SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 1/21/2020 1172016 Ducks’ struggles at the break were not unexpected going 1172048 Oliver Bjorkstrand, Cam Atkinson give Blue Jackets into 2019-20 scoring boost immediately back from injury 1172017 ‘I started almost shaking’: La Mirada’s Chase De Leo 1172049 Elvis Merzlikins gets confidence boost during Blue explains his emotional Ducks recall Jackets’ hot streak 1172050 Blue Jackets 2, Rangers 1 | 3-2-1 breakdown 1172018 Bruins really warming up to the idea of an extended break 1172019 Tropical destinations the rage during Bruins’ winter 1172051 Detroit Red Wings unable to keep up with Avalanche, lose vacation Green, Nielsen in 6-3 defeat 1172020 Jake DeBrusk brings grit to Bruins power play 1172052 Detroit Red Wings lose to , 6-3: Game 1172021 Julian Edelman has dinner with David Pastrnak, Sean recap Kuraly, Charlie McAvoy 1172053 Defenseman Jake Sanderson named top player in 1172022 Brad Marchand, unsurprisingly, voted dirtiest in NHL by All-American Game fellow players 1172054 Woebegone Wings lose fifth straight, fall to Avalanche 1172023 Positive news for Kevan Miller as he skates on his own for 1172055 Memories of classic Wings, Avalanche rivalry come into first time focus again 1172024 Chris Kreider remains top trade target for Bruins when the 1172056 Ryder Rolston, Aidan McCarthy 'can't wait' for All- time comes American showdown in Plymouth 1172025 What will David Backes do next? Here are his options 1172057 Red Wings fall to Avalanche, skid reaches five 1172058 2014 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium named NHL Buffalo Sabres ‘Event of the Decade’ 1172026 Sabres goalie prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returns to 1172059 How to watch, listen and stream Detroit Red Wings vs. ECHL Colorado Avalanche Jan. 20, 2020 1172027 's 1,000th is cause for big celebration in 1172060 MacKinnon reaches 30- mark, Avs beat Red Wings 6- Chicago 3 1172061 Four years ago, the Avs started at the bottom. Now they’re near the top. So what about these Red Wings? 1172028 Flames optimistic they’re trending in right direction heading into All-Star break Edmonton Oilers 1172029 10 players Flames GM Brad Treliving should consider as 1172062 Edmonton Oilers get through rough patch of schedule and he hunts for a right-shot forward back in division race 1172030 Duhatschek: With the break in the NHL schedule, the 1172063 Sam Gagner looks to gain traction with Edmonton Oilers Flames have an opportunity to flip the script 1172064 Red-hot Edmonton Oilers savouring bye week 1172031 ’s return to the United Center sends 1172065 Noel Acciari scores with 5.6 seconds left as Panthers Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane down memory lane: edge Wild, extend winning streak to five ‘You ju 1172066 Homecoming tour continues for the Florida Panthers as 1172032 Breaking down Patrick Kane’s milestone points, from No. Joel Quenneville and return to Chicago 1 to No. 1,000 1172033 Switch to right-side defense has sparked Slater Koekkoek’s excellent recent stretch 1172067 Kings’ playing surface is notoriously unruly. The ‘ice guru’ 1172034 Blackhawks play the Panthers on 5-game win streak is here to fix that 1172035 United Center ready to Q it up for returning 'icon' 1172068 FINAL – ONTARIO 3, BAKERSFIELD 0 1172036 Quenneville returns to Chicago with Florida Panthers 1172069 PREVIEW – ONTARIO VS. BAKERSFIELD, 1/20 1172037 Blackhawks are one of NHL's hottest teams, but have they turned a corner? 1172038 Jonathan Toews named NHL's Third Star of the week 1172070 Minnesota hosts Detroit after Kunin's 2-goal game 1172039 Blackhawks "finally starting to full buy-in to the system" 1172071 Late-game collapse by Wild overshadows positives in loss 1172040 Homecoming tour continues for the Florida Panthers as to Panthers Joel Quenneville and Mike Kitchen return to Chicago 1172072 Wild-Florida game recap 1172073 Acciari scores with 5.6 seconds left, Panthers beat Wild 5- Colorado Avalanche 4 1172041 Keeler: Don’t look now Connor McDavid, but Avs star 1172074 Last-second deflection costs Wild in 5-4 loss to Panthers Nathan MacKinnon is gaining on you 1172075 Rest and victories coincide, Wild discovers 1172042 Nazem Kadri, Nathan MacKinnon carry Avalanche to rout 1172076 Wild's Alex Stalock to make third straight start vs. of Red Wings at the Pepsi Center Panthers 1172043 Kiszla vs. Chambers: How much is Avalanche’s home ice 1172077 Wild lose heartbreaker to Panthers at the buzzer hurt by transplants rooting for visiting teams? 1172078 John Shipley: It’s up to Wild GM Bill Guerin to finish the 1172044 Four years ago, the Avs started at the bottom. Now they’re job Paul Fenton started near the top. So what about these Red Wings? 1172079 Wild put South St. Paul native Alex Stalock in net third 1172045 Kadri, MacKinnon lead Avalanche to 6-3 victory over game in a row Detroit 1172080 ‘Tough one to take’: Wild blow late lead, then suffer 1172046 Avs Game 49 Grades: And…Break! stinging loss in final seconds 1172047 The Avalanche took care of business against the dreadful Red Wings 1172081 Stu Cowan: Canadiens hold out hope for long win streak, 1172115 Pearson leads Canucks past Sharks and into 1st in Pacific playoff berth 1172082 What the Puck: Habs should deal Tatar, vets while their St Louis Blues value is high 1172116 Steady approach elevates Blues to best in the West at the 1172083 Melnick’s GBU: An ode to the hockey royalty that is Ilya break Kovalchuk 1172117 50 years ago: Jacques Plante shines as the NHL All-Star 1172084 Brown: Midseason ranking of the Canadiens’ top-15 Game comes to St. Louis prospects – 15-11 1172085 What it’s like for the Canadiens to practice against Carey Price, the most widely respected goaltender in the 1172118 What has led to Frederik Andersen’s worst month of the season? The Leafs goaltender would like to sleep on it 1172119 Leafs great Vaive sees 50 in Matthews' sights, if not 1172086 Reader Q&A: Roman Josi on being a captain, adjusting to beating his record 54 goals a new coach and pig racing 1172120 Maple Leafs all-time roster batting a thousand 1172121 Monday Morning Leafs Report: A week of contemplation for Kyle Dubas; Rasmus Sandin shows off special skill 1172087 Islanders get another chance to beat the Rangers and end month on positive note Canucks 1172088 ‘Are you f-ing kidding me?’: Dissecting the signature 1172133 Canucks prospects tracker: Juolevi levels up, Lind-Bailey moments of the Islanders’ woeful past week Worldwide 1172089 Wheeler’s 2020 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 24 New 1172134 So far, Quinn Hughes is the best player from the 2018 York Islanders NHL Draft. Here’s why 1172090 Henrik Lundqvist finding way to contribute even from 1172122 Peter DeBoer’s changes to Golden Knights starting to Rangers bench show 1172091 Kaapo Kakko taking perfect break from Rangers’ grind 1172123 maintains sense of humor after latest injury 1172092 What's next for NY Rangers' Ryan Strome and Pavel to mouth Buchnevich after 'tough night'? 1172124 LGBTQ hockey stays up late to break down barriers 1172093 Rangers need to forget loss to Columbus and focus on Islanders, David Quinn says 1172125 Alex Ovechkin named NHL first star of week 1172126 Do the Caps have the offense to win the ? 1172094 LeBrun: Q&A with Pierre Dorion on rebuilding the Senators, pending UFA signings and Bryan Murray’s Websites legacy 1172135 The Athletic / NHL Coaching Carousel: Which hires have 1172095 Salvian’s Senators Notebook: Mike Reilly adjusting to the most success? Ottawa, Connor Brown hits 300 and injury updates 1172136 The Athletic / The 2020 NHL Poll: Players have their say on the best player, worst referee, drinking buddies a 1172137 The Athletic / Wheeler’s 2020 NHL prospect pool rankings: 1172096 Flyers aim to pay back surging Pittsburgh Penguins in last No. 24 New York Islanders game before NHL All-Star break 1172138 The Athletic / DGB weekend power rankings: The top five, 1172097 ‘Alphabet Soup Line’ spells victory for Flyers, who need to the bottom five and why they’re all wrong sustain desperation level over final 2-plus months 1172139 Sportsnet.ca / 3 trade deadline moves the Maple Leafs 1172098 Flyers will be ‘on their toes’ for Penguins should explore 1172099 Flyers' rivalry renewal with Penguins gets a 10-day 1172140 Sportsnet.ca / Q&A: Oilers GM Holland on trade deadline interlude approach, Battle of Alberta 1172100 Flyers will ‘be on their toes’ for meeting with Penguins 1172141 Sportsnet.ca / Kyle Bukauskas Notebook: Sandin has lots before bye week of fans in Leafs' room 1172101 O’Connor’s Observations: Coach conflicted about Flyers’ 1172142 Sportsnet.ca / 3 trade deadline moves the Flames should break, PP’s new look, Travis Konecny goal breakdown explore 1172102 For coach Bill Clement and team, local Winter Classic 1172143 Sportsnet.ca / Goalies are voodoo, but Blue Jackets may event benefiting players with special needs is a labor o have found magic with Merzlikins 1172144 Sportsnet.ca / "A team within the team": Inside the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins brotherhood of the blue line 1172103 Penguins recall Joseph Blandisi for seventh time 1172145 TSN.CA / Why is the NHL so different defensively this 1172104 Frenzied stretch of games about to give way to long layoff season? for Penguins 1172105 Penguins Dominik Simon ‘dodges bullet,’ feels well at Winnipeg Jets practice day after hip injury 1172127 Line blender set to high With Lowry out, Copp gets 1172106 Penguins F Dominik Kahun out with concussion another chance to 'build some chemistry' 1172107 Justin Schultz’s return to Penguins is imminent, but will it 1172128 On-ice troubles, injuries notwithstanding, Jets make come Tuesday? lifetime memories with a mother of a road trip 1172108 Penguins Justin Schultz, Dominik Simon practice fully; 1172129 Chevy better be arranging a transfusion, because the Jets Dominik Kahun has concussion are bleeding out 1172109 Mark Madden: Penguins fans’ jeering of Matt Murray was 1172130 Reeling Jets desperate to get wins before extended break despicable 1172131 Getting chance to share in sons’ hockey lives 1172110 Tim Benz, Mark Madden lay into fans booing Matt Murray, unforgettable experience for Jets’ moms break down state of Penguins, Super Bowl matchup 1172132 ‘This is the NHL. You get judged by wins and losses’: Josh 1172111 Tim Benz: How Penguins flipped the script against Morrissey reflects on a closed-door meeting as Jets troublesome Bruins SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1172112 Teddy Blueger thriving in pivotal role for Penguins 1172113 Justin Schultz returns to Penguins practice, could play against Flyers 1172114 Evgeni Malkin on the Bronx cheers for Matt Murray: ‘We hear that in Philly, not Pittsburgh’ 1172016 Anaheim Ducks Ryan Getzlaf, Jakob Silfverberg and the rest of the Ducks’ veteran leadership group is fully invested in this transitional season, as Eakins likes to refer to it. Any rebuilding process can be difficult, but especially Ducks’ struggles at the break were not unexpected going into 2019-20 for an organization that hasn’t undergone one in decades.

Spirits seemed high in the dressing room as the peer mentoring process has continued. The 34-year-old Getzlaf leads the Ducks with 33 points, By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: January 20, 2020 at 12:43 pm | including 22 assists, credible numbers, to be sure. Their longtime captain UPDATED: January 20, 2020 at 1:25 PM has led by example and the youngsters have followed right along behind.

Silfverberg was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career, but elected to be with his expectant wife. He has shown he This wasn’t designed to be the season the Ducks turned it around in deserved that five-season, $26.25-million contract extension general dramatic fashion, charged into a playoff position and made a deep manager Bob Murray gave him last March 1. postseason run. At best, they hoped to be above the break-even mark with an outside chance at contending for the playoffs down the stretch. EVALUATING THE KIDS

Improvement would be measured in small increments as they reached Here’s where it gets tricky. None of the Ducks’ youngest and least their bye week and the All-Star break. They were very interested in the experienced players have made a giant leap this season. Their forward development of their many young players. If they missed the playoffs and progress has often been followed by several backward steps, a halting jig received another top-10 draft pick, it would be a fine consolation prize. that made it difficult to determine whether they’re improving or not.

Actually, a top-five pick would be even better. Eakins and Murray seemed content on that subject at times.

So, the Ducks’ 19-24-5 record after 48 games wasn’t unexpected. Among the Ducks’ youngsters, rookie center Sam Steel is their leading scorer with 15 points, including 11 assists. He also has won 52 percent of There have been painful moments, including a number of head- his faceoffs, tops among rookies in the league. However, he also had a scratching losses and a few injuries that have conspired to leave the minus-9 defensive rating. Ducks hovering around the bottom of the NHL’s overall standings. But that, too, was predictable. Right wing Troy Terry was starting to pick up his game when he fractured his leg. He returned to the ice seven weeks ahead of schedule and has Mostly, they have been consistently inconsistent. Even when they play torn it up during a conditioning assignment with the San Diego Gulls of well, as in their victories over the Nashville Predators and Carolina the AHL. He had two goals and seven assists in five games with the Hurricanes leading into the break, they have had to overcome their Gulls. inability to score. Their 122 goals at the break were the second-fewest in the league. EVALUATING THE VETS

Ducks coach likes to say it’s been like trying to hit a In addition to Getzlaf and Silfverberg, defenseman Cam Fowler has moving target as the season has progressed. Fix one issue and another excelled and could have merited consideration for a spot on the All-Star rears its ugly head immediately. Their special teams play has been team, too. Fowler has nine goals, two shy of his career best set in 2016- inadequate for most of the season, for example. 17, when the Ducks advanced to the Western Conference final.

“Would we like to be higher in the standings? Absolutely,” Eakins said Center Adam Henrique and left wing Rickard Rakell have contributed after a gritty, well-played overtime victory last Friday over the Hurricanes depth scoring, but considering the Ducks’ overall lack of goals, they could sent the Ducks into their nine-day break on a high. “Should our record be do more to improve that after the break. Henrique has 15 goals and better than it is? I think it should be, too. Rakell has 12.

“At the very least we can feel good about ourselves … that we finished The Ducks’ goaltending was expected to be their strength and although with two very good games. It leaves us with lots to think about. Those there have been moments of disappointment, John Gibson and Ryan things we did in those games, that compete level, that commitment to a Miller have cleaned up quite a few messes during the season’s first 48 man, I think that will be going through all of our heads during the break.” games. Their records don’t look great, but they come up big when needed. The question is, can they bottle the momentum and confidence they built with their first set of consecutive victories since Oct. 29 and Nov. 1, and Gibson is 14-19-3 at the break; Miller is 5-5-2. crack it open again when play resumes Monday against the San Jose Sharks? WHAT’S NEXT?

Eakins was non-committal. The Ducks’ misery quotient remains high, and it’s not expected to change soon. “I’d like to tell you, yeah, but I’m not sure,” he said late last Friday night. “We’re certainly going to refer back to these two games. When we “Losing (stinks),” as defenseman Josh Manson said the other day, and reconvene, we’ll be showing a lot of positive stuff (on video). Hey, this is the Ducks have done plenty of losing this season. They’re likely to what worked. Let’s remember what that standard was for those two continue losing, too. Teams ahead of them in the standings will ratchet games. up their play and it will be harder for the Ducks to keep pace.

“You don’t want to get away from it.” The NHL’s trade deadline is Feb. 24, and Murray is likely to make several moves designed for the long haul. There are no short-term fixes planned. WHAT’S WRONG? It’s been reported that Murray would be willing to take on a bad contract if young prospects and/or high picks come along in trade. The Ducks’ lack of offensive firepower is their biggest issue. They simply don’t score enough goals to be consistent winners, and it’s not as if they All of the Ducks’ success since their unexpected run to the Stanley Cup play a suffocating defense that allows them to overcome teams with 1-0 Final in 2002-03 has come with a price. High picks have been few and far or 2-1 outcomes. between since the Ducks have been often among the league’s top teams in the overall standings. Although they have been shut out only twice so far this season, they have scored two goals or fewer 26 times. They have averaged 2.46 goals But the Ducks are not alone. Look at the Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and per game, the second-lowest in the 31-team league. Only the Detroit Red Detroit Red Wings, the teams that were battling with the Ducks for league Wings, last in the overall standings, averaged fewer goals (2.13). supremacy over the years. They’re all suffering through painful roster renovations, too. Some are ahead of the Ducks’ rebuild, and some are The Ducks’ power play has been no help whatsoever. It was clicking at behind. 15 percent at the break, an improvement from when it was lingering around 10 percent earlier in the season. But it still had one of the For now, misery loves company. league’s worst success rates. Plus, their kill was no bargain at only 77.8 percent. Orange County Register: LOADED: 01.21.2020

WHAT’S RIGHT? 1172017 Anaheim Ducks “We were standing next to each other on the ice and he said I needed to get a smaller jersey because it looks like a dress on me out there. He was giving it to me a little bit. It’s always cool to play against friends.”

‘I started almost shaking’: La Mirada’s Chase De Leo explains his The next game for De Leo was with San Diego on Saturday — after emotional Ducks recall being sent back to the minors as the Ducks reached their All-Star break — but he still holds out hope to play his first regular-season game on the Honda Center ice. When that does happen, he’ll put out the call to all his family and friends. He’ll try to get tickets that his teammates won’t need By Eric Stephens Jan 20, 2020 and perhaps buy some of his own.

Until then, he’ll savor each and every moment he has when he gets RALEIGH, N.C. — Chase De Leo has played in 312 professional hockey called up to the NHL. games. This is no longer a new endeavor for the 24-year-old forward, “It’s nothing like the American League,” De Leo said. “It’s an absolute one of the few born and raised California natives that’s forged a lasting privilege to be in the NHL. Obviously, being in the American League now career in the sport and made a little money along the way. five years, when you do get the chance to be in the NHL, you definitely But De Leo’s appearance on Thursday marked his fourth NHL game. don’t take it for granted. Just everything about it is unbelievable. It truly is And it is a feeling that remains special each time he is called on to suit up the best league in the world. for the Ducks. Growing up just miles away from Honda Center in La “You get to stay in the best hotels. You get to fly on a private charter Mirada, Anaheim was the team he grew up rooting for, and the trade for plane. Have the best food. Best fans in the world. Best arenas in the him in the summer of 2018 — ironically for Irvine-raised Nic Kerdiles, a world. Obviously, you get to play with the best players in the world and former second-round pick of the club — marked a dream that came true. play against the best players in the world. It’s an unbelievable experience “I got the text in the morning from (coach) Dallas (Eakins) letting me every time I get the opportunity. know I was in the lineup,” said De Leo, who was recalled as Troy Terry “Just got to keep working and try to make it a regular thing.” was sent down. “As soon as I saw that text, I started almost shaking. You get so excited. The first thing I did was call my mom and dad and let The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 them know.

“It’s a special feeling when I see the general manager’s name on my phone calling me. When you’re getting called up, it’s pretty exciting. There’s no other feeling like it.”

De Leo was recalled last week from the ’s San Diego Gulls. All of those remaining games have been in the AHL, where he once played for the , Winnipeg’s affiliate. He has mostly been with the Gulls the last two seasons. Last year was a personal highlight as he had 20 goals and 55 points, both career highs. He played a big part in San Diego’s run to the Western Conference finals.

With Eakins putting Devin Shore back in his lineup, De Leo spent Friday night in the PNC Arena press box as a healthy scratch. But the night before was thrilling. Not only did he play his first NHL game since March 20, 2019, but he also was placed on a line with two players who’ve had good careers in Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg.

That morning, there was a buzz within that’s hard to replicate.

“Whenever you get to play in the NHL, it’s another level for sure,” said De Leo, who put one shot on goal in nearly 15 minutes. “It’s everything about it. Getting a start, too. You’re lined up against guys like that I grew up watching. Taking notes. That’s pretty special. Not everybody gets to do that.

“Obviously, getting a chance to play with Henrique and Silfverberg. Both unbelievable players. Just wanted to move my feet and have some fun. It’s hard to completely enjoy it because at the same time, I’m trying to work so hard where time goes by pretty fast out there. I was just happy to help out and be a part of that win (Thursday) night.”

Playing against the Predators also represented a meeting of kindred spirits in a way. On the other side for Nashville was Rocco Grimaldi. Grimaldi is two years older and hails from Rossmoor, a community neighboring the 405 and 605 freeways tucked in between the cities of Long Beach, Los Alamitos and Seal Beach. His 2019-20 has been an NHL breakthrough with eight goals and 23 points for the Predators after stints trying to latch on with Florida and Colorado.

De Leo still harbors hope for getting to the point where Grimaldi is now at. Both are on the diminutive side. (De Leo is listed at 5-foot-9, while Grimaldi is 5-6). The NHL game treats the smaller player better these days, and the two met up on the ice at Bridgestone Arena and shared a moment.

“It’s special when you get a chance to play against other guys,” De Leo said. “Obviously, being from California and now both being in the NHL, it’s pretty cool. Smaller guys as well. We both know how hard it is to make it. He’s done a heck of a job earning his job there. I’m still trying to find my spot obviously. A lot of work left to do. It never ends. Every day, you got to keep working and fighting for a spot and trying to take someone else’s job. I’m going to keep doing that. 1172018 Boston Bruins the injury,” Cassidy said. Rask was placed on injured reserve last Thursday . . . Defenseman Kevan Miller skated for 15 minutes Sunday, a positive development in his effort to return to the ice. “There’s step one,” Cassidy said. Miller, who has not played since fracturing his kneecap in Bruins really warming up to the idea of an extended break April 2019, was at the practice facility Tuesday morning for off-ice workouts. Cassidy said he will find out Wednesday whether Miller will

start skating every other day. By Nicole Yang Boston.com Staff,January 20, 2020, 5:44 p.m. Boston Globe LOADED: 01.21.2020

How does Bruins left wing Jake DeBrusk plan to spend the team’s upcoming nine-day layoff?

“Chillin’ like a villain, my friend,” he said Monday.

DeBrusk will be among the contingent of players escaping Boston’s frostiness in favor of Puerto Rico’s sunshine and balmy temperatures. Joining him will be teammates Anders Bjork, Matt Grzelcyk, Sean Kuraly, and Charlie McAvoy.

The Bruins host the Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday night and won’t play again until Jan. 31 thanks to their “bye week” — a mandated five-day break — and the NHL’s All-Star Weekend. The extended break, which the league and the NHL Players Association first implemented in the 2016-17 season, gives players an opportunity to recharge — often in destinations a flight away.

Last year, Grzelcyk and Kuraly, among others, visited the Bahamas. Kuraly was disappointed by the “iffy” weather, though, so he pushed for the crew to venture a bit farther south in hopes of warmer conditions this time around. Aruba and Turks and Caicos were also in the mix.

“Hopefully, we see some sun,” said DeBrusk. “I’m a little pale.”

Other Bruins in search of some extra Vitamin D include left wing Brad Marchand, who will be in Turks and Caicos with his family; defenseman John Moore, who will be in Hollywood, Fla., with his wife and two toddler daughters; and defenseman Brandon Carlo, who, at the request of his girlfriend, will be checking out Disney World for the first time.

“We’re going to go hang out with Mickey and Minnie and all those characters,” Carlo said. “It’ll be fun. I’m not really good at sitting on the beach for longer than a day, so that’s nice for me to be up and active.”

Not all players will be heading south, however. With family still residing in Sillery, Quebec, Patrice Bergeron, his wife, Stephanie, and their three children will be up there, subject to below-freezing temperatures most likely lower than those in Boston.

There was a chance that Bergeron would spend the weekend in St. Louis, as he was once again named to the All-Star “Last Men In” ballot, but fans ultimately voted for Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner to represent the Atlantic Division.

Forward David Pastrnak and coach will be the only Bruins making the trip to the Enterprise Center. Goaltender Tuukka Rask also earned a spot on the roster, though he opted not to participate, then subsequently suffered a concussion last Tuesday.

Regardless of where on the map they are, the Bruins recognize the value in taking some time off. Players will be sure to get in their workouts — shout-out to hotel and resort gyms — but rest is atop their minds, too.

“You have to stay in shape, obviously, but rest is something you need right now with the long year we had last year and the start right now,” said Bergeron.

“I think we need it more than ever,” added Marchand. “We’re not going to completely let loose, but we need that time away, the time to recover, relax, get our mind away from the game. I’m looking forward to it.”

Krejci still iffy

Center David Krejci is a possibility for Tuesday’s game against the Golden Knights, Cassidy said. Krejci, who hasn’t played since suffering an upper-body injury against Columbus last Tuesday, skated in a red noncontact jersey at practice. “He didn’t participate in the physical part of the practice,” Cassidy said. “We definitely had a harder-than-normal day. Him not being able to do that makes it more likely he wouldn’t play.” Krejci will give it a go during Tuesday’s morning skate before the team makes a decision . . . Rask also was spotted on the ice before practice, but Cassidy does not expect him to be ready Tuesday. “I’ve got to double-check on that, but that’s just my guess because of the nature of 1172019 Boston Bruins

Tropical destinations the rage during Bruins’ winter vacation

By RICH THOMPSON | PUBLISHED: January 20, 2020 at 5:02 pm | UPDATED: January 20, 2020 at 5:04 PM

Fun in the sun.

That’s the game plan for some of the Bruins when the NHL’s winter vacation kicks in after Tuesday night’s encounter with the Vegas Golden Knights at the TD Garden.

“I’m getting away and enjoying some sunshine, I’m working on my tan this year,” said Bruins defenseman Torey Krug.

Center Sean Kuraly is the designated travel guide for a Bruins & Friends excursion to Puerto Rico. Kuraly said the weather was “a little iffy” during last January’s sabbatical to the Bahamas so they scoped out destinations deeper in the Caribbean like Turks and Caicos and Aruba.

“I’m into relaxing, I’m going to do a whole lot of relaxing in Puerto Rico with teammates, “said Kuraly, a native of Dublin, Ohio. “I’ve never been and I’m excited and it’s a quick direct flight in the USA and it should be nice weather.”

Kuraly settled on Puerto Rico because it is a commonwealth of the United States, which eliminates border points of entry and extended downtime in airports. Kuraly’s entourage of young teammates includes Matt Grzelcyk, Anders Bjork, Charlie McAvoy and Jake DeBrusk.

“I’m going to be chillin’ like a villain my friend and I can’t wait,” said DeBrusk. “Nine days is a lot of time to hang out but I definitely need some rest and get a little healthier and balance some other things in there.”

Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo chose a popular destination that professional athletes with families like to visit after winning a championship.

“My girlfriend really wanted to go to Disney World so we are going to hang out with Mickey and Minnie and all those characters,” said Carlo.

“It will be fun and I’m not very good about sitting on a beach longer than a day. That’s a nice way to be up and active. It will be fun and I have never been.”

Rask on the mend

Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (concussion) and center David Krejci (lower) skated prior to the team’s practice on Monday at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton but are unlikely to suite up against the Golden Knights.

Krejci is expected to participate in the pregame skate and could be a game-time decision.

“Krejci didn’t participate in the physical part of the practice and it was harder than normal the day before a game,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy.

“Him not being able to do that makes it most likely he wouldn’t play and if he does play, he will have nine days to recover. As for Tuukka, I don’t believe he would be ready but that’s my guess because of the nature of his injury.”

Miller time

Rugged defenseman Kevan Miller’s on again off again return to the lineup took a positive turn. Miller skated 15 minutes on his own on Sunday and did an off-ice workout on Monday. Miller suffered a damaged kneecap injury during last season’s playoff run that required surgery.

“He was doing off-ice workouts this morning and I don’t know if he is a every second day guy on the ice,” said Cassidy. “That’s the best I got.”

The Bruins need another big physical presence on the backend beyond captain Zdeno Chara, 42, and Carlo, who is too valuable to spend minutes languishing in the box.

Boston Herald LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172020 Boston Bruins

Jake DeBrusk brings grit to Bruins power play

By RICH THOMPSON | PUBLISHED: January 20, 2020 at 4:20 pm | UPDATED: January 20, 2020 at 4:22 PM

The power play is a glamour assignment with a gritty underside.

Bruins left wing Jake DeBrusk knows all about that, because he works there.

DeBrusk patrols the left boards and behind the net on the Bruins 1-3-1 first unit power play and his many contributions to one of the NHL’s elite units aren’t always reflected in the scoring summary.

DeBrusk will take his usual turns on second line and work the power play when the Bruins host the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night at the TD Garden.

The NHL goes into hibernation for five days for the All-Star break, and the Bruins take nine days off with their built in bye week, resuming play at Winnipeg on Jan. 31.

“We ask him to do some of that (gritty work) for sure and puck recovery,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said following Monday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton. “Usually there is someone on your hip all the time when you are in that position, especially if you are first to the puck behind the net and the D are bearing down on you with bigger bodies.

“That’s a challenge for anybody we put in there and we are asking him to be around net for tips, second chances, deflections and anything like that. That’s his role and we don’t stray very much from that as a net front guy.”

DeBrusk is seldom in position to accept tape-to-tape feeds from defenseman Torey Krug, who serves as the rainmaker on the power play.

That job is primarily reserved for All-Star right-wing David Pastrnak, who routinely sets up shop at the dot in the left circle. Pastrnak leads the league in goals (37) and power-play goals (16).

Center Patrice Bergeron (eight power-play goals) and right-wing Brad Marchand (4) are also the beneficiaries of Krug’s largess, but five of DeBrusk’s 14 goals have been on the power play. Krug is fourth in the league with 18 power play assists.

“Mostly just recover pucks is the biggest thing,” said DeBrusk. “I think they use my quickness and speed to get to those loose pucks and give it to the big guys. But there’s more net front and just kind of battling and taking away sticks from lanes and seams in the O-zone so that certain things open up. It depends on how they kill and sometimes they leave me open for tips but I haven’ been too lucky around there. No luck at all actually, but at this time of year that is going to change.”

The Bruins are currently third in the league on the power play with 42 goals on 160 situations for a 26.2% success rate. They trail Edmonton (29.7%) and Tampa Bay (26.2%).

The Bruins have been at or near the top since the start of the season because of the steady consistent play of the first unit.

“For the majority of the year we have been pretty consistent in that aspect of getting momentum and goals and things like that,” said DeBrusk. “Obviously there are going to be breakdowns and things that we don’t want to have happen, but you kind of have to be aware of certain teams that play really aggressive up front.”

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Julian Edelman has dinner with David Pastrnak, Sean Kuraly, Charlie McAvoy

By NBC Sports Boston Staff January 20, 2020 8:51 PM

It looks like Julian Edelman is enjoying his offseason by hanging out with a few of his friends from the black and gold.

David Pastrnak, Sean Kuraly, and Charlie McAvoy joined Edelman for dinner at Monica's Trattoria in the North End before their matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.

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Oh, and did we mention some members of the Golden Knights were there ahead of their Tuesday night clash with the Bruins? Talk about a popular restaurant.

It's always nice to see members of the Boston teams intermingle, especially when it brings guys like Edelman and Pastrnak together. We just have one question, though... did Pastrnak order the pasta?

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Brad Marchand, unsurprisingly, voted dirtiest in NHL by fellow players

By NBC Sports Boston Staff January 20, 2020 4:20 PM

Brad Marchand is known around the NHL as a rat, a pest, someone who can get under your skin.

That reputation, unsurprisingly, has earned the Boston Bruins winger a rather... interesting title.

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In a poll of 392 players across the NHL, The Athletic asked the players to answer a variety of questions -- one of those questions being "Who is the dirtiest player in the league?" To no surprise, No. 63 was voted the dirtiest in the league, receiving 29 percent of votes.

Some of the players who voted Marchand cared to give their remarks -- and they're pretty salty about some of the things he's been able to get away with.

“Marchand can do some shady [expletive]," said a Pacific Division player, according to The Athletic.

“It’s disgusting what the league lets Marchand get away with. He’s got no respect for anybody. Makes me sick," a Central Division player said.

“It’s just the little things he tries to get away with, and you can’t get away with things now just because there are so many cameras. But it’s the little shoulders to the chin, elbows to the chin, small things, slash the goalie in the back of the knees. Those types of things. But he is upfront about it,” an Atlantic Division player said.

Haggerty: Kreider remains top trade target for B's when time comes

Those are some pretty harsh comments, but does Marchand deserve it? Let's take a look at his disciplinary history in the NHL.

March 2011: Suspended two games for elbowing R.J. Umberger.

December 2011: A $2,500 fine for slew-footing Matt Niskanen.

January 2012: A five-game suspension for a predatory low-bridge hit on Sami Salo.

January 2015: Suspended two games for slew-footing Derick Brassard.

December 2015: Suspended three games for clipping Mark Borowiecki.

February 2017: A $10,000 fine for dangerously tripping Niklas Kronwall.

January 2018: Suspended five games for an elbow to the head of Marcus Johansson.

March 2018: A $2,000 fine for diving.

April 2018: A $5,000 fine for cross-checking Andrew MacDonald.

That's an extensive rap sheet, so it's no surprise that he was voted the dirtiest in the league by the players.

Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson clocked in slightly behind Marchand at 24 percent while Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk was voted third dirtiest at 11 percent.

Following his suspension, two fines and multiple licking incidents in 2018, Marchand has cleaned up his act and has yet to receive a fine or suspension this campaign.

Although he does have a pest-like demeanor, he's still undeniably beloved by his B's teammates and fans.

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Positive news for Kevan Miller as he skates on his own for first time

By Joe Haggerty January 20, 2020 4:53 PM

The Bruins got some encouraging health news this week as injured B’s defenseman Kevan Miller was able to skate on his own for 15 minutes Sunday at Warrior Ice Arena while the rest of the team was in Pittsburgh.

The 32-year-old Miller has been out all season while trying to return from two different kneecap injuries suffered last season that kept him out of the entire postseason and limited him to just three games since the beginning of March. Miller underwent a procedure to assist in the healing process last month when he underwent a setback while trying to return earlier this season, so Sunday’s twirl was his first chance to get back on the ice and skate.

For a player that hasn’t played in almost a year now like Miller, any news is good news.

“That’s step one,” said Bruce Cassidy. “That’s a positive.”

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Certainly, it’s good news, but it’s also the very beginning of a recovery process that Miller has already experienced setbacks to a couple of times. Given the normal timetable for players just returning to the ice from an injury, it would be at least 7-10 days before Miller would be anywhere close to returning to game action.

The Bruins will have their All-Star break and bye week over the next 10 days, so it would be at least a few weeks before Miller would be ready to return barring the kind of setbacks that have plagued him since suffering the kneecap injuries.

It remains very much an uphill battle for the rugged D-man in the last year of his contract with the Bruins, but he’s also a tough-minded player that the B’s have absolutely missed during last year’s playoff run and this season. Some of the perceived ability to push these Bruins players around on the ice is because they don’t have the hardnosed 6-foot-2, 210-pound Miller out there to protect his teammates.

Given Zdeno Chara’s age and Charlie McAvoy’s inconsistency this season, Brandon Carlo has ably carried a very heavy load for the Bruins as a big-bodied shutdown defenseman that’s playing big minutes and in all situations for the Black and Gold. Adding Miller to the Bruins group would Carlo some company in the tough guy category and would also limit the amount of ice time they have to give to John Moore, who has been inconsistent for the Black and Gold since returning from shoulder surgery last month.

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Chris Kreider remains top trade target for Bruins when the time comes

By Joe Haggerty January 20, 2020 1:17 PM

There will be plenty of options for the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline when it comes to bolstering their top-6 attack.

Some seasons the B's have bagged a big target as they did a couple of years ago when they acquired Rick Nash from the New York Rangers, and there have been other seasons when more modest rental winger trades like Drew Stafford and Marcus Johansson have worked out very well for the Black and Gold.

But there is always a top target for the Bruins in each one of these trade deadlines since Don Sweeney took over as general manager, and this season will be no different for a B’s team sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division. The Rangers haven’t become sellers yet in the trade market, though there have curiously been rumors about the availability of backup goaltender Alexander Georgiev at this point in the season.

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But when they do become full-out sellers at some point in the second half of the season, big Rangers winger Chris Kreider will be the Bruins top option for a top-6 winger at the trade deadline, according to multiple hockey sources. It isn’t even a certainty that the Rangers will decide to part with a player that’s been a core member of their group since they selected him 19th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft, but it’s hard to imagine they would keep him given their status as a rebuilding franchise.

Trade targets who could increase Bruins' toughness

The 28-year-old Kreider has the size at 6-foot-3, 218-pounds and he’s got the skating speed that the Bruins are looking for in every player on their roster.

Kreider has 16 goals and 31 points in 47 games this season for the Rangers, and is on pace for 28 goals and 54 points. He’s topped 20 goals four times during his career and surpassed 50 points a couple of times. Even better, Kreider represents a player that plays strong in front of the net and will bring a little edge to his game from time to time as well. The size, strength and skill combined with his background as an Eastern Conference player, a local kid and a former Boston College standout check many of the boxes for a Bruins scouting staff that seems to collect players just like Kreider on their NHL roster.

The one obvious drawback with Kreider is that his natural position is left wing, where the Bruins already have Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk on the top-6, but he would bring a different and much-needed element to that forward group given his style of play. It might push DeBrusk down to the third line and force guys like Danton Heinen and Anders Bjork to potentially play on the right side rather than the left side, but it would also undoubtedly strengthen their depth and overall quality of attack that will be needed in the postseason.

The other drawback for the Bruins is that Kreider will be in high demand as one of the top forwards on the rental market given his skill set, and that could mean the B’s will have to part with a first-round pick in order to ensure his acquisition.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172025 Boston Bruins Maple Leafs in 2018-19. Backes has one goal and two assists in 16 games for the Bruins this year.

4. Retire immediately What will David Backes do next? Here are his options Backes considered hanging up his skates after he clanged heads with Scott Sabourin on Dec. 9. Consultation with an independent concussion expert helped to convince Backes that he was not taking a significant By Fluto Shinzawa Jan 20, 2020 health risk by returning to play.

The indignity of an AHL assignment may change his mind. Backes would forgo the year- and $6 million-plus remaining on his contract. According The Bruins did David Backes a solid with the manner in which they bid to CapFriendly, Backes has totaled over $55 million in career earnings. him goodbye, if such a thing is possible. The Minnesota native, however, has a wife and two young children to Backes’ NHL days may be over. But in one way, Backes remains an NHL support. He lives in Minnesota during the offseason and owns his in- player. As they put him through waivers on Friday, the Bruins granted season home in suburban Boston. It would be a lot of dough to leave on Backes the same midseason pause as his former varsity teammates via the table, especially considering his next profession is unlikely to be as the All-Star break and their bye week. lucrative. This grants Backes nine days off following Tuesday’s home game 5. Finish the season in Providence, then revisit his options against Vegas to gather himself after the shock of Friday’s move. The Bruins resume play on Jan. 31 in Winnipeg. Backes could collect his $1 million signing bonus, then retire. He would be walking away from $3 million in 2020-21 salary. This should give Backes time to make a calculated and unemotional decision on his next step. He could report to training camp next fall and fight for an NHL job, as unlikely as that may be. The Bruins would send Backes to Providence, Following are options available to Backes. Wade Arnott, Backes’ agent, where he would fulfill the remainder of his contract and make $3 million in did not respond to an inquiry requesting comment. base salary. 1. Accept the AHL assignment Backes could ask the Bruins to buy him out, giving him a final payday Backes is on a one-way contract. He will earn the same salary ($6 million and granting him unrestricted free agent status. This is unlikely average annual value) in Providence as he would have in Boston. considering the structure of his contract. The Bruins would only save $1 Backes last played in the AHL in 2006-07, when he appeared in 31 million by buying out the last season of his deal. They would have to games for Peoria. carry $4 million in dead money in 2020-21, and $1 million in 2021-22.

It would be a difficult assignment for a proud man like Backes to manage. The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 He would not be alone. Andrew Ladd signed a seven-year, $38.5 million deal with the Islanders on July 1, 2016, the same day as Backes (five years, $30 million) became a Bruin. The Islanders buried Ladd, 34, in Bridgeport for all but one NHL game this year. Ladd is signed through 2023.

By playing in Providence, Backes, 35, would continue to get paid while staying in hockey shape. Whether he would see regular playing time is unknown. There are right wings ahead of Backes who need to play, including Brett Ritchie and Zach Senyshyn. Ritchie, waived two days before Backes, scored two goals in Providence’s 3-1 win over Bridgeport on Saturday. Ritchie’s time in Boston is not necessarily over.

If Backes reports to Providence, the Bruins would receive $1.075 million in cap relief, pro-rated by the days remaining on the NHL calendar.

2. Decline the AHL assignment

Backes would then be in violation of his contract. His deal would be voided, making him an unrestricted free agent and eligible to sign with any other team. The Bruins would be off the hook for the rest of his contract.

By doing so, Backes would be forgoing the money left on his deal this season. According to CapFriendly, Backes is due a $1 million signing bonus, which he would collect on July 1. He would also say goodbye to the $3 million in salary he is owed in 2020-21, the fifth and final season of his contract.

3. Accept the assignment, but request a trade

Backes has an eight-team no-trade clause for the remainder of the season.

Whether another organization still considers Backes an NHL contributor is unknown. If so, an acquiring team could ask the Bruins for future assets for taking on Backes’ deal. The price would drop for the Bruins if they retained part of Backes’ salary.

A team with no interest in Backes, however, could weaponize its cap space, much like Carolina did with Toronto and Patrick Marleau last offseason. The Hurricanes received a 2020 first-round pick for taking Marleau, who had one year and $6.25 million left on his deal. Carolina then bought out Marleau, freeing him to sign with San Jose.

If Marleau commanded a first-round pick, the price would likely be higher for Backes. Marleau scored 16 goals and 21 assists in 82 games for the 1172026 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres goalie prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returns to ECHL

By Staff

Published Mon, Jan 20, 2020|Updated Mon, Jan 20, 2020

As expected, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been reassigned to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL after spending the weekend with the .

Luukkonen made 24 saves in his AHL season debut Friday as Rochester was defeated in a shootout by Cleveland, 4-3, Friday night at Blue Cross Arena. Luukkonen made several big saves, including a crucial stop in overtime when he lunged and kicked away a Monsters shot to preserve the tie.

In Sunday's 4-1 loss to Hershey, he made 32 stops on 36 shots.

“I feel like there’s some things I still have to sharpen up and there’s some things I’m happy about,” Luukkonen said after Friday's loss.

At Cincinnati, Luukkonen has a 12-5-3 record with a 2.12 goals-against average, a .917 save percentage and three shutouts in 20 games.

The Sabres mapped out a plan months ago for Luukkonen to be in Rochester last week. The goal is for him to play about 40 games this season.

“We planned to have (him) here a couple times here during the year as far back as the summer,” Amerks GM Randy Sexton said.

Luukkonen is scheduled to play in the ECHL All-Star Game on Wednesday in Wichita.

Buffalo News LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172027 Buffalo Sabres Kane was hopeful the magic moment would come in Chicago and it did. The unfortunate side was that his parents, Patrick Sr. and Donna, didn't get to either game on the weekend because of the weather around Buffalo and Toronto. His father, Patrick Sr., doesn't like to fly and drives Patrick Kane's 1,000th point is cause for big celebration in Chicago to most home games in Chicago. He dodged the weather to make every home game last season.

"It's tough not having them here. They've been a big part of my career," By Mike Harrington Kane said. "I'm sure I'll talk to them after this and hopefully there will be Published Mon, Jan 20, 2020 some better moments in the future that they'll be here for."

Kane is fourth all-time in Blackhawks history behind Hall of Famers Stan Mikita (1,467), Bobby Hull (1,153) and (1,096), who was Brandon Saad was smiling, even laughing a little at the question. When Kane's coach for his rookie season in the NHL before getting fired early you're around the Chicago Blackhawks and Patrick Kane is the subject, in the 2008-09 season and getting replaced by Joel Quenneville. The the degree of marvel both teammates and opponents have for No. 88 is Hawks went on to win their three Cups with Kane under Quenneville. always striking. This was a wild weekend for Kane. Friday night, his parents and other Such was the scene with Saad Saturday night in Toronto. The veteran family and friends were with him in London, Ont., as the London Knights winger's first-period goal came on a Kane assist and was point No. 999 were retiring his No. 88 in honor of his 145-point season in the Ontario of Kane's career. They would team up again in the third period Sunday Hockey League in 2006-07. He played the Leafs on Saturday and flew night in Chicago, with a Saad goal making Kane just the 90th player in back to Chicago to play Sunday. NHL history to collect 1,000 points. Kane is only the 10th American, and the youngest of that group at 31. For all the things that have happened in Kane's hockey life, how big was seeing that banner raised Friday in Western Ontario? "He's a special player," Saad said. "To be able to get a chance to play with him. ... well, that milestone is an impressive thing to get. It's always "It's up there. Being in London one year and going back there, you get a been fun to be a part of his team. little emotional during the video tribute," he said Saturday. "It's kind of your whole career displayed in front of your eyes. It's amazing it's been "The thing is, it's almost like he's getting better with each year. He's 13 years. It feels like yesterday I was there and having a lot of fun playing always been impressive but with the experience he's got here, he's just hockey. I was there one year and have a lot of memories that could take become a better player with his hockey sense and hockey smarts, if you up four-five years from that one season." can believe that. He's always had the talent and he's pretty special to watch." So it was one milestone to another on this weekend. And here's another to note: The Blackhawks have won five games in a row and 11 of 15. There's a reverence in the Blackhawks' dressing room for Kane, as you They're three points out of a playoff spot. would expect. Three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe and a Hart Trophy will do that for a player. And when Saad slammed home Ryan "It is special. It's kind of crazy how fast he's gotten to it," Toews said Carpenter's pass to give Kane a secondary assist with 5:36 to play in Saturday. "His last three-four years almost he's still put up consistent Sunday's 5-2 win over Winnipeg, the Hawks exploded over the boards in numbers even when our team is struggling. He's up there putting up celebration of the South Buffalo native. points. Nothing seems to faze him or take him away from that consistent production." Even old friend Robin Lehner skated the length of the ice from the goal crease to join the celebration. Captain Jonathan Toews cleared the move Kane led all NHL scorers in the 2010s with 802 points. During the 2019 with the officials earlier in the night in case the milestone was reached, calendar year, he was fourth in the league with 111 points (44-67). Kane so the Hawks did not get hit with a delay-of-game penalty. has the most points in his first 13 seasons of any American NHL player in history. "I'll never forget that moment and I told the team that after," Kane said. "Just kind of looking at everyone's face and everyone's excitement was a What's next for Patrick Kane? cool moment. "I've been very fortunate to be playing as long as I have, and also "You see some faces in that pile that have been a big part of a lot of fortunate to be drafted by the Blackhawks and what's happened here those points. ... 'Saader' to finish it off I think was pretty cool. I kind of felt within this organization," Kane said. "All the great players that have been bad for him there. All the other guys on the ice came to me and he was here and what we've done together as a team. There's been a lot of guys kind of alone in the corner, even though he was the one that scored. with some amazing individual accomplishments as well. It's been a great time here." The NHL's top American scorers When he was doing an interview after the game with NBC Sports Name G-A-Pts Chicago and it was piped through the massive United Center, Kane was asked what was in his future and drew big cheers when he said, 'I don't Brett Hull 741-650-1,391 know. We'll see. Maybe a few more Cups? That would be nice, right?" Mike Modano 561-813-1,374 He toned down expectations a few notches later in the dressing room. Phil Housley 338-894-1,232 The Hawks have one more game before the All-Star break and that comes Tuesday, when Quenneville brings the Florida Panthers to town Jeremy Roenick 513-703-1,216 for his return game after he was fired 14 months ago.

Keith Tkachuk 538-527-1,065 What's next for Kane?

Joe Mullen 502-561-1,063 "One thousand one," he said calmly. "We'll start there and move Doug Weight 278-755-1,033 forward."

Brian Leetch 247-781-1,028 Buffalo News LOADED: 01.21.2020

Pat LaFontaine 468-545-1,013

Patrick Kane 380-620-1,000

The point ended a 103-minute drought for Kane after he got No. 999 with 8:58 left in the first period Saturday. Kane had several scoring chances over the final 50 minutes of that game, and others were involved in chances that would have given him an assist but didn't convert. Same thing for the first nearly 54 minutes of the game Sunday. 1172028 Calgary Flames “I always say it’s like pool — ‘It’s not what you make, it’s what you leave.’ So just being comfortable in that environment, where things are tight and it’s not always the sexy play, it’s maybe just advancing the puck, to me, those are experiences and as you go through, they keep teaching you Flames optimistic they’re trending in right direction heading into All-Star how to win. And that’s what I think our group is learning. To me, learning break how to win close games and be comfortable in that environment where you don’t have to open things up and take chances … I think that’s

winning hockey.” Wes Gilbertson Since taking the helm as interim at the end of November, Published:January 20, 2020 Ward has talked often about learning to be a winning team.

Updated:January 20, 2020 3:21 PM MST Which begs the question, where is this squad — in his estimation — on that quest?

A couple of days before the break, the insightful skipper explained the It was a fair question. progression.

After Saturday’s loss to the lowly Ottawa Senators, a should-be free- “I think you go through certain stages,” Ward said. “First, you go from a space for any team that fancies itself a contender, Calgary Flames nobody to an upstart. When you’re a nobody, you’re sort of losing all the interim head coach Geoff Ward was asked if his squad might be fighting time. And then you learn to win a little bit and on any given night, you can a bit of mental fatigue. beat another team, but you really aren’t reliable in terms of what your process is and how often you win. Then, I think you become a winning It has, after all, been a rollercoaster campaign. So perhaps the week-long team with a little bit more time and experience, and by that I mean your bye/all-star break was coming at a perfect juncture? record is around .500 or a little above .500. You learn more lessons and “There should not be mental fatigue at this time of year,” Ward replied. then you become a team that wins on a regular basis and you’re not just “It’s a good question to ask, but teams that are around at the end, they’re a winning team now, you’re talked about in the circles of being a not mentally tired right now. If anything, they’re getting mentally stronger. contending team.” Teams will raise their level right now, players will raise their level … Just a reminder, as you read the rest of this answer, that Ward owns a “The guys that know what it takes to win and perennially are winners and 2011 Stanley Cup ring, a memento from his stint as an assistant coach in they’re in playoff situations, they get better right now. So for us, I sure Boston. hope there’s not mental fatigue.” “And then you go from being a contending team to learning how to be a The Flames are not perennial winners. (Just a reminder, they haven’t champion, and some special teams will go from being a champion to qualified for the post-season in back-to-back springs since 2008 and learning how to be a dynasty,” he continued. “At every step along the 2009.) way, there are things that need to happen, there are lessons that need to be learned and there are processes that need to be reinforced as you They hope, however, to be trending in that direction. move along that curve. How long that takes depends on the team and the Although fans were frustrated after Saturday’s stinker, a 5-2 loss to a individual people on the team. rebuilding bunch that had yet to win in 2020, it’s not like the crew from “Where are we at right now? I think we’re a team that is learning how to Calgary was in some sort of tail-spin before their getaways. be a contending team. I would put us in that category right now. We’re “Hopefully, we use this break and we really catapult ourselves forward making steps. But in every step of the process or the evolution of the and get some real momentum,” said Flames captain Mark Giordano after team, there are pitfalls you can get into. With us, it’s no different. We the loss in Ottawa. “As bad as this one feels, we’ve won six of our last have lessons to learn. We have things we need to reinforce in our eight, if you want to look at it that way. Let’s take the positive from that process so these things become like a science experiment — you get the and move on.” same result every time you do it.”

Brady Tkachuk says brother Matthew ‘has the thickest skin I’ve ever This current cast of Flames isn’t going to win 50 regular-season games, seen’ like they did in 2018-19. Apparently, they’re not going to fill the net at the same clip, either. (The offence really sputtered on the road-trip to There are plenty of positives. Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa, with most of their go-to guys ice-cold as they packed for their beach vacations.) The Flames have weathered their share of on-ice issues — an inconsistent start, a six-game winless skid that felt like an unstoppable Nobody will be complaining, though, if they can win a few more playoff free-fall, the fact Johnny Hockey has too often looked like Johnny Who? games.

There have also been a couple of curveball storylines — TJ Brodie’s That’s why their recent success in squeakers has been such a point of scary collapse in practice and the revelations of past misconduct that pride. The Flames’ past six Ws have been of the one-goal variety. came back to bite Bill Peters, forcing his resignation as bench boss at the Saddledome. “We don’t need to be winning games by four or five goals,” stressed alternate captain Sean Monahan. “You can feel the confidence in the The top of the Pacific Division standings are currently as crowded as a room. Right now, it’s not about guys scoring 100 or 120 points or downtown C-Train platform at 5:01 p.m., and the Flames (26-19-5) are whatever it is. It’s about the two points every night. That’s our mindset, right in that mix, one point back of the first-place and and that’s a team mindset right now. Points are one thing and yeah, you also tied for second/third/both wild-card spots. want to produce and you want to be one of those guys. But at the end of the day, you really want to go into the post-season and do work there.” “I think we’re maturing,” said Flames general manager Brad Treliving prior to that disappointing defeat in Ottawa. “Everyone wants to keep Last season, the Flames hit the bye on a nine-game point-spree. They talking about our start — we’re a long way from the start. I think if we look never seemed like the same team afterward, leading to a first-round at it from about the third week of November, it’s been a pretty solid playoff flop. record and we’ve played some solid hockey. The 2019-20 campaign hasn’t been a smooth cruise — Saturday’s loss “And I think we’re learning. We’ve played a lot of close games. We’ve to the cellar-dwelling Senators was another reminder of that — but the become comfortable in those games. And when I say comfortable, skating stars feel like there is a lot to be optimistic about. previously, we would get a little bit excited sometimes to, all of a sudden, try to take a 1-0 game or a 1-1 game and turn it into a 3-1 game. “I think we’ve done a really good job of just finding ways to win games,” Sometimes, you can’t do that. Sometimes, you have to take what’s given said forward Sam Bennett. “We’re not really blowing any teams out. I and to be a good team, you have to become really comfortable in 2-1 think a lot of our wins have been one-goal games, and that’s how you’re games — where there’s a lot of 50-50 shifts where stuff ain’t happening. going to win games in the playoffs. It’s going to be tight hockey like that. “We won so many games early (in 2018-19), we were so good early in the season, and then near the end, we kind of started to go down a little bit. I think we’re going the opposite way this year, and that’s the way that you really have to go into the playoffs. We just seem to be slowly, gradually getting better.”

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172029 Calgary Flames Of course, the other motivation for that deal was to open up some cap space, and with Frolik’s $4.3M cap hit off the books, Treliving has money to spend.

10 players Flames GM Brad Treliving should consider as he hunts for a As we sit here today, five weeks from the NHL’s Feb. 24 trade deadline, right-shot forward let’s examine 10 right-shot options that he may want to spend that cap space on.

Players with term remaining By Darren Haynes Jan 20, 2020 The first priority for Treliving is finding help in the form of a player with some term remaining and not a pure rental. If he’s going to give up some coveted assets — and a list of the Flames trade chips will be published in It makes for a great trivia question for a Flames fan. Well, “great” in a The Athletic tomorrow — he’s stated in the past a strong preference to morbid kind of way. bring in a player that can be part of not just a playoff chase this year, but Since the 2004-05 lockout, name the next three players, after Jarome at minimum, next season as well. Iginla (593), on the list of most games played by right-shot right wingers. Kyle Palmieri Bruins Devils Trade Let me guess, already stumped? RW Kyle Palmieri, NJ | Pending UFA after 2020-21 ($4.65M) Next at No. 2 is David Moss (317). If you forgot he played six seasons in Age 28 | 5-foot-11, 185 lbs | 44 gm, 16-15-31 Calgary, you’re not alone. Nine days shy of his 25th birthday, the 2001 seventh-round pick made his NHL debut on Dec. 19, 2006. He remained Palmieri knows how to put the puck in the net and that’s exactly what with the organization through the end of the 2011-12 season. Calgary needs — the team ranks 25th in offence with an average of 2.6 goals per game. The native of Smithtown, New York, has scored at a 30- I’ll buy you a Slurpee if you can get the next one without cheating. goal clip for four of the last five seasons — and he doesn’t appear to be No. 3 is Tim Jackman (209). The rugged fourth liner joined his fifth slowing down. Last season, he had 27 goals in 74 games, which was on organization when, at age 28, he signed with the Flames in the summer the heels of putting up 24 goals in just 62 games the previous year. His of 2010. In parts of four seasons, his average ice time never topped 10 availability could hinge on which direction the Devils are going. Should minutes. they decide they’re going to rebuild around 2017 and 2019 first-overall picks Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes and that it’s going to take a couple One more and this one might also surprise you. years at least, Palmieri’s contract expires in the summer of 2021 so he’ll be gone by then. In that case, does New Jersey trade him now to net a No. 4 is Garnet Hathaway (175). An undrafted depth winger, he was 24 bigger return? when he appeared in his first NHL game on Feb. 29, 2016. He played parts of four seasons with Calgary, but his only full season in the NHL RW Josh Anderson, CBJ | Pending RFA ($1.85M) came last year. Age 25 | 6-foot-3, 222 lbs | 26 gm, 1-3-4 One look at that list and not much more needs to be said when it comes to the organization’s endless pursuit of right-handed wingers over the last Anderson’s hulking size is no doubt alluring for the Flames, whose roster decade and a half. is filled with guys who are either small or play small. When he’s at his best, the former London Knight is a power forward, who will go through Most recently, do you know the significance of the date Nov. 30, 2019? you rather than around you. He can also score, sniping a career-best 27 goals last year, that coming off a season in which he notched 19 while Noteworthy for a couple reasons, it was Geoff Ward’s first official game also missing 19 games. The big question is where has the offence gone as interim head coach. It was also the last time Calgary’s line-up boasted this year? Now he’s been hurt twice — he missed six games early on a right-shooting right winger. (upper body) and is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury suffered in If you remember what happened next, the team got two days off, which mid-December. In 26 games, he’s only scored once. Earlier in the year, gave Ward 48 hours to mull over what he wanted his lines to look like, coach John Tortorella implied he had lost his identity a little bit and and when the players returned to practice on Dec. 2, everything had needed to get back to his strengths. Anderson is on an expiring deal, but changed. In particular, right-shooting Elias Lindholm has been moved he will be an RFA. Treliving hasn’t hesitated to trade for guys in that from right wing to centre, where he’s remained ever since. The only other situation — see Lindholm, Noah Hanifin and Dougie Hamilton, who all right-shot forward on the roster is Derek Ryan, also a centre. came to Calgary in need of new contracts.

That means for the last 23 games, all four right wingers for Calgary have RW Kasperi Kapanen, TOR | Pending RFA after 2021-22 ($3.2M) been lefties. Age 23 | 6-foot-1, 194 lbs | 49 gm, 10-18-28 The much coveted, long-awaited solution as top-line right winger, Drafted in the first round, 22nd overall, by Pittsburgh in 2014, the talented Lindholm was in that role for just over 100 games, which would slot him Finn was moved to Toronto one year later as part of the Phil Kessel well down the list. The only other right-shooting forward to appear in an trade. After spending parts of three seasons in the minors, Kapanen is in NHL game this season was Austin Czarnik. Injured on Oct. 24 and now his second full season in the NHL, and after putting up 20 goals and 44 now in Stockton, his 62 career games for the Flames lands him even points a year ago, he’s on a similar pace this season — maybe a few further down. less goals, but a few more points. Having just signed a three-year The Flames are the only NHL team without a right-shooting winger at the extension in the off-season, the reason he’s potentially expendable is moment. because of the Leafs’ tight cap situation and their need to improve their blue line, likely at the expense of some of their depth up front. Kapanen Next closest is Detroit, where Luke Glendening is the only right-shooter is a player who projects to play top-six, who has had those opportunities of 18 Red Wings forwards to appear in a game this season. He’s split in his first few seasons. For example, he opened this year lined up on his time between centre and right wing, but most recently has been deployed off-wing with John Tavares and Mitch Marner. With the Leafs’ forward on the wing. depth, he’s currently playing on the third line, but no mistake, he would If you’re wondering how successful the heavy-lefty blueprint has been, be an impact addition. Detroit is last in the NHL, a whopping 13 points out of 30th. RW Ondrej Kase, ANA | Pending RFA after 2020-21 ($2.6M)

All this to say when Pierre LeBrun, senior NHL columnist for The Athletic Age 24 | 6-foot-0, 190 lbs | 42 gm, 5-13-18 and NHL Insider for TSN, reported last Thursday that Brad Treliving is scouring the trade market for — specifically — a right-shot forward, no Nicknamed the “Energizer bunny” by former Ducks coach Randy Carlyle, kidding! In LeBrun’s discussion with the Flames GM last week, Treliving Kase got that handle for his full-on competitive style on the ice — not said one of the reasons behind the recent trade of Michael Frolik was the backing down from any scrums, thirsty to win every puck battle and doing emergence of young players Dillon Dube and Andrew Mangiapane, everything at top speed. In fact, the theory is that it’s his exuberance that which had created some redundancy in the form of left-shot wingers. has led to him being injured multiple times. Why might he be available despite his age? The fit reportedly hasn’t been as good under Dallas Eakins and he’s struggled to produce. He’s got just five goals this season with in Ottawa. They were linemates that second season — and guess after sniping 20 goals in just 66 games two years ago and burying 11 which Flame could use a linemate right now. The 2010 second-rounder goals in just 30 games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury also has a Stanley Cup ring from 2014, which he won with the Kings. last January. One concern would be his history of concussions, the result According to The Athletic’s Craig Custance, the expected asking price on of how he plays, which seems to put him in harm’s way too often. Toffoli is a second-round pick and a prospect.

C Ryan Getzlaf, ANA | Pending UFA after 2020-21 ($8.25M) RW Wayne Simmonds, NJ | Pending UFA ($5M)

Age 34| 6-foot-3, 228 lbs | 46 gm, 11-22-33 Age 31 | 6-foot-2, 195 lbs | 48 gm, 5-14-19

It seems like a stretch considering the Ducks are the only organization He’s on this list every year, but you have to wonder what you’re getting at Getzlaf has ever known, having logged over 1,000 NHL games with this point. Granted, his shooting percentage is at a career-low 5.4 Anaheim. But then again, the Ducks are rebuilding and Getzlaf turns 35 percent this season — it’s usually double that, so that will contribute to in May. The Ducks would need to retain salary for the rest of this season his paltry five goals — but even if he had 10 at this point, he’s more of a and next, but maybe there is a chance. If there’s one other city Getzlaf 15-goal guy now and is no longer the 30-goal, or near 30-goal guy, he knows it’s Calgary, having played four years of major junior with the was for several seasons in Philadelphia. Since scoring 31 in 2016-17, his Hitmen. The Flames would be bringing one giant personality into the goal total has dropped to 24, then 17, and now this year, on pace for dressing room, and while that may worry some teams because of the fewer than 10. Simmonds’s most coveted quality is his size. Perhaps he impact on team chemistry, perhaps that’s just what this club needs. His comes cheaper this season, too, given his reduction in production. A 125 games of playoff experience would also be appealing. He hasn’t hit cautionary note with Simmonds: Last year, after Nashville acquired him 20 goals the last five seasons although he is on pace to get there this at the deadline, he had 3 points in 17 games with Nashville (1-2-3) and year. His assist totals are also down, but so is the quality of his then was blanked in two playoff games, missing the other four with an linemates. He’s still leading Anaheim in scoring. As a centre, this type of injury as the Preds were ousted in Round 1. move would shift Lindholm back to right wing, still fulfilling the desire to add a right-shot winger. C Jean-Gabriel Pageau, OTT | Pending UFA after this season ($3.1M)

RW/C/LW Rickard Rakell, ANA | Pending UFA after 2021-22 ($3.8M) Age 27 | 5-foot-10, 180 lbs | 46 gm, 19-12-31

Age 26 | 6-foot, 196 lbs | 42 gm, 12-16-18 Felled by an Achilles injury in training camp last year, Pageau only played half of the season. His offence suffered, too, as he only scoring The idea of the Flames and Ducks making a deal is difficult to fathom four times. But he has bounced back this year and with over two months given the last one consummated 10 years ago was hardly a blockbuster remaining, he’s equaled his career high in goals with 19. He’s a centre, — Jason Jaffray for Logan MacMillan. Who? Calgary getting young so it’s a move that, again, would be accompanied by Lindholm returning defenceman Mike Commodore in exchange for Rob Niedermayer in to right wing, but that would still fulfill the GM’s goal. Meanwhile, the March 2003 is the last deal between these two teams of any significance, Flames would be adding an injection of skill in someone who also has yet here we are with a third potential southern California target as playoff experience under his belt from an impactful spring in 2017 when vultures circle overhead of GM Bob Murray and the rebuilding Ducks. he sniped eight goals in 19 games. He also comes relatively cheap at Turning 27 in May, Rakell is locked up for another two seasons after this just over $3 million AAV, allowing room for the Flames to make additional one so he would not come cheap, although perhaps his diminished moves. production of late would drive down the asking price. Having scored 33 and 34 goals in 2016-17 and 2017-18, he fell to 18 goals last season. If the Flames GM is Wile E. Coyote, right wing has been the Road Halfway through this season he’s at 12. The Flames know Rakell well — Runner. he’s scored 10 career goals against Calgary. He’s also a Swede and the For further proof of the futility typically associated with this continuing Flames have plenty of those — and they all like playing here. chase, look 8,772 kilometres to the west and the city of Beijing, China.

RW Nikita Gusev, NJ | Pending UFA after 2020-21 ($4.5M) Regulars in the lineup this season for the Kunlun Red Star in the KHL are Age 27 | 5-foot-9, 163 lbs | 45 gm, 8-20-28 two familiar names: Spencer Foo and Devante Smith-Pelly.

Acquired by the Devils from Vegas last summer in exchange for a Both were — you got it — right-shooting right wingers that Calgary second and third round pick, he’s become a fan favourite in New Jersey auditioned. in his first year in the NHL after starring for many seasons in the KHL. Foo, a hot shot NCAA scoring star at Union College, was signed as a While another small forward is far from what Calgary needs, the boost free agent in 2017. In two seasons, he got into four games with the the 5-foot-9 winger would provide the offence is exactly what the team Flames. needs. Very skilled, good hands and with a high hockey IQ, Gusev’s transition to North America has gone very well, especially of late as he’s Smith-Pelly was invited to last training camp on a professional tryout. A piled up 20 points (3 goals, 17 assists) in his last 25 games. So why Stanley Cup champion two years ago, he stuck around a while, got into would the Devils trade the Russian? Like Palmieri, Gusev is another four preseason games, but ultimately was released. older player with one season left after this one, before becoming a free Others on the right-shot RW list? agent. Do they re-sign both or just one and trade one for younger assets? It remains to be seen, but if they are open to moving Gusev, Two-plus seasons of David Jones. Two-plus seasons of Lee Stempniak. Calgary should be interested. He’s not a dynamic skater, but his vision Both players ended up traded. and playmaking ability are top notch. Troy Brouwer, signed to a four-year, $18 million deal as a free agent, Pure Rentals was bought out after two underwhelming seasons.

As Mick Jagger says, you can’t always get what you want. If Treliving Tom Kostopoulos. Remember him? Acquired at age 31 in a trade with cannot work out a deal for a player with term, perhaps he decides to dip Carolina in November 2010. He played a season and a half for the into the rental market, although for a reduced price, given the reduced Flames. service time they’d be getting. In the group of pending UFAs, here are three of the more noteworthy names. Brian McGrattan is on that list. So is Josh Jooris. There’s Chuck Kobasew, Darren McCarty, Eric Godard, Kris Versteeg, Alex Chiasson, RW Tyler Toffoli, LA | Pending UFA after this season ($4.6M) Shean Donovan, Owen Nolan, Curtis Lazar, Ales Kotalik, Kevin Westgarth, Jamal Mayers. Age 27 | 6-foot-0, 197 lbs | 49 gm, 12-15-27 There are a lot of failed experiments in there — a bunch of one-season With the Kings going nowhere this season, Toffoli is an obvious guy to cameos and several middling free agent signings. Oh, and more trivia move out. He’s 27, so that’s an attractive age. Plus, he can score. He’s question answers, only this time for the real hardcore fans. mostly scored at a 20-goal (or more) clip since his second season in 2014-15, peaking at 31 snipes in 2015-16. The one exception was last The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 season when he was held to 13 goals. But he’s already at 12 this season so last year appears to be the anomaly. One other attraction with him is familiarity with Sean Monahan, who he played two years of major junior 1172030 Calgary Flames year. It’s a good question to ask. At the end of the day, teams that are around at the end are not mentally tired right now. If anything, they’re getting mentally stronger. The teams will raise their levels right now. The players will raise their levels. Guys that know what it takes to win and Duhatschek: With the break in the NHL schedule, the Flames have an have been perennially on winners and have been in playoff situations, opportunity to flip the script they get better right now.

“So, for us – I sure hope there’s not mental fatigue.”

By Eric Duhatschek Jan 20, 2020 Everything Ward just said there may well be true.

But for the sake of argument, let’s say that collectively, this looks like a good time for the players to clear their heads. Once they return, Ward will On Saturday, just a few minutes after his team had completed an be well within his rights to ask his players to find another level. In the underwhelming 1-2 road trip with a discouraging 5-2 loss to the Ottawa meantime, the chance to get away, drink a few too many Margaritas and Senators, I was selling a theory to Calgary Flames coach Geoff Ward otherwise decompress from an emotionally taxing first 50 games – well, it that I’m not certain he was buying. looks like a group that needs that. But it went something like this: I ran that theory by Ward and he considered it and then conceded: That if ever a team needed a break from the NHL schedule right now, the “Maybe it will be timely for us.” Flames are that team. It had been a tumultuous first 50 games. There At the very least, they should see this as great opportunity to flip the was the slow sub-.500 start (10-12-3 in the first 25 games). Then came script. the Akim Aliu allegations against Bill Peters that eventually led to Peters’ resignation as coach. Ward stepped in behind the bench and there was a Because it was just around this time a year ago that whatever edge the nice 7-0 run right out of that, which helped to right the ship — for a time. Flames were playing with was lost during their time away from the rink. Last year, they were 33-13-5 after 51 games, when they went on the More recently, there was nasty back-and-forth rhetoric between Matthew break, good for 71 points. In the final 31 games, their record was a far Tkachuk and Zack Kassian that came out of the Battle of Alberta the more modest 17-12-2. It was still enough to win the Pacific Division going weekend before last. Currently, a lot of good offensive players — Johnny away, but whatever edge they were playing with prior to Jan. 22 was lost Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and of late, Tkachuk — are in deep scoring after they returned to work Feb. 1. funks. There have been line shuffles and position changes and all of that churn can collectively weigh on any group of professionals, no matter “I think it’s a good time for a break,” said Giordano. “If we went back here what they may do. two months ago and said at this break we’d be in this position, we’d probably take it, right? So, as a team, we’ll move forward. We’re in a Overall, there just seemed to be a heaviness – probably more mental (playoff) spot right now. We want to come out of the gate with a lot of than physical – on a Flames’ team that arrived at the 50-game mark of emotion and energy – and I’m sure there will be, with the games coming the NHL season with 57 points. Not great, not terrible, but also probably up. It’ll be a good time to refresh and get ready for those ones.” not where they hoped to be at the start of the season. I mentioned to Giordano that while the break hasn’t been great in the In short, the Flames sure looked as if they were ready for a break. In the past, this year, they have a chance get a different result. past couple of years, the bye week hasn’t been very good to the Flames. “Hopefully,” he said. “I thought after Christmas, I don’t know what our This one? record is coming off that break, but I think it’s pretty decent. Hopefully, we The timing seems just about right. Following Saturday’s loss to the use this break and then we really catapult ourselves forward and get Senators, many of them dispersed to a number of different warm-weather some real momentum. I think as bad as this (loss) feels, we’ve won six of destinations across North America. our last eight. Let’s take a positive from that and move on. We’ve got to generate more goals, we know, but I think the chances were there A trio of players – Tkachuk, goaltender David Rittich and defenceman (against Ottawa). Mark Giordano – will make their way to St. Louis later in the week to represent the Flames at the 2020 All-Star break. “I think we all know that we’re playing way better defensively and way more structured, but we’ve still got to find ways to generate more goals For Tkachuk, it’s a chance to play an All-Star Game in the city where he for sure. Compared to years past, we’re locking it down way more. When grew up. Mom and dad were in the stands Saturday to watch his younger it’s 2-1, we’re happy to keep it 2-1 – and we’re winning a lot of one-goal brother, Brady, get the upper hand in the latest instalment of Tkachuk vs. games. That’s a real positive. I just think with the guys we have, we can Tkachuk. That wouldn’t have been so bad, except that it also extended play that smart defensive system, but we can generate some more goals. Matthew Tkachuk’s personal goal-scoring drought to 10 games. But he And we’ve got to score more when we get our looks. That’s the bottom isn’t the only player struggling for offence. Monahan has now gone seven line.” games without a goal. Andrew Mangiapane is also goal-less in 10. When three of your top six forwards are that deep into personal slumps, it’s a The Flames relied heavily on five players — Gaudreau, Monahan, wonder that the Flames actually can point to a 6-2 record in their past Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm and Giordano — for much of their offence last eight, which has them still in the thick of the race in the crowded Pacific season. All five have seen their scoring numbers drop. Under Ward, Division. Lindholm has played primarily at centre, which has forced Mikael Backlund to play primarily at wing, and he just doesn’t seem comfortable The only really good news that came out of Saturday’s loss was that there yet. Lindholm is an excellent two-way centre, which is why the Mark Jankowski finally snapped a season-long scoring drought, Flames like him in the middle, but since his two regular wingers, Tkachuk managing his first goal of the season. But that came late in the third and and Mangiapane, are struggling to score goals, maybe there needs to be it was mostly just window dressing. The game was well lost by then. On a change made there. For Gaudreau, there’s a part of me that wants him the trip, Calgary managed just a single goal in the first eight-periods of watching Patrick Kane videos during the break to see what the diminutive action – which included a shutout loss to the Montreal Canadiens, a 2-1 Chicago Blackhawks sniper is doing to find open ice, something shootout victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs and then a pair of late Gaudreau has been struggling with for a while now. goals against the Sens, when it didn’t much matter anymore, to make the overall scoring numbers look less grim. As Giordano noted, part of what the Flames are trying to do under Ward is play a more responsible defensive game which, theoretically, should But really no one was fooled. Tkachuk was at a loss to explain why the make them readier for playoff action than they were a year ago. But they offence has been so much of a struggle, noting: “It’s absolutely dried up. still need to lock down a playoff start and averaging a goal-a-game the We only had three goals in three games and two come in the last five way they did on this trip is not going to get it done. minutes of a 4-0 game. So yeah, it did dry up. I really don’t have an answer for you. Otherwise, we would have changed it. I really have no “Last year it came easier, right?” said Giordano. “There was nobody idea. I have no idea.” going through downs, nobody slumping, everybody feeling good about themselves. To be honest, there are always ups and downs within the When I asked Ward about what appeared to be mental fatigue, he year. For whatever reason, it’s felt like a real struggle to put the puck in answered crisply: “There should not be mental fatigue at this time of the net this year. So hopefully, over this break, we can go over it – and when we get back, I’m sure the coaches will have a lot of time to look at different tendencies we’ve had. And we’ve got to be better as players executing. I mean, we’re getting looks and a lot of chances around the net. We just weren’t finding ways to put them in.”

Tkachuk noted that if the Flames had been able to put back-to-back wins together, after an important win in Toronto, the team would have “really gone into the break feeling good about ourselves and trying to gather momentum for the last 32 games. But this didn’t allow us to feel that way tonight.

“It’s a long (break), so you’re going to have time to think about how we’re going to come back and play the last 32 games. Last year, we didn’t come back after the break and play our best hockey, and that kind of showed in the playoffs, so … you’ve got to come back, ready to go for this home stretch, because there’s no room for error now, with where we are and where we want to be.”

Ward believes that some of the recent scoring woes can be traced to too much play on the periphery, noting: “When it’s not going in for you, you’ve got to try and manufacture goals. I thought (against Ottawa) we could have done a better job with our traffic. I thought we could have done a better job of getting pucks to the front of the net.

