SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 6/10/2021 Anaheim Ducks Colorado Avalanche 1189450 Postseason Ducks expansion draft projection: Debating 1189481 Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights Game 6: Three keys the players on the protection bubble for Colorado 1189482 Another year, another must-win second-round Game 6: Boston Bruins Avalanche heads to Vegas with season on the line 1189451 The Bruins’ season is over, and they have only 1189483 Avalanche’s Cale Makar named Norris Trophy finalist themselves -- and puck management -- to blame 1189484 Three Avalanche mistakes, three Vegas goals in Knights’ 1189452 It didn’t take the whole game, just one lousy period, for the Game 5 overtime win Bruins’ season to get derailed 1189485 Avs choking away playoff series against Vegas and 1189453 ‘This is a tough one to lose’: Bruins eliminated from biggest gag artist is Nathan MacKinnon playoffs by Islanders 1189486 Book Excerpt: It was 20 Years Ago Today for Bourque, 1189454 Tuukka Rask can’t save Bruins in Game 6, and is it a final, Avs somber farewell for the goaltender? 1189487 Avs still have a chance to prove they aren’t just another 1189455 No penalty call on hit on Charlie McAvoy a turning point in “pretty, but not gritty” team second period vs. Islanders 1189488 Cale Makar named a finalist for the Norris Trophy 1189456 Islanders end Bruins season 1189489 The Avs have done it before, can they do it again? 1189457 Bruins Notebook: Tuukka Rask could face surgery 1189490 It’s not over yet, but it’s all or nothing time for the 1189458 Islanders’ depth dooming Bruins Avalanche 1189459 Tuukka Rask assesses his performance in season-ending 1189491 Stone scores early in OT, Knights beat Avs 3-2 in Game 5 loss to Islanders 1189460 Islanders eliminate Bruins from playoffs with dominant Columbus Blue Jackets Game 6 win 1189492 Columbus Blue Jackets connections abounded in world 1189461 Rask's stats in must-win road playoff games might championship surprise Bruins fans 1189462 Why Bruce Cassidy didn't expect $25K fine despite Dallas Stars officiating rant 1189493 Stars prospect Thomas Harley ‘knocking on the door’ of 1189463 Talking Points: Boston Bruins Playoff Run Ends in Game 6 NHL after standout AHL season 1189464 Could Boston Bruins Have Trade Piece in Cehlarik? 1189494 Joe Pavelski’s big season creates debate in Stars’ 1189465 Game 6: Boston Bruins @ Islanders Lines, Preview approach to Seattle expansion draft 1189466 Boston Bruins Rask Will Start Game 6: ‘He’s Our Starter’ 1189467 20 Years Ago Tonight: ‘After 22 Years, Raymond Detroit Red Wings Bourque!’ 1189495 Adam Erne's breakthrough season with Wings an example 1189468 Boston Bruins Should Go With Swayman in Game 6 of capitalizing on opportunities 1189469 ‘We’re all getting older’: Awful mistakes and no offense 1189496 ‘Is this Troy from Richmond?’: Troy Stecher talks Roberto end the Bruins’ season and threaten an era Luongo, the expansion draft and Team Canada gold 1189470 Boston Bruins’ expansion protected list: Who’s staying and who could be picked by the Seattle Kraken? Edmonton Oilers 1189497 Bottom-six forward Devin Shore will be back with Oilers Buffalo Sabres 1189498 Lowetide: Why huge Oil Kings goalie Sebastian Cossa 1189471 Why should Sabres consider Owen Power, Matthew could be the perfect first-round fit for the Oilers Beniers and Kent Johnson? Their goalies weigh in Florida Panthers Calgary Flames 1189499 After a monster World Championship, Panthers prospect 1189472 ‘So unbelievably cool’: Flames’ Mangiapane on top of Lundell is coming to ‘take a spot’ world after golden performance at international tournamen 1189500 Panthers new forward Anton Lundell eager to make an 1189473 Flames protected list: Who’s staying and who could be impact picked in the Seattle expansion draft? 1189501 Anton Lundell ‘one step closer’ to NHL with Florida Panthers Carolina Hurricanes 1189474 Hurricanes turn attention to free agency — and signing Los Angeles Kings Rod Brind’Amour to a new contract 1189502 Kings Seasons in Review – Cal Petersen 1189475 The Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup window is open, so what’s next? Five priorities for a critical offseason Minnesota Wild 1189476 ‘It’s not a step forward’: Disappointed Sebastian Aho 1189503 Wild names Ray Shero senior adviser to the general breaks fourth wall as Hurricanes’ season ends manager 1189504 Wild hire former Stanley Cup exec Ray Shero as new Chicago Blackhawks senior advisor 1189477 Lukas Reichel, the Chicago Blackhawks’ 1st-round pick in 2020, reaches terms on a 3-year contract Montreal Canadiens 1189478 Blackhawks officially sign top prospect Lukas Reichel to 1189505 P.K. Subban joins ESPN as hockey analyst for rest of 3-year contract playoffs 1189479 2020 first-round pick Reichel signs 3-year deal with 1189506 Canadiens hope to pick up where they left off, Gallagher Blackhawks says 1189480 Blackhawks protected list: Who’s staying and who could 1189507 The Canadiens are finally a four-line team with four slightly be picked by the Kraken in the expansion draft? different identities 1189508 LeBrun: Canadiens’ Marc Bergevin praised for vision by NHL GMs, rival coaches impressed with team’s play Nashville Predators 1189509 Predators protected list: Who’s staying and who could be picked in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft? New York Islanders Tampa Bay Lightning 1189510 Islanders Advance to Semifinals for Second Straight Year 1189544 Lightning’s Victor Hedman named a Norris Trophy finalist 1189511 Islanders beat Bruins in Game 6, win series and advance 1189545 When it comes to the playoffs, no one has been more to meet defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay prolific than Brayden Point Light 1189546 No additional discipline for Lightning forward Ondrej Palat 1189512 Islanders getting another shot at Lightning 1189547 Lightning ‘s Ross Colton doesn’t let lack of experience 1189513 New dad Brock Nelson has two-goal night in Islanders’ win define postseason play 1189514 Islanders’ playoff run is classic Lou Lamoriello 1189548 Lightning close out Hurricanes, advance to Stanley Cup 1189515 Islanders one step away from Stanley Cup final after semifinals routing Bruins 1189516 Islanders hoping Coliseum edge helps close out Bruins in Toronto Maple Leafs Game 6 1189549 Vegas' Mark Stone shows the value of having a captain 1189517 Inside Islanders’ new arena, which will have a Coliseum 1189550 Maple Leafs protected list: Who’s staying and who could feel be picked in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft? 1189518 Islanders know too well the painful cost of a long series 1189551 Scott Stinson: Sure, no one believed in the Montreal 1189519 Islanders-Bruins Game 6 recap: Winning goal, key stat Canadiens, but we had our reasons and more 1189520 Islanders thoroughly beat Bruins in Game 6, head to NHL Vancouver Canucks semifinal matchup against Lightning 1189567 Canucks: Travis Green picks veteran coach Brad Shaw for 1189521 NHL commissioner Gary Bettman impressed with critical role Islanders' UBS Arena after touring Belmont facility 1189568 Canucks rework coaching staff: Brad Shaw’s role, Ian 1189522 Islanders know from experience the importance of ending Clark’s new title and adding ‘fresh voices’ Bruins series now 1189569 ‘Is this Troy from Richmond?’: Troy Stecher talks Roberto 1189523 These Islanders are making lasting memories for the Luongo, the expansion draft and Team Canada gold franchise and its fans 1189524 Islanders grind down another good team on their way to Vegas Golden Knights the semifinals 1189552 Golden Knights look to eliminate Avalanche in Game 6 1189525 13 Minutes: Islanders Stifling Defense In 3rd Seals Series 1189553 Golden Knights now Stanley Cup favorites at Westgate Win Over Bruins 1189554 Ryan Reaves’ leadership praised after being healthy 1189526 Papa Brock! Islanders Forward Welcomes New Child scratch While Battling Bruins 1189555 ‘Vintage Mark Stone’ — Vegas’ captain taking control of 1189527 Brock-to-Brock: Two-Goal Night by Nelson Leads Isles series with huge goal, Selke-level defense Back to Stanley Cup Semis 1189528 Saints Go Marching In: NFL Team Jumps on Islanders Washington Capitals Bandwagon 1189556 Caps faced with tough choices due to salary cap 1189529 Saints and Sinners: Islanders Game 6 Lines, Matchups 1189557 SEE IT: Sergei Ovechkin takes the ice with his dad and Game Notes vs. Bruins 1189558 GM Brian MacLellan wants to add youth to Capitals in offseason New York Rangers 1189530 Rangers' Adam Fox named a Norris Trophy finalist Websites 1189570 Sportsnet.ca / With unwavering zeal, Islanders extend final Ottawa Senators Cup run at iconic Nassau Coliseum 1189531 GARRIOCH: Cheers on a patio in Ontario are great, but 1189571 Sportsnet.ca / Jets’ Mark Scheifele: NHL’s department of pro sports teams want to hear some from the stands player safety ‘shut me down’ 1189532 What are the Senators’ roster debates ahead of the 1189572 Sportsnet.ca / Thoughts on cross-checking, Kraken expansion draft? Islanders-Bruins, pushing refs to make calls 1189573 Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens Notebook: Gainey offers wisdom Philadelphia Flyers to help Montreal stay in rhythm 1189533 Flyers’ Kevin Hayes should be back to his old self next 1189574 TSN.CA / Top prospect Clarke on experience in Slovakia, season, and his team may look very different winning under-18 gold 1189534 Flyers goalie prospect Sandstrom sticks around to play for 1189575 USA TODAY / Islanders – and fans – giving Nassau Phantoms Coliseum proper sendoff with final postseason run 1189535 Change of plans: Flyers goalie prospect signs new deal, not going to Finland Winnipeg Jets 1189559 Groin strain put early end to DeMelo's playoffs Pittsburgh Penguins 1189560 Jets reflect on unique season 1189536 Pittsburgh scores new dek hockey court in Lincoln Place 1189561 Time for Chevy to make a move with assist from Penguins 1189562 Scheifele takes parting shots at league and media 1189537 Ex-Penguins forward Thomas Di Pauli signs in Germany 1189563 Jets' 'Invisible Men' vow to rebound 1189538 Penguins A to Z: Anthony Angello has shown a few things, 1189564 Jets' Wheeler: 'By far the hardest year of my life' but has he shown enough? 1189565 JETS SNAPSHOTS: ‘Nothing off the table’ for Copp in 1189539 'This is the starting line': Hill District job center opens as negotiation of new contract with Jets early step for former Civic Arena project 1189566 WYMAN: Players have coach Maurice’s back after Jets 1189540 Kingerski: Penguins Fans, I Get it, You’re Tired But One get swept out of playoffs More Time? SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1189541 How Would Penguins Fare Against Remaining Teams? Seattle Kraken 1189542 Vegas, Montreal playoff success provides insight into Kraken’s possible coaching hire, style of play St Louis Blues 1189543 Should the Blues dangle Robert Thomas? The upside and the down to that idea 1189450 Anaheim Ducks players in his season-ending media availability. “Isac Lundestrom came along. There’s a spot for him in a certain role where you’ve got boxes you fill as you build a hockey team. And I know some of those young guys Postseason Ducks expansion draft projection: Debating the players on are going to fill those boxes now.” the protection bubble That is seven spots protected out of a possible 11 in a 7-3-1 list or nine in an 8-1 plan. The Ducks are still lampooned for how the Vegas expansion draft turned out. But the choices for the final spots should be easier for By Eric Stephens Murray to manage. After all, they’re about as far as you can be from the team that was coming off a conference finals appearance four years ago. Jun 9, 2021 Should, however, is the operative word here.

