s 1091476 Boston Bruins

Bruins' bottom six in question for Game 2 tonight

Steve Conroy Saturday, April 14, 2018

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy has some game-time decisions for tonight's Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Garden. Tommy Wingels, who absorbed a hit to the head for which the Toronto's Nazem Kadri was suspended three games, took part in the Bruins' optional morning skate and was off the ice before the expected scratches. Cassidy did not know whether Wingels would be available or not and Wingels would shed no light on it after his skate. In practice in which Wingels did not participate on Friday, the coach had Ryan Donato at third line left wing with center Noel Acciari and right wing David Backes and dropped Danton Heinen down to Wingels' spot at fourth line right wing, his off side. If Wingels can play, that could create a decision between Heinen and Donato, a healthy scratch for Game 1, at third line left wing. Heinen started tentatively in Game 1 but got better as the contest progressed. Cassidy also opened the possibility of Gionta going in, though the veteran stayed on the ice for extra work with scratches Nick Holden and Riley Nash (injured). “We'll wait for the dominoes to fall,” said Cassidy. “If Wingels doesn't play, then Donato definitely goes in. There's a little bit of a question mark.” While he was dealing with the possibility of missing one of his players, the Leafs will be missing a big part of both their attack and defense in Kadri. But Cassidy said that won't drastically affect how the B's approach these three games. Speedy rookie Andreas Johnsson will take Kadri's spot in the lineup. “I'm sure they'll feel that loss, but they have a lot of good depth players,” said Cassidy. “I'm sure they'll make the necessary adjustments. I know (Patrick) Marleau's played both the middle and the left side. That's the easy thing right now to surmise they might do. But at the end of the day, they're missing a good player and that's it. End of story. They'll put a guy in there. We just have to play our game. We'll move on, play tonight and see what affect it has moving forward.” With the 5-1 win in Game 1 and the Kadri suspension, everything suddenly seems to be going the Bruins' way. But things change quickly in the playoffs. The B's young players only had to look at the Philadelphia- Pittsburgh series to see how quickly. Pittsburgh embarrassed a seemingly overmatched Flyers team in Game 1 of that series, but Philly stunningly turned the tables on the two-time defending champs to even that series last night. “Everyone thinks you win Game 1 and that's the way the series is going to go. And that's not true,” said Sean Kuraly. “We know that. We're trying to be cognizant of that. We know there are a heck of a lot of good players over there that are trying just as hard as us to win the game and they're not going to roll over.” The Philly turnaround was sobering. “For a young guy like me, to see that is good,” said Kuraly. “It was eye- opening.”

Boston Herald LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091477 Boston Bruins Vegas got on the board first after Jonathan Marchessault's shot went wide and caromed off the end boards. Tuch was in front of the net to clean it up for his first career playoff goal, on a power play, giving the Haula's goal in 2nd OT gives Vegas 2-1 win over Kings Golden Knights a 1-0 lead late in the first period. The Kings got their first goal of the series on a power play, when LaDue fired a wrist shot from the point to beat Fleury with 4:05 left in the second. Staff Report Both teams had their chances in the first overtime, but Fleury and Quick Associated Press Saturday, April 14, 2018 were magnificent between the pipes. Through two games the teams have played 155 minutes, 16 seconds, and Fleury and Quick have allowed just four goals combined. LAS VEGAS — What happens in Vegas, continues to happen in Vegas. NOTES: Rock star Gwen Stefani, a Southern California native raised in The NHL's Golden Knights are the toast of the town. Anaheim, was shown on the T-Mobile video board delivering a "Go Knights Go!" chant during the first period. ... Fellow rock star Vince Neil Erik Haula's goal in double overtime gave Vegas a 2-1 victory over the got the crowd roaring to start the third period by winding up the air raid Los Angeles Kings on Friday night for a 2-0 lead in their first-round siren. playoff series.

"Honestly, I think that's my first overtime goal and I'm happy it came at this time; that's one of the best feelings in sports," Haula said. "Going into Boston Herald LOADED: 04.15.2018 overtime we just stressed it in the locker room to just keep going after 'em, to keep getting pucks behind 'em, keep playing north, keep playing fast and I think we executed our game plan." With less than five minutes on the clock in the second overtime, James Neal skated into the zone, looked past Alex Tuch and instead found a streaking Haula, who skated in on his own to beat goalie Jonathan Quick and send a towel-waving crowd of 18,588 into a frenzy. "Obviously, he had the composure to hold the puck. I knew he was going to make that play. Maybe that helps we've been playing all year," Haula said of Neal. "I had good speed going to the net. ... I was able to slide a five-hole, he reacted. I was coming in with a lot of speed, I got lucky and we got the win." Game 3 in the best-of-seven Western Conference series is Sunday night in Los Angeles. Tuch scored for expansion Vegas in regulation, and Paul LaDue had the Kings' goal. Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves for the Golden Knights. Quick stopped 54 shots for the Kings. "Such a relief at the end," said Fleury, who has allowed just one goal in a little more than 155 minutes over the first two games. "It was long, it was hard. The guys did an awesome job again tonight. It was a good feeling to win at home in front of our fans." The Golden Knights outshot Los Angeles in regulation, 35-20. Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said Friday was a good example of why his scheme of playing four lines consistently all season is important, as his team continued to play with more pep while the Kings appeared fatigued as the second overtime wore on. "Haula's a great skater. ... Obviously that last goal, Haula's speed created a lot of that goal," said Gallant, who got the victory exactly one year after being hired as coach of the Golden Knights. "As coaches, all year long, we played four lines and that's what we do, so hopefully that paid off a little bit tonight. We played four lines most of the overtime, because when you play that much hockey, guys start to cramp up. It was tough on them. It was a great game, great battle and unbelievable for our fans tonight." The Kings, meanwhile, played without suspended defenseman Drew Doughty, a Norris Trophy contender who led the NHL in total minutes this season. The league's Department of Player Safety handed down a one- game suspension after Doughty's illegal hit to the head on Vegas forward William Carrier midway through the third period of the Golden Knights' 1- 0 series-opening victory Wednesday night. Kings defenseman Oscar Fantenberg led the team with 53 shifts, while fellow defenseman Alec Martinez led the club with 44 minutes, 43 seconds on ice. In contrast, nobody on Vegas' roster played more than 38 minutes, with defenseman Nate Schmidt leading the Golden Knights at 37:19. Game 1 featured 127 hits, including 68 by the Kings, and the rugged play continued in Game 2, with the same physical theme. Los Angeles outhit the Golden Knights 80-56 after the two combined for 113 in regulation. "(Quick) gave us a chance to win like he always does," Kings coach John Stevens said. "A lot of guys played hard tonight, not just Jonny. We had some guys play real hard (to) give us a chance to win. Now we've got to go home to take care of business at home." 1091478 Boston Bruins

Bruins notebook: Winger Tommy Wingels approves of suspension for Toronto’s Nazem Kadri

Rich Thompson Sunday, April 15, 2018

Bruins winger Tommy Wingels had two reactions to the three-game suspension the NHL Department of Player Safety levied Friday on Toronto center Nazem Kadri. Kadri felt the long arm of the law for driving Wingels head first into the boards at 8:18 of the third period during the Bruins’ 5-1 win in the series opener on Thursday night at the Garden. Kadri was banned from last night’s encounter at the Garden and the team’s next two playoff games. “I didn’t like the hit, I think I was in a vulnerable spot,” said Wingels, who skated in the B’s pregame practice at Warrior Ice Arena. “I think the game and the league and as players, that is something we don’t want in our game. It was handled (correctly) and I think the league did a good job. Now it is completely in the past, there is no more need to talk about it.” Kadri drew a five-minute major and a 10-minute misconduct penalty. He had taken an early run at Wingels and drew a boarding penalty at 4:44 of the third. Kadri’s suspension cost the Maple Leafs their second line center who produced 32 goals and 23 assists in the regular season. “I thought the call on the ice was appropriate with the five minutes and then the game,” said B’s coach Bruce Cassidy. “After that it was in the league’s hands and I don’t have any experience at doling that out, just what you see over time. “I think Kadri is a real good player, a 30-goal scorer and good shot on their power play, faceoffs and as a matchup guy. I’m sure they will feel that loss but they have a lot of depth and make the necessary adjustments but at the end of the day they are missing a very good player.” Cassidy said Wingels was questionable but unlikely to play. Riley Nash missed his sixth straight game with a head injury while Nick Holden and Brian Gionta were healthy scratches. Rick Nash made positive contributions to the Bruins second line and first power-play unit in Game 1. He missed the last 12 games of the regular season with a concussion and was well rested for his return. He logged 11:15 even-strength minutes on the line with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk and 5:46 on the power play, mostly with Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Torey Krug. “It was nice to get one out of the way and you are always nervous about how you are going to feel and how you are going to play,” said Nash. Five and counting Center Sean Kuraly has limited playoff experience but proved he could handle the pressure and pace of the postseason in Game 1. Kuraly competed in his fifth playoff game and scored his first playoff goal by swatting home an elevated Pastrnak rebound to put the Bruins up 4-1 at 7:41 of the third. “I like to play in a lot more playoff games and that was a small sample,” said Kuraly. “I try to help the team as best I can and if it goes in the net that better.”

Boston Herald LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091479 Boston Bruins

David Pastrnak sparkles as Bruins swamp Toronto for 2-0 edge

Rich Thompson Sunday, April 15, 2018

Three goals, 14 points. To go with the pair of goals and four assists in the series opener on Thursday. The Bruins’ first line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak is decimating the Toronto Maple Leafs, with last night’s convincing 7-3 victory at the Garden giving Boston a 2-0 lead as the best-of-seven, first-round series heads north of the border. “They were on tonight and hard to play against, really hard to play against” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “They played a 200-foot game and you can talk about Bergy and Marshy on the (penalty kill) as well.” Pastrnak enjoyed a career night, with a hat trick — all scored at even strength — and three assists by himself. His nine points through two games tie Phil Esposito, who did it in 1969 against these same Maple Leafs, for the most by a player through his first two games of a postseason. Pastrnak scored the Bruins first goal just 5:26 in, sparking a 4-0 first period which Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen survived barely 12 minutes of, and the final two goals — both quality athletic plays around the Toronto net. “He’s more comfortable in NHL playoff hockey for one,” said Cassidy. “He was aware going in it was not going to be easy and he had to take advantage of his opportunities. “A breakthrough night is a good term. Six points in a Stanley Cup playoff game with a hat trick, that is special. Some it is maturity physically, some of it is maturity mentally and what is expected in the playoffs.” Bodies and pucks to the net have been the Bruins keys to success, and their goals were all scored on plays in front of the net or redirections from the perimeter. Jake DeBrusk made it 2-0 on the power play at 9:46, redirecting a pass through the crease from defenseman Torey Krug, who finished with three assists. Rick Nash scored his first goal of the series on the power play at 15:00 of the first that put Boston up 4-0. Just 3:46 into the second, after Toronto’s Mitchell Marner pulled the visitors back within 4-1, David Krejci redirected a Pastrnak one-timed slap shot from the point high on the blocker side of Toronto backup Curtis McElhinney. “We are a determined group and we have courage for one to go to the dirty areas,” said Cassidy. “You need courage. You get people there and you need to get pucks to arrive there and it becomes a mindset. “You can have players go there all day but if the pucks don’t arrive you get frustrated. That goes hand in hand but we believe that is an area we want to force them to defend if they are willing to hang in there and battle us there.” Cassidy anticipated a Toronto tempest in the opening shift of the game and the Maple Leafs delivered. The Bruins were hemmed in their zone by the swarming Leafs but survived the initial onslaught. Tuukka Rask kept the Leafs’ swarming four lines off the board until the Bruins offense took over. Rask enjoyed his finest moments in the second period, collecting 14 of his 30 saves. Krug was instrumental in getting the Bruins off to a fast start. The Bruins best puck-moving defenseman and power-play point man assisted on three of the Bruins four first-period goals. “We knew they were going to come out flying and it was important for us to get that first one and push them back on their heels and take off from there,” said Krug.

Boston Herald LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091480 Boston Bruins “The coaches and our leaders talked to me every day, through the whole season,” Pastrnak said. “And playing with (Bergeron and Marchand), these guys know what it takes. To be honest, I wish every young guy David Pastrnak continues his special ascension for Bruins would get a chance to play with these two guys and take the lessons they have for you. For me, it's just about listening to them, and I've learned a lot, especially this year.” Steve Conroy Sunday, April 15, 2018 Much like he has with Marchand's ascension, Bergeron has watched Pastrnak's growth with a certain amount of pride.

“It's obviously a lot of fun watching a guy who wants to learn and wants to Everything about David Pastrnak is spectacular. get better and asks questions and works so hard to be at his best,” Bergeron said. "A lot of people in Boston know how good he is, but On the ice, the Czech-born right winger has been dazzling since his people outside (Boston) may start to get to know him more. It's been a rookie season, scoring on spin moves, setting up goals with no- look great transition from an 18-year-old to who he is now. He still has the passes and making defensemen look like hockey's version of same suits, but that's great. It's his personality. He always brings the Washington Generals. energy in the locker room, and you need that.” Pastrnak makes an impression off the ice, too. He's quick-witted, smart And when you can score six points in playoff game, it doesn't really (he speaks three languages – Czech, Swedish and English – and even matter what he wears to his press conference. Pastrnak will make it gave a French reporter a "Merci" last night) and flamboyant. He favors work. suits that are loud, plaids and checks preferably. He usually tops off the ensemble with a stylish chapeau. His nickname is Pasta, but he could pull off Superfly, no problem. Boston Herald LOADED: 04.15.2018 And Saturday night at the Garden, everything came together for him in the B's 7-3 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 2. He became just the third B's player to post six points in a playoff game – tying Phil Esposito (1969) and Rick Middleton (1983) for the team record – with a hat trick and three assists. He gave the Bruins a lead they never relinquished 5:26 into the contest, then made it rain hats with 1:36 left when he shoveled a puck that was behind him between his legs and then lifted a backhander over a helpless Curtis McElhinney. It was a night to remember for the 21-year-old, not to mention those who witnessed it. “Six points in a Stanley Cup playoff game?” B's coach Bruce Cassidy mused. “That's special.” But Cassidy and Pastrnak's teammates have come to expect the electrifying moments from him because he is, as the coach said, special. But what really has impressed the men in the Bruins dressing room is Pastrnak's determination to get the trick-or-treat element out of his game. He can sometimes try to go through three players to get to the net. Sometimes the puck goes the other way. But now he knows the low- percentage play gets even lower once the playoffs start. In the first two games, when he's met overwhelming resistance at the blue line, he's simply dumped the puck in and chased it down. That approach isn't hurting him. In two games, he has nine points (four goals) and a plus-6 rating. “He's been great for us all year, progressing, continually working on his game and trying to play the right way,” linemate Brad Marchand said. “I think that's what's been most impressive the last couple of games. He's scoring, and that's great, but it's the way that he's playing. He's playing well defensively, he's chipping pucks at the right time. When he plays the right way, then good things happen for him.” Torey Krug, who had three assists on the night, lauded Pastrnak for the same things. “The offensive stuff we've come to expect,” Krug said. “But everyone gets excited when you see him play a complete game. He's chipping pucks out of the zone, he's battling on the boards, he's coming back and taking away plays in the slot. That gets everyone on the bench going, and we're excited to see that. And he's getting rewarded for it.” Krug credits Pastrnak for that growth, but also his linemates and mentors Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. “He's a committed guy. He's committed to the team, committed to the group. Those are the type of people you want in this locker room,” Krug said. “He's followed the of a lot of great guys. He's playing with (Bergeron and Marchand), and they've led the way. They've engraved that character into him.” Pastrnak was not exactly invisible in his first playoff series last year against Ottawa. He had two goals and two assists in six games. But he endured his share of hard-knock lessons, and he admits he felt the pressure at times. The series ended with him in the penalty box in overtime after he was called for holding on Clark MacArthur behind the play. He wanted to get better, and the messages didn't start coming just as the playoffs were getting close. 1091481 Boston Bruins But the B’s head north of the border with their home-ice advantage very much intact. And no matter what happens in Toronto, the first two games of this series gave little indication that the Leafs will be able to take that Conroy: Bruins quash any thought of letdown, destroy Leafs away from them.

Steve Conroy Sunday, April 15, 2018 Boston Herald LOADED: 04.15.2018

Not every hockey player is a consumer of the sport when he punches out after a day at the rink. And during the playoffs, some players like to take a mental timeout on the nights they’re not playing. But when you’re young and excited about being a part of it, like Jake DeBrusk and Sean Kuraly, you can’t get enough of it. So after the Bruins dispatched the Maple Leafs in Game 1 Thursday night, the rookies hunkered down on their own to watch the Flyers-Penguins Game 2 on Friday night. What they saw was the Flyers flipping the script on the two- time defending champions. After being embarrassed in Game 1, the Flyers answered by taking Game 2 convincingly to snatch home-ice advantage away from the Penguins. “For a young guy like me, to see that is good,” Kuraly said. “It was eye- opening.” Said DeBrusk: “What I take from it was, as a road team, you want to go in and take one game. It was pretty impressive what Philly did. They brought their game in the second game. I expect the same thing from Toronto. We understand that and we have a lot of veterans in here who’ve talked about that.” That was not going to happen to the Bruins last night, as they crushed the Leafs, 7-3. With that sobering example on all their minds, the Bruins came out expecting a battle from Toronto. It lasted a couple of shifts. The Leafs came out, threw a couple of hits, held possession for a couple of minutes and then folded under the weight of the Bruins’ relentless attack that knocked the Leafs to the canvas before the first period was over. The B’s scored four times in less than 10 minutes in the middle of the first to not only capture Game 2, but re-establish themselves as the bona fide Stanley Cup contenders they looked like from mid-November through March. Their recipe was pretty much the same as they used in their Game 1 victory. The best players showed up. So did the power play. Again, their physicality forced the Leafs to make multiple, costly mistakes. And once again, luck did not shine on the Leafs when they had a chance to change the complexion of the game early on. David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Torey Krug all notched multiple points in the first period. The B’s cashed in on both power plays in the first, putting them at 5-for-8 for the series through four periods of hockey. And they had the Leafs’ heads spinning during the determining 10 minutes of the game. For the second contest in a row, Mike Babcock’s Leafs were whistled for too-many-men-on-the-ice. On that first PP, with the B’s already up 1-0 on Pastrnak’s first of three goals, Kasperi Kapanen caught Krug napping in the neutral zone and grabbed the loose puck for a breakaway. He clanged the post to Tuukka Rask’s left. The B’s went back down the ice and DeBrusk jammed home a Krug feed and it was 2-0. When Kevan Miller fired a puck from the corner into the net, that was it for the Frederik Andersen, pulled for Curtis McElhinney. But it didn’t stop the onslaught. The B’s threw their weight around in the first period. Miller crushed William Nylander early. And when Tim Schaller nailed speedster Mitch Marner with a heavy hit, veteran defenseman Ron Hainsey immediately started throwing punches. It was the right thing to do. And considering the way the Leafs were getting run out of the building, it might even have been the right time. It was just the wrong result. Hainsey got hit with the extra two minutes and, 11 seconds later, Rick Nash made it 4-0. Game over. The B’s played two more periods that were a little too loose and a little careless to allow the Leafs to cling to life — that will no doubt be addressed before Game 3 — but Rask made some key saves to keep the Leafs at arm’s length. The old adage in hockey is that a playoff series does not begin until the home team loses a game. And it’s true that there is still time for this series to change its tone when it shifts to Toronto tomorrow night. 1091482 Boston Bruins

Bruins rookie Ryan Donato makes playoff debut in Game 2

Rich Thompson Saturday, April 14, 2018

Bruce Cassidy guaranteed the Bruins would not fall victim to overconfidence after Thursday night’s series opening victory over Toronto. In last night’s Game 2 at the Garden, the B’s energetically engaged the desperate Maple Leafs and pounded out a 7-3 victory to the delight of a jubilant house. Leading the way again was the Bruins top line, with David Pastrnak erupting for a career night of three goals and three assists. Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron had four assists apiece as the line was a combined plus-14 — powering the B’s to a 2-0 series lead as the scene shifts to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto tomorrow night. Tuukka Rask had another solid outing, finishing with 30 saves. Cassidy anticipated a Toronto tempest in the opening shift of the game, and the Maple Leafs delivered. The Bruins were hemmed in their zone by the swarming Leafs but survived the initial onslaught. “They are going to bring it,” said Cassidy following the Bruins pregame skate. “For us, it’s about Game 2 and this will be a new animal and we have to adjust accordingly.” The Bruins reversed course quickly and took a 1-0 lead at 5:26 on Pastrnak’s second goal of the playoffs. Torey Krug dumped the puck into the Toronto zone in Pastrnak’s direction. The winger stabilized the puck in the low slot, went to the net and stuffed it around Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen. The B’s went up 2-0 on the power play at 9:46 on a slick set of passes. Patrice Bergeron fed the puck to Krug, who pinched low below the right circle. The defenseman fired a pass through the crease that was deflected in by Jake DeBrusk on the doorstep. The Bruins remained a relentless force and took a 3-0 lead and knocked out Andersen at 12:13. Defenseman Kevan Miller took a pass from Pastrnak in the left corner. Miller made a pair of elusive moves and fired a sharp-angled wrist shot that deflected off Leafs defenseman Nikita Zaitsev by Andersen. Toronto coach Mike Babcock gave Andersen the hook, replacing him with backup Curtis McElhinney. But less that three minutes later, the B’s pushed the lead to four with their second power-play goal of the game. Krug fed Pastrnak, who one-timed a slapper through a screen. Rick Nash got behind scooped up the puck in front of McElhinney and backhanded the puck home at the 15-minute mark. A lazy pass by David Krejci in the Leafs zone led to a 2-on-1 breakout and a Toronto goal 1:22 into the second period. Mitchell Marner intercepted Krejci’s drop pass to Krug and raced up the right boards with Zach Hyman on his flank. Marner ditched to Hyman, who fed back to Marner for the finish. But Krejci made amends at 3:46 on a sweet tip-in of Pastrnak’s one- timer. The Leafs cut the lead to 5-2 at 9:02 when Connor Brown set up Tyler Bozak. But Pastrnak made sure there was no comeback in store with his second goal of the night on a hustle play at 12:34 of the third. He followed a Brad Marchand breakaway and picked up the puck along the end boards. Pastrnak skated in front and scored high wrist shot. James van Riemsdyk made it 6-3 for the Leafs on the power play at 14:53, but Pastrnak completed his hat trick at 18:24 with a sweet deke around McElhinney to finish off another fabulous night for the Bruins.

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Morning Skate: Gronk loves Pasta - the black and gold kind

By Joe Haggerty April 14, 2018 3:59 PM

Here are all the links from around the hockey world, and what I’m reading, while enjoying the first weekend of Stanley Cup playoff hockey. *What’s better than Gronk showing his hockey roots from growing up in Buffalo and calling David Pastrnak his favorite player in the NHL? *As Pro Hockey Talk correctly observes, hits to the head are bringing on some big-time discipline from the NHL thus far in the playoffs. *In the interest of self-promotion, here’s my Friday morning hour sitting in with Toucher and Rich while Fred was getting in touch with his early- morning Oscar the Grouch. *Will Senators owner Eugene Melnyk follow the model for success as he looks to build back his Ottawa franchise? *It certainly looks like the Winnipeg Jets are swallowing the Minnesota Wild whole in their first-round matchup. *For something completely different: I am obviously a connoisseur of Star Wars jerseys, but this Salem Red Sox Star Wars jersey might be the best I’ve ever soon. For the first time ever... Your Sox will be wearing the two moons, not just playing under them!

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Bruins know Leafs 'are gonna bring it' in Game 2

By Joe Haggerty April 14, 2018 3:16 PM

BRIGHTON, Mass – The Bruins certainly had plenty of things go right for them in their 5-1 Game 1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. They scored three power-play goals, they ripped off 40 shots on net, they held both Auston Matthews and the Leafs PP in check, and they watched as Nazem Kadri self-destructed with a dirty boarding hit that got him suspended for the next three games. But the Bruins also know that probably won’t be the case tonight in Game 2 with Toronto highly motivated to head back home with a split. “Any team after losing the first game is going to come out with more fire and more attention to detail with all the little things, so we need to stick to our game playing with composure,” said David Backes. “We stick to our games that we’re playing well every time that we’re on the ice, and we need to lay that game down.” The one thing Bruce Cassidy didn’t want his players doing was getting overconfident after a good opening effort that really could have gone either way based on a bounce of the puck or two in the second period. That confidence could be boosted now that 30-goal scorer Kadri is out for the next three games and the Leafs front-end depth is going to take a hit without one of their best two-way players and power play goal-scorers. “That’s the balance, right? You want the guys to feel good about their game in a win, but we know there are areas of our game we need to work on,” said Cassidy, reeling off the power play and penalty kill as areas where the B’s weren’t as crisp as they wanted to be despite substantially winning the special-teams battle in Game 1. “They’re down a game and probably don’t feel like they played like they wanted to, so they’re gonna bring it. We saw that with Philadelphia [on Friday night]. But for us, it’s about Game 2. Game 1 is in the past and this is a different animal, so let’s get after it.” Clearly, the Bruins will be prepared for a much bigger push by Toronto to open up the game while trying to dictate the terms by taking an early lead, so they’ll need the same kind of goaltending, penalty killing and strong five-on-five play that they received against a Leafs team that continues to be pretty suspect defensively. If the Leafs do indeed fall down 0-2 in the series headed back to Toronto with no Kadri for a couple more games, Toronto could be in big, big trouble.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091485 Boston Bruins “I thought he wanted to cuddle, so I was just trying to get close to him,” said Marchand, with a giant smirk on his face. “He kept coming after me after whistles. I thought if he kept touching me we were going to get a Haggerty: Marchand in perfect spot with his game and goofy antics little closer than maybe he would want to.” Perhaps the NHL will come up with some unsportsmanlike conduct penalty where you can’t kiss, nuzzle or lick unsuspecting opponents, but By Joe Haggerty April 14, 2018 1:12 PM for right now Marchand is going right up to the line for agitating and provoking without stepping over it. He’s not throwing head shots and he’s not slew-footing or tripping players while targeting their bottom-halves, and he’s at least temporarily toeing the line while gaining an edge. It’s BOSTON - Could it be that Brad Marchand has finally made that final something that Cassidy approves of behind the B’s bench as long as it A) step of development toward being a fully realized NHL superstar? effectively gets Marchand into the game emotionally and B) doesn’t hurt Marchand has long possessed the toughest part, the elite-level offensive the team at a time of year when discipline mistakes can be critical ones. ability and inner makeup that allows him to consistently dominate in the “Sometimes I think he’s a little goofy. But I don’t mind goofy. It’s just part NHL. He has the numbers to back it up with more goals scored in the of [Marchand’s] personality. It’s when it starts going the other way that it’s NHL the past three seasons than anybody not named Alex Ovechkin. tough. If it keeps him on course then it’s great, but if we start to see the He’s also got it with a couple of All-Star designations and mentions in the other types of behavior then as a coach I try to recognize it and help pull Hart Trophy conversation in the past two seasons while being a point- him back in,” said Cassidy. “I’m not sure if other guy likes it very much, per-game player. The Bruins left winger has also refined his ability to but in terms of the league and the big picture, you laugh it off and move pass the puck given all the defensive attention paid to him, and this on.” season he’s been a certified overtime weapon with five game-winners for the Black and Gold in the extra session. The trick now for Marchand and the Bruins is to keep the B’s pest right in the same good place he was in for Game 1 while moving forward, and Despite all those unmistakable signs of greatness, however, there were keep fresh the reminder of where it can go wrong after watching Nazem still a few areas that have eluded the Nose Face Killah from being a Kadri completely lose control in the very same playoff game. finished product.

Marchand entered the playoffs with one goal in his previous 18 playoff games and zero goals in his past 16 home playoff games, so he hadn’t Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.15.2018 effectively translated his regular-season game into the postseason. That was a significant problem for Marchand, who has become a Black and Gold pillar relied upon by the B's. It also didn’t take into account some of the agitating actions that backfired on Marchand in the postseason the past few years, whether it was spraying ice chips into Carey Price’s face, limping on the wrong foot trying to embellish for a call against the Red Wings or simply trying to be a good little Marchand, and not being engaged enough in a quiet series last spring against the Ottawa Senators. All of that seems to be a thing of the past, though. It would seem that Marchand has finally found the range this postseason and he showed in Boston’s Game 1 win he could toe the delicate, balanced line between NHL star, in-your-face agitator and ultimately winning playoff hockey player. He scored the game’s first goal against the Leafs on Thursday night with a roofed backhanded finish in tight, and he did his whirling dervish thing in the corner to torture Kasperi Kapanen before dishing to David Pastrnak for the back-breaking insurance goal at the end of the second period. Marchand was completely in control, dominant in the offensive end along with the rest of his line and looked every bit the game-breaking player he’s become in the regular season. “I thought [Marchand] was excellent. He’s going to be a guy that teams are going to circle, because he’s an elite player,” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “In the past, you’ve been able to get him off his game at times. The good players that play with passion, you see that with a lot of them. How quickly can you get it back, and where do you keep your discipline not to hurt your team? “I thought he did a real good job with that [in Game 1]. I’m sure he’ll get tested again Saturday, but that’s what Marchy’s up against. You want to be a good player, you better be prepared for extra attention. He’s not the only one of our guys, just like they’ve got some guys over there that we want to make it hard for them to earn their ice. That’s hockey in general, but it’s even more magnified this time of the year.” So not only was Marchand keeping his head and not feeding into Toronto’s poking and prodding with ill-timed penalties, but he was playing mind games right back with the Leafs. The B’s left winger continued his bizarre rivalry with hard-hitting Toronto winger Leo Komarov and opted in the second period to nuzzle his trademark nose into his opponent’s neck while appearing to lick the Toronto player. This came after a regular- season meeting back in January where Marchand gave Komarov a big kiss on the cheek when he tried to get into No. 63’s face. Just call him the Little Ball of Hugs from this point moving forward, apparently. Cassidy called it “goofy” after Friday morning’s practice and Komarov doesn’t seem to like it very much, and that’s exactly why Marchand keeps doing it while staying on the right side of the discipline line in the sand. 1091486 Boston Bruins

Wingels a game-time decision, Donato steps in if he's out

By Joe Haggerty April 14, 2018 12:36 PM

BRIGHTON, Mass – Tommy Wingels was on the ice for the Bruins at Saturday morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena prior to Game 2 of the first- round series against the Maple Leafs and is still “questionable” for tonight after getting boarded by Nazem Kadri in the opener Thursday night. It’s expected that Ryan Donato will draw in for the Black and Gold if Wingels isn’t ready to go and man the left wing on the third line along with Noel Acciari and David Backes. That would drop Danton Heinen down to the fourth line with Tim Schaller and Sean Kuraly and give the Bruins more of a youthful, offense-heavy look rather than the more physical, gritty group that had success in Game 1. Wingels was pleased with the decision of a three-game suspension for Kadri after the Leafs forward launched into his head as Wingels was on his knees against the side boards, but was also ready to put it in the rear- view mirror. "I didn't like the hit. I thought I was in a vulnerable spot,” said Wingels. “As a game, as a league and as players, that's the stuff we don't want in our game. It was handled, league did a great job and now it's in the past" Donato was obviously excited about the prospect of getting into his first Stanley Cup playoff game. “Obviously, it was disappointing not being able to go [in Game 1], but you get a little bit of rest and I got some exposure to the playoff atmosphere watching that game," Donato said. "Hopefully I can use some of those lessons that I learned for tonight. My biggest focus is having the most impact that I can for the team. There are a lot of guys that can score goals and there are a lot of guys that can be consistent, and I want to be one of those guys that’s consistent and contributes offensively as well.”

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Pastrnak makes history in Game 2 vs Maple Leafs

By Joe Haggerty April 15, 2018 1:40 AM

GOLD STAR: David Pastrnak isn’t just dominating, he’s making Bruins history. Pastrnak is the first Bruins player to put up six points in a playoff game since Rick Middleton in 1883, and is the youngest player in NHL history to ever post nine points through the first two games of a Stanley Cup postseason. Pastrnak was flashy and electric while scoring the goals that both opened and closed Boston’s scoring with dangling flare, and he completely broke open a game that the Maple Leafs really had to have. The first goal was an athletic show of great hands after a Torey Krug cross-ice pass was knocked up in the air, and Pastrnak collected the puck in the slot, immediately dangled around Frederik Andersen before snapping a shot into the empty net. Pastrnak finished with the three goals, six points and a plus-5 rating in 15:46 of ice time along with four shots on net, and is going to be front and center in the NHL world now while doing all of this against Toronto. BLACK EYE: Frederik Andersen has been pretty bad through the first two games of the series, and looks like a goaltender that might have been ridden a little too hard during the regular season. Andersen gave up five goals in Game 1 on Thursday night while giving up rebounds, and finally having surrendered a bad angle David Krejci goal that was banked off his back and into the net. It was a lot worse on Saturday night in Game 2 as Andersen gave up three goals on the first five shots he faced, and then was done for the night before things even got going. There was probably only one of the three goals that Andersen really could have made a better play against, but the Leafs would have needed him to be superhuman in order to make a difference in such a poor defensive effort on Saturday night. The question is whether Andersen is truly fatigued, or just having a really bad series. TURNING POINT: The Bruins came out of the gate strong after weathering a very small mini-storm from the Maple Leafs to start the game, and scored four goals in the first period before the Leafs even got their footing. The first two goals arrived in the first half of the first period, and then the final two first period scores came within three minutes of each other when the B’s really began separating from the pack. The Bruins ended the first period outshooting the Leafs by just an 8-6 margin in those 20 minutes despite leading by a 4-0 score, but it was all about the Black and Gold making the right plays at the right times to take a lead they weren’t going to surrender. Interesting that the Bruins had struggled to get early leads in their final handful of regular season games, but have jumped out to big early leads in each of their first two playoff games this spring. HONORABLE MENTION: Torey Krug has been on the delivering end of a number of very good passes that have helped set up Boston’s offense over the last two playoff games, and was again on Saturday with three assists in 19:54 of ice time. It was his cross-ice pass that was slightly deflected before it landed on David Pastrnak’s stick and he then dangled through Leafs defenders before snapping the shot past Frederik Andersen. The rest was power play time for the diminutive D-man as centered a pass to Jake DeBrusk for Boston’s second goal of the game, and then fed Rick Nash for his own big man’s move down low where he looked big, strong and surprisingly fast with good, fresh skating legs that haven’t been part of the regular season pounding for the last month. BY THE NUMBERS: 20 – the number of points for the Brad Marchand/Patrice Bergeron/David Pastrnak line after just two playoff games as they thoroughly torch the Toronto Maple Leafs. QUOTE TO NOTE: “Six points in a Stanley Cup Playoff game with a hat trick? That’s special.” –Bruce Cassidy, on the big night for David Pastrnak with three goals and six points in the seven goal B’s outburst in Game 2.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091488 Boston Bruins HONORABLE MENTION: Torey Krug has been on the delivering end of a number of very good passes that have helped set up Boston’s offense over the last two playoff games, and was again on Saturday with three Pastrnak's hat trick helps Bruins dominate Maple Leafs in Game 2, 7-3 assists in 19:54 of ice time. It was his cross-ice pass that was slightly deflected before it landed on David Pastrnak’s stick and he then dangled through Leafs defenders before snapping the shot past Frederik Andersen. The rest was power play time for the diminutive D-man as By Joe Haggerty April 14, 2018 10:55 PM centered a pass to Jake DeBrusk for Boston’s second goal of the game, and then fed Rick Nash for his own big man’s move down low where he

looked big, strong and surprisingly fast with good, fresh skating legs that BOSTON – After two playoff games, it certainly appears that the Toronto haven’t been part of the regular season pounding for the last month. Maple Leafs can’t hang with the Boston Bruins. BY THE NUMBERS: 20 – the number of points for the Brad The Bruins scored the first four goals and never were in any danger of it Marchand/Patrice Bergeron/David Pastrnak line after just two playoff turning into a competitive hockey game in a 7-3 Game 2 win over the games as they thoroughly torch the Toronto Maple Leafs. Maple Leafs at TD Garden. David Pastrnak scored three goals for the hat QUOTE TO NOTE: “Six points in a Stanley Cup Playoff game with a hat trick, and had the first six point playoff game for a Bruins player since trick? That’s special.” –Bruce Cassidy, on the big night for David Rick Middleton had two goals and six points all the way back in 1983. Pastrnak with three goals and six points in the seven goal B’s outburst in The B’s top line now has 20 points between them in two games en route Game 2. to the Black and Gold going up 2-0 in the one-sided series against Toronto. Pastrnak opened up the scoring little more than five minutes into the Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.15.2018 game when a Torey Krug cross-ice pass deflected to him at the net, and he was able to maneuver around Frederik Andersen for the score. Four minutes later it was Jake DeBrusk on the power play slamming home a centering pass from Krug for his first career Stanley Cup playoff goal, and a couple minutes after that it was Kevan Miller throwing a shot at the net that deflected off a Leaf body in front. Rick Nash kicked in a power play goal of his own to close out Boston’s scoring onslaught in the first period and give them a four-goal lead headed into the first intermission. Mitch Marner and Tyler Bozak scored goals in the second period to get Toronto on the board, but they were sandwiched around a David Krejci strike that kept Boston with a three- goal cushion headed into the second intermission. Again in the third James van Riemsdyk scored for the Maple Leafs, but not before Pastrnak had scored his second of the game that’s also his eighth point of the series just two games into the best-of-seven match. Late in the third period, Pastrnak added one more goal to give him a hat trick and a six-point game for the Bruins in another laugher at the Garden. GOLD STAR: David Pastrnak isn’t just dominating, he’s making Bruins history. Pastrnak is the first Bruins player to put up six points in a single playoff game since Rick Middleton in 1883, and is the youngest player in NHL history to ever post nine points through the first two games of a Stanley Cup postseason. Pastrnak was flashy and electric while scoring the goals that both opened and closed Boston’s scoring with dangling flare, and he completely broke open a game that the Maple Leafs really had to have. The first goal was an athletic show of great hands after a Torey Krug cross-ice pass was knocked up in the air, and Pastrnak collected the puck in the slot, immediately dangled around Frederik Andersen before snapping a shot into the empty net. Pastrnak finished with the three goals, six points and a plus-5 rating in 15:46 of ice time along with four shots on net, and is going to be front and center in the NHL world now while doing all of this against Toronto. BLACK EYE: Frederik Andersen has been pretty bad through the first two games of the series, and looks like a goaltender that might have been ridden a little too hard during the regular season. Andersen gave up five goals in Game 1 on Thursday night while giving up rebounds, and finally having surrendered a bad angle David Krejci goal that was banked off his back and into the net. It was a lot worse on Saturday night in Game 2 as Andersen gave up three goals on the first five shots he faced, and then was done for the night before things even got going. There was probably only one of the three goals that Andersen really could have made a better play against, but the Leafs would have needed him to be superhuman in order to make a difference in such a poor defensive effort on Saturday night. The question is whether Andersen is truly fatigued, or just having a really bad series. TURNING POINT: The Bruins came out of the gate strong after weathering a very small mini-storm from the Maple Leafs to start the game, and scored four goals in the first period before the Leafs even got their footing. The first two goals arrived in the first half of the first period, and then the final two first period scores came within three minutes of each other when the B’s really began separating from the pack. The Bruins ended the first period outshooting the Leafs by just an 8-6 margin in those 20 minutes despite leading by a 4-0 score, but it was all about the Black and Gold making the right plays at the right times to take a lead they weren’t going to surrender. Interesting that the Bruins had struggled to get early leads in their final handful of regular season games, but have jumped out to big early leads in each of their first two playoff games this spring. 1091489 Buffalo Sabres

Amerks clinch third place, will face Crunch in first round

By Staff | Published Sat, Apr 14, 2018 | Updated Sat, Apr 14, 2018

The wrapped up third place in the 's North Division Saturday the final night of their regular season. The Amerks defeated the Syracuse Crunch, 4-2, before 6,347 at the Onondaga County War Memorial in Syracuse but as it turned out they didn't need the victory to take third place ahead of the Utica Comets. That's because Utica was eliminated in the battle for third place by its 3-1 loss on the road to the . It meant the Comets (86 points) could not mathematically catch the Amerks in the points race. Rochester finished with 91 points with a 37-22-11(OTL)-6 (SOL) record. Justin Bailey (power play), Alexander Nylander, Garret Ross and Sean Malone (empty net) scored the Rochester goals. Alexander Volkov scored both of the Syracuse goals. Volkov gave the Crunch the lead with a power-play tally at 11:13 of the opening period, but Bailey matched that less than two minutes later with assists by C.J. Smith and Seth Griffith. Adam Wilcox made 24 saves in goal for Rochester. Olivier Mantha need 39 saves as the Crunch was outshot by a wild margin. The shots were 32-18 after two periods and 43-26 overall. Syracuse is the No. 2 seed in the North Division and will face the No. 3 Amerks in the best-of-five opening round series. The first two games will be at the Onondaga County War Memorial on Friday and Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. The series moves to Blue Cross Arena in Rochester on Wednesday, April 25, and Friday, April 27. If a fifth game is necessary it will be in Syracuse on Saturday night, April 28.

Buffalo News LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091490 Buffalo Sabres I think that’s why you get the response that you have in the hockey world because everybody can relate to it.”

Ex-Sabres in the playoffs Inside the NHL: Chiarelli is wasting McDavid and somehow surviving as Oilers GM * Evander Kane waded through 574 career games just to get one chance in the playoffs and then he backed up his words with two goals Thursday in the Sharks' 3-0 Game One win over the Ducks. Kane had nine goals in By Mike Harrington | Published Sat, Apr 14, 2018 | Updated Sat, the regular season with San Jose, but six came against Calgary. Still in Apr 14, 2018 the days leading up to his first playoff series, Kane let it be known he was ready.

"I’ve said it in the past. I think I’m a playoff player,” Kane insisted. “I’ve Tim Murray landed Jack Eichel, made several moves that have proven watched the playoffs and when I look at the style of play it’s something I dubious and got shown the door last April. His brother in tankitude out in was jealous because I wasn’t involved in it. Now I get that opportunity Edmonton got Connor McDavid – the real tank prize in 2015 – and also and I have to back those words up." made some terrible moves after reeling in his draft catch. The fit for Kane in San Jose looks better and better. The Sharks have to Somehow, Peter Chiarelli survives and Oilers coach Todd McLellan is be seriously pondering a re-sign of Kane, which would get the Sabres a the one left twisting in the wind. first-round pick. Kane looks great in San Jose, playing in all situations. Oilers CEO and vice chair Bob Nicholson told reporters in Edmonton on "I think Buffalo was a tough situation for everybody,” said San Jose Thursday that Chiarelli will return as general manager next season but coach Peter DeBoer. "And when he got the opportunity to get into our that the team still has some thinking to do about the coaching staff. room and play with (Brent) Burns and (Joe) Pavelski, he was re- energized. That’s what you’re seeing: A guy who got his passion back "Yes we had a down year but I really believe when I talk to Peter he has and came to the rink excited.” a plan to get us back in the playoffs next year,” said Nicholson. “Our goal is to make the playoffs next year.” * No problem from here watching William Carrier play quite a power forward role on the fourth line for the Golden Knights. The Sabres had to Nicholson said he met with angry season ticket-holders about the Oilers' let him go in order to keep Linus Ullmark out of the expansion draft. The collapse from 103 points to 78, which saw them go from of real issue in that first-round series is seeing Brayden McNabb on Vegas' the second round to out of the playoffs entirely. And he said owner Daryl top defense pair. He played 32:49 in Friday's double-overtime classic Katz is "disappointed, angered and wants us to get it right.” Sounds much against the Kings. the way Jason Botterill described Terry Pegula here. We hear far too much crabbing on social media about Murray's trade of Chiarelli has a Stanley Cup on his resume with the 2011 Boston Bruins Mark Pysyk to Florida for Kulikov at the 2016 draft. A much bigger faux as well as four division titles, while Murray was a first-time GM in Buffalo. pas in this view? Murray trading McNabb and second-round picks in both Still, it's amazing to see how Chiarelli has wasted having the best player 2014 and 2015 to the Kings for Nicolas Deslauriers and Hudson in the game on his team. You would think the Oilers might be looking at a Fasching. Major ouch. Murray- clean sweep, rather than turfing the coach and keeping the GM. * Did you see that goal Tyler Myers scored Friday in Winnipeg? Kane produced for Buffalo but a huge issue from that 2015 deal with the Jets Maybe the coaches and not Chiarelli get the blame for the regression was sending Myers off for Bogosian, who simply can't stay healthy. Some shown this season by goalie Cam Talbot and defenseman Oscar might say Myers ran his course here (and Rasmus Ristolainen could be Klefbom. But so much of this mess lies with Chiarelli. How does Taylor following that road too), but trading a huge blueliner and former Calder Hall for Adam Larsson look right now? How about Jordan Eberle for Trophy winner certainly isn't looking good in the rear-view mirror. Ryan Strome? How about seven years and $42 million to Milan Lucic, whose 10 goals and 34 points this season were his fewest for a full 'Hulk' moment keyed '01 clincher for Sabres season since he was a rookie in 2007-08? Former Sabres goalie coach Jim Corsi is one of four ex-coaches sharing (It's odd how you can substitute some of the names in Buffalo and get to a weekly column on NHL.com and Corsi's most recent entry shared the same point. Think Robin Lehner for a first-round pick, acquiring some insight into the Sabres' 2001 first-round clincher against the Dmitry Kulikov and Zach Bogosian, 0r overpaying Kyle Okposo to the Philadelphia Flyers. The 8-0 rout in then-HSBC Arena remains Buffalo's exact 7/42 terms Lucic got). most lopsided playoff victory ever. The view from this corner will never change that tanking is a sham and is As Corsi tells the story, the Sabres and coach Lindy Ruff were getting a a shortcut away from the draft-and-develop model that teams should be little fed up hearing how the Flyers' Roman Cechmanek was one of the following. That said, the Sabres and Oilers both tanked and both got a best goalies in the league and made sure everyone knew that during a key reward for doing it. What they've done after is fritter the asset away. video session the morning of Game Six. On that Florida night McDavid and Eichel were drafted in 2015, would "I'm saying, 'Are you kidding me? Dominik Hasek is the best goalie in the anyone have believed the two players' six years on entry-level contracts League, and we've got him,' '' Corsi wrote. "So, I'm in a meeting going would have resulted in just one playoff berth? No way. That's on Murray over video and I'm saying that Cechmanek kind of hulks when he makes and Chiarelli. Hard to believe they both haven't been shown the door. a save, so we've got to get inside and look for rebounds. Lindy says to me, 'Hulks?' I'm like, 'Yeah, like the Hulk, the Incredible Hulk.' Humboldt crash hits home for Woods "So then, with my little body, I do an imitation of Cechmanek after a save The Humboldt Broncos bus crash hit particularly close to home for Wild and try to make it look like the Hulk. Well, the whole place starts to laugh assistant Bob Woods, who spent the last two years on Dan Bylsma's staff and Lindy sees a moment where the guys release all their tension. with the Sabres. Woods' son, Brendan, was born in the Saskatchewan Everybody is laughing, and from the back of the room one of the players city, located 20 minutes from Woods' family farm. His other son, Colin, says, 'Thanks Eugene.' I look back and I go, 'Who's Eugene?' The place played for the Broncos in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Woods' mother and starts to crack up again. sister live there now. "Well, it turns out that apparently I look like the actor Eugene Levy from “You know everybody in the community, especially the hockey people,” the "American Pie" movies. So, as intense as it gets, with the fear of the Woods told Minnesota reporters last week. “It’s one of those things you unknown for a lot of guys, there's a moment where they felt some relief always worry about, and you hope never happens. When you hear it and could collectively say, 'Yeah, we can do this.'" happens, it hits close to home.” Cechmanek gave up four goals that day as the Sabres advanced. Buffalo Humboldt coach Darcy Haugan was among those killed and he watched went on to lose to Pittsburgh in the second round in seven games, in Woods' practices when Woods was the GM and coach of the Western Hasek's final series with the Sabres. League's Saskatoon Blades from 2014-2016. Two of Colin Woods' teammates from the 15-16 season, Logan Schatz and Logan Boulet, Around the boards were also among the dead. * Four straight last-place teams in a conference have made the playoffs “That’s why my wife makes my boys text every time they’re leaving and the next year. Toronto and Edmonton were last in 2016 and made the every time they arrive because you worry about it,” Woods said. playoffs in 2017. New Jersey and Colorado were last in 2017 and made “The roads are never good this time of year, and the weather and the the playoffs in 2018. The Sabres, of course, probably need to land hours that you travel. A lot of guys can relate to it because we’ve all been Rasmus Dahlin in the lottery and figure something out with their there. We’ve all worried about it. When it happens, it really hits home and goaltending to have any chance of pulling off that feat in 2019. * Fifteen teams, which is nearly half the league, won at least 26 of their 41 home games this season. Shows you how pathetic and fatal to their hopes was the Sabres' NHL-low total of 11 home wins. The Jets went 32-7-2 at home during the regular season, then won their first two playoff games over the Wild and outshot Minnesota, 83-47, in the process. In Friday night's 4-1 win, Winnipeg gave up the game's first five shots on goal and then outshot the Wild, 43-12, the rest of the way. That's how you dominate on home ice. * The league cemented the draft lottery odds after the standings were finalized and the Sabres, of course, have the best odds of getting the No. 1 pick at 18.5 percent. Also above 8 percent are Ottawa (13.5), Arizona (11.5), Montreal (9.5) and Detroit (8.5). The rest of the field is Vancouver (7.5), Chicago (6.5), New York Rangers (6.0), Edmonton (5.0), New York Islanders (3.5), Carolina (3.0), New York Islanders from Calgary (2.5), Dallas (2.0), St. Louis (1.5) and Florida (1.0). * The NHL will announce Central Scouting Bureau's final rankings for the 2018 draft Monday morning. The league has also firmed up the dates for the NHL Scouting Combine at HarborCenter. Media availability will be held on Friday, June 1 with the fitness testing on Saturday, June 2. Events are not open to the public. All teams and prospects will be in town starting around May 27 for private interview sessions that will last all week in KeyBank Center. * Former Sabres and Amerks forward Phil Varone was named the AHL’s MVP after having a big season for Lehigh Valley in the Flyers organization. Varone, 27, entered the weekend tied for the league scoring lead with 70 points in 73 games, establishing career highs in goals (23), assists (47) and points. Varone had five goals and four assists in 42 games for the Sabres from 2013-15, and played five full seasons with the Amerks that were topped by an 18-goal, 61-point effort in 2013-14. * The airwaves were briefly filled with talk of the Hockey League draft last week and with good reason. Buffalo Regals goalie Owen Parker, a 16-year-old who is 6-foot-5, was taken by Sault Ste. Marie in the 10th round at No. 200 overall. The reason for the chatter? Parker is the son of longtime WGR Radio talk show host Chris "The Bulldog" Parker, who has often referenced his son on Twitter as GGS. The hilarious acronym stands for "Giant Goalie Son."

Buffalo News LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091491 Buffalo Sabres – the O'Reilly camp said it would take an eight-year, $64 million extension to keep the center in Colorado. Unwilling to continue the contentious partnership, the Avs traded O'Reilly to Buffalo in June 2015. Inside the Sabres: The curious case of Ryan O'Reilly * Before the center set foot in Western New York, then-General Manager Tim Murray signed O'Reilly to the richest contract in franchise history – $52.5 million over seven seasons. If that wasn't enough, Murray signed By John Vogl | Published Sat, Apr 14, 2018 | Updated Sat, Apr O'Reilly's brother, Cal, to a lucrative deal. 14, 2018 The journeyman got a two-year contract that paid $700,000 per season whether Cal O'Reilly was in the NHL or the American Hockey League. The forward's previous deal with Vancouver had salaries of $600,000 or Ryan O'Reilly is a good hockey player. Everything else is up for debate. $325,000 depending on the league, and his current deal with Minnesota has a $700,000/$375,000 difference, according to CapFriendly.com. Is he a quitter who packed it in when the going got tough? Or is he a guy who simply got sucked into the vortex of losing known as the Buffalo (It should be noted Cal O'Reilly, who was Rochester's captain, bolted the Sabres? struggling Amerks before his deal was up. Murray simply loaned him to the Amerks' rival, the , late in the 2016-17 season.) Is he in it for the paychecks? Or does O'Reilly really want to lead a franchise? All told for Ryan O'Reilly, he's pocked $42.7 million during his nine-year career with $32.5 million to come, including $27.5 million in buyout-proof Does he sincerely want to stay in Buffalo? Or is he orchestrating his next signing bonuses. That's for an average of 18.6 goals and 31.6 assists per step like he and his agent have done all along? season, excluding his holdout- and lockout-shortened season of 2012-13. Can O'Reilly even stay in Buffalo? Or has he poisoned his standing with It's not numbers, however, that are supposed to make O'Reilly worth the a blue-collar fan base? money. It's his leadership and intangibles. His father, Brian, made that One of the most stunning exit interviews in Sabres history will clear during the holdout. reverberate for some time. The alternate captain and highest-paid player "Ryan is not a superstar based on skill but character," Brian O'Reilly admitted he was OK with losing, wasn't mentally tough and lost his love wrote in a February 2013 email to the Denver Post. "Everyone is looking of the game. for those players that eat sleep and drink the game and are unselfish In a city that made folk heroes out of gritty players such as Rob Ray, plus compete because they are intrinsically motivated for excellence. , Mike Foligno and Jim Schoenfeld, the center may as well "My children were raised in an environment of sport where Athletics was have said Gilbert Perreault was a bum and Rick Jeanneret is a hack. held up as something you do to develop your sense of personhood, Odds are good O'Reilly knew exactly what he was saying. qualities of collaboration, team play and most important the development of your character, mental toughness as an individual and it was FUN O'Reilly's interviews usually follow a common theme. The quote, "It starts from which you Learn. How many goals you got or how many points you with me, I have to be better," would be the free space on a Sabres bingo got was not how you measured yourself. What was important was giving card. The 27-year-old is the same whether it's a one-on-one chat or your best day in day out." scrum. Five years later, Ryan O'Reilly did and said the exact opposite. He hasn't He had plenty of time to think about what he'd say on locker-cleanout been what he was groomed to be, which could be why he regularly day. With every news outlet in Buffalo recording him, O'Reilly unleashed employs the self-flagellation stick. He gets down on himself, which bombshell after bombshell. From the rubble came cries of, "Ship him out creates more bad performances and actions. It's created a vicious cycle of town." from which he can't escape. It could be what he wants. While in Colorado, he said he longed to be a With his public revelations, he may have found an escape hatch from team leader. The Sabres traded for him and gave him a chance. He said Buffalo. Teams will undoubtedly contact the Sabres about his availability. he couldn't wait for the challenge. A successful suitor would get a power-play scorer, faceoff king and a two-way center who faces the top lines during crucial situations. He hasn't lived up to it. After a solid first year, the Sabres have gotten progressively worse. They clearly lack talent and depth, but leaders such The rest of what they'd be getting is up for debate. as Jay McKee and Chris Drury made sure there was an honest effort regardless of the odds. O'Reilly contributed to the most lackadaisical, uncaring team in Sabres Buffalo News LOADED: 04.15.2018 history. By confessing his sins, he may have found an out. From a business standpoint, there isn't a more calculated career going in the NHL. O'Reilly and his agent, Pat Morris, have (wisely) used every angle to their advantage: * Following an entry-level contract that saw O'Reilly average 13 goals and 23 assists in three seasons, the center held out at the start of 2012- 13. Morris worked out an offer sheet with the Calgary Flames, which Colorado matched to retain the center. O'Reilly's average annual salary jumped from $880,000 to $5 million. * The design of the two-year offer sheet impacted O'Reilly's next deal. He made $3.5 million in salary during the first season, and it jumped to $6.5 million in 2013-14. Because he was again a restricted free agent, a qualifying offer was based on the actual salary of $6.5 million and not the cap hit of $5 million. The Avalanche opted to take O'Reilly to arbitration, and the sides settled on a two-year deal that averaged $6 million per season. * Morris and O'Reilly, who used the collective bargaining agreement to their advantage with the offer sheet, weren't happy with Colorado's use of the CBA. Heading into the arbitration hearing, Morris noted in a Sportsnet television interview that O'Reilly would be an unrestricted free agent in two years and "there’s a history a little bit on the previous contract and Ryan is a stubborn young man." O'Reilly said he'd go year-to-year. In other words, O'Reilly wasn't in Colorado for the long haul. * After the first year of the two-year deal – a season in which O'Reilly's numbers dropped from 28 goals and 64 points to 17 goals and 55 points 1091492 Calgary Flames “All of a sudden, you’re no longer living that NHL lifestyle,” Heat head coach Ryan Huska pointed out. “It’s just like the beginning of the year when you’re sent down. David is such a hard worker … he takes every David Rittich reflects on whirlwind season with Flames opportunity to work and make himself better. That’s what you love about him.

“When Jon (Gillies) and David are together, they really push each other.” Kristen Anderson, Postmedia Speaking of Gillies, the 24-year-old was in net for back-to-back games April 14, 2018 5:58 PM MDT wins over the Ontario Reign on Wednesday and Friday, imperative in Stockton’s quest for a spot in the 2018 Calder Cup playoffs.

Heading into Saturday’s action, the Heat needed to win their final regular When you’re 25-year-old goalie and toiling in the American Hockey season game against San Jose. Meanwhile, the San Diego Gulls League, it’s natural to wonder — at times — where everything is going. absolutely needed to lose in regulation in their 2017-18 finale, a 7:05 p.m. MT clash against the who are the Pacific Early on this 2017-18 season, David Rittich, at one point, had a fleeting Division and Western Conference champions. desire to return home to the . The post-season would be a bright spot for the Flames’ , “When I was sent down at the beginning of the year (from the Calgary considering their big brothers missed out on the Stanley Cup playoffs this Flames), I did a good job in the camp and I worked really hard in the year. summer so I was really upset that I was sent down,” the Jihlava native was saying the other day, calling from Stockton, Calif., the site of the But they can’t do it alone. Flames’ top farm team. “I came here and it was a really good thing for me. But, at that point, I was thinking about going back home because I “We’re in a situation where we need a lot of help,” Huska admitted. “But didn’t want to stay in the minors for this year. I was thinking if I should go we can only control what’s right in front of us right now. It’s fairly back or if I should say. straightforward. (The players) know what we’re facing. We’ve had a lot of conversations about it as a group. We talked about not wasting any “But then my whole life changed.” energy thinking about what has to happen on the other side. It’s just about us and being prepared to take care of our own business. Rewind back to last summer when the Flames trade for netminder Eddie Lack. The team genuinely believed that the former NHL goalie could “If we can’t get the job done, nothing matters.” regain his confidence and play in a back-up capacity, spelling off Mike Smith on occasion. That lasted two months. The Flames then recalled Rittich on Nov. 24. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 04.15.2018 His tune changed quickly as his NHL dream was realized. The second- year professional — who was discovered by the Flames ahead of the 2016-17 campaign — met the Flames in Dallas and remained with the big club through Christmas, the NHL all-star break, made it through the NHL trade deadline and was only deployed back to Stockton when the Flames were nearing official elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs. One of his biggest influences was Smith, who showed him the ropes at the NHL level. “Smitty — he was huge for me,” said Rittich, who picked up his first NHL victory in relief of Smith, a 24-save performance in a 3-2 decision on Nov. 25 against the Colorado Avalanche. “Mentally, my game, I learned so much from him. I learned a lot of drills from RVA (Ryan van Asten) that I can do in the summer, too, so it’ll be a good summer for me. I want to be prepared for next year and we’ll see.” “(Smith) told me all of the time about my game and what I’m supposed to do and how I can do that. It was a really big part of my year. He’s a pretty good guy and a really good goalie. If I had a problem, I could go to him and ask him about it. He helped me with everything.” A well-liked member of the dressing room and a notoriously hard worker, Rittich soaked up the experience. “I was in the big leagues,” said Rittich who started 16 games and finished with an 8-6-3 record with a 2.92 goals against average and .904 save percentage with the Flames. It was amazing for me. My mind is different now than going back to Europe. I spent almost five months in the NHL and it was a nice feeling. “Right now, it’s kind of an opportunity for next season.” Rittich is playing out a one-year deal that he inked last summer, auditioning to either re-up with the Flames for 2018-19 or catch the eye of another team. Despite only stopping pucks for two years in North America, the six-foot- three, 198-pounder was critical of his own personal performance this season — at both levels. “It’s a tough question for me because a couple games were good — a couple games weren’t too good,” he said. “I was up for about five months and I felt pretty good there. I really like the city and the Flames organization. I really appreciated what kind of opportunities they gave me. I tried to show my best and tried to be a good guy in the locker room, and have some fun. But a couple games weren’t too good and you can always be better.” It’s been an adjustment for Rittich back at the AHL level. Backed up by Nick Schneider in a 7-3 loss to the San Jose Barracuda on April 7, he allowed six goals on 34 shots. 1091493 Chicago Blackhawks As for the season series, the Wolves earned 16 of a possible 24 points by going 6-2-4, while Rockford earned 12 points by going 6-6-0.

"They're a great team," Paul Thompson said. "They play with pace and Big playoff series looms for Chicago Wolves, Rockford IceHogs they've had a good run to end the year to get themselves into a spot. "It's two good teams that are feeling good about themselves and playing John Dietz good hockey, so it should be a good series." Follow @johndietzdh Daily Herald Times LOADED: 04.15.2018 If you are a bummed-out Blackhawks fan -- or a hockey fan in general -- and wish you could attend a playoff hockey game without traveling to Nashville, Colorado, Winnipeg or Minnesota, guess what? You're in luck. Calder Cup playoffs Chicago Wolves vs. Rockford IceHogs(Best of 5 first-round series) Game 1: Saturday at Allstate Arena, 7 p.m. Game 2: Sunday at Rockford's BMO Harris Bank Center, 4 p.m. Game 3: Thursday, April 26 at Allstate Arena, 7 p.m. * Game 4: Sunday, April 29 at BMO Harris Bank Center, 4 p.m. * Game 5: Monday, April 30 at Allstate Arena, 7 p.m. That's because, although the Hawks have been out of postseason contention since February, the franchise's minor-league affiliate -- the AHL's Rockford IceHogs -- will be taking on the Chicago Wolves in a best-of-five Calder Cup playoff series, beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Allstate Arena. Game 2 is in Rockford the next day at 4 p.m. "They're an excellent team, and I think it's brought out the best in us as far as our competitiveness and willingness to play a (low-scoring) style," said Rockford coach before the IceHogs fell 5-4 to the Wolves in their season finale Saturday at the Allstate Arena. "It's perfect for this team developmentally to play a series like this against a team like them." There will be plenty of familiar faces for Hawks fans on both sides. Rockford's roster includes 13 players who saw time with the Hawks this season, including forwards Lance Bouma, John Hayden, David Kampf and Matthew Highmore, defensemen Gustav Forsling, Cody Franson and Carl Dahlstrom, and goalies Collin Delia and Jeff Glass. Other familiar names include D-men Viktor Svedberg and Adam Clendening, and forward Tyler Sikura, who has 23 goals in 74 games. The first-place Wolves, meanwhile, are led by former Hawks forward Brandon Pirri (29 goals in 57 GP), former Red Wings fourth-round pick Teemu Pulkkinen (29 goals), captain Paul Thompson (22 goals) and netminder Oscar Dansk. Dansk is 13-2-4 and also played four games for the Vegas Golden Knights in October. "Very skilled offensive group," Colliton said. "Very skilled forward group. If you are sloppy in transition, they will make you pay the price." So what kind of hockey can fans expect? Will it be as hard-hitting and intense as Toronto vs. Boston, where the Maple Leafs' Nazem Kadri was suspended for three games for a hit on Tommy Wingels? Or Minnesota vs. Winnipeg, where numerous ugly fights broke out in the waning seconds of Game 2 on Friday? It's certainly possible. "You play anyone 12 times in a year it gets so you can't stand each other," said Pirri, who was on the IceHogs from 2010-14. "It was like this when I was there. We were playing Peoria 12 times a year, Milwaukee. You get sick and tired of them. … "It's going to be a blast, it's going to be a battle, and I'm sure every game you're going to have to earn whatever you get. There won't be any easy games." And it figures to be everything you want in a series, as both teams have been on fire for a long time. The Wolves, after a 6-12-5 start, have gone 36-10-6 since. The IceHogs, meanwhile, were 26-23-6 on Feb. 23 but are 14-5-2 in their last 21 games. 1091494 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche again allows 5 goals in another playoff loss to Predators

By MIKE CHAMBERS | [email protected] | The Denver Post PUBLISHED: April 14, 2018 at 4:07 pm | UPDATED: April 14, 2018 at 4:44 PM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Avalanche lost 5-4 at Nashville on Saturday in Game 2 of their first-round playoff set, as the Predators extended their series lead to 2-0. Nashville, which won Game 1 5-2 on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena, has had eight different players produce its 10 goals. Ryan Hartman scored his first of the series in an empty-net situation for an important insurance goal with 1:09 remaining Saturday before Avs rookie Alex Kerfoot scored to make it 5-4 with 0:36 to go. Former Predators forward Gabriel Bourque gave the Avs a 1-0 lead 2:34 into the game, taking a pass from J.T. Compher on the side wall and using a wrist shot to beat goalie Pekka Rinne from between the circles. Nashville tied it on a lucky bounce during a power play with Gabe Landeskog in the penalty box early in the second period. Kevin Fiala’s shot was going wide but the puck hit the right skate of Avs defenseman Patrik Nemeth and caromed in the net. The Predators took a 2-1 lead on Victor Arvidsson’s big slap shot from the right circle and extended its advantage to 3-1 with Ryan Johansen’s breakaway backhander. Avs center Nathan MacKinnon cut the deficit back to a goal by fooling Rinne by putting a back-hander inside the far post at 17:08 of the second period. The Preds then jumped ahead 4-2 with Austin Watson’s second goal of the series before Landeskog scored on a 5-on-3 power play, using his left leg to redirect the puck in the net off a long shot from MacKinnon. Colorado hosts the Preds for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Wednesday.

Denver Post: LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091495 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche vs. Predators live blog: Real-time updates from the Stanley Cup Playoffs

Staff Report By THE DENVER POST | [email protected] April 14, 2018 at 9:00 am

But give the Avs credit, they aren't making it easy.The Avs aren't being outclassed or wildly outplayed by any stretch in this series. Avs are even with the preds. this is a very good thing to see.I can't stand "fake hopes" - when #Avs are down by 2, scored a goal in the last minute and then lost. #AvsSC18 Avs did a lot of good stuff today. made some really bad mistakes. lots of good to take out of this game.So that'll go down as a rare GWENG for Ryan Hartman.Avs are showing a ton of heart today. eliminate the mistakes they made and the Avs are absolutely able to match nashvilleNot over yet. That’s the no ragrets goal the team wanted before the ENG. There’s time left, but not much.Avs definitely beat themselves today.The series shifts back to Denver for the biggest games of the year.way to skate for it boys. oyt.co Can MacK shoots like this every minute? #AvsSC18 jesus, now everything is being called. wtf.Andrighetto robbed on the doorstep.Hey, Paul. You're kinda cute when you whine. Bro hugs and air kisses. twitter.com/PaulKuharskyNF…big save from Rinne#Avs back within a goal after MacKinnon gets his second of the game. It's 4-3 with 10:00 to go in third.Landy gonna get that one.Puck hits Landeskog and Josi and in.

Denver Post: LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091496 Colorado Avalanche Taylor Foust, who joined Testa, would be one of those. He has been one-third of a season-ticket consortium, which gave him particular insight into the groundswell of fan interest that snowballed throughout the winter. With Colorado Avalanche playoff run, a resurgent fan base revels in the In previous seasons, there were times he couldn’t give away the tickets team’s long-awaited success he couldn’t use himself. “But lately, it’s picked up a lot,” he said. “It’s a good turnaround. The talent is clearly there, and the core is still intact from the last playoff By KEVIN SIMPSON | [email protected] | The Denver Post berth. It makes this a lot more fun, especially because they were incredible at home.” PUBLISHED: April 14, 2018 at 6:00 am | UPDATED: April 14, 2018 at 9:01 am The Avs at home went 28-11-2, among the top such records in the league.

“MacKinnon has been incredible,” Foust said, “and Mikko Rantanen has It wasn’t your typical sports bar two-fer, but on Thursday night, Zach come into his own, and Tyson Jost has turned out to be pretty good, too. McBride stood at the perfect vantage point to watch, simultaneously, the But I think it all comes down to chemistry more than anything. This group Colorado Avalanche play and, through a window overlooking the ice rink wants to win for each other.” just beyond Bender’s Bar & Grill in Westminster, his buddy’s adult rec- league team skate joyously into the playoffs. And also, it seems, for the fans. For the Avs, it marked the first time since 2014 that they carried a Joe McKernan and his wife, Christine, sat at a table by the window bandwagon of hardcore fans and happy hangers-on into the postseason. overlooking a rink before the game. Below, their 13-year-old son, And that year, which ended with the thud of a first-round collapse against Michael, powered through drills with other youth players participating in a Minnesota, marked the only time in a string of seven mostly miserable spring development league. He carries the same passion for the game as seasons when the team carried the excitement well into spring. his older sisters, but his hockey experience has been lacking something that was part of their childhood — a deep Avalanche playoff run. Colorado Avalanche fan Zac McBride puts ...Helen H. Richardson, The Denver PostColorado Avalanche fan Zac McBride puts his hat to his “He hasn’t seen that excitement of what it’s like,” said McKernan, who heart during the singing of the national anthem as game one of round remembers entering a raffle for playoff tickets in years past. “I grew up one of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs begins between the Colorado around the Kings in L.A., but then we moved here when the Avs were Avalanche and the Nashville Predators at Bender’s Bar & Grill on April new and they won the Stanley Cup. They had all these great players — 12, 2018 in Westminster. (Joe) Sakic, (Peter) Forsberg, (Patrick) Roy. Now, there’s so many new guys. That’s the big difference. It’s great to see them back where they But Thursday night’s packed house spoke — loudly — to a new truth should be.” about the state’s winter pro sports teams: That was then, this is now. Leaving the locker room after his practice, carrying two sticks and his “It’s good for Colorado,” said McBride, who took time away from his equipment bag slung over his shoulder, Michael explained that every bartending job to join the festive atmosphere. “It’s nice to have another Avalanche game now beckons him to watch, whereas a year ago it could team in the playoffs and awesome to see them perform at such a high sometimes be a painful exercise. Although the Avs couldn’t beat the top- level.” seeded Predators in Game 1 of the playoffs Thursday night — a late Nashville flurry produced a 5-2 final score — they outplayed them for He was speaking of the Avs, who elicited cheers when Nikita Zadorov significant stretches of the game, which offered a sliver of hope for the scored to put the Avs up 1-0 on the Predators in Nashville. But on the future. adjacent rink at the Ice Center at the Promenade, his buddy also put one past the goaltender. Colorado, which plays Game 2 at Nashville on Saturday afternoon, is guaranteed two home games — on Monday and Wednesday nights. “I was rooting for the Nuggets to get into the playoffs, too,” McBride said. “This season, they actually have a chance,” Michael said. “I’m inspired, Although they narrowly missed qualifying and have now gone five actually. When I see the Avalanche do well, it makes me want to play straight campaigns without a taste of the NBA postseason, the Nuggets’ harder and do well, too.” elimination nonetheless capped a year of resurgence for both Denver teams that call the Pepsi Center home. The Nuggets finished 46-36, finally topping the .500 mark, improving by six wins over last season and regenerating hope among the faithful for a return to the years when 50- Denver Post: LOADED: 04.15.2018 win seasons were the norm. But the Avs’ turnaround was historic — the fourth-biggest in NHL history. From last season’s forgettable 48-point performance, which ranked worst in the league, to this year’s 95-point surge, which culminated with a win in the regular-season finale that launched them into the playoffs, the Avs slowly proved to their fan base, and beyond, that the still-young core of a sputtering rebuild has finally found its way. “Let’s go, Avs!” bar owner Jim Armstrong, wearing a retro Quebec Nordiques sweater, boomed over the speaker system as the game was about to begin. “I’ve been waiting to say that in April for a long time.” Fans watch the first game of ...Helen H. Richardson, The Denver PostFans watch the first game of the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Colorado Avalanche and the Nashville Predators at Bender’s Bar & Grill on April 12, 2018 in Westminster. The playoff-worthy season unfolded behind a second wave of youth and the emergence of forward Nathan MacKinnon, who provided a boost of star power that vaulted him into the conversation for the league’s most valuable player award. His combination of speed, strength and skill once again made Avalanche games must-see TV. Gabe Testa, a data scientist from Westminster, staked out a prime table close to the bar and surrounded by screens to take in the spectacle. Originally from Calgary, he arrived in Denver via Reno, Nev., in time to watch the Avs’ last playoff appearance — in fact, he was in the stands for the Game 7 loss to Minnesota. This season, he has tickets for Game 4 of the Nashville series, and he hopes it won’t be an elimination game. “As long as they win a couple games and play good hockey, I’ll be happy,” Testa said. “Sometimes all those hard years tell you who the true fans are.” 1091497 Colorado Avalanche send shots by and Craig Smith and P.K. Subban at the Avalanche net in wave after wave?

“We’ll find out,” Bednar said. Kiszla: The Avalanche’s sad playoff song: Star Nathan MacKinnon looks so lonesome he could cry If there’s any justice, MacKinnon will be named the winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy.

But here’s the bottom line: The NHL’s best player vs. the league’s best By MARK KISZLA | [email protected] | The Denver Post team? All by himself? PUBLISHED: April 14, 2018 at 7:03 pm | UPDATED: April 14, 2018 at That’s no contest. 7:06 PM

Denver Post: LOADED: 04.15.2018 NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nathan MacKinnon, the NHL’s best player, looked lonelier than a man with no dependable friends to lean on in tough times. He sat on a bench in the Avalanche locker room after a 5-4 loss to Nashville. All the color in his face drained by fatigue, MacKinnon slowly unraveled the tape around his legs, and threw it in a pile. It looked like a mound of trouble. With the Avalanche public relations staff clearing out the dressing room faster than bouncers hurry bar patrons to the door at closing time, MacKinnon sat alone, nobody on his right, nobody on his left, nobody with his back. And if that wasn’t a picture that perfectly illustrates how Nashville has taken a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven series, I’m afraid another 1,000 words won’t do much to convey how deeply the Avs are buried in trouble. At times, Colorado looks defenseless against Nashville. And it’s with good reason. The Avs came into the series without injured goalie Semyon Varlamov and No. 1 defenseman Erik Johnson, then took another hit to the blue line when Sam Girard was too gimpy to suit up for Game 2. I asked MacKinnon if the Avs had enough healthy hands to put up a good fight against Nashville. No Varlamov, no Johnson, no Girard. No chance? “It’s a big deal,” MacKinnon said Saturday, with candor shared between the two of us. Girard “was our best defenseman last game, and he gets hurt,” MacKinnon said. “We’ve already lost E.J. Those two guys play 22 and 28 minutes a night. We can’t replace that. Guys are doing a great job filling in. But I’m not going to sit here and act like it’s not a big deal. It is a big deal.” MacKinnon is the NHL’s best player. But he can’t – and won’t – beat the league’s best team by himself. Colorado has now lost 12 straight games to Nashville. You could look at it as the Avs are due for a victory, when the series returns to Denver. But what happened here was not an accident any more than the predatory hit Ryan Johansen put on Avalanche defenseman in the series-opener. In two playoff games, any hope the Avalanche had for stealing a victory on the road was smothered in a pile of 10 goals by the Predators. Now, maybe I don’t know much about math or math, but as they like to say down here in Tennessee: That dog won’t hunt. “I think five-on-five, we’ve been a better team through two games,” MacKinnon said. MacKinnon scored early in the third period to pull the Avalanche within 3- 2. But, even at that juncture, this loss seemed as inevitable as the sad ending to Game 1. Nashville forwards spend so much time in possession of the puck, hanging out in the Avalanche zone, that Colorado goalie Jonathan Bernier should install an espresso machine in the corner, push a few overstuffed leather chairs on the ice, offer free wifi and ask the Predators to make themselves at home. Twelve straight losses to the Predators. Ten goals surrendered by Colorado in two playoff games. Three key defensive players – Varlamov, Johnson and Girard – wearing street clothes in Bridgestone Arena when the puck dropped for Game 2. Any way you read those stats, it makes you want to weep worse than the lyrics of a whiskey lullaby full of woulda, coulda, shoulda. “We’re close. Real close. Win a Game 3, and all of sudden, you’re feeling good and they start second-guessing themselves,” said Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog, uttering with conviction all the things a captain is supposed to say when the going gets tough. Let’s keep it real. Does Colorado coach Jared Bednar have enough defensive talent in his locker room to hang with Nashville, which can 1091498 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche played Game 2 without defenseman Sam Girard

By MIKE CHAMBERS | [email protected] | The Denver Post PUBLISHED: April 14, 2018 at 6:10 pm | UPDATED: April 14, 2018 at 7:02 PM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Avalanche played without rookie defenseman Sam Girard in Game 2 on Saturday. Girard, who logged 22:07 and produced four shots in Game 1, was scratched with an upper-body injury. The 19-year-old didn’t participate in Friday’s optional practice, but coach Jared Bednar said he was just resting. It turned out to be much more than requiring rest. Girard was replaced on the second pairing by rookie Duncan Siemens, who worked with Patrik Nemeth at even-strength. David Warsofsky replaced Girard on the second power-play unit. The Avs already were without top defenseman Erik Johnson, who remains out with a fractured kneecap. “He’s day-to-day at this point,” Bednar said of Girard after the game. “We’ll just see how he does, see how he is (Sunday). He’s a big part of our team right now. He’s elevated his game at the right time and with Erik Johnson already out of the lineup, he becomes an even more valuable guy for us.” Puck to face. Avs defenseman Tyson Barrie took a puck to the face and was bloodied in the first period, from a deflection by goalie Jonathan Bernier. Barrie, who might have lost a tooth — or teeth — returned later in the period and finished the game. He had 22:10 of ice time, third among Avs defensemen, but was a team-worst minus-3. Barrie declined comment after the game. Footnotes. Nashville extending its over Colorado to 12 games overall and seven at Bridgestone Arena. … Preds center Nick Bonino on taking a 2-0 series lead to Colorado for Games 3 and 4: “You want to hold home ice but you look at their home record and it’s pretty good, too, so that’s a hard rink to play in. They’re really good there so we know we have our work cut out for us.” … Nasvhille’s Flilip Forsberg used his backside to deliver a massive hit that bloodied Siemens during the first shift of the second period. Siemens was in a penalty-killing situation and trying to ice the puck from the corner in the defensive zone. Forsberg came in strong on the forecheck and turned around to cushion the collision. Siemens appeared to re-injure the broken nose he sustained this season. … Colorado second-line center Carl Soderberg has zero shots in the series. He logged a relatively low 13:15 in Game 2. … The Avs won just 39 percent of their faceoffs and top-line linemates Nathan MacKinnon and Gabe Landeskog were a combined 6-of-27. … Country music star Brad Paisley sang the national anthem with an electric guitar. Rascal Flatts performed the anthem in Game 1.

Denver Post: LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091499 Colorado Avalanche isn’t exactly sure why. Twice in Games 1 and 2 the locals erupted with glee after a penalty ... that turned out to be on the Preds. Then boos. And more boos. So many boos. Now it’s up to Colorado to give the Preds Paul Klee: Loud noises! Can Pepsi Center carry Avalanche back into altitude sickness. series as they face 2-0 deficit to Predators? “I think we’ve proven the last two games we’re more than capable of beating these guys,” Landeskog said. By: Paul Klee April 14, 2018 Updated: April 14, 2018 at 9:36 PM Take out Nashville's noise and its impact on the game, the rest has been pretty equal. Now the Avalanche needs The Can to equal Smashville.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Have I heard so much Tim McGraw that my brain's gone loopy? Did anyone else trudge away from Games 1 and 2 Colorado Springs Gazette: LOADED: 04.15.2018 believing the Avalanche went skate-to-skate with the Predators with a bunch of chances to steal one in Smashville? That might sound tipsy, not unlike the herds of bachelor parties that hoot, holler and act like hooligans on Music Row. The Preds piled up 10 goals, for cryin’ out loud, and lead the playoff series 2-0. So why did Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog double down on his belief this thing is far from over? “It’s close,” Landy said in a straight-up angry dressing room after the Avs’ 5-4 loss Saturday. “Real close.” The margin has been the crowd. The energy and influence of Smashville is no joke. Oh, it wasn’t the 17,116 who piled into Bridgestone Arena that blitzed Avs goalie Jonathan Bernier with three unanswered goals in the second period. The locals didn’t make 30 saves. Pekka Rinne did. But I’ve never seen a building impact a hockey game quite like this one did. When it rains on visitors it dumps buckets. What I'm itching to know: can Pepsi Center match the noise of Smashville and carry the Avs back into this series? It’s been four years since The Can hosted a playoff game. If there’s ever a good time to go hoarse, Monday night in LoDo is going to be it. “Win Game 3 and all the sudden you’re feeling pretty good and they start second-guessing themselves,” Landeskog said with the same serious look he shot Nashville nemesis Austin Watson, with whom he’s fought before and appeared to come close to throwing down with again Saturday. Truth is, Smashville was there for the taking in Game 2. Same for Game 1, if we're being real. The Avs whiffed on both opportunities. But you know what flipped the momentum after Colorado struck first in both games? Whenever the Predators created a scoring chance it felt like the roof was about to come off or cave in. Everything from the Predators to the Avalanche to the officials on the ice seemed to feel the influence of Music City's noise. Even as the Avs again built an early lead, it never felt safe. It’s been a while since Pepsi Center could play a role in the postseason fate of the Avalanche or Nuggets — long enough beer sales should flourish, with Tuesday’s alarm set for 8 a.m. instead of 6. The Avs weren’t so much bummed after Game 2 as they were ticked off at themselves. So many dumb penalties. A boneheaded line change that shouldn’t happen in a high school playoff game. All that, and the No. 8 seed still had it tied in the third period of Game 1 and within a goal in Game 2. “We handed them a couple goals tonight,” said Jared Bednar, the closest thing to trash talk you’re going to hear from the steady Avalanche coach. “To me, if we clean up a couple mistakes we win that hockey game,” he said. The Preds scored twice in 4-on-4 arrangements and once on a power play. Against a Nashville squad that’s favored to win the Stanley Cup, the Avalanche might as well carry only a 7-iron into Augusta National or go fly fishing with a pencil tied to the end of their 5X tippet. “Five-on-five we’re outplaying them,” Landeskog said. Hey, the smart money’s on Nashville to win this series in short order. I said Preds in five, and there’s no reason to back away now. Without Sam Girard (he’s day-to-day) and Erik Johnson (for a while longer), the Avalanche blue line has been reduced to a hyphen. And poor Tyson Barrie. One game after he took an elbow to the head, Barrie took a puck to the face. Don't forget the Matt Cooke hip check that knocked Barrie out of the playoffs in 2014. Any day now Barrie might just say he's had enough with the postseason. “I thought we played two pretty good games here in Nashville and didn’t get a win,” said Nathan MacKinnon, who had a goal and and finally was able to find some space to do his thing in Game 2. In the interest of honesty, Smashville’s still getting the hang of this hockey thing. There are times when it makes a bunch of loud noises but 1091500 Colorado Avalanche

Klee's Game 2 Rapid Reactions: Predators 5, Avalanche 4

By: Paul Klee April 14, 2018 Updated: April 14, 2018 at 3:57 PM

Gazette columnist Paul Klee's quick observations from Nashville on Colorado's 5-4 loss to the Predators in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs: 1. Call it frustrating or call it scary, but this was the second time in two games the Avalanche caught the Predators on a rare off day and failed to capitalize with a win away from Pepsi Center. The Preds weren't sharp in Game 2. The Avs too often were dull and not smart. The Smashville crowd ordered whine with its noise, and the Avalanche didn't take advantage of a building that brought its 'D' game. Poorly timed penalties were Colorado's bugaboo and a shaky formula for taking down the Western Conference's top seed, especially one that's beaten you 12 straight times. That's right. Twelve. 2. That's more like it, Nathan MacKinnon. Smothered in Game 1, the Hart Trophy candidate scored his first goal of the postseason to cut Nashville's lead to 3-2. MacKinnon also assisted on Gabriel Landeskog's goal that made it 4-3, Preds. There has been some frustration from the Avalanche's young superstar, going back to the relative drought that plagued the tail end of his spectacular season. Colorado folks should cross their fingers his first goal triggers the Avalanche like it triggered the Predators' crowd. 3. Whatcha got, Pepsi Center? It's usually nothing more than mediaspeak to suggest a home crowd has an impact on a game's outcome. But there's no doubt the Smashville faithful played a significant role in Games 1 and 2. Both times out the Avs built an early lead, and it wasn't until the crowd found its voice that the home team found its feet. During the regular season the Avs lost at home to the Predators 4-3 (in OT) and 4-2. Game 3 is everything.

Colorado Springs Gazette: LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091501 Colorado Avalanche

Klee blog: Avs stud defenseman Sam Girard ruled out for Game 2

By: Paul Klee April 14, 2018 Updated: April 14, 2018 at 1:12 PM

NASHVILLE — As if beating the West's top seed on its own ice wasn't going to be tough enough, the Avalanche must do it without a key player. Avs defenseman Sam Girard, the electric 19-year-old, has been ruled out for Game 2 on Saturday with an upper-body injury. It was Girard's goal that got the party started for the Avs in the playoff-clinching win against the Blues. Here's a hunch former first-round pick Duncan Siemens takes Girard's spot.

Colorado Springs Gazette: LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091502 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets | Momentous third period vs. Capitals brought out their best

By Steve Gorten Posted at 7:23 AM Updated at 7:23 AM

WASHINGTON — Artemi Panarin raising his arms and then skating with them spread like airplane wings after his overtime goal will be the lasting image from the Blue Jackets’ Game 1 win against the Capitals. But the third period on Thursday, with all of its intensity, adversity, pain and prosperity packed into 20 minutes, encapsulated this strange yet increasingly satisfying season for the Jackets. It started with center Alexander Wennberg taking a blow to the head from Tom Wilson, causing an upper-body injury that prompted the Jackets to play at least two forwards down — they already were without Josh Anderson, given a game misconduct in the first period — the rest of the game. It ended with defenseman Ian Cole’s stick sailing into the air on a crushing hit by Brooks Orpik and a cool reaction by Cole that “loosened guys up” heading into overtime, coach John Tortorella said. In between, the Jackets’ power play scored twice and erased two deficits; Nick Foligno had his face bloodied by a slap shot from point-blank range that broke his visor (yet he returned within minutes); Seth Jones scored the tying goal shortly after nearly scoring an empty-net own-goal on a delayed penalty; the Jackets outshot the Capitals 9-5 despite scrambled line combinations due to Anderson, Wennberg and Foligno missing time. “Sometimes it helps you, too, in a game like that where you just keep going over the boards,” Foligno said. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on. Huge credit to the guys and the way they played and rallied around those adversities and found a way to get a win.” Wilson was penalized for charging on his hit on Wennberg at 1:18, which led to Thomas Vanek’s power-play goal. Soon after, Foligno absorbed the slap shot from Jakub Jerabek, which left a trail of blood along the blue line as Foligno skated directly into the dressing room for medical attention. The Capitals regained the lead on Devante Smith-Pelly’s goal at 5:12 during Foligno’s first shift back and it appeared the Jackets would fall to 5-25-3 this season when trailing after two periods. But the Jackets got another man-advantage when Andre Burakovsky tripped Jones at 14:55, but during the delayed call, Jones blindly dropped a soft pass behind him that Pierre-Luc Dubois — with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky having skated toward the bench — cleared from the goal line. Jones then tied the score with a screaming shot from the right circle at 15:34. That forced overtime, where Panarin was the playoff hero the Jackets had hoped he would be. “In the playoffs, you find a little bit of extra energy,” Vanek said. “I think that tonight was one of those games where we talked to each other, we pumped each other up, we felt good and it never felt like we were going to lose this one.”

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091503 Columbus Blue Jackets younger brother, Marcus, who’s in the midst of his first playoff series with the Wild. After Nick blocked a slap shot with his face in Game 1, he said Marcus told him, “You’re an idiot. That’s what they pay Bob for.” ... Blue Jackets | Alexander Wennberg injury a blow to emerging line Defenseman Seth Jones said of his pass intended for Pierre-Luc Dubois that nearly became an empty-net own goal in Game 1, “We were on different pages. ... Thank God nothing (bad) happened.” By Steve Gorten sgorten Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.15.2018 Posted Apr 14, 2018 at 8:26 PM Updated Apr 14, 2018 at 8:26 PM

WASHINGTON — For the first time since Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella assembled them 18 games ago, Boone Jenner, Alexander Wennberg and Thomas Vanek won’t be linemates Sunday for Game 2 against the Washington Capitals. Captain Nick Foligno will center Jenner and Vanek, as he did during practice Saturday while Wennberg sat out because of an upper-body injury suffered in Game 1. “It’s a big loss up the middle, especially for our line,” Vanek said. “We were going pretty well and his game was going well, too. He scored a big goal for us (Thursday). It really could’ve elevated him even more, so it’s tough to lose him. But it’s part of the game. You’re going to lose guys. Other guys have to step up.” Wennberg’s absence means rookie Sonny Milano will get his first action in the best-of-seven series, and Brandon Dubinsky will move from fourth- line right wing to center Milano and right wing Josh Anderson. Mark Letestu and wings Matt Calvert and Oliver Bjorkstrand will form the new fourth line. Milano made his NHL playoff debut last season, playing 6 minutes, 47 seconds in Game 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. His second postseason appearance will come one day shy of exactly one year after his first. “I played in a game last year, but it’s definitely still exciting for me,” said Milano, a healthy scratch Thursday. He had 14 goals and eight assists in 55 regular-season games. “The tempo, everything goes up in the playoffs. The stakes are magnified. ... You’ve just got to do what you do best.” Milano “still scares the hell out of me in a lot of different situations in a game,” Tortorella said, “but he’s another guy that can make something out of nothing and score a big goal for you.” Added Tortorella, “Sonny’s been very attentive to learning the other side of the puck. Has he mastered it? Not by any stretch. There’s still a lot of things he needs to learn. But he can make an offensive play, so we’ll give him a whack at this.” Anderson, who played just four minutes in Game 1 before he was assessed a five-minute major and 10-minute misconduct (ejection) for boarding defenseman Michal Kempny, said he “wasn’t happy” with the call, in part because the official “made up his mind” without consulting another official. “We all saw it — it was shoulder to shoulder,” Anderson said of his hit. “The kid put himself in a bad position. When I was coming down on him, I saw him shoulder-check a couple of times. It’s the playoffs. It’s going to be a physical series.” Kempny left the game because of an upper-body injury and didn’t return. He practiced Saturday, and coach said he should play Sunday. As for Anderson, “I know he’s hungry to get going in Game 2 and make an impact,” Foligno said. Slap shots Tortorella said Dubinsky is in the process of “finding his game.” Said Dubinsky, “I feel like a big part of this team, an important part. I need to be here for these guys. These guys on me.” ... Capitals fourth-line center Jay Beagle could make his series debut Sunday after missing Game 1 because of an upper-body injury, Trotz said. ... Philipp Grubauer will start again in goal, Trotz said, after allowing four goals on 27 shots in Game 1. Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 27 of 30 shots, including all 16 he faced in the second period. “Bob gave us a chance. He was outstanding in very important minutes of that game,” Tortorella said. “All the talk on Bob and his playoff (history) ... he can’t hide from it, and he has handled it very well. He uses every game as a process to get himself better.” ... Foligno said he communicates almost daily with his 1091504 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets | Pierre-Luc Dubois earns coach’s trust

By George Richards @GeorgeRichards Posted Apr 14, 2018 at 8:06 PM Updated Apr 14, 2018 at 8:06 PM

WASHINGTON — Pierre-Luc Dubois made his Stanley Cup playoff debut Thursday night. Check it off on a long list of accomplishments for the Blue Jackets’ talented rookie center. “I talked to a couple guys about it, but it was nothing compared to what it really was,” said Dubois, who had two assists — including a pretty pass to Thomas Vanek for a game-tying goal in the third period. “Now I’m excited about Game 2. It’s a good challenge. I think I learned a lot this year, seeing how guys play. I worked really hard this year and learned how to concentrate on every shift. It has been a big challenge but a lot of fun.” Coach John Tortorella has been steadily been giving the 19-year-old more and more responsibility as the season wore on. It started in training camp when Dubois made the team as a bottom-six wing. After a month, Tortorella moved him to his natural position as a wing, where he thrived and eventually moved up to pivot the top line with Artemi Panarin and, now, Cam Atkinson. Tortorella has said he long stopped looking at Dubois as a rookie and now has as much trust in him as any player on his roster. “It’s fun to watch guys take the next step and do it in the proper way,” Tortorella said Saturday afternoon after practice in preparation for Game 2 on Sunday at the Capital One Arena against the Capitals. “I think he has gone through a number of different situations. When I call him on the bench, it’s like calling a veteran guy. He knows how to play the game. To his credit, he knows how to play a 200-foot game, which is very important this time of year.” In Game 1, Dubois again found himself in all sorts of different situations and he handled them all. Dubois logged 23 mintues, 35 seconds in the 4-3 overtime victory, second-most among forwards behind Atkinson. He played 4:01 on the power play and did a little penalty killing as the Jackets were down a skater for 11 minutes. Although Dubois moves the puck well and ended the regular season with 20 goals and 48 points in becoming the first rookie to play in all 82 games in franchise history, it is his strong defensive play against the top opposing offensive players which has become so valuable to the Jackets. “There’s a lot of pressure, but I like winning and do not like losing,” Dubois said of the trust Tortorella and the coaching staff has given to him. “Any game I play, I give everything I have to win. I just want to win, whether it’s Game 1 or Game 7. It doesn’t matter to me. If the coach has confidence in you, that means you’re doing something right out there.”