“At this time of year, it’s not always pretty goals that you get. You watch goals in the playoffs. It’s off rush situations – basic rush situations, two- on-ones, three-on-twos. A lot of point shots with traffic. It’s a lot of funnels to the net, creating second shots and third shots. That’s how you score in this league on a regular basis. For us, when we’re playing in the O-zone, we’ve got to make sure we’re digging in and doing those things.”

Other than maybe slipping away to Banff for a few days, Ward isn’t planning to take a lot of time off during the break. He’s got work to do.

“To be honest, I’d rather keep playing,” said Ward. “We’re getting down to that time of year when we’re playing every second day. We’ve given ourselves a chance to be relevant – and now we’re down to a 32-game season. So, we have to make sure that coming off games like this, we learn our lessons and we continue to strive to be a team that’s around for the playoffs and plays the way you need to play to be successful in the playoffs.

“We’re right where we need to be. Now we’ll see what we’ve got, with 32 games to go.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172031 Chicago Blackhawks fiery and explosive, Colliton is almost always calm and resembles an accountant as much as a coach.

Chicago Tribune Sports Newsletter Joel Quenneville’s return to the United Center sends Jonathan Toews Weekdays and Patrick Kane down memory lane: ‘You just didn’t think things would ever change’ A daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.

Colliton has shown a lot of grace whenever he has been asked about By JIMMY GREENFIELD Quenneville, acknowledging the debt the organization owes him and JAN 20, 2020 | 2:09 PM calling him a “great man” when Colliton was introduced as Hawks coach last season.

“It’s a chance to honor Joel,” Colliton said. “It’s a big night for the Patrick Kane came within 5 minutes, 34 seconds of turning Tuesday organization, and he was great to me, so I want to honor him too. night’s Blackhawks-Panthers game into even more of a spectacle. Because a big part of the reason I came here to begin with is because he was here. Joel Quenneville’s return to the United Center with the Panthers has been the most anticipated regular-season game since the schedule was “Obviously want to beat him because they’re two big points for our team released in June. The game would have reached white-hot status if Kane and we’re going to have to sit on that game for a bunch of days (because hadn’t recorded his 1,000th career point with an assist late in the third of the All-Star break). We’re going to have to prepare with all the detail period of Sunday’s 5-2 win over the Jets. and excitement that we can muster, and then I’m sure there will be a lot of energy in the building and we’ve got to use it in the right way.” Now Kane can start working on his next 1,000 points, and the evening — at least the pregame portion when Quenneville is introduced — can be Will it be a little strange for fans and Quenneville’s former players to see about fans, former players and the organization expressing gratitude to him on the visitors bench? the coach who won 452 games and three Stanley Cups during a remarkable 11-year run with the Hawks. “I don’t know, could be,” Colliton said. “But once they drop the puck, it’s a game and it’s big points for us.” “Another great night,” Kane said Sunday. “I’m sure he’ll get a warm reception. He’s like an icon in Chicago, whether it’s him winning three Chicago Tribune LOADED: 01.21.2020 Stanley Cups, coming in and helping us become better players. What he’s done here in his career is amazing. ... It will be good to see him.”

Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook were already in the organization and the Hawks had moved on from their bumbling ways of the previous decade when they hired Quenneville on Oct. 16, 2008, to replace Denis Savard as head coach three games into the season.

With an intensity and drive second to none — as well as a mustache that spawned its own hilarious Twitter account — Quenneville helped the Hawks become one of the NHL’s premier franchises. They have sold out 523 consecutive games, including playoffs, and have led the NHL in attendance every year since Quenneville’s first season.

But nothing stays the same forever, and with Sharp, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Marian Hossa gone, the Hawks didn’t make the playoffs in 2017-18. Quenneville was fired 15 games into last season and replaced by .

“There’s some guys you think you’re going to be surrounded by forever,” Toews said. “And all of a sudden things change. It will definitely be weird to see him on the other bench because all those years playing for him, you just didn’t think things would ever change.

“Things were really great with him behind the bench. Had a great relationship that grew stronger and stronger as time went on when he was in Chicago. It’ll definitely be different seeing him on the other side.”

Tuesday.

Tues. Day.

I’m coming home.

— Coach Q's mustache (@CoachQsMustache) January 19, 2020

Quenneville, 61, is starting to work his magic with the Panthers, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2015-16 and have qualified only twice this century. Entering their game Monday against the Wild in Minnesota, they held one of the Atlantic Division’s three playoff spots.

The Hawks are trying to recover from a slow start, but with five straight wins they have pulled within three points of the Western Conference’s final wild-card spot.

“I’m sure they’ll be ready to play,” Kane said. “They’ll want to win that one, too, so we’ll have to have our best.”

The Hawks couldn’t have found somebody more different to replace Quenneville. Colliton, 35, is more than 25 years younger and never had coached in the NHL, even as an assistant. Where Quenneville can be 1172032 Chicago Blackhawks

Breaking down Patrick Kane’s milestone points, from No. 1 to No. 1,000

By JIMMY GREENFIELD and CHAD YODER

JAN 20, 2020 | 11:06 AM

Over the Blackhawks’ long and storied history, only Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull and Denis Savard had scored 1,000 points for the franchise.

On Sunday night, Patrick Kane’s name was added to that hallowed list.

Scoring 1,000 points is such a rare accomplishment in the franchise’s history it had been nearly 30 years since it last happened. Kane, 31, was not quite 16 months old when Savard, the last to do it, assisted on a goal by Al Secord to record his 1,000th point at the Chicago Stadium on March 11, 1990.

Now Kane will continue his ascension on the Hawks’ all-time scoring list with 468 points to go before he would surpass Mikita’s 1,467 points and end up on the top of it.

1,000 points in four charts

Patrick Kane’s milestone points

1st point: Oct. 6, 2007, vs. Red Wings

An assist on a goal by Tuomo Ruutu, the Hawks’ first-round pick in the 2001 draft. Kane also had his first career penalty in this game ... and the Hawks’ James Wisniewski scored a shorthanded goal on it.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172033 Chicago Blackhawks

Switch to right-side defense has sparked Slater Koekkoek’s excellent recent stretch

By Ben Pope Jan 20, 2020, 3:46pm CST

The Blackhawks’ preseason game against the Red Wings on Sept. 17 was as irrelevant as every other preseason game.

But for Slater Koekkoek, it marked what might turn out to be a watershed moment in his career: It was the first time he played right-side defense.

“The coaches came up to me before the preseason [game] and said, ‘We know you’ve never really played the right side, we’re just going to test you in case something happens during the season,’ ” Koekkoek said Sunday, thinking back. “So I was happy to have that experience.”

Koekkoek, who plays left-handed, manned the right side that night next to short-lived Philip Holm. The pairing wasn’t exactly a smash hit in the Hawks’ 5-3 loss. Koekkoek suffered a 20-11 shot-attempt deficit and 8-4 scoring-chance deficit and didn’t register a point.

Yet, months later, that first toe-dip into right-side defense has given way to a multiweek stint on the right side — during the Hawks’ hottest stretch of the season — and Koekkoek’s most impressive results and most consistent playing time in a year.

“That was the only experience I had, and now to be there and feel super comfortable . . . [it’s] funny,” he said.

After playing in just 16 of the Hawks’ first 44 games, and just two of 14 between Dec. 10 and Jan. 7, Koekkoek has been in the lineup for six consecutive games — and five straight wins — and averaged a sizable 17 minutes, 36 seconds of ice time in them.

It’s because of his (at least temporary) switch to the right side that Koekkoek has been able to bump Dennis Gilbert from the Hawks’ lineup and form a surprisingly dominant pair with left-handed Olli Maatta, who also struggled somewhat in December.

While alongside Maatta in the last six games, Koekkoek (at five-on-five) has enjoyed a 59.9 percent shot-attempt ratio and 66.0 percent scoring- chance ratio, two off-the-charts percentages.

“This latest opportunity that he’s had, he’s found another level to his performance and he’s made it impossible for us to take him out,” coach Jeremy Colliton said Sunday. “Him and Maatta, since they’ve been reinserted, they’ve been great and really added some depth to our group and [become] a big part of why we’re having success lately.”

Koekkoek even recorded a three-game points streak, with assists in all three games of the Hawks’ Eastern Canada road swing, perhaps not-so- coincidentally jump-started by the presence of “a ton of Koekkoeks” in his hometown of Ottawa.

Making this recent success even more notable is that Koekkoek seemed like an odd man out for the entire first half of the season. Yet it only took a switch to his off side — with just one preseason game of experience — and a well-suited “D” pairing to bring out his untapped stability.

“[I] love the way that Olli and I are moving on the ice,” he said. “Whether it be neutral-zone regroup or in the defensive zone, we’re moving well together, and that’s what it takes.”

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172034 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks play the Panthers on 5-game win streak

By Associated Press

Posted1/21/2020 7:00 AM

Florida Panthers (27-16-5, third in the Atlantic Division) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (24-20-6, fifth in the Central Division)

BOTTOM LINE: Chicago will try to keep its five-game win streak alive when the Blackhawks take on Florida.

The Blackhawks are 12-11-3 at home. Chicago has allowed 25 power- play goals, killing 83.1% of opponent opportunities.

The Panthers are 11-8-3 on the road. Florida averages 10 points per game to lead the league, recording 3.7 goals and 6.3 assists per game.

The teams square off Tuesday for the first time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Patrick Kane has recorded 62 total points while scoring 24 goals and collecting 38 assists for the Blackhawks. Jonathan Toews has totaled five goals and 11 assists over the last 10 games for Chicago.

Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Panthers with 64 points, scoring 18 goals and adding 46 assists. Mike Hoffman has collected 11 points over the last 10 games for Florida.

LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 7-3-0, averaging 4.1 goals, 7.2 assists, 4.1 penalties and 9.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game with a .908 save percentage.

Blackhawks: 7-3-0, averaging 3.9 goals, 6.8 assists, 2.7 penalties and 5.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game with a .922 save percentage.

INJURIES: Blackhawks: None listed.

Panthers: Chris Driedger: out (lower body).

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172035 Chicago Blackhawks Multiple attempts to speak with Quenneville last season were unsuccessful, in large part because he spent so much time relaxing and decompressing after the Hawks fired him on Nov. 6, 2019.

United Center ready to Q it up for returning 'icon' "It was one of those years where (because of) that situation, it was, 'OK, I was going to take some time away from the game and observe and watch and see how things played out,' " Quenneville said in a phone interview just before this season began. "Then the opportunity (with John Dietz Florida) was perfect. Updated1/20/2020 7:31 PM "It was a great fit in a lot of ways, and the challenges ahead of us are great as well. But we look forward to it. The timing of coming here was a great fit for our family." When one thinks back upon the thousands of regular-season Blackhawks games that have been played at the Chicago Stadium and Now an ex-family is about to welcome him back. It might be an awkward the United Center, there are certainly plenty that have been cemented in reunion in some ways, but at the end of the night, plenty of hugs and fans' minds. handshakes figure to be exchanged.

• There was Stan Mikita scoring his 500th goal on Feb. 27, 1977, and his As for if a tear or two might be shed during the tribute video? jersey retirement ceremony on Oct. 19, 1980. Well, we'll just have to wait and see. • An incredible OT win in the season finale over Toronto that gave the "I'm sure I'm going to be excited about being in Chicago with the way that Hawks a playoff berth on April 2, 1989. it's been over the years there," Quenneville said in October. "It's a special • Mikita and Bobby Hull being honored on March 7, 2008, as the Hawks place. We were fortunate." finally reopened the doors to the franchise's past icons. Scouting report • Patrick Kane breaking Hull's franchise record for longest point streak Blackhawks vs. Florida Panthers, 7:30 p.m. at United Center when he batted a puck to Artemi Panarin in the waning seconds of their victory over Winnipeg on Dec. 6, 2015. TV: NBCSCH • Radio: WGN 720-AM

• Kane mocking Toronto's Auston Matthews' hand-to-the-ear routine The skinny: Florida (xx-xx-x) had won four straight heading into its game seconds after scoring the game-tying goal on Oct. 7, 2018. at Minnesota on Monday and was 11-5-0 in its last 16 games. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky returned from a two-game absence during a 4-1 victory Now, incredibly, fans lucky enough to see Kane's 1,000th career point at Detroit on Saturday. (Did he play vs. Minnesota?; who will Hawks Sunday against the Jets are about to witness another game they'll never draw?) Bobrovsky, who signed an seven-year, $70 million contract in the forget Tuesday when Joel Quenneville returns for the first time as an off-season, has career lows in save percentage (.898) and goals-against opposing coach. average (3.22). … Six Panthers have at least 15 goals. They are led by "Another great night," Kane said after the Hawks' 5-2 victory over Evegnii Dadonov (21), Jonathan Huberdeau (18) and Mike Hoffman (18). Winnipeg. "I'm sure he'll get a warm reception." Huberdeau also has 46 assists. … The Hawks recalled Brandon Hagel and defenseman Dennis Gilbert from Rockford after they played in the Apologies to Kane, but that might be the understatement of the century. IceHogs' 3-0 loss to Belleville on Monday. … Patrick Kane is riding a 10- game point streak, although he hasn't scored a goal in eight straight. Fans figure to bellow "Quuuuuuuu!" multiple times during what will be an Jonathan Toews is on a six-game streak (4G, 9A). emotional night for anyone who was around during Quenneville's 10-plus years behind the Blackhawks' bench. Next: , 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1 at Gila River Arena

"He's like an icon in Chicago, whether it's him winning three Stanley Daily Herald Times LOADED: 01.21.2020 Cups (or) coming in and helping us become better players," Kane said. "Obviously, what he's done here in his career is amazing. ...

"It will be good to see him. Try to get a win against him and enjoy the time off."

Ah, yes. Of course, there is a game to be played by two teams fighting to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

While the Hawks have won five straight and are suddenly just a few points out of a wild-card berth, Quenneville's Panthers are in a tight battle with the Maple Leafs for third place in the Atlantic Division.

This won't be the first time Quenneville has coached against a former team as he was also the bench boss in St. Louis from 1996-2004 and in Colorado from 2005-08. The difference, of course, is that in Chicago he helped end a 49-year Stanley Cup drought in 2010 and then guided the Hawks to two more titles in 2013 and 2015.

"It's a chance to honor Joel," Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. "It's a big night for the organization, and he was great to me, so I want to honor him too. ...

"A big part of the reason why I came here to begin with is because he was here."

Away from the rink, Quenneville was also a beloved resident in Hinsdale, often going the extra mile to connect with the community.

He'd bring pucks and sticks to employees at Fuller's Car Wash; he'd chat up customers at Page's Restaurant; and he even attended a wheelchair- league basketball game at Hinsdale Central in 2013 while the Hawks were in the playoffs. He also had no problem letting the local high school kids TP his house on Cup-clinching nights, and he hoisted the Stanley Cup for all to see during Hinsdale's Fourth of July parade in 2013. 1172036 Chicago Blackhawks Freelance writers Tim Cronin in Chicago and Brian Hall in St. Paul, Minn., contributed to this report.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 01.21.2020 Quenneville returns to Chicago with Florida Panthers

By JAY COHEN

Associated Press

Posted1/21/2020 7:00 AM

CHICAGO -- In some Chicago circles, certainly every one that includes a hockey rink, it's just 'œQ.'• Only one letter is necessary for a man so revered there is a Twitter account for his mustache with more than 40,000 followers.

Q returns Tuesday night.

Joel Quenneville leads the Florida Panthers into Chicago to take on the streaking Blackhawks for the first time since his wildly successful run in the Windy City ended some 14 months ago.

The 61-year-old Quenneville coached the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup championships and nine playoff appearances in 10-plus years before he was fired when the team got off to a lackluster start last season. He was hired by the Panthers in April, setting up what almost certainly will be an emotional night for the coach and his former players.

'œHe's like an icon in Chicago, whether it's him winning three Stanley Cups, coming in and helping us become better players," Blackhawks star Patrick Kane said. 'œWhat he's done here in his career is amazing, he'll get a warm reception and it'll be good to see him. We'll try to get a win against him and enjoy the time."

Quenneville coaching against his former team is the big headline, but it's also a matchup of two surging teams hoping to carry their momentum into an extended break. Kane got his 1,000th career point when Chicago beat Winnipeg 5-2 on Sunday night for its season-high fifth consecutive victory. Florida earned its season-best fifth straight win Monday night, topping Minnesota 5-4 on Noel Acciari's goal with 5.6 seconds left.

'œGoing into the break, so it will be an important game for both teams," Quenneville said. 'œIt will be fun being back there, for sure. Looking forward to it.'•

Chicago had made just one playoff appearance in 10 years when Quenneville took over four games into the 2008-09 season, replacing Hall of Famer Denis Savard. Dale Tallon was the general manager for the Blackhawks at the time, and he hired Quenneville again with the Panthers.

The coaching change in Chicago sparked an unprecedented run for one of the NHL's Original Six franchises.

Quenneville was the right choice at the right time for Chicago's promising young core, and Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook blossomed with the former NHL defenseman behind the bench. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015, and they also reached the conference finals in 2009 and 2014.

'œWell, all great memories. There's been special years there," Quenneville said. 'œYou think of all the people that you got acquainted with; the staff, management, players, training staff, everybody you had some great memories with and some great times. The fans were always special as well. It will be fun to be back in the building.'•

Quenneville has Florida in contention for its first postseason berth since 2016. Keith Yandle had a goal and three assists in the victory over the Wild, and Jonathan Huberdeau is heading to the All-Star Game for the first time.

When Quenneville was fired by Chicago, Jeremy Colliton was promoted from the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate in Rockford to the top job. Colliton has been booed before some home games this season, but he sounds as if he is looking forward to the cheers for Quenneville.

'œIt's a chance to honor Joel. It's a big night for the organization," Colliton said after the victory over the Jets. 'œHe was great to me, so I want to honor him too. It's a big part of the reason why I came here to begin with, because he was here." 1172037 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks are one of NHL's hottest teams, but have they turned a corner?

By Charlie Roumeliotis January 20, 2020 2:50 PM

For the first two and a half months of the season, the Blackhawks were battling through major inconsistency issues. They had won more than two games in a row just once and lost at least three straight five times.

And yet somehow, the Blackhawks still found themselves afloat in the Western Conference playoff race.

But the tide has finally started to turn.

Since Dec. 15, the Blackhawks are 12-5-0 and have the fourth-most standings points in the NHL over that span with 24. They’ve also won a season-long five consecutive games and have a plus-13 goal differential during their winning streak.

Now, there are certainly some statistical trends that are unsustainable over the long term that could result in a market correction. Their on-ice shooting percentage (13.0) and save percentage (94.7) at 5-on-5 play during their winning streak is a combined 107.7, which is the second- highest in the league over that stretch.

But the Blackhawks are playing a brand of hockey that will win them games more often than not going forward: The top guys are producing, the depth scoring is there, the defensive structure has tightened up and the goaltending remains strong.

"No question,” head coach Jeremy Colliton said on whether he feels this type of performance will continue to lead to positive results. “We are being rewarded. There's no reason to get away from it. It's paying off and the more it gets into our mentality and our identity that this is who we are, and we'll do this no matter what, it's a habit and you don't think twice about it. We still need to work at preparing to approach the game that way, but when we do it's easier for you and you'll set up your teammates as well."

Perhaps the most notable part of the winning streak is the fact the Blackhawks look like a team that's on the same page after making an in- season schematic adjustment in November, on top of dealing with an array of key injuries. The Blackhawks stayed the course and aren't wavering from their game which we saw them do earlier in the season, whether they're playing with a lead or a deficit.

Take Sunday's 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets as an example. The Blackhawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, gave up a late goal in the second period that cut their lead to 2-1, but punched back in the third period by scoring twice to pull ahead 4-1, which iced the game.

One month ago, the Blackhawks would probably find a way to squander that two-goal lead. That hasn't been the case over the last month and the Blackhawks are hoping this becomes part of their DNA.

"We're finally starting to full buy-in to the system," Blackhawks goaltender Robin Lehner said. "Full effort level, doing the right things at the right times. ... Everyone's just doing their job, and we're starting to feel [that] doing those things gets you rewarded and everyone keeps doing it. We're doing well, but we've just got to keep doing it because every point is crucial."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172038 Chicago Blackhawks

Jonathan Toews named NHL's Third Star of the week

By Rob Schaefer January 20, 2020 11:30 AM

The Blackhawks (24-20-6, 54 points) are on fire, having won five straight games to vault them back into the Western Conference playoff picture.

Jonathan Toews has been key to that stretch, and on Monday, he was recognized for his recent stellar play by being named the NHL's Third Star of the week. Alex Ovechkin and Elvis Merzlikins nabbed the top two spots:

In four games between Jan. 14 and Jan. 19 (all Blackhawks wins, of course), Toews led the NHL in points with nine (three goals, six assists). And none of them were empty. Among myriad highlights was this game- winning slingshot to beat the Senators 3-2 in overtime to kick off the week (the 15th overtime game-winner of his career):

Toews rides a six-game point streak into Tuesday night's bout with the Florida Panthers. If he extends it, he'll become the sixth player in Blackhawks history to reach 800 career points.

The milestones and accolades are piling up for The Captain and, crucially, they're translating in the win column for the Blackhawks.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172039 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks "finally starting to full buy-in to the system"

By Scott King January 19, 2020 10:15 PM

The Blackhawks just didn't fall into a five-game winning streak that saw Patrick Kane surpass the elite 1,000-point milestone.

The streak and the fun, meaningful hockey we've been watching the Hawks play lately took everyone on the bench and in the room getting on board.

"We're finally starting to full buy-in to the system," said Blackhawks goalie Robin Lehner, who saved 36 of 38 shots to help defeat the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 on Sunday night. "Full effort level, doing the right things at the right times. 15 games ago, we started playing good with leads, playing different, not backing up, just keep going at it.

"We did the same thing (Sunday) in the third. Not just backing up that whole period, we went after them.

"Everyone's just doing their job, and we're starting to feel (that) doing those things gets you rewarded, and everyone just keeps doing it. We're doing well but we've just got to keep doing it because every point is crucial.

"It's a learning curve. You don't just step into this league and everything's going to click for you. It's very seldom very few players do that. All of our young guys are starting to play really well. Every line, our D pair, everyone's just clicking and we're doing the right things. We've just got to keep that up, we can't deviate from it and just keep trying to stay consistent."

For now, the Hawks have been effectively utilizing head coach Jeremy Colliton's system and playing well enough as a unit to not only win five straight, but tie the Jets in the Western Conference to sit just three points out of a Wild Card spot.

A sign of the good times was the Blackhawks swarming Patrick Kane to celebrate his 1,000th NHL point milestone in the third period of Sunday's game. Players jumped over the bench to congratulate Kane for the greatest sight the United Center has seen since the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup on home ice in 2015.

"Our habits are better and we’re protecting each other with how we play," Colliton said. "That’s a big thing. And with that, you gain confidence. You gain confidence that the guy beside you is going to do the right thing, there’s a little bit of peer pressure as well to do it for him.

"We’re improving, too. we have a bunch of guys who are getting better. They’re developing, becoming more and more comfortable in the NHL or maybe it’s an increased role in the NHL and with our team. Hopefully that will continue."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172040 Chicago Blackhawks Upon retirement, both went into coaching and worked for a while with the Maple Leafs.

Not long after Quenneville got his first head coaching job with St. Louis in Homecoming tour continues for the Florida Panthers as Joel Quenneville 1997, Kitchens joined him. and Mike Kitchen return to Chicago When Quenneville was eventually fired as coach of the Blues, the team tapped Kitchen to replace him. Quenneville ended up taking over in Colorado and the two were not together again until Kitchen left the By George Richards Jan 20, 2020 Panthers for Chicago.

“I was kind of a new coach but had a few years under my belt when Joel was just starting to get his feet wet in the coaching business,” Kitchen SUNRISE, Fla. — With all of the offseason moves the Panthers made, recalls. there have been quite a few homecoming moments already. “He gets hired in St. Louis, I get fired (as an assistant) in Toronto when Sergei Bobrovsky went back to Columbus, Brett Connolly got to Pat Quinn came in, and Joel asked if I wanted to come join him. That’s reconnect with old teammates in Washington, Noel Acciari played at the first time we worked together on a coaching staff. But we were Boston Garden in something other than a Bruins or Providence Friars friends. Oh yeah. We hung out a lot as teammates. sweater and Anton Stralman opened his season in Tampa. “The hardest thing was when Joel got fired in St. Louis and I took over. Yet perhaps the biggest “Welcome Back!” celebration comes Tuesday That was hard. Seeing a good friend get fired is tough. And then I had to when Joel Quenneville goes behind the visitors bench at United Center in decide whether or not to accept the job. I told the GM that I wasn’t sure I Chicago. could do it. Joel called me and told me it was my time, I couldn’t do Quenneville spent parts of 11 seasons with the Blackhawks, guiding one anything about him getting fired. It was my opportunity now.” of hockey’s most storied franchises back to glory as Chicago not only Winning that Cup won its first Stanley Cup in 49 years but won it three times in the 2010s. The Blackhawks had already ended their Stanley Cup drought in 2010 The Blackhawks fired Quenneville in 2018 and after a few months of rest while Kitchen was still (technically, anyway) on Pete DeBoer’s staff in and relaxation, he returned to hockey as the new coach of the Panthers. Florida. There will be a thunderous ovation from the Chicago faithful whenever he Kitchen had a few offers to join other teams but went to Chicago to be appears on the Jumbotron for the first time. The tribute video should reunited with Quenneville. It was a pretty good decision as the two won bring quite an emotional response. the Cup twice together. Quenneville will not be alone in his return, however. When Chicago won the Cup in 2013, Quenneville made sure his old Standing beside him will be one of his closest friends in the game, a loyal friend got his time with it. and trusted assistant coach who was fired by the Blackhawks 19 months After a lifetime in hockey as a player and now as a coach, 2013 was the before Quenneville himself was let go by the team. first time Kitchen had experienced winning the sport’s holy grail. The Blackhawks’ dismissal of Mike Kitchen following Chicago’s first- “You really don’t know what it takes until you go through that whole round playoff exit at the hands of Nashville in 2017 was seen as a process of winning a Cup,” Kitchen said. “A lot of things have to go your message sent from the front office to Quenneville that his seat was way as a team. I mean, it is amazing. Whether it’s injuries, saves at the getting hot. right time, goals at the right time, momentum changes throughout a Quenneville wasn’t happy with the decision. It was the worst-kept secret game or a series … it is amazing. in hockey that Kitchen would join his pal in Florida. “Winning it for the first time was pretty surreal. It was pretty special. I “We have a great rapport and have always worked well together,” mean, Joel got the Cup when we won in ‘13 and he knew it was my first Quenneville said. “Kitch is one of those coaches who has a great feel for time. So he made sure he handed it off to me. That was unbelievable. the team and the players. He is technically aware, takes care of the “The experience of that ride, of going through the whole two-month grind defense and is very effective with the penalty kill. and then winning the ultimate prize is unbelievable. It was quite an “But more than that, he is a great person. Guys like him, love his amazing period of time for the Blackhawks.” excitement level either in practices, meetings or during a game. He had a When Jay Bouwmeester won the Cup for the first time last summer, great experience in Florida and was thrilled to come back here. It worked Kitchen was quick to reach out with congratulations to the defenseman out.” he used to coach in Florida. Back in Boca Both he and Quenneville made sure the people they worked with in St. Coming to the Panthers was a bit of a homecoming for Kitchen. Louis who were part of the Blues’ championship knew how happy they were for them. After being fired as head coach of St. Louis (he had originally replaced Quenneville behind the Blues’ bench), Kitchen signed on with Florida to “It is something they will take with them for the rest of their lives,” Kitchen be an assistant coach under Jacques Martin in 2007. said.

Kitchen and his wife Jill have moved back to Boca Raton, where they Changes to the coaching staff lived during their three seasons with the Panthers before Mike left Florida When Quenneville came to the Panthers, he retooled the coaching staff, to join Quenneville in 2010 once his contract expired. adding Kitchen and Andrew Brunette to goalie coach Robb Tallas and “To come back and come to a young team like this with a lot of the new full-timer Derek MacKenzie. potential we have here is exciting for me,’’ Kitchen said of rejoining the Kitchen, as he did in Chicago, works with Florida’s defensemen and runs Panthers. the penalty kill; Brunette — who returns to Minnesota on Monday where “It had been eight years since we were here and my sense of direction he had spent the past seven seasons since retiring as a player — is in isn’t that great anyway, so it took some time to get reacquainted with the charge of the power play and works with the forwards. area. My wife was very happy in our neighborhood in Boca so it is good Aaron Ekblad said working with Kitchen is like working directly with to be back. This is going to be a special time.” Quenneville. The two share the same thought processes and want things A ‘Rockies’ relationship run the same way.

Kitchen and Quenneville have been friends a long, long time. “The best word to describe him is ‘energetic’ because he comes to the rink every day with vim and vigor and wants to try and make us better,” The two were defensemen with the Colorado Rockies in 1979 and moved Ekblad said. with the team to New Jersey when they became the Devils in 1982. “Coming into the season, I knew the defensemen he had coached in the past and I wanted to soak all of that experience up. He always had something new to offer and something to reinforce every day. He is never negative.

“He is always ‘This is how we can fix this,’ or make something better as a team or the D-core. Those two are almost telepathic in the way they express how they want things done. It is good they are on the same page. It makes things a lot easier on us.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172041 Colorado Avalanche “I’d like to see him keep going at the exact same pace, you know?” said coach , whose Avs finished their five-game, prebreak homestand with a 3-0-2 mark. “You’re not going to score every night. But he’s producing chances on a nightly basis. … Keeler: Don’t look now Connor McDavid, but Avs star Nathan MacKinnon is gaining on you “I don’t know where he would set the bar. But I’d like to see him keep going at the exact same pace. Or better.”

That’s 50.2 goals after 82 regular-season games, if we’ve got the math By SEAN KEELER | PUBLISHED: January 20, 2020 at 7:39 pm | right. The Avs’ single-season record for goals? Sakic, again — with 54 in UPDATED: January 20, 2020 at 7:46 PM 2000-01. And if anyone can catch Super Joe down with a full head of steam right now, it’s MacKinnon.

Denver Post: LOADED: 01.21.2020 Matt Duchene scores No. 30 in Game 79 four years ago, throws himself a parade.

Nathan MacKinnon scores No. 30 in Game 49 on Monday, shrugs.

Different times, these. Different times.

“I don’t think I’m gonna get 50,” MacKinnon, the Avalanche all-star, said quietly when the subject of the big 5-0 — Nimble Nate is on a pace for 51 — was broached.

“Nah. I don’t think I’m gonna get 50.

“I’m a disher. I’m a passer. I’ll get 70 assists but not 50 goals.”

Come again?

“I’m just joking,” MacKinnon continued, less than hour after scoring twice on the hapless Detroit Red Wings to help Colorado close the first half of the season with a 6-3 win. “I don’t know. We’ll see.

“I’ve got to get hot. I’ve only gotten 40 once, so I don’t know. I’m just trying to play my best every night, play at 100 percent and we’ll see what happens out there.”

When No. 29 isn’t speaking softly and carry the NHL’s biggest stick, he’s raising the bar. With a backdoor beauty and an empty-net Hail Mary, MacKinnon on Monday became the first Avs player since in 2003-07 to post at least 30 goals over three consecutive seasons.

“I mean, I shoot a lot of pucks, so I’ve got to score,” MacKinnon said. “I’ve had a lot of help.”

Monday at The Can was a depth win, the kind of victory the Avs might’ve struggled to pull out of their hats a year ago — especially when trailing 1- 0 after a sleepy first period.

Nazim Kadri chipped in two goals, including a nifty second-period deflection off rookie Cale Makar’s laser that chased away some of Colorado’s recent power-play blues. In the third stanza, Matt Nieto’s seventh goal and Ryan Graves’ eighth effectively stiff-armed the Wings before they could get near enough to sniff anything tangible.

And cue MacKinnon with the closer, from distance with a minute left, to ice the homestand.

“It’s nice to be on a really good team,” said MacKinnon, who went into Monday night with 72 points, third in the NHL behind the Edmonton duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. “A lot of empty-netters, if you don’t win games, you’re not going to get those.”

Only for a disher and a passer, he’s making the rest of it look easy, too. No. 29 is on a pace for 121 points over 82 regular-season games, which would top the Avs’ single-season points mark of 120, set by Sakic in 1995-96.

“I don’t even know where he’s at. I just know he’s having a good year,” offered Graves, the defenseman who’s having a heck of a year himself.

“But he has a good year every year. He expects that from himself, and we expect that from him. We believe in him.”

Kiszla vs. Chambers: How much is Avalanche’s home ice hurt by transplants rooting for visiting teams?

Kiszla: Cale Makar is only 21 years old. But are we watching emergence of best defenseman in Avalanche history?

The rest of the hockey world believes, too. Earlier Monday, MacKinnon finished second in a who’s-the-best-player-in-the-NHL survey of 392 current players by The Athletic, with 17 percent of the vote to McDavid’s 63. At age 24, the ceiling is wherever MacKinnon wants it to be, brush strokes by Michelangelo. 1172042 Colorado Avalanche

Nazem Kadri, Nathan MacKinnon carry Avalanche to rout of Red Wings at the Pepsi Center

By MIKE CHAMBERS | PUBLISHED: January 20, 2020 at 3:40 pm | UPDATED: January 20, 2020 at 4:57 PM

Avalanche fans enjoyed their annual red-letter day at the Pepsi Center.

Big games from Nazem Kadri (two goals, three points), Nathan MacKinnon (two goals) Cale Makar (two assists) and Andre Burakovsky (two assists) on Monday carried the Avalanche to a 6-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings — its former Western Conference rival — in an MLK Day matinee at the Pepsi Center.

The Avs, who also got goals from Matt Nieto and Ryan Graves and strong goaltending from Pavel Francouz (22 saves), finished 3-0-2 in a five-game homestand that takes them into an 11-day break between games. Colorado (28-15-6) has 33 remaining games, beginning Feb. 1 at Philadelphia.

“Really nice way to go into the break,” said Makar, who logged a team- high 21:22 and regained the NHL rookie scoring lead with 37 points. “As a team, we’ve been just trying to figure things out, just play consistent every game, and I feel like through this home stretch we’ve been able to do that, for the most part.”

The Avs had gone 4-7-1 prior to the homestand.

“It’s important — you want to go out and enjoy the break. It feels like our team was under fire here, warranted or not, a week ago, 10 days ago, and here we are, it’s a five-game homestand and we go 3-0-2, points in all five,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “So I think it looks good on our team. They worked hard. They deserve it.”

Lowly Detroit (12-34-4) saw its winless streak stretch to five games (0-4- 1). The Red Wings took a 1-0 lead into the second period and were looking strong in front of goalie Jimmy Howard, who made 18 first-period saves and stopped 32 of 34 shots after the second until Colorado got two early third-period goals from Kadri and Nieto to blow the game open.

Howard, who fell to 2-18-2 on the season, was looking for his first win since Oct. 29 against Edmonton.

MacKinnon’s two goals gave him 30 for the season, tying Joe Sakic for a franchise-record three-consecutive 30-goal seasons. MacKinnon became the fourth 30-goal scorer this season, joining Boston’s David Pastrnak (37), Washington’s Alex Ovechkin (34) and Auston Matthews (34) of Toronto.

Kadri’s first goal tied it 1-1 and came on the power play, but the Avs otherwise continued to struggle on the man-advantage, going was 1 for 5. They are now 2 for 25 in their last eight games.

“That was a momentum changer for us, just being able to execute on the power play and finally just buy one,” Kadri said. “I think we’ve been getting a lot of opportunities and we felt like it was coming soon and it was definitely a big goal for us.”

Footnotes. Tyson Jost assisted on Nieto’s goal and had five shots in what Bednar said was the best game of the season for the 21-year-old forward. … Colorado was an impressive 37-27 on faceoffs. … Former Avs defenseman Patrik Nemeth was a plus-3 for the Red Wings. … The Avs’ scratches were forward Joonas Donskoi and defenseman Mark Barberio. Donskoi, who is recovering from a concussion, missed his fifth consecutive game, but this one for precautionary reasons.

Denver Post: LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172043 Colorado Avalanche

Kiszla vs. Chambers: How much is Avalanche’s home ice hurt by transplants rooting for visiting teams?

By MIKE CHAMBERS | PUBLISHED: January 20, 2020 at 1:31 pm | UPDATED: January 20, 2020 at 1:37 PM

Kiz: Mind if I share a pet peeve? There are way too many regular-season games in the Pepsi Center when it feels as if the hometown Avalanche is skating on neutral ice. Hey, way back in 1983, I moved to Colorado. So I certainly have no problem sharing our beautiful state with folks smart enough to leave Chicago, Detroit or anywhere it’s gray all winter long. But did all these fine people have to bring their old hockey allegiances with them from the dreary Midwest?

Chambers: To me it seems that the die-hard Avs fans or Colorado natives usually drown out opposing fans. But, no, it’s not a disadvantage for the Avalanche players. If nothing else, the place just gets louder, and usually players just here the noise — not what’s actually being said. I think the bipartisan crowds are only an annoyance to Avalanche fans in the seats, and perhaps those at home watching (who don’t have Comcast or Dish Network). I’m a Colorado native, and proud of it. It’s an awesome place to live.

Kiz: Here’s a statistic I find a little worrisome. As the Avs laced up their skates for a MLK Day matinee against the Red Wings in the Pepsi Center, only two of the 16 teams holding down playoff spots had recorded fewer home victories than Colorado. I’d hate to think the Avs might blow home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs because their home arena is regularly filled with chants of “Let’s Go Blues!” from St. Louis partisans and Dallas fans screaming the word “Stars!” during the singing of our national anthem.

Chambers: The Avs’ home record of 13-7-4 is poor for a good team — a playoff team. That said, I believe the Avs will turn it around in the second half. The Avs defeated St. Louis twice recently in Denver, despite all those Blues fans in the stands. As for home-ice advantage, if Colorado finishes second in the Central Division, where it currently sits, the Avs will begin the playoffs at home against the Central’s No. 3 seed. So finishing ahead of Dallas and the other divisional rivals will at least make Games 1 and 2 of the first-round series in Denver.

Kiz: Denver is a rabid hockey town. But in this city of transplants, I’m not certain how many of the most passionate hockey-lovers love the Avs best. I tend to believe the Avalanche is the second-favorite hockey team of many local residents, behind the Blackhawks or Penguins or whatever team they grew up cheering. And know what else? For all the amazing plays that Nathan MacKinnon makes, it’s difficult for the Avs to win new converts when their games are hard to find on local television.

Kiszla: Cale Makar is only 21 years old. But are we watching emergence of best defenseman in Avalanche history?

Chambers: Passionate hockey fans love any type of hockey. Yeah, if they’re from Detroit and the Wings are in town they’ll show up in their red. Otherwise, though, they’ll spend their hard-earned cash with the burgundy and blue. As for the television issue, yeah, that’s a big problem. If team-owner can’t get Avs and Nuggets games on TV, he should sell the rights and get out of the television business.

Denver Post: LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172044 Colorado Avalanche For the Avalanche, that drain led to a payoff in short order. The Avalanche appear to be a team that could make another playoff run, a year after pushing the San Jose Sharks to a seven-game Western Conference semifinal series. Four years ago, the Avs started at the bottom. Now they’re near the top. So what about these Red Wings? Which raises the obvious question: If the Avalanche can go from the bottom to the top in three years time, what about the team on pace to surpass their historic misery?

By Max Bultman and Ryan S. Clark Jan 20, 2020 Before there can be any serious discussion of what the Avalanche have done and what the Red Wings still have to, a few key differences have to

be acknowledged. The Avs, for starters, went into that 2016-17 season DENVER — Givani Smith scored his second career NHL goal Monday, with already far more top-end talent in their organization than the Red and for the second straight time, he could barely celebrate it. Wings have this season.

“Tough time again,” he said after the game, alluding to the fact that it Nathan MacKinnon hadn’t become one of the NHL’s top five players yet, came late in what would finish as a 6-3 Red Wings loss to the Avalanche. but he was still a young first overall pick who won the Calder Trophy. This after he scored his first late in an 8-2 rout by the New York Mikko Rantanen was just a rookie, but was an AHL All-Star in his first Islanders. season and showed flashes of the hulking playmaker he has since become. Captain was a young former No. 2 pick who That’s reality for a young member of these Red Wings, though. Wins are quickly became a consistent 20- to 25-goal scorer. extremely hard to get. Even Monday, which saw the team’s star young center notch a three-point game, that performance only served to lessen The team had pieces on the back end with defensemen Tyson Barrie and the blow of another lopsided loss. The team has fared especially harshly Erik Johnson, a former No. 1 pick who came over in a trade with the St. on the road, where it has only won four times all year, and only twice Louis Blues. since the first week of the season. Between regulation and overtime, Colorado also had Matt Duchene. He stayed through the 2016-17 season Monday’s loss was the 38th of the season, just 50 games in. The Red but was traded the next season for a collection of pieces that became Wings are on a trajectory to finish with 46 points, which would set the Samuel Girard and prospect defenseman Bowen Byram, among others, record for the lowest total in the salary cap era. in a move that will shape the Avalanche for several years to come. Going through an experience like this can be described as “horrible” or Moving on from Duchene was similar to what they did with trading Ryan “pure misery.” Those are the words Colorado Avalanche coach Jared O’Reilly to the Buffalo Sabres for J.T. Compher, and Bednar uses, and he would know. Bednar was a first-year coach who Nikita Zadorov along with a draft pick that later became prospect forward took over an Avalanche team that finished with 48 points, which is the A.J. Greer. current record for the poorest point total in the salary cap era. That alone is a stark contrast from the Red Wings, whose most “It’s tough too because the morale of your room,” Bednar said. “You’re pedigreed player is Zadina, a young winger who was taken at No. 6 in trying to get guys back into the right mental state to go win your next 2018. game. Then, you go and there’s a lot of nights when you play hard, you “They were ahead of, I would say, the replenishment curve than probably do everything you can and just feel like you lose one-goal games. You where we might be today,” Detroit coach said Monday maybe don’t have the horses to win the games.” morning. “But that depends. If all of the sudden, some of the guys we’ve Fast forward to now. Bednar and the Avalanche are no longer the drafted here in the last few years really pop, it changes fast. You just proverbial homecoming game. They have evolved into a full-on attack- don’t know which guys are going to really pop and which aren’t. And what minded team constructed around principles such as athleticism, speed you have to do is you’ve gotta go through a number of years of drafting and two-way commitment. All while having an all-world center really well, and if you do that then you get yourself in position where it surrounded by two All-Star wingers, a budding superstar-in-the-making can change in a hurry.” defenseman and the deepest supporting cast the organization has seen When Blashill says the franchise needs some players to “pop,” he since general manager Joe Sakic actually played. doesn’t just mean in the sense of being a good NHL player. He’s talking This, in essence, is where the Red Wings would like to be. Red Wings about reaching the kind of elite level that MacKinnon, Rantanen and general manager Steve Yzerman built a winner with the Tampa Bay Makar. Lightning, and the belief is he can do the same with his former club. And If you survey the Red Wings roster, there’s no one on the MacKinnon or among the variety of paths he could take to rebuild the Red Wings is the Makar level. blueprint Sakic continues developing in the Avalanche’s chase for their third Stanley Cup in franchise history. There are, however, some pieces who have flashed signs they could go beyond just “good.” Yzerman already has a few pieces in place at the NHL level such as young star center Dylan Larkin, , Tyler Bertuzzi, Filip “Certainly Larkin would be at the head of that list in terms of showing Hronek and Filip Zadina. There are early returns suggesting defenseman signs of — he’s an elite competitor,” Blashill said. “There’s moments he’s Moritz Seider could be a premier prospect while first-round draft picks been an elite winner. And if a number of guys pop, then it can happen Michael Rasmussen and Joe Veleno could also be factors. The draft, and fast.” the chance to potentially secure the No. 1 pick and draft Rimouski Oceanic left winger Alexis Lafreniere, lingers in the background as well. Another would be Mantha, who, prior to being sidelined for the bulk of the last two months, was playing at an elite level as a power forward. He’s Although, as the Avalanche can attest, there is no guarantee having a already 25, which means reaching Rantanen’s status might be a tough historically terrible record means drafting first. The Avs had the highest ask, but he can still be a top winger who can both score and drive play. odds of winning the lottery but received the fourth pick that later became As long as he can stay healthy, that can be a real piece of the puzzle. defenseman Cale Makar. Elsewhere in the core are young wingers Zadina and Bertuzzi, who will But for now? The Red Wings’ priority is to continue navigating a be the Red Wings’ All-Star representative, and defenseman Hronek, who frustrating present for the hopes it could lead to a better future. And that’s has been deployed in every situation imaginable this season. Seider has not easy for the people living it day in and day out. made a big impression, too, and now looks like someone who could potentially be able to play on an NHL top pair down the line. But that’s “Even though you feel like your effort’s good, you do your best and you still just potential. just can’t get it done,” Bednar said. “It’s a tough way. It’s a long season. We just went through a little bit of a slump and it feels like your world’s In Colorado, it was already becoming a reality. crashing down on you and it’s miserable to lose just one game never mind four or six or whatever. “Well, it’s hard to say because we still (had) Mikko and Nate, which we knew they could have become who they are right now,” Avalanche “To be able to go through a whole season like that, it’s tough. It’s defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. “They have Larkin, Mantha. I don’t think mentally draining.” those guys are on the same (level) but Larkin will be. Nate is the best player in the world right now, so it’s hard to say. But with the management they have and the job Steve Yzerman did in Tampa, I think see how you kinda fit in the formula and you want to see how good the he is a smart GM and he will make a good team within a few years. team is going to be.” Definitely in a couple years for sure. They have young kids coming up as well. They’re going to have the No. 1 overall pick or they could get No. 4 Cole also stressed how having a buy-in approach has helped grow the like us this year! If they get Alexis Lafreniere — and that kid’s nasty — team. He said teams seek players who are dedicated toward making the that will definitely help.” team successful as opposed to simply cashing a hefty check. The former Notre Dame star referenced how MacKinnon has already stated he In other words: there was more pedigree, and fewer question marks would take less money to give the club more flexibility in free agency to when Colorado went through this level of misery three seasons ago. That add more players. Or to keep those figures who are on the team into means it’s no coincidence they were able to dig out of it quicker than the staying a bit longer. Red Wings can reasonably expect to (though some favorable bounces in this year’s lottery could help that). It is something Cole has seen before when he played a combination of three full seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins with whom he won those At the same time, the Avalanche team that rolled the Red Wings on Stanley Cups. Cole talked about how Penguins superstar center Sidney Monday still isn’t top-to-bottom superstars, either. And the lessons from a Crosby chose to take less money when he easily could have historically bad season do go beyond just the need to have superstars at commanded more. the top. “He could be making $13 (million). He could be making $14 (million), $15 In goal for the Avalanche for 50 games that season was Calvin Pickard, (million). In my mind, he’s still the best player in the league. Look at what now with the Red Wings. Pickard was (fittingly) dealt more losses than he’s done since coming back from his injury, it’s incredible,” Cole said. any other goalie in the NHL that season, and so while he’s only been with “There’s always a money side to it. There always is. You’re going to this Detroit group for spurts (he’s more often been in Grand Rapids), that always need guys to take a little bit less or a reasonable amount to make season sticks in his memory. sure the team’s good. I think when you have guys like that who will sacrifice for the team. “It weighs on you for sure,” Pickard said. “You kind of lose a little bit of confidence not being able to win, but the only way to get out of it is “I think you look at that and predict how good a team is going to be.” together.” Signing Calvert and Cole filled a need. But the Avalanche were still a One point Pickard made was that in this kind of situation, everyone still team with shortcomings. Namely secondary scoring. has something to play for. In Detroit, nearly half the team’s forwards will be restricted free agents after the season, which means in addition to That is what led Sakic and his front office staff to make a series of moves trying to win, they’re also proving what they’re worth on their next landing them forwards Andre Burakovsky, Joonas Donskoi, Nazem Kadri contract — or, for some, just that there should be a next contract. There’s and Valeri Nichushkin. The season began with Burakovsky, Donskoi and still a lot of season left. Kadri forming the sort of second line combination that long eluded the Avs while Nichushkin was immediately viewed as a depth move. But among the most interesting comments from Pickard was about how Landeskog managed the leadership duties of a team in that position. Burakovsky had two assists while Kadri had two goals and an assist while playing on a line together against the Red Wings while Donskoi “There were obviously very tough days that season, having to handle the was held out having just recovered from a concussion. media loss after loss,” Pickard said. “But he’s the right guy for it, right guy for that job, and they have a great team over there now and the “The year after our bad year, we made the playoffs in our last game,” leadership is very strong.” Zadorov recalled. “We had Gabe, Mikko and Nate carrying us. We had no depth scoring. We had a pretty good third line with Carl (Soderberg), Detroit, technically, doesn’t have a captain right now. But at least in the (Matt) Nieto and (Blake) Comeau but we didn’t have anything else. I think capacity Pickard was describing, Dylan Larkin is a natural comparison. last year, that was our problem in the playoffs. It was depth scoring. Now Larkin is often the first Red Wings to address the media after a loss, and we’re deeper, which helps.” it was the same Monday. It might seem like a small task, but one thing it accomplishes is shielding other, younger players from having to process Depth has been a battle the Red Wings have fought all year. Their top their disappointment or frustration in front of cameras. line of Larkin, Mantha and Bertuzzi has had nights when it looks like a true high-end line, especially late last season and early in this campaign. And it can’t hurt that Larkin is also routinely the Red Wings’ best player in But beyond some offense from Zadina, Hronek, Andreas Athanasiou and that night’s contest. Monday, for example, the team could have easily Robby Fabbri, they’ve struggled to get much production from the rest of checked out when the Avalanche took a 4-1 lead in the third. Instead, their lineup. Larkin quickly scored a response goal, then assisted on another late marker. That’s not insignificant when it comes to keeping a team from And, like the Avalanche, that could mean that most of the people checking out. suffering through this bottom-out could easily be gone by the time things improve. “We pushed in the third,” Larkin said. “And that’s what you’ve gotta ask for. We could have easily threw our sticks out there, but … the empty- “After that bad season, we got pretty much eight to 10 new, young guys,” netter was a tough one, but we pushed hard there and that’s all you can Johnson explained. “Everyone wanted to blame it on the core players, ask for out of us.” but in reality, we didn’t have a very good supporting cast. We replaced some older guys with some young, hungry guys who were eager to prove But the hypothetical similarities between the teams in their low points are themselves. We didn’t care about any external noise or anything and still not as important as what Colorado actually did to get better. believed in ourselves. We went in and did the right things and worked hard. We were able to turn the corner.” Some of that, to be sure, was about just getting the returns on draft day. Hitting on nearly all of their top picks went a long way toward building the In some cases, certain contract situations will complicate their ability to core they now have, and as Blashill put it: “If you draft really, really well, it make a similar amount of changes immediately. Frans Nielsen, who left can change” Monday’s game with an upper-body injury and did not return, is due to be paid $5.25 million for the next two seasons after this one. Justin Developing and refining young talent was a critical piece in the Abdelkader will make $4.25 million for three more. Avalanche’s rebuild. The next step was to take a more active role in free agency compared to previous offseasons. Beyond that, though, some of the Red Wings’ more expensive veterans will indeed be coming off the books fairly soon. Mike Green, Jonathan Sakic signed veterans in forward Matt Calvert and a two-time Stanley Ericsson and Trevor Daley all have contracts expiring at the end of this Cup-winning defenseman in Ian Cole in the summer after the Avalanche season. Darren Helm’s $3.85 million deal has just one more year on it. made the playoffs. Adding Calvert provided the team with a bottom-six And while the cap space that frees up will likely be accounted for in part two-way forward who could serve on the penalty kill while Cole was an by raises due to Bertuzzi, Mantha and the Red Wings’ other many experienced shutdown option with significant postseason experience. pending RFAs this seasons, it will free up a little cash, as well as roster “They were a young, up-and-coming team with a great core of guys,” space, as the wheel turns fully into the hands of the Red Wings younger Cole said of signing a three-year deal. “It’s something where you look at group. where you can contribute and be in a great supporting role. You want to There’s also the matter of the team’s mental state Johnson alluded to. Red Wings defenseman Patrik Nemeth arrived with the Avalanche after the misery of 2016-17 had passed, but he did see the actions the team took in that regard the very next season when they rebounded to make the playoffs.

“It was just trying to build a different mindset, and that’s what I’m talking about with Steve coming in,” Nemeth said in training camp. “What him and Jeff are trying to do is to have that mindset switched so you’re expecting to win and that’s something that you have to change in order to turn this thing around. That’s what I think is appealing. It’s interesting and it’s a fun thing to be a part of.”

One thing Detroit may be able to take some solace in, though, is they may be able to lure existing NHLers.

For Colorado, Burakovsky and Kadri came via trades while Donskoi and Nichushkin were free-agent signings. One of the reasons why the Avs were able to get them to Denver was because the team’s turnaround made the organization a destination location just a few years removed from having the league’s worst record.

Zadorov said Detroit could have that same appeal for many American- born players.

“I think with what you hear around the league, especially the guys who went through the U.S. National (Team Development) Program, the American guys, they like to play there,” Zadorov said. “I think they are going to sign some free agents because of that.”

Now if there was only a Michigan native with NTDP ties who could speak to whether or not that’s the case.

“I know when I was growing up in the 90s and early 2000’s, you see those (Red Wings) teams were unbelievable,” said Cole, who grew up in Ann Arbor and is a NTDP alum. “So they had a ton of fans all over the country. I think there were a lot of kids my age or slightly younger who were huge fans of the Detroit Red Wings clearly because they were so good and had all the great players. If you were a defenseman, they had Nicklas Lidstrom. If you were a forward, they had Yzerman or whomever. They had all those guys who were fantastic.”

Cole said players of a certain age — starting in their early 20s and ranging through their 30s — have a fondness for what the Red Wings were like when they were reaching the playoffs and challenging for the Stanley Cup.

Nostalgia, as Cole pointed out, is only a part of it. There is the tradition they have of being an Original Six organization in a sport where history and legacy remain serious selling points. He also mentioned how the Wings have one of the strongest ownerships in the Illitch Family while having a new venue in Little Caesars Arena.

“They check a lot of the boxes that you’re looking for as a player,” Cole said. “Obviously, they’d like a better record and I reckon they will at some point soon. I think for anybody my age it would kinda be a bit of a dream to play there, especially with Steve Yzerman back there now. He was one of my idols growing up, so I think it would be an honor to meet the guy.

“But then again? Joe Sakic was also my idol growing up and that was a huge sell for me here too.”

But in the big picture, there’s no one perfect way to ensure success with a rebuild, and perfectly copying one team’s blueprint is a good way to end up as a worse version of that team. There’s a lot still to happen for Detroit, and the reality is, they won’t end up as a perfect ringer for these Avalanche. They’ll have their own advantages, and their own challenges, even if they can trace a shared set of beginnings.

One day, though, they will hope to be where Colorado is now. The Avalanche have traded in their old struggles for a new set of difficulties.

But compared to where they were three seasons ago, that’s a trade they’d make every time.

“It’s challenging every year,” Johnson said. “The challenge now is we’re getting every team’s best game because they know that if they don’t have their best, it’s going to be a long night. We didn’t really care what we did in the in the previous season, we just started fresh. Slowly but surely, we have built to where we have built now and have continued to build.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172045 Colorado Avalanche milehighsports.com LOADED: 01.21.2020

Kadri, MacKinnon lead Avalanche to 6-3 victory over Detroit

By Aarif Deen - January 20, 2020

In the first of two meetings this season, the Avalanche dominated their former Western Conference rival, the Detroit Red Wings, 6-3 on MLK Day at the Pepsi Center.

Colorado (28-15-6) scored on its first two shots of the second period Monday and added four more in the third to erase a 1-0 deficit, winning its third straight game heading into the All-Star break.

Centers Nathan MacKinnon and Nazem Kadri each scored twice for the Avalanche, who nearly doubled the Red Wings in shots, 46-25.

“We know that if we kept shooting it would go in,” MacKinnon said. “We kept testing their goalie and thankfully we got a few past him.”

The Avs trailed 1-0 after the first period despite playing 6:27 of it on the power play. But coming out of the intermission, Colorado had 1:33 remaining on the man-advantage and Kadri capitalized, tipping in a shot from rookie Cale Makar to make it 1-1.

On Colorado’s next shot, Makar fed MacKinnon for a tap-in on the open net to put Colorado ahead, a lead it would not surrender for the remainder of the game.

“That was a momentum changer for us,” Kadri said about his power-play goal. “Just being able to execute on the power play and finally buy one. We’ve been getting a lot of opportunities and we felt like it was coming soon. It was definitely a big goal for us.”

The Avalanche added to their lead early in the third period, scoring two quick goals in 53 seconds. Kadri’s second of the day came off a back- door feed from forward Andre Burakovsky. Moments later, Matt Nieto capitalized on a pass from Tyson Jost to make it 4-1.

Jost, who finished with one assist in 12:39, recorded five shots on goal. The young forward now has points in consecutive games after going seven straight without a point.

“I like his game a lot.” Avs coach Jared Bednar said of Jost. “I thought he was really good today. Hard on the forecheck, involved, made some nice plays. He looked like a confident player and a different player tonight. He’s getting a little confidence back into his game.”

Avalanche goalie Pavel Francouz made 22 saves, earning his 11th win of the season and first since Dec. 23.

Colorado, which heads into the All-Star break with points in five straight games (3-0-2), will begin a five-game road trip against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, Feb. 1.

Footnotes

MacKinnon, Kadri, Burakovsky, Makar, Mikko Rantanen, Graves and Nikita Zadorov each recorded multiple points in the victory. … MacKinnon has 30 goals in three consecutive seasons, tying Joe Sakic for the club record. … Rantanen’s two assists were his first multi-point effort since a hat-trick against New Jersey on Jan. 4. … Heading into the All-Star break, Graves leads the NHL with a plus-34 rating. Teammate Ian Cole is fourth at plus-24.

Three Stars

Nazem Kadri – The forward recorded two goals and an assist. His 17 goals rank second on the Avalanche and are already one more than he had in 73 games last season with Toronto.

Nathan MacKinnon – The fourth NHL player to reach 30 goals this season, MacKinnon is third in points with 72. He will be Colorado’s lone representative at the All-Star game after being voted in as the Central Divison’s captain for the second consecutive year.

Tyson Jost – He recorded four shots in the first period and five for the game and was credited by his coach for being one of the better players against Detroit. Jost finished with one assist. 1172046 Colorado Avalanche Kamenev basically ate up space on Nieto’s goal, and he occupied the front of the net and took a Wings player with him, not allowing Howard to see anything. He drew a penalty as well in the second period. Donskoi will be back after the break, so we’ll see how they handle him then, but Avs Game 49 Grades: And…Break! he’s done quite well in his stint.

Tyson Jost – A

BY EVAN RAWAL JANUARY 20, 2020 Got stopped on a breakaway in the first period, but did a great job to set up Nieto for the game-winner. He’s put together back to back strong

showings, and I’m sure he’s disappointed that the break is coming when Pierre Edouard Bellemare – C it is.

Bellemare didn’t do much to give Zadorov an outlet on the first goal, but Gabriel Landeskog – C there’s not much you can put on him there. Other than that, a relatively No points for Landy, but he gained the zone just prior to Kadri’s huge quiet game from him overall and did decently on the Avs only PK of the goal in the second period and did well to hold onto the puck under game. pressure. His rate of production is down, based on his minutes, and I Andre Burakovsky – A think this break might be good for him to re-energize.

Another game where Burakovsky’s playmaking shined through. He hit Nathan MacKinnon – A Kadri backdoor for a goal and found Graves all alone for another one. Two more goals for the big guy. Remember his rookie year when he Both passes crossed through the royal road, something he’s been doing would beaver tap all over the ice asking for the puck? On his goal tonight, a lot lately. Great finish for him heading into the All-Star Break. all he did was raise his stick in the air because he knew Makar would find Matt Calvert – C- him. It’s also less likely to draw attention than banging your stick on the ice. Calvert didn’t do a whole lot this game, to be honest, but his most noticeable moment was unfortunately when he took a double minor in the Cale Makar – A first period with a high stick. The Avs were able to kill the penalty off Makar is really good at getting his shot through and was looking for tips a rather than staring down a two-goal deficit to an awful team. lot tonight. It worked out on Kadri’s goal. Moments later, he did what only Ian Cole – C+ he can do, dancing around a forward and finding MacKinnon backdoor for an easy tap in. Now, he gets a week off to rest his body as he heads The Z/Cole pair was dominant in terms of shot metrics in this one but into the second half of his rookie season. were out there for two goals against. Still, I don’t think you can pin either of those on Cole. Picked up another assist on the empty netter, as this Valeri Nichushkin – B+ one went off his shin pad to MacKinnon. The magical assist season for Poor guy gets a ton of breakaways but just can’t finish, as was the case Cole continues. in the third period in this one. After a rough start on the second line, that J.T. Compher – D trio has found their footing lately, and he does a lot of the dirty work for them. I really don’t like Compher on that line. I get what they are trying to do there with a right shot, but he just doesn’t seem to work with the other Matt Nieto – B two the way that Nichushkin or even Nieto have. Talk about a guy who needed a goal. This was the week for guys Pavel Francouz – B- breaking long slumps, and Nieto picked up his first goal since December 23 in the third period. Frankie had no chance on the opening goal, but I didn’t like the second one all that much. The third one was not a ton of help from his Mikko Rantanen – B+ defensemen overall. He did well to hold down the fort while the Avs were They were just secondary assists, and I’m not so sure I would have down 1-0, including some big saves shorthanded. picked him as the third star, but two assists going into the break hopefully Samuel Girard – B help him. Maybe he’s still battling some issues with the ankle, as he hasn’t looked right, but he gets some time off the regroup. Girard spun some poor Wings forward into oblivion in the third period and was moving a lot in the offensive zone all game long. He was unfortunate Nikita Zadorov – D to step onto the ice just before the Wings entered the zone on a rush to Eight shot attempts, the best shot metrics on the blue line, and two pick up a goal late in the third. assists. Sounds good, right? Sure, Z did some good in this one, but what Ryan Graves – A the hell was that on the first goal by the Red Wings? That’s the stuff he’s been avoiding, and it can’t come back into his game. Luckily for him, it So, uh, how much money is this guy going to make this summer? It’s not came against an awful team and the Avs weren’t phased. easy for defensemen to score goals at even strength, and he’s going to go well over 10 at this rate. If he hovers around 30 points at the end of BSN DENVER LOADED: 01.21.2020 the year, his agent is going to be foaming at the mouth.

Erik Johnson – C+

I liked the way EJ and Girard were working off each other in the offensive zone. There’s clearly chemistry there, and they are good friends off the ice. It would be nice to see EJ pick up a few points here and there but his role on this team has clearly changed.

Nazem Kadri – A+

Even though I have no idea what Kadri was doing flopping around on the Wings second goal, he scored his first power play goal in what feels like a lifetime, and added probably the biggest goal of the game in the third, as it started the Avs momentum as they busted the game open. He picked up another assist later in the game and dominated in the face-off circle as well.

Vladislav Kamenev – B 1172047 Colorado Avalanche Holy smokes did the Avs play well at even strength though. It was pretty obvious after Bertuzzi (booooooooo) scored to make it 1-0 who the more talented team was. Colorado responded by pouring on the shots on goal, pushing it to 12-5 before the Red Wings got their four-minute power play The Avalanche took care of business against the dreadful Red Wings and registered a few shots. The Avs outplayed Detroit hard the rest of the way. Taking a 2-1 lead into the third period, they could have sat back and

tried to play the Senioritis card knowing they were so close to the bye BY AJ HAEFELE JANUARY 20, 2020 7 MINS READ week. Instead, they outshot Detroit 12-6 and scored four more goals. Not a bad way to go about your business.

I’m not going to come down on Pavel Francouz too hard for giving up There’s taking care of business and then there’s taking care of business. three goals on just 25 shots because the first and third goals were defensive abominations. That second goal wasn’t great but it’s fine. It Colorado came into today’s matinee showdown against former rival really just continues Francouz’s good fortune of backstopping games in (forever rival?) Detroit needing to win to have an eight-point homestand which Colorado’s offense tees off. I’m not sure if the NHL tracks this stat and go into the All-Star break trailing the St. Louis Blues by just six officially but Francouz has to be among the league leaders in goals of points. support in his starts. Even when he’s played poorly, Colorado has found Two minutes into the game, Nikita Zadorov turned himself about like he ways to win. He moves to 12-4-2 on the season. You don’t mind that was doing the hokey pokey and Dylan Larkin capitalized, stealing the from your backup one bit. puck and finding Tyler Bertuzzi for an easy tap-in goal in front. Obviously Kadri was great. MacKinnon was spectacular. Cale Makar The 1-0 lead was a shocking beginning to a game between one of the added two more points to his total because he’s a maniac. But the guy league’s better teams and the by far the league’s worst. In the opening who really stood out to me the most today? Tyson Jost, y’all. I loooooved moments, you couldn’t tell which one was which. his game today. He was dangerous nearly every time he touched the ice. He was driving play, shooting pucks, attacking along the wall, disrupting Then the final 58 minutes took place and it became pretty clear who was breakouts, the WORKS. Everything you want from a bottom-six player, the superior team. he did and did well today. Except finish, of course, but that is not the Colorado trailed by that one-goal deficit going into the first intermission point. He played like a man possessed and this was one of his most after failing to score on over six minutes of power play time against the complete games of the season, if not his career. The shot metrics back league’s worst penalty kill but they also killed off a four-minute penalty of up the eye test as both said he kicked ass and he did. He got rewarded their own and outshot Detroit 18-12. with a well-earned point when Matt Nieto finished off his pass in front in the third period to put Colorado ahead 4-1. He had five shots on goal, It was a sloppy opening period but it seemed like if the Avs just kept the laid a good hit along the wall, and played well enough that I don’t even offensive pressure up, eventually they would beat Jimmy Howard. care a little that he lost all four faceoffs he took. He was awesome today. This was the kind of game that gives you pause on giving up on him at Three minutes into the second period, the Avs were leading 2-1 and this age. If he’s able to tap into today’s player even half the time, he’d be wouldn’t look back en route to a 6-3 win and a game that was almost sad a hell of a player. I just wanted to give him props because I’ve been a bit to watch as these two rivals have traded places at the bottom of the hard on him lately and today he was great. league. Overall, today felt like a very good reminder of just how far Colorado has Nazem Kadri scored two goals to put him past last year’s season goal come from being the team Detroit currently is. It was just three years ago total already this year as he recorded his 16th and 17th goals of the the Avs were putting up a 48-point season (and still beating Detroit) and season. felt like they were miles from being a competitive team. Fast forward to Nathan MacKinnon also added two and pushed his season total to 30 today and anybody who thought the Avs were the “same old Avs”, well, goals. It’s wild to look back on his early career and see MacKinnon failed today should have been enough to convince you these guys aren’t the to score 30 in a season his first four years. Avs of old. This was a trap game with the Avs coming off the big, emotional win against the Blues. It was the final game before their nine- Now, he has 30 goals. day break and against the league’s worst team. All the pieces were there for an emotional letdown. When they got down 1-0 right off the bat, it felt At the All-Star break. like worst fears realized. But this team bucked that notion and kicked The gap between today’s two teams was on full display as Colorado just Detroit’s ass the rest of the day. Pretty good response. kept scoring and while the Red Wings took advantage of a couple of For a five-game homestand that started 0-0-2, finishing 3-0-2 is an mistakes to pot three of their own, it was never really all that close. acceptable result. In the eyes of the points system, Colorado won four The Avs finished with a 46-25 advantage in shots on goal and spent games, leaving just two points on the board. You’ll take a points nearly the entire third period on cruise control as they glided into the percentage of .800 anytime you’re talking about a five-game stretch. break. Colorado has 62 points in 49 games played. If you assume a 95-point Now, the Avs finish the unofficial first half of the season second in the barrier to make the postseason, the Avs need just 33 points in their final Central Division by the Blues and sixth overall in the NHL. They’re the 33 games to get there. That is certainly doable, especially against the second-best team in the Western Conference and are one of the league’s weakest schedule. No excuses. This has to be a playoff team at league’s highest-scoring teams. the absolute minimum. If the Avs replicate their current point pace the rest of the year, they will finish with 103 points. Might not be enough to In fact, today was the 14th time in 49 games the Avalanche recorded five win the division but if that doesn’t get second place, you just tip your cap or more goals. They are, no surprise here, 14-0 in those games. to whoever does because that would be an exceptional season.

Now the break begins with MacKinnon headed to St. Louis as the lone That does it from us for the first half of the season but nothing will change Avalanche representative at the All-Star Game. in terms of content during the bye week. Podcasts and articles will continue to come out regularly and look for my Ryan Graves feature GAME TAKEAWAYS piece later this week. I’m not going to spend much time on the special teams here. I thought BSN DENVER LOADED: 01.21.2020 the PP created dangerous chances on most of their five opportunities and only occasionally looked lost. They scored the one goal that made it 1-1 and kind of took the top off and opened the door for the Avs to run away with the game. They did exactly that and built momentum off both their PK and PP. The units have been a struggle individually but we’ve talked a lot about them winning the special team battle and they accomplished that today so I’m giving it a thumbs up for the day and not worrying about the rest. 1172048 Columbus Blue Jackets

Oliver Bjorkstrand, Cam Atkinson give Blue Jackets scoring boost immediately back from injury

Jacob Myers The Columbus Dispatch

Jan 20, 2020 at 8:08 PM

NEW YORK — Cam Atkinson couldn’t have dreamed of a better way to come back from injury when, on his first shift, he flipped a perfect backhand pass to Emil Bemstrom that was the primary assist on the opening goal against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

Oliver Bjorkstrand’s impact was noticeable from his first shift in his return to the lineup Sunday night against the New York Rangers, but his biggest contributions didn’t come until later when he scored two third-period goals, including the game-winner with less than 30 seconds remaining.

In short, the Jackets’ best players have to perform. Atkinson and Bjorkstrand are certainly two of those guys, but their return is more significant because they had no choice but to produce, given the players they replaced were capably filling the holes when they were out of the lineup.

Coach John Tortorella wasn’t surprised by their immediate impact. It’s what a team that’s still looking for consistent scoring needs.

“Both players were playing well when they were injured,” Tortorella said. “They give us a life with the scoring; it's something that we need.”

Bjorkstrand’s two goals against the Rangers marked his third multi-goal game in his past five games played. Atkinson didn’t record a point Sunday, but he had five points in his first two games back from an ankle injury.

Sonny Milano was taken out of the lineup when Atkinson returned and has been a healthy scratch the past three games. Milano hadn’t been playing his best, but he still made a noticeable offensive impact with two goals and three assists in seven games after he returned from injury.

Bjorkstrand’s activation from injured reserve resulted in Kevin Stenlund being sent back to the minors after he tallied four goals and two assists in 17 games. Those numbers don’t blow anyone away, but they came in big moments, and he gave the Jackets a boost without some of its top scorers.

Having Atkinson and Bjorkstrand back and producing only has added to the chemistry that was built in the locker room over the past month, especially a leader in the locker room like Atkinson.

“Guys love him, and they love the way he plays,” forward Nathan Gerbe said. “He plays hard and plays the game right, and it's huge to see him score.”

Though the Jackets played better at Madison Square Garden than the previous two games at Nationwide Arena, all three games underscored the importance of these two difference-makers in the lineup.

The Jackets were outskated at home by Carolina and New Jersey (Saturday night), but Atkinson made plays in both games to put the team ahead and allowed his teammates to play with a little confidence instead of chasing the game. On the other side of the spectrum, the Jackets were in a one-goal game and Bjorkstrand finished the two great opportunities he had.

With 32 games to play and the Blue Jackets one point behind the New York Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division, the Bjorkstrand and Atkinson who are playing now are the Bjorkstrand and Atkinson who need to lead the way.

“Eight weeks ago it seemed like every game we played, someone from our core was getting injured,” defenseman Seth Jones said. “But it didn't stop us from what we needed to accomplish and how we needed to play. Cam and (Bjorkstrand) scoring goals their first games back, I'm sure it does a lot for our confidence going forward.”

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172049 Columbus Blue Jackets just want to go and have fun on the ice and not be nervous — just follow the puck and get into the game and (have) fun, help my team.”

Bjorkstrand returns Elvis Merzlikins gets confidence boost during Blue Jackets’ hot streak Prior to facing the Rangers, the Blue Jackets activated forward Oliver Bjorkstrand (ribs/oblique tear) from injured reserve. They reassigned rookie forward Kevin Stenlund to the of the Brian Hedger The Columbus Dispatch American Hockey League to create room on the roster.

Jan 19, 2020 at 9:48 PM Stenlund, 23, had four goals and two assists in 17 games for the Blue Jackets, who added him to the roster Dec. 15 as an emergency recall.

Stenlund handled a role on the Jackets’ power play and skated mostly at The “monster” that was snoozing inside Elvis Merzlikins is fully awake right wing on the third line. now. Bjorkstrand was red hot prior to his injury, which happened on a In fact, it’s romping and stomping around the NHL, searching in the Blue crosscheck by Devils defenseman Damon Severson on Dec. 21 in Jackets’ crease for pucks to gobble and spirits to crush. In other words, Columbus. He had six goals and two assists in seven games prior to the Elvis feels a lot more like himself than he did before getting pressed into injury, which caused him to miss 13 games. the No. 1 role following Joonas Korpisalo’s knee injury on Dec. 27. Bjorkstrand is the second top-six forward the Blue Jackets have gotten Going into a game against the New York Rangers on Sunday night at back from injury in the past week, after Cam Atkinson returned from a Madison Square Garden, Merzlikins had started 10 straight games and high-ankle sprain Thursday with a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win over posted an 8-2-0 record. He also had a miniscule 1.51 goals-against Carolina. Atkinson followed it up with two goals and one assist Saturday average, a blistering .955 save percentage and earned the first three against New Jersey, which the Jackets hope Bjorkstrand can mimic. shutouts of his NHL career in those games. The shutouts all came within Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 01.21.2020 the previous four games.

“That’s what I talked (about) with my best friend from Switzerland (on Friday), that I don’t feel anymore that shaking, that (nervousness),” Merzlikins said Saturday night at Nationwide Arena, after making 41 saves in a 5-0 victory over the . “I pretty much, kind of, know well my home, my net, my posts. And I just feel comfortable.”

That’s quite a change from a couple of months ago, when Korpisalo won the No. 1 role and proceeded to earn an invitation to the All-Star Game before his injury. Merzlikins, meanwhile, scuffled in the backup role — going 0-4-4 with a bloated 3.41 GAA and ice-cold .889 save percentage in his first 10 NHL appearances (eight starts).

That was not what the 25-year-old Latvian came to the NHL to do. He left Lugano HC in Switzerland to join the Blue Jackets, knowing there was a starter’s role up for grabs in the wake of Sergei Bobrovsky’s free-agent departure. It was tough to swallow when it didn’t unfold that way.

Merzlikins endured a humbling NHL debut Oct. 5 in Pittsburgh, allowing all seven goals in a 7-2 loss to the Penguins, then felt the sting of an ill- advised turnover late in the third period Nov. 23 at Winnipeg — a mistake that led directly to a winning goal.

Merzlikins flailed about, as the “monster” snoozed.

“The first start (to my career), what I had, it was really tough,” he said. “My mom, she always told me that in negative you’re always going to find something positive … but we all saw. I was playing, I was losing. I was … in my mind, I was crazy.”

He consulted his “mental coach” in Europe, straightened out his focus and seized the opportunity to play more once it arrived. Before shutting down the Florida Panthers 4-1 on New Year’s Eve in Columbus — his first start after Korpisalo’s injury and first NHL win — Merzlikins shut down his media availability.

It wasn’t received well by reporters, who were given statements by the Jackets’ public relations staff after the first two games, but Merzlikins explained his logic Saturday night.

“I did really a great job with my mental coach back home,” he said. “That’s why, when it happened with Korpi, the injury, I asked (the media) to leave me alone because I didn’t want anybody. I even didn’t talk much with my mom, with my brother. I didn’t use my phone.