Here are the players likely to be on the protection bubble. Just six weeks remain until the Ducks lose a player off their roster and can do nothing about it. Haydn Fleury

Free agency begins July 28, but we’re not talking about those NHLers 2020-21 (with Carolina and Anaheim): 47 games, 55 blocked shots, 63 whose contracts have expired and soon will be in the open market hits, 3 goals, 1 assist, 52.2 CF%, minus-12, 15:24 TOI seeking employment. A week before, the Seattle Kraken will pluck a player off lists that 30 other teams will provide (Vegas is exempt, with the Case for protection: For one, the reason for trading Jani Hakanpää was Golden Knights not getting a share of the Kraken’s $650 million that the 25-year-old Fleury – a former seventh overall pick – was younger expansion fee). and had more upside while also being signed at a very affordable $1.55 million for next season. Second, the Ducks gave him more ice time The Kraken then will have players to go with their nickname, logo and (20:39) than Carolina basically ever did and firmly believe he is a solution colors. One will come from Anaheim. Who will that be? toward solidifying the third pairing and helping their blue line become a point of strength. And then there is the specter of Seattle GM Ron Make no mistake, the Ducks will only lose one player, unless they feel Francis grabbing the player he selected with the Hurricanes’ top pick in like tempting fate again — as they did four years ago in Vegas — and 2014 when he ran that team. make a side deal so Seattle doesn’t take a player Anaheim really wants to keep but can’t otherwise protect in either a 7-3-1 or 8-1 format. Teams’ Case against protection: Try finding one. Fleury is moving into his prime lists must be submitted on July 17. years as a defender and is on a reasonable salary that makes him a good asset and one not worth losing for nothing, especially when you They won’t lose two or three players. Just one. Yet, who the Ducks will traded one for him. Mobile blue-liners with his size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) protect and leave exposed is a topic fans like to sink their teeth into like a and that young with NHL experience have appeal. marbled ribeye. We’ve batted around possibilities a few times, most recently after the trade deadline. Now that the 2020-21 season has been Josh Mahura filed away, it’s a good time for a final(?) stab at figuring out the player the Ducks could lose to the Kraken. Or, if we are correct here, will. 2020-21: 13 games, 1 goal, 3 assists, 48.8 CF%, 15:54 TOI, 13 points in 43 NHL contests A quick review. Ducks can protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie, or eight skaters regardless of position plus a goalie. Case for protection: You still believe that the 23-year-old Mahura has Players will full no-movement clauses (NMC) must be protected but offensive upside and are prepared to clear some of the logjam on the left Anaheim has no such issue this time around, because Ryan Getzlaf’s side of the defense and give him another opportunity to grab a full-time has expired since his eight-year contract is now a thing of the past. spot. Even with no more than 17 games in any of his runs with Anaheim over his three pro seasons, the Edmonton native has produced at a level This time around, we will spare you the full breakdown of every Ducks that could lead to him chipping in 20-plus points while maturing in the player and the category each should be put in. For instance, they won’t NHL, instead of spending more time in the minors. One option for need to worry about using protection spots on Trevor Zegras, Jamie keeping Mahura away from Seattle is exposing Cam Fowler. But while Drysdale or Max Comtois, who are exempt. Instead, we’ll focus on those Fowler being taken would let the Ducks gain $6.5 million of cap space players who could provide the toughest calls and possibly determine over the next five seasons, it would leave them having to replace their whether it’s worth keeping one more defenseman away from the Kraken most consistent defender over the last two years. instead of three more forwards. Case against protection: You’ve determined that Fleury is the one worth If they wish, the Kraken can select a pending unrestricted free agent if he committing to as a long-term option and Fowler and Hampus Lindholm – is exposed, and they would have a 48-hour window to negotiate a who will be a UFA in 2022 – are still their top-four mainstays over the contract and sign the player before the draft begins. If the player is long haul. Losing a mobile defender like Mahura might sting if he selected during the draft, Seattle has exclusive negotiating rights with becomes an everyday performer in Seattle but as long as you’re that player until July 28. convinced he doesn’t have Shea Theodore upside, you can live with him moving on given how deep the pipeline is when it comes to left-shooting The final decisions rearguards. (The Ducks have still have collegians Jackson LaCombe and There are no-doubters when it comes to the first players Ducks general Henry Thrun.) manager Bob Murray will put on his protection list. John Gibson is as Josh Manson obvious as it gets. Hampus Lindholm has had two straight seasons end prematurely because of injury, but he’s a minutes-eating, all-situations 2020-21: 23 games, 1 goal, 6 assists, 42.6 CF%, 17:59 TOI, 61 hits, 31 defender who erases play in his own end. Up front, Troy Terry may be blocked shots, minus-3 finally ready to deliver on his tantalizing potential as a winger who can get 40 points, and even get up to 20 goals if he shoots the puck more. Case for protection: This season was basically a wash for the 29-year-old as he played only 23 games and never really got in a good rhythm for an There might be some side-eye to Rickard Rakell’s inclusion on the extended period. But the Ducks were more competitive when he was in protected list after his nine-goal season in 54 games, coming off two the lineup, going 8-10-5. He helped guide Drysdale into the NHL and years of not reaching 20 goals. If nothing else, Rakell is a trade asset at remains one of the few defenders who brings a consistent physical this point and watching the Kraken claim him for nothing would be element to the blue line. His plus-minus was solid aside from one rough criminal. Cam Fowler has supporters and detractors, but he can still night in L.A. When Manson was in the lineup, the Ducks killed penalties shoulder big minutes, has improved his defense over the years while at an 87 percent success rate. The penalty kill was 74.7 without him. playing with numerous partners and still transports the puck effectively, even if he tops out as a 30-point blue-liner. Case against protection: While there is also the benefit of using him as a trade asset at the entry draft or at next season’s deadline, the Ducks can Two forwards, Max Jones and Isac Lundestrom, are listed as protective gain $4.1 million of cap space for this offseason if Seattle grabs him pieces not due to their production but also their youth, their potential to fill instead of him walking as a free agent next summer. The added room a variety of roles at a relatively inexpensive price over their next contracts now could put them in a better position to go after an impact player and how they’re viewed by the organization. “Max Jones is going to fit through a trade or free agency. Manson’s injuries are adding up and his really well,” Murray said when talking about the growth of some young rugged style could make him more susceptible to periods when he is sidelined. He has appeared in only 73 of a possible 127 games the last two seasons.

Sam Steel

2020-21: 42 games, 6 goals, 6 assists, 42 shots on goal, 52.8% faceoffs, minus-7, 14:32 TOI

Case for protection: Steel is just 23 and could bounce back after a season in which he didn’t take a notable step forward. He still scored on 14.7 percent of his shots even though he was often reticent to take them. He could still flourish in Anaheim if he and the club find the right role for him and maximize the best aspects of his game. A young center with some offensive upside who can win draws is appealing and can be an asset the Ducks use for themselves or in a trade to upgrade the middle or another position.

Case against protection: If the feeling is that Manson and Fleury must be protected and that locking in four defensemen among the eight skaters is the preferred option. Another element is deciding whether Lundestrom is the long-term choice to slot into their center pecking order and determining whether Steel will ever produce enough when put in a top-six role. With Adam Henrique possibly back next season if he isn’t moved – or if the club is in the hunt for an impact center – and versatile forward prospect Bo Groulx knocking on the door, the Ducks could feel that they can absorb losing Steel if the Kraken are interested.

Alexander Volkov

2020-21 (with Tampa Bay and Anaheim): 37 games, 7 goals, 6 assists, 35 shots, plus-1, 43.3 CF%, 11:39 TOI

Case for protection: In his 18 games with the Ducks, the 23-year-old Volkov showed that he could fill a fourth-line winger role and chip in some offense. It gave coach Dallas Eakins a forward he could move up and down the lineup. Having sought a trade from the Lightning so he could get more ice time and a greater opportunity, Volkov could further thrive under Eakins or the next Anaheim coach if it comes to that.