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091505 Columbus Blue Jackets Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.15.2018 Blue Jackets | It’s full speed ahead in seeking Game 2 win

By George Richards @GeorgeRichards Posted Apr 14, 2018 at 7:51 PM

Updated Apr 14, 2018 at 7:51 PM

WASHINGTON — Greed, it has been said, is good. Winning the opening game of their playoff series against the Washington Capitals has given the Blue Jackets home-ice advantage in this best-of- seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal. And they want more. Winning Game 2 on Sunday at Capital One Arena would certainly improve their chances of winning the first playoff series in franchise history. The series shifts to Nationwide Arena on Tuesday night. “By no means are we going to back down,” winger Josh Anderson said. “Yeah, we’re up 1-0 right now. But how sweet would that be to be 2-0 going back home with our fans? We’re going to be stepping on the gas pedal here and trying to pull out another win.” The Blue Jackets’ victory on Thursday not only was thrilling — they rallied from a 2-0 deficit going into the second period to win 4-3 on Artemi Panarin’s overtime goal — but also historic, as well. The Jackets don’t have a long playoff history, with this series being just the fourth in franchise history. But the win gave the team its first-ever series-opening victory and first-ever series lead. “It’s great that we’re starting off on the right foot, but for us it’s just a matter of winning the series,” captain Nick Foligno said. “It doesn’t matter how you do it, whether you’re leading or coming back. You’ve just got to find a way to get the job done, which we haven’t done, so we’re looking forward to that opportunity and another great chance tomorrow.” Added forward Thomas Vanek: “We’re up one, but I don’t think the mentality changes. ... There’s no point for this group to be satisfied. We’re just going out there to win.” Washington continues to deal with the shadow of doubt that a decade of playoff failures have created. The Capitals, despite being one of the elite teams in the NHL, have not advanced to the Eastern Conference finals since they did so when they played in the Stanley Cup finals 20 years ago. They moved out of the first round in each of the past three seasons only to lose to the New York Rangers in 2015 and the Pittsburgh Penguins the past two years. “We’re here to win hockey games,” Foligno said, “so just because you win one isn’t good enough. You need four in a series. We have a great opportunity in front of us against a team that is going to come out just as hungry and hard, and it’s going to be an even harder game than it was in Game 1. We have to be ready for that.” Said forward Mark Letestu: “We’re here to win the game we are playing. We got the first one, and that gives us the opportunity to get two. We don’t want the split. We want them both. We want to win each and every game we play in.” The Blue Jackets will have to make some changes in their lineup on Sunday as center Alexander Wennberg is out after taking a shot to the head from the Capitals’ Tom Wilson early in the third period of Game 1. But they will return the same six defensemen and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Washington has center Jay Beagle back after he missed Game 1 with an injury. Defenseman Michal Kempny returns after being knocked out of the opener on a hit by Anderson. “We’re not going to be content going home tied 1-1,” defenseman Seth Jones said. “We’re coming in to win it. We’re going to be aggressive and play our style. We have been doing a lot of the right things lately, have a lot of scoring depth and have been playing the right way. We’re going about our business.” 1091506 Columbus Blue Jackets “Everybody wants to win the Stanley Cup, but it's the stories and the battles that you go through with a group here,” Nick said Saturday.

His coach John Tortorella raised the Cup in 2004. One of the players on Stanley Cup playoffs finally become family affair for Nick and Marcus that team, Fredrik Modin, was a member of the 2009 Blue Jackets, the Foligno organization’s first club to reach the playoffs. Modin lives in Columbus and works as an adviser to the Blue Jackets’ By Tom Reed 2h ago hockey operations department. He shares stories with current players about reunions involving the 2004 Lightning.

“As an older guy, you talk to him and he's just having a blast,” Nick said. WASHINGTON — Nick Foligno is yet to advance beyond the first round “Those are the teams that you really remember. If you're lucky enough to of the playoffs in his 10 pro seasons, but he’s already sipped from the have a long career, it's the teams that you win with (that) you remember. Stanley Cup. And I think that's all we want to do in here — we want to win the Stanley Cup because we want to have this group, which we're already so close, The Blue Jackets captain was 13 years old when his father, Mike, bonding more. … That’s what we're trying to use as our motivation right coaching the Avalanche’s top farm team, called the family home in now.” Hershey, Pennsylvania, and asked his kids whether they wanted to fly to Denver for Game 7 of the Cup Final. Nick and his brother, Marcus, a pair Nick's dad senses something special building with the Blue Jackets. He of hockey-obsessed pubescents, were thrilled with the invitation. loves the direction of the club under Tortorella and the young talent being assembled. On the night of June 9, 2001, the Foligno boys, accompanied by their mother, Janis, saw the Avalanche outlast the Devils, 3-1. With their Thursday night was a wild, frightening and fantastic night for the Folignos father’s pull, they gained access to the winning locker room, Marcus said, as the Blue Jackets rallied for a 4-3 overtime win over the Capitals in and watched in wonder as coaches smoked cigars and players drank Game 1. champagne. Early in the third period, seconds after Columbus tied it, Nick Foligno Over the next 72 hours, the wide-eyed brothers attended parties, rode in went down to block a Jakub Jerabek slap shot. The rising puck struck the the championship parade and had their pictures taken with Nick’s idol, captain in the face. Fortunately, Foligno’s cracked visor absorbed most of Peter Forsberg. Mike Foligno, who played 15 NHL seasons, recalls his the impact, but the force of the blast bloodied his nose and left him with oldest boy taking a swig from Lord Stanley’s mug. cuts and abrasions on his left cheek and nose. “It was apple juice,” Mike said with a hearty laugh that implied it was Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno returned to Thursday's game despite something other than apple juice. getting struck in the face by a puck. (Tom Reed/The Athletic) The indelible experience gave Nick and Marcus, a winger for the Wild, a With the Blue Jackets already down a pair of forwards, Nick went to the taste of what they hope awaits them later this spring. locker room for repairs and quickly returned to the ice, missing less than four minutes. “This is where you realize your dream,” Nick told The Athletic on Saturday. “The dream is to win the Stanley Cup. It isn’t to make the NHL. Such valor is part of playoff-hockey fabric, one held together by It’s to win the Stanley Cup.” physicians' stitches and skin sealant. League history is filled with hockey-playing brothers chasing titles in the The father in Mike was concerned. The hockey coach in Mike was same playoff year. beaming. There were Maurice “Rocket” Richard and Henri “Pocket Rocket” Richard “First, I’m proud of him for blocking a shot like every coach is when one covering the family name and the Forum rafters in glory with the of their players does it,” Mike told The Athletic. “As a parent, you are Canadiens. There were the six Sutter brothers from Viking, Alberta, and, holding your breath and you are hoping for the best. more recently, the Staal boys from the sod farm in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Marcus also was relieved and happy for his brother. But siblings being Now, Mike Foligno, 59, gets the opportunity to see his sons compete for siblings, the younger brother couldn’t resist a playful verbal jab. the Cup in the same year. Nick, 30, is making his sixth playoff run and third with the Blue Jackets. Marcus, 26, is a postseason debutant after “He said, 'You're an idiot. That's what they pay Bob (Sergei Bobrovsky) spending the past six seasons with the Sabres. for,’ ” Nick noted. “It’s been great,” said Marcus, whose Wild must dig themselves out of a Reached by phone Saturday afternoon, Marcus began chuckling as he 2-0 series deficit against Winnipeg. “The family enjoys watching the was questioned about the comment. games. The playoffs are another level of excitement, and everything is “That’s exactly what I said,” Marcus Foligno recalled. “Bob does a good magnified.” enough job stopping shots. Let it go through. I was just kidding, of Nick finds himself rushing from dinners here in Washington to catch his course. You have to block shots in the playoffs, and that one was a little brother in action on television. He’s proud of how physical Marcus has scary.” played against the bruising Jets, even confronting Dustin Byfuglien The Folignos talk or text almost every day. Their dad also gets involved during an end-of-the-game dustup Friday night. in group discussions, he said, but doesn’t spend time assessing coaching “I know he had Byfuglien, so good for him,” Nick said. “I thought he strategies or systems. played really well, though. … I thought he had a lot of good jump for their Mike Foligno believes Marcus and the Wild will climb back into the series team. Just unfortunate they didn't get the win.” against the potent Jets as it returns to Minnesota, where the home side Nobody is savoring the moment more than Mike, who coached both boys lost a league-low six games in regulation during the regular season. in juniors with the . The longtime coach, who lives in While dad avoids the hockey talk, Nick said the brothers are offering Sudbury, remains active in the sport with the Canadian Paralympic team each other encouragement and advice. and will be running a development camp next week in Montreal. “We'll shut down once we play each other in the finals, but right now it's “I can remember looking at the boys that night (in Denver) and hoping his first crack at it, so I'm obviously going to motivate him and want to see one day they would get a chance to experience something like this,” Mike him do well,” Nick said. “It's great to see that he's getting a taste of the said by phone. “You just never know how things might turn out in life.” playoff hockey. He's tailor-made for playoff hockey. I'm really excited to Nick was old enough to remember his father’s closest run to the Cup in see him get in there. … We talk just about the game, how he's feeling 1993 with the Maple Leafs. Wayne Gretzky and the Kings broke the and vice versa. He watches my games, I watch his. We always have little hearts of the Foligno family and Leafs Nation by beating them in Game 7 tips for each other.” of the Western Conference Final. The schedule does the family, which includes sisters Cara and Lisa, no Mike has seen Nick score four playoff goals, including the memorable favors this week. The Blue Jackets and Wild play simultaneously on Game 4 overtime winner against the Penguins in 2014 at Nationwide Sunday and Tuesday nights, which means Mike will need to have Arena, where he beat Marc-Andre Fleury from the top of the circles and multiple televisions and/or tablets at his disposal. joyously slid on two knees up the ice before being mobbed by It’s all part of the Stanley Cup experience — one that was fueled by teammates. standing awestruck in a champagne-soaked, smoke-filled locker room 17 years ago.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091507 Columbus Blue Jackets Jenner collected an airborne puck in the neutral zone by whacking it to the ice and gathering on his stick as he accelerated through Washington defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Jakub Vrana. Blue Jackets' Boone Jenner found a new gear when he rediscovered his He had a burst of speed through the right circle, backing off Washington confidence defenseman Matt Niskanen just enough to create a puck-wide corridor to the doorstep of the Capitals' net. By Aaron Portzline 8h ago 2 The pass from Jenner went under Niskanen's stick, under Orlov's stick and was tapped into the net by Wennberg, pulling the Blue Jackets to 2-1 after a rough start. WASHINGTON — NHL coaches and players say it's impossible for a Asked whether that's a play he would have made, say, in November or player to improve his skating during a regular season. Between the daily December, Jenner shrugged and smiled. “I don't know,” he said. practices and the 82-game schedule, there's no room for the intense work it takes to make even a marginal improvement. But Tortorella didn't hesitate. There can be no physical answer, then, for why Blue Jackets left winger “No,” he said. “He probably beats that thing and doesn't even get it in the Boone Jenner suddenly looks like a different player. But … end zone. He probably beats it up and it's probably a turnover going the other way. “He hasn't gained a step,” Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson told The Athletic while watching practice Saturday. “He's “He makes a great pass through two defensemen sticks, two pretty good gained two.” defensemen, too, in Orlov and Niskanen.” Jenner, never regarded as more than an average NHL skater, has found Notebook a different gear since early March, when he started salvaging his own • The Blue Jackets were forced to scramble their lines because season and started helping the Blue Jackets toward a strong finish that Wennberg will miss Game 2, and possibly more games, after absorbing a secured a playoff berth. blow to the head by Washington's Tom Wilson in the third period He flashed that speed in Game 1 on Thursday, when he set up Thursday. Nick Foligno moved up between Jenner and right winger Alexander Wennberg's pivotal goal in the second period of an eventual 4- Thomas Vanek, taking Wennberg's spot. That sends Brandon Dubinsky 3 overtime win for the Blue Jackets. up to the third line in Foligno's spot, leaving Mark Letestu on the fourth line. Game 2 is Sunday in Capital One Arena. • Wennberg did not skate Saturday and is officially listed as “day to day,” “It's confidence,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. “Yeah, it's Tortorella said. mental. (Boone) hasn't picked up a stride during the season, I'll tell you that. It just doesn't happen that way. • Here's Vanek on Wennberg's injury busting up that No. 2 line — Jenner – Wennberg – Vanek — that had been on a tear since it was put “The mind is an amazing thing. It's something we can't peel and touch, together March 4, totaling 16-23-39 and plus-39 in 17 games: “It’s a big but that's the most important part of our game, getting to them there and loss up the middle, especially for our line. We were going pretty well. His making them feel good about themselves. game was going pretty well, too. He scored a big goal for us on Thursday. It’s tough to lose him, but it’s part of the game. Other guys “You can't explain things that go on with players when they start playing have to step up.” better. It's not their skills. It's not them picking up speed. It's mental, and that's a huge part of all sports, especially such a spontaneous and • More Vanek on Wennberg's injury: “It sucks, (and) on somewhat of a reactionary sport like hockey.” dirty hit. Hopefully, he can recover quickly and be back as soon as possible.” Jenner has been told to improve his skating going all the way back to his junior days, but he took drastic steps this past summer, losing “5-10 • Sonny Milano, a healthy scratch Thursday, will dress in his second pounds” to keep up with the ever-increasing speed of the NHL. career playoff game. He dressed in Game 3 of last year's first-round matchup with Pittsburgh, drawing only 6:47 in a 5-4 overtime loss in But a back injury before the start of training camp forced him to miss all Nationwide Arena. of camp and the first seven games of the regular season. • Foligno on moving up to a new line: “They're moving up to me,” he “Missing camp, it's a little bit tougher to get your legs,” Jenner said. joked. “I'm looking forward to playing with them. That’s fun to play with those guys. Obviously, they’re playing really well right now. I’m just going But most players get up to speed in a couple of weeks. Right winger Josh to do my thing with them and, hopefully, have the same success.” Anderson missed all of camp and showed up spry and fast right from the start of the schedule. • Here's what the lines looked like in practice: Jenner was a frustrated player for the first five months of the season, F1: Artemi Panarin – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Cam Atkinson creating very few scoring chances, very little offense (6-13-19, minus-12 rating in 58 games) and having very little impact on games. And he F2: Boone Jenner – Nick Foligno – Thomas Vanek looked slow. F3: Sonny Milano – Brandon Dubinsky – Josh Anderson Now, that player is but a memory. Jenner is skating better than he ever has, not just from a start but at top speed. F4: Matt Calvert – Mark Letestu – Oliver Bjorkstrand “Right now, I'm playing much faster,” said Jenner, who said he wasn't • The pairs remain the same: Zach Werenski – Seth Jones; Ian Cole – playing through an injury earlier this season — the back injury or David Savard; Markus Nutivaara – Ryan Murray. otherwise — that may explain his struggles. • Anderson didn't talk with reporters after Thursday's Game 1, when he It was just confidence, he said. was ejected at 17:23 of the first period after a boarding call on Washington's Michal Kempny. But Saturday he said he disagreed with “It can definitely help,” Jenner said. “When you start feeling better and the call by NHL referee Marc Joannette. “Obviously, I wasn't happy,” playing better, you're just moving faster and making decisions quicker. Anderson said. “We all saw it. I think it was shoulder on shoulder. I think Your feet, your mind … everything is quicker.” the kid put himself in a bad position. When I was coming down on him, I think I saw a shoulder check a couple times. You know, it's the playoffs. Jenner finished the season with a flurry of offense, totaling almost as It's going to be a physical series. Yeah, I wasn't happy. It's over with now. many points in the final 17 games (7-6-13, plus-13) as he did in the first Go out there and be ready for Game 2.” 58. • More Anderson, when asked whether the penalty was called because of “He's a diesel engine, that guy,” Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. the aftermath — Kempny on the ice, bleeding: “I'm not sure. I'm really not “When he gets going it's hard to stop him. Right now, he's just on a sure. What I didn't like, either, is the official didn't talk it over with the mission. other official. He just made up his mind. That being said, it's over with. We won the game, thank God, and be ready to go in Game 2.” “We all know what kind of player he is, what he brings. This time of the season is made for him. It's not a surprise to see him having this success • More Anderson, when asked whether he's going to ease up on hits: “I'm as this part of the season.” not going to back off. That's how I play, and I'm going to continue to play that way and be physical.” The Capitals got a taste of it early in the second period Thursday. • Kempny will play for the Capitals. Coach Barry Trotz told reporters that knowing where he's at, knowing where his game's at, and how important Kempny wanted to return to Thursday's game, but was held out by he is to this team.” doctors. • Here's Foligno on Bobrovsky: “We were just happy to see Bob play like • The Capitals are also expecting fourth-line center Jay Beagle to return Bob. We don't need him to be a superstar, that's just his capability.” to the lineup. “As a coach, I have a lot of value for him, but (for) just the regular fan or regular people, Jay Beagle doesn't put up high numbers,” Trotz told reporters. “But he gives you everything he's got, and the one The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 place he can make a difference is that faceoff circle. It's all about starting with the puck, and he gives us an advantage in that more than most guys in the league.” Beagle won 58.5 percent of faceoffs (584-998) this season. Only three players took 500-plus draws with a higher win percentage: Buffalo's Ryan O'Reilly and Anaheim's Antoine Vermette (both 60 percent) and Philadelphia's Claude Giroux (58.6). • Trotz confirmed that Philipp Grubauer will remain in net for the Capitals after stopping 23 of 27 in Game 1. “I thought he was fine,” Trotz said. “There was nothing in that game that you'd say, 'why didn't you make a change?' Philipp's been really good, and I thought in that game, we had the game and we kept letting them off the floor. They got back into that game, and then in the third period we took a couple penalties that were unnecessary and they got back in the game. Then going to overtime, you're a shot away, a break away, so all that being said, it was a special play by Panarin (OT game-winner), and there are very few people who can make that shot. We've got some guys who can do the same thing. So, we'll go back with Grubi; I've got a lot of confidence in him, and we'll be ready.” • Get greedy. That's the message to the Blue Jackets heading into Sunday's Game 2. A 1-0 lead is a franchise first and good way to start any best-of-seven series, especially on the road. But a 2-0 lead on the road would put a chokehold on the series. Not that anything needs to be said, but Tortorella said it anyway. “You have to be really careful when you’re stating the obvious with a team at this time of year, where you almost insult them,” Tortorella said. “I’m very conscious of not insulting a team in those situations. I brought it up, but I think our guys know. As a coach, I have to go through my little checklist. We had a really good video today, but certainly, I brought that back up. I hope they had a blast enjoying that win for a few hours. But now, today is a workday and (Sunday) we get back at it here. You have some momentum on your side in winning a game. But it changes quickly. So, home or away, you’re looking to win the next game. So keep your focus. I feel confident our team is there.” • Tortorella has declined to express his feelings on the two controversial calls in Game 1 — Anderson's major and ejection for hitting Kempny, and Wilson's charging on Wennberg. GM Jarmo Kekalainen declined to say much on the subject Friday, too. It's almost become an organizational stance to handle it this way. You'll note that Tortorella has taken shots at Pittsburgh for complaining about officiating through the years. Here's Tortorella on Saturday when asked about his players not retaliating after Wilson's hit on Wennberg: “You never know how the game is going to be officiated. You never know if they see the first one … it's usually the guy who retaliates. You have to take (the hit). To me, that's being a tough team mentally, taking the hits. Not whining about penalties. Just get to the box. If they call it, get to the box. If you get hit hard, like Cole … I loved it. I asked him between (end of regulation and overtime) just to make sure he was OK after that hit by (Brooks) Orpik. Great hockey hit! It's a great hockey hit! But it looked like Cole was dazed a little, so I checked with him between periods. He says, 'No, that was a great hit.' That's the way you have to approach it. Sometimes we get off track in these games here, where there is supposed to be contact in this game. Whether you like it or not or you think it's dirty or not, you have to suck it up and simply find a way to play through it and get ready for your next shift. Such little slides of momentum — especially with a power play like they have — can change the complexion of a game. We just have to stay about ourselves.” • Foligno on Wilson skating without supplemental discipline from the NHL: “We can’t waste our time with that. It should have been handled, obviously, by the league. It wasn’t, so we’re just going to go play.” • You've read plenty about Sergei Bobrovsky's playoff struggles. In Thursday's Game 1, he looked very comfortable and composed, especially in his 16-save second period. Here's Tortorella: “He makes a save on (T.J.) Oshie on the power play that could have put them up 3-1. A couple of huge saves just to keep us there. We win the game, (but) we weren't clean for a number of minutes in that hockey game. They had a lot of pressure on us, had some really good scoring chances. Bob gave us a chance. He was outstanding in very important minutes of that game. All the talk on Bob is his playoff hockey. … Bob has handled himself well. He can't hide from it. You guys are going to ask him the questions, it's your job. But I think he's handling them very well. He uses every game as a process to try and get himself better. He's probably one of our best pros in that locker room, as far as his preparation and mindset as far as 1091508 Columbus Blue Jackets incidents, this is a severe but just punishment for a top player who had 32 goals during the regular season and 19 power play points.

If the Leafs lose this series, they’ll point to the Kadri suspension, but the Burnside: Player Safety head George Parros has held strong in difficult focus should be on the play that led to the suspension. That’s on the start to playoffs player not on those who handed down the suspension. Subtle but important distinction. By Scott Burnside Apr 14, 2018 73 The feeling has always been that top players get more leeway for their behavior than the rank and file or lower class citizen, but kudos to Parros for judging the act and the player’s history, and not the potential impact of the suspension of both Doughty and Kadri, whose boss happens to be NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – At various times over the years, the head Shanahan, who at one point held the same post. of the NHL’s Department of Player Safety has been a favorite personal whipping boy and I have repeatedly opined that, if we were in charge (oh, The past three days have presented a handful of incidents that required wouldn’t that be a glorious day?) that we’d be like Judge Roy Bean, scrutiny from Parros and his staff, similar to the opening days of the 2012 hardest law west of the Pecos. playoffs when there were multiple questionable hits and incidents, including the infamous image of ramming Henrik Didn’t matter if it was Colin Campbell or Brendan Shanahan or Stephane Zetterberg’s head off the end glass at the end of a Nashville-Detroit Quintal. The often whimsical sometimes haphazard manner in which game. Weber escaped with a minor penalty and a $2,500 fine. supplemental discipline was meted out often enraged us until, sadly, we became inured to it. Similar dynamics this week as the Blue Jackets' Josh Anderson was ejected from Thursday’s game against Washington for ramming Michal Shot to the head? Cross-check to the back into the boards? Maybe a Kempny into the end boards. Kempny is questionable for Sunday’s fine, maybe a game, maybe more, maybe not. No rhyme nor reason to Game 2 but there was no further discipline. any of it, so the energy expended in being enraged just seemed so ill- spent. In the same game, the Capitals' Tom Wilson, suspended for the start of the regular season for a boarding incident, sent Alexander Wennberg But I have to admit, I had very high hopes when longtime tough guy from the game with a hard hit, which the otherwise occupied Wennberg George Parros assumed the role as the Lord of Discipline this season. never saw coming. Cerebral and firm, Parros didn’t necessarily set the discipline world on its In my eyes, it should have been a suspension without question. The ear, but he did deliver meaningful punishment to the most egregious league did not agree. actions. And in Nashville late in the second period of Game 1, Ryan Johansen, a And even if he did whiff a couple of times – how Brad Marchand escaped player with no history of supplemental discipline, caught Colorado punishment for a late-season cross-check to the head of Philadelphia’s defenseman Tyson Barrie with an elbow to the head in the Predators’ Andrew MacDonald is a red mark on Parros’ record given Marchand’s zone that went uncalled. Barrie wasn’t injured, but he offered the same shocking inability to learn from his mistakes – Parros is suddenly front kinds of questions Friday that fans and players often ask: What’s and center in the opening hours of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. acceptable? Where is the line? And lo and behold, we are seeing a little Judge Roy Bean in the “I didn’t like the hit for sure,” Barrie said. “I didn’t see him at all coming Princeton University attendee, which warms our hearts. and I thought he maybe got the head a little bit, but the league’s obviously decided to take no action. That’s their call.” It’s not where Parros wants to be and certainly not where the league wants the focus given the compelling storylines that exist from coast to Asked about the Doughty hit, Barrie said, “I don’t see a whole lot of coast. But given a plethora of miscreant behavior through the opening difference, but I’m not the one making the call, so it’s kind of irrelevant.” days of the 2018 playoff season, the spotlight is once again on the DOP. Frustrating? It’s important work and it’s wildly complicated with layers of texture that sometimes make finding the right answer difficult. “If those are the hits you’re allowed to take, then maybe you maybe take one or two runs at guys that you might get away with, but I think you just And it hasn’t been perfect. But with word late Friday that Toronto forward got to move on,” Barrie said. Nazem Kadri was suspended for three games for a nasty hit on a defenseless Tommy Wingels in the opening game of the Boston-Toronto In short, these are important moments for Parros who took on the role as series, Parros and his group have set a lofty standard. head of the Department of Player Safety in September. The Kadri suspension came after Parros began the postseason in strong It was a move that immediately drew derision from some observers given fashion, suspending Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty for a game that Parros was one of the toughest players in the NHL and accumulated for an uncalled hit to the head of Las Vegas forward William Carrier 1,092 penalty minutes in 474 regular season games, scoring 18 times midway through the third period of a game the Golden Knights would go and adding 18 assists over that period of time. on to win 1-0 on the opening night of the playoffs. You know what? I couldn't care less about how he conducted himself on The challenge of finding an appropriate level of discipline during the the ice as a player (he was never suspended) if he does this job properly. postseason is in accepting that the games are exponentially more meaningful. And frankly, it’s easier to fine players at this stage of the Now we’re about to find out if he has the stomach to do just that. So far, season than to suspend them because missing even one game, as the answer is yes. Reckless play that endangers other players should Doughty did for the Kings' overtime loss in Game 2, can have significant always be greeted with a relentless reaction from the league. Spare the implications. rod and all that. Doughty is an all-world player, but he let his emotions get the better of But the challenge, similar to being a player, is not what you did today but him on the hit, which saw Carrier left the game and was listed as day-to- what you do tomorrow. And that’s always been the challenge for the men day, but played Friday night as Vegas took a 2-0 series lead. who have had the temerity to accept the role Parros now occupies. Had there been a call on the ice against Doughty, perhaps Parros We would offer only this: Stay strong and keep bringing the law west of doesn’t have to step in. But step in he did. the Pecos. He did so again in an even more emphatic manner with the Kadri suspension. The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 The agitating Toronto forward was ejected from the Leafs-Bruins game midway through the third period with Boston holding a 4-1 lead. Kadri leaped into the boards and caught Wingels in the head with his hip and body after Wingels had made a questionable hit moments before on Mitch Marner. If the potential to go down 0-2 was daunting for the Kings without Doughty, imagine now the hole that Kadri has put his team in with his reckless play? Suspended three previous times for head-hunting 1091509 Dallas Stars Stars GM Jim Nill flew up to Quebec to meet with Vigneault and had a second interview planned with him. Instead, Vigneault took his name out of the running for the job and eventually accepted a head coaching job 10 things to know about Stars head coaching candidate Alain Vigneault: with the New York Rangers. This isn't the first time he's been up for a head coaching job in Dallas Will he give the Stars a harder look this time around or will he opt for another team that comes calling? Staff Report 9. He looks a lot like the Russian Prime Minister By SportsDayDFW.com Contact SportsDayDFW.com on Vigneault has sometimes been compared to Russian Prime Minister Twitter:@SportsDayDFW Dmitry Medvedev for their similar appearances. We'll let you be the judge of that.

10. Saving his best for French With the Stars head coaching vacancy, former NY Rangers coach Alain Vigneault may be a candidate for the job. Here are 10 things you may not Over his coaching career, Vigneault is known for giving interesting know about him. interview soundbites in French. He once made a small jab toward one of his former teams, the Canadiens, in his native tongue. Here's a video of 1. The Basics Vigneault speaking French in an interview. Alain Vigneault was born on May 14, 1961 in Quebec City, Canada. He is divorced from his wife and has two daughters, Andreane and Janie. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.15.2018 2. He played in the NHL Before becoming a coach in the NHL, Vigneault was drafted in the eighth round of the NHL draft by St. Louis. Vigneault played 42 games in his career and finished with two goals and five assists in two seasons with St. Louis. 3. History of success In 16 seasons of coaching experience, Vigneault has made 11 trips to the postseason and two to the Stanley Cup Final. He has been nominated for the Jack Adams Award, which recognizes the NHL's top head coach, four times. Vigneault, former Stars coach Ken Hitchcock and Colombus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella were the only active coaches last season to have been nominated for the award four times. Since the 2006-07 season, Vigneault has compiled a 539-317-94 record. 4. Rough start in Montreal Vigneault coached the for the first four seasons of his coaching career. His first season as head coach was the only playoff appearance he made with the team with a record of 37-32-13. The next two seasons, the Canadiens failed to make the playoffs. Vigneault was fired 20 games through the 2000-01 season after his team picked up only five wins in that span. 5. Making a name for himself After taking a five-season sabbatical from coaching in the NHL, Vigneault was hired as the head coach of the before the 2006- 07 season. In his first season with the Canucks, Vigneault achieved 49 wins and 105 points and a Northwest Division title, good enough to earn him the Jack Adams Award. Under him, the Canucks won the Presidents' Trophy in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. Vigneault was fired 48 games through the 2012-13 season after the Canucks went 26-15-7. 6. An awkward exit Vigneault was hired as the NY Rangers head coach before the 2013-14 season and made the playoffs in four of his five seasons there. In his first, he made a run to the Stanly Cup Final before getting knocked out by the LA Kings in five games. After the Rangers season ended with a 5-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, Vigneault said in an interview that he expected to be back next season. "I think my staff is the right staff for this job," Vigneault said. "This is just my opinion, but I think one of the strongest assets of this organization is its coaching staff. They're experienced, we've been able to do it with veteran players, we've been able to do it with younger players, our development record." He was fired hours later. 7. That time he laughed at Stars fans might remember this moment. On Feb. 26, 2012, the Stars hosted Vigneault's Vancouver Canucks and during a timeout, former Dallas Star Vernon Fiddler's impression of then Canucks defensemen Kevin Bieksa. The impression drew a lot of laughs from Vigneault on the sideline. 8. How he almost became the Stars head coach When the Stars were searching for their next head coach in 2013, Vigneault was on their list. 1091510 Dallas Stars With Honka and Miro Heiskanen, 18, expected to contend for minutes on the Stars' defense next season, fans would like to see those assets maximized. Stars need next head coach to do what Ken Hitchcock wouldn't: Trust the "I think every team needs depth, and we're no different," Stars owner young guys Tom Gaglardi said. "But I believe we have kids here who are ready and need to play. I think the answers are in our system or on our team." By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Contact Mike Heikaon Twitter:@MikeHeika Nill is expected to look for a coach who can relate to the younger players and incorporate them into the fast game the team is seeking. Management also wants to retain a lot of the elements that Hitchcock established this season. Most of the NHL is playing a fast game led by young players, and the Stars said this week that they want to play along. "The silver lining in all of this is that we are a better team today, that we are a more disciplined defensive team because of Ken," Gaglardi said. After Ken Hitchcock's announcement Friday that he is retiring from "Now, we have to build on that." coaching, Stars general manager Jim Nill said one of the significant characteristics of the new coach will be that he embraces a fast game. And the building could come on legs that are much younger - and possibly on minds that are much younger. Asked if he was open to hiring "We want to play fast, we want to play hard, we want to play well a new head coach with no previous NHL experience, Nill said yes. defensively," Nill said. "I think that's where the game is going. You want to play fast, but you also need that structure." "The coaching fraternity has almost become like the players now," Nill said. "I'm amazed at the kids who come in at 18 or 19 and they don't Vote! Who you want Stars to hire as next coach? miss a beat, and I think we're seeing that with coaches, too. The game is changing and you have to evolve, and I think it's important for us to make It's a difficult balance to strike, and Nill said that a lot of what Hitchcock sure you look over every option." built in the past season defensively will be helpful going forward. But one of the concerns in Hitchcock's approach was his reluctance to trust Fresh legs? younger players with bigger minutes. The Stars could have a roster filled with younger players next season, Hitchcock played 35-year-old 20:11 a game and 27-year- and management says it wants those players to have key roles. Here are old Greg Pateryn 19:36. While both are veterans and earned their some potential risers in the organization: minutes early in the season, they seemed to wear down during the Stars' and certainly weren't going to make much difference once the Player Age Pos. Notable team was eliminated from playoff contention. Miro Heiskanen 18 D Taken third overall in 2017 The veteran coach played Julius Honka 13:00 a game in just 42 games draft and will make the transition from Finland next season. and showed little trust in allowing Honka to use the puck-carrying skills that made him the 14th overall pick in 2014. Val Nichushkin 23 W Former 10th overall pick expected to return from KHL and possibly play in top six forward group. Asked why other NHL teams are playing younger players more, Hitchcock said it's because those players have earned their minutes. Julius Honka 22 D Former 14th overall pick appears to be ripe now after four seasons in North America. "I think you have to earn it," he said. "We haven't been playing some of the young guys because we are trying to win. Some of the young guys Jason Dickinson 22 C Skilled player ready to you hope they understand what it's like to be an NHL player and be increase minutes from 8:32 a game. counted on every day and be consistent. I think the biggest thing for me Remi Elie 22 W If Antoine Roussel is not re-signed, Elie is consistency. The players who are able to grasp that, they survive, and could be the player who steps in and takes his minutes. the others fall by the wayside." Denis Gurianov, 21; Big AHL playoff run could help former 12th overall For some very successful teams, younger players were thrust into roles pick get a head start on 2018-19 NHL season. because of injuries or lack of veteran depth and then survived quite nicely. Jake Guentzel averaged 17:29 a game as a 22-year-old with Pittsburgh Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.15.2018 last season in the playoffs and tallied 25 points (14 goals, 11 assists) in 27 games. Guentzel was a third-round pick. Charlie McAvoy jumped into the playoffs for Boston last season and played 26:11 as a 19-year-old. This year, he averaged 22:08 before he got hurt. Colorado played 19-year-old Samuel Girard almost 18 minutes a game on defense this season. The Canucks gave 21-year-old winger Brock Boeser more than 17 minutes a game. The Jets played 21-year-old Kyle Connor almost 17 minutes a game alongside their top players. Connor was taken five picks after the Stars selected Denis Gurianov in the 2015 draft. Gurianov has played one NHL game and is ripening in the AHL right now. That leads to debate on whether the Stars have drafted good young talent that will eventually earn their minutes or whether the coaches need to give the trust and minutes first to see what the young players can accomplish. Honka is the best example, as he came straight from Finland and has 191 games of AHL experience. He should be ripe enough to be an NHL regular, but the coaching staff chose to play Pateryn and Hamhuis. Similarly, the previous coaching staff chose to play Jordie Benn over Patrik Nemeth and Jamie Oleksiak. Nemeth, who was picked up on waivers by Colorado at the start of the season, is now a regular on the Avalanche and led the team in plus-minus at plus-27. Since joining the Penguins in a mid-season trade, Oleksiak has 14 points and is plus-13 in 47 games. That seems like a waste of assets for the Stars. With Ken Hitchcock gone, another question lingers: Why is Stars GM Jim Nill still safe? 1091511 Dallas Stars Yeah, I think with the penalty killing aspect to it, it forces you to play a game where you would be better when you play defensively at five-on- five. It's a lot more stopping and starting, you're in the passing lanes, Q&A: Mike Modano on Ken Hitchcock, Tyler Seguin, and the future of the you're in the right position and facing the puck. You know that's a lot the Stars similarities without the puck in your own zone as a low forward or a centerman. There is a lot of grunt work for a centerman and you're all over the place, you're down low supporting everybody. By Sean Shapiro Apr 14, 2018 In many ways doing the penalty kill helped that process along, in learning to be without the puck in all situations. Because most of the times you're out there on the PK you don't have the puck. That helped a lot, to learn that part of the game and be a little bit more positional without the puck. A Dallas Stars franchise icon retired on Friday. Do you see similarities between you and Seguin when it comes to While Ken Hitchcock's final season in Dallas didn't go as planned, the dealing with Hitch? soon-to-be Hall of Fame coach helped put hockey on the map in Texas. In the mid-90s he was the salesman that sold the sport to the local It's fairly close. We were kind of close in age when this whole evolving media, often taking time to explain the game to reporters, and he also started happening, so I think that's a similarity. I think it will grow from helped build a team that won a Stanley Cup in 1999. there. Hopefully, he'll take what Hitch kind of taught him, because ultimately he's going to be put in a lot of situations that he's never had Hitchcock also aided Mike Modano's evolution into a well-rounded center. before. Modano had already been the face of the franchise before Hitchcock arrived, but with the Hitchcock's tutelage he became more than a goal He's gonna be leaned on hard with last-minute periods with the lead and scorer and embraced added responsibility throughout his game. without it. Taking crucial draws and being out there at the end of the game to close it out and make sure nothing happens. After a while for And it didn't detract from Modano's offensive abilities. In the seven myself, I almost enjoyed being out there at the end of games when we seasons the two were paired up, Modano had 546 points in 523 games had the lead as to when we're out there down a goal or trying to pull the and received Selke Trophy votes in six of the seven seasons. goalie to make something happen. I think there was a little bit more When Modano had his No. 9 retired on March 8, 2014, he went out of his gratification in that aspect of the game for me. way to thank Hitchcock. Have you talked Tyler about this? With Hitchcock's retirement, Modano spoke with The Athletic about a No, we haven't. We haven't really chatted too much. I thought maybe number of topics in a phone conversation on Saturday. reaching out here as the summer moves along and seeing what he Is it weird to live in a world where Ken Hitchcock is no longer an NHL thought about the whole experience with (Hitchcock). See if he felt he got coach? anything out of it. Anything he learned and how his game felt being around him. I don't know, I think at some point I'd like to ask him that and Yeah, but knowing Ken this has happened three or four other times. I see how he feels about that and see how the year went with Hitch. think he's mentioned a couple other times that he was done or that he was wrapping it up. But I don't know, but something seems a little When you look at it from afar, are the Stars headed in the right direction different about this time. He got exhausted as the year went on and I just as a franchise? think there were things that, you know, led him to that decision and You know, I don't know. As the season went on you could see there were thoughts and theories and why that came about. certain things more and more exposed that they didn't have. I think they But it's a grind, he's been going hard. When he's working he's working came out of the gates so-so trying to learn a little bit under Hitch. I think like no other guy. It's 24/7. He lives and breathes hockey, I can actually they were a game or two above .500 at the Thanksgiving point. And at see the tank being totally empty at this point. that point until early March they went on a real good run there. What type of conversations have you had with him? But once there is a little bit of injuries or a little hiccup there, you kind of realize how limited depth they have, and not much second-hand scoring. I haven't yet. I was going to let a couple days go by and let the death set (Jason) Spezza obviously was hurt for a while. But after the first three a little bit. But I'm gonna try and track him down this weekend. guys, there are really no impact players as far as ones that can take a little bit of load off those first three guys. But we talked throughout the season and he kind of went back and forth on opinions on things and how things were going for him. The league, the The goaltending was a big minus there at the end when (Ben) Bishop team, personal, this and that. We've always kept in close contact. went down, and they're asking (Kari) Lehtonen again to bail them out. And that just didn't turn out well again for Kari. In your view what type of legacy does Ken Hitchcock have in hockey? Overall, their overall D game, they kind of lost the ability to shut down I think he was just so adamant and persistent about being one of the games. They lost a few games there in the third period. That one road best. He wanted the most out of his players. He pushed hard. He felt he trip was pretty much the solidifier and then they came back and lost that could get more and certain players had a lot more to give, and he did a Boston game in the third (period) and then lost to Vancouver at home. At good job of making that happen. He had a unique way of motivating guys times they felt like they beat teams they should beat, but against the top and it worked on some guys and didn't on others. teams they were pretty average and their road record was pretty awful. He loved the craft, he loved the strategy. He loved the details and Do you think they can fix the problems before next season? preparation of the game. He was really into that end and part of the game. Yeah, it comes down to a financial thing. They've got a lot of money wrapped up in the goaltender, they've got a lot of money wrapped up in How much did he change your game, in retrospect? those top four forwards. That plays in a lot of it as well, trying to find good We kind of go back and forth, I don't know if it was so much changing my players that are cheap that can fit under the cap and this and that. game but it was more adding to it. I think he really felt offensively it was I think down the middle is always a big important part of any team. Once fine. And there were days he thought I could work harder offensively and (Martin) Hanzal got hurt they really didn't have much after that. They he just felt adding the defensive aspect of it, being a little bit more need a top-six forward, they need three more guys or two more guys to fit responsible without the puck and more or less throwing responsibility on with Spezza that can help raise his game. And as far as shutdown D, me and Jere (Lehtinen) and whoever was on with us facing other team's they need mobile D that can do a little bit of both. I still think they are still top lines. two or three guys away from that. With that alone came the responsibility of knowing where you are on the ice and who you are playing with and how you do things with the puck. You're a little bit more, cautious I guess is the word, and just more The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 understanding of the game.

So he wasn't trying to change it per se, as much of making it more of a well-rounded game. Tyler Seguin said similar things about his season with Hitch. He said it wasn't a change but just a chance to do things he hadn't before, like penalty killing. 1091512 Detroit Red Wings D Jonathan Ericsson Age: 34. Breaking down the Detroit Red Wings '18-19 roster keepers and sleepers Status: Signed through 2019-20 at an annual hit of $4.25 million. Returning.

F Martin Frk Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 2:36 p.m. ET April 14, 2018 | Updated 3:14 p.m. ET April 14, 2018 Age: 24. Status: Restricted free agent. Has arbitration rights. It’ll probably be another one-year deal for Frk, who had a really good start to last season The Detroit Red Wings have 14 NHL regulars signed to next season’s but wasn’t as effective the second half. squad, leaving room to grow. F Luke Glendening A handful of the spots on the 23-man roster will be absorbed by the restricted free agents who need contracts: , Anthony Age: 28. Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi, Andreas Athanasiou and Martin Frk. That would bring the number of forwards signed for next season to 11. Status: Signed through 2020-21 at an annual salary cap hit of $1.8 million. There was some interest in him at the trade deadline. Might be The Wings have seven returnees on defense (counting Luke Witkowski) moved if a good enough offer materializes. but there are possible changes coming. D Mike Green First, what will happen in the June draft? The NHL draft lottery is April 28, and if the Wings’ 8.5 percent chance of winning the right to draft first Age: 32. overall lands them the top spot, Rasmus Dahlin will reshape the defense. Status: Unrestricted free agent. He underwent cervical spine surgery in Second, there is the possibility Dennis Cholowski, the team’s first-round early April, with a minimum recovery of around two months. He’s been pick from 2016, will show he’s ready for the NHL. the team’s top source of offense from the back end, but his health is a concern. Interest in re-signing him (for a year, two maximum) also hinges There’s likely to be at least one free agency signing, as the Wings need a on what happens in draft, and whether Cholowski might be ready to push goaltender to share the net with starter Jimmy Howard. for a spot in Detroit next season. Red Wings final grades: Few high marks after a poor season G Darren Helm NHL 2018 draft lottery odds: Red Wings odds at No. 1 pick Age: 31. Here is a breakdown of the roster situation. Status: Signed through 2020-21 at an annual salary cap hit of $3.85 million. Returning. F Justin Abdelkader G Jimmy Howard Age: 31. Age: 34. Status: Signed through 2022-23 at an annual salary cap hit of $4.25 million. Returning. Status: Signed through 2018-19 at an annual salary cap hit of $5.3 million. He has played very well two seasons running. Will be trying to F Andreas Athanasiou show he’s worthy of one- or two-year extension. Age: 23. D Nick Jensen Status: Restricted free agent. He has arbitration rights this summer so Age: 27. there’ll be no holdout like last year. The club has the right to select a one- year or two-year deal. Status: Signed through 2018-19 at an annual salary cap hit of $812,500. Has the speed to compete at NHL level, but, depending on what happens F Tyler Bertuzzi in the draft, might drop on depth chart. Age: 23. D Niklas Kronwall Status: Restricted free agent. Does not have arbitration rights. He used Age: 37. 48 games this season to show he’s a top-six guy, adding grit to the lineup. Look for a two-year deal. Status: Signed through 2018-19 at an annual salary cap hit of $4.75 million. Farewell season for a guy who’ll finish as a career Wing and put F David Booth in a lot of hard miles over the years. Age: 33. F Dylan Larkin Status: Unrestricted free agent. Will not be re-signed. Age: 21. G Jared Coreau Status: Restricted free agent. Does not have arbitration rights. He is the Age: 26. one RFA the Wings would like to sign to a long-term deal rather than a bridge deal. In three seasons Larkin has demonstrated an elite inner Status: Unrestricted free agent. May still have a future with Grand Rapids drive and desire to be the best he can be. This is the team’s future Griffins, but disappointed during his time in Detroit and does not figure as captain. His agent, though, will probably push for a bridge deal because the backup to Howard. the salary cap keeps rising so there’s potential for an even bigger jackpot in another two or three years. D Trevor Daley F Anthony Mantha Age: 34. Age: 23. Status: Signed through 2019-20 at an annual salary cap hit of $3.17 million. Patches the defense a bit with his ability to skate and move the Status: Restricted free agent, does not have arbitration rights. Look for a puck. two-year bridge deal for this guy. Has established himself as capable of scoring at least in 20-goal range, with talent for more. D Danny DeKeyser MORE: Anthony Mantha has homework for the offseason Age: 28. F Frans Nielsen Status: Signed through 2021-22 at an annual salary cap hit of $5 million. Ideally builds on the good second half he had this season. Age: 33. F Justin Abdelkader: B-minus. The buzz: He had a bounce-back year Status: Signed through 2021-22 at an annual salary cap hit of $5.25 productively from previous season, but as one of the team’s few physical million. Part of his value is that he sets example for young guys on how players, it would have been nice to see him more involved in that area. to be a good pro. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press F Gustav Nyquist Age: 28. Status: Signed through 2018-19 at an annual salary cap hit of $4.75 million. Figures to be possible trade bait (if he agrees to waive no-trade clause) around next year’s trade deadline. D Xavier Ouellet Age: 24. Status: Signed through 2018-19 at an annual salary cap hit of $1.25 million. Lacks the speed to out-skate mistakes. If no trade materializes over the summer, vulnerable to being waived next season, which would enable Wings to hide his salary in the minors if he is not claimed. F Evgeny Svechnikov Age: 21. Status: Signed through 2019-20 at an annual salary cap hit of $863,333. If he has a good playoffs with Grand Rapids, maybe he earns his way onto next season’s roster from the start of the season. D/F Luke Witkowski Age: 27. Status: Signed through 2018-19 at an annual salary cap hit of $750,000. Teammates and the coaching staff love this guy. If need be, he can be waived and his salary hidden in the minors. F Henrik Zetterberg Age: 37. Status: Signed through 2020-21 at an annual salary cap hit of $6.1 million. Zetterberg turns 38 in October. Can his back hold up to one more season? It’d be ideal for the Wings to know if he’s coming back before free agency begins July 1, as putting him on Long-Term Injured Reserve would clear salary space. He hates all the losing, but still has fun with teammates. Odds are good he returns for one last season. Red Wings GM Ken Holland's mission: Maintain culture, fix team F Michael Rasmussen Age: 19 on April 17. Status: Special mention for the 2017 first-round pick because he is very likely to make next season’s Wings roster. (Note: Because he has a year left of junior eligibility, he either has to make Detroit’s team, or return to juniors. Grand Rapids is not an option for next season). Rasmussen is tearing up the Western Hockey League in Tri-City’s playoff run, pumping 24 points into the first eight games. He’s 6-feet-6 and 220-odd pounds; while he is still a teenager (meaning he’ll get powerful as he matures) the way he’s dominating will help him make a push to be in Detroit next season. Usually a center, he’s played wing in the playoffs, which will help his audition for an NHL job because it’s a less demanding position to play, especially for a young player. D Dennis Cholowski Age: 20. Status: The Wings’ first-round pick from 2016 is joining the Grand Rapids Griffins in the next few days, since his junior team was eliminated from the Western Hockey League playoffs Friday. He’s a smooth skater with an offensive flair and has improved his defensive-zone play. Cholowski is waiver-exempt so he may start next season in Grand Rapids, but if he stands out at camp, he could elbow his way onto Detroit’s roster as soon as October. The Wings certainly could use some more offense from the back end.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091513 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings prospect Dennis Cholowski to join Grand Rapids Griffins

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 10:40 a.m. ET April 14, 2018 | Updated 12:48 p.m. ET April 14, 2018

Detroit Red Wings prospect Dennis Cholowski will join the team’s top farm club in the coming week. Cholowski’s junior team, the Portland Winterhawks, was eliminated from the Western Hockey League playoffs Friday, losing its second-round series 4-1 to Everett. Cholowski had five goals among seven points in 12 playoff games. He split the regular season between Portland and Prince George, packing 66 points into 69 games. The Wings drafted the defenseman 20th overall in 2016. Cholowski, 20, is expected to report to Grand Rapids maybe as early as Tuesday. The Griffins will start defense of their Calder Cup with a best- of-5 series against the Manitoba Moose (a schedule has not yet been released). The team that ousted Cholowski moves on to play in a WHL conference final against Tri-City. The Americans are home to the Wings’ 2017 first- round pick, Michael Rasmussen. He is having a standout postseason, with 24 points in eight games.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091514 Detroit Red Wings Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Wayne County Executive Warren Evans filed a joint lawsuit against drug manufacturers and distributors alleging deceptive marketing and sale of opioids. After son's death, Red Wings announcer Ken Daniels joins opioid fight There are dozens of similar suits filed across the country. “This is a full-blown health crisis from which the drug companies made Carol Cain, Free Press Business Columnist Published 7:00 a.m. ET April billions,” Evans said. “There has to be a price to be paid when 14, 2018 corporations show such disregard for human life.” Patterson said the opioid industry has “taken a page out of big tobacco’s playbook. They utilized misleading information, marketing campaigns and Detroit Red Wings play-by-play announcer Ken Daniels has cut a swath studies to convince the public that their product was safe. They put through Hockey Town for 21 years, known for telling it like he sees it on profits over people and now people are paying the price, some with their the ice. lives.” Now he’s raising his voice as he speaks out about an issue near and In 2016, opioid-related deaths in Wayne County totaled 817, up from 506 dear to him — the abuse of opioids — a dangerous, highly addictive and in 2015, and in Oakland County they increased from nine deaths in 2009 often lethal class of painkillers, including OxyContin and Fentanyl. to 33 deaths in 2015. It’s a national epidemic that has included the deaths of both the rich and Anyone who has dealt with someone fighting addiction knows the toll it famous, such as musicians Prince and Tom Petty, and so many others takes. from all walks across the nation. Jamie’s younger sister, Arlyn, was starting at MSU as a freshman as The victims include Jamie Daniels, 23-year-old son of Ken, who died in Jamie was finishing his degree. 2016 from an overdose of heroin laced with fentanyl. Arlyn, who was her big brother’s best friend, is graduating next month Daniels will be in Washington this Monday to share Jamie’s story and talk with a degree in zoology and figuring out her next move, her proud dad about the opioid crisis with a few members of the House Energy and said. Commerce Committee who invited him after hearing about Jamie. “She’s had to deal with a lot during that time,” he said. Jamie’s saga has gained national attention. His story is not only about the perils of opioids but insurance fraud, which was highlighted in an Daniels mentioned May 6 as another day that will stand out for other ESPN documentary that debuted a week ago. It focused on Jamie and reasons. he had gone to Florida in 2016 to confront his addiction. “Jamie would have turned 25 that day,” he said. “My mom (who also He wound up in a system of caregivers whose focus was on profits over passed away) was born that day. She used to say Jamie was the best his well-being and took advantage of him when he was at his weakest. birthday present she ever got.” Jamie had been in rehab for eight months in Florida and was clean living “Some people take opioids and don’t have any problems," Daniels said. in a “sober house” after rehab. It went well, but the high costs "But for many, because of issues with their chemical receptors, they encouraged Jamie to move to another. become addicted. And people view those with drug addiction differently.” Though less expensive on the front end, it became a cesspool of needless prescriptions and expensive tests, and illicit drugs were When someone loses a battle to cancer, you lost a valiant struggle, and prevalent. rightly so,” he said. “It isn’t the same for drug addiction. Teens and older adults don’t wish to be addicted. People don’t get that.” "It's one thing to have an addiction and not being able to overcome it because the addiction overtakes you,” Ken Daniels said. “But then when The stigma is why Jamie went to Florida. bad people get involved and they contribute to it, it’s even worse." “He didn’t want people to know,” Daniels said. Daniels learned Jamie had been given Xanax, an antidepressant, by a Despite the tragic ending, Daniels is determined to talk about Jamie’s doctor, “which you never give to someone with his symptoms." experience to help light the way for others. “Xanax can put you back in the state of feeling on top of the world, and He implores people to speak up and get help. He wants doctors and the prone to making bad decisions,” he explained. “Jamie did. He took medical community to stop doling out opioids like candy. something he shouldn’t have, which unfortunately was all around him in a ‘sober’ home. He was found dead four days later.” “Take one opioid is too many,” he said. “You won’t know the affects until you’re in the spiral.” Daniels added that with the help of Florida's state attorney, the FBI and a special drug force task unit of Palm Beach County, “we know about the Contact Carol Cain: 313-222-6732 or clcain@.com. She is senior billion-dollar business, which is the broker recovery industry, littered with producer/host of “Michigan Matters,” which airs at 11:30 a.m. Sundays on corruption and criminal activity, and it took my son's life.” CBS 62. See Denise Ilitch, Ken Daniels and L. Brooks Patterson on this Sunday’s show. It’s called the “Florida shuffle,” he added.

Daniels is furious about what happened. He’s tapping into that anger as he charts a new course to help change the conversation about opioids Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.15.2018 and the stigma around addiction. It includes launching a new foundation named after his son to eventually help families of young people who can’t afford the intensive first month of a 30-day rehab program and education, to the aftermaths in “sober living homes,” for which Daniels is a champion when done right. “The last thing someone getting out of rehab should do is go home,” he said. “Too often there’s no trust. There have been too many lies. People fare better when they live with their peers.” Paperwork for the Jamie Daniels Foundation as a 501(c)3 is underway and Daniels hopes to have the foundation ready within a few months. You can visit the site at jamiedanielsfoundation.org and pledge to make a donation in the future, while work continues. Ken Daniels also is active on the speaking circuit and will appear May 3 at the Northeast Guidance Center’s Anti-Stigma Forum: Opiates — Wonder Drugs for the Wonder Years event held at the Salvation Army Center on Conner in Detroit. Daniels has high-profile local allies in the war against opioids. 1091515 Detroit Red Wings

Gordie Howe's legacy lives on in son's book

Chris Nelsen, Special to the Detroit Free Press Published 10:15 p.m. ET April 14, 2018 | Updated 10:31 p.m. ET April 14, 2018

Murray Howe wrote the book, "Nine Lessons I Learned from My Father," to share Gordie Howe's legacy with the world. "Really, the world is sharing dad with me," said Murray, who held a book signing on Saturday at Waltonwood at Cherry Hill in Canton. "Every person has a story, and they're all so amazing. Many of them I've never heard before." Gordie Howe, "Mr. Hockey," played for the Detroit Red Wings for 25 years and helped the franchise win four Stanley Cups. Howe died in June 2016, at Murray's home in Sylvania, Ohio, at 88, prompting his son to write the book. It was released last Halloween and hit No. 3 on the "Globe and Mail" bestseller's list in Canada. After sharing some of his favorite Mr. Hockey stories to an estimated 180 people at Waltonwood — a senior living community — Murray signed copies of his book for more than an hour. Fans and community residents were eager to tell their favorite Gordie Howe stories, too. "It was very interesting," said Bill Alexander, a community resident. "Some of the stories I knew from before since I followed Gordie's career the whole time he was here. This is the most people I've seen in our dining room." Murray, who has done other book signings in Michigan, Ohio and Canada, was excited to be at Waltonwood. His father- and mother-in-law, Jerry and Maureen Moore, have been residents at the community for more than a year. "It means a great deal to us," said Sherie Ingels, executive director at Waltonwood, said. "He was such a wonderful man, and so many people loved Gordie Howe. We weren't expecting such a big crowd at first, but everyone was ecstatic to have Murray here. They loved hearing all his stories." While dating his future wife, Colleen, in 1980, Murray discovered that Jerry Moore was a huge Gordie Howe fan. "He knew my dad better than I did," Murray said. "We could talk for hours, and that really meant a lot to me. (Coming to Waltonwood) is a way of giving back to my father-in-law. He has always honored me and honored my father." Jerry Moore recalled his first encounter with Mr. Hockey. "About a year after Murray and Colleen began dating, he said, 'You have to meet my mom and dad,'" Moore said Saturday. "I stayed home from work that day, and as Gordie and (his wife) Colleen drove up the driveway, my heart was beating. It was like meeting Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb at one time. Gordie came in our kitchen and we sat there for an hour talking hockey. That was one of my biggest thrills ever. "I followed him since the day he got to the Wings; I watched him all the time. As a person, he was so gentle. I never heard him curse or do anything bad. He was so very, very nice." Before the signing, Murray spent his visit to Waltonwood sharing memories of his father and answering questions from crowd members. Exactly like his dad would have wanted. "Dad never lost touch with the common man — he wanted to be the common man," Murray said. "That's the sign of a true hero, somebody you could always depend upon to do the right thing and take care of everybody. He's a great role model and inspiration in this day and age. I love sharing him with the world."

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091516 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings prospect Cholowski to join Grand Rapids

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 2:20 p.m. ET April 14, 2018 | Updated 3:59 p.m. ET April 14, 2018

Detroit — The Red Wings are about to get an up-close look at one of their best prospects. Defenseman Dennis Cholowski, the team’s 2016 first-round draft pick, will join the Grand Rapids Griffins this coming week after his junior team was eliminated in the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) playoffs. Portland was eliminated Friday by Everett, the series lasted five games, ending Cholowski’s junior career. In 12 playoff games, Cholowski had seven points (five goals, two assists). For the regular season, split between Prince George and Portland, Chowlowski had 66 points (14 goals, 52 assists). The 6-foot-1, 200-pound defenseman has added weight and muscle without sacrificing any sort of speed or quickness, which makes him an intriguing prospect. Cholowski isn’t a physical defenseman, but his long reach and sound instincts make him an adequate defensive defenseman. More:Wings prospect Dominic Turgeon out indefinitely with blood clot Cholowski left St. Cloud State last spring and was able to play one game with the Griffins (the regular season finale) before staying with Grand Rapids for much of its playoff run. Grand Rapids opens defense of its Calder Cup in the AHL playoffs next weekend against Manitoba. The AHL playoff schedule will be released no later than Sunday night. Whether Cholowski jumps immediately into these AHL playoffs remains to be seen. Cholowski could be joined in Grand Rapids, at some point, this spring by the organization’s other most intriguing prospect, 6-foot-6 forward Michael Rasmussen. Last year’s first-round pick, Rasmussen’s Tri-City junior team will play Everett – which, obviously, just knocked out Cholowski’s Portland team - in the next round of the WHL playoffs.

Detroit News LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091517 Detroit Red Wings

Son shares Gordie Howe’s legacy at book signing

Staff Report

Canton – Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe’s son, Murray Howe, said he wanted his father to be remembered not just as a hockey star, but as a tremendous person. He read from his book “Nine Lessons I Learned from my Father,” published last fall, and discussed his father’s life during a signing at Waltonwood Cherry Hill, a senior living community, in Canton Saturday. “My father loved hockey almost more than anything, but he didn’t want to make a big deal of it,” Howe said. “He wanted to be remembered as a good father and humanitarian. He was the most patient, toughest, and selfless man to me.” Murray Howe, a Toledo radiologist, answered questions from an audience of 60 fans, most of whom remember cheering for No. 9 in Olympia Stadium. “The book is called nine lessons because he was number 9, but in reality, there’s probably over 9,000 lessons in the book,” Howe said. “I learned everything from my father from how he talked to how he lived.” Delora Pierce, from Clawson, said one of her favorite memories is going to her first Wings game with her husband, Richard, in 1968. “My husband was his biggest fan,” said Pierce, 67. “He took me to my first game, we had standing tickets, and I didn’t know anything about hockey. Everyone was cheering for number 9 and I asked my husband who that was and everyone around us thought I was crazy not knowing,” The legend’s son also mentioned the Gordie Howe Bridge saying he’s honored, but doesn’t think it will be complete by 2020 as planned. “When my grandmother Katie emigrated from Germany, she landed in Windsor and it became her home... in a funny way it’s a bridge between our two homes,” he said. Many wondered who Gordie Howe admired. His son said his father’s favorite player was Bobby Orr, who is quoted on the back of the book “You can’t talk about how great Gordie was as a hockey player without also mentioning what a great person he was. He was the best player ever and an even better person.” Howe said he’s devoted to aiding seniors with Alzheimer’s because both of his parents dealt with dementia. A portion of proceeds from sales of the book went to the Alzheimer’s Association — Greater Michigan Chapter. Sue Bellaire, of Plymouth, was the first in line for the book signing and bought seven copies at $25 each. “They’re for my family, brother, son, husband, and my brother-in-law is named Gordie after him,” Bellaire said. “We all grew up loving hockey and when I saw the book was coming out, I knew it would be the perfect gift for all.”

Detroit News LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091518 Detroit Red Wings

Prospect Dennis Cholowski to join Grand Rapids Griffins for playoffs

Updated April 14, 2018 at 12:38 PM; Posted April 14, 2018 at 12:13 PM By Peter J. Wallner [email protected]

One of two prized first-round picks of the Detroit Red Wings is expected to arrive in time for the Grand Rapids Griffins' AHL playoff series opener. Defenseman Dennis Cholowski, the top pick in the 2016 draft (20th overall), is scheduled to report to Grand Rapids by the middle of next week, Ryan Martin, the Red Wings assistant general manager, said Saturday. Whether he plays in the first-round series against Manitoba is still to be determined. Last year, after signing and leaving St. Cloud State, Cholowski arrived in time to play in the regular-season finale and then did not play in the Calder Cup playoffs. Cholowski's junior team, the Portland Winterhawks, were eliminated Friday from the WHL playoffs by Everett, which, interestingly, will next face the Tri-City Americans. Tri-City is led by Michael Rasmussen, the Red Wings' touted top pick last year. He has 24 points in eight playoff games - two sweeps. Ramussen will join the Griffins depending on the timing of the playoffs. The Griffins conclude the regular season tonight at home against Cleveland.

Michigan Live LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091519 Detroit Red Wings

Griffins head into regular-season finale knowing first-round playoff foe

Updated April 14, 2018 at 7:30 AM; Posted April 14, 2018 at 6:30 AM By Peter J. Wallner [email protected]

The Grand Rapids Griffins head into the regular-season finale knowing they will face the Manitoba Moose in the best-of-five Central Division Semifinals. The defending Calder Cup champs will finish either second or third in the Central Division. They host Cleveland 7 p.m. Saturday at Van Andel Arena in the regular-season finale and a win will secure second place and home ice for the opening round of the best-of-five series. Seeding and the series schedule will be announced no later than Sunday evening. A Griffins-Moose series was determined by Chicago's 6-4 win at Rockford and Manitoba's 3-1 loss at Cleveland on Friday. With those outcomes, Chicago clinched the division and the Griffins and Moose guaranteed a second- or third-place finish. Rockford will secure the No. 4 seed from the division. Grand Rapids currently stands second in the division with 91 points and leads the Moose by one point. Manitoba's campaign concludes with a visit to Chicago at 5 p.m. Sunday. The Griffins have won the past five games against the Moose and finished with a 6-2 record in the season series.

Michigan Live LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091520 Detroit Red Wings

A look at playoff schedule for Grand Rapids Griffins-Manitoba Moose

Updated 3:45 AM; Posted 3:35 AM By Peter J. Wallner [email protected]

GRAND RAPIDS - The Grand Rapids Griffins picked up a 6-4 win Saturday and, with it, earned the No. 2 seed in the Central Division and home-ice advantage for the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Griffins face the Manitoba Moose, third-place finishers, beginning with two games on the road. Griffins get home-ice with second-place finish in Central Division. The schedule: 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs Central Division Semifinals (Best of Five) G1 - April 21: At Manitoba Moose, 3 p.m. G2 - April 22: At Manitoba Moose, 3 p.m. G3 - April 25: At Griffins, 7 p.m. *G4 - April 26: At Griffins, 7 p.m. *G5 - April 30: At Griffins, 7 p.m. * If necessary All times EDT Red Wings' 2016 top pick will join Griffins after his WHL team was eliminated from playoffs. The Griffins won the regular season series against the Moose with a 6-2 record, including 2-2 at Van Andel Arena and 4-0 at Bell MTS Place. Grand Rapids won all five matchups from January onward. The Griffins, the defending Calder Cup champs, are in the playoffs for a sixth consecutive season.

Michigan Live LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091521 Detroit Red Wings

Griffins get big performances to clinch second place

Updated 3:55 AM; Posted 2:40 AM By Peter J. Wallner [email protected]

GRAND RAPIDS = The Grand Rapids Griffins got what they needed in the regular-season finale Saturday with a win to secure second place in the division, highlighted by big nights from Colin Campbell and Filip Hronek. Campbell had his second-career hat trick and Hronek had a four-point night with a goal and three assists as the Griffins picked up a 6-4 victory over Cleveland before 10,834 at Van Andel Arena to wrap up the regular season. The win gives the Griffins (42-25-2-7) home-ice advantage to begin the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Manitoba. The best-of-five series begins Saturday at Manitoba. GRAND RAPIDS - Players for the Grand Rapids Griffins and Cleveland Monsters formed a circle and united along with a sellout crowd at Van Andel Arena on Saturday for a moment of silence to remember members of the Humbolt Broncos junior hockey team. Fifteen people were killed after a bus carrying the team that was hit by a truck... Facing the last place Monsters (25-41-7-3), the Griffins tacked up two goals each in the first and second periods and held off a late threat in the third when the Monsters scored three times. The Griffins started strong with first-period goals from Hronek (1:46) and Campbell (12:25) and an 18-7 shot advantage. After the Monsters' Spencer Naas scored 23 seconds into the second period, the Griffins tacked on another pair. At the 12:35 mark, Campbell easily converted the rebound off a one-timer from defenseman Libor Sulak and Dominik Shine made it 4-1 as he rifled in a shot off a scrum in front of the net at 17:57. The Monsters scored a three times in the third - from Gabriel Carlsson (3:28) and Naas' second of the game (7:26) - but they were sandwiched around Ben Streets goal to maintain distance. But then defenseman Doyle Somerby scored his first of the season with eight minutes left to make it a nail biter. Campbell picked up his third goal in the closing minute to ease the tension. Goalie Jared Coreau, playing his second game after the conclusion of the Detroit Red Wings' season, faced 23 shots. Notes With his four-point night, Hronek finished with 38 points (11-27-38) the second highest total for a Griffins defenseman behind Robbie Russo's 39 points in 2015-16 ... The Griffins rested Russo (who missed his first game this season), fellow defenseman Joe Hicketts along with captain Matthew Ford ... The Griffins are in the AHL playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, a span that includes two Calder Cup Trophy titles.

Michigan Live LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091522 Detroit Red Wings

Griffins have moment of silence to remember Humbolt hockey team

Updated 12:40 AM; Posted 12:37 AM By Peter J. Wallner [email protected]

GRAND RAPIDS - Players for the Grand Rapids Griffins and Cleveland Monsters formed a circle and united along with a sellout crowd at Van Andel Arena on Saturday for a moment of silence to remember members of the Humbolt Broncos junior hockey team. Fifteen people were killed after a bus carrying the team that was hit by a truck in western Canada on April 6.

Michigan Live LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091523 Edmonton Oilers “The last month, I learned more and more how Connor plays, how Nuge plays,” he said. “I’d love to be the guy who goes in the corner and gets the puck back, gives it to them and lets them do their thing. Edmonton Oilers’ call-up Ty Rattie could be an inexpensive solution on “I know there are 500 other players who want to be where I was the last Connor McDavid’s wing next year month.”

Robert Tychkowski Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.15.2018 Published: April 14, 2018 Updated: April 14, 2018 7:13 PM MDT

In the salary cap era, wingers are like wine: If you can find a good one that doesn’t cost much, grab it. So it is with the Edmonton Oilers as they enter a period of salary cap restrictions now that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will be taking $21 million off the top next year. Finding inexpensive players who can fill key spots has gone from luxury to necessity. They don’t know for certain yet if Ty Rattie can be one of those guys, but the 25-year-old winger did enough during his 11-game audition down the stretch to get another chance. Rattie was eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer, so the Oilers wasted no time in signing him to a one-year contract extension. If they are looking for someone other than Draisaitl to play on McDavid’s wing next season (which they should be, because at $8.5 million, Draisaitl needs to drive his own line), Rattie did enough to worm his way into the conversation. Of the revolving door of players on McDavid’s right side this season, with nine different Oilers starting at least two games there, Rattie was the best and cheapest fit, putting up nine points in 11 games for $700,000. “We definitely didn’t have any shortage of wingers this year, we mixed it up pretty good,” said McDavid, who forged a nice chemistry with Rattie and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “It was nice to find a little bit of stability coming down the stretch with those two.” There needs to be another plan in place, whether it’s Plan A or Plan B, because you can’t go into the season banking on Rattie being the 82- game answer on McDavid’s right side. He doesn’t have enough of a track record. But keeping him around and giving him another realistic shot is the smart play because if he turns out to be a viable alternative, it’s a great bargain that frees up money elsewhere. “He’s a very cerebral player and he moves the puck well,” said Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli. “He fit in well. You have three very cerebral players who recognize the need to move the puck quickly.” Rattie has a history of big numbers in his career, just none of them at the NHL level, which is the concern. But he’s never been given an opportunity like this one before, which might have been part of the problem. Was his brief time with the Oilers a career-changer? Time will tell. But Rattie couldn’t have asked for a better chance to make it happen. “The last month has been kind of surreal,” he said at the end-of-season exit interviews. “I kept looking to my left side and seeing the best player in the world. And I played with Nuge, who’s a good buddy off the ice and a very good player on the ice. It was an unbelievable opportunity. “You wish you were playing longer and wish you were going to the playoffs but at the same time it was a good last month for the line and for the team. Hopefully it translates into something special next season.” Rattie didn’t just catch the team’s attention, he also proved something to himself in those 11 games. He always thought he was good enough to be a top-six player in the NHL, but now he’s even more confident he can do the job. “One hundred per cent,” he said. “You get more and more comfortable with every shift. (In previous call ups) I was in different roles, definitely not in this one. It’s a nice boost to your confidence to prove to yourself that you should be here and you can do this day in and day out.” The Oilers obviously aren’t going to put all their eggs in Rattie next year, but Saturday’s signing means they are sending some of them his way. 1091524 Edmonton Oilers down the middle with one or two exceptions which he promptly cranked a mile away.

And so I fed him a steady diet of junk. Balls in on his hands, balls a foot Black Dog Pat: Not firing Chiarelli is a slap in the face to Oiler fans outside, balls that bounced two feet in front of him. And he struck out. everywhere Again and again and again. Glory and victory and bragging rights for thirty years were mine and yes I By Black Dog Pat Apr 14, 2018 26 brought it up at the Croatian Club last weekend. Mrs. Kuznik always loved a good joke after all and so poor Markic took it again as we laughed and he seriously suggested a rematch out in the wind and snow as he rehashed the reasons for his loss all those years ago. We spent Easter weekend up north and on the Saturday we went to the Croatian Club to celebrate my pal Frank’s mom Lorraine. Danny, I said, as I finished another beer, NO EXCUSES! Lorraine was a one of a kind, oh boy was she a sweetheart. When we I don’t have a lot of patience or sympathy for excuses. I don’t blame were young lions we spent pretty well every Saturday at the Kuzniks; I managers or coaches for making them. They have a great gig. It would swear it never rained and so from shortly after noon on or whenever be stressful of course but they get paid very well not to mention those Frank deemed to be post time there was a steady stream of young men NHL expense accounts, lots of steaks and red wine for sure. I wouldn’t and women coming and going. The Markic would be watching the Jays want to give that up without a fight. until he fell asleep on the couch and the rest of us would be drinking beer out back, listening to Frank’s mixed tapes and shouting insults at each I don’t have that much patience for any excuses because if it were one of other. Man we would beat that dead horse until it was a rusty smear in us performing that poorly in our real life job we’d be fired. Imagine if the the sun burnt grass and the inside jokes would riff and riff and riff again company that you worked for was so poorly managed that you were at until it got to the point where we never knew where they began, never the bottom of the market consistently for over a decade. I mean the mind trying to unravel them for an outsider. company would probably be out of business if it were real life but could you imagine if you were the operations or sales manager for a company Lorraine and Frank Senior would be around sometimes, sometimes not, that performed so poorly. You would be out on your ass. but we were always welcome. I spent pretty well every Saturday night over there, crashing on a chair or couch or the floor. The door was So no, I have very little patience for excuses. always open and so I would stagger in at 3 am and go to the fridge for It was many years ago that I coined the phrase ‘Get good players, keep some foil surprise (there were always foil wrapped packs of leftovers in good players’. Hardly a revolutionary thought and most probably a there – steak, chops, ribs, chicken, sausages – you never knew what you phrase that has been used elsewhere I am sure. I came up with it during were going to get!) and then in the morning if we were lucky they’d fry up a very frustrating time in Oilers’ history when the management team, a feed of bacon or sausage and eggs before we’d stumble out squinting whether it be Kevin Lowe or , insisted on moving real into the bright. NHL players for, well, usually for nothing. It began after the wonderful run You can’t sum up a life in a paragraph or two – certainly not one lived of 2006 and in many cases it was understood – Peca and Samsonov with such enthusiasm and good humour – but Lorraine would have were rentals and it turned out that Pronger was too – but it became, for enjoyed the little party that we had for her. There were no airs put on and nearly a decade, standard operating procedure. Whether the players we drank and ate and joked around and she would have been happy to were stars like Ryan Smyth or useful grinders like Kyle Brodziak and see her kids and grandkids and their friends thinking so fondly of her. Curtis Glencross, famous like Sheldon Souray or unsung like Jan Hejda, Lots of laughs and she would have liked that I think. the Oilers seemed hell bent on moving out NHL players, often very good NHL players, usually for nothing. We caught up with people we had not seen in over twenty-five years in some cases, picking up where we left off. The Markic was there (we are The results were to be expected. At one point during the lost decade a still in touch) and he got teased as he always does, poor guy. roster of ex-Oilers scattered about the league would have taken the actual Oilers out behind the woodshed. There were that many of them, His claim to fame back in the day (he still tells this story) was the time he the Oilers were that bad and the discarded players that much better. belted a playing beer league ball. As he trotted around second What also happened though is that the depth of the team was constantly the opposing , who happened to be the morning man at awful. The terrible drafting beyond the first round didn’t help and the poor the local rock and roll station, congratulated him with a hearty ‘Nice poke’ development of those picks did not help either but with the constant and such was the highlight of his ‘athletic career’ until his wall ball moving out of guys who could fill in at least some of the spots around the rampage of 1989. kids, well, the kids were left on their own and as a result often foundered. When we were kids we didn’t know what wall ball or box baseball was Get good players. Keep good players. but when I was in Toronto in school we played some. I loved to pitch but I had nothing to be honest. I was a scrawny little guy (I am still scrawny, in Acquire talent first of all. Nurture that talent. Fill the spaces in around that the words of one pal ‘the skinniest fat guy I know’) and so there was no talent. heater and all the enthusiasm in the world isn’t going to blow away that Peter Chiarelli has squandered an awful lot of talent these past three batter. I enjoyed it though because I never played ball as a kid and when years, to the point where Ryan Nugent-Hopkins cannot be traded and we played pickup in the summers back home we weren’t playing . neither can Oscar Klefbom. The Nuge might have been on the block but So while it was one on one at least you were throwing overhand and had his end-of-season run with McDavid likely saved his Oilers’ tenure. a . Chiarelli honestly has no choice but to keep him. If 93 goes then who is Know what I mean? the Oilers’ best winger? The kid Yamamoto? Lucic, with one goal in 46 games? Puljujarvi? Khaira? So the Markic wasn’t a braggart but he was the resident wall ball champion and he was happy to let you know about it in his understated As for Oscar, well perhaps he is still on thin ice but you cannot trade him way and so one sunny morning I challenged him and he laughed and for the same reason that you cannot trade Darnell Nurse. The Oilers said sure and so I said let’s get this over with because I have some cold have three established NHL defencemen under 30. Trade Klefbom or beer to drink in the hot sun and it will be good to drink cold beer with my Nurse and your left side next year is the one who does not get traded friends in the hot sun and he said WHAT DEVIL IS IT THAT MAKES plus Sekera, who may or may not recover from his injury, plus Russell. If YOU AND FRANK DRINK (I kid you not) and so we went to a nearby Sekera regains his form then that may be a reasonable left side for a school where someone had drawn a strike zone on the brick wall. couple of years but if he is the player he was this spring… You ever have one of those days where nothing goes wrong? You ever Chiarelli won’t want to do it but the odd man out is Kris Russell. They have one of those days where everything goes wrong? On this sunny cannot move Sekera until he proves he is back to what he was. Moving Sudbury summer day the two did meet. Klefbom or Nurse would not be smart and the former is at his lowest value after playing hurt all year regardless. So if they want a RHD (and I hit first and I am not a great hitter but the first ball came right down the they do) or a winger to score some (and they do) and they have to clear middle and I turned on it and hit it on a line. And then the next pitch I hit cap space (and they do) then Russell is the guy to go. He has value and over the fence. Basically I knocked him around the yard and I laughed he had a pretty good year and you want to keep the young guys, no and laughed. actually you have to keep the young guys. The rotten thing is the Oilers are going to be forced to move an actual helpful NHL player, just like the When it was his turn to bat he had revenge on his mind and of course he old days, because they have mismanaged the cap. Man, does that stink. was trying to hit five home runs with one swing and here’s the thing, he couldn’t hit the curve ball. Not that I had a curve ball but he could not hit I wonder what Daryl Katz thinks. I wonder what he says to Bob Nicholson anything that wasn’t straight down the middle. And nothing I threw was when he sees that when Peter Chiarelli came on board the Oilers had just finished a season with 62 points. 62! How awful is that? Sixth place out of seven teams. And they brought in Peter Chiarelli and Todd McLellan and in the three years since they: Traded Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Justin Schultz, Nail Yakupov, Patrick Maroon after a 27 goal season, a 1st round pick in 2015, 2 2nds in 2015 and 2 3rds in 2015 And for all of those players, those picks and that money they have, hold on, math isn’t my strong suit, I wish Tyler Dellow and his slide rule were here. Carry the five, multiply by the square root of the hypotenuse of the isosceles triangle and add the Bettman loser points and let’s see … They finished with 78 points. I wonder what Daryl Katz thinks when he looks at all of the talent and picks and money squandered and sees an improvement of 16 points. And this is with a kid who has done something that nobody has done since Wayne Gretzky himself. What does Bob Nicholson really think? Does he worry for his own job because he has had a hand in this as much as Peter Chiarelli? Or is he as disgusted as I hope that Katz would be? Does he look at the list of players and picks shipped out of town and the money spent and wonder why the D is still the top priority to be fixed? Does he wonder how a team in such cap trouble next season is so far from being a contender and probably cannot add a difference maker without shipping quality out or bamboozling someone into taking Milan Lucic (without giving up Yamamoto or Puljujarvi to make it happen)? Or does he really believe the company line (that he has floated mind you) – that the players were overwhelmed by expectations coming into this season and that this is what sewered the year? Because if that is Mr. Nicholson’s explanation to Mr. Katz for the sorry year that the club just had and if he really believes that stability for stability’s sake is the way to go and that a 16-point improvement is worth the price that Chiarelli has paid to build this awfully flawed club then I fear that we are in for more of the same next season. Twelve years with one playoff appearance is not acceptable by any measure and it is very clear that Peter Chiarelli is not up to the task at hand. Not firing him is a slap in the face to Oiler fans everywhere.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091525 Edmonton Oilers The Oilers have a large group of defencemen who are either restricted or unrestricted this summer, meaning we could see a lot of turnover for the Condors. Unrestricted names include Mark Fayne, Dillon Simpson and Lowetide: Trio of Condors defencemen have very different rookie Keegan Lowe, with restricted player Ben Betker also uncertain to return experiences next year. On the other hand, Edmonton has signed William Lagesson, and his impressive Swedish Hockey League season probably means he'll be By Allan Mitchell Apr 14, 2018 8 coming over for the 2018-19 campaign. Veterans Ryan Stanton and Eric Gryba are signed for next season, plus Bear, Jones and hopefully Mantha for the fall. Add in Lagesson and the Edmonton Oilers fans were treated to a unique opportunity during the Condors are close to a full boat. I can see Simpson and or Lowe 2017-18 season, as three solid prospects, all defencemen, turned pro at returning. AHL teams can have as many players as they wish (moving the same time. It's happened before — a dozen years ago — and Oilers some down to the ECHL) as long as the veteran rule is honoured. fans are hoping history repeats. Markus Niemelainen was drafted in 2016's third round, but struggled in The 2005-06 group the two years that followed. It's not certain he will receive a contract, but as per CapFriendly, the club has until summer 2020 to sign him. Filip In the second round of the 2005 entry draft, the Oilers chose undersized Berglund was also chosen in 2016 and has delivered a very strong Taylor Chorney. A good fit for the definition of a modern season (and playoff) in the SHL. He's likely to spend one more season in defenceman due to his skill and speed, Chorney, playing at prep school Sweden. The pick that was used on Berglund came from the Pittsburgh Shattuck St. Mary's, was highly regarded and chosen over more Penguins in the Justin Schultz exchange. traditional Edmonton types like Kris Russell and Mason Raymond. The following year, the organization chose two college (or heading to college) John Marino has played two seasons at Harvard and could be signed this men, Jeff Petry from Des Moines (USHL) and Cody Wild from summer, he's an effective defenceman, but is caught behind some Providence College (Hockey East). offensively talented players and may benefit from turning pro. Wild was chosen in the fifth round (the other two in the second round) What does it all mean? and trailed the other two from beginning to end, but did show ability. He peaked at the AHL level, playing in the league from 2008-13. Chorney On the Oilers prospect tree, there are a lot of defenders. Combining the was the most dynamic offensively in college, and he managed to carve 2015 and 2016 drafts, Edmonton chose eight defencemen out of 15 total out an NHL career (166 games). He remains active with the Columbus selections. We could see a rearguard traded for some help up front. Blue Jackets. Petry was the best of the lot, emerging as a quality two- way NHL defender (527 games) over several seasons. Here are the I think the gap between Bear and Jones is probably less than it appears numbers by each man in their first pro season: now. It was a difficult year tracking Condors because there were so few with NHL potential. The trio of defencemen were the story of the year in Jeff Petry (age 22) AHL: 41, 7-17-24; NHL: 35, 1-4-5 Bakersfield. Taylor Chorney (age 21) AHL: 68, 5-16-21; NHL: 2, 0-0-0 Cody Wild (age 21) AHL: 59, 4-14-18 The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 Although Chorney was a higher draft pick (No. 36 in 2005, Petry went No. 45 one year later) it was clear when Petry turned pro he was the most substantial prospect. The final year for Petry in college saw his offence spike and it continued through his first pro games in Springfield of the AHL. By the midway point of his rookie pro season, it was obvious Petry was on a career path that was more promising than Chorney or Wild. The current trio Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear were drafted seven spots from each other in 2015, Jones at No. 117 and Bear at No. 124. The two youngsters posted strong seasons in the WHL in each of their two post-draft seasons and their progress as prospects was often mentioned together. Bear was the passer with the big hammer from the point, Jones was the faster man who could move the puck effectively by pass or carry. Ryan Mantha joined the group as a free-agent signing, after the New York Rangers failed to sign him in 2016 (he had been drafted in 2014). All three entered pro hockey with the Bakersfield Condors in the fall of 2017. Ethan Bear (age 20) AHL: 36, 6-10-16; NHL: 18, 1-3-4 Caleb Jones (age 20) AHL: 57, 2-15-17 Ryan Mantha (age 21) AHL 41, 3-7-10 In comparing this group to the trio from last decade, I don't get the same feeling in terms of gap among the top two performers. Although Bear had the better season, Jones's AHL splits show a player who had some major issues early and then settled in. Caleb Jones, Oct. 6 to Nov.18: 14, 0-4-4 -14 Caleb Jones, Nov. 19-April 13: 43, 2-11-13 -11 The first six weeks with the Condors must have been a real struggle, but young defencemen have a big jump to make when going from the CHL to AHL. His final 43 games are much closer to Bear and I think the gap is less than the Petry/Chorney divide. Ryan Mantha Mantha suffered an eye injury during the 2017-18 season, and as Jim Matheson reports, via the Edmonton Sun, it is a very serious blood clot issue. Mantha's hockey future enters summer in some doubt, although we should get a much better idea of his future over the summer and into fall. 1091526 Los Angeles Kings

Kings' patchwork defense held up in Game 2 but lack of scoring chances led to loss

By CURTIS ZUPKE APR 14, 2018 | 8:00 AM

LAS VEGAS The Kings will get nothing out of the longest playoff game in their history except for a 2-0 series deficit, more ice bags and a shorter turnaround to the next game. They fought hard and admirably just to get to overtime, and gave themselves a chance behind Jonathan Quick's 54 saves, but lost 2-1 in double overtime to the Vegas Golden Knights in a Game 2 first-round thriller Friday night at T-Mobile Arena. "It's terrible, especially to work that hard and go so far in the game, but I think we're feeling pretty good," said rookie Paul LaDue, the lone goal scorer for the Kings in the series. Quick and his veteran teammates have been through worse than this, notably a 3-0 series deficit against the San Jose Sharks in 2014, and Quick shrugged off the 2-0 deficit. "You're not in trouble until the series is over," Quick said. LaDue was part of a patchwork defense put together because Drew Doughty served a one-game suspension for an illegal hit to the head. The group started off rough but got better as the game went along. The Kings ultimately were felled by Erik Haula's golden goal 15 minutes 22 seconds into the second overtime. The 95 minutes 22 seconds of play surpassed the 94:43 in Game 5 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final for the longest in Kings history. Quick was largely responsible with 33 saves in regulation and 21 in overtime. "He gave us a chance to win like he always does," Kings coach John Stevens said. "We leaned on him pretty heavily, and [when we] give him a little more run support, [you] give yourself a really good chance to win the hockey game." The Kings will get Doughty back for Game 3 on Sunday at Staples Center. His absence Friday meant Alec Martinez played more than 44 minutes and rookie Oscar Fantenberg more than 41 minutes against a Vegas team that has scored only three goals in the series but shown an ability to create chances and keep the Kings away from its net. "Obviously you don't want to be down 2-0, but we're going to have to play better going home," captain Anze Kopitar said. The Kings have scored one goal in nearly eight periods and were shut out for the first 95-plus minutes of the series until LaDue's first playoff goal. "That one felt great, but we need to find a way to get more pucks to the net and get more bodies in front of that guy," La Due said of Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who faced only 30 shots in Game 2.

LA Times: LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091527 Los Angeles Kings

Kings in search of offense after double-overtime loss to Golden Knights

By Curtis Zupke Apr 14, 2018 | 5:50 PM

There was much to unpack for the Kings when they returned home. They were achingly close to tying their first-round playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights. They almost did it without Drew Doughty, as their makeshift defense held Vegas to two goals. But Jonathan Quick was direct after a 2-1 double-overtime loss in Game 2. "If you're trying to pull positives [out of a loss], you're in trouble if you're looking for that," the goaltender said. Facts are stubborn. The only thing the Kings got from the longest game in franchise history Friday was an 0-2 series deficit and the reality that they've scored one goal in roughly 155 minutes against Vegas. "I think, to a man, we know that we've got more," center Jeff Carter said. "We've got a few areas that we can clean up that I think will help us out in generating more offense. We've got more, for sure." Friday's all-nighter was eventually won by Erik Haula, to complete 95 minutes, 22 seconds of hockey, which just surpassed the 2014 Stanley Cup-clinching Game 5 as the longest in Kings history (94:43). Saturday was a day to recover, and to confront a Kings offense that couldn't get a win out of a franchise-playoff record 54 saves from Quick and a near-45 minute game from Alec Martinez. That largely points to a lack of scoring depth. Carter recorded just two shots in almost 30 minutes in Game 2 and has lost 27 of 44 faceoffs in the series. Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson have combined for one goal in the past 11 games. Adrian Kempe was among the Kings' best forwards in Game 1 but, again, those stubborn facts: He takes a 31-game scoreless streak into Game 3 on Sunday at Staples Center. The answer for the Kings is clear: Get more time in Vegas' zone, and that starts with the forecheck. "We've got to have five guys connected," Kempe said. "Sometimes there is just two or three guys there. We've got to have five guys to be successful in that area." Doughty will return Sunday following his one-game suspension as the Kings re-group. Not that they need to. "We don't think we're that far off," Kings coach John Stevens said. "It's a long series and even though you've lost two games, the work you've done right now can still pay dividends as you move through a series, even though you don't get the results you wanted." This is Stevens' first playoff as Kings head coach, and he will stick with the Darryl Sutter-era postseason routine of staying in a hotel the night before home games and having game-day skates at Staples Center. "It's a big commitment from the players, but it's worked for us," Stevens said. An 0-2 series deficit is hardly new territory. The Kings famously trailed the San Jose Sharks 0-3 in 2014 and the rest is history. That might have explained the no-worry look on Carter's face. "We've been here before," Carter said. "It's a long series. Obviously we would have liked to get a win in Vegas. But it's a long series. I keep saying it, but we know what we've got to do. We know we have more in that room. There's another level there, and we've got to get to it."

LA Times: LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091528 Los Angeles Kings

Kings coach John Stevens: Time for some Staples Center cooking

By Robert Morales | Orange County Register PUBLISHED: April 14, 2018 at 7:37 pm | UPDATED: April 14, 2018 at 7:37 PM

John Stevens wore disappointment on his face. The Kings coach had just watched his team lose 2-1 to Vegas in double overtime at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That meant the Golden Knights will take a 2-0 series lead into Game 3 of the playoff series on Sunday night at 7:30 at Staples Center. When a game goes that long, the team that falls short figures to be devastated. When that was suggested to Stevens postgame, he scoffed. “It’s not devastating,” he said. “We come in here to win a hockey game and we didn’t win. Because of double overtime, you just expend a lot of energy. It doesn’t matter if you win in regulation or in quadruple overtime. It still counts as one. “So they won their two home games and we have to go home and get to work. Devastating? No.” At 29-10-2, Vegas had one of the best records at home during the regular season. Stevens reminded reporters of that. “They won two games at home,” Stevens said. “A lot of people would say they’re supposed to win at home. They’ve been a good team at home all year. So now we get to go home and get to work.” The difference there is the Kings were not a terrific team at home. They were 23-15-3 at Staples Center, 22-14-5 on the road. Doing the math, that’s 49 points at home, 49 away. However, Vegas coach Gerard Gallant suggested the Kings are going to come out playing with the urgency they’ll need to stay in the series. “Well, they are going to come out real hard,” he said. “I mean, they are going to play real hard. I don’t know what tonight’s game is going to take out of both teams. I don’t think the pace will be quite the same as it was because the guys are pretty tired and beat up from five periods of hockey tonight. “They are going back to their building and I am sure they are going to come out hard and play real hard. They are a great hockey team; it’s a great series so far.” Kings forward Jeff Carter reminded reporters Sunday that being down in a playoff series is old-hat for this team. For an example, it was just four years ago that the Kings were down 3-0 to San Jose in a first-round series. Not only did the Kings come back and win that series, they won their second Stanley Cup title in three years. Eleven players on that roster are on this one. “Guys are staying positive,” Carter said. “This is nothing new for us. We’ve been here before. At the end of the day, we come home and we’ve got to take care of business at home.” Carter: Team has more The Kings have scored one goal in two playoff games. Carter is confident his team can muster the offense it needs to get victories. “I think, to a man, we know that we’ve got more,” he said. “We’ve got a few areas that we can clean up that I think will help us out in generating more offense. We’ve got more, for sure.” Erik Haula on game-winner Vegas forward Erik Haula scored Friday’s game-winning goal 15:23 into the second overtime. From the sound of it, he experienced one heck of a rush upon seeing the puck go into the net past goalie Jonathan Quick, whose superlative 54-save effort basically went for naught. “That’s one of the best feelings in sports, I think, finishing the game in that fashion,” Haula said. “It was a long game, we had a lot of guys play a lot of minutes and so did they. It’s very rewarding to come out on top.”

Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091529 Los Angeles Kings “They played great,” Quick said. “We’re lucky. We’re deep on the back end. We have, I think, eight or nine guys on the roster right now. Any one of them can play and play well for us. They stepped in and did a great Kings’ Jonathan Quick has stolen postseason show job. The guys carried a little extra load tonight.” Now, it’s on to Game 3. The Kings need a victory, badly. Quick tried to be cool when asked about it. By Robert Morales | Orange County Register “You’re not in trouble until the series is over,” he said. “No matter what PUBLISHED: April 14, 2018 at 7:22 pm | UPDATED: April 14, 2018 at the series score is, we’re going to play Game 3 and try to win a hockey 7:23 PM game. That’ll be a mind-set no matter what the score of the series.”

It wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that Kings goalie Jonathan Quick has Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.15.2018 been the star of the playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, even though Vegas is up 2-0 after a 2-1 double-overtime victory over the Kings in Game 2 on Friday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Yes, Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has been terrific as well in allowing just one goal in two games. But what Quick did Friday seems to surpass all that. Quick stopped 54 shots, a franchise record for a playoff game. The shots at times came in waves, where it appeared Vegas was on a power play, even when it wasn’t. The Kings were down defensemen Drew Doughty (suspension), (upper-body) and Derek Forbort (lower-body), so that was understandable. Quick made one fine stop after another. Were it not for his superlative effort, the Kings almost certainly would have lost in regulation. The end finally came when Erik Haula scored 15:23 into the second overtime. “Two-time Stanley Cup champion, he’s a great goaltender,” said Haula, whose Golden Knights will take on the Kings in Game 3 on Sunday night at 7:30 at Staples Center. “We know that. We know that we need traffic, we need a lot of pucks on net, we have to make him feel uncomfortable and we’ve stressed that in the locker room.” Quick never looks uncomfortable out there. He’s athletic, tireless and seemingly fearless. And capable of making the greatest of saves with the greatest of ease. “You’re just trying to make the next save, right?” said Quick, who figures to be back between the pipes Sunday. “It’s a playoff game. You have to stay in the moment. Just like everyone. Just try to make the next save.” It makes sense to think that the longer the game went on – it was the longest playoff game in Kings history – the puck might have been easier to track because the skaters were slowing down. Not quite. “No, it’s tough,” said Quick, who stopped 27 shots in Wednesday’s 1-0 loss. “There’s good players on the ice.” Kings defenseman Paul LaDue scored his team’s only goal Friday. He’s biased, of course, but his thoughts on Quick were easy to take because of what Quick had just shown. “In my opinion, he’s the best in the world,” LaDue said. “That was unbelievable tonight. We have to work harder to play better for him. He worked way too hard tonight and he saw way too many shots. We’re going to look at it and we’re going to come back even stronger.” Fleury was rather good in Wednesday’s victory over the Kings, stopping 30 shots. He stopped 29 Friday. He, too, had praise for his counterpart. “It was such a relief at the end,” Fleury said. “It was long and hard. The guys did an awesome job tonight playing an awesome game. It kept coming and coming. I think Jonathan Quick made a lot of good saves for them.” Fleury was asked if conditioning comes into play when a goalie has to stay out there for so long, in this case more than 95 minutes. “I’m sure it does,” Fleury said. “He had double saves than I did, but it’s the point of keep drinking between periods and on the ice and a little bit of food in between periods. You just have to try to keep the body going (until) the end.” With the aforementioned three defensemen out Friday, the Kings used three – Kevin Gravel, LaDue and Oscar Fantenberg – with a combined two playoff games before the drop of the puck. Even though he had to work so hard, Quick could not say enough about the play of his defense in front of him when asked how difficult it was to play sans Doughty. Sign up for Home Turf and get 3 exclusive stories every SoCal sports fan must read, sent daily. Subscribe here. 1091530 Los Angeles Kings Carter, on whether having scored only one goal in the past two games is surprising:

They’re a good defensive team. They’ve got a great goalie back there. RECOVERY SATURDAY AT TSC; CARTER, PHANEUF, KEMPE We know we’ve got more. There’s areas that we can clean up and QUOTES improve on that I think will hopefully translate to some more goals. Carter, on any advice for younger players about being down two games JON ROSEN in a series: APRIL 14, 20180 It’s a long series. It’s a long series. Obviously, we would’ve liked to have gotten a win in Vegas, but it’s a long series. I keep saying it, but we know what we’ve got to do. We know we have more in our room. There’s another level there and we’ve got to get to it. MEDIA AVAILABILITYPLAYOFFSPRACTICE NOTES Dion Phaneuf, on areas in which the team improved between games one The LA Kings reconvened at Toyota Sports Center on Saturday morning and two: as their first round series against the Vegas Golden Knights shifted back to Southern California. There was a late arrival at LAX after the double- I think that you’ve seen through the first two game what was anticipated. overtime game, so meetings, workouts and video sessions were pushed It’s going to be a hard checking, it’s going to be a fast series, and I think back to accommodate the needed rest and recovery. that’s what you’ve seen. There wasn’t a lot of room on both sides and I believe that we’ve got to tighten up defensively. It’s on us defenders to “Just got the guys in, get ‘em regrouped, get the recovery resources they really tighten up in the sense that we gave Quickie a little bit too much need,” John Stevens said. “I talked a little about game plan. We had two work and obviously he’s an incredible goaltender and he made some big games on the road there where we were close in both games and had an saves to keep us in the game last night—I call it momentum saves, opportunity to win but didn’t. We need to climb back in this series here momentum swings, whatever you want to call it—but I thought Quickie tomorrow.” was incredible for us, but we’d like to limit his workload. The ice was absent of players during media availability, so a better sense Phaneuf, on how Oscar Fantenberg has acclimated himself to the of the Game 3 lineup will be learned at Sunday’s morning skate. playoffs: Such a schedule is essentially par for the course at this time of the I think he’s come in and done a really good job and am very impressed season. with his game. I think he’s added a lot to our back end and plays with experience. You can see that he’s an older guy, he’s not old, but I mean “I mean, really nothing different,” Jeff Carter said. “Obviously, you get the he’s got experience and I think that he showed a calming effect back fluids into you and we got in here and got moving a little bit. You know, there. He moves the puck very well and I think he’s been a really good got a lot of guys that have been through it before. Nothing new for us, so addition to our team. get ready to go.” Phaneuf, on the ice conditions throughout last night’s game: Meanwhile, before Vegas’ team flight to LAX, it appeared there was some additional focus surrounding agitating skilled forward , I thought they were really good. Ice held up well and the longer it goes who is yet to play in this series. the more it seems to get more and more chopped up, but I think that overall it stayed pretty good for us. David Perron said Saturday he hopes to play in the series vs. LAK. Gallant believes Perron will play at some point but is still undecided on Phaneuf, on whether he can characterize what Vegas brings on the ice: whether he's going to be available for Game 3 Sunday. I think that if you look at Vegas, they had over 50 wins for a reason. Jeff Carter, on the challenges Vegas has presented in the way they They’ve earned respect in the way that they’ve played the game, winning approach the game: hockey games, where they’ve finished in the standings—we’ve said all that. So, we know what to expect from them. I thought that we did a lot of I mean, they’re a fast, highly skilled team and I think that we’ve seen that good things too in the first two games. Obviously, we need a little bit the first couple games here. They play a really solid team game. They more and that’s what we’re going to work on getting to. The bottom line is always have guys back in the rush or sort of on defense. There’s not a lot it’s a series. It’s not one game, it’s not two games. We would’ve liked a of holes in their game, and we need to up our game here to create some better outcome, but we come back here, we’re coming home, we’re more chances. playing in front of our fans. We’re going to use that energy and today’s Carter, on whether limiting Vegas’ chances off the rush is something that about reload and get ready for tomorrow. the team has done well: Phaneuf, on whether there are enough chances being generated on the Yeah, I think guys have done a really good job. I think our Ds have done power play: a really good job of kind of standing up and creating good gaps. You I think we’d like to generate more and you always want to generate more, know, like I said, they’re a quick team, they’re a highly-skilled team. so that’s kind of a standard answer. But our job when you’re on the They’re going to create opportunities, but I think for the most part we’ve power play is to produce. Sometimes you’re, you’re not going to score done a pretty good job at that. When there are times when there are little every power play, but it’s about momentum and special teams on both breakdowns and they get a chance, Quickie’s been there for us. sides of the puck. So, there’s areas we want to work on, without getting Carter, on the keys to generating more offense: into too many details, but if there’s one area with our power play I think we’ve got to generate more pucks. And that’s especially on us in the We know that we’ve got more. We got some, a few areas we can clean back end. It’s on us to find lanes. Forwards work hard to get us the puck up that’ll help us out in generating some more offense. We’ve got more up top. It’s not easy to get it out of the corners. It’s our job as for sure. defensemen to find lanes and get pucks through. Carter, on whether the team has been putting enough pucks on net: Phaneuf, on whether the loss means more after having gone into double overtime: I think that’s an area that we can definitely improve on. Like I said earlier, they’re a highly-skilled offensive team. They’re quick, but they have a The playoffs are about whether you win a game or a lose a game, you’ve strong defensive game as well. If you watch, they’ve always got a third got to regroup, you’ve got to come back and you look at what you did guy back and they don’t give up a lot of odd-man rushes so that’s on us well, you look at what you’ve got to work on to get better, and that’s what to get the puck in there and start grinding away. we’re doing here today. It’s obviously disappointing when you play games, especially when they go into double overtime, overtime, Carter, on what the mood is in the room right now: overtime. The bottom line is that’s playoff hockey and you’ve got to find a It’s good. I think guys are staying positive. This is nothing new for us, way to regroup and that’s what we’ll do. we’ve been here before. At the end of the day, we come home and we’ve Adrian Kempe, on the keys to sustaining more offensive pressure: got to take care of business at home. Well I think first of all, we’ve got to be better on the forecheck. We’ve got Carter, on trying to generate more zone time: to have Vegas connected when there’s sometimes just two or three guys, Zone time would help, yeah. Just a matter of getting pucks in there and we’ve got to have five guys to be successful in that areas. So that’s for going to work. We know what we’ve got to do, and we’ll get back to it sure. One thing we want to get better on and we have to get better on to tomorrow. create more offense. I think we had some yesterday in the O-zone. We didn’t get a lot of shots through, they blocked a lot of shots on net. And obviously we turn the puck over and they go the other way so that’s something that we’ve got to be better on too. I think that it all starts from the forecheck and having five guys connected to be successful in that area for sure. Kempe, on if last night’s game was the longest he had ever played: Yeah, it is. By far. I’ve gotten to a couple OTs, but never a second tournament in OT like that, so that was the longest game. Kempe, on what sustained him through the length of Game 2: I mean, obviously it’s a long game and it’s another full 20 and then we’re going to the second overtime. Obviously you’re tired and your head gets a little tired and you’ve just got to try and stay in it and keep your shifts short and I think everybody did a good job and we tried to keep the shifts short and work hard and put pucks on net and play simple and play hard. It’s tough, but it’s the same for both teams. Kempe, any subtle changes between games one and two: I think both games were kind of similar. I mean obviously both teams created chances and it was a tight game for 60 minutes. We wanted to get better after the first game obviously and I think we played well. We were not that far away, and they scored that OT goal so that was unlucky and we’re really unhappy with that, but I think there’s still some areas that we want to get better on. That forecheck is for sure one of the things and I think we’ve done a good job in PK and played a good defensive game through sixty minutes and we’ve just got to bear down in the O-zone to create more chances and score more goals.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091531 Los Angeles Kings athletes and how every play matters, and that was kind of the feeling you had last night.

On Oscar Fantenberg, who played over 41 minutes: STEVENS ON THE AFTERMATH OF GAME 2; FANTENBERG; MARTINEZ I think he’s been tremendous. Daryl asked if there are any positives. I mean, I think much like Kempe at the beginning of the year when Jeff went out, you had to put a guy in a situation and just give an opportunity JON ROSEN to perform. Oscar was here, and we thought he did some really good things the first part of the year but had a little inconsistency in his play. APRIL 14, 20180 Went down to Ontario and worked with the staff down there. The thing that was really pleasing was just his attitude when he went down here. So now he came back, and you almost sense that he’s excited about an opportunity to show you that he can play in the league and that he can MEDIA AVAILABILITYPLAYOFFS perform, and I think he’s done a really good job of taking advantage of On the team’s feeling the morning after the Game 2 loss: that. He’s been really sound in all areas. Sometimes a guy moves the puck well but doesn’t defend well. I think he’s been outstanding. His gaps Just got the guys in, get ‘em regrouped, get the recovery resources they have been really good, he’s been a really competitive player for us, he need. I talked a little about game plan. We had two games on the road moves his feet and takes ice when it’s there and does a really good job there where we were close in both games and had an opportunity to win moving a puck to speed when the opportunity is there. He’s come in and but didn’t. We need to climb back in this series here tomorrow. Having has really been a pleasant surprise in terms of the level he’s been able to said that, I just think there are some things that we can try and do better. perform at. Not that there’s been any surprises in terms of style of play and what to expect from our opponent, and I’m sure they can probably say the same On Alec Martinez playing nearly 45 minutes in an important role: about us. We’d like to spend a little more time in their zone here so we You get in a situation like you were last night with guys out of your lineup, can create a little more and wear ‘em down a little more. That’s you’re going to have guys that have experience in all situations that are something that we’ll address, but at the end of the day, we go on the going to be taxed a lot – like Marty was, like Dion was, like Oscar was. road, lost both games on the road, and now it’s time to take care of Marty’s been around the block. He’s played in a lot of big games, and he business at home, so that mindset hasn’t changed. knows the league really well. I think when you’re talking about veteran On positives between Game 1 and Game 2: players like Kopi and Brownie and Marty and Drew and those guys, they have the ability to really push beyond their comfort zone. Sometimes There are lots of positives. I think we have a team that’s emotionally guys get tired and it’s like, ‘this is hard.’ Guys like Marty have the ability invested to our cause right now. We had a goalie that gave us a really to know it’s hard but keep digging in and finding more. That probably great performance, gave us a chance to win a hockey game. With comes from experience being in some really hard games before. missing some guys on the back end, we had a couple guys that really stepped up there and showed what they’re capable of. I think there were times – as a matter of fact, it was probably the first overtime – that we LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.15.2018 created a little bit of momentum and zone time by doing some things that allowed us to carry speed in the zone and created a little more time in the zone. There are certain things we can address and play better. We don’t think that far off, and number one, you’ve got to be emotionally invested, but if you’re not this time of year then you’re probably not playing this time of year. It’s a long series, and I think even though you lost two games, the work you’ve done right now can still pay dividends as you move through a series evn though you don’t get the results you wanted. It’s a long series, and there can be a compound effect as you work through the series. We just need to keep trying to get better here and focus on winning one game tomorrow. On limiting Vegas’ chances off the rush: I think it’s a little bit – I don’t know if I want to say ‘misleading.’ If you look – and we have looked at it – they create an awful lot off their play in the zone. They’re really good in the zone. They have some specific things that they do in the zone. They’re really strong on the puck down low, they do a good job of creating some backside opportunities, and I think their power play has given them a lot of momentum in the series. They’re a fast team. They do play with speed on the rush or create some rush opportunities, but you can’t ignore their ability to create from being in your zone, and I think that’s the area we need to shore up a little bit. On any potential changes to lines or match-ups with the series shifting to Los Angeles: We played these guys lots during the year, and I think both of our teams are a little bit the same in the sense that we trust our players. I think sometimes it’s more about continuity and pace with your own team. They play Karlsson a lot against Kopi. When they were in here, we played Kopi a lot against Karlsson. It’s a lot like you play Chicago, you play Kopi against Toews, you go to Chicago, they play Toews against Kopi. I think we’re going to have to do a good job on their team by committee. I don’t look at it as an opportunity to get a different match-up to create a mismatch. I think they’re a very responsible team. They’ve got a lot of size, speed and players that are responsible in all four lines, so I think it’s more about getting our guys on the ice in right situations with the match- ups that we want in terms of who’s playing with who. On whether Game 2 was the longest game he had ever been a part of: No. Coaching? [Reporter: Coaching or playing, I should say.] No, I’ve been in some long overtime games before, both in the and at the American Hockey League level. I know when we coached and won the Cup in the American Hockey League, we won a double-overtime game in Chicago. It was either the first or second game. I think it was the second game of that series. We’ve had those overtime games here in our last Cup runs where you see how taxing it is on the 1091532 Los Angeles Kings opportunities come from sturdy, committed checking. But at some point, those paid to provide offense simply have to do so. The cards were stacked against them, and in the end, the gutsy, pulling-the-rope team- WAKING UP WITH THE KINGS: APRIL 14 wide effort was unable to lend itself to the good fortune and opportunism in the third period and in overtime when the window for a potential victory had been wedged open. JON ROSEN APRIL 14, 20180 LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.15.2018

GAME STORYPLAYOFFS With the type of circumstances as there were in Game 2, there was a bell curve in the probability of winning after the LA Kings had tied the game. That win probability reached its apex while Los Angeles got its game going in the third period and remained relatively high through the first 10 minutes of overtime, which included a glorious Anze Kopitar look from the slot. But as the minutes ticked off, and overtime gave way to second overtime, a team that did not have the services of three of their top four defensemen and was so crucially reliant on Jonathan Quick and an overtaxed group of Alec Martinez and Dion Phaneuf and – wow, Oscar Fantenberg! – simply couldn’t hold on for a great deal longer against a team that had benefited all season long from its depth and simply outlasted an undermanned L.A. group in a remarkably gutsy effort that dropped the team to 0-2 in its first round series. By Erik Haula’s game- winner, the Golden Knights, who had their minutes more evenly spread out, outwaited the Kings, who were forced to allot 41 minutes to a player who appeared in one game over the second half of the season. They battled. They battled in the face of a league verdict they did not agree with, amidst injuries that a team with lesser constitution would succumb to faster in a house so hostile to visitors, against the seemingly arbitrary enforcement of borderline judgement calls (without the benefit of a whistle on Brayden McNabb’s elbow to Anze Kopitar’s face directly in front of the referee in overtime on a non-hockey play) and in front of a goalie who through two games has shown to be as dialed in as he has been during any playoff run. But moral victories mean nothing in the playoffs, and the Kings couldn’t steal a game amidst some openings to do so, and will now turn to their own home ice and rabid support to gain footing in a series they trail two games to none. Jeff Bottari/NHLI Because they were down three of their top four minute-eaters on defense, which included the league’s ice-time leader and the best defenseman in the world, this was clearly going to be a game that the Kings were going to be out-shot and out-chanced and, importantly, would struggle in exiting their defensive zone, which would put a wet blanket on their prime scoring chance ceiling. Opportunism would have had to be key, as would a win in the special teams battle. Instead, there was a stalemate. Vegas finally broke through against Los Angeles on the power play, using a springy end boards carom to jump ahead in the first period after Alex Tuch had found space behind the defense. The Kings answered on the power play late in the second as Dion Phaneuf found Paul LaDue, who relied on the presence of Tanner Pearson in front of the net, which drew Deryk Engelland into a shooting lane and produced a deflection off the Golden Knights defender. Other than that, and the scattered chances Anze Kopitar’s line continued to generate off the rush, there wasn’t much in the way of anything that would be counted on to beat Marc-Andre Fleury, who is yet to get beat by anything that wasn’t a deflection through the first two games. After Kopitar’s overtime bid sailed wide, and Los Angeles was unable to take advantage of their overtime power play, their bell curve of win probability sharply sloped downward. On the other hand – and again, moral victories are meaningless in the postseason – their penalty killing laid its guts out there, with defensive pairings of Alec Martinez and Christian Folin, and Oscar Fantenberg and Kevin Gravel keeping the puck out of the net in double OT prior to Erik Haula’s game-winner. Jeff Bottari/NHLI While we can wax poetic about certain players – Fantenberg, one would assume, has played himself comfortably into his next NHL contract with his first two career playoff games, while Martinez, Phaneuf, LaDue and others embodied that next-man-up creed – there are also some that will have to imprint their mark on this series if the Kings are going to advance. We can talk about Tyler Toffoli’s two drawn penalties and six shots on goal in Game 1, or his power move to the front of the net that Fleury denied in overtime, but again, this is a results-based league, and he hasn’t scored an even-strength goal since March 15. In his last seven playoff games, he has one assist and a minus-six rating, an uncharacteristic run for a player with a nose for the net who has shown a battle aptitude and willingness to go where goals are scored. Again, much of the root of the offensive woes starts on the absences to three important defensemen, especially given the team focus in which 1091533 Minnesota Wild

Predators take 2-0 lead after holding off Avalanche 5-4

By TERESA M. WALKER Associated Press APRIL 14, 2018 — 5:10PM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ryan Hartman's empty-net goal with 1:09 left wound up the game-winner as the Nashville Predators held off the Colorado Avalanche 5-4 Saturday for a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference series. Hartman's goal gave the Predators a 5-3 lead until Alexander Kerfoot pulled Colorado within 5-4 with 35.8 seconds left. But the Avalanche couldn't get another puck past goalie Pekka Rinne. The Presidents' Trophy winners started slowly, giving up a goal on Colorado's first shot for a second straight game. Yet the Predators rallied again to take their first 2-0 lead when starting a best-of-seven series in their own building. Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist, and Viktor Arvidsson, Ryan Johansen and Austin Watson scored a goal apiece. P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm each had two assists for Nashville, which has won 12 straight over the Avalanche. Rinne made 26 saves for the win. Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, and Gabriel Bourque and Gabriel Landeskog each added a goal for Colorado. Game 3 is Monday night in Denver. Nashville struggled early yet again despite having country star Brad Paisley singing the national anthem and wrestler Jeff Jarrett revving up the fans before the game. Bourque put Colorado up 1-0 on the Avs' first shot 2:34 into the game after a turnover in the defensive zone by Hartman. The Avalanche scratched rookie defenseman Samuel Girard and replaced him with Duncan Siemens after coming into the series with defenseman Erik Johnson already missing with a knee injury. The corps thinned when Tyson Barrie went to the locker room after being hit in the face by a puck that deflected off goalie Jonathan Bernier's stick, but he returned later in the period. Fiala tied it with 3 seconds left on Nashville's first power play a minute into the second period. Fiala beat Bernier with a snap shot from the inside edge of the left circle, and that seemed to get the Predators going. The Predators kept Colorado from taking a shot until Nathan MacKinnon put one on net at 9:48, and Rinne smothered that. Arvidsson gave the Predators a 2-1 lead, skating up the right side and blasted a slap shot that went under Bernier's right arm for an unassisted goal. In a 4-on-4 situation, Predators defenseman P.K. Subban blocked a shot by Barrie. Johansen got the puck on a breakaway and beat Bernier with a backhander. MacKinnon pulled the Avs within 3-2 just 36 seconds later with his first goal this postseason. Watson scored off a Colorado turnover in the Predators' offensive zone in the third period for a 4-2 lead. But Nashville gave the Avalanche 1:46 of a 5-on-3 to rally, and MacKinnon's shot deflected off Landeskog to pull Colorado within 4-3. The Predators killed the rest of the penalty, and Rinne made a big pad save on Sven Andrighetto just after the advantage ended. NOTES: Nashville went 37-2-4 when leading after two periods in the regular season. ... Colorado went 2-26-4 when trailing after two periods in the regular season.

Star Tribune LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091534 Minnesota Wild

Bruce Boudreau tries to shake up Wild offense; Matt Dumba sits out

By Kent Youngblood Star Tribune APRIL 14, 2018 — 2:42PM

Much of the work the Wild did at Saturday's practice was focused on unclogging the neutral zone, hoping that will provide some flow for the team's offense. While being outscored 7-3 and outshot 84-27 while falling behind 0-2 in their first-round playoff series with Winnipeg, the Jets have done a great job of disrupting the Wild's offense through the neutral zone. "Our play through the neutral zone with the puck hasn't been good, at all,'' said Zach Parise, who scored the Wild's lone goal Friday, making him the Wild's all-time playoff goal leader (13). "That's a big reason we're not getting offensive zone time. We're getting stymied in the neutral zone a lot. So, if we can be cleaner with that, get a little more speed through there, hopefully it would back them off a little bit and allow us to get some entries.'' Easier said than done. Jason Zucker said the Jets have run what he called a version of the 1-2-2 trap where they don't contest the first pass, then apply significant pressure after that. "They're staying very patient,'' Zucker said. "They're aggressive, but they sit back. They let our D-men have control and one guy kind of forcing. And then, once you start coming up, they have two guys kind of waiting in the weeds. So, if you come with speed, they're in trouble.'' Problem is getting that speed. "We're trying to work on things,'' Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. "Most of it was neutral zone stuff. We understand [the Jets] are doing a great job in the neutral zone. They're not giving us much space. A lot of it is what we're doing. If we start doing it correctly, maybe we'll get pucks deep and we'll be able to get in on the forecheck.'' Reunited line Boudreau had Zucker, Eric Staal and Mikael Granlund back together as a line at practice Saturday. That group combined for 26 points in a three- game stretch earlier this season. The three combined for one point — Granlund's assist — in the first two games of this series. "I don't think we're going to get 26 points in three games, but I think it can be really good,'' Zucker said. "I think we can complement each other really well as long as we skate and we battle and we compete.'' Said Staal: "Granny is a great playmaker. He's on the pucks, he makes plays in traffic. It's tight out there. So you gotta ber able to make plays quickly and he can do that.'' Boudreau said the move was basically a no-brainer: "Right now we haven't mustered much offense,'' he said. "So when you don't muster a lot of offense, you try changes. Usually you go back to things that work in the past. So, this worked in the past.'' Defenseman Matt Dumba didn't practice Saturday. Boudreau said Dumba was OK, just resting. "He's fine,'' Boudreau said. "When you play 30 minutes a game and you're not really used to it? I told him to stay home. He should be OK. He is OK. He should be well-rested for tomorrow.''

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Down 2-0, Wild faces 'huge' game against Winnipeg

By Kent Youngblood Star Tribune APRIL 14, 2018 — 4:10PM

The setting is familiar, and the home ice at Xcel Energy Center has been good to the Minnesota Wild all season. But coaches and players know that, in itself, isn’t enough. The Wild are in an 0-2 hole heading into Sunday’s Game 3 of their first- round playoff series with the Winnipeg Jets. It is the fourth consecutive playoff series the team has found itself in such a hole going back to 2015. If the Wild doesn’t want this series to end the way those did, this is must-win. “It’s huge,’’ said center Eric Staal, was reunited on a line with winger Mikael Granlund at Saturday’s practice. “Obviously, you never want to get down to a 3-0 hole. So we know that. It’s an opportunity in our building to respond. We’ve had moments all year where we’ve needed to respond at certain points in the regular season, so it’s no different tomorrow.’’ The Wild lost in regulation just six times in 41 home game this season. Plus, the Wild only lost three straight games once this season, with consecutive losses to Chicago (at home) and at Boston and Toronto in early November. The team responded with a four-game winning streak. Coach Bruce Boudreau hopes to see that same response starting Sunday. “The guys care a lot,’’ he said. “And they’re a resilient group. But, most of all, they’re competitive and they care. So, I mean, when things don’t go well, they’re not happy. And I think we work hard to fix those things.’’ Saturday’s practice included a lot of work on play through the neutral zone, a problem in the first two games of the series. For Boudreau, it was also about lifting the spirits of a team that has struggled to mount an offense in the first two games of the series. “No matter how you cut it, guys play for seven months,’’ Boudreau said. “And if they go down 0-2, they’re a little bit disappointed. But it’s not like losing, getting down 0-2 in your own building and then having to go to their building.’’ That said, home ice, itself isn’t enough. “We’re comfortable playing here,’’ Zach Parise said. “We’ll do our best to get this third game and go from there. But by not means is it, ‘Oh, we’re at home. It’s a free couple wins.’ These guys are really playing well and we’re going to have to play much better [Sunday] than we have in the first two games. It’s not as if we can go in there and get an easy game. It’s going to be very tough for us.’’ But the team’s success at home this season is a good place to start when looking for a rallying cry. “Unfortunately I feel like we always find ourselves down 0-2,’’ Parise said. “It’s beginning to be a bad habit of ours. We want to have a great start [in Game 3]. We know the crowd is going to be very good. At the same time, we have to give them something to cheer about. We have to play our best game tomorrow.’’

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It's 0-2 all over again for the Wild

Staff Report APRIL 14, 2018 — 10:33PM

0-2 all over again This is the sixth straight season that the Wild has made the playoffs, and the seventh time during that run that it has trailed a series 2-0. Here’s a look back: Season Opponent Round Game 3 Series 2012-13 Chicago First W 3-2, OT (H) L 4-1 2013-14 Colorado First W 1-0, OT (H) W 4-3 2013-14 Chicago Second W 4-0 (H) L 4-2 2014-15 Chicago Second L 1-0 (H) L 4-0 2015-16 Dallas First W 5-3 (H) L 4-2 2016-17 St. Louis First L 3-1 (A) L 4-1

Star Tribune LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091537 Minnesota Wild Parise called it a “bad habit,” but it’s also an annoying habit. This narrative has become too familiar. Constantly having to dig out of a hole isn’t conducive for playoff success. The Wild’s margin for error is so small Wild needs to show some fight, but not the chippy kind again. Parise doesn’t believe the nonsense that took place in the final seconds on Friday will have any bearing on Game 3. Nor should it. Animosity APRIL 14, 2018 — 10:36PM typically builds over the course of a series. The Wild has more pressing concerns. CHIP SCOGGINS “We need to worry about winning a hockey game and not the chippy CHIP SCOGGINS @CHIPSCOGGINS part,” Parise said. “We need to worry about scoring more goals. We’ve got three goals in two games. That’s not good enough. All that other stuff

… we need to pay attention to the hockey game.” Pushed around and severely outplayed in a miserable Game 2 performance, Wild players resorted to throwing haymakers at the Winnipeg Jets in the final 10 seconds, which, predictably, caused hockey Star Tribune LOADED: 04.15.2018 traditionalists to characterize their pugilism as “sending a message.” Baloney. Punching an opponent in the head after being so thoroughly dominated doesn’t send a message. That’s called blowing off steam. Want to send a message? Possess the puck more. Generate some shots. Complete more than two passes in a row before turning it over. Finish a check with the same thunderclap as Big Buff and his cohorts keep delivering. Here’s a real message the Wild can send in Sunday’s Game 3 trailing 0-2 in its first-round series: Put forth the most complete effort of the season to show that this won’t just be a leisurely stroll through the park for the Jets. That would get people’s attention. “We know we’re a good hockey team,” Zach Parise said. “It hasn’t really shown in the first two games. But we know that we can and we have to play a lot better.” Finding some way to generate offense is at the top of their to-do list. Mustering one shot in the first 15 minutes of the third period isn’t going to cut it. Winnipeg’s physical style is having an effect on the Wild’s ability to control the puck and establish time in the offensive zone. Just about every time a Wild player retrieves the puck along the boards, ka-boom, he gets flattened against the glass like a bug on a windshield. That takes a toll. Jets bruiser Dustin Byfuglien is like a great white shark lurking. He has delivered a few jarring hits already, including one on captain Mikko Koivu in Game 2 that made Wild players look even more tentative. They can feel Big Buff’s presence. The Jets are outhitting and outshooting the Wild by a wide margin. The Wild held an edge in faceoffs won in Game 2 and still managed to do next to nothing offensively. The Jets are smothering them and not letting up. That blueprint isn’t going to change. It’s up to the Wild to find a way out of the straitjacket. “Our play through the neutral zone with the puck hasn’t been good at all,” Parise said. The first two games would have been more tilted if not for goalie Devan Dubnyk, who is doing everything in his power to stop the floodgates from opening. He’s getting little help. “For us to win,” Parise said, “we need to spend more time in the offensive zone.” Being back at Xcel Energy Center should provide a spark. The Wild is usually tough at home. And maybe tweaks to line combinations will create something positive. The Jets have been superior so far because of their size, speed and physical play. Solving those issues isn’t an easy fix. “There are things structurally that we have to do way better than just pure desperation,” Parise said. Unfortunately, the Wild understands very well the desperation needed for Game 3 when trailing 0-2 in a series. This is the fourth consecutive playoff series and seventh in the past eight that the Wild has lost the first two games. 1091538 Minnesota Wild “It’s challenging physically but I stuck with it for a long time and to me I think it’s the best out there,” Parise said.

There is only anecdotal evidence that EVO training has its desired effect As Wild, Jets grind their bodies suffer – and recover in new ways and no widespread research that supports its use. A spokesperson from the Mayo Clinic said the institution declined comment for this story. By Chris Hine APRIL 14, 2018 — 10:34PM Cullen, who scored the Wild’s first goal in Game 1, attributes his lengthy career to working with Schroeder. Because of Schroder, Cullen said, he is able to skate with the speed necessary to stay in the NHL at 41. As the Wild comes home to resume its playoff series against the Jets, a “I don’t fully understand it and I think people are pretty quick to dismiss it. man named Jay Schroeder also has made plans to return to the Twin They don’t understand it, but for me it has been a huge part of being able Cities. to stick around and play in this league,” Cullen said. “If I wasn’t introduced to it, I don’t know if I’d be skating the way I still can.” His availability is significant for three members of the Wild: winger Zach Parise, Matt Cullen and defenseman Nate Prosser. But Schroeder isn’t a Parise, who has a goal in each playoff game, said he noticed he was hockey coach. Frankly, he doesn’t care what sport you play. He doesn’t getting injured more during a brief hiatus from EVO training. even care if you play sports. He has one goal if you work with him: to wring every drop of potential he can out of your body. “There’s just not an emphasis on the heavy weight, so when I got out of it and started doing something else, all of a sudden I’m maxing (weight) Parise, Prosser and Cullen stay in constant contact with Schroeder, a 62- while doing squats and I blow out my knee and I’m done for the year,” year-old trainer and de facto life coach for the trio for years. Parise said. “That’s why I ended up going back.” Schroeder helps them maintain peak health and recover from injuries Added Schroeder: “I didn’t help make Zach a better hockey player. What during the grit and grind of an 82-game season plus playoffs. The Wild’s I helped Zach to do is to display it over and over and over and over again third intense-as-it-gets game in five days comes with Sunday’s Game 3 without having the extreme ups and downs and the negatives of things in St. Paul. Four more games might come in the next 10 days. Everyone that occur.” on the ice will be trying to keep their bodies in one piece while playing to their maximum potential — and three Wild players will know who to call. Schroeder said he considered Prosser to be the “poster child” for EVO training because through the training he has been able to maximize his “If you twist your knee and you text him, he can send you back things ability and stay employed in the NHL. that you can do for it,” Prosser said. “(Parise and Cullen) are much better hockey players than Nate is. I’m Schroeder is not a typical physical trainer you’d see in a team locker sure Nate would admit to that,” Schroeder said. “But Nate is able to room. He works to maximize the three’s potential using a training method sustain and make a living playing a game that he truly loves and enjoys based on Russian techniques he read about while recovering from a because of his hard work and discipline to following what we’re talking motorcycle accident — EVO training, with EVO standing for evolution. about.” Just what is EVO training? Schroeder, who lives in Gilbert, Ariz., sounds Prosser used this training to recover from a sprained MCL a few years part philosopher, part motivational speaker when he describes its ago and it helps him heal nagging injuries. He’ll work out with an ARP seemingly pacific mission. machine, about the size of a toaster, and even sleep with the electrodes attached to accelerate healing. “We challenge each of the areas that are important to a human being,” Schroeder said. “I call it PIPES — physiology, intellect, psychological, “I just feel strong, feel healthy,” Prosser said. “Usually toward the end of emotion and spirit. All those things, if they aren’t challenged or up at the the season, you start to wear down … but my stamina has been staying same level, then you can only perform to the level of the lowest up and I’ve been feeling strong.” functioning one.” Schroeder has counted other NHL players, like the Capitals’ T.J. Oshie But there’s nothing easy about getting to that point. EVO training is and John Carlson and the Blackhawks’ and Duncan arduous — emotionally and physically. Keith as clients. He said 14 NHL players employ him to be available any time they need him. Dozens of others, like the Wild’s Jason Zucker, use “It’s really tough stuff,” Cullen said. the ARP machines without as much consultation with Schroeder. “It’s pretty crazy,” Prosser said. “You’re just like, what am I feeling? What “I don’t work out with it or anything like that. I use it literally for warmups is this?” for games and that’s all I do,” Zucker said. “So I don’t have the knowledge of it that the other guys have.” Schroeder has worked with Prosser for six years and nearly a decade with Cullen and Parise. They keep him close because the training While admitting he has butted heads with the training staffs of some requires intricate adjustments to the exercises they do. teams, Schroeder said he has found a working relationship with the teams that employ most of his clients. Parise, Cullen and Prosser said EVO training essentially tries to readjust the human nervous system and there is not conflict with the Wild. the brain’s communication with the rest of the body. In his training with the Wild players, Schroeder attempts to get the brain to send signals to “Ultimately this is a results-driven business,” Cullen said. “If you’re in certain muscles to act differently in certain situations. For instance, the shape and you look good on the ice, that’s the goal of training.” brain may want to contract, or shorten, a quadriceps when a player is performing a squat. Schroeder may try to get it to expand. So what is the goal this week? How best to get the desired result of a playoff win, and what can Schroeder’s presence do to boost his Wild One tool Schroeder uses to accomplish this is called Force Velocity clients? Training. It involves attaching electrodes on the ends of wires from extending from an ARP (Accelerated Recovery Performance) machine to He will address lingering injuries and try to get their bodies to reach a person as he is working out, to send different information to the maximum potential every time they step on the ice. Some of the Wild’s muscles and to the brain. When your brain wants a muscle to do one key players feel they’ll be better off for it. thing and the electricity is telling it to do another, it can create some tense, painful training. “It’s difficult,” Schroeder said. “And that’s because it’s challenging everything that encompasses a human being.” This is where the emotional and psychological aspect of the training comes into play — to overcome the pain temporarily to consistently All in the name of achieving a better state of being. achieve peak performance. And it’s not just muscles. The training also Chris Hine is the lead writer for North Score, the Star Tribune’s sports involves blood flow, metabolic and organ function. analytics beat. “You challenge each of those areas at the same moment in time,” Schroeder said, “and that’s how we participate in sport.” Star Tribune LOADED: 04.15.2018 The players said the exercises they go through are designed to make them fail — to push their body to limits they have never been. Cullen said sometimes he has up to four electrodes attached to him at a time. They do lunge jumps, lunge holds, wall sits and more, but the exercises vary person to person. 1091539 Minnesota Wild

Wild-Jets Game 3 preview

Staff Report APRIL 14, 2018 — 7:41PM

Bad spot, down 0-2, but familiar Preview: This is the ninth time in 13 playoff series the Wild has fallen behind 0-2. The team is 6-6 all-time in Game 3s. Winnipeg went 20-13-8 on the road in the regular season. The Jets are 7-9-1 with a tie all-time at Xcel Energy Center. Numbers: The Wild went 27-6-8 at home in the regular season. Twenty- two of center Eric Staal’s 42 goals came at home. The Jets had the eighth-best power play on the road in the regular season at 20.8 percent. Their penalty kill away from home was sixth (82.4 percent). Injuries: Wild D Ryan Suter (right ankle fracture) and F Luke Kunin (torn ACL) are out. Jets D Dmitry Kulikov (upper body) and F Matt Hendricks (lower body) are out. D Toby Enstrom (lower body) and F Mathieu Perreault (upper body) are game-time decisions.

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Jets head back to Winnipeg, will try to make it to St. Paul on Sunday

By Chris Miller APRIL 14, 2018 — 6:15PM

The Wild flew home from Winnipeg following Friday night's 4-1 loss to the Jets, practiced on Saturday and headed to their homes. The Jets, on the other hand, never made it to the Twin Cities. They flew down on Saturday, and their team plane was diverted to Duluth. Without a shot at getting here later in the day, they flew back to Winnipeg and will try again tomorrow morning.

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1091541 Minnesota Wild

Wild need to play their ‘best game’ heading into Game 3 against Jets

By DANE MIZUTANI | [email protected] | Pioneer Press PUBLISHED: April 14, 2018 at 3:51 pm | UPDATED: April 14, 2018 at 3:52 PM

With the Wild trailing 0-2 in a best-of-seven series against the rival Winnipeg Jets, the 63-year-old coach tried to keep his players positive, quietly reminding them that they were the second-best home team in the entire league during the regular season. Yes, the Wild lost only six games at home during the regular season, something that gives them a tremendous amount of confidence that they can win a couple of games against the Jets, starting with Game 3 on Sunday night at the Xcel Energy Center. “Unfortunately, I feel like we always find ourselves down 0-2,” Zach Parise lamented. “It’s beginning to be a bad habit of ours. We want to have a great start (in Game 3). We know the crowd is going to be very good. At the same time, we have to give them something to cheer about. We have to play our best game (on Sunday).” Still, the Wild know they can’t rest on their laurels simply because they’re at home, especially with the way the Jets have been playing to this point. “We know it’s not by no means, ‘Oh we’re at home. It’s a free couple wins,’ ” Parise said. “These guys are playing really well and we’re going to have to play much better. Regardless where the game is we’re going to have to play much better (on Sunday) than we have in the first two games. It’s not as if we can just go in and expect an easy game.” As far as the Wild are concerned, Game 3 is a must win if they want to get back into the best-of-seven series. All it takes is looking at last season’s matchup with the St. Louis Blues to see how falling into an 0-3 hole can spell disaster. “You never want to get down to 0-3 hole,” Eric Staal said. “We know that. It’s an opportunity for us in our building to respond. We have had moments all season where we’ve needed to respond at certain points in the regular season, so it’s no different (on Sunday). We have to have everybody on board to execute and respond and if we do that, we’ll hopefully get the win and go from there.” It won’t be an easy task by any means for the Wild, though, considering they were outshot 83-37 in Games 1 and 2 combined. They worked on steadying their play through the neutral zone on Saturday afternoon with hopes that it will cut down on that gap moving forward. “We know how big Game 3 is (on Sunday),” Jason Zucker said. “We just have to come out and play like we have all season in this building. If we do that, we’re going to be fine. … If we come in (on Sunday) and we play the way we know we can, we can pull out a win and that changes everything drastically.” “We still know we’re a good hockey team,” Parise said. “It hasn’t really shown in the last two games. We know that we can play a lot better.”

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Digging a hole in the playoffs Down 0-2 yet again, Wild hope return to St. Paul can spark struggling offense In seven of eight series in the Parise-Suter era the Wild have gone down 0-2, losing

five so far. They now face the same uphill climb in their series against the By Michael Russo Apr 14, 2018 48 Jets. Year Opp. Round Games 1 and 2 Series result Please, whatever you do, DON’T stop if you’ve read this before … 2013 CHI First L 2-1 (OT), L 5-2 CHI won 4-1 because you have every postseason since 2013. 2014 COL First L 5-4 (OT), L 4-2 MIN won 4-3 The Wild are once again in an 0-2 series hole. 2014 CHI Second L 5-2, L 4-1 CHI won 4-2 “Unfortunately, I feel like we always find ourselves down 0-2,” veteran Zach Parise said. “It's beginning to be a bad habit of ours.” 2015 STL First W 4-2, L 4-1 MIN won 4-2 Well, not exactly “beginning to be.” 2015 CHI Second L 4-3, L 4-1 CHI won 4-0 It’s an annual habit. 2016 DAL First L 4-0, L 2-1 DAL won 4-2 Since 2013, the Wild, with largely the same core of players, are a 2017 STL First L 2-1 (OT), L 2-1 STL won 4-1 ridiculous 1-15 in Games 1 and 2 (0-8 in Game 2s) of a series. And once again, if the Wild plan to advance in this particular series against the 2018 WPG First L 3-2, L 4-1 TBD ever-confident Winnipeg Jets looking primed for a long playoff run, they’ll “We’ve got to get to our game earlier in our shifts so we can put them in somehow have to win four of their next five games starting with Sunday their zone a few times and put them on their heels.” night’s Game 3 at Xcel Energy Center. Zucker says the problem stems from center-ice. Oh, and by the way, the Jets have won 13 of their past 14 games and haven’t lost at home since Feb. 27. “They play a stingy system as far as they don’t really pressure the first pass,” he said. “They want our D-man to want to carry it a little bit and With Mother Nature doing her best Saturday to make the hockey squad they’ll pressure later on, so it’s kind of a bit, I don’t want to call it a trap, from Winnipeg feel right at home in Minnesota with a mid-April blizzard but in a way it’s like a 1-2-2 trap where they just pressure and then their that caused the Jets’ team plane to be diverted to Duluth, coach Bruce D-men are always coming forward at you. They’re staying pretty patient. Boudreau nevertheless summoned his entire team to St. Paul for a They’re aggressive, but they sit back. They let our D-man have control noontime practice designed to accomplish two things: Lift his despondent and one guy kind of forcing and then once you start coming up, they team’s spirit and fix its game, particularly inside the cobweb of a neutral have two guys kind of waiting in the weeds and then they have their other zone. two D-men really waiting back in the weeds coming forward also. “I think it was both of that, yeah,” Boudreau said. “No matter how you cut “But, if you come with speed, they’re in trouble. It’s got to be like a bang- it, guys play for seven months and if they go down 0-2, they’re a little bit bang, crisp on the tape, tape-to-tape pass, and then you’re gone. Then disappointed. But it’s not like losing, getting down 0-2 in your own you’ll have a few rushes. But they’re good at their system.” building and then having to go to their building.” In Saturday’s practice, Boudreau reunited the Zucker-Staal-Mikael No, that was just last year against the St. Louis Blues. Granlund line that was so prolific in late February. Boudreau said he This time around, the Wild return to an arena where they collected the made the change because the Wild haven’t mustered up a lot of chances second-most home points in the NHL (62). They hope Wild fans are as (three goals and 37 shots). loud and enthusiastic as Jets fans were Wednesday and Friday and not In one three-game stretch six weeks ago, the Zucker-Staal-Granlund trio too, let’s call it, buzzkilled by the fact that their favorite team yet again combined for 26 points. faces an uphill climb to escape this series victorious. “Yeah, I don’t think we’re going to get 26 points in three games, but I Teams that hold a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff game think it can be really good,” Zucker quipped. “I think we can complement have an all-time series record of 312-49 (86.4 percent). each other really well and as long as we skate and we battle and we “We want to have a great start (in Game 3),” Parise said. “We know the compete and get pucks in their zone, I think we’ll be alright.” crowd is going to be very good. At the same time we have to give them One concern: The health of Matt Dumba, who didn’t practice Saturday. something to cheer about. We have to play our best game (Sunday).” Ryan Murphy, who has never played an NHL playoff game, rotated in Boudreau ended practice Saturday by gathering all his players. In a pep and out of rushes. talk, Boudreau reminded them that they have lost six times in regulation Reading the tea leaves from inside the locker room, Dumba may be hurt. in 41 games in St. Paul. Overall, the Wild have only lost three in a row Boudreau’s story is that after Dumba played about half of Games 1 and once this season. 2, “I just told him to stay home.” “They’re the next best home team in the NHL, so they’re going to get into But the coach seemed to have a slip of the tongue when he said, “He their comfort zone real good. It’s a loud building,” Jets coach Paul should be OK. Well, he is OK. He should be well-rested for (Sunday).” Maurice said. “Our game won’t change, the things that we want to accomplish on the ice, but it’s going to feel different on the bench. In that Having the last line change in Games 3 and 4 should help Boudreau get building, the puck crosses the blue line and the crowd is expecting the better matchups, particularly getting the Staal line away from the Kyle chance. It just needs to get near the net and they get pretty excited.” Connor-Mark Scheifele-Blake Wheeler line and defensemen Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey. In Winnipeg the past two games, it felt like the Wild barely crossed the blue line to ever get a chance. In the third period alone, the Wild were “We’ve played a very fast game,” said Morrissey. “Our forwards have outshot 36-7 in two games. In the final 16:02 of Game 1, the Wild had been extremely hard in not giving them any clean ice to make passes on one shot. In the first 15:05 of the third period in Game 2, the Wild had no breakouts and when they’re skating and really in the right position and all shots. over the puck, it makes it easier for our D to stay up and have a good gap as well. I think we’ve played two solid games and sort of have limited Why? their time and space with the puck. They do have some guys there that “Honestly, I think it’s neutral zone,” said Jason Zucker, who along with have a lot of skill and can be dangerous, but if you limit their time and top players like Eric Staal, Nino Niederreiter and Charlie Coyle has no space and sort of seem like we’re all over them with our forward group, it points in the series. “If we get through the neutral zone a little bit better, allows our D to be all over them as well. That’s the style we want to play.” we’re going to get in on the forecheck better and I think then it’s also Parise said it’s imperative the Wild make the proper adjustments and not going to eliminate some of their quick-strike offense. It’s not necessarily just rest on the fact they’re in the safer confines of their home barn. that we’ve given them so many odd-man rushes or those type things. It’s that they’re getting it and they’re chipping it in and they’re getting in on “By no means is it, 'Oh we're at home. It's a free couple wins,’” Parise our D-men, and when we’re back in our zone and we’re chipping it out, said. “These guys are playing really well and we're going to have to play much better. Regardless where the game is we're going to have to play much better than we have in the first two games. It's not as if we can just go in and expect an easy game. It's going to be very tough for us. “We have been really out of sync. Our timing is off. We aren't putting each other in good position. We are almost passing on our problems. There's still too many one-and-dones. Not enough extended periods in the offensive zone. Not wearing them down. That's what they did to us. They wore us down. I feel like we've been checking for the last two games and not having the puck much, so we want to kind of flip the script and do that to them. “If we can support each other a little bit more and give each other more options and stay tight I think we're going to look fast and play faster and get out of the zone better.”

The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091543 Minnesota Wild Notice how even if Granlund had connected with Parise, Morrow has both Connor and Mark Scheifele (to Connor's right) behind the level of the play. Not only have the Jets been so difficult to crack because of how Game 2 Walkthrough: Jets' pressure wreaking havoc with Wild's game aggressive their defensemen have been, but on the occasions Minnesota has survived that first wave, Winnipeg has also been meticulous in having a forward (usually the center) rotate back so they're not left shorthanded. By Evan Sporer Apr 14, 2018 23 There's another byproduct to this pressure. To borrow a football analogy, it was much like the mental clock of a quarterback. If you keep taking snaps and getting sacked or hit on every drop back, it's going to expedite Five minutes into Friday's Game 2 against the Winnipeg Jets, most — your release. even the Wild players — had to be convinced by their start, and potential to possibly leave Bell MTS Place with a split. There were other times where it felt the Wild had more time to make a pass but the consistent pressure by Winnipeg defensemen made them After holding a 2-1 lead in the third period of Game 1, very much putting rush through and botch the play. themselves in a position to steal that series-opening contest, the Wild held a 5-0 advantage in shots on goal 5:01 into the first period of Game Pretty similar setup: A defensive zone faceoff, but on the opposite side, 2. Even though the Jets — like in Game 1 — managed to get their with the Wild this time dropping a defenseman (Carson Soucy) to help bearings by the end of the first period, the shot counter ending up 13-9 in work this puck around the boards. He'll get back to the goal line, provide Winnipeg's favor, it very much felt like the Wild were in the game, still a target for Nate Prosser, and then wheel around the net where Jordan scoreless up to that point. Greenway will already be waiting near the blue line. But then the second and third periods happened, and man, the Jets were Soucy picks his head up and has an open Greenway, and easily hits him literally just everywhere, and the Wild had no answers. with the pass. Now we just saw Granlund in this type of situation where Morrow was able to pressure him into turning the puck over. Plenty of Minnesota fired eight shots on goal combined over those final two Wild forwards found themselves in that position on Friday, and many of periods, five at 5-on-5, while the Jets peppered Devan Dubnyk with 31 them — the 6-foot-6 Greenway included — paid the physical price. So total shots, 84 percent of the Wild's total through six periods of this perhaps it was for fear of turning the puck over, or perhaps it was for fear series. of getting hit, or perhaps just a misplay in general, but this puck is off While the Jets had the better of the run-of-play for the first four periods of Greenway's stick very quickly. this series as well, the second and third in Game 2 felt very different — Only there's a problem: Whether this was an attempted touch-pass to entirely more dominant. Eric Staal (which misses the mark) or just a misplay because he had one Minnesota talked about it a lot in the postgame, but this was very much a eye off the puck and peeking for an oncoming check, there were no Jets factor of a lack of puck possession, which can be attributed to a few sweaters in the vicinity. Greenway had time to accept the pass, turn up things Winnipeg did really well, and the Wild did not do so well. ice, and carry the puck through the neutral zone, but instead, it was right back on a Winnipeg stick. One of the reasons we use shot metrics as a proxy for puck possession is because they do a pretty decent job of depicting who had the puck Now the clip continues to illuminate another point, how these sequences more. (You can't attempt a shot unless the puck is on your team's stick, fed into each other. That's an easy play for the Jets to pick off in the obviously.) On Friday night, the Wild attempted 12 shots at even-strength neutral zone, and they reload, and get the puck deep again. While the over the final two periods of game action; the Jets attempted 41, a Wild regain possession, there are four Minnesota skaters essentially commanding 77.36 percent of the attempts share. below the dots. Staal chips the puck up the boards because he's got Brandon Tanev in his face, and again, the whole “constantly under There were problems in all three zones for the Wild Friday night: duress” thing really seemed to take its toll on Minnesota. In the defensive zone, when the Wild won the puck back, you saw a lot of And while Nino Niederreiter actually gets to that puck, Josh Morrissey is the Jets defensemen “being activated.” It put the kibosh on many of the immediately able to pressure him, Tanev doubles back and is the next Wild's possessions before they could even get anything going. man in, and the Wild are quickly dispossessed. On so many breakouts, the Jets were able to isolate a single Wild skater on the puck, get two or In the neutral zone, the Jets challenged Wild puck carriers in one-on-one more blue sweaters there, and muscle their way back into control. situations, not letting them really gain much momentum or string together many clean zone entries with speed to set up cleanly in the offensive That really can make life difficult for any team. It's why there were zone. There were so many sequences on Friday where when the Wild stretches when it almost seemed like the Wild were shorthanded on did get the puck, it was quickly back on the Jets' sticks. Said Zach Parise, Friday. Winnipeg consistently had a numbers advantage around the play, “When we do gain possession of it, we're not coming up the ice together, and, like Parise said, really made it seem like the ice was shrunk given too many broken plays through the neutral zone, it's just not a lot of puck how crowded things were. possession for us. We're making it hard.” The Jets are making it pretty hard, too. Both teams are changing here, so one would assume it's a pretty level playing field. The Wild defensemen (Spurgeon and Seeler) exchange In the offensive zone, the Wild had difficulty getting numbers forward. passes while they probe for a route up ice. Seeler eventually lands on There were a bunch of instances where the Wild finally broke in, but this pass to Greenway, but look how tight the window is: Tanev is found themselves in a 1-on-2 or 1-on-3. practically on his hip before the puck is even released. Let's take a look. But while the Wild end up losing that puck, they work hard to get it back, and Staal is able to slip a little close-quarters pass to Greenway at the Mikael Granlund is one of the Wild's smoother, more effective players at blue line to regain the zone. Behind the play you've got Adam Lowry getting them through the neutral zone. This was right at the beginning of busting back to apply pressure. the third period, after the Jets had dominated the second and taken a 1-0 lead. Lowry makes up that ground and is able to really rush Greenway. He kind of long-arms the pass (even with his reach) and you can see how Simple wheel play here, with Minnesota winning the puck back, and small the margin for error is for the Wild. Maybe if Greenway accepts the Granlund, the winger lined up on the strong side, springing toward the past in tight on his body he's able to shovel it across to Niederreiter. opposite wall with the defenseman (Nick Seeler) rimming the puck around. But Lowry is able to funnel Greenway into the middle of the ice, the Jets block off an area and create a 4-on-2, and the Wild are quickly chasing But as Granlund meets the puck along the boards, he's quickly got Joe the puck once again. Morrow breathing down his neck. It would be difficult to double-back with a Jets forward (Kyle Connor) in front of him atop the right circle, and It really felt like each sequence was a broken record of the one before it. while Granlund has an outlet with Zach Parise flying up the middle, it There were so many instances like this of Minnesota either getting turned would require a quick, difficult pass with his back to his teammate. back in the neutral zone, or finally breaking through, only to have one guy trying to take on three. As Granlund is being forced to process all of this in the blink of an eye, Morrow plays through the body, using his size and positional advantage And that's what fed into the lack of puck possession and created the to root Granlund off the puck. Connor continues up the zone and is the lopsided for-and-against attempts differential. NaturalStatTrick.com next man in, and Winnipeg stymies the Wild's attempt to get the puck out. visualizes what the shot counter looks like with a nifty heat map. This was Wild-Jets from Game 2, and you can really see how dominant Winnipeg was. The Jets deserve a lot of credit in this. Yes, the Wild struggled to make plays in Game 2, but a big part of that was how stubborn and fast Winnipeg was in all three zones. There definitely are areas Minnesota can improve in to counter what the Jets are doing, and the adjustments the Wild can make heading into Game 3 will be paramount in establishing any success. “I feel like we've been playing on three-quarters of the rink for two games now,” Parise said after Game 2. That quote and assessment felt very accurate in terms of what seemed to be holding Minnesota back. Where the Jets were flinging 60-plus-foot passes across the neutral zone with players flying all over the place, the Wild looked like they were confining themselves to small areas. The Wild have time to move this puck up ice, but they end up forcing their way through a small portion of the zone and restricting their options. Prosser lays this puck back to Soucy, while Mikko Koivu and Parise are hopping over the boards. They're both going to make their way across to provide puck support, but the Wild are slowly squeezing the width out of this play. Because as this puck starts to get to the next level, the Wild are using half of the neutral zone, width-wise, to try to move the puck ahead. It's an overloaded breakout, which can work, but only if you can reverse the puck and take advantage of a teammate on the weak side. But all five Minnesota skaters are bunched in such a tight area, this puck ends up getting dumped deep and the Jets quickly turn it up ice and out of their zone. Had there been a forward closer to the benches, a quick pass back to a defensemen and another to that weak-side forward could spread out the play and maybe give it some legs. Here though, the Jets don't have to do too much defending, just let a crowded neutral zone play itself out and into their hands. There was one Wild shift late in the first period by the line of Staal, Niederreiter, and Jason Zucker that might have been Minnesota's best at 5-on-5 of the night. It illuminated what Minnesota needs to do to be successful against this type of pressure, and is perhaps one of the key takeaways for the Wild from Game 2. This all begins with a patient, measured play by Niederreiter. He gets stood up in the neutral zone, but instead of trying to muscle his way through or force a pass to a teammate, he reloads by playing this puck back to Spurgeon. When Spurgeon goes across to Soucy, Staal is cutting across the middle, at least forcing the Jets to take notice of him. Niederreiter rolls off his own back-pass and continues up the wall. The Wild have forwards on opposite sides of the neutral zone, giving the breakout some width, and opening up a passing lane for Soucy. And Soucy hits Niederreiter, who breaks across the line with numbers and options. He can attack the goal, or draw in a defender and leave the puck for Staal. From there, the Wild were able to attack the net a few times and spend some time with the Jets hemmed in. Those shifts were few and far between on Friday, but it was in large because the Wild couldn't string together many passing sequences like this, where the Jets had to play on their toes. It's still remarkable how well the Wild were doing for long stretches despite not having ownership of the puck. Minnesota still is so structured in its own defensive zone that with where the Jets were taking the shots from (and the help of Devan Dubnyk) you get a 1-0 game almost midway through the third period and that faint hope of, “one shot can tie this game.” But the sheer ownership of the puck has been too much for Minnesota to overcome thus far. To get back into this series, they'll need to be quicker, more decisive, and more creative in the neutral zone to create time in the Jets end, like on that shift in the first period by the Staal line. If not, there will be more games of lopsided shot totals, and the Wild really putting themselves behind the eight-ball.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091544 Minnesota Wild think it's for a lack of effort. We will try harder the next game and we'll have a different little strategy and we'll see if it works.”

The Wild looked quite good in a scoreless first period, but everything Russo: Wild need more than a return home to fight back against Jets changed starting the first shift of the second period. Jets coach Paul Maurice slyly set the tone by throwing the speedy, hard- By Michael Russo Apr 14, 2018 160 hitting, grinding line of Copp, Adam Lowry and Brandon Tanev on the ice against the Parise-Mikko Koivu-Mikael Granlund line with Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba. WINNIPEG — Look at the bright side, despondent Wild fans: At least the Not only were those five Wild players hemmed in their own end for the Wild are in a familiar position. first 1:42 of the period, the Jets executed a full line change. Nobody knows what it’s like to be in a postseason hole like the Wild. “We couldn’t answer their momentum,” Koivu said. “They got the pucks deep and pressured our D and we couldn’t come with passes and clear Well, after the powerhouse Winnipeg Jets handed them a humbling 4-1 the zone like we usually do. That’s our strength and we’ve got to find butt-kicking Friday night, the Wild find themselves in an 0-2 abyss for the that. Teams put a lot of pressure on you, especially in the playoffs, and fourth consecutive series and seventh time out of eight since 2013. you’ve got to be able to support one another and move the puck quick and try to get the momentum the other way. Sure, they’ve only come back to win one of those series — way back in 2014 against Colorado — but at least Wild players are taking solace in “We couldn’t do that, and that’s something we need to change.” the fact that they’re returning home to a place they lost a league-low six times in regulation during the regular season. The Wild, who have been outshot 84-37 in the series, couldn’t accomplish anything. “We’ve just got to be excited about being at home,” said Jason Zucker, the 33-goal scorer who, like most of his teammates, has been thoroughly Carson Soucy once again had a tough first period and ultimately was smothered in the first two games of this series. “We know we’re a damn moved next to Nate Prosser. Nick Seeler was moved up with Jared good team in our building and we’ve shown it all year. I think we’ll be Spurgeon, who along with Zucker was minus-3 in his second game back ready to go on Sunday.” from a hamstring injury. Here’s the problem: A change of zip code is not going to miraculously The defensemen were certainly not aided by the forwards. cure the Wild’s gargantuan list of ills and be some magical elixir. A microcosm of the Wild’s night was one shift in the first period when No, no, no, it’s going to take some serious, serious tactical adjustments Brodin got the puck in the defensive zone. He looked up ice to pass to a from the coaching staff and a lot more will and courage from the players forward and Zucker, Eric Staal and Nino Niederreiter were standing if this club has any prayer of overtaking the NHL’s second-best team. stationary 80 feet away at the offensive blueline. So far at least, the Wild, now 0-8 in Game 2s and 5-17 on the road in the “We have to Watch video, but we’ve got to support our D more and be playoffs since 2013, have been severely outmatched and without better outs instead of throwing the guys on islands by themselves and answers in this best-of-seven, quickly-dissipating round against the just giving it to them,” forward Charlie Coyle said. bigger, faster, more skilled opponent. Finally, Boudreau broke up the top line by moving Zucker onto the Matt “I feel like we've been playing on three-quarters of the rink for two games Cullen-Coyle line and elevating Jordan Greenway, who had a strong now,” said Zach Parise. “You're not going to win like that. I think our puck game, to the Staal-Niederreiter line. movement has got to be a lot better. When we do gain possession of it, we're not coming up the ice together, too many broken plays through the Staal and Niederreiter are huge concerns right now. They have a neutral zone, it's just not a lot of puck possession for us. We're making it combined five shots and no points in the series. Both don’t look to be hard.” skating well. The Wild are being pushed around. They have Jets players in their faces “We’ve got to make some plays,” Staal said. “Obviously, we’re not. We’re every second of the game, and the Wild are getting hit so hard and so not executing quick enough with some of the plays that are out there. Not often, they’re having to pick their battered bodies — and pride — up off generating enough quality to produce any goals.” the ice. Because of this physicality, some players seem to be avoiding Added Coyle, “Neutral zone, it feels like we weren’t making plays. We high-traffic areas to collect the puck. They’re barely able to string were just throwing the puck up, either chipping it high. We had nothing. together three passes and, on the rare occasion they actually gain entry We weren’t giving ourselves any way to succeed.” to the offensive zone, that alone feels like a victory. Zucker and Coyle also haven’t produced, and Granlund struggled “I thought they were physical the whole game,” coach Bruce Boudreau mightily Friday. During one second-period shift when the Koivu line was said. “They never let up right until the final whistle. We'll find a way. We finally generating sustained pressure, Granlund visibly kept reaching for have all year. There's no reason to believe we aren't going to find a way pucks instead of getting in the middle of the fray to make a play. on Sunday.” It probably didn’t help that Granlund had just watched, in a scoreless One game after registering one shot in the final 16 minutes, 2 seconds to game, his linemate, Koivu, get absolutely blown up by Dustin Byfuglien. see their 2-1 third-period lead implode into a Game 1 defeat, the Wild went 20:03 without a shot between 4:58 left in the second period and The hard-hitting Roseau native, who also crushed Joel Eriksson Ek in 4:55 left in the third period. In the final 43:41 of the game, the Wild had Game 1, caught Koivu with a thunderous check against the boards eight shots, including Parise’s power-play goal in the final minute of the during a hard-working, shorthanded shift by the captain. third period that accomplished two things: Ruining Connor Hellebuyck’s first career playoff shutout bid and making the score appear more “It's just there. I’ll take it,” Byfuglien said. “It makes me smile, I guess.” respectable. Thankfully, Koivu just popped back up like it was nothing and lived to see But make no mistake, in the second period, the Wild were skating in one another day. of the most lopsided 1-0 games in memory. “You’re trying to score and you’re around the net and you know he’s They were that outplayed. somewhere, but you can’t really think at that point,” Koivu said. “I missed the first one there with an empty net and, I don’t know, the puck just got Yet, amazingly, they were one shot from tying the game because Devan away from me. I got another chance and I tried to wrap it around, and he Dubnyk was doing all he could do to keep the Wild in the game. got me there. The Wild just needed to regroup in the intermission and muster up some “But I thought it was a clean hit.” save-the-season energy, resilience and execution. Finally, in the waning seconds, tempers boiled over when all 10 skaters Instead, the Wild went the first 15:05 of the must-score third period on the ice got into a huge fracas in the Wild end. Byfuglien got into it with without even registering a measly shot on goal. Marcus Foligno, Prosser with Joe Morrow and was confronted by Tanev. By the 9:24 mark, Paul Stastny and Andrew Copp scored back-to-back to turn that 1-0 lead into a 3-0 death grip. Big mistake there. Winnik beat the daylights out of him. “It’s not like we're not trying to get there,” Boudreau said. “We're trying “I think they’re taking some liberties on us,” Winnik said. “It’s hard for us to get there and the other team is not allowing us to get there. I don't to defend ourselves. All that stuff at the end, I think it’s kind of a situation where maybe the clock should run out, but they kind of start cross- Tyler Ennis, scratched nine games in the regular season, was scratched checking guys, so that’s what’s going to happen. There’s going to be for a second consecutive game to start the playoffs. … Jets forward Jack scrums. There’s going to be fights.” Roslovic made his playoff debut with Mathieu Perreault sidelined by an upper-body injury. Perreault was checked a lot in Game 1, but it looked That happened with 9.7 seconds left. For some reason, the referees like he got hurt on an open-ice hit from Koivu. didn’t run out that clock and another faceoff occurred. The Athletic’s 3 Stars Immediately, Seeler started throwing cross-checks after the puck was dropped. He was confronted by Ben Chiarot, and the two dropped the 1. Dustin Byfuglien, Jets: In a scoreless game, he crushed Mikko Koivu gloves. shorthanded and seemed to change the momentum of a tight game. He finished with an assist and eight hits. “It tells me that enough is enough,” Boudreau said. “It's not a series until you get a hate on for each other and I think that was created toward the 2. Jack Roslovic, Jets: In his playoff debut, he had two assists. end of the game. Not even the fighting, the chirping going on back and forth. It's a rivalry now.” 3. Tyler Myers, Jets: Bounced back from a tough game with a goal and assist and was plus-3 with three shots and three hits. Asked if he wished he saw that anger and fight before the 59:51 mark, Boudreau simmered. Turning point “Listen, we’re trying,” he said. “You guys are trying to make it sound like With the game scoreless in the second period, Tyler Myers wheeled we’re not trying. They played really good, and they beat us tonight. We’ll around a flat-footed Jason Zucker and skated all the way to the bottom of be ready on Sunday. Sometimes the other team has the jump and they the right circle to score the game’s first goal. have everything going for them, and they did. I thought Dubnyk was By the numbers outstanding. We'll be ready. We’ve got a lot of pride in that room.” 13 playoff goals from Zach Parise to make him the franchise leader We’ll see. 2-11 Wild record all-time in Game 2s The Wild were beaten in every way Friday. In the end, the fans were having a big ole party inside Bell MTS Place, even “Hey, Hey, Heying 4 straight 0-2 series deficits for the Wild Goodbye” to the Wild at the exact moment Patrik Laine scored a fourth goal to further the Wild’s misery with 2:02 left. 0 goals and points in the series for Eric Staal, Nino Niederreiter, Jason Zucker, Charlie Coyle, Matt Dumba and Jared Spurgeon If the Wild don't discover some semblance of pushback and quality hockey back in St. Paul, these Jets fans won't see another playoff home 5-17 Wild playoff record on the road since 2013 game for some time.

That’s because right now, it’s men against boys and winning a single The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 game seems like a chore. At least the Wild get to go home to lick their wounds. “We’ve got to find it now,” Koivu said. “We’ve been strong all year long at home and for sure now it changes in a way that you go home and you got your home crowd going. But that’s not an automatic thing. We’ve got to regroup here now and find the things that we did well, especially in the first game, and analyze the things that we need to do better and just go at it again. “It’s all about finding that momentum when we go home and build from there.” Eriksson Ek also survives getting Big Buffed Two days after getting Big Buffed by Byfuglien, Eriksson Ek said he was just fine. “I’m all good,” he said before Game 2. “It was a good hit. That’s playoff hockey. I couldn’t really see him coming. It was probably the biggest problem for me taking that hit.” Eriksson Ek, who got a three-game playoff taste last season, played a second consecutive strong game Friday night. His line with Foligno and Winnik was the Wild’s best by far. “I think we played the same way, all three of us,” Eriksson Ek said. “Just tried to skate a lot, get the puck deep behind their D and be responsible in our own end. I know what to expect from last year. It’s a different kind of game compared to the regular season, so it helps to have a couple games under your belt.” Dumba gets it, kinda sorta In a weird yet comical way, Boudreau compared Dumba to the Incredible Hulk after Thursday’s practice. “He's not the biggest guy in the world, but he's like, if you've ever read comics, like the Hulk,” Boudreau said. “The madder he got, the better he got. And with Dums, the more he plays, it doesn't seem to tire him, he gets more into the game.” Just in case Dumba was asked about the comment, Boudreau made sure to let him in on what he said. “It's funny, Bruce caught me in the (hotel) lobby and asked if I had talked to the media yet, and I kind of brushed it off,” Dumba said. “He tried to explain to me the whole Hulk thing. I was kind of confused, to be honest. I guess by the end of it I kind of got what he was saying. “I get it now. It's like the more I play, relative to the more Hulk gets angry, the more powerful he gets. I got it.” Etc. 1091545 Minnesota Wild future of this loaded Jets team may in fact be, they’ve got a squad that can win now. Right now. This spring. So let’s go.

And maybe that’s even more evident for a guy like him who this week LeBrun: Dustin Byfuglien's presence is taking over the series enjoyed his first two playoff wins since lifting the Cup in Chicago. Eight years between playoff wins. By Pierre LeBrun Apr 14, 2018 42 “That is one of the things I had to say (to his teammates),” Byfuglien said after the game. “It doesn’t come around very often. So enjoy it. While you’re here you might as well give it all you’ve got. You never know what WINNIPEG — Rick Dudley isn’t one for smiley faces in his text could happen.” messages, but it’s about all that was missing Friday night. Byfuglien did a lot of shrugging of the shoulders in his media scrum The man who first got to know Dustin Byfuglien as a prospect in Chicago Friday night. He’s not looking for the media spotlight. Just another day at while working in the Blackhawks front office then traded for the hulking the office, he said, not making much of his big hit on Koivu. player in June 2010 as GM of the Thrashers. “If it’s there, I’ll take it,” he said. Which, by the way, is where Byfuglien was encouraged to go back to his preferred position on defence after helping the Hawks win a Cup in June To his credit, Koivu shook off that massive hit and certainly didn’t 2010 as a power winger. complain about it after the game. But what a hit. The Wild captain was trying to come from behind the Jets’ net with the puck for a wrap-around “I believed he was a good winger, but a great defenceman,” Dudley said when suddenly the Buff Train shined its bright lights on him. via text message Friday night. “And I also believed he was a very good team player. I never had a doubt what position he should play.” “Well, you’re trying to score and you’re around the net and you know he’s somewhere, but you can’t really think at that point,” Koivu said. “I missed Well, let’s be honest, while he’s a great defenceman, Byfuglien finds the first one there with an empty net and, I don’t know, the puck just got himself all over the ice, which is part of his effectiveness as far as the away from me. I got another chance and I tried to wrap it around, and he other team having no clue what he’s up to nor how to defend against it. got me there. But I thought it was a clean hit.” On Friday night, Byfuglien nearly tore the roof off Bell MTS Place with a The Jets as a team once again imposed themselves physically on the thunderous bodycheck on Mikko Koivu, which nearly launched the Wild. Minnesota Wild captain back to his native Turku, Finland. “We have a game plan, being physical is one of our strong suits,” said And there was Byfuglien deep in the Minnesota zone 7:42 into the third Byfuglien. “You know, we just want to play fast, just be on the body. If the period, setting up Paul Stastny for the back-breaking, 2-0 goal in an hits are there, take it; don’t go chasing them. We played a good team eventual 4-1 Game 2 victory. game and we stuck through it all 60.” Just another day at the office for the 33-year-old Byfuglien, whose The man who wears an 'A' on his sweater is dialed in. Which is horrible presence has overtaken this series early on. And the Wild have zero news for the Wild and any other team that stands in Winnipeg’s way this answers for him. spring. “He’s such a presence,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler, a teammate of Which brings a smile to the face of the man who brought him to this Big Buff dating back to 2010-11 in Atlanta. “Even if he doesn’t hit a guy organization eight years ago. like that, going into a corner with him, you know he’s there. It’s tough (for the other team). When he wants the puck, you can’t really do much about “I am just happy for him because he was always a good kid when he was it. And when he sees a guy with his head down, he’s had some pretty big a young rookie,” Dudley said. “And now that he’s an established star I do ones. He’s one of those rare guys that their presence alone can dictate not believe he will ever change.” the flow of the game.” Mike Babcock referred to Shea Weber during Team Canada’s World Cup The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 of Hockey training camp in September 2016 as “Man Mountain.” Well, they’ve got their Man Mountain West here in Winnipeg. And like Weber, no question there’s an intimidation factor, which is accentuated at this time of year. “He’s just throwing his body all around the ice and it just gives us so much energy,” said Jets star winger Patrik Laine. “The crowd seems to like it, so we like it, too.” Stastny, for one, prefers taking passes from Byfuglien as a teammate rather than trying to avoid him as an opponent all those years in St. Louis and Colorado. “I was always at centre, low and slow, so I never had to go in the corners with him,” Stastny joked Friday night after the Jets took a 2-0 series lead. “No, I think when he’s out there and he’s going in the corners, you’re aware of it and you don’t want to go in first. But at the same time, he plays a smart, positional game. When you play a smart defenceman, they don’t always go for the puck, they use body positioning. So sometimes as forward, if you’re reaching for the puck and you see Buff coming, you don’t want to put yourself in a vulnerable position. A lot of times that’s when he’ll use his body, and then he’s got a long reach to get the puck. Other times, if he has the puck, he kind of throws the puck out at you. A lot of poise in the D-zone, that’s something you notice. Strong on his stick, strong in the corners. If there’s a battle along the wall, more than likely he’s going to win it. If you do win it, you get punished.” There are some people in these parts that believe Byfuglien is playing his best hockey since that Cup-winning spring in Chicago. And that’s despite a down-year offensively, at least by his standards, with eight goals in 69 games. “His game was under-appreciated this year,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “He played very, very well for us, didn’t score, and that seemed to draw a lot of the concern, but his game was good.” Byfuglien is playing like a man possessed. Like a veteran player who understands that there is no tomorrow. That no matter how bright the 1091546 Montreal Canadiens There was little to no success from a team standpoint this year. Even worse, the Rocket had the worst home record in the AHL, winning just 10 of their games at Place Bell. They also had the worst penalty killing in the Sylvain Lefebvre experienced many sleepless nights during Laval's league at 77.4 percent. inaugural season Despite the pitiful home record, the Rocket still finished the season among the top ten teams in terms of attendance, averaging almost 6,700 fans per game. By Marc Dumont Apr 14, 2018 6 “There haven't been many games in which the guys didn't work hard,” said Lefebvre prior to fan appreciation night. “The fans respect that.” The life of an AHL coach is unforgiving. In a sense, you're working But every fan has a breaking point, and we saw a decline in attendance towards your own demise. The more players you graduate to the NHL, as the season went on. The excitement of a new team quickly faded the weaker you make your team and the harder it is to win games. once the losing culture took hold. That was definitely the case for head coach Sylvain It's hard to fault fans for not showing up in droves for a team that's Lefebvre this season. primarily composed of a few veterans and a handful of unknown players that have little to no hockey pedigree. This was, after all, the worst He lost 12 players to the Canadiens, leaving him with a dearth of talent season since Lefebvre took over as head coach. on the roster. Consequently, over 50 players wore a Rocket jersey this season, with countless professional tryouts and ECHL call-ups filling the If the Rocket are to succeed longterm, they'll need to build a winning voids left by an NHL team that was in constant need of reinforcements. team. is aware of this, and his moves last summer were Only a handful of players that started the season with the team remained an indication that he wanted his new AHL affiliate to start off strong. But on the roster as they entered the final weekend of the schedule. his lack of attention towards the Canadiens roster ended up costing him, given that he had to pilfer his AHL team endlessly throughout the year to “The role of an AHL affiliate is to help the NHL team,” said Lefebvre. compensate for a lack of depth at the NHL level. “When players get called up we want them to be ready. In that sense, this year was a success. Many of them spent a lot of time in the NHL. We As for Lefebvre's future, which remains in doubt, he was quick to shut lost them early on and they never came back. down any rumours of a possible firing or promotion to the NHL. “If you had asked anyone in the organization if we predicted having a “I have another year left on my contract,” he said. “Currently, my job is season like this in terms of how many players got injured in the NHL, and being a coach in Laval and I'm doing the best I can. If things change, I'll that guys like [Mark] Streit and [Brandon] Davidson left, people would adjust to the situation.” have told you that's not the plan.” Truth be told, most of Lefebvre's explanations for the team's failures this If we examine this season in a vacuum, he's right. You could qualify this season are legitimate. However, every team in the AHL loses players, season as a success from a graduation standpoint. It's understandable every team has to deal with injuries, and every team has to turn to that the Rocket went from one of the hottest teams in the AHL at the start players with less experience throughout the year. of the year to last place in the league, seeing as they lost their captain, the majority of their top six forwards and several defencemen over the Not every team wins just one playoff game in six years. Not every team course of the year. has a .400 win percentage year after year. Not every team constantly fails to adapt to the ever-changing landscape that is the AHL. “To start, we were excited,” said Lefebvre. “But that's the reality of the American Hockey League. This was really an extreme case this season.” It's no surprise that Lefebvre and his coaching staff have had several sleepless nights. They've earned them. However, this isn't Lefebvre's first season as head coach of the Canadiens' AHL affiliate. In fact, it's his sixth year at the helm of the team. The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 And the results, or lack thereof, speak for themselves. Throughout 456 regular season games, Lefebvre's team has won just 188 times and has qualified for the playoffs once. They lost their only playoff series in 2016-17 against Tampa Bay's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Any way you cut it, winning a grand total of one playoff game in six years is a poor, if not embarrassing result. The frustration of so many fruitless seasons would be mitigated if the team managed to graduate a reasonable amount of players to the NHL throughout the years, but until this season, that wasn't the case. “I'd be lying if I said there weren't many sleepless nights,” said Lefebvre. “Building chemistry is really tough under these circumstances, and there are a lot of other aspects that many don't keep in mind. Some guys weren't getting called up, others were, and that can have an effect on players. We had to deal with that without losing sight of the team's ultimate goal.” When the affiliate was located in St. John's or Hamilton, the ultimate goal was singular: graduate players to the NHL. And while that aspect of Montreal's farm team wasn't particularly effective, most Canadiens fans didn't pay close attention to the team's record. Now that the team is located in Laval, there's not only more attention on the players, but on the team's success as well. Many are calling for a coaching change at the AHL level, something that Lefebvre acknowledges. However, he's adamant that those outside the organization don't necessarily see the big picture. “They don't have all the information,” Lefebvre said. “Game plans are always about getting a win. It takes execution and adjustments from the coaches, but our goal isn't to finish in the basement. We're all competitors. We haven't slept very well this year, in the sense that we want to bring success to the team. I'd be lying if I said we didn't learn every day.” 1091547 Nashville Predators

Catfish wearing 'Rinne for Vezina' shirt makes appearance at Predators game

Colton Pouncy, USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee Published 5:00 p.m. CT April 14, 2018 | Updated 5:47 p.m. CT April 14, 2018

The Nashville Predators have added two catfish to the arena, Gill and Ben. The two shared their thoughts on the Predators, NHL Playoffs. With a full year to prepare since last year's playoffs, Predators fans are starting to get creative with their catfish. Before spent $141.75 to mail a dead catfish to the NHL office in Toronto after officials waived off what would've been a game-tying goal against the Florida Panthers. In Game 1 of the playoff series between the Predators and the Avalanche, two catfish were thrown onto the ice — one of which was hearing a small, golden hat and what appeared to be a fish-sized shirt and bow-tie. And Saturday afternoon, before the start of Game 2 between the Preds and Colorado Avalanche, a catfish wearing a "Rinne for Vezina" t-shirt and a brick wall hat graced the ice at Bridgestone Arena.

1091548 Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators anthem singer: Brad Paisley gets honor before Game 2 in playoffs

Nicole Saavedra, The Tennessean Published 2:20 p.m. CT April 14, 2018 | Updated 3:38 p.m. CT April 14, 2018

Brad Paisley sang the national anthem -- and played guitar -- ahead of the Game 2 meeting between the Nashville and Colorado in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs at Bridgestone Arena. Paisley continued the tradition that began during the Predators' run to the Stanley Cup finals last year. Rascal Flatts performed the anthem before Game 1, which the Predators won 5-2, on Thursday. The Predators also unveiled a new pregame show on Thursday when they dropped a screen from the ceiling, paired with a light show. The screen was included in pregame festivities again Saturday afternoon.

Tennessean LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091549 Nashville Predators of the time, we’ve done a bad job of being disciplined during the regular season.”

Asked if he thought this game was called tighter than usual, Johansen Avalanche hang, but Predators prevail — and officials dominate — in said: “Yeah. You try, as a player, I don’t even know, you try and focus on Game 2 just your job and what we need to do. That’s not in our hands, the way the game is being called.” Joe Rexrode, USA TODAY NETWORK -- Tennessee Published 4:58 What is in their hands is playing a better game, and they’ll need it p.m. CT April 14, 2018 | Updated 8:11 p.m. CT April 14, 2018 Monday. Colorado, already banged up before Girard missed Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury deemed "day to day," is gamely causing some problems and “there’s definitely no quit on that side,” Johansen said. It was all very familiar, discombobulated Predators and opportunistic Avalanche combining for a first period that put the muzzle on Come out shaky and fall behind, again, and this series may yet become Bridgestone. interesting enough to overshadow its officiating. A failed clear involving Nashville’s fourth line, again. Colorado’s first shot finding its way past Pekka Rine, again. An unlikely Avs scoring source giving them that lead and quickly replacing jubilance with tension, again. Tennessean LOADED: 04.15.2018 And it stayed familiar. The Predators returned often to one of their favorite hangouts this season, the penalty box. And the Avalanche got hit with another avalanche. The Stanley Cup favorite Preds cranked things up and gradually overtook the young Avs, again, to take a 2-0 first-round series lead with a 5-4 comeback win Saturday at Bridgestone. They did it with bursts of the dominance we’ve come to expect from this team, amid a few costly mistakes and more than a few demonstrations of overzealous officiating. “We did what we were supposed to do,” Nashville coach said and, though his team can do it better than this, Colorado also deserves credit for hanging around, shorthanded and often overmatched. In Thursday’s 5-2 win in Game 1, it was Austin Watson starting the Nashville scoring, Craig Smith tying it and Filip Forsberg winning it and putting a Fil-thy bow on it with a move that tied Colorado defenseman Samuel Girard into a figurative knot. On Saturday it was Kevin Fiala with a power-play equalizer, Viktor Arvidsson with a laser to go up 2-1 — a lead the Preds would not relinquish — Ryan Johansen with a breakaway backhand and Watson striking again to open things up in the third period. Ryan Johansen told members of the media that the Colorado Avalanche are making this a tough series for the Predators. All of the names in the preceding paragraph are capable offensive players, and they represent the difference in these two teams as the series shifts to Monday’s Game 3 in Denver. So far, everyone is right: Nashville just has too much depth across the board for Colorado, which got a gorgeous Nathan MacKinnon backhand past Rinne to help his team endure when it looked like the place might be caving in on the Avs. It did eventually, though not as emphatically as in Game 1. A MacKinnon shot midway through the third was tipped in by Gabriel Landeskog to cut Nashville’s lead to 4-3. It came in a 5-on-3 situation to keep the Avs in it all the way until Nashville’s Ryan Hartman found an empty net with 1:09 left, and Colorado’s Alexander Kerfoot got one past Rinne with 35.8 ticks left for the final score. And it reminded everyone of the real stars of Saturday’s affair. Officials Jean Hebert, Dan O’Rourke, Michel Cormier and Brian Murphy deserve to get their names in the paper after that performance because they called everything that looked remotely like a penalty and some things that didn’t. And that’s both ways, mind you. This series doesn’t need any more outside complaining about calls after Johansen’s Game 1 hit on Tyson Barrie prompted outrage from some Denver media and the Colorado locker room — Barrie saying, “maybe you take one or two runs at guys that you might get away with” if such hits are allowed with no suspension. The officials seemed to say in response: “Hey everyone, check out our new whistles!” Nashville was hit with seven penalties, the recurrence of a chronic issue for the most-penalized team in the league in the regular season. So it’s hard to look at this and put it all on the refs. But Colorado was hit with seven penalties as well, and the number of actual, reasonable playoff penalties in this game was probably more like eight than 14. Not that we need any more whining. “I thought it was good, they went both ways, they allowed some physicality and they were consistent,” Laviolette said. “They have a tough job, and sometimes you catch things, sometimes you think you might see things,” said Watson, who drew and a penalty and was nailed for embellishment on the same bizarre call. “But the majority 1091550 Nashville Predators

Predators overcome Avalanche's desperation in Game 2 win, but expect big pushback

Adam Vingan, USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee Published 4:54 p.m. CT April 14, 2018 | Updated 10:30 p.m. CT April 14, 2018

Peter Laviolette isn’t the most talkative of coaches. His mouth might as well be welded shut during the playoffs, when divulging information probably is as appealing to him as a root canal without Novocaine. But when Laviolette does offer insight, it’s thought-provoking. A relevant example is his belief that “desperation trumps momentum," which the Predators were made aware of before and throughout their 5-4 victory in Game 2 on Saturday. Rexrode: Avalanche hang, but Predators prevail — and officials dominate — in Game 2 The Colorado Avalanche are the youngest and least experienced team in the playoffs, but they're not naive. They knew a loss Saturday significantly would reduce their chances of upsetting the Predators and played with appropriate spunk. The Predators fended off the Avalanche again, though not without a fight. "There's definitely no quit on that side," Predators center Ryan Johansen said. "That's with every team in the playoffs. But they play desperate, they play fast and they've got a lot of young skill over there that can make you pay." For the second time in this series, the Avalanche converted their first shot into a 1-0 lead during another disjointed first period for the Predators. Once the Predators found their stride, though, they demonstrated the downhill momentum of, well, an avalanche. Three consecutive goals in the second period, highlighted by forward Viktor Arvidsson's ferocious slapper off the rush and Johansen's nifty breakaway backhand, seemed to put the Predators in firm control. Then ever-dangerous Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon replied with his own backhand 36 seconds later, squashing any idea of a Predators blowout. The Avalanche, aided by the Predators’ continued aversion to discipline, never relented, striking on the power play to slice their deficit to 4-3 in the third period. Nashville, the NHL’s most penalized team this season, handed Colorado five power plays Saturday. "We let them hang around a bit," Predators center Nick Bonino said. "You get up two in the third, you want to be able to win those games. I know we won, but letting them stick around can be dangerous the more games you get into a series." The Predators accomplished what they set out to do by winning the first two games of this series at Bridgestone Arena. Now comes the challenge of beating the even more motivated Avalanche in Denver. "When you're down 2-0 going back home, you know you've got to get a win pretty quick," Predators forward Colton Sissons said. "They'll be doing anything they can to get one."

Tennessean LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091551 New Jersey Devils SHARKS 3, DUCKS 2 Logan Couture had a goal and an assist, Martin Jones made 28 saves and San Jose excelled on the road again, beating Anaheim to take a wo-games-to-none lead in their first-round Western Alex Killorn Scores Twice as Lightning Beat Devils in Game 2 Conference playoff series. Marcus Sorensen and Tomas Hertl also scored for the Sharks, who gave another disciplined, organized performance while moving halfway to their Staff Report first playoff series victory since their Stanley Cup Final run in 2016. The Sharks also are halfway to their first playoff series victory over Anaheim, By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSAPRIL 14, 2018 their longtime downstate rivals. Hampus Lindholm had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who are leaving Honda Center with an 0-2 series deficit for the third time in their The good news for the Tampa Bay Lightning is they’re up, two games to last five playoff series. none, on the Devils in the first round of the N.H.L. playoffs, and they still haven’t played their best hockey. Jakob Silfverberg scored in the opening minute and John Gibson stopped 32 shots as Anaheim dropped to 3-6 in its last nine home playoff Alex Killorn scored twice during a four-goal second period, helping the games overall. top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference beat the Devils, 5-3, on Saturday afternoon in Tampa, Fla., in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series. New York Times LOADED: 04.15.2018 The Lightning, the Atlantic Division champions, scored three times in a span of 2 minutes 47 seconds in the second period, and the reeling Devils pulled goalie Keith Kinkaid after Killorn’s third goal in two games made it 5-1 with 6:48 remaining in the period. Kinkaid, whose stellar play since January helped the Devils finish strong and claim their first playoff berth since 2012, yielded five goals on 15 shots. Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson also scored for Tampa Bay, which is ahead in the series after going 0-2-1 against the Devils during the regular season. Game 3 is Monday night in Newark. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 41 shots, limiting the Devils to the rookie Nico Hischier’s unassisted goal in the opening period, Sami Vatanen’s sixth career playoff goal late in the second and Blake Coleman’s third-period tally that trimmed Tampa Bay’s lead to 5-3 with eight minutes left. Goalie Cory Schneider came off the bench to keep the Devils in the game with 10 saves, nine in the final period. Five players scored in the Lightning’s 5-2 victory in Game 1, with just one of the goals coming from the team’s top line of Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and J. T. Miller — Kucherov’s empty-netter with a little over a minute remaining. Tampa Bay’s second and third lines once again did most of the damage, with Point scoring at 12:15 of the first period and Killorn, Johnson and Kucherov adding goals during a three-minute stretch of the second to build a 4-1 lead. Both of Killorn’s goals came on power plays. Kucherov’s second of the series deflected off Vatanen’s stick into the Devils’ net. Vasilevskiy stopped 29 of 31 shots in the opener and was outstanding again on Saturday, when the Devils outshot the Lightning, 44-25. BRUINS 7, MAPLE LEAFS 3 David Pastrnak had a hat trick and three assists to help host Boston blow out Toronto for the second straight game, leading the Bruins to a two-games-to-none lead in the best-of- seven Eastern Conference playoff series. Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron each had four assists for the Bruins, and Torey Krug had three. Tuukka Rask stopped 30 shots for Boston, and David Krejci, Rick Nash, Jake DeBrusk and Kevan Miller also scored. Two nights after Frederik Andersen allowed five goals in the series opener, he gave up three more on five shots in the first 12 minutes 13 seconds before he was replaced by the backup Curtis McElhinney, who stopped 19 of the 23 shots he faced. PREDATORS 5, AVALANCHE 4 Ryan Hartman’s empty-net goal with 1:09 left wound up being the winner as the Predators held off Colorado in Nashville for a two-games-to-none lead in their first-round Western Conference series. After Hartman gave the Predators a 5-3 lead, Alexander Kerfoot pulled Colorado to 5-4 with 35.8 seconds left. But the Avalanche couldn’t get another puck past goalie Pekka Rinne. Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist, and Viktor Arvidsson, Ryan Johansen and Austin Watson scored a goal apiece. P. K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm each had two assists for Nashville, which has won 12 straight over the Avalanche. Rinne made 26 saves. Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, and Gabriel Bourque and Gabriel Landeskog each added a goal for Colorado. 1091552 New Jersey Devils

2nd period defense dooms Devils in Game 2 loss to Lightning | Rapid reaction

Posted April 14, 2018 at 6:11 PM By Chris Ryan [email protected],

TAMPA, Fla. -- The flood gates opened in the second period, and the Devils couldn't recover. Four straight goals in less than 10 minutes broke a 1-1 tie, and the Tampa Bay Lightning rode that run to a 5-3 victory over the Devils in Game 2 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday at Amalie Arena. The Lightning grabbed a 2-0 series lead over the Devils, with Game 3 set to be played on Monday at Prudential Center in Newark. Five goals over the first 33:12 of the game forced goalie Keith Kinkaid from the game after he made 10 saves on 15 shots. Cory Schneider stopped all 10 shots he faced in relief. Deflections and some defensive breakdowns made things difficult on Kinkaid, and the Lightning took advantage of more Devils miscues. Scoring plays Nico Hischier scored his first career postseason goal to pull the Devils even at 1-1 at 13:38 in the first period, answering the opening goal by Tampa's Brayden Point. An attempt to clear a rebound found Hischier's stick in the slot, and he wristed his shot past Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to tie the game. But the Lightning went on their run to open the second period, scoring the next four goals and running Kinkaid from the game. Alex Killorn scored his first of two power-play goals in the period when he chipped in a Nikita Kucherov pass into the upper left corner at 3:14. That goal came 30 seconds after Ben Lovejoy went to the box for delay of game after chipping a puck out of play over the glass. The Lightning made it 3-1 1:22 later, with Tyler Johnson redirecting a Ryan McDonagh shot from the point. Kucherov added to the lead when his pass intended from Steven Stamkos in front of the net was intercepted by Devils defenseman Sami Vatanen. But the puck went into Kinkaid's pad before bouncing off Vatanen's skate and into net for a 4-1 lead at 6:01. Killorn added his second power-play goal by cleaning up a scramble in front at 13:12. That power play came after Kyle Palmieri was assessed a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Vatanen pulled the Devils within 5-2 with 25.2 seconds left in the second period. He walked down the middle into the Lightning zone and snapped a shot inside the left post to make it 5-2. Blake Coleman blasted in his postseason goal from the slot to end a long shift for the Devils, pulling them within 5-3 at 11:57 of the third.

Star Ledger LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091553 New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: Game 2 LIVE score updates and chat (4/14/18)

Updated April 14, 2018 at 2:56 PM; Posted April 14, 2018 at 2:55 PM By Chris Ryan [email protected], NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

TAMPA, Fla. -- Taylor Hall, Keith Kinkaid, Nico Hischier, Kyle Palmieri and Sami Vatanen will try to help the New Jersey Devils pull even their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning during Game 2 at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Amalie Arena. The Lightning took a 1-0 series lead with a 5-2 win in Game 1 on Thursday. What Devils need to avoid 2-0 hole Join NJ.com's live chat in the comment section, and follow along with live score and stat updates above. Here is everything you need to know about Game 2: Who: New Jersey Devils (0-1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (1-0) What: Game 2, Round 1 of Stanley Cup Playoffs When: 3 p.m. EST, Saturday, April 14, 2018 Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida TV: NBC, CNBC Live stream: NBCSports.com Radio: WFAN/The One Jersey Network 3 keys to the Devils upsetting the Lightning in playoffs More to know: The Devils will look for a better start in Game 2 after they allowed three goals ovr the first 22 minutes of their Game 1 loss. After settling into that game and seeing the atmosphere, expect a less tentative Devils team out of the gate. "We'd like to get off to a better start than we did the other night," coach John Hynes said. "It's something that we talked about. The guys have and an opportunity to play and we've had a chance to practice, we're a game into the series, so we should just be able to go about our business the way we normally do, and that's making sure when the puck drops, we're ready to play our game and compete at a high level."

Star Ledger LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091554 New Jersey Devils Hynes said Butcher settled into the game as it progressed, and on top of his assist on the Devils' second goal, he held his own defensively.