“I was kind of, really, selfish. I really deleted everybody out of my life except my girlfriend. I wanted to focus, because I understood … this is my, could be my last chance, and I had to take it.”

He’s in full stride with it now, and the focus has shifted. Merzlikins is no longer obsessed with winning, because he has realized that winning is merely garnishment to the main course.

“I’m not happy and I don’t want to be happy about right now, what I’m doing,” Merzlikins said. “I just want to play hockey. I just want to (have) fun. Before, I was thinking, ‘I have to win, I have to win, I have to bring the points.’ Now, to be honest with you, I really don’t care about that. I 1172050 Columbus Blue Jackets He kept the Jackets in the game with three massive saves in the second period to keep the deficit 1-0. The first such shot was off the stick of Artemi Panarin, who fired a one-time shot in tight in the slot. Kivlenieks slid over and made his best save of the night. Blue Jackets 2, Rangers 1 | 3-2-1 breakdown Kivlenieks said he was a nervous heading into his first game, but that save gave himself some confidence that carried him through the rest of the game. The whole night was still a lot for the goaltender to take in. Jacob Myers The Columbus Dispatch "Honestly I still can't believe what happened,” Kivlenieks said. “I'll Jan 20, 2020 at 5:30 AM probably realize it tomorrow or something. It has always been a dream. It's obviously hard to even get a game and plus to win the first game you ever play. There were some really important blocks and Bjorky scored a NEW YORK — Oliver Bjorkstrand was asked pregame if Cam Atkinson couple of huge goals.” had provided a roadmap for how he wants to come back into the lineup, with Atkinson having scored three goals and two assists in his first two Tortorella said it was a combination of things — not just that it was the games after his injury. second leg of back-to-back games — that made him decide to give Merzlikins a break and Kivlenieks the start, but he didn’t divulge further. "That'd be great to have a start like that,” Bjorkstrand said. “I'm just going to go out there and get my legs moving and get into the game as fast as I Tortorella probably didn’t even expect a goalie that had a sub-.900 save can.” percentage in the AHL to play this well in his first game with loads of pressure. But Kivlenieks did that. The Jackets didn’t have the type of start Sunday night against the New York Rangers that they had against Carolina dn New Jersey in the "I thought he was as calm as could be for his first game,” Tortorella said. previous two games, but the offense still wasn’t generating the shots they “Madison Square Garden. Everything that comes with it. I was impressed needed to actually be a threat. with him and he made some key saves at key times.”

However, they improved enough and made plays when they had to, Kivlenieks said he asked Merzlikins and goalie coach Manny Legace mostly Bjorkstrand giving the lift with both goals, including the game- about their experiences going through their NHL debuts, which helped winner with 26.5 seconds left, in a 2-1 win at Madison Square Garden for him. the Jackets’ fifth straight win and 15th in 21 games. “Later on I just kind of blocked everything out besides the actual game,” The Jackets (26-16-8) are now tied with the New York Islanders in points he said. “But you still try to think about it, keep your head in the game, with two more games played for the third spot in the Metropolitan don't think about anything else, don't overthink it. Just play hockey, and division. that's what happened.”

“We've had some long days, haven't played well in certain stretches,” 3) Line changes late helped Jackets win coach John Tortorella said after the game. “Right now we're trying to ride Pierre-Luc Dubois and Bjorkstrand worked well together on the same line this wave the best we can. We'll have some struggles along the way Sunday. But it actually started producing when Nick Foligno joined the again, but I just believe the team will handle themself the right way.” line in the third period. Bjorkstrand wrapped up the two points and tied a pretty bow on top, but “We moved our lines around a lot tonight,” Tortorella said. “I thought we Matiss Kivlenieks actually went out and bought the gift. So who deserves found some combinations towards the end of the game with Nick going more credit? on that wing, and he makes a good play. I thought Bjorky showed It doesn’t really matter. Sunday’s game was just an impressive showing tremendous patience, too, allowing it to develop and get a shot.” for a goalie who struggled in the American Hockey League before Dubois drove to the net and dropped off the pass behind him for making 31 saves and getting the win in his NHL debut. Bjorkstrand, then Dubois kept moving forward to tie up the defenseman The Jackets have two more games before an extended break that starts and clear a path for Bjorkstrand to shoot. Bjorkstrand waited a bit and with the All-Star weekend. Before that, here’s the 3-2-1 on the Jackets’ picked out the perfect spot to beat Igor Shesterkin. latest victory — three takeaways, two questions, one more thing to know. After Bjorkstrand’s first goal, the Jackets played with more energy and THREE TAKEAWAYS fight in them. That also had to do with the changing of the lines.

1) Oliver Bjorkstrand returns with a bang Foligno replaced Gustav Nyquist who replaced Emil Bemstrom on a line with Cam Atkinson and Alexander Wennberg. Bemstrom played the rest Bjorkstrand’s injury Dec. 21 came in the same game that he scored two of the night with Boone Jenner and Nathan Gerbe. goals to capture the Jackets’ fourth straight win at the time. It was a bit of a gut punch to a team who was desperately trying to climb back into the Gerbe and Jenner on the same line meant the Jackets had two of their playoff picture before Christmas. most active forecheckers trying to create more opportunities in the offensive end and preventing the Rangers from really getting to their He came back Sunday night as the same player he was when he left: a offense in that final period. go-to scorer that can go win a game when he has the chance. Jenner had one tremendous play with less than two minutes to go when "Before he got hurt, he's kind of been that guy for us to score big goals, he dove at a puck in front of Kivlenieks’ crease that Chris Kreider was especially on tough shots like that,” defenseman Seth Jones said. “His trying to reach, and Jenner punched it out of danger. release is second to none that I've seen and it's another couple examples of it there.” "We had some moments when we had some struggles and right before they do get their chances, we had some good sticks,” Tortorella said. “I Bjorkstrand was easily the best skater on the ice for the Jackets on don't think we were totally consistent in our end zone as far as our Sunday, and they’ll continue to need that in each game moving forward. coverages, but we made some big plays in front of Matiss.”

2) Take a bow, Matiss Kivlenieks TWO QUESTIONS

When Joonas Korpisalo went down with an injury just before New Years, 1) Can the goalies keep this up? things looked bleak for the Jackets with Elvis Merzlikins about to take over in net for at least the next month. Then Elvis became the best The easy answer would be no, they can’t. But if there was going to be a goaltender in the NHL in the past 10 games with three shutouts. game where the Jackets allowed four goals or more, it would have been Sunday night. So without him and with rookie Matiss Kivlenieks making his NHL debut against the Rangers, surely the Jackets would return to Earth from this So who knows when the hot goaltending will end, or what will happen incredible high that has immersed them into the playoff picture. with Merzlikins when Korpisalo returns from injury? All the Jackets can do right now is ride it out and gain as many points as possible. Nope. Kivlenieks blew out all expectations. “That's definitely a game of patience,” Bjorkstrand said. “Just have to stick with it. Today I feel like it's one of those games where we found a way to win it. (Kivlenieks) played amazing. It's nice to give him a win and he deserves it.”

2) Is Gustav Nyquist in a funk?

On a 2-on-1 with 2:55 remaining in a tied game, Nyquist had a chance for the game-winner at the bottom of the right faceoff circle and blew it over the goal.

Nyquist hasn’t scored in seven games now and has scored three goals in the past 25 games since his hat trick against Pittsburgh Nov. 29.

Even if he isn’t in a funk, the chance that he had Sunday is the one the Jackets need him to finish if they’re going to be a playoff team.

ONE MORE THING TO KNOW

There are 32 games left in the 2019-20 regular season for the Blue Jackets. Defying all logic, they are a point better through 50 games this season than they were at this point last year, picking up their 59th and 60th points Sunday night against the team’s biggest loss of the past offseason in Artemi Panarin.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172051 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings unable to keep up with Avalanche, lose Green, Nielsen in 6-3 defeat

Helene St. James, Detroit Free PressPublished 5:46 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2020 | Updated 9:08 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2020

DENVER — Jimmy Howard looked in good form for a third straight game but the Detroit Red Wings couldn’t score enough to make a difference.

Their Monday matinee against the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center started well enough, with Tyler Bertuzzi feeding off boos and scoring his 17th goal of the season. But the Avalanche toyed with the Wings, twice scoring in quick succession en route to a 6-3 victory.

Dylan Larkin cut the Avs’ lead to two goals in the third period, and also had two assists. Bertuzzi had a goal and an assist and Givani Smith scored his second career goal with 2:03 to play in regulation.

More on Larkin: He scored his 100th goal Saturday; will they ever come in bunches?

Howard gave up goals to Nazem Kadri, Matt Nieto and Ryan Graves in the third period, but Howard was the reason it was a 2-1 game after two periods, making 32 saves. The Avs outshot the Wings, 46-25.

The Wings (12-34-4) failed to get anything out of their power play and played with a short bench in the third period after losing both Mike Green and Frans Nielsen to upper-body injuries.

Partisan audience

There were enough Wings fans at the game to break out a “Let’s go Red Wings” chant in the first period. The other side made their feelings known, though, when Bertuzzi made it 1-0 at 2:28 of the first period off a nice setup from Larkin. Bertuzzi was 9 years old when his uncle, , hit Colorado’s Steve Moore in retaliation for a hit on Bertuzzi’s Vancouver Canucks teammate Markus Naslund. The incident ended Moore’s career, and the Bertuzzi name still draws boos.

Avalanche in motion

The Avs struck while Bertuzzi cooled his skates in the penalty box for high-sticking Andre Burakovsky. Cale Makar fired a shot from the blue line through traffic, and Kadri tipped the puck for a power play goal at 1:02 of the second period. Less than two minutes later, the Avs climbed atop the Wings, with Makar skating the puck in from the blue line and firing a pass to Nathan MacKinnon, who had time and space to settle the puck on his stick and score his 29th goal of the season. MacKinnon added his 30th into an empty net.

Special teams battle

The Wings had a 1-0 lead in the first period when Matt Calvert was assessed a double-minor for high-sticking Green, handing the Wings four minutes with a man advantage. FIlip Zadina had a couple chances, but had his second shot attempt blocked, and Smith’s net-front work – a shot and his own rebound – was thwarted by Pavel Francouz. The end result was three shots during four minutes of power play time, a squandered opportunity to build on their lead.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172052 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings lose to Colorado Avalanche, 6-3: Game recap

Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free PressPublished 5:57 a.m. ET Jan. 20, 2020 | Updated 5:40 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2020

Detroit Red Wings (12-33-4) vs. Colorado Avalanche (27-15-6)

When: 3 p.m. tonday.

Where: Pepsi Center in Denver.

TV: Fox Sports Detroit, NHLN.

Radio: 97.1 FM (Red Wings radio affiliates).

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172053 Detroit Red Wings

Defenseman Jake Sanderson named top player in All-American Game

The Detroit NewsPublished 10:41 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2020 | Updated 12:07 a.m. ET Jan. 21, 2020

Defenseman Jake Sanderson of the National Team Development Program earned Player of the Game honors at the BioSteel All-American Game at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth on Monday.

Sanderson, who will attend the University of North Dakota next year, had two assists and was plus-2 in Team Knuble's 6-1 win over Team Gomez in front of more than 200 NHL scouts, general managers and front-office personnel.

Team Knuble's goals were scored by Tyler Kleven, Brett Berard, Hunter Strand, Luke Tuch, Ty Smilanic and Jacob Truscott (Muskegon). Truscott and Kleven were a team-high plus three on the NTDP blueline.

Alex Laferriere had the only goal and a team-high seven shots for Team Gomez. Goalie Aidan McCarthy (Novi) stopped 16 of 19 shots.

Detroit News LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172054 Detroit Red Wings Larkin scored his 13th goal and assisted on Smith’s goal late in the third period, giving Larkin 10 points in the last 10 games.

Larkin now has 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) on the season, trailing Woebegone Wings lose fifth straight, fall to Avalanche Bertuzzi by one point.

“It’s confidence,” said Larkin, who admitted his play slipped before the Christmas break. “When you don’t have it, you’re afraid to have the puck Ted Kulfan, The Detroit NewsPublished 5:48 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2020 | on your stick. It comes back to wanting the puck on your stick and Updated 10:05 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2020 moving my feet and playing with great linemates and getting all the opportunity I could ask for.”

Detroit News LOADED: 01.21.2020 Denver — The Red Wings kind of played right into the Colorado Avalanche’s hands and it proved, predictably, costly.

The high-powered Avalanche put 45 shots on goaltender Jimmy Howard, basically wore down the Wings as the game went along, and earned a 6- 3 victory.

The Red Wings mustered three goals Monday — they’ve only scored eight goals in the last five games, all losses — but didn’t do enough defensively to quiet the Avalanche.

“A lot of chances and goals were from us not coming back into our zone, it’s not good enough,” forward Dylan Larkin said. “We knew coming in, a team like this, we were going to have to defend a lot. But we didn’t come back (defensively) and sort it out enough.”

The Wings lost forward Frans Nielsen and defenseman Mike Green to upper-body injuries before the midway point of the game, and that didn’t help matters either.

“The second period, we couldn’t get out of our end and all of a sudden you’re spending a whole bunch of time defending,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “We lost (Nielsen, Green) … and it just taxed our guys a lot.

“There’s a whole bunch of defending and suddenly we didn’t have our skating legs — and that’s a hard team not to have your skating legs against.”

That’s five consecutive losses for the Wings (12-34-4), who close out the pre-All Star break portion of their schedule — there's only 32 games left after Monday's result — Wednesday in Minnesota.

BOX SCORE: Avalanche 6, Red Wings 3

“Losses wear on you, and it starts to hurt your energy a little bit,” Blashill said. “We have to be real careful of that, we have to find a way to have great energy in our last game before the break and get ourselves rejuvenated coming back out of the break.”

Tyler Bertuzzi, who will be the Wings’ representative at All-Star weekend, scored his 16th goal, Larkin his 13th and Givani Smith his second.

Nazem Kadri scored two goals for Colorado (one a power play), as did Nathan MacKinnon (including an empty-net goal, his 30th), while Matt Nieto and Ryan Graves had the others.

The Avalanche outshot the Wings, 46-25, a testament to goaltender Jimmy Howard’s workload and his ability to keep the Wings close for the most of the afternoon.

That’s three consecutive games Howard has started and looked better than he has all season.

“He was excellent, he gave us a chance,” Blashill said. “We wouldn’t have been in the game if he hadn’t played as well as he did.

“The last three games, he’s been on top of his game.”

Larkin stripped the puck from defenseman Nikita Zadorov behind the net, and fed Bertuzzi in the slot to give the Wings a 1-0 lead.

But the Avalanche roared back in the second period, with Kadri (power play) and MacKinnon scoring 1:54 apart.

Kadri tied it, deflecting Cale Makar’s shot from the point at 1:02. Then it was Makar again doing the legwork on the second goal, finding MacKinnon alone at the post.

Colorado scored two quick goals again to open the third period, a season-long problem that hurt the Wings again.

“Momentum is a big deal,” Blashill said. “We have to make sure the next shift is a better momentum shift.” 1172055 Detroit Red Wings “If all of a sudden some of the guys we’ve drafted the last several years really pop, it changes fast,” Blashill said. “You just don’t know which guys will really pop and which aren’t. You have to go through a number of years of drafting real well and if you do, you’ll get yourself into position Memories of classic Wings, Avalanche rivalry come into focus again where it can change in a hurry.”

Ice chips

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit NewsPublished 3:05 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2020 | Incidentally, the Red Wings are four points behind that bad Avalanche Updated 5:14 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2020 season of three years ago, the worst of the salary cap era. Colorado 32 points through 49 games, four more than the Wings have (28).

... Blashill and some players liked the early afternoon start Monday. Denver — When you have a Detroit Red Wings’ game against the Colorado Avalanche, the past can overshadow the present. "You get up and you don't have to go through the rigamarole in the morning, the morning skate and all that stuff, our guys like it," Blashill So many memories, moments and games in this classic rivalry, going said. "You get up and go and play." back to the mid-1990s, and being replayed over and over for fans of the game. .. .Blashill coached former Michigan standout, forward J.T. Compher, at the world championship tournament. “I certainly have great memories watching it as a Red Wings fan,” coach Jeff Blashill said. "I liked him, he's real smart player," Blashill said. "He's a guy who didn't get as much ice time as he probably liked early, but by the end of the So many Hall of Fame players on both sides, and Stanley Cups won by tournament, he got a lot because he's a winner." both organizations. Detroit News LOADED: 01.21.2020 But since the salary cap era was instituted, the Avalanche regressed and are now returning to former glory, while the Red Wings reversed it — remained a powerhouse but are headed for a fourth consecutive playoff miss.

Back then, before the salary cap, both of these organizations accumulated high-priced talent with no regard to budget restraints.

“It was a time where when you have two teams as good as these teams were, and an era where there were only so many contenders,” Blashill said. “It’s not the league is now, as even as it is now. Back then, it was only five teams in the West(ern Conference) that had a chance to represent the West to win the Cup, maximum.

“So it allowed for a bit of dynasties, and with that, it became a real rivalry, year after year, and it was great.”

A game like Monday’s though, when you’re facing a old rival like the Avalanche, does make Blashill reflect on what it means for himself, and the players, being part of the Wings.

“When you work and play for Detroit, you know you’re playing and working for one of the most special organizations in sports,” Blashill said. “Every organization has history, but few have the history of success that the Detroit Red Wings have, and certainly that era, and that rivalry, is part of that great, great history.

“But what we also have to focus on today and that is to focus on winning a hockey game and try to develop our young players, so that we can add to that history (of the rivalry) at a later time.”

What can happen

Three seasons ago, when the Avalanche completed the 2016-17 season, they had the NHL’s worst record, at 22-56-4, only 48 points, with a minus-112 goal differential (166 goals scored, 278 allowed).

They’re all statistics and records the Red Wings are challenging this season.

But seeing where the Avalanche are today — 27-15-6 entering the game, firmly in the playoff picture — also shows how quickly an organization can shift gears if it drafts well.

“It’s the reality,” said Blashill, of how things can change. “If you draft really, really well, it can change. Three years ago, they had a No. 1 pick, not theirs, but in Erik Johnson (acquired in trade), a No. 2 (overall) in Gabriel Landeskog, and No. 1 in (Nathan) MacKinnon in their lineup at that time. They had some other top picks, (Tyson) Barrie (since traded) was a pretty high pick (3rd-round) and Matt Duchene was No. 3 overall, they had those guys in their organization and lineup.

“For whatever reason, three years ago, it didn’t go that year. The year before it was better (82 points), but they had enough, I would say, in the replenishment curve then probably where we might be today.”

But a lot depends, said Blashill, on when those draft picks and players flourish. 1172056 Detroit Red Wings Dylan Peterson, Landon Slaggert, Ty Smilanic, Hunter Strand, Luke Tuch, Chase Yoder

►USHL roster: Goalies Aidan McCarthy, Logan Stein; Defenseman Ryder Rolston, Aidan McCarthy 'can't wait' for All-American showdown in Noah Ellis, Alex Gagne, Hank Kempf, Ben Meehan, Mitchell Miller, Luke Plymouth Reid; Forwards Carson Bantle, Ryan Beck (Linden), Brendan Brisson, Nick Capone, Sam Colangelo, Sean Farrell, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Alex Gaffney, Patrick Guzzo (Marysville), Alex Laferriere, Ryder Rolston (Birmingham), Wyatt Schingoethe Mark Falkner, The Detroit NewsPublished 2:07 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2020 | Updated 2:13 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2020 ►Alumni: 188 alumni of all the All-American Prospects Game have been drafted, including 44 first-round selections and a record 31 players in last

year's NHL Draft. Notable graduates include Dylan Larkin (Detroit), Jack Birmingham's Ryder Rolston and Novi's Aidan McCarthy can't wait for Eichel (Buffalo), Zach Werenski (Columbus), Seth Jones (Columbus) and tonight's BioSteel All-American Game at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth. Noah Hanifan (Carolina).

Rolston and McCarthy are two of the six local players who will compete Detroit News LOADED: 01.21.2020 in a showcase of top U.S.-born prospects for the 2020 NHL Draft.

They will skate for Team (Scott) Gomez, which is made up of players from the United States Hockey League against Team (Mike) Knuble, comprised of players from the National Team Development Program.

Every NHL team will be in attendance for the nationally-televised game on the Hockey Network at 7 p.m. Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas was among the scouts and front-office personnel at the gameday skate on Monday morning.

"Having all those people here will definitely help drive us," said Rolston, a 6-1, 170-pound forward with the Waterloo Black Hawks. "You work so hard and now you'll be able to show it. It'll be a high-compete, high-paced game. Nothing but the best."

McCarthy, a 6-1, 170-pound goalie with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, arrived in Plymouth late last night because of weather delays but is ready to play in the first half of tonight's game in front of NHL scouts as well as family and friends.

"I can't wait," said McCarthy, who is still weighing school options next year and is one of only three players in tonight's game who hasn't committed to a top-ranked university hockey program next year. "I haven't seen my parents since I arrived but I know they'll be here and cheering on our team."

The other local players in the game are: Marysville's Patrick Guzzo (Ohio State University), Linden's Ryan Beck (University of Denver), Port Huron's Jacob Truscott (University of Michigan) and Muskegon's Tanner Latsch (undecided). Rolston will attend Notre Dame next year.

Gomez, an Anchorage native and two-time Stanley Cup champion with the New Jersey Devils, said the game highlights how far USA Hockey has come.

"I missed the development program by a year or two but when they came up with the idea, I remember people were questioning it: 'Is it the right thing to do?'" Gomez said.

"Obviously, years later, it's tremendous. You get the best kids at that age group, the coaching, the atmosphere they have, the facilities. It shows how serious USA Hockey was and as an alum, you're really proud of the young guys in the NHL."

All-American Game

►What: BioSteel All-American Game

►Who: USA Hockey's U18 National Team Development Program against the best American-born players from the United States Hockey League

►When: 7 tonight

►Where: USA Hockey Arena, Plymouth

►Tickets: $15-$20. Box office at 734-453-6400. Parking is $5 per vehicle.

►Honorary coaches: Mike Knuble (NTDP), Scott Gomez (USHL)

►NTDP roster: Goalies Drew Commesso, Noah Grannan; Defenseman Brock Faber, Owen Gallatin, Connor Kelley, Tyler Kleven, Daniel Laatsch, Eamon Powell, Jake Sanderson, Jacob Truscott (Port Huron); Forwards Matthew Beniers, Brett Berard, Thomas Bordeleau, Daniyal Dzhanlyev, Zakary Karpa (Muskegon), Tanner Latsch, Hunter McKown, 1172057 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings fall to Avalanche, skid reaches five

Posted Jan 20, 2020

By The Associated Press

DENVER — Nazem Kadri and Nathan MacKinnon scored 1:54 apart as the Colorado Avalanche were propelled by another second-period spurt in a 6-3 win over the reeling Detroit Red Wings on Monday.

The Avalanche also pulled away from the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues with a middle-period flurry over the weekend.

Leading 2-1 early in the third, Kadri helped Colorado put the game out of reach when he and Matt Nieto added goals within 53 seconds of each other. Ryan Graves added another goal late in the third, with Kadri getting an assist, and MacKinnon added an empty-netter.

The win allowed the Avalanche to finish their homestand with a 3-0-2 mark. They won't play again until Feb. 1 due to the All-Star break and a bye week.

Pavel Francouz stopped 22 shots for Colorado.

Tyler Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin and Givani Smith scored for Detroit, which has dropped five in a row (0-4-1). Larkin also had two assists.

Jimmy Howard made 40 saves in falling to 2-18-2.

Cale Makar was among the 10 Avalanche players with at least a point as he added two assists. Makar has 37 points this season, which ties him with Bruce Bell for the Colorado/Quebec record for a rookie defenseman. Bell set his mark in 1984-85 with the Nordiques.

MacKinnon reached the 30-goal mark for a third straight season with his empty-netter.

It was a penalty-marred opening period, with both teams drawing double- minor, high-sticking calls. Colorado's power play extended into the second period and Kadri scored the tying goal when he tipped in a shot from Makar.

Makar then assisted on MacKinnon's goal by skating around before sending a pass down low to a wide open MacKinnon.

The lone first-period score was turned in by Bertuzzi, who knocked in his team-leading 17th of the season 2:28 into the game. He instantly drew boos from the crowd.

He was booed throughout the afternoon. It wasn't Bertuzzi nearly as much as his last name.

On March 8, 2004, his uncle, Todd Bertuzzi, then playing for the Vancouver Canucks, hit former Colorado forward Steve Moore from behind. Moore crashed face first to the ice, leaving him with a concussion and fractured vertebrae. A settlement was eventually reached in Moore's lawsuit against Todd Bertuzzi.

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar can sympathize with Detroit coach Jeff Blashill, whose team is in the midst of a 12-34-4 (28 points) season. Bednar and his squad went a through an equally trying 22-56-4 (48 points) campaign in 2016-17.

"It's horrible. It's pure misery," Bednar explained to reporters after practice Sunday. “You feel your effort is good and you're trying to do your best and you just can't get it done.”

NOTES: Avalanche F Joonas Donskoi (concussion protocol) missed a fifth straight game. He went through practice Sunday and could be back after break. “The days feel long when you’re not playing,” Donskoi told the media. ... The Avs improved to 4-0 in day games this season.

UP NEXT

Red Wings: Play in Minnesota on Wednesday.

Avalanche: Off until Feb. 1 when they play in Philadelphia.

Michigan Live LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172058 Detroit Red Wings

2014 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium named NHL ‘Event of the Decade’

Posted Jan 20, 2020

By Brandon Champion

The 2014 Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs has been named the NHL’s Event of the Decade.

Selected by NHL.com and NHL.com International staff members, the decision was announced on Monday.

Held on Jan. 1, the game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor was played in front of 105,491 fans. Toronto won the game in a shootout 3-2 when Tyler Bozak beat Jimmy Howard on a forehand shot.

The NHL has staged 29 outdoor games and 12 Winter Classics, but it was the massive crowd packed into “The Big House” and the Michigan weather that set the game between the Original 6 foes apart, according to NHL.com.

The temperature was 13 degrees at face-off, and it snowed. The game had a classic feel to it with the Red Wings all in red and the Leafs all in blue. Both goalies also sported old-school looking brown pads.

“It was just, like, a perfect setting for a winter outdoor game that kind of reminded you of when you were a kid playing on the outdoor rink,” Bozak, now plays for the St. Louis Blues, told NHL.com.

"I think it added a lot to it that it was snowing so hard when we were playing. They had to bring the shovels out pretty quickly, I remember, because the amount of snow that was going on the ice was incredible. Obviously, it's not the same as a game you'd play indoors, but it was such a great experience."

Daniel Alfredsson and Justin Abdelkader scored for the Red Wings and current Red Wings goaltender Jonathan Bernier got the win for Toronto.

NHL.com has been celebrating the 2010s by unveiling the best plays, moments, events, coaches and team of the decade. It all leads up to the reveal of the NHL First and Second All-Decade Teams on Jan. 24 (6:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN.)

Other categories include:

Jan. 15: Save of the Decade -- Braden Holtby, Game 2, 2018 Stanley Cup Final

Jan. 16: Coach of the Decade -- Joel Quenneville

Jan. 17: Franchise of the Decade -- Chicago Blackhawks

Jan. 18: Playoff Series of the Decade -- 2014 Western Conference Final, Los Angeles Kings vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Jan. 19: Game of the Decade -- 2013 Eastern Conference Final First Round, Game 7, Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Tuesday: Moment of the Decade

Wednesday: Goal of the Decade

Friday: First and Second All-Decade Team

Michigan Live LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172059 Detroit Red Wings

How to watch, listen and stream Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche Jan. 20, 2020

Posted Jan 20, 2020

By Lauren Williams

The Detroit Red Wings head west, where they’ll take on the Colorado Avalanche. The Red Wings have lost their last three matchups and look to turn the tide. They face the Avalanche, who are fresh off a win over the Western Conference-leading St. Louis Blues.

The Avalanche ranks second in the Western Conference, but they’re 4-3- 3 in their last 10 games. Their leading scorer Nathan McKinnon has 70 points this season -- 28 goals and 48 assists. In the last 10 games, he has six goals and eight assists.

The Red Wings (12-33-4) and the Avalanche (27-15-6) face off at 3 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20 at the Pepsi Center.

WATCH

Broadcast: Fox Sports Detroit

Live Stream: FOX Sports Go | Hulu | YouTube TV | fubo (free trial)

LISTEN

Red Wings Affiliates: Detroit (WXYT-97.1 FM/ 1270 AM); Ann Arbor (WTKA-1050 AM); Grand Rapids (WTKG-1230 AM); Kalamazoo (WQLR- 1660 AM); Saginaw (WSGW-790 AM)

Live Stream: TuneIn Radio

Michigan Live LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172060 Detroit Red Wings “He loves his uncle and that stuff doesn't bother him a bit,” Blashill said. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar can sympathize with Blashill, whose

team is in the midst of a 12-34-4 (28 points) season. Bednar and his MacKinnon reaches 30-goal mark, Avs beat Red Wings 6-3 squad went a through an equally trying 22-56-4 (48 points) campaign in 2016-17.

"It's horrible. It's pure misery," Bednar explained to reporters after By PAT GRAHAM AP Jan 20, 2020 Updated 6 hrs ago practice Sunday. “You feel your effort is good and you're trying to do your best and you just can't get it done.”

The Red Wings can take solace in watching Colorado, a team that's DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon doesn't have to dig too deep to find made it to the postseason the past two seasons. a reason why he scores so much. “I remember three years ago coming in here playing against these guys, “I shoot a lot of pucks,” the Colorado All-Star forward said. they didn't look like they wanted to play," Larkin said. "Look at what Shoot, it's really not that easy. they've done with their top line and Makar is one heck of a player.

MacKinnon scored twice to reach the 30-goal mark for a third straight "I find these guys right now a real team, and they're contenders and the season and the Avalanche beat the reeling Detroit Red Wings 6-3 on most dynamic team we've played against.” Monday. NOTES: Red Wings F Frans Nielsen and D Mike Green both suffered The speedy forward joined Hall of Famer Joe Sakic as the only upper-body injuries. ... Avalanche F Joonas Donskoi (concussion Avalanche players to record three straight seasons with at least 30 goals protocol) missed a fifth straight game. He went through practice Sunday since the team relocated to Denver in 1995. and could be back after the break. ... Kadri recorded his fourth multi-goal game this season. “I have a lot of help and it's nice to be on a really good team,” MacKinnon said. "I think that makes it easy.” UP NEXT

He wasn't the only one reaching a milestone. With a two-assist afternoon, Red Wings: Play in Minnesota on Wednesday. Cale Makar has 37 points this season, which ties him with Bruce Bell for Avalanche: Off until Feb. 1 when they play in Philadelphia. the Colorado/Quebec record for a rookie defenseman. Bell set his mark in 1984-85 with the Nordiques. Macomb Daily LOADED: 01.21.2020 Nazem Kadri and MacKinnon scored 1:54 apart as the Avalanche were propelled by another second-period spurt. They also pulled away from the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues with a middle- period flurry over the weekend.

Leading 2-1 early in the third, Kadri helped Colorado put the game out of reach when he and Matt Nieto scored within 53 seconds of each other. Ryan Graves added another goal late in the third and MacKinnon knocked in an empty-netter for his 30th.

The win allowed the Avalanche to finish their homestand with a 3-0-2 mark. They won't play again until Feb. 1 due to the All-Star break and a bye week.

Pavel Francouz stopped 22 shots for Colorado.

Tyler Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin and Givani Smith scored for Detroit, which has dropped five in a row (0-4-1). Larkin also had two assists.

Jimmy Howard made 40 saves in falling to 2-18-2.

“We wouldn't have been in the game if he hadn't played as well as he played, so he was excellent," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "He's been really good the last three games. He looks like he's on top of his game.”

The Avalanche had 10 players with at least a point.

“The story about our team this year is having that depth, having other guys step up on any given night,” said Kadri, who also had an assist. “That’s what makes us such a hard team to play against.”

It was a penalty-marred opening period, with both teams drawing double- minor, high-sticking calls. Colorado's power play extended into the second period and Kadri scored the tying goal when he tipped in a shot from Makar.

Makar then assisted on MacKinnon's goal by skating around before sending a pass down low to a wide open MacKinnon.

The lone first-period score was turned in by Bertuzzi, who knocked in his team-leading 17th of the season 2:28 into the game. He instantly drew boos from the crowd.

He was booed throughout the afternoon. It wasn't Bertuzzi nearly as much as his last name.

On March 8, 2004, his uncle, Todd Bertuzzi, then playing for the Vancouver Canucks, hit former Colorado forward Steve Moore from behind. Moore crashed face first to the ice, leaving him with a concussion and fractured vertebrae. A settlement was eventually reached in Moore's lawsuit against Todd Bertuzzi. 1172061 Detroit Red Wings For the Avalanche, that drain led to a payoff in short order. The Avalanche appear to be a team that could make another playoff run, a year after pushing the San Jose Sharks to a seven-game Western Conference semifinal series. Four years ago, the Avs started at the bottom. Now they’re near the top. So what about these Red Wings? Which raises the obvious question: If the Avalanche can go from the bottom to the top in three years time, what about the team on pace to surpass their historic misery?

By Max Bultman and Ryan S. Clark Jan 20, 2020 Before there can be any serious discussion of what the Avalanche have done and what the Red Wings still have to, a few key differences have to

be acknowledged. The Avs, for starters, went into that 2016-17 season DENVER — Givani Smith scored his second career NHL goal Monday, with already far more top-end talent in their organization than the Red and for the second straight time, he could barely celebrate it. Wings have this season.

“Tough time again,” he said after the game, alluding to the fact that it Nathan MacKinnon hadn’t become one of the NHL’s top five players yet, came late in what would finish as a 6-3 Red Wings loss to the Avalanche. but he was still a young first overall pick who won the Calder Trophy. This after he scored his first late in an 8-2 rout by the New York Mikko Rantanen was just a rookie, but was an AHL All-Star in his first Islanders. season and showed flashes of the hulking playmaker he has since become. Captain Gabriel Landeskog was a young former No. 2 pick who That’s reality for a young member of these Red Wings, though. Wins are quickly became a consistent 20- to 25-goal scorer. extremely hard to get. Even Monday, which saw the team’s star young center notch a three-point game, that performance only served to lessen The team had pieces on the back end with defensemen Tyson Barrie and the blow of another lopsided loss. The team has fared especially harshly Erik Johnson, a former No. 1 pick who came over in a trade with the St. on the road, where it has only won four times all year, and only twice Louis Blues. since the first week of the season. Between regulation and overtime, Colorado also had Matt Duchene. He stayed through the 2016-17 season Monday’s loss was the 38th of the season, just 50 games in. The Red but was traded the next season for a collection of pieces that became Wings are on a trajectory to finish with 46 points, which would set the Samuel Girard and prospect defenseman Bowen Byram, among others, record for the lowest total in the salary cap era. in a move that will shape the Avalanche for several years to come. Going through an experience like this can be described as “horrible” or Moving on from Duchene was similar to what they did with trading Ryan “pure misery.” Those are the words Colorado Avalanche coach Jared O’Reilly to the Buffalo Sabres for J.T. Compher, Mikhail Grigorenko and Bednar uses, and he would know. Bednar was a first-year coach who Nikita Zadorov along with a draft pick that later became prospect forward took over an Avalanche team that finished with 48 points, which is the A.J. Greer. current record for the poorest point total in the salary cap era. That alone is a stark contrast from the Red Wings, whose most “It’s tough too because the morale of your room,” Bednar said. “You’re pedigreed player is Zadina, a young winger who was taken at No. 6 in trying to get guys back into the right mental state to go win your next 2018. game. Then, you go and there’s a lot of nights when you play hard, you “They were ahead of, I would say, the replenishment curve than probably do everything you can and just feel like you lose one-goal games. You where we might be today,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said Monday maybe don’t have the horses to win the games.” morning. “But that depends. If all of the sudden, some of the guys we’ve Fast forward to now. Bednar and the Avalanche are no longer the drafted here in the last few years really pop, it changes fast. You just proverbial homecoming game. They have evolved into a full-on attack- don’t know which guys are going to really pop and which aren’t. And what minded team constructed around principles such as athleticism, speed you have to do is you’ve gotta go through a number of years of drafting and two-way commitment. All while having an all-world center really well, and if you do that then you get yourself in position where it surrounded by two All-Star wingers, a budding superstar-in-the-making can change in a hurry.” defenseman and the deepest supporting cast the organization has seen When Blashill says the franchise needs some players to “pop,” he since general manager Joe Sakic actually played. doesn’t just mean in the sense of being a good NHL player. He’s talking This, in essence, is where the Red Wings would like to be. Red Wings about reaching the kind of elite level that MacKinnon, Rantanen and general manager Steve Yzerman built a winner with the Tampa Bay Makar. Lightning, and the belief is he can do the same with his former club. And If you survey the Red Wings roster, there’s no one on the MacKinnon or among the variety of paths he could take to rebuild the Red Wings is the Makar level. blueprint Sakic continues developing in the Avalanche’s chase for their third Stanley Cup in franchise history. There are, however, some pieces who have flashed signs they could go beyond just “good.” Yzerman already has a few pieces in place at the NHL level such as young star center Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi, Filip “Certainly Larkin would be at the head of that list in terms of showing Hronek and Filip Zadina. There are early returns suggesting defenseman signs of — he’s an elite competitor,” Blashill said. “There’s moments he’s Moritz Seider could be a premier prospect while first-round draft picks been an elite winner. And if a number of guys pop, then it can happen Michael Rasmussen and Joe Veleno could also be factors. The draft, and fast.” the chance to potentially secure the No. 1 pick and draft Rimouski Oceanic left winger Alexis Lafreniere, lingers in the background as well. Another would be Mantha, who, prior to being sidelined for the bulk of the last two months, was playing at an elite level as a power forward. He’s Although, as the Avalanche can attest, there is no guarantee having a already 25, which means reaching Rantanen’s status might be a tough historically terrible record means drafting first. The Avs had the highest ask, but he can still be a top winger who can both score and drive play. odds of winning the lottery but received the fourth pick that later became As long as he can stay healthy, that can be a real piece of the puzzle. defenseman Cale Makar. Elsewhere in the core are young wingers Zadina and Bertuzzi, who will But for now? The Red Wings’ priority is to continue navigating a be the Red Wings’ All-Star representative, and defenseman Hronek, who frustrating present for the hopes it could lead to a better future. And that’s has been deployed in every situation imaginable this season. Seider has not easy for the people living it day in and day out. made a big impression, too, and now looks like someone who could potentially be able to play on an NHL top pair down the line. But that’s “Even though you feel like your effort’s good, you do your best and you still just potential. just can’t get it done,” Bednar said. “It’s a tough way. It’s a long season. We just went through a little bit of a slump and it feels like your world’s In Colorado, it was already becoming a reality. crashing down on you and it’s miserable to lose just one game never mind four or six or whatever. “Well, it’s hard to say because we still (had) Mikko and Nate, which we knew they could have become who they are right now,” Avalanche “To be able to go through a whole season like that, it’s tough. It’s defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. “They have Larkin, Mantha. I don’t think mentally draining.” those guys are on the same (level) but Larkin will be. Nate is the best player in the world right now, so it’s hard to say. But with the management they have and the job Steve Yzerman did in Tampa, I think see how you kinda fit in the formula and you want to see how good the he is a smart GM and he will make a good team within a few years. team is going to be.” Definitely in a couple years for sure. They have young kids coming up as well. They’re going to have the No. 1 overall pick or they could get No. 4 Cole also stressed how having a buy-in approach has helped grow the like us this year! If they get Alexis Lafreniere — and that kid’s nasty — team. He said teams seek players who are dedicated toward making the that will definitely help.” team successful as opposed to simply cashing a hefty check. The former Notre Dame star referenced how MacKinnon has already stated he In other words: there was more pedigree, and fewer question marks would take less money to give the club more flexibility in free agency to when Colorado went through this level of misery three seasons ago. That add more players. Or to keep those figures who are on the team into means it’s no coincidence they were able to dig out of it quicker than the staying a bit longer. Red Wings can reasonably expect to (though some favorable bounces in this year’s lottery could help that). It is something Cole has seen before when he played a combination of three full seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins with whom he won those At the same time, the Avalanche team that rolled the Red Wings on Stanley Cups. Cole talked about how Penguins superstar center Sidney Monday still isn’t top-to-bottom superstars, either. And the lessons from a Crosby chose to take less money when he easily could have historically bad season do go beyond just the need to have superstars at commanded more. the top. “He could be making $13 (million). He could be making $14 (million), $15 In goal for the Avalanche for 50 games that season was Calvin Pickard, (million). In my mind, he’s still the best player in the league. Look at what now with the Red Wings. Pickard was (fittingly) dealt more losses than he’s done since coming back from his injury, it’s incredible,” Cole said. any other goalie in the NHL that season, and so while he’s only been with “There’s always a money side to it. There always is. You’re going to this Detroit group for spurts (he’s more often been in Grand Rapids), that always need guys to take a little bit less or a reasonable amount to make season sticks in his memory. sure the team’s good. I think when you have guys like that who will sacrifice for the team. “It weighs on you for sure,” Pickard said. “You kind of lose a little bit of confidence not being able to win, but the only way to get out of it is “I think you look at that and predict how good a team is going to be.” together.” Signing Calvert and Cole filled a need. But the Avalanche were still a One point Pickard made was that in this kind of situation, everyone still team with shortcomings. Namely secondary scoring. has something to play for. In Detroit, nearly half the team’s forwards will be restricted free agents after the season, which means in addition to That is what led Sakic and his front office staff to make a series of moves trying to win, they’re also proving what they’re worth on their next landing them forwards Andre Burakovsky, Joonas Donskoi, Nazem Kadri contract — or, for some, just that there should be a next contract. There’s and Valeri Nichushkin. The season began with Burakovsky, Donskoi and still a lot of season left. Kadri forming the sort of second line combination that long eluded the Avs while Nichushkin was immediately viewed as a depth move. But among the most interesting comments from Pickard was about how Landeskog managed the leadership duties of a team in that position. Burakovsky had two assists while Kadri had two goals and an assist while playing on a line together against the Red Wings while Donskoi “There were obviously very tough days that season, having to handle the was held out having just recovered from a concussion. media loss after loss,” Pickard said. “But he’s the right guy for it, right guy for that job, and they have a great team over there now and the “The year after our bad year, we made the playoffs in our last game,” leadership is very strong.” Zadorov recalled. “We had Gabe, Mikko and Nate carrying us. We had no depth scoring. We had a pretty good third line with Carl (Soderberg), Detroit, technically, doesn’t have a captain right now. But at least in the (Matt) Nieto and (Blake) Comeau but we didn’t have anything else. I think capacity Pickard was describing, Dylan Larkin is a natural comparison. last year, that was our problem in the playoffs. It was depth scoring. Now Larkin is often the first Red Wings to address the media after a loss, and we’re deeper, which helps.” it was the same Monday. It might seem like a small task, but one thing it accomplishes is shielding other, younger players from having to process Depth has been a battle the Red Wings have fought all year. Their top their disappointment or frustration in front of cameras. line of Larkin, Mantha and Bertuzzi has had nights when it looks like a true high-end line, especially late last season and early in this campaign. And it can’t hurt that Larkin is also routinely the Red Wings’ best player in But beyond some offense from Zadina, Hronek, Andreas Athanasiou and that night’s contest. Monday, for example, the team could have easily Robby Fabbri, they’ve struggled to get much production from the rest of checked out when the Avalanche took a 4-1 lead in the third. Instead, their lineup. Larkin quickly scored a response goal, then assisted on another late marker. That’s not insignificant when it comes to keeping a team from And, like the Avalanche, that could mean that most of the people checking out. suffering through this bottom-out could easily be gone by the time things improve. “We pushed in the third,” Larkin said. “And that’s what you’ve gotta ask for. We could have easily threw our sticks out there, but … the empty- “After that bad season, we got pretty much eight to 10 new, young guys,” netter was a tough one, but we pushed hard there and that’s all you can Johnson explained. “Everyone wanted to blame it on the core players, ask for out of us.” but in reality, we didn’t have a very good supporting cast. We replaced some older guys with some young, hungry guys who were eager to prove But the hypothetical similarities between the teams in their low points are themselves. We didn’t care about any external noise or anything and still not as important as what Colorado actually did to get better. believed in ourselves. We went in and did the right things and worked hard. We were able to turn the corner.” Some of that, to be sure, was about just getting the returns on draft day. Hitting on nearly all of their top picks went a long way toward building the In some cases, certain contract situations will complicate their ability to core they now have, and as Blashill put it: “If you draft really, really well, it make a similar amount of changes immediately. Frans Nielsen, who left can change” Monday’s game with an upper-body injury and did not return, is due to be paid $5.25 million for the next two seasons after this one. Justin Developing and refining young talent was a critical piece in the Abdelkader will make $4.25 million for three more. Avalanche’s rebuild. The next step was to take a more active role in free agency compared to previous offseasons. Beyond that, though, some of the Red Wings’ more expensive veterans will indeed be coming off the books fairly soon. Mike Green, Jonathan Sakic signed veterans in forward Matt Calvert and a two-time Stanley Ericsson and Trevor Daley all have contracts expiring at the end of this Cup-winning defenseman in Ian Cole in the summer after the Avalanche season. Darren Helm’s $3.85 million deal has just one more year on it. made the playoffs. Adding Calvert provided the team with a bottom-six And while the cap space that frees up will likely be accounted for in part two-way forward who could serve on the penalty kill while Cole was an by raises due to Bertuzzi, Mantha and the Red Wings’ other many experienced shutdown option with significant postseason experience. pending RFAs this seasons, it will free up a little cash, as well as roster “They were a young, up-and-coming team with a great core of guys,” space, as the wheel turns fully into the hands of the Red Wings younger Cole said of signing a three-year deal. “It’s something where you look at group. where you can contribute and be in a great supporting role. You want to There’s also the matter of the team’s mental state Johnson alluded to. Red Wings defenseman Patrik Nemeth arrived with the Avalanche after the misery of 2016-17 had passed, but he did see the actions the team took in that regard the very next season when they rebounded to make the playoffs.

“It was just trying to build a different mindset, and that’s what I’m talking about with Steve coming in,” Nemeth said in training camp. “What him and Jeff are trying to do is to have that mindset switched so you’re expecting to win and that’s something that you have to change in order to turn this thing around. That’s what I think is appealing. It’s interesting and it’s a fun thing to be a part of.”

One thing Detroit may be able to take some solace in, though, is they may be able to lure existing NHLers.

For Colorado, Burakovsky and Kadri came via trades while Donskoi and Nichushkin were free-agent signings. One of the reasons why the Avs were able to get them to Denver was because the team’s turnaround made the organization a destination location just a few years removed from having the league’s worst record.

Zadorov said Detroit could have that same appeal for many American- born players.

“I think with what you hear around the league, especially the guys who went through the U.S. National (Team Development) Program, the American guys, they like to play there,” Zadorov said. “I think they are going to sign some free agents because of that.”

Now if there was only a Michigan native with NTDP ties who could speak to whether or not that’s the case.

“I know when I was growing up in the 90s and early 2000’s, you see those (Red Wings) teams were unbelievable,” said Cole, who grew up in Ann Arbor and is a NTDP alum. “So they had a ton of fans all over the country. I think there were a lot of kids my age or slightly younger who were huge fans of the Detroit Red Wings clearly because they were so good and had all the great players. If you were a defenseman, they had Nicklas Lidstrom. If you were a forward, they had Yzerman or whomever. They had all those guys who were fantastic.”

Cole said players of a certain age — starting in their early 20s and ranging through their 30s — have a fondness for what the Red Wings were like when they were reaching the playoffs and challenging for the Stanley Cup.

Nostalgia, as Cole pointed out, is only a part of it. There is the tradition they have of being an Original Six organization in a sport where history and legacy remain serious selling points. He also mentioned how the Wings have one of the strongest ownerships in the Illitch Family while having a new venue in Little Caesars Arena.

“They check a lot of the boxes that you’re looking for as a player,” Cole said. “Obviously, they’d like a better record and I reckon they will at some point soon. I think for anybody my age it would kinda be a bit of a dream to play there, especially with Steve Yzerman back there now. He was one of my idols growing up, so I think it would be an honor to meet the guy.

“But then again? Joe Sakic was also my idol growing up and that was a huge sell for me here too.”

But in the big picture, there’s no one perfect way to ensure success with a rebuild, and perfectly copying one team’s blueprint is a good way to end up as a worse version of that team. There’s a lot still to happen for Detroit, and the reality is, they won’t end up as a perfect ringer for these Avalanche. They’ll have their own advantages, and their own challenges, even if they can trace a shared set of beginnings.

One day, though, they will hope to be where Colorado is now. The Avalanche have traded in their old struggles for a new set of difficulties.

But compared to where they were three seasons ago, that’s a trade they’d make every time.

“It’s challenging every year,” Johnson said. “The challenge now is we’re getting every team’s best game because they know that if they don’t have their best, it’s going to be a long night. We didn’t really care what we did in the in the previous season, we just started fresh. Slowly but surely, we have built to where we have built now and have continued to build.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172062 Edmonton Oilers aren’t going your way and you just have to keep pushing forward and believing in what you’re doing and believing in the process.”

Having more time off between games seems to be helping as well. Edmonton Oilers get through rough patch of schedule and back in During the downturn, the Oilers played nine games in 16 days. They division race played seven games in 18 games through January.

With the bye week, they’ll only play two more games before the end of the month, retuning to host the Calgary Flames on Jan. 29 and then the Derek Van Diest St. Louis Blues on Jan. 31.

Published:January 20, 2020 In February the schedule ramps up again with 14 games in 29 days. They go on three road trips and have six games at home. Updated:January 20, 2020 4:58 PM MST “I think the break is good for everybody,” Gagner said. “We play a lot of

hockey throughout the year. It’s a stressful job and you’re expected to A few weeks ago things were looking bleak for the Edmonton Oilers. perform every day, practice days, game days, you come to the rink and you really have to be focused on the task at hand. When you have a A 10-game stretch where they went 2-7-1 dropped the Oilers out a chance to get away and get your mind off it, it’s really important that you Pacific Division playoff spot into the wildcard chase and gave the take that time to do it and when we come back, we have to be ready for impression the bottom was about to fall out on what had been a good an important stretch drive.” season to that point. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 01.21.2020 Considering how things have gone for the better part of the past decade, it would have been a typical Oilers collapse, which seemed to be reinforced by a 5-1 pounding at home by the Calgary Flames.

Arizona Coyotes Taylor Hall (91) and team mate Christian Dvorak take control of the puck in front of Edmonton Oilers goalie Mike Smith on Jan. 18, 2020.

Yet going into the NHL mandated bye week, the Oilers find themselves a point from the top of the division, right back in the thick of the playoff race and in good shape for the stretch drive.

“I think the lesson there is not to get too worked up about sample size,” said Oilers forward Sam Gagner following a 7-3 win against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday afternoon. “There are going to be stretches throughout the year where you’re going to be battling adversity and having a tough time finding ways to win, and there are going to be stretches where everything goes the right way.”

Winning the first five games of the season and seven of the first eight, gave the Oilers a buffer heading into the rest of the year. They gave a majority of those games back through the difficult 10-game stretch, but then regained the buffer with an impressive five-game road trip, which saw them earn seven of 10 points.

The Oilers defeated the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens on the trip before losing to the Calgary Flames in the Matthew Tkachuk turtle affair.

Wins against the Nashville Predators and Coyotes had the Oilers in good spirits heading off on their 10-day break, extended by the NHL All-Star weekend.

“You just have to stay with it,” Gagner said. “I think we’re doing a good job of building here, creating an identity for ourselves. Everyone is finding their role and finding ways to contribute. Obviously, our top guys have been great and we have a couple of more lines going right now and our goaltending has been really good. You just have to stay with it, it’s a long year, there are going to be stretches good and bad and you just have to keep pushing forward.”

The play of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have driven the Oilers all season. But even the two best offensive players in the league are unable to do it all by themselves every game.

When the play of goaltender Mike Smith faltered, so did the Oilers. When the secondary scoring went dry, the team struggled.

Now Smith is back in form and someone other than McDavid and Draisaitl are also scoring.

The Oilers had a four-point night from Riley Sheahan in the win against the Coyotes and Josh Archibald chipped in with three points. Gagner along with Kailer Yamamoto and Joakim Nygard scored, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two assists.

“It’s a cliché, but process solves a lot of things,” Gagner said. “If you’re focusing on just coming to work the next day and doing everything you can to put in a good day, the results end up coming.

“It’s a long year over 82 games, there are going to be different things that happen, different stretches where you’re not playing as well and things 1172063 Edmonton Oilers

Sam Gagner looks to gain traction with Edmonton Oilers

Derek Van Diest

Published:January 20, 2020

Updated:January 20, 2020 4:21 PM MST

A goal against the Arizona Coyotes had Edmonton Oilers forward Sam Gagner in good spirits heading into the bye week.

Gagner has two goals and nine points in 24 games this season. He started the year in the American Hockey League with the Bakersfield Condors before being recalled in late October.

“I’ve felt good all year,” Gagner said. “Obviously you want to play more and you want to contribute and it’s just a matter of continuing to put my game on the ice and helping the team find wins.”

Gagner has been in and out of the lineup since his recall. He had been a healthy scratch for four consecutive games before getting in the past three. There was a stretch where Gagner was being pulled out of the lineup despite collecting seven points in a nine-game stretch.

“We’ve had a good couple of games here at home and I’ve felt pretty good and I felt like I made some plays,” Gagner said. “Hopefully I can keep building and stay in the lineup down the stretch drive and help us be a playoff team.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172064 Edmonton Oilers of focus when we come back and when we’re on the break not getting too crazy and remembering that we have a lot of important hockey coming up.”

Red-hot Edmonton Oilers savouring bye week used to hate the bye week because of the way it used to do more harm than good. But the league addressed some key issues to make it better for everyone.

Robert Tychkowski “If you ask the players, they like it,” said the Oilers coach. “But when they first came out I didn’t like it at all. In Arizona we had five days off and Published:January 20, 2020 couldn’t practise until 4 o’clock on the fifth day, and then we went right Updated:January 20, 2020 10:37 AM MST into a back-to-back. That’s enticing injuries, having guys away from it for five days and then jumping into back-to-back.”

This year, the Oilers have seven days off (except for Connor McDavid Now that is how you head into a bye week: and Leon Draisaitl, who have to play in the All-Star game), return next Sunday and will have three full days of practice to get their legs back Looking good, feeling better and having earned the right to kick back for before their Jan. 29 date against the Calgary Flames. a few days and enjoy a well-deserved holiday. “The way they have it structured, I’m all right with it now,” said Tippett. “It The Edmonton Oilers can remember a few years there where any condenses other things (in December and February), but that is what it extended break in the schedule was more a reprieve than anything — an is, you deal with it. Having it more thought out, we’re in a better place for opportunity to run away and hide from the smouldering dumpster fire that it.” was another lost season. Late Hits: D Matt Benning will spend the bye week with the AHL’s This way is better. Coming off a 7-3 win, one point out of first place in the Bakersfield Condors, getting a few games in as he makes his way back division, 6-1-1 with 37 goals in the last eight games, with hot goaltending, from a pair of concussions that kept him out since Dec. 1. plentiful secondary scoring and stars who are all at the top of their games. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 01.21.2020 “It’s important to go into a break feeling good about yourself and your team,” said goaltender Mike Smith, who’s able to do both after winning five straight starts. “And then you turn your mind off for a little bit and get some rest.”

The Oilers quickly dismissed any notion that they’d rather not shut it down for a week, that 10 days between games would cost them their mojo. The time away is exactly what everyone wants right now.

“It’s very individual, but what I can say is it’s good for the players to get a little break, mentally,” said defenceman Oscar Klefbom. “Physically we’re good to go, but mentally it’s good to get a break from hockey and think about something else for a while.

“It’s a long season, and from what it looks like right now, it’s going to be a race to the finish line. We have to take care of our bodies and be very professional during the break so we’re ready to go and have a good playoff push.”

Also, suggesting they might lose their momentum is tantamount to suggesting everything they did over those last eight games was just a hot streak and can’t be repeated.

On the contrary, defenceman Darnell Nurse says it’s no fluke that the Oilers recovered from a December slump to right their season and stay in the playoff hunt, and believes the team we’re watching right now is who they really are.

“That’s a season, it’s a roller-coaster,” said Nurse. “I’ve never seen one go in a straight line and I’ve never seen one go on a straight upward trajectory. We rode one for a little bit, but there’s no more time to (sag) now.

“When we come back, we’re playing almost every other night and you guys can see the standings.”

The trade off for having 10 days between games is the frantic schedule the league threw at them in December, with 13 games in 23 days, and will throw at them again when they return to work. Edmonton will play 31 games in 61 days between Jan. 31 and March 31st.

Still, the players say it’s worth it?

“When you’re in the bye week, yes, but before and after, no,” grinned Smith. “Especially as an older player; it’s gets harder to come back from longer stretches of downtime. You want to keep active as much as you can during the break. Get a rest physically and mentally, but not let your guard down too much.”

It’s highly unlikely any player will turn this into seven days of Mardis Gras, not with so much at stake in the Pacific Division race and so much hockey ahead of them when they come back.

“I think the guys are looking forward to it,” said Riley Sheahan, who’s coming off a four-point night in the 7-3 win over Arizona. “It’s just a matter 1172065 Florida Panthers

Noel Acciari scores with 5.6 seconds left as Panthers edge Wild, extend winning streak to five

By MIKE COOK

ASSOCIATED PRESS |

JAN 20, 2020 | 11:27 PM

Noel Acciari scored with 5.6 seconds left in the third period and the Florida Panthers won their fifth straight game, beating the Minnesota Wild 5-4 on Monday night.

Acciari was able to tip a shot from the point by Mark Pysyk that was first tipped by Aaron Ekblad. A video review upheld the goal.

It was Florida's first regulation victory in Minnesota. Since a 2001 scoreless tie during the Wild's inaugural season, Minnesota was 10-0-1 at home against Florida, including seven wins in a row.

Keith Yandle had a goal and three assists, and added a goal and an assist for Florida. Evgenii Dadonov and Vincent Trocheck also scored. Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves in his second consecutive start after missing two games with an upper-body injury.

Luke Kunin had two goals, Zach Parise scored on the power play and Jared Spurgeon added a goal and an assist for Minnesota. Alex Stalock stopped 20 shots.

Trochek beat Stalock between the pads with 4:08 to go, tying the game at 4.

Kunin's second goal of the game — a snap shot from the slot off the glove of Bobrovsky — gave Minnesota a 4-3 lead 7:06 into the third.

Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Suter each had two assists for the Wild.

With the score tied 2-all, Dadonov lifted his stick waist-high to redirect a shot by Yandle early in the third, but Parise countered just more than two minutes later, putting in a rebound for his fifth goal in four games. Parise has a career-best four straight games with a power-play goal.

Minnesota has seven power-play goals in 13 chances during the past four games after going 4 for 27 in the previous 10.

A highlight-reel effort by Barkov put Florida up 2-1 midway through the second.

After receiving a long outlet pass from Josh Brown just inside the blue line, the Florida captain sped past Carson Soucy through the right circle and cut across the crease before flipping a shot into the top right corner as he continued moving left.

NOTES: Mike Hoffman has a nine-game point streak, the longest this season by a Florida player. He had a 17-game point streak last season. . Spurgeon’s goal was the 27th power-play tally of his career, moving him past Brent Burns for most by a defenseman in Wild history. . Dominic Toninato returned for Florida after being sick and sitting out Saturday. The center played four seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and was the team captain in 2016-17.

UP NEXT: Panthers at the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

Sun Sentinel LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172066 Florida Panthers Upon retirement, both went into coaching and worked for a while with the Maple Leafs.

Not long after Quenneville got his first head coaching job with St. Louis in Homecoming tour continues for the Florida Panthers as Joel Quenneville 1997, Kitchens joined him. and Mike Kitchen return to Chicago When Quenneville was eventually fired as coach of the Blues, the team tapped Kitchen to replace him. Quenneville ended up taking over in Colorado and the two were not together again until Kitchen left the By George Richards Jan 20, 2020 Panthers for Chicago.

“I was kind of a new coach but had a few years under my belt when Joel was just starting to get his feet wet in the coaching business,” Kitchen SUNRISE, Fla. — With all of the offseason moves the Panthers made, recalls. there have been quite a few homecoming moments already. “He gets hired in St. Louis, I get fired (as an assistant) in Toronto when Sergei Bobrovsky went back to Columbus, Brett Connolly got to Pat Quinn came in, and Joel asked if I wanted to come join him. That’s reconnect with old teammates in Washington, Noel Acciari played at the first time we worked together on a coaching staff. But we were Boston Garden in something other than a Bruins or Providence Friars friends. Oh yeah. We hung out a lot as teammates. sweater and Anton Stralman opened his season in Tampa. “The hardest thing was when Joel got fired in St. Louis and I took over. Yet perhaps the biggest “Welcome Back!” celebration comes Tuesday That was hard. Seeing a good friend get fired is tough. And then I had to when Joel Quenneville goes behind the visitors bench at United Center in decide whether or not to accept the job. I told the GM that I wasn’t sure I Chicago. could do it. Joel called me and told me it was my time, I couldn’t do Quenneville spent parts of 11 seasons with the Blackhawks, guiding one anything about him getting fired. It was my opportunity now.” of hockey’s most storied franchises back to glory as Chicago not only Winning that Cup won its first Stanley Cup in 49 years but won it three times in the 2010s. The Blackhawks had already ended their Stanley Cup drought in 2010 The Blackhawks fired Quenneville in 2018 and after a few months of rest while Kitchen was still (technically, anyway) on Pete DeBoer’s staff in and relaxation, he returned to hockey as the new coach of the Panthers. Florida. There will be a thunderous ovation from the Chicago faithful whenever he Kitchen had a few offers to join other teams but went to Chicago to be appears on the Jumbotron for the first time. The tribute video should reunited with Quenneville. It was a pretty good decision as the two won bring quite an emotional response. the Cup twice together. Quenneville will not be alone in his return, however. When Chicago won the Cup in 2013, Quenneville made sure his old Standing beside him will be one of his closest friends in the game, a loyal friend got his time with it. and trusted assistant coach who was fired by the Blackhawks 19 months After a lifetime in hockey as a player and now as a coach, 2013 was the before Quenneville himself was let go by the team. first time Kitchen had experienced winning the sport’s holy grail. The Blackhawks’ dismissal of Mike Kitchen following Chicago’s first- “You really don’t know what it takes until you go through that whole round playoff exit at the hands of Nashville in 2017 was seen as a process of winning a Cup,” Kitchen said. “A lot of things have to go your message sent from the front office to Quenneville that his seat was way as a team. I mean, it is amazing. Whether it’s injuries, saves at the getting hot. right time, goals at the right time, momentum changes throughout a Quenneville wasn’t happy with the decision. It was the worst-kept secret game or a series … it is amazing. in hockey that Kitchen would join his pal in Florida. “Winning it for the first time was pretty surreal. It was pretty special. I “We have a great rapport and have always worked well together,” mean, Joel got the Cup when we won in ‘13 and he knew it was my first Quenneville said. “Kitch is one of those coaches who has a great feel for time. So he made sure he handed it off to me. That was unbelievable. the team and the players. He is technically aware, takes care of the “The experience of that ride, of going through the whole two-month grind defense and is very effective with the penalty kill. and then winning the ultimate prize is unbelievable. It was quite an “But more than that, he is a great person. Guys like him, love his amazing period of time for the Blackhawks.” excitement level either in practices, meetings or during a game. He had a When Jay Bouwmeester won the Cup for the first time last summer, great experience in Florida and was thrilled to come back here. It worked Kitchen was quick to reach out with congratulations to the defenseman out.” he used to coach in Florida. Back in Boca Both he and Quenneville made sure the people they worked with in St. Coming to the Panthers was a bit of a homecoming for Kitchen. Louis who were part of the Blues’ championship knew how happy they were for them. After being fired as head coach of St. Louis (he had originally replaced Quenneville behind the Blues’ bench), Kitchen signed on with Florida to “It is something they will take with them for the rest of their lives,” Kitchen be an assistant coach under Jacques Martin in 2007. said.

Kitchen and his wife Jill have moved back to Boca Raton, where they Changes to the coaching staff lived during their three seasons with the Panthers before Mike left Florida When Quenneville came to the Panthers, he retooled the coaching staff, to join Quenneville in 2010 once his contract expired. adding Kitchen and Andrew Brunette to goalie coach Robb Tallas and “To come back and come to a young team like this with a lot of the new full-timer Derek MacKenzie. potential we have here is exciting for me,’’ Kitchen said of rejoining the Kitchen, as he did in Chicago, works with Florida’s defensemen and runs Panthers. the penalty kill; Brunette — who returns to Minnesota on Monday where “It had been eight years since we were here and my sense of direction he had spent the past seven seasons since retiring as a player — is in isn’t that great anyway, so it took some time to get reacquainted with the charge of the power play and works with the forwards. area. My wife was very happy in our neighborhood in Boca so it is good Aaron Ekblad said working with Kitchen is like working directly with to be back. This is going to be a special time.” Quenneville. The two share the same thought processes and want things A ‘Rockies’ relationship run the same way.

Kitchen and Quenneville have been friends a long, long time. “The best word to describe him is ‘energetic’ because he comes to the rink every day with vim and vigor and wants to try and make us better,” The two were defensemen with the Colorado Rockies in 1979 and moved Ekblad said. with the team to New Jersey when they became the Devils in 1982. “Coming into the season, I knew the defensemen he had coached in the past and I wanted to soak all of that experience up. He always had something new to offer and something to reinforce every day. He is never negative.

“He is always ‘This is how we can fix this,’ or make something better as a team or the D-core. Those two are almost telepathic in the way they express how they want things done. It is good they are on the same page. It makes things a lot easier on us.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172067 Los Angeles Kings basketball game on Friday, ‘Man, I’ve got to make sure the ice is good for tomorrow night’s game for the Kings.’ ”

Martindale didn’t think the Kings, who have implemented new machinery Kings’ playing surface is notoriously unruly. The ‘ice guru’ is here to fix such as a BluEco humidity control system in pursuit of better ice that conditions, needed a total overhaul to their ice-making process.

“They were doing the right stuff, but not in the right order,” he said. “I’m enhancing what they were doing good. I’m taking away what they By JACK HARRIS shouldn’t have been doing and replacing it with something else.”

JAN. 20, 2020 4:52 PM The building has a reputation of having soft ice, which causes pucks to bounce and skates to slice into the surface like knives through butter. As

Dustin Brown put it, “The ice is garbage. It has been garbage. I don’t It’s 3:26 p.m. on a recent Saturday and Staples Center is in the middle of think it’s a problem you can fix when you have two basketball teams.” a mid-day makeover. Martindale is more optimistic. Judging by the numbers, he said, “They’ve An hour ago, the Clippers walked off the hardwood in defeat. In about 3 seen ice reports like they’ve never seen here before.” But changing ½ hours, the Kings are scheduled to step on the ice for the nightcap of perceptions will take time. the arena’s basketball-hockey doubleheader. On this day, he waits by the Zamboni entrance as the last pieces of In the meantime, dozens of Staples Center crew members are busy rubber flooring are removed. He takes a measurement of the air (the making the transformation happen. 60.9-degree temperature is within his desired range, but the 47.1 dew point is still too high), then walks out onto the ice, slide-stepping his way Some are stacking the plush courtside seats onto carts and wheeling to the center circle. His thermometer shows a surface temperature of 26 them away. Others are atop ladders, pulling down backboards or putting degrees, also too warm. up panes of protective glass. Most are on their knees, first removing pieces of the NBA court, then peeling the massive rubber flooring that With puck drop now 90 minutes away, he knows a few tweaks will be sits beneath it one dark square at a time. needed. The cooling system beneath the ice needs to be turned down. More humidity needs to be removed from the air. It’s nothing he hasn’t Little by little, black and brown give way to shimmering white. From the seen before. upstairs press box, Francois Martindale watches as his sheet of ice reappears. “With all this experience I’ve accumulated over time, you become able to read the ice just looking at it,” he said, laughing. “You don’t even need Martindale, 58, is in his first season as the Kings’ director of ice quality to have numbers. You just look at it and go, ‘Something is going wrong.’ ” and standards. A longtime caretaker of the Montreal Canadiens’ playing surface, he is now tasked with transforming Staples Center’s unruly LA Times: LOADED: 01.21.2020 sheet — long maligned by players as soft and slow — into what the team hopes can be one of the league’s best.

A crew works to change the basketball court to an rink at Staples Center.

“There are so many variables here, and so many people touching different stuff,” Martindale said. “I’m just trying to take everything. Everything has to work together.”

In this role, Martindale is part scientist, part composer. He speaks of degrees and inches, surface temperatures and dew points, total dissolved solids and the effect of an ever-changing external climate. On game days, he has to get dozens of staffers and countless mechanical instruments to work in harmony.

But mostly, he considers himself something of an artist. The ice sheet is his canvas. Every game offers an opportunity for a new masterpiece.

“My aim is to make sure the players are playing on top of the sheet,” he said, explaining how factors as varied as humidity in the building and the ice crew’s shoveling formation can affect the quality of the ice, which he wants to feel hard and play fast. He wants players “on something hard, on something that doesn’t create too much snow and is fast enough to hold them on the ice, not inside of it.”

Before he worked in hockey, Martindale did quality control work on government buildings in Quebec, Canada. But in 1994, a job posting led to an operations job with the Canadiens. Helping out the ice crew became his favorite task. He went back to school to take refrigeration and ice-making classes. Ever since, working on ice sheets has become his life’s work.

“We’re a bunch of buddies, a bunch of friends, working together and making this sheet happen,” he said.

When Kings president Luc Robitaille began searching for someone to oversee ice quality, Dan Craig, NHL Facilities Operations Manager recommended Martindale, who had been let go by the Canadiens last year (Martindale later filed a lawsuit against the Canadiens’ parent company reportedly surrounding the circumstances of his dismissal).

Having worked 25 NHL seasons and roughly 20 outdoor games on the NHL’s traveling ice-making crew in his career, Martindale came to the Kings with a fresh pair of eyes and deep wealth of knowledge.

“To have someone whose job was to strictly make the ice better was important,” Robitaille said. “I know Francois is thinking, if there’s a 1172068 Los Angeles Kings

FINAL – ONTARIO 3, BAKERSFIELD 0

ZACH DOOLEYJANUARY 20, 20200

via Ontario Reign

It was Monday Funday for the Ontario Reign, who skated to a 3-0 victory over the Bakersfield Condors in a massive divisional win. Ontario widened its gap over both Bakersfield and idle San Diego for the final postseason berth in the Pacific Division. Cal Petersen led the way, as he stopped all 33 shots Bakersfield threw his way, while Ontario got goals from Martin Frk, Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Carl Grundstrom in the victory.

Petersen was the story tonight, as he was on Friday, as he posted his third shutout of the season. Aside from the play of their goaltender, special teams was a pertinent factor, as Ontario scored all three of its goals on the power play and went a perfect 4-of-4 on the penalty kill against a dangerous Bakersfield unit.

The Reign move three points clear of San Diego, and four points clear of Bakersfield in the standings, though the latter two each have games in hand. With the congested standings, and only divisional games remaining for the Reign, every point down the stretch will be important. With five of six earned this weekend, it was certainly a strong step in the right direction for Ontario.

Well, see we have had that lineup but you wouldn’t know because you were up with the Kings for 2-3 weeks. Anyway, we did [11-7] Friday and Saturday and then we got some reinforcements with Luff and JAD coming down. It’s still an awkward position when you’ve got nine healthy D to try and get them all playing and stay busy, but it certainly added some better balance to our lines up front, having Luffer and JAD back. I think the results were evident.

On holding their cool in a chippy, emotional game, and scoring three PPG’s

Well, that’s part of the way of making a team pay is capitalizing on the power plays. It’s really hard to play the game anymore any other way within the rules. The days of the Broad Street Bullies are long behind us, cherished memories for most of us, fond memories for a lot of us, but the game’s not played that way anymore. How do you want to hurt somebody, if they want to take a penalty, then you’ve got to score on your power play. Our guys did that tonight, which was good, and it was a good solid effort from everybody and, again, I think our best player tonight was Cal.

On the chances the PP had generated this weekend, without scoring, and things coming together tonight

It’s a funny game. Last time we played these guys [in Bakersfield], it was eight games ago and we scored two power-play goals that game against them and then we kind of went into a little funk and today they went into the net. It’s much the same as last week, we couldn’t buy a win and this week we get five out of six points. It’s the emotional roller coaster of the game of hockey. You try not to get too pumped up when things are going well, you try not to get too discouraged when things aren’t going your way. Sooner or later, it’s going to change and that’s the thing that’s part of the process that these guys have to learn as players. There’s going to be good times, there’s going to be lean times and flat out there’s going to be tough times. We stick together and we’ll get through it.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172069 Los Angeles Kings

PREVIEW – ONTARIO VS. BAKERSFIELD, 1/20

ZACH DOOLEYJANUARY 20, 2020

GAME PREVIEWONTARIO REIGN via Ontario Reign

WHO: Ontario Reign (17-18-4-1) vs. Bakersfield Condors (16-17-4-1)

WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME

WHEN: Monday, January 20, 2020 – 3:00 PM

WHERE: Toyota Arena – Ontario, CA

HOW TO FOLLOW: Video: AHLTV – AUDIO – Mixlr – TWITTER: @ontarioreign & @reigninsider

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign conclude a three games in four days stretch this afternoon, as they host the Bakersfield Condors for an MLK Day matinee. The Reign went 1-0-1 over the weekend, most recently dropping a 2-1 overtime decision against Tucson.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Ontario enters tonight’s action at 3-3-1 this season against the Condors, but it has yet to win on home ice (0-2-1). The Reign are led offensively by forward Mikey Eyssimont (2-3-5) and defenseman Kale Clague (1-4-5), who each have five points from six games played against Bakersfield. Goaltender Cal Petersen has played every minute against the Condors this season, and has a .922 save percentage across seven starts.

FRKST IN THE DIVISION: Reign forward Martin Frk leads all players in the Pacific Division in goals this season entering tonight’s action with 19. Frk tallied Ontario’s only goal on Saturday, a first-period tally, which extended his goal scoring streak to four games. Frk has collected at least one point in eight consecutive games at Toyota Arena, and will represent the Reign on that ice next week at the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic.

ISN’T HE LUFFLY: Ontario welcomes back forward Matt Luff to the lineup this afternoon, after he was assigned by the Kings yesterday. Luff has 10 points (3-7-10) from 15 AHL games played with the Reign this season, in addition to a goal and four assists from 17 NHL games with Los Angeles. At 0.67 points-per-game, Luff ranks second on the Reign this season, trailing only Frk (0.94) in the category.

JAR(ET)HEAD: The Reign have also added forward Jaret Anderson- Dolan back to the roster, after he was assigned along with Luff yesterday afternoon. Anderson-Dolan made his NHL season debut with the Kings on January 11 in Carolina, and skated in four games total with the big club. The 20-year-old forward leads the Reign with 14 assists this season and ranks second in overall scoring with 19 points.

MULTI-POINT MEN: Ontario defenseman Paul Ladue collected assists in both games over the weekend, with two on Friday and one on Saturday. LaDue’s multi-assist effort on Friday was his first of the season, and the fourth in his AHL career. The 27-year-old defenseman has tallied eight points (3-5-8), and a +3 rating, from 13 games played since he was assigned by Los Angeles in mid-December.

BUCKING THE TREND: Ontario’s 2-1 loss against Tucson reversed a couple of standard trends. The Reign earned a point for the first time this season when scoring just one goal (0-6-1), but also lost for the first time this season when allowing two or fewer goals (13-0-1). The Reign also surrendered a season-low for shots in a period, as the Roadrunners had just three shots on goal in the second period on Saturday.