Case against protection: The Ducks may need a spot open if the offseason plan is to upgrade the forward mix with a winger who is a proven goal scorer. Going with a 7-3-1 plan could allow Anaheim to protect Volkov, but that opens the door for the Kraken to select whichever defender Anaheim exposes after making a choice on the third protective slot after Fowler and Lindholm. If 8-1 is the way to go, the Ducks will have to cross their fingers because the homegrown forwards will be protected first.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189451 Boston Bruins Once you get behind in the territory game, it’s hard to catch up. For us, at times we did, at times we didn’t.”

The Islanders may have buried the Bruins in the second period, but The Bruins’ season is over, and they have only themselves -- and puck Cassidy said the mistakes the Bruins made would have doomed them management -- to blame regardless of when they occurred.

“I don’t think the period mattered in this instance tonight, quite honest By Julian Benbow Globe Staff with you,” Cassidy said. “It was just us not managing the puck well enough to beat a team that pressures the puck well.” Updated June 10, 2021, 12:03 a.m.

Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2021 When the Bruins look back on Wednesday’s second-period collapse in Game 6 against the New York Islanders - that ultimately crushed their hopes of making a deeper postseason run - they’ll have to stare down the reality that they were undone by their own carelessness.

With little margin for error in an elimination game on the road, the Bruins dug their own grave and practically handed the Islanders the shovel.

“Let’s face it,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said, his candor overpowering the disappointment of a 6-2 loss that ended his team’s season long before they expected. “We mismanaged pucks.”

The Bruins still had life in the second period, tied at 1, trying to force a Game 7. But with three goals in 11 minutes, the Islanders seized every opportunity the Bruins gave them to yank the plug.

It started coming apart at the seams at the 5:20 mark when Matt Grzelcyk had a puck plucked from him by Islanders center Brock Nelson in the neutral zone. Grzelcyk barely had a chance to get control of the puck before Nelson took it off his stick and stormed the other way toward the Bruins net. Nelson had time and space to slip a quick shot past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead.

“You don’t want to call them gifts, but that was on us to manage the puck better in those situations,” Cassidy said.

Nelson wasn’t done doing damage. At the 12:39 mark, Nelson was hanging around the net when Rask left to corral a puck along the boards and give it to defenseman Mike Reilly. Rask’s pass ricochetted hard off Reilly’s stick and bounced right to Islanders center Josh Bailey. As Rask scrambled to get back, Bailey fired a pass to Nelson, who sneaked another shot past Rask before the goalie could turn completely around. That gave the Islanders a 3-1 lead and opened the floodgates.

“It just ended up bouncing right before him and now it was, like, we call it a grenade,” Rask said of his pass. “I mean, I don’t know. I could have made a better pass. We’ll check the tape. Maybe that would have made a difference. But it’s just one of those bounces that I couldn’t get reset and the guy scores. Tough play.”

At that point, the Islanders could sense the chance to slam the door on the series just as the Bruins could sense it slipping away. At the 16:07 mark, Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech let loose a shot from the point that Rask was able to stop with his pads but couldn’t hang onto. Grzelcyk was there for the rebound, but before he could gain control, Kyle Palmieri charged in and punched it past Rask to push the Islanders’ lead to 4-1.

“Grizz, I think kind of tried to get a hold of it, corral it,” Cassidy said. “He didn’t and Palmieri’s right there. I think in those situations we were there with our check, we just didn’t, again, manage the puck from the rebound or control the rebound - or both.

“So in that regard, credit to them for getting it there. That’s one thing their D does very well, they get their shots through from the point on a regular basis and that’s been an Achilles’ heel for us all year.”

Throughout the series, the Islanders dominated second periods. They scored 22 goals over six games and 12 of them came in the middle frame. The Bruins scored just three.

“They’ve been a good second-period team throughout the playoffs,” Cassidy said.

Cassidy tipped his cap to the Islanders forecheck for making things difficult all series. When the Islanders made game-shifting plays, it was hard for the Bruins to regain their composure.

“I just think the momentum is, when you forecheck well and then in in the second period, it’s tough to turn the tide,” Cassidy said. “You need your timeouts to reset and that’s what happens to teams in the second period. 1189452 Boston Bruins indispensable Charlie McAvoy, found itself down by three goals, and, for all intents and purposes, down and out in the game, and thus, the series.

“They’re a good team, first of all, let’s start with that,” Bruins coach Bruce It didn’t take the whole game, just one lousy period, for the Bruins’ Cassidy said. “They play well in this building. They played a better season to get derailed defensive game in this building than they did in ours. They knew tonight if they locked it down, that was their best chance to win. They didn’t want to get in a trade chances type of game [in Game 7 in Boston].” By Tara Sullivan Globe Columnist What a shame we won’t live out those best two words in sports, because Updated June 10, 2021, 12:03 a.m. as this series showed, and as Game 6 reinforced, this was everything playoff hockey is about, and everything a potential elimination game

should be. A stick-sliding, bodies-flying, pucks-bouncing, boards-rattling UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The rules of hockey require that three periods be night reflective of the deepening enmity, escalating gamesmanship, and played. There are no TKOs, no mercy rules, no rain-shortened finishes or alternating dominance that coursed through the series. seven-inning doubleheaders. Nothing but sheer effort and exhaustion From eight games split in the regular season to six more meetings in the across 60 minutes of skating, or in the case of playoff hockey, maybe a playoffs, these teams were sick of sharing the same ice. From one couple of overtimes thrown in. veteran coach accusing the opposition of cheating (Barry Trotz to But Wednesday night, in a dilapidated New York building already Bergeron) and one rising coach needling the other side for a little Eddie scheduled for a date with a wrecking ball, against a team bound and Haskell-style play-acting (Cassidy renaming the ‘I-can-do-no-wrong’ determined to extend Nassau Coliseum’s run for at least one more Islanders as the New York Saints), there was plenty of drama both on playoff series, it really only took two periods for the Bruins’ 2021 dream to and off the ice. end. The scoreboard will forever show this second-round series clincher Local fans showed up wearing halos and marched into the building as a 6-2 Islander win, but any accurate retelling of this story knows it was serenaded by a parking lot brass band playing “When The Saints Go the second period that was the Bruins undoing. Marching In.” They brought their annoying orange towels and their Gone in the onslaught of Islander offense, two goals by Brock Nelson mocking “Tuuuuu-kkkkkk-aaaa” chorus. By the time that second period and another by Kyle Palmieri for a 4-1 lead at the end of two. Gone in the ended, it was only a matter of time before they broke out their best haze of Bruins’ mistakes, one turnover by defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, material. Amid third-period alternating chants of “Boston Sucks” and one bad pass by goaltender Tuukka Rask amounting to two easy goals “New York Saints,” the Bruins tried to claw their way. back, but the by the Islanders. damage was done, the season over.

Left in their place? The worst kind of burden in sports, that of regret and unfulfilled promise. Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2021 Ultimately, that is the story of this Bruins team, one poised for a deep playoff run on the wings of a legitimate Stanley Cup dream. With a deep roster topped by the best first line in the game, bolstered by trade deadline acquisitions that boosted the second line to excellence, packed with experienced leadership and balanced with youthful energy, the Bruins were Boston’s best hope for some hardware.

Until they weren’t.

And now, with bedrock veterans Tuukka Rask and David Krejci facing the free agent exit that ushered past foundational pieces Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug out the door, with all-world captain Patrice Bergeron taking his 17 years of NHL beating and his 35-year-old body into the final year of his contract, the weight of that lost opportunity feels awfully heavy.

“It does,” a dejected Bergeron said after the loss, sitting beside linemate Brad Marchand for a postgame Zoom interview. “That core is getting older one year to the next and it’s disappointing in that way. You have a good team, you have an opportunity, and you know they don’t come that often, especially later in your career. You want to make the most of them.”

Marchand, lifting his head from his hands, couldn’t help but concur.

“You can’t take any opportunity for granted,” he said. “Again, that’s why this is a tough one to lose because we really felt we had a good group to make a good run this year.

“It’s disappointing. We expected a longer run in the room, felt we had a group that could go really deep this year. I think it came down to a couple breaks, they capitalized on a couple opportunities they got and we didn’t on the other end. There were some games we really outplayed them and came up short. That’s the playoffs. Things like that happen.”

This was a playoff run that opened with such expectations for the Bruins, cast in the shadow of Charlie McAvoy’s hopeful musing, “Why not us?,” but finished on the wrong side of the handshake line in Round 2, a six- game series loss pushing the Islanders to a date with Tampa for the right to go to the Stanley Cup for the second straight year, pushing the Bruins back against a wall. It was a wall that came tumbling down across a second period that will go down in Bruins’ infamy.

By the end of 40 minutes, a team already without injured defensemen Kevan Miller and Brandon Carlo, a team that found itself down its best remaining defenseman for more than six minutes in that second period thanks to an unpenalized Palmieri cheap shot to the head of the 1189453 Boston Bruins The celebration was brief. Marchand was shown on TV looking at the clock. The Bruins had 14:42 to score twice.

The Islanders wouldn’t allow the Bruins anything. Marchand’s goal was ‘This is a tough one to lose’: Bruins eliminated from playoffs by Islanders the second shot on goal of the period for the visitors. They didn’t have another one until landing three in the final 1:22. In the final seconds, Cal Clutterbuck and Ryan Pulock sent home long-distance empty-netters to By Matt Porter Globe Staff make it a laugher.

Updated June 9, 2021, 10:01 p.m. A chance that wasn’t: Taylor Hall’s two-on-one break with Craig Smith in the opening two minutes of the third. The execution was off on the attack,

pass, and shot. It was like that all night for Hall, who went scoreless in It is a well-worn story, one much older than even Nassau Coliseum: the final three games of his first Spoked-B playoff run, and the offense. Teams that can’t handle the puck do not last when the playoff heat rises. Chris Wagner led the Bruins with four shots on goal. David Pastrnak didn’t land one. As such, the Bruins melted Wednesday night. “We felt we had a group that could go really deep this year,” Marchand They became a puddle on a sweltering June evening, losing to the said. “I think it just came down to a couple breaks. They capitalized on a Islanders, 6-2, in Game 6 at the old barn in Uniondale, N.Y. At the most few opportunities they got. We didn’t on the other end. There were some inopportune time, they had their first three-game losing streak of the games we really outplayed them and came up short. season, in Games 4, 5, and 6 of this second-round series.