Kim Klement Devils' Game 2 lines, pairings vs. Lightning (4/14/18) | Damon Severson in "I thought he came out, kind of like our team, just not as confident as we need to be able to play," Hynes said. "I thought Will played real well last night. We increased his minutes as the game went on. Really good poise Posted April 14, 2018 at 02:50 PM | Updated April 14, 2018 at 03:11 PM with the puck, he made some really good plays. By Chris Ryan "I thought defending-wise he was good. He used his feet well, his stick was excellent. So it was really nice to see him perform the way he di as the game went on. I think much like our team, he got a little bit of traction a little bit later." TAMPA, Fla. -- The Devils will aim to even their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning when the puck drops on Speed is one of the biggest assets for the Devils, and outside of a few Game 2 at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Amalie Arena. pockets of play in the second and third periods in Game 1, they couldn't access that quickness frequently enough. The Lightning took a 1-0 series lead with a 5-2 victory in Game 1 on Thursday. The Lightning were a big reason for that, but for the Devils to turn the tables in Game 2, they need to find a way to overcome their opponent. Coming off that Game 1 loss, the Devils made one lineup change. Damon Severson will draw in for Brian Gibbons, as the Devils will dress "We can get to our speed quicker in some situations on transitions," 11 forwards and seven defensemen. forward Travis Zajac said. "Just making sure we’re getting to our outs quick and making them chase us a little bit. I think we’ll have a few more Here's their projected lineup, plus notes and quotes heading into Game puck entries into the zone and maybe not have to chip as much.” 2. What Devils need to avoid 2-0 series hole in Game 2 vs. Lightning Devils Lightning Hockey Why the lineup change? FORWARDS The Devils took Gibbons out of the lineup, opting for Severson to shake Taylor Hall - Nico Hischier - Kyle Palmieri things up in Game 2 with seven defensemen dressing. As always, Hynes said the decision came down to putting out the group that gave the Devils Miles Wood - Pavel Zacha - Patrick Maroon the best opportunity to win this specific game. Blake Coleman - Travis Zajac - Stefan Noesen "A lot of it just goes into what's going to be the best lineup and making Michael Grabner - Brian Boyle sure that every guy that's going to go in tonight is really ready to go." Devils Lightning Hockey DEFENSEMEN Star Ledger LOADED: 04.15.2018 Andy Greene - Sami Vatanen John Moore - Mirco Mueller Will Butcher - Ben Lovejoy Damon Severson NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-New Jersey Devils at Tampa Bay Lightning GOALIES Starter: Keith Kinkaid (Postseason: 1 GP, 0-1, 4.09 GAA, .879 save percentage) Backup: Cory Schneider Kinkaid allowed four goals in the Game 1 loss to the Lightning, but he avoided giving up any "leaky" goals when making 27 saves. Washington Capitals v New Jersey Devils SCRATCHES Forwards: Marcus Johansson (concussion, practicing, day-to-day), Jesper Bratt (healthy), Brian Gibbons (healthy), Jimmy Hayes (healthy), Drew Stafford (healthy) Defensemen: Steven Santini (healthy) Goalie: Eddie Lack (healthy) Starting better The Devils will look for a better start in Game 2 after they allowed three goals ovr the first 22 minutes of their Game 1 loss. After settling into that game and seeing the atmosphere, expect a less tentative Devils team out of the gate. "We'd like to get off to a better start than we did the other night. It's something that we talked about. The guys have and an opportunity to play and we've had a chance to practice, we're a game into the series, so we should just be able to go about our business the way we normally do, and that's making sure when the puck drops, we're ready to play our game and compete at a high level." Butcher's play Several Devils made their NHL postseason debuts in Game 1, and Hynes pointed to defenseman Will Butcher as someone who stood out. 1091555 New Jersey Devils At some points in Game 1, especially early, the Devils got caught being too aggressive on help defense, jumping out to double team opponents and kill plays earlier than necessary. What Devils need to avoid 2-0 series hole in Game 2 vs. Lightning So the Devils will aim to stick to their assignments more in Game 2, like they did down the stretch in Game 1. And if the Lightning do win a 1-on-1 battle, the Devils know their teammates will be there to pick them up Posted April 14, 2018 at 07:00 AM | Updated April 14, 2018 at 12:23 PM when needed, too. By Chris Ryan "They’re a good team and they make plays. They turn plays all the time," defenseman Will Butcher said. "Try to play as tight defensively as you can, take away their time and space. Things are going to happen. It’s good hockey, so it always happens. For us it’s just more focusing on our TAMPA, Fla. -- The Devils would like to avoid a 2-0 series deficit against systems, play for each other. If something happens, some breakdown, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and to do so, they'll need to pick up a road win we’ve got each other’s backs." in a hostile environment in Game 2 at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Amalie Arena. Lineup changes? Following their 5-2 loss in Game 1, the Devils saw some areas where Hynes didn't commit to anything following Friday's practice, but the Devils they could improve to keep up with the top-seeded Lightning. With a could make a lineup change or two for Game 2. practice day on Friday, the Devils took some steps to make those adjustments. Whether that comes in the form of someone such as Damon Severson or Jesper Bratt joining the lineup, Hynes expects the active group to handle Here's how the Devils can put the right foot forward toward a victory in Saturday's road environment better than Thursday in Game 1. Game 2. "Coming out of that and having a day to regroup and talk about some Tactically speaking, coach John Hynes pointed out two areas on Friday things, I think it’s going to benefit us," Hynes said. "But we have to where the Devils want to clean up their play in Game 2. certainly perform better than we did last night. Lots of this is sometimes the mental game and nerves and new experiences, and they started "We have some things in the defensive zone we need to be able to against a real good team in a sold-out building. It was an electric tighten up," Hynes said. "Some of our puck play can be better offensively environment, and that was the first time lost of guys have been through of finding ways to get into scoring areas a little bit better." that." Devils Lightning Hockey

That's two very simple yet broad areas for the Devils to focus on. They Star Ledger LOADED: 04.15.2018 made defensive adjustments in Game 1 after giving up a pair of goals from the slot in the first period, and over the final 40 minutes, they limited the high-danger chances for the Lightning. A turnover at the offensive blue line led to the fourth Lightning goal in the third period, a dagger that squashed any hopes of a Devils comeback. The Devils will look to be smarter with the puck in the neutral zone to set up their own speed and offense while preventing odd-man rushes for the Lightning. A better start Falling behind 2-0 in the first 20 minutes and giving up a third goal to start the second period made Game 1 difficult to win for the Devils, so they'll aim to avoid the tentative start that cost them on Thursday. Part of that will be relying on their own puck movement to make the Lightning defend in their own end, preventing their offense from getting too much sustained pressure early. Devils Lightning Hockey “We need to continue to make smart reads. A lot of it is just reading plays and not being too quick to jump in some situations,” forward Travis Zajac said. "We’re smart players. We’re make the correct reads here going forward and the correct adjustments, and we’ll come out with a better game in Game 2.” One area where the Devils played well during Game 1 in their matchup against the Lightning's top line. Zajac plus fellow Devils forwards Stefan Noesen and Blake Coleman helped limit Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos, keeping them scoreless before Kucherov added an empty netter at the end of the game. But Zajac said the trio of Devils could improve that effort even more with more offensive pressure of their own. "We’ve still got some execution we can be a little better at,” Zajac said. "We did have some time in their end, but we can still be harder in front of the net and battle them a little bit more and be there to get some second and third opportunities I think. There’s another gear for us as a team and as a line.” Playoff hockey has an extra level of physicality, and the Devils saw that in Game 1. Whether they're making and finishing a few more checks to slow down the Lightning in transition, or battling in the front of the net, the Devils want to keep playing that style as the series progresses. “If you just look after Game 1, I think (Kyle Palmieri) had seven hits,” forward Miles Wood said. "It’s definitely a more physical game and that’s what I need to be like to have a factor in the game. They have a lot of skilled D, and if we can keep hitting them when we have the chance, I think it will slow them down a little bit more.” 1091556 New Jersey Devils

How does Cory Schneider's play impact Devils' goalie situation for Game 3?

Updated April 14, 2018 at 8:57 PM; Posted April 14, 2018 at 8:50 PM By Chris Ryan [email protected], NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Devils and coach John Hynes may be facing their first real goalie dilemma of the playoffs. A decision on a starter will likely need to be made entering Game 3 of their Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, based on the play of Cory Schneider in relief of Keith Kinkaid in Saturday's 5-3 Game 2 loss at Amalie Arena. Game 3 will be played at 7:30 p.m. on Monday at Prudential Center in Newark. Kinkaid started both Games 1 and 2, the de facto starter entering the series after his stellar play late in the regular season to get the Devils into the playoffs. In his first postseason appearance with the Devils on Saturday, Schneider stopped all 10 shots he faced in 24:31 of ice time, including one spectacular glove save which robbed a goal from Lightning forward Cedric Paquette. "I thought he played well," Hynes said. "I'm not going to speculate on whether we're going to use him or not use him (in Game 3), but if you're asking me about Cory Schneider's performance tonight, he played very well." 2nd period dooms Devils in Game 2 He entered the game in the second period after Kinkaid gave up five goals on 15 shots. While the numbers didn't look pretty, it was hard to pin any of those goals on directly Kinkaid. A missed assignment led to a clear path to net for Brayden Point on the first goal. The Lightning scored from in front of the crease on two power plays for their second and fifth goals. A Ryan McDonagh shot from the point found the stick of Tyler Johnson in the slot and deflected high over Kinkaid for the third. Devils defenseman Sami Vatanen kicked in a puck while trying to break up a Nikita Kucherov pass in front of the net for the fourth goal. "We had seen enough pucks go in the back of the net, and it's an opportunity to get Cory in a game situation, a difficult situation," Hynes said. "He's worked hard. He's a real important part of our team. Give him an opportunity to get in there, and I thought came in and made some huge saves. He looked good, looked solid. That's a real positive for us moving forward." All things considered, Schneider looked his sharpest since returning from a groin injury on March 1. He needed to reach across the crease to make the glove save after making an initial save on a shot in close, and he prevented dangerous second-chance opportunities on his other saves. "Not an ideal circumstance, but that's part of the game," Schneider said. "You don't get to pick and choose when you get to play. So for me I've got to go out there and do my job, and that's to turn the momentum and keep us in it and give us a chance to fight back. "I thought we did. We did a great job in the third period. Too little, too late, but I think we showed fight. It is what it is. They're a good team at home. They protected home ice, and now we have to go back and try to do the same at our building." Kinkaid earned a long leash after anchoring the Devils' playoff push in March and April, so Hynes could still give him another chance in net for Game 3. But it seems the coach will have more of a real decision to make than he did entering Games 1 and 2.

Star Ledger LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091557 New Jersey Devils Star Ledger LOADED: 04.15.2018 Dismal second period dooms Devils in 5-3 Game 2 loss to Lightning

Abbey Mastracco, Staff Writer, @AbbeyMastracco Published 6:14 p.m. ET April 14, 2018 | Updated 11:05 p.m. ET April 14, 2018

TAMPA, Fla. – It’s not just that the Devils lost the first two games of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, it’s how they lost both: special teams. Saturday afternoon at Amalie Arena, the Devils fell into a 0-2 hole in the series after a 5-3 loss. After Nico Hischier scored to tie the game at 1-1 in the first period, the Devils went down 5-1 before Sami Vatanen scored in the final minute of the second period and Blake Coleman midway through the third. It was an ugly second period that ultimately doomed the Devils. “I’d say we got out-special-team’d tonight,” coach John Hynes said. “They controlled the game in the first half of the game, we controlled the second half of the game." Things got out of hand in a hurry in the second period and the Devils never recovered. They outshot the Lightning, winners of the Eastern Conference, but the 44-25 shot total was deceptive. The Devils went long stretches without the puck, forced to play in their own end for most of the game. There were big hits the Devils didn’t seem ready for, an own-goal and a goalie change. The Devils were able to respond to a first period goal with a tying one to begin the second period knotted at 1, but things unraveled after Tampa Bay scored three goals in the first 6:01. Two of them came with the man- advantage. “We gave up two power play goals there on plays that we knew they were going to try to do,” captain Andy Greene said. “We’ve got to execute better there and take care of the front of the net.” Just 2:44 into the second period Ben Lovejoy chipped over the Tampa Bay bench and into the stands. The penalty proved costly as Alex Killorn scored his first of two power play goals. Tyler Johnson scored at 4:36 to put Tampa Bay up 3-1. Then, in an unfortunate series of events, Vatanen couldn’t clear the crease and toe- picked the puck underneath the pad of his own goalie, Keith Kinkaid. The goal was credited to Nikita Kucherov. Kinkaid was pulled after giving up another power play goal to Killorn at 13:12 in the second. Cory Schnieder came in and stopped all 10 shots he faced. Vatanen later made up for the miscue when he scored to make it 5-2 with 26 seconds remaining in the period. He laid a brutal check on Ryan Callahan, sending him to the dressing room for the rest of the game, then skated untouched down the ice and launched a hard wrist shot past goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. “Sami was a real competitor again tonight, big part of our team and I thought he played real well,” Hynes said. “A tough goal, tough bounce on the one that went into the back of the net, it’s not like something he tried to do. It’s a difficult situation for him. But he was a warrior tonight.” Blake Coleman made it 5-3 with 8:03 left to play and Miles Wood nearly scored a fourth, but the light never went off and a video review determined that the puck never crossed the line. It was a strange start right from the drop. The Devils used seven defensemen and 11 forwards and there was a long stoppage in play just 45 seconds into the game to fix the door to the Lightning bench. A bad change caught Damon Severson, the seventh defenseman, off guard and allowed Brayden Point to score 12:15 into the first period. Just over a minute later at 13:38, Hischier caught a rebound in the slot and buried it for the tie. It was the first of what looks to be many playoff goals to come. The rookie, all of 19 years and 100 days old, became the youngest player in franchise history to score a postseason goal. Aside from a few good shifts in the third period, it was the lone highlight in an otherwise bleak performance. "They scored when they had their pushes," Hynes said. "We didn't score when we had ours." 1091558 New Jersey Devils

Will the Devils' use Cory Schneider instead of Keith Kinkaid in Game 3?

Abbey Mastracco, Staff Writer, @AbbeyMastracco Published 8:25 p.m. ET April 14, 2018 | Updated 11:09 p.m. ET April 14, 2018

TAMPA, Fla. – There are lots of problems the Devils need to fix going into Game 3 of their Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, so goaltending might not be a priority at the moment. Getting better coverage in front of the goalie is probably higher on the list. But after Keith Kinkaid was pulled in the second period of Saturday’s 5-3 Game 2 loss, many want to know if that item is, in fact, on the list. Kinkaid got the hook just over 33 minutes into the game, after giving up his fifth goal and his second on the power play to Alex Killorn. Schneider, who hadn’t played in the postseason since 2013, stopped all 10 shots he faced. He faced a flurry of them early in the third period and was even knocked in the head by the butt of one of his own teammate’s sticks. It was the kind of relief performance you’d expect from someone who began the year as the team’s No. 1 goalie. “My main objective was to keep us in it and not give up that next one,” he said. “Sometimes you’ve got to make a few saves to do that. It felt good to make a save or two like that going in, but at the same time it doesn’t change what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to feel good about my game and my team’s game.” Maybe it was the rest, considering Schneider hasn’t played in a week, or maybe it was veteran poise, but Schneider showed that he was active and engaged right from the start and looked more like the Schneider of old than the Schneider who yielded to Kinkaid after returning from an injury in February. He had no trouble locking in, feeding off the adrenaline of the playoff atmosphere. “It’s the playoffs, it’s required. You can’t be unprepared, even if you’re the backup goalie,” he said. “Just because you’re not starting doesn’t mean you’re not going to get called upon, you see it all the time in the playoffs. You have to come in with a high intensity level, you don’t really get to work your way into it because you don’t really get to pick and choose when you play. I tried to be ready for it and just mentally engaged and locked in as soon as I stepped on to the ice.” Kinkaid has now allowed nine goals in two games. But the thing is, the skaters in front of him are still blaming themselves. Slot coverage was almost non-existent for the second straight game and one of those goals he let in was an own-goal of sorts, as defenseman Sami Vatanen couldn’t clear the puck out of the crease with Kinkaid’s pad there and as a result, he accidentally toe-picked it over the goal line. So, now the question is whether or not the Devils will consider making a switch in Game 3. A change in net can spark something in a team and the Devils desperately need a spark. But Kinkaid also earned his starting role and the Devils have been adamant about that. Coach John Hynes said he’s not ready to get into a discussion about changing goalies yet. Schneider didn’t care to discuss it either, only saying that if his name is called on, he’ll be ready to lead his team out on to the ice. “Look, you always want to play, you always want to start,” Schneider said. “Keith did what he could tonight and not a lot of guys are going to make saves on those goals. They made a lot of skilled plays. He’s a big reason why we’re in this position. But with that said, if Coach comes back and says 'We’ll need you to go,' I’ll be ready and excited.”

Star Ledger LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091559 New Jersey Devils

Devils morning notes: Could lineup changes be on the way for Game 2?

Abbey Mastracco, Staff Writer, @AbbeyMastracco Published 11:22 a.m. ET April 14, 2018

TAMPA - It’s game day in South Florida but the Devils aren’t on the ice. At least not yet. With a 3 p.m. local start time for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round series between the Devils and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the devils skipped the morning skate in favor of some extra sleep and sun. Coach John Hynes will address the media at 1 p.m. So, you’re probably wondering about the lineup. They shuffled things in practice on Friday and had guys skating in some strange trios. The only player who did not skate on Friday at Amalie Arena was defenseman Sami Vatanen, who had a maintenance day after chewing big minutes in Game 1. Hynes said he was mulling some line changes, but the changes wouldn’t be as drastic as the ones we saw in practice on Friday. A few players said there’s nothing to read into Brian Boyle skating on the top line or Jesper Bratt drawing in for practice, they were just mixing things up for practice. Bratt, Jimmy Hayes, Drew Stafford, Steven Santini, Eddie Lack and Marcus Johansson skated late, indicating they would be scratched. Johansson still has not been cleared to play and it’s unlikely he’ll get into this series. It didn’t look like Damon Severson was skating with the starters but he might be one to keep an eye on. Devils coach John Hynes talks about the nerves of some of the rookies who played in their first playoff games and their heightened emotions.

Star Ledger LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091563 New Jersey Devils It’s only one game in, of course, but here is a reminder that the Capitals, in the Alex Ovechkin Era, have lost seven series while holding home-ice advantage over the past 10 years. That includes three in the first round Scott Stevens is just the leader the Rangers need and four in the second round. I overlooked it because it happened toward the end of what had been a miserable and traumatic season, but the Rangers, having just 17 able- By Larry Brooks April 15, 2018 | 12:42am bodied players on site and ready to go in New Jersey for Game 80 following a pregame mishap, symbolized the lack of attention and slippage in detail that marked too much of the year, and that must be corrected. If the Rangers are seeking a coach who can teach while re-establishing a no-nonsense culture and hard-edged identity on Broadway, then At this point, the Rangers need Ilya Kovalchuk more than Kovalchuk management should simply look across the river to where Scott Stevens needs the Rangers. And certainly neither side can commit to the other lives. until the Blueshirts have a coach in place. The Devils logo that the Greatest 100 defenseman wore on his chest Not that Kovalchuk, who comes off the voluntary retired list and thus while winning those three Stanley Cups from 1995-2003 should not becomes an unrestricted free agent as of his 35th birthday on Sunday, disqualify Stevens from consideration for the job. That stuff became can’t afford to wait. inconsequential once quintessential Montreal defenseman Jacques Laperriere showed up behind the bench in Boston as an assistant in the Michael Grabner’s largely unproductive stint with the Devils — two goals late 1990s. on 36 shots for a 5.6 shooting percentage in 21 games following his 52 goals on 293 shots for 17.7 in 135 games as a Ranger — probably will Bringing it closer to home, the reason Bryan Trottier failed in his short run thin the field attempting to sign the Austrian Express as a free agent and on Broadway had nothing to do with his Islanders heritage and thus make a Broadway encore a more feasible proposition. everything to do with his ill fit for the job. That would have been so in Colorado, Pittsburgh or on Long Island. Though it is safe to figure on Grabner doubling his current $1.65 million salary, the question is whether the Blueshirts would be willing to go three The future of the Rangers rests largely on the organization’s ability to of four years for the winger, who will turn 31 during training camp. identify and develop young defensemen. General manager Jeff Gorton and his personnel department are responsible for the first part of the equation. If Libor Hajek, Ryan Lindgren, Yegor Rykov, Neal Pionk and John Gilmour are the wrong guys, then the road back to contention will New York Post LOADED: 04.15.2018 be a long and winding one. And that is the road merely to playoff contention. If management has correctly identified these defensemen as prospects, then the responsibility falls on the coaching staff to teach and develop them, individually and within a team structure designed to suppress shots and chances. That applies to Brady Skjei and Tony DeAngelo as much as the previously cited blueliners. Stevens, with experience as an assistant with the Devils and the Wild, is the ultimate teacher. Remember, he was taught himself by the best: . But Stevens is also a student of the game. He is a stickler for detail. No one understands more about the importance of preparation and of work ethic. The man is the embodiment of winning hockey culture, an individual who commands the respect of any room he walks into, from the moment he walks into it. There is no slam-dunk hire here for the Rangers. The absence of an obvious alternative was a primary reason management did not move out Alain Vigneault in October. It is not 1978, when Fred Shero was there to be taken (at the cost of a first-rounder, by the way) or 1993, when was an automatic. Gorton is being open-minded here, willing to consider hiring a coach out of college — Denver’s Jim Montgomery is believed the most advanced candidate out of that subsection — even if there only have been four men ever to go from the NCAA to the NHL, with the Flyers’ Dave Hakstol the first to make the jump since Badger Bob Johnson went from Wisconsin to Calgary in 1982. Stevens, who is brilliant breaking down the game in his role on the NHL Network, left the Wild last summer after one (very successful) season on Bruce Boudreau’s staff because he missed his family, which had remained in New Jersey. Maybe Stevens isn’t up for such an all- consuming job. But Gorton should find out. The Rangers are looking for a leader. They are looking for a teacher. If they look across the Hudson, they will find both of them in one. A year after going low on Alex Ovechkin in round one of the playoffs, the Maple Leafs’ Nazem Kadri went low on Rick Nash, right at No. 61’s knee, and somehow escaped without a penalty for the malicious deed in Game 1 in Boston on Thursday. The Leafs center did not escape without punishment for his reckless run at Tommy Wingels later in the match, earning every minute of the three- game suspension he received for his leaping headshot. Not a good start for Toronto or for Kadri, but a very good start for George Parros and the NHL disciplinary committee. We will stipulate that Mike Babcock knows his team a little bit better than Slap Shots does, but the Toronto coach honestly thinks he has a better chance with Tomas Plekanec as fourth-line center rather than Dominic Moore? 1091564 New Jersey Devils It’s only one game in, of course, but here is a reminder that the Capitals, in the Alex Ovechkin Era, have lost seven series while holding home-ice advantage over the past 10 years. That includes three in the first round Scott Stevens is just the leader the Rangers need and four in the second round. I overlooked it because it happened toward the end of what had been a miserable and traumatic season, but the Rangers, having just 17 able- By Larry Brooks April 15, 2018 | 12:42am bodied players on site and ready to go in New Jersey for Game 80 following a pregame mishap, symbolized the lack of attention and slippage in detail that marked too much of the year, and that must be corrected. If the Rangers are seeking a coach who can teach while re-establishing a no-nonsense culture and hard-edged identity on Broadway, then At this point, the Rangers need Ilya Kovalchuk more than Kovalchuk management should simply look across the river to where Scott Stevens needs the Rangers. And certainly neither side can commit to the other lives. until the Blueshirts have a coach in place. The Devils logo that the Greatest 100 defenseman wore on his chest Not that Kovalchuk, who comes off the voluntary retired list and thus while winning those three Stanley Cups from 1995-2003 should not becomes an unrestricted free agent as of his 35th birthday on Sunday, disqualify Stevens from consideration for the job. That stuff became can’t afford to wait. inconsequential once quintessential Montreal defenseman Jacques Laperriere showed up behind the bench in Boston as an assistant in the Michael Grabner’s largely unproductive stint with the Devils — two goals late 1990s. on 36 shots for a 5.6 shooting percentage in 21 games following his 52 goals on 293 shots for 17.7 in 135 games as a Ranger — probably will Bringing it closer to home, the reason Bryan Trottier failed in his short run thin the field attempting to sign the Austrian Express as a free agent and on Broadway had nothing to do with his Islanders heritage and thus make a Broadway encore a more feasible proposition. everything to do with his ill fit for the job. That would have been so in Colorado, Pittsburgh or on Long Island. Though it is safe to figure on Grabner doubling his current $1.65 million salary, the question is whether the Blueshirts would be willing to go three The future of the Rangers rests largely on the organization’s ability to of four years for the winger, who will turn 31 during training camp. identify and develop young defensemen. General manager Jeff Gorton and his personnel department are responsible for the first part of the equation. If Libor Hajek, Ryan Lindgren, Yegor Rykov, Neal Pionk and John Gilmour are the wrong guys, then the road back to contention will New York Post LOADED: 04.15.2018 be a long and winding one. And that is the road merely to playoff contention. If management has correctly identified these defensemen as prospects, then the responsibility falls on the coaching staff to teach and develop them, individually and within a team structure designed to suppress shots and chances. That applies to Brady Skjei and Tony DeAngelo as much as the previously cited blueliners. Stevens, with experience as an assistant with the Devils and the Wild, is the ultimate teacher. Remember, he was taught himself by the best: Larry Robinson. But Stevens is also a student of the game. He is a stickler for detail. No one understands more about the importance of preparation and of work ethic. The man is the embodiment of winning hockey culture, an individual who commands the respect of any room he walks into, from the moment he walks into it. There is no slam-dunk hire here for the Rangers. The absence of an obvious alternative was a primary reason management did not move out Alain Vigneault in October. It is not 1978, when Fred Shero was there to be taken (at the cost of a first-rounder, by the way) or 1993, when Mike Keenan was an automatic. Gorton is being open-minded here, willing to consider hiring a coach out of college — Denver’s Jim Montgomery is believed the most advanced candidate out of that subsection — even if there only have been four men ever to go from the NCAA to the NHL, with the Flyers’ Dave Hakstol the first to make the jump since Badger Bob Johnson went from Wisconsin to Calgary in 1982. Stevens, who is brilliant breaking down the game in his role on the NHL Network, left the Wild last summer after one (very successful) season on Bruce Boudreau’s staff because he missed his family, which had remained in New Jersey. Maybe Stevens isn’t up for such an all- consuming job. But Gorton should find out. The Rangers are looking for a leader. They are looking for a teacher. If they look across the Hudson, they will find both of them in one. A year after going low on Alex Ovechkin in round one of the playoffs, the Maple Leafs’ Nazem Kadri went low on Rick Nash, right at No. 61’s knee, and somehow escaped without a penalty for the malicious deed in Game 1 in Boston on Thursday. The Leafs center did not escape without punishment for his reckless run at Tommy Wingels later in the match, earning every minute of the three- game suspension he received for his leaping headshot. Not a good start for Toronto or for Kadri, but a very good start for George Parros and the NHL disciplinary committee. We will stipulate that Mike Babcock knows his team a little bit better than Slap Shots does, but the Toronto coach honestly thinks he has a better chance with Tomas Plekanec as fourth-line center rather than Dominic Moore? 1091565 New Jersey Devils

Devils are in a hole and may have a goalie controversy brewing

Staff Report By Associated Press April 14, 2018 | 8:31PM

TAMPA, Fla. — This isn’t the Keith Kinkaid the Devils were relying on during the stretch run of the regular season, and now they are in a hole. Alex Killorn scored twice during a four-goal second period, helping the Lightning beat the Devils 5-3 on Saturday in Game 2 in the first round of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series. The Atlantic Division champions scored three times in a 2:47 span in the second period, and the reeling Devils pulled their starting goalie after Killorn’s third goal in two games made it 5-1 with 6:48 remaining in the period. Kinkaid, whose stellar play since January helped the Devils finish strong and claim its first playoff berth since 2012, yielded five goals on 15 shots. Goalie Cory Schneider came off the bench to help the Devils stay in the game with 10 saves, nine in the final period. Devils coach John Hynes wasn’t ready to discuss whether he willchange starting goaltenders for the next game. Kinkaid was a big part of New Jersey’s success after Schneider went down with groin and hip injuries in January, earning the right to start his first playoff series. “I thought Cory came in and played really well,” Hynes said. “I’m not going to speculate on whether we’re going to use him or not use him.” Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson also scored for Tampa Bay, which is up 2-0 in the series after going 0-2-1 against the Devils during the regular season. Game 3 is Monday night at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Devils have played well in spurts, overcoming slow starts to keep both games interesting. “There’s a lot of good things in our game to like,” Devils leading scorer Taylor Hall said. “It’s a long series. They still have to win two more to put us out, and we’re going to battle on home ice to get that back.” Hynes echoed that sentiment. “We have to embrace the fact that we’re down 2-0,” Hynes said. “What I mean by that is we can say we had strong pushes in certain things, but I think we did take a step tonight. We have to win one game. We’ve got to play good once, and we’ve got to have that on Monday.” Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 41 shots, limiting the Devils to rookie Nico Hischier’s unassisted goal in the opening period, Sami Vatanen’s sixth career playoff goal late in the second, Blake Coleman’s third-period tally that trimmed Tampa Bay’s lead to 5-3 with eight minutes left. “We did bend a little bit in the third but didn’t break, so it’s a good feeling to be up 2-0,” Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said. “You’ve got to win the game. That’s the bottom line.” Five players scored in the Lightning’s 5-2 victory in Game 1, with just one of the goals coming from the team’s top line of Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and J.T. Miller — Kucherov’s empty-netter with a little over a minute remaining. Tampa Bay’s second and third lines once again did most of the damage, with Point scoring at 12:15 of the first period and Killorn, Johnson and Kucherov adding goals during a three-minute stretch of the second to build a 4-1 lead. Both of Killorn’s goals came on power plays. Kucherov’s second of the series deflected off Vatanen’s stick into New Jersey’s net. Vasilevskiy stopped 29 of 31 shots in the opener and was outstanding again Saturday, when New Jersey outshot the Lightning 44-25. Hirschier was the Devils’ second-leading scorer during the regular season with 52 points, 41 fewer than Hall. At 19 years, 100 days, he became the youngest player in franchise history to score a playoff goal. … Lightning RW Ryan Callahan left the game late in the second period with an upper body injury and did not return.

New York Post LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091566 New York Islanders Outlook: As bad as the Mets can be in their down years, they do usually find a way to figure things out once every 7-10 years. And in baseball, if you can get in … Analyzing 6 NYC teams battling through long title droughts Rangers Last championship season: 1993-94. Active drought: 24 years. Last, best By Mike Vaccaro April 14, 2018 | 11:55PM shot to end drought: 2014. Next best shot: If things go according to plan …

Outlook: My guess is the Rangers will be the first of the drought-afflicted We should take note that we live in a time of danger for sporting New York teams that will taste champagne again, and nowhere near the droughts. It’s almost as if the sporting deities who legislate such things 54 years they had to wait last time. finally wearied of listening to the whining of self-styled “long-suffering” fans, threw up their arms and said enough is enough. As for the others … there’s no way to classify the Devils (15 years), Yankees (9) and Giants (7) as being in droughts. And there’s no easy Since 2004, the Red Sox ended a World Series dry spell of 86 years, the way to break the news to other fans that all three may well be situated for White Sox ended one of 88 years, the Cubs ended one of 108 years. championship runs before any of the desert-dwellers. So don’t tell them. Cleveland’s Indians (66 years) and Browns (53) are still in the throes of title thirst, but at least the city’s all-sports suffering was ended at 51 by We all have that one song that affected you the first time you heard it and the Cavaliers two years ago. stays with you no matter how many times you hear it. For me, that song has always been Elton John’s “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters.” On the The Eagles won their first Super Bowl, cutting off their drought at 57, new John tribute album, “Revamp,” the Killers do a version of that song despite the fact there were a lot of Philly fans who just assumed they that is simply breathtaking, and captures every syllable of the spirit of a would be a shoo-in to match the Cubbies eventually. This should all be 46-year-old tune. good news for us in New York, where we harbor plenty of teams with long droughts, and others who, relatively speaking, only feel like it’s been Adding Sonny Gray to the Yankees-Red Sox mix, from a pace-of-play as long. standpoint, is like spraying lighter fluid onto “The Towering Inferno.” Will the legislators of these things allow New York’s longest-suffering How big a headache must Dez Bryant be if the Cowboys — the long-sufferers to join the growing roster of how-about-that Jinx Busters? Cowboys! — don’t think he’s worth the headache anymore? Let’s take a peek starting with the driest of the drought-starved clubs, and Here is a name that should absolutely be on the list of folks the Knicks see what we can do: want to talk to this week: Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool. And Jets since you will eventually discover where he went to school, I would ask: How did things work out the last time the Knicks hired a St. Bonaventure Last championship season: 1968. Active drought: 49 years. Last, best guy? And I will answer that for you: It was Eddie Donovan. It worked out shot to end drought: 1998. Next best shot: Sometime between 60 and 70 pretty well. years. I’m feeling optimistic. Mike Sullivan: As a Bronx-born Red Sox fan, I spent many a decade in Outlook: Well, in some contexts reaching 50 is a good thing, right? Home despair. Now in my later years my Bosox are truly enjoyable to watch. If runs in a season. Goals in an NHL season (time was, anyway). NBA Price and Porcello have good years, the Sox will be hard to beat. For the victories. Unfortunately, the Jets are just about a shoo-in to become Yankees to have a chance, their starters have to perform much better to quinquagenarians, with a darn good chance to ultimately become hand off leads to their great . sexagenarians, which sounds like they should be a very good thing but in this case they’re just … very … depressing. Vac: The rotation is definitely where the Sox have shown the most early speed. If Porcello is closer to 2016 form than 2017, that really could carry Knicks them. Last championship season: 1972-73. Active drought: 45 years. Last, best Ken Schlapp: One positive if the Knicks hire Mark Jackson is not having shot to end drought: 1994. Next best shot: Maybe someone can to hear him on broadcasts anymore. repurpose “Go, Cubs, go!” into “Go, Knicks, go?” Vac: I’ll put it this way: To me, anyway, a little Jax on those broadcasts Outlook: It isn’t just that Knicks fans, to a person, seem more depressed goes a long way. than at any other point in their recent history, it’s that they seem like the most depressed fans of any team in our town. And with reason. It just @MattZemek: What the Knicks need is a fan revolt in which no one feels like there are permanent haves in the NBA and permanent have- shows up to games, humiliating James Dolan into selling the team. nots, and the Knicks will need some kind of miracle to ever escape the @MikeVacc: Just making a dent in capacity that is still well over 90 latter. I hope I’m wrong. percent for a dreadful season is the first step in that one. Nets Jeffery Moritz: Crazy world of Knicks : They race wildly to the Last championship season: 1975-76. Active drought: 42 years. Last, best bottom and then screw that up. Their rebuilding is like repairs on the 59th shot to end drought: 2002. Next best shot: 10 years, minimum. Street Bridge — perpetual and badly managed. Please freeze the envelope in the lottery basket again as we really do need another Outlook: The Nets are, in some ways, lucky because a) they are not the miracle. Knicks; b) they play in Brooklyn; c) they are not the Knicks. They are probably frustrated at not being able to make more inroads in the Knicks’ Vac: And thus is life as a Knicks fan summarized perfectly in 46 words. fan base, and have so far squandered a great opportunity to take advantage of the Knicks’ unyielding woe. But at least they get to do it in the quiet of an outer borough. New York Post LOADED: 04.15.2018 Islanders Last championship season: 1982-83. Active drought: 35 years. Last, best shot to end drought: 1993. Next best shot: Is the Twelfth of Never too mean? Outlook: There is really only one question that matters: Can the Isles re- sign John Tavares? If so there will always be hope, because there will always be that foundational building block. If not, the Islanders will quickly become the most unwelcome group to move into Nassau County since the Buttafuoco family bought their house in Massapequa. Mets Last championship season: 1986. Active drought: 32 years. Last, best shot to end drought: 2015. Next best shot: Mickey Magic anyone? 1091567 New York Islanders cauldron that is Toronto. Ditto for Montreal. And, sorry Rangers fans, Tavares isn’t headed to Broadway.

How the Islanders can save (some) face What you need to know about the Islanders-John Tavares situation If the Islanders come to the conclusion that Tavares does not intend to return, there’s still time to acquire some assets for him. First, the By Andrew Gross Islanders could trade the rights to Tavares to a team that believes it can strike a deal with him prior to July 1. In this scenario, the return will not be [email protected] @AGrossNewsday nearly as great as what the Islanders could have brought back by the Feb. 26 deadline. For instance, the Rangers actually traded the rights to Updated April 14, 2018 7:10 PM Hall of Fame defenseman Brian Leetch to the Oilers just prior to the free agent market opening in 2003 in exchange for backup goalie Jussi

Markkanen and a fourth-round pick. In that instance, the Rangers wound The Islanders’ window to sign John Tavares to an extension opened on up re-signing Leetch, as well. Another option would be a sign-and-trade, July 1, 2017. much more common to the NBA than the NHL. The benefit to Tavares here is that he could sign an eight-year deal with the Islanders while the Now, his career with the franchise that selected him first overall in the Collective Bargaining Agreement limits him to a maximum seven-year 2009 NHL Draft may end this July 1 when Tavares could become the deal with another team. Plus, the Islanders should get a decent package most valuable unrestricted free agent to ever hit the open market. back for him in this scenario. Understand generational talents such as Tavares — think , Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Wayne Gretzky in his prime, and Steven Stamkos — just don’t make it to the yearly July 1 deadline without Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.15.2018 a deal. The Islanders’ ownership and general manager Garth Snow are clearly betting on themselves as they risked losing the organization’s most valuable asset for nothing by not moving Tavares by the Feb. 26 trade deadline. Tavares has repeatedly said he hopes to remain an Islander. Snow has repeatedly said he envisions Tavares retiring an Islander. But the odds that Tavares departs increase daily as the July 1 opening of the free agent market approaches. Here’s what you need to know about the situation: What it’ll cost It’s believed Tavares will garner around $10.5 million annually. There will be no hometown discount after completing a six-year, $33-million deal with the Islanders. The case for Tavares staying Tavares has been impressively tight-lipped about this process but he’s been waiting to see whether the Islanders finally will have some franchise stability. The team announced this season it’s planning on moving to a new arena at Belmont Park, built with hockey in mind, for the 2021-22 season. Tavares, in his own even-keel, monotone speaking manner, has expressed excitement over being a teammate of dynamic rookie center Mathew Barzal and anticipation over what he and Barzal can accomplish together. Plus, Tavares has a strong relationship with both Snow and coach Doug Weight, and seems to be comfortable as a Long Island resident. The case for Tavares departing Tavares will be 31 by the time the Islanders’ new arena is scheduled to open and potentially past his hockey prime. And while he may be excited about having Barzal as a teammate, it’s likely he’s not as impressed with how Snow has constructed the Islanders defensively. Snow, on the job since July 18, 2006, has certainly had time to build a strong team around his centerpiece but Tavares has played in just 24 playoff games over three appearances since his rookie season of 2009-10. Since the Islanders beat the Panthers in the first round in 2016 — the franchise’s first playoff series win since 1993 — they have missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons. Possible landing spots for Tavares Put another way, which team wouldn’t want Tavares? However, Tavares’ salary cap hit, his presumed preference for being as low key as possible and his stated desire to play for a winner would seem to eliminate some destinations. The Sharks, always in the playoff hunt, seem like a logical landing spot as a Joe Thornton replacement. The chance to play with Vladimir Tarasenko with the Blues may also be very attractive. The expansion Vegas Golden Knights are doing pretty well so far but, based on how far they get in the playoffs, could envision Tavares as a final piece to a Stanley Cup team. The Red Wings are likely to be active bidders as well and the Canucks, losing Henrik and to retirement may try to woo Tavares also. Places Tavares won’t go Much like Stamkos last year, way too much has been written about Tavares, from Mississauga, Ontario, wanting to play for his hometown Maple Leafs. Beyond the fact the Maple Leafs must set aside money for Auston Matthews, Tavares likely wants nothing to do with the media 1091568 New York Rangers It’s only one game in, of course, but here is a reminder that the Capitals, in the Alex Ovechkin Era, have lost seven series while holding home-ice advantage over the past 10 years. That includes three in the first round Scott Stevens is just the leader the Rangers need and four in the second round. I overlooked it because it happened toward the end of what had been a miserable and traumatic season, but the Rangers, having just 17 able- By Larry Brooks April 15, 2018 | 12:42am bodied players on site and ready to go in New Jersey for Game 80 following a pregame mishap, symbolized the lack of attention and slippage in detail that marked too much of the year, and that must be corrected. If the Rangers are seeking a coach who can teach while re-establishing a no-nonsense culture and hard-edged identity on Broadway, then At this point, the Rangers need Ilya Kovalchuk more than Kovalchuk management should simply look across the river to where Scott Stevens needs the Rangers. And certainly neither side can commit to the other lives. until the Blueshirts have a coach in place. The Devils logo that the Greatest 100 defenseman wore on his chest Not that Kovalchuk, who comes off the voluntary retired list and thus while winning those three Stanley Cups from 1995-2003 should not becomes an unrestricted free agent as of his 35th birthday on Sunday, disqualify Stevens from consideration for the job. That stuff became can’t afford to wait. inconsequential once quintessential Montreal defenseman Jacques Laperriere showed up behind the bench in Boston as an assistant in the Michael Grabner’s largely unproductive stint with the Devils — two goals late 1990s. on 36 shots for a 5.6 shooting percentage in 21 games following his 52 goals on 293 shots for 17.7 in 135 games as a Ranger — probably will Bringing it closer to home, the reason Bryan Trottier failed in his short run thin the field attempting to sign the Austrian Express as a free agent and on Broadway had nothing to do with his Islanders heritage and thus make a Broadway encore a more feasible proposition. everything to do with his ill fit for the job. That would have been so in Colorado, Pittsburgh or on Long Island. Though it is safe to figure on Grabner doubling his current $1.65 million salary, the question is whether the Blueshirts would be willing to go three The future of the Rangers rests largely on the organization’s ability to of four years for the winger, who will turn 31 during training camp. identify and develop young defensemen. General manager Jeff Gorton and his personnel department are responsible for the first part of the equation. If Libor Hajek, Ryan Lindgren, Yegor Rykov, Neal Pionk and John Gilmour are the wrong guys, then the road back to contention will New York Post LOADED: 04.15.2018 be a long and winding one. And that is the road merely to playoff contention. If management has correctly identified these defensemen as prospects, then the responsibility falls on the coaching staff to teach and develop them, individually and within a team structure designed to suppress shots and chances. That applies to Brady Skjei and Tony DeAngelo as much as the previously cited blueliners. Stevens, with experience as an assistant with the Devils and the Wild, is the ultimate teacher. Remember, he was taught himself by the best: Larry Robinson. But Stevens is also a student of the game. He is a stickler for detail. No one understands more about the importance of preparation and of work ethic. The man is the embodiment of winning hockey culture, an individual who commands the respect of any room he walks into, from the moment he walks into it. There is no slam-dunk hire here for the Rangers. The absence of an obvious alternative was a primary reason management did not move out Alain Vigneault in October. It is not 1978, when Fred Shero was there to be taken (at the cost of a first-rounder, by the way) or 1993, when Mike Keenan was an automatic. Gorton is being open-minded here, willing to consider hiring a coach out of college — Denver’s Jim Montgomery is believed the most advanced candidate out of that subsection — even if there only have been four men ever to go from the NCAA to the NHL, with the Flyers’ Dave Hakstol the first to make the jump since Badger Bob Johnson went from Wisconsin to Calgary in 1982. Stevens, who is brilliant breaking down the game in his role on the NHL Network, left the Wild last summer after one (very successful) season on Bruce Boudreau’s staff because he missed his family, which had remained in New Jersey. Maybe Stevens isn’t up for such an all- consuming job. But Gorton should find out. The Rangers are looking for a leader. They are looking for a teacher. If they look across the Hudson, they will find both of them in one. A year after going low on Alex Ovechkin in round one of the playoffs, the Maple Leafs’ Nazem Kadri went low on Rick Nash, right at No. 61’s knee, and somehow escaped without a penalty for the malicious deed in Game 1 in Boston on Thursday. The Leafs center did not escape without punishment for his reckless run at Tommy Wingels later in the match, earning every minute of the three- game suspension he received for his leaping headshot. Not a good start for Toronto or for Kadri, but a very good start for George Parros and the NHL disciplinary committee. We will stipulate that Mike Babcock knows his team a little bit better than Slap Shots does, but the Toronto coach honestly thinks he has a better chance with Tomas Plekanec as fourth-line center rather than Dominic Moore? 1091569 New York Rangers Outlook: As bad as the Mets can be in their down years, they do usually find a way to figure things out once every 7-10 years. And in baseball, if you can get in … Analyzing 6 NYC teams battling through long title droughts Rangers Last championship season: 1993-94. Active drought: 24 years. Last, best By Mike Vaccaro April 14, 2018 | 11:55PM shot to end drought: 2014. Next best shot: If things go according to plan …

Outlook: My guess is the Rangers will be the first of the drought-afflicted We should take note that we live in a time of danger for sporting New York teams that will taste champagne again, and nowhere near the droughts. It’s almost as if the sporting deities who legislate such things 54 years they had to wait last time. finally wearied of listening to the whining of self-styled “long-suffering” fans, threw up their arms and said enough is enough. As for the others … there’s no way to classify the Devils (15 years), Yankees (9) and Giants (7) as being in droughts. And there’s no easy Since 2004, the Red Sox ended a World Series dry spell of 86 years, the way to break the news to other fans that all three may well be situated for White Sox ended one of 88 years, the Cubs ended one of 108 years. championship runs before any of the desert-dwellers. So don’t tell them. Cleveland’s Indians (66 years) and Browns (53) are still in the throes of title thirst, but at least the city’s all-sports suffering was ended at 51 by We all have that one song that affected you the first time you heard it and the Cavaliers two years ago. stays with you no matter how many times you hear it. For me, that song has always been Elton John’s “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters.” On the The Eagles won their first Super Bowl, cutting off their drought at 57, new John tribute album, “Revamp,” the Killers do a version of that song despite the fact there were a lot of Philly fans who just assumed they that is simply breathtaking, and captures every syllable of the spirit of a would be a shoo-in to match the Cubbies eventually. This should all be 46-year-old tune. good news for us in New York, where we harbor plenty of teams with long droughts, and others who, relatively speaking, only feel like it’s been Adding Sonny Gray to the Yankees-Red Sox mix, from a pace-of-play as long. standpoint, is like spraying lighter fluid onto “The Towering Inferno.” Will the legislators of these things allow New York’s longest-suffering How big a headache must Dez Bryant be if the Cowboys — the long-sufferers to join the growing roster of how-about-that Jinx Busters? Cowboys! — don’t think he’s worth the headache anymore? Let’s take a peek starting with the driest of the drought-starved clubs, and Here is a name that should absolutely be on the list of folks the Knicks see what we can do: want to talk to this week: Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool. And Jets since you will eventually discover where he went to school, I would ask: How did things work out the last time the Knicks hired a St. Bonaventure Last championship season: 1968. Active drought: 49 years. Last, best guy? And I will answer that for you: It was Eddie Donovan. It worked out shot to end drought: 1998. Next best shot: Sometime between 60 and 70 pretty well. years. I’m feeling optimistic. Mike Sullivan: As a Bronx-born Red Sox fan, I spent many a decade in Outlook: Well, in some contexts reaching 50 is a good thing, right? Home despair. Now in my later years my Bosox are truly enjoyable to watch. If runs in a season. Goals in an NHL season (time was, anyway). NBA Price and Porcello have good years, the Sox will be hard to beat. For the victories. Unfortunately, the Jets are just about a shoo-in to become Yankees to have a chance, their starters have to perform much better to quinquagenarians, with a darn good chance to ultimately become hand off leads to their great bullpen. sexagenarians, which sounds like they should be a very good thing but in this case they’re just … very … depressing. Vac: The rotation is definitely where the Sox have shown the most early speed. If Porcello is closer to 2016 form than 2017, that really could carry Knicks them. Last championship season: 1972-73. Active drought: 45 years. Last, best Ken Schlapp: One positive if the Knicks hire Mark Jackson is not having shot to end drought: 1994. Next best shot: Maybe someone can to hear him on broadcasts anymore. repurpose “Go, Cubs, go!” into “Go, Knicks, go?” Vac: I’ll put it this way: To me, anyway, a little Jax on those broadcasts Outlook: It isn’t just that Knicks fans, to a person, seem more depressed goes a long way. than at any other point in their recent history, it’s that they seem like the most depressed fans of any team in our town. And with reason. It just @MattZemek: What the Knicks need is a fan revolt in which no one feels like there are permanent haves in the NBA and permanent have- shows up to games, humiliating James Dolan into selling the team. nots, and the Knicks will need some kind of miracle to ever escape the @MikeVacc: Just making a dent in capacity that is still well over 90 latter. I hope I’m wrong. percent for a dreadful season is the first step in that one. Nets Jeffery Moritz: Crazy world of Knicks basketball: They race wildly to the Last championship season: 1975-76. Active drought: 42 years. Last, best bottom and then screw that up. Their rebuilding is like repairs on the 59th shot to end drought: 2002. Next best shot: 10 years, minimum. Street Bridge — perpetual and badly managed. Please freeze the envelope in the lottery basket again as we really do need another Outlook: The Nets are, in some ways, lucky because a) they are not the miracle. Knicks; b) they play in Brooklyn; c) they are not the Knicks. They are probably frustrated at not being able to make more inroads in the Knicks’ Vac: And thus is life as a Knicks fan summarized perfectly in 46 words. fan base, and have so far squandered a great opportunity to take advantage of the Knicks’ unyielding woe. But at least they get to do it in the quiet of an outer borough. New York Post LOADED: 04.15.2018 Islanders Last championship season: 1982-83. Active drought: 35 years. Last, best shot to end drought: 1993. Next best shot: Is the Twelfth of Never too mean? Outlook: There is really only one question that matters: Can the Isles re- sign John Tavares? If so there will always be hope, because there will always be that foundational building block. If not, the Islanders will quickly become the most unwelcome group to move into Nassau County since the Buttafuoco family bought their house in Massapequa. Mets Last championship season: 1986. Active drought: 32 years. Last, best shot to end drought: 2015. Next best shot: Mickey Magic anyone? 1091570 Ottawa Senators accumulation of defeats during the 2017-18 season was accompanied by a drop in game-day sales.

The average attendance of 15,829 is the lowest since the franchise Where did the fans go and how do the Ottawa Senators win them back? moved to Kanata from the Civic Centre in 1995-96, down from 16,744 in 2016-17 and 18,084 a year before that. In the 31-team NHL, the Senators ranked 24th, a far cry from the days when they routinely Ken Warren finished among the top half. Ten years ago, they averaged 19,821, third-best in the league, boosted by that season-ticket base of 13,000. A few weeks back, the Pope of Saturday Night hockey, , opined that the Ottawa Senators franchise might be better off somewhere Somehow, the Senators must find a way to regain trust from fans or add else. some flash to the package of going to games in order to bring more people out. That’s an enormous challenge, given the circumstances. Cherry doesn’t know this market well, but the sting was felt just the same as he essentially blamed Senators fans for not buying enough tickets. We’ve heard from many long-term season-ticket holders who say they’re waiting before renewing for next season. Accurate or not, that view is shared by many other outsiders. Chief among their concerns is whether Karlsson will return. At the town We’ll get to the dismal attendance numbers from the 2017-18 National halls, Melnyk and general manager Pierre Dorion also talked about a Hockey League season and the fact the next few seasons will be a test three- to five-year plan to create a situation where the team would be a of fans’ patience in a moment. perennial playoff team. As for the impression of the market from afar, it’s largely based on what In short, that means relying more on younger and largely untested happened last spring, when fans received international attention for all players. The payoff could indeed be promising if players such as Thomas the wrong reasons. Chabot, Colin White, Drake Batherson, Logan Brown and Filip Gustavsson reach their potential. For many, unfortunately, the story line wasn’t about the Senators’ crazy run through the Eastern Conference playoffs, where they knocked off the From a developmental point of view, it is the right strategy. All around Boston Bruins and New York Rangers and came within a whisker and a them, the Senators have watched rivals get younger and faster, and they Chris Kunitz knuckler from doing the same to the Pittsburgh Penguins need to catch that wave. and reaching the Stanley Cup final. But will fans buy into the idea of watching while waiting for a better Instead, for some the talk was about how the Senators failed to sell out tomorrow? two of nine post-season games at Canadian Tire Centre. Game 1 against the Rangers drew only 16,744. The crowd for Game 6 versus the Melnyk has taken some steps. He has made season-ticket holders feel Penguins — which turned out to be the final home game of the season — as if they were being listened to with the three town halls. (Kudos to was 18,111, a few hundred shy of a sellout. those who asked Melnyk to address the toughest questions surrounding the franchise.) The spring of 2017 marked the deepest the Senators had gone in the playoffs since their only Stanley Cup final appearance in 2007. If they The parking prices are going down. An effort is being made to reduce had advanced past the Penguins, the performance of captain Erik traffic jams, hoping to stagger the arrival and departure of fans, by Karlsson would have made him a front-runner to win the Conn Smythe offering specials for early birds and those willing to stay around post- Trophy as playoff MVP. game. Considering all that, why were there empty seats? Melnyk also vowed to make the game-day experience livelier, a nod to more casual fans who may not live or die with every shot on goal. The disaster of the government’s Phoenix pay system was a factor, with thousands in the region paid incorrect amounts and some not at all. That, alone, won’t make people break down the doors to get in, but at We’ve heard about fans’ frustrations over perceived price gouging, this point the Senators need to sell every ticket they can. including increased parking and ticket costs as the Senators went deeper and deeper into the post-season. (On the latter count, it becomes Barring a sudden change in fans’ attitudes, 2018-19 could feature more increasingly expensive anywhere in the NHL as each team’s playoff run low-water attendance marks. continues. We went to Boston, New York and Pittsburgh in April and May Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.15.2018 and we’ve been around the league a few times. Relative to the biggest NHL markets, ticket and parking prices in Ottawa aren’t out of line.) There’s no shortage of distaste for how Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has treated fans and deep concerns about how much commitment there is to building the best possible team. Here, though, is where anti-Melnyk hockey fans might want to ask themselves a question: Did not wanting to put money into the pockets of the owner outweigh the opportunity of seeing the best defenceman in the NHL perform on-ice magic on the biggest stage? Maybe the unique problems of this market, including that strict rules mean federal government departments can’t buy and/or give tickets to employees, that the region is home to few national corporations and that the Redblacks of the League have chipped away at fans’ entertainment budgets, mean Ottawa isn’t big enough to assume playoff sellouts should be a given? Whatever the case, clouds have darkened in the past 11 months. There’s no doubt that Melnyk has taken the fan base for granted. After the extended postseason run in 2017, advertising and promotion was lacking in the summer. The boldest move was putting tarps over 1,500 seats. (At town halls last week, Melnyk acknowledged that decision had been a mistake.) Instead of rising, the season-ticket base dwindled. The Senators don’t reveal numbers, but it’s generally estimated at 6,000-7,000 range, or only 50 per cent of the high water mark of 13,000 following the trip to the 2007 Stanley Cup final. The Senators have never done walk-up crowds well, partly because of the location of Canadian Tire Centre and the parking nightmare. The 1091571 Ottawa Senators around and commented on it. Some of the kids were around too when I was in costume and I was having fun with them too before I went out.”

Commodore: “When he was walking down the hall, I was like, ‘Oh my An oral history of the Ottawa Senators' 2008 playoff pregame gladiator god, this is what it’s come to?’ I felt bad for the guy a little bit. He had his speech lines taped to his shield and way more than half naked. It was just … I’ve watched the video, the whole thing, only once since. I barely made it through one time and like, ‘I’m never watching it again.’ I kind of felt bad Graeme Nichols for the guy. The guy was trying. I feel bad for him. The guy was trying, it wasn’t his fault.” Apr 14, 2018 Tyler Ray, Senators season ticket holder from 2007-2018: “I have a clear memory of looking at my friend Scott, who shared the seats with me, as they had him marching through the players in the hallway and both In 2017, the city of Ottawa had the opportunity to celebrate many things. exchanging a look which conveyed a this might be pretty bad sense of The nation’s capital commemorated Canada’s 150th birthday in style with dread.” a number of events scheduled through the year. The Ottawa Senators Hudson: “They went to the Stanley Cup final the year before. They had were marking their 25th anniversary and their participation in the outdoor (Mike) Fisher and (Dany) Heatley. They had a good team. (Jason) NHL 100 Classic against the rival Montreal Canadiens was used as a Spezza. They had good guys on that team.” platform to honour the nation, this organization and the league’s 100th anniversary. Commodore: “I mean, the cameras were rolling as he was coming out and nobody said anything before the guy. Like yeah, I’m sure we all Today, the Senators can celebrate another historic moment in franchise thought it, but you can’t say anything.” history: the gladiator speech from the team’s pregame ceremony ahead of the Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup versus Mendes: “I remember sitting in the press box next to (TSN’s) Brent the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 14, 2008. Wallace at the time and him and I exchanged looks at each other like, ‘What is going on here?’” With the surging popularity of movies from the early to mid-2000s era like ‘300’, ‘Troy’ and ‘Gladiator’, Gary Hudson, an actor from Newport News, Commodore: “I didn’t know what he was going to say out there, maybe Virginia — whose IMDB page lists 124 credits and appearances in shows he was going be good. I don’t know, but I know he was really, really like Desperate Housewives, Criminal Minds, Blue Mountain State, Wild tanned. He was kind of ripped, but not super ripped. I’m like, I can’t Roses, and Smallville — was hired to portray gladiator and give an believe what I’m watching right now. I was just trying not to laugh impassioned speech to whip the fans into a frenzy. because the camera was right there. It was Game 3 of the playoffs and I can’t be seen looking at this guy and laughing. I’m going to look like a After reaching the 2007 Stanley Cup final, the Senators struggled down total clown on national television.” the stretch in 2007-08 and limped into the postseason, where their poor play continued. The upstart Penguins blew the Senators out of the water Mendes: “If you were in the building that night, you would remember it. in their first two games, winning both and outscoring the Senators 9-3. Ironically, the players could have had a huge boost with the return of Alfredsson to the lineup that night. He was coming back to play with a Staring down a two-game deficit in their best-of-seven series, the torn meniscus and MCL. He was hobbling on one leg that night. And Senators turned to Hudson to give their team a spark. instead of the building being fired up for the captain's return – there was Instead of the intended “This is Sparta!” moment, it was more like, “Is this sort of this awkwardness that hung in the air.” really happening?” Hudson: “When I went out there, the audience was responding well to it.” This is the story how the gladiator speech came to be. Ray: “I know that it was very tough to figure out exactly what was going Gary Hudson, actor: “The whole thing, I was kind of looking forward to it on with the Spartan because it was so loud in the building. Say what you because I became an Ottawa Senators fan. I had done a bunch of will about the atmosphere in the building the majority of the time but in movies in Ottawa. I’m a dual citizen. I spent 14 years in Toronto, eight the playoffs, it's always been pretty deafening and boisterous, that night months a year, and I booked a lot of Lifetime movies in Ottawa and I especially because it was the first home game as well. So when the started going to the Senators games. I enjoyed the team a lot. So I was Spartan guy walked out, it was into a building that was fired up.” basically in Toronto and a casting director suggested me for this job and I Hudson: “I didn’t know the audience was (unable to hear) because the met with a guy who was tight with the president and he offered me the crowd was cheering. Because the crowd was cheering, I couldn’t hear job, and that’s how it happened.” that the audio was going out so I just went on with my speech. I guess Ian Mendes, TSN and TSN 1200: “I do recall there being some question there were sound problems which I wasn’t even aware of. I guess the as to whose call this was originally. Was the Spartan Guy an actor that sound was going in and out. I didn’t realize the sound was going in and (former Senators CEO Roy) Mlakar knew from his Los Angeles days? out until later (laughing). I had kind of mentioned, we had recorded (the Was this the call from Eugene Melnyk – who was still relatively new to speech) earlier and we were just thinking about using the recording and owning the team? It was his fourth or fifth year with the team and it was lip-syncing it because we were worried about something like that still a feeling-out process. Remember, they went to the Cup Final the happening. But, the tests all came out well, but what we didn’t realize year before and maybe the owner wanted to make a splash. I think in the because it was early on in technology, too, if people have cellphones and end Mlakar fell on the sword – pun intended – but I'm not sure that was stuff, it can interfere with the signal. I guess that’s what happened. But, originally his idea.” they understood the principle of it.” Hudson: “They offered it to me. The guy knew my work and he offered it Ray: “I don't think it even registered with me that the mic kept cutting out to me. I thought it’d be fun.” because we couldn't hear ANYTHING he said. The combination of crappy acoustics and general crowd noise made everything he said Mike Commodore, Senators defenceman (2008): “We were coming out sound unintelligible. I could tell the crowd couldn't follow the words and playing Pittsburgh. I can’t remember the scores of the game themselves and were just kind of waiting for his occasional pauses which anymore, but we were down (in the series) 2-0. The last half of the year, would cue us to cheer in response and, to our credit, I think we did pretty or least when I got there, wasn’t very good. We did need a spark and the enthusiastically (if only because we were genuinely wound up).” media people came in and said, ‘we have this going on pregame.’” Mendes: “The microphone kept cutting out, which really affected his Hudson: “Yeah, (the popularity of movies like Gladiator) is how it came message. (The situation made him) seem unsure of the script and we about. Plus, it’s the Ottawa Senators so it fit with the name of the team joked that maybe he was reading off the shield.” and of course, you’ve got a lot of (fans) running around the (arena) there in gladiator outfits.” Stuntman Stu: “Oh my god, out of all nights for the mic to fail, why tonight?” “Stuntman” Stu Schwartz, Senators PA announcer (2007 – present): “I wasn’t involved in any of (the brainstorming), although I did see them Hudson: “For some reason, the PA – and I don’t know why they did this – filming the opening scene a few days before. The whole thing was fairly they put the script on the right-hand corner of the shield. I couldn’t even secretive from my perspective. I learned of the whole thing two hours see it. I couldn’t reach to take it out because I didn’t even realize it until I before game time.” had my sword in my hand and the whole get-up to walk out there. I said, ‘Why they’d put the script there? I know my lines.’ I said, ‘Plus, I can’t Hudson: “(The players) had seen one of the rehearsals. They all seemed even see that.’ I didn’t even kind of realize or was aware that it’d even be fine with it. Those guys were in game mode. They were focused in, but there. It was so tiny and then I pulled the shield up and (people noticed) they were around during one of the rehearsals. Some of the players were that the lines were in the corner.” Ray: “Our seats were in the 300-level at the time and I can't specifically back. And the Spartan Guy was like the final piece, where we kind of remember looking at the scoreboard to see a close-up when he was out collectively said, “This is exactly how this season should end. With an there so I missed a lot of the little details like how his headpiece was too awkward thud.” big.” Hudson: “All my friends in Toronto started giving me all kinds of shit Hudson: “The helmet, it actually fit. I’ve got a big head and it actually fit. about (the performance) and I’m going, ‘Oh, Jesus Christ!’ (The video) They had the traditional Roman cape around me and when they… the was on YouTube and you see the helmet going off, but you know, The company was like … I was in there for a couple of days and I guess the fans were into it. They were yelling and screaming. Like I said, if the company that had sent it out … we got the stuff like the day of. So when Senators would have won have won the game and gone onto the next the front (breastplate) didn’t fit around my chest, we said, ‘Well, we’ll round it would be because of the gladiator. I’m just kidding, but the fans wrap the cape around and go out there with the shield.’ Basically, a lot of (wouldn’t have complained). I get it, fans are superstitious. They look to, the gladiators didn’t wear war shields to begin with, so there was nothing if they lose, ‘oh, why’d they bring in the gladiator? That was a dumbass we could do about it. We couldn’t get another one, so I went out there idea.’” shirtless with the cape around me. Basically, the costume was … if you look at Gladiator, a lot of guys didn’t wear (breastplates). A lot of guys Ray: “The whole thing stuck with me as a, ‘what the hell were they going were just shirtless. If you look at Brad Pitt in (Troy), he was shirtless. So for there?’ vibe but I didn't feel embarrassed or anything, just glad that it I, for one, wanted the (breastplate), but it didn’t fit. It didn’t fit.” was over and the game could start.” Mendes: “At one point, I think his helmet kind of flopped over his eyes Mendes: “I know what they were trying to do. I think they were trying to and we were laughing pretty hard.” ride the coattails of Gladiator with a stirring speech.” Hudson: “When the helmet (got loose), the wardrobe person just didn’t Hudson: “I mean, whatever. It just seems like we live in a society where secure it tightly enough around my head. It felt like it was secure, but people just want to blame whatever they can. ‘Oh, the guy comes out when I went back, the helmet came back and I had to grab it and pull it there with his shirt off.’ I actually wanted to wear one of those Roman down. But stuff like that happens. You wake up and you put on the wrong (breastplates) in the front, but the one they had didn’t fit me.” size shirt or you put it on inside out. The helmet was just… we thought it Stuntman Stu: “I remember thinking, boy, are they going to have a field was tight enough and it just went back. I just fixed it in the moment I was day with this tomorrow on (TSN 1200’s) TGOR.” saying and it was no big deal. I had fun with it. Hudson: “After the game I was interacting with the fans and they were all “The helmet came back and, in the moment, I didn’t even realize when I coming up saying they were loving it. That’s why the (owner came up) pulled the shield up that the script was in there. The (fans noticed it) and because I was supposed to only do it one night. Then he said, ‘Will you said, ‘Oh, look he’s got the script in there,’ and I said, ‘Who gives a fuck? come back and do it the next night?’” What difference does it make?’ I mean, I couldn’t even see the damn thing and I didn’t put it in there, but it was my fault too. I had nothing to do Ray: “I got home and watched it on TV and realized that it came off way with that either, but that was the PA who said, ‘Let me put (the script) in worse there than it had live and that it was almost definitely going to be 'a there just in case.’ You couldn’t even see the (script). You could hardly thing' that I would have to endure when talking to non-Sens fans for the see shit through the helmet. It was hard to see anything.” foreseeable future.” Commodore: “I don’t know if it’s because I’ve mentally just blocked it out Hudson: “The owner of the team and the producer thought it was great. I because I don’t want to remember it anymore. I don’t think we were on said, ‘the helmet kind of fell back,’ and they said, ‘yeah, we’re going to the ice when he was talking. I think we could just hear him from the have to correct that.’ So they were going to have me come out on the ice hallway.” the next night because from the response of the audience, the fans, the owner was happy as hell. He thought it was a great success and so did I. Hudson: “It was the first night we tried it and, like I said, the costume He did say the sound went out, but I said, ‘you know, I couldn’t hear it. came in the day of – which wasn’t anybody’s fault. The producer was We had that concern because of cellphone , so maybe trying to get it in several days earlier, but that’s when it came in. The only tomorrow night we should go with the recorded version and I can lip-sync thing that really didn’t fit properly was the breastplate, so we had to scrap it unless we can correct it.’ And they said, ‘okay, we’ll work on that.’ it and the helmet actually fit perfectly. When I tilted my head back like that (it fell off). Part of that … I should have maybe tested it, but I did it in Commodore: “From my time, I wasn’t in Ottawa very long and most the moment. I just kind of tilted my head back and lifted my shield up. It people don’t even know. Most people in Ottawa probably don’t know, but was a heavy-ass shield and I picked that shield up – which I didn’t mind the only people who do know I was (a Senator) were people who were because I thought it was great. It was as it should be. The helmet just Ottawa Senators fans that are in Ottawa. So, I don’t hear anything about kind pulled back and I pulled it down.” it out here in Calgary. But from my time in Ottawa, by far the most I ever get asked about it or hear about it is the Spartan. Like, nothing else Mendes: “Every now and then if I see a guy from that 2008 team, I will comes up. Nothing else comes up. Nobody asks how I liked it Ottawa. mention ‘Spartan Guy’ and they will chuckle. was here in They’re like, ‘what was up with that Spartan?’ I’m like, ‘man, I don’t know. March and we shared some laughs about him. It's just one of those I wasn’t in charge of the pre-game.’” weirdly iconic moments in Sens history. If you were in the building that night, you would remember it. I remember wondering if the players also Hudson: “I guess the next morning because they lost the game, they felt that weirdness – although they were in the dressing room for the blamed the gladiator, so they scratched the whole thing and had me go whole charade. Still, the atmosphere was weird in there. But it kind of fit up into the booth where they used my voice – which worked out great perfectly with the 2007-08 Senators season. because the fans were screaming and yelling. I introduced myself as the mascot gladiator who was there the night before and everybody was Hudson: “What I remember what bugged me, who were they playing in really positive, but because they lost that game too, it all became my that game? The Penguins, they let them out on the ice a little too soon. I fault. I was the reason why we lost. I’m still an Ottawa Senators fan, but it think they did it on purpose to fuck with the gladiator (laughing) and the was a shame that that had to happen. whole experience. All of a sudden I saw them come out onto the ice and the crowd started to boo, and I kind of went, ‘What are they booing for?’ “A couple of days later, the guy, the producer, who was a really nice man And that was at the very end, so I said, ‘oh, okay. Pittsburgh’s coming out … I can’t think of his name. He called me and said, ‘Gary, it’s just onto the ice.’ They did that on purpose. They want to mess up your thing. because of the press and a few people calling in, one of the guys up in the head office decided to scrap it.' I don’t remember (who it was). It “When I looked back at the YouTube video, I went, ‘oh, man.’ If anything wasn’t the owner. It was one of the managers, somebody in the head could happen, it did happen that night. But, those things happen before. office. I don’t remember who it was. It doesn’t matter. They said the It happens in theatre, it happens in movies and things happen. You just owner loved it. The owner came over and thanked me. He thought I was have to go with it, which is what I did, and in the scheme of things, it was great. He thought the reaction was great and that’s why they had me fine. It was fine. Who gives a shit that the helmet flew back? I’m sure in back the next night. And then that morning, the press – even the press – battle when gladiators fought, their helmets flew back sometimes and 'let’s blame it on the gladiator. Let’s blame it on the gladiator.’ That they had to pull them down. So I just kind of went with what was happens all the time. There’s always people who want to piss all over happening and had fun with it. That was the whole thing – to have fun anything. A couple people wrote little blogs blaming the gladiator. Are and entertain the kids.” you kidding me? They just called and said they were going to put it on Mendes: “Spartan Guy was a reflection of the gong show and dysfunction hold and rethink the campaign and then it just never came back.” that was already brewing – not the cause of it. Remember, that team Stuntman Stu: “If his microphone worked nobody would be talking about barely made the playoffs after having one of the best historical starts in this today. Thankfully social media was in its infancy back then. I give NHL history. But things fell off a cliff. Ray Emery was inconsistent. They them credit for trying something new that would rile up the crowd.” fired John Paddock. Alfie and Fisher got hurt in the last weekend of the season because of Mark Bell. The whole thing was a train wreck from Hudson: “I didn’t even want to call you back because I was just so about December onwards as they never seemed to get their footing disappointed with the whole thing and I was enjoying it.” Mendes: “Thank God Facebook was in its infancy and Twitter hasn't taken off, because #SpartanGuy would have been trending within minutes.” Hudson: “Because the Senators had lost, I guess a lot fans were calling the office, I guess, and started ragging on the gladiator. It was supposed to be an ongoing thing, but because of the press and the fans – a minority of the fans who like to blame it on something. ‘I can’t believe we just lost that game because the gladiator came out without a breastplate on his helmet went back.’” (Laughing.) Mendes: “I think it’s really unfair to blame the pre-game events for the team’s dismal performance.” Commodore: “By no means was it anything close to the reason why we lost the game. We lost the game because the Pittsburgh Penguins were a hell of a lot better than we were. That’s why we lost. I would say that (the Spartan speech) didn’t come up until the year-end party after the year when guys watched in on YouTube. That’s when it came up, but at the time, nobody really thought about it.” Hudson: “I think, in my opinion, if the Senators had won (Game 3), it would have all been good. I’d still be doing the job because I loved it. I had a great time. It was a perfect fit because of all the (fans) who run around the (arena) in their costumes. The kids were loving it and I was having a lot of fun with them and I was just hoping it’d go on because it was a fun job. It was just fun. I got to hang out and watch hockey.” Commodore: “Oh my god. You know what, I would have been all for that. If the Spartan comes out and we win Game 3 against that team after the way we were playing, I’d say bring him back Game 4. I don’t care. Keep it going. I would have been a huge believer. I would have been all for it. I actually probably would have lobbied for it. I would have been pumped. If the Spartan works, I would have been all in.” Conclusion Normally when it comes to some parallel sports universe where things would be different, Senators fans would look to decisions like letting Hall of Fame talents like Zdeno Chara, Marian Hossa or Daniel Alfredsson go. Imagine a world where Hudson’s performance killed and was revered as much as a Rene Rancourt fist pump. The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091572 Philadelphia Flyers able to get a couple good reads and break up a couple plays coming into the zone to break up a little rhythm.”

More of the same is needed because the Penguins’ power play has the Flyers' Matt Read helps quiet Penguins' power play in Game 2 of NHL ability to turn a game in their favor. playoffs, but Dave Hakstol's team playing with fire Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.15.2018

APRIL 14, 2018 — 5:13 PM EDT Sam Carchidi

There were lots of reasons why the Flyers evened their Eastern Conference quarterfinals and took away the home-ice advantage with Friday’s 5-1 victory in Pittsburgh. At the top of the list, quite surprisingly, was the Flyers’ special-teams’ domination in Game 2. The Flyers were 2 for 3 on the power play – getting goals from Shayne Gostisbehere and Nolan Patrick – and 4 for 4 on their much-maligned penalty kill, which got a break when Sidney Crosby missed a wide-open net at the end of the second period. “I think we frustrated them on their first couple power plays,” Matt Read, who has keyed the penalty killers improvement over the last two-plus months, said after Saturday’s optional practice in Voorhees. “And when they’re frustrated, they’re trying to make more seam passes. … We took away their seam passes, kept them to the outside, and Moose [Brian Elliott] made a couple big saves for us.” Pittsburgh, which will face the Flyers in Game 3 on Sunday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center, set a franchise record and led the NHL with a 26.2 percent success rate on its power play in the regular season. But the Penguins are just 1 for 8 (12.5 percent) in the first two games. The Flyers kept the Penguins to the outside during most of their man- advantages on Friday. Pittsburgh just three shots in eight minutes of power-play time. Read said the Flyers need to reduce the number of power plays they are giving the Penguins, who were a combined 3 for 6 with an extra attacker in 5-1 and 5-2 regular-season wins at the Wells Fargo Center. “They’re a dangerous power play, and if we keep giving them opportunities, it’s going to bite us sooner or later,” Read said. The Flyers’ penalty kill, which was 29th out of 31 teams in the regular season, played more aggressively than usual on Friday and got strong performances from forwards Read, Sean Couturier, Val Filppula, and Jori Lehtera, and defensemen Ivan Provorov, Radko Gudas, Andrew MacDonald, and Brandon Manning. “We’re clearing pucks, and our sticks and bodies were in the right lanes” Couturier said. “We’re forcing them to try to make a perfect play.” Since Read, 31, was recalled from the AHL’s Phantoms on March 8 and reunited with Couturier on the penalty-kill unit, it has improved significantly. Without him, it killed 75.7 percent of the power plays. With him, it has succeeded 81 percent of the time. “This is my last opportunity here to prove myself again,” said Read, who can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. “I’m not going to let it slip away. It’s been a good time so far, and hopefully we can continue playing good hockey and continue to win at home.” Couturier and Read said being reunited on the PK has helped both of them. “We’ve played a lot together in the past and we can read off each other,” Couturier said. “It’s a good chemistry.” “We talk in between shifts and in the locker room a lot,” Read said. “He’s so smart that it makes it a lot easier on me.” Read was a 24-goal scorer when he broke into the league in 2011-12 and is now a defensive specialist. “Reader’s really accepted his role,” Gostisbehere said. “He’s dealt with a lot of adversity this season, obviously going to the minors, and coming back up here he’s found a nice niche on the PK. He’s such a reliable player. You know he’ll get the puck out at the wing.” Coach Dave Hakstol said the Flyers haven’t make any tactical changes on the penalty kill in the playoffs, but praised the unit’s execution. “Our PK did a good job. We were able to get a couple turnovers on entry,” he said. The Penguins are “outstanding on entry, and we were 1091573 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers' Claude Giroux not disciplined for 'hit' in Game 2 vs. Penguins

APRIL 14, 2018 — 2:12 PM EDT Sam Carchidi

The NHL did not take disciplinary action Saturday on Claude Giroux’s “hit” on Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang in the Flyers’ 5-1 win Friday over the host Penguins in Game 2. With 13 minutes remaining in the second period, Giroux was bumped by Sidney Crosby. Giroux bounced off the Penguins captain, and his lower back or butt made contact with a crouching Letang, who went sprawling to the ice. Giroux then went over to Letang and appeared to check that he wasn’t injured seriously. Scary moment in Flyers vs. Penguins as Giroux and Letang collide. pic.twitter.com/iCyhmnJtCH — NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) April 14, 2018 No penalty was called on the play. Letang appeared to get struck in the face, and he clutched his bleeding left hand as he skated off the ice. He returned in the third period and played 7:13. Letang was the only Penguins player not at Saturday’s practice. The Penguins called it a maintenance day, and he traveled with the team for Sunday’s 3 p.m. game at the Wells Fargo Center. After the game, Crosby said he didn’t like Giroux’s so-called hit. “He hit him high,” Crosby said. “I’m sure the league will look at it, but I thought it was a pretty high hit.” The league did look at it but said no hearing was forthcoming. “It happened quick,” Giroux said on Saturday. “I saw it at the last minute, and I was off-balance and braced myself. I’m glad he came back.” Home-ice disadvantage? The Flyers will try to feed off the Wells Fargo Center crowd on Sunday, but of the 16 teams that made the playoffs, only Los Angeles had fewer home points (49) than the Orange and Black (50) in the regular season. The next two games are at the Wells Fargo Center. “There’s obviously going to be a bunch of momentum swings throughout the series,” winger Travis Konecny said. “We just have to take advantage of ours right now. It’s probably a little bit better in our favor coming home here. We have a lot of momentum coming back with our fans. We just have to make sure we channel our energy the right way — not too high and not too low. Play that way.” Konecny said the team wants to “still be excited and use the fans to [its] advantage, but not get too out of hand running around and wasting a lot of energy.” In many home games this season, Giroux said, “we tried to do a little too much and tried to make the extra play. We just have to keep it simple. Kind of play a grinding game.” The Penguins are 15-6-2 in their last 23 regular-season games at the Wells Fargo Center. Breakaways At 19, Nolan Patrick became the fourth teenager in Flyers history to score a playoff goal, joining Danius Zubrus (four in 1997), (1985), and Sean Couturier (2012) on Friday. … Eleven players participated in the Flyers’ optional skate on Saturday, including regulars Oskar Lindblom, Scott Laughton, Matt Read, and Travis Sanheim. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091574 Philadelphia Flyers The Eagles lost their starting quarterback with three games left in the regular season and for the postseason. Despite owning the NFC’s top seed, they were underdogs in each of their three postseason games. Flyers mantra going forward in NHL playoffs: Embrace the underdog role They embraced it, hence the dog masks. The Flyers lost their starting goaltender — “Our rock,” Hakstol has called Brian Elliott – for seven weeks, played three goaltenders in his place, and APRIL 14, 2018 — 6:26 PM EDT finished just two points behind Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference points race. Sam Donnellon It already seemed like more than that even before they dropped the puck Wednesday. And when the buzzer sounded to end it, there weren’t a lot of people in Pittsburgh concerned about how the series would go. It wasn’t exactly “No one likes us, we don’t care,’’ but Dave Hakstol’s repeated referencing to his team’s underdog status last week conjured They are now. up Images of Jason Kelce in a Mummer’s suit and was more than a little out of character for a coach who habitually disputes the premise of “It’s a cool role to have,’’ Gostisbehere said. “It’s not a lot of pressure on questions asked of him, even when he then concedes and even supports yourself. I think, as a team, I don’t think of ourselves as a Cinderella or their validity. anything like that. We’re a good team. We made the playoffs and almost had 100 points. We’re a good team, and it definitely showed [Friday] So it should come as no surprise that Saturday, after his team reversed night.’’ an embarrassing 7-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of their opening round playoff with a spirited 5-1 victory in Game 2, Hakstol Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.15.2018 sought to reset the narrative. Asked whether embracing the underdog role can be translated onto the ice, the coach at first disputed that his team had done any such thing. Um… “There’s a lot of people who don’t really give us a chance,’’ Sean Couturier said in the Flyers’ practice-facility dressing room just minutes before. “So we embrace it, try to prove them wrong. We’ve got nothing to lose. Just go out there and play.’’ “Label us anything you want,’’ Shayne Gostisbehere said just before that. “I think the city has taken the underdog role, too.’’ He added that some Flyers might have viewed the Eagles’ parade footage on more than one occasion. “There’s a couple of dog masks running around here,’’ he said. No embracing, you say? You say to-MAY-to. I say ta-ma-to. Let’s call the whole thing off. Whoops … too late. “I haven’t used the word `embrace’,’’ the coach said. “That’s what we’re labeled as. That’s reality. Reality inside of our dressing room is that we know that, and there’s a belief inside of our dressing room, that we’re here for a purpose.’’ Tomato, tamato, tomato, tamato … Here’s Hakstol 30 minutes after Friday night’s victory: “It was tough for us to walk out of the rink the other night. That wasn’t us. I don’t know if anyone is giving us a chance to win this series, but I know this: We just made this a five-game series. … Tonight, we played our asses off.” Here’s Hakstol on Saturday afternoon, admittedly on short rest: “Honestly, I don’t think it’s a big rallying cry for our guys. I’m not trying to downplay it; I’m not trying to overplay it. The reality is, nobody expects us to win this series. I mean, do the math on what all the predictions are. That’s fine, how it affects our team. Like I said, I don’t think it’s a big rallying cry. I think our guys have a real sound belief about themselves inside of our dressing room.’’ No doubt, they do. But they’re not mutually exclusive concepts. They are rather, quite often, mutually inclusive ones — that sound belief forged into a hard-to-define but easy-to-see, us-against-the-world, solidarity. That’s what the Flyers players did after Wednesday’s debacle, to their everlasting credit. They didn’t run from their embarrassment. They answered questions about it repeatedly, even in the case of Ghost and captain Claude Giroux, hours before the second game. Yes, they spoke often of turning the page, but they never attempted to tear it out or burn it. Rather, they referenced it. Embraced it, you might say. Giroux set that in motion by calling himself out after Game 1, excusing all others, and then returning to the Hart Trophy candidate he is in Game 2. Couturier, with three points, and Gostisbehere, who triggered the win with a late first-period goal, shook off Wednesday, too. And you better believe the kids – Nolan Patrick, Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim, etc. – were watching. Konecny scored the Flyers third goal on Friday night; Patrick – after his screen facilitated Ghost’s goal — scored the fourth. They looked like themselves again. 1091575 Philadelphia Flyers unpunished beyond a minor penalty. Coach John Tortorella didn’t care about the lack of punishment and is more worried about how 21-year-old Sonny Milano handles his second postseason game. Flyers, Capitals riding same goaltenders “There’s still a lot of things he needs to learn, but he can make an offensive play,” Tortorella said. “So we’re going to give him a whack at this here and see where we go.” STEPHEN WHYNO The Capitals expect to get fourth-line center Jay Beagle back after Apr 14, 2018 at 5:16 PM missing the past four games with an upper-body injury, and should still have right winger T.J. Oshie and defenseman Michal Kempny in the lineup. Of course, it was an entirely different book after the Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang will at least travel to Philadelphia chased Brian Elliott in a 7-0 drubbing in the first game of their series. after taking a maintenance day off Saturday. Wild coach Bruce Boudreau Grubauer was hardly to blame for allowing four goals on 27 shots in an said he was giving Matt Dumba a rest after playing over 57 minutes and undisciplined Game 1 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. expects the defenseman to be good to go for Game 3. But after Elliott rebounded to validate coach Dave Hakstol’s decision to BROTHERLY BLOOD go back to him, and Philadelphia tied the Battle of Pennsylvania at a game apiece, Washington’s Barry Trotz didn’t hesitate in going back to Columbus’ Nick Foligno and brother Marcus, a forward for Minnesota, Grubauer in a crucial spot (7:30 p.m. EDT, NBCSN) instead of switching are in the playoffs together for the first time and got off to a rough-and- to Braden Holtby. tumble start. Nick took a slap shot to the face Thursday night, and Marcus got involved in a scrap late in Minnesota’s loss Friday night. “There was nothing in that game that you’d say, why you would make a change?” Trotz said. “Philipp’s been really good. ... So, we’ll go back with The two text regularly to give each other tips. Marcus had an easy one Grubi; I’ve got a lot of confidence in him, and we’ll be ready.” for Nick after the puck to the cheek. Goaltending could make all the difference for the Flyers against the “He said: ‘You’re an idiot. That’s what they pay Bob for,’” Nick said. “It’s Penguins and the Capitals against the Blue Jackets. But the two teams pretty funny. It’s awesome. You don’t realize how special it is, but I raced going into Sunday down 2-0 in their series are getting incredible play at back after dinner to watch your brother play in the playoffs. It’s a pretty the position and are still in trouble. In the Western Conference, cool feeling, so you want to see him do well.” Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk almost stole Game 1 for the overmatched Wild against the powerhouse Winnipeg Jets, and Los Angeles’ Jonathan Burlington County Times LOADED: 04.15.2018 Quick has stopped 81 of 84 shots and lost twice to the Vegas Golden Knights. No one would confuse Elliott with Quick based on his history of playoff struggles and his hook-worth performance when he gave up five goals on 19 shots in the series opener. But he stopped 34 of 35 shots to steal home ice from the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions going into Game 3 Sunday (3 p.m., NBC). “I thought he was our first star,” Hakstol said. “He battled hard and made big saves at key times. I think that’s probably the most important thing.” Dubnyk has been one of Minnesota’s most important players so far, but has been hung out to dry against an offensively potent Winnipeg team. He made 37 saves in Game 1, 40 more in Game 2 and the Wild still go home (7 p.m. EDT, USA) trying to avoid falling behind 3-0. Playing without injured No. 1 defenseman Ryan Suter, the Wild have been outshot 84-37, putting pressure on Dubnyk to be the hero. “You’re not going to win many getting 14 shots, 15 shots, 20 shots,” winger Zach Parise said. “There’s just not a lot of room for error. He’s playing great. He’s giving us a chance. And we’re not really giving ourselves much of a chance.” Quick has given the Kings even stronger goaltending, including 54 saves in a double-overtime loss at Vegas on Friday night. It’ll help Los Angeles to get top defenseman Drew Doughty back from his one-game suspension for Game 3 (10:30, NBCSN), which might be enough of a boost if Quick continues to stop this high a volume of shots. “You’re just trying to make the next save,” Quick said. “It’s a playoff game. You have to stay in the moment. Just like everyone. Just try and make the next save.” Grubauer, who started just his second NHL playoff game Thursday, is staying in the moment so much he’s expecting to start until Trotz tells him otherwise. Washington’s coach deemed it a game-to-game decision, so even though Grubauer wasn’t bad, adjustments are necessary with the 2016 Vezina Trophy winner ready at a moment’s notice. “You just look at the tape, I made some adjustments and worked on it today in practice,” Grubauer said. Counterpart Sergei Bobrovsky has spent countless hours at practice trying to sharpen his game for the playoffs after struggling in three previous appearances. Bobrovsky stopped 27 of 30 shots in Game 1 against the Capitals and gives Columbus some high-level consistency in net that few playoff teams can count on. “We’re just happy to see Bob play like Bob,” captain Nick Foligno said. “We don’t need him to be the superstar. It’s just that’s his capabilities.” INJURIES The Blue Jackets will be without center Alexander Wennberg for Game 3 after a hit from the head by Washington’s Tom Wilson that went 1091576 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers beat Penguins in Game 2 to tie series

Will Graves

PITTSBURGH — Sean Couturier had a goal and two assists, Brian Elliott stopped 34 shots and the Philadelphia Flyers cooled off the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 on Friday night to even the first-round series at a game apiece. Shane Gostisbehere, Travis Konecny, Andrew McDonald and Nolan Patrick also scored for the Flyers. They bounced back from an embarrassing 7-0 loss in the opener to beat the Penguins for the first time this season. Game 3 is Sunday in Philadelphia. Patric Hornqvist scored Pittsburgh’s lone goal with just over 5 minutes left to avoid the shutout, but the Penguins looked ordinary for long stretches after looking unstoppable in Game 1. Matt Murray’s shutout streak dating to the 2017 Stanley Cup finals ended at 226:49 when Gostisbehere scored on the power play late in the first period. Murray finished with 16 saves to lose for just the third time in 17 home playoff starts in his career. Flyers coach Dave Hakstol made no changes to the lineup that was picked apart in the series opener, confident his team would respond the way it did during various parts of an occasionally turbulent season. That included staying with Elliott, who was pulled midway through the second period in Game 1 after giving up five goals on just 19 shots. The 33-year-old didn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence early. He appeared to have no clue where the puck was when Patric Hornqvist’s shot zipped by his left pad only to smack off the post in the first period. Elliott appeared caught off guard moments later when Justin Schultz’s fluttering shot from just above the goal line handcuffed him. The puck stayed out of the net, however, and Elliott quickly steadied. The Flyers struggled to sustain pressure on Murray but took advantage of what few opportunities they created. Philadelphia went on the power play late in the first period when Pittsburgh’s Zach Aston-Reese was called for boarding and the Flyers — who didn’t even manage a shot on net during four power plays in Game 1 — needed just one to take the lead. Gostisbehere sent a shot from the point that made its way through a Nolan Patrick screen, between Murray’s legs and into the net with 37 seconds left in the opening period to end Murray’s shutout streak at 225:49, the fourth longest playoff shutout streak in the last 28 years. It didn’t take the Flyers nearly as long to beat Murray again. Less than two minutes actually. Murray actually managed to get his right pad on Couturier’s shot from in front but the puck popped up, caromed off Letang and into the net 47 seconds into the second. The Penguins began pressing but Elliott responded. Crosby broke in alone just past the game’s midway point but Elliott’s glove swallowed up the Pittsburgh captain’s backhand attempt. Crosby had another chance in the final moments of the second period but when he couldn’t convert from the right post, he smashed his stick over the crossbar in frustration. When Konecny held off Chad Ruhwedel and chipped the puck over Murray’s glove 1:21 into the third the Flyers had control of the game. Just over 18 minutes later they had their first victory Pittsburgh in 383 days to go home with the series even. Burlington County Times LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091577 Philadelphia Flyers we know that. There’s a belief inside our dressing room that we’re here for a purpose.

“I honestly don’t think it’s a big rallying cry for our guys. I’m not trying to ‘Cinderella’ Flyers looking to lead at series homecoming ball downplay it, I’m not trying to overplay it. The reality is nobody expects us to win this series. Do the math on what all the predictions are. And that’s fine. How that affects our team, I don’t think it’s a big rallying cry. I think Rob Parent our guys have a real sound belief in themselves inside our dressing room.”

Hakstol felt that was one major part of the Flyers’ game that stayed very VOORHEES, N.J. >> The Flyers have good reason to feel good about much intact going into Game 2, after the most humiliating Flyers playoff themselves coming off a victory in Pittsburgh Friday night that defeats ... ever. represented a stunning reversal of their lack of form in Game 1 two nights earlier. “Obviously our focus wasn’t what it needed to be in Game 1,” Hakstol said. “We didn’t play a very good hockey game and they blew us out of With a 5-1 win in Game 2 bolstering their confidence, the Flyers are the water. We came back and we played a little bit better last night and home for Game 3 Sunday (3 p.m., NBC10) seeking a major step forward. got an important road win. Now the focus for our staff and our team is They’ll also try to keep a lower mental profile despite what should be a how can we be a little bit better here at home, because we’re going to party atmosphere for the first Philadelphia-based hockey playoff game in have to be a little bit better in a lot of areas. We’re going to have to play a two years. better hockey game tomorrow at home than we did yesterday on the road. It’s not a Saturday night at the Sixers, but hey, it’s no April Phillies game, either. “There’s going to be good energy in the building, that’s probably another interesting challenge for our team, especially for our young guys to “It’s pretty hardcore,” Claude Giroux remembered about previous playoff manage. You harness that and use that in a positive way rather than atmospheres in Wells Fargo Center. “It’s pretty wild. You have to take it have that weigh you down. So that’s another challenge for us that’ll be in all in, but at the same time you have to remember there’s a hockey game front of us tomorrow.” here.” *** The fear for the Flyers is their younger players experiencing playoffs for the first time. Nine total, including current healthy-scratch practice NOTES >> Claude Giroux’s reeling near-spill that wound up temporarily participants still looking to crack into the lineup, might get caught up in knocking Kris Letang out of Game 2 looked ugly. It also looked the home hype the same way they did for the playoff opener Wednesday accidental. That’s what the NHL decided, too, saying Saturday that no night in Pittsburgh. disciplinary action would be levied for the hit. “It happened quick,” Giroux said. “I was off balance and I just braced myself. But he came back (into Of course, a little youthful intimidation is no reason to implode for a 7-0 the game), so that’s good.” ... Gostisbehere was the winner this spring of loss. the Barry Ashbee Trophy, given to the team’s best defenseman for that Of course, there isn’t one simple answer to a 5-1 rebound victory in season, selected by vote of the media. Gostisbehere didn’t get a vote, Game 2, either. though it seemed pretty clear he’d like one when asked about his playing partner, Ivan Provorov. “Provy is the best D on our team for a reason,” “There can be a lot of distractions, being at home for your first home Gostisbehere said. “The way he manages everything against the top playoff game,” Shayne Gostisbehere said. “But I think we’re going to lines, the top guys. He’s a phenomenal player. You don’t think he can be manage that well and come out firing.” 21 or 20 ... I don’t even know how old he is now. I think he’s 21; maybe 40, I don’t know. I think it’s the way he carries himself. He’s a veteran in Actually, a few Flyers noted Saturday, they might want to come out a little my eyes.” more understated than totally fired up for Game 3. Delaware County Times LOADED: 04.15.2018 “When teams get too aggressive, I think that’s when you see turnovers happen and things that aren’t supposed to happen, happen,” Gostisbehere said. “So for us, keeping it simple is the best thing. Let them make the mistakes.” “I think at home sometimes we try to do a little too much,” Giroux added. “We try to do the extra play and you have to keep it simple; don’t do the extra pass. Just put it on net.” The Flyers did a pretty good job Wednesday night confirming what a lot of people — OK, pretty much everyone — thought going into the series. That the Flyers would be a pretty heavy underdog to a two-time defending Stanley Cup championship team that generally steps up its play at this time of year and, oh yeah, won all four regular season meetings. In the messy aftermath of Game 1, a few Philly players even hinted that their underdog label seemed a fair one but that they could perhaps rally around it. Even with the win Friday, it was an intriguing notion. “You can label us anything you want,” Gostisbehere said. “I think the city has taken the underdog role a little bit, too. It is what it is. We know we’re a good hockey team. We can compete with anyone and I think it showed last night that we can do that.” Gostisbehere then referenced one of those Philly teams, specifically the football team. “We have a couple of dog masks running around in here,” he cracked. “It’s a cool role to have. Not a lot of pressure. As a team I don’t think we think of ourselves as a Cinderella or anything like that. We’re a good team, we almost had a 100 points in a season.” If that weren’t enough to dispel the notion of underdog status in the Flyers’ locker room, coach Dave Hakstol’s view in the wake of Game 2 further clarified it. “We didn’t say that,” Hakstol said. “That’s what everybody else has said. ... That’s what we’re labeled as. Reality inside our dressing room is that 1091578 Philadelphia Flyers

Have Flyers found key to beating Penguins?