SCOUTING THE CONDORS: Bakersfield forward Josh Currie (4-3-7) and defenseman Evan Bouchard (2-5-7) lead their team with a point-per- game against the Reign in head-to-head play. Overall this season, forward Tyler Benson leads the Condors with 24 assists and 32 points, while Currie leads the way with 15 goals. Bakersfield has struggled to find consistent goaltending, with the AHL’s third lowest cumulative save percentage (.881) this season.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172070 Minnesota Wild

Minnesota hosts Detroit after Kunin's 2-goal game

By The Associated Press JANUARY 21, 2020 — 2:15AM

Detroit Red Wings (12-34-4, eighth in the Atlantic Division) vs. Minnesota Wild (22-21-6, seventh in the Central Division)

St. Paul, Minnesota; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Detroit Red Wings visit Minnesota after Luke Kunin scored two goals in the Wild's 5-4 loss to the Panthers.

The Wild are 13-6-4 on their home ice. Minnesota has given up 36 power-play goals, killing 75.2% of opponent chances.

The Red Wings are 4-18-2 in road games. Detroit is last in the league averaging only 3.8 assists per game. Dylan Larkin leads them with 22 total assists.

The teams meet Wednesday for the first time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Zach Parise leads the Wild with 19 goals, adding 12 assists and totaling 31 points. Marcus Foligno has scored five goals over the last 10 games for Minnesota.

Tyler Bertuzzi leads the Red Wings with 36 points, scoring 17 goals and adding 19 assists. Larkin has four goals and seven assists over the last 10 games for Detroit.

LAST 10 GAMES: Red Wings: 3-6-1, averaging 1.9 goals, 3.5 assists, 4.2 penalties and 10.2 penalty minutes while giving up 3.4 goals per game with a .892 save percentage.

Wild: 3-6-1, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.8 assists, 3.6 penalties and 8.4 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game with a .890 save percentage.

INJURIES: Wild: Mikko Koivu: day to day (illness).

Red Wings: None listed.

Star Tribune LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172071 Minnesota Wild

Late-game collapse by Wild overshadows positives in loss to Panthers

By Sarah McLellan JANUARY 20, 2020 — 11:13PM

Luke Kunin had a strong offensive performance.

Zach Parise continued his hot streak around the net.

And special teams delivered three goals.

But the Wild struggled to embrace those positives in the aftermath of a crushing 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Panthers Monday night at Xcel Energy Center, a result that wasn’t confirmed until the final seconds.

“Right now, we needed the win,” Parise said. “We needed the win. That’s the only thing we should be looking for right now is how can we get wins. And it didn’t happen.”

Before the latter part of the third, the Wild was in a neck-and-neck battle with one of the NHL’s better outfits of late and had actually pried the lead away from the Panthers on Kunin’s second goal of the night 7 minutes, 6 seconds into the third period.

A defensive breakdown by Greg Pateryn and a “soft” goal, as goalie Alex Stalock described it, tied the game at 4 with just 4:08 remaining in the third.

After that, the action seemed destined for extra time but Florida nixed that script when Noel Acciari’s stick deflected in a puck at 19:54 – a head-scratching sequence considering Acciari was tied up by defenseman Ryan Suter, who literally had a grip on Acciari’s stick.

“It should've definitely been in overtime,” Boudreau said. “But they shouldn't have got the fourth goal either.”

Not getting any points out of the game hurt the Wild, which is still seven points back of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. But what also hurt was the fact the finish upstaged what the team did well against the Panthers.

-Kunin had a memorable evening, scoring twice for his second career multi-goal game.

“He’s been good for a few games now,” Boudreau said. “He’s got his legs.”

-Parise tallied his team-leading 19th goal and fifth over the last four games.

His finish came on the power play, establishing a career-high four-game power play goal streak. A four-game goal streak overall ties his season high.

-And special-teams play by the Wild was strong.

Although the penalty kill was tagged for a power play goal in the third period, it broke even on the night after scoring shorthanded (Kunin) in the second. And at 2-for-4, the power play now has 10 tallies in the past nine games. The unit has converted in a season-high four straight games, and this was only the 18th time in franchise history the Wild has scored at least two power play goals and one shorthanded goal in the same game.

“Obviously, this one stings,” Boudreau said. “We have 24 hours to get over it and then go back at it.”

Star Tribune LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172072 Minnesota Wild

Wild-Florida game recap

SARAH MCLELLAN JANUARY 20, 2020 — 10:20PM

GAME RECAP

STAR TRIBUNE’S THREE STARS

1. Noel Acciari, Panthers: The winger scored the winning goal with 5.6 seconds remaining.

2. Luke Kunin, Wild: The winger scored twice, once shorthanded.

3. Keith Yandle, Panthers: The defenseman had a goal and three assists.

BY THE NUMBERS

1 Power-play goal by Jared Spurgeon, the 27th of his career and most by a defenseman in Wild history.

400 Career games for center Victor Rask.

Star Tribune LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172073 Minnesota Wild NOTES: Mike Hoffman has a nine-game point streak, the longest this season by a Florida player. He had a 17-game point streak last season. … Spurgeon's goal was the 27th power-play tally of his career, moving him past Brent Burns for most by a defenseman in Wild history. … Acciari scores with 5.6 seconds left, Panthers beat Wild 5-4 Dominic Toninato returned for Florida after being sick and sitting out Saturday. The center played four seasons at the University of Minnesota-

Duluth, and was the team captain in 2016-17. By MIKE COOK Associated Press JANUARY 20, 2020 — 11:10PM UP NEXT

Panthers: At the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. ST. PAUL, Minn — Doink. Doink. Winner. Wild: Home against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday. Noel Acciari scored with 5.6 seconds left in the third period and the Star Tribune LOADED: 01.21.2020 Florida Panthers rallied to win their fifth straight game, beating the Minnesota Wild 5-4 on Monday night.

Despite his stick being held by Ryan Suter, Acciari was able to tip in a shot from the point by Mark Pysyk that was first tipped by Aaron Ekblad. A video review upheld the goal.

"That's what you call a break, very opportunistic break," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said.

"Yeah, it was pretty crazy," added Keith Yandle, who had a goal and three assists for Florida. "Mark Pysyk, the hybrid does it all. Defense, forward — great shot by him. I think it was double tipped. Game-winning goal in a building that has been tough for us to win in."

It was Florida's first regulation victory in Minnesota. Since a 2001 scoreless tie during the Wild's inaugural season, Minnesota was 10-0-1 at home against Florida, including seven wins in a row.

Aleksander Barkov added a goal and an assist for the Panthers. Evgenii Dadonov and Vincent Trocheck also scored. Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves in his second consecutive start after missing two games with an upper-body injury.

Florida has won six of seven and 12 of 16 to move into third place in the Atlantic Division.

"Huge win, especially with the break coming up there, in the tight race we're running," Trocheck said.

Luke Kunin had two goals, including one short-handed, Zach Parise scored on the power play and Jared Spurgeon added a goal and an assist for Minnesota, last in the Central Division and seven points out of a playoff spot. Alex Stalock stopped 20 shots and Joel Eriksson Ek and Suter each had two assists.

"Pretty disheartening," Parise said. "From getting ourselves back into the driver's seat and feeling like a few more shifts and we had to close it out to not getting a point out of it, that's a tough one right now where we are. That's a tough one to take."

Kunin's second goal of the game — a snap shot from the slot off the glove of Bobrovsky — gave Minnesota a 4-3 lead 7:06 into the third.

But Trocheck beat Stalock between the pads with 4:08 to go, tying the game at 4.

With the score tied 2-all, Dadonov lifted his stick waist-high to redirect a shot by Yandle early in the third, but Parise countered just more than two minutes later, putting in a rebound for his fifth goal in four games. Parise has a career-best four straight games with a power-play goal.

Minnesota has seven power-play goals in 13 chances during the past four games after going 4 for 27 in the previous 10.

"The power play is going good and we got a short-handed goal. When you get those things, you're supposed to win. The tightness of the race, those are the games that really you look back at," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said.

A highlight-reel effort by Barkov put Florida up 2-1 midway through the second.

Receiving a long outlet pass from Josh Brown just inside the blue line, the Florida captain sped past Carson Soucy through the right circle and cut across the crease before flipping a shot into the top right corner as he continued moving left.

Yandle scored early in the first for Florida, which is 22-2-2 when getting the game's first goal. 1172074 Minnesota Wild But the Wild was better at chasing a lead than protecting one, whiffing in the waning stages and remaining seven points back of a playoff spot.

“Pretty disheartening,” Parise said. “From getting ourselves back into the Last-second deflection costs Wild in 5-4 loss to Panthers driver’s seat and feeling like a few more shifts … to close it out to not getting a point out of it, that’s a tough one right now where we are. That’s Panthers' stunner with 5.6 ticks remaining spoils another prolific Wild a tough one to take.” scoring night Star Tribune LOADED: 01.21.2020

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune JANUARY 20, 2020 — 11:50PM

The Wild was mere seconds, 5.6 to be exact, from banking at least a point and giving itself a chance to reclaim the second that slipped through its grip just minutes earlier.

But that shot at redemption never arrived and the Wild left the ice empty- handed, getting stunned 5-4 after a late Florida Panthers goal Monday in front of an announced 17,255 at Xcel Energy Center snapped the team’s brief two-game win streak.

“That one hurts,” winger Luke Kunin said. “It feels kind of like we just gave it away.”

Florida’s Noel Acciari delivered the gut punch, deflecting in a puck at 19:54 while tightly guarded by defenseman Ryan Suter — who actually had a hand on Acciari’s stick. The sequence was reviewed to determine if Acciari tipped the puck with a high stick, but video supported the on-ice call that his stick was at or below the height of the crossbar when it connected with the puck.

This was the Panthers’ first regulation win ever in St. Paul in 12 visits.

VideoVideo (01:00): Coach Bruce Boudreau recaps the 5-4 loss to the Panthers on Monday.

“It’s just a crazy goal,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. “I think Sutes held his stick and was lifting it up to get it out of the way, and the guy didn’t even know it hit his stick. I think it was a double deflection.”

Florida was in position to win in regulation after tying the score at 4-4 with 4:08 left on a Vincent Trocheck shot that sailed five-hole on goalie Alex Stalock, who was making his third straight start.

“I want the fourth one back, obviously,” said Stalock, who had 20 saves overall and called the fourth goal soft. “Probably a different game.”

Trocheck got the shot off after cutting to the middle past defenseman Greg Pateryn, who was set up too wide on the play.

“I don’t know how or why he was there,” Boudreau said.

Not only did those two Panthers goals in 4:02 pry two points away from the Wild, but they also overshadowed the positive plays that led to the Wild being on the brink of victory.

Despite giving up the first goal in each period, the Wild responded every time.

After Keith Yandle pinched from the blue line to bury a Mike Hoffman pass at 4:01 of the first, the Wild evened it at 19:43 on the power play — a shot from defenseman Jared Spurgeon along the goal line for Spurgeon’s second goal in as many games.

In the second period, Aleksander Barkov regained Florida’s lead on a breakaway at 7:28. But it was 2-2 by 10:59; that’s when Kunin scored on a one-timer for the Wild’s third shorthanded goal of the season.

Only 2:02 into the third, the Panthers were back on top after an Evgeni Dadonov deflection counted as Florida’s lone power-play goal in two tries.

But just 2:17 later, winger Zach Parise retaliated with his own power-play marker for his team-leading 19th goal and fifth in the past four games. Overall, the Wild’s power play went 2-for-4 and has capitalized in a season-high four straight games.

“The power play is going good, and we got a shorthanded goal,” Boudreau said. “When you get those things, you’re supposed to win.”

At 7:06, the Wild established its first lead when Kunin wristed a shot from the slot past Sergei Bobrovsky, set up by linemates Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno. Bobrovsky totaled 29 saves. 1172075 Minnesota Wild With his game-winning goal Saturday, Spurgeon became the franchise’s all-time leader in game-winners by a defenseman with 14 — surpassing Brent Burns, who had 13 from 2003 to 2011.

Rest and victories coincide, Wild discovers Etc.

The players sought more downtime, and when they got it they won. Captain Mikko Koivu and defenseman Brad Hunt are getting over a flu bug and although both skated Monday morning and are feeling better, neither was ready to play against the Panthers, Boudreau said.

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune JANUARY 20, 2020 — 8:30PM Star Tribune LOADED: 01.21.2020

Recent post-victory celebrations in the Wild’s locker room haven’t just included players rewarding each other with a safety helmet as recognition for the player of the game.

The chats have also emphasized the importance of rest, with center Eric Staal and defenseman Ryan Suter bringing up the topic to coach Bruce Boudreau — to a chorus of hoots and hollers from their teammates.

And they seem to be right.

After the team canceled practice last Wednesday and then the morning skate Saturday, the Wild responded with a win both times. Not only that, but the players looked rejuvenated and that helped them shrug off a four- game losing streak.

“We may be joking about it,” said Boudreau, whose team was scheduled to practice Sunday before that skate also got scrapped. “But when we do all the tests and they’re wearing the heart [monitors] and everything else, for six or seven games, we were always at the maximum energy usage. So, we brought it down and they’ve played with a little more energy.

“Whether it’s psychological or real, a lot of it is coming from our strength coach, which is great because he sees it all the time.”

Easing up on the workload in between games isn’t just for the body, though. A mental reprieve can be just as helpful.

“We had a lot of travel at the start of the year that can wear on you,” defenseman Jared Spurgeon said, “as well a lot of late nights and weird sleeping patterns. Whenever you can get rest, I think it’s a good thing.”

With the All-Star break and bye week starting later this week, the Wild will soon have quite a bit of downtime on its hands. And although skating isn’t mandatory, Spurgeon said, players will receive an off-ice workout plan to stay active during that hiatus.

“No one wants to have seven, eight days completely doing nothing,” winger Mats Zuccarello said. “It’s in our nature just to do something, sweat, just feel like you’ve done something. So, I’m sure a couple days you take and you rest your body, and then you kind of get eager to get back so you start doing something. And it’s a big part of the season coming up, so you want to be rested [and] at the same time keep the body going.”

Stalock-ed in

Backup Alex Stalock made a third straight start Monday after backstopping the Wild to its previous two wins, stopping 45 of 47 shots in that span and posting his second shutout of the season.

“You keep saying, ‘OK, we want to get Devan [Dubnyk] going,’ ” Boudreau said. “But when your other guy’s playing that way, you just hope that you don’t use him too long because he’s not used to playing tons after tons of games.”

Balanced attack

With a five-goal cushion by the third period Saturday, Boudreau was able to get the fourth line involved and even gave the unit a look on the power play — which winger Ryan Hartman capitalized on to wrap up the 7-0 rout of the Stars.

Overall, the fourth line contributed two goals and combined for five points.

“To get seven and nobody scored two, that’s what you want,” Boudreau said of the balanced attack. “You want to put the fear in the team that you’re playing against that anybody can score on this team, and I think that’s coming to fruition.”

Clutch defender 1172076 Minnesota Wild

Wild's Alex Stalock to make third straight start vs. Panthers

By Sarah McLellan JANUARY 20, 2020 — 11:30AM

Alex Stalock has been in net for the Wild’s last two wins, helping the team crawl out of a four-game rut, and he’ll be back between the pipes Monday when the Wild vies for a third straight victory against the Panthers at Xcel Energy Center.

“Anytime you can get in there and get consecutive games at this position is huge,” Stalock said. “The way we’re playing as a unit is where we want to be. It’s not about individual positions right now. It’s how we’re playing as a unit, how effective we can be when we’re fast on pucks, and that’s everybody. We’re happy with the way our game’s trending, and we have an unbelievable hockey team in the building tonight so we gotta be ready to go.”

Not only is Stalock coming off a 27-save shutout, his second of the season, but he’s been terrific at home – one reason why it’s easy for the Wild to continue to rely on him.

At Xcel Energy Center this season, Stalock is 7-1-1 with a .924 save percentage and 2.10 goals-against average.

“Anytime you have good goaltending, you’re always in the game,” Boudreau said. “Hopefully we’ll get it again tonight.”

The Wild will stick with the same lineup it used Saturday when it thrashed the Stars 7-0.

Although captain Mikko Koivu and defenseman Brad Hunt skated Monday morning, the two are still getting over a flu bug, Boudreau said, and aren’t ready to play.

“They’re feeling better,” Boudreau said, “but they’re not up to partake tonight.”

Projected lineup:

Zach Parise-Eric Staal-Mats Zuccarello

Jason Zucker-Victor Rask-Kevin Fiala

Marcus Foligno-Joel Eriksson Ek-Luke Kunin

Jordan Greenway-Ryan Donato-Ryan Hartman

Ryan Suter-Jared Spurgeon

Jonas Brodin-Matt Dumba

Carson Soucy-Greg Pateryn

Alex Stalock

Key numbers:

10-0-1: Record for the Wild in its last 11 home games vs. the Panthers.

3-PLUS: Goals by the Wild in 17 of its 22 home games.

8: Wild power play goals over the past eight contests.

400: Career games for center Victor Rask.

45: Saves for Stalock over the last 47 shots faced.

About the Panthers:

The Panthers carry a four-game win streak into action tonight, and they’ve won eight of their last 11 overall. Their road trip started Saturday in Detroit with a 4-1 victory. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky returned that game after missing the previous two with an upper-body injury to post 27 saves. Also keep an eye on winger Jonathan Huberdeau, who has 27 points in his last 15 games. His 64 points overall lead Florida.

Star Tribune LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172077 Minnesota Wild “I want that one back,” Stalock lamented. “(If I save that), it’s probably a different game. Shoot. It starts with giving up a soft goal.”

Then, of course, came the backbreaker from Acciari to put the game Wild lose heartbreaker to Panthers at the buzzer away for good.

“Obviously this one stings,” Boudreau said. “We have 24 hours to get over it and then go back at it.” By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: January 20, 2020 at 9:41 pm | UPDATED: January 20, 2020 at 10:34 PM Pioneer Press LOADED: 01.21.2020

Wild coach Bruce Boudreau heeded warning to his team leading up to Monday’s game against the Florida Panthers.

This wasn’t the walkover game it once was for the Wild.

Despite what the record books might say about the Panthers, who have been mired in mediocrity for most of their existence, this version might be the best team in the league nobody knows about.

“Don’t kid yourself,” Boudreau said. “They are the highest scoring team in the league. They are on a winning streak. They have won 7 out of 10.”

“They are going to be a really tough out. If we play the way we played the last couple of games, then we’ll be in there with them. If we don’t, then it’ll be a long night.”

And while the Wild continued their stellar play for most of the game, they coughed up lead down the stretch, and the Panthers walked away with a 5-4 win thanks to a game-winner with 5.6 seconds left.

“That one hurts,” said Luke Kunin, who had a pair of goals. “It feels kind of like we just gave it away. We just have to find ways to play that full 60 minutes, because when we do that, we have success.”

As much as the Wild proved capable of battling back, doing it on three separate occasions, they couldn’t complete the comeback, as winger Noel Acciari scored fortuitously in the waning seconds to lift the Panthers to victory.

“It’s just a crazy goal,” Boudreau said. “I think (Ryan Suter) held his stick and was lifting it up to get it out of the way and the guy didn’t even know it hit his stick.”

Nonetheless, the heartbreak hurts the same for the Wild, who left the rink knowing they should’ve locked up at least a crucial point in the already gridlocked Western Conference standings.

“It’s pretty disheartening,” said Zach Parise, who continued his hot streak with another goal. “From getting ourselves back into the driver’s seat and feeling like a few more shifts from closing it out, to not even getting a point out of it, that’s a tough one right now where we are.”

It was a slow start for the Wild, who fell asleep defensively early in the first period, and allowed the Panthers to take the lead with a backdoor tap-in from defenseman Keith Yandle.

From there, the Wild took control of the game, dominating in almost every aspect with nothing to show for it until late in the first period when Jared Spurgeon pinched up on a power play to tie the game.

While that gave the Wild a good feeling heading into the second period, they squandered that by allowing a breakaway to star center Aleksander Barkov, who beat Alex Stalock with a nifty shot against the grain.

That gave the Panthers a lead, and a few minutes later they drew a penalty, which set up a chance to deliver the knockout blow on the power play.

Instead, the Wild continued their tenacious play on the penalty kill, and Kunin netted a shorthanded goal on an odd-man rush to tie the game.

For good measure, the Wild tested themselves in the third period, too, allowing winger Evgeni Dadonov to reinstate the lead for the Panthers.

Not to be denied, the Wild battled back once again with a goal from Parise to tie the game, and actually took their first lead of the game with a goal from Kunin.

Then came the collapse.

With the Wild essentially trying to run out the clock, the Panthers mounted a comeback of their own, starting with a goal from center Vincent Trocheck. 1172078 Minnesota Wild Guerin has been quiet in his first shot at running a team. Maybe too quiet. One suspects that will change shortly.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 01.21.2020 John Shipley: It’s up to Wild GM Bill Guerin to finish the job Paul Fenton started

By JOHN SHIPLEY | PUBLISHED: January 20, 2020 at 8:31 pm | UPDATED: January 20, 2020 at 10:00 PM

Just when you thought things were lining up for the Wild, they went and fired their general manager.

Paul Fenton did his best to start over in Minnesota, trading away a handful of usable, if uninspiring, players for replacements of roughly equal or lesser value. The Wild tanked and missed the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Fenton didn’t make a lot of friends in Minnesota, but last year’s midseason surrender seemed like a reasonable response to an aging, expensive roster clearly missing its window for NHL greatness. Presumably, Fenton would have finished the job this season had owner Craig Leipold not fired him out of the blue last August.

Now, about a month away from the NHL trade deadline, the Wild are back in the horse latitudes, going nowhere fast. They started Monday’s game against Florida at Xcel Energy Center seven points out of the final playoff slot in the Western Conference, but solidly out of prime draft lottery position.

It’s a tough spot for everybody — players, coaches, fans and especially new GM Bill Guerin, who has some big decisions ahead. The Wild aren’t close to being a Stanley Cup contender but are competent enough to will themselves out of a top 5 draft pick — the only picks close to a sure thing in the NHL.

Pittsburgh and Chicago are the prime examples of what these picks can do for a team. The Penguins built a champion around Sidney Crosby (first overall) and Evgeni Malkin (second). The Blackhawks did the same with Patrick Kane (first) and Jonathan Toews (third).

It’s true, top picks don’t always lift team into the finals.

Since 2010, Edmonton has had six top 5 picks, four of them first overall (!), and made the postseason only once in that time. On the other hand, the NHL leader board is dominated by players such as Alex Ovechkin (first overall), Connor McDavid (first), Nathan MacKinnon (first), Auston Matthews (first), Leon Draisaitl (third) and Jonathan Huberdeau (third).

The middle- and late-round picks are a crapshoot. You might use the 16th overall pick on, say, Vladimir Tarasenko, who helped lead St. Louis to the Stanley Cup championship last season. Or you might use it on, say, Colton Gilles, a nice kid the Wild picked in 2007 who was briefly with a KHL team last season.

Because the Wild have rarely been straight-up bad, they have lived in the middle of the draft, picking between 24th and 10th in eight of the past 10 drafts. The two best players in franchise history are Marian Gaborik, picked third overall in 2000, and Mikko Koivu, sixth overall the next year.

Gaborik, not coincidentally, was the leading regular-season (30-35—65) and playoff scorer (9-8—17) when the Wild advanced to the Western Conference final in 2003, still the team’s high-water mark.

The Wild, of course, still might find themselves in position to draft a future superstar. They appeared dead out of the gate, starting the season 1-6- 0, and last week were riding a 1-5-1 skid that seemed to slam the door on playoff dreams. Both times they rallied.

The Wild followed that rough start by going 18-9-5 to pull within a point of a playoff spot before a 1-5-1 skid that featured an unsightly loss in last week in Pittsburgh was followed by consecutive wins interrupted by a deflating, last-second 5-4 loss to Florida on Monday.

The Wild play Detroit on Wednesday before a long All-Star Game break takes them all the way to Feb. 1. By then, trade deadline mania will be kicking into high gear. The Wild have assets who likely won’t be key cogs in a rebuild — Jonas Brodin, Eric Staal, Marcus Foligno — and 14 scouts from 13 teams watched Monday’s loss. 1172079 Minnesota Wild Mikko Koivu missed his second straight game as he continues to recover from an illness. He participated in Monday’s morning skate and wasn’t feeling 100 percent.

Wild put South St. Paul native Alex Stalock in net third game in a row His initial absence from the lineup against the Stars came a game after being demoted to the fourth line against the Lightning.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 01.21.2020 By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: January 20, 2020 at 5:52 pm | UPDATED: January 20, 2020 at 7:10 PM

In desperate need of a victory last week, the Wild turned to backup goaltender Alex Stalock.

It’s not the first time the Wild have done that this season. It’s also not the first time Stalock has risen to the occasion with an inspiring performance between the pipes.

With the Wild in danger of becoming irrelevant in the Western Conference playoff race, Stalock produced an 18-save gem in a gritty win over the , then followed it up with a 27-save shutout in a blowout win of the .

That was enough for coach Bruce Boudreau to go with the South St. Paul native once again in Monday’s game against the Florida Panthers.

“We keep saying, ‘OK. We want to get (starter) Devan (Dubnyk) going,’ ” Boudreau said. “It’s just hard when (Stalock) is playing that way. You just hope that we don’t use him too long because he’s not used to playing tons and tons of games. Hopefully, he can stay sharp.”

If the Wild are going to get back into the Western Conference playoff race, they are going to need both Dubnyk and Stalock to play well down the stretch.

That said, it made sense to go with Stalock for a third consecutive game, considering the way he’s been tracking the puck as of late.

“Any time I can get in there and get consecutive games at this position is huge,” Stalock said before quickly stepping out of the spotlight. “It’s not about individual positions right now. It’s about how we’re playing as a unit, and how effective we can be when we’re fast on pucks, and that’s on everybody. We are happy with the way our game is trending.”

He’s absolutely right.

As good as Stalock was in impressive wins over the Lightning and Stars, the Wild defended marvelously in front of him. It was a stark contrast to how they hung Dubnyk out to dry time and time again in a beatdown handed out by the Penguins early last week in Pittsburgh.

Now the key for the Wild is continuing to play that way no matter who’s in net.

“We want to be consistent, and we don’t want to be complacent,” Stalock said. “We can’t sit back. We have to know that it does actually take hard work. Sometimes it’s hard and we don’t want to finish every check, or finish every single play, or change hard. All those little things make a difference.”

OUT OF THE BOX

While it’s not fixed by any means, the Wild are slowly starting to improve on the penalty kill, and the personnel has played a big role in that.

With hard-nosed defenseman Greg Pateryn finally back in the lineup, the penalty kill has seen a slight uptick in its success rate.

That’s not be a coincidence.

“We aren’t overusing a couple of players like when (defenseman) Brad Hunt was in because he never killed penalties,” Boudreau said. “I think that really helps. It brings down the minutes of everybody. That way, we can play with a little more energy the whole game.”

That said, the biggest key to success, according to winger Marcus Foligno, is trying to stay out of the penalty box completely.

“We always talk about two minors or less,” Foligno said. “That’s kind of the goal with every game.”

KOIVU OUT AGAIN 1172080 Minnesota Wild Right wing Kevin Fiala played unarguably his worst game in weeks, and his line with center Victor Rask and left wing Jason Zucker, as Boudreau said, “struggled” all game long. It was hard to watch Rask attempt to keep up with his two speedy wingers, yet the only other center option, ‘Tough one to take’: Wild blow late lead, then suffer stinging loss in final Ryan Donato, never replaced him. seconds So, after Boudreau threw out the Marcus Foligno-Joel Eriksson Ek-Kunin line to defend the second-to-last shift that ended with about 30 seconds left, he didn’t want to throw the Rask line on the ice in the final 30 By Michael Russo Jan 20, 2020 seconds nor the Donato-centered fourth line.

So, he went with his top line of Parise, Eric Staal and Mats Zuccarello. This is how and why a team that’s seven points out of a playoff spot The top defense pair of Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon, who each could end up missing the playoffs for a second year in a row. played a strong game up to that point, was stuck on the ice for the final You’re not only able to rally from three one-goal deficits to tie a game, two minutes because the Wild could not chip the puck past the red line you’re staring at a third consecutive home win against a third straight red- and into Florida’s end so the blueliners could get off for a change. hot team because you’re able keep pushing and pushing until you finally The Panthers had the puck at the blue line with 17 seconds left. They earn your first lead of a hockey game in the third period. appeared to enter the zone offside. The linesman didn’t blow it dead, so But instead of leaving St. Paul satisfied on Monday night with two the puck carrier, Brett Connolly, astutely pulled the puck back, waited for secured points in the standings, you once again can’t close out a game, his linemate, Noel Acciari, to tag up and the Panthers entered the zone only this time you not only give up the tying goal, you can’t even manage onside with 14 seconds left. to eat up the final 14 lousy seconds of regulation to get to overtime and Just gain possession of the puck once in those final 14 seconds or get a earn at least a point. save or eat the puck, and the Wild would have a chance to grab a The Wild, the team that never, ever makes any sense, yet again second point in the standings in overtime. aggravated their fans and of course themselves when they coughed up a Instead, Trocheck missed the net with a shot, but the Panthers hustled to late 4-3 lead and watched the Florida Panthers fish the winning goal out regain possession and circled the puck back to the point for a Mark of the net with six seconds left in the third period en route to a stunning 5- Pysyk shot. Not only was the puck deflected by Aaron Ekblad, it 4 win. redirected off Acciari’s stick and dipped down on the ice for the bounce-in BUZZER BEATER FROM ACCIARI. HOW AREE YAAA buzzer-beater with six seconds left because Suter had a death grip on PIC.TWITTER.COM/BNIESEPXAS Acciari’s stick.

— SPITTIN' CHICLETS (@SPITTINCHICLETS) JANUARY 21, 2020 THIS GOAL IS CRAZY. SUTER’S GRIPPING ACCIARI’S STICK, WHICH LED TO PERFECT REDIRECTION “Pretty disheartening,” said Zach Parise, who scored the third of the PIC.TWITTER.COM/DYKZAV02EF Wild’s tying goals early in the third period less than three minutes before Luke Kunin’s second goal of the game provided Minnesota with its first — MICHAEL RUSSO (@RUSSOHOCKEY) JANUARY 21, 2020 lead of the game. “From getting ourselves back into the driver’s seat and “Man, it’s lucky when you look at it,” Stalock said. “Our D-man had his feeling like a few more shifts needed to close it out to not getting a point stick in his hand. We were fighting. Goes off one stick and then hits out of it, that’s a tough one right now where we are. another one on the way in. So, tough break, really.” “That’s a tough one to take.” The NHL’s Situation Room, in concert with the on-ice refs, reviewed the Alex Stalock, making his third straight start for No. 1 Devan Dubnyk, was goal to make sure Acciari’s stick wasn’t above the crossbar. If it had looking like he was headed for a third straight victory when Vincent been, the goal would have been overturned. The officials determined Trocheck, a third-round pick taken at Xcel Energy Center during the 2011 Acciari’s stick “was at or below the height of the crossbar.” draft, flew by defenseman Greg Pateryn and beat him right through the It was close. As Boudreau said after the game, it was one of those where wickets from the bottom of the right circle. if the referees had ruled no-goal, it probably would have stayed no-goal.  VINCENT TROCHEK 4-4 PIC.TWITTER.COM/PSB5DKTAHV In other words, not conclusive.

— HERE'S YOUR REPLAY ḏ (@HERESYOURREPLAY) JANUARY “That’s what you call a break, very opportunistic break,” Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. 21, 2020 The regulation win was Florida’s first in Minnesota in 13 all-time visits. The goal, with 4:08 left, was a very bad goal but also put a stamp on a The Panthers last won here in a shootout on March 9, 2010. Cory terrible night by the Wild’s third defense pair of Carson Soucy and Stillman scored the tying goal that game, then the shootout winner. Pateryn. They were also asleep at the switch on Florida’s second goal — Stillman’s son, Riley, turned 12 years old that day and coincidentally on a scintillating, against-the-grain roofed chip shot by Sasha Barkov on a Monday night helped man Florida’s second defense pair with Anton breakaway. Stralman. BARKOV THROWS THE CHANGE UP ON NET You can’t even accuse the Wild of sitting back. They kept pushing all PIC.TWITTER.COM/JYVRXLEYRP third period and even saw Barkov save a goal moments before — SPITTIN' CHICLETS (@SPITTINCHICLETS) JANUARY 21, 2020 Trocheck’s tying goal. But, then Pateryn goofed and Stalock gave up a cheesy one. “They didn’t have a great game,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “Barkov on the second goal got behind them, and we preached all day that this is “We were doing our normal neutral-zone forecheck that we always do their game, pushing it up, pushing it up, and they try to sneak behind and they were able to get a step on us and tie the game,” Parise said. guys. Then the fourth goal, Pateryn should be playing in the middle of the It was an absolute wasted effort by the Wild, who played so well and ice and he was playing too far wide.” worked so hard to three times tie the score on goals by Spurgeon (his But that shot by Trocheck still needed to be stopped. 27th career power-play goal to pass Brent Burns for first on the Wild’s all- time list for defensemen), Kunin (shorthanded) and Parise (on the power “I want the fourth one back, obviously,” Stalock said. “Probably a different play for his fifth goal in four games and team-leading 19th). game. Yeah, tough bounce (on the winning goal). Shoot. (But it) starts with giving up a soft fourth goal.” PPG BABY!! PARISE IN HIS OFFICE. #MNWILD 3-3 PIC.TWITTER.COM/AFOHG2UIF9 Let’s get to that winning goal. — RYAN CARTER  (@RYAN_CARTER22) JANUARY 21, 2020 Boudreau noted after the game how much captain Mikko Koivu’s absence for a second game in a row with an illness was felt. Usually three special teams goals and a second Kunin from Eriksson Ek change-up, even-strength goal 7:06 into the third would be enough to win a hockey game.

SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO CHANGE IT UP. #MNWILD 4-3 PIC.TWITTER.COM/QYYTO7Q4KJ

— RYAN CARTER  (@RYAN_CARTER22) JANUARY 21, 2020

But the Panthers, who average a league-high 3.67 goals per game, are riding high right now with five consecutive wins and victories in 12 of their past 16 games. They can light you up offensively and they certainly dealt the Wild a painful lesson.

Yeah, this one stings heading into Wednesday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings for the final game before the All-Star break, then the Wild’s bye.

“We’re at the point where we gotta start winning, put together a string here,” Kunin said. “No one in this locker room likes to lose, so this one hurts.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172081 Montreal Canadiens “I’m not a huge fan of the bye week,” veteran centre Nate Thompson said. “I think if you’re going on a roll … I guess it can be good, or it can be bad. But I think it’s good for our team. Some guys are banged up, there’s some injuries. Hopefully we can get some healthy bodies back Stu Cowan: Canadiens hold out hope for long win streak, playoff berth after the break.

There are reasons for a little bit of optimism during bye week in schedule, “We’ve had a pretty rigorous schedule here, so I think it will be good to but the challenge ahead seems too much for this team. have a few days to just kind of reset the body,” added Thompson, who headed back to his off-season home in Hermosa Beach, Calif., for the

break. “Go back, relax and probably skate a couple of times, too, and STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: January 20, 2020 work out so I’m not dying when I come back. You’ve definitely got to make sure that you’re staying on top of things when you’re having this break so you’re not shaking off so much rust when you get back.”

The Canadiens have given themselves — and their fans — some hope As for the Canadiens’ playoff hopes, Thompson said: “I think we’re right by winning four of their last five games. there. You see in this league if you can rip off a streak, you’re right back in the mix. I think that’s where our mindset is right now.” A little bit of hope. That’s a lot easier said than done. The Canadiens started their bye week in the NHL schedule after Saturday night’s wild 5-4 shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights at Montreal Gazette LOADED: 01.21.2020 the Bell Centre, improving their record this season to 22-21-7.

After 50 games, the Canadiens have 51 points. After 50 games last season, the St. Louis Blues (23-22-5) also had 51 points and they went on to win the Stanley Cup. The Blues went 22-6-4 in their final 32 regular-season games to finish third in the Central Division with 99 points.

It took 98 points to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference last season. The Canadiens would need 47 points in their final 32 games to hit that mark — a record equivalent to 22-7-3. It’s very, very unlikely that will happen with a team whose longest winning streak this season has been three games and has endured two eight-game winless streaks.

But, like I said, there’s a little bit of hope thanks in large part to Ilya Kovalchuk, who has 4-4-8 totals in eight games since joining the Canadiens. Still, the Canadiens only have a 4-4 record during those games.

Another reason for a bit of hope is that Carey Price is 4-0 in his last four games while allowing only six goals on 148 shots for a .959 save percentage. The Canadiens also seem to have fixed their penalty-killing — which was a huge problem early in the season — fending off 24 of 26 opposition power plays over the last nine games. Their play on home ice remains a big problem with a 10-12-4 record at the Bell Centre.

The Canadiens are hoping to have the injured Jonathan Drouin and Brendan Gallagher back when they play their next game next Monday night at the Bell Centre against the Washington Capitals, but there’s no guarantee that will happen. Drouin is skating and shooting pucks again, but hasn’t practised with the team or been given the green light for contact. Gallagher has only played one of the last 10 games after suffering a concussion.

Canadiens head coach Claude Julien thinks the bye week will help his team.

“There’s a price to pay for a break,” Julien said following Saturday’s morning skate in Brossard. “Part of it was lots of games crammed together. But I think the guys are going to benefit from the rest. For the most part, what we’ve seen in the past is that guys come back fresh and they’re able to give it another push. So there’s some positive in there. But as you know, there’s some games that are crammed together (because of the bye week) and it’s tough on players and sometimes it also creates injuries. So you know there’s different opinions out there (about the bye week) and I’m not one to choose which one. I’m just one to try and deal with what has been given. That’s the schedule we have and you make the most of it. But without a doubt I think a lot of guys are going to benefit from this break coming up.”

Julien was also looking forward to the break, along with his coaching staff.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I’m going to be honest with you, we’ve grinded a lot trying to turn some of these winless streaks into wins and we’ve grinded it out as far as watching lots of video and trying to help individuals, trying to help the team. So, yeah, we’re going to benefit from this break and hopefully we come back fresh as well and ready to tackle that last part.”

Last season, the Canadiens were 3-0-2 in their first five games after the bye week and then lost three straight. 1172082 Montreal Canadiens And let’s pause a moment to discuss the curious case of Ilya Kovalchuk. Raise your hand if you predicted the 36-year-old Russian was going to pick up eight points in his first eight games with the Canadiens? Exactly. No one predicted that. What the Puck: Habs should deal Tatar, vets while their value is high It is a great feel-good story for a team that is notably short on feel-good Even if the Canadiens make the playoffs, they're not contending for a stories this year. He’s already a fan favourite, a position cemented Stanley Cup. So Marc Bergevin should be a seller ahead of NHL trade Saturday when he scored against the Vegas Golden Knights and then deadline. potted another one in the shootout.

I think Bergevin should see what he can get for Kovalchuk at the deadline but if it’s not a first-rounder, then he should hang on to Kovy and BRENDAN KELLY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: January 20, 2020 at least let the fans have some fun for the rest of the season. But the notion of signing him makes no sense for a win-later team that already has too many elderly overpaid players. Marc Bergevin should be a seller not a buyer. Period. Jury’s in. It’s a no brainer. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 01.21.2020

The big talking point as the Canadiens start their bye week is what Bergevin is going to do with his week off while many of his players are off vacationing in the sun. The Feb. 24 trade deadline day in the is hurtling toward us with frightening velocity and the discussion among hockey opinion-makers and Canadiens fans this week is what the general manager’s strategy should be in the next month.

As a good pal of mine, a former stock trader, always says: “sell high, buy low.” That’s true on Wall St. and it’s also true in pro sports. If you believe that, then Bergevin should be dealing assets in the coming weeks. In terms of high value, you don’t get much better than Tomas Tatar and Shea Weber and that’s why he should, at the very least, go out and see what fellow GMs might offer for those two.

Tatar is having another great season, with 43 points in 50 games. We all love Tuna — even more so after he scored that beauty of a shootout winner Saturday — but he’s eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in summer 2021 and will naturally be looking for a lengthy high-price contract that off-season, a deal for a 30-year-old that would be silly for Montreal to sign. Weber, 34, is more obvious trade bait. He is also having an amazing season, but this one is just an age thing. He will not be the same kind of player when the Canadiens’ young prospects come to maturity.

The idea that Bergevin might be a buyer is beyond absurd. The Canadiens are, in all likelihood, not making the playoffs. Just how grim is it? Très grim. The team went on a great run recently, winning four of their last five games, yet that run had almost no impact on their position in the Eastern Conference standings. On Jan. 10, the day before the hot run began, Montreal was in 13th place in the conference. On Monday, after picking up eight out of a possible ten points, the Canadiens find themselves in 12th place in the East.

The Canadiens are only six points behind the Florida Panthers, who are third in the Atlantic Division, and eight points behind the Carolina Hurricanes, who hold the last wild-card berth in the East. But the key is the number of teams between Montreal and those spots. Philadelphia, Toronto and Buffalo are ahead of Les Boys and all of have played fewer games than the Canadiens. And don’t forget the New York Rangers, who have 50 points, one less than the Habs, but have played three fewer games. Mathematically Montreal could make it, but it would take a miracle.

And even if they make the playoffs, they’re not contending for a Stanley Cup. So Bergevin should be a seller if he has any sense.

But my prediction is that the Habs GM will do absolutely nothing in the run up to the trade deadline. TSN hockey pundit Pierre LeBrun recently said that Bergevin told him “he has no intention of thinking about trading Carey Price or Shea Weber and would not listen if a team phoned on Carey Price and Shea Weber before the trade deadline.”

I believe Bergevin’s telling the truth. He is going to keep trying to make the playoffs even though it ain’t gonna happen. He’s doing that for the same reason head coach Claude Julien is trying to make the post- season — because they might be fired if they fail to make it for a third straight season.

If the GM was really following the plan he claims he’s following — the infamous “reset” — then he’d be selling. I’m not saying he has to deal every older player, but he should be testing the waters for all of them, including Weber, Price (who has a no-movement clause), Tatar and Jeff Petry. A sensible manager would be looking to see what he could get for these assets because none of them will be in their prime when the next generation of Habs hit their prime in five years. 1172083 Montreal Canadiens — CAMPBELL (@SEANRCAMPBELL) JANUARY 19, 2020 · Phillip Danault and Tomas Tatar: Second line calibre players don’t often

get an opportunity to play alongside a true hockey legend. Danault and Melnick’s GBU: An ode to the hockey royalty that is Ilya Kovalchuk Tatar have risen to the challenge.

· Carey Price: Buried most of the ice chips that had been thrown his way by some disgruntled Montreal hockey fans who must think Price is By Mitch Melnick Jan 20, 2020 depriving them of witnessing a Stanley Cup run. Not sure what happened to him over the Christmas break, but the Canadiens need the post-

Florida version of Price after the All-Star break. Or the same guy we saw Who really knew what to think? But I still don’t get the outright hostility or most of last season when his calm, locked-in and matter-of-fact presence derision that was aimed at the Canadiens’ signing of Ilya Kovalchuk. (which masks his true competitive nature that occasionally slips out – as it did following the shootout win Saturday night against Vegas, just a few They were drowning. Their most indispensable of all skaters had just minutes after he smashed his stick after the game-tying goal was been concussed. They needed help before throwing in the towel on a deflected home with eight seconds left) almost carried the team into the season that wasn’t even half over. Fans were beginning to stay away or playoffs. It’s a lot more of a daunting task this time around to have to leave early. The Bell Centre was where the Canadiens went to die. climb over three and perhaps four teams to get in (the Rangers are one point behind the Habs with three games in hand). If the best-case A quick glimpse at Kovalchuk’s Instagram page shows you how seriously scenario (for Price and his teammates) plays out, he might have to he was working out ahead of training camp. But still, dropped into NHL actually hit 70 games played this season for the Canadiens to get in. action after just one full practice? I thought if anything he’d look very slow Retool or not, 70 games for Price was not part of any plan. You’ll know if but eventually work his way into creating some offence, especially on the Bergevin really believes in this group’s ability to get into the playoffs power play. Maybe he’d get 12 to 15 minutes of ice time per night. based on whether he tries yet again to address the need for an NHL Deep down, I was hoping he’d avoid looking bad. ready, capable back up.

You couldn’t really compare his signing to anything else in the Marc · PK unit: Suddenly, it’s nearly impenetrable. Slowly moving towards the Bergevin era. Maybe the trade deadline deal to get Thomas Vanek from middle of the pack in the NHL, and that’s saying something. the Islanders in 2014? But Vanek was just 30. And even at that age, he · Cale Fleury: If he does nothing else the rest of the season, he provided was a far cry from Kovalchuk at 30. Montreal fans with the lasting image of Milan Lucic sliding on his rear end I think the last time the Canadiens welcomed somebody of Kovalchuk’s into the boards after leaning into the Flames winger as they battled for a stature during a season was early in the 1970-71 season when Sam loose puck. Not quite like P.K. Subban welcoming Brad Marchand to the Pollock traded a future 50-goal scorer – Mickey Redmond – plus Guy Bell Centre with his rear end or Kovalev’s forearm smash into Darcy Charron and Bill Collins to the Detroit Red Wings for Frank Mahovlich. Tucker, but it was pretty good. Fleury and fellow rookie Nick Suzuki were The Big M played the best hockey of his career alongside Jean Béliveau both showing signs of fatigue of late. The break is well-timed for them as and Yvan Cournoyer as the ’71 Habs confounded everybody by knocking well. off the Boston Bruins and eventually the Chicago Blackhawks to win the · Jesperi Kotkaniemi: HOLY RIGHT HAND BATMAN! POW! BAM! SOK! Stanley Cup. BLAT! Mahovlich would win another Cup with Montreal in ’72-73 before he went The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 back home to sign with the of the WHA.

On another level, Montreal sports fans haven’t fallen in love with a midseason acquisition this quickly since late June 2002, when Expos GM Omar Minaya acquired Bartolo Colon from the Cleveland Indians.

One of baseball’s best starters was at the peak of his never ending career when he landed here at the age of 29. Minaya gave up Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips and Grady Sizemore to get Colon, but that mattered little to baseball fans in Montreal. It was a last gasp attempt to make baseball relevant again for a franchise facing contraction and eventually relocation to Washington. Colon went 10-4 in his 17 starts for the Expos, who finished in second place in the NL East. He was easy to like, even if it was difficult to connect personally because of the language barrier. It was fun to have him here. By Opening Day the following year, Colon was starting for the Chicago White Sox.

What about Alex Kovalev? Canadiens GM Bob Gainey picked up the star winger at the peak of his career as well. He came at the 2004 trade deadline from the Rangers for Jozef Balej, a third-round pick from Slovakia who is still playing pro for a team in Germany, and a second- round pick. Kovalev was a world-class talent, but it was hardly love at first sight in Montreal. In the 12 regular season games he played for the Habs that year, he scored just one empty net goal. But once the playoffs started, Kovalev’s magic returned and the love affair with Habs fans was underway. It would last another four full seasons, even as he drove at least one coach crazy.

Watching Ilya Kovalchuk for just eight games has been an unexpected treat. The fact he’s done it at his advanced age in a tightly compressed schedule after not playing for two months is just trippy. He’s taking guys on physically. He’s scoring important goals. He called out his own power play (“It’s a disaster right now”). So, the next game, he scored on the power play. Kovalchuk isn’t just producing, he’s leading. And now he gets a break to recharge. Is this really happening?

THE GOOD

· Marc Bergevin: See above.

CHERISH THESE MOMENTS #MONTREAL.#KOVALCHUK 1172084 Montreal Canadiens The strength of the Silvertips’ defence obfuscates individual skill sets, but whether it’s limiting Fairbrother’s skill or masking his weaknesses is the question. I think it’s the former.

Brown: Midseason ranking of the Canadiens’ top-15 prospects – 15-11 First, Fairbrother consistently makes high-level defensive stops that require skill, communication and problem-solving skills. It’s noticeable in the neutral zone, where he turns a picture-perfect middle-and-out strategy with risk-mitigating footwork into stopping power. It’s noticeable By Mitch Brown Jan 20, 2020 in the defensive zone, where Fairbrother can match – and stop – the league’s craftiest puck carriers while bobbing through traffic.

Half a season has passed. The world juniors have come and gone. Nick While Fairbrother isn’t the type to go end-to-end on a rush, he Suzuki has established himself as an effective NHL forward and Cale consistently passes up the middle to an open teammate while navigating Fleury is well on his way to doing the same on defence. forechecking pressure. He’s accurate and precise, hitting teammates in stride, facilitating clean exits. However, he’s conservative, if not hesitant, That means it’s time for another Canadiens prospect ranking. when activating into the rush, despite flashing the skill to make plays down low. If you’re not familiar with this twice-a-year project, check out last summer’s ranking. As a brief reminder, here’s a summary of how this Finally, Fairbrother’s a crafty shooter, even if he’s not hitting the target as process works. much as he should. Equally dangerous with a quick wrister off either foot as he is with a one-time blast, he has an arsenal of different shots. As always, the rankings are in order of upside, or probability of becoming Sometimes, he falls into a shooting rhythm, where he blasts every touch a star player. I’m not looking for one specific skill or trait; instead, it’s how while sneakily decreasingly his distance to the goal, placing each shot in the player’s skills interact with each other. Average skating can be offset a different area. by skill and details (Nick Suzuki), while a lack of high-end skills can be offset by being intelligent and disciplined (Phillip Danault). To find high- If you think you’ve read this profile before, it’s probably because you upside players, I look for upside in at least one of three dimensions: have. The similarities between Fairbrother and Cale Fleury are offence, transition, defence (in that order). While having upside in more numerous. Like Fleury, because of a late birth date, Fairbrother can play than one dimension is preferred, sometimes one dimension is so far full-time in the AHL next season or return to junior for an overage ahead of the sum of the others that it doesn’t matter (is that season. Replicating Fleury’s AHL success won’t be easy, but I suspect foreshadowing?). Half a season is only half a season – I try not to Fairbrother follows a similar path by getting an entry-level deal and overreact unless it fits a larger a pattern. playing in Laval next season. Fairbrother is currently out indefinitely after undergoing surgery, as per Josh Horton. I do not consider NHL-proximity or readiness. The reasoning is tri-fold. First, prospect rankings can be kind of silly, and decreasing the number Ranking Explanation: While I settled on Fairbrother at No. 15, I also of variables I have to consider prevents my brain from melting. Second, considered Cole Fonstad, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Samuel Houde, Otto I’m a believer that the draft is about acquiring top-of-the-lineup level Leskinen, Brett Stapley and Lukas Vejdemo. While all six players have talent, not bottom-of-the-lineup types. Of course, there’s going to be an produced better at their respective levels than Fairbrother, I think age bias here because the older a player is, the more information I have Fairbrother might slot higher in an NHL lineup one day, but the difference about the player, which then narrows the scope of my projection. Third, is marginal. I settled on the hard-nosed Fairbrother – perhaps partly I’m not working for a team, so there’s an overwhelming amount of influenced by his similarities to Fleury – but this a deep group. information that I don’t know. And I’m not the coach either, so while I can make guesses about who a coach would like or not, they’re merely 14) Jacob Olofsson, C, Skellefteå AIK (SHL) guesses. Age: 19 | Drafted No. 56 in 2018 Speaking of guesses, all of this is guessing. Educated guessing, sure, Stats: 23 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 Pts, 0.39 Pts/GP but the main idea here is for the information in the profiles more so than the ranking itself. After a season that raised more questions than answers, Jacob Olofsson’s rediscovered his scoring touch while playing the best hockey To be eligible for the ranking, a player must meet these four criteria: of his career. As I detailed earlier in the season, Olofsson’s playing less NHL rights held by the Canadiens and scoring more while adding new layers to his game.

23 years of age or younger The most significant change from last year to this one is Olofsson’s leaning more on his vision. Previously, he would over-handle or make a 41 games of NHL experience or fewer low-risk, low-reward play at every opportunity. Now, he’s identifying and hitting teammates with cross-ice lasers in stride, enabling a quick I’ve had at least eight viewings of the player this season counter-attack. The age requirement excludes Alex Belzile, Riley Barber and Laurent Although passing has been Olofsson’s defining characteristic, his 5-on-5 Dauphin. The NHL games played requirement excludes Jesperi playmaking was hardly noticeable when compared to his power play Kotkaniemi, Nick Suzuki, Noah Juulsen and I’ve excluded Cale Fleury vision. That’s changing. Much like his breakout and transition passing, because he’s only played in the NHL this season. (If he returns to the Olofsson’s connecting with teammates at long-range, through skates and AHL at some point, I’ll reconsider the criteria.) The viewing requirement sticks. While he’s not a particularly deceptive passer, his accuracy and excludes Frederik Dichow, Joël Teasdale (injured), Joni Ikonen (injured), precision allow him to connect regardless. Hayden Verbeek, Michael Pezzetta and Kieran Ruschenski. Olofsson’s always been more than a passer, showing skill as a shooter Here are the players who didn’t make the top-15 but were considered: and defensive ability beyond his years. Still only 19, Olofsson’s ability to Cole Fonstad, Samuel Houde, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Otto Leskinen, win puck battles is now a standout trait. He’s more assertive with his Brett Stapley and Lukas Vejdemo. In other words, a top-six centre in the frame, swinging his hips to seal off attackers and then allowing his vision NCAA, two older but possible depth pieces in the NHL, and three high- to do the rest. scoring CHLers. That’s a pretty good list for players outside the top-15. Of course, Olofsson’s not a perfect player. As promising as the Enjoy… improvements are, there are many times where it seems offence doesn’t 15) Gianni Fairbrother, LD, Everett Silvertips (WHL) come naturally to him. He overlaps his teammates’ routes in transition, and poorly timed movement to the slot hinders his ability to score, for Age: 19 | Drafted No. 77 in 2019 example.

Stats: 37 GP, 5 G, 20 A, 25 Pts, 0.68 Pts/GP The skill level and results – even with the recent success pre-injury – There is perhaps no Canadiens prospect in a more interesting situation remained misaligned. Consequently, I project Olofsson more as a than Fairbrother. While Fairbrother’s production has largely stagnated at possible third or fourth-line centre, with plenty of uncertainty in that an underwhelming 0.68 points per game, he’s one of three No. 1 projection. Olofsson has another year on his deal with Skellefteå AIK, defencemen on the defensive dreadnought that is the Everett Silvertips. after which he’ll be ready to join the North American professional ranks. Ranking Explanation: Olofsson ends our first tier of lower- I overrated Pitlick’s shot in the summer, but I still believe he brings more upside/longshot prospects with intriguing skill sets. Olofsson and shooting ability than prospects around him. He uses timed movement Fairbrother are both similar in value, and both players seem like into the slot to finish off rebounds and deflections and even shows off longshots to hit on that upside (i.e., possible third-line centre/no. 5 some clever shooting with curl-and-drag wristers. However, he’s too defender given skill, but upside seems more around fourth-line centre/no. content to shoot from the perimeter, and his shot often loses a ton of pop 6 given results). The (hair-splitting marginal) difference: I see Olofsson as and placement when pressured. having more tools at his disposal. He’s faster and better with the puck on his stick than Fairbrother after accounting for position. While Pitlick’s brought the work ethic, speed, and playmaking to the USHL, bad habits linger. He often passes when he should shoot, 13) Jake Evans, C, (AHL) attempts low-percentage cross-ice passes, and lacks any one-touch ability. He needs a lot of possessions to create. He’s inefficient, and as Age: 23 | Drafted No. 207 in 2014 he advances up the levels, he could waste opportunities without an Stats: 41 GP, 8 G, 19 A, 27 Pts, 0.66 Pts/GP adjustment in this area.

After starting the season with four points in 17 games, Evans has How Pitlick adjusts to the NCAA next will probably be more telling of his returned to form with 24 in his last 25 with the Rocket. Despite the NHL future, but overall, this has been a promising half-season. Becoming inconsistent scoring, his play has been consistently impressive all more efficient, stronger, and smoothing out the release are smaller fixes season, even without much progression. that could take Pitlick’s game to another level. With some patience, perhaps he becomes found money. Evans is a pass-first, defensively responsible centre. That’s been his ticket to success in the NCAA, the AHL and possibly the NHL. He’s an Ranking Explanation: Some days, Pitlick looks like a top-10 prospect in alert defender who thrives stopping his assignment, jumping into passing the organization (or even top-five, really). Other times, he seems like a lanes and double-teaming attackers. There is consistency and fluidity to fringe prospect at best. Lately, he’s been the former. I think Pitlick has his defensive coverage, equally positionally aware as he is adaptable to top-nine forward upside. Let’s take a second to distinguish that from his changing circumstances. bottom-six. In both regards, players fit into the bottom of that range (top- nine = third-line, bottom-six = fourth line). With a bottom-six player (like As a passer, it’s mostly the same story. Evans is aware and adaptable, Evans and Olofsson), they fit best lower in the lineup with lower-in-the- having the skill to speed up or slow down to adjust to his teammates’ lineup type players. With the top-nine forward prospects (like Pitlick), routes. From anywhere along the perimeter, Evans is a threat to find a there’s more upward mobility. Given Pitlick’s speed, energy and puck teammate lurking around the slot. While he lacks the deception and skills, I can see him being a third-line-level impact player who can move slipperiness of the passers above him on this list, he should still find up and down the lineup and not get left behind. In short, I think he’s a ways to set up teammates in the NHL. complementary piece higher in the lineup, and a possible play-driver lower in the lineup. Semantics? Sure. Does this (possibly meaningless) At 23 years of age, it’s unlikely that Evans adds the scoring element to distinction matter to me? Yes. his game. The occasional long-range snipe or crafty finish around the goal isn’t enough to make up for his lack of shooting volume. With that 11) Cam Hillis, C, Guelph Storm (OHL) said, I’ve seen improvements in Evans’ skating routes without the puck, making him a more dangerous finisher. Age: 19 | Drafted No. 66 in 2018

Even though Evans is in his Draft-plus-6 season, he won’t turn 24 until Stats: 38 GP, 16 G, 41 A, 57 Pts, 1.39 Pts/GP June. There’s still time to make his mark. A restricted free agent at The Cam Hillis Revenge Tour has been my favourite storyline this year. season’s end, the organization has a decision to make. I think Evans is He’s recording points at more than twice the rate that he did in last year’s an easy signing and has earned a shot at the NHL. injury-riddled campaign at a scorching 1.4 point-per-game clip. While Ranking Explanation: I think Evans is a bottom-six centre, but is he a he’s certainly reliant on power-shooter Pavel Gogolev to finish his potential third or fourth-liner? Sure, he’s older than most players who chances, Hillis is the higher scoring of the two in even-strength primary become third liners, but the passing and defence are at that level. The points by the slightest margin. remainder of his game is bland (i.e., average), however, leaving me to The fourth consecutive pass-first, defensively responsible forward on this think he’s a fourth liner if he makes it. That’s great, but not valued on this list, Hillis might seem similar to the lot. But his passing is on another list. That’s why he’s at the bottom of this tier (No. 13 to No. 9). I ranked level. Hillis doesn’t just get the puck to shooters; his passes lead Evans over Olofsson – two players with upside – without much shooters to the puck. Sometimes, this phenomenon is overt, such as hesitation. They’re similar in terms of upside, with Evans owning a longer sending a puck into space for a teammate to receive it in stride. Other track record of making skilled plays. That’s all. Maybe it changes. Maybe times, Hillis is putting the puck into an area where the shooter must adapt it doesn’t. and ultimately gets a better scoring chance out of it as a result.

12) Rhett Pitlick, LW, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) Hillis rewards patient, skilled shooters with his sturdiness in puck battles Age: 18 | Drafted No. 131 in 2019 and on-and-off precision passing. It’s common for Hillis to win a battle, then find a teammate in the slot where many players would take an extra Stats: 30 GP, 9 G, 16 A, 25 Pts, 0.83 Pts/GP stride before making the pass. His head is always up, allowing him to locate options before the puck even arrives on his stick. The jump from high school to the USHL doesn’t usually come with immediate results. Rhett Pitlick is no different. But after a slowish start, There’s plenty more to Hillis’ passing, too. He identifies opportunities to Pitlick’s averaging a point per game over the last 17 games with a trade create mini 2-on-1 situations with a drop pass. After off-loading the puck, to Muskegon and an appearance at the World Junior A Challenge he stays engaged to back off defenders and crash the crease. The same breaking those games up. passing ability translates to the defensive zone, even if he lacks high- level deception. Speed is Pitlick’s defining attribute. A short stride resembling the Roadrunner on skates, Pitlick moves fast and looks even faster. He uses The concern with Hillis is that he’s just a passer with defensive value. that speed to put immense pressure on the opposition, pickpocketing He’s averaging just over two shots on goal per game. And while he’s in possession on the backcheck and forecheck with efficiency. Combining the 88th percentile in Expected Goals per 60 in my CHL Tracking Project, that work rate with hands to match his vision and passing ability allows he’s a below-average shooter, and the lack of shot volume makes him Pitlick to create a chance, regain possession and then launch another predictable. Consequently, alert defenders can force Hillis to the attack. perimeter without concern, especially because Hillis tends to make panic passes into the middle when pressured. (In those scenarios, I’d like to Pitlick’s a deft passer who can make tricky, cross-ice passes at full speed see him lean on his skating ability and frame more than his patience and or off balance. He’s becoming more adept at making passes with a puck control.) That won’t fly at the professional level. defender on his back, particularly from behind the goal line. He’s also one of the organization’s most capable backhand passers, mixing in While some have expressed concern because he’s a “quiet” high-end short-range, no-look passes into the slot with cross-ice area passes to scorer at this level, the production is too much for me to ignore. I expect ignite a quick counterattack. Hillis to receive an entry-level deal and play in Laval next season. I don’t expect immediate scoring success as he adjusts to the increased tempo of the league. Ranking Explanation: Hillis versus Pitlick and Evans was an interesting debate. Pitlick’s faster, with better hands, but I’m not sure they equate to better scoring than Hillis. Hillis has more variety in the type of passes that he makes, so I gave him the edge. Call it familiarity bias, or whatever, but it’s razor-thin. Hillis and Evans are similar players, but Hillis is faster, sturdier, and a more creative/up-tempo passer. That leads me to believe that Hillis has a tad more upside, but there’s likely a better chance that Evans becomes an NHLer.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172085 Montreal Canadiens picked off, and he kind of just gloves it like it was a bouncing tennis ball going in there,” Tavares said. “He just makes it look easy.”

So this is one explanation, because this notion of Price’s calm demeanor, What it’s like for the Canadiens to practice against Carey Price, the most making difficult saves look easy, seems to stick with players and has widely respected goaltender in the NHL lasted. This is how you know when Price is on his game, when he doesn’t make highlight-reel saves and instead makes shooters feel somewhat inadequate because of how easy Price made it look to stop the best they had to offer. It happened as recently as last week in By Arpon Basu Jan 20, 2020 Philadelphia.

The other possible explanation is the vacuum that currently exists for the The Canadiens were practicing in Vancouver last month when Carey title of Best Goalie in the World. Anecdotally, several of my colleagues at Price went up to rookie Nick Suzuki to deliver a message that perfectly The Athletic mentioned how many respondents didn’t really know who to explains why his teammates have so much respect for him. pick when asked the goalie question in our poll, so they kind of defaulted to Price. That’s largely because the last time there was a consensus Best “He told me in Vancouver he wants me to score on him, he wants me to Goalie in the World, it was Price, and no one has really picked up the get better. It makes him better,” Suzuki said last week. “I usually just float mantle and held it for a while since. a few in at the start and then try not to shoot it too hard at the top of the net, try to avoid his head. But he said he doesn’t care if it hits him in the Martin Brodeur won the Vezina Trophy in 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008. head. I guess, part of the position.” Since then, only one goalie has won the trophy more than once, Sergei Bobrovsky in 2013 and 2017. Yet he didn’t even make the top-five in our That, of course, is not entirely true; Price has been known to glare at a poll. teammate or two for zinging one past his ear in practice in the past. But the overall point is how the Canadiens see what Price does in practice So what is it like for the Canadiens to play with Price? They have a every day, his work ethic, his teamwork and his competitiveness, and unique appreciation of his greatness because they see it every day in that’s a big reason why his presence carries so much weight in their practice, the way Suzuki saw it in Vancouver. They also see how he dressing room. manages the daily roller coaster that is the role of being the star goalie in Montreal, with the crises and adulation that come with it. That’s how he leads. “We try not to put too much emphasis on (public opinion) because it can The rest of the NHL doesn’t get to see that, but there is still a similar become a vicious circle pretty quickly,” Phillip Danault said. “So, in reverence for Price among his NHL peers as there is in the Canadiens Montreal, you have to be mentally strong, you have to develop that dressing room. For the second year in a row, Price was named as the mental strength. goalie most would want in net for Game 7 of a Stanley Cup final in The Athletic’s second-annual NHL player poll. And it wasn’t particularly close, “Pricey certainly has a level of mental strength that is above average.” with Price garnering one-third of the votes and Vegas Golden Knights There is also a duality to what it’s like to practice against Price, one goalie Marc-André Fleury finishing a relatively distant second at 23 Danault verbalized perfectly. percent. “It’s really good,” he said. “It can also be not good. He can destroy your The thing is that while Price has shined on the international stage, he has confidence. But no, it’s a good challenge. When you score, you’re happy. never played in a Stanley Cup final. He hasn’t even played in the playoffs When he makes a huge save, it’s normal.” in three of the last four years, and his lone appearance in 2016-17 lasted only six games. Price performed extremely well; he had a .933 save It’s not uncommon to see Canadiens players loudly celebrate in unison percentage and 1.86 goals against average in the series but his when someone scores on Price in practice. Everyone will react and teammates couldn’t find a way to score on Henrik Lundqvist. But since acknowledge the accomplishment of whoever did it. The reason is then, he’s done nothing to merit one player calling him “battle-tested” because of how rare it is, and when something rare happens, it should be and, aside from the absence of playoff games, Price has not been one of recognized. It is a unifying goal for every Canadiens player to beat Price. the NHL’s better goalies since then. A sampling of answers to show that’s the case. From the beginning of the 2017-18 season, among goalies who played a minimum of 80 games, Price ranks 27th in the NHL in save percentage Suzuki: “I don’t really score on him too often. When I do, I feel pretty (.910), 34th in even-strength save percentage (.915) and 18th in goals good. We shoot so many pucks at him, I think we should be scoring a bit against average (2.78). more than we do. That’s why he’s the best.”

There are a couple of factors here to explain why Price’s reputation is Artturi Lehkonen: “Practicing against Pricey? Ummm, extremely somewhat out of whack with his recent results. frustrating. That’s pretty much what I would go with … The good thing about that is you want to compete against him too. So you’ve got to shoot The first is Price’s ability to get in opposing shooter’s heads. It has 100 percent every time if you want to score. When you do, you feel good nothing to do with numbers. It has to do with feel. Intimidation, even. about yourself.”

“He’s just so calm in net,” Steven Stamkos told The Athletic’s Joe Smith Jesperi Kotkaniemi: “For sure you don’t score that often. Even if you last month. have an open net, he somehow puts a stick or skate or pad out there … I would like to score more. But I just can’t.” Stamkos has scored more goals on Price than any other goalie, but still, Price’s demeanor in the crease is what sticks with Stamkos. You don’t Ilya Kovalchuk has a unique perspective here because he played with hear players talk about any other goalie this way. You’ll hear them marvel and practiced against Martin Brodeur in New Jersey, one of Price’s at a goalie’s athleticism pretty often. But that’s what makes Price’s calm childhood idols. unique. And effective. “It’s fun. He’s one of the best in the league and it’s always fun to play “It seems like he’s never out of position,” Stamkos continued. against the best,” Kovalchuk said. “They’re both really similar. They both “Technically, you don’t see a lot of net when he’s there. He’s got that play with their stick really well, very mobile, very athletic goalies. confidence to him, too. He challenges, and he’s so athletic. It’s just his Obviously Marty, he’s one of a kind. But Price, he’s a great goalie. He’s calming presence in the net. It’s tough to get him out of position; it seems fun to be around.” like it’s so easy for him to be right in position.” When I asked Suzuki if he talks a little trash when he scores on Price in My favourite quote came from John Tavares at the NHL awards in Las practice, he laughed. He’s a rookie. He doesn’t quite have the gravitas to Vegas in 2015, the year Price swept the Vezina, Hart and Pearson do that. But Kovalchuk most certainly does. He’s scored 440 goals in the trophies. Tavares has used this tennis ball analogy for Price a few times NHL and another 165 in the KHL. And yet Kovalchuk’s reaction was the since. same as the rookie.

“Sometimes you think you let one rip and you feel like you got some He laughed. pretty good wood on it, and you got the target that you’ve looked at and “I didn’t score enough yet to give it to him.” The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172086 Nashville Predators Definitely Rocco Grimaldi in practice. He’s so fast. He’s extremely fast, so he’s hard to defend as a defenseman.

Around the league? I don’t know. I’ve got to think about that one. I always Reader Q&A: Roman Josi on being a captain, adjusting to a new coach say Connor. Oh, (Nathan) MacKinnon. MacKinnon, for sure. He’s so fast. and pig racing He’s like Connor. He does it all. He’s fast. He’s explosive. He’s strong on the puck, got a great shot, so I’ll definitely go with him.

What is your general game-day routine? — Jared S. By Adam Vingan Jan 20, 2020 I wake up at like 8:15 a.m., drive to the rink, morning skate. Sometimes we don’t skate, but then you just kind of warm up off ice. Then we have meetings. Then I go to Giovanni’s for pregame lunch with a couple guys. It doesn’t suck being Roman Josi. Drive home, watch some TV and take an hour nap from 2-3 p.m. I get up Earlier this season, he signed an eight-year, $72.472 million contract that and then drive to the rink, make myself coffee. I’ll be at the rink at 4:15 will make him the third-highest paid defenseman in the NHL. This p.m. weekend, he will represent the Predators at the All-Star Game for the Favorite restaurants on the road? — Steve M. third time in his career. He has a team-leading 48 points in 47 games, which puts him on pace to challenge Paul Kariya’s single-season Nick and Sam’s in Dallas is probably one of my favorites. Maple & Ash in franchise record of 85 points and should result in his first Norris Trophy Chicago. Where else? New York, I mean New York has so many good nomination. ones.

Before leaving for the All-Star festivities in St. Louis, Josi agreed to If the Winter Classic were to come to Nashville, what’s something you’d answer reader questions. like the Predators to do in lieu of pig racing? (Long live Ro-HAM Josi.) — Sara W. What has been the most challenging aspect of serving as a team captain in the NHL? — George S. I saw that. I won, too, so let’s do pig racing again.

Well, I think just getting that experience of the ups and downs that you go Pedal tavern racing? That’s a good one. through (during) a season. I had great captains in front of me that I could learn from, but once you’re the captain, you’re trying to learn every day. I The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 think you’re trying to learn how to handle different situations. As a captain, you take a lot of responsibility whenever it’s not going your way as a team. That’s probably the biggest challenge, to manage the ups and downs.

What are some lessons you learned from previous Predators captains that you still apply today? — Ethan W.

The captains I had, Shea (Weber) and (Mike Fisher), something I always talk about is those were two guys who led by example. Those guys were the hardest working guys every time they practiced, every time they stepped on the ice. I think that’s something you want to see out of your captain. You want to see them put in the work. You want to see them prepare for games the right way, do all the right things. That’s something I took away from Shea and (Fisher).

Do you think the NHL should add a second award for defensemen? The Norris Trophy could be for the best defensive defenseman, and a new award could be created for the best offensive defenseman. — Brandon F.

I don’t know. The past couple years, most guys who won the Norris were the guys with a lot of points. It’s something that’s easier to measure. Defense is a little harder to measure. I wouldn’t be against it, for sure. I think it would be good. There are so many great defensive defensemen that maybe don’t get the recognition they deserve because they don’t get a lot of points. I would definitely be fine with that.

What is the most difficult part of adjusting to a new coach, especially when a change happens so suddenly? — Frank A.

We played for () for a lot of years and played the same system for a lot of years, so there’s a lot of little things you have to adjust in your game system-wise. At the end of the day, it’s up to each player to prepare himself for a game. That doesn’t change with a new coach, but the system stuff, the habits that you had with the previous coach, you’ve got to change that pretty quick.

What has been your favorite on-ice moment this season? — Daniel S.

Pekka (Rinne’s) goal.

What has been the hardest moment of your Predators career? — Scott C.

Losing in the (Stanley Cup) final, for sure. That was hard. It was an unbelievable run and so much fun, but losing that Game 6 at home was pretty hard.

Who is the hardest forward on the team to defend in practice? Who is the hardest forward in the league to defend that isn’t Connor McDavid? — Scott J. 1172087 New York Islanders

Islanders get another chance to beat the Rangers and end month on positive note

By Andrew Gross

The season doesn’t end for the Islanders on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, but facing the Rangers represents a couple of last chances.

“The margin of error for us has shrunk,” Islanders coach said. “So every game is big. We’ve just got to get playing our game. It’s going to be a dogfight right to the end of the year.”

The Islanders have had a subpar 3-5-2 January, and this game is their last before a 10-day All-Star Game/bye week break. Beating the Rangers would allow the players to salvage some positive vibes through their extended in-season vacation. After Tuesday, the Islanders don’t play again until Feb. 1 against the Canucks at Barclays Center.

It’s also a last chance to beat the Rangers in this stretch of three games in nine days between the bitter rivals. The Islanders played one of their worst games of the season in a 6-2 loss at the Garden on Jan. 13. They played well but still lost, 3-2, at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum last Thursday as Derick Brassard’s cross-checking penalty on Jesper Fast with 53.5 seconds left in regulation led to Chris Kreider’s power-play winner with 24.6 seconds to go.

The Islanders are 1-3-2 in this stretch of what will be seven games in 11 days after the Rangers game. They did not practice Monday after completing a back-to-back with a 2-1 shootout loss at Carolina on Sunday.

It was a much better team effort than their 6-4 loss to the Capitals on Saturday, when the Islanders allowed five unanswered goals in the third period.

“I thought, as a group, we competed real hard and played well,” Casey Cizikas said. “We did all the little things to be competitive throughout the game. It’s something we can build off of, especially going into our next game. We’ve got another big matchup. We’ll take what we did today and continue to the next one.”

But the Islanders still were held to one goal or fewer for the fourth time in 10 games this month. They have exceeded two goals only three times in January.

“We’ve had a tough time breaking through, getting that three or four goals up on the board,” said Mathew Barzal, who will play in the All-Star Game for a second straight season. “It’s just kind of what we’re used to. It’s just unfortunate we don’t score. The effort is there. Hopefully they go in at some point.

“It’s been unfortunate the efforts we’ve brought out against the Rangers,” Barzal added. “We need to get a win before the break. I’m sure they do, too. It’s just going to be another heavy-type game, another playoff-type atmosphere. Both teams will be excited. They’ve had some success against us of late. We’ve got to try to turn the tide.”

It’s unclear whether Josh Bailey, who continues to flip-flop with Brassard as either the second-line right wing or the third-line center, will be available. He logged only 4:42 at Carolina before leaving the game because of illness midway through the second period.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172088 New York Islanders were dialed in there. This year we’re not dialed in on who we are. You have to know who you are and how you have to play to win. And I didn’t like some of the antics, even Ovi said in his postgame, mocking Kuznetsov — you poke the bear. ‘Are you f-ing kidding me?’: Dissecting the signature moments of the Islanders’ woeful past week “We need to change our mindset – our mindset has to be all team and we’ve got some individual mindsets that are ahead of the team a little bit right now.”

By Arthur Staple Jan 20, 2020 Toews told Newsday after Sunday’s game that he hadn’t spoken to Trotz but didn’t need to – his embarrassment was evident.