And now they’re done. They coughed up pucks, kicked out rebounds, and in front of delirious fans, wished their victorious opponents well. Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2021

“They were able to win when they didn’t have their A-game,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said when asked to name the difference in the series. “Doesn’t have to be pretty. I thought they were much more opportunistic than us.”

Without Brandon Carlo and Kevan Miller (head injuries), the back end was “thin,” Cassidy noted. But even Matt Grzelcyk, an escape artist in tight spaces and a crafty puck mover, gifted a pair of goals to the Islanders in a three-goal second period that sealed the Bruins’ fate. The absence of Carlo and Miller in Game 5 led to a penalty-killing debacle (1 for 4) that set up this elimination game.

“Tonight, didn’t manage the puck very well,” Cassidy said. “Some of it was by guys who play a lot for us. It caught up to us. It didn’t help as well. They were able to stay relatively healthy. It makes a difference.”

The Bruins started a compromised Tuukka Rask (23 saves on 27 shots), believed to be dealing with a lower-back injury stemming from early March. Afterward, Rask declined to address any specifics but acknowledged offseason surgery is a possibility.

“He was healthy enough to play,” Cassidy said. “He wasn’t 100 percent.”

In Game 6, Rask had his issues with rebound control, which put a goal on the stick of Travis Zajac and forced Grzelcyk into a tough spot, letting Kyle Palmieri swipe the puck and beat Rask for a 4-1 lead. Minutes earlier, Rask mishandled the puck after stopping it behind his net, sending a hard pass into Mike Reilly’s feet. Josh Bailey picked up the turnover and fed Brock Nelson, who slipped it under Rask’s pad for the 3- 1 goal. This was after Nelson picked Grzelcyk’s pocket and walked in for a 2-1 edge.

Rask’s game “wasn’t good enough to win,” Cassidy said, “but neither were we. This isn’t on Tuukka. This is a team loss, to me. All the way down the line.”

The second period was the Bruins’ worst of the postseason, considering the situation. Tied, 1-1, after 20 minutes, on a Brad Marchand goal late in the first, the Bruins allowed three goals and went into the third on the brink. For all the talk of special teams and penalty calls, the Bruins on Wednesday allowed a playoff-high four goals at even strength.

What followed was the Black and Gold’s second consecutive second- round exit, and the third in four years late in the careers of Rask, Patrice Bergeron, and David Krejci. The heavy-forechecking, stifling, strong-in- goal Islanders, meanwhile, got the same matchup with Tampa Bay they had last year. Barry Trotz has resurrected the legacy of Al Arbour, making back-to-back third-round trips since the Glory Era Islanders reached the Stanley Cup semifinals every year but one from 1975-84, winning the Cup four years in a row (1980-83).

Not quite that good, these Islanders, but stiffer, more alert, and healthier than the Bruins.

Marchand (two goals) didn’t go down without a fight. His second strike came at 5:38 of the third, making it 4-2. The Bruins were on the power play after Jarred Tinordi drew a penalty, the fourth tripping call of the night for the teams. There were no other infractions called, and there should have been. 1189454 Boston Bruins “Listen, it wasn’t good enough to win,” said coach Bruce Cassidy, asked what he felt of Rask’s performance. “But neither we were we. So this wasn’t on Tuukka. You lose Millers and the Carlos, guys who play Tuukka Rask can’t save Bruins in Game 6, and is it a final, somber minutes for you … other people in the lineup have to pick them up, have farewell for the goaltender? to do their job. Whether that’s the forwards scoring more goals or the goalie keeping the puck out of the net better, or we defend better … it’s a mix of all those things …of course he could have been better …”

By Kevin Paul Dupont Globe Staff But, added Cassidy, the Bruins mismanaged pucks and put Rask in bad spots. Repeatedly. Particularly over the last three games of the series, all Updated June 9, 2021, 2:48 p.m. losses.

“So this is a team loss,” he said. “All the way down the line. Certainly we UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The final two goals scored on his watch, into an could have used more scoring out of people. You can do the math on empty Boston net, came with Tuukka Rask watching from the Bruins that. I thought our power play was good, gave us some opportunities … ” bench, the winningest goalie in Bruins history unable to do anything All in all, too much soft ice surrender to the Islanders, too many goals about stopping the Islanders’ torrential blue-and-orange storm. allowed, not enough scored. Such was Rask’s last stand, possibly his final night ever in a Bruins “If you’re going to give up three of our goals,” reminded Cassidy, “then uniform. Stoic and looking exhausted, he stood silently, bearing witness you better be scoring five. And we weren’t able to do that.” while his vacated net swallowed up shots by Cal Clutterbuck and Ryan Pulock en route to the Islanders’ 6-2 thrashing of the Bruins at Nassau Finished with the handshake line, Bergeron made his way to the door Coliseum. leading to the Boston dressing room. He wanted to shake each and every hand of his teammates. He’ll see most of them again when training Rask, 34, doesn’t have a contact for next season. He also is camp begins in September. The likes of Rask and Krejci, who knows? uncertain about his health. He finally confirmed after the season-ending loss here he could be headed for surgery in the offseason, but cared not Brad Marchand was first to shake Bergeron’s hand and head down the to talk about the nature of what ails him (bets remain that his trouble spot tunnel at 10:03 p.m. Then it was Rask, followed by Krejci. And then a few is lower back or hip, the latter possibly a labrum tear). more handshakes and goodnight for a final time at Nassau Coliseum.

“I don’t want to get into that right now,” he said, noting the club’s full “So it’s disappointing,” said Rask. “But I battled, I tried … and just fell injury report will be made public soon enough. “We can talk about it then. short.” I promise I’ll give you a full low-down then. I don’t think that needs to be the headline now.”

Rask made every one of the Bruins’ 11 starts this postseason, looked Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2021 sharp and competent through most of the five-game thumping of the Capitals, but clearly labored at times vs. the Islanders. He again was not at his best in the Game 6 closeout, but not even a net blocked simultaneously by Hall of Famers Ken Dryden and Martin Brodeur might have deterred the Islanders from going on to face the Lighting in the Cup semis.

The aggressive, opportunistic Islanders salted it away with a three-goal second period, two of those goals the product of blatant miscues by defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. Rask also was to fault on one of them, a Brock Nelson strike at 12:39 that was the end result of a poor Rask pass attempt to defenseman Mike Reilly.

It again was a bad night for a depleted Boston backline — absent key defensemen Brandon Carlo and Kevan Miller — and Rask was victimized by both his defensemen’s blunders and a couple of his own.

“I could have made a couple of more saves, definitely,” he said. “I should have made a few more saves, keep it tighter. Yeah, I didn’t do it today and, you know, the season ended.”

Where from here? No one knows. Or at least no one is saying, be it Rask himself or Bruins management. He does not have a contract in place for next season and is free to sign anywhere in the Original 32 as of July 28.

“We’ll see,” he said. “I don’t have any thoughts right now. It’s a tough loss … sleep a few nights, have our exit meetings and start planning on the future.”

The loss was official at 10 p.m., the Uniondale crowd heading out to party like it was 1983, the last of the their heroes’ four straight Cup victories.

The Bruins as is tradition, lined up at center ice to shake hands of Islander players who outhustled, outchecked, outscored and out- goaltended them. Captain Patrice Bergeron took the lead in line.

“I think it speaks volumes of him,” said Bergeron, asked about Rask soldiering this postseason while dealing with injury. “He’s been doing it for many, many years now. He’s always been stepping up when needed and battling through things here and there. We knew that it wasn’t always easy at times for him with what he was dealing with. But kudos to him for wanting to be there for us.”

Rask stood fifth in the handshake line, appropriately behind veteran David Krejci, likewise an unrestricted free agent who also might have played his final game for the Bruins. 1189455 Boston Bruins Kuraly-Lazar-Chris Wagner line, which started most of its shifts in the defensive zone).

DeBrusk entered Game 6 as one of three Spoked-B forwards (Lazar, No penalty call on hit on Charlie McAvoy a turning point in second period Wagner) who had not been on the ice for a Bruins five-on-five goal this vs. Islanders series.

Not good enough

By Matt Porter Globe Staff After the Bruins had their worst penalty-killing performance of the season Updated June 9, 2021, 11:42 a.m. — 1 for 4 — in Game 5, Brad Marchand said they had a few screws to tighten. He didn’t reveal anything in his pregame Zoom session, but the return of Kevan Miller and Brandon Carlo (both out with upper-body injuries) was not among the anticipated improvements. Coincidentally or not, the Bruins’ miserable second period of Wednesday night’s Game 6 against the Islanders started with — you guessed it — a “I think we just need to continue to play the way we have,” Marchand missed penalty call. said. “We’ve been pretty good on the PK. We’ve just had a couple breakdowns. Fourteen seconds in, Islanders winger Kyle Palmieri felled Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy with a late elbow and shoulder to the chops “It seems like every time we miss a little detail out there, they capitalize behind the net. No call. on it. They have a lot of talent on their power play and they’re going to make plays.” The cheap shot from the ex-Devil drew one of several “New York Saints” chants from a sarcastic crowd at Nassau Coliseum, the home fans The Islanders, 20th in the NHL in power-play success in the regular leaning into Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy’s dig at the supposedly season (18.8 percent), had more than doubled that rate this series. They squeaky-clean Islanders. entered Game 6 humming at a 6-for-15 clip (40 percent), and were 0 for 1 in the clincher. “That was a tough one,” Cassidy said of the hit on McAvoy, who logged a game-high 25:21 with two shots, two hits, and two blocks. “That was a The Bruins, second-best this season on the PK (86 percent), were missed one there, obviously. And it happened to be against a guy we rely hurting without Carlo and Miller, who missed their third and seventh on to play big minutes. I don’t know if there was residual effect from that games, respectively. Their absences had meant more hard minutes for hit. He finished the game, but the spotters take him out. That hurt. It was McAvoy, and elevated roles for Jarred Tinordi, Jeremy Lauzon, and a clear infraction that got missed after the play. We could have used him Connor Clifton. in that six minutes. Did it make a difference in the game? I can’t sit here and say it did.” McAvoy, whose 3:45 average shorthanded time on ice led all players still active in this postseason as of Wednesday, was on the ice for all three Pulled off by a concussion spotter, McAvoy went to the Bruins’ dressing PPGs against in Game 5. Each goal came with a different one of the room for some six minutes of action, during which Brock Nelson picked aforementioned three as his partner. the pocket of McAvoy’s defense partner, Matt Grzelcyk, and scored at 5:20 to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead. The Bruins allowed three PPGs one other time this year: against the Capitals on April 11, when they went 3 for 6. They gave up more than They didn’t add more to the lead while McAvoy was absent, but Palmieri one PPG in five of 56 regular-season games, but have done so twice in poked the puck free from Grzelcyk in front, after Tuukka Rask allowed a five games against the Islanders. rebound, and potted the 4-1 goal. McAvoy was out of that play, slow to get up, after he and Travis Zajac collided behind the net. No Norris for McAvoy