Tom Dougherty April 14, 2018 2:25 PM

If it felt like Sean Couturier didn’t leave the ice Friday night, well, it was because he rarely did, and perhaps the Flyers have discovered their key to defeating the class of the NHL. Couturier accomplished something no other Flyers forward has ever done in a regulation playoff game, and he did so while not only shutting down two of the game’s best players but also registering his second career playoff game with three or more points. The 25-year-old finished the Flyers’ 5-1 Game 2 win with 27 minutes, 15 seconds of ice time, setting a franchise record for most by a forward in a playoff regulation game. Couturier, in the third period, led all Flyers with 12:10 and teamed up with Ivan Provorov to combine for 23:21. After Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin torched the Flyers in Game 1, combining for four goals in Pittsburgh’s 7-0 win, Couturier eliminated the two from the equation Friday. When we further look at his minutes, Couturier finished with 19:07 against Crosby and 10:27 against Malkin. Crosby, on home ice, spent just 6:06 away from Couturier. Crosby finished as a minus-1, and despite playing over 25 minutes, he was mostly unnoticeable except for breaking his stick after pushing the puck wide of the net at the end of the second. Both Couturier and Provorov were dominant against the Penguins, and without them, the Flyers are not coming back to Philly with the series knotted 1-1. Provorov led all players with 27:30, but as the Flyers’ horse, we expected that. Coming into the series, we suspected that Provorov would end up playing nearly 30 minutes a game. Couturier, that’s a different story. It shouldn’t be a surprise Couturier was the Flyers’ leading minuteman among forwards, as he finished the regular season behind only Provorov in time on ice. But to see Couturier play nearly half the game, that’s on another level. Couturier’s Game 2 effort was one of the most all-around dominant performances a Flyers forward has had in a long time. We often tend to throw the term “elite” around too often, especially when it comes to Couturier’s defensive prowess, but Friday, he was nothing short of elite. While it’s unrealistic to ask Couturier to play 27 minutes a night the rest of this series, Dave Hakstol may have discovered how the Flyers can unseat the Penguins. The Flyers were outclassed in Game 1 and the opening minutes Friday. They survived the initial Penguins push in Game 2 and then controlled the game the rest of the way. Hakstol rightfully shortened his bench, leaning on his top forwards more and using the rest periodically. If the Flyers want to advance, they’ll have to follow this formula. We can drool over Couturier’s monster minutes, but he was equally active offensively. His relentless effort with a Penguin on his back led to the Flyers’ first goal. Then 47 seconds into the second period, he scored his fourth career playoff goal for the game-winner. Let’s not forget his no- look, between-the-legs pass that set up Nolan Patrick for his first career postseason marker. Couturier unlocked his offensive potential this season, setting career highs in goals (31), assists (45) and points (76). Now it looks like it's bleeding into the postseason. In 20 career playoff games before Friday, he had just four points, and they all came in one game. Couturier scored a hat trick and an assist against the Penguins, in Game 2, on April 13, 2012. And on Friday, April 13, 2018, the Flyers unlocked a formula for playoff success. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091579 Philadelphia Flyers

5 insights from Flyers' 5-1 win over Penguins in Game 2

John Boruk April 14, 2018 10:41 AM

PITTSBURGH — Here are five insights from the Flyers’ 5-1 win over the Penguins Friday night. No hearing for Giroux The NHL announced Saturday morning they would not review Claude Giroux’s hit on Penguins defenseman Kris Letang. It’s absolutely the right decision, even though Crosby said after the game, “I’m sure the league will look at it. I thought it was high.” If it wasn’t for Crosby’s initial contact with Giroux, who was looking to avoid hitting teammate Sean Couturier, the incidental contact would have never taken place. Giroux was trying to brace himself, sensing a collision, but he even went as far to make sure Letang was OK and that there was no intent behind it. “Everything happened pretty quick,” Giroux said about the play. Letang returned to the ice. Let’s move on. Elliott answers the injury concerns Behind a 34-save gem, Brian Elliott put to rest any questions regarding his health and concerns he could physically make the necessary saves. While the Penguins hit iron on four different occasions, Elliott was solid in sealing the post and his rebound control was outstanding. Dave Hakstol mentioned how well Elliott was seeing and tracking the puck which was clearly evident from his Game 2 performance. Malkin's malaise Not only did the Flyers shut down Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but in observing Malkin closely, he essentially shut it down himself. The Penguins’ leading goal scorer this season appeared to want no part of Game 2. Defensively, the Flyers limited Malkin’s mobility with the puck and he was completely sloppy on the Penguins’ power play forcing Pittsburgh’s top unit to exit the zone and reset on a number of occasions. While Malkin has the explosiveness to take over a game at a moment’s notice, the Flyers had him rattled and completely off his game. He should have been whistled for his own embellishment as well on Wayne Simmonds’ roughing penalty late in the second period. Monster minutes from Coots and Provy In the third period alone, Ivan Provorov and Sean Couturier played a whopping 23:21 of combined ice time. In breaking those numbers down even further, there were only four minutes and six seconds where either Provorov or Couturier wasn’t on the ice in that final period. The Penguins only goal came 17 seconds after both guys had just come off the ice, and they were immediately right back out there after Patric Hornqvist had scored. With the series now shifting to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4, Hakstol can control the matchups. As long as the games are close, expect to see the Flyers’ two top defenders having to manage some monster minutes. Special teams was a luxury Mike Sullivan called special teams the “difference in the game” in his postgame remarks. The Flyers’ power play scored twice and broke down the Penguins’ PK on their first goal when fell to the ice opening up a shooting lane for Shayne Gostisbehere. Up to that point, the Flyers had generated very little on the man advantage. More impressive was the Flyers’ PK unit that killed all four Pens’ power plays, although Crosby’s gaffe could have changed that. Special teams are cyclical and rarely do you see a carryover from one game to the next in a playoff series. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091580 Philadelphia Flyers There was an excitement level for the Flyers to host their first playoff game Sunday afternoon, especially with how electric PPG Paints Arena was for the Penguins. No supplemental discipline for Claude Giroux on Kris Letang hit “I thought their building was pretty loud,” Gostisbehere said. “It was obviously fun when we first get out there, but I don’t think you can compare it to our building. Our building’s pretty wild. A 3 o’clock game, I Dave Isaac know that people are gonna be ready for sure. Especially with what this city’s seen in the past couple months, I know they’re gonna be ready.” 2:54 p.m. ET April 14, 2018 Friday night the Flyers wanted to clarify that the proper ticket for Sunday’s game reads, “Round 1 Home Game 1” rather than Game 3 of the series. The team finished strong at home and ended with a 22-13-6 VOORHEES — Claude Giroux didn’t miss much sleep over the hit that record at Wells Fargo Center in the regular season. At the same time, the got Sidney Crosby into a tizzy. stage is a little bigger now. Friday night, in the second period of the Flyers’ 5-1 win over the “I remember my first playoff game here in Philly,” Giroux said. “It’s pretty Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 2, Crosby hit Giroux and the Flyers’ captain hardcore. It’s pretty wild. It’s a good time. You have to take it all in but at went backwards. He saw a Penguin over his shoulder and braced for the same time remember there’s a hockey game here and do the right impact. things.” It was Kris Letang, the Penguins defenseman who is playing in his first Dave Isaac; @davegisaac; 856-486-2479; [email protected] playoff series in two years, and he took the brunt of the collision apparently unaware there were bodies in front of him. Giroux’s back was Up next: Game 3 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins to Letang so it was his rear end that made contact with Letang’s chest. When he saw Letang stayed down, he skated over to apologize. There When: 3 p.m., Sunday was no penalty on the play. TV/Radio: NBC/97.5 FM “I thought he hit him high,” Crosby said postgame. “I’m sure the league will look at it, but yeah I thought it was a pretty high hit.” Courier-Post LOADED: 04.15.2018 A league source told the Courier-Post there will be no supplemental discipline or hearing for Giroux. He does have a playoff rap sheet, a one- game suspension in 2012 for a hit to the head of Dainius Zubrus. Letang was in a heap on the ice, then left for the locker room. Photographers snapped Images of him with his left glove off, an apparent gash on the palm of his hand. He would later return to the game and finish with 18:58 of ice time. It’s unclear what cut his hand. “I didn’t hear anything (from the league),” Giroux said. “Like I said (Friday), it happened quick and I saw him at the last minute and I just braced myself. It didn’t look very good, but I’m happy he came back.” Saturday Letang missed practice before the Penguins left Pittsburgh due East and the team said he had a “maintenance day,” but would be on the flight to Philadelphia. Considering the NHL’s inconsistency with the Department of Player Safety and what it constitutes as suspension worthy there was always the chance of something happening, but the Flyers certainly didn’t expect it. “No,” coach Dave Hakstol said. “I watched it live and I watched it on tape. Absolutely not.” Another Philly underdog? Both before the series began and after a Game 2 win, Hakstol said that “nobody’s really giving us a serious chance to win this series.” Citing semantics, he said Saturday he’s not embracing the role of underdog for his team. “I haven’t used the word embrace with it at all. I said that’s what we’re labeled as,” Hakstol said. “That’s reality. The reality inside of our dressing room is that we know that, yet there’s a belief inside our dressing room that we’re here with a purpose. “I don’t think it’s a big rallying cry for our guys. I’m not trying to downplay it. I’m not trying to overplay it. The reality is nobody expects us to win this series. Do the math on what all the predictions are. That’s fine. How that affects our team, I don’t think it’s a big rallying cry.” Because of the Eagles’ Super Bowl win, there’s been countless references both at a local and national level about Philadelphia being an underdog city. The Flyers don’t disagree that it could also apply to them, but don’t seem to mind if that’s the case. Shayne Gostisbehere joked that the Flyers have been watching parade footage and that Radko Gudas would be most likely to wear the underdog mask. “It’s a cool role to have,” Gostisbehere said. “It’s not a lot of pressure on yourself. As a team I don’t think we think of ourselves as a Cinderella or something. We’re a good team. We made the playoffs. We almost had 100 points in a season. I think we’re a good team. I think it definitely showed (Friday) night.” Home cooking needed 1091581 Philadelphia Flyers However much longer the Flyers season goes, he’ll be aiming to prove that.

Courier-Post LOADED: 04.15.2018 So far so good in Matt Read’s ‘last opportunity to prove myself’

Dave Isaac 3:36 p.m. ET April 14, 2018

VOORHEES — There were times, he admitted, Matt Read thought he was never coming back to the NHL. Sent down to the minors in training camp and then only a four-game recall in late October, Read spent most of his season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He was put in the same role as the Flyers are currently using him, a bottom-six winger who can kill penalties, and thus didn’t have numbers that leapt off the page: seven goals and 16 points in 33 games. “Down there was kinda different,” Read said. “We had a vet problem down there (the American Hockey League requires 12 players in a lineup have 260 or fewer professional games) so I wasn’t playing every game. I was fresh when I got called back up. I was hurt for a little bit. I just felt like I haven’t played too many games and I probably have more energy than the guys here who had played 65 games.” He returned with a clear focus in mind that an NHL playoff run is the best chance he has of keeping his career alive. It wasn’t until his sixth game that he got into the lineup after he was recalled on Feb. 26, the day of the NHL trade deadline. Because he had been stowed in the minors, Read’s agent was given the green light to try and find a trade partner all season. Nothing came close enough for a trade. Read, who will turn 32 in June, is in the last year of a four-year contract that carries a $3.635 million salary-cap hit. He won’t make that on his next deal, if he gets one, but is showing he can still play. “Unfortunately, the points aren’t there, but since I’ve been up we’ve had a winning record,” he said. “For me to go out there and do the little things and help my linemates and teammates do a job every night and get the win is the most important. “Yeah, I’ve been here before but it’s my last opportunity here to prove myself again. I’m not gonna let it slip away again. It’s been a good time so far and hopefully we can continue this playing good hockey here and play at home here.” Read had only one point, a goal against Detroit, in the final 15 games of the regular-season but has played well enough defensively to remain in the lineup. Since he returned to the NHL and had been on the penalty kill, the Flyers improved by 4.3 percent while shorthanded in the regular season and finished at 79.4 percent. Through two games in the playoffs they are 87.5 percent, due in part to killing all four of the Penguins’ power plays in Game 2 and allowing only three shots against in those eight minutes. Read had 5:30 of ice time Friday night on the penalty kill, usually with his old PK partner Sean Couturier. “The moment he got called back up and started playing with us he had that step and he was making plays,” Claude Giroux said. “Defensively he’s very responsible. He’s playing some good hockey right now. Just like back in the day when he used to kill penalties with Coots, they have that in sync together and play well on the PK.” “I think there’s one game during the regular season that he was in since he’s been back with us that his play was a little bit below the bar,” coach Dave Hakstol added. “Other than that, he’s been really dialed into his role. When a smart player like him has fully bought into his role, that makes a world of difference.” There was never going to be any clamoring for a bigger role for Read. Not after being sent down to the minors for so long. While he feared he might not make it back, he says he remained optimistic. “Every situation I had I was always like, ‘OK, this is gonna happen’ or if there was something up here and someone got hurt I was always like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna get a call,’” Read said. “I always felt like I was always gonna get another opportunity and I wasn’t gonna let it slip away if I did get another opportunity.” 1091582 Philadelphia Flyers There was an excitement level for the Flyers to host their first playoff game Sunday afternoon, especially with how electric PPG Paints Arena was for the Penguins. No supplemental discipline for Claude Giroux on Kris Letang hit “I thought their building was pretty loud,” Gostisbehere said. “It was obviously fun when we first get out there, but I don’t think you can compare it to our building. Our building’s pretty wild. A 3 o’clock game, I Dave Isaac know that people are gonna be ready for sure. Especially with what this city’s seen in the past couple months, I know they’re gonna be ready.” 2:54 p.m. ET April 14, 2018 Friday night the Flyers wanted to clarify that the proper ticket for Sunday’s game reads, “Round 1 Home Game 1” rather than Game 3 of the series. The team finished strong at home and ended with a 22-13-6 VOORHEES — Claude Giroux didn’t miss much sleep over the hit that record at Wells Fargo Center in the regular season. At the same time, the got Sidney Crosby into a tizzy. stage is a little bigger now. Friday night, in the second period of the Flyers’ 5-1 win over the “I remember my first playoff game here in Philly,” Giroux said. “It’s pretty Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 2, Crosby hit Giroux and the Flyers’ captain hardcore. It’s pretty wild. It’s a good time. You have to take it all in but at went backwards. He saw a Penguin over his shoulder and braced for the same time remember there’s a hockey game here and do the right impact. things.” It was Kris Letang, the Penguins defenseman who is playing in his first Courier-Post LOADED: 04.15.2018 playoff series in two years, and he took the brunt of the collision apparently unaware there were bodies in front of him. Giroux’s back was to Letang so it was his rear end that made contact with Letang’s chest. When he saw Letang stayed down, he skated over to apologize. There was no penalty on the play. “I thought he hit him high,” Crosby said postgame. “I’m sure the league will look at it, but yeah I thought it was a pretty high hit.” A league source told the Courier-Post there will be no supplemental discipline or hearing for Giroux. He does have a playoff rap sheet, a one- game suspension in 2012 for a hit to the head of Dainius Zubrus. Letang was in a heap on the ice, then left for the locker room. Photographers snapped Images of him with his left glove off, an apparent gash on the palm of his hand. He would later return to the game and finish with 18:58 of ice time. It’s unclear what cut his hand. “I didn’t hear anything (from the league),” Giroux said. “Like I said (Friday), it happened quick and I saw him at the last minute and I just braced myself. It didn’t look very good, but I’m happy he came back.” Saturday Letang missed practice before the Penguins left Pittsburgh due East and the team said he had a “maintenance day,” but would be on the flight to Philadelphia. Considering the NHL’s inconsistency with the Department of Player Safety and what it constitutes as suspension worthy there was always the chance of something happening, but the Flyers certainly didn’t expect it. “No,” coach Dave Hakstol said. “I watched it live and I watched it on tape. Absolutely not.” Another Philly underdog? Both before the series began and after a Game 2 win, Hakstol said that “nobody’s really giving us a serious chance to win this series.” Citing semantics, he said Saturday he’s not embracing the role of underdog for his team. “I haven’t used the word embrace with it at all. I said that’s what we’re labeled as,” Hakstol said. “That’s reality. The reality inside of our dressing room is that we know that, yet there’s a belief inside our dressing room that we’re here with a purpose. “I don’t think it’s a big rallying cry for our guys. I’m not trying to downplay it. I’m not trying to overplay it. The reality is nobody expects us to win this series. Do the math on what all the predictions are. That’s fine. How that affects our team, I don’t think it’s a big rallying cry.” Because of the Eagles’ Super Bowl win, there’s been countless references both at a local and national level about Philadelphia being an underdog city. The Flyers don’t disagree that it could also apply to them, but don’t seem to mind if that’s the case. Shayne Gostisbehere joked that the Flyers have been watching parade footage and that Radko Gudas would be most likely to wear the underdog mask. “It’s a cool role to have,” Gostisbehere said. “It’s not a lot of pressure on yourself. As a team I don’t think we think of ourselves as a Cinderella or something. We’re a good team. We made the playoffs. We almost had 100 points in a season. I think we’re a good team. I think it definitely showed (Friday) night.” Home cooking needed 1091584 Pittsburgh Penguins Again, though, Malkin said he considers that an environment in which the Penguins can thrive.

“We know it's a physical team. We know it's lots of fights, but we're Penguins' playoff road vs. Flyers suddenly is very rocky ready,” Malkin said. “We're not playing soft. We're ready to play.” Tribune Review LOADED: 04.15.2018 JONATHAN BOMBULIE Saturday, April 14, 2018, 4:57 p.m.

Whether inspirational, observational or instructional, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan delivers messages to his team on a daily basis in practice. One, in particular, stuck with Evgeni Malkin after Saturday afternoon's skate in Cranberry. “Sully says in tough situations, we play better,” Malkin said. “I agree with that.” The Penguins better hope Sullivan and Malkin are right because things are about to get exceedingly more difficult in their first-round series with the Philadelphia Flyers, which is tied 1-1 and continues with Game 3 on Sunday afternoon. First and foremost, the task will be harder because the series is switching to Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center for the next two games. Philadelphia fans notoriously make life difficult for visitors, but that's not really the problem for the Penguins. They have performed well in Philadelphia this season, decisively winning both games they played there by a combined score of 10-3. Sure, the Flyers faithful will rain boos and jeers down on Sidney Crosby, as is their custom, but that's to be expected. Heck, it's practically welcomed. “It gets pretty loud there,” Crosby said. “I think any building at playoff time is going to be loud and tough to play in, but it's part of the fun of playing in the playoffs: the different atmospheres and the high stakes. That's why we play the game.” No, the problem for the Penguins isn't specifically playing in Philadelphia. It's playing anywhere other than Pittsburgh. The Penguins had a dismal season on the road, going 17-20-4. They allowed 3.37 goals per game away from home, the eighth-worst figure in the league. Among playoff teams, only the Colorado Avalanche, the eighth seed in the Western Conference, had worse road numbers. Sullivan's contention is the Penguins have performed well on the road in the playoffs before, so there's no reason to think they won't do so again. He's not wrong. After all, the team has clinched the last two Stanley Cup championships away from home. Still, improvement on this season's road performance is an absolute necessity if the Penguins expect to avoid a first-round upset. “I think when you play playoff hockey, it's tough, regardless of where you play,” Sullivan said. “I don't know if that changes anything whether we're here or we're there. When you play a seven-game series, you're playing against good teams because good teams make the playoffs and that's tough and it's hard hockey. That's what we expect.” There are two other reasons the road ahead is a rough one for the Penguins. First, they're facing a suddenly confident opponent. After suffering a 7-0 blowout in Game 1, the Flyers could have been painted as hopeless underdogs. By recording an impressive 5-1 win in Game 2, they issued a very public reminder they're a team that finished only two points behind the two-time defending champs in the standings in the regular season. “You go into a playoff series, you expect it to be emotional. Highs and lows, wins and losses,” Crosby said. “You want to win every game, especially a game like last night (that) we put ourselves in a good position to win, but that's the nature of the playoffs. That's how it goes. You've got to be able to turn the page.” Second, the series will become more challenging physically for the Penguins the longer it goes. Kris Letang is expected to play in Game 3 after a violent collision with Claude Giroux in the second period of Game 2, but the human car crash served as a reminder that the bumps and bruises will pile up and the intensity will grow the more games are played between the bitter cross- state rivals. 1091585 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins notebook: Blocked shots take step backward

Jonathan Bombulie Saturday, April 14, 2018, 3:51 p.m.

When the Penguins won Game 1, 7-0, Flyers coach Dave Hakstol credited their 24 blocked shots as a key to the game. Their encore wasn't as impressive. The Penguins blocked only four shots in the 5-1 loss in Game 2 on Friday night. And Murray stopped only 15 of 19 shots by the Flyers, who had some shots bounce off players on their way to the net. “That's playoff hockey, too, I think,” Murray said. “A lot of traffic, a lot of just throwing pucks on net, guys driving hard. That's what happens, sometimes. Those first two were obviously tough ones. We've got to do a better job — I've got to do a better job — of keeping those out.” DIVE ON IN While Evgeni Malkin didn't weigh in on the Claude Giroux situation, he did offer commentary on the embellishment call Patric Hornqvist received in the third period of Game 2. Hornqvist was penalized for apparently exaggerating the effects of an Andrew MacDonald cross-check that sent him hurtling face-first into the boards. “The referee, I think, should be a little bit better,” Malkin said. “Last game, they give Horny diving. I (don't) agree.” Kevin Gorman contributed. Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at [email protected] or via Twitter @BombulieTrib. Tribune Review LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091586 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins work on power play in preparation for Game 3

KEVIN GORMAN Saturday, April 14, 2018, 2:48 p.m.

Goalie Matt Murray did a double take when asked about the Penguins' power play after Saturday's practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, reminding a reporter that he was asking the wrong guy. “I'm no power-play specialist myself,” Murray said, “but we've got the best group in the league.” Not to mention the most efficient in franchise history. After setting a club record with a 26.2 percent success rate this season, the Penguins are just 1 for 8 (12.5 percent) with the man advantage against the Flyers in their Stanley Cup first-round series. Where the Flyers went 2 for 3 on the power play in the 5-1 Game 2 victory Friday night at PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins were 0 for 4, registering only three shots on net. “We have some ideas that we think can help them,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “But, certainly, having a shooting mindset is important, regardless of where our power play is at. It's an important component of good power plays, establishing a shot. We've had opportunitites to shoot the puck and we've passed them up. So we're going to have to execute better. We're going to have to look to shoot the puck when the opportunities present themselves.” One example of failure in execution came from captain Sidney Crosby. After scoring a hat trick in Game 1, Crosby missed a point-blank chance from the right post at the end of the second period, with the Penguins trailing, 2-0. “I had a wide-open net and didn't put it in,” Crosby said, “or we're not talking about the power play.” The Penguins also blew an opportunity for a five-on-three when Patric Hornqvist was sent to the penalty box for embellishment after drawing a cross-checking penalty on Andrew MacDonald in the third period. No wonder the Penguins spent roughly half of Saturday's practice, which lasted more than 30 minutes, working on the power play. When it ended, Justin Schultz joined Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Patric Hornqvist in taking a knee on the ice to talk. “We worked on it a little bit,” Malkin said. “We understand we have great player on the ice. We need to support each other, shoot the puck a little bit more. We had great chances. … “If we score one goal, the confidence is coming.” Tribune Review LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091587 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins' Kris Letang misses practice but is expected to play in Game 3 against Flyers

JONATHAN BOMBULIE Saturday, April 14, 2018, 1:24 p.m.

Kris Letang did not practice Saturday afternoon in Cranberry, but he remains on track to play in Game 3 of a first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday afternoon. Coach Mike Sullivan said Letang had the day off for maintenance and that the 30-year-old defenseman would make the trip to Philadelphia for the game. Letang was injured in a violent collision with Flyers captain Claude Giroux seven minutes into the second period of Friday night's game at PPG Paints Arena. Letang was back on the ice by the start of the third period. No penalty was assessed on the play and Giroux said after the game that the collision was accidental. The NHL will not seek to suspend or fine Giroux. Tribune Review LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091588 Pittsburgh Penguins Of course, there still is time for Brassard to validate the steep price the Penguins paid for him, for the third line to find an offensive rhythm, for the power play to reclaim its place among the most fearsome forces in Penguins Jake Guentzel works in front of Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott the NHL. in the first period of Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Friday at And there is no time for any of that quite like Game 3. PPG Paints Arena. 1 Post Gazette LOADED: 04.15.2018

DAVE MOLINARI APR 14, 2018 6:17 PM

PHILADELPHIA — Don’t get the wrong idea. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has plenty to worry about. There’s the ballooning federal deficit. Volatility in the Middle East. The possibility of a trade war with China. The Flyers evened the series, 1-1, with a 5-1 win in Game 2 Sunday. And, yeah, Sullivan might even fret a bit about the Penguins’ opening- round playoff series with Philadelphia being tied, 1-1, heading into Game 3 at Wells Fargo Center Sunday afternoon. That’s understandable — doesn’t every coach keep a six-pack of antacid on hand at all times, just in case he feels the urge to agonize? — but not necessary. Not yet, anyway. Fact is, the Penguins have absolutely no reason to panic — they didn’t play nearly as poorly as the 5-1 final score in their Game 2 loss to the Flyers Friday at PPG Paints Arena might suggest — although they do have a few issues about which they should be concerned. And which, if not addressed and corrected, could result in this series being injected with a lot more suspense than it should. Perhaps even a surprise — and, for the Penguins, devastating — ending. The Flyers, after all, proved in Game 2 that they can be opportunistic, that they’re capable of exploiting whatever the Penguins give them. Which means the Penguins might want to consider giving them something different Sunday. Something like a power play that isn’t, for the most part, an oxymoron, as was the case in the first two games. They are 1-for-7 with the extra man in this series — the second unit got a goal during Game 1 — and, aside from an occasional spasm of competence, have been about as menacing as a heavily sedated kitten against the Flyers. Power plays routinely run hot and cold, so it’s entirely possible the Penguins will generate a handful of man-advantage goals in Game 3 without making any significant personnel or tactical adjustments. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to strip the power play down to its basics: Getting pucks to the net and having someone lurking nearby for deflections and rebounds. That’s the kind of work Patric Hornqvist could handle well. Hornqvist has been among the Penguins’ most effective players in the series, which is tacit confirmation that he hasn’t been deployed on the No. 3 line, which has been a virtual non-factor to this point. Phil Kessel, a 34-goal man during the regular season, has just three shots in the series, and didn’t record his first until there was under seven minutes remaining in the second period of Game 2. Kessel’s playmaking ability is an underappreciated asset — he executed a sensational setup that Sidney Crosby failed to convert during a power play as the second period in Game 2 wound down — but the Penguins need to have him shoot the puck more. Just as they must get more than simply responsible two-way play from his center, Derick Brassard. He hasn’t been a liability against the Flyers, but neither has he been a positive difference-maker. If the Penguins were content to just have a reliable guy behind Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the depth chart, they could have left Riley Sheahan in that role and held onto Ian Cole, promising goalie prospect Filip Gustavsson and their first-round selection in this year’s draft. 1091589 Pittsburgh Penguins

Evgeni Malkin rips officiating in Penguins-Flyers series

JASON MACKEY APR 14, 2018 5:35 PM

The first period of Friday’s 5-1 Penguins loss in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals featured a boarding call on Zach Aston-Reese after Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov did something similar to Conor Sheary that went uncalled. In the third period, Patric Hornqvist was called for embellishment and later earned a 10-minute misconduct, while the Penguins believed that Claude Giroux’s hit on Kris Letang was high, intentional or both. Nobody is blaming the officials for the Penguins allowing Philadelphia to even the series, but they're not entirely happy with it, either. Speaking about the overall physicality of the series, Evgeni Malkin said Saturday that he’d like to see the officiating improve — especially, one would think, with the hostility about to increase. Kris Letang leaves the ice at PPG Paints Arena on Friday at the 7-minute mark of the second period. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette) Jason Mackey Kris Letang misses Penguins practice Saturday for maintenance “We know they’re a physical team,” Malkin said of the Flyers. “We know there’s lots of fights. We’re ready. We’re not soft. We’re ready to play. The referees should be a little better. Last game they called Hornqvist for diving. I don’t agree. It’s fine. … I hope tomorrow we’re ready to play 60 minutes.” Malkin: 'I will play better' Last postseason, Malkin made a living with his predictions. He had another one Saturday. Only this time it involved his own game. "I will play better, for sure," Malkin said. Not that Malkin has been bad by any stretch. He's simply been human. Malkin didn't have a point Friday. His goal in Game 1 snapped a six- game draught. Penguins Sidney Crosby warms up before game 2 of the first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers, Friday, April 13, 2018 at PPG Paints Arena. After producing 22 goals and 40 points in 24 games in January and February, Malkin had six goals and 22 points in 18 games from March 1 through April 6 — the end of the regular season. Again, it’s nothing to complain about. But Malkin does feel like there are a few things he could do better. “I can be better, for sure,” Malkin said. “I haven’t played bad, but I need to manage the puck a little bit better. A little bit better on the power play, for sure. I have a chance to shoot one-timer. I will play better.” Post Gazette LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091590 Pittsburgh Penguins and get ready to compete no matter who it’s against. We’ll have to wait and see. That’ll probably be more up to them.”

Off the ice, the biggest difference is naturally the atmosphere in the Penguins ready to reverse regular-season road woes in Philadelphia arena. Wells Fargo Center Sunday afternoon will be a sea of orange, with a cascade of boos ready to welcome the Penguins. SAM WERNER “I like the hostility,” Rust said. “I like the boos, I like the negativity towards us. I think it makes everyone play with more of a chip on their shoulder.” APR 14, 2018 2:58 PM Ultimately, it’s those experiences the Penguins plan to draw on this weekend — big wins in front of electric crowds in San Jose and Nashville, not disappointing losses in half-empty buildings during this In the Mike Sullivan era, the Penguins’ two biggest wins — both of their regular season. Stanley Cup clinchers — have come away from Pittsburgh. “I think the guys in here know that when the stakes are high, it doesn’t This season, though, the road has not been quite as kind to them. matter whether you’re playing home or road,” Rust said. “I think we know our team can bring it.” The Penguins went 17-20-4 away from PPG Paints Arena this season, the second-worst road record of the 16 playoff teams. Post Gazette LOADED: 04.15.2018 But if they want to avoid coming back to Pittsburgh behind 3-1 in this first-round series, they’ll have to find a way to win at least one of the next two games in Philadelphia. Penguins Evgeni Malkin celebrates after scoring on Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott in the first period of game 1 of the first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers, Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at PPG Paints Arena. “When you play playoff hockey, it’s tough regardless of where you play,” Mike Sullivan said. “I don’t know that that changes anything, whether we’re here or there. When you play a seven-game series, you’re playing against good teams because good teams make the playoffs. That’s tough, and it’s hard hockey. That’s what we expect.” Penguins players generally didn’t seem to be overly concerned about the team’s poor record on the road this season, but the numbers are pretty stark. The Penguins averaged 3.63 goals per game at home this season, and just 2.95 on the road. They gave up 2.68 per contest at home, and 3.37 on the road. Even the power play, which the Penguins would really like to see come to life over these next two games, scored 10 fewer goals this season in away games. “It’s tough to say,” Olli Maatta said. “We really don’t think games any differently whether we’re on the road or at home. Nothing really changes that way.” In the regular season, the Penguins were able to compensate with a stellar 30-9-2 home record. Road success does seem to have some bearing on playoff results, though. No team has won a Stanley Cup with a sub-.500 regular-season road record — like the Penguins had this year — since the 1995 Devils. But the Penguins aren’t exactly sweating those numbers. Penguins Sidney Crosby warms up before game 2 of the first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers, Friday, April 13, 2018 at PPG Paints Arena. Gene Collier Gene Collier: Puck explains why it just wouldn't go in for Crosby in Game 2 “Basically a whole new season,” Bryan Rust said. “I don't think you put any stock in that at all.” The Penguins certainly hope not. The Flyers’ 5-1 Game 2 win Friday means they now hold home-ice advantage in the series. So the Penguins will have to win at least one game at Wells Fargo Center if they want to move on. “You’ve got to be able to turn the page,” Sidney Crosby said. “We know going in there, it’s a tough building to play in. But you’ve got to win on the road if you want to win series.” Perhaps the most significant tactical difference as the series shifts to Philadelphia is which team gets last change. The first two games in Pittsburgh featured a lot of best-on-best matchups, with Crosby’s line going against Sean Couturier’s. That could change in Game 3, depending on how Flyers coach Dave Hakstol wants to match up. “I don’t think there’s been a ton of matching,” Crosby said. “Definitely coaches have in mind who they want out there in certain situations, but it’s not always necessarily based on who the other team’s putting out there. As players, I think you just go out there when you’re called upon 1091591 Pittsburgh Penguins

Kris Letang leaves the ice at PPG Paints Arena on Friday at the 7-minute mark of the second period.

JASON MACKEY APR 14, 2018 12:14 PM

Kris Letang received a maintenance day and missed Penguins practice Saturday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex following a nasty collision with Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux on Friday. Coach Mike Sullivan said Letang will travel with the team to Philadelphia for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon. Around the 7-minute mark of the second period during the Penguins’ 5-1 loss in Game 2, Giroux barreled into Letang after Sidney Crosby made contact with Giroux. Letang crumpled to the ice. He quickly hopped to his feet and left the ice, his left hand apparently bleeding. The Flyers evened the series, 1-1, with a 5-1 win in Game 2 Sunday. After returning to the bench late in the second period, Letang finished the game, skating a total of 18:58. Letang refused to say whether or not he passed through concussion protocol and did not comment on any of the specifics of what happened. Giroux will not have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety for the hit. Asked whether there was anything else he wanted to say on the matter, Sullivan said simply, “No.” Letang was seen outside of the dressing room before practice started, a hockey glove on his left hand. The Eastern Conference quarterfinal series is tied at one game apiece. Lange to return After missing road games for much of this season, Hall of Famer broadcaster Mike Lange will hit the road for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon at Wells Fargo Center. Lange will call the game alongside regular partner Phil Bourque on the radio side. Post Gazette LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091592 Pittsburgh Penguins

No hearing for Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux

JASON MACKEY APR 14, 2018 9:55 AM

Flyers forward Claude Giroux won’t have a disciplinary hearing of any kind for his hit on Kris Letang during Philadelphia’s 5-1 victory over the Penguins on Friday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at PPG Paints Arena. Around the 7-minute mark of the second period, Sidney Crosby and Giroux collided, with Giroux going backward into Letang. Crosby thought Giroux hit Letang high, and Giroux’s elbow/arm appeared to catch Letang in the face. Replays also show Giroux looking back to locate Letang. After immediately adjourning to the Penguins dressing room, Letang returned to the bench late in the second period and finished the game. Flyers Nolan Patrick celebrates after goal by Shayne Gostisbehere against Penguins goaltender Matt Murray in the first period at game 2 of the first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers, Friday, April 13, 2018 at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins practice at noon Saturday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. It is closed to the public. Post Gazette LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091593 Pittsburgh Penguins Patrick, who looks like he’s 19 ½ years old because, um, he is 19 ½ years old, turned and skated away non-chalantly like he’s been doing that for 19 ½ years. Gene Collier: Puck explains why it just wouldn't go in for Crosby in Game “We came ready to battle,” said Couturier, whose goal, two assists, and 2 two blocked shots best illustrated the instant return to competence by a Flyers team that had been flogged 7-0 only 48 hours earlier. “It’s a long series, so you’ll see momentum switches, momentum swings. Tonight it GENE COLLIER looked like we’ve got the advantage on momentum. That first game was tough, very frustrating, but it’s gonna be a new game again next time.” APR 14, 2018 9:42 AM Momentum was no friend to the defending Stanley Cup Champions in Game 2. They’d won seven straight at home in the post-season, and 20 of 27 inside the PPG Pizzeria under Mike Sullivan. Murray hadn’t allowed All these years, decade upon decade of breathless analysis on what it a playoff goal in more than 206 minutes of ice time. None of that takes to navigate the long, treacherous road to the Stanley Cup, the mattered to Philadelphia, which is now 15-5-3 in the building on Fifth oldest professional sports trophy on the continent, and it’s all been Avenue, regular and postseason. wrong. “That’s the game of hockey,” said Flyers coach Dave Hakstol. “We got Or at least seriously flawed. some good saves from our goaltender, we defended hard, we got a All this time spent describing the interpersonal playoff politics of bounce, but none of us sat up here two nights ago and complained about Penguins-Flyers as a matter of will, the imposition of same, of who wants any bounces that went against us. We didn’t play well two nights ago. it more, all terribly misguided. Tonight we played our asses off in a tough building on the road and we got the result. There’s nothing more to it.” Or so I learned late Friday night, I think. Fair enough, but Crosby knows that on a night when the Penguins had The Flyers evened the series, 1-1, with a 5-1 win in Game 2 Sunday. 35 shots and 24 others blocked or missed, it could easily have gone the other way, especially if he’d converted a couple of glorious opportunities. It’s not about the wants and desires of the men on the ice; it’s not about what the players want, the league wants, the fans want, the officials “I’ll put those in most times,” said Sid. want, Iceburgh wants. Not if the puck doesn’t want him to. It’s the puck. What does the puck want? Post Gazette LOADED: 04.15.2018 “Some nights,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said after a 5-1 skunking by the young Philadelphians, “the puck doesn’t want to go in for you.” Perhaps we should start interviewing the puck. If the puck could talk, here’s what it would have said after Game 2. “Look, I know everybody’s wondering why I didn’t go into the open net off Sidney Crosby’s stick there at the end of the second period, why I didn’t go into the net on his breakaway earlier in the period, but the fact is, I don’t have to bury myself in the twine just because I happen to be touched by the angelic wand of the great 87; I’m not his fool every single night. He had three goals in the first game and, you know, I mean pardon me if I’d like to put some respectable distance between playoff hat tricks. Besides, he’s been torturing me for most of a month. “Some nights I’ll find myself fluttering aimlessly and unpredictably above the ice, almost in a trance, blissful like, where no human should be able to hit me with anything, let alone a hockey stick, and three times in three weeks, Crosby whacked me into the net. I’ve had it. I’d rather bang my head off the post or the crossbar – which I did four times tonight maybe you noticed. Penguins Evgeni Malkin celebrates after scoring on Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott in the first period of game 1 of the first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers, Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at PPG Paints Arena. “So excuse bleepin’ me. See you in Philadelphia.” Whoa. Thank heaven for the cooling off period. For his part, Crosby wasn’t blaming the puck after one of his lesser playoff performances, only himself for not converting a perfect feed from Phil Kessel as the middle period was expiring. Crosby whacked Kessel’s primo set-up harmlessly back across the goal mouth behind Flyers goalie Brian Elliott, a failure the captain felt might have changed the course of the game and, by logical extension, the series that now stands 1-1. “You can’t hesitate in between whether to stop it or one-time it with how much time was left,” Crosby said. “You’ve got to put that in regardless. If I find a way to put that in, it’s 2-1; it’s a different game. That one and the breakaway (that Elliott snuffed) was a big turning point in the game.” Obviously inspired by the recalcitrance of the puck to dance to Crosby’s tune, the Flyers doubled down on a 2-0 lead in the third period with a pair of goals worthy of Crosby himself. First Travis Konecny, one of eight Flyers in his first post-season, blasted into the Pittsburgh zone on right wing, around defender Chad Ruhwedel, lost the puck temporarily to Ruhwedel’s blade, regained it and knocked it behind Matt Murray for the goal that made it 3-0. He even punctuated all of that with a flying Bobby Orr imitation, which lacked a bit for altitude but was fairly impressive for its intent. Not four minutes later, veteran center Sean Couturier slid the puck backwards between his skates across the crease to rookie Nolan Patrick, who buried it to Murray’s right. 1091594 San Jose Sharks “The big red flashing light is you don’t have to look any further than Pittsburgh-Philly,” DeBoer said. “This is a league where you can’t feel good about yourself for too long. We played a good game. We stuck to Things to know: Sharks’ Joe Thornton explains why he stays away from our game plan. We got rewarded for it in Game 1. We’ve got to put that Twitter aside. “I know they’re going to be a whole lot better.” PAUL GACKLE In Game 1 Sharks win, Ducks took seven penalties “and deserved every one of them” April 14, 2018 at 2:46 PM Defenseman Dylan DeMelo’s mind also wandered to the Sharks series with the Ducks as he watched the Flyers even up their series with the Penguins Friday. It showed that even the two-time defending Stanley ANAHEIM, Calif. — Joe Thornton gave the stew that is social media a Cup champions are susceptible to momentum swings in the playoffs. good stir when he joined the Sharks for pregame warmups Thursday night. “I don’t know whether Pittsburgh took their foot off the gas, but that’s something that can creep in when you beat a team in the first game like Thornton, however, was oblivious to the storm that his appearance prior they did,” he said. “You might think it’s going to be easy going forward to Game 1 of the Sharks opening-round series with the Anaheim Ducks when it’s actually going to get a lot tougher. That applies to us tonight, sparked. He’s made a conscious decision to stay away from Twitter after obviously. We played well, but we’re going to need to play even better a brief flirtation with the social media platform in Vancouver “about two because they’re going to come out with a lot more determination.” years ago.” San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.15.2018 “It was about 11 o’clock at night and I went on it because I wanted to check out Beetlejuice’s page from the Howard Stern Show,” Thornton said. “I was like, oh my God, what did I just do? I have to get off this thing.” The 38-year old forward said he spent about six minutes on Twitter before he decided to pull the plug. He stays off Facebook, as well. “I was in full-fledged panic because I started getting all these requests with people following me,” Thornton said. “I phoned (a Sharks public relations director) and said, you’ve got to get me off this thing. “It got crazy.” Deleting Twitter is proving to be a smart decision for Thornton, especially with all the chatter and speculation about his health status for the series. Thornton, who’s recovering from damage to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, will be sidelined for Game 2 in Anaheim Saturday. He labeled his status for the remainder of the series as “day to day.” Nevertheless, Thornton is planning to skate in warmups again Saturday. He wants to be out with “the fellows”, get back into his game day routine and see a little more ice time than he receives at the Sharks morning practices. “I might as well. I’m here, right? There’s ice. Skate,” Thornton said. 2. Corey Perry and will be getting some help in playing the villain role Saturday when Kevin Bieksa returns to lineup. Bieksa, who scored the series-clinching goal against the Sharks in the 2011 Western Conference Final, will be rejoining the Ducks blue line after missing 12 games with a hand injury, replacing Andy Welinski. Cam Fowler remains sidelined by a shoulder injury. The 36-year-old defenseman will undoubtedly bring even more nastiness to an already-chippy Ducks lineup, along with 85 games of playoff experience. In Game 1, the Sharks exploited the Ducks third pairing of Welinski and Marcus Pettersson, who entered the series with a combined 29 NHL games under their belts. The downside is that Bieksa isn’t exactly the fleetest of foot, to be friendly, at a time when the NHL is getting faster and faster. The Sharks undoubtedly won the speed game Thursday night, a fact that the Ducks seem to be resigning to by penciling Bieksa into the lineup. “He’ll give us a little bit more of a rugged (look),” Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said. “We feel we didn’t do enough impeding their progress. They had opportunities to freely get to our net often.” “He plays a real-physical game,” Sharks center Eric Fehr said. “He definitely won’t be shying away from hits. He plays a playoff style of game.” 3. The Sharks saw the “big-red flashing light” Friday as they watched the Stanley Cup playoffs on their off-night. Although they didn’t need any reminders, the Sharks got to see just how dramatically things can change in a series when the Philadelphia Flyers responded to a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday with a 5-1 win in Game 2. The Sharks are preparing for Saturday’s game with the Penguins-Flyers series in mind. 1091595 San Jose Sharks It’s a heck of a trump card to be holding in your hand if you’re DeBoer, who completely dismissed the suggestion that the timing of Thornton’s return could depend on the Sharks standing in the series. Gackle: How another Sharks victory will impact Joe Thornton’s return “Regardless of where this series ends up, whether we’re down, up, facing elimination, we’re going to do what’s right. He’s going to do what’s right,” the Sharks coach said. “We’re not looking to buy time, we’re not PAUL GACKLE looking to rush him back if we get into a spot where we’re in trouble. It’s too serious an injury and he’s too valuable a guy.” April 14, 2018 at 8:51 am DeBoer’s claim is hard to believe considering that Thornton rushed back from an even more serious-knee injury in the playoffs last season. The Sharks coach also sent out mixed messages about Thornton’s health ANAHEIM — Pete DeBoer says the “million-dollar question” in the earlier this year and was deceptive about the nature of Martin Jones’ Sharks opening round series with the Anaheim Ducks is whether Chris midseason injury. Tierney’s breakthrough season will carry into the Stanley Cup playoffs, giving his team the matchup edge it needs down the middle. At the end of the day, he isn’t going to show his hand when he tackles this million-dollar dilemma. Although he should tip off the folks at Twitter, Good question. But it isn’t the million-dollar question. they might need some time to prepare. The question that everyone in Sharks Territory is asking right now is a San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.15.2018 little more obvious: when is Joe Thornton returning to the lineup? Thornton almost blew up the Twitter machine Thursday when he joined his Sharks teammates for pregame warmups in Anaheim, but it proved to be false hope. DeBoer said Thornton took warmups because he wants to be part of the group and “obviously, he’s making progress.” In other words, 11 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, Thornton is getting close — really close. And conventional wisdoms suggests the Sharks can buy even more time, for Thornton and for DeBoer, by winning Saturday night to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Thornton made it abundantly clear this week that he isn’t going to return if it’s going to create a “distraction” in the middle of the playoffs. He wants to make sure that once he rejoins the lineup, he’s in for the remainder of the playoffs, and contributing in a positive way. He took a different approach last fall.Thornton skated on the first day of Sharks training camp in September, less than five months after he underwent surgery to repair tears to two ligaments in his 38-year-old left knee. As a result, he struggled over the first seven weeks of the season, losing races to pucks, failing to accelerate, and eventually suffering a compensation injury that set him back even further. On Nov. 12, DeBoer acknowledged that he probably couldn’t pull Thornton out of the lineup if he wanted to, joking that, “he’s a lot bigger than me” and saying, “at 80 percent, he can still help us.” But the Sharks can’t settle for 80 percent this spring unless it’s time to hit the panic button. When Thornton battled through the first 16 games of the season, the team was in a different place. The Sharks were struggling to absorb the loss of Patrick Marleau, they ranked 31st in goals-scored (43) and looked very much like a bubble team. They needed Thornton, even at 80 percent. Now, it’s unclear exactly how Thornton will fit into the lineup when he’s ready to go. The Sharks are a dramatically different squad in the wake of general manager Doug Wilson’s trade for Evander Kane at the trade deadline Feb. 26. The team is 12-5-1 with Kane in the lineup (including Thursday’s win), they’re playing with speed and they’ve found an identity without Thornton. Adding Thornton to the mix at “80 percent” could jeopardize the team’s chemistry and momentum. It would also force DeBoer to make some hard choices. Will he throw Thornton right back up onto the top line with Kane and Joe Pavelski? What if he slows them down? Will Thornton be willing to play an reduced role, seeing minutes on the power play while centering a bottom line? Why tackle these questions in the middle of a playoff series unless it’s completely necessary for the team’s survival? As long as the Sharks continue to stay ahead of the Ducks, there’s no reason for Thornton to return in the opening round and cause a potential distraction. But if the Sharks find themselves in trouble later in the series, bringing a future Hall of Famer back into the mix could give the team a jolt, create matchup headaches for Ducks coach Randy Carlyle and ultimately change the dynamic on the ice. 1091596 San Jose Sharks The plan failed. The Sharks controlled the neutral zone by closing gaps, they scored two rush goals in transition and continued to overwhelm the Ducks with their Sharks’ takeaways: smart and fast beats rough and stupid speed. “You don’t hear that too often,” center Eric Fehr noted. “We’re moving the PAUL GACKLE puck really well. When we’re executing in our dzone, it’s tough for them to get a forecheck on us.” April 15, 2018 at 12:40 am The Ducks shot themselves in the foot in Game 1 by taking seven penalties, including back-to-back slashing infractions in the second that led to Kane’s opening goal on a 5-on-3 power play. Lack of discipline ANAHEIM, Calif. — The rematch proved to be everything the Sharks reared its head again Saturday as Corey Perry sucked the life out of the expected it to be and they withstood the Anaheim Ducks physical Ducks comeback effort by taking a reckless-interference penalty with barrage with poise and disciple. 3:43 remaining in regulation. The Sharks put the Ducks into a vice grip Saturday, jumping ahead 2-0 in Instead of providing support in a puck battle along the boards in the their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series by resisting the shenanigans offensive zone, he threw a bone-crunching hit on Melker Karlsson, and sticking to the blueprint. knocking off his helmet and slamming him onto the ice. Here’s what we learned as the Sharks took Game 2 with a 3-2 win in “It would have been better served to be less violent,” Ducks coach Randy Orange County. Carlyle said. 1. The Sharks saw the ‘big flashing red light’ and avoided the trap. Honestly, though. pic.twitter.com/NgQLAEiaw6 the trap that the Pittsburgh Penguins fell into Friday night. After they — Brodie Brazil (@BrodieNBCS) April 15, 2018 picked up a whopping 7-0 win in Game 1 Wednesday, the Penguins failed to match the Philadelphia Flyers desperation in Game 2, losing 5-1. Once again, the Ducks penchant for the nasty worked in the Sharks favor. DeBoer wanted his team to take note of the Penguins loss — the big flashing red light — to ensure that they didn’t go into Game 2 feeling too “If he wants to take a penalty at that point of the game, we’ll take the good about themselves. power play,” DeBoer said. As predicted, the Ducks came out hungry and they imposed their will 3. The fourth line plays a decisive role. early. They scored the opening goal just 40 seconds into game and they let the Sharks know that they wouldn’t be leaving Orange County without Throughout most of the season, the fourth line was the Sharks problem a few cuts, scrapes and bruises. line. In Game 2, it played the role of difference maker. Hampus Lindholm threw a big hit on Evander Kane roughly five minutes After auditioning five different centers on the fourth line, the Sharks finally into the game and then Francois Beauchemin absolutely crushed Kevin established their identity as a four-line team after they traded for Eric Labanc, sending him flying down to the ice. Just to throw a little extra Fehr on Feb. 20. cheese onto the taco, Nick Ritchie dumped Dylan DeMelo onto Labanc’s With both teams top lines canceling themselves out in Game 2, the head as he was lying helmet-less on the ice. Sharks got their edge from their depth. The Sharks bottom lines Labanc tagged by Beauchemin. produced positive possession ratings while their top-two lines were in the red against Ryan Kesler and Ryan Getzlaf. Your thoughts? pic.twitter.com/2mC6Mgcph7 Related Articles — Brodie Brazil (@BrodieNBCS) April 15, 2018 Martin Jones clutch in late going as Sharks take 2-0 series lead over Less than 30 seconds later, Kane and Jakob Silfverberg mixed up, taking Ducks coinciding roughing penalties. Things to know: Sharks’ Joe Thornton explains why he stays away from But instead of getting sucked into the Ducks rough and tumble game Twitter plan, the Sharks stayed poised and eventually tied things up at 9:41 of the first when Marcus Sorensen scored his first-career playoff goal by Gackle: How another Sharks victory will impact Joe Thornton’s return stuffing in the rebound of a Brenden Dillon shot off the end boards from Brent Burns was asked to improve in one area. He responded in record the side of the net. fashion “We expected that. We knew they were going to come out strong. In Game 1 Sharks win, Ducks took seven penalties “and deserved every They’re a heavy-physical team,” Logan Couture said. “We responded one of them” well. Marcus with the big goal and then they took a penalty.” The fourth line posted possession marks around 70 percent and they Couture capitalized on the ensuing power play exactly five minutes after scored the pivotal goal in the first, tying the game after the Ducks Sorensen’s goal, going forehand to backhand off a slick-seam pass from grabbed the early momentum. Labanc to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead. Tomas Hertl put the Ducks into an even deeper hole just 1:11 into the second, stickhandling through a pair Dillon boards Sorensen #SJSharks of defenders and flinging the puck into the top shelf with a backhanded pic.twitter.com/p2noUawY8H shot. — San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) April 15, 2018 W O W #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/TSsJaFF3kq “Huge,” DeBoer said. “We were on our heels a little bit there in the first — San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) April 15, 2018 and Sorensen scores that goal off great ozone time. “We knew they were going to play their best game tonight,” DeBoer said. “That was a big goal for us. That really jumpstarted our bench and we “I loved our resolve. I thought they took some liberties in the first period took off from there.” that they got away with and we didn’t shrink. We stood in there. San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.15.2018 “That’s one thing about our group, we won’t be pushed out of games.” 2. Smart and fast beats rough and stupid. The Sharks are used to defending themselves against charges of being slow in an era of fast hockey, insisting that physicality trumps speed in the playoffs. They’re playing role reversal in their series with the Ducks. Knowing that they can’t beat the Sharks in the speed game, the Ducks doubled down on the rough stuff in Game 2. They inserted boat anchor defenseman Kevin Bieksa into the lineup and tried to slow the Sharks down with chippy-goon play. 1091597 San Jose Sharks There was more than anecdotal evidence to believe that the Ducks would be a different team.

Including the result of Thursday’s game, the Ducks had fallen behind 1-0 Martin Jones clutch in late going as Sharks take 2-0 series lead over in four of their last five playoff series. Ducks In Game 1 Sharks win, Ducks took seven penalties “and deserved every one of them” CURTIS PASHELKA Last year in their second round series against the Edmonton Oilers, April 14, 2018 at 11:29 PM Anaheim fell behind 2-0 before it rallied to win four of the next five. Included in that turnaround was a miraculous comeback in Game 5 where they erased a 3-0 Oilers lead in the last 3:16 of regulation time ANAHEIM — The Sharks are coming back home with a commanding before winning in double overtime. lead in their first round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks. The Sharks have never lost a playoff series when they’ve won the first Marcus Sorensen, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl all scored and goalie two games as the visiting team, going 3-0 in that regard all time as a Martin Jones finished with 28 saves — including 11 in a heart-stopping franchise. In 2016, the Sharks won two games at Staples Centerto start a third period — as the Sharks held on for a thrilling 3-2 win over the Ducks first round series against Los Angeles, and closed out the Kings in five in Game 2 at Honda Center to take a two-games-to-none lead in the games. series between the California rivals. Last season, the Sharks won Game 1 in Edmonton, lost the second Games 3 and 4 are back in San Jose at SAP Center on Monday and game and were beaten in three of the next four in a six-game series loss Wednesday, respectively. The Sharks, who beat the Ducks 3-0 on to the Oilers. Thursday in Game 1, are 3-0 in their franchise’s playoff history when they’ve won the first two games of a series on the road. “We did our job so, you don’t want to look too far ahead,” Sharks center Eric Fehr said. “You can’t expect it to be easy when you’re at home. As “We don’t have to worry about overconfidence. That’s not part of our long as we have the right mindset coming home that we have to work the DNA,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. “The success we’ve had this same way, play the same game, it’ll be good for us.” year has been about having buy-in and attention to detail and getting contributions from everybody. When you get that you aren’t intimidated.” San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.15.2018 Jones was at his best in the third period, when he, after Evander Kane took a delay of game penalty with 13:48 to go in regulation, made three saves to help kill the penalty and preserve the Sharks’ tenuous one-goal lead. “That was obviously a big penalty kill,” Jones said. “It wasn’t the prettiest game for me today, but sometimes when you’re maybe fighting it a little bit and you grind out a win, that’s even more rewarding.” The Sharks and Ducks traded goals in the second period, as San Jose held a 3-2 lead going into the final 20 minutes of regulation time. Hertl scored his first goal of the series just 1:11 into the second period, finishing off a quick transition strike with a backhand shot that got past Ducks goalie John Gibson for a 3-1 Sharks lead. Defenseman Paul Martin was whistled for tripping at the 6:30 mark of the second, and the Ducks capitalized. Hampus Lindholm took a pass from Ryan Getzlaf and beat Jones, who was knocked off-balance by the skate of Brenden Dillon. Jones was making his 32nd straight playoff start for the Sharks. In that time, he’s allowed three or more goals just 10 times. Jones made 25 saves in Thursday’s Game 1, including 12 in the third period to preserve what was his fifth career playoff shutout. Only 14 of those saves, though, came at even strength. He faced 17 shots at even strength through two periods on Saturday. “It was pretty clear what their game plan was today,” Jones said. “They were trying to push us out of the game physically but all night, it was a really great response from us. We didn’t back down. We stuck with our game plan, we were taking hits to make plays.” The first period was predictably intense, but the Sharks absorbed an early Ducks onslaught. Jakob Silfverberg scored the Ducks’ first goal of the series 40 seconds into the game, as his wrist shot from inside the blue line got past Jones. With 14:14 left in the first, Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin ran over Kevin Labanc near the boards inside the Sharks’ zone, again sending the sold-out Orange County crowd into a frenzy. The Sharks responded at the 9:41 mark of the first, with Sorensen collecting’s Dillon’s shot that went off the end boards and tucking it across the goal line to tie the game 1-1. Then with the Sharks on their first power play of the game and their eighth of the series, Couture took a pass from Labanc on the left wing, took a stride to the middle and beat Gibson with a backhand shot for a 2- 1 Sharks lead at the 14:41 mark. The Sharks knew the Ducks would play a lot better than they did in Game 1, starting with cutting down the amount of times they were shorthanded. Ducks players felt they weren’t moving their feel well enough, which played a part in two interference calls, one holding penalty and three slashing infractions. 1091598 San Jose Sharks

Sharks win tussle in Anaheim to take 2-0 series lead on Ducks

George Alfano 11:35 pm, Saturday, April 14, 2018

ANAHEIM — Logan Couture had a goal and an assist and the Sharks excelled on the road again, beating the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 Saturday night to take a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference first-round series. The Sharks moved halfway to their first playoff series victory since their Stanley Cup Finals run in 2016. The Sharks also are halfway to their first playoff series victory over Anaheim, their longtime rivals, and they host the next two games at SAP Center. “We can’t take anything for granted,” Sharks goalie Martin Jones said. “We’re just focused on the next game.” After getting shut out two days earlier, the Ducks scored on their first shot of Game 2. Just 40 seconds in, Jacob Silfverberg flung a long shot past defenders and got his 18th career postseason goal past Jones, who didn’t appear to read it well. Still, Jones made 28 saves and didn’t allow a goal after Hampus Lindholm’s power-play score almost eight minutes into the second period. “He was excellent and I thought both goalies were excellent,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said of Jones and Anaheim’s John Gibson. “We had four or five grade-A chances to extend the lead at different points in the second and third and I thought Gibson made some big saves, too. Jonesy has been a rock for us in this time of the year.” Anaheim also established its physical game early on. Nick Ritchie, Lindholm and Francois Beauchemin all delivered major hits, with Lindholm sending Game 1 hero Evander Kane to the bench with a mouth injury from a shoulder check. “I think we expected that,” the Sharks’ Logan Couture said of Anaheim’s heavy hits. “They were going to come out strong. They are a heavy, physical team. We expected that and I think we responded well.” The Sharks responded with the next three goals, two in the first period. Brenden Dillon shot wide to the left of the net, but the puck came off the board to the goal line on the right. Marcus Sorensen was quickest to the puck and poked it past Gibson. Couture lifted the Sharks to a 2-1 advantage when he skated in front of the net and scored on a backhand shot with 5:19 remaining in the first period. Tomas Hertl elevated San Jose to a 3-1 advantage 71 seconds into the second period. He went to the backhand to flip the puck by Gibson. The good work continued for the Sharks until defenseman Paul Martin was called for slashing in the offensive zone 6:30 into the second period. Lindholm was left alone in front of the net and scored to cut the Sharks’ lead to 3-2 with 12:09 remaining in the second period. “We knew what they were going to do,” Jones said. “They were going to come out hard. It might not have been my best game, but it feels good to come out with a win.” Joe Thornton sat out again for San Jose. The 38-year-old center hasn’t played since Jan. 23 after right knee surgery. For Anaheim, defenseman Kevin Bieksa returned to the lineup for his 86th career playoff game, missing the past month after hand surgery. San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091599 San Jose Sharks

Timo Meier primed for scoring breakout

Marcus White April 14, 2018 11:38 AM

The Sharks' best player on Thursday night's Game 1 win against the Anaheim Ducks is still looking for his first playoff point. Brent Burns and Evander Kane found the back of the net, but second- year forward Timo Meier was arguably San Jose's most productive skater at even strength. He was second on the team in five-on-five shot attempts (seven), unblocked shot attempts (five), and shots on goal (four) on Thursday, just one behind Burns in each of those categories despite playing nearly eight fewer minutes of five-on-five ice time, according to Corsica Hockey. He, like Burns, accounted for half of the Sharks' five-on-five shots while he was on the ice (eight), and was the only player to produce half of the team's shot attempts (14) in his five-on-five ice time. Despite that, he (and his linemates) still couldn't score on Thursday. Meier's been snake-bitten in six career postseason games, despite driving play in the right direction. Of the San Jose players that have played in at least two playoff games over the last two years, only Tomas Hertl (2.17 percent) and Jannik Hansen (2.38 percent) have a lower on- ice shooting percentage than Meier (3.12 percent). Yet, no Shark has been more individually productive in terms of generating shots and quality looks in the playoffs, and only a few players in the league have. To equalize for ice time, the table below lists where Meier ranks individually in shot attempt rate (iCF/60), unblocked shot attempt rate (iFF/60), shot rate (iSF/60), and expected goals rate (iXGF/60) among skaters that have played a minimum of 50, five-on-five minutes over the last two postseasons. It's only a six-game sample size, but each of those rates are higher than Meier's in the regular season, so it's likely only a matter of time before the points start to follow. His play, as well as the rest of the third line's on Thursday, may have even prompted the Ducks to make lineup changes. Anaheim defenseman Andy Welinski spent most of his five-on-five ice time with Marcus Pettersson and against San Jose's bottom six forwards in Game 1. Welinski posted the following corsi-for percentages against Meier, as well as his linemates Chris Tierney and Kevin Labanc: 27.27 percent (out-attempted 8-3), 25 percent (out-attempted 12-4), and 16.67 percent (out-attempted 10-2), according to Natural Stat Trick. So Welinski comes out of the lineup for Game 2, and veteran blueliner Kevin Bieksa draws in, based the Ducks' line rushes at the morning skate on Saturday. If Anaheim head coach Randy Carlyle chooses to deploy his new third pairing against San Jose's third line, Meier, Tierney, and Labanc could very well still get the better of the matchup, as Bieksa and Pettersson have posted a 39.22 corsi-for percentage together this season, according to Corsica Hockey. Meier may yet pick up his first playoff point, too. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091600 San Jose Sharks

After two wins vs Ducks, biggest threat to Sharks is their own complacency

Ray Ratto April 14, 2018 11:10 PM

The San Jose Sharks have been a notoriously cruel tease, and that has been true even before they gakked up that 3-0 lead to Los Angeles in 2014. But the Stanley Cup Playoffs have always been a stay-in-the-moment kind of thing, a yesterday’s-result-is-unconnected-to-tomorrow’s phenomenon going back decades. In other words, their 2-0 lead on the Anaheim Ducks heading back to San Jose for Games 3 and 4 of their first-round series isn’t yet a thing, because the NHL is, well, the NHL. That said, being up 2-0 in the first round and going back home has an 82 percent chance of said team winning the series, so it is still much preferable to the rise-from-the-slab bogey men that occasionally crop up in these scenarios. Besides, San Jose has been better in both games because San Jose has been truer to its core values than Anaheim. More blocked shots, better discipline, and an urgency to protect goaltender Martin Jones so that the discrepancies between him and Anaheim’s John Gibson are minimized – they have all added up to put the Sharks in a firmly dominant position, one which frankly most observers hadn’t expected. So far, home teams are 12-4 through the first two sets of games, and the Sharks have two of those four. They have been faster and more skilled, and even playing at a faster pace than the Ducks are used to allowing. As a result, Evander Kane made his mark in Game 1 and the rest of the team had better luck finding the seams in the Anaheim defense in Game 2. Defensively, they have properly neutralized Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell and left Corey Perry to headhunt, as he did with Melker Karlsson late in Game 2. Plus, they have blocked nearly 30 percent of Anaheim’s shot attempts and given Jones clear looks at most of what has leaked through. All this means is that once again we have fallen victim to recency bias. The Ducks played better down the stretch than the Sharks, even stealing a home ice advantage the Sharks should have had nailed down with a week to go. Gibson has been left to do too much and as a result has not been able to do enough, and the Sharks have been winning all the time and space battles in front of him. Instead, the Sharks are in an even better situation now than if they had gone up 2-0 and then had to head to Anaheim, and can, if they wish to tempt fate, start prepping for the Vegas Wonder Children – which would be tempting fate twice. You see, the NHL has a funny way of treating those who have tabulated the hen prematurely, and the biggest threat to San Jose is its own complacency, which has historically been more of a problem than seems reasonable. But having established that they are better than Anaheim in its current state, the Sharks ought to be able to finish the work – maybe in six games, because four would be, again, tempting a fate that has never been terribly kind to San Jose. So there’s that. The Sharks have been among the postseason’s most impressive teams so far (behind Boston, to be sure, and Winnipeg and Nashville as well), but finishing is what their history says is their failing, so they have to kick history in the ass a bit. They seem in just the mood to do it. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091601 San Jose Sharks The series shifts to San Jose for Game 3 at SAP Center on Monday night. Pregame Live begins on NBC Sports California at 7 p.m, with game coverage beginning at 7:30. Sharks hang on to beat Ducks, take 2-0 series lead Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.15.2018

Marcus White April 14, 2018 10:15 PM

The Sharks outlasted the Anaheim Ducks in Game 2 of the first round, and left Southern California with a 2-0 series lead after a 3-2 win on Saturday night. Anaheim opened the scoring on the game's first shot. 40 seconds in, Jakub Silfverberg entered the San Jose zone and floated a shot past goaltender Martin Jones for the game's opening goal. The Sharks settled into the game afterward, out-attempting the Ducks 10-6 at five-on-five over the next nine minutes. On their 11th shot attempt, Marcus Sorensen buried a rebound off of the boards into a yawning cage, tying the game at one. Exactly five minutes later, San Jose took the lead on the power play, when Logan Couture finished Kevin Labanc's lead pass with a backhand move in close. 71 seconds into the second period, Anaheim goaltender John Gibson was beat by another backhand shot, this time from the stick of Tomas Hertl after the Czech forward dangled through the Ducks defense and gave the Sharks a 3-1 lead. The two-goal margin became one-goal margin about seven minutes later, when Hampus Lindholm wristed Anaheim's first power play goal of the series past Jones. Jones shut the door for the remainder of the game, including on a Ducks power play in the third period. Corey Perry blindsided Melker Karlsson with 3:43 remaining in regulation while the Karlsson was on the far edge of a puck battle, giving the Sharks a late power play. San Jose couldn't convert, but wound the clock down and withstood a late Anaheim push with Gibson pulled to win a second game at the Honda Center in three nights. STANDOUT PERFORMER Marcus Sorensen was part of a dominant fourth line. He scored San Jose's first goal, drew a penalty, and finished the night with a team-best 78.57 percent corsi-for percentage. His line had the puck in their possession all night, and Sorensen was on the ice for just three shot attempts against. SPECIAL TEAMS For the ninth time in 11 games since the start of the 2016-17 season, San Jose had more power play opportunities than Anaheim. In all, the Sharks have had 14 more power play opportunities than the Ducks during that time. IN GOAL Sharks: Martin Jones added to his playoff resume with yet another impressive performance. He stopped 28 of 30 shots he faced, including all 11 in the third period. John Gibson was one of the league's best goalies during the regular season, but Jones outplayed him for the second straight night. Ducks: Gibson allowed three goals for the second straight game, making 32 saves. He has now given up three or more in five of his last seven starts. TURNING POINT Couture's goal gave the Sharks a lead they would not relinquish, but Hertl's eventual game-winner gave them breathing room. They played the Ducks about even after Lindholm cut the lead to one, aside from the frantic finish, and two goals proved to be too much for Anaheim to overcome. INJURY UPDATE Sharks: San Jose made no lineup changes from Game 1, but Joe Thornton (right MCL) participated in pregame warm-ups for the second straight game. He did not take part in line rushes. Ducks: Kevin Bieksa (left hand) returned to the lineup for his first game since March 12. WHAT'S NEXT 1091602 St Louis Blues Bronze (tie); Alex Pietrangelo, Carter Hutton • Were it not for a December foot injury that cost him four games and slowed him down for a longer period, Pietrangelo might have been a serious Norris Trophy candidate. Blues in 2017-18: High peaks, deep valleys, no postseason Hutton helped the Blues ride out Allen’s ups and downs with the best goaltending of his career.

THREE TO REMEMBER Jim Thomas, Tom Timmermann Blues 8, Oilers 3 • On a night when the Blues scored their most goals of the season, Tarasenko got the Gordie Howe hat trick — and then some — with two goals, two assists and only the third fight of his career. (Nov. And so the spring (and summer) of discontent begins, and begins early. 21 at Scottrade Center) In early December, the Blues were the toast of the NHL. By early April, they were just toast. Blues 2, Maple Leafs 1 (OT) • Vince Dunn, a last-minute lineup addition due to Jay Bouwmeester’s travel issues (following the birth of his third After a season of thrills and spills, the Blues found themselves one point child), scored the game-winner in overtime in his hometown, with his short. For a proud franchise, with a winning culture, not the easiest way parents in the stands. (Jan. 16 in Toronto) to go out. Blues 5, Blackhawks 4 (OT) • Overcoming a two-goal deficit for only the “Standing here I’m thoroughly disappointed we didn’t make it, and partly second time all season, and playing without the injured Tarasenko, Patrik embarrassed because I think we are a playoff team,” goalie Carter Berglund’s OT goal revived the Blues’ playoff hopes. (March 18 in Hutton said. “We’re not in the playoffs, but I truly think we are a playoff Chicago) team so it’s even more frustrating.” THREE TO FORGET It may take awhile for those feelings to go away. That certainly seemed to be the case when the players cleaned out their lockers Tuesday. Coyotes 5, Blues 2 • Playing an Arizona team that had won only 10 of its first 47 games, the Blues yielded four first-period goals and fell behind 5- “It’s difficult to put everything into words,” said alternate captain 0. After the contest, the entire game-day roster was instructed to sit at Alexander Steen. “I think right now, it’s still a lot of emotions, the biggest their locker stalls and face questions from the media. (Jan. 20 at one being disappointment and frustration. We have an extremely long Scottrade) summer ahead of us that needs to be used in the right way.” Predators 4, Blues 3 (OT) • Nashville scored three goals in the final 10:54 And what is the “right way?” of regulation to wipe out a 3-0 Blues lead and force overtime. Filip Forsberg scored the game-winner on a disputed penalty shot, and the “I’m sure we’re gonna have some good discussions here over the next Blues went on to lose the next five. (Feb. 13 in Nashville) little bit,” Steen replied. “And from there it’s about preparation for the coming season. For us as players, it’s getting the bodies ready and the Blackhawks 4, Blues 3 • The Blues squandered a 3-1 lead, losing in brains ready for what’s gonna be a big year for us.” regulation for the first time all season when leading after two periods. ’s game-winner with 8.5 seconds remaining cost the Blues A big year to keep up with the neighbors — you know, Nashville, a point — a point that would’ve given them a playoff berth. (April 4 at Winnipeg, etc. — in what arguably is the NHL’s toughest division. Scottrade) “It’s obvious there’s supposed to be some moves by Army,” Vladimir EXPECTED MORE FROM Tarasenko said, referring to general manager Doug Armstrong. “But it’s not on us to say what we need. It’s other guys’ job. Our job is just to go Jake Allen • Two years in a row, a deep slump in the middle of the on the ice. And if we all stay on this team, just go out there, give our 100 season cast doubt on Allen’s ability to be a long-term answer. percent every night and let those guys decide who’s playing and who’s not.” Colton Parayko • Granted the expectations are sky-high. Without reinventing himself, he needs to be more physical and more decisive as For all the references Tuesday from Armstrong and coach Mike Yeo a shooter. about the team slipping, about the Blues no longer being an elite team, they’re not that far away. They compiled 94 points at season’s end, not Vladimir Sobotka • Too many stretches of the season where he didn’t 74 points. But as we look back and take a peek ahead, there’s still work seem to be a factor. Those who remember him from his prior stint say his to do. physical play was not the same. QUESTIONS OF THE HOUR THAT’S HOCKEY Shouldn’t Doug Armstrong have tried something, anything, at some In a wild but brief scrum late in the second period Jan. 18 at Ottawa, point when 1.) Robby Fabbri went down with an injury; or 2.) Jaden Senators agitator Mark Borowiecki came out of a pile complaining Kyle Schwartz was injured; or 3.) at the trade deadline? Brodziak bit him on the finger. How does a No. 1 power-play unit that usually included two all-stars “I’ll be honest, there was a little bit of something there,” Brodziak (Brayden Schenn, Alex Pietrangelo), one of the league’s elite goal- confessed a few days later. “The bottom of the pile, he gets his hand in scorers (Vladimir Tarasenko) and Jaden Schwartz be one of the worst in my face. So there was a finger that got in my mouth and I would say that franchise history? it was more of a warning nip to get it out of there.” In poking through the ashes in search of one point During the scuffle, two Senators were trying to give Joel Edmundson the business when Brodziak came to help. That’s when Borowiecki came in ... with Jake Allen in the midst of a career-long starting streak, and from behind. playing back-to-backs for the third consecutive weekend, shouldn’t Yeo have just rested him to begin with in that 6-0 loss to Arizona? “Any time a hand goes in your mouth, I’m expecting a fishhook or something, so I’m just sending a little warning there,” Brodziak said. Among all the team’s touted prospects, will one or two step up and make a meaningful contribution next season? Robert Thomas, Tage BY THE NUMBERS Thompson, Sammy Blais, Jordan Kyrou? 0: Goals with two-man advantage. If Hutton signs elsewhere, where do the Blues go for goalie help? Is Ville Husso ready to back up Jake Allen? Is there someone out there in 2: Blues who played in all 82 games (Colton Parayko, Brayden Schenn). free agency? 3: Shootout victories; only team to go unbeaten in shootouts. MEDAL STAND 9: Shorthanded goals allowed, most since 2007-08 (13). Gold: Jaden Schwartz • Voted the second-most underrated player in the 15: Seconds it took Carl Gunnarsson to score Oct. 10 vs. the New York league by the NHL Players Association, Schwartz is a ball of energy and Rangers, making it the Blues’ quickest goal of the year. determination, a puck-hound of the highest order, a master of the dirty goal, with skill to go with it. A fun player to watch. 15.4: Power-play percentage, team’s worst since 2007-08. Silver: Brayden Schenn • Where would the team have been at center 54: Points for Alex Pietrangelo, most by a Blues defenseman since Chris without his ability to step in and play the position? He proved to be a Pronger (2003-04). more well-rounded player than advertised, with some sandpaper to his game and leadership skills. 60: Penalty minutes for Chris Thorburn, fewest for a team leader in Blues history. 70: Points by Schenn, led team. 79.6: Penalty kill percentage, team’s worst since 1988-89. 207: Hits by Dmitrij Jaskin, led team. 222: Goals allowed, ranked 6th in league. 226: Goals scored, ranked 24th in league. STILL PLAYING The Blues may not be in the playoffs, but several ex-Blues are on playoff rosters around the league. Ryan Miller, ANADavid Backes, BOS Nail Yakupov, COLIan Cole, CBJ Nate Prosser, MINJori Lehtera, PHI Brian Elliott, PHIRoman Polak, TOR Ryan Reaves, VGKBrad Hunt, VGK David Perron, VGKLars Eller, WAS T.J. Oshie, WASPaul Stastny, WPG FREE AGENTS Unrestricted: F Kyle Brodziak; G Carter Hutton; F Scottie Upshall Restricted: D Joel Edmundson; F Robby Fabbri; F Dmitrij Jaskin; D Jordan Schmaltz; F Nikita Soshnikov; F Oskar Sundqvist St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091603 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning vs. Devils: Game 2 notes

Roger Mooney April 14, 2018

TAMPA – Remember those 1 p.m. start times on those consecutive Saturday's last month? They got the Lightning ready for today's 3 p.m. puck drop against the Devils in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The Lightning beat the Flyers 7-6 in a shootout and the Canadians 3-2 in a shootout during those Saturday matinees. Hockey players are all about the routine, and at least having some familiarity with an afternoon start helps. It also helped the Lighting won Game 1, 5-2 behind a big night from the Taylor Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point line and a big game by Yanni Gourde. Now, can it do it again for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. One note: The Lightning have gone 2-0 in a playoff series just four time in its first 2-0 playoff series. The Lightning is 14-6 all-time in Game 2s and 6-4 in Game 2s at Amalie Arena. It is 4-4 in Game 2s after opening the series with a win. Game 1 got a little chippy at the end, with pushing and shoving by both teams after the final horn. "Yeah, it's the playoffs," D Victor Hedman said. "That's what it is. Everyone is trying to get something good out of games. It's going to get chippy. You look around the league there's been a lot of that in the first game of every series. It's going to be a physical battle out there. There's going to be arguments after whistles. We can't focus on things we can't control. We have to play our game and the way we wanted to play. We have to keep a cool head and play with fire." Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091604 Tampa Bay Lightning "This is what good teams do right now, they take opportunities and take advantage of it and that's what we got to realize that every little play, every big play, every detail matters," Jersey defenseman Andy Greene Lightning-Devils: Why the Game 2 breaks went Tampa Bay’s way said. "It's the difference between a one or two goal game there." Those are the breaks. Roger Mooney "You can sit here and say we caught a break here, too," Cooper said. "I don't know, I'm kind of a big believer you earn your breaks. We earned April 14, 2018 them." Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.15.2018 TAMPA — There was Nikita Kucherov, racing up the left boards, drawing Kyle Palmieri of the New Jersey Devils to him and leaving what Kucherov thought would be the front of the net open for Steven Stamkos. It looked like one of those Grade-A scoring chances the Tampa Bay Lightning often talk about. Wrong. Devils defenseman Sami Vatanen hustled back and positioned himself between Stamkos and the net. But this is why you throw the puck on net, anyway. Because sometimes it hits off the defenseman's stick and then his skate and then it slides into the net for a gift goal. "I saw Stammer backdoor," Kucherov said. "I was trying to get it to him. Fortunate, good bounce." That is how the Lightning scored its fourth goal in what became a 5-3 victory Saturday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. "You earn your breaks," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "Naturally that is a fortunate bounce, but they caused that. (Kucherov and Stamkos) caused the puck to be thrown in front. They caused (the Devils) to be put in a tough spot. Does that happen a lot? No, but they earned it. It was fortunate for us it went in." The Lightning leads the series 2-0 because it took advantage of that break Saturday, found a way to score against the Devils' penalty kill and withstood a late push by a desperate team. The Lightning scored twice with the man advantage, with the first goal coming when Kucherov passed to Alex Killorn in front of the net instead of firing the puck himself. From there it was a redirect from Killorn for the first of his two goals in the game. "(The) game came down to three things: don't give them free gifts, which we've given them some gifts in the first two games, stay out of the (penalty) box and special teams has to be better," Devils coach John Hynes said. The Lightning fought the Bruins for home ice during the final weeks of the season, and Cooper would often talk about the importance of beginning and ending a series at home. It is a great benefit, he said, but only if you take advantage of it. The Lightning did. Using the last change afforded the home team, Cooper was able to match the Brayden Point, Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat line against the Devils' top-scoring line of Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier and Palmieri, a matchup working to the Lightning's advantage. Using the energy from the home crowd, the Lightning was able to score first in both games. Point had the honors Saturday when he took pass from Palat just inside the blue line and exploded toward Keith Kinkaid, beating the goalie to the top of the net. "I was just so excited to put one in," Point said. "It's kind of a feeling I can't explain." Hischier evened the score just before the end of the first period, but the Lightning scored a franchise-high four times in the second, including three in a three-minute span. First it was Killorn on the power play. Next came Tyler Johnson's second goal in as many games. Then came Kucherov's goal. The Lightning chased Kinkaid with Killorn's second goal at the 13:22 mark. Nearly unbeatable since taking over for Cory Schneider in late January, Kinkaid had allowed nine goals in less than five full periods in the series. Killorn was parked in front of the net on both his goals. Johnson redirected a shot from the blueline by Ryan McDonagh. Kucherov scored because he forced the Devils to make a play that they failed to make. 1091605 Tampa Bay Lightning

Roger Mooney’s takeaways from the Lightning’s Game 2 win over the Devils

Roger Mooney April 14, 2018

1. Home ice is only good if you take advantage of it, and the Lightning did by winning the first two games of this first-round series at Amalie Arena. Now the series shifts to New Jersey, where the Lightning will try to do what the Devils could not do in Tampa — steal at least one game. 2. Remember those two 1 p.m. games the Lightning played on consecutive Saturdays in early March? They served as a warmup for the playoffs, helping the players — who are creatures of routine — create a routine for an unusual start time. 3. Secondary scoring is huge in the postseason, and so far the Lightning has that down pat. Alex Killorn has three goals. Tyler Johnson has two. Ryan McDonagh has three assists. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091606 Tampa Bay Lightning

Ryan Callahan, Dan Girardi question marks for Lightning after leaving with injuries

Greg Auman April 14, 2018

TAMPA — Saturday's resounding 5-3 playoff win for the Lightning may have come with some potential losses as well, as Tampa Bay played the final period without two injured players in RW Ryan Callahan and D Dan Girardi. Lightning coach Jon Cooper had no update on the injury status of his players after Saturday's win. Game 3 is set for Monday in New Jersey. "It kind of changed things a little bit, obviously, for us, but no update, sorry," Cooper said of the shorthanded play in the final period. Callahan was checked by Devils defenseman Sami Vatanen late in the second period — he took a shot to his right shoulder and went down on the ice, going immediately to the bench and down the tunnel to the locker room. Callahan missed five games in March with a right shoulder injury, after missing three weeks in December. There was no specific word on Girardi's injury, though he played his normal minutes in the first two periods, playing 16 shifts and registering two hits. His extensive playoff experience would be missed if he were unable to play in games at New Jersey this week. The two injuries left the Lightning with only 11 forwards and five defensemen for the final period, which saw the Devils take 19 shots, even pulling their goalie in the final two minutes trying to cut into a two- goal Lightning lead. POWER SURGE: Facing a Devils penalty kill that ranked eighth in the NHL in the regular season, the Lightning found success on its power play for the second game in a row. After going a combined 0-for-13 on the power play in the final four games of the regular season, Tampa Bay is now 3-for-4 against New Jersey — 1-for-1 in Thursday's win and 2-for-3 Saturday on goals from Alex Killorn. ANOTHER FIRST: Tampa Bay got on the scoreboard first when Brayden Point scored with 7:45 left in the first period, getting the thrill of his first playoff goal. "I was so excited — it's a feeling you can't really explain. You almost black out in the celebration," Point said. "It was a great play by (Tyler Johnson) to get it to Pally (Ondrej Palat), and they all kind of closed on Pally and he finds me in open ice on the wing." BOLTS BITS: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was in attendance for Saturday's game. … New Jersey hadn't lost back-to-back games in nearly a month, going back to March 18. The Devils went 7-1-1 to close out the regular season, but now have lost in regulation in both games against the Lightning. … Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh led the team with 30 shifts each, but Anton Stralman had the most ice time at 24:45, taking extra time on the ice after Girardi left due to injury. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091607 Tampa Bay Lightning while now. And defenseman Dan Girardi left the game with an unknown injury. The Lightning certainly missed those guys in the third.

And as far as the Lightning fumbling its way through the third period? Worried about how the Lightning closed Game 2? Read this "Somebody else has a vote out there,'' Cooper said.

He was talking about the Devils. Let's not forget, the Devils did rack up Tom Jones 97 points this season. April 14, 2018 "That's a lot of points,'' Cooper said. "You don't fluke your way into 97 points. They're a really good team. … And we're a darn good team ourselves. There's going to be battles. There's going to be swings of TAMPA — Lightning coach Jon Cooper will wake up Sunday and pop in momentum. But the big thing for me: who won the game?'' a tape of Saturday afternoon's 5-3 victory against the Devils in Game 2. Big thing? It's the only thing. "We'll be able to look at a lot of that tape and say we did really well,'' Cooper said. "And we'll look at some the tape and say that wasn't so Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.15.2018 good.'' In the end, it really doesn't matter what he sees. Here's what does matter: Who won the game? That's the big question. That's the only question. Who won? These are the playoffs, baby. Doesn't matter who dominated who. Or which team out-shot the other. Or which team had more chances or deserved to win. Lightning played great in the first period? So what. Lightning played awful in the third? Who cares? Just give me the final score. "In the end,'' Lightning forward Alex Killorn said, "we won the game.'' What else do you need to know? Because of its victory, the Lightning takes a commanding 2-0 series lead to New Jersey for Games 3 and 4. See, this isn't about pats on the back and attaboys for good efforts. We're not passing out orange slices and snow cones after the game. They keep score for a reason and only one reason. "Our job was to get two wins,'' Lightning forward Brayden Point said. Consider it a job well-done. Okay, just like Game 1, the Lightning didn't exactly play perfect hockey for 60 minutes. For a half a game Saturday, the Lightning was spectacular, jumping out to a 5-1 lead. The other half, the Lightning was hanging on for dear life. Now, if it floats your boat, feel free to dissect how Game 2 almost slipped away from Tampa Bay. Go ahead and wring your hands, furrow your brows and rub your temples over how the Lightning played as a blowout turned into a 5-3 nail-biter. But you should know that's not what was going on in the Lightning locker room after the game. "It's the playoffs, so really you're just focusing on the win,'' Lightning center Tyler Johnson said. "You can walk out of the game feeling good that you won.'' Maybe in the regular season, you worry about how a team is trending. You can sometimes see something happen in one game and wonder how it will translate to the next game, week and month. The playoffs are different. A series is broken up into separate chapters, one often having nothing to do with the previous one and offering no insight into the next. And a playoff series isn't long enough to worry that a trend will eventually catch up with you. Each game is played in a vacuum. "Exactly,'' Killorn said. "I mean, there's always process throughout a series. But, we're not too worried about it. Our job was win to win two games here and we did that.'' If you are looking for positive signs, it's that the Lightning is getting contributions from everybody in these first two games. Killorn and Johnson are on fire, just like always in the playoffs. Ondrej Palat is tied for the team lead in points with four. Kids such as Point and Yanni Gourde are all over the ice. Hedman is a beast, as usual. But the really good sign for Tampa Bay is the play of its top two scorers. Not that they've been playing poorly, but Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos looked like, well, Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos on Saturday. Kucherov's hustled his way into a fluky goal to spark a one- goal, two-assist performance. Stamkos added an assist. The downside of Saturday was the Lightning lost two key veterans to injury. Gritty forward and leader Ryan Callahan looks to have re- aggravated a right shoulder that has been giving him problems for a 1091608 Tampa Bay Lightning

What the prince of Sweden was doing at Lightning-Devils Game 2

Greg Auman April 14, 2018

TAMPA — If Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman seemed a bit nervous during Saturday's playoff game against New Jersey, it was only because he knew he was playing in the presence of royalty from his native Sweden. Prince Daniel of Sweden was in attendance at Amalie Arena, and took time after the game to meet with the Lightning's two Swedish-born players — Hedman and fellow defenseman Anton Stralman. "I was a little bit nervous before the game," Hedman said after Tampa Bay's 5-3 win to take a 2-0 lead in the opening round of the playoffs. "It's obviously all fun. He's a great guy, very humble. It was an honor to meet him again." Hedman and Stralman had met Prince Daniel before — he hosted the Swedish national team last year after their win in the World Championships in Cologne, Germany. "We got invited to the castle and I saw him and a few other royalties," Hedman said. "It was good to see him here. It was phenomenal." Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who coached Canada's team in the tournament and lost in shootout to Sweden in the championship game, chatted with Prince Daniel after the game, reminding his players that their win came at their coach's expense, with Hedman even scoring a goal in the game. Prince Daniel, 44, carries the title of Duke of Västergötland — since 2010, he has been married to Crown Princess Victoria, daughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf, who has been Sweden's king since his grandfather's death in 1973. He wasn't the only Swedish celebrity presence at the Lightning game. Golfer Henrik Stenson watched the game with his children and met the players after the game, as did former NHL star and Hockey Hall of Famer Peter Forsberg, who will also attend the Lightning's next game on Monday in New Jersey. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091609 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning-Devils: Grading the Lightning’s 5-3 victory Saturday in Game 2

Martin Fennelly April 14, 2018 at 07:45 PM

TAMPA — The Lightning as a franchise has never blown a 2-0 lead in a playoff series. The Lightning, the NHL's top scoring team, scored five goals in each of the first two games against the New Jersey Devils. At no time in Game 1 or Game 2 did it seem as if it would lose. Now the series shifts north. Does the Lightning shift with it? A lot good things happened Saturday afternoon. There were silver linings, there were dark clouds. In the end, the Lightning needed Andrei Vasilevskiy's 41 saves to not blow a 5-1 lead. It's on to Monday night. Kuchy Kuchy The Lightning's best player looked like its best player Saturday. Nikita Kucherov, who scored 100 points in the regular season, provided performance art, the kind this team will need sooner rather than later. Kucherov had a goal and two assists behind some moves out of highlight reels. He assisted on both of Alex Killorn's goals, sweet dishes, and slipped the puck past a Jersey defender at the blue line to set up a shot that produced a Jersey own goal. He built off the confidence from that empty-netter late in Game 1. It matters. Grade: A Killer elite No one knows what it is about Killorn and the playoffs, but the power forward powered home two power play goals to give him three in the series. Don't look now, but the line of Killorn, Yanni Gourde and Anthony Cirelli has been the best Lightning line so far. It might need a nickname. Grade: A The playoffs have officially begun It was a physical game. The hits just kept on coming. But both Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi left Saturday's game, which left their team short-handed and gassed during its attempted third-period meltdown. No word on their status, but can this help? And don't expect any news bulletins on their status. This is the NHL and these are the playoffs. It's a story as old as the ancient Greeks: Achilles, lower body injury. Grade: D Good math The Lightning outscored opponents 111-75 in the second period during the season, and Saturday was more of the same, as it put up four goals, two on the power play (2-for-3 on the day) in building a big lead. Grade: A Bad math New Jersey was all over Tampa Bay down the stretch and outshot the Lightning 44-25. Not good. And don't forget an icing call and bad clear by Anton Stralman that led to the Devils' second goal. The Lightning were running around far too much, out of position, and had to hold on as fans sweated the final minutes. Vasilevskiy was pelted with 19 shots in the final period. Take that to Jersey and the Lightning will come back two games apiece. Grade: F Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091610 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning uses four-goal second period to beat Devils 5-3, take 2-0 series lead

Roger Mooney April 14, 2018 at 06:24 PM

TAMPA – Lightning coach Jon Cooper spent a lot of time during the final weeks of the season talking about the importance of home ice during the Stanley Cup playoffs. His take: It's what you do with it that matters. Here is what the Lightning did with home ice during the first two games of its quarterfinal series against the Devils: win and win. The Lightning took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series with a 5-3 victory Saturday afternoon at Amalie Arena. Alex Killorn scored twice and Andrei Vasilevskiy survived a frantic final 10 minutes to finish with 41 saves. Game 3 is 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Prudential Center in Newark. Ryan Callahan left near the end of the second period with an upper-body injury. He did not return. Also, Dan Girardi was not on the bench in the third period. The Lightning exploded for four goals in a 10-minute span during the second, including two on the power play, to take control of the game. Alex Killorn got it started when he directed a pass from Nikita Kucherov into the net to give the Lightning a 2-1 lead. With the Lightning on the power play, Steven Stamkos set up the play with a shot from the faceoff circle that went behind the net and caromed to Kucherov. It was 3-1 a little over a minute later when Tyler Johnson directed a blast from the blue line by Ryan McDonagh into the net. Kucherov scored his second of the series when he sped up the left side and sent the puck on net as he neared the goal line. Stamkos was closing in but never got to the puck because it hit off the skate of Sami Vatanen and into the net to make it 4-1. It was 5-1 six minutes later when Killorn scored off a scramble in front with the Lightning on another power play. That goal, the Lightning's fifth on only 15 shots, sent New Jersey goalie Keith Kinkaid to the bench. Cory Schneider, who began the year as the Devils' No. 1 goalie, finished the game. The Devils still had life, and it cut the deficit to three goals when Sami Vatanen carried the puck into the zone and scored from between the faceoff circles with 26 seconds left in the period. Blake Coleman scored with 8 minutes to go in the third to make it a two- goal game. The Brayden Point-Ondrej Palat-Tyler Johnson line was at it again, with Palat feeding Point from just inside the blue line and Point turning on the jets as he skated in alone on Kinkaid and firing into the top of the net for an early 1-0 lead. The Devils responded, though. Nico Hischier won a faceoff in the offensive zone. After Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped one shot, Anton Stralman tried to clear the puck but put it on the stick of Hischier, who easily scored. That goal, just over a minute after the Lightning took the lead, took a little of the edge off the Amalie Arena crowd. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091611 Toronto Maple Leafs Leafs finally managed to kill off a Bruins penalty early in the second period it marked the first time in this series they managed the feat.