There’s no time for Trotz to teach anyone a lesson with a benching, There was a cross check. A “bird.” And Mr. Game 7. though. The Islanders are just trying to survive this stretch to get to Across four days and three games against three of their biggest rivals, Wednesday and the start of a 10-day gap between games. They are 3-5- the Islanders played decently well. They scored enough goals and got 2 without Adam Pelech, and Ryan Pulock struggled in the third period deep enough into games that they could have come away with six points, Saturday – the mixing and matching of defense pairs to keep Noah leaving you sitting there reading this with a smile on your face, thinking Dobson out of harm’s way hasn’t worked that well and can’t continue for back to how your team snaked off with a win over the Rangers at the much longer, since it’s starting to wear down Pulock, Toews and Scott Coliseum on Thursday. Or how they took the air out of the division- Mayfield a bit. leading Caps on Saturday afternoon. ‘Our margin of error has… shrunk’ Or how the Isles bent but didn’t break and escaped Raleigh, their They felt good about Sunday’s game, which was a step in the right personal house of horrors in 2019, with two points in a lengthy shootout. direction after the previous two. The Hurricanes’ speed has given the But that is not this story. The Islanders finished out a week that began Islanders fits for a couple seasons now and this wasn’t a game where with one of their worst performances of the season, a 6-2 loss at the Thomas Greiss needed to stand on his head –though his late third-period Garden to the Rangers, with one point in these last three. And the stop on Joel Edmundson had a how-did-that-stay-out feel to it. signature moments from all three games are going to leave a mark, The Islanders were the aggressors for the better part of the second and especially if the Islanders can’t dig themselves out of a funk that’s lasted third, led by Anders Lee, who has been one of the few Islanders trending pretty much since their 15-0-2 run ended. up during the 12-12-3 run since the point streak ended (10 goals in his ‘Are You F-ing Kidding Me?’ last 25 games). Bailey left the bench early in the second with an illness; Barzal, who looked out of gas all night save for his late breakaway, As the Islanders filed off the ice at the Coliseum on Thursday, you appears to be fighting something too. couldn’t hear much of anything through the doors that separate the media holding area from the walkway to the locker room. At least until So Sunday’s point felt better, obviously. Even though the shootout wound one player shouted the above sentence out. its way to Justin Williams, playing his first game for the Canes since deciding to return a couple weeks ago. Naturally, he scored on Greiss to The final minute of the 3-2 loss to the Rangers didn’t leave much time for decide it, leaving the Isles on the ass end of the NHL’s social media anything but head-shaking. Derick Brassard’s cross check to Jesper cycle, as they were a day earlier thanks to Toews. Fast, one of the more honest players in the league, sent the Ranger forward’s skates flying up, usually a sure sign that an NHL player is The Rangers loom one more time on Tuesday before the long break. It’s selling out to get a call. Referee Garrett Rank, who had whistled Artemi about as big a regular-season game between the two rivals as there’s Panarin for embellishment earlier in the third to set up a four-on-four been in a decade. The Rangers are still teetering on the edge of the during which Anthony Beauvillier tied the game, sent Brassard off with playoff race and the Islanders need the two points to keep the wolves at 56.5 seconds to go. bay for another week or so. Also for their psyche.

Half a minute later the game was decided. Brassard was incredulous Lou Lamoriello will have a long, quiet time to pore over his team’s roster afterwards. “That happens, like, 100 times a game,” he said of delivering during the break. Even were the Islanders on a hot streak, it would be a cross check to an opposing player while two other players battle along hard to say this team feels complete and ready to challenge for a Stanley the wall. Neither team was thrilled with the officiating on Thursday – Cup. Now, with two whopper losses and only one point from their best Johnny Boychuk stuck out a leg to trip Chris Kreider barely a minute game, upgrading the team before the Feb. 24 trade deadline feels like a before the Brassard call – but both teams certainly figured they’d get to necessity. duke it out in overtime. Lamoriello is of the GM school that believes your team tells you what to It’s not the hallmark of an elite team, but the Islanders’ tenacity had do at the deadline. With so many vets locked into long-term deals, the gotten them through tied third periods in far more dire circumstances to Islanders won’t be sellers. Do they have attractive enough assets to be earn a point or two. That they lost their cool a bit and then lost a game in meaningful buyers? Are there any meaningful trades to be made? regulation was an anomaly. Before Lamoriello answers those questions, he needs to see his team Or so they thought. win a meaningful game. Tuesday is their last chance for a while.

‘We poked the bear’ The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020

If the Isles had done what they needed to in closing out a three-goal lead entering the third, Devon Toews doing the bird after his goal to make it 4- 1 – a mocking gesture of Evgeni Kuznetsov’s goal celebration – would have been filed away by the Caps for the next meeting.

Instead the Caps used it to help fuel a third-period comeback and make Thursday’s loss seem like a distant memory. Ovechkin said his team was “pissed off,” though he didn’t specify that it was Toews – the second-year defenseman whose mild manner is usually evident – who made the Caps mad.

And the Islanders didn’t have to respond with a series of incredibly soft plays that led to their lead evaporating and the Caps to get the win on Jakub Vrana’s goal with 2:30 left in the third. Josh Bailey tried to make a play inside his blue line through Vrana, didn’t, and Semyon Varlamov wasn’t set for Vrana’s stick-side wrister.

“You’ve got enough to win — that’s the wrong mindset for the way we’re built,” Trotz said. “It was a little bit immature on our part. Last year we 1172089 New York Islanders later Future Considerations, there were a number of players I fought for behind the scenes in the years prior, but I fought hard for Salo, who landed at No. 34 on FC’s final ranking that year but fell to No. 46 in the draft. That was also the draft class where my work began entering the Wheeler’s 2020 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 24 New York Islanders public sphere a little more as I transitioned to my role at The Athletic full- time, so I was able to vocalize it a little more. Salo was among the

players I really believed in that year, alongside Timothy Liljegren, Gabe By Scott Wheeler Jan 20, 2020 Vilardi, Juuso Valimaki, Eeli Tolvanen and Sebastian Aho. That hasn’t really changed, frankly. Though his skating has always been a bit of a concern, I think he manages it extremely well by playing an efficient game, taking smart routes and moving the puck effectively. The result is Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2020 rankings of every NHL organization’s the ability to play huge all-situations minutes (he has been playing prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on between 25-30 minutes a night recently and averages more than 23 on the criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 31 to No. 1. The the year). Despite poor on-ice luck and shooting percentages, he has series, which includes evaluations and commentary from coaches and also taken a step forward offensively this year, hovering around 10th staff on more than 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 13 to Feb. 11. among all Liiga defencemen in scoring. The Islanders were among a handful of the teams I struggled to rank 4. Otto Koivula, C/LW, 21 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) because on pure talent, if their top prospects live up to their ceilings, it’s a pretty strong group. But it’s also a group that’s filled with players whose Despite Koivula’s recent, well-deserved promotion, I decided to include floors are as low as their ceilings are high. As an organization, the him here for a couple of reasons. The first is that he only just turned 21 in Islanders have a plethora of prospects who routinely underperform their the fall. The second is that I don’t think he’s in the lock-to-stay-in-the-NHL raw talent. phase of his development yet. Koivula’s huge and that size (roughly 225 pounds these days) slows him down, creating a heavy, lumbering stride. From my own constant self-assessment, I have had to contend with the Everything else about his game is impressive considering he’s 6-foot-4, fact that I was probably too high on a number of the Islanders prospects though. Though he’s not the type to drive a line or generate a ton of when they were drafted. shots on goal, he does have good finishing touch, which has typically Today, it’s a boom or bust group. I’d listen to an argument that has their helped him score at a higher shooting percentage than the average. He pool a couple of spots higher and I’d certainly listen to arguments that also uses his size effectively and makes just enough plays to look like he has them a couple of slots lower, too. might have middle-six, contributing upside rather than bottom-six, depth upside. Temper your expectations, don’t look for him to be the kind of 1. Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, 19 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) player who can play on PP1 and you’ll probably be happy with his ability Remember when I said I was probably too high on a couple Islanders to impact a game in other ways. If he can find ways to keep up, he’ll be a prospects? Yeah. Having Wahlstrom at No. 5 in my final top 100 ranking good player. at The Athletic for the 2018 class was definitely too high. And though I 5. Mitch Vande Sompel, LHD, 22 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) felt he was in a tier that ran as low as eighth or ninth overall for the year, even that was too high. When you watch Wahlstrom play, there’s no Had Vande Sompel not crashed into the net in training camp, which denying the raw skill. He can hang onto the puck through traffic, he’s sidelined him for the season, I believe he would have worked his way into strong on the puck, he’s got an excellent release and when there are NHL games this year. He was always on the smaller side growing up but tough plays available through seams he’s confident enough to try them he added a lot of muscle in the last couple of seasons, he became a and talented enough to execute. I have learned to doubt a couple of strong player along the wall and there is no questioning his skating (both things about his game in the year and a half since he was drafted, from a standstill and once he gets moving), his ability with the puck as a though. The first is his skating. In his draft year, I felt like it was strong handler and exit/entry wizard or his shot, which has always been more of enough to translate to the pro level and that if he picked up a stride or a weapon than his passing ability because he really looks to create for two that he would be an above average skater. That hasn’t happened yet himself. Though I believed he had second pairing, second power play and his speed has plateaued, making everything else a little harder for upside at the next level, that’s now murky. He turns 23 next month and him. He also doesn’t process the game at a high level. For me, that he’ll likely have to start next year in the AHL to show the organization he means he’s slow to read and react off the puck, his playmaking with the hasn’t lost a step. puck slows down to the point where he gets caught standing around with 6. Ruslan Iskhakov, C/LW/RW, 19 (University of ) no options and he struggles to make an impact at levels where he can’t have the puck all the time. I’m not sure where that leaves him. If he can Iskhakov joins a long list of Islanders wild cards in that it’s really tough for learn to play faster, he’s got enough talent to be an impact guy. If he 5-foot-8, 152-pound forwards to make it and yet every time I watch him doesn’t, you’re probably looking at a middle-six winger who can help out play I can’t convince myself he’s not good enough to take the steps on the power play but doesn’t give you the kind of punch you’d hoped for needed to get there. While he’s a natural centre (a position he still plays out of an 11th overall pick. The good news is he’s still young and he’s got in college), he’s probably a winger at the next level. And though he hasn’t time to figure it all out. taken a major step forward as a sophomore, I believe he’ll get there and he’s already an excellent college player as a teenager (he has a late July 2. Bode Wilde, RHD, 19 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) birthday). He’s a lot of fun to watch, the kind of player who can break a Wilde is a defender most scouts have always had a bit of a tough time defender’s ankles with a lateral cut or some deft stickhandling, but can evaluating. From a tools perspective, he’s got everything you look for in a also stop up when they back off him and make a tough cross-ice pass. right-shot defenceman. He’s big (now up to 6-foot-4 and 201 pounds I’m also quite high on his skating, which is light and fluid while also according to the Sound Tigers), he can really skate north-south for his offering quick bursts from a standstill and the ability to change pace and size, he’s got a hard shot capable of cleanly beating goalies, he’s direction. There are times when he tries to do too much or over-passes physical in man-on-man battles and he has excellent hands for his size, and his shot isn’t all that dangerous due to a lack of strength, but he does with an outside-in move that can create high-danger chances for himself a good job avoiding checks and you’re comfortable with the odd turnover and lose defenders. It’s the stuff that’s harder to see that holds Wilde when he also has the ability to break open a game. back: Things like his decision-making with the puck, his choices on when 7. Kieffer Bellows, LW, 21 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) to pinch or commit to a hit without it and his awareness. Some defencemen can perform of instincts and convince their coaches to give In hindsight, Bellows is another player I was too high on his draft year, them a long leash because the rewards outweigh the risks. Some can’t. believing he was picked right around where he should have been. He’s a Wilde walks that tightrope and has to either adjust the way he plays or player I’ve written about pretty extensively in the past as a good case earn the trust of his coaches and get a little lucky. I believe he’s talented study in reasons not to put a premium on goals. We talk a lot about the enough to make the latter happen and that his upside is dynamic if he idea that scoring goals is the hardest thing to do and that leads to a lot of can put it all together. mistakes on prospects whose ability to shoot separated them at lower levels, even if they lacked the other required skills to be successful in the 3. Robin Salo, LHD, 21 (SaiPa) NHL. Though Bellows has bounced back reasonably well from a bad Salo was one of the first players I ever really stuck my neck on the line rookie season (which followed a bad freshman year of college two years for. When I started scouting the NHL draft with McKeen’s Hockey and prior), his ability to do more than shoot is still a major concern. He’ll need linemates who get him the puck at the NHL level but there’s still a with good players, he’s got enough skill to get open as a shooter and complementary winger who can help a power play in there somewhere. help get them pucks as a passer. He has been a lot of fun to watch on another strong UND team this year, where he’s on the puck a lot and 8. Simon Holmstrom, RW, 18 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) driving possession even when he’s not scoring. His challenge, as it has Holmstrom is going through a stage in his development that very few always been, is going to be whether or not that talent can overcome how players have ever experienced: He’s playing in the AHL at 18. That small he is (5-foot-9). Opportunity will be key, too, because he’s a makes him hard to assess from a statistical/context perspective, but it middle-six or bust kind of talent. also presents challenges when you watch him play, too, because frankly 14. David Quenneville, RHD, 21 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) it’s hard! His skating and puck control are the first things that leap out about his game. Holmstrom is able to quickly adjust speeds and “Don’t stop believin’. Hold on to that feelin’ – Journey” – Scott Wheeler accelerate in and out of holes, both with and without the puck. And though he has a tendency to end up on the outside, he does a good job I really liked Quenneville. I really did. I knew he was a long shot but I putting pucks to the interior, whether that’s with a stop-up and a quick believed he had a chance. He can rip the puck, he can delay with the pass below the goal line or a centring play off the rush. He can run the puck to create seams, he can run a power play, he’s strong on his feet flank on the power play or rotate behind the net. Though he doesn’t have for 5-foot-8 and he’s physical. He just can’t defend, at least not at the pro a heavy shot, per se, he can also finish plays when he does get to the level. And it’s less about his size than it is about his skating never getting slot. Mix in decent pro size and a fine two-way game and there’s reason to where it needed to get to. Whew, he was fun to watch in junior, to be optimistic he might turn into something in two or three years. though.

9. Reece Newkirk, C, 18 () 15. Jacob Pivonka, C, 19 (University of Notre Dame)

I was higher on Newkirk last year than where he was picked (I had him You don’t often see players fourth line their way to the NHL anymore. 70th and he was selected 147th) while still not being super high on him. There are very few present-day examples of NHL players who were He plays fast and hard but he’s not a natural scorer and his playmaking always depth players growing up, never really the star on any team. Can doesn’t produce sequences that really grab you. Still, though, there are work ethic, detail off the puck, a knack for winning battles with strength occasionally players who are just good enough at everything to make the and smart routes and good instincts propel someone into the NHL? transition to pro work for them. Newkirk is that type of player. He’s not Pivonka is a worthwhile case study. I don’t think there’s enough skill going to be a dominant, dynamic offensive threat but he can create, he’s there for it to translate but he’s already an effective checker at the college having a good year, he still hasn’t turned 19 yet, he’s physical for his size level and he’s got more than two years to continue to build on that. and he’s got pro-level skating. 16. Felix Bibeau, C, 20 (Chicoutimi Saguenéens)

10. Samuel Bolduc, LHD, 19 (Sherbrooke Phoenix) I watched Bibeau play live twice this season on a trip to and I felt like the second round was a little high for Bolduc last year (he he was the best player on the ice — by a wide margin — in both games, landed at No. 85 on my final list) but he’s a mobile 6-foot-4 defender who showing impressive speed off the rush, strong net drive, standout puck impressed on a bad team, showed he could handle tough competition control skill on cuts and excellent intuition without the puck. But his and demonstrated some intriguing offensive qualities. He’s got a heavy numbers have never popped in the same way and he’s 20, so there’s shot (both with a windup and without), which he does a good job putting little reason he shouldn’t be making things happen in a first-line role. through seams and keeping low, even if he has a tendency to have it 17. Blade Jenkins, C/LW, 19 (Saginaw Spirit) blocked or miss the net. His four-way skating ability helps him take advantage of his length defensively, both in boxing out the wall and in I really liked what I saw in Jenkins in his draft year. He could shoot in closing in on gaps or seam passes. Though I’d like to see him slow down motion, he found soft spots in the offensive zone to get open in, he the game and look for lanes from the point as a passer more often (he played a give-and-go game effectively, he was responsible in his own has decent hands, which he could stand to use more), his offence has zone and careful not to turn the puck over in theirs and he had pro size. begun to flourish a little more since his trade to the contending Phoenix. But his skating was meh and the rest of his skills haven’t progressed like For a while, I felt like he had third-pairing upside. Starting to think he may you’d hope, so now he’s a long shot at best. have a little more than that in him, though it’s still a long road and he’s The Tiers not going to be a power play guy. Each of my prospect pool rankings will be broken down into team-specific 11. Cole Coskey, RW, 20 (Saginaw Spirit) tiers in order to give you a better sense of the talent proximity from one It’s been a bit of a coming-out party for Coskey this year. Some of that player to the next (a gap which is sometimes minute and in other cases should prompt questions about how much of his sudden offensive punch quite pronounced). is driven by his age, but there has also been a steady progression in his The interesting thing about the way the Islanders tiers played out is just game. Today, he’s intriguing at the very least and interesting at most. I’ve how wide those bottom two groups are. That speaks to two things: the always liked his ability to get to the net, finish off plays and use his shot fact that they have decent depth and the fact that few of those depth (his biggest weapon, it’s NHL level) to pick his spots. I’ve always disliked players have separated themselves from the pack. If you’re a glass-half- his skating (both from a standstill and at full speed), his general fitness full type, there’s value in numbers. If you’re the glass-half-empty type, level (he can fade in games) and his playmaking. The former is always there are a lot of players, even those at the very top, with some serious going to be a challenge and likely limits his NHL upside, if there is any. question marks. The latter has improved. He’s done a much better job surveying the ice and using the attention he gets as a shooter to surprise defenders with a The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 seam pass.

12. Arnaud Durandeau, LW, 21 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers)

Durandeau has tweener written all over him; he progresses every year but has never really taken leaps. And you’ve got to take leaps to go from very good junior player to more than very good AHL player. He’s having a good first year of pro, though. After a quick stint in the ECHL, he has fit in well with the Sound Tigers. He plays a simple game, designed to get pucks on net and create chances for himself. I worry he doesn’t have the on-puck awareness needed to make his linemates better, though.

13. Collin Adams, LW, 21 (University of North Dakota)

Sometimes, role and opportunity can dictate outcomes more than skill and talent. That was the case for Adams, an obviously skilled playmaker who dominated the USHL but landed on a deep UND team as a freshman and a sophomore. Though the team was weaker offensively last season and you would have liked to see more out of him, he has really started to demonstrate more of that flair as a junior. When he plays 1172090 New York Rangers

Henrik Lundqvist finding way to contribute even from Rangers bench

By Larry Brooks January 21, 2020 | 12:09am

For the sixth time in seven games since the Jan. 3 promotion of Igor Shesterkin from the AHL, Henrik Lundqvist will not start, instead backing up Alex Georgiev against the Islanders on Tuesday at the Garden.

It will mark the sixth time in that span that Lundqvist will have backed up, whereas Georgiev has backed up only when the Swede started in St. Louis on Jan. 11. Shesterkin has yet to assume that role.

That is not by happenstance.

“He’s a guy who carries a lot of weight in that locker room. I want him around, and I want him to be part of the game,” Rangers coach David Quinn said of Lundqvist. “And he wants to be. These are [some of] the things we’ve talked about.”

With the Blueshirts off until Jan. 31 following Tuesday’s game, management may send Shesterkin to AHL Hartford so he can get some work during the break, just as the club did last season with Georgiev. The Wolf Pack are at home on Friday and Saturday. Plus, though no firm decision has been made, Shesterkin is expected to play in the AHL All- Star Game in Ontario, Calif., on Monday.

Artemi Panarin, who had perhaps his most ordinary game of the year in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Columbus, did not practice Monday, his absence called “a maintenance day” by the Rangers. The winger, who is expected to play against the Islanders, had left Saturday’s practice early with what then was called by Quinn, “a little upper-body thing … maintenance.”

Pavel Buchnevich, who was demoted from the top line to the fourth in a switch with Brendan Lemieux during Sunday’s third period, practiced in Panarin’s spot on the second unit with Ryan Strome and Jesper Fast while Lemieux remained with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.

Quinn said that he is unsure of where Buchnevich, who has been dealing with the flu, will line up on Tuesday. He finished the game against the Jackets on the line with Brendan Smith and Greg McKegg, the latter perhaps the team’s most effective forward on Sunday.

“[Buchnevich] didn’t practice for a full week, but he played games and I really liked his effort on the Island,” the coach said of the slumping winger, who has recorded one goal in his past 13 games and two in his past 23. “I thought he did a really good job, so I give him a lot of credit for that.

“He had a tough night [against Columbus], and he’s probably still probably feeling a little from it. Obviously he’s not getting what he wants from an offensive perspective. He’s not being productive offensively to the level we know he’s capable of and he knows and wants to be.

“Having said that, he’s getting chances, so … he’s a big piece of the puzzle here so we’ve got to keep with him and he’s got to continue to do the things he does when he doesn’t score,” Quinn said. “I thought he did a good job of that in the two games [last week] against the Islanders where maybe he didn’t produce offensively but was an effective player.”

The Blueshirts enter Tuesday’s contest 23-20-4 for 50 points in 47 games. They went into the break last year at 21-20-7 for 49 points in 48 games. … The Rangers, up 2-0 with this game and the Feb. 25 one at the Coliseum remaining against the Islanders, have not won the season series between the clubs since 2013-14.

New York Post LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172091 New York Rangers That was a reference to Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov, the Russian winger who was the 2018 second-overall selection in the draft. Svechnikov had 12 goals and 22 points in 50 games entering the Canes’ bye period as compared to Kakko’s seven goals and nine assists in 43 Kaapo Kakko taking perfect break from Rangers’ grind contests. Svechnikov finished his rookie season with 20 goals and 37 points.

“It was really in the last two months when he kind of turned the page and By Larry Brooks January 20, 2020 | 11:11PM became the player that he is today,” Quinn said “The more you tell a guy that, I think they start believing it, but I don’t think they believe it out of the gate.” Just about all of the Rangers will head to much warmer climes when the club’s bye period begins following Tuesday’s Garden So one more game before the break. One more game for Kakko before showdown/throwdown against the Islanders in a match of some fair he gets to taste some home cooking. One more game for the Rangers, early-winter significance. who dropped Sunday’s to the Jackets in brutal fashion, allowing the 2-1 losing goal at 19:35 of the third period on a three-on-two rush that began But not Kaapo Kakko. below the Columbus goal line.

He will be en route to someplace better. “We can’t let last night get in the way of tomorrow night,” Quinn said Monday. “We can’t let the last minute of last night’s game cost us two Home. hockey games.” To Finland. New York Post LOADED: 01.21.2020 “It will be so good for me,” the 18-year-old freshman told The Post following Monday’s practice. “I have the chance to be with my family and my friends. It has been some time.”

Kakko has not been home since the summer. He has not seen his parents since they traveled here for the season opener and their son’s NHL debut.

“I FaceTime with my family and friends, but it will be good to be home,” Kakko said. “It will be good to get [this break] and then come back and be better.”

Kakko’s season has not gone quite as planned. The winger has scored a total of seven goals, with one in 27 games over the past two months. Overheated summer projections seem to have overlooked the fact that the second-overall draft pick was, and is, a teenager living in an adult world, and on the other side of the world.

Kaapo KakkoAnthony J. Causi

David Quinn said “I do” faster than Sean Avery could get those words out of his mouth at his wedding ceremony with Hilary Rhoda when the coach was asked whether he thought the break is coming at the right time for Kakko.

“As we’ve all touched on, there have been a lot of challenges for him, not only hockey-wise but life-wise for 18-year-olds,” Quinn said. “He’s had his ups and downs, but he had a big smile on his face today when we talked about the break. I thought he had a really good practice.”

When the Rangers seek their third straight victory within nine days over an Islanders team whose hold on a playoff spot has become tenuous after having won just one of the past six (1-3-2) and five of the past 15 (5- 7-3) games, Kakko will line up on the right side of a line with 21-year-old Brett Howden on the left and 20-year-old Filip Chytil in the middle.

The youngsters have been together for 10 games, since Quinn united them in Toronto on Dec. 28. Even if the numbers haven’t exactly dazzled (46.3 percent possession, 40.9 percent shot share, 39.5 percent xGF and two goals scored and five against in 82:52 of five-on-five time as a unit), the kids have formed a bond with each other. Sometimes, it is about small steps.

Sometimes it is about kids helping their contemporaries.

“Fil’s been a help to him, and I know Howden’s been a help to him,” Quinn said. “It can’t always come from the coaches. It has to come from the players themselves, and I think those guys have done a good job with him.”

Kakko still won’t use his age and inexperience as crutches. He still heaps immense pressure on himself and expects more from himself. Still, he recognizes that the NHL is not Liga, the Finnish league where he established himself as a top-two selection.

“I think he does [recognize that],” Quinn said. “He and I have talked. This is all new to him. He’s never been on a third line. He’s always been the top guy. He’s always been the guy who’s scored. You know, it’s taken some time for him to realize that doesn’t happen, and I always use Svechnikov as an example to him.” 1172092 New York Rangers He doesn't seem to be in jeopardy of losing his spot over his late-game mistake, but what will happen with Buchnevich remains to be seen.

The 24-year-old has played consistently with Mika Zibanejad and Chris What's next for NY Rangers' Ryan Strome and Pavel Buchnevich after Kreider, but Brendan Lemieux — who returned to action Sunday after 'tough night'? missing three weeks with a fractured left hand — replaced Buchnevich on that line during the Columbus game and for Monday's practice.

When asked if that's the plan for Tuesday against the Islanders, Quinn Vincent Z. Mercogliano, NHL writer Published 6:30 p.m. ET Jan. 20, said, "Not sure yet." 2020 | Updated 6:43 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2020 "Obviously, with (Lemieux) back in the lineup, things do move a little bit," he said.

TARRYTOWN - Ryan Strome has woken up many times this season Pavel Buchnevich #89 of the New York Rangers looses his edge against feeling positive vibes from the night before, but Monday was not one of during the second period the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square those mornings. Garden on Jan. 9, 2020 in New York City.

The New York Rangers' second-line center is in the midst of a breakout The second line with Panarin, Strome and Jesper Fast, as well as the season, but a costly mistake — a poorly-timed line change late in third with Brett Howden, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko, are unlikely to Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets — resulted in the change. decisive goal. The main question is whether Quinn will put Lemieux up on the first line "Not every day is going to be a good day," Strome said following and drop Buchnevich to the fourth with Greg McKegg and Brendan Monday's practice at the MSG Training Center. "This game will definitely Smith, or give Buchnevich another shot. humble you sometimes." "He’s a big piece of the puzzle here for us," Quinn said of Buchnevich. Rather than make sure the Rangers had successfully cleared the puck, "When you have some chances and you don't score, it gets in your head. Strome turned his back to the play as he exited the ice with about 30 Not just him — I think it’s what happens to guys that are offensively seconds left in regulation. As he was approaching the bench, the Blue gifted. I think that might be part of the issue, as well." Jackets were penetrating the neutral zone. Alex Georgiev to start in goal Moments later, with 26.5 seconds left in a tie game, Oliver Bjorkstrand scored the winning goal for Columbus. For the third time in four games, Alexandar Georgiev will be the Rangers' starting goaltender. "The only thing I think I would really do differently is just double check — just check (over) my shoulder," Strome said. "I have to make a better It'll also be his third consecutive start against the Islanders after he read. That play probably happens a lot in the game and we don't get helped beat the Rangers' top rival twice last week. burned, and then it does. I would have loved to have a little more of a In five career appearances against the Isles, Georgiev is 4-1 with a 1.40 heads-up and check my shoulder and probably just ride (Nick Foligno) goals against average and a .955 save percentage. down to the goal line and allow the 'D' to slide over and take care of that. But I didn't look. I was tired and just trying to get off." With rookie Igor Shesterkin starting Sunday against Columbus and a lengthy break set to follow Tuesday's game, veteran Henrik Lundqvist will BAR DOWN FOR THE WIN pic.twitter.com/MxvnkHIctW go at least 20 days in between starts. — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 20, 2020 He started a 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 11 and his next Strome probably wasn't the only player who woke up feeling lousy. opportunity won't come until Jan. 31 against the Detroit Red Wings. If he doesn't start that game, Lundqvist will have only started two games in the Forward Pavel Buchnevich, who has just one goal and four points in his month of January. last 13 games, didn't muster a shot on goal and was dropped from the first line all the way to the fourth for the final period. Lundqvist, however, continues to dress as the backup goalie. Shesterkin and Georgiev have been the healthy scratches, depending on who's "Here’s a guy who didn’t practice and is battling the flu, so I give him a lot starting each game. of credit for that," Rangers coach David Quinn said. "He had a tough night last night. I think he’s still probably feeling a little bit from it. Quinn explained why he values having Lundqvist on the bench. Obviously, he's not getting what he wants from an offensive perspective." "Listen, he’s a guy that carries a lot of weight in that locker room," he POSTGAME ANALYSIS: Late goal leads to crushing defeat for Rangers said. "I want him around. I want him part of the game — and he wants to be. That’s one of the things we’ve talked about." IGOR SHESTERKIN: Rookie goalie to start 'as big as any game we’ve played' Bergen Record LOADED: 01.21.2020

The loss left the Rangers reeling.

Prior to the game, Quinn labeled it "as big as any game we’ve played," which added to the stinging defeat. It left the Rangers nine points behind the Blue Jackets for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference entering play Monday, with four other teams sitting between them and Columbus.

The Blueshirts have only one more game — they'll host the Islanders at 7 p.m. Tuesday — before a 10-day break for the all-star game and their bye week. They could quickly erase the bitter taste from Sunday, or allow it to fester with a second consecutive loss.

"We’ve moved on from last night," Quinn said Monday. "Obviously, we need to learn from what happened last night — but we need to move past it as quickly as possible. We can’t let the last minute of last night’s game cost us two hockey games."

Lineup changes?

Strome ranks second on the team with 42 points (12 goals and 30 assists) through 47 games and has thrived while playing on the same line with leading-scorer Artemi Panarin. 1172093 New York Rangers

Rangers need to forget loss to Columbus and focus on Islanders, David Quinn says

By Colin Stephenson

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The sun came out Monday after a devastating last-minute loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night that badly damaged the Rangers in their attempt to make the playoffs.

Coach David Quinn’s message to his troops at practice Monday was to look ahead to the next game, Tuesday against the Islanders, and forget that crushing goal by Oliver Bjorkstrand with 26.5 seconds left in regulation that dealt the Rangers a 2-1 loss Sunday.

“We’ve moved on from last night,’’ Quinn said. “We’ve got a big game tomorrow night and we need to learn from what happened last night, but we need to move past it as quickly as possible.

“We’ve played good hockey in the last few weeks here, and we can’t let last night get in the way of tomorrow night,’’ Quinn said. “We can’t let the last minute of last night’s game cost us two hockey games.’’

And yet, Ryan Strome had to admit, the loss to Columbus was pretty damaging. The Blue Jackets (60 points in 50 games) and Carolina Hurricanes (59 points in 49 games) currently occupy the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots. The Rangers, who have two games in hand on Carolina and three in hand on Columbus, have 50 points, and they could have gotten closer.

The Rangers had won four of five before the loss, but, Strome said, “It feels like we’ve been winning and you kind of don’t really go anywhere.’’

Strome took responsibility for the bad line change that led to the winning goal. He vacated the middle of the ice when he headed to the bench. That allowed Columbus’ Pierre-Luc Dubois to skate up the middle unchecked on a three-on-two break. Dubois passed to Bjorkstrand, who scored against goaltender Igor Shesterkin.

“I have to make a better read, I think,’’ Strome said of the play. “You know, that play probably happens a lot in a game and we don’t get burned. I didn’t look. I was tired, just trying to get off.’’

The loss puts more pressure on the Rangers to beat the Islanders — for the third time in a nine-day period — to go into the break feeling good. If they lose, it will be a long wait for the next game. Because of the NHL All- Star break, they don’t play again until Jan. 31.

“Guys are going to head off to wherever they’re going to go, and you’re going to have to think about this game for a long time,’’ said Strome, a former Islander. “We know they’re going to come with a really good effort. They definitely aren’t going to be happy with the result last two games [both of which were Rangers wins], so we know what it takes. It’s going to be a playoff atmosphere out there and we’ve got to be ready to go.’’

Notes & quotes: Alexandar Georgiev will start in goal. He started both games against the Islanders last week and owns a 4-1 career record in five appearances (four starts) against the Islanders, with a 1.40 goals- against average, one shutout and a .955 save percentage . . . Artemi Panarin, who left practice early on Saturday with what Quinn called “an upper-body thing,’’ did not practice Monday for what Quinn said were “maintenance’’ reasons.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172094 Ottawa Senators Listen, sometimes we have to revisit history and where we were at that specific time (when trading for Duchene). Anyone who was going to trade for Matt Duchene was going to have to give up a first round pick. There’s no doubt about that. …If you look back at that point in time, we were LeBrun: Q&A with Pierre Dorion on rebuilding the Senators, pending UFA fairly up on the standings, we had just gone to the conference finals, so signings and Bryan Murray’s legacy we said, ‘Why don’t we make a push for it.’ By the end of that year, we saw that we weren’t headed in the direction that we wanted to. And that’s

when I remember sitting down with Eugene (Melnyk) and saying, ‘If we By Pierre LeBrun Jan 20, 2020 want to have a team that’s going to have a lot of success for years to come, we’re going to have to rebuild through he draft properly.’ So we knew when we had the opportunity to take a player of Brady Tkachuk’s calibre that we couldn’t pass up on him. And we knew the following year It’s safe to say Pierre Dorion has seen a bit of everything just three years there would be a few impact guys. But adding Brady to our lineup a year into his term at the helm of the Ottawa Senators. early we felt he could play in the NHL at that point in time after just one Named general manager in April 2016, a trip to the Eastern Conference year in college, and we felt it would be more beneficial for us in our final in that first year earned Dorion a nomination as NHL GM of the year. rebuild adding that type of power forward and character — even though there was a chance we’d be passing up on a player the following the But then came turbulent waters, which culminated in the dismantling of year. But the one thing I give so much credit to Gary Bettman about is the club after a very disappointing 2017-18 season: The Matt Duchene putting in this lottery system. So teams can’t tank. Because no matter if blockbuster trade, which didn’t turn out well; the eventual, dramatic you finish in 31st place, there’s still a chance you won’t get the first pick trades of Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone last year; and a rebuilding in the draft. It’s just upped the compete level. It’s the right way to play the process that’s well under way now. game and it’s the right thing for the game.

It’s a lot to take on early as a GM, but now Dorion can look forward to two So that weighed in your decision to keep the pick and give Colorado the high first-round picks in June as the rebuild continues. pick the following year, the fact that even if you guys ended up having a In his 13th season with the Senators organization, Dorion worked his way tough year, the math suggested it wouldn’t guarantee Colorado the first up from chief amateur scout to director of player personnel to assistant overall pick? GM before succeeding the late Bryan Murray as GM. Exactly. And when we looked at it, we couldn’t pass up on the player, we I sat down Friday afternoon with Dorion for the latest in my series of Q&A had 2-3 guys and we had a pretty good inkling of what was going to interviews with NHL GMs. happen in the first three picks ahead of us. So we felt we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a player like Brady. You were at the Top Prospects Game on Thursday night in Hamilton. With the potential of two high picks in the June draft, and your scouting I’m not going to lie, I thought you guys made the wrong decision at the background, how hands-on do you plan on being given how important time in terms of keeping the pick. But now in seeing Brady Tkachuk and this draft is to the team? his impact, I’m able to admit when I’m wrong. But I remember saying at the time that it was a huge risk to keep the pick. This is definitely a big draft. I will definitely be scouting more than I have probably in the last year or so. But at the same time, I feel we’ve got And you know what? That’s a lot of credit to our scouting staff. That year, great people here. We’ve hired great people who are the top of their I knew the top 10 to 12 in the draft like the back of my hand. You know fields as far as scouting, a guy like Trent Mann who is our chief amateur what? There was no doubt as a group we felt comfortable taking Brady. scout. I’m there to help him out. Obviously I will have the final decision, Our scouts felt like that. I felt like that. I think I saw Brady nine times that but when you have such a quality chief amateur scout like Trent Mann, year between the summer camp, the world juniors, (Boston University), you work with him. That’s a lesson I learned from Bryan Murray. Bryan we just felt to add a player like that … power forwards are tough to find. always let me run every draft that we had. Of course, the one year we Power forwards with character and talent are even tougher to find. We took (Mika) Zibanejad he came and saw some of the guys with me. But just felt it was the right pick for us. at the end of the day, he let me make the call. And it’s going to be that Now, had Montreal taken Brady Tkachuk at No. 3, do you remember who way with Trent. you were ready to take next in that case?

You have the two picks and we won’t know until later in the year how Those are hypothetical questions. We had a very good idea who we they end up spaced, but are you a believer in best player available or would have taken at No. 4. But I’ll keep that for ourselves. positional need? (Laughing) Well, I tried. Especially when you are going to take at the top of the draft like we probably will, at least with our pick, we have to take the best player (Laughing) I love it. available. The player that can help us to win the most hockey games. Listen, you mentioned Bryan Murray earlier on. Every now and then I find You might look at who’s a bit more physically ready or mentally ready, myself thinking about Bryan. There are few people that I enjoyed but at the same time, you have to look at the whole package and who will covering more in my career that cracked me up so much and taught me help us win the most games within a span of two to three years is the guy so much about the game. Do you find yourself thinking the same thing we’re going to take. sometimes, or saying to yourself `I wonder what Bryan would do now?’ How critical would you say this draft is for this franchise? When you There’s a lot of times when I say to myself, ‘I wonder how Bryan would consider how public the rebuild announcement was, you’re already handle this situation.’ How did Bryan handle this past situation, you seeing some of the seeds of it (in the AHL with Belleville), but these two know? Whether it’s dealing with referees which he adored (chuckles), I’m picks, how would put that into context as far as the importance? being sarcastic. But how he managed his staff. The job of being GM, I I think these two picks are crucial for us. We’re headed in the right always say the three people you talk the most to, and I’m not afraid to direction, but to help us continue our path in doing a proper rebuild, these admit it, the three people I talk the most to is my boss/my owner, and I two picks are crucial. But I would also say, our first six picks, depending if have a direct line to him, Eugene Melnyk. And the coach, and the third anything changes, the three second-rounders and the early third-rounder, person you talk to a lot, is your head of PR. As a general manager, these will all be elements that will help us, I wouldn’t say accelerate the rebuild are the three people you talk to the most on a daily basis. And it’s always because we have to make sure we develop our players properly, but at how Bryan handled this situation. But what was so great about Bryan the same time just adding pieces and quality pieces to the rebuild. And was that nothing really fazed him. Bryan had seen everything. He had everyone knows the first round is very deep, but we feel that the first 65- such vast knowledge and experience that he knew how to handle every 70 players, you’re going to get all NHL players in there. situation. I’m not going to lie to you — I dearly missed him — I dearly missed him when we started this rebuild. Not just for his experience but You guys took a lot of criticism for losing what became a lottery pick in just for the daily conversations that we had. One of the things that the Matt Duchene trade, and in a very short time span you end up with probably people don’t know is that Bryan and I, when I was in the office, San Jose’s top pick in almost a similar situation. I don’t know if you’d say we went to lunch every day. Those life lessons that I learned from him karma, but it’s worked out as far as getting that kind of pick back? were some of the best experiences, I gained so much from just the casual conversations. I was thinking I would ask you this because with Ray Shero’s firing Yeah, and I think that’s a great question, Pierre. What’s happened in recently, there’s been a lot of talk around ‘managing up.’ I’ve never Belleville the last year is that our playoffs pretty much started in the heard the term ‘managing up’ more than now — it seems to be on almost second half of the year. We had a great second half where we went from every team now. I wanted to know how your relationship has grown or last place to two points from making the playoffs. And it was great, changed with Eugene Melnyk since you took over? valuable experience for the young players down there. Now this year, we’ve brought up players — and I’ve talked about this that we didn’t want Well, all I can tell you is, I can’t speak to how other teams work, more to bring them up for just one game and then send them back down — and more now the general manager or the president of hockey ops will we’re giving guys extended games in the NHL and we’ve done that on report directly to the owner. That’s in most cases now, I think, around the purpose. Guys like Erik Brannstrom and Logan Brown, where they NHL. And our situation, I think our relationship has evolved. I’ve got the weren’t here for two games, we wanted to give them 20 games so they utmost respect for him. I think he understands what we’re trying to do could see what the NHL is about. Not just at the start of the year but here. Eugene asks a lot of questions, my job is to give him answers and through the course of the season. But you have to find the right mix. update him on where our rebuild is going. But the one thing is, and I have Every player is different as far as their development. At certain points in the example when we signed Thomas Chabot, I’ve got the upmost time, we’ve got some future stars in Belleville if you look at a guy like support from him. And that has been key in us going in the right direction, (Josh) Norris, (Alex) Formenton, but we have to make sure we don’t ruin whether it’s to hire D.J. Smith, or to sometimes to make unpopular trades their development. The way they’ve played, they deserve (NHL) games. that I pulled the trigger on, I get the upmost support from him. But at the same time, we have to make sure we continue to develop You mentioned Thomas Chabot. How important was it for you to get them well. If we make the playoffs in Belleville with I think the second or ahead of that in the sense that the summer of 2019 was the summer of third-youngest team in the American Hockey League, I think that’s a step reckoning as far as second contracts around the NHL, and you got your in the right direction but it won’t be the end of the world if we don’t make big one (eight years, $64 million) done a year ahead of time? it. As long as they continue growing. I think winning together as a group is very beneficial for the organization long-term. And that’s where we But that was always part of the plan that we try to sign Thomas, one of have to be careful. At the same time, I think you have to dangle that the good, young core pieces, if we could before the season started. Our carrot to say, `You’ve done really good, you’ve done everything we’ve goal here was always to try and get it done before we played our first asked of you in Belleville so we should reward you with some NHL game in October. It takes two parties to get a contract done and that’s games.’ where (agents) Ian Pulver and Dom DeBlois, myself and Peter (MacTavish, Sens AGM), we really worked hard at this through the Last question, Pierre, I try to remember to ask GMs this for this series: summer to make sure we can get something done before the season which book most influenced you? started so there would be no distractions for Thomas. In doing something There’s a few really good books that I’ve read. But you know what? I like that, it showed our fans but it also showed our players, everyone in don’t like to tell people what I’ve read because sometimes they go and the community, that Thomas was committed to being part of this rebuild read it and they can get the edge on you (laughs) or they know how and hopefully lead us to lots of success here. you’re thinking. But I’ve got to tell you, in the last two years there’s a few Speaking of contracts, you have a number of pending UFAs. The books that have really hit me hard and have made me a better man and Capitals made a delicate decision to re-up Nicklas Backstrom but wait a better general manager. But I’ll keep that for myself. until after the season to deal with Braden Holtby. That’s not an easy thing The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 to do. You’re making a choice there. Similarly, you’re probably going to have to go down he same path in the sense that you probably can’t sign all your UFAs?

Pierre, you got to understand, we’ve got a plan in place. Going forward, we’ve got a plan, we know who our players are. We’re going to be negotiating with some of the guys that we feel we want to have stay here; but at the same time, they want to be here, too. We’re not going to overpay guys just because other teams do it. We’ve got a plan we’re going to follow here. We’ve got to be smart in the short, medium and long term for us to have success as we move along. When it comes to those things, the one deal I’ve had with agents and so far it’s been very good, is that we’ve kept everything out of the public. We do it for many reasons. We do it out of respect for our fans who know that we’re trying to follow this plan, we do it out of respect to the players so they’re not worried about who’s going to be their teammate game after game at the end of the year. If they want to talk amongst themselves when they go for coffee, that’s their choice. But we know that to try to get things done, we’ve got to do things as quietly as possible.

You may disagree with this, Pierre, but to me part of the challenge for you especially with guys like Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mark Borowiecki — and Craig Anderson, too — is that they’ve been there a long time. Having to trade guys like Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone, that was hard, right? What I’m saying is that it adds another layer to it all as far as asking the question, ‘Are we going to keep some of our guys?’

But I think it’s always part of the plan, it just gets back to how I answered the question before, is that yes, but they have a choice to stay here or not. It’s a public fact that we offered pretty good contracts to a lot of people who were pending free agents and some decided that they didn’t want to stay here, they didn’t want to be part of the rebuild where they were in their career. Now some players are different than others, and we have to respect that. But we have a plan going forward, and in future discussions we will know who wants to be here and who doesn’t want to be here.

Post trade deadline, depending on who you trade or don’t trade, but often when teams are rebuilding and selling, there’s room for young kids to finish their season at the NHL level. But on the other hand, Belleville is doing well. So it’s an interesting dilemma for GMs I find as far as weighing where the best place is to be for your kids. 1172095 Ottawa Senators split. In Ottawa, he has allowed marginally better goals against and scoring chances.

But it’s important to stress how small this sample is on both sides. Salvian’s Senators Notebook: Mike Reilly adjusting to Ottawa, Connor It’s going to take more games to truly see what the Senators have in Brown hits 300 and injury updates Reilly and what he can do under Smith’s system. For now, he is doing OK and running with the opportunity he has been given.

By Hailey Salvian Jan 20, 2020 Connor Brown hits 300

On Thursday against the Vegas, Connor Brown played in his 300th career NHL game. Since being acquired by the Ottawa Senators earlier this month, Mike Reilly has been adjusting to life in his new city thanks, in part, to Tyler He had a goal and an assist on the milestone night but said the goal Ennis. wasn’t too meaningful to him.

The two played together for the Minnesota Wild in 2017-18 and now are “You score the second goal and you lose 4-2, it’s not a big goal or roommates in Ottawa. For the time being. anything,” he said. “But 300 games I feel is something to be proud of. I’ve worked hard and will continue to work hard to put together 300 more “I’m working on finding a place to live, but I’m staying with (Ennis) right hopefully and then some.” now,” Reilly said in a recent conversation. “I’ll stay with him until the bye week and then find something.” Since joining the Senators this season in a six-player trade with Toronto, Brown has welcomed an increased role compared with the one he played It’s been just over two weeks since Reilly was acquired by the Senators with the Leafs. He’s also become one of the more reliable two-way in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens. The Jan. 3 trade sent depth players on the team and “one of the best players all year,” Smith said. forward Andrew Sturtz — who has spent time in AHL Belleville and ECHL Brampton — and a 2021 fifth-round pick to Montreal. Reilly is in the first “He’s been very responsible, and I think he is going to be a big part of season of a two-year contract with a $1.5 million cap hit. this going forward,” the coach said. “He works every day, he’s a good professional, and he is going to help with the development of these kids.” Reilly, 26, said it’s been a smooth transition so far. In each game last week (Chicago, Vegas and Calgary), Brown had a “It’s a good group of guys in here,” he said. “A lot of guys that are coming goal and an assist. That is the first time in his career that he has scored into their own and getting an opportunity to play, and I feel like I kind of fit at least two points in three consecutive games. that mold a little bit so it’s good to come and get an opportunity here.” Through 48 games this season, Brown has already passed his goals, Reilly, a left-shot defenceman, is more offensive in nature and in his style points and shot totals from last season in 82 games with Toronto. He is of play. He is a smooth skater and moves the puck up the ice. tied in assists.

As he has gotten more comfortable as a member of the Senators — and, 2018-19: eight goals, 21 assists, 29 points, 85 shots on goal more specifically, started skating with Dylan DeMelo — Reilly has showcased his offensive abilities at even strength and on the power play. 2019-20: 10 goals, 21 assists, 31 points, 113 shots on goal.

Here is just one example of a great heads-up play to get the puck out of He is on pace to pass the career-high 36 points he scored in 2016-17, his the Senators’ zone and into Calgary’s. first full NHL season. And he is 10 goals away from matching the career- high 20 goals he scored that season. After a 4-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, coach D.J. Smith said he thought Reilly was one of the best defencemen on the ice. Bye week, and bye-bye call-ups

“I thought he moved the puck, I thought he jumped, I thought he had With the NHL All-Star festivities starting later this week, the Senators are shots, I thought he looked good on the PP,” he said. “He certainly is on their CBA-mandated bye week. fitting in.” The team won’t be back to practice until Jan. 26, then will play back-to- On Saturday, after a 5-2 win against the Calgary Flames, DeMelo spoke back games against the New Jersey Devils and the Buffalo Sabres. highly about his new defence partner. And while the NHLers get time to relax on the beach, the American “He has great offensive instincts,” he said. “He’s such a good skater, he’s League players and prospects are in the midst of an incredibly long road moving his feet very well, he’s got a lot of confidence with the puck, and I trip. think he is taking this opportunity and trying to run with it. In fact, The Athletic’s Chris Stevenson calculated that Belleville will travel “Our styles are meshing well together, and it’s been a good fit so far.” more than 7,000 kilometres on the trip.

It’s a very small sample, but through seven games with the Senators, The team has been short of players, too, and has frequently played with Reilly has two assists and his statistics have looked marginally better 11 forwards and seven defencemen of late. than in his 14 games with Montreal this season. Let’s take a look (all Thus, the Senators have returned Drake Batherson, Filip Chlapik and numbers are per 60 minutes): Rudolfs Balcers to the AHL affiliate to finish off the trip. Category Montreal Ottawa The road swing will end just before the bye week does, with a home-and- Unblocked shots for 65.29 70.7 home against the on Friday and Saturday.

Unblocked shots against 54.87 51.53 Some, or all, of the three prospects could get recalled again, depending on injuries. Shots for 34.33 39.61 Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s status and other injury updates Shots against 30.96 28.53 Speaking of injuries … Goals for 3.98 2.56 Jean-Gabriel Pageau missed two consecutive games with an upper-body Goals against 3.37 2.13 injury that Smith clarified this way: “He tweaked his neck.”

Scoring chances for 31.88 22.07 The news that Pageau would miss Thursday’s game against the Golden Knights emerged right before puck drop. Smith said he knew Pageau Scoring chances against 36.2 24.7 was a little banged-up but expected him to play. To start, he is playing more, averaging 20:07 per game with Ottawa, Pageau took warmups, got treatment and ultimately couldn’t go in. He compared with 13:58 for Montreal. And as you can see his offensive was not better by Saturday against Calgary. statistics in Ottawa are better than in Montreal, with more shot share and more shots on net but fewer scoring chances. His defensive numbers are “He kind of tweaked his neck, and it hasn’t really gotten better,” Smith said before the game against the Flames. “He’s tried everything to loosen it up, and he’s just unable to go.”

Pageau has been one of the Senators’ top players this season and is in the midst of a career year with 19 goals and 31 points. His presence has been missed, but Smith said it gives players such as Colin White and Artem Anisimov chances at more minutes up the middle.

There has been no timeline for Pageau’s recovery, but the team expects the injury to be better after the All-Star break.

Additionally, Anders Nilsson remains out with a concussion. He has been on injured reserve since Dec. 21, according to Cap Friendly. There’s no timetable for his return, and Nilsson hasn’t been on the ice.

“He’s continuing to go through the rehab he does here,” Smith said. “At this point, he’s not ready to return. Hopefully, this week off will give him some more time and we can get him back. It’s a big hole, and he’s played some really good hockey for us, but we wouldn’t have had a look at (Marcus Hogberg) if he hadn’t gone out.

“And (Hogberg) has played really well, and he’s certainly shown us that he can be an NHL goalie.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172096 Philadelphia Flyers Elliott (3.03 GAA, .901 save percentage) will start again Tuesday for the Flyers, who are without No. 1 goalie Carter Hart (abdominal injury). He is expected to face Tristan Jarry (2.16, .929)

Flyers aim to pay back surging Pittsburgh Penguins in last game before The Flyers’ next two games will be against the Penguins. After Tuesday, NHL All-Star break they will have nine full days between games before playing in Pittsburgh on Jan. 31.

“Going into these breaks, you always enjoy them a little more if you go in by Sam Carchidi, on a winning note,” van Riemsdyk said. “Obviously, we know what’s at stake in the standings and where we’re at in regards to the playoff

picture. … We have a job to do and then we’ll have time to relax and The rivalry might have lost some of its luster in recent years because of recover [during the break] for the stretch run.” the Flyers’ slippage, but it’s still a major event whenever these teams Breakaways meet. Winger/center Michael Raffl is officially listed as day to day with an And, to hear the Flyers talk, Tuesday’s meeting at the Wells Fargo upper-body injury, but he practiced Monday, so he is expected to play Center will be much different from the Pittsburgh Penguins’ blowout win Tuesday. … The Flyers recalled German Rubtsov from the Phantoms in in October. case Raffl can’t play. ... Coach left practice early with “We like to think we’ve grown since the start of the season,” Flyers what was suspected to be the flu. … Jake Guentzel (shoulder surgery) winger James van Riemsdyk said after practice Monday in Voorhees. and Kahun (concussion) are among the injured Penguins. … The Flyers have 58 points, 12 more than at a corresponding point last season, when The Flyers will try to avenge an early-season 7-1 loss when they host the they were 20-23-6. … The Flyers are 16-4-4 at home, and the Pens are surging Penguins in their final game before their All-Star/bye-week break. 13-8-2 on the road.

The Penguins (31-13-5) have won six of their last seven games, Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 01.21.2020 including a 4-3 comeback victory Sunday over visiting Boston. In that game, Pittsburgh overcame a 3-0 deficit as Sidney Crosby collected a pair of assists.

The Flyers (26-17-6) have won four of six since returning from a 1-4-1 road trip and are battling four teams for a wild-card spot. In addition, they are just three points behind the Islanders, the third-place team in the Metropolitan Division.

We've got our eyes on you, Flyers.

6-0, courtesy of Zach Aston-Reese. pic.twitter.com/WRHTnKMHce

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 30, 2019

Flyers captain Claude Giroux said the rivalry with the Penguins is different from when he broke into the league 12 years ago.

“My first five, six years, I think it was at the highest peak possible,” he said. “With those rivalry teams, it takes just one game for the rivalry to get back up. They’ve been playing pretty good lately. Crosby is back, so they’re pretty healthy now, so for us, it’s important we play our best game at home here.”

Pittsburgh is in second place in the Metropolitan, four points behind Washington. The Flyers are one point behind Carolina for the Eastern Conference’s final wild-card spot.

“When teams are fighting and jockeying for position, it brings out more of the emotional stuff for the games,” van Riemsdyk said. “Obviously, we’re fighting to make a playoff spot and they’re fighting to climb in the division, so we both have a lot to play for here.”

Because of injuries, the Penguins were missing star centers Evgeni Malkin and Crosby for a while, but they didn’t skip a beat. Both are back in the lineup.

“They play a good team game,” Giroux said. “They go north-south a lot. They have a lot of skill, but they play a pretty simple game. For us, we really need to focus on being responsible defensively and the offense will take care of itself.”

When the Flyers were embarrassed in Pittsburgh on Oct. 29, Crosby, Dominik Simon, and Dominik Kahun each had three points to lead the Penguins, who scored six goals on 28 shots against Brian Elliott, chasing him after two periods. Pittsburgh scored four unanswered first-period goals and coasted.

“We didn’t play the way we wanted to in that game in Pittsburgh,” defenseman Ivan Provorov said. “That was a long time ago. We’re a little bit of a different team now, a better team, but we still need to go into the game with the [mentality] that we need to even the score and get the win. That win is important because everyone is picking up points in our division. It’s a tight race, and you can’t lose any points now.”

The Flyers rebounded from their loss in Pittsburgh and collected points in their next seven games (5-0-2). 1172097 Philadelphia Flyers

‘Alphabet Soup Line’ spells victory for Flyers, who need to sustain desperation level over final 2-plus months

by Sam Carchidi,

‘Alphabet Soup Line’ spells victory for Flyers, who need to sustain desperation level over final 2-plus months

How tight is the race for the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots?

Heading into Sunday, just two points separated the four teams battling for those positions. That means those teams, including the Flyers, need to be playing with lots of desperation over the final two-plus months.

After a rather listless loss to visiting Montreal on Thursday, desperation returned to the Flyers’ game in Saturday’s 4-1 victory over the Kings. They outhit and outworked Los Angeles and got three goals and seven points from their new Alphabet Soup Line in the much-needed win.

Leading the way were James van Riemsdyk (goal, two assists), Claude Giroux (two assists) and Travis Konecny (two goals), commonly known as JVR, G and TK, respectively.

If the Flyers are going to earn a playoff berth, they need van Riemsdyk to show more consistency over the final 33 regular-season games.

He has had an up-and-down season, scoring 13 goals in 49 games, a 22-goal pace.

The Central Jersey native helped keep the Flyers afloat by scoring eight goals in an 11-game stretch from Nov. 29 to Dec. 21, but he then had a 12-game goal-scoring drought entering Saturday.

“When you’re not scoring, you’ve got to make sure you’re solid with the other aspects of your game,” van Riemsdyk said after Saturday’s victory. “I’ve been trying to focus on that and do a good job of being strong on the walls, not turning pucks over, being responsible in my own end. Things like that.”

Van Riemsdyk, 30, had had his second three-point game of the season – the other was Oct. 26 against Columbus.

“He’s starting to get a rhythm,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “I thought it was a good game for him as far as skating and getting to loose pucks.”

Besides his power-play goal, van Riemsdyk added a pair of primary assists on Konecny’s goals.

“He makes those all the time; they go unnoticed,” Konecny said. “He’s an incredible passer and thankfully we could capitalize on a few of them.”

Giroux, shifted from left wing to center, also had a pair of assists. The Flyers are now 9-3-3 with Giroux at center and 17-14-3 with him playing wing.

“It’s fun to play with them,” Giroux said of his new linemates. “They are winning a lot of puck battles and they both know how to score.”

When the Flyers host the surging Penguins on Tuesday in their final game before the All-Star/bye-week break, Giroux will remain between van Riemsdyk and Konecny, Vigneault said. The Flyers will be trying to avenge an early-season 7-1 loss in Pittsburgh, a game in which Giroux centered van Riemsdyk and Jake Voracek.

The Penguins, who are second in the Metropolitan Division, have van Riemsdyk’s respect.

“Those guys, all year long, they’ve been having to deal with some big- time injuries and they’ve just been rolling,” van Riemsdyk said. “Different guys have been chipping in and stepping up. And now they’re getting healthy, too, so we know what kind of challenge that is. One more game before the break, so you want to go into the break feeling good about where you’re at with your game and the standings.”

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172098 Philadelphia Flyers up to where it (was). They’ve been playing pretty good lately. Crosby’s back so they’re pretty healthy right now. For us it’s important that we play our best game at home.”

Flyers will be ‘on their toes’ for Penguins “There’s one more game before the break and it’s easy to not mentally be there, but playing against Pittsburgh, I think everybody’s going to be on their toes tomorrow,” H�gg said. “It’s gonna be a good game for us to have before the break. It’s always fun to play against them.” By Dave Isaac Cherry Hill Courier-Post Burlington County Times LOADED: 01.21.2020

VOORHEES — It’s kind of like the last day of school and everyone’s looking at the clock.

Before that bell rings and players head for the bye week to catch flights to exotic locals like the Turks and Caicos islands for a few days of rest on the beach, there’s one test left and it’s a big one.

Tuesday night, the Flyers will face Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, for the first time this season on the East side of Pennsylvania.

“It’s exciting when you can play these games at home and you’ve got the fans in it,” Scott Laughton said. “We had the big (event Sunday) with the season ticket holders and they’re all excited. It’s an exciting game going into the break but we have to get two points and they’re playing some good hockey so we’ve got to stop them.”

No one else has been able to, recently. The Penguins are 14-3-1 since mid-December and most of that was without captain Sidney Crosby. Sunday they spotted the Boston Bruins a three-goal lead in the first period and came back to win 4-3 in regulation.

Goalie Tristan Jarry is tied for the best save percentage in the league (.929) and is second in goals-against average (2.16). It seems that no matter how many Penguins get injured (Evgeni Malkin has missed 13 games this season, Crosby 28 and 20-goal scorer Jake Guentzel is done for the season), someone always manages to step up.

“They have pretty good players on that team, but they can call up some guy and he scores 20 goals,” defenseman Robert H�gg said. “Whoever’s out there (against them), needs to do their job and we need to be on the same page. It’s a little bit extra, this rivalry.”

Is it, still?

Gone are the days of Peter Laviolette standing on the bench, pointing a finger and screaming at a Pittsburgh coach who just happened to be the best man in his wedding. No more Matt Cookes or Dan Carcillos. It feels like it’s gotten a little polite.

“Ten years ago, the hockey was a little bit different,” H�gg said. “I still feel...I mean, the outdoor game last year and the game before that, (stuff) happens. It still feels like we don’t like to play against them and they don’t like us either. It’s everything you need for a good game I guess.”

“I think it kind of tapered off the year I came in,” Scott Laughton added. “That year I got drafted (2012), it was really bad with the playoff series so we played in that lockout and had a good game there after the lockout but just the way the game’s kind of changed, you don’t see that as much. Obviously a team you still hate and don’t want to lose to.”

The Flyers enter the game having won four of their last six games and three of those wins coming against division leaders. They are a vastly different team on home ice (16-4-4) than road (10-13-2) and are sitting one point out of the last wild card spot while Pittsburgh has a nine-point lead on them and is second in the Metropolitan Division.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan told reporters Tuesday that Dominik Kahun is concussed, but Dominik Simon will play against the Flyers and defenseman Justin Schultz is hopeful to play as well. Michael Raffl is considered “day-to-day” by the Flyers. Raffl took a big hit from Los Angeles’ Dustin Brown and left the game in the third period. He was a full participant in Monday’s practice. Flyers coach Alain Vigneault left practice with an illness Monday and wasn’t available to comment.

There doesn’t need to be much said when facing the Penguins, anyway, even though Claude Giroux says that what makes a rivalry really good is a playoff matchup and the Flyers haven’t faced the Penguins in the postseason since 2018.

“I think it’s different (than the rivalry used to be),” Giroux said. “When I first came into the league, the first six years I think it was at the highest peak possible. Those rivalry teams, it just needs one game to get it back 1172099 Philadelphia Flyers regard to the playoff picture. So we want to make sure we're doing a good job and putting forth a strong effort before we have this hiatus here.

"We've got a job to do, then we have some time to recoup and recover Flyers' rivalry renewal with Penguins gets a 10-day interlude before the stretch run."

As a sendoff and as a return, though, they get a pair of renewals of a rivalry that for a time not that many years ago was one of the most By Rob Parent entertaining in the league.

"I think it's different," said Giroux, whose personal rivalry with Crosby has helped fuel the fun between the teams. "When I came into the league, VOORHEES, N.J. — What once was a sweetly entertaining rivalry has the first five or six years I think it was at the highest peak possible. But been more of a chronically bitter experience for the Flyers, who get to these are rivalry teams and they just need one game for the rivalry to get host a full complement of Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night at Wells back up to where it was." Fargo Center. "All it takes to get going again are games when teams are fighting and The game marks the last bit of work for the Flyers before they get to jockeying for position; I think it brings out that emotion and stuff within the enjoy an extended, in-season vacation. They won't take the ice together game," van Riemsdyk added. "Obviously we're fighting to make a playoff at all for another nine days, when they rejoin for an afternoon practice spot and they're fighting to climb in the division. So we both have a lot to Jan. 30 at the Skate Zone. play for now." That's followed the next night by a game at PPG Paints Arena in NOTES >> Michael Raffl is considered day-to-day with an upper-body Pittsburgh. injury but he did make it through a practice Monday. ... One noteworthy Nothing like a home-and-home series with a close rival like the Penguins, absence, at least for part of the practice, was head coach Alain complete with a 10-day break between what should be two warring Vigneault, who took ill and left early. games. Delaware County Times LOADED: 01.21.2020 "Really impressive," Jake Voracek said Monday in summarizing the Penguins. "They've been playing really good hockey and against Boston to come back from three like that, it's really impressive."

The Penguins did that Sunday against the Bruins, winning 4-3 after falling into a three-goal hole in the first period at home.

Then again, the Flyers came from three down at home exactly one week earlier to beat the Bruins, 6-5 in a shootout. Against mostly top NHL competition, they've won four of their last six games.

All the Penguins have done, however, is win six of their last seven games, remaining impressively consistent despite injuries this season to Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jake Guentzel and most notably to Sidney Crosby.

No longer a kid at 32 but certainly playing like one, all Crosby has done since returning to action last Tuesday after a two-month injury absence is score three goals and chalk up eight points in four games.

"They've been playing pretty well lately and Crosby's back, so they're pretty healthy," Claude Giroux said of the Pens. "For us it's important that we play our best game at home here. They play a good team game, they go north and south a lot. They have a lot of skill but they play a pretty simple game. So for us we really need to focus on being responsible defensively and the offense will take care of itself."

Actually, it's been a move back to center by Giroux and a move up two lines by James van Riemsdyk to No. 1 left wing that has helped take care of the offense. JVR has developed dynamic chemistry with fellow top-line winger Travis Konecny, and Giroux looked sharp with them in a win over the Kings Saturday with a couple of assists.

"We kind of complement each other because he's a guy that loves to be around the net and I'm a guy that loves to have control of the puck in the zone," Konecny said of van Riemsdyk. "I'm usually skating around with it. So it kind of works that way where you just naturally fill in spots around the ice where guys need to be at. It works that way with me and him."

Continuing that bond could give the Flyers a needed offensive edge against the Penguins. Any edge is welcome.

The Penguins dominated the Flyers two seasons ago, sweeping four regular-season games and winning a six-game playoff series between the teams.

The Flyers got a measure of revenge last season, winning three of four from Pittsburgh but feeling hollow in falling short of the playoffs. Not so for the Penguins, who have been in the postseason for the past 13 years, including a pair of Cups they won in 2016 and '17.

But the Flyers are approaching the next two games as opportunities in the moment.

"Certainly going into the break you always want to enjoy them a little more by going out on a winning note," van Riemsdyk said. "Obviously, we know what's at stake here in the standings and where we're at, in 1172100 Philadelphia Flyers up to where it (was). They’ve been playing pretty good lately. Crosby’s back so they’re pretty healthy right now. For us it’s important that we play our best game at home.”

Flyers will ‘be on their toes’ for meeting with Penguins before bye week “There’s one more game before the break and it’s easy to not mentally be there, but playing against Pittsburgh, I think everybody’s going to be on their toes tomorrow,” Hägg said. “It’s gonna be a good game for us to have before the break. It’s always fun to play against them.” Dave Isaac, NHL writer Published 1:57 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2020 Courier-Post LOADED: 01.21.2020

VOORHEES — It’s kind of like the last day of school and everyone’s looking at the clock.

Before that bell rings and players head for the bye week to catch flights to exotic locals like the Turks and Caicos islands for a few days of rest on the beach, there’s one test left and it’s a big one.

Tuesday night the Flyers will face Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, for the first time this season on the East side of Pennsylvania.

“It’s exciting when you can play these games at home and you’ve got the fans in it,” Scott Laughton said. “We had the big (event Sunday) with the season ticket holders and they’re all excited. It’s an exciting game going into the break but we have to get two points and they’re playing some good hockey so we’ve got to stop them.”

No one else has been able to, recently. The Penguins are 14-3-1 since mid-December and most of that was without captain Sidney Crosby. Sunday they spotted the Boston Bruins a three-goal lead in the first period and came back to win 4-3 in regulation.

Goalie Tristan Jarry is tied for the best save percentage in the league (.929) and is second in goals-against average (2.16). It seems that no matter how many Penguins get injured (Evgeni Malkin has missed 13 games this season, Crosby 28 and 20-goal scorer Jake Guentzel is done for the season), someone always manages to step up.

“They have pretty good players on that team, but they can call up some guy and he scores 20 goals,” defenseman Robert Hägg said. “Whoever’s out there (against them), needs to do their job and we need to be on the same page. It’s a little bit extra, this rivalry.”

Is it, still?

Gone are the days of Peter Laviolette standing on the bench, pointing a finger and screaming at a Pittsburgh coach who just happened to be the best man in his wedding. No more Matt Cookes or Dan Carcillos. It feels like it’s gotten a little polite.

“Ten years ago, the hockey was a little bit different,” Hägg said. “I still feel…I mean, the outdoor game last year and the game before that, (stuff) happens. It still feels like we don’t like to play against them and they don’t like us either. It’s everything you need for a good game I guess.”

“I think it kind of tapered off the year I came in,” Scott Laughton added. “That year I got drafted (2012), it was really bad with the playoff series so we played in that lockout and had a good game there after the lockout but just the way the game’s kind of changed, you don’t see that as much. Obviously a team you still hate and don’t want to lose to.”

The Flyers enter the game having won four of their last six games and three of those wins coming against division leaders. They are a vastly different team on home ice (16-4-4) than road (10-13-2) and are sitting one point out of the last wild card spot while Pittsburgh has a nine-point lead on them and is second in the Metropolitan Division.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan told reporters Tuesday that Dominik Kahun is concussed, but Dominik Simon will play against the Flyers and defenseman Justin Schultz is hopeful to play as well. Michael Raffl is considered “day-to-day” by the Flyers. He took a big hit from Los Angeles’ Dustin Brown and left the game in the third period. He was a full participant in Monday’s practice. Flyers coach Alain Vigneault left practice with an illness Monday and wasn’t available to comment.

There doesn’t need to be much said when facing the Penguins, anyway, even though Claude Giroux says that what makes a rivalry really good is a playoff matchup and the Flyers haven’t faced the Penguins in the postseason since 2018.