“In those situations,” Cassidy said, “you’ve got to rely on other people to McAvoy was not named a finalist for the Norris Trophy, as revealed step up and get the job done while he’s gone. That’s it. That’s playoff Wednesday. Adam Fox (Rangers), Victor Hedman (Lightning), and Cale hockey.” Makar (Avalanche) were the three highest vote-getters for best defenseman, as tallied from the ballots of 100 members of the Entering Game 6, the Islanders had been hammering away at the Bruins’ Professional Hockey Writers Association … Taylor Hall did not participate third and fourth lines. Jake DeBrusk wasn’t expected to solve that in the morning skate but was in the lineup. He finished minus-2 and problem, but Cassidy hoped he’d be part of the solution. landed just one shot on net … The Islanders did not make any lineup changes … Cassidy said Carlo would not have played in Game 7 … DeBrusk, a healthy scratch in Game 5, rejoined the lineup as a Miller was skating, and “had an opportunity,” Cassidy said. “We’ll never replacement for the injured Curtis Lazar (lower body) in Game 6 but know now. He was trending well.” … Marchand has nine goals in games finished minus-2. The winger logged 11:22 in Game 4, second-lowest where the Bruins could be eliminated. Only Peter McNab (nine) has as among Boston forwards. He slotted back on his natural left side, on a many. Milan Lucic, Cam Neely, and Rick Middleton have eight … The third line with Charlie Coyle and Karson Kuhlman. Islanders had 11 high-danger shot attempts, per Natural Stat Trick, tying Cassidy wasn’t challenging DeBrusk, who hasn’t scored since Game 2 of the Bruins’ playoff high allowed. the first-round Washington series, to be a game-changer. He would like him to focus on his defensive details, like the misalignment along the boards that assisted Mathew Barzal in scoring the eventual winner in Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2021 Game 4.

“The message is help us win,” Cassidy said. “Shift to shift, the puck might find him a lot, so that might involve scoring. It might never find him all night, but then he’s got to help keep the puck out of our net and do a good job backchecking and the defensive side of the puck. You play the game in front of you.”

Nick Ritchie, after a strong Game 5 with Coyle and Kuhlman, dropped to the fourth line. Sean Kuraly replaced Lazar in the middle. The Ritchie- Coyle-Kuhlman line, according to Natural Stat Trick, had the best underlying numbers — 13-3 in shot attempts, 9-2 in shots, and 0.47-0.04 in expected goals — of any Bruins trio in Game 5.

“Really good game offensively. Couldn’t quite finish,” was Cassidy’s review, noting that he might “toggle” his left wingers.

Overall, the results for the bottom six hadn’t been positive. As stout as Coyle had looked, no Bruins forward had been on the ice for more five- on-five goals against (seven) or shots against (37), even though Cassidy had avoided starting his line in the defensive zone (compared with the 1189456 Boston Bruins Krejci. Krejci set up David Pastrnak for what looked like his countryman’s patented one-timer. But Pastrnak fired a hot cross-ice pass to Brad Marchand on the right side and Marchand buried it past Semyon Islanders end Bruins season Varlamov.

But as was the case in three of the four Bruin losses, the Islanders dominated the second period. By STEVE CONROY | [email protected] | Boston Herald The Isles had made it clear they were going after McAvoy in the first, and PUBLISHED: June 9, 2021 at 10:17 p.m. | UPDATED: June 9, 2021 at then Palmieri threw a clear cheap shot after the whistle early in the 11:20 p.m. second period. Palmieri had a partial break and, after Rask gobbled up the rebound, Palmieri threw a shoulder into McAvoy’s head. There was

no call. The defenseman would need attention and then go to the room The Bruins’ promising postseason went down in blue and orange flames before returning to the game after missing about six minutes. at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday night, when they did not have But before McAvoy came back, the Isles regained their lead when the enough offense, defense or goaltending to answer what the New York miscues began in earnest. Grzelcyk tried to make a play on a rolling puck Islanders threw at them. at his blue line and Brock Nelson swiped it off his blade. The Islanders The Islanders broke open a 1-1 game with three unanswered goals in the center moved in all alone and beat Rask with a forehand shot at 5:20. second period to eliminate the Bruins in six games with a 6-2 victory and Then the Isles took a 3-1 lead at 12:29 on a bad play by Rask. He came hurl the B’s into an offseason of great unknown. out behind his net to play the puck and gave a hard, short pass that Mike This team’s championship window has been closing for several years Reilly could not handle. After it exploded off Reilly’s blade, Josh Bailey and now, with key veteran players heading into unrestricted free agency grabbed the loose puck, dished it to Nelson and he tucked it home. this summer, there is barely any air getting in through that crack. “I decided to go forehand and it ended up bouncing right before him. It “Opportunities when you can win and have a really good team, they don’t was what we call a grenade,” conceded Rask. come around that often,” said Brad Marchand, whose two power-play The wobbly wheels then came off at 16:07. Pelech fired a shot that Rask goals were the only offense the B’s could muster. “That”s what makes it could not control but the rebound went right to Grzelcyk. Before he could so tough. We felt like we had a really good group this year.” pick his head up, Palmieri swooped in, knocked it off his blade and into David Krejci, Taylor Hall (not able to do much later in this series), Mike the net. Reilly, Sean Kuraly and the injured Kevan Miller will all be UFAs. But For the second game in a row, the B’s found themselves down by three leading the list of unrestricted free agents is Tuukka Rask, the B’s all- goals, and they would not have their faithful fans rooting them on for a time winningest goalie who did not do much to reward coach Bruce third-period comeback. Cassidy’s decision to go with him over rookie Jeremy Swayman. It will surely be one that will be kicked around for a while. Both Cassidy and Just as they had in Game 5, the B’s took advantage of an early third- Rask acknowledged whatever the injury is could lead to offseason period power play, with Marchand notching his second of the game at surgery. 5:30.

Rask allowed four goals on 22 shots in the first two periods and, while But the Islanders clamped down after that and with 58.9 seconds left, Cal the defense was quite shoddy in front of him, two goals came off big Clutterbuck, who changed the series with his hit that knocked Carlo out, rebounds and a third by his own bad pass. sealed it with an empty-netter. Ryan Pulock added another freebie to get the Long Island party started. It was a tough ending to a difficult, injury-marred season for Rask. Time will tell us if it was the end of anything else. Now the B’s have to look into an uncertain future well before they’d hoped they would. “Listen, it wasn’t good enough to win, but neither were we. So this isn’t on Tuukka,” said Cassidy of Rask’s performance. “When you lose the “We’re all getting older and we’re not going to last forever,” said Rask. Millers and the (Brandon) Carlos, guys who play big minutes for you and “(The window) is definitely closing at some point. But you build a new other D come in, other people in the lineup have to do their job and pick team every year and come together and I thought we did that pretty good them up, whether it’s the forwards scoring more goals or the goalie this year.” keeping the puck out of the net better or we defend better. And it’s a mix of all those things. Of course he could have been better. There were But whether all the old building blocks remain for next year is anyone’s some rebounds that we could have cleared or controlled better. It started guess. there. But we mismanaged some pucks and put him in bad spots as well. This is a team loss.” Boston Herald LOADED: 06.10.2021 As expected, the Islanders came out hard but the B’s withstood the initial surge. Rask looked fine in the early going, making a good post-to-post stop on a Matt Martin backhander.

But the Islanders did get the first goal of the game. The B’s third line iced the puck twice and, on the ensuing faceoff, Jean-Gabriel Pageau beat Charlie Coyle, getting the puck back to Noah Dobson at the right point. Rask made the initial stop on Dobson’s shot, but Travis Zajac beat Charlie McAvoy to the rebound in the slot and beat Rask with a wrister at 8:52.

Cassidy was $25,000 lighter in the pocket for criticizing the officials after Game 5 for some missed calls, and his diatribe didn’t immediately pay off as an obvious Adam Pelech leg trip on McAvoy was ignored early in the game.

But eventually, the refs had to blow the whistle. First Anthony Beauvillier was called for tripping McAvoy behind the Bruins’ net on a pretty easy call. Then, with 14 seconds left on that penalty, Casey Cizikas tripped Hall at the offensive blue line.

The B’s did not score on the short five-on-three, and it appeared as though the Islanders were going to grab a huge momentum shift by killing off the second penalty before the B’s cashed in at 17:36. Matt Grzelcyk made a nice backhand keep-in at the right point and moved it to David 1189457 Boston Bruins “The message is to help us win,” said Cassidy. “It’s that simple. Help us win the game. From shift to shift, the puck might find him a lot and might help with scoring. But if the puck doesn’t find him, then he’s got to help Bruins Notebook: Tuukka Rask could face surgery keep the puck out of our net, do a good job back-checking and on the defensive side of the puck. You play the game in front of your and help the team with how the game develops.”