At the same time, the Leafs power play, which was second in the NHL in Bruins’ Pastrnak scores hat trick to send Maple Leafs back to Toronto the regular season, is one-for-seven in two games. down 2-0 “I think we can be better on the penalty kill but also our power play has to step up and be better as well,” Matthews said. “We’ve got to be more DAVID SHOALTS disciplined. They’re getting way too many power plays and we’re not getting enough power plays. So we have to do a better job of that. APRIL 15, 2018 There’s a lot of things that have got to be better.” Nazem Kadri may have been absent, serving the first game of his three- game suspension for a stupid hit on the Bruins’ Tommy Wingels, but he David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins celebrates with Patrice had lots of figurative company. Matthews and William Nylander were Bergeron #37 after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs invisible for a second time. Tyler Bozak checked in with a second-period during the first period of Game Two of the Eastern Conference First goal, as did linemate James van Riemsdyk in the third but otherwise they Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on April were as absent as they will be come July 1 when they both become free 14, 2018 in Boston, . agents. When the second game of their NHL playoff series started, the Toronto The Leafs defence? It was porous to the point of embarrassment and Maple Leafs came out hard against the Boston Bruins. beyond. Poor old Nikita Zaitsev was on the ice for all four first-period Boston goals, and even deflected the one that chased Andersen but he Unlike the first game, on Saturday night the Leafs showed their was not the sole culprit. The rest of them were almost as bad. trademark speed, getting to pucks first and keeping the Bruins pinned in their own zone. They were buzzing around goaltender Tuukka Rask, Andersen’s three goals-against on five shots were not anything like his fore-checking hard. regular-season heroics, although he could not be blamed on any of them. It did not help when backup Curtis McElhinney let in the first shot, making Five minutes into the game, the Bruins put a halt to the Leafs’ little it four goals on six shots in the first period. uprising when Kevin Miller drilled James van Riemsdyk into the boards on a Leaf dump-in. The Bruins moved the game to the Leafs’ end and “That was pretty much it,” Babcock said of those goals. “I actually thought within 10 minutes chased goaltender Frederik Andersen from the game, we were really jumping. But the bottom line is you’ve got to keep it out of scored four goals, two on the power play, and then clicked into cruise your net.” control for a 7-3 win. Babcock put his lines and defence pairs in the blender for the second The Leafs slunk home down 2-0 to the Bruins in the first-round series period, a desperation move to look for something resembling a spark. It with not even the faintest sign of hope they can turn things around. The did produced a goal from Mitch Marner at 1:22 but Bruins centre David statistics may be kind to the Leafs – they outshot the Bruins 33-28 - but Krejci scored a couple minutes later and it was back to the usual those numbers were put up after the game had been decided. business. Pastrnak scored two more goals in the third period to squelch some signs of life from the Leafs and earn the hat trick. Here’s some statistics that tell the story: Bergeron’s line, 20 points in two games playing mostly against Auston Matthews’ line. Matthews’ line, The Leafs lost Komarov for the night when he tried to hit Miller early in zero points. Andersen, five shots, three goals-against in Game 2. the second period and got the worst of it. Komarov skated slowly off the ice, went to the dressing room and then tried a brief comeback before Matthews exposed his shock when asked if he ever thought a line he retiring for the evening. was playing against could outscore him and his linemates (it was a varying cast in Game 2) 20-0. But like the loss of Kadri and his 32 goals from the regular season, the Bruins are so dominant in this series it didn’t really matter if Komarov was “S--- happens, I guess,” he said. “It’s hockey. We’ve got to rebound in there or not. Game 3.” Globe And Mail LOADED: 04.15.2018 It was as if the Bruins came out like a pro wrestler, stood there for five minutes and said, “Okay boys, take your best shots.” Then, having let the Leaf youngsters run around for a bit, the Bruins stepped in, grabbed the Leafs and started slapping them around like they did in the first game. Once again, the Leafs had no idea how to deal with the Bergeron line. In the first game, that line combined for six points. In the second, they ran up six points in the first period and kept on going, finishing with 14. Pastrnak finished with three goals and six points and the line was on the ice for all seven scored by the Bruins. Pastrnak scored at 5:26, Jake DeBrusk scored a power-play goal at 9:46, then it was back to a five-on-five goal with Miller at 12:13 and then another power-play goal with Rick Nash scoring. “Obviously, they’re dominating us,” Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said of the Bruins’ big line. “I thought we got off to a pretty good start, and the puck still went in the net. Give them credit, they’re playing real well, that line, they’ve been good on the power play, good at five-on-five, everything they throw at the net’s going in. “We’ve got to go home and get regrouped. So that’s our first priority. We’ve got to get out of here. I mean, it obviously hasn’t gone the way we want it — we’ve given up 12 goals in two games. So we’ve got to go get some home-cooking tomorrow, and come back and pull like we can, because we’re a way better team than what we showed.” The first Leafs penalty showed just how shambolic they are in this series. For the second time in as many games they took a too-many-men-on- the-ice penalty. Yes, even Babcock was having another one of those nights for the second game in a row. Leafs forward Kasperi Kapanen excited the fans for a minute when he managed a shorthanded breakaway. But he hit the post and the Bruins took the puck right down the ice for DeBrusk’s goal. When Nash scored, it marked 11 power-play goals against for the Leafs in their last seven games. It’s hard to remember the Leafs’ penalty killers were once among the better units in the NHL this season. When the 1091612 Toronto Maple Leafs

Double overtime goal gives Knights victory over Kings

W.G. RAMIREZ Sat., April 14, 2018

LAS VEGAS—Erik Haula’s goal in double overtime gave the Vegas Golden Knights a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night for a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. With 4:37 left on the clock in the second overtime, Haula skated in on his own to beat goalie Jonathan Quick and send a towel-waving crowd of 18,588 into a frenzy. Game 3 in the best-of-seven series is Sunday night in Los Angeles. Alex Tuch scored for expansion Vegas in regulation, and Paul LaDue had the Kings’ goal. Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves for the Golden Knights. Quick stopped 54 shots for the Kings. The Golden Knights outshot Los Angeles in regulation, 35-20. The Kings were playing without suspended defenceman Drew Doughty, a Norris Trophy contender who led the NHL in total minutes this season. The league’s Department of Player Safety handed down a one-game suspension after Doughty’s illegal hit to the head on Vegas forward William Carrier midway through the third period of the Golden Knights’ 1- 0 series-opening victory Wednesday night. Game 1 featured 127 hits, including 68 by the Kings, and the rugged play continued in Game 2, with the same physical theme. Los Angeles outhit the Golden Knights 80-56 after the two combined for 113 in regulation. Vegas got on the board first after Jonathan Marchessault’s shot went wide and caromed off the end boards. Tuch was in front of the net to clean it up for his first career playoff goal, giving the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead late in the first period. The Kings got their first goal of the series on a power play, when LaDue fired a wrist shot from the point to beat Fleury with 4:05 left in the second. Anze Kopitar tried to convert William Karlsson’s turnover into a 2-1 lead for the Kings, but his backhand was stymied by Fleury with 5:24 left in the third. Fleury then made successive saves against LaDue and Kyle Clifford as the Kings tried to capitalize on some of their best chances to take the lead. Minutes later it was Quick making big saves against Haula and James Neal. Both teams had their chances in overtime, but Fleury and Quick were magnificent between the pipes. Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar both sent shots wide of Fleury three minutes into the first overtime, and Neal had a pair of wrist shots blocked by Quick at the other end. After a bad pass by Shea Theodore led to back-to-back chances for Tyler Toffoli right in front of Fleury, one of Vegas’ best penalty killers, Pierre- Edouard Bellemare, was called for delay of game, but the Kings couldn’t capitalize on the power play. Later in the extra session, Reilly Smith led an odd-man rush but opted for a game-winning attempt, only to be denied by Quick, who also stopped Marchessault’s point-blank shot with less than a minute left in the first overtime. Toronto Star LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091613 Toronto Maple Leafs As they say at playoff time, no team is in trouble until they lose at home, but that’s really the best that can be said of the Leafs’ fortunes at what could well be the halfway point of the series. Game 3 is Monday at the Babcock, Leafs lack answers for Bruins in Game 2 loss Air Canada Centre, Game 4 Thursday. The Bruins were again the more physical team, targeting the Leafs’ key talented players with hits that did not cross the line in the eyes of Kevin McGran referees Trevor Hanson and Marc Joannette. The opening 20 minutes were very unkind to Zaitsev, who was on the ice for all four goals against. On the first one, he chased Marchand while, at BOSTON—Yikes. the same time, Jake Gardiner left his post, leaving Pastrnak alone in front of Andersen. On the second goal, DeBrusk outhustled Zaitsev in the slot. Few saw this coming, the Boston Bruins simply rolling over the Toronto On the third goal, Miller’s centring pass from the corner went in off Maple Leafs. But it’s happening, and — with or without Nazem Kadri — Zaitsev’s skate. That ended Andersen’s night at 12:13. coach Mike Babcock and his players don’t seem to have any idea how to deal with it. Nash scored on a power play at the 15-minute mark against McElhinney, just 11 seconds after Hainsey — the team’s top penalty killer — was The Bruins raced off to a four-goal lead in the first period and never assessed a double minor for fighting Tim Schaller, who’d hit Marner. looked back, taking a commanding two-games-to-none advantage in their opening-round playoff series with a 7-3 win Saturday night. The Leafs — with lines different from the new ones that played the first period — looked much better in the second. Marner scored at 1:22, “We’ve got to go home and get regrouped,” said Babcock. “So that’s our finishing a two-on-one rush with Hyman that Marner started by stealing first priority. We’ve got to go home, get out of here. the puck in the neutral zone. “I mean, it obviously hasn’t gone the way we want it — we’ve given up 12 Krejci answered, though, to thwart any momentum at 3:46. Hainsey was goals in two games. So we’ve got to go get some home cooking and the goat, with a sloppy pass toward Auston Matthews that Krejci easily come back and pull like we can, because we’re a way better team than intercepted. what we showed.” “Kind of the definition of forcing something that’s not there,” Hainsey said Babcock started with new lines, partly because of Kadri’s three-game of his errant pass. “There was nobody on the wing. I was trying to suspension but also because he wanted a different look after Boston’s squeeze one into Matthews. Probably not a play you try in a tie game or top line of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand had overtime. I could have iced it, or I could have tried to get it to our best their way with the Leafs. player. It didn’t work.” Didn’t help. Toronto Star LOADED: 04.15.2018 Babcock yanked goalie Frederik Andersen after Boston’s third goal. Didn’t help. He again juggled his lines to start the second period, installing William Nylander at centre with Zach Hyman and Mitch Marner. Marner scored. It might have helped, but it didn’t matter. Pastrnak and Marchand were on the ice for all of Boston’s goals. Bergeron was on the ice for six of the seven. Pastrnak had three goals and three assists, Marchand and Bergeron each picked up four helpers. The line has 20 points in two games. Jake DeBrusk, Rick Nash, Kevan Miller and David Krejci also scored for Boston. Torey Krug had three assists. Marner, James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak scored for Toronto. Connor Brown and Zach Hyman each picked up assists and have points in both games of the series. Andreas Johnsson played for Kadri, and the Leafs’ depth could be further tested with an injury to Leo Komarov, run over by Miller in the second period and favouring his knee. He did not return. They have options: Matt Martin if they want toughness; Dominic Moore if they want speed and defence; Josh Leivo if they want some offence. None have played much lately, but all are itching to get in. “We’ve still got to come up with what we’re going to do when we get home. That’s not solved yet by any means,” said Babcock. “Leo leaving the game, too, made things a little different, and without Naz there’ll be some changes. “But the way I look at all this, none of that matters. You’ve got to get your mind right, and you’ve got to play right, and whoever puts on our sweater is good enough. I thought (Kasperi) Kapanen and Johnsson were fine.” They also have Connor Carrick on the sidelines while two defencemen, Nikita Zaitsev and Ron Hainsey, had very rough evenings. “We have plenty of stuff to look at to get ourselves prepped for Monday,” said Hainsey. “We could be better in certainly just about all aspects. We have plenty of work to do.” Special teams have also abandoned the Maple Leafs. A point of pride in the regular season, the penalty kill has allowed five goals over two games, while the power play has only managed one: Van Riemsdyk’s third-period goal Saturday when the game was out of reach. The Leafs talked about using Friday to regroup. They might want to rebrand on Sunday, and somehow find a physical answer to Boston’s tough, aggressive play. 1091614 Toronto Maple Leafs Before the series Babcock said, “I think confidence and belief ... how do you build yourself into someone that you know, you don’t hope? Once you know it happens more and more often because you just believe, and Lost Leafs need to embrace the future to survive when things go bad you shake it off. When you don’t know and things go bad you start to question. So that’s the biggest thing. Winning leads to winning: when you’ve done it you believe you can do it again. That’s the challenge for us in this room.” Bruce Arthur It’s hard to believe right now. This wasn’t a must-win game, but this franchise thinks it is at the dawn of a period of genuine contention, and that means learning to come back from the tough stuff. Maybe this series BOSTON—Right now it feels like there are no good answers. The was lost as soon as Kadri saw red and charged to avenge a hit on Toronto Maple Leafs entered Game 2 talking about confidence; Mike Marner, but they are better than this. They had enough talent this season Babcock talked about digging in. The first shift was not a panicked to rack up 105 points and the seventh-best record in the league despite scramble in their own zone. It was all going fine. losing Matthews for 20 games. Three of those games were wins over And then the ceiling caved in, and the Leafs are down 2-0 in their first- Boston. round series with the Boston Bruins. The Bruins’ top line feasted. There The last time the Leafs played Boston in the playoffs they lost the first was another too-many-men penalty, and the penalty kill got killed again, two games, and we all know how far that had to go before it ended. and then again. The goaltending blew up. Toronto’s biggest weaknesses Nothing much is going right for the Maple Leafs. They might be doomed, were exposed; its strengths were quietly put in a box — 7-3 Bruins. after waiting all year. But the future should start now. So now it’s time for Babcock to find whatever answers there are. He has Toronto Star LOADED: 04.15.2018 an iron will, and before Game 2 he tried to lend it to his players. “Number one, let’s be disciplined,” Babcock said before Game 2. “We can’t be in the box. Number two, our compete level right through our group, you’ve got to have everybody. Competitiveness on the puck, winning 50/50 battles, races, wall battles, net battles, that’s got to be our priority and that’s how we get ourselves playing better. “All good players receive attention. So, what you’ve got to do is, you’ve got to compete. You’ve got to dig in and compete. I think, you know, when you get lots of attention in life it’s usually because you’ve done something. I always liked getting attention for being good. I think that’s the priority. If they’re good and they just do what they normally do, they’ll be fine. They’ve got to dig in. That’s it.” Of course, that only works if your players are good enough, and Toronto’s weaknesses were glaring. Defenceman Nikita Zaitsev was on the ice for all four first-period Boston goals. Ron Hainsey was on the ice for three. Two were on the penalty kill, which has now allowed 11 goals in Toronto’s last seven games. It was out there because Toronto took a second too-many-men penalty in two games, and this one was comically bad: six Leafs running around inside their own blue line, and Boston was still in control. The second one came because Hainsey saw Mitch Marner nearly get crushed by fourth-liner Tim Schaller, and fought him. If Kadri had just done that in Game 1, he wouldn’t be sitting until an entirely hypothetical Game 5. Hainsey also threw away the puck, under no pressure, on Boston’s fifth goal, and was nowhere near David Krejci in front when he scored to make it 5-1. Babcock is an elite coach, but his chief weakness is over-reliance on veterans who help him sleep at night. Leo Komarov was a second-liner until January, and Hainsey was still a central pillar even as he seemed to wear down over the season. The penalty kill relies on them and fellow vet Roman Polak. It’s a problem at the moment. So maybe Babcock just has to trust the future, right now. Maybe he will. He started with 40-year-old Patrick Marleau as the second-line centre before switching to William Nylander, and Nylander set up Marner for Toronto’s first goal. Babcock started with the offensively bereft Komarov on the top line, but changed it to the speedy Kasperi Kapanen and Marleau flanking Auston Matthews, which makes more sense. Komarov left the game with a lower-body injury after trying to hit Kevan Miller, so he might be an option going forward anyway. Babcock shuffled the defence pairs, too. There may be fewer good answers there, but putting young Travis Dermott up with Jake Gardiner or might be a start. Look, so many Leafs haven’t played well enough. Boston’s top line is a freight train — Pastrnak and Marchand were on the ice for all seven goals, and Bergeron for six — and without Kadri the Leafs don’t have the matchup they want against them. The Matthews line got pushed around by the big line and the Zdeno Chara-Charlie McAvoy pairing in Game 1, and though Matthews controlled much more of the game Saturday, he still hasn’t found the net. Toronto’s best players have to be better. To make this a series they have to compete like champions. Also, the goaltending needs to not allow five goals on the first 10 shots, but that goes without saying, really. But this team took off when Mitch Marner played more and Komarov played less, and with Dermott up from the minors. Maybe there are no good answers, but it’s up to Babcock to find them. He will have last change at home, and he has to hide his weaknesses and find strengths. 1091615 Toronto Maple Leafs Jake Gardiner said the team would use it as a rallying point, “That’s what they decided and you’ve just got to move on, get a couple wins without him and then welcome him back,” said Gardiner. One-hit wonder: Would Matt Martin’s presence have made a difference in Game 1? “Kadri was just trying to be physical,” Martin said of the hit on Wingels. “I don’t think it went the way Kadri was intending it to go. Emotions run high, and things happen. Boston is a big, physical team and Kadri is a Kevin McGran physical guy. He was just trying to match their intensity. They were physical on our guys all night. The difference was they stayed out of the box, we didn’t. BOSTON—It drives Matt Martin crazy that he’s a healthy scratch these “He feels bad about it. Missing him for three games, he’s a big part of our days. team. He’s pretty upset about it.” No more so than in Game 1, when the Boston Bruins were physically Toronto Star LOADED: 04.15.2018 dominating the Maple Leafs en route to a 5-1 win Thursday night. “It’s hard for any player to sit out and watch,” Martin said Saturday prior to Game 2. “It’s a lot easier and you feel like you’re in control a little bit when you’re in the game.” The Maple Leafs played their first of three games without Nazem Kadri, who was suspended for his dangerous hit to the head of Boston’s Tommy Wingels. In handing down his punishment, the NHL cited the retaliatory nature of the hit; Kadri admitted to seeing Wingels make contact with teammate Mitch Marner’s head on a check along the boards seconds earlier. Marner wasn’t hurt. “I just kind of curled up,” said Marner. “Obviously, I knew there was a defenceman behind me, I saw him coming from the front and just tried to protect myself. Everything kind of went down quickly there, I didn’t see too much else. “(Kadri) feels like a big brother to this team. He’s a guy that plays the game with a lot of passion, he’s a protector out there and it’s a big loss for us.” A certain segment of the Leafs fanbase thinks things might have been different had Martin been in the lineup, that his propensity for brawn and fisticuffs might have kept the Bruins at bay, and he might have settled things with Wingels differently, resulting more in a five-minute major for fighting than a three-game suspension. Martin seemed flattered at the thought, but didn’t necessarily agree. “Kadri’s heart was in the right place,” Martin said. “He wanted to respond to a hit with a hit. It’s the same kind of thing I’d do. Especially in playoffs. Fighting is pretty well gone. It’s already down in the regular season, and fighting in the playoffs is pretty rare. You want to be physical. You want to get under the other team’s skin. Obviously they did a better job of that than us.” There were only 280 fights in the NHL in the regular season, the lowest total since hockeyfights.com began tracking them in 2000-01. The Bruins were involved in 26, fourth-most in the league. The Leafs were involved in 12, 26th in the league. Martin led the Leafs with six. Leafs coach Mike Babcock had very little time for questions about Kadri’s suspension, or whether he’d have preferred Kadri to have dropped the gloves with Wingels rather than use his rear end with the Boston’s player’s head against the boards. “I prefer that didn’t happen and that he wasn’t suspended. How’s that?” said Babcock. That said, Babcock admitted the Leafs expected Kadri to be suspended for one game. “Adversity faced in the playoffs, (if) we’re going to have a long run, is always there,” said the coach. “There’s not much you can do about it. Let’s just get on with it. We went without a number of centres this year, let’s play.” Wingels did not practise Friday, but did participate in Saturday’s morning skate. “I didn’t like the hit,” Wingels told Boston reporters. “I think I was in a vulnerable spot and I think as a game, as a league, as players, that’s the stuff we don’t want in our game. “It was handled with, and I think the league did a good job. Now it’s completely in the past, there’s no need to talk about it, that’s kinda my comment on it.” Kadri’s teammates weren’t happy with the length of the suspension. “Obviously, it sucks seeing that. There’s nothing you can say or really do about it, but it’s a big loss down the middle for us,” Marner said. “He’s a big guy to have at home for our matchup against their top line. We’re going to have to fill that void and make sure we all step up our game.” 1091616 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs set for Game 2 tilt with Bruins, minus suspended Kadri

Lance Hornby April 14, 2018 1:57 PM EDT

BOSTON – With the suspended Nazem Kadri sequestered in the weight room, the Maple Leafs got down to the business of trying to extend their series with the Bruins to allow his return. In the interim, coach Mike Babcock and his team made it clear Saturday morning they don’t have time to bitch and moan about the three-game sentence handed down by the NHL. Kadri is out of sight and out of mind for Game 2 also the following two contests back in Toronto. “There’s not much you can do, let’s just get on with it,” Babcock after an optional skate at TD Garden. “We went without a number of centres this year (Auston Matthews missed 20 games). Let’s play.” Nazem Kadri of the Toronto Maple Leafs reacts after being called for boarding during the third period of Game 1 in Boston. Other than agreeing with the premise he was surprised by the length of the suspension for Kadri’s hit on a vulnerable Tommy Wingels, Babcock didn’t pursue the matter. “We expected a game out of it, so we started with that (lineup preparation) yesterday. I’d prefer it didn’t happen and he wasn’t suspended.” Patrick Marleau moves to Kadri’s spot in the middle, with Zach Hyman taking Marleau’s left wing spot. Leo Komarov rises from the fourth line, Andreas Johnsson makes his NHL playoff debut in his place and also takes Kadri’s power play role. “He’s got good speed and skill,” Babcock said of the Swede Johnsson. “Ideally, he saw the game the other night and has a handle on how competitive you have to be at playoff time to be a good player.” Winger Mitch Marner was in the middle of the Kadri controversy. His teammate thought Wingels tried to throw an elbow and came in with a hip check, not stopping even after seeing Wingels had fallen along the boards. Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara (33) shoves Toronto Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri (43) his late hit on Bruins center Tommy Wingels (57), bottom left, as Leafs center Mitch Marner (16) starts to get up during the third period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series in Boston on Thursday, April 12, 2018. “Naz feels like a big brother to this team,” Marner said. “He’s obviously a guy that plays the game with a lot of passion. He’s a protector out there. “It sucks seeing that (suspension), but there’s nothing you can say or do. It’s a big loss down the middle, a big guy to have at home for matching their top (Patrice Bergeron) line. It’s a tough void to fill. We’ve had good chemistry the past couple of months.” The Kadri incident capped a terrible Game 1 for the Leafs, who gave up three power play goals in a 5-1 loss. But Babcock thought they at least started well. “With 4:25 left (in the second period) the game was 1-1. Then we were shorthanded 11 of the next 24 minutes I believe. No. 1, let’s be disciplined. You can’t be in the box. No. 2, the compete level right through our group, you have to have everybody winning 50-50 battles, races, wall battles, net battles. That has to be our priority. That’s how we’ll get ourselves playing right.” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy called Wingels a game-time decision and has Ryan Donato ready to step in as a bottom six forward in Wingels is woozy. The Leafs took some solace in seeing how Philadelphia was creamed by the defending Cup champion Penguins in Game 1 and rallied to tie their series on Friday night. “That’s the great part of the playoffs – the games come pretty quick,” said winger James van Riemsdyk. “You get to flush that one and move on, a new night and a fresh start.” Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091617 Toronto Maple Leafs “Their (big line’s) speed, they play both ways, you’re not going to get a free pass in the offensive zone. They play 200 feet.”

The Leafs did get the first few pucks deep and worked for a chance or Lethargic Leafs bounced in Beantown again, head home down 2-0 two, and even tried to rile Tuukka Rask with a Kasperi Kapanen snow shower. But after three goals, that was it for Andersen, Babcock already saving him for Game 3. Lance Hornby Curtis McElhinney, a strong back-up this year but with no playoff action since 2013 with AHL Springfield, gave up a quick power play goal to Rick Nash, when the Leafs came out of a scrum between Hainsey and Tim BOSTON — What’s wrong with this picture? Schaller with the extra minor. Hainsey followed Kadri as the latest Leaf to have to stand up for Marner when he got rocked by a hit. Frederik Andersen on the end of the bench, Nazem Kadri in the press box and Leo Komarov in sick bay. It doesn’t bode well for the long spring Babcock has Dominic Moore, Josh Leivo or the physical Matt Martin to the Maple Leafs had been talking about. consider plugging in front after activating Andreas Johnsson to the fourth line due to the Kadri sentence. Connor Carrick is his option on defence. Now Mike Babcock has to quickly repair some damaged confidence as well as compensate for injuries and the Kadri suspension as the Leafs “All good players receive attention,” Babcock said earlier in the day, limped home from Boston down 2-0 in a series in which the coach commenting on his stars getting blanketed and harassed. “You have to admitted “they’re dominating us.” dig in and compete. If you get lots of attention, it’s usually because you’ve done something. You do what do normally, you’ll be fine, but you Specifically the line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David have to dig in.” Pastrnak, 20 points in the series after cutting through Auston Matthews, the rest of the forwards, a leaky Leafs defence and driving Andersen to It didn’t work out that way Saturday and now the Leafs have to do it on the bench with three goals on five shots in Saturday’s 7-3 final. Pastrnak home ice — or go home for the summer. had a hat trick. Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.15.2018 “I actually thought we got off to a good start and the puck still went in,” Babcock lamented. “Give them credit. Everything they are throwing at the net is going in. “We’ve got to go home and re-group. That’s our first priority, get out of here, it hasn’t gone the way we wanted. Any way you look at it we’ve given up a dozen goals (losing 5-1 on Thursday). Get some home cooking, get our mind right and come back. “You spent your whole year working on your confidence. We got 105 points. We’re a good team. We’re not going to talk about it tonight. No one is listening anyway.” Boston roared to a 4-0 lead, drove Andersen from the game and dismantled Toronto’s penalty kill again. The Leafs got very little from their regular season stars a second straight night, Matthews blanked, the power play dead in the water until James van Riemsdyk’s late goal. They had better hope their home ice magic doesn’t disappear as well come Monday night or this will be a stunningly short series. “We have plenty of stuff to go over,” defenceman Ron Hainsey said. “Too much zone time, too many penalties … it wouldn’t be tough to pick one. “We deserve every bit of criticism far and wide. The good news is, the story is not totally written yet.” Not that any one Leaf was the cause of Game 2 ruin, but defenceman Nikita Zaitsev was on for all four first period strikes, the Russian getting worse instead of better after his second half slide. Two of the goals were on the power play raising Boston’s total to five so far. “We have to be better, I have to be better,” Zaitsev said. “This is serious. You’re not allowed to show the other team you’re done. We’re a good team, we have a lot of stuff we didn’t show. It’s not like one game, we have to win four.” As Babcock grumbled, the Leafs didn’t look much like their regular season selves and by the end, neither did their lines and defensive pairs. Already missing Kadri — watching from the TD Garden loft as his three- game suspension began — Babcock gambled that Patrick Marleau moving to centre with Zach Hyman on his left wing was the best option. Komarov as Auston Matthews’ new left winger didn’t do much and then Komarov appeared to aggravate his knee injury trying to lay a hard check. He’ll be assessed Sunday. His absence mixed everything up, with Toronto taking dumb penalties throughout to stall its own comeback attempt from the huge hole they dug in the first. Hyman, who had a Game 1 goal, set up Mitch Marner in the second period, for Toronto’s first goal while Tyler Bozak made it made it 5-2, after Hainsey failed to move the puck on a couple of opportunities that Boston’s big line converted. Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak were all in on the last two goals, one a fumbled Jake Gardiner handoff with Morgan Rielly at the Toronto blueline. Gardiner smashed his stick over the Toronto net in anger. “The whole game was frustrating and it built up,” Gardiner said. “They got bounces, we got flat-footed and were out of it early. The big thing is starting on time. Get that back and we’ll be fine. 1091618 Toronto Maple Leafs players out, the suspension to Nazem Kadri). We’ve got to get your minds right and you’ve got to play right.”

It has to start with the Leafs better players, the way it has started with the The scorecard after two games: Bergeron line 20 points, Auston Bruins best players. This has been a mismatch of epic proportions Matthews zero between the quality players on the two teams. And then you get to the roster fillers and those of higher expectations. Matthews hasn’t been terrible — he was minus-3 Saturday night — but he hasn’t been Steve Simmons anywhere close to star-like. Truth, thus far, he has been disappointing. It’s not popular to say, but that’s the way it has been.

More concerning has been the defencemen, starting with Nikita Zaitsev, BOSTON — Auston Matthews barely looked up. Really, what was there who has seemed lost, Jake Gardiner who has looked intimidated, Ron to see? Hainsey and Roman Polak, who just seem too slow. So many other Leafs, mostly forwards, invisible. Maybe he has had nights worse than this one. Maybe he’s been in games — two of them now in Boston — where the Maple Leafs played And Babcock pulled Frederik Andersen after allowing three goals on five the part of passengers and the Bruins drove the train. shots in 12 minutes and 13 seconds. But Andersen was left alone on all three goals, none of which would be considered terrible . The Bruins The count is almost historical and you might say hysterical after two have been that great, taking advantage of everything on the ice. games of this series. The Bruins, with 12 goals scored and two easy victories. The big Boston line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Brad The expressions after the game said more than anyone’s words, the Marchand, running their own hockey pool, with an inexplicable, expressions of sadness, the looks of defeat. These are the Maple Leafs breathtaking, mind-boggling 20 points in two games. after two playoff games. Shattered, broken, and with little time to find repair. Matthews, the future, the present, the Leafs No. 1 centre, the eventual captain, with no points and no real answers afterwards. His regular Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.15.2018 linemate, and part-time centreman Saturday night, with no points. Game 1: The Bergeron line had six points. That seemed rather impressive. In Game 2, a 7-3 victory for the Bruins, the line combined for 14 points — those are Gretzky-Kurri numbers of another generation — and Pastrnak and Marchand were on the ice for all seven Boston goals leaving the Leafs without answer or representation. Bergeron, the weakest member of the line, was only on for six of Boston’s goals. Maybe this happened before, sometime in hockey, something that Wayne Gretzky might have managed, but no one could remember it occurring. How did Matthews explain the absolute decimation of the Big Line? Twenty points Bergeron line: Zero points for Matthews and William Nylander. “Shit happens in hockey,” he said. Indeed it does. When Morgan Rielly was asked if he has ever seen a line score 20 points in two games of a series, he barely looked up, his body language looking thoroughly defeated. “I just did,” he said. The Leafs just did. Whatever this playoff series was supposed to be, whatever it could have been, whatever it still might be, this has now taken on a whole new context. The Leafs haven’t just lost the first two games. They have been decimated in defeat. They had no answer for the Bruins speed, strength, passing game, power play and penalty kill. No answers for anything at all. Mike Babcock didn’t like the way the Leafs played in Game 1. They lost 5-1. He thought they competed better and were more themselves in Game 2. They lost 7-3. The score in Game 2 might be more frightening if the Leafs, in fact, played better. And that is open to debate on many levels. The shock though is how little the Leafs had in response for Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak, who scored three goals himself Saturday night. I once covered a playoff game, if I remember correctly, in which Gretzky scored seven points. But I don’t remember ever covering a game where any line had 14 points. Has Babcock ever seen anything like this? “If I did I’d try to block it it out of my mind,” he said. “Unless it was my own team.” Then he said: “They’re dominating us. “We’ve got to go home and regroup. That’s our first priority, Let’s go home, get out of here, it hasn’t gone the way we wanted. Anyway you look at it we’ve given up a dozen goals. Let’s go home, get some home cooking, and get our mind right and come back – we’re a way better team than what we’ve showed. “…Were a good team. We’re not going to talk about it tonight. No one is listening anyway. Let’s get together and practice tomorrow and count on our leadership group…The way I look at all that, none of that matters (the 1091619 Toronto Maple Leafs that cost the Leafs. Game 2 was just a blowout. The Leafs just didn’t compete enough to even be in the game.

BABCOCK SHUFFLE Kadri is not the only no-show for Leafs in disastrous defeat In light of the Kadri suspension, Babcock changed three of his four lines to start Game 2. Then he continued to play with his lines and his Steve Simmons defensive pairings as the game got away from the Leafs. The Leafs did play better in the second half of the game with an altered lineup, but it’s April 14, 2018 11:14 PM EDT hard to tell whether that was because of the changes made or because the Bruins lost a little intensity with such a large lead.

NOT FREDDY’S FAULT BOSTON — The first game without Nazem Kadri had nothing to do with Kadri at all. Frederik Andersen didn’t last long in goal for the Leafs. He allowed three goals against on just five shots as the Leafs seemed almost ill-prepared It had to do with the Leafs being absolutely embarrassed for the second to begin the game. His playoff start Saturday night lasted just 12:13 but straight game by the Boston Bruins. It had to do with the Leafs inability to the truth was, goaltending was the least of the Maple Leafs troubles handle the Bruins big line, the team’s quick, wide passing game, and to Saturday night. not find any way at all to match the Bruins intense play on the boards, away from the boards and in front of their own net. Andersen had little chance to stop Pastrnak’s goal to make it 1-0, when Pastrnak was left all alone in front, basically passed the puck to himself, However optimistic anyone might have been about the Leafs playoff and then placed the puck behind Andersen. chances, this team has been exposed by the Bruins, piece by piece, pass by pass, in just about every conceivable hockey way in a 7-3 On the second goal, another Boston power-play goal, Nikita Zaitsev defeat. didn’t properly tie up rookie Jake DeBrusk in front of the Toronto goal. DeBrusk deflected a Torey Krug pass up high behind Andersen to make If the Leafs don’t show up and play with a little more stones at home, this it 2-0. season could be over before Kadri returns for Game 5. There might not be a Game 5 if this continues. Zaitsev was a victim on the third goal, when a puck deflected off his skate and went behind Anderson. Coach Mike Babcock pulled Andersen And no one thought that was possible. after that. Too bad he couldn’t pull Zaitsev. SCOUTING THE BRUINS Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.15.2018 Two things the Bruins definitely do better than the Leafs. One is move the puck. Quickly and accurately. Often to a player cutting. By design or maybe by talent assessment, the Leafs can’t move the puck as quickly or with the kind of accuracy the Bruins have demonstrated through two games in the series. The other thing the Leafs don’t seem to be able to match is the battle on the loose pucks. So many times in the first two games, there was a puck battle between the Leafs and the Bruins. Boston has owned the loose puck in the series and the more they seem to own it, the more dis-spirited the Leafs seem to play. THE BIG LINE Boston’s No. 1 line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, the best line in hockey, had six points in Game 1 against the Leafs and followed that up with six points in the first period as Boston went ahead 4-0. In the first 75 minutes of the series, the Bruins had outscored the Leafs 9-1. The line ended up ended the night with 14 points, 20 in the series thus far … Auston Matthews is still looking for his first. Pastrnak and Marchand were on the ice for all seven Boston goals. THIS AND THAT This is for the stats crowd. The Leafs trailed 4-0 at the end of the first period and were well ahead in shot attempts through two periods. I know, small sample size … The only Leaf to show any life in the first period was fourth liner, Kasperi Kapanen. He had a shorthanded breakaway and seemed one of the few Toronto players willing to challenge the Bruins … Toronto finally got a goal, not that it really mattered, when Mitch Marner and Zach Hyman broke in 2-on-1 on Boston. Marner fed Hyman, who made a nifty pass across to Marner for the second in the second period. The low scoring Hyman had points on Toronto’s first two goals of the series … Connor Brown, who has been in a difficult slump, has assists in both games for the Leafs … Leafs defenceman Ron Hainsey did get upset when a Bruin hit Marner, and he found up fighting Tim Schaller. But on the play Hainsey was penalized an extra two minutes for initiating the scrap. While in the penalty box, Rick Nash scored his first playoff goal for the Bruins, just 11 seconds in to the man advantage situation … Nash opened the night for Boston being hit with a strong outlet pass that saw him race behind Morgan Rielly and in clear for a breakaway. Nash shot wide. On the bench afterwards, he looked upset about missing the easy opportunity … Two games of the playoffs, two too-many-men on- the-ice penalties for the Leafs. That’s inexcusable … Feisty forward Leo Komarov went down at 3:50 of the second period and had to helped to the ice after he collided with Bruins defenceman Kevan Miller. The play actually began with Komarov trying to hit Miller. His knee seemed to buckle on the attempt. He didn’t return … Rookie Ryan Donato replaced Tommy Wingels, injured in the first game on the Kadri hit that resulted in a suspension … The Leafs can’t handle the Bruins power play. Boston had three power-play goals in Game 1 and worked on their penalty kill between games and the Bruins came out and scored two power-play goals in the first period … In Game 1, you could point to coaching points 1091620 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs’ Kadri now a caged tiger

Lance Hornby April 14, 2018 9:09 PM EDT

BOSTON — While Nazem Kadri waits out a three-game suspension in the weight room, his Maple Leafs teammates hope his competitive spirit won’t be broken in the coming days. “This will be tough on him, an important time of year when you don’t want to miss games,” fellow veteran Tyler Bozak said on Saturday morning. “Hopefully, we get in a good spot in this series for when he comes back.” Winger Mitch Marner praised Kadri for coming to his aid for what the latter thought was a cheap-shot elbow by Bruins forward Tommy Wingels. Kadri came flying in with a hip check, not stopping even after seeing Wingels had fallen along the boards. “Naz feels like a big brother to this team,” Marner said. “He’s obviously a guy that plays the game with a lot of passion. He’s a protector out there. “It sucks seeing that (suspension), but there’s nothing you can say or do. It’s a big loss down the middle, a big guy to have at home for matching their top (Patrice Bergeron) line. It’s a tough void to fill. We’ve had good chemistry the past couple of months.” It was clear coach Mike Babcock wanted no whining and moaning from his team about the NHL’s decision. If there is to be a Game 5 for Kadri and Toronto, it would start in Game 2 fixing their errors and getting more from other players in the lineup. “There’s not much you can do, let’s just get on with it,” Babcock said. “We went without a number of centres this year (Auston Matthews missed 20 games). Let’s play.” Other than agreeing with the premise of surprise by the length of the suspension, Babcock didn’t pursue the matter. “We expected a game out of it, so we started with that (lineup preparation) yesterday. I’d prefer it didn’t happen and he wasn’t suspended.” Kadri was not made available for comment on Saturday. Wingels skated at Boston’s practice rink and was questionable for Game 2 at TD Garden. “I didn’t like the hit,” Wingels said. “I was in a vulnerable spot. As a game, as a league, as players, that’s the stuff we don’t want in our game. I think the league did a good job, now it’s in the past.” Kadri, who claimed after Game 1 that he couldn’t stop himself launching his hit when Wingels unexpectedly fell, was seen wandering around the Leafs training area on Saturday. Babcock wryly suggested he was in for some rigorous off-ice conditioning as he fills in down time the next week. “We just have to move on,” defenceman Jake Gardiner said. “Get a couple of wins without him, then welcome him back. It’s never easy when something like this happens. He wants the team to win and come back ready. This gives other guys a chance to step up and have a bigger role and we definitely want to win for him, too.” Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091621 Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto FC forward Jozy Altidore with Tim Leiweke after winning the MLS Cup on Dec. 9, 2017

“The thing that amazed me the most is that we clearly didn’t have a Toronto sports teams move past the ‘art of losing’ mission statement,” Leiweke told the Toronto Sun in 2014. “One that everyone was on the same page with, that everyone believed in. I heard an awful lot of chatter about why our teams did not win. I could not Lance Hornby believe the amount of excuses I heard right off the bat – weather, immigration, taxes, the media, the pressure, the fans, the history, MLSE’s business side, their greed … I heard them all.” All these Toronto teams becoming winners at once is bad business for Within a year, he did some corporate head-hunting. Visionary Masai Ujiri Larry Colle. was put in charge of the Raptors, Toronto-born Brendan Shanahan departed his NHL post to restructure the Leafs and MLS exec Tim In fact, the founder of a night school course The Art Of Losing — which Bezbatchenko, whom Leiweke knew from running the Galaxy, was given examines why Toronto’s pro sports teams suck — forced Colle to close it the TFC post. down a couple of years ago. Happy Toronto Sports Day. Hoping our teams go 4 for 4 today, but But Colle couldn’t be happier his former pupils are now too busy that would be very un-Toronto… watching the Maple Leafs and Raptors reach franchise records and now start playoffs. They already gorged themselves on TFC winning the MLS — Steven (@CanuckTennisFan) April 14, 2018 Cup, the Argos hoist the , the Jays make the playoffs two of the past three years and a new rugby team, the Wolfpack, capture its league “Sometimes, losing becomes a culture, an excuse,” Leiweke said. “It title in their first year. almost grows into being acceptable. The longer you learn to accept it, the harder it is to ultimately change it. “Maybe I’ll start a new course — City Of Champions,” laughed the 65- year-old Colle, an author, historian and long-suffering hometown fan. “I’m “Like the old Seinfeld episode where the guy with the body odour got into very glad the Art Of Losing is gone.” the car and they never got rid of the odour. We were that car. We couldn’t get rid of it, so we had to say ‘buy a new car.’ But you have to be Drake interviews Kyle Lowry after the Raptors-Hornets game at the ACC prepared to put your neck out there and take some risk. on Nov. 29, 2017. (YouTube screen grab) “The funny thing (in those early interviews) is that I didn’t hear one Well, the curse can’t truly be lifted until the Leafs win the Stanley Cup, person I spoke to, not one, talk about the potential, here.That was one of but even long time haters are conceding that something special is the most shocking things.” coming together on Bay St. — not just a one-hit wonder. The Hockey News recently put the young gun Leafs on its cover, headlined by: ‘Plan Leiweke would not stay in his position long enough to see the The Parade — it’s only a matter of when and how many.’ improvements take hold. But the evidence is visible every day. Kids go to school with Leafs hats and Blue Jays backpacks. Teens in the subway “If the Leafs win the Cup, that’s the big enchilada,” agreed Colle. “But sport ‘We The North’ Raptors gear, when Drake isn’t singing the praises with everything else going on, it’s like the perfect storm for Toronto of the basketball team as their global ambassador. sports. For those of us who remember the ‘60s when the Leafs were winning the Cup all the time and the Argos were filling CNE Stadium, it’s Toronto FC fans celebrate after their team scores their second goal great. The ‘Argo Bounce’ is back for everyone.” against the Seattle Sounders during second half MLS Cup final soccer action in Toronto on Saturday, December 9, 2017. (Chris Young/THE TFC in the champions league final, Leafs playoffs start Friday, CANADIAN PRESS) Raptors heading into the playoffs first in the east… if you told me Toronto sports teams would be this good 5 years ago, I'd laugh in your face Outdoor pubs in the city’s Liberty Village and west end are a sea of black and red before the drums start sounding the march to BMO Field games. — Danny Saldanha (@DannnyS_) April 11, 2018 The Argos might eventually regret their decision to end tail gating parties, but bringing the title home should boost attendance in 2018. There are For the Leafs, putting all the blame for a 51-year Cup curse on Harold worries about a drop in Jays’ attendance after last year’s fall, but if they Ballard got old a long time ago. The much despised owner been gone stay above .500 when the weather warms up, expect them to score with almost 30 years and it was 15 years after his death that the Leafs began the family demographic, many who make their games part of a vacation a record seven-year span of missing the playoffs. They still haven’t won a plan from outside Ontario. series since 2004. In looking at the half century drought, of 18 teams who’ve now won the Cup since the Leafs in ‘67 (13 of which had started As the series with the Bruins shifts to the Air Canada Centre for Games 3 from scratch), ex-team president once remarked “somehow and 4, expect every second person you encounter downtown to be we’ve defeated the math.” wearing a Matthews or Marner sweater. Last game at the Gardens. Lanny McDonald, Darryl Sittler and Borje “For a long time, the kids were wearing Montreal colours or more recently Salming applaud the Stanley Cup winning Leaf players on Feb. 14, 1999. Pittsburgh for Sidney Crosby,” noted Colle. (Michael Peake, Toronto Sun files) “Now you see that blue is back. Finally.” FAN 590 and Sirius XM radio host Gord Stellick says the angst meter among fans has lowered quite noticeably in the Auston Matthews era. Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.15.2018 “The calls we used to get were mostly vitriol towards Nazem Kadri, Dion Phaneuf and James Reimer,” said Stellick, the one-time Leafs GM under Ballard. “It was a nightly round of ‘Who do you hate the most?’ Now, it’s much more positive, like all Leaf fans are on a vacation.” Proud to be a Toronto sports fan today. The @Raptors are tipping off now. @MapleLeafs play at 8pm. It doesn’t really get an better. Like Kyle Lowry said, every game is Toronto’s game seven. Now it’s time for both teams to go out there and play like that! #TMLtalk #WeTheNorth — Christian Holmes (@HolmesyWrites) April 14, 2018 The impetus for change with the Leafs, Raptors and TFC was not so much a breath of fresh air, but a force of nature named Tim Leiweke. Majority ownership of MLSE had been taken over by communications giants Bell and Rogers, who saw the former president and CEO of the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which included L.A. franchises such as the Kings and MLS Galaxy, as a big picture person who’d maximize the billion dollar sports empire’s clout. But what Leiweke found during his introductory talks with MLSE personnel, past and present, left him reeling. 1091622 Toronto Maple Leafs fan, going back to his days when Lamoriello was involved with upper Yankees management … You can’t hang whatever happens to the Minnesota Wild on Bruce Boudreau. The team is playing without star SIMMONS: Without Nazem Kadri, judging these playoff Leafs impossible defenceman Ryan Suter and without a real star up front … What a pleasure it is to stay up late to hear and doing playing playoff hockey in NBCSN. Steve Simmons SCENE AND HEARD This is where baseball stats bother me: J.A. Happ has left two games with a runner on first base and in each of his first two starts that runner BOSTON — There was supposed to be a story this week on .com scored. His current earned run average is 3.94. Had those two runners about the maturation of Nazem Kadri. The story has been pulled. not scored after he was taken out, his ERA would be 2.81 …Most encouraging part of the young season: Blue Jays haven’t lost a series The multitude of problems caused by the Kadri suspension affects yet. If you play that way, you find a playoff spot. Buck Showalter always management in a most tenuous way: How do they accurately assess the believes the first game of a three-game series is the most important one. success or failure of this playoff team when a significant part of the It takes all the pressure off your team, says Buck … There are some NHL lineup, Kadri, is missing? scouts watching the Stanley Cup playoffs who like Leafs farmhand Miro Kadri has become that important for the Leafs. More important with Tyler Aaltonen. Said one: “He’ll be a better NHL player than AHL player. His Bozak slumping and going to free agency in June. More important game doesn’t suit the AHL.” … This is how you know Russ Atkins is because Tomas Plekanec and Dominic Moore, the four and five centres, finally relaxing around Toronto media. He recently played the part of can’t be moved up in the lineup. interpreter for an interview with Kendrys Morales … Peter Chiarelli, who traded away Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin, Phil Kessel, Blake Wheeler and Mitch Marner didn’t begin producing like a star until he played with Kadri. the draft pick used to select Matthew Barzal, is still the general manager The Leafs didn’t find the kind of lineup balance the needed until Mike of the Edmonton Oilers because they “like his vision.” … By the time the Babcock found the lines he was most comfortable with. dust clears, there could be as many as seven coach openings in the NHL in the off-season, which means Leafs are likely to lose Marlies coach Now this is patchwork Leafs for Games 2-3-4 against Boston. This is Sheldon Keefe, Babcock assistant D.J. Smith, or possibly both. Patrick Marleau, signed to help show the Leafs the way, playing a position he isn’t particularly suited for. How do you take stock of that and AND ANOTHER THING understand all you have and all you need? With Kadri in the lineup, the Leafs and Bruins was closer to a pickem series, with Bruins still the In the previous administration, Jimmy Hughes was the Leafs director of favourites. With Kadri out, a short series is not at all out of the question. player development. Now, he’s the dad involved with player development. His son Quinn is expected to be a first round draft pick this In my mind, the suspension was one game too long. But rarely do I find year. His son, Jack, is considered sensational at 16 and a sure-thing myself agreeing with the NHL on such matters. What matters is this isn’t early pick in 2019 and younger son, Luke, is thought by some to have as the Leafs team they needed to try and beat Boston. much skill as his older brothers. And the best part, what a genuinely nice man …. thought trading Artemi Panarin for Brandon Saad They needed Kadri, finding Marner, scoring on the power play, agitating would make Jonathan Toews happy and have him play better. Didn’t within reason. In this case, though, reason left the building — the wrong happen. Panarin wound up with 82 points. Saad had just 35 in Chicago. thought, the wrong moment — and with it went most of Kadri’s and Don’t hear the analytics crowd calling Bowman a genius anymore … This probably the Leafs’ playoff season. seems wrong. I bought my Argos season tickets before knowing THIS AND THAT tailgating was being cancelled. At the same time, prices were dropped, which means I’m owed a refund of some kind. Seems you should know So long, Ken Hitchcock, and thanks. For all your years, for all your this kind of information before you go ahead and commit to anything … words. Hitch is on a short list of great hockey coach interviews, right Has there ever been a season with so many contentious post-season there with Pat Quinn, Bob Johnson, Dave King, Bryan Murray, Jacques team press conferences: Tension in Ottawa, Montreal, Edmonton, Demers, Barry Trotz and Paul Maurice. Real short list: coaches with Calgary seems to be at an all-time high … There are 15 former Maple more wins than Hitch. Just and Joel Quenneville … Mike Leafs coaches still alive and with one thing in common: None of them Babcock is currently 13th all-time in wins by an NHL coach. By the end of ever won a best of seven playoff series while coaching Toronto … Of all next season, he should move past Ron Wilson, Mike Keenan and that has been said and written about Humboldt, nothing touched me possibly Alain Vigneault on the all-time list victory list … Maurice, whose more than Erik Karlsson’s tweet about recently losing his son in child Winnipeg Jets are Stanley Cup contenders, is 10th in wins, first all-time birth. “I hope you guys are playing with my boy up there. Thinking of all of in losses … If you watched the Los Angeles Kings Friday night, you could you. #Humboldtstrong.” … Happy birthday to Denis Shapovalov (19), Ilya make the case that Drew Doughty is the most valuable player in hockey. Kovalchuk (35), Tim Thomas (44), Keith Acton (60), Kevin Lowe (59), Really, the Kings looked incapable without him feeding pucks … Tyler Charles Hamelin (34), Kent Manderville (47) and Kevin Stevens (53) … Myers turned back the clock in Game 2 against Minnesota and scored And hey, whatever became of Andrew Raycroft? the kind of goal that made him rookie of the year in 2010 and seemingly unstoppable. Where that’s been these past seven seasons, don’t know Jackie Robinson Day … Not so funny, Myers is scoring highlight reel goals, Evander Kane is When I first came to love baseball, the way any kid comes to a love a going crazy for San Jose and the Buffalo Sabres were again last in the sport, the players you couldn’t take your eyes off were named Hank NHL … Bruce Cassidy said he didn’t match lines before the playoffs Aaron and Frank Robinson and Willie McCovey and Willie Stargell and started. Bruce Cassidy lied. It’s what coaches do … Worth your time if Dick Allen and Billy Williams and Reggie Jackson. you didn’t see them — Joe O’Connor on Humboldt and Mike Traikos on getting shut out of the playoffs for the first time. All of them African American. HEAR AND THERE You didn’t think of it in any black-and-white way, because kids don’t seem to see the world that way. That’s what baseball stars looked like. Watched ESPN SportsCenter Friday at 6. The lead story was Dez Bryant As a kid, you were just overwhelmed by the power of Aaron or Stargell, being let go by the Dallas Cowboys. Then it was James Harden and the the presence of Reggie, the grace of Williams. Mostly, they were the best Houston Rockets playoff chances. After that came talk of Cleveland and players in baseball. And you didn’t take stock that there was a difference the Philadelphia 76ers chances in the East, highlights from a Padres- between Williams and Carl Yastrzemski because one was black, the Rockies fight, some Yu Darvish struggling, a little Shohei Ohtani drooling, other white. then lots on the NFL Draft. At the 59-minute mark of the hour show, there was mention to tune in tonight for Sidney Crosby highlights. No mention Sunday is Jackie Robinson Day in baseball. It is supposed to celebrate of Hitchcock, Kadri, no NHL at all … Raptors905 coach Jerry Stackhouse the diversity Robinson brought to when he is going to get an interview or three for NBA head coaching openings courageously broke the colour barrier in 1947. But here’s the thing: In the while talk is that Raps assistants Nick Nurse and Rex Kalamian are also early 1970s, almost 19% of Major League players were African candidates to move on … The latest on Josh Donaldson is a) his American. The number today, which changes with callups daily, is shoulder is hanging; b) his arm is dead; c) his arm isn’t dead anymore; d) around 7%. The largest black stars in baseball are probably Giancarlo he’s suffering from inflammation. The Blue Jays are masters of sports Stanton and Mookie Betts. Almost 30% of big league players are now science. It’s truth that they have a problem with … Odd stat: This is born outside the United States. LeBron James’ 15th season in the NBA. This is the first time he’s played in all 82 games … Leafs and the Yankees wound up in the same Boston Jackie Robinson would be proud of the wide diversity of baseball. But he hotel this week, which rekindled the friendship between wouldn’t be happy about the diminishing number of African Americans, and Yanks GM Brian Cashman. Cashman is a big hockey guy, a Devils which doesn’t seem to changing any time soon. Clarifying comments on Savard When I first saw Marc Savard on television a while back, I was distressed about it, for the same reason I get disappointed when I see Bill Parcells or Jim Rice or John Tortorella or others who have treated the media with a certain disdain winding up in media positions on television or radio. If you don’t care for media, I’ve always thought, don’t be part of it. Last week in this space, I wrote 27 words on Savard, the wrong 27 words it turned out, as I found out from the pointed and nasty reaction on social media. I personally don’t like the way he ignored the emails from a Hall of Fame writer from the Boston Globe over the years, or the calls from the late Steve Harris from the Boston Herald, or other attempts to talk to him — USA Today, Globe and Mail, and many others tried — after his career ended early with the Boston Bruins when other media members would see him in rinks while coaching minor hockey and he would barely say hello. That’s my opinion. I understand he had, and may still, have concussion issues. I particularly understand his battles with mental health issues. For more than 20 years, I have battled anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, claustrophobia: You don’t ever completely understand how this can take over your life until you experience it yourself. What I wrote about Savard had nothing to do with concussions or his personal battles. But what I wrote about him was improperly worded and far too harsh. For that, I apologize. For not welcoming new media members who have treated the industry disrespectfully, I don’t apologize. Fenway Park – where baseball is most alive Went to Fenway Park and sat behind home plate this week for an epic Yankees-Red Sox game on a frigid Wednesday evening. First impression: Wow. Second impression: I’m fortunate enough to go to all kinds of sporting events all over the world. This may have been one of the great live sporting (non working) experiences of my life. Cold as it was, the place was electric. You feel that from first pitch to last. And the 80-20 ratio of Red Sox fans to Yankees fans was just enough to have something going on in the stands throughout the game to make you feel like you were a part of it. Never mind we got to see a bench clearing brawl, a bench clearing non brawl, a grand slam by J.D. Martinez, an inept David Price, two home runs from slumping Gary Sanchez, long, long balls hit by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, and about three great defensive plays, and a struggling but spectacular Aroldis Chapman, it was the place that mattered more than even the game. To be honest, Fenway is kind of a dump. It’s old and rather ugly but it’s a precious dump. And I loved being there on a freezing cold night, without any rooting interest and with a whole lot of sporting cynicism in me, really loved it. Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091623 Toronto Maple Leafs the D zone etc. Shorten the bench. Play the absolutely stink out of your skilled players who are playing well. Give Travis Dermott — one of the

few defencemen who hasn't made a brutal blunder in this series — more Maple Leafs' implosion will bring tough questions if they can't extend of a chance. series I tweeted this stat during the game, but the reality is that most teams that go up 2-0 in a series win out. Clubs that win both of those games at home have advanced 89 per cent of the time. So those are the historical James Mirtle odds facing Toronto.

They might be worse given they won't have Kadri, their hard match-up centre, for either of their first two home games. BOSTON — What a bitter, ugly pill this series is turning out to be for the Maple Leafs and their fans. This series going Boston's way isn't just about missing Kadri, though. It's also partly about the season-long issues that have plagued the Leafs and The thing you can't help but thinking, watching it unfold the way it has, is how those are absolutely killing them against one of the best teams in the if many of us were wrong about this team. (I include myself here because league. I came around to believing they were one of the seven or eight best teams in the league after some initial skepticism.) Toronto has no answers for a lot of what's going on. The Bruins' aggressive forecheck and backcheck have been especially suffocating. There was plenty of evidence the Bruins were the better team coming They also always seem to have open players in and around the crease, into this, no question, but no one foresaw a blowout. No one predicted a something the Leafs were good at during the season but abysmal at 12-4 combined score in Games 1 and 2 — 5-1 and 7-3 losses — with here. Boston's top line completely dominating and Toronto's completely silent. During the regular season, the Leafs averaged 13 high-danger chances Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak are 1-2-3 in NHL per 60 minutes in all situations. scoring right now with a combined 20 points. Zach Hyman, Auston Matthews and William Nylander have just two — both of them from Through two games here in Boston, they're down to 9.5 — and the Hyman. Bruins are at 12.

And they're not even a line anymore anyway. Nullifying the Leafs' offence was a key priority for coach Bruce Cassidy coming in, and he has so far won the coaching battle in that department. Boston overwhelming the Leafs all over the ice combined with Nazem Kadri's three-game suspension has left Mike Babcock scrambling his “We talked about Toronto — to play them well you have to check,” lines repeatedly, largely to no avail. While there were periods of pressure Cassidy said after the game, in another lengthy, detailed press in the second period on Saturday night, the Bruins' counterattack was conference. “You have to check well with your legs, your stick position on always better. the ice and body position. I think we’ve done that for the most part.

They were better up front, on the blueline and in goal. Plus behind the “We’ve always been a team I thought we can play both ways. We’ve won bench, which has become a clear factor. 2-1 games — we’re comfortable in those. We’ve won 6-4 games. If we have to. We know the formula. Monday we’ll try to stick to that again. As The areas of concern are essentially everywhere. a coach, you like to see both sides. Our identity is to be hard to play “Their power play is playing well and our penalty kill not so much,” a very against, but we want to be hard to play against because we have the frustrated Morgan Rielly said postgame. “Their penalty kill is playing well puck and we can score as well.” and our power play not so much. Beyond that, our defensive zone can be Let's face it: That was not the Leafs' identity during the season. They better and we can get through the neutral zone better. There's a lot of were an extremely gifted offensive team that relied on its power play and things that we've got to work on.” goaltending to win them games. Heck, they were fourth last in the league “They're scoring a lot is the biggest issue,” Ron Hainsey said when asked in shots against and 14th in possession, stats that the analytics types to pinpoint what was wrong with the penalty kill. “I'm not trying to be pointed out again and again as areas of concern. (Boston, by the way, funny. A bounce here, too much zone time, too many penalties. It would was first in both those categories among teams that made the playoffs.) be tough to pick one.” What saved Toronto was the team's young stars delivered timely goals You can't because the issues are myriad — and not just on the PK. again and again, covering their defensive warts on a lot of nights.

In order, here's what the Leafs need to fix to get back in this series: The Bruins are proving so much more more well-rounded in this series because they have been able to be more dangerous offensively and 1. The blueline must be better under pressure, with and without the puck. defensively — especially with their best players on the ice. They're out Hainsey, Nikita Zaitsev and Roman Polak are the obvious culprits given there at even strength controlling play, on the power play scoring goals they're getting victimized shorthanded so often, but everyone can be and crashing the crease, on the penalty kill clogging up the neutral zone. better. (The problem here is that this is personnel related.) It's shocking that Marchand and Bergeron have averaged less than 18 2. Frederik Andersen has to be better. The Leafs were porous all season minutes a game because their impact has been so total. in terms of shots against, and one of the biggest reasons they still finished with 105 points was their goaltending. But Andersen has allowed “They play both ways,” Jake Gardiner said. “You're not going to get a free eight goals on 45 shots for an .822 save percentage in this series. He pass in the offensive zone — they're going to play hard on you. They play has also looked far “busier” in the crease than he did when he was calm all 200 (feet).” and on top of his game during the season. You can't write the Leafs off entirely here, not before they get to play a 3. They have to take fewer penalties. The Bruins have been on the man game at home with last change. But to win this series, they'll have to beat advantage 10 times — tops in the NHL playoffs — and up a man for 17 this Bruins team four times in the next five games, which feels downright minutes in these two games. They have five power-play goals. The Leafs impossible right now. are not good enough shorthanded to continue to gift them those It has to start, obviously, with a win in Game 3. Toronto will have to stay opportunities. out of the box, capitalize on their man advantages and limit Boston's best 4. Matthews and Nylander have to create offence. Especially Matthews. players as best they can. They were far better in terms of controlling play and not getting stuck in At this point, a 2-1 nail-biter might be welcome, as it would mean the the D zone in Game 2, but they have to penetrate the slot better and put Leafs goaltending and blueline hold up better than they have so far in the up the kind of Grade A chances they did during the season. They also series. They don't even have to be the better team — they just need to have to be much better on the power play. They're not going to get pretty gut out an ugly win to get back in this thing. goals there the way they did against Buffalo and Montreal. If they lose Monday, however, this is over. And there are going to be 5. Babcock has to adopt a safe is death mentality. No more Marleau at some really pointed questions asked about what this season actually centre, Komarov on the top line, Polak in nearly 20 minutes, Plekanec in meant. When the Leafs went out in six games last spring against the Capitals, the stakes were entirely different. They were massive underdogs — a team with seven rookies in the lineup against the Presidents' Trophy winners — and they offered terrific push back in forcing five of the six games to overtime.

It was a wholly impressive showing from their youngest players, a year after the franchise bottomed out to a last-place finish. It seemed to foreshadow big things to come, the fact they elevated in their biggest games of the year after getting better all season.

Falling apart here, in a series that should have been competitive, isn't going to be that. It's going to cast a 49-win, 105-point season as a failure. And the tough questions aren't going to be just reserved for the players.

Management has made some key mistakes. And the team's $50-million coach has, too.

But those are columns for another day. Perhaps one much sooner than we expected.

Perhaps as early as Thursday.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091624 Toronto Maple Leafs body after Wingels had made a questionable hit moments before on Mitch Marner.

If the potential to go down 0-2 was daunting for the Kings without Player Safety head George Parros has held strong in difficult start to Doughty, imagine now the hole that Kadri has put his team in with his playoffs reckless play? Suspended three previous times for head-hunting incidents, this is a severe but just punishment for a top player who had 32 goals during the regular season and 19 power play points. Scott Burnside If the Leafs lose this series, they’ll point to the Kadri suspension, but the Apr 14, 2018 73 focus should be on the play that led to the suspension. That’s on the player not on those who handed down the suspension. Subtle but

important distinction. NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – At various times over the years, the head The feeling has always been that top players get more leeway for their of the NHL’s Department of Player Safety has been a favorite personal behavior than the rank and file or lower class citizen, but kudos to Parros whipping boy and I have repeatedly opined that, if we were in charge (oh, for judging the act and the player’s history, and not the potential impact of wouldn’t that be a glorious day?) that we’d be like Judge Roy Bean, the suspension of both Doughty and Kadri, whose boss happens to be hardest law west of the Pecos. Shanahan, who at one point held the same post. Didn’t matter if it was Colin Campbell or Brendan Shanahan or Stephane The past three days have presented a handful of incidents that required Quintal. The often whimsical sometimes haphazard manner in which scrutiny from Parros and his staff, similar to the opening days of the 2012 supplemental discipline was meted out often enraged us until, sadly, we playoffs when there were multiple questionable hits and incidents, became inured to it. including the infamous image of Shea Weber ramming Henrik Shot to the head? Cross-check to the back into the boards? Maybe a Zetterberg’s head off the end glass at the end of a Nashville-Detroit fine, maybe a game, maybe more, maybe not. No rhyme nor reason to game. Weber escaped with a minor penalty and a $2,500 fine. any of it, so the energy expended in being enraged just seemed so ill- Similar dynamics this week as the Blue Jackets' Josh Anderson was spent. ejected from Thursday’s game against Washington for ramming Michal But I have to admit, I had very high hopes when longtime tough guy Kempny into the end boards. Kempny is questionable for Sunday’s George Parros assumed the role as the Lord of Discipline this season. Game 2 but there was no further discipline.

Cerebral and firm, Parros didn’t necessarily set the discipline world on its In the same game, the Capitals' Tom Wilson, suspended for the start of ear, but he did deliver meaningful punishment to the most egregious the regular season for a boarding incident, sent Alexander Wennberg actions. from the game with a hard hit, which the otherwise occupied Wennberg never saw coming. And even if he did whiff a couple of times – how Brad Marchand escaped punishment for a late-season cross-check to the head of Philadelphia’s In my eyes, it should have been a suspension without question. The Andrew MacDonald is a red mark on Parros’ record given Marchand’s league did not agree. shocking inability to learn from his mistakes – Parros is suddenly front And in Nashville late in the second period of Game 1, Ryan Johansen, a and center in the opening hours of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. player with no history of supplemental discipline, caught Colorado And lo and behold, we are seeing a little Judge Roy Bean in the defenseman Tyson Barrie with an elbow to the head in the Predators’ Princeton University attendee, which warms our hearts. zone that went uncalled. Barrie wasn’t injured, but he offered the same kinds of questions Friday that fans and players often ask: What’s It’s not where Parros wants to be and certainly not where the league acceptable? Where is the line? wants the focus given the compelling storylines that exist from coast to coast. But given a plethora of miscreant behavior through the opening “I didn’t like the hit for sure,” Barrie said. “I didn’t see him at all coming days of the 2018 playoff season, the spotlight is once again on the DOP. and I thought he maybe got the head a little bit, but the league’s obviously decided to take no action. That’s their call.” It’s important work and it’s wildly complicated with layers of texture that sometimes make finding the right answer difficult. Asked about the Doughty hit, Barrie said, “I don’t see a whole lot of difference, but I’m not the one making the call, so it’s kind of irrelevant.” And it hasn’t been perfect. But with word late Friday that Toronto forward Nazem Kadri was suspended for three games for a nasty hit on a Frustrating? defenseless Tommy Wingels in the opening game of the Boston-Toronto “If those are the hits you’re allowed to take, then maybe you maybe take series, Parros and his group have set a lofty standard. one or two runs at guys that you might get away with, but I think you just The Kadri suspension came after Parros began the postseason in strong got to move on,” Barrie said. fashion, suspending Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty for a game In short, these are important moments for Parros who took on the role as for an uncalled hit to the head of Las Vegas forward William Carrier head of the Department of Player Safety in September. midway through the third period of a game the Golden Knights would go on to win 1-0 on the opening night of the playoffs. It was a move that immediately drew derision from some observers given that Parros was one of the toughest players in the NHL and accumulated The challenge of finding an appropriate level of discipline during the 1,092 penalty minutes in 474 regular season games, scoring 18 times postseason is in accepting that the games are exponentially more and adding 18 assists over that period of time. meaningful. And frankly, it’s easier to fine players at this stage of the season than to suspend them because missing even one game, as You know what? I couldn't care less about how he conducted himself on Doughty did for the Kings' overtime loss in Game 2, can have significant the ice as a player (he was never suspended) if he does this job properly. implications. Now we’re about to find out if he has the stomach to do just that. So far, Doughty is an all-world player, but he let his emotions get the better of the answer is yes. Reckless play that endangers other players should him on the hit, which saw Carrier left the game and was listed as day-to- always be greeted with a relentless reaction from the league. Spare the day, but played Friday night as Vegas took a 2-0 series lead. rod and all that.

Had there been a call on the ice against Doughty, perhaps Parros But the challenge, similar to being a player, is not what you did today but doesn’t have to step in. But step in he did. what you do tomorrow. And that’s always been the challenge for the men who have had the temerity to accept the role Parros now occupies. He did so again in an even more emphatic manner with the Kadri suspension. We would offer only this: Stay strong and keep bringing the law west of the Pecos. The agitating Toronto forward was ejected from the Leafs-Bruins game midway through the third period with Boston holding a 4-1 lead. Kadri The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 leaped into the boards and caught Wingels in the head with his hip and 1091625 Toronto Maple Leafs penalty kill of late. But a closer look also calls into question the 3-1 formation the Leafs use to stack the blue line, and leaves you to wonder

if the Bruins pre-scouted as much and decided to try to take advantage of Dissecting recent penalty kill woes: What's gone wrong for Leafs? Polak:

Still, the real issues showed themselves on the other two goals.

Scott Wheeler When the Leafs' penalty kill is most successful, all four players are actively engaged in applying pressure from an aggressive box. On David Apr 14, 2018 19 Backes' 2-1 goal, both Brown and Kasperi Kapanen do a nice job of getting out to the point and forcing the Bruins to execute quickly under

pressure. The numbers only begin to tell the story: The Leafs' penalty kill, which It looks like this: finished the regular season at 81.4 per cent (11th in the NHL), has struggled in their last six games. While they didn't manage to disrupt any of the passes for a turnover, their feet are constantly in motion and they're forcing the Bruins to make plays, In the Game 1 loss to the Bruins, the Leafs surrendered three goals while rather than allowing them to. playing shorthanded six times. They are now 14-for-23 on the penalty kill dating back to March 29, or 60.9 per cent. During that stretch, the nine Where it goes wrong is when Polak doesn't continue to apply that goals against they've surrendered ranks 31st in the NHL, while their PK pressure. After the puck goes down low, Polak makes a couple of percentage sits 28th (ahead of only the Blue Jackets, the Rangers and mistakes. The first, is that he doesn't keep his feet moving. The second, the Islanders). is that when he makes that decision to try to intercept the back door pass rather than attempt to force David Krejci to send the puck back to the During that same period, their now-opponent has turned its penalty kill point or down low below the goal line, he doesn't front the pass with his into a near-perfect machine, one that has killed an astonishing 21-of-22 body. Instead, he actually shades away from the passing lane, giving penalties (95.5 per cent) in its last eight games after another clean three- Krejci a clear path to the backdoor, and tries to bat at the puck with only for-three night in the series debut. his stick: That special teams imbalance, paired with Toronto's recent lack of The first decision might be systemic if the Leafs coaching staff want their discipline (3.8 times shorthanded per game since March 29, versus 2.8 defencemen to play passively and protect the net-front. The second is for the Bruins), decided Game 1. If the gap doesn't close, it will decide just sloppy defending of the ice in no-mans land by Polak. the series too. Polak isn't the only one who makes a mistake here, though. Hainsey, At a glance, it appears no one player in particular has overtly contributed after puck-watching rather than tracking Backes earlier in the play, gets to those struggles. On Thursday night, it appeared Ron Hainsey (who caught at the hashmarks, is late to the net-front, and also tries to interrupt played an incredible 6:52 on the PK), Nikita Zaitsev (4:37 PK TOI), and the play with his stick (one hand on it no less, making any attempt a low- Leo Komarov (5:13 PK TOI) were the problem, in that the Leafs percentage play), rather than boxing out Backes. surrendered shots against in the double digits with each of them on the ice (numbers that extrapolate well into the hundreds on a per 60 minutes In doing so, even when Hainsey gets a piece of it, the puck actually scale, which is… not good). Hainsey, in particular, really struggled — and redirects behind him, and he's forced to spin, where he misses his swipe was on for two of the three PK goals against as a result. and is unable to make a physical man-on-man play. The end result:

But in Toronto's final five regular season games, it was Komarov, Zach This came moments after Hainsey also made this (to put it mildly) brutal Hyman, and Roman Polak who gave up the most chances against while play up the middle and into trouble. Hainsey, who played more than 23 minutes (seven more than anyone else on the team), and Zaitsev actually handled them fine. But that backdoor play has been a recurring issue on the Leafs' PK, and for Hainsey. Against the Canadiens, in the Leafs' last game of the year, Still, while the culprits appear to be spread around, there are players who he redirected the puck into his own net trying to play a cross-ice have had a net-positive impact whose usage hasn't matched their backdoor pass with one hand on his stick rather than taking away the performance. They are: Travis Dermott (who played the sixth-most real danger: Galchenyuk backdoor. Here, even if Hainsey didn't redirect it minutes on the PK in Game 1) and Morgan Rielly (who was used for only in inadvertently, he's out of position and Galchenyuk probably scores 15 seconds during their six times shorthanded against the Bruins). In the regardless: team's final five games, it was Rielly who led their defencemen in surrendering the fewest shot attempts against relative to his PK time on A couple of games earlier, against the Islanders, Hainsey made a nearly ice. Dermott, who only played 15:10 on the PK after joining the Leafs identical play to the one he made in Game 1, ignoring the backdoor during the regular season, ranked first among the 13 Leafs players who player (one John Tavares) to try to make something happen with his stick spent as much or more time on the penalty kill this season with a 67.25 before turning to miss his swipe rather than tying up his man and relying Corsi Against per 60 minutes rate. (He was also nearly flawless in 4:07 in on Andersen and Zaitsev to control the passer at the side of the net: Game 1). Connor Brown, who played the eighth-most on Thursday, has Later in Game 1, when Krejci seals it with a tough-angle pass-shot on a also proven to be more effective than Hyman and Komarov. similar play, we begin to see a theme when Toronto's penalty killers So while the recent issues aren't attributable to any one player, it appears aren't aggressive. I don't know what this is, but it's not how you should the units as a whole could benefit from altering their usage, and putting ever look on the penalty kill unless the puck is at the point: less stress on Hainsey and Zaitsev in particular. (Maybe Polak and Dermott just wanted to say hello to each other.) But there's more to it than that. This time, though it's a forward who ends up playing it too conservatively. When a once-strong penalty kill clicks at 60 per cent for an extended Watch how passive Tomas Plekanec is with his feet, particularly in period, there are normally systemic issues at play as well. tracking back to Jake DeBrusk near the end of the sequence. If Plekanec is aggressive, and doesn't turn-and-glide, Dermott (the team's most In order to tease those recent problems out, I reviewed the last 23 times aggressive penalty-killing defenceman) doesn't have to compensate for Toronto played shorthanded. him and front the potential high-danger shot. Instead, Plekanec doesn't attack and reaches in with one hand on his stick: I'll start with what went wrong in Boston, because it's the Bruins power play (which I recently dug into in this breakdown of David Pastrnak) that While Frederik Andersen should also stop that, there is a positive that they ultimately now must solve. comes out of the sequence: Polak did what Hainsey didn't and took Backes' stick out of the play as an option in front. On its face, the first PK goal against looked like it was less about any structural issue and more about a combination of a pick set by Patrice But the sequence starts and ends with the Leafs not playing aggressively Bergeron on Hyman in the neutral zone, a great pass from Torey Krug, a enough. Plekanec needs to be working there, and he doesn't. potentially-missed offside call, and Polak caught a little flat-footed. These goals will happen off the rush from time-to-time, and Polak (as mentioned As with Hainsey, this has been a recurring habit for Plekanec. Watch this above), while not a positive influence, hasn't been the issue on the sequence from the Leafs' last game against the Sabres where, while Hyman plays O'Reilly tightly, Plekanec is completely stationary for several seconds in the slot, giving Rasmus Ristolainen time to walk across the blue line and shoot through a clear lane for a Sam Reinhart tip.

At no point during this sequence does Plekanec move to apply pressure or otherwise put himself in a position to block the shot.

The other ongoing issue the Toronto PK has created for itself, and which is evident in the above sequence, is that their forwards are often collapsing too low of late. This is likely a structural decision made by the coaching staff, and one that Leafs fans will remember as a serious problem during the Randy Carlyle era.

Pay close attention to the start of this goal against the Islanders, where three Leafs are caught at the goal line ahead of the point shot.

And again, notice the distance Komarov and Hyman have to travel to get to Patrik Laine and Dustin Byfuglien below when all four Leafs end up below the faceoff dots ahead of this goal against (part of that collapse helps them contain a player like Mark Scheifele in the slot, but it also means Komarov has to attack Byfuglien more aggressively when they rotate to the top):

When the Leafs are aggressive, engaged, and active in a more fluid box, they've found success. It's a system that worked for them for most of the season. And it has, despite the broader struggles, worked in spurts during the last half-dozen games.

Watch what happens on this PK sequence from Game 1 (below) when Kapanen is quick to get out to the point and Dermott stays on Backes' hip rather than giving him any space or sliding out between him and the carrier down low (notice the contrast between how Dermott played it and how Hainsey did, or Kapanen versus Plekanec). When the puck rotates sides, Dermott can release from Backes and apply pressure like he always does. But when he's the net-front defender, he eliminates the option by playing it tight. And Kapanen just does what Kapanen does best: closes the gaps.

Similarly, on this extended sequence (sped up to accommodate its length), which starts with Connor Brown staying with his man and ends with Komarov and Hainsey actively engaging theirs to win a battle with numbers and clear the zone, notice how effective the Leafs can be when they use their foot speed to their advantage — Komarov is a great skater when he wants to be:

The latter two sequences speak to the ability many of Toronto's penalty killers have — to the style they play most successfully — and to the usefulness of some they could benefit from deploying more.

But most of all, they stand in contrast to everything else we've seen out of them for two and a half weeks. If the Leafs don't get back to what they do best, it may be their downfall.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091626 Toronto Maple Leafs Other than a brutal first 10 minutes and key mistakes made on the penalty kill, the Leafs insisted they were okay with the way they played to

open their series with the Boston Bruins. Mirtle Notebook: Nazem Kadri’s recklessness proves costly and other “Disastrous” wasn't how they saw it. tidbits leading into Game 2 “I thought the second and third we got into their zone a little bit more and

we were able to — when we had the puck we were dangerous,” was how James Mirtle Matthews put it. “You definitely want a little bit more. Not too many plays to be made out there.” Apr 14, 2018 “I think the score, at 5-on-5, was a lot closer,” Zach Hyman added. “I mean I don’t think we gave that much up at 5-on-5. They got two goals. Special teams was definitely the difference. It’s going to be a different It was the morning of Game 1, and for whatever reason, Boston Bruins game tomorrow.” play-by-play man Jack Edwards was in the Maple Leafs dressing room asking Nazem Kadri about his ability to stay calm. Both Matthews and Hyman pointed out that while they were hammered in the game’s opening 10 minutes, things turned around after that point. For whatever reason, I was also there listening in. Shot attempts, at even strength, were 15-1 for Boston to start the game. Credit to Edwards for the line of questioning, though: Kadri's short fuse Between the 10-minute mark and the end of the second period, they ended up being a huge story, only hours later, when he laid the hit on were 24-20. Tommy Wingels that led to a three-game suspension. Still in Boston's favour, yes, but not by an overwhelming degree. It's a play that could end up being a key turning point in the series. That half-game section is what the Leafs focused on in terms of a “Nazem have you seen a change in yourself, your ability to channel your positive to take out of Game 1. emotions during games and funneling them towards a positive thing, “The goals they scored were just things that we can shore up,” Hyman because earlier in your career, sometimes it might have gotten away explained. “They were just gifts we gave them. They made good plays, from you?” Edwards asked. but if we’re in our positions like we talked about (at practice) and like “I think that's just development and maturity, being able to assess we’ve reviewed on video then we’ll be fine. We gave them easy ones; situations better and obviously the time, the score, you take all those into they didn’t really have to earn those ones. They were just gifts for them. consideration because those are all important components to win a “We have to get after their D quicker. Be more physical and then give our hockey game,” Kadri answered. “For me, it's just not worth it. I don't want D more time. Like you said, they were coming really hard.” to hurt my team. I've learned that. For me, it's just about getting wins.” Several Leafs explained that some of the Bruins' best chances were The Leafs were down 4-1 on Thursday late in Game 1 when Kadri hit coming off set plays that they weren't ready for. One was when Boston Wingels, but it obviously still wasn't the right time to try to lay the hit he laid a pick at the blueline and then Marchand burned around Roman did. Kadri has become one of the three or four most irreplaceable players Polak to set up the game's first goal. in the Leafs' lineup — next to Frederik Andersen, Auston Matthews and maybe Morgan Rielly — and losing him is a huge blow to Toronto for the That threw the Leafs for a loop because typically the forwards on the PK rest of the series. are able to track the puck carrier — in this case Boston's Torey Krug — and the pick disrupted their intended play. Doing anything remotely borderline, with the game over, made no sense. That left Polak focused on Krug — and ignorant of Marchand streaking in Nowhere are the Leafs thinner than at centre ice, as evidenced by Mike wide open. Babcock's decision to move Patrick Marleau over to compensate. That's a big-time drop-off from Kadri, who has emerged the past two seasons The other set play that almost paid off was when Bergeron was tossed as not only a strong two-way presence but a 30-goal threat and key from an offensive zone faceoff and immediately went to the top left of the figure on one of the best power-play units in the game. circle. From there, he got a great chance late in the second period.

Often during Kadri's career, that internal fire has been a positive. He Those kinds of wily, in-game adjustments are what make the Bruins' top elevates for intense, important games and can be a significant factor, the line so hard to handle. It's something the Leafs are going to have to kind of agitator-slash-scorer that Boston has in Brad Marchand. adapt to as best they can.

But he crossed a line in Game 1. His hit was retaliatory — and he even Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak do a lot of video work, and they've clearly admitted as much after the game, which didn't help his case with the spotted some openings in the Leafs' defences. NHL's department of player safety. While we can debate whether the suspension should have been one, two or three games, the fact is it was Fluto Shinzawa on the Bruins side has more on that front. immediately flagged by the league as a violation — one committed in the Leafs over-focused on the big hit? garbage time minutes of a game that had already been lost. The other tidbit I was able to pull out of the Leafs practice day was that It was a poor decision by Kadri on a number of fronts. He hurt his team, some players thought they were getting away from their system in Game in a big way. 1. Big enough that it could cost them this series. He's just that important to One good example of that was the hit stats, as Toronto outhit the Bruins the lineup. 42-37 by the in-arena crew's counts. Don’t expect major adjustments from Leafs for Game 2 Part of that was the fact that Boston had the puck so much, which often The general theme of the Leafs' day at practice on Friday was calm. inflates hit counts. But the Leafs averaged only 19.9 hits per game during the season, good for 26th in the league and less than half of what they The Kadri news hadn't yet dropped, but there was the realization it was had Thursday. (The Bruins were eighth during the regular season with unlikely he would be able to play Game 2. So they did the usual video 23.3 per game.) sessions, breaking down their mistakes from Game 1. They skated for about 25 minutes. They had a light workout. James van Riemsdyk, who had just 40 hits all season, had five in Game 1. Business as usual. Matthews had only 16 bodychecks all year and landed two — only the While the forward lines will change substantially thanks to Kadri’s third time all season he had more than one hit in a game. suspension – something Jonas Siegel breaks down in full here – don’t expect substantial changes in terms of strategy and usage. Other Leafs with hit counts included Kadri (five), Plekanec (three), Marner (two), Bozak (two) and Rielly (two), none of whom ever got involved to that degree during the regular season. While some might appreciate that increased physicality, some members of the Toronto dressing room quietly suggested on Friday that if they were trying to outhit the Bruins, it wouldn't work out very well for them.

Boston has a lot of Noel Acciari, Sean Kuraly and Tim Schaller types who are building careers as depth players who hit everything on the forecheck; Leo Komarov is the only Leafs forward even close to those players in terms of laying the body. That's just not how Toronto's roster is built.

The players I talked to argued the Leafs need to play their game — not their opponent's — to win the series.

Food for thought.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018

1091627 Vegas Golden Knights stress the importance of branding Las Vegas as a destination. Ralenkotter has taken every opportunity to tell the story, whether through his multiple associations with national and international tourism Knights’ successful inaugural season boosts Las Vegas branding organizations or with the award-winning “What happens here, stays here” advertising campaign.

New LVCVA mission Richard N. Velotta The LVCVA hired Motley in early 2017 from the Las Vegas Motor April 14, 2018 - 11:21 am Speedway where she had her own front-row seat to how professional sports — in her case, NASCAR racing — could move the tourism needle. Her new challenge would be to find ways to blend the LVCVA mission of putting heads in beds with the arriving sports teams. Forgive the Vegas Golden Knights and all of their Southern Nevada fans for wanting to ban Lisa Motley from T-Mobile Arena during the National “We always had the big conventions in town and we had high occupancy Hockey League playoffs. on the weekends and we were trying to find sports events that could either go midweek or during times of the year that we needed assistance Motley, the director of sports marketing and special events for the Las in hotel occupancy,” Motley said. Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and a big fan of the team, attended eight Golden Knights games in their historic inaugural season. The LVCVA had a connection with sports with its association with minor- league baseball, serving for years as the landlord to the Las Vegas Stars And in those games, the team went 1-7. at Cashman Field. Baseball helped give local executives a taste of what That means Motley was in the building seven of the only 10 times the playing with the majors could do through sponsorships of “Big League team lost at home in a season that has united the Las Vegas community Weekend,” Major League Baseball games played at and made hockey fans across the county take notice. Cashman that featured the popular big-league players. Most games were broadcast to the respective home cities of the competing teams giving Better yet, the Knights’ success and current Stanley Cup Playoff run has Las Vegas a platform to advertise the destination. resulted in a marketing marriage with Las Vegas that has been far more successful than just about anyone could have imagined. Nearly a decade ago, Las Vegas connected with the NHL, with the LVCVA guiding efforts to host the league’s awards presentations. The It will take time to determine a return on investment for affiliations made red-carpet treatment and the city’s pizzaz left an impression on the NHL with pro sports and how much publicity was generated for Las Vegas on that eventually led to the awarding of the Knights franchise to owner Bill sports pages across the country. Currently, the LVCVA spends $4.8 Foley. million on sports marketing and some return on investment has been calculated. Other teams, events follow For example, last month’s NASCAR race brought 93,000 people to the It wasn’t long before other sports caught on. In a succession of city with an estimated economic impact of $179 million. How much announcements, NASCAR announced a second race series in Las branding efforts with the Knights have helped the city has yet to be Vegas in the fall, the Raiders officially announced their relocation, the calculated. United Soccer League, a minor-league operation, announced the formation of the Las Vegas Lights and MGM Resorts International, a ‘Measured approach’ staunch supporter of the LVCVA, relocated the WNBA San Antonio Stars to Las Vegas and renamed them the Aces. Play will begin in May at “You have to take a very measured approach and everybody wanted to Mandalay Bay and head coach Bill Laimbeer, a former NBA star, made a be assured of the likelihood of success before doubling down on the brief presentation to LVCVA board members last week. strategy of embracing sports tourism,” said David Carter, executive director of the University of Southern California’s Marshall Sports The NBA Summer League has flourished in Las Vegas and this year will Business Institute. include participation by every NBA team. “It probably was wise to do that, because for a very long time, teams and “We’ve always had professional sports here, we’ve just never had our leagues were cautious about going into Las Vegas,” he said. own franchise,” Motley said. “The Knights, in my mind, really put the exclamation point that we’re the sports capital of the world, not only what Professional sports have been a staple for Las Vegas for decades with they’ve done on the ice in this historic season but how they brought the championship boxing matches, PGA golf tour events and the National community together. For the LVCVA, it’s great because they drive Finals Rodeo consistently on the calendar. tourism, they bring in out-of-market teams, especially the Canadian and But major-league team sports, specifically the National Hockey League, colder markets, because why not come to Vegas and watch a hockey the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and the game?” National Football League, is a completely different animal. That’s not the way it usually goes, according to Irving Rein, a professor of Big-league teams kept their distance from Nevada, especially the NFL, communications studies at the Northwestern University School of which for years banned Las Vegas from advertising during football Communication and the author of “The Elusive Fan: Reinventing Sports broadcasts, because there was always a lingering fear that sports in a Crowded Marketplace.” gambling would somehow influence the outcome of games. “To some, there’s an expectation that a sports team is going to bring in a Evolving landscape lot of people but that usually isn’t the case,” Rein said. “Las Vegas is an anomaly, mostly because it’s someplace people want to travel to for Today, the U.S. Supreme Court is on the verge of potentially striking other reasons.” down the law that makes most sports betting illegal. The NFL’s Oakland Raiders have committed to relocating to Las Vegas in 2020 and are Two things happened that changed the entire dynamic: the horrific Oct. 1 building a 65,000-seat, $1.8 billion indoor football stadium that they’ll shooting incident and the Knights’ inexplicably great season. share with UNLV. “I was lecturing in my classrooms about what Las Vegas was doing with And, the Vegas Golden Knights will play their third Stanley Cup Playoff its advertising strategy after the shooting,” Rein said. game Sunday, their first on the road, against the Los Angeles Kings. The Knights have played an integral role in helping the community Carter believes the seismic shift is about a societal change in the recover with tributes to victims and first responders at games and playing perception of gambling as well as Las Vegas evolving into a big-league an active role in the community. city. ‘Vegas’ in the box scores “Las Vegas stands for something much more extensive and expansive Rein said the country took notice because they were seeing “Vegas” in now than what it once did,” Carter said. “It is shedding that moniker of the headlines and in box scores of newspapers and on ESPN being simply all about gambling. Now, it’s all about entertainment and broadcasts. you can also participate in gambling. Now, it’s all about entertainment and you can consume sports. It’s not a repositioning. It’s an outgrowth of “I think we get so much more media attention nationally and how Las Vegas has evolved as an entertainment mecca well beyond internationally as a result of how well the team has done,” Motley said. gambling in the last decade.” “The great thing about having professional sports here is that you’ve got people watching from out of market on television. We’ve got people who People who have lived in Las Vegas a long time, like Rossi Ralenkotter, come to Las Vegas for a hockey game and maybe a show or some fine who has been with the LVCVA for 45 years and is its CEO, relentlessly dining. It just adds to the overall experience of Las Vegas and it becomes a bucket list destination to come visit for a sporting event.” There are some down sides. At times, there are more hockey sweaters representing the visiting team at T-Mobile Arena than fans in Knights gear. That’s likely something the Raiders will be watching closely as they make their transition from Oakland to Las Vegas. “Where the issues come is in secondary ticketing,” Carter said. “Sometimes even the most loyal hometown fans give up their tickets and you walk into a venue with the jersey of the other team. That’s just how the market works these days. These teams and leagues have minimal control of who ultimately is going to be sitting in those seats. The out-of- town tourism component for Las Vegas certainly is greater than in other markets, but it’s existing everywhere now because of secondary ticketing.” Motley believes that as sports marketing and the branding of Las Vegas evolves, the arrival of the Raiders and the stadium will pay big dividends. “The sky’s the limit,” she said. “That new stadium is absolutely a game- changer for us. We can start to entertain hosting the likes of a Super Bowl or an NFL draft and hopefully, eventually, an NCAA Final Four or at least a regional.” And, with any luck, Lisa Motley won’t have to worry about the home team losing games if she shows up. Contact Richard N. Velotta

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091628 Vegas Golden Knights “We’ve been promised that Caesars won’t pull the stars up and they will be displayed permanently near the High Roller,” Alexander said Saturday. Alexander said some of the entertainers will help in raising How the L.A. Kings recruited a star on the Las Vegas Strip money for the project, which would cost about $250,000, and the Walk of Stars is seeking grant money and corporate sponsorship to help defray costs. By John Katsilometes “It’s a heck of a hill to climb, but we’ll climb it,” he said. The Walk of Stars is set to honor Telemundo broadcast great María Celeste Arrarás on April 24 on the sidewalk in front of MGM Grand. She Life runs in cycles. So does professional hockey. will be in town to host the Latin Grammy Awards show. Arrarás’s star is the first to be presented since Peter “Big Elvis” Vallee was honored at And currently, we are in the cycle where the adult revue “Fantasy” at Paris Las Vegas in February 2017. Luxor is interwoven with the Vegas Golden Knights-L.A. Kings first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series. Suitors for ‘Alice’ The singing star of that show, Lorena Peril, is one of the marquee Prospect Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Tegan Summer, who is vocalists on the Strip. She is also a highly coveted national anthem opening “Marilyn: A New Musical” at Paris Las Vegas on May 23, was in singer in Las Vegas and in California, including several L.A. Kings the audience for Monday’s performance of “Alice” at Red Rock Resort. hockey games at the Staples Center dating to 2011. She most recently performed there before Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals Summer was seated with Caesars Entertainment President of between the Kings and Chicago Blackhawks in May 2014. Entertainment Jason Gastwirth on what seemed to be a genuine scouting mission. Not surprisingly, Peril has been enlisted by the Kings again, to sing the national anthem at Sunday’s Game 3. Thus, a well-known entertainer in Summer is flush with ideas and plans for multiple shows in Las Vegas, is Las Vegas is being introduced to the fans at Staples Center while in acquisition mode and is a big fan of “Alice.” Most important, Summer wearing a Kings jersey with her lucky number 21 on the back. also has a strong working relationship with Caesars Entertainment, and “Alice” creator Ann Martinez’s dream is to stage her pet project in a major The Kings require their anthem singers wear the home team’s colors — Vegas resort. even if the singer lives in the city of its chief playoff rival.

“I never thought something like this would happen,” Peril said during a phone chat Saturday afternoon. “But I’ve been invited by the Kings, I’ve LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.15.2018 been singing for the Kings for years, before Las Vegas even had a team. I’m originally from California, but I’m now living in Vegas, and I love our team in Las Vegas.” Peril has actually performed the anthem at one Vegas Golden Knights game at T-Mobile Arena, on Oct. 17, a 5-4 overtime victory over the Buffalo Sabres. She was one of dozens of singers who auditioned for the chance to sing the anthem at T-Mobile. She has also sang for her original hometown NFL team, the San Francisco 49ers; for the L.A. Clippers, also at Staples Center; and at the PBR World Finals at T-Mobile. She met Golden Nights owner Bill Foley at that event, and he told her then he looked forward to her singing for his team, too. Peril has spent about six years in two stints in “Fantasy” dating to 2010. Prior to taking that role, she also performed as Christina Aguilera in “American Superstars” at the Stratosphere and in Sin City Bad Girls at the Las Vegas Hilton. Her connection to the Golden Knights-Kings series follows another “Fantasy” singer, New York-New York Entertainment Manager Stephanie Sanchez, who was a lifelong L.A. Kings fan until ditching that team in favor of the Golden Knights (Sanchez was in “Fantasy” for nine years ending in 2009). Peril emphasizes, “It’s not about one team or another, it’s about our country. I am excited, and whenever I’m asked to sing the anthem, I’m honored to sing it.” Ice acrobatics at T-Mobile About an hour after the crowd cleared T-Mobile after the Golden Knights’ 2-1, double-overtime victory, workers began turning around the arena for back-to-back concerts by Justin Timberlake. The full process took about three hours from ice to concert stage; and takes four hours to return the venue to a hockey facility ready for actual skating. Stars settle in Jason Aldean, one of the headliners at the Academy of Country Music awards show Sunday at MGM Grand Garden Arena, hung out and relaxed at Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay on Friday night. Also in the scene, dressed as Elvis and in full party flourish, was country star Jon Pardi. Meantime, also on Friday night, Timberlake was spotted at Topgolf at MGM Grand having a bit of tequila. Strip stars to return Las Vegas Walk of Stars President Bob Alexander says the attraction will return to the Strip, in a new location: The Linq Promenade. He says he’s reached an agreement with Caesars Entertainment to use the promenade as a permanent location for the commemorative stars that were pulled up as protective bollards were installed on the Strip. A total of 49 of 82 stars have been pulled up in a project the county began in November. 1091629 Vegas Golden Knights

Kings won’t panic despite trailing Golden Knights 2-0

By Adam Hill

LOS ANGELES — There is no sign of panic despite a 2-0 series deficit. They’ve survived these situations before and have two Stanley Cup trophies since 2012 to prove it. So the Los Angeles Kings won’t reach for that button just yet, not even after a 2-1 double-overtime loss to the Golden Knights on Friday night at T-Mobile Arena in Game 2 of the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series. Los Angeles will attempt to cut its deficit in half beginning at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Staples Center. “We had two games on the road where we were close and had an opportunity to win but didn’t,” Kings coach John Stevens said at the team’s practice facility Saturday morning, about 12 hours after the teams needed more than 95 minutes to decide Game 2. “So we need to climb back in the series tomorrow. There’s some things we can try to do better. We’d like to find a way to spend a little more time in their zone so we can create a little more and wear them down a little more. “It’s time to take care of business at home. That mindset hasn’t changed.” Much of the Kings’ core was on the roster for the franchise’s Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014. The Kings played seven-game series in 2014 in each of the first three rounds. They trailed 3-0 in the Western Conference quarterfinals in 2014 against San Jose before winning four straight. Players said they learned valuable lessons from that playoff run to a title. “This is nothing new for us,” Kings center Jeff Carter said. “Guys are staying positive. We’ve been here before. We just know we have to take care of business at home. Obviously, we would have liked to have gotten a win in Vegas, but it’s a long series.” Carter played just 27 games this season, finishing with 13 goals and 22 points. He has taken four shots and failed to score a point in more than 50 minutes of ice time in the series. He’s not the only star struggling to find a rhythm. The Kings have scored one goal in more than 155 minutes in the series. Star forwards Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown have been held without a point on a combined 13 shots. “They’re a fast, highly skilled team,” Carter said of the Knights. “That’s what everyone talks about, and that’s what we’ve seen. But they also do a really good job getting back. They make it tough on you. There’s just not a lot of holes in their game.” The Kings didn’t take the ice Saturday, using the time for recovery, treatment and meetings to discuss adjustments for Game 3. Los Angeles will get a boost from the return of star defenseman Drew Doughty, who was suspended by the NHL for Friday’s game for his check to the head of Knights forward William Carrier in Game 1. But the Kings know it will take a team effort to get back into the series. “I think when you look at Vegas, they have over 50 wins for a reason,” veteran defenseman Dion Phaneuf said. “They’ve earned respect in the way they play the game and winning hockey games. “The bottom line is it’s a series, not one game, not two games. We’re coming home to play in front of our fans, and we’re going to use that energy.”