“I think it’s different (than the rivalry used to be),” Giroux said. “When I first came into the league, the first six years I think it was at the highest peak possible. Those rivalry teams, it just needs one game to get it back 1172101 Philadelphia Flyers like Giroux and Jakub Voracek into different spots, trying to generate more production. In this new look, however, the slot is unoccupied, taking away the one-timer option in the middle of the offensive zone, and replacing it with two bodies (rather than one) right around the crease. O’Connor’s Observations: Coach conflicted about Flyers’ break, PP’s new look, Travis Konecny goal breakdown Giroux remains on the right side of the new formation. But considering the entire goal of the double-netfront formation is to funnel pucks toward the two players around the crease, his position makes sense. So far, the key play for the formation has been a pass on one side of the net to van By Charlie O'Connor Jan 20, 2020 Riemsdyk, who looks to direct the puck to Konecny, who is stationed on the other side of the net, for a tap-in goal. The Flyers executed the play to perfection against the St. Louis Blues. It must start with a pass on the After the Philadelphia Flyers fell 4-1 to the Montreal Canadiens on right side, since JvR can only accept passes on his forehand from that Thursday, the perception of their week hung on the outcome of side of the ice. Giroux still loses his one-timer in this formation, but at Saturday’s battle with the last-place Los Angeles Kings. least he’s kicking off the most logical way to spark the most dangerous passing sequence. Win, and the Montreal loss would be easily forgotten, a brief slip-up in between some of the more impressive victories of the season and an Early returns are positive. The top unit has two goals in four games, and expected thrashing of an inferior opponent. Lose, and the narrative would its shot and chance creation metrics are back up to past levels. Since the quickly turn to the idea that Philadelphia plays to the level of its change, with Giroux on the ice, Philadelphia has averaged 125.37 shot competition, rather than achieving anything worthy of real praise. attempts per 60 minutes and 10.18 expected goals/60 — elite levels reminiscent of pre-2018-19 Flyers power plays. It’s still early, and the The Flyers ultimately went with the former path, and now have an power play could get shut down by Pittsburgh on Tuesday, reopening this opportunity to hit the coming nine-day break — a product of the entire debate. But for now, the PP appears to be trending upward. collectively bargained “bye week” for the players and All-Star weekend — on a high note. To do so, they’ll have to defeat the red-hot Pittsburgh 3. Fletcher satisfied with reaction to ‘mindset change’ demand Penguins, winners of six of their last seven games, who just got Sidney Crosby back in the lineup. No easy task. At the start of last offseason and the beginning of training camp, general manager Chuck Fletcher wasn’t shy about one of his primary goals for 1. Vigneault has mixed feelings about nine-day break the team in 2019-20. He wanted the club to improve upon a disappointing season, of course, and make a playoff push. But as he explained in With just one game to go — Tuesday’s clash with the Penguins — before September, those goals could only be achieved if the Flyers adjusted the nine-day bye-week-plus-All-Star break, the Flyers know they are on their approach and mindset. the verge of their longest vacation of the year, aside from the big one that starts with the end of the season. “To me, my expectation is that we have to make big adjustments from what happened last year,” Fletcher said at the time. “We have to change For some teams, the break is a clear negative — when a club is firing on our mindset. We have to change our habits, the details in our game have all cylinders, the last thing coaches want to see is an extended layoff that to improve. And the quicker we go about doing that, then the sooner we’ll could shake up the team. On the other hand, an injury-ravaged, be successful.” struggling club may pine for a break, as a way to get healthy and put poor results in the rearview. During the GM’s midseason press conference last Tuesday, he was asked for a progress report on whether he felt the players have met The Flyers, as usual, find themselves somewhere in the middle. So it’s those expectations. Fletcher’s verdict? Cautious optimism, but optimism little surprise that head coach Alain Vigneault seemed conflicted on all the same. Saturday morning when asked for his view about the break, and how it might affect his team. “I think we are trending the right way,” he said. “Again, there’s going to be ups and downs. We are far from perfect. We have lots of work to do. I’m “I think for us, right now, we’re going to look at it in a positive fashion, in not sitting here saying that this is a finished product by any stretch of the the sense that people are going to get a chance to recover, re-energize,” imagination. (But) from where we were at the end of last year to now, he said. “(We) come back, we’re going to have one quick practice and we’ve come a long way.” we’ve got back-to-back (games), and we’ve got Colorado waiting here to play us (next Saturday, after the Jan. 31 game at Pittsburgh). … For Fletcher, a big part of the “mindset change” has always boiled down Hopefully, the players use the break to re-energize, but they still find a to a commitment to two-way play, and he acknowledged the team’s focus way to maybe touch the ice once or twice in that break.” has slipped in that regard in some games. But he also pointed to the nearly half-a-goal-per-game improvement in goals allowed (2.96 this Vigneault observed that due to the bye week, the schedule seems more season versus 3.41 in 2018-19), and praised the Flyers’ tightness as a condensed than ever before, a consequence that’s hit the Flyers group in answering the question about their response to his challenge. especially hard this season. But he also acknowledged that the break could be ideal for players who might be dealing with physical ailments, “What I like about this team is, they really are a team,” Fletcher said. regardless of whether they’re out of the lineup or playing through the “They play really hard for each other. Again, lots of mistakes, but what issue. they did last night (coming back from 5-2 down to defeat Boston), to me, typifies what I see in this group. … You think we’re going away, and “Nobody’s at 100 percent, so a couple guys are going to get a chance to things are getting away from us, and then we just find a why to claw heal some of their bruises and come back,” Vigneault said, “and we’re back. There’s a lot of heart in that room.” going to be right in it for the final push.” 4. Giroux returns to center 2. Double-netfront PP structure off to a promising start The key change Vigneault made to his lineup on Saturday was inevitable. The Flyers haven’t been wedded to two standard personnel groupings on In the wake of Morgan Frost’s demotion, the Flyers again face the roster the power play, regularly changing both of their units during the season. problem caused by Nolan Patrick’s lengthy absence due to a migraine The result: tons of player combinations, lots of different looks for disorder — they lack a third bona fide center who can comfortably opponents, and very little in the way of sustained shot and chance function in the middle of a scoring line. The coaches seem to prefer Scott generation. The power play has had successful stretches, but overall, it’s Laughton at wing, Michael Raffl has played wing most of his career, hasn’t been nearly as dangerous as past incarnations. Mikhail Vorobyev has failed to impress during any of his NHL stints and That said, the Flyers’ newest power play experiment — with Claude Connor Bunnaman has yet to prove he’s a quality fourth-line center at Giroux, Kevin Hayes, James van Riemsdyk, Travis Konecny and Ivan this level, let alone capable of filling in at 3C. Provorov on the top unit — is showing real promise. Absent a last-resort recall of Frost, it left one untried option — Giroux’s Starting at practice last Monday, the top power play unit set up in a new return to the center position. formation with two players in the netfront area, rather than one at netfront Giroux acknowledged at the end of 2018-19 that he feels he can help the and one in the slot. The latter (also known as the 1-3-1 formation) has team most at wing, and the organization did its best to oblige this been Philadelphia’s standard formation for years, and it’s one the new summer, adding Hayes in free agency with the goal of letting Giroux coaching staff largely stuck with this season, even as they moved players move out of the middle permanently. But with Patrick still out and Frost 6. Farabee recharged after a game off apparently not ready for full-time duties with the big club, Vigneault went to the nuclear option, placing Giroux in between van Riemsdyk and Was Joel Farabee demoted when he was reassigned to the Lehigh Konecny on Saturday. Valley Phantoms last week? Technically, yes. Farabee missed Wednesday’s battle with the Blues as a result of his temporary removal The results were more than acceptable. The line produced Philadelphia’s from the roster. But it was never meant to be permanent; it was part of first goal of the game and — in the true test — held its own defensively the cap gymnastics necessary after Carter Hart’s injury. Once Chris throughout. After all, in 266 minutes together last season, defense was a Stewart officially cleared waivers the next day, Fletcher swapped Stewart real problem for the trio, who spent far too much time trapped in their for Farabee, bringing the 19-year-old back into the fold. own zone, losing the shot-attempts battle at 5-on-5 by a 312-250 margin, and collecting only 37.15 percent of the expected goals. That said, had Fletcher decided to keep Farabee in the minors for a week or two, it wouldn’t have been an outlandish decision. Prior to the Perhaps that won’t be an issue this season. Konecny has taken a step demotion, Farabee had one point in his previous 13 games, and hadn’t forward in his development, with his dedication to two-way play a big part scored since Dec. 3. Offensive ineffectiveness wasn’t the only reason the of that leap. JvR’s also recommitted to the defensive side of his game, Flyers returned Frost to the Phantoms, but it certainly played a part, and and after grading out poorly by advanced metrics in his first season back Farabee’s cold streak looked similar to his fellow rookie’s. Yet Farabee with the Flyers, is one of the team’s best forwards in that regard in 2019- returned, and in his first two games back, scored two goals. 20. Maybe this time, the line will work. Clearly, his AHL stay proved essential to sparking the resurgence. That said, moving Giroux back to center feels like a short-term solution. Giroux’s best work over the past two seasons has come on the wing, and Jokes aside, Farabee acknowledged after Saturday’s game that maybe again, it remains his personal preference, even if he’s willing to move for there were positives from the mini-reset — both mentally and physically the good of the team. Whether through an outside addition or a recall of — even if that wasn’t the intention of the coaching staff or organization. Frost, Giroux will eventually return to the wing, even if this most recent “Yeah, maybe a little bit,” Farabee said. “Just getting to watch the game position change lasts for an extended time out of roster necessity. If he on TV helped me out a little bit, just to see the play from a different angle. can hold his own in the middle for now, however, it does address one of Even just getting that night rest gave my legs a little bit of a boost, too.” the team’s biggest problems. It makes sense Farabee would note the extra rest. After all, he appeared How long will Claude Giroux remain at center? (Jayne Kamin-Oncea / in 37 games during his only college season. He’s now one game away USA Today) from the 40 mark this season, against much tougher competition, and 5. How Konecny manipulated the defense on first goal vs. Kings he’s taken his share of punishment from opponents seemingly trying to intimidate him physically. Farabee could be one of the Flyers who gets a It doesn’t take a hockey expert to realize Konecny played at another level real boost from the nine-day break. versus the Kings. Konecny is in the midst of a breakout season — 42 points in 46 games — but even so, it’s difficult to remember a period in 7. Is Niskanen struggling? 2019-20 when he was more impactful than the opening two stanzas The statistically inclined portion of the fanbase were early skeptics of the Saturday. Every time he had the puck, the defense was on its heels. offseason decision to swap Radko Gudas for Matt Niskanen. Gudas was Konecny finished with two goals, but he could have had four or five — inexplicably something of a fancy stat god during his time with that’s how well he played. Philadelphia, but most of the concern centered on Niskanen, who was No play showcased his brilliance more than the lead-up to the Flyers’ first once a darling of the numbers but had tailed off in recent seasons. The goal. worry was that the veteran defenseman, who would turn 33 in December of 2019, might be losing a step, and would struggle in a first-pair role on The sequence concludes with Konecny wide-open as the passing option the Flyers. on a 2-on-1, perfectly positioned to blast a one-timer by Kings goalie Jack Campbell. But that’s not how the play began. It starts with the Flyers But Niskanen quieted the skeptics over the first three months of the not having a numbers advantage at all — on a basic 2-on-2 trek through season. He formed a successful partnership with Provorov, who appears the neutral zone. to have benefited significantly from having a stabilizing presence on the right side. And Niskanen’s proven particularly adept at defending against Konecny, the puck carrier, isn’t in a threatening position here at first odd-man rushes — he’s the rare defenseman who seems to have the glance. He doesn’t have the numbers advantage as he and van ability to deploy the “starfish” technique without looking foolish. Oh, and Riemsdyk move up ice, and Konecny has a willing backchecker right on those pesky advanced stats? Not too shabby — he doesn’t look great by his heels, forcing him to make a quick decision. Yet, just five seconds Evolving Wild’s Goals Above Replacement metric, but in terms of play- later, the puck is in the back of Los Angeles’ net. How does Konecny pull driving ability, Niskanen is more than holding his own, with a 50.74 it off? percent Corsi For and an even-better 51.64 percent on-ice expected goals share. By recognizing two flaws in the positioning of the Kings’ defensemen, of course. Matt Roy’s gap on JvR is a bit loose, which makes van Riemsdyk However, there have been some concerning signs during the past week a viable target for a pass and gives him the ability to get to the inside of and change. Roy if hit in stride. On the other hand, Alec Martinez has the opposite problem — he’s getting going from a stopped position, but his gap isn’t Niskanen’s 5-on-5 numbers have dipped over the past five games, but loose enough to account for Konecny’s high-end speed — particularly if strange things happen in small samples — a 47.52 percent share by Konecny quickly changes his angle of attack, which a quick pass to JvR Corsi and 44.36 percent by xG isn’t anything to worry about. But since would allow him to do. the Tampa Bay game, Niskanen has also been directly burned on multiple occasions for scoring chances and goals against. His failed bat- “If I kept skating (in my line), he was going to close me off,” Konecny down of the puck on the Lightning’s only goal two Saturdays ago may explained after the game. “So I knew he had a tight gap on me, and if I have been fluky, but it certainly wasn’t his finest hour. He had some could jump through (the middle of the ice), he would be stuck in a bad rough moments with the puck early against Boston, and then was spot.” scorched by Dustin Brown on a 1-on-1 rush that resulted in Los Angeles’ lone goal on Saturday. It’s not just the numbers that haven’t been great And that’s exactly what Konecny did. He led van Riemsdyk with a perfect recently — Niskanen’s also been involved in quite a few memorable not- feed, and then used his existing momentum combined with split-second so-great plays. strategy to blast by the shell-shocked Martinez. This could just be a minor dip in form for Niskanen. They happen over a Only forwards who possess high-end offensive instincts — remember, season to all but the biggest superstars in the game. But considering that the whole sequence occurs in seconds — and immense physical gifts Niskanen is the oldest skater on the Flyers, the coming break feels can make this type of play. If Konecny lacked the former, he likely just fortuitous for him in particular. Just as the youthful Farabee will likely tries to hold onto the puck and blast around Martinez. If he lacks the benefit from time off due to his lack of experience with the grind of the latter, he isn’t able to leave Martinez in the dust, or hit JvR in stride with NHL regular season, so might Niskanen welcome a chance to rest for a the pass. But when a player has both, he can engineer game-changing week and prepare himself for the stretch run. sequences like this one, seemingly out of nothing. 8. Elliott stepping up in Hart’s absence With Hart out until at least the Jan. 31 game in Pittsburgh — and that’s language, we say ‘kill plays early,’ and then go on the offense. I think the best-case scenario — the Flyers had little choice but to lean on their (Yeo) is doing a good job with the young D we have at this time.” 1B netminder, Brian Elliott, during this sprint to the break. In the first two months of the season, that wouldn’t have seemed like a dicey It’s an aggressive mentality, and it fits with Vigneault’s preferred “defense proposition. Elliott was rock solid out of the gate, and held a 0.916 save by puck possession” style that the Flyers have played this season. Per percentage as November came to a close. public scoring chance models, the shots Philadelphia allows tend to be high quality — only San Jose and Carolina have yielded more dangerous December was a different animal. While Elliott didn’t receive top-end chances on a “per-shot” basis at even strength, according to Evolving defensive play in front of him, he still allowed 17 goals on 111 shots in Hockey’s model. The Flyers have likely been able to survive because five appearances last month (0.847 save percentage), with a stellar they don’t give up many shots in the first place, ranking sixth in the showing in Anaheim in late December as the only obvious bright spot. So league in attempts allowed per 60 minutes at even strength. when his first start this month saw him struggle with rebound control and distance shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, it was In that light, the fact that Vigneault and the coaching staff encourage the fair to wonder if January might go the same way as the previous month defensemen to break up oncoming rushes in the neutral zone makes for Elliott. perfect sense. The Flyers aren’t a team that allows opponents “easy” entry into their zone with the confidence that they can keep them to the Instead, Elliott has excelled in both games since Hart’s injury. Against his outside and out of dangerous areas. They’d prefer not to let them in at former club last Wednesday, the 34-year-old stood tall in the face of all, and increase the amount of time the Flyers spend in possession of multiple St. Louis surges, which allowed the Flyers to pull out a 4-3 the puck. victory in overtime. But his showing against the Kings was his true gem — Elliott faced 2.36 worth of expected goals and allowed just a single All statistics courtesy of Evolving Hockey and Natural Stat Trick. tally on a semi-breakaway from Brown. The Flyers won comfortably, but — Archives: O’Connor’s Observations and 10 Things it wasn’t necessarily destined to be so; Los Angeles outshot the Flyers 15-4 in the third period and could have threatened a comeback had Elliott The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 not been at his best. His stop on Jeff Carter on an early third-period breakaway was a classic example of a “momentum” save that — had he not kept the puck out of the net — could have given the Kings hope that they could claw all the way back. Instead, Elliott slammed the door on the former 40-goal scorer.

Elliott’s full season numbers may not look shiny (0.901 save percentage, -2.68 Goals Saved Above Expected). But in the biggest spot in the season for a 1B goalie — when the 1A goalie goes down with injury — Elliott has stepped up in a big way.

9. Myers has a much-needed standout game

It hasn’t been the cleanest of stretches for rookie defenseman Philippe Myers. With Justin Braun and Shayne Gostisbehere on the shelf, the Flyers had little choice but to lean on Myers and his defensive partner, Travis Sanheim, as the team’s second pair throughout most of January, and the results haven’t been spotless — 11 goals against this month, and numerous defensive breakdowns, particularly by Myers.

So it was a mild surprise when Vigneault opted to keep the Sanheim- Myers duo together Saturday, despite Braun’s return to the lineup. Sure, Braun likely needed to be eased back into action, especially because his original injury timetable pegged his return for after the All-Star break. But it still functioned as an unexpected vote of confidence for Sanheim- Myers, despite the pair’s inconsistencies.

The two defensemen more than justified the coaches’ trust. While neither factored into any of Philadelphia’s even-strength goals, they both were forces all game, with Myers in particular providing a steadying presence in defensive coverage that allowed Sanheim to activate even more than usual on the attack. It’s no accident the Flyers collected 56.67 percent of the shot attempts at even strength with Myers on the ice, and 69.70 percent of the expected goals (both team highs).

After the game, Myers credited recent video sessions with helping to clean up some of the holes in his game. Vigneault echoed the sentiment, praising assistant coach Mike Yeo, who runs the defense corps, for his work with Myers and the entire group.

“(Yeo) spends a lot of time with our young D, and he does a real good job,” Vigneault said. “A lot of it is decisions with the puck, and a lot of it is gap (control). For them to have (good gaps), they have to have confidence (that) our forwards are going to be there (in support). I think part of that is (Yeo) showing them the video, to trust that the forwards are going to be there.”

Philippe Myers battles with Robert Thomas during the win over the Blues. (Jeff Curry / USA Today)

10. Puck possession remains focus in development of young D

Vigneault wasn’t done providing insight after he concluded his comments about Myers. In a few sentences, he also shed light on what the coaching staff looks to emphasize when trying to push the young defensemen to reach their maximum potential.

“Make that read, and if you know the (forwards) are there, then make sure you gap up,” Vigneault said. “That’s how you stop plays — in our 1172102 Philadelphia Flyers “This is how we’ve chosen to take on that responsibility, to grow the game through these kids that can play.”

And while the cause wasn’t the initial reason Clement came aboard — For coach Bill Clement and team, local Winter Classic event benefiting Bortz’s persistence and excitement played a larger role — the special players with special needs is a labor of love needs focus of the Winter Classic hits close to home for the Clement family. Clement’s 45-year-old daughter, Regan, has Down Syndrome.

“All we’ve ever wanted to try to provide for her is opportunities — no By Charlie O'Connor Jan 20, 2020 matter what they are,” Clement said. “And that’s what this fundraiser represented to me, was opportunities for people with special needs and

cognitive handicaps, that never otherwise would have existed.” Bill Clement has been many things during his long career in and around Playing hockey in front of a crowd at a growing event certainly qualifies the sport of hockey. as such, as does the opportunity to interact with local legend Clement He’s an 11-season NHL veteran, a career that included two Stanley Cup and former Flyers forward Riley Cote, who also serves as a coach, and rings earned as a member of the Broad Street Bullies. He’s spent 21 longtime NHL official Kerry Fraser, who dons his old black and white years as a national hockey color commentator on networks such as uniform for the centerpiece game. Fraser helps to keep the event running ESPN, NBC and Versus. He’s in his 16th season doing commentary for smoothly, and even interviews the players during and after the game. Philadelphia Flyers games, a role — along with his history playing for the For a former NHLer like Clement, watching the sense of belonging that team — that has made Clement something of an institution in the sports- comes with being part of a hockey team is one of the most rewarding crazed Delaware Valley. aspects of the day. Over the past two years, he’s added “coach” to that résumé, and you’ll “There aren’t many people, no matter what their situation is in life, that find him behind the bench again this weekend at the Lehigh Valley don’t prefer to feel like they belong,” Clement said. “And that’s the way it Winter Classic. is with the kids that come out to the tournament that play for the Polar The all-day hockey extravaganza, which will take over the Bethlehem Bears or that play on the (Admirals). They feel like they belong — not Municipal Rink in Bethlehem, Pa., for the seventh consecutive year on only to the magnificent sport that they otherwise would have had to watch Saturday, raises money for the Lehigh Valley Polar Bears, a hockey team on television, (but just) belong to a team, and there’s nothing, I think, that for children and young adults with special needs. But the event doesn’t glues people together more than a hockey team.” merely seek to fundraise through donations; it also places the Polar It’s clear Clement has joined the Winter Classic “team” as well. Bears and the Bucks County Admirals — another area team of players with special needs — center stage for a friendly afternoon game in front Bortz made his first attempt to involve Clement in 2015, when he was of hundreds of attendees. sending emails to anyone and everyone in the local hockey community, hoping to attract supporters but knowing it would likely lead to few That’s where coach Clement comes in. Saturday marks his third year of responses. But Justin Gombert, another member of the event’s team, involvement in the event, and it quickly turned into a labor of love. After successfully made contact with Clement in 2017, which began the all, coaching the game isn’t a matter of X’s and O’s — it’s about making a process of bringing him on board. At Clement’s first Winter Classic connection with the players and helping to make the day as memorable appearance, it didn’t take long for him to feel that sense of belonging. as possible. Clement recalled how he received a heartwarming reminder of that at last year’s Winter Classic. “I was there for an hour, and I said, I’m one of the gang now,” he recalled. “A female player, when I showed up at the bench, she turned around and said, ‘Bill, you coached me last year! I’m so glad you’re back.’” The event has benefited significantly from Clement’s participation as well. The former Flyer has become a sounding board during the yearly For Clement, those moments are why he’s proud to participate. The planning process for Bortz, who, like many fans in their late 20s and early Winter Classic, which raised $44,032 last season, hooked him from the 30s, grew up listening to Clement on ESPN and local broadcasts. start. “There’s so few people that I’ve met that exceed what your expectation of “When I got there and saw the event, and met everybody, I kind of had them is,” Bortz said. “And he’s absolutely one of them.” this feeling of, ‘Wow, I’m involved in something that’s truly special,” Clement said. Clement’s extensive Rolodex of hockey contacts, combined with his passion for the event, has proved integral to the growth of the Winter From morning until night, the Winter Classic plays out as an outdoor Classic, which cleared 1,350 attendees in 2019 and projects a larger hockey carnival, with a stirring game between the Polar Bears and crowd this year. Clement may not commentate as many games as he Admirals, but also food, raffles and numerous matchups between local once did — he’s slated to work 18 Flyers games this season for NBC beer league teams, who lock in their spots on the bill through donations. Sports Philadelphia — but from his new home 4,000 feet up in the Blue The event is the brainchild of a group of seven led by 34-year-old Adam Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, he can still lend a powerful helping Bortz, a director at WD Partners, an architecture and design firm in hand to Bortz and the Winter Classic. Philadelphia. Bortz and his beer league friends were inspired by the 2010 NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park, which Bortz attended. He returned “(Clement has) broken down so many doors for us and removed so many from Boston intent on bringing that outdoor magic home to Lehigh Valley, barriers, so many hurdles,” Bortz said. and starting in 2014, Bortz and company did just that. As a result of the efforts of Bortz, Clement and others, the Winter Classic But the event in its current form didn’t take shape until Year 2, when has grown into a true celebration of hockey’s roots — from the outdoor Bortz connected with Joe Guellnitz, whom he knew from his high school vibe to the “anyone can play” ethos to even the makeshift locker rooms hockey days. Guellnitz and his wife, Nicole, had recently started the that are constructed for the event. Beyond the charitable cause, it’s easy Polar Bears, and it quickly became clear to Bortz and his group what to understand why a hockey lifer like Clement would fall in love with it. direction their fledgling Winter Classic should take — helping to financially support this young hockey program. In 2015, the Winter “When you get there, and you see it, and there’s all these people, and Classic switched from raising money for the Hockey Fights MS charity to everybody’s happy and smiling — it’s so cool,” Bortz said. “It’s so much making the Polar Bears the beneficiary of the day’s donations. fun. And just the setting that it’s in — in the trees with this log cabin — it’s like (the movie) “Mystery, Alaska.” It’s perfect. I love it so much.” For Bortz, it felt like the best way to give back to the game he loves — by providing people with special needs with a platform and the resources to For information about the event, visit LVWinterClassic.com. play the sport. The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 “As an avid hockey fan, you’re kind of, I believe, like a steward of the game,” he said. “As a steward of the game, there’s certain obligations and there’s certain responsibilities that you have. And I think one of those is to take care of the game, cultivate it, leave it better for the next generation and pass it along, but (also) really to grow it. 1172103 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins recall Joseph Blandisi for seventh time

SETH RORABAUGH | Tuesday, January 21, 2020 12:32 a.m.

PHILADELPHIA – The Penguins have recalled a familiar face from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

Forward Joseph Blandisi was recalled for the seventh time this season. He was summoned Monday afternoon after coach Mike Sullivan announced forward Dominik Kahun will be sidelined indefinitely due to a concussion.

Blandisi, has appeared in 21 NHL games this season and has five points (two goals, three assists). In 16 AHL games, Blandisi has eight points (four goals, four assists).

The Penguins are scheduled to play the rival Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday.

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Frenzied stretch of games about to give way to long layoff for Penguins

CHRIS ADAMSKI | Monday, January 20, 2020 5:24 p.m.

It might seem as if the Pittsburgh Penguins have recently been playing every other night. That’s not true —they have played even more often than that during January.

The Penguins will play for the 11th time on the 21st day of the month Tuesday night at the Philadelphia Flyers. It will be their 11th game in 20 days, their seventh game in 12 days, their fifth game in eight days and fourth in six days.

Good thing there’s nine consecutive days off following Tuesday.

“I think the break comes at the right time for us,” winger Patric Hornqvist said. “We’ve been playing a lot of games here lately with a lot of travel, so after (Tuesday), it will be nice to get away from it a little bit and reenergize and come back for the stretch run.”

The break is one part league-wide All-Star break, one part league- mandated annual “bye week” for the Penguins. Their next game after Tuesday will be at home against Philadelphia on Jan. 31.

The Penguins have endured a number of injuries to key players this season and are up to more than 200 man-games lost to injury overall.

“Any time you get a week off just to get away from the game, for not only me but for everyone, it’s nice to refocus and obviously heal up,” said defenseman Justin Schultz, who has missed more than a month because of a lower-body injury. “Obviously, a lot of guys are banged up.”

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Penguins Dominik Simon ‘dodges bullet,’ feels well at practice day after hip injury

CHRIS ADAMSKI | Monday, January 20, 2020 5:09 p.m.

Looking back a day after the fact, Dominik Simon was able to concede that he feared the worst when he suffered what he indicated was a hip injury during Sunday’s game.

“Oh yeah, definitely (dodged a bullet),” the Pittsburgh Penguins forward said Monday from the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. “I was worried. I wasn’t thinking ahead. I was just hoping it was going to go well. And (now) I think it’s nothing too bad, so I am happy about that.”

So are the Penguins, who came perilously close to having to play without either of Sidney Crosby’s wingers. Jake Guentzel had shoulder surgery three weeks ago.

Simon did not play over the final 15 minutes of Sunday’s 4-3 win against the Boston Bruins. Simon, who had a goal earlier in that game, said efforts were made to get him back into the game late to help a team that was already down a forward after Dominik Kahun suffered a second- period concussion.

“The trainers, they help you out,” Simon said. “You don’t want anything too bad to happen that will (keep him out of the lineup) long, so I tried to come back with some pain medicine, but I didn’t feel like I would help the team.”

Simon felt much differently less than 24 hours later during practice.

“I feel way better,” Simon said.

Though Simon stopped short of definitively saying he absolutely will play during Tuesday’s game at the Philadelphia Flyers, coach Mike Sullivan was left little ambiguity when asked if Simon would.

“Yes,” Sullivan said.

Keep up with the Pittsburgh Penguins all season long.

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Penguins F Dominik Kahun out with concussion

CHRIS ADAMSKI | Monday, January 20, 2020 4:53 p.m.

A day after Dominik Kahun did not play after his first shift of the second period against the Boston Bruins, Kahun did not take part in Pittsburgh Penguins practice Monday and coach Mike Sullivan said it was because he had suffered a concussion.

“Dom Kahun was diagnosed with a concussion, so he is right now in concussion protocol,” Sullivan said.

Implicit in that statement was that Kahun would not be in the lineup for Tuesday’s game at the Philadelphia Flyers, the first before a 10-day break between games for the Penguins over the league’s All-Star game and their “bye week.”

Kahun has six points over his past four games skating on the left side with Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust. #penshttps://t.co/w6Kg5T0lIp

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) January 16, 2020

Kahun had been skating on the left wing of the Evgeni Malkin line. His absence comes three weeks after Sidney Crosby’s left wing, Jake Guentzel, underwent shoulder surgery that will keep him out at least for the remainder of the regular season. Those developments combine to leave the Penguins seemingly with a paucity of options for the left wing on their top lines.

“We will move guys around the best we can with the guys that we have,” Sullivan said. “That’s what we’ve done to this point, and that’s what we will continue to do. With Dom Kahun out of the lineup, someone else is going to have an opportunity to step in and make a difference.”

The Penguins did not take line rushes during what was a relatively short practice Monday.

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Justin Schultz’s return to Penguins is imminent, but will it come Tuesday?

CHRIS ADAMSKI | Monday, January 20, 2020 4:37 p.m.

By his own evaluation, Justin Schultz’s play after returning from a long injury absence last season was not up to his lofty standards.

He is convinced his imminent return from injury this time will produce better results.

“It’s definitely tough,” the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman said about re- acclimating game speed. “Obviously (this current absence), is not four months, but it’ll be a little smoother than that one.”

“That one” was last season, when Schultz did not play between Oct. 13 and Feb. 16 because of a broken leg suffered during an early-season game in Montreal. Schultz’s return for the final 25 games was underwhelming compared to his first 31⁄2 seasons with the Penguins. His plus/minus and possession/shot-attempt statistics were his lowest since joining the Penguins.

This season, though, Schultz’s layoff hasn’t lasted nearly as long. He has been out since Dec. 17 because of a lower-body injury. But he was a full participant at practice Monday for the first time since he suffered his injury during a win at the Calgary Flames five weeks ago.

Neither Schultz nor coach Mike Sullivan would rule out Schultz returning to the lineup for Tuesday’s game at the Philadelphia Flyers. But whenever Schultz returns, the experience of enduring last season’s absence — his longest injury-related layoff as a pro — will aid in how he approaches this comeback.

“Last year was a really different thing,” said Schultz, who did not have a “noncontact” jersey on at practice. “I was out for four months, (and it was a) pretty serious injury. And this one, I have been doing a lot of rehabbing, lots of stuff, so I don’t think (re-acclimating) should be (the same sort of) problem.”

Still, Schultz acknowledged returning from an extended injury absence can require “a couple shifts, a couple periods” to get re-acquainted with game speed.

It was all but formally declared Monday that Schultz’ will return against the Flyers. What is not clear is if it will come Tuesday in Philadelphia or in the back end of what has to be the longest home-and-home series in NHL history.

Neither team will play between Tuesday and Jan. 31, when the Penguins host Philadelphia. Though Schultz said he “felt good” and was “pretty close” to being cleared and his preference was “sooner the better,” the prospect of an extra 10 days of healing could compel the Penguins to take a more cautious approach.

“For sure, (holding Schultz out Tuesday) is something that’s been and being discussed,” Sullivan said. “We would be foolish not to. That’s part of the conversation. It’s not the only part of the conversation, but … our guys, their return to play is based on what the medical staff thinks is best for the player, first and foremost, and then the team as a group and as a whole.”

Whenever Schultz returns, the boost the Penguins figure to get — to use the word Sullivan and defenseman Kris Letang used — will be “huge.” An All-Star for the Penguins three years ago, Schultz’s value to the team is exhibited by the fifth-highest salary-cap hit he carries ($5.5 million) of any player on the roster. His right-handed, puck-moving skills are among the league’s best for a defenseman.

The Penguins, though, have a decision to make on when to bring him back.

“You’ve got to make sure you’re 100% this time of year, especially,” Schultz said. “The playoffs would be different.

“Obviously, I want to play as soon as possible, but it’s about being smart.”

Keep up with the Pittsburgh Penguins all season long. 1172108 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins Justin Schultz, Dominik Simon practice fully; Dominik Kahun has concussion

CHRIS ADAMSKI | Monday, January 20, 2020 1:57 p.m.

Justin Schultz was back on the ice with teammates at Pittsburgh Penguins practice Monday, and neither the defenseman nor his coach would rule out the possibility of returning to game action Tuesday at the Philadelphia Flyers.

A day after leaving Sunday’s win against the Boston Bruins because of a hip injury, forward Dominik Simon also practiced fully and will play against the Flyers.

Dominik Kahun will not play. Coach Mike Sullivan said Kahun has been diagnosed with a concussion, and Kahun did not practice Monday.

Schultz has been out since Dec. 17, missing 15 games because of a lower-body injury. He’d been skating in recent days but Monday was his first full practice.

“No restrictions,” Schultz said of his participation level at Monday’s session at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. “I felt good, and now it’s just a matter of making sure I am ready to step back in (the lineup). It’s still a point in the year where we don’t need to rush things if I’m not ready, so just making sure I am ready. And hopefully that’s sooner rather than later.”

The Penguins’ next two games are against the Flyers — but they are 10 days apart. After the All-Star break and the Penguins mini bye week, their next game after Tuesday is Jan. 31 at home to Philadelphia.

“We will make decisions accordingly,” Sullivan said, “but it’s not so much what we need to see from (Schultz). It’s a matter of having a conversation here with Justin and the medical staff and what we think is best for him and for the team. And so we will have that conversation and make the decisions accordingly.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172109 Pittsburgh Penguins The fans’ treatment of Murray on Sunday has little to do with how he played on the day, or whether or not the Penguins won.

It has everything to do with respect. Mark Madden: Penguins fans’ jeering of Matt Murray was despicable Murray was in goal the last two times the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. He got back-to-back shutouts to close out the 2017 final. He has a lot of locker-room cachet, as evidence by the united reaction of his teammates MARK MADDEN | Monday, January 20, 2020 1:08 p.m. to the fans’ hostility. Murray’s accomplishments are many. His desire and commitment have never been in question.

Respecting that would preclude you from juvenile banality like mock I’ve been a Penguins fan since I was 6. Working in journalism has made applauding when Murray makes a routine save. me hide that occasionally. But I’ve never done a great job at it, or even felt the need to. Instead you chose to be petty. Tom Petty.

On Sunday, I was embarrassed to be a Penguins fan. Jeering Murray is the kind of nonsense they pull in Philadelphia. That’s what fans of losing teams do. Be better. Matt Murray struggled in goal at game’s start. He conceded just 11 seconds in, and again less than two minutes later. Boston’s lead grew to Tribune Review LOADED: 01.21.2020 3-0 by the 15:07 mark.

When Murray made saves, the sellout crowd at PPG Paints Arena showered him with loud mock applause on several occasions.

That’s despicable. There’s no other word to describe it.

The Penguins have won two Stanley Cups with Murray in goal. He gives maximum effort. He leaves it all out there.

Murray deserves better.

Those in attendance paid for their tickets. They can do as they please.

But perhaps it would be better if those who booed spent their money elsewhere. Wait for the Steelers to disappoint you again. See what JuJu Smith-Kardashian posted on Instagram. Stare at your phone while the puck is in play. Go watch that .151 hitter the Pirates signed.

The Penguins players were upset. Many said so.

Murray’s comment: “No comment.”

Those booing probably have Duck hats. They likely hope Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t recover from his elbow surgery.

That’s the kind of stupid, fair-weather, front-running sports ghetto Pittsburgh has become.

Murray let his play respond to the “fans.” He didn’t allow a goal after Boston’s third. He made 24 saves over the second and third periods as the Penguins rallied to win 4-3 despite being outshot 37-22.

Murray has struggled sporadically this season, partly because he is playing too deep in his crease.

But when the Bruins crowded the blue paint, as they prefer to, Murray navigated the traffic effectively and seized his angles. He absorbed pucks comfortably. As much as anyone, Murray won the game.

Initially, Murray seemed rattled when he lost his grip on the Penguins’ No. 1 goaltending job.

Lately, he has fought to reclaim it.

In his last five starts, Murray has stopped 67 of 69 third-period shots. He won all those games.

That doesn’t dislodge Tristan Jarry from the driver’s seat.

But it should put Murray back in the frame.

The ideal situation for the Penguins is for Jarry and Murray to both play well and push each other. Coach Mike Sullivan doesn’t have to select a starting goalie in perpetuity. He needs to properly navigate the twists and turns, as he has done so far.

Sullivan was smart to give Murray a second straight start Sunday after Murray made 28 saves to win at Detroit on Friday. Murray’s play rated that, and Jarry had allowed three goals in each of his last six starts. His comfort level needs shrunk a bit. If I’m Sullivan, I start Murray at Philadelphia on Tuesday.

None of this necessarily affects the Penguins’ long-term goaltending plans. The club is unlikely to pay Murray what he wants long-term. If compromise isn’t reached, Murray very probably departs before the end of the 2020-21 season. 1172110 Pittsburgh Penguins

Tim Benz, Mark Madden lay into fans booing Matt Murray, break down state of Penguins, Super Bowl matchup

Tribune-Review TRIBUNE-REVIEW | Monday, January 20, 2020 11:30 a.m.

Was the jeering of Matt Murray warranted? And what does his play of late mean for the Penguins’ goaltending situation?

Tim Benz and Mark Madden discuss the state of the Penguins coming off a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Boston Bruins on Sunday. Mark lambastes the fan base for getting on Murray’s case after he let in two early goals in the first period of Sunday’s game.

“It’s about respect, period. You have none for a guy who deserves a lot,” Madden said of the fans booing the two-time Stanley Cup winner.

The guys discuss what might happen in a playoff series between the Penguins and Bruins and which teams are the Penguins’ biggest threats.

After hockey talk, it’s on to the Astros’ sign-stealing controversy. Tim says he has a hard time feeling bad for anyone involved.

Tim and Mark break down the AFC and NFC Championship games and look forward to the Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. They debate which team has the coaching and quarterback advantages.

Tribune Review LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172111 Pittsburgh Penguins • In Game 1 against the Bruins this year, Sullivan’s skaters also crawled back from a 3-0 hole, only to give the game back to Boston in a 6-4 defeat.

Tim Benz: How Penguins flipped the script against troublesome Bruins Once they seized it Sunday, the Penguins carried the momentum until the end.

TIM BENZ | Monday, January 20, 2020 6:15 a.m. • On Sunday, those three Bruins stars got off to a great start again, contributing four points on the three first-period goals. But this time, Crosby and Evgeni Malkin kept pace.

Normally, Pittsburgh’s obsession with losing to teams from New England Yes, Crosby scored moments into Game 2 last Tuesday. However, like is focused on the football field. the rest of the team, he struggled to do much the rest of that night. Malkin was a minus-2 and was held without a point. This week, it bled onto the hockey rink, too. Malkin did have an assist in the November game, yet Crosby was a Whatever success the Penguins seemed to spin against the rest of the minus-4. league this season, it had failed to manifest against the Boston Bruins. But, in this game, Crosby had brilliant assists on the first two goals by The Bruins pushed around the Penguins en route to a 4-1 win on Jan. Dominik Simon and Teddy Blueger. 16. And they outgunned the Penguins in a 6-4 see-saw affair back on Nov. 4. First game back: 1G-3A

Much of last week’s hockey content on the sports radio airwaves and Second game back: 1G online was centered around how the Penguins could figure out a way to better represent themselves against a franchise that is in good position to Third game back: 1G (OT GWG) win the Atlantic Division and could be an opponent in the postseason. Fourth game back: 2A

Sure. That’s getting ahead of ourselves. But since so many Steelers Just Sid things. Way to knock it in, Teddy! pic.twitter.com/5rPuwju3gb conversations over the years have begun and ended with, “Yeah, but what if they see the Patriots in the playoffs,” who am I to get in the way of — Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 19, 2020 good ol’ fashioned New England-induced paranoia? And how, exactly, did Simon score from that angle? 勞 Especially since there appeared to be something to it. pic.twitter.com/j7qitONxbo

In one game, Boston played bigger and stronger than the Penguins. In — Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 19, 2020 another, they outscored the Penguins. Meanwhile, Malkin was the engine behind Bryan Rust’s eventual game- In both, they won without playing starting goaltender Tuukka Rask. And winner, jarring the puck free with a heavy forecheck behind the end line in both, the dynamic top line of David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and and making a fine feed for the primary assist. Patrice Bergeron played even better than they normally do. They collectively accumulated a total of 16 points in the two games. That's 21 goals on the season for Bryan Rust… in just 35 games. pic.twitter.com/kBtamWrC1A So given how the Penguins stormed back from an early 3-0 deficit at home Sunday to win 4-3, forgive any Penguins fan who may have briefly — Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 19, 2020 celebrated some liberation from Boston. • This time after a tough start against the Bruins, Murray rebounded from Not exactly cause for dumping tea in the harbor. But maybe reason for an 0-3 hole instead of getting pulled. And he made some fantastic saves an extra Iron City on the North Shore after the game. in the third period, particularly one on Matt Grzelcyk on a shot that appeared ticketed to tie the game. “It’s important to play well against a team we didn’t play well against in Boston,” captain Sidney Crosby said. “We wanted to be better. Aside DENIED! pic.twitter.com/p7RbzfD3Ws from the start, we did a good job sticking with it.” — Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 19, 2020 Head coach Mike Sullivan was a little less willing to attach any extra The Penguins are done with the Bruins in the regular season. And if significance to the win over Boston Sunday evening, because in his Sullivan’s assessment that this season’s series was essentially nothing estimation, the first six periods — well, six and a half if you count more than a split-decision win for the Bruins is right, he can probably live Sunday’s dreadful start — weren’t as lopsided as others may have felt. with that. “The first game against Boston, we were the better hockey team,” That’s if Rounds 4-10 don’t present themselves in the playoffs. Sullivan insisted. “We didn’t win the game. But I felt we were the better hockey team. That’s one of the best games we played this season, throw If they do, Sullivan may have to be a harsher judge. the score aside. The last game, they were the better hockey team. And we’ll see if New England playoff paranoia resurfaces on ice once “I thought (Sunday) we both had our moments. They had a great start. more as it did in 2013 — and as it so often has on grass. We had a really good response.” Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. That left Sullivan grasping for an explanation. Tribune Review LOADED: 01.21.2020 “I don’t know that there is a common theme throughout three games,” he continued.

A pair of Penguins who scored goals Sunday offered some more specific reasons for their team’s ability to flip the script against their Eastern Conference rivals.

“We supported each other a lot better,” defenseman Jack Johnson said. “So it was easier to make some plays. We managed the puck a little bit. The last game we definitely weren’t good enough. Once we got a hold of ourselves (Sunday), we played a lot better.”

Forward Teddy Blueger added, “Compared to the last game, we dialed into the details. We won more puck battles. We were first on pucks more. We were able to control some territory more (Sunday). That led to some scoring chances, I think.”

Some other reasons why this result was different for the Penguins? 1172112 Pittsburgh Penguins That line has scored some big goals, too. Tanev had overtime game- winners in Montreal and Vegas, and Tanev and Blueger were heroes Jan. 12 in Arizona.

Teddy Blueger thriving in pivotal role for Penguins “They bring a unique identity to this group,” their coach said Sunday. “They’re a real good checking line. But they bring an offensive dimension, as well.”

MATT VENSEL Pittsburgh Post-Gazette JAN 20, 2020 5:28 PM Sullivan was talking about the whole line. But that summed up Blueger well.

When Blueger first arrived in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after four years at The Penguins for three years have tried to fill the void left by Nick Bonino Minnesota State, he was typecast as a fourth-line grinder. But his when the third-line center during their two recent Cup teams left for offensive game blossomed in his two-plus seasons there. Blueger, with Nashville. 21 goals in 45 games, was the leading scorer for the AHL club last They traded for Riley Sheahan and Derick Brassard, but those two didn’t season when the Penguins kept him here for good. have the ability or the willingness, respectively, to succeed in that pivotal Blueger, who had a legendary work ethic in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, has role. So a year ago, they brought in Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann, spent countless hours improving his stride. He admits he has “a long way thinking one could. to go” and, sure, it doesn’t always look pretty. But he keeps up with the Perhaps one of those two will settle in as their third-line center as the NHL’s pace. Penguins push for their third Stanley Cup in five years. Or possibly yet The rest of the game has grown, too, since his first training camp in another trade will be in the works before the Feb. 24 trade deadline, Pittsburgh in 2016. Just ask another Penguins center who had an eye on exactly five weeks away. him that summer. Or maybe, just maybe, the answer was already standing there in the “He’s got a mature game. He’s able to create offensively, but he’s still back of the Penguins locker room Monday, soaked with sweat after he really responsible defensively,” Crosby said. “I think he takes a lot pride was one of the last off the ice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, just in all those little things, things that maybe take guys a little more time to like he is after most practices. figure out. He seems to grasp it right away. He’s been a big part of our Teddy Blueger is used to being overlooked. In 2012, he was drafted late team in every area this year.” in the second round, making him far from a sure thing. When he went pro Blueger, who buried his seventh goal of the season Sunday off of in 2016, he wasn’t near the top of many lists of the team’s top prospects. Crosby’s crazy through-the-legs pass, has 17 points and a plus-4 rating It took the Latvian center another three years to make his NHL debut with this season. He is also a regular on a Pittsburgh penalty kill that ranked the Penguins. 14th entering Monday. “I thought then I was pretty good, but looking back on it now, I probably “As the season has progressed, I think I’ve gotten better and better,” wasn’t very good at all,” he said, with a laugh. “Obviously, I was far from Blueger said. “I’m getting more comfortable out there. The game is making the NHL back then. I still had a long way to go. It took some time slowing down a bit and I’m feeling more confident in terms of holding on to get here.” to pucks and trying to make plays. I’m getting better at reading the game Blueger, who became an NHL regular this season, is the perfect example and knowing what to expect.” of a Penguins prospect. They picked him eight years ago, let him develop The Penguins now have high expectations, too. On his radio show two at the NCAA level for a few years then welcomed him to Wilkes- weeks ago, general manager Jim Rutherford said Blueger is “probably” Barre/Scranton. He continued to grow at the American Hockey League the next Bonino. level, with little fanfare. “He’s a really smart player. He’s probably the Nick Bonino replacement,” When they called up Blueger last season, when he was 24, they weren’t the GM said on his show on 105.9 FM. “He’s a lot like Bonino. He plays surprised he fit right in. But it took Matt Cullen’s retirement last summer that role and he plays it well. And as time goes on and he gets more for a full-time role to open up. And 49 games later, Blueger is pushing for used to the league — because basically this is his first full season in the a bigger one. NHL — he will get better and better.” Blueger, for all intents and purposes, has filled the Bonino role this The question is whether the Penguins will ask him to fill that role this season. Heck, on some nights these past couple of months, he played spring. more than McCann, who was listed as the second-line center until Sidney Crosby returned last week. Like all Cup hopefuls, they know they will need to roll four lines during the playoffs. So whether McCann, Bjugstad or someone else centers their Want to know what coach Mike Sullivan and the Penguins think about other line remains a subject of intrigue. Obviously, Andrew Agozzino isn’t Blueger? Look at how they used him, along with gritty linemates Brandon the answer. Tanev and Zach Aston-Reese on his wings, in Sunday’s 4-3 win against the Boston Bruins. But whether the Penguins list them as the third line or the fourth line on the fancy lineup graphics they tweet out before every game, it sure looks The Penguins often trusted the Blueger line to skate against Brad like the Blueger line is going to have a significant role when their next Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak, one of the most lethal Cup chase begins. lines in hockey. Post Gazette LOADED: 01.21.2020 Blueger, like most centers, struggled against Bergeron in the faceoff circle. And the Penguins allowed a pair of high-danger scoring chances in those situations, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. But in more than five minutes of 5-on-5 ice team against Bergeron, Blueger and Co. kept that line off the scoreboard.

“Teddy’s line is hard to play against. They just compete hard,” Sullivan said. “We’ve used them in certain situations matchup-wise throughout the course of this season. He gets a lot of difficult starts in the defensive zone. ... Teddy’s line has played a valuable part in the success the team has enjoyed to this point.”

Blueger, Tanev and Aston-Reese — by far their most-used forward trio — have played more than 343 minutes together at 5-on-5 this season. Despite many minutes against top opposing players, they have a 51.7% shot share and have generated 55 high-danger chances compared to just 33 for the other guys. 1172113 Pittsburgh Penguins In related news, the Penguins recalled Joseph Blandisi after Monday’s practice. He has two goals and five points in 21 games for Pittsburgh this season.

Justin Schultz returns to Penguins practice, could play against Flyers Penguins not looking ahead

Sullivan was asked if it was a good thing the Penguins play the rival Flyers in their final game before the All-Star break, ensuring they don’t MATT VENSEL Pittsburgh Post-Gazette JAN 20, 2020 2:07 PM overlook it.

“I don’t think anybody’s given much thought to the break, quite honestly,” he said. “We still have one game left that’s an important game for us. We Justin Schultz on Monday practiced with the Penguins for the first time in just have to make sure that our focus is on the task at hand and we stay more than a month and is on track to return in one of the team’s next two in the moment. [They are] a really good team, and we’re going to have to games. play at our best.” Of course, there is that whole All-Star break thing sandwiched between The Flyers are currently sixth in the Metropolitan Division at 26-17-6. But those games, which will factor into the decision of when Schultz rejoins they trail the third-place New York Islanders by only three points in the the lineup. standings. First, though, how did it feel to be back with your teammates, Justin? Post Gazette LOADED: 01.21.2020 “I felt good. Now it’s just a matter of making sure I’m ready to step back in. It’s the still the point of the year where you don’t need to rush things,” he said. “So I’m just making sure I’m ready. And hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.”

Schultz suffered a lower-body injury in the Dec. 17 win in Calgary. He first stepped back on the ice two weeks ago, joined the Penguins on their week-long road trip out west and had skated in an individual setting most days since.

“The last couple weeks it definitely ramped up. It was definitely a slower than I wanted at the start,” he said. “But once I got on the ice, every day felt better.”

During Monday’s full-team practice, he wore a regular jersey, meaning that he had been cleared for contact. After the relatively brisk practice, the defenseman was asked if there is a chance he plays in Tuesday’s game in Philadelphia.

“I was full-out today. So we’ll see,” he said. “Obviously, I want to play.”

Their next game after Tuesday is 10 days later, at home against the Flyers. So the Penguins could choose to hold out Schultz until after the All-Star break.

Either way, the Penguins will get one of their best blue-liners back soon.

“It will be a huge boost,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s a real good player. He’s played a lot of good minutes for us. He’s been banged-up a fair amount this year. So when we do get him back, it will be a huge boost for our team.”

This was Schultz’s second significant stint away from the team. He was previously on injured reserve from Nov. 27 to Dec. 6 with a lower-body injury. In 27 games this season, the 29-year-old has two goals, six assists and a minus-5 rating.

If he plays Tuesday, Juuso Riikola or Chad Ruhwedel will be a healthy scratch.

Only one Dominik practices

Two Dominiks left Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins due to injury. Only one was well enough to practice with the team in Cranberry on Monday.

Dominik Simon was initially injured in the second period of that win. He toughed it out and played in the third before ultimately being removed from the game.

“I feel way better,” said Simon, who scored in Sunday’s win. “Unfortunately, I had to leave the game. I tried to go back but it wasn’t good. I feel good today.”

Dominik Kahun, who was skating on Evgeni Malkin’s wing, suffered a concussion in the second period Sunday and is in the NHL’s concussion protocol, Sullivan said. So he did not practice and is not expected to play in Philadelphia.

“We’ll move guys around as best we can with what we have. That’s what we’ve done to this point,” Sullivan said, adding, “With Dom Kahun out of the lineup, someone else is going to get an opportunity to step in and make a difference.” 1172114 Pittsburgh Penguins Murray had been pulled after allowing three goals on 11 shots in early November.

It’s possible those results coincided with the way this game started and Evgeni Malkin on the Bronx cheers for Matt Murray: ‘We hear that in left a lot of people inside the arena thinking back to a 2013 Eastern Philly, not Pittsburgh’ Conference final, from which the favored Penguins were swept by the Bruins, and thus fretting a repeat of that disappointment this postseason.

Reasonable? Sure. By Rob Rossi Jan 20, 2020 Respectful of what this particular Penguins club had done before Sunday? Nope.

Evgeni Malkin entered the Penguins’ dressing room just as teammate The Penguins arrived at their 49th game with the fourth most points in Matt Murray was being asked about the four — yes, four! — Bronx the league. The only clubs ahead of them were the Washington Capitals cheers he received from fans inside PPG Paints Arena on Sunday and St. Louis Blues (the past two Stanley Cup champions) and the afternoon. To his credit, Murray addressed the topic as could be Bruins (who lost in Game 7 of the Cup final last June). expected of a seasoned, two-time Stanley Cup winner at hockey’s most important position. As Malkin suggested, the Penguins’ success should have provided them cover from the storm of jeers showered upon Murray — and, by “No comment,” Murray said. extension, the entire team — on Sunday. The Penguins have reached that level of Cup contender status during a half-season in which 204 #LETSGOPENS FANS GIVE MATT MURRAY THE BRONX CHEERS. man-games have been lost to injury, in which players combined to cost at PIC.TWITTER.COM/P5BORYMXYW least $19.7 million against the cap have not been available for 35 games, — HERE'S YOUR REPLAY ḏ (@HERESYOURREPLAY) JANUARY and in which Crosby and Malkin have been together for only parts of 19 19, 2020 periods.

Malkin, who set up a third-period goal that completed the Penguins’ rally “So hard we try,” Malkin said. “For everyone. For the city. Why boo?” in a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins, was not interested in diplomacy. A few veterans of Penguins Cup clubs from 2016 and 2017 called “It was stupid,” Malkin said of those four mock cheers throughout the first attention to his tough transition into the franchise-goalie role that had period after the Penguins surrendered two goals in the first couple of belonged to Fleury, who remains beloved. Non-players who work for the minutes. Penguins noted Murray’s public and behind-the-scenes graciousness toward Fleury, his willingness to engage autograph seekers after “I’m not understanding our fans. Muzz won two Cups for us. You boo him practices, his numerous charity endeavors, his refusal to blame struggles — why? If you come to the arena, support our team. All of us. We try. We in previous seasons on the unexpected death of his father and his play so hard this year. We work so hard through injuries. We play good insistence on not publicly griping about ceding the starter’s job to Jarry in hockey. Maybe not last couple games, not early this game. But we try. what is the final year of his current contract.

“I understand: You pay money for ticket, you do what you want. But it’s Of course, as a member of the Penguins’ hockey operations department tough to sit on bench and hear that. I don’t like it. We hear that in Philly, conceded, these are what-have-you-done-lately times. However, even by not Pittsburgh.” that standard, fans’ behavior toward Murray on Sunday was thought by the Penguins to be ignorant. Leadership requires more than words. Had Malkin not aggressively forechecked, then jarred the puck loose from Bruins defenseman Charlie He had won each of his previous three starts and performed to a .932 McAvoy and brilliantly fed winger Bryan Rust for the winning goal, he save percentage. After finishing with 34 saves against the Bruins, a case might not have been in a position to steadfastly support Murray on can be made that Murray has positioned himself to reclaim the No. 1 gig Sunday. from Jarry.

But he had. So he did. He was not alone, either. Matt Murray in January

“I heard it, we all did,” Rust said of those four “cheers” Penguins fans Numbers are five-on-five and score- and venue-adjusted (minimum time gave to Murray after goals by the Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron and Anders on ice: 195 minutes): Bjork. Those markers and a third goal (credited to David Pastrnak, though it went in off Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson) surely Category Murray NHL rank shocked and seemed to silence another sellout crowd. Save % .940 7th

The Bronx cheer that accompanied Murray’s first save could perhaps GAA 1.85 9th have been forgiven. The three that followed struck Murray’s teammates as unforgivable, even to those Penguins who didn’t know exactly what xGA 6.99 1st was happening. HDSV% .921 3rd “To be honest, I didn’t hear it, but guys were talking about it,” said center Teddy Blueger, whose seventh goal early in the second period pulled the Rebound attempts against 12 9th Penguins to within a goal of the Bruins. Source: Natural Stat Trick

“They turn on you quick, huh?” After games in which Murray plays, he prefers to exit the dressing room Not usually. Not in Pittsburgh, where fans famously greeted former and dry off before returning to speak with reporters. Sunday proved no Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury with raucous chants of his surname different, except that Murray took longer than usual before sitting down at before home games after he struggled during his tenure. To be fair, his locker stall for questions. Murray had often received similar treatment over recent seasons. Typically stoic, he kept his head down for much of the questions. When What was different about Sunday? pressed about the Bronx cheers, he looked directly at the questioner with watery eyes and bit his lip. Malkin, who was retrieving tape from a The crowd could have been made up of non-regulars because of the cupboard near Murray, noticed his friend’s facial expression and had game’s early start time. Fans might have reacted on some level to coach seen enough — after having heard too much a couple of hours earlier. Mike Sullivan’s decision to start Murray instead of Tristan Jarry, whose mostly stellar performances served as a catalyst for the Penguins’ recent “Muzz works so hard — like, every day,” Malkin told The Athletic. 18-6-4 run without captain Sidney Crosby. Also, the mere presence of “Practice. Games. He’s great teammate. It’s not easy for him this year. the Bruins might have set off people. This game not easy, too. Not his fault, the goals. Not his fault. We play bad for him early. The Penguins had lost two previous games in Boston, including on Thursday night. They were at times bullied in that defeat, whereas “OK, boo. Fine. But like that? Make fun of him. No. Not like that. I don’t like it.” Nobody did, including Crosby, whose line was on the ice for the Bruins’ two early scores that turned the home crowd against Murray.

Choosing his words carefully, Crosby said, “They’re great fans.” But …

“Unfortunately, they were a little harder on our goalie than we probably would have liked,” Crosby said. “But I think we responded the right way. Hopefully, like I said, we’ll give them a little more to cheer about.

“Hopefully, they can be a little more patient with Murray. He’s done a lot of great things for us, and he was great again.”

A “Murray!” chant never rippled throughout PPG Paints Arena on Sunday, not even in a third period that featured at least a handful of sharp saves. As charted by Natural Stat Trick, the Penguins were out- chanced 9-3 and surrendered three high-danger scoring chances over the final 20 minutes.

Murray was perfect.

Didn’t matter that the Bruins targeted his occasionally maligned left glove hand. Made no difference that the Bruins made a mess of the net front. Atop his crease, where he is always at his best, Murray made himself big, made the big saves and gave the Penguins a chance to claim their biggest victory of the season.

Hardly felt that way afterward.

“It’s one of those things I don’t think anybody wants to see,” Rust said of Murray’s Bronx cheers. “But Matt responded unbelievably. Our team responded, too. But without Matt’s response, we don’t win this game.”

Rust sighed. His 21st goal had been met with a thunderous collective roar from the same fans who had shown up Murray on national television. Near him, a phrase the Penguins have borrowed from the late, great “Badger” Bob Johnson was visible on one of the dressing room’s walls: “It’s a great day for hockey.”

Pittsburgh’s fans, especially those brought up in the Crosby era, have been blessed to see their share of greatness. Only three goalies have been in the crease to close the Penguins’ five Cup victories.

Murray has done it twice and as recently as three years ago.

“I love fans in Pittsburgh,” Malkin said. “Muzz win us two Cups! Like, do they forget?”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172115 San Jose Sharks UP NEXT Sharks: host Anaheim on Jan. 27.

Canucks: host St. Louis on Jan. 27. Pearson leads Canucks past Sharks and into 1st in Pacific San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 01.21.2020

Updated 7:35 am PST, Monday, January 20, 2020

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Vancouver Canucks surged past the San Jose Sharks — and took over the tight Pacific Division.

Tanner Pearson scored on the power play and had an assist, helping the Canucks to a 4-1 victory Saturday night.

Loui Eriksson, J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes also scored for the Canucks, who won for the 11th time in 14 games and extended their home winning streak to eight games. The victory also moved the Canucks into first place in the Pacific with 58 points, one more than Edmonton, Calgary, Vegas and Arizona.

“Going into the break in a playoff spot is big,” Pearson said. “We’ve got to keep it strong here at home (and) become a better road team here on out.”

Vancouver is 16-5-3 at , but just 11-13-1 away from home.

Jake Virtanen and Adam Gaudette, playing in his 100th NHL game, each had two assists for Vancouver, who outshot the Sharks 38-17. Thatcher Demko, making his third start in the last 19 games, stopped 16 shots.

“It’s going to be like this through the rest of the games,” Eriksson said. “Tight games and every game is going to be big to get points.”

Barclay Goodrow scored for the Sharks, who lost their third consecutive game. Aaron Dell made 35 saves.

"We pretty much didn’t show up the whole game,” Dell said. “We just stopped everything that was successful. This is pretty much the ramifications of that. I don’t know why it changed or when it changed.”

Pearson gave the Canucks a 2-0 lead at 5:01 of the third period when he deflected a shot by Virtanen past Dell.

The Sharks finally showed some life when Goodrow scored off a scramble at 7:09. Hughes restored Vancouver’s two-goal lead just 37 seconds later when his shot from the blue line ended up in the net.

Miller made it 4-1 off a pretty pass from Virtanen on a 2-on-1 at 15:27.

"In a game like that, you’re peppering their goalie,” Pearson said. “He’s saving them all and they’re not getting any shots. It usually can go one way or another. Good thing it went our way tonight.”

The Canucks outshot the Sharks 27-7 after two periods, including 18-4 in the second, but led just 1-0.

Eriksson’s goal came at 14:05 of the second. Pearson whiffed a shot that sent the puck trickling to the net. Eriksson lifted the stick of San Jose defenseman Erik Karlsson, then batted the puck behind Dell for his fifth goal of the season.

San Jose challenged, arguing Vancouver was offside. The goal was upheld on video review and San Jose was assessed a penalty, but the Canucks failed to score on the power play.

“That was top to bottom another good game,” Canucks coach said. “The last two games at home were pretty complete games by our group. We talked about being a committed group, resilient, and we were tonight.”

Sharks forward Kevin Labanc said frustration led to a melee late in the game that saw 60 minutes in penalties handed out.

“We all just want to win so badly,” Labanc said. “We’re kind of stuck in the mud right now. It’s not fun. Tension builds. Next thing you know, stuff like that happens.”

NOTES: Canucks captain announced on social media that he and his wife are expecting a baby. ... Vancouver’s longest home-ice winning streak was 11 games between Feb. 3 and March 19, 2009. ... The Sharks’ Joe Thornton played his 1,616th game to pass Larry Murphy for 10th place ion the NHL's career list. ... San Jose forward Marcus Sorensen was a healthy scratch for the first time this season. 1172116 St Louis Blues If the accumulated toll of all the games the Blues have played in the past year is going to hit, it would figure to hit soon. The Blues have played 108 games since the last All-Star break, and eight players — Schenn, Schwartz, Pietrangelo, Perron, Jay Bouwmeester, Vince Dunn, Justin Steady approach elevates Blues to best in the West at the break Faulk and Ryan O’Reilly — have appeared in every game this season. Coach has been judicious with days off and is likely to step

that up even more down the stretch. Tom Timmermann 18 hrs ago “Personally, I feel good,” Perron said. “I want to keep going. I’m going to go home (to Montreal) to rest but sharpen up on certain things that are nagging of whatever and then on to the All-Star Game. I think it’s going to In considering how the Blues have managed to get to the All-Star break be a fun experience for the four of us and (Berube) and the trainers.” with the most points in the Western Conference, consider them a hockey version of a gyroscope. No matter how much you spin them, they stay The team will get back together on Sunday to fly to Vancouver for their perfectly level. Nothing seems to throw them off their game. first game after the break. Unlike after Christmas break, when they went straight from time off into a game, the team will practice on Sunday in Lose the team’s leading scorer? They stay steady. Lose several more Vancouver. The schedule is evenly split the rest of the way, with 16 key forwards? Steady. Give the starting goalie a week off to rest his home games and 17 road games. body? Still steady. “We didn’t win, but our guys are dialed in,” Berube said after the The few times the team has been thrown off kilter this season, it has Colorado game. “A break’s OK right now and then we come back and taken them only a few games to get back to where they were before. we’ve got a tough schedule. We’ve got to be ready to go.” Their consistency, for a team with multiple reasons to have lost that consistency, has become their hallmark. Last season’s magical run may St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 01.21.2020 have made the Blues and their fans immune to seeing magic again, but this team has managed to pick up right where they left off. What they have done in a world without Vladimir Tarasenko, a steady 30-goal scorer, is no small feat.

So even with the team having gone into their bye week/All-Star break with two consecutive losses, recent history has shown that the Blues have an unerring knack for bouncing back. Their longest losing streak this season is four games — back in October — and they still managed to get a point in two of those. They have an eight-game winning streak, a seven-game winning streak and two four-game winning streaks. It’s just the third time in franchise history the team has had two win streaks of seven or more games in the same season, matching 2000-01 and 2014- 15. Their loss to Colorado on Saturday was their 11th in regulation this season — only Boston has less — and cost them being just the fifth Blues’ team with 70 points at the All-Star or Olympic break. And in the case of the other teams that got to the 70-point mark by the break, all of those teams played at least three games more than the current Blues have played.

“Yeah, we’re in a good spot,” said goalie Jordan Binnington, who is squeezing in a quick vacation before All-Star Game festivities begin on Thursday. “Obviously you want to win every game and this one would have been a big win, but at the same time, we’re in a good spot. Got to look at the big picture here and just take care of what we can control.”

The big picture is the Blues are a) in very good shape for a playoff spot and b) are likely to quickly revert to winning form. Since Thanksgiving, the Blues are 15-8 with the losses coming in two sets of three and now a set of two. The first time they lost three in a row, they bounced back to win eight. The next time they won four. This is a team that has shown an ability to quickly reset itself by just doing the same thing it has always done.

With 68 points and 33 games to go, merely playing .500 hockey would give them 100 points and a playoff spot.

The loss of Tarasenko on Oct. 24, with a prognosis for a return around the last week of the regular season, seemed ominous, but it has been anything but. Jaden Schwartz has already exceeded his goal total of last season (16 to 11) and has a shot at a career high. Brayden Schenn (17) and Alex Pietrangelo (13) have already matched last season’s goal total and both look likely to post career highs in goals. Among other forwards, Tyler Bozak (11), Oskar Sundqvist (11) and Robert Thomas (eight), also are on track to blow past last season’s goal total.

And they are by no means satisfied.

“It’s definitely a good start and more to this season,” said David Perron, who has 23 goals and needs just six more to set a career high. “Let’s see where we can finish and hopefully we can take it to another level.”

The Blues are fine with taking a break, even if they go into it with losses. The Christmas break, while nice, is too short for players to do much of anything with. This break, a week for most of the team, four days for the All-Stars, is a chance to really let the body heal, something everyone can use. When play resumes on Jan. 27 in Vancouver, defenseman Colton Parayko should be back, and forward Sammy Blais should be a week or so away. That will be the healthiest the team has been in months. 1172117 St Louis Blues

50 years ago: Jacques Plante shines as the NHL All-Star Game comes to St. Louis

By Wally Cross St. Louis Post-Dispatch 12 hrs ago

1970 All-Star Game

On Jan. 20, 1970, St. Louis became the first expansion city to host the National Hockey League All-Star Game. Here is how the game was covered in the pages of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

When it was all over, and he had trudged through the clutching crowd and down the steps to the welcome warmth of the locker room, Jacques Plante paused a moment to reflect.

"That's probably the last one," said the 41-year-old goalkeeper. "I'm thankful I didn't disgrace myself. I've never felt more pressure."

The pressure was applied by a select band of mercenaries from the National Hockey League's East Division, who left little doubt of their superiority in skating to a 4-1 victory over the best in the West before a disappointed Arena crowd of 16,587.

Bernie Parent, Gordie Howe, Frank Mahovlich, Carol Vadnais, Bill White, Dean Prentice

AP

But the brightest star in the NHL galaxy last night was Plante who turned aside 26 shots in a period and a half of action and frustrated the league's greatest scorers.

"I can't recall ever having a greater night," said the usually modest St. Louis goalie. "But a lot of It was luck. I'd move to a spot and the puck would hit me, whether I saw it or not."

Although he was hampered by a pulled hamstring muscle in his left leg, Plante was agile enough to turn aside the East's 20 shots, an All-Star game one-period record, in the final 20 minutes.

NHL All-Star Dinner

Fred Waters

"I know it sounds silly to say the pressure was greater in a game like this, which means nothing, but there was a matter of pride involved," Plante said.

"I gave up two of the three goals allowed by the West in last year's game. "And then, too, every man on the East team fires the puck like a bullet. You can never relax."

Plante replaced Philadelphia's Bernie Parent midway through the second period. "I made him (Plante) look good on a couple of shots," remarked Detroit's Gordie Howe, wryly. "They were right in his belly, dammit."

Ron Ellis of the Toronto Maple Leafs still can't believe the goal he missed. "Plante was down. I had the whole top of the net to shoot at. But suddenly this leg flies up from out of nowhere and my shot hits it."

The winners launched a record total of 44 missiles at Parent and Plante, compared with a record low of 17 by the West Division All-Stars.

Howe, Chicago's Bobby Hull, Montreal defenseman Jacques Laperriere and New York's Walt Tkaczuk scored for the East.

"With a little luck, we could have won by 10 goals," reflected Claude Ruel, the rotund coach of the East. "Plante made It a game."

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172118 Toronto Maple Leafs “It’s still a learning process,” Andersen said in a recent chat before the Leafs parted ways for the bye week, wherein he and teammates Jake Muzzin, William Nylander and Kasperi Kapanen had planned an outing to famed Augusta National Golf Club. “It’s not going to be perfect right What has led to Frederik Andersen’s worst month of the season? The away. We’ve had sort of a new system for, what is it, a month or two Leafs goaltender would like to sleep on it now? We’re slowly knowing when we get in trouble and when we don’t.”

Trouble or not — and the Leafs, at their worst under Keefe, have been a defence-shirking turnover machine — nobody’s making the case By Dave Feschuk Andersen has been good enough of late, and certainly not Andersen. Mon., Jan. 20, 2020 Prone to allowing too many soft goals, his .881 save percentage in January marks his worst month of the season by a considerable margin.

But the question is this: Is his recent run of poor form simply a run-of-the- If we’ve learned anything about Frederik Andersen in his four mostly mill slump, the kind even the best goaltenders inevitably weather? Or is it formidable seasons with the Maple Leafs, it’s that he’s a serious man of the accumulated effect of too many years stopping too many high-quality meticulous habits. shots for a team that often treats defence like some inconvenient truth?

He’s not alone in this; goaltenders often come to be known as “It’s tough to say what the perfect recipe (for load management) is. It obsessives, and certainly there are levels to the trait. When it comes to comes with experience. I haven’t had my best period, I know. And that’s detail-driven quirkiness, Andersen is probably never going to match, say, something I’ve got to figure out,” Andersen said. “I don’t really say no to Hall of Fame netminder Eddie Belfour, who was known for legendarily playing. I think you know that about me by now. But I don’t think there’s sharpening his own skates into the dead of night because … hey, if you anyone who’d like to prove everyone wrong that I can play 60 or more want a job done right you’ve got to do it yourself. (games) and have success in the playoffs … I thought last year in the playoffs I played well (after starting 60 regular-season games).” But ever since it was explained to Andersen during his early days as an Anaheim Ducks prospect that the path to athletic excellence required It could be possible, too, that Andersen’s rough January is the more than showing up to games with his considerable talent, he has unpleasant byproduct of a team adapting a new system in the midst of a been a faithful adherent to the school of state-of-the-art training. He season, and the unintended consequences that come with such a spends thousands of dollars every off-season hiring a performance midstream change. coach. He partakes in weight training and vision training on top of a steady diet of on-ice drills with medicine balls and rebound boards and “(Playing under Keefe is) a little bit different. I’d been playing every screen-mimicking dummies and the like. game that wasn’t a back-to-back. And now it’s adjusting to practising a little bit less and taking a game here and there off. That’s also been a And this past off-season, Toronto’s No. 1 goaltender was won over to the challenge,” Andersen said. “Guys do it really well on the players’ side, idea that optimizing his sleep could be a game-changing addition to his they slide up and down the lineup and they’re good at playing 15 minutes arsenal. but they can also go out and play 20 minutes. So that’s something I’m learning as well.” “The greatest performance enhancing drug that most people are probably neglecting,” is how Dr. Matt Walker, the popular sleep expert, Adjusting to playing under a new coach, honing the details of a pre- has characterized a nightly eight-plus hours. bedtime routine, playing Augusta, heading to his first all-star game in St. Louis at week’s end. You can see why the man seeks optimal sleep. Andersen, citing Walker as an influence, has hit on a bedtime routine that Even the bye week doesn’t promise much in the way of rest. makes sense for him. He limits late-day caffeine. “They tell you the best thing for sleep is to have a regular schedule, “Even if you drink it in the early afternoon you still have a lot in your which is not something that’s always possible for us,” he said. “But the system at the end of an evening,” he said. more good sleep I can bank, the more I can avoid being over par, to use He eschews late-night alcohol. the golf analogy. You’ve got to get it when you can, is the simplest way to say it.” “Instead of focusing on (recovery), your body’s just trying to get rid of all the poison in your system,” he said. Toronto Star LOADED: 01.21.2020

His ideal temperature for a long winter’s nap — seven to nine hours is the goal — runs about 18 Celsius, and maybe chillier.

“I like it really cold,” he said.

And his environment must be pitch black, which is generally not a problem at home or on the road, when the Leafs stay at high-end hotels like the Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton.

“Most rooms have nice blackout curtains,” Andersen said.

Which is not to say he always sleeps as well on the road as he does at home.

“When you’re in a new room, something about your brain stays on a little bit. The fight-or-flight response,” he said. “It’s some kind of instinct. When you’re in a new environment, you’ve got to be aware if there’s any sabretooth tigers coming.”

If Andersen occasionally sleeps with one eye open, maybe it’s less about the particulars or his nighttime routine and more an occupational hazard. Since he arrived in Toronto, after all, no NHL goaltender has been pelted with more cumulative pucks.

And if you’re among those wondering why Andersen’s recent run of poor play has seemed to coincide with the arrival of as Toronto coach — well, consider that between Mike Babcock’s firing and Toronto’s 6-2 loss on Saturday, a 26-game stretch, Andersen had faced more high- danger shots at 5-on-5 than any goaltender in the league. In other words, the puck-possession style Keefe is pushing clearly suits the skill set of Toronto’s best players. But it’s not necessarily going to be a goaltender’s best friend. 1172119 Toronto Maple Leafs Vaive said he had only one disappointment from that time. Leafs owner Harold Ballard, often miserly, couldn’t be bothered to congratulate Vaive.

“I was pretty proud of scoring 50,” Vaive said, “but that was Harold.” Leafs great Vaive sees 50 in Matthews' sights, if not beating his record Matthews won’t receive similar treatment from Vaive if he gets to 55. 54 goals “Hopefully, I would be at the game,” Vaive said, “and I would be the first

guy to congratulate him and have a picture taken with him and say, ‘Hey, Terry Koshan great job.’ Because I know how hard it is.”

Published:January 20, 2020 VAIVE RECALLS USING ‘LOG’ TO SET LEAFS RECORDS

Updated:January 20, 2020 10:43 PM EST Of the changes in the NHL since Rick Vaive scored 54 goals for the Maple Leafs in the 1981-82 season, one sticks out.

It’s, uh, about Vaive’s stick compared to the lighter composite sticks the Rick Vaive was having a fine time at the Maple Leafs’ Blue & White gala players use now. at the Royal York earlier this month when he bumped into Auston Matthews. “I played with a log,” Vaive said, recalling his Titan model. “And I kept breaking them, so I told them to make the shaft thicker and stronger. It “I said to him, ‘Are you going to break the record?’ ” Vaive said during an got to the point where the shaft was almost square. And it had very little interview with the Toronto Sun on Monday. “I told him it was 55 goals (to curve.” set a new mark). He said, ‘Oh boy, I have a lot of work to do, then.’ When Vaive considers the changes in the game, he figures it goes both “I told him to just keep playing the way he is playing and he will likely do ways. it.” “We got hooked and held and grabbed and cross-checked,” Vaive said. While Matthews is steaming toward becoming just the fourth player in “You couldn’t get rebounds in front because you would be on your ass Leafs history to score 50 goals in a season — he will need 16 in the before you had a chance to. Leafs’ final 33 games, once the bye week concludes, to hit the milestone — there’s no question that beating the Leafs’ team record of 54 goals “Today, you can get those rebounds, but the goalies are bigger, they also is attainable for Matthews. have bigger equipment.

With 34 goals in the Leafs’ first 49 games, Matthews is on pace for 57. “I believe anybody who could accomplish 50 goals multiple times (as Vaive did) could do it in any decade, all things being equal.” During the 1981-82 season, Vaive became the first Leaf to score 50 goals, finishing with 54; seasons of 51 and 52 goals by Vaive followed in Toronto Sun LOADED: 01.21.2020 successive years.

Dave Andreychuk finished the 1992-93 season with 54 goals, but 29 of those came with Buffalo before he was traded to Toronto. The following season, Andreychuk scored 53 for the Leafs.

Between Vaive’s run of three 50-goal seasons and Andreychuk’s two- year run, Gary Leeman scored 51 goals in 1989-90.

Vaive fully expects Matthews to push his name off the top of the list at some point, whether it’s this season or in the near future.

“He is a great player — he has great vision, he has an unbelievable shot, great release,” Vaive said. “Nobody wants their records broken, let’s face it. I’m not going to pretend I’m cheering for him to break the record, but if he does, that would be great.

“It’s the old cliche — records are meant to be broken, and it has been 38 years. With the ability he has, I can’t imagine in the next three or four years he would not be able to surpass it, if he doesn’t do it this year.”

Vaive easily recalled those days in March 1982 as he got closer to 50 goals. The Leafs’ record was 48, accomplished by Frank Mahovlich during the 1960-61 season, though Vaive did not realize it.

With seven games remaining, Vaive had 45 goals. Against Chicago on March 22, Vaive scored four to break Mahovlich’s record.

Vaive got his 50th two nights later in a win against St. Louis, then scored one goal in four of the Leafs’ final five games to arrive at 54.

“At around 45, the media started talking about it, and I remember thinking, ‘Wait a minute, there’s a lot of great players who played in Toronto, and no one had ever scored 50?’ ” Vaive said. “I was kind of shocked. After I got 49, Frank came to the rink the next day and congratulated me and I had a picture taken with him. That was pretty cool.”

Vaive became the first Leaf to score 50 when he deposited a pass from Bill Derlago behind Blues goalie Mike Liut during a Toronto power play in the first period at Maple Leaf Gardens on March 24. The Leafs’ victory that night was just their 20th of 1981-82, and they did not win again that season.

“A special night, no question,” Vaive said. “It was like, wow, you made history. I had some family in town and it was great to go out after to celebrate with teammates.” 1172120 Toronto Maple Leafs Centennial game, Dec. 19, 2017, James van Riemsdyk scored the 20,000th goal in franchise history against Carolina.

2. The Arenas’ Harry Mummery was Toronto’s first American-born player. Maple Leafs all-time roster batting a thousand 3. Among the thousand players are nine with the surname Smith (Art, Ben, Brad, D.J., Floyd, Glenn, Jason, Sid and Trevor) as well as five Armstrongs, five Martins (including two Matts) and three of Toronto’s own Lance Hornby famous Conacher clan (Charlie, Pete and Brian).

Published:January 20, 2020 4. Centre Carl Voss was the first of many players to be summoned from the Toronto Marlies — the juniors and today’s AHL farm team — and the Updated:January 20, 2020 6:00 PM EST first to be signed as a Leaf in 1926-27.

5. That same season, winger Albert Pudas became the first European- The Maple Leafs went into the all-star break battling a slump, but batting born Leaf (Siikajoki, Finland in 1899). a thousand. 6. This season, Rasmus Sandin became the first player born in the When 20-year-old Swede Timothy Liljegren stepped into Saturday’s 2000s, to suit up for the Leafs. game against Chicago, he became the 1,000th player in franchise history 7. Five players have appeared in 1,000-plus games for the Leafs; George by the NHL’s count. That comprises 898 skaters and 102 goalies through Armstrong (1,188), Tim Horton, (1,184), Borje Salming (1,099), Dave 103 years and four nicknames, the Blueshirts, Arenas, St. Patricks and Keon (1,062) and Ron Ellis (1,034). Leafs. 8. Five new players arrived in one day, when GM Cliff Fletcher completed “That it has been a thousand players speaks to the (longevity) of this a 10-player trade with Calgary in 1992. team in the city,” said Ron Ellis, one of five men to have played more than a thousand games exclusively as Leafs. “It will be an honour (for 9. In his many call-ups from the minors in the 1970s and ‘80s, Bruce Liljegren) and I hope he plays a long time. My old friend Boudreau wore six different numbers. used to say it’s a privilege to be a Leaf. 10. Long-time equipment manager Brian Papineau has seen a good “I was in high school in Toronto in Grade 13 when I was called up for my number of players come through town since the late 1980s. Of all the first game (against Montreal). Punch Imlach came in the dressing room names he’s had to afix on the back of sweaters, Alexei Ponikarovsky’s to announce the starting lineup; Tim Horton, Allan Stanley, Red Kelly, was among the hardest. Frank Mahovlich … and me. I was fortunate to have started with the Original Six Leafs, too,” Ellis said. “Our nameplates are 24 inches long and his name went two inches over that,” Papineau said in an earlier interview. “So we sewed two plates The inaugural four-team NHL of the 1917-18 season had a Toronto entry together.” with no defined ownership. Players were referred to by their previous National Hockey Association name the Blueshirts, Blues or Torontos. Other challenges were Lou Franceschetti and Mike Krushelnyski. And Seven skaters and one goalie, Hap Holmes, appeared in the majority of what tailoring will need to be done if 2018 draft pick Semyon Der- the 22-game schedule. Arguchintsev makes the team?

When the owners of their rink, Mutual St. Arena, took control of the club Toronto Sun LOADED: 01.21.2020 at the end of the season (in which Toronto won the Stanley Cup) they became the Arenas. Two years later, new people at the top changed the moniker to St. Patricks, a nod to the town’s large Irish population. Near the end of the 1926-27 season, the club was purchased by businessmen including J.P. Bickell and Conn Smythe and renamed for Canada’s national emblem.