By STEVE CONROY | [email protected] | Boston Herald How long DeBrusk stays there is up to him. The move dropped Nick Ritchie down to the fourth line with Sean Kuraly, who moved from left PUBLISHED: June 9, 2021 at 1:31 p.m. | UPDATED: June 9, 2021 at wing to take over Lazar’s center spot, and right wing Chris Wagner. 11:38 p.m. Cassidy did like the third line’s play from Game 5 when Ritchie, Coyle

and Kuhlman did generate some scoring chances, especially early in the Tuukka Rask was deemed healthy enough to play in Game 6 on game. Wednesday. But after the B’s bowed out of the series with a 6-2 loss, “We’ll toggle the left wingers as we see fit,” said Cassidy. both he and coach Bruce Cassidy said that there is a possibility for offseason surgery. In the end, the B’s third and fourth line produced just one goal in the series… Cassidy defended the decision to stick with Rask. The Norris Trophy finalists, announced by the league on Wednesday, “He had an injury earlier in the year, kind of one of those nagging ones were the Rangers’ Adam Fox, Tampa’s Victor Hedman and Colorado’s that the medical team will assess at the end of the year,” said Cassidy. “A Cale Makar. Perhaps more voters will watch Charlie McAvoy play next lot of guys have gone through it in the playoffs. He was healthy enough year. to play. He wasn’t 100%. I can’t answer whether he was 95 or 92 (%) or whatever. We talked to him on a daily basis. He was ready to go. We’ve been very up front with him. We gave him time to heal in the middle of the year and we would have given him time to heal form game to game in Boston Herald LOADED: 06.10.2021 the playoffs if that was necessary. So this communication I thought was excellent. He’s our starting goalie, he told us he was ready to go and that’s that. So that’s where its at. Only he can tell you going forward, there may be surgery, there may not. That’ll be his decision and the medical staff’s decision. That’s what happened with Tuukka.”

It has not been divulged exactly what’s been bothering him in the series. He missed almost all of five weeks in March and early April after he was seen putting his hand to his lower back at the end of a March 7 game against the Devils. He was also seen later in the year with an ice pack on his right hip.

After the season finale, he was not ready to divulge what exactly was wrong with him.

“I don’t want to get into that right now,” said Rask. “We’re going to have our exit meetings in a few days and we can talk about it then. I promise I’ll give you a full lowdown on that.”

Rask acknowledged the possibility of surgery. He admitted the work load took its toll.

“I defintely wasn’t getting easier,” said Rask. “You battle, you maintain your health as good as possible and you take those days off in between. But when you play every other day, the deeper you go the more physical it gets. The training staff did a great job keeping me out there playing.”

McAvoy takes one on the chin

Early in the second period, Charlie McAvoy was hit in the head by Kyle Palmieri with his shoulder after the whistle, a cheap shot that eluded the refs. He missed approximately six minutes of game time and, in that time, the Islanders took a lead they’d never relinquish.

“That was a tough one,” said Cassidy. “It was a missed one there obviously. It happened to be against a guy we rely on to play big minutes. Charlie came back. I don’t know if there’s a residual effect of that hit. He finished the game, but the spotters take him out. And that hurt. It was a clear infraction that got missed after the play. And we could have used him in that six minutes. But did it make a difference in the game? I can’t sit here and say that it did. He came back and played. In those situations, you’ve got to rely on other people to get the job done.”

Cassidy said Kevan Miller would have had a chance to play in a Game 7 while Brandon Carlo would not have.

DeBrusk draws back in

With Curtis Lazar out for Game 6 with a lower body injury, Jake DeBrusk drew back in the lineup after a being a scratch in Game 5.

DeBrusk was set to start on the left wing with center Charlie Coyle and right wing Karson Kuhlman, who had replaced DeBrusk on Monday. That gave the B’s a slightly different look with a speed line. It also allows for DeBrusk to play on his strong side. DeBrusk scored two goals in the Washington series. 1189458 Boston Bruins Of course not. The B’s top line is that good. The unit scored three of the B’s four goals on Monday and they could have/should have doubled that amount. Ryan Pulock is one of the Islanders’ best defensemen and Brad Islanders’ depth dooming Bruins Marchand made him look like an emergency call-up on his spectacular second-period goal.

The second line of David Krejci, Taylor Hall and Craig Smith has not By STEVE CONROY | [email protected] | Boston Herald been as good as it was in the stretch drive in the regular season, but it has been contributing. June 9, 2021 at 5:32 a.m. But the top two lines need a lot more help from the bottom six than

they’ve been getting. If not, the Bruins’ very promising season could very When this best-of-seven series began, we believed the Bruins had the well be deep-sixed on Wednesday night. better star power while the New York Islanders had better depth. Nothing in the first six games has disabused us of that. Boston Herald LOADED: 06.10.2021 Shame on us for thinking the former could handily trump the latter. This is hockey, after all, and quality depth usually reigns supreme.

Don’t be mistaken, the Islanders have some very good players and at least one true star, Mat Barzal, who is growing up right before the Bruins’ eyes. Any amateur draft historian can guess how painful that must be for the Bruins’ front office.

But if we were to pick one major reason why the Bruins find themselves on the brink of elimination going into Wednesday’s Game 6 at what should be a cauldron-like Nassau Coliseum, it is the fact the Islanders’ bottom six have had it all over their counterparts in Black and Gold sweaters.

The numbers are stark. The Islanders’ bottom six have scored seven goals in this series. The Bruins’ bottom six has just one. A couple of those Islanders goals were empty-netters and a couple came on the power play (the penalty kill is Problem 1B).

But in a series that has a total goal differential of one — in the Islanders’ favor — that six-goal gap is kind of a big deal. Add the defensive job the third line with center Jean-Gabriel Pageau was able to apply to the B’s top line in the two games at Nassau Coliseum, and the Islanders are winning the Battle of the Bottom Six in a rout. The Isles’ group has a major positive impact on this series. The B’s group? Not so much.

The B’s fourth line, which coach Bruce Cassidy had stuck with because of its previous ability to hang in there defensively, had a particularly rough night on Monday. Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner were in the penalty box for two of the three New York power-play goals and, on the third, Kuraly’s soft backhand pass/clear attempt was thwarted before a PP goal was eventually scored. Kuraly and Wagner were also on the ice for Josh Bailey’s even-strength tally that gave the Islanders’ their first two-goal lead.

The situation only got more difficult when the B’s lost center Curtis Lazar to a lower body injury, forcing third-line center Charlie Coyle into some double duty. That drained the third line, which had actually showed some energy in the first period, of any buzz after that.

And the Bruins’ depth issues will not be getting any better. On Tuesday, Cassidy said that Lazar will not be making the trip to Long Island for Game 6. What Cassidy does to replace him remains to be seen. He could re-insert Jake DeBrusk, replaced for Game 5 by Karson Kuhlman, as the fourth-line left wing and move Kuraly into Lazar’s vacant spot at center. Or he could drop Nick Ritchie down to the fourth line and put DeBrusk on the Coyle line. That would pretty much take away the fourth line as any kind of defensive stopper option, but it would give Coyle two speedy wingers with DeBrusk and Kuhlman and throw a different dynamic at the Islanders. There’s also the outside chance that pugnacious rookie Trent Frederic finds his way into the mix.

The injury issues don’t stop there. In fact, they’re potentially more grave. Cassidy sounded a lot less certain on Tuesday than he did on Monday night that No. 1 goalie Tuukka Rask would be able to go. Rask has been dealing with injuries for much of the year and was pulled to start the third period after giving up four goals on 16 shots in Game 5. Just how much that decision was based on performance and how much of it was on health was hard to decipher. But at this point, it would shock no one to see rookie Jeremy Swayman get his first playoff start in this do-or-die situation.

And, oh, the cavalry is not coming to help the defense. Cassidy said that neither Brandon Carlo nor Kevan Miller will make the trip.

So the situation is about as dire as it gets. But is it hopeless? 1189459 Boston Bruins

Tuukka Rask assesses his performance in season-ending loss to Islanders

BY NICK GOSS

BRUINS

Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask didn't play well in Game 6 against the New York Islanders, and it was one of the reasons why Boston's season came to an end in a 6-2 loss Wednesday night.

The veteran goalie was deemed healthy enough to start despite being pulled after two periods in Monday night's Game 5 defeat. Rask has been at less than 100 percent health throughout the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the B's stuck with him in the most important game of the season.

Rask made 23 saves on 27 shots -- his second consecutive game giving up four or more goals.

What did Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy think of Rask's performance?

"It wasn't good enough to win, but neither were we. So, this isn't on Tuukka," Cassidy explained. "When you lose the (Kevan) Miller's and the (Brandon) Carlo's, guys who play minutes for you and other defensemen come in, other people in the lineup have to pick them up and do their job. Whether it's the forwards scoring more goals or the goalie keeping the puck out of the net or we defend better. It's a mix of all those things.

"Of course (Rask) could've been better, and as I alluded to earlier, there were some rebounds that we could've cleared or controlled better. But we mismanaged some pucks and put him in some bad spots as well. This is a team loss all the way down the line."

Rask assessed his own performance, too.

"I could've made a couple more saves, definitely," Rask admitted. "I should've made a few of those saves to keep it tighter, but, you know, I didn't do it today and the season ended. It's disappointing, but I battled and I tried and just fell short."

Rask's future is the biggest storyline surrounding the Bruins ahead of a pivotal offseason.

He's 34 years old and his contract is about to expire, which will make him an unrestricted free agent this summer. Rask also dealt with injury all year and played in just 24 of the team's 56 regular season games. He confirmed after Game 6 that surgery is a possibility for him in the offseason.

The emergence of rookie Jeremy Swayman as a capable NHL goalie in 2021 also could factor into whether Rask wants to come back or if the Bruins want him back.

It's possible that Wednesday night was Rask's last game in a Bruins sweater. If that's the case, he had an excellent career in Boston. But the lack of a championship as the starting goalie would forever be a major part of his legacy here.