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091630 Vegas Golden Knights “My guys are used to playing four lines a lot,” Gallant said. “I don’t know what the other teams do — I don’t check every night to see whether they played their four lines — but my fourth line usually plays anywhere from Forward depth key to 2-0 series lead for Golden Knights 11 to 15 minutes in that area most nights, and they do a good job. They’re used to it. They know how important they are for us. It’s key for us.” By David Schoen LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.15.2018 LOS ANGELES — The leading scorer for the Golden Knights during the regular season (William Karlsson) was held scoreless by Los Angeles in the first two games of the Western Conference quarterfinals. Their second-leading scorer (Jonathan Marchessault) had one assist, which came courtesy of a trampoline-like bounce off the end boards at T- Mobile Arena. “We work on that play all the time,” coach Gerard Gallant said facetiously. Golden Edge host Bryan Salmond and Golden Knights beat writers Steve Carp and David Schoen go over the Golden Knights double overtime win against the Kings. And their third-leading scorer (David Perron) has yet to play in the postseason. But the Knights’ depth has been the difference and one of the biggest reasons they have a 2-0 series advantage over Los Angeles. Game 3 is set for 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Staples Center. “I think we’ve been very solid,” said goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who has stopped 59 of 60 shots in the two games. “The four lines have controlled the puck and the play. Obviously our defensemen have been great in front of me, too, getting the puck out of the zone and joining the rush. “Shea (Theodore) got a big goal for us. I feel like all season long, we need everybody to contribute, and that’s what we’ve been getting.” Theodore leads the Knights with two points through the first two games, and the defenseman’s blocked shot in the second overtime late Friday ignited the rush that led to Erik Haula’s winner. Rookie Alex Tuch had the first goal in the Knights’ 2-1 victory in Game 2 when he ended an 0-for-16 drought against the Kings on the power play. “Depth is huge, especially in playoffs, because there’s a lot of line matching in the playoffs,” wing Reilly Smith said. “We’ve had some guys step up. It was great to see (Theodore) and Tuch score their first goals. That’s what it comes down to in the playoffs. You need a whole team. Goals are hard to come by, so when you can get them, they’re usually game-changers.” The Knights’ No. 1 line of Karlsson, Marchessault and Smith was the most productive in the league at 5-on-5 during the first five months of the regular season, but has yet to produce a goal at even strength in the series. The unit was on the ice for Tuch’s power-play goal Friday and has produced almost twice as many scoring chances at even strength as Los Angeles’ top line, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. “It’d be nice to score a couple more goals,” Smith said. “I know playoff hockey, it’s going to be pretty tight. I think we’ve had enough chances to bury some, and we haven’t, so I think we just have to be a little bit grittier in front of the net and be able to tap in a couple of pucks, because there are pucks laying around there, we just haven’t been able to find them.” Gallant rolled four lines throughout the regular season and has not shortened his bench in the postseason. The fourth line of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Tomas Nosek and William Carrier, which pushed around the Kings in Game 1, saw significant ice time again in Game 2. Bellemare said Nosek was the line’s best player in the second overtime. Los Angeles leaned heavily on center Anze Kopitar and defensemen Alec Martinez and Oscar Fantenberg in Game 2. Martinez played a franchise-record 44 minutes, 58 seconds, and Fantenberg received 41:10 of ice time in place of Norris Trophy candidate Drew Doughty, who was suspended. Kopitar logged 31:32 of ice time at even strength and 38:54 overall. In contrast, defenseman Nate Schmidt was the only Knights player to play more than 30 minutes at even strength. 1091631 Vegas Golden Knights

Knights’ Nate Schmidt handles extra workload in Game 2 marathon

By Steve Carp

LOS ANGELES — Somehow, playing almost two full periods of hockey didn’t leave Nate Schmidt looking exhausted, though he certainly felt the part. The Golden Knights’ defenseman is used to logging heavy minutes, as he leads the team in average time on ice with 22 minutes, 14 seconds a game. But with the Knights locked in a close game against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night in Game 2 of their Western Conference quarterfinal matchup at T-Mobile Arena, Schmidt kept going over the boards, taking shift after shift after shift. Golden Edge host Bryan Salmond and Golden Knights beat writers Steve Carp and David Schoen go over the Golden Knights double overtime win against the Kings. He was ready to go back out again when Erik Haula ended the marathon with his winning goal with 4:37 left in the second overtime for a 2-1 victory and 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. “I was just getting my legs under me in the second overtime,” Schmidt said with a laugh after he logged a team-high 37:19. “You’re trying not to think about being tired. You’re just trying to push through.” Hydration became as important as anything else. “You just wanted to make sure you were getting the proper fluids, getting your legs rubbed down and make sure you don’t cramp up, because that’s the biggest problem,” Schmidt said. “Each guy played more minutes than ever had before, and I think it comes down to managing it, guys getting extra fluids, extra Gatorade, eating something to keep their energy level up.” Schmidt said he also used a cold wrap on his back between periods. Mentally, the pressure got ratcheted up with each passing minute, as the players knew any mistake could cost them the game. So how did Schmidt handle that part? “You know what, it’s more about the physical part,” he said. “Your body just kinda takes over, and you’re relying on your teammates, trusting them and they trust you. “It’s playoff hockey. It seemed like any shot could go in. The forwards did a great job. I think we spent a lot of time in their end the second half of the game and most of the two overtimes, and I think we just wore them down.” Knights coach Gerard Gallant gave those who played in Game 2 the day off Saturday. It gave Schmidt a chance to rest, refuel and reboot for Game 3 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Staples Center. “You want to get a good night’s rest and get your body ready,” Schmidt said. “They’re not going to be waiting around for us, so you want to make sure you’re ready for the next one.” Someone asked Schmidt if he had a message for Haula, the Game 2 hero. “Yeah, thank you. I really appreciate it,” he said. He had played enough hockey for one night.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091632 Vegas Golden Knights seasons and knows well when to push and when not to, when to light a fire and when to hold back.

“The longer you go, the more experience you get,” Gallant said. “When Golden Knights relied on their fitness for 2-0 series lead you’re a young coach, all you want to do is practice and skate them hard. But it’s a grind, an 82-game season, a long training camp, so you have to balance it out. By Ed Graney “I trust my players. When they come to me and say they are tired and need a day off or an optional skate, usually we do it. I just want the guys to be honest.” LOS ANGELES — The puck found net at near 11:30 p.m. Friday, more than 95 minutes of ice time after the Golden Knights and Kings began Hockey rosters at this level can be a smorgasbord of cultures and their Western Conference playoff game, three periods and almost two dialects, not to mention how each player good enough to make the NHL overtimes later, most players dragging their dog-tired legs toward the trained in his younger years. bench more than the offensive zone before Vegas clinched its 2-1 Game 2 victory. Some have been lifting weights since they were teenagers. Some not much at all as kids. And yet I’m pretty sure Knights defenseman Shea Theodore is still somewhere skating past people without breaking a sweat. Some, like Knights forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, didn’t even have ice during the summer while growing up in France because it cost too He’s like Forrest Gump on blades. much for rinks to maintain year-round. So he kept in shape by running and biking through mountains. The guy never stops. “We didn’t have full knowledge of (conditioning) to be that consistent Golden Knights use fitness to grab 2-0 series lead player,” Bellemare said. “It wasn’t until I was 21 when I realized how much work off the ice I had to do. The (Vegas) trainers are great at A day after beating the Kings 2-0 in double overtime, Golden Knights working with each of us, making sure we are doing what we need to play players credited their conditioning. "Your body is tired, but your mind is at a high level.” still racing," said forward Reilly Smith. "The crowd was unbelievable." A season-high gathering of 18,588 at T-Mobile Arena helped inspire the It sure paid off in Game 2. Knights to victory. "This is why we put in so much extra work all summer long," said defenseman Jon Merrill. "For a game like that." The series The puck found net at near 11:30, when the better conditioned side took continues with Game 3 at Staples Center on Sunday night. a 2-0 series lead. One of the central reasons Vegas has a 2-0 edge in the best-of-seven series — other than the fact that Marc-Andre Fleury in goal is matching the dazzling play of Jonathan Quick — is an obvious advantage in LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.15.2018 conditioning. Things switch to Game 3 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Staples Center, where the Kings have little time to dwell on being down while also having played so long the previous outing just to taste defeat. If there isn’t any jump in their legs, they sure need to manufacture some. It’s one thing to be fast. It’s another to be fast and in maximum shape. The Knights are both. “I’m not too familiar with how other sports do things, but I know how we as hockey players train in the offseason to be prepared for games like (Friday),” Knights defenseman Jon Merrill said. “That’s why we put in the extra work all summer long, so we have legs for those types of moments. “I think we’d all like to skate like (Theodore). It seemed like he got faster as the game went on, but maybe that’s because the rest of us got slower.” Back when someone such as Knights coach Gerard Gallant played, training camp was a place you came to get into shape for a long season. Now, it’s the place you arrive having spent months merely preparing to pass a conditioning test. There is no court in hockey, no grass, no oval track, no batter’s box. What might be important physical attributes in various sports wouldn’t prove as significant on ice. A vertical jump isn’t near as critical to James Neal as James Harden. But size and strength and, especially, speed is. Mobility, movement, power. To a player, the Knights credit their training staff for developing such a group, for a diet and exercise and massage and rest program that delivered most to the postseason at an optional level after 82 games. Support staff of the Knights such as trainers are not made available for comment during the playoffs, a silly practice that speaks to a misguided paranoia from upper management when it comes to certain media requests. Who knows. Maybe they’re afraid a trainer will slip and mention Fleury coughed last month. Trusting his players The ability to unwind when things get long and tough over six months is, as much as anything else, why the Knights appeared so fit in such a game as Friday’s. Gallant has been an NHL head coach for seven 1091633 Vegas Golden Knights LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.15.2018

Knights’ Reilly Smith tries to find timing after injury layoff

By Steve Carp

LOS ANGELES — It’s not easy to shake off the rust after missing a month of hockey. Reilly Smith has found that out, as the Golden Knights forward has struggled to regain his timing after missing 15 games with an upper-body injury. He has played in three games since his return, including the first two Stanley Cup playoff games against the Los Angeles Kings. Smith assisted on Alex Tuch’s power-play goal Friday in Game 2 and played 32 minutes, 44 seconds in a 2-1 double-overtime win at T-Mobile Arena. Smith says his timing is close to returning to normal The Knights forward missed 15 games with an injury and recently returned to the lineup. (Steve Carp/Las Vegas Review-Journal) “I think I’m getting better every day,” Smith said. “When you’re off for a long time, it’s tough to get back to your peak positioning with the puck and without the puck.” Knights coach Gerard Gallant, whose team has a 2-0 series lead entering Game 3 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Staples Center, said he isn’t worried. “He’s getting close to 100 percent, he’s working hard and he’s playing real good hockey,” Gallant said. “Sometimes it takes a little longer to get your timing back, but he’ll be fine.” Perron getting closer Forward David Perron skated Saturday at City National Arena and was optimistic that he will play in the series. Perron has not played since March 26 after sustaining an upper-body injury. “Every day, I feel a little better,” he said. Gallant said he didn’t know Perron’s status for Game 3, but Perron made the trip. Quick sets record Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick set a team record for most saves in a game with 54 in Game 2. He broke his record of 51 set in Game 5 of the 2011 Western Conference quarterfinals against the San Jose Sharks. Friday’s game, which lasted 95:23, was the longest in Kings history, breaking the record of 94:43 from their championship-clinching Game 5 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final against the New York Rangers. Hits keep on coming There were 136 hits in Game 2 — 80 for the Kings and 56 for the Knights. Knights forward Will Carrier led all players with 11 hits. Knights forward Tomas Tatar and Kings defenseman Oscar Fantenberg were credited with eight apiece. 5-on-5 shutout There has been 129:49 of 5-on-5 hockey played, and the Knights have held the Kings scoreless. Los Angeles’ only goal in the series was on the power play, when Paul Ladue scored in the second period of Game 2. The Knights have two goals in 5-on-5, but both were game winners — Shea Theodore’s in Game 1 and Erik Haula’s in the second overtime of Game 2. Private dancer Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury wasn’t seeing a lot of action during the two overtimes Friday, so he decided to work on his dance moves during stoppages of play while the music was blaring over the PA system. “I didn’t have many shots, either, so I just wanted to stay loose, keep my mind going a bit,” Fleury said Saturday. “Whatever works. “I’m just into the game. I’m like the worst dancer ever, too.”

1091634 Vegas Golden Knights It’s the players who give me the energy. It doesn’t require much for me to get excited, but seeing the players just does it. I watch them warming up and I’m feeling it. We also have such an incredible music team. They get Mark Shunock a natural as announcer for Vegas Golden Knights that place pumping. The energy of the games is pretty contagious, plus you feel the vibe from the fans. By C.L. Gaber Special to the Review-Journal What does this playoff season mean for the Golden Knights? 6-8 minutes We don’t have to convince anyone anymore. Guys are going to want to Vegas Golden Knights fans know the drill. First comes the countdown: play here. That’s a huge win. 10, 9, 8, 7… Then Mark Shunock, inner arena announcer for the team, says the magic words: “Live from Las Vegas … It’s Knight time!” Let’s talk about your early career. You were a theater guy. High octane? That’s just icing on the playoff cake for Shunock, who At 19, I came to New York City to study theater and work. I stayed a laughs when asked if he ever loses his voice after a game. “I’m the guy decade and then did theater in L.A. and worked. I did a tour with “The who used to belt those ’80s songs in ‘Rock of Ages,’ ’’ he said of the gig Lion King,” and there was a chance I’d come do “Lion King” at Mandalay that brought him to Vegas. “I do come home, collapse on the couch with Bay, but it never happened. I went back to L.A. for a period of time until I my dogs and shut off my voice after a game.” was asked in my 30s to do “Rock of Ages” in Vegas. Here I am for the last five years. My wife (Cheryl Daro)and I love it here. Most of all, we The native of Canada is also known for his life outside the arena. He love supporting the community. founded and hosts “Mondays Dark” at The Space just west of the Strip, where entertainers let loose and have fun, with the proceeds helping You’re really making a big impact with “Mondays Dark.” local charities. Shunock will also host the Keep Memory Alive gala, which “Mondays Dark” has taken over life for both me and my wife. I look at it benefits the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, this as doing a party where we give $10,000 to a local charity. It’s really taken month. off and we have a waiting list of local organizations that want to partner Review-Journal: How do you like to spend a non-hockey Sunday? with us now. Basically, it’s a 90-minute variety show that I host. We invite all the top entertainment in Vegas to perform at The Space. You never Mark Shunock: I’m at home with my wife and dogs. I work so much that know who will show up. I’m proud that “Mondays Dark” has become its I’ve learned how to cherish the time when both my wife and I can keep own thing in this city. our phones in the office and just be. A perfect Sunday is a great brunch and hanging out in the backyard. We have a new Doberman pinscher Why is giving back to the community so important to you? puppy and a tiny Chihuahua/Jack Russell. They’re both rescues and I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. My parents are the most new. The little one is in charge at our house. loving and giving people on Earth and that’s what they taught their five Who came up with the slogan, “It’s Knight time?” People lose their minds children. when you say/yell it. Is there a certain moment lately that touched your heart? I can kind of take credit for it. I was standing by my boss, the vice A local organization called Project 150 helps homeless high school president of entertainment for the Knights, and said, “Johnny, it’s Knight students. One of the things I didn’t realize is that Vegas has one of the time.” From that moment on, it stayed. It was only natural to say it after highest levels of homeless kids. Beyond money, I asked them, “What the countdown. I’ve had some cool lines in songs in the past, but having else do you guys need?” I heard, “The biggest thing we need is socks 18,000 people screaming a line with you cannot be beat. and underwear.” Not only did we donate $10,000, but we asked everyone Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup playoff feels … coming to the event to bring a package of socks and underwear. We got cases of socks and underwear. Pretty incredible. No one would have anticipated us making it to the playoffs. It’s mind-blowing. You’re also about to host the Keep Memory Alive gala. What part do you think the team had in bringing Vegas together after the To walk out on that stage in front of Vegas’ biggest supporters of Oct. 1 tragedy? charities is like my Oscars. The team came around at the time the city needed them. I’ve said this Any playoff predictions? Is there a big silver cup in our future? before, but I think it could have been a water polo team. It didn’t matter. (Laughs) I think we’re going to do well. If we win the first series, I think We needed something and the Golden Knights have shown us the power we’re going to do very well. in bringing a community together. The players know they’re not only playing for themselves, but for the people. You have a hockey background. Tell me about it. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.15.2018 I’m from Canada. I was a third-string goaltender in the Canadian Hockey League. I’m a byproduct of the sport because my father was always involved in Canadian hockey. How did the announcer job happen? I’ve been involved since Bill Foley announced that Vegas wanted a hockey team. In those early days, Foley put together the Founding 50 — people who were tasked to help spread the word within the community. I didn’t do nearly as much as some of the others. I was just thrilled to be part of it. Then once the hiring process started, I made sure that I stayed in the loop. One of the original marketing directors was from the Wynn. I had been hired by the Wynn as a creative director. One day I heard, “Hey, we hear you have a hockey background. You’re creative. Come pitch us some ideas.” I wasn’t looking for the job. But I did go in and say, “Here are some ideas from a kid who has been around hockey his entire life.” I had hosted “Magic Mike” and did “Mondays Dark.” One day, I was asked, “Do you want to be our inner arena announcer?” It was a natural fit. How physical is the gig? You announce with DJ “Big D” and both of you are all over the arena. It’s a tough gig. We’re running all over the T-Mobile during games and bouncing all over the place. Our chemistry has come a long way during the 41 home games this season and we get along really well. It’s a treat to go to work. We love it. We walk into the arena pinching ourselves. How do you ramp up to get to that “Vegas, get on your feet” mindset at each game? 1091635 Vegas Golden Knights Got to be sure to keep the "Khem Kong" legend alive in anticipation of its long awaited appeance in the NBA. He was a defensive beast at UNLV. pic.twitter.com/IYNHZ52W1j Knights’ Game 1 playoff win was monumental but not a first in Las Vegas Witt (@WitterSR) January 24, 2018 — There weren’t as many Los Angeles hockey sweaters with Kings fans By Ron Kantowski inside roaming Toshiba Plaza and T-Mobile Arena before and during Games 1 and 2 of the playoffs. Part of the reason might be that Knights’ playoff tickets are some of the most sought-after/expensive in the NHL — according to the online ticket marketplace Vivid Seats, the average price It has been a season of firsts for the Golden Knights, and so a lot of for a Knights’ playoff ticket is $289, an increase of 137 percent over people were referring to the team’s 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles regular-season tickets. Kings on Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena as the first playoff game of the four major sports to be played in Las Vegas. At those prices, Kings fans might have decided waiting for Game 3 at Staples Center was the better option. Which isn’t true. The only NHL team with a more dramatic increase in playoff ticket price On May 3, 1992, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles is Winnipeg, at 182 percent. Nashville (114), Columbus (113) and Lakers 102-76 at the Thomas & Mack Center to close out a first-round Toronto (91) are next after the Knights. NBA Western Conference playoff series. But nobody seems to be complaining about getting gouged at the NBA playoffs in Las Vegas turnstile metal detectors. In 1992, the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers played an A decent seat to see Cher at Park Theater just a clearing pass down the NBA playoff game in Las Vegas. Game 4 of the Western Conference first plaza costs $270.64, and if you ask me, William Karlsson had a much round was originally set for the Los Angeles Forum. It was moved to the better season. Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas at short notice amid the Rodney King riots. The Trail Blazers won 102-76, eliminating the Lakers 3 games — RJ sports writer Justin Emerson, when asked if he had seen the to 1. Clyde Drexler scored 26 points for Portland while Danny Ainge Golden Knights play at T-Mobile Arena: added 19. It was the last playoff game of the four major sports to be played in Las Vegas before the Golden Knights beat the Los Angeles “I was there on $14 Beer Night.” Kings 1-0 on Wednesday. The game was moved to Las Vegas on short notice during the Los LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.15.2018 Angeles riots stemming from the Rodney King beating incident and the jury trial in which four Los Angeles police officers were acquitted. Review-Journal colleague Steve Carp, who covered the game, said he doesn’t recall Jack Nicholson being in attendance. “But it seems to me there may have been some ordinary celebrities there — like Dyan Cannon,” Carp said. Las Vegas Events president Pat Christenson was director of the Thomas & Mack Center when hasty arrangements were made. “I remember being in (former UNLV president) Bob Maxson’s office and getting a call from Claire Rothman (general manager and vice president of the Los Angeles Forum) literally 48 hours before they made the decision,” Christenson recalled. “We did the deal in a hurry. It was pretty easy putting on a basketball game (at short notice), although an NBA playoff game was probably a little more difficult. The big thing was putting tickets on sale. I think we sold 15,000 in 36 hours.” Christenson has a memory like an elephant. The game attracted a crowd of 15,478 — not a sellout but impressive given the lack of notice. It also showed Las Vegas might have been ready for pro sports as early as 1992, which was three years before Knights defenseman Shea Theodore, who scored the winning goal Wednesday, was born. That giant Knight’s head through which the home side now skates as it comes onto the ice at T-Mobile Arena is pretty awesome. But I’ve still got to go with “Mozilla” by the slimmest of margins when it comes to local sports props born of ingenuity and creativity and one too many Vodka Red Bulls at the frat house. Mozilla was this humongous cardboard cutout thing with flapping arms that was used at UNLV basketball games to distract opposing free-throw shooters. It was the Rebellion student section’s tribute to Mike Moser, a star power forward for the Rebels before he transferred to Washington and then to Oregon. I called it the “Barry Bonds of fat heads.” Mozilla was the biggest fat head-type thing I had ever laid eyes on. Until Khem Kong. Khem Kong was an even more monstrous free-throw distractor inspired by Moser’s successor, Khem Birch (now with the Orlando Magic). It didn’t have as many movable parts. But I’m told it was responsible for creating at least two pagan religions, and may now be dating the Statue of Liberty wearing the Knights’ jersey in the harbor at New York-New York. 1091636 Vegas Golden Knights “They’re all in, aren’t they?” Foley said.

Fans rally to send off Golden Knights to Los Angeles LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.15.2018

By Mike Shoro

After the Golden Knights’ double-overtime win Friday night, the team left for Los Angeles Saturday with a 2-0 series lead and the support of hundreds of fans wishing them luck. Droves of Las Vegas fans lined up Saturday afternoon outside of City National Arena in Downtown Summerlin to send off their hometown Knights as they continue the series against the Los Angeles Kings on the road. Fans chanted “Go Knights, go” and “Beat LA” as the players whose jerseys many of them wore — Deryk Engelland, Reilly Smith and David Perron, to name a few — drove past and waved. Team owner Bill Foley, wearing a black Golden Knights tee, sunglasses and khakis, estimated there were between 1,500 and 1,600 people in attendance. “We’ve worked hard to be part of the community, and to have the community support us this way is just great,” he said. Justin and Lynnanne Knippel waved Golden Knights flags as the Knight Line drum line rat-a-tat-tatted in marching order in front of them. Neither was a hockey fan before the Knights came to town, but now that the team is here, the couple is ready to cheer them all the way to a Stanley Cup victory. They’re buying season tickets for next season, they said. The Knights are the first major sports team Las Vegas residents could call their own, Justin Knippel said, with his wife adding the team and the fans have a strong bond. “I don’t know if it exists anywhere else with other teams,” Lynnanne Knippel said. The team gave the city something to rally around after the Oct. 1 mass shooting on the Strip, she said, and their success has been a nice bonus. “You feel like you’re part of their story, too,” she said. Yvette Reyes, 40, said she brought her family to send-off to cheer on the Golden Knights and “send them a little bit of Vegas love.” Like the Knippels and many others, the Reyes family is new to hockey fandom. Michael Reyes, 37, never attended a team sendoff before and was surprised at the large turnout. Their 9-year-old son, Jacob, was swimming in a gray jersey that draped down to his knees. Asked who wins the series, Jacob had a ready answer. “Knights,” he said, adding his favorite player is goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Playoff series tend to stoke the flames of rivalries, and one fan embraced the budding rivalry between the Knights and the Kings in a unique way. He donned a number 28 jersey, forward Will Carrier’s number, but with the name “DOUGHTY SLYR” stitched on the back. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was suspended for Friday’s game after an illegal hit to Carrier’s head in game 1. He picked up the custom jersey before Friday’s game, and he plans to wear it on Tuesday when he attends game 4 in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Shalom Stephens, moved to Las Vegas from Vermont a year ago Sunday. She cheered for the New York Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens before moving here, but she’s added the Golden Knights to her favorite teams. “This is the best thing that we could have to help welcome us to the city,” he said. A handful of fans grouped around a Metropolitan Police Department officer handing out Knights car flags. One of the fans, Alvaro Rivas, 29, grew up in Anaheim watching the Ducks, but he has now lived in Las Vegas for several years and backs the Golden Knights. He still has family out in Anaheim, so it’s fun to tease them as rival fans. “It’s history in the making,” he said. As Knights forward James Neal drove by, Foley, the team owner, waved and called out a friendly, “Hey! There goes Neal.” Dozens of fans nearby whistled and whooped as he looped his sports car through the winding path out of the packed practice facility lot. 1091637 Washington Capitals making no personnel changes in between. Trotz has occasionally been reactionary to playoff losses, scratching defensemen Dmitry Orlov and Nate Schmidt two years ago after games in which each had costly Caps know they need to be better in Game 2, but they’re also not turnovers. There was some question of if he’d change goaltenders and overreacting tab Braden Holtby the starter for Game 2, but Trotz said he thought Grubauer was “fine” on Thursday night. He expressed confidence in him to be better on Sunday, as he did in his team. By Isabelle Khurshudyan “There was nothing in that game that you’d say, why didn’t you make a change?” Trotz said. April 14 at 5:52 PM “Nobody’s walking through to the Stanley Cup with no losses,” Grubauer said. “You lose one and you learn from that and maybe guys realize, ‘Okay, we’ve got to do something different.’ … When you lose a game — The most disappointing moments in the Washington Capitals’ playoff- you want to win the game — but you’ve got to learn from it and you’ve opening loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets might have also been the got to take some positives out. In order to be better, you need to see the most encouraging. negatives and you need to make mistakes and hopefully get better and As Coach Barry Trotz and players reviewed where things went wrong, learn from it.” two costly penalties in the third period that squandered two different one- goal leads en route to a 4-3 overtime loss, the team lamented those mistakes while also being fairly pleased with its overall play. Washington Washington Post LOADED: 04.15.2018 also knows it has “another level” that it’ll need to show on Sunday night to even the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series before it moves to Columbus for two games. “I think we all know that,” Trotz said. “Individually, there’s a level of game that could be propped up or be better for a number of individuals in our room. And then if they do that, we’re collectively better, too. There’s some parts of our game that we’ve talked about we’re going to clean up and we’re going to be better.” Mental lapses like Tom Wilson’s charging of Alexander Wennberg and Andre Burakovsky’s offensive-zone trip of Seth Jones, two penalties that resulted in two Columbus power-play goals to tie the game, are infuriating considering the stage. “That’s Day One of training camp,” Trotz said. But that’s also easily corrected, so the Capitals didn’t overreact. Trotz will stick with goaltender Philipp Grubauer on Sunday night after the German allowed four goals in the second playoff start of his career. Trotz didn’t make any significant line changes either; a fourth-line forward might be naturally pushed out because center Jay Beagle could be ready to return from an undisclosed “upper-body” injury. Trotz was asked if his team was relaxed on Saturday. “I’d probably say we’re engaged, which is always a good sign,” he said. “Yeah, I mean it’s a typical playoff game — make a couple of mistakes, the other team capitalizes and changes the game,” forward Devante Smith-Pelly said. “I think five-on-five, we played pretty well. We were creating chances, goalie made some saves, and we didn’t capitalize on a couple of chances. In third we have to kill those penalties, we have to bail those guys out late in the game. I’m not too worried about what happened in Game 1. We’re just moving on.” Washington’s penalty kill will get a lift with the likely return of Beagle, who averaged the most shorthanded time on ice per game among the team’s forwards. But the Capitals have struggled with discipline all season — their 294 minor penalties were the seventh-most in the NHL — and Trotz was most frustrated by the poor situational awareness on Thursday night, like Burakovsky chasing Jones behind Columbus’s net, a risky play when holding the lead and 5:05 left in regulation. Then on the penalty kill, Wilson had two chances to clear the puck before Jones eventually tied the game to force overtime. “It’s a stupid play to make,” Burakovsky said. “If I could just go back and correct that, I would do it every day, but at the moment when it happened, I just thought I had a lot of speed behind him, and I thought I could catch him. Then he just had a good angle on the net and just took me out a bit. Yeah, that’s not the smartest play I’ve made in my career.” Said center Nicklas Backstrom: “It’s just a learning thing for us, I think. We need to come out more prepared and make sure we play 60 minutes and not just 40. I think it’s just that. We gave the game away, and I think we should’ve had it. … It’s going to happen, so we just have to find a way to get through it.” Backstrom said the Capitals played well for half of the game. Trotz described them as “average.” The two teams were fairly even at even- strength — Washington had 46 shot attempts to Columbus’s 51, though the Capitals had a slight edge in high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick — and more five-on-five play is expected for the rest of the series with penalties typically called less often in the postseason. Perhaps the best example of how quickly postseason fortunes can change is the other playoff series pitting Metropolitan Division foes. Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia, 7-0, in Game 1, but then the Flyers rebounded with a 5-1 win over the Penguins on Friday with the coach 1091638 Washington Capitals

After sitting Game 1, YouTube sensation turned NHL player will get his chance against the Capitals

By Roman Stubbs April 14 at 4:04 PM

Columbus forward Sonny Milano was a healthy scratch before Game 1 against Washington, which meant the 21-year-old was in street clothes and sitting high above the ice in the press box at Capital One Arena on Thursday night. But he knew his role would change as soon as his teammate, Alex Wennberg, crumbled to the ice after taking a hit from Capitals forward Tom Wilson in the third period. That was a momentous play in Columbus’s 4-3 overtime win and could change the complexion of Game 2. Wilson’s hit was reviewed by the league, which ultimately chose not to suspend him. But Wennberg is doubtful for Game 2 and Milano has been thrust from his perch in the upper deck back onto the ice, where he’s expected to fill the void. “Playoffs are tough. There’s probably going to be injuries if you’re going to make a long run. So I knew I had to stay ready, and I knew my time was going to come,” Milano said. “I’m definitely prepared.” Part of that preparation stems from Milano’s recovery from his own medical issues. He suffered a torn oblique muscle in early January and missed 13 games while on injured reserve before he returned to the team in late February and scored a goal in a 5-1 drubbing of the Capitals his first game back. That helped put him back on track to complete his best season in the NHL; he finished the regular season with 14 goals and eight assists. Milano had played in just seven combined games in the league the previous two seasons and was more popular in hockey circles for his YouTube videos featuring his stick work in a parking lot back in 2014. Now he has an opportunity to help a Blue Jackets team that wasn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut during the regular season and was forced to fight through a spurt of unclean hockey to escape with a win in Game 1. When Columbus Coach John Tortorella was asked after Saturday’s practice if the steep learning curve that Milano faced this season had prepared him for Game 2, Tortorella simply said: “We’ll see. He’s playing.” “He still scares the hell out of me in a lot of situations,” Tortorella continued. “But he’s a guy, another guy that can make something out of nothing and score a big goal for you. We’ve gone with that attitude the last couple of years, is we’re not going to play safe. We’re going to take some chances. I think Sonny as been very attentive on learning the other side of the puck.” Tortorella declined to comment on the league’s decision not to suspend Wilson for the hit that dropped Wennberg, who did not return to the game and is considered day-to-day. The injury came after Wennberg had scored his first postseason goal. “It’s a big loss up the middle, especially for our line,” Columbus forward Thomas Vanek said. “I think we were going pretty well, and I thought his game was going well, too. He scored a big goal for us. It really it could’ve elevated him even more, so it’s tough to lose him, but it’s part of the game. You’re going to lose guys. Some other guys have to step up.” That could be Milano. He’ll be playing in just his second career playoff game Sunday night. “My role has definitely increased. As the season went on, it increased more and more,” Milano said. “I just keep expecting more of myself every game.”

Washington Post LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091639 Washington Capitals

Capitals could be at full strength in Game 2 with Jay Beagle back in the lineup

By Isabelle Khurshudyan April 14 at 1:25 PM

The Washington Capitals could have their full roster healthy and available for Game 2 of the first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. That includes fourth-line center Jay Beagle, who missed Thursday’s Game 1 with an undisclosed “upper-body” injury; he was a full participant in Saturday’s practice and Coach Barry Trotz said it’s “possible” he plays Sunday night. “I’m definitely hopeful of playing,” Beagle said. “I’m preparing like I’m going to play. I’ll leave it up to the coaching staff and the doctors and the medical staff to make the final call.” Beagle’s absence was felt in Washington’s 4-3 overtime loss. He’s the team’s only right-handed center, and he finished the season with a 58.5 faceoff percentage, fourth-best in the NHL, despite taking most draws in the defensive zone. Without him in the lineup, the Capitals lost 10 of 11 defensive-zone draws in the third period, when Washington squandered one-goal leads twice. Beagle also plays the most shorthanded ice time of any forward, and the penalty kill allowed two power-play goals Saturday. He scored seven goals with 15 assists in 79 games during the regular season. “When you take a lot of draws on the right-hand side like I do all year, it’s kind of a role,” Beagle said. “Obviously, that’s something that I’ve been given and take pride in. To ask guys to go out and take draws they haven’t taken all year is tough, especially against [Columbus]. They’ve got three really good lefties that are strong in the offensive zone and great drawmen. That makes it even tougher obviously when they have that good of centermen, a lot of wingers who also can take the draw that are also lefties.” Said Trotz: “Jay is one of those guys that you don’t probably value him as much until you don’t have him. As a coach, I have a lot of value for him, but just the regular fan or regular people, Jay Beagle doesn’t put up high numbers. But he gives you everything he’s got, and the one place he can make a difference is that faceoff circle. It’s all about starting with the puck, and he gives us an advantage in that more than most guys in the league.” Top-six forward T.J. Oshie didn’t practice Saturday, but Trotz said that was for maintenance and that he’ll be on the ice Sunday morning. Depth center Travis Boyd returned to practice for a first time, as he’s been away from the team for the past week with an undisclosed illness. Washington also caught a break with defenseman Michal Kempny avoiding serious injury when he was boarded by Columbus’s Josh Anderson in the first period Thursday. Kempny was ruled out for the rest of that game with an “upper-body” injury, but he was a full participant in practice Saturday and is expected to play in Game 2. Kempny had several cuts on his face and stitches running across his right eyebrow. He said he wanted to return to Game 1, but the doctors wouldn’t allow him to. Kempny, a trade-deadline addition, plays in the top four of Washington’s defense corps beside right-shot John Carlson. “Kemper has been a real good add for us,” Trotz said. “Obviously, his skating and his poise and all that have been a real addition to us. We played last game with five defensemen, and that slowed us up a bit. It was pretty taxing on a lot of our guys. But at the same time, Kemper is now fresh, and we’re looking forward to having him right back.”

Washington Post LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091640 Washington Capitals

After Capitals feel his absence in Game 1, Beagle nearing return

By Matthew Paras Saturday, April 14, 2018

As Game 1 slipped away, the Washington Capitals felt center Jay Beagle’s absence in Thursday’s 4-3 overtime loss. The Columbus Blue Jackets won 10 of the 11 defensive zone faceoffs in the third period, resulting in two goals. Those draws usually go to Beagle, who finished with the fourth-best face-off percentage this season. The fourth-line center has missed the last four games, dating back to the regular season, with an upper-body injury. But the Capitals got good news Saturday, with Beagle returning to practice. Beagle said he’s “hopeful” to play in Game 2 on Sunday. Defenseman Michal Kempny, who exited Game 1 in the first period with an injury, is also expected to play. “I’m preparing like I’m going to play,” Beagle said. “I’ll leave it up to the coaching staff and the doctors and the medical staff to make the final call.” Beagle was hurt April 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, leaving the game in the first period. He started skating on his own last week, but wore his normal practice jersey Saturday, which meant he was able to take full-contact. Coach Barry Trotz called Beagle “one of those guys that you don’t probably value him as much until you don’t have him,” adding fans don’t appreciate him as much as coaches do. “He gives you everything he’s got, and the one place he can make a difference is that faceoff circle,” Trotz said of Beagle. “It’s all about starting with the puck, and he gives us an advantage in that more than most guys in the league.” In Game 1, Devante Smith-Pelly was the only Capitals‘ forward to have won a defensive zone draw in the third period. Granted, Columbus’ wins on the face-off came on the power play, but Washington missed Beagle in that regard. Beagle is one of the team’s top penalty killers. Beagle won 58.5 percent of faceoffs this season. He said he takes pride in his ability to win draws, specifically from the right-hand side. Since Beagle’s injury, the Capitals have struggled to fill his role. “To ask guys to go out and take draws they haven’t taken all year is tough, especially against [Columbus],” Beagle said. “They’ve got three really good lefties that are strong in the offensive zone and great drawmen. … They’ve got a lot of guys that they can utilize. It’s definitely a part of my game and I want to make sure I can take those draws.” The Capitals didn’t skate Friday, giving Beagle more time to heal. He acknowledged there’s an “urgency” to hurry back since the Capitals are now in the postseason, though cautioned he has to make sure he’s not hindering his teammates by playing for the sake of playing. Even on the off day, Beagle went into the Capitals‘ facility to continue his rehab. “There are no off days when you’re hurt,” Beagle said.

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Grubauer to remain Washington Capitals’ starting goaltender Game 2 vs. Columbus

By Adam Zielonka Saturday, April 14, 2018

Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz told reporters after Saturday’s practice that he will stick with Philipp Grubauer as his starting goaltender for Game 2 of their first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Grubauer made 23 saves but allowed four goals in the Capitals‘ overtime loss to the Jackets in Game 1 on Thursday. But two goals came on Columbus power plays in the third period, which forced the extra period, and leading goal-scorer Artemi Panarin netted the Jackets’ game-winner six minutes into overtime. After Thursday’s loss, Trotz said he would “we’ll reevaluate all the goals, we’ll reevaluate our team and where we’re at” before deciding if Grubauer would remain the starter. “I thought he was fine. There was nothing in that game that [would make] you say why you’d make a change,” Trotz said Saturday. “Philipp’s been really good. I thought in that game, you know, we had the game. We kept letting them off the floor a little bit.” Trotz recounted the end of Game 1 — three penalties in the third period that led to two Blue Jacket goals, a “special play by Panarin” to win the game —perhaps illustrating that he did not assign much blame to Grubauer for allowing goals. “I have a lot of confidence in him, and we’ll be ready,” Trotz said. When talking to reporters after practice, Grubauer indicated he had not yet been told whether he would start Game 2. “I just work in practice and if he comes up to us and says ‘Hey, you’re starting’ or ‘You’re not starting, Holts is starting,’ I’m not guessing or planning my day around it,” Grubauer said.” The Capitals and Blue Jackets play Game 2 Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena before the series shifts to Columbus on Tuesday and Thursday.

Washington Times LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091642 Washington Capitals

Controversial hits from Game 1 are about the only thing John Tortorella won't give his opinion on

By J.J. Regan April 14, 2018 5:15 PM

John Tortorella certainly has a way with words and he is never shy about giving his opinion or voicing his displeasure. If there is one thing he does not want to talk about, however, it’s the controversial hits that took place in Game 1. Both Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson and Columbus Blue Jackets Josh Anderson avoided suspensions from Thursday’s game. Wilson was assessed a charging minor for his hit on Alex Wennberg in the third period. Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen called it a “dangerous hit” in a conference call with reporters Friday. When Tortorella was asked on Saturday what he felt about no suspension coming for Wilson, he said, “I'm not interested in the penalties, talking about them.” He was similarly tight-lipped about Anderson’s hit on Michal Kempny, a hit that earned Anderson a game misconduct. Following Game 1, Tortorella said only, “You’re not even going to bring me down there.” On Saturday he was asked if he spoke with Anderson after the game about the hit. “No,” he said. “He knows how to play.” For those of you eagerly awaiting Tortorella’s next outburst, it certainly won’t be because of anything that happened in Game 1. The Blue Jackets head coach is on his best behavior.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091643 Washington Capitals

Philipp Grubauer remains the starter for Game 2

By Tarik El-Bashir April 14, 2018 2:44 PM

The Caps are sticking with goalie Philipp Grubauer for Game 2, Coach Barry Trotz announced following Saturday's practice. Grubauer allowed four goals on 27 shots in Washington’s 4-3 overtime loss to Columbus Thursday. Afterward Trotz said he needed to “reevaluate” the goals that were permitted and talk things over with his assistants before naming a starter for Sunday’s pivotal game on home ice. “I thought he was fine,” Trotz said following an hour-long session at Kettler Capitals Iceplex. “There was nothing in that game that you’d say, ‘why [don’t] you make a change?’” Two of the three goals Grubauer allowed in regulation were scored on the power play. And Artemi Panarin’s overtime winner? That was a world-class shot by a world-class sniper. “Going into overtime, you’re a shot or a breakaway away,” Trotz said. “All that being said, it was a special play by Panarin. There’s very few people who can make that shot. And he made that shot.” It was a difficult defeat for a team that was desperate to get off to a strong start in its own building. But this ‘L’ wasn’t about goaltending. It was about taking pointless penalties at the wrong time—and the Blue Jackets taking advantage of those avoidable miscues. In fact, one could argue that Grubauer was the Caps' best player in the second period as Panarin and Co. peppered him with high-quality scoring opportunities. MORE CAPITALS: SEE THE FULL CAPS-BLUE JACKETS SERIES SCHEDULE HERE As much of a gut-punch as the loss was, however, Grubauer said he and his teammates must turn the page. And quickly. “You've got to be able to do that because nobody's walking through to the Stanley Cup with no losses,” he said. “You lose one and you learn from that and maybe you guys realize, ‘OK we've got to do something different.’” Grubauer added: “It's not as easy as it is in the regular season. It basically is like an overtime game in the regular season for 60 minutes. That's what it is. When you lose a game—you want to win the game—but you've got to learn from it and you've got to take some positives out. In order to be better, you need to see the negatives and you need to make mistakes and hopefully get better and learn from it.” Sure, Grubi's .852 save percentage in Game 1 sounds ugly. But there were mitigating circumstances on each of the goals. And, based on Trotz’s comments, it doesn’t sound like there was a whole lot of hand- wringing as the coaches reviewed the tape and mulled whether to go back to Grubauer or make a change and start Braden Holtby. “I’m going to go back with Grubi,” Trotz said flatly. “I have a lot of confidence in him.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091644 Winnipeg Jets

Jets forced to return home after real whiteout closes Minneapolis airport

By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 04/14/2018 3:22 PM Last Modified: 04/15/2018 1:45 AM

They've handled the Minnesota Wild in the first two games off their playoff series, but the Winnipeg Jets have proven to be no match for Mother Nature. A record-setting spring snowstorm meant the Jets were unable to land in Minneapolis Saturday afternoon and forced the charter flight to be diverted to Duluth, 250 kilometres northeast. After sitting on the tarmac for a couple hours waiting to see if an opportunity to get into the Twin Cities might open up, a decision was made to turn the plane around and head back to Winnipeg by late afternoon. All planes were grounded at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport for much of the day as the area was under a blizzard warning, with some estimates of more than 30 centimetres of snow. The Jets will now fly out of Winnipeg Sunday morning, which is a major change to normal game-day routine. The puck is set to drop for Game 3 at 6 p.m. in St Paul, with the Jets up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. Winnipeg held a brief practice and media availability Saturday morning at the Bell MTS Iceplex, moving up the time because of the storm system. They took off from Winnipeg just after noon, which was a couple hours earlier than originally planned with the hope of beating the worst of the weather. It obviously didn't work. Several commercial flights out of Winnipeg to Minneapolis were cancelled Saturday, throwing a major hitch in plans for fans and several local media members following the team south. Minnesota chartered back home immediately following Friday night’s game and held a practice at the Xcel Energy Centre Saturday afternoon.

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.15.2018 1091645 Winnipeg Jets

Jets fans ensure Main Street Project clients will have plenty of pizza for playoff parties

By: Jane Gerster Posted: 04/14/2018 5:12 PM

A photo of Main Street Project clients enjoying a slice of pizza while cheering on the Winnipeg Jets has prompted an outpouring of social media love, as well as a guarantee that those at the shelter will be kept in pizza so long as the Jets keep winning. "Our folks in shelter are having a pizza party and cheering on the NHL Jets tonight!" Reads the tweet, which garnered plenty of likes, as did the same photos shared on Facebook. "Aw – that is awesome," wrote one person. "SO AMAZING!" Wrote another. Other people added heart emojis as well as a thumbs up. Inspired by the response, a board member started an online fundraiser to see about keeping the spirit up. Within hours, it had surpassed the initial $1,000 goal. The goal has since been upped to $3,000. "The comments are just so supportive and a lot of people are saying things like, ‘everybody deserves to celebrate,’" said Cindy Titus, communications fund development coordinator with Main Street Project. "I think that’s a really important point: everybody loves the Jets," she said. "Everyone from Tuxedo to downtown and even the most vulnerable in our city want to celebrate how well they’re doing." Pizza is an obvious way to celebrate, Titus said, "everybody loves pizza, who doesn’t love pizza?" Main Street Project specifically orders from Santa Lucia because the pizza place already donates 20 pizzas on the first Monday of every month. Titus said they wanted to share their gratitude. "We’re super grateful," she said. The Jets, who beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 and 4-1 during the first two games in Winnipeg, are in Minnesota Sunday for game three. Main Street Project will be watching — with pizza.

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.15.2018 1091646 Winnipeg Jets "He didn’t look out of place at all. If anything, he was controlling the play and making plays out there. For a guy who’s jumping into his first playoff game and the atmosphere, it’s pretty nice to see. For us guys who’ve No signs of stage fright for Jets' young stars been around, we’ll just keep trying to help them out as much we can," said defenceman Tyler Myers.

"They’re coming in with confidence and that’s all you can ask from the By: Mike McIntyre young guys. They’ve been unreal for us throughout the first two games here." Posted: 04/14/2018 3:03 PM Maurice didn't have an update Saturday on Perreault's potential availability for Game 3, but it's a safe bet to assume he remains a "game- time decision" as he was for Game 2. Translation: Maurice isn't tipping Paul Stastny, Patrik Laine, Dustin Byfuglien, Nikolaj Ehlers and Joe his hand about injuries during the playoffs, not wanting to give the enemy Morrow celebrate Stastny's goal against Minnesota Wild's goaltender any information. Devan Dubnyk during the third period Friday night. (John Woods / The Canadian Press)

"They’re the next best home team in the NHL so they’re going to get into their comfort zone real good. It’s a loud building," Maurice said of what he Paul Stastny, Patrik Laine, Dustin Byfuglien, Nikolaj Ehlers and Joe expects from the Wild. Morrow celebrate Stastny's goal against Minnesota Wild's goaltender Devan Dubnyk during the third period Friday night. (John Woods / The "What we need to do is handle it. Our game won’t change, the things that Canadian Press) we want to accomplish on the ice, but it’s going to feel different on the bench. In that building, the puck crosses the blue-line and the crowd is Forget the kids just being alright. For the Winnipeg Jets, they've been a expecting the chance … It just needs to get near the net and they get huge part of jumping out to a 2-0 series lead in their opening-round pretty excited. It’s all part of the learning process for the new guys and playoff series against the Minnesota Wild. the veteran guys who’ve had that experience before can help out." Any questions about whether Winnipeg's youngest stars might buckle under the pressure of their first playoff appearances have quickly been answered. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.15.2018 Connor Hellebuyck has won both starts, giving up just three goals in the process. Patrik Laine has scored in both games, chipped in an assist and stepped up his physical play. Nikolaj Ehlers and Jack Roslovic each have a pair of helpers. Kyle Connor has looked dangerous on Winnipeg's top line. And Josh Morrissey has been highly effective in helping shut down Minnesota's top offensive threats. A small sample size, for sure. But certainly, there are no signs of stage fright in the early going. "Continuation of the regular season. They were really important players for us all year. They’ve handled the emotion of it very well. I haven’t seen a difference between the young players and the older players in our game," Jets coach Paul Maurice said Saturday just before his team departed for the Twin Cities in advance of Sunday's Game 3. (6 p.m., Sportsnet, TSN 1290). "Probably both teams were a little tight in Game 1, early, and you couldn’t tell by the numbers or names on the back, how many games they had in. I think they handled that quite well," he said. "What these guys have done is they hang on to the game that they’ve played. They’re coming to the rink and sometimes the young guys don’t get caught up in the moment. They all feel they’ve got 20 more years of it, so why bother? They’ve looked comfortable." Morrissey said he knows it's only going to get more difficult, especially facing an ornery Wild team looking to get back in the series while enjoying the comforts of home at the Xcel Energy Centre. "I think in the playoffs momentum really doesn’t carry over from game to game. So every night it’s a new battle. We’ve played really well in these first two games, I think sort of played exactly how we wanted to and now going into Minny, they have loud fans and it’s a tough rink to play in. We’ve got to be ready to go. It’s a whole new game," he said Saturday. The 23-year-old, playing his second season with the Jets, admitted he battled some nerves on his first few shifts. "Once you get out there and get playing the game and get into the feel of the game and make a pass or a hit or something like that, you just feel like you’re playing. You know the time of year you’re playing but you’re still just playing that same game," said Morrissey. Centre Adam Lowry isn't exactly a veteran at the age of 25. But he's making his second playoff appearance after being on the 2014-15 team that was swept in four straight games by the Anaheim Ducks. Lowry said it's impressive how quickly this crop of playoff rookies have adjusted. "I think they’re handling it extremely well. First game, first period we seemed a little sluggish. It took a little bit for us to kinda get settled into our game. But after that, I think we’ve really played solid. All those guys have been key contributors," he said. Roslovic is a perfect example. Relegated to the sidelines as a healthy scratch for Game 1, the rookie jumped right into the mix for his Game 2 debut after Mathieu Perreault was unable to play due to injury. He set up a pair of goals while looking very effective on a line with Bryan Little and Andrew Copp. 1091647 Winnipeg Jets "It’s the ultimate whiteout apparel. What could be more white? The moral is: When you pick out your wedding dress, pick one that you can wear to sporting events. I’m not even cold. It feels like we’re in a different city. Whiteout street party packed with worshippers praying for playoff victory Just the buzz and the excitement." One of Fraser’s four sons, Ian MacDonald, coach of the Oak Park High School hockey team, laughingly rolled his eyes at his mom’s outfit and By: Doug Speirs said the whiteout street parties are highlighting the best Winnipeg has to offer. Posted: 04/13/2018 9:01 PM "It showcases us at our best," MacDonald said before puck drop, as the crowd began to swell. "Where else are you going to see this in Winnipeg? It’s the Rum Hut (at the Bombers games) on steroids." It had all the trappings of an old-time religious revival meeting, only with more beer, rock music and airhorns. Before the party really got hopping, along came 27-year-old Alyshea Mancini, protected from the bitter spring night by her warm and fuzzy Inside the cathedral, Bell MTS Place, a sold-out crowd of 15,321 white- Easter Bunny costume. clad, towel-waving believers cheered in support of their hockey gods. "I bought it because I have nephews and we had to do Easter," Mancini Outside, on the street, arguably an equal number of white-clad explained after doffing her bunny head for a brief chat. "This is perfect for worshippers stood row upon row, shoulder to shoulder, staring reverently the whiteout. It is so warm, too." up at four giant TV screens and praying for another victory to bring this hockey-mad city salvation. Like most diehard fans, she said the Jets’ success, and the huge street celebrations, are giving Winnipeg a big-city vibe. "It does feel like a Outside or in, they all sang from the same hymn book: "GO, JETS, GO! different city," she said. "It feels like something exciting is happening GO, JETS, GO!" here. It’s nice. We’re showing people that Winnipeg kicks ass, that we Thousands upon thousands of fans braved sub-zero temperatures and are a real hockey city." bitter winds Friday night, packing Donald Street between Portage and St. The weather was unseasonably cold, but the fans at street level — Mary avenues to celebrate the Winnipeg Jets return to the Stanley Cup watched closely by fans staring from behind the windows of Bell MTS playoffs. Centre — were sizzling with playoff fever. The first Winnipeg Whiteout Street Party, wherein fans cheered their It didn’t take much to get Darren Sweers, sporting a funky white wig, to heroes to victory in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the get onside with the religious revival analogy. "In Canada, we have many Minnesota Wild, was such a hit, organizers expanded it southward by religions and hockey is one of them," he said, standing with his wife, another city block for last night’s bash. Michelle, near the bustling food truck venue. There was more of everything — food trucks, port-a-potties, giant "This is where we pray to the hockey gods for victory. This gets people screens, and people. Organizers predicted as many as 10,000 fans might out, it gets people downtown. It really shows how Winnipeggers come attend, and it’s possible they underestimated. together to celebrate just for the love of the game. It doesn’t matter how "I’ve been in Winnipeg for 67 years and I’ve never seen anything like cold it is, because there’s a lot of warm people here." this," chirped Al Hurlburt, 67, chugging a beer shortly before Game 2 and Laurie Domes, 58, was one of the first people to arrive when the gates surveying a crowd that was more a blindingly white blizzard of humanity opened, despite the fact she had a coveted ticket for the game. than a mere sea of people. "I wanted to join the street party just to feel the energy and vibe," Domes "This is fantastic. This is why I’m here. I’ll bet there are more people out explained. "It’s kind of like a revival. We are Winnipeg. We are the Jets. here on the street than inside the arena. It could be 15,000 people inside And we are here in full support. I’m embracing the ‘we-ness.’ and 15,000 out here," Hurlburt said as he pressed against a wire fence to avoid the crush of humanity flowing past. "The game is the sermon. This is like a mission statement happening. Just like in the Humboldt situation, you get people coming together and "For the city to embrace something like this, it’s unbelievable. You can people supporting. We are like a large Prairie town." feel the positive vibes. It feels like a different city. This is big time. I’ve travelled a lot and Winnipeg has hit the big time." The well-behaved crowd was so excited they even sang along to the American national anthem — amid several airhorn blasts — but the In keeping with Winnipeg’s beloved tradition of wearing white during the shouts of "TRUE NORTH" during O Canada seemed to rattle the playoffs, street party revellers were decked from head to foot in white windows of the nearby hockey temple. suits, white painters outfits, angel costumes, white face paint, and every conceivable manner of Jets jerseys. These Jets worshippers are thrilled to be back in the playoffs, but a Stanley Cup … now that would be an answer to everyone’s prayers. One of the first fans waiting at the gates before the shindig began at 4:30 p.m. was staying warm inside a white unicorn costume, complete with rubber head. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.15.2018 "A unicorn is the luckiest thing you could have," Ben Bauer, 28, gushed from beneath his mask. "I’ve been waiting for the Jets to win the Stanley Cup for so long and it’s happening this year! "I made a bet at the beginning of the year and if they win I get $18,000, so I’m extremely excited … It would mean the world to this city if they won the Cup. Everyone would be here (on the street). There wouldn’t be one person sitting at home. This one street wouldn’t be enough." His buddy, Bryson Pluta, 27, who described himself as "the unicorn’s trainer," was one of many who said the street parties slated for every home playoff game give fans, especially those who can’t afford tickets, a chance to celebrate as a community. "It gives us an identity and a reason to come together," Pluta, sporting white from head to toe, said. "When it comes to Game Day, we’re all Winnipeggers. It’s good to add some hockey back to our lives after the Humboldt (Saskatchewan bus) tragedy. It’s a way to heal — playing hockey and watching hockey." When it comes to making a fashion statement in white, no one did it quite like Carol Fraser, 60, who strolled through the crowd in her wedding dress, complete with veil. "This is a 1978 wedding dress," Fraser explained as passers-by stopped to say "congratulations" and ask her to pose for selfies. "It’s two hips and one husband ago. 1091648 Winnipeg Jets have the best players in the world shooting on you, world-class goalie coaching. So I want to take advantage of it and next season, hopefully I’ll be full time in the (AHL) and take a few things from here and put them in Lowry loves to draw my game."

By: Mike Sawatzky Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.15.2018 Posted: 04/14/2018 4:00 AM

Winnipeg Jets centre Adam Lowry may not look like a grizzled vet, but his most recent work on draws has all the hallmarks of a savvy go-to man in the faceoff circle. Since his first full NHL season in 2014-15, the 25-year-old’s faceoff percentage has gone from 47.3 per cent to 46.3 as a sophomore and 50.8 in 2016-17. In 2017-18, despite missing 37 games due to various injuries, he’s boosted his percentage to a whopping 55.9. In Game 1 of Winnipeg’s first-round NHL playoff series with the Minnesota Wild, Lowry dominated with a 9-for-13 mark in the circle, including several key defensive-zone draws in the final two minutes with the Wild armed with an extra attacker and pressing for the tying goal. That total, combined with Bryan Little’s 5-for-9 effort and Paul Stastny’s 10-for-14 provide a healthy advantage for Winnipeg (a 54 per cent team mark was lowered only by Mark Scheifele’s 6-for-17 effort). "I think a lot of it comes down to experience," said Lowry following the Jets’ morning skate prior to Friday’s Game 2 against the Wild. "The more faceoffs you take, the better you’re going to get at them. And bringing in a guy like Paul Stastny, he’s been one of the better faceoff guys throughout his career, so he’s definitely added to our group." That being said, Lowry has noticed linesmen have changed of standard of faceoff etiquette since an early-season crackdown. "They’re not kicking everyone out like they were at the start of the year," said Lowry. "Everyone kind of realized that wasn’t going to be effective, that it was going to slow the game down. "Now, I think they’re doing a good job of trying to minimize guys cheating and trying to make them as fair as possible and still kind of keeping the flow of the game." Is there less cheating now? "I think you look at the way guys have to line up now, so yeah," said Lowry. "You used to take faceoffs and a guy’s whole foot would be over the line. Now it’s maybe just his toe. So I think it’s kind of pushed back and put some guys back on more level terms, I guess you could say." Lowry also admitted watching a mastercraftsman such as Stastny, 32, who has a career 52.5 per cent record on draws, has been very helpful. "You can learn a lot," said Lowry. "You see the way he prepares himself off the ice and just in the day-to-day things, the way he approaches every game and on practice days and the things he does to recover. He’s been so successful in this league for so long. It’s just little things like that." "In terms of faceoffs, it’s important to have guys with experience, guys who have taken (faceoffs) against guy a lot. You can bounce certain ideas off of them. We use (assistant coach) Todd Woodcroft as kind of a sounding board and bounce different ideas off him." [email protected]: @sawa14 And in-game adjustments, that helps if you’re struggling against certain guys. You can sit on the bench and ask, ‘What do you think we could do differently against him?’ That helps out later in the game." Lowry was also asked if there’s one opponent he still hasn’t figured out yet. "I didn’t play Carolina this year but last year Jordan Staal, he hurt my percentage pretty badly," said Lowry. "I’d say he was my Kryptonite last year." BACKUP PLAN: minor leaguer Jamie Phillips has been recalled by the Jets to serve as the third goaltender for emergency situations in the post- season after bouncing around most of the season between Florida and Winnipeg. And he’s soaking up the playoff atmosphere. "It’s awesome," said Phillips, who has 16 appearances with ECHL Jacksonville and 16 appearances with AHL Manitoba in 2017-18. "Obviously, the NHL is where you want to be and the level you want to play at. It’s an opportunity to help out and fill in whenever I need to. You 1091649 Winnipeg Jets

Myers move made Jets teammates nervous but it paid off

Ted Wyman April 14, 2018 1:42 PM CDT

On the Winnipeg Jets bench, there were some nervous moments as defenceman Tyler Myers tried a risky deke on Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker at the blue-line Friday night. Moments later there was nothing but joy after Myers powered his way to the net and beat goalie Devan Dubnyk with a shot to the blocker side for the first goal of Game 2. “Luckily, it worked out well,” Myers said Saturday. “You look at the last 10, 15 games, I’ve tried that a lot. Just finally was able to finish one.” Myers is 6-foot-8 and has one of the longest reaches in the NHL. He also has soft hands and has shown an ability to get around checkers. However, it wasn’t long ago that he tried a similar move as the last man back and gave up an overtime breakaway to Boston star Brad Marchand. It’s a high-risk, high-reward play. Myers finished it by scoring on Dubnyk, who is one of his off-season training partners in Kelowna. Did he have any special ideas on where to go with the shot? “I was just shooting,” Myers said with a chuckle. “I’ve shot on him a lot this past summer and he’s always a very good goalie. I was lucky to put one by him.”

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.15.2018 1091650 Winnipeg Jets skating and really in the right position and all over the puck, it makes it easier for our D to stay up and have a good gap as well. They do have some guys there that have a lot of skill and can be dangerous but if you Jets in driver’s seat but expect Wild to be different team at home limit their time and space it allows our D to be all over them. That’s the style we want to play.”

Ted Wyman Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.15.2018 April 14, 2018 1:35 PM CDT

History suggests the Winnipeg Jets have put themselves in great position to win their first-round NHL playoff series with the Minnesota Wild. Through all the best-of-sevens played since 1939 in the NHL, teams that go ahead 2-0 win the series 88% of the time. The Jets took a 2-0 lead with 3-2 and 4-1 wins on home ice and dominated the Wild in terms of possession, shots on goal and physicality. Still, with the series now shifting to St. Paul for Games 3 and 4 Sunday and Tuesday, the Jets expect a big pushback from the Wild, a team that only lost six games in regulation on home ice during the regular season. Only the Jets, with a 32-7-2 record at home, had a better mark than the Wild. “They’re the next best home team in the NHL so they’re going to get into their comfort zone real good,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said Saturday before the team departed for the snowy, stormy Twin Cities. “It’s a loud building. We’re just really good at home. So are they. “What we need to do is handle it. Our game won’t change.” The Wild will need to pick things up considerably in order to start matching the Jets. Minnesota created very little offence in Games 1 and 2, managing a total of just 37 shots and, despite playing a middle- clogging defensive style, were unable to prevent the Jets from firing 84 shots on goal and putting the puck in the net seven times. “I think they’re going to come out with a real strong push,” Jets centre Adam Lowry said. “We’re happy with the way we played. Now going back to Minnesota we expect them to come out and be skating. They always seem to be on the puck and create a lot of chances there.” The Jets continue to explore uncharted territory. Until Wednesday, the franchise had never won so much as a playoff game. Now they’ve got two playoff wins and will look for their first-ever road victory on the way to their inaugural series win. Nobody is sitting back and enjoying the 2-0 lead, despite what the historical trends indicate. “I think you’re a little bit more comfortable than being down 2-0,” Lowry said. “It was nice to get that first win out of the way. I think, just mentally, to know that now the organization has accomplished that, we’re moving forward here and looking forward to the next challenge.” Through the first two games, the Wild had very little offensive zone time, with goals and quality scoring chances coming mostly off the rush. The Jets tightened up in that area in Game 2 and though it was only 1-0 into the third period, it was never really that close of a contest. It sounds like for the Wild to get back in this series, they’ll have to play a lot more like, well, the Jets. “They’re just going to try and get back to their speed game,” Lowry said. “Usually when we have trouble with Minnesota in their rink they’re moving the puck through the neutral zone, they’re skating, they’re activating their D, they seem to come at you in waves. So we’re going to have to be aware of that.” The Jets have activated their defence regularly in the series. Joe Morrow scored the winning goal in Game 1 and Tyler Myers opened the scoring in Game 2 on a great individual effort. Dustin Byfuglien has been a monster physically and has two assists, including one on a pass from behind the Wild net to set up Paul Stastny’s game-winning goal on Friday night. While Matt Dumba has been strong for the Wild, playing 57 minutes in the first two games, Minnesota has not been able to match that offence from the defence so far. “For us, we’ve played a very fast game,” Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey said. “Our forwards have been extremely hard in not giving them any clean ice to make passes on breakouts and when they’re 1091651 Winnipeg Jets the first period but had a whistle malfunction. Because nobody could hear his whistle, the play went on for 20 seconds before the linesman got the attention of one of the referees. They had to go upstairs to see how much Jets looking like every bit the contenders they are touted to be so far in time was used up after the offside and they added 20 seconds. At least playoffs the linesman can say he didn’t blow it … I love the fact that they still honour Len Kropioksi during the national anthem at Jets games. And a couple of years after he died at age 98, fans still love to see his smiling face on the scoreboard screen. Kroppy would have loved this Jets team. Ted Wyman HULK LIKE BIG MINUTES April 14, 2018 7:53 AM CDT Wild defenceman Matt Dumba played over 30 minutes in Game 1, 27 more in Game 2 and is expected to keep piling up the minutes in this series with Ryan Suter injured. Wild coach Bruce Boudreau compared With Big Buff throwing the thunderous hits, the white-clad fans providing the 6-foot, 184-pound blue-liner to a superhero. “We wish we didn’t have the deafening roars and the visitors resorting to a rope-a-dope style of to play him (that much), but he seems to have endless energy … What play, the Winnipeg Jets had their way with the Minnesota Wild Friday I’m trying to say is he’s not the biggest guy in the world, but he’s like, if night. you’ve ever read comics, like the Hulk. The madder he got the better he Just like Game 1 of the first round NHL playoff series, the score was got. And with Dumbs, the more he plays, it doesn’t seem to tire him, he closer than the game indicated and this time, the score wasn’t even that gets more into the game.” close. MASTERS OF THE DRAW The Jets deserved full marks for the 4-1 win in Game 2, a game in which One of the big keys to Game 1 for the Jets was their work in the faceoff they dominated in almost every aspect. The defensively oriented Wild circle. Adam Lowry won 69% of his draws and Paul Stastny won 71%. It had no answer for a persistent Jets attack — other than their stellar was the exact opposite on Friday as the Jets laid an egg in the faceoff goalie — and offered up a feeble offensive push of their own. department. Lowry, Bryan Little and Stastny all came in at just 33% … Led by Dustin Byfuglien throwing his substantial weight around, the Jets Sami Hoffren, who writes on the NHL for Finnish newspaper and website pounded the Wild with 38 hits. They directed 70 shots toward the Ilta-Sanomat, reports that Patrik Laine’s appearance in the playoffs is Minnesota net and 43 of them got through to Devan Dubnyk. They huge news back home. How does he know? Hoffren’s story on Laine outskated, out-hustled and out-muscled the Wild all night to hold serve scoring his first playoff goal in Game 1 was the No. 1 item on the website on their home-ice advantage in the best-of-seven. for much of the day on Thursday. Yeah, they lost 62% of the faceoffs, but in a game like that, which was so one-sided, who cares. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.15.2018 So far, the Jets look to be every bit the Stanley Cup contender they are touted to be. And the fans, inside and out of the arena, are absolutely loving it. HURRY UP, JETS Saw a great sign in the stands Friday night at Bell MTS Place, which read: “It’s my 92nd birthday. All I want is the Stanley Cup. Hurry” … As Patrik Laine scored his second goal of the playoffs with 2:02 left in the game, the crowd was already serenading the Wild with an oldie but a goodie — “Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye.” Laine provided another musical moment as he returned to the bench, holding his stick like a violin bow over his arm, playing sweet music as he skated to high-five his teammates … The Wild had absolutely nothing to offer after a strong early push in the first period. They had five shots on goal at the five- minute mark of the first period and 12 more the rest of the way. In the third period they didn’t get a shot at Connor Hellebuyck until there was 4:56 left. In the series, the Jets have outshot the Wild 83-37 and the shot attempts are 152-87. Not close. BIG BAD BUFF Byfuglien has been destroying the Wild with clean hits, first Joel Eriksson-Ek in Game 1 and then Mikko Koivu in Game 2. It was a little karma for Koivu, who is the player who knocked Mathieu Perreault out of Game 1, an injury that forced the Jets winger to miss Game 2 as well. For good measure, Byfuglien made a great play down low to set up Paul Stastny for the Jets second goal, which turned out to be the winner. Not sure what the blue-liner was doing behind the Wild net, but it was a great play nonetheless. He finished with 23:51 of ice time, eight hits, three blocked shots and an assist. Not too shabby. “Just another day at the office,” Byfuglien said. … Just a brilliant move by Tyler Myers, to turn around Jason Zucker at the blue-line, move in and beat Devan Dubnyk with a snipe to the blocker side to give the Jets a 1-0 lead. It was not so brilliant 38 seconds later when he took a retaliatory roughing penalty that put the Wild on the power play. With the score so close at the time and the Wild hanging in by the skin of their teeth, it’s a penalty the Jets can’t afford to take … Dubnyk has been, by far, the best Minnesota player in this series. Without him, the Wild would not even have had a sniff in either game … Credit to TSN analyst Jamie McLennan, who said before the series that Dubnyk was beatable over the right pad on the blocker side. The Jets have scored three goals in that spot, including Myers and Laine on Friday and Mark Scheifele on Wednesday … How’s that for an NHL playoff debut? Two assists for Jack Roslovic and he didn’t look one bit out of place. Looking like yet another home run at the draft table for the Jets. HEY, HE DIDN’T BLOW IT Upon video review, it was offside, but it had nothing to do with either team scoring a goal. One of the linesmen tried to call an offside late in 1091652 Winnipeg Jets “They’re coming in with confidence and that’s all you can ask from the young guys. They’ve been unreal for us throughout the first two games here,” said Jets defenceman Tyler Myers. “You look at (Roslovic), he Grace under pressure: Jets youngsters passing all the tests so far didn’t look out of place at all. If anything, he was controlling the play and making plays out there. For a guy who’s jumping into his first playoff game and the atmosphere, it’s pretty nice to see. For us guys who’ve been around, we’ll just keep trying to help them out as much we can.” Ken Wiebe

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.15.2018 MINNEAPOLIS – The sample size remains small, though the youngsters in the Winnipeg Jets lineup are having no issues with the adjustment to the Stanley Cup playoffs so far. One of the biggest question marks surrounding the Jets going into the opening-round series with the Minnesota Wild was the lack of playoff experience throughout the roster. The Wild’s significant edge in playoff games (748 to 265 going into the series) has barely been a factor, other than goalie Devan Dubnyk providing high-quality play between the pipes and allowing only seven goals on the 84 shots on goal he’s faced. On the flip side, the Jets youth is playing a big role in how they’ve jumped out to a commanding 2-0 lead over the Wild as the series shifts to the Xcel Energy Center on Sunday. Nine players on the Jets roster have already suited up for their first Stanley Cup playoff game. “Continuation of the regular season. They were really important players for us all year,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said on Saturday morning before his team departed for Minnesota. “They’ve handled the emotion of it very well. I haven’t seen a difference between the young players and the older players in our game. Probably both teams were a little tight in Game 1, early, and you couldn’t tell by the numbers or names on the back, how many games they had in. I think they handled that quite well. “What these guys have done is they hang on to the game that they’ve played. They’re coming to the rink and sometimes the young guys don’t get caught up in the moment. They all feel they’ve got 20 more years of it, so why bother? They’ve looked comfortable.” Comfortable would be an understatement and it starts in goal, where Connor Hellebuyck has been rock-steady. Although Dubnyk has been under siege, Hellebuyck is making the saves he needs to and hasn’t allowed a softie among the three pucks to get behind him so far. Were it not for a late power-play goal in the final minute of Friday’s 4-1 victory, the Jets goalie would have secured his first career playoff shutout. “You know what, we got the win and that’s all I care about, especially this time of year,” said Hellebuyck. “The guys played so well in front of me, there’s no fault.” On the back end, the only Jets player with a Stanley Cup ring, Dustin Byfuglien, has been a dominant force, doling out big hits with regularity while chipping in a pair of assists. As has become customary, second-year blue-liner Josh Morrissey has been excellent for the Jets as well – showing very few signs of being a playoff newbie. “Especially for Game 1, I think everybody, but you have some nerves going into it. Once you get out there and get playing the game and get into the feel of the game and make a pass or a hit or something like that, you just feel like you’re playing,” said Morrissey. “You know the time of year you’re playing but you’re still just playing that same game.” Up front, Jets sniper Patrik Laine has been dangerous and leads his team with two goals and three points, while linemate Nikolaj Ehlers has two assists and is starting to find more open space out on the ice. Rookie left-winger Kyle Connor has yet to hit the scoresheet, but he’s looking more and more comfortable as the series moved along and created several high-quality scoring chances for himself in Game 2. Andrew Copp provided a nifty redirection in the third period to make it a 3-0 game on Friday. And what did Jack Roslovic do when he checked into the lineup when Mathieu Perreault was unable to suit up due to an upper-body injury? Roslovic quickly chipped in a pair of assists and made sure there was no drop-off in play on Bryan Little’s line. 1091653 Winnipeg Jets

Bad blood boils over: Jets and Wild rivalry coming of age

Ken Wiebe Published: April 14, 2018 Updated: April 14, 2018 8:14 PM CDT

MINNEAPOLIS – The clock was winding down and the gloves were off as a pair of fights took place late in Friday’s game between the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild. Going to the judges scorecards, Wild forward Daniel Winnik scored a decisive victory over Jets winger Brandon Tanev, then Jets defenceman Ben Chiarot got the better of Wild blue-liner Nick Seeler, who had delivered a cross-check to Joel Armia before Chiarot stepped in. “You play in the Central Division long enough and you play against guys long enough, you start to develop that rivalry,” said Jets centre Adam Lowry. “I don’t know if there’s bad blood. There’s been some physicality. I think you saw the way the game ended, you don’t like getting beat like they did last game. They’re just trying to bring up the intensity, and so are we. There have been some big hits by both teams. I think it’s been a fairly clean series, though.” Will there be any lingering bad blood as the series shifts to the Xcel Energy Center for Game 3 on Sunday? “I think it’s part of the rivalry, part of a long seven-game series. I don’t think it’ll carry over,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. “Like I said before, each game is a totally new battle but emotions are high and that’s what goes along with it at this time of year.” Following Friday’s 4-1 win, Jets head coach Paul Maurice didn’t sound the least bit concerned about the fisticuffs. Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau was happy to see what transpired. “It tells me that enough is enough. It’s not a series until you get a hate on for each other and I think that was created toward the end of the game,” said Boudreau. “Not even the fighting, the chirping going on back and forth. It’s a rivalry now.”

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.15.2018 1091654 Winnipeg Jets Daniel Winnik accused the Jets of “taking liberties.” “We stuck up for each other,” Eric Staal added. “We’re going to do our best to make this a series and compete.” FRIESEN: Jets need killer instinct, now The problem for the Wild is this isn’t the 1970’s Habs vs the Bruins. A more rough-and-tumble series doesn’t favour Minnesota. Paul Friesen Neither does a faster, trading-chances, end-to-end one, if the Wild could even force the Jets into that style. The first question we had about these Winnipeg Jets, they’ve answered. If the Jets keep their foot on the pedal, defensively and in the neutral zone, they create turnovers and offence — and that’s when their skill Whatever stage fright they might have in the early days of the Stanley takes over. Cup Playoffs wasn’t enough to cause them to forget their lines or choke on their words. It’s a challenge for any opposing team. The next test: do they know enough to see an opponent down, and not But let’s not kid ourselves: there are teams that can match it. let it up? To put their foot on the proverbial throat? That’s why the Jets should get out of the first round as quickly as they I wasn’t in the Wild dressing room after Friday’s 4-1 Winnipeg win in can. Game 2, so I don’t know the body language or the tone of the players. A four or five-game set with the Wild would allow time to recharge for But reading their words paints a picture of a team that’s not sure what Round 2, where we all know the Nashville Predators will be a handful. had just hit it, or how it’s going to hit back. So the next question for the Jets: do they have a killer instinct? “We gotta figure out a way to get some offensive zone time — I feel like we’ve been playing on three quarters of the rink for two games now,” Zach Parise said. “You’re not going to win like that.” Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.15.2018 Both Games 1 and 2 were close enough going into the third period, the Jets leading 1-0 and 2-0, respectively. But in crunch time, it was no contest: in two third periods, the Jets have out-shot the Wild, 36-7. You’d think being down, 2-0, going into the third period of Game 2 would bring out the best in a desperate team. “We didn’t have a shot on goal until five minutes left in the third period,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau lamented. As much offensive firepower as the Jets are known for, it’s their defensive clampdown that’s been most impressive. “You’re not gonna win many getting 14 shots, 15 shots, 20 shots,” Parise said. “We’re not really giving ourselves much of a chance.” Parise has had two shots in two games. Eric Staal, Minnesota’s shot leader during the season, with 241, has three. “We had nothing,” centre Charlie Coyle said. “We weren’t giving ourselves any way to succeed.” Jason Zucker, second on the team with 222 shots and 33 goals this season, is scratching his head, too. Led by an aggressive defence, the Jets are jumping on the Wild at every turn. “We just weren’t getting through the neutral zone cleanly,” Zucker said. “They were standing up on us and every time we got it in we threw a guy on an island with one forechecker.” Even Boudreau seems perplexed. “They were a pretty good defensive team this year and we can tell that they’re playing hard,” Boudreau said. “Not that we’re not playing hard. They are playing well. It’s going to be tough.” The other thing that’s probably taken the Wild, and most people outside the Winnipeg room, by surprise is the Jets’ physical play. Led by Dustin Byfuglien, it’s been relentless through two games. “I thought they were physical the whole game,” Boudreau said, Friday night. “They never let up right until the final whistle. We’ll find a way. We have all year.” “Yeah, they play aggressively,” Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk added. “They’re definitely running around and hitting guys.” Minnesota’s frustration boiled over in the dying seconds of Game 2. Normally, that kind of thing is designed to send a message, that there will be a bigger price to pay in their rink. “It tells me that enough is enough,” is how Boudreau put it. “It’s not a series until you get a hate on for each other and I think that was created toward the end of the game. Not even the fighting — the chirping going on back and forth. It’s a rivalry now.” 1091655 Winnipeg Jets

Whiteout blasts Jets flight to Minny

Paul Friesen Published: April 14, 2018 Updated: April 14, 2018 10:19 PM CDT

Saturday, the whiteout was real for the Winnipeg Jets. The team’s charter flight to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4 of their first- round playoff series was diverted, first to Duluth, then back to Winnipeg, because of a spring storm walloping the state. A blizzard warning for Minneapolis-St. Paul that closed the airport Saturday afternoon was expected to dump 30-45 centimetres of snow on the area by the end of Sunday. Most of the snow, buffeted by heavy winds, was falling on Saturday, causing the cancellation of commercial flights from Winnipeg to the Twin Cities. The Jets, leading the series 2-0, left Winnipeg by charter at noon. By 2:30 p.m., their plane was on the tarmac in Duluth, where it sat, waiting, for the next two hours. With runways at the Minneapolis airport still overcome by snow and air traffic backed up, the decision was made to go back home. “The #NHLJets returned to Winnipeg from Duluth this afternoon due to the ongoing conditions in the Twin Cities,” the team’s twitter feed said, just before 6 p.m.. “The plan now is to depart (Sunday) morning for Minneapolis.” The team is scheduled to face off against the Minnesota Wild in Game 3, Sunday, at 6 p.m., Central Time. Media covering the game also faced travel adventures, either with rescheduled flights or white-knuckle road trips. A busload of some two dozen reporters, camera crews and technicians from Sportsnet, the Canadian TV network broadcasting the series, left Winnipeg for the Twin Cities just before noon, arriving around 9:30 p.m. Whiteout conditions closed several state highways, as even snowplows were pulled off the roads. The Minnesota State Patrol reported 327 crashes due to the storm, 37 of them involving injuries and two of those serious, from late Friday through Saturday at 4 p.m.. They also reported 442 vehicle spin-outs, including eight jackknifed semi- trailers. A Major League Baseball game between the host Twins and Chicago White Sox was snowed out for the second straight day, Saturday.

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.15.2018 1091656 Winnipeg Jets In Winnipeg the past two games, it felt like the Wild barely crossed the blue line to ever get a chance. In the third period alone, the Wild were outshot 36-7 in two games. In the final 16:02 of Game 1, the Wild had Down 0-2 yet again, Wild hope return to St. Paul can spark struggling one shot. In the first 15:05 of the third period in Game 2, the Wild had no offense shots.

Why?

By Michael Russo “Honestly, I think it’s neutral zone,” said Jason Zucker, who along with top players like Eric Staal, Nino Niederreiter and Charlie Coyle has no Apr 14, 2018 48 points in the series. “If we get through the neutral zone a little bit better, we’re going to get in on the forecheck better and I think then it’s also

going to eliminate some of their quick-strike offense. It’s not necessarily Please, whatever you do, DON’T stop if you’ve read this before … that we’ve given them so many odd-man rushes or those type things. It’s because you have every postseason since 2013. that they’re getting it and they’re chipping it in and they’re getting in on our D-men, and when we’re back in our zone and we’re chipping it out, The Wild are once again in an 0-2 series hole. by the time we chip it out and dump it in, we’re changing and can’t get in on the forecheck. “Unfortunately, I feel like we always find ourselves down 0-2,” veteran Zach Parise said. “It's beginning to be a bad habit of ours.” Digging a hole in the playoffs

Well, not exactly “beginning to be.” In seven of eight series in the Parise-Suter era the Wild have gone down 0-2, losing It’s an annual habit. five so far. They now face the same uphill climb in their series against the Since 2013, the Wild, with largely the same core of players, are a Jets. ridiculous 1-15 in Games 1 and 2 (0-8 in Game 2s) of a series. And once again, if the Wild plan to advance in this particular series against the Year Opp. Round Games 1 and 2 Series result ever-confident Winnipeg Jets looking primed for a long playoff run, they’ll somehow have to win four of their next five games starting with Sunday 2013 CHI First L 2-1 (OT), L 5-2 CHI won 4-1 night’s Game 3 at Xcel Energy Center. 2014 COL First L 5-4 (OT), L 4-2 MIN won 4-3 Oh, and by the way, the Jets have won 13 of their past 14 games and 2014 CHI Second L 5-2, L 4-1 CHI won 4-2 haven’t lost at home since Feb. 27. 2015 STL First W 4-2, L 4-1 MIN won 4-2 With Mother Nature doing her best Saturday to make the hockey squad from Winnipeg feel right at home in Minnesota with a mid-April blizzard 2015 CHI Second L 4-3, L 4-1 CHI won 4-0 that caused the Jets’ team plane to be diverted to Duluth, coach Bruce Boudreau nevertheless summoned his entire team to St. Paul for a 2016 DAL First L 4-0, L 2-1 DAL won 4-2 noontime practice designed to accomplish two things: Lift his despondent 2017 STL First L 2-1 (OT), L 2-1 STL won 4-1 team’s spirit and fix its game, particularly inside the cobweb of a neutral zone. 2018 WPG First L 3-2, L 4-1 TBD

“I think it was both of that, yeah,” Boudreau said. “No matter how you cut “We’ve got to get to our game earlier in our shifts so we can put them in it, guys play for seven months and if they go down 0-2, they’re a little bit their zone a few times and put them on their heels.” disappointed. But it’s not like losing, getting down 0-2 in your own building and then having to go to their building.” Zucker says the problem stems from center-ice.

"THEY HAD THEIR GAMES AT HOME AND THEY TOOK “They play a stingy system as far as they don’t really pressure the first ADVANTAGE. NOW IT'S OUR TURN TO DO THE SAME." — CHARLIE pass,” he said. “They want our D-man to want to carry it a little bit and COYLE they’ll pressure later on, so it’s kind of a bit, I don’t want to call it a trap, but in a way it’s like a 1-2-2 trap where they just pressure and then their HEAR FROM COYLE, NIEDERREITER AND BOUDREAU AFTER D-men are always coming forward at you. They’re staying pretty patient. PRACTICE. PIC.TWITTER.COM/SV3L3XT50D They’re aggressive, but they sit back. They let our D-man have control and one guy kind of forcing and then once you start coming up, they — MINNESOTA WILD (@MNWILD) APRIL 14, 2018 have two guys kind of waiting in the weeds and then they have their other No, that was just last year against the St. Louis Blues. two D-men really waiting back in the weeds coming forward also.

This time around, the Wild return to an arena where they collected the “But, if you come with speed, they’re in trouble. It’s got to be like a bang- second-most home points in the NHL (62). They hope Wild fans are as bang, crisp on the tape, tape-to-tape pass, and then you’re gone. Then loud and enthusiastic as Jets fans were Wednesday and Friday and not you’ll have a few rushes. But they’re good at their system.” too, let’s call it, buzzkilled by the fact that their favorite team yet again In Saturday’s practice, Boudreau reunited the Zucker-Staal-Mikael faces an uphill climb to escape this series victorious. Granlund line that was so prolific in late February. Boudreau said he Teams that hold a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff game made the change because the Wild haven’t mustered up a lot of chances have an all-time series record of 312-49 (86.4 percent). (three goals and 37 shots).

“We want to have a great start (in Game 3),” Parise said. “We know the In one three-game stretch six weeks ago, the Zucker-Staal-Granlund trio crowd is going to be very good. At the same time we have to give them combined for 26 points. something to cheer about. We have to play our best game (Sunday).” “Yeah, I don’t think we’re going to get 26 points in three games, but I Boudreau ended practice Saturday by gathering all his players. In a pep think it can be really good,” Zucker quipped. “I think we can complement talk, Boudreau reminded them that they have lost six times in regulation each other really well and as long as we skate and we battle and we in 41 games in St. Paul. Overall, the Wild have only lost three in a row compete and get pucks in their zone, I think we’ll be alright.” once this season. One concern: The health of Matt Dumba, who didn’t practice Saturday. “They’re the next best home team in the NHL, so they’re going to get into Ryan Murphy, who has never played an NHL playoff game, rotated in their comfort zone real good. It’s a loud building,” Jets coach Paul and out of rushes. Maurice said. “Our game won’t change, the things that we want to Reading the tea leaves from inside the locker room, Dumba may be hurt. accomplish on the ice, but it’s going to feel different on the bench. In that Boudreau’s story is that after Dumba played about half of Games 1 and building, the puck crosses the blue line and the crowd is expecting the 2, “I just told him to stay home.” chance. It just needs to get near the net and they get pretty excited.” But the coach seemed to have a slip of the tongue when he said, “He should be OK. Well, he is OK. He should be well-rested for (Sunday).” "GUYS CARE A LOT. THEY'RE A RESILIENT GROUP. MOST OF ALL, THEY'RE COMPETITIVE AND THEY CARE. WHEN THINGS DON'T GO WELL THEY'RE NOT HAPPY. I THINK WE WORK HARD TO FIX THOSE THINGS." — BRUCE BOUDREAU PIC.TWITTER.COM/QD6HNGKF8P

— MINNESOTA WILD (@MNWILD) APRIL 14, 2018

Having the last line change in Games 3 and 4 should help Boudreau get better matchups, particularly getting the Staal line away from the Kyle Connor-Mark Scheifele-Blake Wheeler line and defensemen Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey.

“We’ve played a very fast game,” said Morrissey. “Our forwards have been extremely hard in not giving them any clean ice to make passes on breakouts and when they’re skating and really in the right position and all over the puck, it makes it easier for our D to stay up and have a good gap as well. I think we’ve played two solid games and sort of have limited their time and space with the puck. They do have some guys there that have a lot of skill and can be dangerous, but if you limit their time and space and sort of seem like we’re all over them with our forward group, it allows our D to be all over them as well. That’s the style we want to play.”

Parise said it’s imperative the Wild make the proper adjustments and not just rest on the fact they’re in the safer confines of their home barn.

“By no means is it, 'Oh we're at home. It's a free couple wins,’” Parise said. “These guys are playing really well and we're going to have to play much better. Regardless where the game is we're going to have to play much better than we have in the first two games. It's not as if we can just go in and expect an easy game. It's going to be very tough for us.

“We have been really out of sync. Our timing is off. We aren't putting each other in good position. We are almost passing on our problems. There's still too many one-and-dones. Not enough extended periods in the offensive zone. Not wearing them down. That's what they did to us. They wore us down. I feel like we've been checking for the last two games and not having the puck much, so we want to kind of flip the script and do that to them.

“If we can support each other a little bit more and give each other more options and stay tight I think we're going to look fast and play faster and get out of the zone better.”

The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091657 Winnipeg Jets As Granlund is being forced to process all of this in the blink of an eye, Morrow plays through the body, using his size and positional advantage to root Granlund off the puck. Connor continues up the zone and is the Game 2 Walkthrough: Jets' pressure wreaking havoc with Wild's game next man in, and Winnipeg stymies the Wild's attempt to get the puck out.

Notice how even if Granlund had connected with Parise, Morrow has both Connor and Mark Scheifele (to Connor's right) behind the level of By Evan Sporer the play. Not only have the Jets been so difficult to crack because of how aggressive their defensemen have been, but on the occasions Minnesota Apr 14, 2018 23 has survived that first wave, Winnipeg has also been meticulous in having a forward (usually the center) rotate back so they're not left shorthanded. Five minutes into Friday's Game 2 against the Winnipeg Jets, most — even the Wild players — had to be convinced by their start, and potential There's another byproduct to this pressure. To borrow a football analogy, to possibly leave Bell MTS Place with a split. it was much like the mental clock of a quarterback. If you keep taking snaps and getting sacked or hit on every drop back, it's going to expedite After holding a 2-1 lead in the third period of Game 1, very much putting your release. themselves in a position to steal that series-opening contest, the Wild held a 5-0 advantage in shots on goal 5:01 into the first period of Game There were other times where it felt the Wild had more time to make a 2. Even though the Jets — like in Game 1 — managed to get their pass but the consistent pressure by Winnipeg defensemen made them bearings by the end of the first period, the shot counter ending up 13-9 in rush through and botch the play. Winnipeg's favor, it very much felt like the Wild were in the game, still Pretty similar setup: A defensive zone faceoff, but on the opposite side, scoreless up to that point. with the Wild this time dropping a defenseman (Carson Soucy) to help But then the second and third periods happened, and man, the Jets were work this puck around the boards. He'll get back to the goal line, provide literally just everywhere, and the Wild had no answers. a target for Nate Prosser, and then wheel around the net where Jordan Greenway will already be waiting near the blue line. Minnesota fired eight shots on goal combined over those final two periods, five at 5-on-5, while the Jets peppered Devan Dubnyk with 31 Soucy picks his head up and has an open Greenway, and easily hits him total shots, 84 percent of the Wild's total through six periods of this with the pass. Now we just saw Granlund in this type of situation where series. Morrow was able to pressure him into turning the puck over. Plenty of Wild forwards found themselves in that position on Friday, and many of While the Jets had the better of the run-of-play for the first four periods of them — the 6-foot-6 Greenway included — paid the physical price. So this series as well, the second and third in Game 2 felt very different — perhaps it was for fear of turning the puck over, or perhaps it was for fear entirely more dominant. of getting hit, or perhaps just a misplay in general, but this puck is off Greenway's stick very quickly. Minnesota talked about it a lot in the postgame, but this was very much a factor of a lack of puck possession, which can be attributed to a few Only there's a problem: Whether this was an attempted touch-pass to things Winnipeg did really well, and the Wild did not do so well. Eric Staal (which misses the mark) or just a misplay because he had one eye off the puck and peeking for an oncoming check, there were no Jets One of the reasons we use shot metrics as a proxy for puck possession sweaters in the vicinity. Greenway had time to accept the pass, turn up is because they do a pretty decent job of depicting who had the puck ice, and carry the puck through the neutral zone, but instead, it was right more. (You can't attempt a shot unless the puck is on your team's stick, back on a Winnipeg stick. obviously.) On Friday night, the Wild attempted 12 shots at even-strength over the final two periods of game action; the Jets attempted 41, a Now the clip continues to illuminate another point, how these sequences commanding 77.36 percent of the attempts share. fed into each other. That's an easy play for the Jets to pick off in the neutral zone, and they reload, and get the puck deep again. While the There were problems in all three zones for the Wild Friday night: Wild regain possession, there are four Minnesota skaters essentially In the defensive zone, when the Wild won the puck back, you saw a lot of below the dots. Staal chips the puck up the boards because he's got the Jets defensemen “being activated.” It put the kibosh on many of the Brandon Tanev in his face, and again, the whole “constantly under Wild's possessions before they could even get anything going. duress” thing really seemed to take its toll on Minnesota.

In the neutral zone, the Jets challenged Wild puck carriers in one-on-one And while Nino Niederreiter actually gets to that puck, Josh Morrissey is situations, not letting them really gain much momentum or string together immediately able to pressure him, Tanev doubles back and is the next many clean zone entries with speed to set up cleanly in the offensive man in, and the Wild are quickly dispossessed. On so many breakouts, zone. There were so many sequences on Friday where when the Wild the Jets were able to isolate a single Wild skater on the puck, get two or did get the puck, it was quickly back on the Jets' sticks. Said Zach Parise, more blue sweaters there, and muscle their way back into control. “When we do gain possession of it, we're not coming up the ice together, That really can make life difficult for any team. It's why there were too many broken plays through the neutral zone, it's just not a lot of puck stretches when it almost seemed like the Wild were shorthanded on possession for us. We're making it hard.” The Jets are making it pretty Friday. Winnipeg consistently had a numbers advantage around the play, hard, too. and, like Parise said, really made it seem like the ice was shrunk given In the offensive zone, the Wild had difficulty getting numbers forward. how crowded things were. There were a bunch of instances where the Wild finally broke in, but Both teams are changing here, so one would assume it's a pretty level found themselves in a 1-on-2 or 1-on-3. playing field. The Wild defensemen (Spurgeon and Seeler) exchange Let's take a look. passes while they probe for a route up ice. Seeler eventually lands on this pass to Greenway, but look how tight the window is: Tanev is Mikael Granlund is one of the Wild's smoother, more effective players at practically on his hip before the puck is even released. getting them through the neutral zone. This was right at the beginning of the third period, after the Jets had dominated the second and taken a 1-0 But while the Wild end up losing that puck, they work hard to get it back, lead. and Staal is able to slip a little close-quarters pass to Greenway at the blue line to regain the zone. Behind the play you've got Adam Lowry Simple wheel play here, with Minnesota winning the puck back, and busting back to apply pressure. Granlund, the winger lined up on the strong side, springing toward the opposite wall with the defenseman (Nick Seeler) rimming the puck Lowry makes up that ground and is able to really rush Greenway. He around. kind of long-arms the pass (even with his reach) and you can see how small the margin for error is for the Wild. Maybe if Greenway accepts the But as Granlund meets the puck along the boards, he's quickly got Joe past in tight on his body he's able to shovel it across to Niederreiter. Morrow breathing down his neck. It would be difficult to double-back with a Jets forward (Kyle Connor) in front of him atop the right circle, and But Lowry is able to funnel Greenway into the middle of the ice, the Jets while Granlund has an outlet with Zach Parise flying up the middle, it block off an area and create a 4-on-2, and the Wild are quickly chasing would require a quick, difficult pass with his back to his teammate. the puck once again. It really felt like each sequence was a broken record of the one before it. THE WILD DO A GREAT JOB KEEPING THE JETS OUT OF THE There were so many instances like this of Minnesota either getting turned SLOT, BUT THEY HAVE HAD NO ANSWER FOR THIS KIND OF SHOT back in the neutral zone, or finally breaking through, only to have one guy VOLUME. PIC.TWITTER.COM/XUUIYP9NYK trying to take on three. — THE POINT (@PNTHOCKEY) APRIL 14, 2018 And that's what fed into the lack of puck possession and created the lopsided for-and-against attempts differential. NaturalStatTrick.com But the sheer ownership of the puck has been too much for Minnesota to visualizes what the shot counter looks like with a nifty heat map. This overcome thus far. To get back into this series, they'll need to be quicker, was Wild-Jets from Game 2, and you can really see how dominant more decisive, and more creative in the neutral zone to create time in the Winnipeg was. Jets end, like on that shift in the first period by the Staal line. If not, there will be more games of lopsided shot totals, and the Wild really putting The Jets deserve a lot of credit in this. Yes, the Wild struggled to make themselves behind the eight-ball. plays in Game 2, but a big part of that was how stubborn and fast Winnipeg was in all three zones.

There definitely are areas Minnesota can improve in to counter what the The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 Jets are doing, and the adjustments the Wild can make heading into Game 3 will be paramount in establishing any success.

“I feel like we've been playing on three-quarters of the rink for two games now,” Parise said after Game 2.

That quote and assessment felt very accurate in terms of what seemed to be holding Minnesota back. Where the Jets were flinging 60-plus-foot passes across the neutral zone with players flying all over the place, the Wild looked like they were confining themselves to small areas.

The Wild have time to move this puck up ice, but they end up forcing their way through a small portion of the zone and restricting their options.

Prosser lays this puck back to Soucy, while Mikko Koivu and Parise are hopping over the boards. They're both going to make their way across to provide puck support, but the Wild are slowly squeezing the width out of this play.

Because as this puck starts to get to the next level, the Wild are using half of the neutral zone, width-wise, to try to move the puck ahead. It's an overloaded breakout, which can work, but only if you can reverse the puck and take advantage of a teammate on the weak side.

But all five Minnesota skaters are bunched in such a tight area, this puck ends up getting dumped deep and the Jets quickly turn it up ice and out of their zone. Had there been a forward closer to the benches, a quick pass back to a defensemen and another to that weak-side forward could spread out the play and maybe give it some legs. Here though, the Jets don't have to do too much defending, just let a crowded neutral zone play itself out and into their hands.