Winger Spencer Abbott, who alphabetically leads the entire thousand- name list, is also among 37 to have played just a single game, as is Roland Huard, the only one to score in his lone appearance, on Dec. 13, 1930. Blair MacKasey, now a pro scout with the Leafs, had his night of fame in the 1976-77 season opener against the Colorado Rockies before returning to the farm.

“I was partnered with Randy Carlyle,” recollected MacKasey. “I took a penalty on the first shift against Randy Rota (coincidentally in his only NHL game that year). Like anyone I wish I could’ve stayed longer, but I felt part of the Maple Leafs and the Gardens family.

“I’ve been part of two great organizations, the Leafs and the Montreal Junior Canadiens.”

Speaking of the Habs, who have been in the NHL as long as the Leafs, they list 871 players since 1917. The difference is reflective of the large group of Leafs serving in World War II, who had to be replaced with young fill-ins and later underlined some of the upheaval in Toronto after its last Stanley Cup in 1967. Player raids by the World Hockey Association in the ‘70s, a rush of promotions from the farm in the ‘80s and “Trader” Cliff Fletcher’s many moves in the ‘90s helped speed them to Saturday night and Liljegren’s debut.

“It was fun being the 1,000th player,” Liljegren said, “but getting that first game feels good for sure.”

CHART

We can’t list all 1,000 Maple Leafs, but here are 10 notable items:

1. On Dec. 19, 1917, Reg Noble scored the first goal in franchise history in the 10-9 opening night loss to the . In the Leafs’ 1172121 Toronto Maple Leafs and then, things can turn in an instant and it goes the other way and it’s hard to get it back.”

It was important, he said, to “keep a proper perspective and focus on Monday Morning Leafs Report: A week of contemplation for Kyle Dubas; every day as it comes.” Rasmus Sandin shows off special skill Shots through

Sandin played around 16 minutes in each of his first three games back By Jonas Siegel Jan 20, 2020 with the Leafs this month. He’s showed a knack in his earliest NHL days for getting shots through from the point. Of his four points so far, all of them assists, three have come when Sandin has fired from point terrain, including two in a period last week against the Devils. Editor’s note: The Monday Morning Leafs Report is a weekly collection of quotes, observations, stats, and notes. Stay tuned each week! John Tavares tipped home the first:

Kyle Dubas wasn’t a happy guy when he left the press box at Scotiabank And Zach Hyman redirected the second on a power play: Arena on Saturday night, his Maple Leafs headed for their fifth loss in six games and now outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture yet “I’ve seen the impact he can make on the power play with that poise and again. also with his ability to get the puck to the net,” Keefe said of the 19-year- old. “He really transformed the power play with us with the Marlies last However he spends the next week, for the bye and All-Star break, the year when he got healthy early in the season. He started the season on Leafs general manager will have a lot to consider regarding the state of the IR. And then once he got healthy, our power play went from one of his team. Namely, how much is wrong? Is this just another dip in a long the worst in the league to one of the best.” season amid injuries, the sign of some deeper instability, or some combination of both? Is there anything he can and/or should do to fix it Sandin has attempted 17 shots through nine NHL games and gotten nine before time runs out? of them through to the net. It’s a skill that will, while Rielly is sidelined, serve Sandin well — and on the power play especially. Missing the playoffs would put serious heat on the Leafs’ second-year GM. “It’s something we work on here with both the Marlies and the Leafs development staff after practice and stuff like that,” Sandin said. “And Dubas already made the biggest, most dramatic move he could when he even before too, I think it’s something we do during summers — always replaced Mike Babcock with Sheldon Keefe in late November. put something up and try and get shots through.”

Now, how seriously does he need to contemplate tweaking the roster? Cast and crutches

Jake Muzzin should return soon after the break from a broken right foot, Johnsson had never broken anything before his right ankle took a hit last giving the Leafs a much-needed dose of stability and experience on the month. back end. But will that be enough to get into the postseason with Morgan Rielly likely out until at least the second week of March? Is a defensive In other words, the 25-year-old had never experienced the discomfort of contingent of Muzzin, Rielly, Tyson Barrie, Justin Holl, Travis Dermott cast and crutches. It didn’t go well for him. In fact, Johnsson said he even and Rasmus Sandin (or Cody Ceci) sturdy enough to win four rounds fell down a flight of steps once while trying to navigate on the crutches. and a Stanley Cup? He thought, “OK, I gotta be careful here. I’m not good on these crutches.” If it’s not, what’s worth sacrificing elsewhere on the roster to improve it? Johnsson found the cast around his foot itched, too — he wore it for two The Leafs parted with their 2020 first-round pick in the Patrick Marleau weeks — and because he wasn’t exactly mobile, he found himself going escape and most of the brightest young pieces in the organization (save to bed unusually early and waking up, well, unusually early. for the spicy Nick Robertson) are now contributing to the NHL team. Is Andreas Johnsson is still finding his way after missing a month to a there a block on the Jenga board the Leafs GM can pull out and move broken ankle. (Dan Hamilton / USA Today) elsewhere to make the tower a little taller? Can he afford to swap Kasperi Kapanen — the 23-year-old with a $3.2 million cap hit for the next two Johnsson thought he was fine when Ryan Graves’ shot pinged off his seasons — with Ilya Mikheyev’s status in question for the rest of the foot on Dec. 4 against Colorado. regular season (and maybe beyond), and a hefty raise awaiting him this summer? “It felt like a normal blocked shot,” Johnsson said. “In the beginning, you’re like, ‘Ah, I can’t really stand on it.’ And then it usually goes away.” Should he consider upgrading at third-line centre with Alex Kerfoot maybe a better fit on the wing? Is Kerfoot, 25 and signed for the next It didn’t go away. three seasons with a $3.5 million cap hit, the chip to move for an upgrade It was painful to put the skate back on. He awoke the next morning and on defence? the ankle was swollen. He had a broken bone.

Or is it Andreas Johnsson, locked up until 2023 at $3.4 million a season, “It’s more timing, I would say,” Johnsson said of his challenges coming or maybe even the intriguing Pierre Engvall, a restricted free agent this off a more than month-long layoff. “Out there, I feel like I’m fine summer? conditioning-wise and skating-wise, but it’s just the timing of stuff and Which piece is replaceable? Which nets, or helps net, the kind of situations.” defender the Leafs may need? And on another front, what’s too much to Keefe thought otherwise, that conditioning was an issue initially for sacrifice for a backup goalie to Frederik Andersen? Johnsson.

In short, Dubas has plenty to think about. “His shifts are real short, he gathers his energy and goes out and has ‘Big swings’ bursts, but then he’s pretty gassed after that,” Keefe said after Johnsson’s third game back against Calgary. “I saw him a number of It’s hard not to wonder if the Leafs’ slump is just another normal rhythm times coming back to the bench tired, so that’s something he’s going to of the season. Win a whole bunch after Keefe’s takeover, and now, level have to work his way through and we’ll help him do that, but I did think he out some, with a dip in performance compounded by porous goaltending. made some plays at good times there.”

The Leafs were last in the league with an .850 save percentage during Johnsson played more than eight minutes in the third period on Saturday their six-game spell and a more reasonable, if still underwhelming, 17th night — and 18 overall, his most since returning — as Keefe tried to in expected goals (50 percent) at five-on-five before Sunday’s games. speed that process up in the final game before the break.

It all brings to mind an observation Keefe had earlier this month. “As I Energy was coaching in the minors — and I followed the NHL closely — one of the things that was really clear to me is that there’s a lot of big swings,” One early theme of the Keefe era has been his willingness to challenge he said. “Teams go on good stretches where everything goes their way, conventional thinking in hockey. We saw it when he teamed up two like- minded defencemen, Barrie and Rielly, and now we’re seeing in his He found out he would finally get his first opportunity for the Leafs on approach to the schedule. Friday, a day before the game. It was likely a short-lived opportunity with Muzzin returning soon, but it’s a start for Liljegren, who turns 21 on April Typically, the thinking goes that players should skate following an off-day 30. and sharpen their skills. Keefe isn’t about that. The Leafs returned him, alongside Adam Brooks, to the Marlies for the Last week, the Leafs took Monday off and the next morning, before week-long break. hosting New Jersey, had an optional morning skate. Under Babcock, and probably most coaches league-wide, no option would have existed. It “It’s important for us, in our organization, to see him take a step in his would have been a full, mandatory skate. A day after a skills practice on development,” Keefe said of Liljegren, who’s suited up for more than 150 Friday, meanwhile, there was no skate of any kind ahead of Saturday’s AHL games. “He’s been up here a couple times, he’s been around, and game against Chicago. Just an 11 a.m. meeting. we need him to take a step, and we need to see him on the ice in the NHL.” The new Leafs coach seems to think the old way is counterproductive. The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 “We find that kind of defeats the purpose a little bit because you’re starting to eat away at some of the energy levels that you restore over that day (off),” Keefe said. “We’ve made (morning skates) optional for most of the players. If they want to get on the ice and get a feel for the puck and what have you, they can get out there.”

And many players did ahead of that win over the Devils. Quite of few them actually: 12, including Tavares, Jason Spezza and Andersen, who was starting in goal that night.

It’s a tough balance to strike. How much time on the ice, outside of games, is enough to stay sharp? “With anything that we do, be it practice or morning skates or workouts we’re trying not to just focus on the one day but what’s ahead,” Keefe said.

Empty-netters

Soon to be a four-time All-Star, Auston Matthews scored into an empty net for only the second time in his NHL career in that victory over New Jersey (which also earned him his second career hat trick). That got me wondering how that compares to some of the top scorers in the NHL — that is, how many empty-netters do the great goal scorers get to pad their totals?

It turns out Matthews is on the very low side among the league’s top 10 scorers (heading into Sunday’s action) since he entered the league in 2016-17:

The league-leader in empty-netters during that stretch of three and a half seasons: Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes, with 15. (Hyman has mustered 10.)

Late-lead defenders

Scoring empty-netters means getting on the ice when a lead needs protecting. In other words, having the trust of the head coach.

Here’s the top 10 for the Leafs so far this season in ice time against an empty net (keeping in mind that a small slice of those minutes may have been on delayed penalties):

Cody Ceci: 14:49

Morgan Rielly: 11:19

Auston Matthews: 9:45

Mitch Marner: 9:43

Jake Muzzin: 8:18

John Tavares: 7:34

Zach Hyman: 6:19

Kasperi Kapanen: 5:22

Ilya Mikheyev: 5:22

Justin Holl: 4:49

A long-awaited debut

It got lost in the Leafs’ dispiriting loss to the Blackhawks, but Timothy Liljegren finally made his NHL debut on Saturday. He logged just under 11 minutes, most of them alongside Sandin, his close pal. “It obviously would have felt better with a win, but a dream come true playing my first game,” Liljegren said. “I think I played a pretty solid game. I had a couple mistakes in the second period, but other than that, I think I played pretty solid.”

Liljegren became the 25th player taken in the first round in 2017 to play in the NHL. 1172122 Vegas Golden Knights Theodore has played more than 23 minutes in six straight games after receiving that workload a total of eight times all last season.

Meanwhile, McNabb sat the final 7:48 and all of overtime against Peter DeBoer’s changes to Golden Knights starting to show Montreal with the Knights trailing. Deryk Engelland was on the bench for all but eight seconds of the final 9:31 and OT.

Engelland played 11:41 at even strength against Ottawa, well below his By David Schoen average of 14:14.

January 20, 2020 - 6:29 PM “I think anybody, they want to have that part of their game to play lots of minutes and be counted on when the game is tight and when you’re Updated January 20, 2020 - 7:24 PM coming back,” Theodore said. “I’m just trying to bring that and trying to show coach that’s what I can do.”

BOSTON — With games to worry about and a locker room full of players LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 01.21.2020 to learn, Peter DeBoer has only been able to do so much over the past few days to put his stamp on the Golden Knights.

A little tweak here. A small adjustment there.

Essentially, the new coach went under the hood and performed a quick tune-up rather than rebuilding the entire engine.

But at least two changes emerged from DeBoer’s first two games, with the Knights altering their penalty killing system and distributing ice time differently among the forwards and defensemen.

“For me, I’m just starting to plant seeds,” DeBoer said. “You want to see them start thinking about some situations, but you also want them to do it without slowing down or overthinking. That’s the fine line. We’ve got a smart group. I’m not changing everything here or reinventing the wheel.”

DeBoer has been making use of the Knights’ plentiful practice time on this road trip. He said he also will use the upcoming All-Star break and ensuing bye week to meet with his assistant coaches and implement more significant changes.

For now, DeBoer’s fingerprints are most evident on the Knights’ penalty- killing unit, which was tied for 22nd at 78.9 percent entering Monday.

“I think it’s just at different points in the penalty kill, we’re trying to work on more pressure right now,” forward Reilly Smith said. “We still have some things to learn and things to tweak and get better at. But we’re trying to do our best in practice.”

Under coach and assistant coach Mike Kelly, the Knights’ penalty killers pressured the puck carrier high up the ice in hopes of disrupting the opposing power play or creating a turnover.

The Knights had a top-seven penalty kill through the first three months, but they allowed a power-play goal in seven straight games before holding the Canadiens off the board in their lone attempt Saturday.

With DeBoer in charge, the Knights now are challenging entries at the blue line and pressuring the puck once opposing power plays set up in the offensive zone.

“Our last one we were pretty aggressive up ice,” defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “This one, we’re maybe a little more aggressive in-zone on certain things. Little adjustments, but it’s all stuff I think that will work and help us get better on the penalty kill.”

Another area where DeBoer has made an impact is ice time, with the shifts spread more evenly among the forwards.

Against Montreal, the third line of Cody Eakin, Alex Tuch and William Carrier each played nearly three more minutes at 5-on-5 than their season average. The Knights’ fourth line also has seen a bump in its usage the past two games.

On defense, DeBoer has leaned heavily on Shea Theodore, who logged a career-high 28:43 of ice time in the shootout loss to Montreal on Saturday.

“If we’re down 3-0, he’s going to play that much. That’s the Brent Burns/Erik Karlsson rule,” DeBoer said of his former players in San Jose. “I think he’s at the stage of his career where he can be relied on. You don’t want to load those minutes on a guy nightly, but situationally and in spots like that, absolutely.”

Theodore averages 18:37 of even-strength ice time and played 21:32 in that situation against the Senators. He logged 25:29 at even strength against the Canadiens, with the Knights chasing the game most of the way. 1172123 Vegas Golden Knights “We had a hard time getting in (the arena),” Tuch said. “I think one of the (BU) assistant coaches had to let us in. I was trying not to blow up the place. I said, ‘No promises, I played at BC.’

Paul Stastny maintains sense of humor after latest injury to mouth “But my little brother (Luke) is going to BU, so I had to play nice.”

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 01.21.2020

By David Schoen

January 20, 2020 - 3:16 PM

BOSTON — Paul Stastny knows he was fortunate to avoid being hit in the eye or having his nose busted late in Saturday’s game at Montreal.

But the veteran Golden Knights center is a little sick of his mouth getting the worst of it.

“It seems like since I was 10 years old, my mouth has always been a magnet for everything,” Stastny said following Monday’s practice. “Lucky I wore mouthguards to protect it and that softens the blow. But it seems like every little stick or every little puck always goes in my mouth.”

Stastny was hit right in the kisser with 1:24 remaining in overtime when Canadiens forward Joel Armia tried to flip the puck out of the zone.

Stastny stayed down in the corner for several seconds with blood pouring out of his mouth, and he picked up two teeth off the ice before heading to the dressing room for treatment.

Yes, that is Paul Stastny picking up his own teeth after taking a puck to the mouth on Saturday 

Hockey players are something else pic.twitter.com/i7ngOFLesP

— (@hockeynight) January 20, 2020

“Those were my fake teeth anyway. I guess that’s the point of them,” Stastny said. “They’re not going to be permanent till my career is done.”

Stastny had several stitches on his top and bottom lip but was a full participant in practice. He is expected to play Tuesday when the Knights face Boston at TD Garden in the final game before the All-Star break and bye week.

Stastny recorded back-to-back multipoint games against Montreal and Ottawa. He has five goals and 10 points in his past 10 games.

“The swelling part, a day later, feels way better,” Stastny said. “It’s still dry and there’s still cuts on the inside, so you try not to eat spicy food. You try to eat bland food, but every day it just gets easier.”

Fleury suspension

Knights coach Peter DeBoer said the team remains undecided on when goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will serve his one-game suspension for not appearing in the All-Star Game.

Fleury must sit out the game preceding or following the All-Star break, and Tuesday’s game against the Bruins is the final one before the break. The Knights resume play after the bye week Jan. 31 at Carolina on the first game of a back-to-back.

The Knights did not recall a goaltender from the American Hockey League on Monday.

Glass update

Rookie forward Cody Glass participated in an off-ice workout along with William Karlsson, and DeBoer expected Glass to be near a return when the Knights finish their bye week.

Glass has been week to week since he sustained a lower-body injury in the win over St. Louis on Jan. 4.

“He’s on the trip. But he and William (Karlsson) will take the 10 days, and we’ll give you an update coming out of that break,” DeBoer said. “I would anticipate both would start to be getting really close at that point.”

Enemy territory

The Knights practiced Monday at Boston University’s Agganis Arena, which brought back memories for wing Alex Tuch.

As a freshman at rival Boston College, Tuch had two goals and an assist at the arena to help BC knock off the No. 2 Terriers. 1172124 Vegas Golden Knights “The LA Blades were the first LGBT team in 1985, and we’ve grown,” she said. “We’ve got three teams, and there are probably about 20 clubs with (multiple) teams across the country.”

LGBTQ hockey stays up late to break down barriers But the game as played by the LGBTQ community and those who support it has retained pond-hockey charm: Choose-up sides, drop the puck, have fun.

By Ron Kantowski “We have a father, a son and a daughter — they’re not gay, but they play in the tournament,” Hunt said. “They know they’re going to get to play January 20, 2020 - 2:34 PM together, which isn’t normal because of the difference in age.” Updated January 20, 2020 - 6:41 PM Hunt said progress is being made. Society is more accepting now. Last year, a transgender hockey pioneer named Harrison Browne dropped the ceremonial first puck before a Rangers-Hurricanes game at Madison It was going on midnight Saturday, or at least seemed like it, and the Square Garden. Zamboni drivers at City National Arena were stifling yawns. The third period of a youth hockey game at the Golden Knights’ practice rink was Every NHL team now holds a Pride Night game — the Golden Knights just starting. had theirs in October against Boston. Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb was Pride Night ambassador. Marc-Andre Fleury used the Another game scheduled for the other rink had yet to begin. This one rainbow tape on his goalie’s stick during warmups. looked much less organized than the kids. Last season, New Jersey Devils rookie Kurtis Gabriel left the rainbow The right wing wore a Black Sabbath jersey with No. 666 on back. The stripes on the top of his stick when the game started in support of a left wing’s jersey and socks did not match. lesbian couple who are friends with his wife. He went onto the ice with rainbow colors and scored the first goal of his NHL career. One of the goalies was dressed as Captain America; the other one’s hair was the color of the faceoff circles. Vegas Strong and You Can Play The LGBTQ community was ecstatic. stickers adorned the back of his helmet. So were straight fans of the Devils, who scored the fewest goals in the The blade of his goalie’s stick was covered with rainbow tape. Eastern Conference last season.

The semifinals of the Sin City Classic were, at long last, almost under LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 01.21.2020 way.

The Sin City Classic is billed as the largest annual domestic LGBTQ sports festival. This was its 13th year. More than 8,000 participants in 24 sports, ranging in alphabetical order from basketball to wrestling, competed.

None, it can be assumed, were as bleary-eyed as the hockey players.

Open to all

Hockey had one of the smallest turnouts — four teams comprised of 14 players each.

John Hunt, the tournament director and one of the goalies, said before the Golden Knights arrived in town you could secure ice time at a decent hour. Championship games that start at 12:10 a.m. tend to limit participation, he said.

The teams were skating for the Sin City Cup — a scale replica of the Stanley Cup that somebody had purchased at a garage sale. The chalice was festooned with Mardi Gras beads, what appeared to be a kerchief and rainbow streamers. The cup itself had rust stains. You wouldn’t want to consume anything from it, but that’s not the idea behind the Sin City Classic hockey tournament.

“We’re here to play hockey,” said the Toronto-born Hunt who longs for the day the Maple Leafs will skate around the ice holding aloft the real Stanley Cup, a ritual last performed in 1967 before he was born. “We want people to be accepted and feel accepted in the locker rooms, when they’re on the ice and when they’re on the bench.”

What makes the Sin City Classic unique is that it is inclusive to all: Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Transgender. Queer or Questioning. Straight. San Jose Sharks fans.

Beginners, intermediates, advanced.

Red hair, gray hair, no hair.

Doesn’t matter. Everybody is welcome regardless of sexual orientation, NHL loyalties, skill level or age.

Tale of the tape

Brynne Van Putten, 61, skated with an all-female forward line for a team called the Flamingos (an homage to the Las Vegas hotel-casino in which the players were staying). She estimated the percentage of LGBTQ to straight players to be 60-40.

One of her teammates was her straight brother, Jon. 1172125 Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin named NHL first star of week

By Matthew Paras - The Washington Times - Monday, January 20, 2020

The NHL named Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin the league’s first star of the week Monday for three multi-goal games, including back-to-back hat tricks.

Ovechkin finished the week with 8 points — all goals — and the Capitals went 3-0. He now has 34 goals this season and recently tied Steve Yzerman for ninth on the all-time goals list with 692.

At the All-Star Break, the Capitals lead the league in points with 71, posting a 33-11-5 record.

Ovechkin is eight goals away from becoming the eighth player in NHL history to score at least 700 goals.

Washington Times LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172126 Washington Capitals amount of speed as well. They have to make sure they limit the penalties they take, but otherwise this line is a huge asset.

That brings us to the third line. Do the Caps have the offense to win the Stanley Cup? While the offense is starting to pick up slightly, overall the numbers have just not been there. Lars Eller is doing fine with 11 goals and 16 assists, but Richard Panik is having a tough first year with five goals and five By J.J. Regan January 20, 2020 6:00 AM assists while Carl Hagelin has only three goals and eight assists and that’s including the two goals he scored in the past week.

Even as the line continues to improve, I do not think at its peak it is going The bye week and the all-star break are upon us meaning we will have to to prove to be as good offensively as once hoped. wait until Jan. 27 for the Capitals to take the ice again for a game. With the season over halfway done and the Feb. 24 trade deadline rapidly The third line has definitely found a role as a shutdown line, however, approaching, the focus of the season now shifts towards the playoffs. which is how Reirden has been utilizing them of late, using them to shut- down one of the opposition’s top lines both to limit their offense and also Washington has certainly done enough at this point to show they are a to free up Ovechkin’s line by getting it away from that matchup. playoff team, but just how good are they? Are they a true contender or are they destined for an early exit? That’s easier to do at home, now Reirden has to figure out just how to best utilize the third line one the road where it is tougher to get the Over the next few days, I will examine the team to answer if it is good matchups you want. enough on offense, defense and in net to win a Cup and, if not, what they must do to improve by April. Overall, however, this line is trending in the right direction. The power play, however, is not. Today’s question: Do the Caps have the offense to win the Stanley Cup? Though it ranks 13th in the NHL, that percentage is being propped up by Team stats a good start. Since Dec. 1, the power play ranks 30th in the NHL at 14.1- 3.55 goals per game (1st in the NHL) percent. The offense has just been non-existent. The struggles have clearly gone to the head of the players because it becomes a comedy of 20.3-percent power play (13th in the NHL) errors on the ice every time the team gets the man advantage. Reirden has tried Vrana on the top unit in Kuznetsov’s spot, but that spot is not Goal leaders well suited for Vrana as he is a sniper and Kuznetsov plays primarily 1. Alex Ovechkin 34 around the goal line where shots are hard to come by. Kuznetsov on the second unit is largely wasted as there is not enough scoring talent on 2. Jakub Vrana 22 that unit for him to set up.

3. T.J. Oshie 18 The result is two power play units playing without confidence and not Assist leaders producing while also allowing far too many shorthanded goals.

1. John Carlson 47 The verdict: Yes, the Caps have the offense to win the Cup.

2. Nicklas Backstrom 29 In terms of the personnel, it is hard to get better than what the Caps have. The top two lines are loaded with talent and the fourth line is the 3. Evgeny Kuznetsov 26 best at what it does. The offense is lacking on the third line, but Reirden has found a role for it in which it can still have a positive impact on the Point leaders game and its offensive production seems to be improving.

1. John Carlson 60 The only real concern is the power play, not only because it is completely 2. Alex Ovechkin 50 ineffective but because the team is pressing so hard it has allowed five shorthanded goals, tied for the most in the league. As bad as it is, 3. Evgeny Kuznetsov 42 however, I think this is a case of frustration making things worse. With the personnel this team has, there is no reason for it to be producing at Just in case you forgot about Ovechkin, he just let everyone know that only 14.1-percent. Once they string a few goals together, things will turn yes, he is still outrunning Father Time with eight goals in the past three around. I don’t think it will be among the most potent in the NHL, but I do games. He remains one of the top scorers in the league, that is beyond think this is a low point and a natural progression will occur. dispute and so is this team's the top-six. After the power play, however, it is hard to find a more potent offense Backstrom, Wilson, Vrana, Kuznetsov and Oshie round out one of the than the one assembled in Washington. best top two lines in the NHL. There are only a few minor concerns with this group. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.21.2020 Vrana and Kuznetsov have proven to be streaky performers. When they are hot, they are among the top offensive players in the NHL. Vrana is actually tied with David Pastrnak for third in the NHL in even-strength goals with 21. He is as dangerous a goal-scorer as just about anyone in the league. And everyone knows how good Kuznetsov can be at his peak. Just look at the 2018 Cup run.

You just have to cross your fingers and hope Vrana and Kuznetsov don’t get cold in the postseason because when their production tapers off, it craters.

Moving on to the bottom-six, let’s start with the fourth line because it is easier. Brendan Leipsic, Nic Dowd and Garnet Hathaway is one of, if not the outright best fourth line in hockey. They are able to hem opponents into the offensive zone and allow very little in the way of scoring opportunities. If you put any credence into things like Corsi, Nic Dowd is the best on the team with a Corsi-For percentage of 57.22 while Leipsic is 54.04 and Hathaway is 54.43. In a nutshell, what that means is this line is generating a heck of a lot more offensive opportunities than it is allowing which is a huge asset to have for a fourth line.

What’s more, these guys are the kind of players you hate to play against. Hathaway and Leipsic both play with an edge and Leipsic has a fair 1172127 Winnipeg Jets

Line blender set to high With Lowry out, Copp gets another chance to 'build some chemistry'

Mike McIntyre

Posted: 01/20/2020 8:44 PM | Last Modified: 01/20/2020 9:00 PM | Updates |

RALEIGH — Winnipeg's Swiss Army knife — also known as forward Andrew Copp — is coming out of coach 's pocket once again.

An injury to shutdown centre Adam Lowry has forced the Winnipeg Jets bench boss to juggle his lineup once again. And that means more changes for Copp, who has pretty much taken a tour through the entire lineup lately.

"I think I’ve had frickin’ seven different linemates in the last four games. It’s just the way it goes. You feel like you’re starting to build some chemistry and then you move on and try to build chemistry again," Copp said Monday following his team's practice at PNC Arena in Raleigh.

Lowry suffered an apparent shoulder or arm injury after taking an unexpected hit from Drake Caggiula in Sunday's 5-2 loss in Chicago. Caggiula was given an interference minor on the play. Lowry's left arm was in a sling following the game.

"We still gotta get the final testing, he’ll get looked at back home. It’s not short term. It’ll be a month before we’re talking about his re-entry," Maurice said of Lowry, a key part of the penalty kill and physical force who has four goals and six assists this season.

Copp, who played in Sunday's game on a line with Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers, will now move to centre in an attempt to cover for Lowry. He's expected to skate on a line with Mathieu Perreault and Mason Appleton in Tuesday's game against Carolina, after also taking a twirl with Lowry, Jack Roslovic and Blake Wheeler in recent games.

"We’ve got to get that hole filled. So Andrew Copp is the most viable player to go into that hole, and then we’ll build some things around him," said Maurice.

"That line of Perreault, Copp and (Jack) Roslovic was a really good line for us. They were really really effective. We may get to that but then we would need somebody else to come up and play in that top six role. We’ll take a look at that. But Andrew, one thing he’s going to be able to do is give you a good defensive presence. He’s good on faceoffs, he’s got his D-zone coverage down."

For now, the top six will include some combination of Wheeler, Scheifele, Ehlers, Roslovic, Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine. But the option to move Roslovic back down now exists after the Jets summoned 2017 first- rounder Kristian Vesalainen from the Manitoba Moose on Monday.

The Finnish-born winger has nine goals and 22 points with the Moose this year. Last season, he had one point in five games with the Jets, splitting most of his time between the KHL and the AHL.

Nick Shore, Jansen Harkins and Gabriel Bourque are the other forwards with the Jets and the likely fourth line, at least for the time being.

"It’s kind of been the calling card for me so far, just my versatility and moving up and down the lineup. Hopefully me Appleton and Perreault can have some success. It should be a line that plays in the O-zone a lot and gets chances and converts those chances. I feel like we can be a pretty solid third line," said Copp, who has seven goals and nine assists this season.

"It’s not like I’m playing with totally new guys. There’s some familiarity there and going back to the middle is comfortable, no issues there. It should be fun."

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 01.21.2020 1172128 Winnipeg Jets "To go behind the scenes this week has been unbelievable, because I know that many do not know the extent of work that they do. It's just fabulous," said the native of Roland, in the Pembina Valley region.

On-ice troubles, injuries notwithstanding, Jets make lifetime memories "Right down to snipping the threads today off of their jerseys. If there was with a mother of a road trip a little thread, we were snipping. We were checking for holes. There's gum, there's tape — everything is in the stalls, just perfect. It's run so smoothly. And they have fun. I'm so glad that they got along well, because it is just constant work — after the game and before the game." By: Mike McIntyre | Posted: 01/20/2020 7:00 PM Pritchard said it's been especially heartwarming to see the bond the

players share with her son, who has battled both kidney and thyroid RALEIGH — LeAnne Poolman couldn't believe her eyes. The charter cancer and is the inspiration behind the Pritch Strong clothing many team flight, complete with a rose greeting her arrival. The posh hotels and members have been wearing. Her son, Michael, died of sarcoma at the thoughtful care packages. The fine dining. Yes, life in the National age of 28. Hockey League is quite something, and she and the other mothers who "Having lost a child already, it just makes it... it hurts. But he would never raised and nurtured the Winnipeg Jets are getting quite a taste of it this have handled it — nor us, either — without the family that the Jets have week. been. It is absolutely beyond words. We would have never gotten "I think I told the moms at our table that (first) night I’m going to click my through it without you," she said. heels three times and go back to Kansas," Poolman joked Monday as "It's just heartwarming. Paul (Maurice) always says that this group of she sat at PNC Arena in Raleigh. Or, more accurately in her case, go guys — men — are truly a family. And when he speaks to you about back to East Grand Forks, Minn., where she and her husband Mark Allan, you'd almost think he was talking about his own son. It's raised young Tucker Poolman and two other hockey-playing sons, one wonderful." currently at the University of North Dakota and the other in high school. There have been group events, such as a big shared dinner in Chicago "Our household has revolved around hockey for many years. When at the start of the trip Saturday night, plus individual outings with their Tucker called and invited me on this trip, I have to admit I got teared up. sons. Jane Roslovic, mother of Jack, is hosting them all for a brunch It was a culmination of all those years. And just the gratitude to go on this Wednesday in her hometown of Columbus before the Jets take on the trip really meant a lot to me," she said. Blue Jackets that night. Although her son was injured last week and isn't expected to play on the "They’ve literally treated us like queens. It’s been pretty amazing," said road trip, that hasn't dampened her excitement. Brossoit. "For me, it’s just seeing how the whole thing runs. For me, I "It’s been fun to talk to all the moms and hear all the stories of growing up came and watched practice and seeing what everybody does behind the with the kids and hearing how they did the travelling. We talked about scenes… we don’t get to see that usually. It’s like a city in itself." minivans and TVs and fighting and all the things that a mom puts up with. New friendships are being formed that will go well beyond the rink. And I never really wanted to be a hockey mom but you just get to be a hockey magical memories are being made. mom," she said. "Meeting with all of the other mothers, we have shared so many things "You get to spend a lot of time with your kids and it’s all worth it in the and it's so good to see a different side of everyone instead of on the ice end. This trip, they’ve treated us like royalty and it’s just been very and fighting for their life. You know, I think my life in hockey is complete humbling. It’s been a real treat." now by this trip," Pritchard said. Their ever-present smiles have been a welcome sight for the Jets, who Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 01.21.2020 are mired in a two-game losing streak and have just five victories in their past 16 games. You'd never know that by the cheerful scene on the ice Monday, where all the moms were brought out for a group photo before practice got underway.

"Moms make you in a good mood. You can’t walk around growly because they’re just happy, right? They’re such a positive force in the big scheme of things. Two losses doesn’t mean you’re going to kick your kid out, so it’s nice to have some positive energy around the room," said coach Paul Maurice.

Tania Brossoit, who was born in England before moving to Vancouver, where she runs a dance conservatory, said it's been a thrill getting to meet and spend time with others who share a common bond.

"I think, as a group, we are an amazing… there’s such a mixture of us but we all have the same stories. We’re all very real. I’m really enjoying hearing all the stories of the boys, because they’re all just as forgetful and all the same kinds of kids," said the mother of Jets backup goalie Laurent Brossoit.

"We’re just hockey moms, in an NHL world, and they’re still just our kids."

As he took his gear off following practice, Brossoit said having his mother along for the ride makes this as memorable a road trip as he's ever had, regardless of what happens on the ice.

"If there’s anyone I’d like to come out and see what our lifestyle is like, day to day, it would definitely be her. She’s my biggest supporter right from the get-go, both financially and in terms of watching and keeping track of stats and this and that. She’s always been right there. There’s always the dads' trip and it’s really nice to have the moms' trip, because they really do deserve it," he said.

It's not just the players, but coaches and team staff also have a special someone with them this week. Lynda Pritchard is getting an up-close look at what her son Al does as the team's massage therapist. 1172129 Winnipeg Jets How can the organization justify a contract extension to Paul Maurice, who is in the last year of his current deal? (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files)

Chevy better be arranging a transfusion, because the Jets are bleeding How would that reflect on general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who is out spending to near the cap after two consecutive playoff seasons, but has tried only to patch the glaring holes in his lineup, so far, with a handful of waiver-wire pickups such as Luca Sbisa and Carl Dahlstrom.

By: Mike McIntyre | Posted: 01/20/2020 7:00 PM And what would it mean for the core of key players — Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Josh Morrissey, Nikolaj Ehlers, Kyle Connor and Connor

Hellebuyck — who have all signed massive contract extensions to RALEIGH — The schedule says it's Game 50 of the regular season. The remain in Winnipeg, with the expectation that their window to capture a Winnipeg Jets would be wise to treat it like it's Game 7 of the Stanley championship was going to remain open for the foreseeable future? Cup final. I know there are some who believe the immediate answer is to send Which is to say that Tuesday night's tilt here in Raleigh should be no Maurice packing. They've seen a wave of coaching changes this year — ordinary mid-January affair for a reeling squad that needs to find a way to now up to seven — and wonder what's taking so long in Winnipeg. stop the bleeding. With just five wins in the past 16 contests — hardly a Especially when a team such as Vegas, which is ahead of the Jets in the small sample size considering that's 20 per cent of the entire campaign standings, makes such a move. Clearly they must care more about — the 25-20-4 Jets are in grave danger of quickly being left in the winning than they do here, right? Western Conference playoff dust. I don't believe canning Maurice at this point would change much, if And they're not inspiring much confidence lately that they have the ability anything, because I see no evidence he's "lost the room" or that the to get back on track. Quite the contrary, actually. players have stopped playing for him. Whoever is behind the bench still has to deal with the roster as currently configured, and it's becoming After a perplexing 7-1 loss on home ice to Tampa Bay Friday night was increasingly clear that it isn't nearly good enough. followed up by a crummy 5-2 defeat in Chicago Sunday night, it's safe to say this team looks nothing like an actual contender right now. Both the Cheveldayoff told me last month, during a sit-down interview, that he Lightning and the Blackhawks had played the previous night and then made a promise to many of those skaters to do everything possible to travelled in the wee hours, and they throttled the well-rested Jets by a make a legitimate run every season. But where's the evidence of that combined score of 12-3. right now?

As concerning as those results are, the fact that coach Paul Maurice and Kevin Cheveldayoff should be furiously working the phones, trying to find his players appear to have no idea why it has gone south is especially a deal or two that can actually move the needle and improve the fortunes troubling — or, more likely, they're not willing to share it publicly. They of a sagging club that is clearly in need of a lifeline. (John Woods / can talk all they want about staying in the fight and trying to do the right Canadian Press files) things, but until some tangible results are seen on the ice, it's all quite Kevin Cheveldayoff should be furiously working the phones, trying to find meaningless. a deal or two that can actually move the needle and improve the fortunes Which is why the next two days are so crucial. With back-to-back games of a sagging club that is clearly in need of a lifeline. (John Woods / in Carolina and Columbus before an eight-day hockey hiatus, there's a Canadian Press files) heightened sense of urgency. Not only are the Jets at risk of falling That's why I'd suggest it's Cheveldayoff's seat that should be hottest right further behind the eight clubs currently ahead of them and occupying now. No, I don't believe he's in danger of losing his job. But I also don't playoff spots, several teams — Chicago, Nashville and Minnesota — are think he can continue to stand pat. He should be furiously working the all in hot pursuit and threatening to soon overtake them. phones, trying to find a deal or two that can actually move the needle and "Two huge games for us… we need the points," the straight-shooting improve the fortunes of a sagging club that is clearly in need of a lifeline. Andrew Copp said following Monday's practice at PNC Arena. "With the injuries we’ve had on our back end and up front, players that No kidding. Let's just say that how the Jets fare against the Hurricanes have wanted ice time are going to get ice time," Maurice said Monday. and the Blue Jackets should tell us a lot about their current state. Another And there's the problem — we've already seen the product of players no-show or two suggests they've emotionally checked out and that major being asked to play above their limits, and it's not very pretty. changes are needed. Now, with shutdown centre Adam Lowry out for at least a month, the It's not out of the realm of possibly that coming up empty in the next 48 immediate road ahead gets even bumpier. To me, that's pretty much the hours could have the Jets sagging near the very bottom of both the coach telling his GM he'd like a little help here. Western Conference and overall NHL standings when they return to action Jan. 31 against the Boston Bruins. If the Jets want to make the playoffs for a third-straight year, they're going to have to start approaching each game like it's do or die. And from But a pair of strong efforts, while hardly cause for championship parade the general manager on down, it's high time they start acting like their planning, would at least have everyone stepping away from the panic season is on the line. Because it is. button. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 01.21.2020 "You can go home feeling you had a real nice road trip if we can tighten our game up a little bit," Maurice said Monday of the immediate opportunity staring them in the face over the next two nights.

It's not out of the realm of possibly that coming up empty in the next 48 hours could have the Jets sagging near the very bottom of both the Western Conference and overall NHL standings when they return to action Jan. 31 against the Boston Bruins, followed by another game the following night against Stanley Cup champion St. Louis.

And just what exactly would that look like around here? How could the organization justify a contract extension to Maurice, who is in the last year of his current deal? Try selling that to the legions of frustrated fans out there, many of whom are up for season-ticket renewals at the end of this year.

How can the organization justify a contract extension to Paul Maurice, who is in the last year of his current deal? (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files) 1172130 Winnipeg Jets It appears the Vegas Golden Knights, who are just ahead of the Jets in the wild card race, were thinking along the same lines when they fired Gerard Gallant last week and replaced him with Pete DeBoer.

Reeling Jets desperate to get wins before extended break Coaches like Gallant, Peter Laviolette and Mike Babcock — all of whom have won the Stanley Cup or have been to the final — are on the market right now.

Ted Wyman It has to at least be tempting for the Jets to consider what a sudden coaching change might do for them. Published:January 20, 2020 It would not be an easy decision, nor necessarily a fair one. Updated:January 20, 2020 7:40 PM CST Maurice has done the best he can with a roster that simply isn’t as good

as it was the last two years. Not even close, really. RALEIGH, N.C. — It’s difficult to relay just how important the next two The Jets are using defencemen who probably shouldn’t be in the NHL, games are for the reeling Winnipeg Jets. some marginal bottom six forwards, and have been relying on their To put it bluntly, these games could be the difference between coming goaltender far too often. out of the upcoming player break in playoff contention or being well But is it possible a different coach might get more out of this group? below the line. You never know until you try. Already three points out of a playoff spot, having lost two straight games by a combined score of 12-3 — against teams on the tail end of back-to- Anyway, the Jets know what they need to do to steer this conversation backs — the Jets absolutely need to throw everything they have at the back in a positive direction. Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday and Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. There can be no slow starts, no bad goals, no 0-for-5 nights on the power play. Who knows if that will even be enough, but there’s simply no room for any more stinkers if this team is going to make any kind of charge for the They’ve got to play clean, they’ve got to play fast and they’ve got to keep post-season. very speedy, very shifty Carolina and Columbus forwards in check.

“You want to go into the break with a good feeling,” forward Andrew Simple, right? Copp said Monday after practice at PNC Arena. “I feel like these two Well, maybe not, but right now the Jets don’t have a lot of choice. games can set us on the right course for after the bye week and hopefully we’ll have that momentum going into St. Louis and Boston right Perform or there will be consequences. after we get back. Two huge games for us … we need the points.” Lowry out at least a month with left arm or shoulder injury The team held a players only meeting after losing 5-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday and those are never a good sign. RALEIGH, N.C. — Already dealing with a fair bit of adversity, the Winnipeg Jets felt it piling on Monday with the announcement that They talked about keeping positive, believing in themselves and not veteran shutdown centre Adam Lowry is out for more than a month with getting too frustrated by the fact that things are not working right now. an injury to his left arm or shoulder.

“We just have to find it from within and dig deep and look ourselves in the Lowry was injured in the first period of Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the Chicago mirror and get after it,” defenceman Neal Pionk said. Blackhawks at the United Center. He fell awkwardly after taking a hit from Chicago’s Drake Caggiula, who was penalized for interference. “You go into a seven-eight day break that we have, a lot of it is about the mindset. If we’re able to get four points out of these next two games, you “We still have to get the final testing, get it looked at back at home,” Jets go into that break with a great mindset and you’re fresh coming back. coach Paul Maurice said after practice at PNC Arena, where the Jets will face the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. “If we drop both games, you’re maybe a little stressed going into the break.” “But, it’s not short term so it will be a month before we’re talking about his re-entry.” Perhaps they should be talking about another motivating factor as well — playing for their coach’s future. Forward Andrew Copp, who had been elevated to a wing position on the team’s second line, will drop back down to centre the third line for the A lot of NHL coaches have been fired this season and some of them foreseeable future. were having better years than the Jets. “(Lowry’s) a huge part of our team,” Copp said. “We’ll miss him when While it would seemingly go against the True North Sports and he’s out. Entertainment brand to fire a well-established coach like Paul Maurice, it’s hard to ignore the slide this team has been on since before “It’s kind of been the calling card for me so far, just my versatility and Christmas. moving up and down the lineup. Hopefully me (Mason) Appleton and (Mathieu) Perreault can have some success. It should be a line that plays Maurice does not have a contract for next season and a long-term deal at in the O-zone a lot and gets chances and converts those chances. I feel the end of a year of regression would not make a whole lot of sense. like we can be a pretty solid third line. So, if the Jets lose these two games this week — they already got The Jets recalled winger Kristian Vesalainen from the Moose on Tuesday clobbered by the Hurricanes once this year — you’d have to believe to make sure they have enough forwards for the remainder of their road there will be a lot of thought and discussion among management during trip. the bye week. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 01.21.2020 Jets owner Mark Chipman is on this road trip and he did not look like a happy man after Sunday’s loss.

While he’s been known for his patience and loyalty, there’s still an increasingly disgruntled fan base to appease and Chipman can’t possibly ignore the languid performances of late.

It seems a lot of teams have been following the St. Louis model this year — firing a coach in mid-season and getting immediate results.

The Blues canned Mike Yeo last season when they were in last place overall and they wound up winning the Stanley Cup. 1172131 Winnipeg Jets Many of the moms marvelled at the entire process of travelling, practising and preparing for games. They are being given an inside look at how a hockey team ticks and it’s fascinating.

Getting chance to share in sons’ hockey lives unforgettable experience “For me it’s just seeing how the whole thing runs,” Tania Brossoit said. for Jets’ moms “For me, I came and watched practice and seeing what everybody does behind the scenes … we don’t get to see that usually. It’s like a city in itself.

Ted Wyman “These boys are really just down to Earth. Seeing them on the road, they’re still just our kids being our kids. I think a lot of us have raised Published:January 20, 2020 them to just be normal people.” Updated:January 20, 2020 7:21 PM CST As much as the mothers are appreciating this first opportunity to travel with the team, it’s also a calming force for a team that needs all the help it can get right now. RALEIGH, N.C. — They are the unsung heroes who rarely get the kind of public credit they deserve for raising the young men who grow into “Moms make you in a good mood,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “You professional hockey players. can’t walk around growly because they’re just happy right, They’re such a positive force in the big scheme of things. Two losses doesn’t mean They’re the positive forces, the drivers both figuratively and literally, in you’re going to kick your kid out, so it’s nice to have some positive shaping the lives and careers of NHL stars. energy around the room.”

They’re the moms, a group of women who share a common bond and so Mom’s drop-off mistake helped Brossoit make first A-team and ‘rest is many similar stories and are getting a chance to celebrate all that history’ together on a road trip with the Winnipeg Jets this week. RALEIGH, N.C. — Having grown up in London, England, Tania Brossoit “We’ve been treated like royalty,” Tania Brossoit, mother of backup always thought her son Laurent was destined to be a soccer player. goalie Laurent Brossoit said. He had talent as a youngster and was involved in the Vancouver “There’s such a mixture of us but we all have the same stories. We’re all Whitecaps soccer academy, playing two levels above his age, until he very real. I’m really enjoying hearing all the stories of the boys because was 10 years old. we’re just hockey moms, in an NHL world, and they’re still just our kids.” But he wanted to try hockey and his mom decided to give it a shot. Almost every player, coach and staff member on this road trip, which started with a loss in Chicago on Sunday, moved on to Raleigh for “So I threw him into Power Play hockey, which is like recreational, and he Tuesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, and concludes couldn’t skate,” Tania Brossoit said Monday while watching her son and Wednesday in Columbus, is accompanied by a female figure. the rest of the Winnipeg Jets practice at PNC Arena.

There are grandmothers, mothers and daughters among the bunch and “The coach was so tired of him being at the other end and trying to chase they are having the time of their lives. the play that they threw him in net.

The five-star hotel in Chicago was enough on its own to make some of “One day I dropped him at the arena, in the wrong spot, and instead of the women believe they were dreaming. trying out for house hockey, he tried out for rep hockey. I got a letter and he made the A-team.” “I’m not going to lie … the first hotel room was very accommodating,” said LeAnne Poolman, mother of injured Jets’ defenceman Tucker Those were the humble beginnings of a goaltender who wound up Poolman. making it to the NHL.

“I think I told the Moms at our table that night, ‘I’m going to click my heels “I couldn’t skate, so they stuck me in net for a game and I liked it so three times and go back to Kansas.’ It was very humbling. It was very much,” Laurent said. “And I played one game in net and we won like 13- special to be treated so well.” 12 which was good enough for me. I got the win! I’ve never cared how.”

LeAnne said she never wanted to become a hockey mom, but it just Laurent obviously learned in a hurry as he wound up playing with the worked out that way. Tucker’s father, Mark, is a trainer at the University of the WHL and later with the Edmonton Oilers and of North Dakota and both Tucker and younger brother Colton played for Jets in the NHL. or currently play for the Fighting Hawks. Another of her sons is playing His mom wouldn’t have believed that possible some 16 years ago. high school hockey. “I threw him into a goalie school and even that coach was upset at me What she has learned this week is that so many women have had lives because he said ‘He can’t skate, what are you doing?’” she said. like hers. “I said ‘Just teach him something, please.’” “It’s been fun to talk to all the moms and hear all the stories of growing up with the kids and hearing how they did the travelling,” she said. “We “By the end of the camp I picked it up pretty quick,” Laurent said. “After talked about mini-vans and TVs and fighting and all the things that a that I went and tried out just for (stuff) and ended up making the A-team. mom puts up with. The rest is history.”

“I never really wanted to be a hockey mom but you just get to be a Having his mom along on this three-game road trip is special for Laurent, hockey mom. You get to spend a lot of time with your kids and it’s all even if there’s no guarantee he’ll play. worth it in the end. This trip, they’ve treated us like royalty and it’s just been very humbling. It’s been a real treat.” A silver lining to that is it might just keep his mother’s stress level down.

The moms’ trip is something new to the NHL this year. For several years “I might pace a little bit through the game,” Tania said of watching her teams around the league have held dads trips, which have obviously son play. “You might see me in the concourse. It’s hard to be a goalie been very popular. mom. I’ve learned to get better at it.

This one is new and unique and special for the players. “You’ll always be nervous, anxious, because you want him to do his best and with goalies, you know, they’re either raved about or blamed.” “I think we all could use a hug from our moms on this trip,” defenceman Neal Pionk joked, alluding to the fact that his team is riding a two-game One thing players know is their moms always have their backs. losing streak and has been outscored 12-3 in the contests. “If there’s anyone I’d like to come out and see what our lifestyle is like, “It’s really cool. They travelled with us to all our youth tournaments, tied day-to-day, it would definitely be her,” Laurent said. “She’s my biggest our skates when we were younger and now they get to experience what supporter right from the get-go, both financially and in terms of watching our lives are like today.” and keeping track of stats and this and that. She’s always been right there.” Massage therapist’s mom moved to tears over response to son’s illness from ‘Jets family’

RALEIGH, N.C. — Getting a chance to watch her son work holds more meaning to Lynda Pritchard than it might to others.

The mother of Winnipeg Jets massage therapist Al Pritchard has already lost one son to cancer and has watched another battle two forms of the disease over the last five years.

Al Pritchard has gone through two cancer surgeries — once for kidney cancer and once for thyroid cancer just last season.

“Well, it’s tough,” Lynda said through tears as she took part in the Jets’ moms trip Monday at PNC Arena.

“Having lost a child already, it just makes it … it hurts. But he would never have handled it — nor us, either — without the family that the Jets have been. It is absolutely beyond words. We would have never gotten through it without (them).”

Michael Pritchard died at age 28 after being diagnosed with sarcoma.

You can see how difficult it must have been for the family to have to deal with Al’s illness as well.

The Jets rallied around their massage therapist, wearing “Pritch Strong” patches on their jerseys and other team materials.

“It’s just heartwarming,” Lynda said. “Paul (Maurice) always says that this group of guys — men — are truly a family. And when he speaks to you about (Al), you’d almost think he was talking about his own son. It’s wonderful.”

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 01.21.2020 1172132 Winnipeg Jets “I don’t think you can play angry for 82 games,” Maurice said. “You’ve got to be positive and upbeat most nights. I think that’s a more valuable emotion but, when you have a tough night, you certainly do want to look like a focused group the next time out.” ‘This is the NHL. You get judged by wins and losses’: Josh Morrissey reflects on a closed-door meeting as Jets lose again He then talked about a bounceback game that didn’t materialize.

“Getting off the mat after you have a tough one like we had against Tampa is real important,” Maurice said. “I think, at times, it’s a learned By Murat Ates Jan 20, 2020 skill. It’s not just all about character. The guys that have experience in the NHL know that you have tough nights and then you need an answer. You

need an answer the next night.” CHICAGO — Winnipeg’s recent play has been so lifeless that the Jets Winnipeg did play a better game on Sunday against Chicago than on players held a closed-door meeting in its wake. Friday against Tampa Bay but the result was the same — another loss According to alternate captain Josh Morrissey, the tone of Winnipeg’s for a team that has won just six of its past 18 games. players-only meeting was positive. Its purpose, he said, was not to put a And when Alex Nylander opened the scoring with Winnipeg’s defensive- postmortem on a season that is only 49 games old but to prove zone coverage stretched so far that Anthony Bitetto and Sami Niku Winnipeg’s playoff hopes still have a pulse. watched the goal go in from the top of the circle, it seemed as though the “We had a little chat,” conceded Morrissey after the Jets’ 5-2 loss to game took on a distinct “not again” sensation. Chicago on Sunday night. “I think it’s just generally talking about not “We have a young hockey team so maybe there is some of that (‘not being frustrated and staying with our game here. We believe we’re a again’ feeling),” Wheeler said. “I don’t feel that way, personally. I’ve seen good hockey team. We’re in a fight to make the playoffs for a reason.” this team come back from three and four goals down. Early in the You may scroll through your internal Connor Hellebuyck highlight reels season, we were doing it almost routinely. So it’s there. The ability to do now. that is there.”

The beleaguered Jets’ netminder has played more games (41) and made I have to editorialize here. Some of the team’s key players are young but, more saves (1,150) than any other goaltender in the NHL this season. to me, the youth trope is getting old. When I hear Wheeler talk about the Hellebuyck’s play has begun to slide lately — he’s given up four or more team’s youth and I hear Morrissey talk about belief and the Jets lose four goals in half of his 14 starts since Dec. 15, including Sunday night in of their past six games, I feel caught in a time warp. We heard these Chicago. Still, if you’re looking for a reason Winnipeg is still within three same words last season, both in the lead-up to Winnipeg’s first-round exit points of a wild card spot, Hellebuyck is a great place to start your and in its aftermath. search. Playing as they are right now, these Jets would be lucky to get that far. Unsurprisingly, Hellebuyck’s slide has coincided with Winnipeg’s slide Hence the players-only meeting. down the Western Conference standings. The Jets were second in the No amount of communication can add depth to Winnipeg’s blue line. No Central Division as recently as Dec. 3 but have since been passed by off-ice strategizing can heal Dustin Byfuglien, Tucker Poolman or Nathan Colorado and Dallas and tied by Chicago. Nashville is three points back Beaulieu, nor can a catchy quote stop the D-zone breakdowns we’ve but has a new coach and two games in hand and Minnesota is only one become so accustomed to seeing. point behind the Predators. The playoff race is neck and neck — Winnipeg risks getting squeezed out. Still, Morrissey maintains a positive outlook.

Not so fast, says Morrissey. “I thought our effort was a lot better than the Tampa Bay game, (but) this is the NHL. You get judged by wins and losses — so we need to start “I think there’s no reason for panic. It’s not like we have two games left or getting wins — but the tone of the meeting was positive. Let’s stick with it 10 games left or something like that and we’re all of a sudden really here and do what we’ve done all year. falling out of the playoff picture. We’re still right there and there’s a lot of hockey left.” “We did some good things in that game today, and there’s an opportunity to get some big points in these next two before the break.” This seems like a good time to check in on some trends. The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 There are a lot of ways to win hockey games and I would argue that Winnipeg is only above average at a couple of them. The chart below shows shooting and save percentages (in all situations), five-on-five expected-goals percentage, power-play percentage and penalty-kill percentage — each for the past 30 days and for the full season:

The same thing that’s killing the Jets now — their inability to control the flow of play at five-on-five — is the same thing that should have been hurting them all season. (Recall: Winnipeg is not going to be an analytics darling this season, as per its coach.)

If the Jets do have anything to hang their hat on during their current slide, it’s modest improvements to both special teams.

That’s why, when Blake Wheeler says, “No, the power play’s not the problem” after a loss like Sunday’s — despite going scoreless in 8:37 of power-play time — I believe him.

“Obviously we didn’t score tonight and we would have liked to get one,” Wheeler said. “But I think there’s more to the game than the power play. If we get our 5-on-5 game right, all three zones …”

Winnipeg has been among the league’s worst at controlling 5-on-5 play from the beginning of the season to now. The team has the seventh- smallest share of shot attempts, the second-smallest share of actual shots on target, and the smallest share of expected goals at five-on-five this season.

So even if the diagnosis is spot on, the prognosis does not look particularly good.

Before Sunday’s 5-2 loss, Paul Maurice focused on positivity. 1172133 Vancouver Canucks “Kole’s like my little brother and we’ve found a lot of chemistry,” Bailey said post-game. “It’s been a special week for sure, but … you don’t score goals by yourself, especially in pro hockey.”

Canucks prospects tracker: Juolevi levels up, Lind-Bailey Worldwide “(Bailey) gets in on the forecheck and creates a lot of turnovers,” Lind said. “I think it helps our line in general, we have a lot of chemistry and we seem to find each other in the O-zone.”

MIKE RAPTIS These two are even chirping each other on social media. This could be the best thing since ‘Dragon’ and ‘Knight Hawk’ formed Prestige Published:January 20, 2020 Worldwide in Step Brothers. Updated:January 20, 2020 1:50 PM PST Bailey is with his third pro franchise, having skated with the Sabres (52 GP, 5G, 3A) and the Philadelphia Flyers (11 GP, 0G, 1A). He’s been good at the AHL level, but not this good. His 22 goals are third best in the It’s the latest edition of the weekly tracker, where we tally up the efforts of league and he has 35 points in 41 games. the Vancouver Canucks’ highest-profile prospects: Lind, meanwhile, joins three other Comets (Reid Boucher, Nikolay Olli Juolevi Goldobin, Rafferty) in the top 10 in AHL points with 37 in 42 games (12 goals, 25 assists). Olli moly — Juolevi’s finally finding his groove with the Utica Comets. Carson Focht Twelve points in his last 11 games. A plus-12 over that stretch. And a peek at what the polarizing 2016 first-rounder can be as a pro. Ready, aim, fire.

The 6-foot-2, 183 pound defenceman had another solid week with the The Hitmen centre shot seven pucks at the Swift Current net streaking AHL club. In Wednesday’s 6-5 overtime win over Hartford — a Wednesday, scoring twice, in a 4-3 shootout win for Calgary. Focht, a game the Comets led 5-0 after the first period — Juolevi went plus-two 2019 fifth-round pick, was named the game’s first star. with an assist and a shot on net. The assist came on a beautiful goal by fellow D-man Brogan Rafferty, who took a quick Juolevi pass and did the One goal came on a tick-tack-toe play, with the 6-foot-1, 181 pounder rest, undressing a defender before deking the Wolf Pack goalie. finding a soft spot in the high slot and ripping a wrister through the Broncos’ goaltender. Rafferty had a goal and three assists in the game, but has been sidelined with an injury since. In Friday’s 3-1 loss at the Brandon Wheat Kings, Focht had an assist and three shots on goal. But he finished the weekend in style, scoring a goal Juolevi really stood out in Friday’s 6-3 win over the Cleveland Monsters, and assisting on another in a 3-2 win in Winnipeg on Sunday. netting third-star honours with a goal, an assist and a plus-three rating. Carson Focht with his 22nd of the season on the power play. Jett Woo The goal, his second of the season, was scored on the rush, with Juolevi with the helper. joining the play and wiring a wrist shot past the goalie’s glove side. Meanwhile, teammate and fellow Canucks prospect Jett Woo had Then in Saturday’s 6-2 win over the same Monsters, Juolevi had another another good week as the team’s top defenceman, putting five shots on strong game, assisting on another goal while going plus-two. The assist net in Wednesday’s win while notching an assist in Friday’s loss. came on the power play, with Juolevi’s heavy wrist shot tipped into the net by Kole Lind. Woo, a 2018 second-rounder, also assisted on Focht’s goal in Sunday’s win. “Last night’s game and tonight’s I thought we were very efficient,” said head coach Trent Cull after the win. “We did the things we needed to do Focht leads the team in goals with 22 and has 37 points in 40 games this and I thought on the defensive side of the puck we did really good things season. as well.” Woo, a right-shot defenceman, has six goals, 21 assists and a plus-six Juolevi, a team-worst minus-12 a few short weeks ago, is now even rating in 43 games. overall and has two goals and 17 assists in 33 games this season. Big player. Even bigger minutes. He’s also been a big part of the Comets’ current run of good play, with Tryamkin continued to get loads of ice time this past week, logging a the North Division leaders winning three in a row and seven of their last team-leading 21:58 in two straight games for Avtomobilist of the KHL. He 10 games. also scored his second goal of the season while he was at it. Kole Lind and Justin Bailey The goal, scored in a 3-1 loss to Severstal on Tuesday, came on a It’s a bromance netting big results. slapper from the point, with the 6-foot-8, 254 pound defenceman blowing it by the goalie after a faceoff win. Linemates Lind, 21, and Bailey, 24, are on a tear together with the Comets, with the latter scoring goals at a historic clip of late. Tryamkin, 25, had four shots on net and an even rating in the game.

Lind, a 2018 second-rounder, has six points in his last three games. (Skip to 2:45 for the goal) Good stuff. But Bailey, a 2013 second-round pick by the Buffalo Sabres, In Thursday’s 4-2 win against Salavat Yulaev, he had three shots, two has three hat tricks in four games and is the first AHLer in nine years to penalty minutes and a plus-one rating. do it in consecutive tilts. The left-shot D-man, whose KHL contract expires at the end of the Justin Bailey of the @UticaComets has become the first AHL player in season, has two goals, nine assists and a plus-seven rating in 44 games. nearly nine years to record hat tricks in consecutive games (Mark Mancari, Jan. 22-23, 2011). Jack Rathbone

In Wednesday’s win, Lind, a right-shot winger, had an assist, a plus-one Every rose has its thorn. rating and a shot on net. The Crimson defenceman had a great game in No. 18 Harvard’s 3-1 win Bailey had three goals — all in the first period. over St. Lawrence on Friday, but had to leave at the start of the third period with what’s being called an upper-body injury. Justin Bailey has a hat trick in the first period! Rathbone, quarterbacking the third-ranked power play in the NCAA, had Then in Friday’s win, Lind had a goal and two assists while Bailey scored two PP assists and four shots on goal while impacting the game with his another three and added a helper. Lind made sure Bailey got the hat trick slick skating, soft hands and good stickwork. by dishing the puck over for a goal into an empty net. #Canucks Rathbone walks into a pass at 0:28, he employs a fake to open a lane free from bodies – loves this move. Pass turns into a TO at 1:05->chance. Skates hard to catch up to breakaway at 1:27- stops it. SOG down low at 1:43. Tees up a Walsh blast at 2:04- 2nd Assist

The 2017 fourth-rounder didn’t skate in Saturday’s 5-3 loss to No. 7 Clarkson, but he was on the lineup sheet, so whatever ailment he has probably isn’t too severe.

Rathbone, 20, has four goals, 12 assists and an even rating in 16 games this sophomore season.

Let’s hope he can get a little help from his friends.

Podkolzin, 18, still doesn’t have any points in KHL play this season, but the St. Petersburg forward is now getting a regular shift on a unit that features world junior linemates Kirill Marchenko and Ivan Morozov.

The young fourth-line combo came close to producing a goal in Tuesday’s 3-0 win against Dinamo Riga, with Podkolzin being sent in on a partial breakaway. The 2019 first-rounder was unable to manoeuvre the puck past a sprawling goaltender before getting dumped into the net from behind.

Vasili Podkolzin was SOOO close to getting his first KHL goal! He beats out an icing and drives hard to the net.

Podkolzin logged 11:20 of ice time, but life is good not being the 13th forward, a distinction that went to poor Vasily Glotov, who skated barely over six minutes.

Podkolzin played a strong game, drawing attention from the in-game announcers while being featured in a broadcast interview between periods.

The skilled and strong 6-foot-1, 192 pound right winger also played well in Thursday’s 4-1 win over Jokerit, getting two shots on goal and two hits in 11:25.

Podkolzin has no points and a minus-two rating in 17 KHL games this season. He also has three goals, five assists and a plus-three rating in 16 VHL games.

Tyler Madden

Madden played in just one NCAA game this past week, a 3-2 overtime loss to Connecticut.

The 2018 third-rounder was effective for No. 12 Northeastern, putting six shots on net while going plus-one. He was also 11-for-24 from the faceoff dot.

With 16 goals and 15 assists in 22 games, the sophomore is having a super season and currently sits third in the Hobey Baker race, which fans can vote on at hobeybaker.com/vote.

Hobey Baker voting is open.

Nils Hoglander

Not a great week for Hoglander, who went minus-three with no points in Rogle BK’s 7-4 loss to Lulea on Thursday in Swedish Hockey League action.

He was better in Saturday’s 5-2 win versus Orebro, buzzing around offensively with three shots on goal and one hit in 13:04.

#Canucks SHL

Hoglander also got crunched from behind and slammed to the ice at one point, drawing a minor penalty.

#Canucks SHL

The 19-year-old winger has six goals and five assists in 23 games this season. He’s also minus-five.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172134 Vancouver Canucks sophomore seasons because Hughes didn’t play in the NHL as an 18- year-old, but I expanded the window because Dahlin was much better in his rookie season.

So far, Quinn Hughes is the best player from the 2018 NHL Draft. Here’s What the table undersells is Hughes’ midseason maturation into a No. 1 why defenceman. The time-on-ice differences are less than a minute over their careers, but it’s worth noting that Hughes has averaged just north of 23 minutes since December, while Dahlin is logging just over 19 minutes. This has stayed true even with the return of Alex Edler — Hughes has By Harman Dayal Jan 20, 2020 surpassed him as the Canucks’ top left-shot defenceman in ice time and in how often he plays against the other team’s best players.

The early years of ’s tenure yielded some of the leanest Matchups-wise, the former seventh overall pick is among the 64th seasons in Canucks history. percentile of NHL defencemen (top 36 percent) in how many of his minutes have been against elite competition through his career. Dahlin, Vancouver watched as the beloved core from the 2011 Stanley Cup Final on the other hand, is in the 38th percentile in terms of quality of team succumbed to Father Time, enduring years of pain and patiently competition overall and has seen even more sheltered minutes in his waiting to see light at the end of the tunnel. second year (24th percentile for 2019-20).

That light has finally emerged, and it appears brighter than ever. Another area where Hughes holds a decisive leg up is in how he’s driven play at even strength. Regardless of whether you look at shot attempts, Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes have given the scoring chances or expected goals, Hughes has tilted the ice in his Canucks three consecutive rookie All-Stars. Boeser’s been a first-line team’s favour to a greater extent at five-on-five. It’s definitely worth winger since Day 1. In Pettersson, the organization has found its considering that Dahlin’s been saddled with subpar partners at points in franchise centre — a slam-dunk top-10 player in the NHL and very likely his career. Once we adjust for that, it becomes abundantly clear that he’s the best skater from the 2017 draft class. been a formidable five-on-five performer in his own right. Meanwhile, Hughes, selected in 2018, gives the Canucks a chance at SKATR chart courtesy Bill Comeau owning the best player in two consecutive drafts. You see, while Rasmus Dahlin was billed as a generational defenceman a full year before the Dahlin’s underlying numbers look very promising once we focus on the draft, it’s Hughes who has been the best defenceman from that class. two-way impact he’s had on his teammates, but Hughes has risen to exclusive company by those same metrics — in the 97th percentile of There are other players from the 2018 draft who have been superb — defencemen for his impact on shot-attempt differential and in the 98th like Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov, who’s on a 72-point pace — but I percentile for his impact on expected goal share. believe a No. 1 defenceman will almost always be more valuable than a first-line winger, and that’s why the focus will be on Hughes versus In laymen’s terms, Dahlin has done an impressive job of helping his team Buffalo’s Dahlin. outshoot and out-chance the opposition when he’s been on the ice, but Hughes is already among the league’s elite defencemen in this regard. Believing that Hughes has been the better player so far isn’t an indictment of Dahlin, who had a dynamite 44-point campaign as an 18- A big reason Hughes owns such gaudy numbers and why Green has year-old. He’s lived up to the hype despite a rockier sophomore season trusted him with a critical workload is his defensive impact. The Florida than people anticipated. And it’s only been a year and a half since the native uses a combination of excellent skating, smart reads and an active 2018 draft — Dahlin has physical tools in his 6-foot-3 frame that Hughes stick to strip players of the puck. Combine that with his disposition to will never possess, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he ascends advance the puck up ice with possession and you have a player who as the NHL’s best blueliner in his prime. rarely spends time defending in his own zone.

Give me the option long term and I’d bet on Dahlin over Hughes. “The first thing you notice is how Quinn moves his feet,” said Tyler Myers. “He’s so mobile, versatile that he’s able to escape certain plays, All those caveats don’t change the fact, however, that Hughes has and it’s a huge help on breakouts.” outperformed the first overall pick early in their careers by virtually every objective measure. Hughes has an exceptionally high panic threshold where he’s able to hang on to the puck, draw forecheckers and make plays under heavy The quickest and simplest measure people tend to look at is point pressure — an asset that opens up space for his teammates in transition. production, and while I’d argue that it can be overrated in assessing Watch below how he attracts three forecheckers and still makes a play defencemen, it’s the first category where Hughes comes out on top, up the ice. although it’s very close. Dahlin has notched three goals and 28 points through 41 games (56-point pace) this season, compared with Hughes’ “He’s got that skill set where he can bait a guy and then spin off of him, five goals and 34 points in 48 games (58-point pace). escape him,” Myers said. “It’s one of his strengths, he uses his feet so well. That certainly opens up space for other guys when he makes an That said, it’s not the offensive side of things where I believe Hughes has escape move and passes it over.” created an edge. The 20-year-old’s robust two-way play has given head coach Travis Green the confidence to deploy him as a top-pair, shutdown Whether Hughes makes an outlet pass right away or carries the puck on defenceman — trusted with more minutes and tasked with tougher his own, the constant is he always knows where his teammates and the matchups compared with Dahlin, who has played less in relatively opposition are. He rarely skates himself into trouble. sheltered minutes. “You got to have patience in your game, you can’t just know what you’re Quinn Hughes vs. Rasmus Dahlin, career numbers going to do (on the retrieval) without knowing the situation,” said Hughes. “You’ve got to get your head up, cleanly pick up the puck and then see Statistic Hughes Dahlin what opens up. But sometimes you know what you’re going to do before Average TOI 21:16 20:27 you get the puck, you have a good idea (of your options).”

TOI% against elite competition 33.4% 23.5% Hughes can afford to see what opens up because few in the NHL can maneuver through tight spaces the way he can. So often, it looks like Points per game 0.70 0.59 he’s skated himself into trouble or he’s in a vulnerable position, and he’ll Shot share (CF%) 53.7% 50.7% turn on a dime and burn the forechecker.

Scoring chance share (SCF%) 51.7% 49.6% The most impressive part, however, is how rarely he makes an egregious error. His mature decision-making is a standout trait. Expected goal share (xGF%) 53.8% 49.2% “Sometimes you just got to know when to make a play and when not to,” Competition data courtesy of PuckIQ Hughes said. “It just depends on the forecheck pressure and what they’re bringing. Communicating is huge, you can’t see everything at once, so In the chart above, I’ve collected career numbers for Hughes and Dahlin. you lean on your teammates and I feel like we’re on the same page so Under normal circumstances, I would have compared only their it’s easy to know where guys are going to be.” Said Myers: “He makes a lot of plays all over the ice, but it doesn’t seem like any of them have too much risk. For a young guy to show that and display a skill set like that, he’s ahead of his years.”

Getting back to the Hughes and Dahlin comparison, one lens we can use to measure the holistic value of each player is Dom Luszczyszyn’s Game Score model, which attempts to summarize a player’s performance with just one number. It takes into account a combination of point production, impact on driving play and penalty differential.

Hughes vs. Dahlin Game Score value above replacement

Season Hughes Dahlin

2019-20 1.51 wins 0.31 wins

2018-19 — 1.31 wins

Total 1.51 wins (48 GP) 1.61 wins (123 GP)

Hughes has been worth 1.51 wins through 48 games this season — the type of impact you’d expect from a No. 1 defenceman and one that crushes Dahlin’s impact this season and bests his rookie season. In all, Dahlin has provided 0.1 wins more value in Dom’s model despite dressing in 75 more games than Hughes.

Again, this shouldn’t take anything away from Dahlin, who’s been excellent for a teenager and remains six months younger than Hughes. To make a final conclusion on one player being better than the other long-term two years after they were drafted would be a grave mistake (keep in mind how long it took Victor Hedman to blossom).

That said, Hughes is already on track as one of the NHL’s better No. 1 defencemen — projected as 12th-best through Dom’s model.

Top 20 NHL defencemen

Per Dom Luszczyszyn’s GSVA model:

Player Team Age Wins

Victor Hedman Lightning 29 3.49

Dougie Hamilton Hurricanes 26 3.47

Roman Josi Predators 29 3.45

Alex Pietrangelo Blues 30 3.09

Kris Letang Penguins 32 3.07

John Carlson Capitals 30 2.89

Ryan Ellis Predators 29 2.77

Mark Giordano Flames 36 2.74

Torey Krug Bruins 28 2.60

Shea Weber Canadiens 34 2.57

Shea Theodore Golden Knights 24 2.57

Quinn Hughes Canucks 20 2.56

Erik Karlsson Sharks 29 2.55

Jared Spurgeon Wild 30 2.55

Cale Makar Avalanche 21 2.54

Charlie McAvoy Bruins 22 2.37

Morgan Rielly Maple Leafs 25 2.23

Miro Heiskanen Stars 20 2.20

Mikhail Sergachev Lightning 21 2.12

John Klingberg Stars 27 1.95

Compared with Dahlin, Hughes plays a bigger role, faces tougher matchups and produces more points while also being the superior five- on-five play driver. Dahlin is more likely to be the better player in their primes and finish with a more illustrious career, but it can’t be disputed that Hughes has the definitive edge so far as the better defenceman and probably also as the best player, period, from the 2018 draft class.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172135 Websites With all of these changes, there’s another consideration: just how often do teams look for a fresh perspective?