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Islanders eliminate Bruins from playoffs with dominant Game 6 win

BY NICK GOSS

BRUINS

The Boston Bruins were eliminated from the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs in a 6-2 defeat to the New York Islanders in Game 6 of their second- round playoff series Wednesday night at Nassau Coliseum.

The Bruins and Islanders were tied at one entering the second period, and that's when New York broke the game open with three unanswered goals.

The B's got a power-play tally in the third period, but they never seriously threatened the Islanders' lead. New York's defensive structure and the excellent goaltending of Semyon Varlamov were too much for the B's to overcome in the final 20 minutes of regulation. In fact, the Bruins actually had zero shots on goal over a 13-minute span in the third period.

The Bruins hadn't lost three consecutive games all season until this series. The Islanders lost Game 3 in overtime and won the next three matchups to close out the series.

Here's how Game 6 unfolded.

FINAL SCORE: Islanders 6, Bruins 2

BOX SCORE

SERIES: Islanders win 4-2

HIGHLIGHTS

The Islanders opened the scoring when Travis Zajac found a loose puck in front of the net and shot it past B's goalie Tuukka Rask.

Islanders fans are having fun with Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy's "New York Saints" comments from Monday night.

Back-to-back power plays yielded the tying goal for the B's in the first period. Brad Marchand took a great pass from David Pastrnak and beat Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov.

It's a PPG for the #NHLBruins.

A brutal turnover by B's defenseman Matt Grzelcyk gave Brock Nelson a breakaway and he beat Rask to regain the lead for the Islanders.

A poor play with the puck by Rask turns into another goal for Nelson, who gave the Islanders a 3-1 edge.

Brock Nelson AGAIN!

Another turnover. Another goal for the Islanders.

The Bruins' power play was excellent in this series, and it scored again in the third period thanks to Brad Marchand.

The Islanders sealed the win with two empty-net goals.

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Rask's stats in must-win road playoff games might surprise Bruins fans

BY NICK GOSS

BRUINS

The Boston Bruins are one win away from elimination and they are sticking with Tuukka Rask as their starting goalie.

Head coach Bruce Cassidy has confirmed that Rask will be in net when the B's play the New York Islanders in Game 6 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday night at Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders lead the series 3-2 after winning Game 5 in Boston on Monday night.

The debate over which goalie to start -- a less-than-100-percent Rask or a fully healthy rookie in Jeremy Swayman -- has been an intense one throughout the region over the last 48 hours.

Cassidy gives passionate defense of Patrice Bergeron after Game 5

There are a decent amount of Bruins fans who, for one reason or another, aren't huge supporters of Rask. He's been one of Boston's most polarizing athletes over the last decade or so. Even though he's statistically the best goalie in B's history, a lot of people won't give him the proper amount of respect/praise until he wins the Stanley Cup as a starting netminder.

That's fair, but one narrative that isn't true is he rarely plays well in big playoff moments. In fact, Rask has enjoyed plenty of success in the exact situation the Bruins are facing Wednesday night on Long Island.

Here are Rask's stats in must-win playoff games on the road:

Tuukka Rask

Win or go home, on the road

(3-1, .750)

GAA - 1.56

SV% - .940 going to need at least that— Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) June 8, 2021

Not bad at all.

The last time Rask played in a must-win road playoff matchup was Game 6 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues. He made 28 saves on 29 shots as the Bruins won 6-2 to force a Game 7 back in Boston.

Rask has been very good in the 2021 playoffs, and another strong performance could be enough to propel the B's to victory and set up a do-or-die Game 7 on Friday night at TD Garden.

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Why Bruce Cassidy didn't expect $25K fine despite officiating rant

BY DARREN HARTWELL

BRUINS

After Bruce Cassidy's criticism of the officials Monday night, few were surprised to see the NHL slap him with a $25,000 fine.

Except Bruce Cassidy, apparently.

The Bruins head coach said Tuesday he didn't believe his remarks after Boston's Game 5 loss to the Islanders -- in which he accused the officials of holding the New York "Saints" to a double standard and being influenced by Barry Trotz's recent comments about Patrice Bergeron -- warranted any punishment.

"Most of what I thought I said was more in reference to the Islanders, a little gamesmanship with the Islanders and Barry with his comments toward Bergy," Cassidy said, via MassLive.com. "I’m always going to protect my captain. I kind of pushed back a little bit."

Barry Trotz, Islanders fans amused by Cassidy's 'Saints' jab

Cassidy also pointed out several missed calls after Game 5 but thought he did so in a respectful manner.

"Obviously I thought there were some calls that went against us when it comes to high sticks. ... I voiced that. I was held accountable for it," Cassidy. "Usually, when you get fined you say something to the effect of ‘embarrassing’ or ‘a joke.’ I didn’t say that.

"I think those two officials are excellent officials. They missed a couple high sticks along the way in the series. I pointed that out. We’re told we have to keep our comments civil. I thought it was. They didn’t see it that way.

"I have a lot of respect for (Vice President Colin Campbell) and for the NHL front office. That’s the way he saw it. We’ll move on from that."

Even if Cassidy thought he was nice about it, the NHL fined him for "public comments critical of the officiating," and his lengthy speech Monday certainly falls in that category.

Bean: Bruins don't have much time to figure this all out

But the Bruins coach seems ready to move on to a must-win Game 6 at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday night -- and hopes the referees aren't swayed by any outside noise.

"Will it have an effect going forward? I’ve said any comment shouldn’t," Cassidy said. "The refs should call what they see."

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Talking Points: Boston Bruins Playoff Run Ends in Game 6

Published 5 hours ago on June 9, 2021

By Joe Haggerty

Here are the Talking Points from the Boston Bruins 6-2 loss to the New York Islanders in Game 6 at Nassau Coliseum that ended their playoff run.

GOLD STAR: Brock Nelson. The New York Islanders forward scored a pair of goals and both of them were backbreakers for the Boston Bruins. The first was a pickpocket job five minutes into the second period where he stole the puck from Matt Grzelcyk trying to make a play, and then moved in for a breakaway goal that busted open a 1-1 game after the first period. Seven minutes later Nelson scored again when he was able to jump on Grzelcyk with the puck in front of the net after a rebound from Tuukka Rask, and he once again was able to light the lamp. Nelson finished with two goals, a plus-2 rating and six shot attempts in 19:28 of ice time in a strong performance. There were a lot of very strong performances among the Islanders in Game 6, but Nelson was at the top of the list.

BLACK EYE: Matt Grzelcyk picked a bad night to have his worst game of the playoffs. He continuously coughed up the puck under pressure in the second period and those turnovers led directly to a pair of damaging goals for the Islanders. Grzelcyk finished with three giveaways and a minus-3 rating in 20:10 of ice time and was essentially swarmed under by the heavy Islanders pressure. That’s a tough look for a Bruins defenseman relied on to move pucks and avoid those kinds of costly mistakes, but it just wasn’t happening for Grzelcyk and the Bruins on Wednesday night. At the end of the day, it was about puck mismanagement for the Bruins in Game 6 and Grzelcyk was at the top of the list of Black and Gold culprits.

TURNING POINT: The Bruins essentially collapsed in the second period. They played tight and didn’t look all that good in the opening 20 minutes of the elimination game, but they still battled their way to a 1-1 tie after the opening 20 minutes. Then they went out and didn’t get any better in the second period, and instead got worse when the Islanders turned up the heat. The Isles scored three goals to take a commanding lead in the game and the Bruins simply couldn’t overcome some very costly mistakes with the puck. There were a couple Matt Grzelcyk turnovers and a rough Tuukka Rask handoff to Mike Reilly that led to an Islanders score as well. The Bruins managed to close it to 4-2 in the third period, but that’s as close as they would get against an Islanders team that really clamped down defensively on the Black and Gold.

HONORABLE MENTION: Brad Marchand was Boston’s best player throughout these playoffs and he was their best player in the Game 6 loss. Marchand scored both of Boston’s two goals, had four shot attempts, four registered hits and a pair of blocked shots in 18:47 of ice time, but both of those goals came on the power play. The Perfection Line wasn’t able to do anything 5-on-5 in this game for one of the first times in the playoff series, however, and needed some other players to really step up offensively if they were going to win on Wednesday. Marchand finished with eight goals scored in 11 playoff games for the Black and Gold in this postseason and continues to dominate while at the very prime of his career. It’s just unfortunate that both Marchand and Patrice Bergeron had another prime year frittered away with a loss within the first couple rounds of the playoffs.

BY THE NUMBERS: 11-3 – the Boston Bruins were outscored by the Islanders to this extent in the second period over the course of the series, including being outscored 3-to-0 on Wednesday night’s middle 20 minutes in Game 6.

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Could Boston Bruins Have Trade Piece in Cehlarik?

Published 11 hours ago on June 9, 2021

By Joe Haggerty

While all the Boston Bruins organizational attention will be on Wednesday night’s do-or-die Game 6 against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum, there are still other happenings involving the team around the hockey world. One of them was the standout performance for former Boston Bruins prospect Peter Cehlarik with Team Slovakia at the IIHF World Championships earlier this month.

The 25-year-old Cehlarik finished with five goals and 11 points in eight games for the Slovaks during the tournament and played like the skilled power forward that the B’s always projected him to be after taking him in the third round back in the 2013 NHL Draft.

The big winger played 40 games over the span of four seasons for the Bruins, but never established himself while managing just an assist in three games during the 2019-20 season before not being asked to come back for the Toronto bubble playoff roster.

Things broke down at the end of Cehlarik’s time with the Bruins organization and he had some choice words for the organization once he made it back to Europe at the end of the 2019-20 NHL season, so it isn’t expected that he’d return to the Black and Gold.

The interesting wrinkle is that the Bruins still own Cehlarik’s NHL rights after the European winger bolted North America to play in Sweden this season. He won’t be a free agent for NHL purposes until 2023, so the Boston Bruins may have a chance to recoup the third round pick they used on him if another NHL team is looking for forward help.

Certainly, they would be looking to deal Cehlarik at a high point in his value right now after a solid season in Sweden (20 goals and 40 points in 45 games) followed by his star turn as a leading scorer at the World Championships. Now could be that time for Cehlarik and the Boston Bruins to part ways and for the B’s to recoup their losses.