There was one Wild shift late in the first period by the line of Staal, Niederreiter, and Jason Zucker that might have been Minnesota's best at 5-on-5 of the night. It illuminated what Minnesota needs to do to be successful against this type of pressure, and is perhaps one of the key takeaways for the Wild from Game 2.

This all begins with a patient, measured play by Niederreiter. He gets stood up in the neutral zone, but instead of trying to muscle his way through or force a pass to a teammate, he reloads by playing this puck back to Spurgeon.

When Spurgeon goes across to Soucy, Staal is cutting across the middle, at least forcing the Jets to take notice of him. Niederreiter rolls off his own back-pass and continues up the wall. The Wild have forwards on opposite sides of the neutral zone, giving the breakout some width, and opening up a passing lane for Soucy.

And Soucy hits Niederreiter, who breaks across the line with numbers and options. He can attack the goal, or draw in a defender and leave the puck for Staal.

From there, the Wild were able to attack the net a few times and spend some time with the Jets hemmed in. Those shifts were few and far between on Friday, but it was in large because the Wild couldn't string together many passing sequences like this, where the Jets had to play on their toes.

It's still remarkable how well the Wild were doing for long stretches despite not having ownership of the puck. Minnesota still is so structured in its own defensive zone that with where the Jets were taking the shots from (and the help of Devan Dubnyk) you get a 1-0 game almost midway through the third period and that faint hope of, “one shot can tie this game.” 1091658 Winnipeg Jets Instead, the Wild went the first 15:05 of the must-score third period without even registering a measly shot on goal.

By the 9:24 mark, Paul Stastny and Andrew Copp scored back-to-back to Russo: Wild need more than a return home to fight back against Jets turn that 1-0 lead into a 3-0 death grip.

By Michael Russo “It’s not like we're not trying to get there,” Boudreau said. “We're trying to Apr 14, 2018 get there and the other team is not allowing us to get there. I don't think it's for a lack of effort. We will try harder the next game and we'll have a different little strategy and we'll see if it works.”

WINNIPEG — Look at the bright side, despondent Wild fans: At least the The Wild looked quite good in a scoreless first period, but everything Wild are in a familiar position. changed starting the first shift of the second period.

Nobody knows what it’s like to be in a postseason hole like the Wild. Jets coach Paul Maurice slyly set the tone by throwing the speedy, hard- hitting, grinding line of Copp, Adam Lowry and Brandon Tanev on the ice Well, after the powerhouse Winnipeg Jets handed them a humbling 4-1 against the Parise-Mikko Koivu-Mikael Granlund line with Jonas Brodin butt-kicking Friday night, the Wild find themselves in an 0-2 abyss for the and Matt Dumba. fourth consecutive series and seventh time out of eight since 2013. Not only were those five Wild players hemmed in their own end for the Sure, they’ve only come back to win one of those series — way back in first 1:42 of the period, the Jets executed a full line change. 2014 against Colorado — but at least Wild players are taking solace in the fact that they’re returning home to a place they lost a league-low six “We couldn’t answer their momentum,” Koivu said. “They got the pucks times in regulation during the regular season. deep and pressured our D and we couldn’t come with passes and clear the zone like we usually do. That’s our strength and we’ve got to find “We’ve just got to be excited about being at home,” said Jason Zucker, that. Teams put a lot of pressure on you, especially in the playoffs, and the 33-goal scorer who, like most of his teammates, has been thoroughly you’ve got to be able to support one another and move the puck quick smothered in the first two games of this series. “We know we’re a damn and try to get the momentum the other way. good team in our building and we’ve shown it all year. I think we’ll be ready to go on Sunday.” “We couldn’t do that, and that’s something we need to change.”

Here’s the problem: A change of zip code is not going to miraculously The Wild, who have been outshot 84-37 in the series, couldn’t cure the Wild’s gargantuan list of ills and be some magical elixir. accomplish anything.

No, no, no, it’s going to take some serious, serious tactical adjustments Carson Soucy once again had a tough first period and ultimately was from the coaching staff and a lot more will and courage from the players moved next to Nate Prosser. Nick Seeler was moved up with Jared if this club has any prayer of overtaking the NHL’s second-best team. Spurgeon, who along with Zucker was minus-3 in his second game back from a hamstring injury. So far at least, the Wild, now 0-8 in Game 2s and 5-17 on the road in the playoffs since 2013, have been severely outmatched and without The defensemen were certainly not aided by the forwards. answers in this best-of-seven, quickly-dissipating round against the bigger, faster, more skilled opponent. A microcosm of the Wild’s night was one shift in the first period when Brodin got the puck in the defensive zone. He looked up ice to pass to a “I feel like we've been playing on three-quarters of the rink for two games forward and Zucker, Eric Staal and Nino Niederreiter were standing now,” said Zach Parise. “You're not going to win like that. I think our puck stationary 80 feet away at the offensive blueline. movement has got to be a lot better. When we do gain possession of it, we're not coming up the ice together, too many broken plays through the BRUCE BOUDREAU ON GAME 2, RETURNING HOME FOR neutral zone, it's just not a lot of puck possession for us. We're making it SUNDAY’S GAME AND MORE. PIC.TWITTER.COM/XRVRLK9M4K hard.” — MINNESOTA WILD (@MNWILD) APRIL 14, 2018

The Wild are being pushed around. They have Jets players in their faces “We have to Watch video, but we’ve got to support our D more and be every second of the game, and the Wild are getting hit so hard and so better outs instead of throwing the guys on islands by themselves and often, they’re having to pick their battered bodies — and pride — up off just giving it to them,” forward Charlie Coyle said. the ice. Because of this physicality, some players seem to be avoiding high-traffic areas to collect the puck. They’re barely able to string Finally, Boudreau broke up the top line by moving Zucker onto the Matt together three passes and, on the rare occasion they actually gain entry Cullen-Coyle line and elevating Jordan Greenway, who had a strong to the offensive zone, that alone feels like a victory. game, to the Staal-Niederreiter line.

“I thought they were physical the whole game,” coach Bruce Boudreau Staal and Niederreiter are huge concerns right now. They have a said. “They never let up right until the final whistle. We'll find a way. We combined five shots and no points in the series. Both don’t look to be have all year. There's no reason to believe we aren't going to find a way skating well. on Sunday.” “We’ve got to make some plays,” Staal said. “Obviously, we’re not. We’re One game after registering one shot in the final 16 minutes, 2 seconds to not executing quick enough with some of the plays that are out there. Not see their 2-1 third-period lead implode into a Game 1 defeat, the Wild generating enough quality to produce any goals.” went 20:03 without a shot between 4:58 left in the second period and 4:55 left in the third period. In the final 43:41 of the game, the Wild had Added Coyle, “Neutral zone, it feels like we weren’t making plays. We eight shots, including Parise’s power-play goal in the final minute of the were just throwing the puck up, either chipping it high. We had nothing. third period that accomplished two things: Ruining Connor Hellebuyck’s We weren’t giving ourselves any way to succeed.” first career playoff shutout bid and making the score appear more Zucker and Coyle also haven’t produced, and Granlund struggled respectable. mightily Friday. During one second-period shift when the Koivu line was But make no mistake, in the second period, the Wild were skating in one finally generating sustained pressure, Granlund visibly kept reaching for of the most lopsided 1-0 games in memory. pucks instead of getting in the middle of the fray to make a play.

They were that outplayed. It probably didn’t help that Granlund had just watched, in a scoreless game, his linemate, Koivu, get absolutely blown up by Dustin Byfuglien. Yet, amazingly, they were one shot from tying the game because Devan Dubnyk was doing all he could do to keep the Wild in the game. The hard-hitting Roseau native, who also crushed Joel Eriksson Ek in Game 1, caught Koivu with a thunderous check against the boards The Wild just needed to regroup in the intermission and muster up some during a hard-working, shorthanded shift by the captain. save-the-season energy, resilience and execution. BYFUGLIEN HAMMERS KOIVU PIC.TWITTER.COM/UVRTOOJSVV — CJ FOGLER (@CJZERO) APRIL 14, 2018 “I’m all good,” he said before Game 2. “It was a good hit. That’s playoff hockey. I couldn’t really see him coming. It was probably the biggest “It's just there. I’ll take it,” Byfuglien said. “It makes me smile, I guess.” problem for me taking that hit.”

Thankfully, Koivu just popped back up like it was nothing and lived to see Eriksson Ek, who got a three-game playoff taste last season, played a another day. second consecutive strong game Friday night. His line with Foligno and “You’re trying to score and you’re around the net and you know he’s Winnik was the Wild’s best by far. somewhere, but you can’t really think at that point,” Koivu said. “I missed “I think we played the same way, all three of us,” Eriksson Ek said. “Just the first one there with an empty net and, I don’t know, the puck just got tried to skate a lot, get the puck deep behind their D and be responsible away from me. I got another chance and I tried to wrap it around, and he in our own end. I know what to expect from last year. It’s a different kind got me there. of game compared to the regular season, so it helps to have a couple “But I thought it was a clean hit.” games under your belt.”

Finally, in the waning seconds, tempers boiled over when all 10 skaters Dumba gets it, kinda sorta on the ice got into a huge fracas in the Wild end. Byfuglien got into it with In a weird yet comical way, Boudreau compared Dumba to the Incredible Marcus Foligno, Prosser with Joe Morrow and Daniel Winnik was Hulk after Thursday’s practice. confronted by Tanev. “He's not the biggest guy in the world, but he's like, if you've ever read Big mistake there. Winnik beat the daylights out of him. comics, like the Hulk,” Boudreau said. “The madder he got, the better he “I think they’re taking some liberties on us,” Winnik said. “It’s hard for us got. And with Dums, the more he plays, it doesn't seem to tire him, he to defend ourselves. All that stuff at the end, I think it’s kind of a situation gets more into the game.” where maybe the clock should run out, but they kind of start cross- Just in case Dumba was asked about the comment, Boudreau made checking guys, so that’s what’s going to happen. There’s going to be sure to let him in on what he said. scrums. There’s going to be fights.” “It's funny, Bruce caught me in the (hotel) lobby and asked if I had talked That happened with 9.7 seconds left. For some reason, the referees to the media yet, and I kind of brushed it off,” Dumba said. “He tried to didn’t run out that clock and another faceoff occurred. explain to me the whole Hulk thing. I was kind of confused, to be honest. Immediately, Seeler started throwing cross-checks after the puck was I guess by the end of it I kind of got what he was saying. dropped. He was confronted by Ben Chiarot, and the two dropped the “I get it now. It's like the more I play, relative to the more Hulk gets angry, gloves. the more powerful he gets. I got it.”

“It tells me that enough is enough,” Boudreau said. “It's not a series until Etc. you get a hate on for each other and I think that was created toward the end of the game. Not even the fighting, the chirping going on back and Tyler Ennis, scratched nine games in the regular season, was scratched forth. It's a rivalry now.” for a second consecutive game to start the playoffs. … Jets forward Jack Roslovic made his playoff debut with Mathieu Perreault sidelined by an Asked if he wished he saw that anger and fight before the 59:51 mark, upper-body injury. Perreault was checked a lot in Game 1, but it looked Boudreau simmered. like he got hurt on an open-ice hit from Koivu.

“Listen, we’re trying,” he said. “You guys are trying to make it sound like The Athletic’s 3 Stars we’re not trying. They played really good, and they beat us tonight. We’ll be ready on Sunday. Sometimes the other team has the jump and they 1. Dustin Byfuglien, Jets: In a scoreless game, he crushed Mikko Koivu have everything going for them, and they did. I thought Dubnyk was shorthanded and seemed to change the momentum of a tight game. He outstanding. We'll be ready. We’ve got a lot of pride in that room.” finished with an assist and eight hits.

We’ll see. 2. Jack Roslovic, Jets: In his playoff debut, he had two assists.

The Wild were beaten in every way Friday. In the end, the fans were 3. Tyler Myers, Jets: Bounced back from a tough game with a goal and having a big ole party inside Bell MTS Place, even “Hey, Hey, Heying assist and was plus-3 with three shots and three hits. Goodbye” to the Wild at the exact moment Patrik Laine scored a fourth goal to further the Wild’s misery with 2:02 left. Turning point

PATRIK LAINE WITH THAT RIDICULOUS SHOT OF HIS. With the game scoreless in the second period, Tyler Myers wheeled #STANLEYCUPHTTPS://T.CO/NDY772TRFR around a flat-footed Jason Zucker and skated all the way to the bottom of PIC.TWITTER.COM/MAMWP6XZVB the right circle to score the game’s first goal.

— SPORTSNET (@SPORTSNET) APRIL 14, 2018 By the numbers

If the Wild don't discover some semblance of pushback and quality 13 playoff goals from Zach Parise to make him the franchise leader hockey back in St. Paul, these Jets fans won't see another playoff home 2-11 Wild record all-time in Game 2s game for some time. 4 straight 0-2 series deficits for the Wild That’s because right now, it’s men against boys and winning a single game seems like a chore. 0 goals and points in the series for Eric Staal, Nino Niederreiter, Jason Zucker, Charlie Coyle, Matt Dumba and Jared Spurgeon At least the Wild get to go home to lick their wounds. 5-17 Wild playoff record on the road since 2013 “We’ve got to find it now,” Koivu said. “We’ve been strong all year long at home and for sure now it changes in a way that you go home and you got your home crowd going. But that’s not an automatic thing. We’ve got The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 to regroup here now and find the things that we did well, especially in the first game, and analyze the things that we need to do better and just go at it again.

“It’s all about finding that momentum when we go home and build from there.”

Eriksson Ek also survives getting Big Buffed

Two days after getting Big Buffed by Byfuglien, Eriksson Ek said he was just fine. 1091659 Winnipeg Jets “His game was under-appreciated this year,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “He played very, very well for us, didn’t score, and that seemed to draw a lot of the concern, but his game was good.”

LeBrun: Dustin Byfuglien's presence is taking over the series Byfuglien is playing like a man possessed. Like a veteran player who understands that there is no tomorrow. That no matter how bright the future of this loaded Jets team may in fact be, they’ve got a squad that By Pierre LeBrun can win now. Right now. This spring. So let’s go.

Apr 14, 2018 And maybe that’s even more evident for a guy like him who this week enjoyed his first two playoff wins since lifting the Cup in Chicago.

Eight years between playoff wins. WINNIPEG — Rick Dudley isn’t one for smiley faces in his text messages, but it’s about all that was missing Friday night. “That is one of the things I had to say (to his teammates),” Byfuglien said after the game. “It doesn’t come around very often. So enjoy it. While The man who first got to know Dustin Byfuglien as a prospect in Chicago you’re here you might as well give it all you’ve got. You never know what while working in the Blackhawks front office then traded for the hulking could happen.” player in June 2010 as GM of the Atlanta Thrashers. Byfuglien did a lot of shrugging of the shoulders in his media scrum Which, by the way, is where Byfuglien was encouraged to go back to his Friday night. He’s not looking for the media spotlight. Just another day at preferred position on defence after helping the Hawks win a Cup in June the office, he said, not making much of his big hit on Koivu. 2010 as a power winger. “If it’s there, I’ll take it,” he said. “I believed he was a good winger, but a great defenceman,” Dudley said via text message Friday night. “And I also believed he was a very good To his credit, Koivu shook off that massive hit and certainly didn’t team player. I never had a doubt what position he should play.” complain about it after the game. But what a hit. The Wild captain was trying to come from behind the Jets’ net with the puck for a wrap-around Well, let’s be honest, while he’s a great defenceman, Byfuglien finds when suddenly the Buff Train shined its bright lights on him. himself all over the ice, which is part of his effectiveness as far as the other team having no clue what he’s up to nor how to defend against it. “Well, you’re trying to score and you’re around the net and you know he’s somewhere, but you can’t really think at that point,” Koivu said. “I missed On Friday night, Byfuglien nearly tore the roof off Bell MTS Place with a the first one there with an empty net and, I don’t know, the puck just got thunderous bodycheck on Mikko Koivu, which nearly launched the away from me. I got another chance and I tried to wrap it around, and he Minnesota Wild captain back to his native Turku, Finland. got me there. But I thought it was a clean hit.” And there was Byfuglien deep in the Minnesota zone 7:42 into the third The Jets as a team once again imposed themselves physically on the period, setting up Paul Stastny for the back-breaking, 2-0 goal in an Wild. eventual 4-1 Game 2 victory. “We have a game plan, being physical is one of our strong suits,” said Just another day at the office for the 33-year-old Byfuglien, whose Byfuglien. “You know, we just want to play fast, just be on the body. If the presence has overtaken this series early on. And the Wild have zero hits are there, take it; don’t go chasing them. We played a good team answers for him. game and we stuck through it all 60.” “He’s such a presence,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler, a teammate of The man who wears an 'A' on his sweater is dialed in. Which is horrible Big Buff dating back to 2010-11 in Atlanta. “Even if he doesn’t hit a guy news for the Wild and any other team that stands in Winnipeg’s way this like that, going into a corner with him, you know he’s there. It’s tough (for spring. the other team). When he wants the puck, you can’t really do much about it. And when he sees a guy with his head down, he’s had some pretty big Which brings a smile to the face of the man who brought him to this ones. He’s one of those rare guys that their presence alone can dictate organization eight years ago. the flow of the game.” “I am just happy for him because he was always a good kid when he was Mike Babcock referred to Shea Weber during Team Canada’s World Cup a young rookie,” Dudley said. “And now that he’s an established star I do of Hockey training camp in September 2016 as “Man Mountain.” not believe he will ever change.”

Well, they’ve got their Man Mountain West here in Winnipeg. And like Weber, no question there’s an intimidation factor, which is accentuated at this time of year. The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018

“He’s just throwing his body all around the ice and it just gives us so much energy,” said Jets star winger Patrik Laine. “The crowd seems to like it, so we like it, too.”

Stastny, for one, prefers taking passes from Byfuglien as a teammate rather than trying to avoid him as an opponent all those years in St. Louis and Colorado.

“I was always at centre, low and slow, so I never had to go in the corners with him,” Stastny joked Friday night after the Jets took a 2-0 series lead. “No, I think when he’s out there and he’s going in the corners, you’re aware of it and you don’t want to go in first. But at the same time, he plays a smart, positional game. When you play a smart defenceman, they don’t always go for the puck, they use body positioning. So sometimes as forward, if you’re reaching for the puck and you see Buff coming, you don’t want to put yourself in a vulnerable position. A lot of times that’s when he’ll use his body, and then he’s got a long reach to get the puck. Other times, if he has the puck, he kind of throws the puck out at you. A lot of poise in the D-zone, that’s something you notice. Strong on his stick, strong in the corners. If there’s a battle along the wall, more than likely he’s going to win it. If you do win it, you get punished.”

There are some people in these parts that believe Byfuglien is playing his best hockey since that Cup-winning spring in Chicago. And that’s despite a down-year offensively, at least by his standards, with eight goals in 69 games. 1091660 Vancouver Canucks Boeser’s goal-scoring run was thrown off course in an early February game in Tampa where he injured his wrist.

Admittedly, his wrist was never quite the same after, limiting velocity on Boeser’s rapid rise featured defining, magical moments his shot and hampering his one-timer. This week in Minneapolis he had a platelet rich plasma injection in his Jason Botchford wrist and will spend the next four weeks with it immobilized. He’s confident it will be 100 per cent later in the off-season and he expects it to feel better than it has in two years. Brock Boeser’s season started with two healthy scratches (never forget) and ended with a back injury that was frightening for a moment. Boeser has plans to work on both his skating and his shot this summer. If he improves his first three steps, he’ll be able to create more space for In the middle, there were goals. So many goals. Twenty-nine of them in himself. just 62 games. And they completely changed the way we view him. If he improves his shot, Vancouver just may faint from the excitement. It felt like it happened overnight. Boeser rocketed from promising winger to goal-scoring wizard. It was as quickly as any Vancouver athlete has ascended in recent memory. He performed like a star. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.15.2018 But, in professional sports, nothing happens overnight. There were doubts. There were setbacks. There were injuries. And there was one night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. If you’re looking for the beating heart of Boeser’s season, the moment everything changed, it was Nov. 4 against the Stanley Cup champions. Boeser showed up Sidney Crosby and company with a hat trick that felt like it moved the earth. When he scored off the rush with a laser of a wrist shot from the top of the slot for the third goal it seemed like things would never be the same. They weren’t. “I think you’re spot on, I think things did change after that,” Boeser said. “Getting that hat trick early in the season gave me a lot of confidence, a feeling that I could score in this league. “It was against the Stanley Cup champions and it showed me what I could do. It’s really what set the tone going forward.” What happened next was magnificent. Boeser spent more than two months leading the NHL in goals. Remember, there was doubt in the summer whether he’d even start in the NHL, a point driven home for him in a meeting with head coach Travis Green during July’s development camp. “I knew when we talked, I had to put the work in,” Boeser said. “There was speculation they were going to send me down, but I didn’t want to think about that. “I was never worried. Even when they didn’t take me to China I wasn’t worried, because they took such a veteran group. I knew what I had to do was take advantage of the ice time I got back in Vancouver.” If the hat trick was the heart to his season, what happened after Bo Horvat broke a bone in his foot was the soul. The Horvat injury launched the Canucks into a 2-11-2 death spiral they never recovered from. But in the darkness there was light and that was Boeser. He scored eight goals in the first 10 games Horvat missed, launching himself as a favourite in the Calder Trophy race for rookie of the year. There were times he was lucky. But mostly he was lethal. “When you lose a guy like Bo, it’s a dagger to your team,” Boeser said. “Guys need to step up and produce in any way you can. “I felt like I was getting more ice time (he was) and I tried to make the most of the opportunity.” The signature moment on that run was a one-on-one showdown with Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens. In a classic Sedin shift, the twins controlled the puck around the boards and in the corners before Daniel produced a “where-did-that-come-from” forehand pass to Boeser. The Canucks’ super rookie was just outside the slot, 25 feet in front of the net and wide open. Price came charging out of his crease to challenge the shot. He never came close to it, snapping his glove to make the save as the puck was already six feet behind him blasting into the twine. For Vancouver fans who have been without an elite one-shot scorer for years, it was pure bliss. “It felt like I could put anything in at any time,” Boeser said. “It felt like I could score on any goalie at that time. That Price goal was probably the most confident shot I’ve ever had.” 1091661 Websites back on the road again and get the camaraderie back. It makes you feel a little better.”

How does Thornton feel right now? The Athletic / Duhatschek Notebook: Joe Thornton being patient with recovery, as difficult as that is “Much, much better,” he said. “Some days I wake up and it’s a little bit sore. Some days I wake up and it’s great. This morning, I woke up and I had done a lot of work the day before and it felt great. Every day I’m Eric Duhatschek hitting more things that I want to hit, so hopefully it will continue. Just skating with the guys again is a nice indication I’m doing good. I’ve still Apr 13, 2018 14 got a little ways to go, but it’s coming along – coming along good.” One Thornton anecdote ANAHEIM, Calif. — Everyone gathered in the Honda Center press box On the morning we were talking, most of his Sharks’ teammates had Thursday night had to gasp for a brief moment when San Jose Sharks already left the Honda Center, catching the first bus back to the team centre Joe Thornton took to the ice for the pre-game skate before their hotel. Thornton and a few of the extras – Joel Ward, Joakin Ryan — playoff opener against the Anaheim Ducks. Turns out, it was just Joe stayed late to skate, all trudging into the dressing room together being Joe — on the road with his team and wanting to get on the ice for afterward. After we’d spoken about his rehab and his life outside of one more skate, because that’s what Thornton does and that’s what he’s hockey during his lengthy convalescence, Thornton mentioned — to missed the most these past three months, while convalescing from a Sharks’ staff hovering in the area — about the time we went out for serious knee injury he suffered during a January game against the dinner together in Davos, Switzerland during the 2004-05 NHL lockout – Winnipeg Jets. Sharks’ coach Peter DeBoer had ruled out Thornton him, me, Rick Nash and a buddy of his, who was visiting from his earlier in the day and in a long interview with The Athletic following the hometown of St. Thomas, Ont. morning skate, Thornton confirmed that while he was inching toward a return to the lineup, he was not ready to resume an active role on the To that point, I didn’t really know Thornton all that well, so this was the team just yet. first time I ever got a glimpse of his mischievous sense of humor. I’d arrived in time for the Davos practice, but Thornton and Nash had “It’s been three months since the surgery and I’ve only been skating already made plans for that afternoon, so Joe suggested we meet later every day for the past five or six days,” Thornton said. “Obviously, I want for dinner, which would give us lots of time to chat. Sounded like a plan. to come in and help the guys, but I don’t want to come in and be a That night, Thornton pulled up in the car that the team had loaned him for distraction either – me coming in the lineup and then me coming out of his stay – one equipped with a standard transmission, which he’d never the lineup. If I come in, I want to stay in for the full run. That’s my focus – driven before (that was an adventure in and of itself). As we were headed to come back healthy enough that I can play every night, and not just to to a restaurant where they’d become regulars, Thornton advised me to be out there but to be a difference on the ice.” order the house special. Which was? ‘Can’t tell you,’ answered Thornton, ‘but you’ll love it.’ Throughout his 20-year NHL career, even dating back to the early years in Boston, Thornton has played through injuries in the playoffs when the In a situation like that, where players are going out of their way to make wiser course of action might have been to sit out. Last year, for example, time for you, you want to be as agreeable as possible — but that moment he injured his left knee near the end of the regular season in a game also had hockey-player-prank written all over it. Inside the restaurant, against the Vancouver Canucks but came back to play two weeks later when the server came by with menus, Thornton pointed to me and said, for the Sharks in Game 3 of their first-round series with the Edmonton ‘he’ll have the special.’ I (reasonably) asked: ‘Can you at least tell me Oilers. Thornton got into four games in all, earned two assists, and then about the special?’ Turns out, it was ground horsemeat in a ragu-style after the Oilers won in six, Thornton underwent major reconstructive sauce. Needless to say, I passed — and opted for something more surgery to repair both the ACL and MCL ligaments in his left knee. At the conventional. Presumably, Thornton tried that gag on others who were time, he characterized the injury as “the normal stuff that hockey players passing through Davos. Did it ever work? Apparently not, but it didn’t deal with.” Uh huh. stop him from trying. As we wrapped up, Thornton explained to everyone within earshot: ‘He didn’t want to leave’ – and he got that right. Of course, Generally, showing patience with the recovery process runs against Thornton fell in love with Davos too, met his future wife during his time in Thornton’s DNA. But this time around, the rehab was far more difficult Switzerland and they spend time there every summer. I’ve long believed than anything he’s experienced before. that when Thornton’s NHL career ends – he turns 39 on July 2 – that he’ll eventually finish up his career by playing a year or two in Switzerland. He “By far,” acknowledged Thornton. “I enjoy working out, but this was so will be one of those players who will have a difficult time weaning himself much different. There’s so much involved in the rehab. I’d be at the rink away from the game. for three hours in the morning. Then I’d go off site to another rehab person. Then I’d go home and there’s so much more to do at home, with Over time, I came to appreciate just how much fun there was to be had in all the units they give you to do at home. So, you’re constantly working at the world of Jumbo Joe Thornton. He worked when it was time to work. it. And it’s draining some days but you’ve got to do it. He didn’t take life too seriously when it was time to play. San Jose’s culture is like that. Thornton and Brent Burns can play with those ZZ Top “Then you throw the two kids in there. They’re seven and four. They don’t style beards and as long as they get the work done on the ice, nobody want to sit and watch daddy ice his knee. My little guy thinks he’s a race cares if they haven’t run a razor across their face in years. car, so I can finally run with him a little now, which is a huge thing for him. I was thinking about that again Thursday night, after Evander Kane “This week, my little girl is off for spring break, which is a lot of fun. That’s celebrated his NHL playoff debut by scoring twice in a convincing 3-0 the only good part – that I can finally be there on a Saturday morning so I Sharks’ win over the Ducks. Kane has been a good fit with the Sharks. In can go to T-ball. Where I wouldn’t have been able to do that when I was 17 regular season games, he scored nine goals and added five assists. on the road. That’s the one positive in this whole thing – and there’s only Currently, he is playing on the top line with captain Joe Pavelski and one.” Joonas Donskoi. In Thornton’s absence, Pavelski has shifted back to In all, Thornton missed the final 35 games of the regular season, which center and hasn’t missed a beat. left him at 1,493 career games played. Only 18 players in NHL history My fashion sense is mired in Brooks Brothers blue, but Burns emerged have ever played 1,500 – and the most recent to achieve that milestone post-game Thursday, resplendent in a purple suit that looked as if it were was his former Sharks’ teammate Patrick Marleau, who did it earlier this part tuxedo and part smoking jacket. Burns is a charmer – though year, playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. unexpectedly shy by nature. He was asked about Kane’s contributions to Thornton joined the Sharks for their final regular-season road game the Sharks since joining the team from Buffalo and he made two March 31 in Las Vegas, so he could be part of a team dinner they had pertinent observations, one about Kane specifically and one about the planned for the night before the game. Of all the things Thornton missed larger context of what the Sharks are all about. during his absence, the chance to be on the road, around his teammates, Unlike some NHL teams, the Sharks don’t insist on a cookie-cutter was near the top of his list. uniformity, and that allows the larger personalities – like Thornton, like “Because I’ve been relatively healthy my whole career, you don’t realize Burns, like Kane – to flourish. It wouldn’t work for every team, but it does how much you miss the guys and the fellowship when they go on the seem to work for theirs. road,” Thornton said. “I didn’t go on the road for 60 days or so because I “We’ve got a group, with a lot of different personalities in here,” explained was just focused on getting better – and that’s tough. I haven’t probably Burns. “It doesn’t have to be the same personality every time. We enjoy slept in the same bed like that since I was about 16 years old. I’m that. You’re all across the board with the guys in our room. We all love accustomed to going out on the road – and I missed that. It’s nice to be the game. We all love having fun at the rink. We all work and he (Kane) fits in perfect with that. I mean, he’s shown nothing but great work, not only on the game days but look what he does out there. “Great suits too,” added Burns, after a short pause. “He’s bringing a good suit game to the team. He’s got some good style.” Since Burns brought it up, I had to ask: How does he select his wardrobe on any given night? “I turn off the lights and pick a hanger,” he replied. Gold. The Sharks have only missed the playoffs once in the past 14 years – that was 2014-15, at which point they made a coaching change and brought in DeBoer. DeBoer got them to the final in 2016, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the closest most of these Sharks players have gotten to winning a Stanley Cup championship. But Burns says they take nothing for granted when it comes to qualifying for postseason play. “People take it for granted, but it’s a hard thing to do,” he said. “Every year is so different. It’s such a long grind. It doesn’t say anything about the individual. It’s hard for the team to do it. So it’s awesome. You see a guy (Kane) who’s grinded a lot, who plays a hard game, whose been working a long time. He’s a great player individually. That doesn’t take it away from it. There’s a lot of things that have to go right (to make the playoffs). That’s a big goal for every team. “I think hockey’s different from a lot of other sports – where you can say ‘this team is going to make it’ or ‘this team is going to go on a long run.’ In hockey, now there are 31 teams and they all feel good about their chances at the start of the year. It’s a crazy sport. It’s hard – and the difference is so small. It’s a fun time … the best time of year. The energy. The crowd. The light shows. It’s a great time to play.” And finally The Ducks essentially lost the opener against the Sharks by giving up a five-on-three second-period power-play goal, which broke a scoreless tie and ended up being the game winner, after Martin Jones posted the shutout in goal for San Jose. Andrew Cogliano and Ryan Getzlaf were in the penalty box, both of them serving slashing penalties incurred 17 seconds apart. The Ducks have a reputation for being undisciplined and it caught up to them in the opener. They played a man short 274 times this past season – only Nashville, Dallas and Vancouver incurred more minor penalties – and while their success rate was high (83. 2 per cent efficiency, good for fifth in the league), San Jose plays it completely different. The Sharks were one of the least penalized teams (224 times short), one of the most effective at killing penalties (84.8 per cent) and thus surrendered a league low 34 power-play goals against (the Kings were next best, at 39; Anaheim gave up 46; and Montreal was the worst in the league at 68 power-play goals against). DeBoer noted that playing a disciplined brand of hockey was critical to their success and his Ducks’ counterpart Randy Carlyle suggested it was Anaheim’s inability to stay out of the penalty box that primarily cost them the opening game of the series. According to Carlyle, “we just didn’t seem to have our legs, our hands or our minds tonight. Three checks from our standpoint. We didn’t execute with the puck, we didn’t show any aggressiveness in our skating game and we showed we were weak mentally from the standpoint of undisciplined acts we committed.” Cogliano echoed those comments, noting how the Ducks could learn from the way the Sharks carried themselves in the game. “They played how you’re supposed to play in the playoffs. They played patient and they played the right way. When you get chances, you have to score on them. You execute the game plan. They did that. It seemed like we were stuck in the regular season, trying to make plays in the neutral zone or turning pucks over. They just executed a lot better than we did.” The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091662 Websites Fleury lets out a big scream as he fell for his roommate’s prank, getting an electric shock as soon as he opened the book.

Bergevin, who was known as the biggest prankster of his era, had his The Athletic / Like Pittsburgh before it, Las Vegas has fallen under the latest victim. So it is perhaps no coincidence that 15 years later, Golden charm of Marc-André Fleury Knights coach Gerard Gallant sees a similarity between his goalie and the current general manager of the Montreal Canadiens. Marc Antoine Godin “A guy that I played with was actually Marc Bergevin. He had a personality like Marc-André,” Gallant said. “Because Marc-André comes Apr 14, 2018 14 and enjoys every day, he smiles every day and makes guys laugh every day. For a 33-year old veteran goalie with all that Stanley Cup experience and his Stanley Cups, he just enjoys the game and he’s a good person.” LAS VEGAS – George McPhee had a guiding principle for the Vegas Golden Knights, but he gave up on the idea just a few days into the Over the years, it is Fleury that has become the biggest prankster of his expansion franchise’s first season. era. How better to welcome a new teammate, for example, than to soak his clothes before practice, freeze them and hang them back up just “We’d like the logo to be the face of our franchise,” the Golden Knights before he needs to get dressed? general manager said after three games of this inaugural season, “but it’s quickly becoming Marc-André Fleury.” It is part of Fleury’s charm, part of what makes him so loveable. But that has it’s roots elsewhere. McPhee didn’t know then how right he was; six months later, sports merchandise company Fanatics confirms that Golden Knights branded “I think it starts with his smile,” said forward James Neal, his current and material is the best-selling in the NHL, and that they have sold Fleury’s former teammate with the Penguins. No. 29 jersey more than any other player’s in the league since New Year’s Day. It is the awkward smile of a goalie who, after 13 seasons in the NHL, has never become fully comfortable in front of the camera. It is also the sly The goalie who had been reduced to a backup role behind Matt Murray grin of a guy waiting to pounce on a teammate around a corner. And and was exposed in the expansion draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins is even the smile of a guy marveling at the work of the opposing goalie, as bigger than ever. Fleury did Friday after he watched from about 180 feet away as Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick made 54 saves in a 2-1 Golden “It’s incredible, let's not kid ourselves,” said forward Pierre-Édouard Knights win in double overtime, giving them a 2-0 series lead heading to Bellemare. “We came to a city where no one knew who we were, where L.A. for Game 3. people were trying to get to know the players. But there is one player that everyone knows, and that’s Marc. He came and he’s delivering. He gets “I was just laughing, he was making saves that were just so…” Fleury the job done every night, and every night he lifts the crowd out of their said without finishing his thought. seats. It takes a certain personality type to be able to act this way in the “It’s perfectly normal, the dude’s got charisma.” playoffs. It is the sign of a player who never wants to take himself too seriously and has always cherished every moment of his career; playing Fleury does not seek out the spotlight, but that didn’t stop him from hockey, playing pranks, playing like a child at all times. becoming one of the most beloved players in Penguins history. When he returned to Pittsburgh on Feb. 6, our colleague Josh Yohe of The Athletic He was like this in Pittsburgh, he is like this in Las Vegas. Pittsburgh wrote that Fleury is, “universally regarded as one of the greatest teammates and people to ever wear a Penguins sweater.” Last fall, before the Golden Knights even began their first training camp, Fleury was taking part in an informal skate at the team’s practice facility The difference is that in Las Vegas, there was no Sidney Crosby or in suburban Summerlin. Once he was done he decided to go over to the Evgeni Malkin, especially at the beginning. The focal point was clearly other rink, where a bunch of kids were skating, and joined in. going to be Fleury. Just like that, for the fun of it. “He’s been a high profile player and comfortable in that space previously, and I don’t think there’s another player on the roster that’s “Kids love the game so much, they just want to play to have fun,” Fleury been previously loved by his teammates as much as Marc,” Fleury’s said. “If I can do something that will make them want to keep agent Allan Walsh said. “So he comes in and he’s got the chops, he’s got playing…hockey has given me so much in my life. It’s just to make them the pedigree of the Stanley Cups. His new teammates looked up to him laugh, have some fun and later they can say they scored a goal against quickly. And with the same kind of pranks and the chirping at practice, an NHL goalie.” they quickly realized how much fun you could have with this guy. Fleury’s enthusiasm for the game is as obvious as it is contagious. You “And when local media is around, Marc is the guy everybody gravitates can even see it in the pregame warmup. While most goalies who are towards and that finds its way in the consciousness of the local hockey playing that night are the first ones to leave the ice, Fleury always waits community.” for the buzzer. Sometimes, he’s the last one off. The Golden Knights knew exactly what kind of player they were bringing “It’s much better than sitting in here doing nothing for 20 minutes,” he in and were perfectly comfortable making Fleury the centerpiece of the said, laughing. culture they were trying to establish. It’s easy to see, therefore, that after missing two months at the start of “He’s easy to like,” said Pascal Dupuis, Fleury’s former teammate with the season with a concussion Fleury was like a kid on Christmas morning the Penguins. “We always see nice stories of people who have had some when he finally got back to practice. success, but sometimes they aren’t great people and so they aren’t loved as much by the public, their teammates or their team. He had success, There is something a bit conflicting to see an athlete who is not seeking and people watched him and loved him. the spotlight but who becomes a fan favorite because of a goaltending style based on agility and reflexes. It is a style tailor-made for a city “But above all else, he’s a good person.” where entertainment is paramount. To better understand the development of Marc-André Fleury, both on and Amid the crazy atmosphere of the first playoff game in Golden Knights off the ice, we need to go back 15 years. history on Wednesday, there was a little play that Fleury made in the second period that attracted a lot of attention. He stopped a shot from Imagine him sitting on his bed, half-watching TV. Life in the luxury hotels Adrian Kempe with his blocker and, in an attempt to force a whistle, of the NHL is still new to the 18-year-old Penguins rookie. batted the puck in the air twice with his stick so he could grab it with his glove. The crowd ate it up. Suddenly his roommate arrives, veteran defenceman Marc Bergevin, with a book in his hands. He puts it on the night table separating their two “He knows how to put on a show and the fans like that,” said forward beds and demands the remote control from the young goalie, invoking David Perron, another Golden Knights teammate who also played with his veteran privilege. As Bergevin is flipping through the channels, Fleury Fleury in Pittsburgh. “He juggled the puck a little bit with his stick on a realizes that the book his teammate brought with him is called The Joys routine save and it got him an ovation. But there are other times he of Sex. makes an incredible save look easy and people don’t even notice.” Bergevin gets up to go to the bathroom, closes the door behind him and Fleury had some excellent teams in front of him in Pittsburgh, teams that Fleury takes the bait. He grabs the book and is shocked. Literally. made his life easier. But, at 33 years of age, it is in Las Vegas that he had his best career season, both statistically and in terms of the consistency of his excellent play. Pascal Dupuis is not the least bit surprised. “He has things to prove to himself, to the NHL and even to the Penguins, who might have let the better goalie go,” he said. “Matt Murray is an excellent goalie, no doubt, but Marc-André has the experience. And he has an organization that has an enormous amount of faith in him and fans who look at him as their star. He has everything in place to succeed.” The people in Las Vegas believed in Fleury as soon as he was selected in the expansion draft, immediately recognizing his authenticity and the quality of his play. The most grandiose manifestation of that – the most typically Vegas – is currently on display at the Bellagio Hotel, where the house patisserie built a sculpture in Fleury’s image made primarily of chocolate and Rice Krispies. Fleury joked that he hoped, in the interest of realism, that the sculpture would have big teeth. He went by to check it out on Thursday. “At the Bellagio patisserie we have always wanted to do some type of presentation and I was talking to our pastry chef at the Bellagio and our team and I said we should really do something to celebrate the success of the Vegas Golden Knights, their season,” said Randy Morton, president and chief operating officer of the hotel. “We wanted to find something really fun but iconic, and I said, well, we should really celebrate the success of Marc-André Fleury – over 400 wins, sort of the face of the team – and this would be a great way to create a Marc-André Fleury in chocolate. And I said it had to be some kind of life size.” The result is not necessarily appetizing, but it is impressive. Morton is a passionate hockey fan who grew up in Peterborough, Ont., and played some of his minor hockey with former Chicago Blackhawks great Steve Larmer. Among the 50-odd Las Vegas business people mandated by Golden Knights owner Bill Foley to help sell season tickets before the team was awarded, it was Morton that brought in the most buyers. In his eyes, it made perfect sense that Fleury be celebrated this way. But it is every part of the marriage between Fleury and the Golden Knights that makes perfect sense. The quality of the players available in the expansion draft has been cited as a reason for the team’s success, but in Fleury’s case it goes further than that. More than the perfect player, he was the perfect person to serve as a cornerstone of the franchise. The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091663 Websites incidents, this is a severe but just punishment for a top player who had 32 goals during the regular season and 19 power play points.

If the Leafs lose this series, they’ll point to the Kadri suspension, but the The Athletic / Burnside: Player Safety head George Parros has held focus should be on the play that led to the suspension. That’s on the strong in difficult start to playoffs player not on those who handed down the suspension. Subtle but important distinction. Scott Burnside The feeling has always been that top players get more leeway for their behavior than the rank and file or lower class citizen, but kudos to Parros Apr 14, 2018 73 for judging the act and the player’s history, and not the potential impact of the suspension of both Doughty and Kadri, whose boss happens to be Shanahan, who at one point held the same post. NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – At various times over the years, the head The past three days have presented a handful of incidents that required of the NHL’s Department of Player Safety has been a favorite personal scrutiny from Parros and his staff, similar to the opening days of the 2012 whipping boy and I have repeatedly opined that, if we were in charge (oh, playoffs when there were multiple questionable hits and incidents, wouldn’t that be a glorious day?) that we’d be like Judge Roy Bean, including the infamous image of Shea Weber ramming Henrik hardest law west of the Pecos. Zetterberg’s head off the end glass at the end of a Nashville-Detroit game. Weber escaped with a minor penalty and a $2,500 fine. Didn’t matter if it was Colin Campbell or Brendan Shanahan or Stephane Quintal. The often whimsical sometimes haphazard manner in which Similar dynamics this week as the Blue Jackets' Josh Anderson was supplemental discipline was meted out often enraged us until, sadly, we ejected from Thursday’s game against Washington for ramming Michal became inured to it. Kempny into the end boards. Kempny is questionable for Sunday’s Game 2 but there was no further discipline. Shot to the head? Cross-check to the back into the boards? Maybe a fine, maybe a game, maybe more, maybe not. No rhyme nor reason to In the same game, the Capitals' Tom Wilson, suspended for the start of any of it, so the energy expended in being enraged just seemed so ill- the regular season for a boarding incident, sent Alexander Wennberg spent. from the game with a hard hit, which the otherwise occupied Wennberg never saw coming. But I have to admit, I had very high hopes when longtime tough guy George Parros assumed the role as the Lord of Discipline this season. In my eyes, it should have been a suspension without question. The league did not agree. Cerebral and firm, Parros didn’t necessarily set the discipline world on its ear, but he did deliver meaningful punishment to the most egregious And in Nashville late in the second period of Game 1, Ryan Johansen, a actions. player with no history of supplemental discipline, caught Colorado defenseman Tyson Barrie with an elbow to the head in the Predators’ And even if he did whiff a couple of times – how Brad Marchand escaped zone that went uncalled. Barrie wasn’t injured, but he offered the same punishment for a late-season cross-check to the head of Philadelphia’s kinds of questions Friday that fans and players often ask: What’s Andrew MacDonald is a red mark on Parros’ record given Marchand’s acceptable? Where is the line? shocking inability to learn from his mistakes – Parros is suddenly front and center in the opening hours of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. “I didn’t like the hit for sure,” Barrie said. “I didn’t see him at all coming and I thought he maybe got the head a little bit, but the league’s And lo and behold, we are seeing a little Judge Roy Bean in the obviously decided to take no action. That’s their call.” Princeton University attendee, which warms our hearts. Asked about the Doughty hit, Barrie said, “I don’t see a whole lot of It’s not where Parros wants to be and certainly not where the league difference, but I’m not the one making the call, so it’s kind of irrelevant.” wants the focus given the compelling storylines that exist from coast to coast. But given a plethora of miscreant behavior through the opening Frustrating? days of the 2018 playoff season, the spotlight is once again on the DOP. “If those are the hits you’re allowed to take, then maybe you maybe take It’s important work and it’s wildly complicated with layers of texture that one or two runs at guys that you might get away with, but I think you just sometimes make finding the right answer difficult. got to move on,” Barrie said. And it hasn’t been perfect. But with word late Friday that Toronto forward In short, these are important moments for Parros who took on the role as Nazem Kadri was suspended for three games for a nasty hit on a head of the Department of Player Safety in September. defenseless Tommy Wingels in the opening game of the Boston-Toronto series, Parros and his group have set a lofty standard. It was a move that immediately drew derision from some observers given that Parros was one of the toughest players in the NHL and accumulated The Kadri suspension came after Parros began the postseason in strong 1,092 penalty minutes in 474 regular season games, scoring 18 times fashion, suspending Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty for a game and adding 18 assists over that period of time. for an uncalled hit to the head of Las Vegas forward William Carrier midway through the third period of a game the Golden Knights would go You know what? I couldn't care less about how he conducted himself on on to win 1-0 on the opening night of the playoffs. the ice as a player (he was never suspended) if he does this job properly. The challenge of finding an appropriate level of discipline during the Now we’re about to find out if he has the stomach to do just that. So far, postseason is in accepting that the games are exponentially more the answer is yes. Reckless play that endangers other players should meaningful. And frankly, it’s easier to fine players at this stage of the always be greeted with a relentless reaction from the league. Spare the season than to suspend them because missing even one game, as rod and all that. Doughty did for the Kings' overtime loss in Game 2, can have significant implications. But the challenge, similar to being a player, is not what you did today but what you do tomorrow. And that’s always been the challenge for the men Doughty is an all-world player, but he let his emotions get the better of who have had the temerity to accept the role Parros now occupies. him on the hit, which saw Carrier left the game and was listed as day-to- day, but played Friday night as Vegas took a 2-0 series lead. We would offer only this: Stay strong and keep bringing the law west of the Pecos. Had there been a call on the ice against Doughty, perhaps Parros doesn’t have to step in. But step in he did. The Athletic LOADED: 04.15.2018 He did so again in an even more emphatic manner with the Kadri suspension. The agitating Toronto forward was ejected from the Leafs-Bruins game midway through the third period with Boston holding a 4-1 lead. Kadri leaped into the boards and caught Wingels in the head with his hip and body after Wingels had made a questionable hit moments before on Mitch Marner. If the potential to go down 0-2 was daunting for the Kings without Doughty, imagine now the hole that Kadri has put his team in with his reckless play? Suspended three previous times for head-hunting 1091664 Websites Andersen pulled after five shots on Saturday and still don’t have a goal in this series from the Matthews line.

Oh, and they’ll also be without suspended shutdown centre Nazem Kadri Sportsnet.ca / Leafs shoot selves in foot in redemption shot against for Games 3 and 4 and lost Leo Komarov with a lower-body injury in the Bruins second period of Game 2. The depth is being test. “We can get ourselves on track,” Babcock insisted. Chris Johnston While they managed some much better offensive pushes on Saturday, April 14, 2018, 11:14 PM they at times looked like someone trying to plug 12 holes in a bucket with 10 fingers. It got pretty messy.

“We were outplayed for two games,” said Hainsey. “Certainly I think if BOSTON – A couple minutes before the hats came flying down, Jake you add it up, 12-4 or whatever it is over six periods, we deserve every Gardiner smashed his stick over the crossbar. “The whole game was bit of criticism far and wide. The good news is the story’s not totally frustrating and it kind of just built-up at the end there,” he said. David written yet. We can try to change the story come Monday night.” Pastrnak and the Boston Bruins still had more pain to inflict. How’s this for a story? The Leafs played 82 games this season without Along with Nikita Zaitsev, he’d been handed the dossier to the toughest losing one of them by four goals. The scores here in Boston were 5-1 assignment in hockey right now: Trying to do something, anything, to and 7-3. neutralize Pastrnak’s flash while dealing with the relentless puck pursuit of linemates Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. They’ve dug an awfully deep hole. It didn’t go well. In fact, this was an outright disaster for a Toronto Maple Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.15.2018 Leafs team that went from the high of a 105-point season to staring down the barrel of an early spring exit inside 72 hours. Zaitsev was on the ice for four goals inside a 10-minute stretch during the first period. One banked off his left skate, another saw him lose positioning during a penalty kill and a third came when he shaded Marchand so closely that he skated right out of the picture. He was given six shifts inside that window and four ended with the foghorn blaring through TD Garden. “They scored four quick goals. The game was over,” said Zaitsev. It wasn’t all on him. The Leafs showed some early push in the second period, and Mitch Marner planted some seeds for an unlikely comeback by getting it back to 4-1, and then Ron Hainsey tossed the puck into a cluster of three Bruins in the neutral zone. He was attempting to find Auston Matthews with a home run, but it landed on David Krejci’s blade instead. The Czech danced towards the Toronto zone and expertly spread the defenders, feeding Bergeron with a 10-foot pass before he drove towards the slot while Bergeron went cross- seam to Pastrnak, who found him for an easy tip-in. “That’s kind of the definition of forcing something that’s not there,” Hainsey said of his decision-making on the breakout. “There was nobody on the wing there so I tried to squeeze one in to Matty. Probably not a play you’d make in a tie game in overtime. I could have iced it or I could have tried to get it to our best player – didn’t work.” Gardiner was skating through the neutral zone in the third period when Marchand got just enough of a stick on him to disrupt his control of the puck. Pastrnak poked it forward and wound up scoring after Marchand shot wide on a breakaway but Bergeron beat two Leafs backcheckers with a quick dish to his tape. That’s when Gardiner smashed his CCM composite into two pieces. Toronto was detailed to death over the opening two games here. We can talk all we want about what kind of matchups Babcock might concoct to slow down Bergeron’s buzzsaws with the last line change at Air Canada Centre, but it won’t matter a lick if the players in blue and white don’t protect the puck. The Bruins top line has combined for 20 points. In two games! Toronto could barely execute a zone exit with them on the ice in Game 1 – prompting Babcock to switch from Hainsey and Morgan Rielly to the Gardiner-Zaitsev pairing to start Game 2 – and then they inflicted most of their considerable damage in transition while spending less time on the cycle. “They’re confident, they’re making plays, they’re putting it in the net,” said Hainsey. “We’ve got to keep them out of our zone and when they do get there we’ve got to outnumber them. They’re making plays in tight and getting chances close in front of the net.” No wonder Babcock, when asked if he’s worried about the psyche of his team, replied: “Absolutely, 100 per cent.” He’s maintained that his defence corps is much stouter this season than given credit by outsiders, but that notion has been stretched to its limit here. There is no graver concern for the Leafs as they try to regroup before Monday, and that’s saying something given that they’ve surrendered five goals on the penalty kill and saw starting goalie Frederik 1091665 Websites the size of Staal, Wheeler, Byfuglien and Charlie Coyle be able to skate fast enough to keep pace?

It’s great to be built for the playoffs. But not if you don’t get there. Sportsnet.ca / Big, physical hockey as important as ever in Stanley Cup Playoffs “There’s a lot more board work in the playoffs,” said Boudreau. “It’s not rush against rush, so a big man and a strong man has to be good along the boards.” Mark Spector We’ll give the last word to Maurice, whose team has poured 40 shots per April 14, 2018, 4:34 PM game at Minnesota, while the Wild have just 37 shots on goal in the series.

In 2018, is my old scout still correct? Does big and good beat small and ST. PAUL, Minnesota — “Big and good beats small and good,” the old good? hockey scout said. “Every time.” “I don’t think you have a whole team of one,” Maurice surmised. “We We all have these maxims in the back of our heads, whatever our don’t talk about hitting in our room. We don’t talk about playing a physical vocation. The bricks and mortar of a career collected over the years, one game. We have men that finish their checks. piece of advice at a time. “They’re big and that’s part of who they are.” Measure twice, cut once. If you’re not five minutes early you’re five minutes late. Or this old gem from one of our favourites, former Winnipeg Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.15.2018 Jets coach Tommy McVie: “There are two places you never make a drop pass,” McVie will tell you. “At home, and on the road.” Livestream every single game of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs— blackout free—plus the , key Raptors & NBA Playoffs matchups and the 100th Mastercard Memorial Cup, all in one subscription. Of course, some of these are time sensitive. Today, we like drop passes more than Toe Blake did back in the . Others, as the big, good Winnipeg Jets pound their way through this first round series against Minnesota, appear to withstand the test of time. Does big and good still beat small and good? Even in today’s National Hockey League? “I’ve always had big teams and we’ve always made the playoffs,” said Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau. “I think it’s a good thing to have a big team.” The game has reached an awkward place, and we’re seeing it played out in Round 1 across the NHL, where hits totals after each game come in at double the number we see in the regular season. Regular season hockey is becoming less physical by the season, as the “blow-up hit” becomes a thing of the past for a myriad of reasons: the increasing speed of the game; concussions; today’s salaries, and the role of the Player Safety Department. Yet when the games really count in April, May and June, the physical ante gets raised. At this time of year, it’s good to be big again. “Well, fast is still primary,” began Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “We’d all prefer six-foot-five and could skate like Nik Ehlers, but you can be five- foot-11, 170 pounds (now), and if you can skate you can play. So, it’s speed first, (but) if you can get a big man that can move, there’s only one or two more pieces left before he’s an All Star.” A year ago the Edmonton Oilers beefed up with players like Pat Maroon, Milan Lucic and Zack Kassian, and went two rounds deep. This season things went wrong, and the Oilers are deemed two big and slow. They didn’t make it through the regular season to the playoffs, where they could use that size. Winnipeg, meanwhile is every bit as big or bigger than Edmonton was, and they are a terror with their mix of speed and size. Big, strong players like 260-pound Dustin Byfuglien and 6-foot-5 Blake Wheeler, a giant of a man who spins on a dime coming out of the corner like a guy half his size. Puck protection is in vogue, and there isn’t a theory alive that would understate size and strength in that game. And watching the Jets dominate a team like Minnesota — which is by no means small — it’s a combination of size and speed that the Wild just can not handle thus far. “Whether you’re small or big, you have to be on the puck. Force their team to make plays they don’t wan’t to make,” said young Jets centreman Adam Lowry, an absolute stud at six-foot-5, 210 pounds, who has checked Eric Staal into oblivion through two games. “It certainly helps to have a captain (Wheeler) who is 6-5 and can really fly, and your No. 1 centreman (Mark Scheifele) is 6-3. Guys with size, but who can play.” The question becomes, as the changing game open its doors to smaller, faster players like Jared Spurgeon or the lightning fast Ehlers, will players 1091666 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Donato on playoff debut: 'These are the types of games you dream about'

Sonny Sachdeva April 14, 2018, 7:29 PM

It would be tough to draw up an NHL debut sweeter than the one enjoyed by Boston Bruins rookie Ryan Donato. After dominating in the NCAA to the tune of the fourth-best points-per-game pace in the country, Donato made the jump to the big leagues on March 19, finishing the night with a game-leading three points and his first NHL tally. Now, after a closing stretch that saw him put up five goals and nine points through his only 12 games in the NHL, Donato appears close to getting his first taste of playoff hockey. The 22-year-old will draw into Game 2 on Saturday night if it’s determined Tommy Wingels isn’t able to go—Wingels was knocked out of Game 1 by a controversial hit from Nazem Kadri, earning the latter a three-game suspension. It’s safe to say the young gun is excited for the chance. “Super excited,” he told reporters Saturday. “I mean, growing up as a kid in Boston, these are the types of games that you dream about playing in. The Stanley Cup Playoffs. I’m just blessed to potentially have the opportunity to do so.” "Super excited. Growing up as a kid in Boston these are the types of games you dream about playing in." Ryan Donato on the possibility of making his postseason debut tonight: pic.twitter.com/nIBd16WMnr — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 14, 2018 Donato said he got some advice from veteran teammate David Backes— who’s got 56 career post-season tilts under his belt—about what to expect should he get the call. “He talked to me today,” Donato said. “He said, ‘If you can go in, there’s a lot of things about the game that you’re going to have to learn and take yourself, but here are some lessons that I learned in my experiences, and hopefully you can use those to have a positive impact on the team and our game.'” Watching from the press box as a healthy scratch during Game 1, he got as good a look as one can get of the ramped-up speed and physicality that the post-season brings. But that might not go too far when it comes to actually taking the ice. “I mean, there’s a lot of speed, there’s a lot of intensity,” Donato said. “There’s not much going on other than smart plays and staying consistent, so I think for me, if I have the chance to go in, it’s just going to be a consistent game and hopefully I can contribute offensively.” Boston took the Leafs to task in the first installment of the two clubs’ first- round series, emerging with a 5-1 win. With Donato having ranked as the Bruins’ second-highest goal-scorer and third-highest scorer overall during his time in the lineup, a return to the lineup for the Boston native won’t make things any easier for Toronto in Game 2. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091667 Websites losing to them. A lot of emotions. And then a few days later, I’m going to Vegas.

"It’s really hard to explain the emotions and the life changes and Sportsnet.ca / Vegas' James Neal feels at his best for playoffs: 'It's everything that goes on. But everything happens for a reason. You have perfect timing' to look at the positives. You do yourself no good if you’re looking at the past and being mad at people and asking: ‘Why did they do that?’ You just go and prove yourself. It happened and you have a chance to go and Iain MacIntyre do something great in Vegas. And, man, has it been unbelievable." April 14, 2018, 3:35 PM In 71 games this season, Neal had 25 goals and 44 points, eclipsing the 20-goal mark for the 10th time in 10 NHL seasons. On an expiring contract, Neal’s potential trade value as a rental was part of the reason the Golden Knights claimed him. LAS VEGAS – It is an exaggeration to say James Neal waited seven years to make the pass that helped the Vegas Golden Knights win their But when the team smashed all expansion records on its way to a 51-win first overtime playoff game very late on Friday night. It took him only season and helped unite and heal Las Vegans in the wake of the Oct. 1 seven months. mass murder of 58 concert-goers, Golden Knights general manager George McPhee changed his playbook and kept Neal and David Perron, The 30-year-old winger spent all of this season recovering, while playing, another impending unrestricted free agent, at the trade deadline. from surgery last summer to repair his right hand, which was broken in last year’s playoffs with the Nashville Predators. "Everyone was writing us off, like we wouldn’t win a game," Neal said. "I knew that wasn’t going to be the case, especially when you have a goalie Selected by Vegas in the expansion draft just 10 days after the Predators like (Fleury). I think everyone was here to start a new chapter. Everyone lost the Stanley Cup Final to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Neal spent all of was playing for each other and the coaching staff was a perfect fit for our September on the and was unable to play a pre-season game. group. Despite not being expected to be ready for the Golden Knights’ first "I try to bring my game wherever I go and try to make that team better. I game in the NHL, Neal not only forced his way into the lineup last Oct. 6 want to win. The first thing I said to (Golden Knights owner) Bill Foley but scored the first two goals in franchise history as Vegas beat the when I got here was: ‘We’re going to be competitive and I expect us to be Dallas Stars 2-1 in an historic debut. in the playoffs.’" Neal then scored game-winners in the Golden Knights’ next two games, They expect a lot more now. too. After one week, he had six goals in four games and looked like he’d win the Rocket Richard Trophy. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.15.2018 But Neal, who didn’t even handle the puck in practice until the final week of the pre-season, said it took all season for him to fully regain strength in his right hand, which suffered a setback when he fell on it in February and missed eight games. "So right now," he said Friday morning when asked when his hand finally felt right. "It’s perfect timing." Livestream every single game of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs— blackout free—plus the Toronto Blue Jays, key Raptors & NBA Playoffs matchups and the 100th Mastercard Memorial Cup, all in one subscription. Yes, it is. Ninety-five minutes into Friday’s double-overtime game against the Los Angeles Kings, Neal carried the puck across the blue line, veered left to draw defenceman Kevin Gravel a step out of position, then feathered a pass back to his right and into the path of streaking linemate Erik Haula. Haula beat Kings goalie Jonathan Quick with a forehand move between the pads, then leapt into Neal’s arms as a record, overflow crowd of 18,588 at T-Mobile Arena went wild. It was the first point of the playoffs for Neal, who scored only once in his final 12 regular-season games after returning to the Vegas lineup on March 16. But he had 11 shots on goal on Friday. In 95:23, the entire Kings team had 30. A couple of his shots were weak , perhaps an indication Neal’s top hand still betrays him at times. But he was a force, especially in overtime. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury became the first face of the Knights franchise on expansion draft day last June, but Neal, a warrior who has made the playoffs the last seven years, is a big part of Vegas’ heart. "I feel like I suit the playoffs," Neal said before the Knights, up 2-0 on the Kings in their first-round series, travelled to Los Angeles for Sunday night’s Game 3. "I can play physical, I can score, you can play on the edge a little bit more. You’re going to play heavy teams, going to play fast teams. You have to be able to play all kinds of games. "For us, we need to stay in the moment. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with what’s going on and how this city has taken over our club." Neal said before the series began that this season was his most fun in hockey, which is not what he expected when, wounded physically and exhausted emotionally, the Predators left him unprotected last June and the former second-round pick from Whitby, Ont., went to an expansion team from a Stanley Cup finalist. "I just put everything into Nashville," he said. "I was there for three years and felt I was a part of building something. Finally, we were there. We get to the Cup finals and play Pittsburgh, my old team. It was really hard 1091668 Websites assists against the Avalanche. Subban has seven points (1 G, 6 A) in the past eight games and Ekholm had two assists in his previous eight games…Avalanche LW Gabriel Landeskog and C Nathan MacKinnon TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Bruins' top line punishes the Leafs both had a goal and an assist in a 5-4 Game Two loss at Nashville. Landeskog has seven points (2 G, 5 A) in the past seven games and MacKinnon has eight points (2 G, 6 A) in the past seven games…Avalanche D Tyson Barrie added a couple of assists; he has Scott Cullen seven points (2 G, 5 A) in the past seven games. Lightning RW Ryan Callahan put up solid possession stats (12 for, 2 against, 85.7 CF%, 7-1 scoring chances) in a 5-3 Game Two win vs. New HEROES Jersey…He didn’t play a ton, but Predators C dominated David Pastrnak – Boston’s 21-year-old winger enjoyed a sensational played (11 for, 1 against, 91.7 CF%) in a 5-4 win against night, putting up six points (3 G, 3 A) and tying a Bruins playoff record Colorado…Sharks G Martin Jones turned away 28 of 30 shots in Game held by Rick Middleton and Phil Esposito. That gives Pastrnak 13 points Two, and has stopped 53 of 55 shots through the first two games of the (6 G, 7 A) in eight career playoff games and he’s the early leader this series. year with nine points (4 G, 5 A) in two games. TSN.CA LOADED: 04.15.2018 Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand – Pastrnak’s linemates on the best line in hockey both had four assists in Game Two. Bergeron has five assists through two games and Marchand has six points (1 G, 5 A). Through two games, when Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak are on the ice, the Bruins are getting 73% of the shots, and 81% of the scoring chances. Oh, and 100% of the goals. Nikita Kucherov – The Lightning sniper scored a goal and added two assists in a 5-3 Game Two win against New Jersey. He has four points (2 G, 2 A) in the series. Logan Couture – San Jose’s scoring centre had a goal and an assist in a 3-2 Game Two victory at Anaheim; he had four points (3 G, 1 A) in his previous eight games. ZEROES Nikita Zaitsev – The Toronto blueliner was on the ice for four goals against (two at evens, two shorthanded) in a 7-3 Game Two loss at Boston. – The Avalanche winger was on the wrong side of the puck (3 for, 13 against, 18.8 CF%, 1-5 scoring chances) in a 5-4 loss at Nashville. Frederik Andersen – Toronto’s netminder was pulled after allowing three goals on five shots in a 7-3 Game Two loss at Boston. Since the beginning on March, he has a .888 save percentage in 14 games. Keith Kinkaid – The Devils goaltender allowed five goals on 15 shots before getting pulled in a 5-3 Game Two loss at Tampa Bay. Cory Schneider stopped all 10 shots that he faced in relief, and could get a chance to start as the series returns to New Jersey for Game Three. STANLEY CUP HALF FULL/HALF EMPTY Hampus Lindholm – It came in a losing effort, but the Ducks blueliner had a strong showing in a 3-2 Game Two loss to San Jose. He had a goal and an assist to go with team-best possession stats (18 for, 8 against, 69.2 CF%). VITAL SIGNS Samuel Girard – Colorado’s rookie blueliner didn’t play in Game Two due to an upper-body injury, opening the door for Duncan Siemens to get into the lineup. Ryan Donato - With Tommy Wingels still hurting, the Bruins inserted rookie winger Donato into the lineup for Game Two. Leo Komarov - The veteran Leafs winger suffered a lower-body injury and was forced to leave Game Two at Boston early. SHORT SHIFTS Embedded Image Alex Killorn has three goals through two games against New Jersey. Bruins D Torey Krug produced three assists in a 7-3 Game Two win against Toronto. He has 26 points (4 G, 22 A) in his past 22 games…Lightning LW Alex Killorn scored two goals in a 5-3 Game Two win over New Jersey, giving him eight points (4 G, 4 A) in the past seven games…Lightning C Brayden Point added a goal and an assist, and has 11 points (6 G, 5 A) in the past 11 games…Lightning D Ryan McDonagh had a pair of assists against the Devils. He had three assists in two playoff games, after producing three points (1 G, 2 A) in 14 games with the Lightning after he was acquired from the Rangers…Predators LW Kevin Fiala contributed a goal and an assist in a 5-4 Game Two win vs. Colorado. He had gone five games without a point…Predators defencemen P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm both added a pair of 1091669 Websites

TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Flyers bounce back in Game Two

Scott Cullen

HEROES Sean Couturier – Philadelphia’s top centre put up a goal and two assists in a 5-1 Game Two win at Pittsburgh. He has 16 points (3 G, 13 A) in the past 15 games and had managed four points (3 G, 1 A) in his 20 previous playoff games. Patrik Laine – Winnipeg’s sophomore sniper notched a goal and an assist in a 4-1 Game Two victory against Minnesota. He has three points (2 G, 1 A) and 10 shots on goal through the first two games of the series. Tyler Myers – The towering Jets blueliner produced a goal and an assist in Game Two against Minnesota; he had just two assists in his previous 19 games. Erik Haula – The Golden Knights centre scored the double-overtime winner in a 2-1 Game Two victory against Los Angeles, giving Vegas a 2- 0 series lead. Going back to the regular-season, he had gone four consecutive games without a point, matching his longest scoring drought of the year, before scoring that huge goal. Brian Elliott – After getting pulled from Game One of the series, the Flyers goaltender bounced back and stopped 34 of 35 shots in a 5-1 Game Two win at Pittsburgh. ZEROES Charlie Coyle – The Wild winger was on the wrong side of the puck (2 for, 12 against, 14.3 CF%, 0-6 scoring chances in a 4-1 loss at Winnipeg. Nick Seeler – Same goes for the rookie Wild defenceman (4 for, 22 against, 15.4 CF%, 0-11 scoring chances). Trevor Lewis - The Kings veteran spent most of the five periods at Vegas in his own end (8 for, 34 against, 19.1 CF%) in a 2-1 overtime loss in Game Two at Vegas. Matt Murray – After posting a shutout in Game One, the Penguins netminder gave up four goals on 19 shots in a 5-1 Game Two loss to Philadelphia. STANLEY CUP HALF FULL/HALF EMPTY Nolan Patrick – The Flyers rookie recorded his first career playoff goal, on a nifty power-play setup from Couturier, but was otherwise buried in his own end (2 for, 13 against, 13.3 CF%, 1-6 scoring chances) in a 5-1 Game Two win at Pittsburgh. VITAL SIGNS Jack Roslovic – Inserted into the Jets’ Game Two lineup to replace an injured Mathieu Perreault, the Winnipeg rookie contributed a pair of assists in a 4-1 win over Minnesota. Oscar Fantenberg – On a Kings blueline missing Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin and Derek Forbort, the rookie blueliner logged 41:03 of ice time in Game Two at Vegas, second-highest on the team behind Alec Martinez (44:51). SHORT SHIFTS Flyers D Ivan Provorov picked up a pair of assists in Game Two at Pittsburgh, and has nine points (3 G, 6 A) in the past eight games…Fresh off scoring the game-winning goal in Game One, Jets D Joe Morrow had a stellar possession game (20 for, 3 against, 87.0 CF%, 10-0 scoring chances) in a 4-1 Game Two victory...Kings G Jonathan Quick stopped 54 of 56 shots in a 2-1 double-overtime loss in Game Two at Vegas. He has stopped 81 of 84 shots in two games and the Kings are still down 2-0 in the series…Golden Knights G Marc-Andre Fleury turned away 29 of 30 shots for the win in Game Two; he’s stopped 59 of 60 shots to take the 2-0 series lead. TSN.CA LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091670 Websites A) in the last 10 games…Lightning RW Tyler Johnson and LW Yanni Gourde both had a goal and an assist against New Jersey. Johnson had finished the regular season with two points (1 G, 1 A) in the last 13 TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Panarin pulls through in OT games while Gourde, playing in his first NHL playoff game, had 10 points (1 G, 9 A) in the last 10 games of the regular season…Bruins C David Krejci and LW Brad Marchand both had a goal and an assist in a 5-1 Game One win over Toronto. Bruins D Torey Krug added a pair of Scott Cullen assists. While Krejci has twice led the playoffs in scoring, he had four assists in his past 15 playoff games, Marchand finished the regular

season in a slump, with one assist in the last six games; Krug produced HEROES 11 points (1 G, 10 A) in the last 11 regular-season games…Blue Jackets RW Thomas Vanek contributed a goal and an assist, while rookie C Artemi Panarin – Columbus’ Bread Man baked up the overtime winner in Pierre-Luc Dubois added a couple of assists in a 4-3 OT Game One win addition to two assists in a 4-3 Game One victory at Washington. He at Washington. Vanek had 15 points (7 G, 8 A) in the last 15 games of finished the regular season with 29 points (9 G, 20 A) in the last 16 the regular season, and Dubois had 11 points (5 G, 6 A) in the last eight games and now has 11 points (3 G, 8 A) in 12 career playoff games. games of the season…Capitals C Evgeny Kuznetsov scored a pair of goals in in a 4-3 overtime loss in Game One against Columbus. He had David Pastrnak – Boston’s playmaking winger put up a goal and two 28 points (11 G, 17 A) in 18 games to finish the regular season…Capitals helpers in a 5-1 Game One win vs. Toronto. Pastrnak finished the regular D John Carlson earned three assists against Columbus; he had 18 points season with 16 points (11 G, 5 A) in the last 15 games, and now has (4 G, 14 A) in 18 games to wrap up the regular season…Capitals C seven points (3 G, 4 A) in seven career playoff games. Nicklas Backstrom added a pair of assists; he had 26 points (6 G, 20 A) Ondrej Palat – The Lightning winger produced a goal and two assists in a in the last 19 games of the regular season…Predators C Colton Sissons 5-2 Game One win against New Jersey. Although he finished with a and RW Austin Watson both had a goal and an assist in a 5-2 Game One career-low 35 points this season, limited by injuries to just 56 games, win against Colorado. Sissons had zero points in his last 10 regular- Palat has six points (3 G, 3 A) in his past five games. season games, while Watson produced eight points (5 G, 3 A) in 14 games down the stretch…Predators C Ryan Johansen added a pair of Evander Kane – The Sharks winger scored twice in a 3-0 Game One win assists, giving him 10 points (3 G, 7 A) in his past 10 games…Sharks C at Anaheim, giving him 10 goals in the past 11 games. Joe Pavelski picked up two assists in a 3-0 Game One win at Anaheim. He had 20 points (7 G, 13 A) in the last 19 games of the regular season. Filip Forsberg – Nashville’s talented winger scored a pair of goals in a 5- 2 Game one win vs. Colorado. He had 15 points (8 G, 7 A) in the last 11 Bruins C Patrice Bergeron had stellar possession stats (23 for, 5 against, games of the regular season. 82.1 CF%, 12-2 scoring chances) and got the better of (13 for, 5 against, 72.2 CF%, 7-2 scoring chances) his head-to-head match-up with Maple Unreal moves by Forsberg. We are not worthy. Leafs C Auston Matthews…Sharks D Brent Burns launched 13 shot pic.twitter.com/7T1n3I8o6M attempts (9 SOG) and scored on goal in a 3-0 Game One win at — NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) April 13, 2018 Anaheim. ZEROES Sharks G Martin Jones posted a 25-save shutout in a 3-0 Game One win at Anaheim. He had a .880 save percentage in his last six starts of the Morgan Rielly – Toronto’s star blueliner was overrun (3 for, 29 against, regular season, but has a .928 save percentage in 33 career playoff 9.4 CF%, 2-16 scoring chances) and was on the ice for two goals against games…Bruins G Tuukka Rask turned away 26 of 27 shots in a 5-1 in a 5-1 Game One loss at Boston. Game One win against Toronto. He has a .929 save percentage in 67 career playoff games. Miles Wood – The Devils speedster spent most of the night in his own end of the rink (4 for, 19 against, 17.4 CF%, 0-9 scoring chances) in a 5- TSN.CA LOADED: 04.15.2018 2 Game One loss at Tampa Bay. Adam Henrique – The Ducks centre had a hard time (5 for, 16 against, 23.8 CF%, 2-9 scoring chances) in a 3-0 Game One loss to San Jose. Mattias Ekholm and P.K. Subban – Nashville’s star defence tandem struggled (11 for, 13 against, 45.8 CF%, 1-7 scoring chances) and were on the ice for both goals against in a 5-2 Game One win against Colorado. STANLEY CUP HALF FULL/HALF EMPTY Brad Marchand – The Bruins winger scored a goal and added an assist in a 5-1 Game One win against Toronto, but he also did this: ''That was very weird to me...it's certainly uncomfortable to watch.'' Nazem Kadri on Boston’s Brad Marchand kissing Leo Komarov. Again. https://t.co/jtQ3Djm45o #TSNHockey #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/fiiTca3SEJ — TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) April 13, 2018 VITAL SIGNS Alexander Wennberg – The Blue Jackets centre suffered an upper-body injury after taking a head hit from Capitals RW Tom Wilson and was forced to leave Game One at Washington. Wilson, who received a two- minute charging penalty, may be in line for supplemental discipline. Nazem Kadri – The Maple Leafs centre could be facing supplemental discipline for a nasty hit on Bruins winger Tommy Wingels. Josh Anderson – Columbus’ physical winger crossed the line against Washington and received a major for boarding and a game misconduct for his hit on Capitals defenceman Michal Kempny, who didn’t return after taking the hit. SHORT SHIFTS Yanni Gourde is a major contributor for the Lightning. Devils LW Taylor Hall recorded a goal and an assist in a 5-2 Game One loss at Tampa Bay. He finished the regular season with 17 points (8 G, 9 1091671 Websites Komarov had already missed seven games late in the season with a knee injury, and the hit possibly aggravated what he had already been dealing with. Komarov left the game and then tried to return, but took his TSN.CA / Leafs struggle in every facet of Game 2 against Bruins last shift with 14:23 remaining in the frame and did not come back with what the Leafs’ called a “lower-body injury.”

Fortunately for the Leafs, they have a stable of extra wingers - Dominic Kristen Shilton Moore, Matt Martin and Josh Leivo all remain ready for duty - but each has been passed over by Babcock so many times, his confidence in their ability to help the Leafs is debatable. The Maple Leafs entered their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series A change in goal? against the Boston Bruins as underdogs. Two games in, that premonition is proving truer than ever. Without suspended centre Nazem Kadri, the No one would deny Frederik Andersen’s status as the Leafs’ regular Leafs fell 7-3 to the Bruins in Game 2 on Saturday, dropping into a 2-0 season MVP. That’s what made his departure from Game 2, after series deficit. allowing three goals on five shots, so surprising. With the series now shifting to Toronto, the Leafs have given up 12 It was an important bounce back situation for the Leafs, without one of goals over these first two games (including a hat trick to David Pasternak their best forwards, and while Andersen didn’t get much help from the on Saturday), while scoring only four in response. players in front of him, he didn’t make the saves Toronto needed either. Takeaways By the 12:13 mark of the first period, Andersen had allowed two even strength and one power play goal, quite literally scoring the third one on Filling Nazem Kadri’s void, Part I himself when he inadvertently banked the puck in off Nikita Zaitsev. That was the nail in Andersen’s coffin, opening the door for Curtis McElhinney The Leafs’ task of trying to defeat the Bruins became exponentially to step in as his replacement. harder when shutdown centre Nazem Kadri was suspended three games for charging/boarding Tommy Wingels in Game 1. That forced Mike It was just the second playoff game of McElhinney’s career, with the Babcock to juggle his lines for the start of Game 2, moving Patrick first also a relief appearance back on April 25, 2009 with the Calgary Marleau to the middle with Zach Hyman and Mitch Marner, promoting Flames. It was an auspicious beginning for McElhinney as well - he gave Leo Komarov to flank Auston Matthews and William Nylander and up a power play goal to Rick Nash less than three minutes after he took inserting Andreas Johnsson onto the fourth line. over - but as he’s done all season, McElhinney found his groove in a hurry. Babcock kept his bench short out of the gate on Saturday, seemingly to give Matthews’ blended line a chance to play against a trio other than He was solid for the Leafs down the stretch, but it’s hard to gauge how Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pasternak and potentially much of the Bruins’ A-game he was seeing after they had such get some offence going. comfortable lead when he entered the game. It didn’t do much good, though, Despite the Leafs flipping the script After the Nash power play score, McElhinney gave up three more – from Game 1 and dominating the Bruins possession-wise (the Leafs’ one to Krejci and two to Pasternak, one of which came off an egregious were at 65 per cent in the first period and finished at 60 per cent on the Jake Gardiner turnover in the neutral zone – en-route to making 19 saves night), Boston’s top line was on the ice for all four of the first period goals on 23 shots (.826 save percentage). that gave Boston a 4-0 lead going into the second - Pasternak had one goal and two assists, Bergeron had two helpers and Marchand had one. What Babcock opts to do now is tough to say. McElhinney wasn’t so It wasn’t for lack of trying on the Leafs part, but they were burned good that he’s the clear choice for Game 3, but the backup was superior repeatedly by Boston’s transition game and simply looked like boys to Andersen in the final month of the regular season (.940 save amongst men when the Bruins did gain their zone. percentage, 1.99 goals-against average vs. .911 save percentage, 2.99 goals-against average for Andersen), which may hold some sway given When the middle frame began, Matthews was flanked by Marleau and the predicament Toronto now finds itself in. Kasperi Kapanen as Babcock desperately looked to get something going offensively against the Bergeron group. However, no amount of changes Defensive doldrums slowed the Bruins’ best down, nor helped Matthews find the back of the net. Defence hadn’t often been a great strength of the Leafs’ during the regular season, and so far against Boston that hasn’t been the case While Babcock kept blending his lines and tried different wingers with either. Game 2 was a particularly poor outing for Toronto’s blue liners, Matthews - including Johnsson - it was to no avail points-wise. Matthews particularly Nikita Zaitsev, who had perhaps the worst opening period of skated to far more zone time (73 per cent possession) than Bergeron’s any Leaf other than Andersen. line (48 per cent), which is the first time in three matchups Matthews has gotten the better of Bergeron in that department. That improved stat is of Zaitsev was caught chasing Marchand on the Bruins’ first goal instead little comfort for stars that can’t score when it matters, and were once of watching the goal scorer Pasternak, was beat down low by DeBrusk again pummelled by the Bergeron trio (Matthews finished minus-two, while shorthanded, then was screening Andersen when the goaltender second-worst among Leafs after Marleau at minus-three) ). Pasternak banked the puck off his behind and into net on Boston’s third goal finished the game with three goals and three assists, and Marchand and (credited to Miller) and finally was on the ice for Nash’s power play goal Bergeron each chipped in four assists. as well. Leafs depth put to the test, Part II The second period wasn’t much better for Zaitsev right from the get-go - the Leafs had some good zone pressure going that dissipated when While the changes to Matthews’ line didn’t produce the intended Zaitsev couldn’t hold the line, and then he got beat along the wall and outcome, Babcock’s changes did sort of work initially. A reconstructed stripped of the puck to set up the Bruins in the offensive zone for a line of Hyman, Nylander and Marner finally got things going for Toronto couple good opportunities. less than 90 seconds into the second period, when Marner played a quick game of give-and-go with Hyman in front of Rask and finished with Zaitsev was careless with the puck when he did have it, tossing it up his first goal of the series. It gave the Leafs some life - which they quickly along the boards into a sea of Bruins or making the ill-advised pass lost - but for a brief moment showed what these young players can do through traffic that ended up turning play back the other way. Throughout when they’re allowed to just play, and go with the flow of the game. his sophomore season, Zaitsev has failed to establish himself as the dominant defenceman the Leafs hoped he would be when they gave him The only other even strength goal Toronto got came from the one an eight-year, $31.5 million contract last year. If they have any hope of offensive unit that has never been severed - Tyler Bozak’s line with winning even a game in this series, they need a much better James van Riemsdyk and Connor Brown. Brown teed up Bozak’s first of performance out of him (not to mention his partner Gardiner, who joined the playoffs with a nifty spin move off Adam McQuaid, perhaps one of the Zaitsev at minus-two on the night) than was shown in Game 2. only true “woah” moments for the Leafs so far in this series. Second-rate special teams But just as there was a modicum of hope for the Leafs offence coming together without Kadri, it was ripped further apart. An already difficult The Leafs’ power play and penalty kill were both poor in Game 1 - the night became even harder for Toronto when Komarov took a heavy hit Bruins went 3-for-6 with the extra man on Thursday while the Leafs were from Kevan Miller along the boards and seemed to injure his knee in the 0-for-3. That should have been a clear sign to the Leafs that discipline second period. was important, yet Komarov made the rookie mistake of jumping too soon in the first period to take Toronto’s second too many men on the ice penalty in as many games. Boston scored on the ensuing power play, and again on their second man advantage chance, proving Toronto’s kill to be abysmal out of the gate once again. There are many reasons to point at for the kill’s struggles, one of which could be the personnel. Ron Hainsey is the Leafs’ most important penalty killer, and played 48 minutes more shorthanded than anyone in the NHL during 80 regular season games, while also skating major minutes at even strength on the Leafs’ top defence pairing. At 37 years old, that’s a heavy load to carry, and Babcock opted not to give Hainsey any rest after the Leafs’ clinched playoffs. That decision appears to be coming back to bite them now, with Hainsey looking average and flat-footed at both 5-on-5 and 5-on-4. Toronto did kill off a pair of penalties late in the game, when the outcome was all but realized, with Boston finishing 2-for-4 (5-for-10 in the series). At the same time, the Leafs were still unable to do much of anything with their own power play opportunities, going 1-for-4 with the extra attacker (1-for-7 so far in the series). van Riemsdyk’s power play goal came late in the third period, with the Leafs’ already trailing 6-2. It did prevent Toronto from going two consecutive games without a goal on the power play, something they hadn’t done since Feb. 27-March 3. But going into the series, those units should have been a major advantage to them in this series but so far as turned up nothing but frustration. TSN.CA LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091672 Websites were ready for it. We were hard in front of our net and that’s a game plan of ours, because they get there."

Toronto's power play ranked second during the regular season (25%). TSN.CA / With Kadri out, Leafs look to Johnsson for PP spark Kadri led the way with 12 man-advantage goals. Leafs Ice Chips: Marleau in the middle, Johnsson gets his chance Mark Masters With Nazem Kadri serving the first of his three-game suspension tonight, the Maple Leafs have juggled their lines, moving Patrick Marleau to centre with Mitch Marner and Zach Hyman. Andreas Johnsson will also TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes make his playoffs debut. Mark Masters has more. from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Leafs had an optional skate at TD Garden in Boston on Saturday morning ahead of Leafs Ice Chips: Marleau in the middle, Johnsson gets his chance Game 2. With Nazem Kadri serving the first of his three-game suspension tonight, Was Mike Babcock surprised by the length of the suspension handed the Maple Leafs have juggled their lines, moving Patrick Marleau to down to Nazem Kadri? centre with Mitch Marner and Zach Hyman. Andreas Johnsson will also make his playoffs debut. Mark Masters has more. “Yeah, for sure," the Maple Leafs coach said. “We expected, obviously, a game out of it and so we started with that yesterday. The adversity you The Leafs' penalty kill was a strength of the team for much of the season, face in the playoffs when you’re going to have a long run is always there but has fallen on hard times of late allowing nine goals in the last six and there’s not much you can do about it so let’s just get on with it." games, including three on Thursday. Babcock believes the absence of Leo Komarov (lower-body injury) and Nikita Zaitsev (illness) stalled the Babcock pointed out that Toronto survived despite missing top-line group's momentum down the stretch and they've struggled to regain their centre Auston Matthews for 20 games during the regular season. And it swagger. was clear he didn't want to spend too much time discussing Kadri's ban this morning. "The biggest thing is our penalty kill wasn't as good at the end of the year, partly because the people that were in it were out of the lineup," the "We're playing Game 2 here today, right? Let's talk about it," he said coach said. "But, we've had a real good penalty kill all year. I don't think when asked if the controversy could galvanize his players. you want to base your confidence on one game. I talked to the guys, 'You played well all year to know how good you are.' You lose games during But Kadri's absence would seem to dramatically alter the dynamic in the the year, you bounce back. That's what we're going to do here tonight." series. Toronto's penalty kill was third in the league from October to the end of "It sucks seeing that," said Mitch Marner, who exploded offensively after February, but from March 1 to the end of the regular season the unit was being moved to Kadri's line in January. "Obviously, there’s nothing you 24th in the NHL. can say or really do about it. It’s a big loss down the middle for us. He’s a big guy to have at home for the match-up against their top line so we Boston's power play ranked fourth in the NHL in the regular season, so have to fill the void and make sure we all step up our game.” they were bound to do some damage in this series. But Babcock made it clear his penalty kill wasn't as bad as the Game 1 scoresheet suggests. “I think Kadri’s a real good player," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "Thirty-goal scorer, does a real good job on their power play, face-offs, "If coaches call the one offside, it was offside, so that's one," he said. match-up guy so I’m sure they’ll feel that loss, but they got a lot of real "The other one, we had a two-on-two down low, we weren't even good depth players.” outnumbered, they passed it by us. The third one was – you saw it." Tommy Wingels, the victim of Kadri's illegal hit on Thursday, returned to The third power-play goal Boston scored was accidentally deflected into the ice this morning and will be a game-time decision tonight. If he can't the net by Frederik Andersen. Boston was offside on the first one, but the play then Ryan Donato will draw in. Leafs didn't get the right replay in time to challenge it. “Didn’t like the hit," Wingels told reporters after Boston's optional skate. Babcock on Boston's offside goal: "It's disappointing that we don't have "Thought I was in a vulnerable spot and I think as a game, as a league, replays on time" as players, that’s the stuff we don’t want in our game. It was handled and I think the league did a good job.” After a close call on Brad Marchand's series-opening goal for the Bruins that saw Patrice Bergeron just manage to keep his foot on the line, Leafs Marner says Kadri is 'a big brother to this team ... a protector out there' head coach Mike Babcock admits he may have challenged the call if he had the adequate replays. Disappointed by the length of suspension to Nazem Kadri, Mitch Marner says that the team will feel his absence, and that he is a big brother to Babcock on Boston's offside goal: "It's disappointing that we don't have many of the younger players. replays on time" Marner says Kadri is 'a big brother to this team ... a protector out there' After a close call on Brad Marchand's series-opening goal for the Bruins that saw Patrice Bergeron just manage to keep his foot on the line, Leafs Disappointed by the length of suspension to Nazem Kadri, Mitch Marner head coach Mike Babcock admits he may have challenged the call if he says that the team will feel his absence, and that he is a big brother to had the adequate replays. many of the younger players. Of course, the Leafs can take some pressure off their penalty killers by With Kadri suspended, rookie Andreas Johnsson will draw into the Leafs not taking so many penalties. They were whistled six times in Game 1. lineup making his NHL playoff debut. "With 4:25 left [in the second] the game was 1-1 and we had just played "He's got good speed, good skill," said Babcock. "Ideally, he saw the a real good second period," Babcock said. "Then we were shorthanded I game the other night and now has a handle on what's going on and how think, if I'm not mistaken, 11 of the next 24 minutes or something like competitive you have to be at playoff time to be a good player." that." Johnsson will take Kadri's spot on the top power-play unit. The 23-year- The slew of penalties inflated the ice time of players like Ron Hainsey old was effective as the man in the middle on the second unit during a and Komarov while scorers like Matthews, William Nylander and Marner nine-game audition in the regular season. waited on the bench. Hainsey logged almost seven minutes shorthanded and appeared to be completely spent on the second Bruins power play "He was skilled, he was tenacious," observed Babcock, "[the Matthews] goal as a pass got by him allowing David Backes to score from the power play [unit], I don't know if you noticed, as soon as he went on it, it doorstep. got better. That was a positive thing. I just think his skill-set and his hockey IQ leads to him being successful in that area." So, the Leafs need to make sure they manage their emotions well, which can be tough in a playoff series especially when a guy like Brad The Leafs went 0/3 on the man advantage in Game 1, but were happy Marchand is making camp in the grey area of the game. His kiss/lick on with the chances they generated. Komarov in Game 1 was only the latest example of his agitating "They get to the net on the power play," Cassidy said. "They converge as behaviour. well as anyone in the league. They get it to the elbows. Entries and “I expect that things will get a little more intense and ramp up as the elbows is what we’re trying to focus on. They get it to the net and series goes along," Marchand told Boston's WBZ-TV. "Things might heat everybody goes to the net and they had a couple real good chances up moving forward, but now they all know that I have bad breath." around there that just didn’t bounce their way or we got the save. We Marchand on kiss: 'Now they all know I have bad breath' After his kiss on Leo Komarov in Game 1 was shown on highlight shows across North America, Bruins forward Brad Marchand jokes about his latest on-ice interaction with the gritty Leafs forward. Marchand on kiss: 'Now they all know I have bad breath' After his kiss on Leo Komarov in Game 1 was shown on highlight shows across North America, Bruins forward Brad Marchand jokes about his latest on-ice interaction with the gritty Leafs forward. Projected Leafs line-up for Game 2: Komarov-Matthews-Nylander Hyman-Marleau-Marner JvR-Bozak-Brown Johnsson-Plekanec-Kapanen Rielly-Hainsey Gardiner-Zaitsev Dermott-Polak Andersen starts McElhinney Suspended: Kadri Scratches: Moore, Martin, Leivo, Carrick TSN.CA LOADED: 04.15.2018 1091673 Websites 5. Colorado Avalanche (trailing the Nashville Predators 2-0): Considering the Avalanche were last in the NHL in 2016-17, just qualifying for the playoffs must feel like winning a championship. USA TODAY / NHL playoffs: Which 0-2 teams have best shot at rallying They’ve already had an exceptional season, and now they are trying their in first round? hardest to push back against the Predators, falling 5-4 on Saturday in Game 2. Kevin Allen But the bottom line is the Predators are deeper, stronger, better defensively and more accomplished in net. The Predators haven’t found 1:19 a.m. ET April 15, 2018 their postseason rhythm yet, but they are in control of this series. Don’t forget the Predators were in the Stanley Cup Final last year while the Avalanche were golfing and boating. The Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas 6. Toronto Maple Leafs (trailing the Boston Bruins 2-0): The impressive Golden Knights and Boston Bruins have converted home-ice advantage Bruins have humbled the Maple Leafs in the first two games. The Leafs into 2-0 leads in their best-of-seven NHL first-round series. defensive corps doesn’t know what to do with David Pastrnak, who has nine points in two games. The San Jose Sharks, meanwhile, have grabbed a 2-0 lead by winning both of their games against the Ducks on the road in Anaheim. Make it a hat trick for @pastrnak96! pic.twitter.com/PHgZ4hGav2 Historically, teams that have taken a 2-0 lead in a series go on to win — NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) April 15, 2018 88.7% of the time. Which of the trailing teams have the best shot of turning around those series? The Maple Leafs’ forward group is better than it is showing. Nazem Kadri’s three-game suspension makes it even harder for the Maple Leafs We rank them as they prepare for Game 3: to come back in this series. They could use his skill and fiery style against a confident Bruins team. 1. Los Angeles Kings (trailing the Vegas Golden Knights 2-0): The expansion Golden Knights are continuing one of the most impressive Auston Matthews would have become a monstrous force to make team performances in NHL history. Toronto competitive in the series. This team, which didn't exist during the 2017 playoffs, has engineered USA TODAY LOADED: 04.15.2018 two impressive nip-and-tuck wins against a Kings team that boasts multiple players with championship rings. Everyone is running short of superlatives to use about the Knights. But don’t bury the Kings yet. Defenseman Drew Doughty missed Game 2 because of a suspension. He’s back. Plus, these Kings have ample poise and experience to cope with a series deficit. Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter are capable of taking over a game, and Kings goalie Jonathan Quick has a .964 save percentage in this series. It comes down to the Kings finding a way to eliminate the spell that Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has on them. He’s in their head. They need to drive traffic in front of him. 2. New Jersey Devils (trailing the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0): The Devils’ hope centers on the fact they beat the Lightning three times in the regular season. The problem is the Lightning are in playoff mode, and they are the more experienced team. They have a greater understanding of what it takes to be successful in the postseason. The Devils, a surprise playoff qualifier, are trying to learn that now. The Devils put pressure on Tampa Bay in Game 2, forcing Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to be at his best to preserve the win. The Devils are generating enough shots, 75 in the two games. Taylor Hall has 11. They need to force Vasilevskiy to move more across the crease and to impede his vision with screens. 3. Anaheim Ducks (trailing the San Jose Sharks 2-0): It doesn't get any easier for the Ducks, who now must go to San Jose for two games in the Shark Tank. The Sharks' talent and depth have flown under the radar this season. The acquisition of Evander Kane has given the Sharks more scoring and muscle up front. That's important against the Ducks. The primary reason why the Ducks can't be written off is that their big center combination of Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler should be an advantage. Plus, the Ducks went 10-1 down the stretch to ready themselves for the playoffs. This is a team that almost reached the Stanley Cup Final last year. 4. Minnesota Wild (trailing the Winnipeg Jets 2-0): Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk has kept this series closer than it should be. The Jets have outshot the Wild 84-37. The Wild had a 2-1 lead in third period of Game 1, but lost that game 3-2. They lost 4-1 in Game 2. If the Ryan Suter-less Wild want to tighten this series, they need to move the puck more quickly out of their zone. The Jets are forcing the puck deep and preventing the Wild from moving the puck up ice. The Wild haven’t measured up yet to the Jets' pressure. The Wild must find an answer for Patrik Laine, who has two goals and 10 shots on goal in the series. The Wild need Jason Zucker, Eric Staal and Nino Niederreiter to produce. Those three combined for 93 goals in the regular season and have combined for zero points in the first two games.