Of the 96 hires since the start of the 2010 offseason, 40 were first-time The Athletic / NHL Coaching Carousel: Which hires have the most head coaches. A first-year head coach can mean an up-and-coming success? coach is getting a shot at the NHL level — look no further than Colliton in Chicago, Sheldon Keefe in Toronto, in Tampa and Travis Green in Vancouver. A long-time NHL assistant like Geoff Ward, who has head coaching experience dating back to 1989 between the college level, By Shayna Goldman Jan 20, 2020 OHL, ECHL, AHL, and Europe, may not qualify as “up-and-coming,” even though he became a first-time NHL head coach when he took over in Calgary. When there’s a change behind the bench, the focus is often on the firing and not the hiring. Even with 40 first-timers in this bunch, coaching changes in the NHL are referred to as a carousel for a reason: Teams often dip back into the Why was the coach fired? What did or didn’t they accomplish? How long same pool of available coaches when hiring. In 56 instances over the was their tenure? past 10 years, someone who previously coached in the NHL was hired. Another way to show the overlap is that with 96 hires, there were only 74 But what about the newest bench boss? Where do they most often come individual coaches named. from, and which kind of hire — a signing or promotion — has the most success? But just as it was with first time coaches, it’s not black and white. Rick Tocchet wasn’t a first-time NHL coach when hired by the Coyotes in Over the past 10 years, dating back to the start of the 2010 offseason, 2017. He led the Lightning for almost two seasons after being promoted excluding general managers stepping behind the bench after dismissing from assistant to head coach in November 2008; but after his time ended a coach, there were 96 coach hires – 62 signings and 34 promotions. in 2010, he wasn’t back behind the bench (this time as an assistant) until Those 34 instances of hiring from within can be divided into three 2014. categories: promoting the AHL head coach (15), an NHL associate coach (eight) or an NHL assistant (11). In some instances, coaches spend time as assistants or outright leave the league in-between NHL head coaching gigs. John Tortorella, for Each year, the number of coaching changes vary. Counting from the first example, took a step back from coaching for a year and re-evaluated the day of a team’s offseason through the final day of their season, 2016-17 game. It refreshed his perspective for when he returned to the league as saw the fewest coaching changes across a full season with seven. The the Blue Jackets’ bench boss in November 2015. most changes in a year came in 2011-12 with 14 — 10 signings and four promotions. This season has the potential to exceed that record with 13 Coaches like Guy Boucher and Bob Hartley spent time coaching in to this point. Europe between NHL jobs, while Ralph Krueger outright left hockey for soccer after his stint in Edmonton in 2013 until joining the Sabres this If we breakdown the number of hires by type — signing versus year. promotions — the 2011-12 season leads with 10 signings: (Panthers), Paul MacLean (Senators), Claude Noel (Jets), and Peter A quick way to see how many times a team re-treads with its hires is by DeBoer (Devils) in the offseason, as well as Dale Hunter (Capitals), Kirk looking at those who were hired within a calendar year of their last Muller (Hurricanes), Ken Hitchcock (Blues), Bruce Boudreau (Ducks), position. Randy Carlyle (Maple Leafs) and (Kings) during the season. Barry Trotz left the Capitals after winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, and The 2018-19 season, on the other hand, leads with six promotions, four then signed with the Islanders. The Panthers signed Joel Quenneville of which were made midseason: Todd Reirden (Capitals, NHL less than a year after he was fired by Chicago. Few would blame the associate), Rod Brind’Amour (Hurricanes, NHL assistant), Scott Gordon Panthers or Islanders for their choice. (Flyers, AHL head coach), Jeremy Colliton (Blackhawks, AHL head coach), Craig Berube (Blues, NHL associate) and Marc Crawford In three instances over the past 10 years, a coach was hired in the same (Senators, NHL associate). season of his midseason firing: Claude Julien in Montreal, in Nashville, and DeBoer in Vegas. To get a better sense of which position is elevated to head coach most common, we can look at which title makes up the highest percentage of In the past 10 years, general manager Chuck Fletcher leads with four that year’s promotions. hires with previous NHL coaching experience. And Lou Lamoriello leads with four hires who coached within the previous year. The fewest promotions come from NHL associates, although, that’s the most scarce position of the bunch as every club has multiple assistants So, which coaches have the most success? and at least one AHL head coach, but not every team has an associate There are varying levels of success. Tenure length, wins, playoff runs coach. and Stanley Cup wins represent some of those levels. By keeping with The 2015-16 season had the highest actual number of AHL head coach our 10-year sample, we’re obviously limited in quantifying by Stanley Cup promotions with three: John Torchetti (Wild), Jeff Blashill (Red Wings) wins as only six coaches have won since 2010. and Mike Sullivan (Penguins), who went all the way to win the Stanley For our purposes, we’ll scratch the surface to look at success in two Cup that year. The most assistant coaches were promoted in 2014-15 simple ways: winning percentage and tenure length to get an idea of with Peter Horachek (Maple Leafs), Todd Nelson (Oilers) and Dave quality (wins) and quantity (longevity). Cameron (Senators); all three coaches missed the postseason, and only Cameron was still behind the bench of his team come opening day the When looking at previous coaching tenures over the past 10 years, those next season, but he only made it to the end of the 2015-16 season. with higher win percentages had longer opportunities with their teams to strive for the Stanley Cup, like Ken Hitchcock in St. Louis and Peter The 2018-19 season was the year of the associate coach being Laviolette in Nashville. Sutter in Los Angeles had the regular season promoted with Crawford in Ottawa, Reirden in Washington and Berube in record and two Stanley Cups to extend his stay. Coaches like John St. Louis, who like Sullivan went on to win the Stanley Cup months after MacLean didn’t get much time to prove themselves after a slow start, his promotion. while coaches like Dineen, Boucher, Hynes had time, but still generally In all but two seasons over the past 10 years, offseason hires were more lacked regular season results. common than midseason changes. The exceptions were 2011-12, when What’s missing is context on the state of the team. A team that’s re- 57 percent of the changes came mid-year, and 2018-19 when it was split tooling or rebuilding isn’t going to have the results, at least at first, which evenly. will weigh on a coach’s record. One loaded with star power that just Of the 96 hires we have in this sample, 37 were midseason hires, 21 of needs a change in voice for the final push likely rates higher. Plus, it which were promotions. Six of those midseason promotions never shed lacks insight into how their success trended over the years, and whether their interim tag and only stayed on to finish the season, but only two or not they became complacent or improved over time. were actually fired. If we just look at the current coaches around the league, Cooper and Maurice are the longest-tenured coaches left standing. Both have had regular season success, so their tenures continuing likely depends on sustaining that and taking the next step in the postseason.

D.J. Smith, Todd McLellan and Dallas Eakins are all working with teams in the midst of a re-tool or rebuild, which can explain their win percentage.

A coach who has had the time, but not the results, that stands out is Jeff Blashill; while his team has been rebuilding over the past few years, it’s unclear what the future holds for him, especially with an expiring contract.

We can also get a glimpse at how signings (blue) have fared compared to promotions (red). There are standouts, such as Bruce Cassidy and Sullivan for success, Jack Capuano for longevity, and Cooper for both, but it appears that at the very least, signings have more of a chance to prove themselves behind the bench.

As for offseason versus midseason hires, midseason hires fall on both extremes. What likely influences that is the fact that some midseason hires are brought in as temporary solutions.

There isn’t a “right” answer to which coaching hires are the most successful. A coach’s tenure can be influenced by their experience, their willingness to adapt to the changing game, or the state and direction of a franchise.

But if at first a coach doesn’t succeed in the NHL, they’ll often get another chance to try again.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172136 Websites “Barkov’s got the best hands in the NHL for a big guy,” a Central player said. “He’s huge, he’s got an unbelievable shot, unbelievable vision. He’s got it all in one package. There’s not one thing in his game that is lacking.” The Athletic / The 2020 NHL Poll: Players have their say on the best player, worst referee, drinking buddies and more Barkov’s Panthers teammate Jonathan Huberdeau is right behind him. Many players think they don’t get enough media exposure playing in Florida and no one knows how good they are.

By The Athletic NHL Staff Jan 20, 2020 “(Huberdeau) had 92 points last season and no one knew about it – not even me till I looked it up!” a Metro Division player said.

4. Who is the dirtiest player in the league? Our NHL player poll is back, and it’s bigger and better than a year ago. Now we come to the first question players were a little hesitant to The Athletic’s hockey reporters spent the past couple months polling answer. Some took issue with the concept of dirty players altogether. players around the league to get answers to our most pressing NHL questions. When all was said and done, we spoke to players from all 31 “Nobody’s dirty,” a Pacific Division player said. “I know guys who are teams and nearly 400 players in total — 392 to be exact. That’s more cheap. There are a lot of rats in the league. (Matthew) Tkachuk’s a rat. than half the entire league. Brad Marchand’s a rat. But I wouldn’t call them dirty.”

Before we get to the answers, note these results are not entirely Others disagreed and had lots to say about Marchand, in particular. Let’s scientific. Every player was granted anonymity but many still declined to go with a sampling from all four divisions. answer some of the questions, were indifferent or just didn’t have an answer. “Marchand can do some shady shit.” — a Pacific Division player.

This piece isn’t the end of the player poll fun either. Over the next week “Let’s go with Brad Marchand. He’s a little prick.” — a Metro Division or so, many of our local markets will have their own team-specific polls, player. so keep an eye out for those. “It’s disgusting what the league lets Marchand get away with. He’s got no Now let’s get to the results. respect for anybody. Makes me sick.” — a Central Division player.

1. Who is the best player in the game? “It’s just the little things he tries to get away with, and you can’t get away with things now just because there are so many cameras. But it’s the little Last year, Sidney Crosby was the winner with 48 percent of the vote but shoulders to the chin, elbows to the chin, small things, slash the goalie in it seems the torch has officially been passed to Connor McDavid. the back of the knees. Those types of things. But he is upfront about it.” — an Atlantic Division player. “It’s crazy because there are so many great ones but he’s like a video game,” a Pacific Division player said of McDavid. Capitals winger Tom Wilson is close behind and in the same mold of “dirty” yet effective. “Just so skilled, so dangerous. I think guys who say Crosby at this point are mostly just being nice. McDavid’s the guy,” added an Atlantic Division “I was thinking Tom Wilson,” a Pacific Division player said. “He does player. some stupid shit. But he can play the game at least. He walks the edge and is very effective to his team.” Crosby is third behind Nathan MacKinnon, but even at 32 he’s still among the elite. 5. Who is the best defensive defenseman?

“For me, growing up, it’s always been Sidney Crosby,” a Pacific player Defensive defenseman is difficult to define and even more difficult to said. “Some of the little things he does within the game are incredible. quantify. So this is a question we at The Athletic selfishly wanted the The hockey sense and defensive zone sticks and that type of thing. He’s answer to. been at such a high level for such a long time.” Victor Hedman is a perennial Norris contender and the players told us “Everyone will say McDavid, but Sid is still the guy for me,” said a Metro why. Division player. “He’s outstanding. Such a good skater. He’s huge too, he’s got a long 2. Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final – Aside from your own goalie, who do stick so it’s really hard to get around him,” an Atlantic Division player you want starting in goal? said.

No changing of the guard here. Carey Price is the winner again, with a “He’s the toughest guy to deal with because he’s so big, and he can larger percentage share of a larger group of players, despite his really move, and he’s got a mean streak,” added another Atlantic Division struggles this season. Reputation matters, it seems. player.

“I don’t think he has the numbers that he normally has this year. But he’s 6A. Who is the best referee in the league? pressure tested. He’s battle-tested,” said a Pacific Division player. 6B. Who is the worst referee in the league? “He’s just been so good for so long. Everyone, especially in that position, has their ups and downs,” said a Pacific player from a different team. “He This was the toughest question to get answers to. Of our 392 players, always finds a way to bounce back. In a Game 7, regardless of how he’d only about half gave an answer for best referee and only about 38 been playing in the months before, I feel like he can just bring it. And he’s percent had an answer for worst ref. So we’ve got a smaller sample size so technically good. He always has that to fall back on.” here, take the results with an added grain of salt.

There was at least some love for Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, who, And it’s not because players didn’t want to talk about refs – it’s because you know, actually won Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final just a few they don’t know them. For every “I don’t want to shit on anybody” months ago. response there were many more variations of “I just don’t know their names.” “(Binnington) just did it — how can you pick anyone else?” a Metro Division player said. Those who did, though, have strong opinions.

3. Who is the most underrated player? “Best is probably Wes McCauley. Just a good communicator, he’s honest with you when you get a penalty or when you do something he didn’t call, Aleksander Barkov wins this category for the second year in a row. We’re he gives you fair warning. He’s one of the better ones,” an Atlantic going to have to retire the question because back-to-back wins should Division player said. make Barkov sufficiently rated. Thing is, some players think he’s just really good. “I like all the old guys,” said a Central Division player. “All the older refs that don’t get super defensive and offended, and are not afraid to say “To me, he’s a Top 3 player in the league and I don’t think a lot of people ‘Fuck you’ right back.” would say that,” one Atlantic Division player said. Despite the smaller sample size, some players certainly seemed to know The advanced stats revolution may be informing decisions off the ice but Justin St. Pierre’s name. it has not yet made its way to the players.

“St. Pierre may be the most arrogant human being I’ve ever seen. It’s “Fuck no,” said an Atlantic Division player. “I think they’re stupid.” honestly like he hates the players. He treats everybody like shit.” — a Central Division player. “I don’t even pay attention to normal stats,” said a Pacific Division player.

“(St. Pierre) is the worst. Bar none. Bar. None.” — a Metro Division “I don’t know enough about it to pay attention,” said another Atlantic player. player. “It’s more like accounting, I have somebody for that. Leave it up to them.” “I hate picking (St. Pierre) because he’ll probably be happy if he wins it.” — a Metro Division player. From a Pacific Division player who said Yes: “I think they have a place. I don’t think you can look at any one and say, ‘This guy’s a good player or 7. Which player, not on your own team, would you most like to have a this guy isn’t.’ There has to be context in everything.” beer with? One Atlantic Division player summed up the issue very thoughtfully. Alex Ovechkin’s now-legendary partying exploits after the Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018 have given him all kinds of street cred with “I think it’s intuitive for us. I know when I’ve been getting shelled on a shift players. or a whole game,” he said. “We know that – I don’t need someone to tell me that. I’ve been doing this for a long time. … You just know if things “After watching him after the Cup, I think that would be fun,” a Pacific are going well or not, whether its shot attempts against or whatever Division player said. “It would probably be a wild night.” metric is being used.”

“From the size of him, he can probably pile it back. Although he’s 10. If you could change one rule, what would it be? probably on the hard stuff, most of the Russians are,” an Atlantic Division player said. Things got a little weird on this question.

On Sidney Crosby: The graphic above shows the five most common/popular responses, but overall, there were nearly 80 different suggestions. Everything from “I grew up idolizing him. He’s got that perfect media persona, but it’d be eliminating the instigator rule to changing the playoff format to making cool to get to know what he’s really like.” – Central Division player. helmets optional.

“Then I could say I had a beer with Sidney Crosby.” – Pacific Division If anything, it probably speaks to players being pretty content with the player. rules. If a player is offered an opportunity to make one single change to anything in the league and his wish is to not have to wear a suit to the On Joe Thornton: game, the league is probably doing just fine overall.

“He’d have good stories and he seems like a fun guy.” – Atlantic Division Still, defensemen do not like taking penalties for shooting the puck over player. the glass.

“He’s a legend.” – Pacific Division player. “The delay of game rule – puck over glass – that’s the fucking nemesis of On Keith Yandle: a D-man,” a Pacific Division player said.

“Playing with him in Florida, he’s the funniest guy. He’s one of those guys “There are certain times when it’s more deliberate or you have to be who has no filter. He tells you these outrageous stories but he’s not self- more careful, but there are other times when it’s accidental and you can conscious about it at all. He takes everything as a joke. Just an easy- totally tell,” a Central Division player said. “I don’t know how you draw going guy.” – Atlantic Division player that line, but there are times when that rule can be tough.”

Finally, we have to leave you with this, even though the two players didn’t The offside challenge is a hot topic, too. make the cut on the graphic above. “I feel like you’ve got to change the rule,” an Atlantic Division player said. “Marc and Jordan Staal. This is anonymous, right?” – Unidentified “If it happens 15-20 seconds later in the play, if it doesn’t affect the rush, I Minnesota Wild center who requested anonymity. don’t think they should review that. If you’re in the zone and it’s a few inches, it’s like, ‘Are we really going to take that back?’” 8. Outdoor games: Too many? Not enough? Just right? “It just makes the linies look bad,” a Pacific Division player said. The overall sentiment from players was that they mostly love playing in the games but the Winter Classic has the most prestige and it should The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 remain that way.

“I don’t think they should do any more than they already have. The (others) aren’t hyped like the Winter Classic, so they’re more local. But if they had kept it to one, I think the prestige of the Classic would have remained. But I’ll play in as many as they want me to,” said a Metro Division player.

The flip side of that, is some players are concerned about the conditions of the game impacting the outcome and the standings.

“For how much the points really matter, it’s kind of getting a little gimmicky,” said a Pacific Division player. “I get it. It’s a big event. They make it a big event. It’s fun to go outdoors. But there’s so much you can’t control as far as the conditions. I think there’s too many now.”

Many players just wanted to throw shade at the Blackhawks.

“I’ve only played in one. It was fun. You’ve gotta ask guys on Chicago.” – Pacific Division player.

“Too many for Chicago.” – Metro Division player.

“It would be nice if they would switch the teams a little bit. It’s ridiculous.” – Pacific Division player.

9. Do you pay attention to advanced stats? 1172137 Websites Salo was one of the first players I ever really stuck my neck on the line for. When I started scouting the NHL draft with McKeen’s Hockey and later Future Considerations, there were a number of players I fought for behind the scenes in the years prior, but I fought hard for Salo, who The Athletic / Wheeler’s 2020 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 24 New landed at No. 34 on FC’s final ranking that year but fell to No. 46 in the York Islanders draft. That was also the draft class where my work began entering the public sphere a little more as I transitioned to my role at The Athletic full-

time, so I was able to vocalize it a little more. Salo was among the By Scott Wheeler Jan 20, 2020 players I really believed in that year, alongside Timothy Liljegren, Gabe Vilardi, Juuso Valimaki, Eeli Tolvanen and Sebastian Aho. That hasn’t really changed, frankly. Though his skating has always been a bit of a concern, I think he manages it extremely well by playing an efficient Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2020 rankings of every NHL organization’s game, taking smart routes and moving the puck effectively. The result is prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on the ability to play huge all-situations minutes (he has been playing the criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 31 to No. 1. The between 25-30 minutes a night recently and averages more than 23 on series, which includes evaluations and commentary from coaches and the year). Despite poor on-ice luck and shooting percentages, he has staff on more than 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 13 to Feb. 11. also taken a step forward offensively this year, hovering around 10th The Islanders were among a handful of the teams I struggled to rank among all Liiga defencemen in scoring. because on pure talent, if their top prospects live up to their ceilings, it’s a 4. Otto Koivula, C/LW, 21 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) pretty strong group. But it’s also a group that’s filled with players whose floors are as low as their ceilings are high. As an organization, the Despite Koivula’s recent, well-deserved promotion, I decided to include Islanders have a plethora of prospects who routinely underperform their him here for a couple of reasons. The first is that he only just turned 21 in raw talent. the fall. The second is that I don’t think he’s in the lock-to-stay-in-the-NHL phase of his development yet. Koivula’s huge and that size (roughly 225 From my own constant self-assessment, I have had to contend with the pounds these days) slows him down, creating a heavy, lumbering stride. fact that I was probably too high on a number of the Islanders prospects Everything else about his game is impressive considering he’s 6-foot-4, when they were drafted. though. Though he’s not the type to drive a line or generate a ton of Today, it’s a boom or bust group. I’d listen to an argument that has their shots on goal, he does have good finishing touch, which has typically pool a couple of spots higher and I’d certainly listen to arguments that helped him score at a higher shooting percentage than the average. He has them a couple of slots lower, too. also uses his size effectively and makes just enough plays to look like he might have middle-six, contributing upside rather than bottom-six, depth 1. Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, 19 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) upside. Temper your expectations, don’t look for him to be the kind of Remember when I said I was probably too high on a couple Islanders player who can play on PP1 and you’ll probably be happy with his ability prospects? Yeah. Having Wahlstrom at No. 5 in my final top 100 ranking to impact a game in other ways. If he can find ways to keep up, he’ll be a at The Athletic for the 2018 class was definitely too high. And though I good player. felt he was in a tier that ran as low as eighth or ninth overall for the year, 5. Mitch Vande Sompel, LHD, 22 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) even that was too high. When you watch Wahlstrom play, there’s no denying the raw skill. He can hang onto the puck through traffic, he’s Had Vande Sompel not crashed into the net in training camp, which strong on the puck, he’s got an excellent release and when there are sidelined him for the season, I believe he would have worked his way into tough plays available through seams he’s confident enough to try them NHL games this year. He was always on the smaller side growing up but and talented enough to execute. I have learned to doubt a couple of he added a lot of muscle in the last couple of seasons, he became a things about his game in the year and a half since he was drafted, strong player along the wall and there is no questioning his skating (both though. The first is his skating. In his draft year, I felt like it was strong from a standstill and once he gets moving), his ability with the puck as a enough to translate to the pro level and that if he picked up a stride or handler and exit/entry wizard or his shot, which has always been more of two that he would be an above average skater. That hasn’t happened yet a weapon than his passing ability because he really looks to create for and his speed has plateaued, making everything else a little harder for himself. Though I believed he had second pairing, second power play him. He also doesn’t process the game at a high level. For me, that upside at the next level, that’s now murky. He turns 23 next month and means he’s slow to read and react off the puck, his playmaking with the he’ll likely have to start next year in the AHL to show the organization he puck slows down to the point where he gets caught standing around with hasn’t lost a step. no options and he struggles to make an impact at levels where he can’t 6. Ruslan Iskhakov, C/LW/RW, 19 (University of Connecticut) have the puck all the time. I’m not sure where that leaves him. If he can learn to play faster, he’s got enough talent to be an impact guy. If he Iskhakov joins a long list of Islanders wild cards in that it’s really tough for doesn’t, you’re probably looking at a middle-six winger who can help out 5-foot-8, 152-pound forwards to make it and yet every time I watch him on the power play but doesn’t give you the kind of punch you’d hoped for play I can’t convince myself he’s not good enough to take the steps out of an 11th overall pick. The good news is he’s still young and he’s got needed to get there. While he’s a natural centre (a position he still plays time to figure it all out. in college), he’s probably a winger at the next level. And though he hasn’t taken a major step forward as a sophomore, I believe he’ll get there and 2. Bode Wilde, RHD, 19 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) he’s already an excellent college player as a teenager (he has a late July Wilde is a defender most scouts have always had a bit of a tough time birthday). He’s a lot of fun to watch, the kind of player who can break a evaluating. From a tools perspective, he’s got everything you look for in a defender’s ankles with a lateral cut or some deft stickhandling, but can right-shot defenceman. He’s big (now up to 6-foot-4 and 201 pounds also stop up when they back off him and make a tough cross-ice pass. according to the Sound Tigers), he can really skate north-south for his I’m also quite high on his skating, which is light and fluid while also size, he’s got a hard shot capable of cleanly beating goalies, he’s offering quick bursts from a standstill and the ability to change pace and physical in man-on-man battles and he has excellent hands for his size, direction. There are times when he tries to do too much or over-passes with an outside-in move that can create high-danger chances for himself and his shot isn’t all that dangerous due to a lack of strength, but he does and lose defenders. It’s the stuff that’s harder to see that holds Wilde a good job avoiding checks and you’re comfortable with the odd turnover back: Things like his decision-making with the puck, his choices on when when he also has the ability to break open a game. to pinch or commit to a hit without it and his awareness. Some 7. Kieffer Bellows, LW, 21 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) defencemen can perform of instincts and convince their coaches to give them a long leash because the rewards outweigh the risks. Some can’t. In hindsight, Bellows is another player I was too high on his draft year, Wilde walks that tightrope and has to either adjust the way he plays or believing he was picked right around where he should have been. He’s a earn the trust of his coaches and get a little lucky. I believe he’s talented player I’ve written about pretty extensively in the past as a good case enough to make the latter happen and that his upside is dynamic if he study in reasons not to put a premium on goals. We talk a lot about the can put it all together. idea that scoring goals is the hardest thing to do and that leads to a lot of mistakes on prospects whose ability to shoot separated them at lower 3. Robin Salo, LHD, 21 (SaiPa) levels, even if they lacked the other required skills to be successful in the NHL. Though Bellows has bounced back reasonably well from a bad rookie season (which followed a bad freshman year of college two years last season and you would have liked to see more out of him, he has prior), his ability to do more than shoot is still a major concern. He’ll need really started to demonstrate more of that flair as a junior. When he plays linemates who get him the puck at the NHL level but there’s still a with good players, he’s got enough skill to get open as a shooter and complementary winger who can help a power play in there somewhere. help get them pucks as a passer. He has been a lot of fun to watch on another strong UND team this year, where he’s on the puck a lot and 8. Simon Holmstrom, RW, 18 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) driving possession even when he’s not scoring. His challenge, as it has Holmstrom is going through a stage in his development that very few always been, is going to be whether or not that talent can overcome how players have ever experienced: He’s playing in the AHL at 18. That small he is (5-foot-9). Opportunity will be key, too, because he’s a makes him hard to assess from a statistical/context perspective, but it middle-six or bust kind of talent. also presents challenges when you watch him play, too, because frankly 14. David Quenneville, RHD, 21 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) it’s hard! His skating and puck control are the first things that leap out about his game. Holmstrom is able to quickly adjust speeds and “Don’t stop believin’. Hold on to that feelin’ – Journey” – Scott Wheeler accelerate in and out of holes, both with and without the puck. And though he has a tendency to end up on the outside, he does a good job I really liked Quenneville. I really did. I knew he was a long shot but I putting pucks to the interior, whether that’s with a stop-up and a quick believed he had a chance. He can rip the puck, he can delay with the pass below the goal line or a centring play off the rush. He can run the puck to create seams, he can run a power play, he’s strong on his feet flank on the power play or rotate behind the net. Though he doesn’t have for 5-foot-8 and he’s physical. He just can’t defend, at least not at the pro a heavy shot, per se, he can also finish plays when he does get to the level. And it’s less about his size than it is about his skating never getting slot. Mix in decent pro size and a fine two-way game and there’s reason to where it needed to get to. Whew, he was fun to watch in junior, to be optimistic he might turn into something in two or three years. though.

9. Reece Newkirk, C, 18 (Portland Winterhawks) 15. Jacob Pivonka, C, 19 (University of Notre Dame)

I was higher on Newkirk last year than where he was picked (I had him You don’t often see players fourth line their way to the NHL anymore. 70th and he was selected 147th) while still not being super high on him. There are very few present-day examples of NHL players who were He plays fast and hard but he’s not a natural scorer and his playmaking always depth players growing up, never really the star on any team. Can doesn’t produce sequences that really grab you. Still, though, there are work ethic, detail off the puck, a knack for winning battles with strength occasionally players who are just good enough at everything to make the and smart routes and good instincts propel someone into the NHL? transition to pro work for them. Newkirk is that type of player. He’s not Pivonka is a worthwhile case study. I don’t think there’s enough skill going to be a dominant, dynamic offensive threat but he can create, he’s there for it to translate but he’s already an effective checker at the college having a good year, he still hasn’t turned 19 yet, he’s physical for his size level and he’s got more than two years to continue to build on that. and he’s got pro-level skating. 16. Felix Bibeau, C, 20 (Chicoutimi Saguenéens)

10. Samuel Bolduc, LHD, 19 (Sherbrooke Phoenix) I watched Bibeau play live twice this season on a trip to Quebec City and I felt like the second round was a little high for Bolduc last year (he he was the best player on the ice — by a wide margin — in both games, landed at No. 85 on my final list) but he’s a mobile 6-foot-4 defender who showing impressive speed off the rush, strong net drive, standout puck impressed on a bad team, showed he could handle tough competition control skill on cuts and excellent intuition without the puck. But his and demonstrated some intriguing offensive qualities. He’s got a heavy numbers have never popped in the same way and he’s 20, so there’s shot (both with a windup and without), which he does a good job putting little reason he shouldn’t be making things happen in a first-line role. through seams and keeping low, even if he has a tendency to have it 17. Blade Jenkins, C/LW, 19 (Saginaw Spirit) blocked or miss the net. His four-way skating ability helps him take advantage of his length defensively, both in boxing out the wall and in I really liked what I saw in Jenkins in his draft year. He could shoot in closing in on gaps or seam passes. Though I’d like to see him slow down motion, he found soft spots in the offensive zone to get open in, he the game and look for lanes from the point as a passer more often (he played a give-and-go game effectively, he was responsible in his own has decent hands, which he could stand to use more), his offence has zone and careful not to turn the puck over in theirs and he had pro size. begun to flourish a little more since his trade to the contending Phoenix. But his skating was meh and the rest of his skills haven’t progressed like For a while, I felt like he had third-pairing upside. Starting to think he may you’d hope, so now he’s a long shot at best. have a little more than that in him, though it’s still a long road and he’s The Tiers not going to be a power play guy. Each of my prospect pool rankings will be broken down into team-specific 11. Cole Coskey, RW, 20 (Saginaw Spirit) tiers in order to give you a better sense of the talent proximity from one It’s been a bit of a coming-out party for Coskey this year. Some of that player to the next (a gap which is sometimes minute and in other cases should prompt questions about how much of his sudden offensive punch quite pronounced). is driven by his age, but there has also been a steady progression in his The interesting thing about the way the Islanders tiers played out is just game. Today, he’s intriguing at the very least and interesting at most. I’ve how wide those bottom two groups are. That speaks to two things: the always liked his ability to get to the net, finish off plays and use his shot fact that they have decent depth and the fact that few of those depth (his biggest weapon, it’s NHL level) to pick his spots. I’ve always disliked players have separated themselves from the pack. If you’re a glass-half- his skating (both from a standstill and at full speed), his general fitness full type, there’s value in numbers. If you’re the glass-half-empty type, level (he can fade in games) and his playmaking. The former is always there are a lot of players, even those at the very top, with some serious going to be a challenge and likely limits his NHL upside, if there is any. question marks. The latter has improved. He’s done a much better job surveying the ice and using the attention he gets as a shooter to surprise defenders with a The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 seam pass.

12. Arnaud Durandeau, LW, 21 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers)

Durandeau has tweener written all over him; he progresses every year but has never really taken leaps. And you’ve got to take leaps to go from very good junior player to more than very good AHL player. He’s having a good first year of pro, though. After a quick stint in the ECHL, he has fit in well with the Sound Tigers. He plays a simple game, designed to get pucks on net and create chances for himself. I worry he doesn’t have the on-puck awareness needed to make his linemates better, though.

13. Collin Adams, LW, 21 (University of North Dakota)

Sometimes, role and opportunity can dictate outcomes more than skill and talent. That was the case for Adams, an obviously skilled playmaker who dominated the USHL but landed on a deep UND team as a freshman and a sophomore. Though the team was weaker offensively 1172138 Websites Now they’re winning, sure, but they’re doing it with scores like 7-1 and 9- 2. That’s great for racking up personal stats in the season, but it’s not how you’re going to win a Stanley Cup. The Lightning are basically a team that decided it needed a change in identity, found out that was too The Athletic / DGB weekend power rankings: The top five, the bottom hard to pull off, and then went right back to what they were last year. And five and why they’re all wrong we all know how that ends.

(How much I believe it: Not at all. These guys are good, and while the playoffs are chaotic, they don’t transform into some sort of entirely By Sean McIndoe Jan 20, 2020 different sport. The Lightning could lose again in the first round because in today’s NHL, absolutely anyone can. But they’re stacked with talent and hitting their stride, and they’re better defensively than you probably We’re going to try something different this week. think. If anything I should have them higher.)

That will be a nice change because we haven’t had a lot of “different” in 3. Boston Bruins (28-10-12, +40) – The Bruins have taken up permanent this year’s rankings. It’s been pretty much the same teams cycling in and residency in these rankings, and for good reason. They were excellent out of the top and bottom five for most of the season; since mid- last year, almost won the Cup, and then picked up where they left off in November, only six teams have appeared at the top of the list, with just October. Almost immediately, they built up such a big lead in the Atlantic seven holding down the bottom spots. That’s unusual for this feature, that they basically had it locked down. where in past years we’ve seen a lot more churn. Well, unlock it, because the Bruins have been a very mediocre team for That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you’re a fan of one of the almost two months now. Ever since an eight-game win streak was good teams (or one of the bad ones, and you’re already looking ahead to snapped in the first week of December, Boston has won just eight of 22. the lottery). But it can make writing this column every week a challenge. They’ve given up some ground in the standings and would have lost How many different ways can you say “The Capitals are good” or “The even more if they weren’t relying on loser points to keep them afloat. Red Wings are bad?” Teams like the Bruins, Kings and Senators have shown up on the list every single week. At some point, you get it. And And that was before they lost Tuukka Rask to an apparent concussion; with the all-star break and bye weeks coming up, we’re unlikely to see he’s expected to miss weeks, and you never know how a player will much in the way of big changes over the next few weeks either. recover from that sort of injury. Now the Bruins are missing their starter, not to mention getting called out as soft for letting it happen. And while all So today, we’re going to flip the script. I’ll still list the five teams I think this is going on, the Lightning have woken up and are making a run at the have the best shot at the Cup, and the five that are on track to finish top of the division. The Leafs have been better since their coaching dead last. But I’ll use their space to make the argument that I’m wrong change, so what had once seemed like a relatively clear path out of the and that they don’t actually deserve to be there. division suddenly looks like it would be tough for just about anyone, let alone a team that loses more than it wins these days. It will be easier for some teams than others, of course, but that’s fine. Let’s mix things up a bit. Heck, maybe I’ll even be to be right about (How much I believe it: Not much, assuming Rask is back to 100 percent something for a change. well before the playoffs. But the path out of the division does worry me a lot more than it used to if I’m a Bruins fan, especially if the Panthers are Road to the Cup for real.) The five teams that look like they’re headed toward a summer of keg 2. Washington Capitals (33-11-5, +32) – On the surface, the Capitals stands and fountain pool parties. seem to be rolling. They’ve all but locked up a playoff spot already, and Oh look, it’s the same five teams as last week, and the week before that. they’re holding down a four-point lead in the Metro. Their stars up front I’m getting sick of saying nice things about these guys. Let’s knock them are all having strong years, and they’re getting a Norris-caliber breakout down a few pegs. from John Carlson. They’re also just two years removed from a Cup, so they know how to win. They check all the boxes. 5. Pittsburgh Penguins (31-13-5, +32 true goals differential*) – They were good when Sidney Crosby got hurt, then somehow even better when he Except one: Goaltending. Braden Holtby has been shaky all year, which went out. Now he’s back, so you do the math. is bad timing given his contract situation. He’s 30 and was only above- average the last two seasons before this one, so this isn’t just some sort OK, here’s some math: The Penguins still probably won’t catch the of minor slump. The star goaltender might not be a star anymore. He Capitals for first place in the Metro. And even if they do, they’ll have a didn’t look like it on Saturday, getting yanked after two against the tough path out of a brutal division, one that could see them have to face Islanders before the Capitals pulled off the late comeback. an Islander team that swept them last year. Or maybe Columbus or Carolina or Philadelphia, none of whom will be a great matchup because But that’s OK, Caps fans insist, because they have Ilya Samsonov – a whoever makes it out of that group in April will be coming in hot. 22-year-old rookie with 16 career NHL starts on his résumé. That’s the guy you want to trust your Cup run to? His numbers so far have been There’s also the goaltending question. Matt Murray doesn’t look great great, but when April rolls around, are you really going to feel confident anymore, and while Tristan Jarry does, this is a career backup/AHLer with a guy who’s never been to an NHL playoff game before? that the team was trying to unload in the offseason because he was supposed to be their third wheel. Do you trust him? They probably have It could work. It did last year for the Blues. But the more likely scenario is to, but it’s not ideal. that the Capitals go into the playoffs with a goaltending controversy ready to erupt. They either stay loyal to Holtby, who could implode. Or they roll Other than that, the Penguins remain a top-heavy team up front, the blue the dice on the new guy, and everyone side-eyes the bench every time line is just OK, and Jim Rutherford doesn’t have a ton of cap room to he lets in a goal. We saw the latter scenario play out in 2018, when the work with to plug the holes. And with Crosby and Malkin both well into team went with Philipp Grubauer over Holtby against Columbus. He their 30s we can’t just assume they’ll stay healthy the rest of the way. lasted two games, the Caps lost both, and were an overtime bounce They’ve been a great story so far, but it’s not hard to imagine that story away from being down 3-0 in the series and basically done. ending in the first round or two. That’s how thin the margin of error is with this stuff – the wrong choice (How much I believe it: A little, but the Penguins still scare me. Maybe almost derailed the Caps’ Cup run before it ever even started. And right the next team will be easier.) now, that’s where they seem to be headed again. That would be a 4. Tampa Bay Lightning (28-15-4, +30) – Yes, they’re rolling again. But concern even if they were the best team in the division, and at this point, have we all forgotten what happened last year? When they finished with we’re not even sure about that. 128 points and then choked in the playoffs, everybody seemed to agree (How much I believe it: The Caps are a great team and Alexander that there was some sort of fundamental flaw in the way this team was Ovechkin is unstoppable these days, but the goaltending does worry me constructed. Heck, they even seemed to be saying it themselves. They a bit. Samsonov has looked fantastic and he’s been a top prospect for tried to change their style early in the season, and it didn’t work. They years, but man… 16 starts. There’s a case to be made that the Capitals couldn’t do it. should ride him hard over the last few months, if only to see what they’ve really got.) 1. St. Louis Blues (30-11-8, +27) – They missed a chance to really put 5. San Jose Sharks (21-25-4, -38) – Pass! the Avalanche away, dropping a regulation decision in Colorado on Saturday. A win would have opened up a 12-point gap and all but ended 4. Los Angeles Kings (18-27-5, -31) – Unlike the other teams at the the Central race, but instead, the Avs are at least still in the rearview bottom of the standings, their underlying numbers remain solid, so if mirror. either goalie can get hot for a few weeks or the shooters can start finding the net, they’ve got a good chance to string to together a few wins and Still, the Blues are up eight in the Central, and with the Pacific looking escape the cellar. like a traffic jam, they’re basically the hands-down favorite to be the West’s top seed and earn home ice for at least three rounds. With a 3. Ottawa Senators (17-23-8, -30) – They finally got back in the win conference-leading 17 home wins, that sets them up well for another long column on Saturday, possible goalie of the future Marcus Hogberg has playoff run. And remember, that that run could include a returning been looking good lately, and owning the Sharks’ pick means their fans Vladimir Tarasenko. What’s not to like? are mashing the lottery simulators in between watching highlights of both Alexis Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield. Well, a few things. First, we’ve seen one repeat champ in over 20 years, and more often than not teams that go to the final make quick exits the 5. San Jose Sharks (21-25-4, -38) – OK, I’m told that I’m not allowed to next season. The fatigue factor is real, and it probably catches up with pass, so how about this: It can’t get any worse, unless it does. the Blues at some point. There’s also the offensive side, which has been 2. New Jersey Devils (17-24-7, -45) – With a new coach and (eventually) good but isn’t exactly dynamic – when David Perron is your leading a new GM, they’re well-positioned to just say “screw it” and blatantly tank scorer, you’re not exactly keeping goaltenders up at night. Tarasenko the whole season to lock down the second-best lottery odds if that’s the could change that, but that’s still an if, because all the Blues ever told us path they choose – and there’s at least a possibility that the Coyotes was that he’d be re-evaluated near the end of the season, not that he’d could still miss the playoffs and turn the Taylor Hall pick into a mid-round definitely be back. bonus.

More importantly, the Blues probably won’t win the Cup for the same 1. Detroit Red Wings (12-33-4, -85) – They have done such a masterful reason most great teams don’t win it: Because they’ll run into a hot goalie job of being terrible this year that they are now in a position where they or hit a cold streak or just end up facing some other really good team that can hire one of the best coaches in the league in Gerard Gallant with 30 gets the bounces. Somebody will emerge as a legitimate contender in the games left and still not have to remotely worry about losing their grip on West. Or maybe somebody won’t, and the Blues will cruise to the final dead last. and then get their doors blown off by one of the Eastern powerhouses. Either way, as good as they are, the odds of them winning it all are 5. San Jose Sharks (21-25-4, -38) – Fine, fine, one last try. Once this overwhelmingly against them. nightmare of a season ends, they’re not in absolutely terrible position to rebound relatively quickly next year, assuming they can use the deadline (How much I believe it: I absolutely believe all of that. But I’m also pulling to ease some cap pressure and boost a lackluster prospect pipeline; in a a little sleight-of-hand here because I’m telling you why the Blues are Pacific with no clear front-runners, it’s not impossible to imagine the unlikely to win. But everyone is unlikely to win. The Blues probably only Sharks getting back into the playoff race next year. have a 10 or 15 percent chance right now. But if that’s higher than everyone else – and it might be – then they still deserve top spot.) That’s literally the best I can do. Sorry, San Jose fans.

*Goals differential without counting shootout decisions like the NHL does Not ranked: Chicago Blackhawks – They’re still closer to the bottom five for some reason. than to the top, but for the past few months they’ve just been looking to get back into the wildcard race. And after five straight wins, they’re back. Not ranked: The entire Pacific Division – But good lord, this is a thing of Sunday night’s big win over the Jets left them just three points back of beauty. the wildcard, and with a game in hand over the Coyotes and Knights.

I mean that. This is just flat-out fun, and it sets up a stretch run that has It’s been an impressive run. It started against some weak opposition, with the potential to be incredible. That will be especially true if one more the Hawks beating the Ducks, Senators and struggling Habs. But the Central team heats up and grabs a wildcard spot, setting up a scenario weekend saw them go into Toronto and manhandle the Leafs before where we have five Pacific contenders all fighting for the division title in a heading home to face a rested Jets squad. That one will go into the high-stakes game of musical chairs where one team will miss the playoffs history books, as it featured Patrick Kane’s 1000th point. entirely. The bad news is that they’ve got just one game left before they’re off for And sure, there’s a good chance the Golden Knights will ruin this by nearly two weeks, so any sort of momentum narrative is about to be going on a run and pulling away from the division, especially since snuffed out. And once they’re back, they’ll play seven of eight on the they’re the only one of the group that isn’t on their bye this week. But in road. They basically needed all five of these wins just to keep their hopes the meantime, let’s just enjoy the chaos. It’s been over three decades alive. since we’ve seen anything like this, and it’s fun to imagine it going right down the wire. (Like, literally down to the wire – the last night of the And they got all five. The path back to the postseason is rocky, but at season features Oilers/Flames and Knights/Canucks.) But even if it least it’s there. Not bad for a team that headed into January with less doesn’t, let’s appreciate nights like Saturday, where the Canucks went than a 20 percent chance at the playoffs, one eye on the trade deadline, from fifth to first with a single win. and fans calling for the head of coach Jeremy Colliton. With Dominik Kubalík leading the rookie goal-scoring race, Robin Lehner having a A little bit of parity is fine, if overrated. Too much parity is boring. But strong season, and Jonathan Toews looking like the $10.5 million player extreme, almost mathematically impossible parity eats its way through to we all know him to be, there’s some well-deserved optimism in Chicago the other side and becomes fun again. That’s what the Pacific is serving that wasn’t there even a month ago. up right now, and it’s kind of awesome. See? At least something in the NHL is changing. The bottom five The Athletic LOADED: 01.21.2020 The five teams that are headed toward the best lottery odds and lots of Alexis Lafreniere junior highlight reels.

The bottom five works a little bit differently. We’re just trying to figure out who’s going to finish last in the standings, meaning we don’t have two months of playoff chaos to factor it for these teams. That’s going to make it harder to argue that any of these picks are wrong because the standings are what they are. But we can at least try to say something nice about all five teams rather than shoveling even more dirt on their seasons.

So let’s try this: Each team gets one positive sentence this week. No negativity allowed. I’m pretty sure I can handle one sentence, so let’s just see who’s up first and oh no… 1172139 Websites Don’t waste time looking at his production (11 points). The Leafs have plenty of play-creating defencemen.

At six-foot-four, 225 pounds, Dillon is a big, nasty and responsible left Sportsnet.ca / 3 trade deadline moves the Maple Leafs should explore shot with 62 games of playoff experience, including a trip to the Final.

Yes, the 29-year-old is a minus-four this season, but his club is minus-37. He starts the majority of his shifts in the defensive zone and still finishes Luke Fox | January 20, 2020, 8:26 AM most of them in the O-zone. That’ll make Dubas and Sheldon Keefe happy.

Dillon also kills a couple minutes of penalties every night for the NHL’s No team has scored more goals than the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have best PK unit, and Toronto’s bottom-eight PK could use a boost. been redefining what it means to be an offensive juggernaut with each year of the Auston Matthews–Mitchell Marner–William Nylander era. From San Jose’s perspective, this is a lost season. Doug Wilson has the 28th-rated offence and might as well recoup some assets. Since that young, explosive nucleus was Voltron’d together — and surrounded, of course, by some puck-pushing defencemen and net- It’s no secret that Dubas has a queue of winger prospects eager for a driving weapons, foremost captain John Tavares — Toronto’s goals per break, and their opportunity for NHL ice time is frankly better somewhere game has risen significantly each season, now humming along at a 3.57 else. Dmytro Timashov, Egor Korshkov, Jeremy Bracco, Nic Petan, clip under a head coach who lets his horses run. Kenny Agostino, Pontus Aberg… there’s gotta be a package deal to be formed. All of which is a roundabout way of saying, Toronto is set upfront but in need of depth on the back end, because even the best possession teams The Leafs do have six 2020 draft picks in Rounds 6 and 7 to toss in as a can’t control the puck all the time. sweetener.

In terms of goals allowed (3.29 per night), the Maple Leafs haven’t been Certainly, Dillon’s early season clocking of Matthews will be water under this porous in 11(!) years, and that includes some epic stinkers and a the bridge if the hardnosed D-man can make a difference in April. last-place finish. Travis Hamonic, RD, Calgary Flames The club’s recent rash of injuries (get well soon, Jake Muzzin and Morgan Rielly) and instability in the net beyond all-star Frederik We’re tiptoeing into blockbuster territory now. Andersen, have made its trade-deadline needs crystal clear: defensive Toronto has been eyeing Hamonic since he was an Islander and lost a depth and a backup goalie. bidding war to Calgary. The Leafs came close to dealing for a Flames This is an organization with Stanley Cup–sized ambitions, and with top- defenceman over the summer, only to have the swap blocked by Nazem four blueliners Muzzin and Tyson Barrie long shots to re-sign, GM Kyle Kadri’s partial no-trade clause, but Dubas and Brad Treliving — one of Dubas is staring at a go-for-it spring. the league’s greatest wheeler dealers — are on friendly terms.

There are significant snags when stepping into the market, however. The moment Treliving re-signed righty Rasmus Andersson to a six-year Dubas spent his 2020 first-round pick last summer in order to clear extension signalled to us that one of his 29-year-old UFAs in the top four, Patrick Marleau off the books. Seldom do clubs burn a first and a second Hamonic or T.J. Brodie, won’t be coming back for 2020-21. in the same draft year. Curiously underachieving upfront, Calgary isn’t hiding its desire for a top- The other hurdle is cap space. six winger. Trading Michael Frolik to Buffalo on Jan. 2 was a salary dump to this end. Whereas contenders like the Colorado Avalanche and New York Islanders have plenty of space to go big-game hunting, a healthy Toronto Does Treliving keep both Hamonic and Brodie as “own rentals” and bank roster would have none. The Leafs currently have six players on long- on Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm catching fire term injured reserve. again? Or does the GM go bold and import some speed and skill?

The only silver lining of this injury parade is that the Leafs temporarily At some point, the Leafs must at least consider trading one of their hold $7.6 million in wiggle room, per CapFriendly.com, but things will get middle-class forwards (Andreas Johnsson, Kasperi Kapanen, Alexander sticky when the bodies return. Kerfoot) to free up dollars for the back end.

Absolutely categorize Dubas as a buyer, but he’ll need to be a creative If there is a real “hockey deal” to be made by Feb. 24, Toronto-Calgary one. isn’t a bad bet to provide it.

Here are three suggested targets. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.21.2020

Alexandar Georgiev, G, New York Rangers

The Rangers — sellers for certain — must allow Henrik Lundqvist to exit with grace, and the King has another season beyond this one on his deal. The heir to the throne is not Georgiev, whom the Blueshirts view as an excellent backup, but rather Igor Shesterkin, who has wowed fast, winning his first two NHL starts and looking every bit like the blue-chip prospect he’s been hyped to be.

Georgiev (12-9-1, .913 save percentage) is only 23 and he’ll be restricted free agent this summer. The Leafs would love a younger backup they can trust — New York has two of them. Once you look up Georgiev’s cap hit ($792,500) and consider the Rangers’ hunger for young, skilled forwards… well, let’s cut the flirting and get to dealing.

Yes, Leafs backup Michael Hutchinson has been better lately, but his stat line — 3-7-1, 3.83, .885 — just isn’t up to snuff.

If a trade for Georgiev can’t be consummated, Dubas should kick tires on Penguins prospect Casey DeSmith, now usurped by all-star Tristan Jarry, or a rental like Ryan Miller (Anaheim) or Aaron Dell (San Jose) — cheap, decent backup options standing behind bad teams.

Brenden Dillon, LD, San Jose Sharks

Dillon should be blue line target No. 1 for Toronto. 1172140 Websites “You know, I was on the flipside in ‘05-06, when I was with the Red Wings. We had 126 points, we played the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs. They traded a first-round draft pick at the deadline for Rollie the Goalie (Dwayne Roloson) … and we got bounced in the first Sportsnet.ca / Q&A: Oilers GM Holland on trade deadline approach, round by the eighth seed. You don’t really ever know. You’ve just got to Battle of Alberta get in.

“The eighth-place seed today is way closer to the No. 1 seed than it was prior to the (salary) cap world.” Mark Spector | January 20, 2020, 10:55 AM SN: Zack Kassian is a pending UFA. The fans love him, and we believe

Connor McDavid very much likes playing with him. How are negotiations EDMONTON — When he arrived in Edmonton, Ken Holland knew he going, and do you value this player differently than the day you walked in was joining a team that would set a National Hockey League record for the door? futility if it missed the playoffs for the 13th time in 14 seasons. But he KH: “Yes. I love Kass. I’ve had a number of conversations with his agent, didn’t talk much about the post-season. Rick Curran. The hope is that we can keep him in an Oilers uniform. I What Holland stressed then, as he does now, is stability. Build something love his passion, his physicality. He’s a presence, and I am aware of the the right way, develop your prospects with patience, believe in your big playoffs he had three years ago. There is still five months before free coaching staff for longer than two seasons, and you won’t have to worry agency. I believe Kass loves it in Edmonton, so hopefully we can find a about the playoffs. They’ll be there waiting for you, if you do things right. solution that works for him and us.”

Today, his team has fared as well as he could have hoped, sitting second SN: While we’re talking contracts, what about Darnell Nurse? in the Pacific Division as they enjoy their January break. The Oilers could KH: Well, Darnell is a restricted free agent. We’ll find a solution for just as likely win the Pacific as miss the playoffs altogether, but they’re 5- Darnell. Would you like to do it during the season? It always feels good to 1-1 in 2020 and are certainly trending in the right direction. get people signed, and done. But if they’re restricted, it’s something I can Coming out of the break Edmonton hosts Calgary, then St. Louis, before deal with in the summertime if I have to. It certainly looks that way.” traveling down Highway 2 to meet the Flames for the second time in four SN: Draisaitl and McDavid. Do you believe they have to run on separate days. It’s coming at the new Oilers GM fast, so Sportsnet sat down with lines for your team to be successful? Ken Holland while we could, right before the break, to get his take on a few things. KH: “Well, I do believe you can’t be a one-line team. It was working early this season, we had the one line going and the power play going. But SN: As the trade deadline approaches, are your goals where you thought eventually in the NHL, the other teams start to figure a plan to neutralize they’d be? Or, has a fairly successful season changed your approach? whatever plan you’ve got. Yamamoto has come up and given us one KH: “That’s a great question.” (Thinks for a moment) more player who can play in the Top 6, Top 9. You only need a player here and there, and splitting those guys up has given us a depth in “When I took over in the summer, and sat in a room for eight days scoring… leading up to July 1 with Dave Tippett, our pro scouts and Bob Nicholson, our goal was to create a little more depth at the bottom of (his forwards) “So, the answer is it depends on your other forwards. If you put them in hopes we could get to March and be in the thick of things. together as a top, No. 1 line, and you have some depth in scoring, it’ll work. But if you put them together and you don’t have depth in scoring, “We got off to a great start, and then for about 20 games we played then it doesn’t work. about .500. There are five teams in the Pacific within about two or three points of each other. The next 10 games or so leading up to the deadline “For right now, you’ve got to have depth in scoring. You can’t look at a are going to impact my thinking. I think we have 13 games before the team and say, ‘If we shut down that one line then nobody else can beat deadline. The next eight or 10 games will really impact my thinking. I us.’” would say to you today, I don’t anticipate being a seller.” SN: You signed a lot of one-year contracts for roughly $1 million this past SN: As much as you can tell us, positionally speaking, what are your summer. Some have worked, others not so much. Overall, how do you needs at the deadline, in order? view your success rate?

KH: “Historically at this time of year a team’s looking for some KH: “We went into the summertime, we didn’t have a lot of cap space, experience. You’re always looking for some depth. There is the odd and we wanted to build some depth up front. We wanted to go to training deadline where you can make a blockbuster — I acquired Chris Chelios camp and have a competition. Two or three of those guys (Tomas Jurco, at the deadline one year. Markus Granlund, Joel Persson), as we wake up today, they’ve worked their way to Bakersfield. Guys like Sheahan and Archibald have really “What are we looking for? Is there someone who gives you a little more helped us on the PK. Same with Haas. And the penalty killing has been a depth on defence? A little more depth up front? (Someone) who makes factor in us being able to stay in the race. you just a little bit deeper.” “And with one-year deals, at the end of the season we can decide if we Senior Writer Ryan Dixon and NHL Editor Rory Boylen always give it want to re-sign three or four of these guys.” 110%, but never rely on clichés when it comes to podcasting. Instead, they use a mix of facts, fun and a varied group of hockey voices to cover SN: When the break ends, you’ve got Calgary in two of your first three Canada’s most beloved game. games. What’s your take on the rivalry, and the whole Tkachuk-Kassian thing? SN: You’ve taken all levels of teams into the post-season, from Cup favourites to teams looking to upset. Where do you think a strong KH: “Lucky for me, I was involved in Colorado-Detroit, an incredible deadline can get this team to? rivalry for six or seven years. So I’ve lived through it before. Any time you have huge games on the schedule that take on more meaning than just KH: “The regular seasons means a ton, because you’ve got to get in. another regular season game, it’s great for your players and your fans. Beyond that, history suggests … that it’s somewhat wide open. The two But, it also means you’re competitive. You want to play big games. No. 1 seeds last year, Tampa and Calgary, between them they won one playoff game. And the team at the bottom of the standings at Christmas “The Calgary games, you want to play with passion and play hard, but time won the Stanley Cup. Getting in, it will be a photo finish for you’ve got to play smart. The media goes to the players and the players someone. And someone is going to miss by a point or two. talk. But at the end of the day the most important thing is that you find a way to win the game. Part of being a successful team is playing on the “Lots of our players had experience three years ago in the San Jose edge, but playing within the rules of the game. I’m looking forward to series and the Anaheim series — Connor, Leon, Nurse, Klefbom, those games — they’re great games (in which) to evaluate your players. Nugent-Hopkins… They’ve been there before. And we’ve added some We’ve got to make sure we play hard, we play tough, we play physical, players who’ve played in playoff series’. And what happens between now but we play within the rules. Because we don’t want to go to the penalty and the deadline? Can we add a little bit? box, and we don’t want people suspended.” SN: That could be tough. There’s a lot of juice in The Battle right now.

KH: (Laughs) I know. It’s good. I lived in Medicine Hat (Alberta) from 1985-94, scouting for the Red Wings. The Calgary-Edmonton games, everyone in Alberta was watching. Both of those teams were great, great teams.

“We’ve got a young core. Connor just turned 23 (on Jan. 13). Leon’s just 24. Nurse turns 25 (on Feb. 4). We’ve got to add to the core, but this competing for a playoff spot — big games against Calgary and battling for a playoff spot — it’s fabulous for the players, and for the fans. For me, it’s a great place to evaluate our players to make decisions going forward.”

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172141 Websites The climb still feels a little too steep for the Canadiens to get back in the playoff hunt, but it has been impressive to watch how quickly Kovalchuk managed to earn the respect and admiration of teammates and the fanbase given how frustrating of a season it has been in that market. Sportsnet.ca / Kyle Bukauskas Notebook: Sandin has lots of fans in Leafs' room 5. I grew up on Vancouver Island. Hockey fans of a certain generation that followed the junior scene will remember “The Shift” by Milan Lucic, then of the Vancouver Giants, during the 2007 .

Kyle Bukauskas Cale Fleury grew up on the prairies and was eight years old when Lucic ran roughshod over the rest of the CHL’s best. Yet, has no memory of

The Shift. “I wasn’t really interested in junior hockey yet back then,” he Every other Monday, Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas will give you a peek admitted. behind the curtain and share stories about what he sees and hears in his Fleury caught everyone’s attention last week, including Lucic’s, when he job as a rink side reporter. popped one of the heaviest hitters in the game during Calgary’s visit to Based in Ottawa, Kyle’s notes will sometimes be about the Senators, but Montreal. he’ll also include content from wherever Hockey Night in Canada takes The 21-year-old credits his edgework to being able to stay upright after him. those collisions. His teammates will tell you he’s not a guy who throws a Here’s this week’s collection: ton of weight around in the gym, but they marvel at the size of his calves.

1. On Oct. 20, 2007 Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane played their first Side note: if Fleury and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (who recorded his first career game in Toronto as rookies in the NHL. It was also their first appearance fight last week) were to become the latest edition of “The Bash Brothers,” on Hockey Night in Canada. Of course, that was a big deal to Toews, a I am very much here for it. Winnipeg native. 6. Saturday’s game vs. the Flames was Thomas Chabot’s first logging As the story goes, Toews went to bed early the night before and Kane, less than 22 minutes of ice time since Dec. 9 against Boston. A span of then his roommate, turned in a little bit later and woke Toews up in the 17 games. process. Toews struggled to get back to sleep and didn’t feel great on His workload has been well-documented this season. He goes into the game day. He was furious. Senators’ bye-week averaging more minutes per game than anyone else Then, as he put it, “Kaner had himself a night and I did not.” Kane put up in the NHL. a couple assists in a 6-4 Blackhawks win over the Maple Leafs. The team athletic staff feel Chabot manages his energy well during the Last Saturday, with everyone anticipating Kane to reach the 1,000-point game. The big thing for them is making sure he replenishes the calories milestone on Hockey Night, it was Toews who commanded the spotlight lost at the end of the night. Most players typically burn between 1,500- with a pair of goals and four points. 2,000 calories over the course of a game and surely Chabot has surpassed that mark a few times this season. No surprise Kane hit 1,000 the next night at home, but for Toews, playing on a Saturday night “never gets old.” In an era where morning skates are becoming extinct, they want Chabot to have a minimal workload during his downtime to ensure maximum 2. Zack Smith of the Blackhawks is coming off quite the week. On output when the puck drops. Tuesday, he returned to Ottawa for the first time since being traded last summer. The next night he doubled his goal total for the season in a win Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.21.2020 over his old division rival, the Montreal Canadiens.

On Friday night in Toronto, Smith, a big rock music fan, popped over to the Horseshoe Tavern to listen to the Anyway Gang. A band consisting of Sam Roberts, Chris Murphy of Sloan, Dave Monks of Tokyo Police Club and Menno Versteeg of Hollerado. (Talk about Canadianity!)

Smith’s love for music played a role in bonding with his captain. Early in training camp he wore a ‘My Morning Jacket’ shirt to the rink and Toews couldn’t believe he had a teammate who liked that band, too. To this day, it’s the only time one of Smith’s teammates commented on that shirt. Between the two of them and Blackhawks equipment manager Troy Parchman, they exchange record suggestions to listen to on the road.

Smith was one of the good ones to deal with in Ottawa. Glad to see he’s found a role in Chicago.

3. Boy do the Leafs need all they can squeeze out of their banged-up blue line right now. When Rasmus Sandin was sent down to the Marlies after a brief run with the Leafs at the start of the season, he received a text from John Tavares.

Tavares told him, “you’ll be back here soon. If you ever need anything, let me know.”

Sandin seems to have a lot of fans in that dressing room, but hearing that from Tavares went a long way towards making the 19-year-old truly feel like he was a part of things at the NHL level.

Sandin has talked about feeling way more comfortable since his latest recall and that text from the Leafs captain is likely at least part of the reason why.

4. The Canadiens 4-2 loss to the Oilers earlier this month was their eighth consecutive game without a victory, as you may have heard. After that game, new teammate Ilya Kovalchuk took the entire team out for dinner in downtown Montreal.

The Habs have won four of five games since and Kovalchuk has eight points in eight games in a Montreal uniform. 1172142 Websites Giving him another shot at a prominent role makes sense given the team’s inability to score like it did a year earlier.

The Flames could benefit from further shaking up the lines on a team Sportsnet.ca / 3 trade deadline moves the Flames should explore ranked 23rd in scoring.

Trade Sam Bennett

Eric Francis | January 20, 2020, 1:56 PM No, this isn’t a fire sale or a suggestion the 23-year-old isn’t working out in Calgary.

It’s a chance to use him as a valuable trade chip. Brad Treliving is the last person in the Calgary Flames organization who will be taking time off during the team’s seven-day break. After all, you have to give up significant assets to land one.

He’ll spend it in scouting meetings, where extensive discussions will be Bennett’s reputation as a physical, proven playoff performer is known had to help narrow down his shopping list. league-wide, which trumps his four goals and six points in 34 games this year. With his team in the midst of a Pacific Division dog fight, the ever-active GM is searching for a significant addition or two for a roster deep on Fact is, the Flames have a raft of emerging bottom-six wingers. Trading bottom-six forwards and short on a right-handed, impact forward. one of them as part of a package to land what the Flames truly need makes sense. The $4.3 million Treliving cleared in salary by trading Michael Frolik last month gave him increased flexibility to cast a wider net as he looks for a The fourth-overall pick from 2014 is still just 23 and has plenty of upside, hockey deal that could very well land the Flames a scoring forward with which makes him a tradable commodity you certainly don’t give away. term left on his contract after this season. Acquire Kasperi Kapanen That’s the goal, much as it was at last year’s trade deadline when he The 23-year-old Finn checks all the boxes for the Flames, being a right- came oh-so-close to landing Jason Zucker from the Minnesota Wild. handed shooter with a reasonable cap hit of $3.2 million for the next two Home of the Flames years that leaves him with RFA status at the end of it.

Stream all 82 Flames games this season with Sportsnet NOW. Get over At six-foot-one, 195 pounds, he also has decent size on a team that 500 NHL games, blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, all could use more of it. outdoor games, the All-Star Game, 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs and more. Kapanen has speed and a scoring touch that is buried on a potent Should the price be too steep to land a player he can keep for a few Toronto Maple Leafs roster. years, the list of rentals available is topped by Tyler Toffoli, who is being While Bennett might be part of that deal, a more obvious trade chip showcased on the top line by a Los Angeles Kings club anxious to cash would be T.J. Brodie. The Flames have tried to trade Brodie and his in on the pending UFA, who just happened to have played in Ottawa with $4.65-million cap hit for a while, which included a nixed deal with the Sean Monahan as a junior. Leafs for Nazem Kadri last summer. The right-shot winger has seen his stock decline following a 31-goal With injuries to Jake Muzzin and Morgan Rielly the Leafs are looking to season four years ago he hasn’t come close to reproducing. Treliving is shore up a blue line that has long been part of their defensive woes. likely aiming much higher than that. The real object of their affection would likely be pending UFA Travis Although a lefty, UFA Chris Kreider would be a nice add due to his grit Hamonic, whom the Flames do and should covet as a virtual and sniping ability, but it’s believed he likely has Calgary and several untouchable. Hamonic embodies everything of which the Flames need other Canadian stops on his 11-team no-trade list. more in the playoffs. Right-handed centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau will likely be peddled as his Brodie, 29, is a top-pair blue liner in Calgary and even though he isn’t shocking offensive explosion this year could prove to make him too appreciated by the fans in town, he is one of the game’s better skaters, expensive for the Ottawa Senators’ blood. He’d give the Flames even and has a significant trade value. more flexibility if they believe he’s capable of continuing a scoring pace that has the diminutive 27-year-old at 19 goals to date. Time to cash in on it, especially since there’s little chance the native of Chatham-Kent, Ont., will be re-upped by Treliving this summer. Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman are also attractive UFA’s, but it’s hard to fathom the Florida Panthers would give up either while in the Defencemen are coveted at this time of year, which means the Flames midst of a mighty battle for a playoff berth as well. would have to replace him with a backender of significance. Such an addition could be Juuso Valimaki, if his surgically repaired knee shows Three things the Flames could look to do by the deadline: signs be might be able to return before the spring. The Flames need scoring. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.21.2020 Jankowski just scored his first goal of the year Saturday as part of a nightmarish season few saw coming. His confidence shattered, and his status in the lineup in question every night, the big centre could benefit from rebuilding his confidence in the AHL.

The risk is that he’d have to go through the waiver process.

If the 25-year-old pending RFA is claimed by another team, the Flames will be off the hook for his $1.675-million salary, and have even more to spend at the deadline. They’ve shopped the penalty-killing specialist since last summer, but have yet to find a match, painting the team into a corner it’ll soon have to make a move on.

If he isn’t claimed, the staff in Stockton will work with him to try finding the game that netted him 17 and 14 goals the last two seasons.

Czarnik went through a similar process after returning to the Flames from injury before Christmas and has used his time in the AHL to regain his scoring touch, nabbing nine goals and 17 points in 15 outings.

Before his injury, the 27-year-old had scored in consecutive outings, with hopes his past AHL scoring prowess would finally translate into big- league success if slotted into a top line. 1172143 Websites feel more realistic Ovechkin will chase down “The Great One” in four years by averaging 45 or better in those campaigns.

• Ovechkin is a natural segue to Sidney Crosby, who — surprise, surprise Sportsnet.ca / Goalies are voodoo, but Blue Jackets may have found — still knows his way around a hockey rink. Game 3 since his return from magic with Merzlikins hernia surgery was Friday in Detroit, where Sid netted the overtime winner. On Sunday versus the Bruins, he cued a three-goal Pittsburgh comeback by drawing the first assist on the team’s first and second goals in what turned into a 4-3 victory over one of the league’s best outfits. This Ryan Dixon January 20, 2020, 9:57 AM guy…

• Milestone Weekend Pt. 2: Patrick Kane is the youngest United States- Henrik Lundqvist will retain the “King” moniker as long as he’s around, so born player to reach 1,000 points (31 years, 61 days) after a two-assist we’ll have to try a little harder than a play on music royalty when it comes weekend in victories over Toronto on Saturday and Winnipeg 24 hours to finding a nickname for Elvis Merzlikins. later. Kane has 15 points on his current 10-game point streak and the Hawks — winners of five straight — have climbed into the Western (We should probably take a blanket approach to trying harder with sports Conference wild-card conversation. nicknames, but we won’t worry about that right now.) • You’re on warning, NHL: “Mr. Game 7” is back, and he’s already Merzlikins’ play of late — he recorded his third shutout in four outings scoring shootout winners and leading the Storm Surge. Saturday — is driving a serious playoff push from the Columbus Blue Jackets and reinforcing the notion that, collectively, we don’t know jack • Sometimes all you can do is pick up your teeth and go home. when it comes to goaltending. Much ink has been spilled in recent years Red and White Power Rankings over the unpredictability of goaltending, but this season is taking it to another level. 1. Vancouver Canucks (27-18-4) – The Canucks are atop the Pacific Division, directly ahead of a couple other teams on this list. Vancouver The Latvian Merzlikins, who has the third-best save percentage in the granted San Jose just 18 shots on Thatcher Demko during Saturday’s 4- league at .928, is a rookie who’d never played an NHL game before this 1 win. season. Co-leader Tristan Jarry played all of two NHL contests last year, making the guy he’s tied with at .929 — injured Arizona Coyotes stopper 2. Edmonton Oilers (26-18-5) – The Oilers scored a huge 7-3 win over Darcy Kuemper — seem like Terry Sawchuk in terms of body of work the Coyotes on Saturday and have won five of their past six contests. because Kuemper did have an amazing second half last season. 3. Calgary Flames (26-19-5) – Saturday’s “Battle of the Tkachuks” in Right behind Merzlikins are Jake Allen — who’s posting the best Ottawa went to Brady, who opened the scoring in a 5-2 win for the Sens numbers of his seven-year career on the heels of being nudged out of over Matthew and the Flames. the way by Jordan Binnington — and another freshman, Ilya Samsonov of the Washington Capitals. The Russian — a 2015 first-rounder who 4. Toronto Maple Leafs (25-17-7) – Pounded 6-2 by Chicago on struggled in his first AHL season last year — leads the NHL with a 2.06 Saturday, the Leafs have averaged five goals against in their past six goals-against average and his play is making it more and more likely outings. Life without Morgan Rielly and Jake Muzzin was always going to Braden Holtby’s time with the Capitals will end this summer when the be tough, but this club is back to a spot where it has to worry about latter becomes a UFA. missing the playoffs.

Of course, the second-biggest free agent contact handed out last 5. Winnipeg Jets (25-20-4) – Speaking of missing the playoffs, the Jets summer was to goalie Sergei Bobrovsky by the Florida Panthers. For $10 are suddenly three points back of the final spot in the West following a million against the cap, “Bob” is returning one of the worst five-on-five disastrous 7-1 loss to Tampa on home ice on Friday and a 5-2 setback in save percentages (.902) in the entire league. The only guy with a bigger Chicago 48 hours later. cap hit than Bobrovsky is Carey Price ($10.5 million), who’s been solid 6. Montreal Canadiens (22-21-7) – Ilya Kovalchuk scored again on for Montreal of late, but sits firmly middle-of-the-pack or worse in several Saturday and now has four goals and four assists for eight points in his statistical categories. eight-game Habs career. The Canadiens already have 11 draft picks this Meanwhile, Bobrovsky’s old team in Columbus has witnessed both June. Are they further ahead gaining one more late-rounder by moving Merzlikins and the presently injured Joonas Korpisalo turn in the kind of “Kovie” at the deadline? Or should they see if there’s a fit on a mega- puck-stopping teams in tight playoff races crave. And just for fun, Matiss bargain, one-year deal to bring the right winger back next year when he’ll Kivlenieks — Columbus with that Latvian hookup! — made his NHL be 37? debut on Sunday and stopped 31 shots in a 2-1 Jackets win over the 7. Ottawa Senators (17-23-8) – Connor Brown went 1-and-1 on Saturday Rangers. for the third straight game and he’s averaging over 20 minutes per night Only fools think they know anything about this position. in his new home, up from 13:48 last year in Toronto.

Other Weekend Takeaways In Your Ear

• As long as you promise not to look up my other predictions, let me just If you think I like talking about Ovechkin’s goal chase, you should hear say I wasn’t convinced the Jackets were going to fall apart this season. my co-host Rory Boylen go on about it. In addition to the “Ovie” talk, we Columbus has won five straight after a pair of weekend victories and the chatted with Abbey Mastracco about where the Devils go from here team is 9-2-0 in its past 11. The underlying numbers will tell you this is following the axe fall on GM Ray Shero. largely a goalie-and-luck driven run, but even the staunchest “Give me The Week Ahead hard numbers or death!” people would have to concede the presence of some good karma in Columbus. You had to admire this club pushing in • Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States brings some afternoon its chips last year when it knew both its in-house UFAs (Bobrovsky and hockey on Monday, as the Red Wings visit the Avs. Artemi Panarin) as well as its gun-for-hire (Matt Duchene) were all likely to bolt. The fact the Jackets are in a playoff spot nearly one year after • Seventeen teams are on their bye week and the only Canadian club in going all-in at the deadline is fantastic to see. action is the Jets.

• Milestone Weekend Pt. 1: How fun is it going to be watching Alex • There will surely be good vibes all weekend in St. Louis, as the Ovechkin chase Wayne Gretzky’s goals record in about five years? defending champs play host to the entire league for the 2020 All-Star “Ovie” recorded a hat trick Saturday — his second in as many outings; Game and all the festivities that go with it. dude has eight goals in his past three contests — in Washington’s 6-4 Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.21.2020 win over the Islanders and now sits tied for ninth all-time with Steve Yzerman at 692 goals. Ovechkin is on pace for 57 this year, which would put him at No. 7 on the list by season’s end, 179 back of Gretzky. The math is getting increasingly tangible on this one: If he plays five more years after this one, he’d need to average 36 goals in that span to equal Gretzky in his age-39 season. The way things are going, it’s starting to 1172144 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / "A team within the team": Inside the NHL's brotherhood of the blue line

by Luke Fox

Those stakes are part of what forges the D-men’s bond, and the strongest connection, naturally, is often felt between the people who share the ice, shift after shift. “A lot of the time you’re playing the game with your back turned to what’s coming at you,” says Scott Stevens, a three-time Cup champion with the New Jersey Devils and current NHL Network analyst. “So you really need your partner, you need to be on the same page, you have to understand each other, you have to have each other’s back and try to help each other as much as possible to try and beat the forecheck and [avoid] getting hurt.”

Like any relationship, the dynamic of a D pair is defined by the people forming the duo. Jovanovski used to rib one of his partners, Scott Lachance, about the fact no matter which corner the puck went in, the whole world knew it was going to be Jovanovski — not Lachance — who would have to chug back and get it. “And then he left for a $10-million dollar contract to Columbus,” laughs Jovanovski. [Editor’s note: It was actually $8 million.]

When Gill played with P.K. Subban in Montreal, he filled the Lachance role, running interference and creating breathing room for Subban to take the puck and whiz out of the zone. If Gill was skating with fellow defence- first guy Josh Gorges, though, a completely different approach was required. “It was more of a partnership; we had to get the puck out together. We could defend well, but we really had to be on the same page.”

A shorthand develops between partners, who tend to stay together much longer than forward lines. Single words like “Up!” or “Over!” or “Back!” carry layers of meaning. The longer conversations happen elsewhere. “I played with Nick Boynton,” says Gill. “He was a fiery competitor and I could see he’d get too fired up and I’d try to tell him a joke or something to bring him back down.

“With P.K., he’d get so fired up and excited, I’d be like, ‘This is a big shift, let’s keep it simple on this one.’ You get to know, not just the [player’s style], but the mind behind it.”

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.21.2020 1172145 Websites That’s not the case in 2019-20. The relationship between any of these measures and scoring is tiny. Look at the r-squared values when regressing any of our shot measures against scoring rates this season. (I will use the Evolving Hockey model for a moment here). TSN.CA / Why is the NHL so different defensively this season? It is worth noting that the relationship on the offensive side (how many shots a team takes relative to how many goals a team scores) is materially higher than it is on the defensive side this year, which Travis Yost suggests – at least in part – that a piece of this may boil down to goaltender play. As in: the more variant goaltender performance is, the less we understand about the relationship between shots against and By now, expected goals are a part of the hockey lexicon. There is goals against, or chances against and goals against, or expected goals tremendous value in assigning probability to shots finding the back of the against versus goals against. net, especially since properly built models can be exceptionally more predictive of future scoring than any other publicly available measure. This is one of those stories where I don’t quite have a conclusion, and I’m This has been exhaustively studied and the research is compelling. not sure I will anytime soon. Having done this for more than a decade, the one thing that I know is that when you introduce these questions to a But expected goal models need to be consistently calibrated and fine- large public forum, someone is smart enough to figure out the answer. tuned to ensure that observed changes are appropriately modeled. For an extreme example, think about how scoring rates would change if That person just isn’t me. defencemen were banned from the National Hockey League and teams TSN.CA LOADED: 01.21.2020 could only use forwards. Or, for a real-life example, if the league decided to significantly downsize goaltender equipment. Both changes – one significant, one subtle – could influence the probability of any shot finding the back of the net. Therefore, we consistently must study these outputs to ensure that changes within the construct of the league are appropriately reflected.

That brings me to Saturday night’s game between Chicago and Toronto, which was a bit of a light-bulb moment for me. Some Maple Leafs fans on social media were certain that Frederik Andersen, and perhaps only Frederik Andersen, was responsible for the blowout loss. Responses were eerily similar to this one, with people rightly pointing out how few expected goals the team had given up relative to many actual goals were conceded.

There is no doubt Andersen played poorly. But I went back and looked at every goal and scoring chance, and I certainly felt as if the expected goals were being understated relative to the danger Andersen faced. It was another data point in what has become a common theme – teams seeing a higher rate of goals against relative to expected goals against during the 2019-20 season.

Consider our expected goal and actual goal variance rate by season, and notice the spike this year:

Every year has in-season variance, but in 2019-20 it has all been in one direction. Teams are simply outscoring our expectations, repeatedly. And this isn’t some clunky model issue – league scoring is at the highest it has been since the 1995-96 and 2005-06 seasons. Year to date, expected goals have understated actual goals by 240.

There are obviously a number of theories as to why. Some asked whether the league’s early decision to play with shot coordinates – a key predictor variable in expected goal models – was having an impact. But that issue was resolved in November, and in January 2020 alone we are still seeing significant variance despite the verified correction.

It also doesn’t appear to be a specific model issue. Three of the most robust and accurate – Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick, and Hockey Viz – all are reporting serious underages.

There is any number of on-ice theories as to why scoring rates have increased, and/or why expected goal rates are underwhelming relative to those numbers. The goaltenders did experience a downsizing in equipment. Teams did get more sophisticated with matters like power play deployment (and the associated four forward approach), or when to pull the goalie when trailing late, or the emphasis of hockey skill over toughness and physicality in the bottom-six of forward groups. All are contributors, yet at aggregate, it’s highly unlikely they would explain such a significant change.

There may be another question at hand, too. Let’s move away from expected goals and look at shot metrics, which have always been reliable in terms of their predictive power in the modern era of hockey.

For years, any shot-based measure has regressed quite favourably against goal scoring. In other words, if you know how frequently a team is shooting, you reasonably know how well a team is scoring – true for both sides of the ice. So if you had an expected goal problem, you could always revert to using shot rates.