Now on to the BHN Puck Links:

*The Bruins are starting Tuukka Rask in net despite the physical issues he’s having in the playoffs and a clearly worsening body of work as the workload gets heavier. Will they come to regret not playing Jeremy Swayman? (Boston Hockey Now)

*Certainly, the Boston Bruins are hoping that Playoff Krejci shows up to lead Taylor Hall and Craig Smith in a must-win Game 6.

David Krejci’s 24 points (4-20—24 in 23 GP) in potential elimination games are the second most in @NHLBruins history, trailing only Ray Bourque (6-30—36 in 34 GP). #NHLStats #StanleyCup

*The Colorado Avalanche absorbed a gut punch loss in overtime to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night, but FOH (Friend of Haggs) Adrian Dater says the Avs says they still have a chance to prove they’re not just another “pretty, but not gritty” hockey team. (Colorado Hockey Now)

*Props to Oskar Lindblom being named a Masterton Trophy finalist after returning from cancer to play for the Flyers this season. (Philly Hockey Now)

*Looks like the New York Islanders media and Isles fans are licking their chops to have Bruce Cassidy come back to Nassau Coliseum for Game 6. Be careful what you wish for, Islanders faithful! (New York Post)

*Could Vladimir Tarasenko be among some surprise names exposed in the NHL expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken? (Bleacher Report)

*Great hire by ESPN as PK Subban is hopping on board the worldwide leader as an NHL analyst starting immediately. He’s a natural for TV.

*For something completely different: It’s a great first episode of Loki on Disney+ that immediately made me want to see more of the series moving forward. (Rolling Stone)

1189465 Boston Bruins

Game 6: Boston Bruins @ Islanders Lines, Preview

Published 15 hours ago on June 9, 2021

By Jimmy Murphy

The Boston Bruins will beat the New York Islanders in Game 6 of the East Division Final (7:30 PM ET, NBCSN, TVAS, CBC, Sportsnet). That’s it. That’s your intro to the BHN preview today!

Boston Bruins Notes

-Ever since Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask was pulled following the second period of the Bruins’ Game 5 loss for health reasons, there has been widespread speculation that rookie Jeremy Swayman, who replaced Rask on Monday night, would get the nod as the Bruins’ starting goalie for Game 6 tonight. Cassidy didn’t do much to fan the flames of speculation on Tuesday but on Wednesday morning the Bruins head coach made it crystal clear that Rask is still his starter.

“He’s ready to go. It’s that simple. He’s our starter,” Cassidy replied when asked to explain the decision to go with Rask. “He’s healthy and ready to go and let’s hope that he’s on and that we’re better in front of him than we were in Game 5.″

-Defensemen Brandon Carlo (upper-body), Kevan Miller (upper-body), and forward Curtis Lazar (lower-body) are out for the Bruins in Game 6. Defenseman John Moore (hip) and forward Ondrej Kase (upper-body) are out for the season.

-With Lazar out, winger Jake DeBrusk will draw back into the lineup and skate on the left wing of the third line with Charlie Coyle and Karson Kuhlman. That means winger Nick Ritchie drops down a line and will skate on the left wing with Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner.

–The Bruins’ powerplay is now 10-for-30 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after going 1-for-2 in Game 5 against the Islanders. The Boston Bruins are scoring at a 33.3% clip on the powerplay that has them third in the NHL playoff field.

-The Bruins’ PK has not been themselves in this series and they were torched again in Game 5, allowing the Islanders to score on three of their four powerplay attempts. The Bruins’ penalty kill has now killed off 27 of 36 power-play attempts against in the playoffs for a 75-percent success rate.

New York Islanders Notes

–Semyon Varlamov was huge again for the Islanders in Game 5, making 40 saves on 44 shots and stoning the Bruins every time they gained momentum, specifically in the third period when he stopped 16 of the 18 shots the Bruins poured on him, while the Isles only mustered up three in the final frame. Varlamov is 3-3 with a 2.72 GAA and .925 save percentage.

-The Islanders’ powerplay is 9-for-31 with a 29-percent success rate.

-The Islanders’ penalty kill has killed off 15 of 23 power-play attempts against in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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Boston Bruins Rask Will Start Game 6: ‘He’s Our Starter’

Published 16 hours ago on June 9, 2021

By Joe Haggerty

As the Boston Bruins prepare for their last stand in Game 6 vs. the New York Islanders, they are going to stick with the players that got them there.

Bruce Cassidy confirmed that Tuukka Rask will be the starter on Wednesday night at Nassau Coliseum after getting pulled following the second period in Game 5, and that Jake DeBrusk will replace the injured Curtis Lazar amongst the Boston Bruins forward group. Cassidy plainly stated that Rask is “healthy” and is going to play, plain and simple.

There was plenty of speculation that 22-year-old Jeremy Swayman might get the call in Game 6 after he relieved Rask in Game 5, but it the Bruins opted to stick with the veteran No. 1 rather than the young, inexperienced puck-stopper.

“He’s ready to go. It’s that simple. He’s our starter,” said Cassidy of Rask, who has dropped from a .941 save percentage in the first round vs. Washington to a .906 save percentage against the Isles with average performances in Game 2 and Game 5. “He’s healthy and ready to go and let’s hope that he’s on, and that we’re better in front of him than we were in Game 5″

Clearly Rask is not 100 percent healthy given the nagging injuries he’s referenced that he’s playing through on multiple occasions, but it’s clear the Bruins have determined they are going to sink with their No. 1 guy if that’s indeed what happens.

DeBrusk was benched after being a non-factor earlier in the heavy, physical second round series against the Islanders, and will rejoin the B’s as the third line left winger along with Charlie Coyle and Karson Kuhlman. Nick Ritchie will man the left wing with Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner on the fourth line with Lazar knocked out due to a lower body injury.

Taylor Hall skipped Wednesday’s morning skate on Long Island, but is healthy and expected to play against the Isles in the do-or-die game.

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20 Years Ago Tonight: ‘After 22 Years, Raymond Bourque!’

Published 17 hours ago on June 9, 2021

By Jimmy Murphy

He may not have won it with the Boston Bruins, but 20 years ago tonight, when hall of fame defenseman Raymond Bourque finally hoisted the Stanley Cup in his 22nd season, every Bruins teammate, trainer, coach, and manager he ever had in Boston, along with every Bruins fan was cheering on Bourque!

Even if you’re just a hockey fan and not a Bruins or Avalanche fan, you must get chills every time you hear former ESPN analyst Gary Thorne say as Av’s captain Joe Sakic immediately handed the Stanley Cup over to Bourque:

“And After 22 Years, Raymond Bourque!”

Ray Bourque finally winning that elusive Stanley Cup he couldn’t win during his 21 seasons as a Bruin was bittersweet but what was much sweeter, and that was evident in the thousands of Bruins fans that showed up days later when Ray Bourque brought the Cup to Boston for a rally at City Hall Plaza.

Of course, eight months later, the New England Patriots would be holding a rally after there, after winning their first Super Bowl, and since then, the city of Boston has celebrated 10 championships from their four pro sports teams, and Ray Bourque likes to think he started the reign of greatness.

“I always joke that I started this amazing string of parades and rallies and championships we’ve had since then,” Bourque joked to BostonHockeyNow last year. “Let’s hope the Bruins got another one coming for us.”

Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now, Kevin Flanagan of Boston Sportsdesk, and I had a chance to Ray Bourque about this amazing moment and he had some great stories regarding the days leading into that moment that he hadn’t told publicly.

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189468 Boston Bruins down the stretch for the Bruins. He was so good that he beat out Jaroslav Halak for the backup role headed into the postseason. He earned this chance by the way he played down the stretch while Boston Bruins Should Go With Swayman in Game 6 cementing his status as the No. 1 goalie of the future for the Black and Gold.

Well, the future might be now for Swayman and the Bruins. Published 21 hours ago on June 9, 2021 Who knows? This could be a situation where the Bruins surprise by going By Joe Haggerty with Swayman, the rookie gets hot and goes on a torrid run with the Bruins and both the team and the goaltender never look back again.

We’ve all seen that kind of thing happen in the Stanley Cup playoffs Once a hockey team like the Boston Bruins is on the brink of elimination before and Swayman has given all of us no reason to doubt he’s capable in the Stanley Cup playoffs, it becomes about stone-cold survival and of something special. whatever is going to help that hockey club live on for another day. It could be the exact kind of spark that could tip the series in favor of a The decision-making becomes less about the previous standard, or Bruins team that looks pretty frustrated at this point. what’s worked for years, and much more about what is going to help the This all could create some confusing moments in the offseason, of Boston Bruins win when there might not be another tomorrow in the 2021 course. Rask could react badly to the health decision being taken out of playoffs. his hands in a big playoff moment, and it could even signal the end of his For the Bruins, that should mean that rookie goaltender Jeremy time with the Boston Bruins if things go exceedingly well with Swayman. Swayman gets the call between the pipes on Wednesday night in a do- It could be the end of Rask’s time with the Bruins if he’s simply pissed at or-die Game 6 against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. This the organization and decides to move on if the ending becomes comes on the heels of a vexing 5-4 loss to the Islanders on Monday night particularly bitter for him. when Tuukka Rask clearly wasn’t at his best allowing four goals on 16 The Boston Bruins can’t worry about any of that right now, however. shots. All the focus and mentality is on winning a playoff game Wednesday The Isles exposed a B’s weakness with three power play goals and they night at a rollicking Nassau Coliseum and living on for another day. A have an undermanned defense with both Brandon Carlo and Kevan healthy Swayman gives the Bruins the best chance to do that in this Miller. The Bruins need a goaltender that’s capable of standing on his humble hockey writer’s opinion. head and stealing a hockey game, and Rask simply doesn’t look healthy enough to be that guy right now. “Our guys have been through it. And the core group has been through it in other playoff series,” said Cassidy of a do-or-die Game 6 against the The Boston Bruins franchise leader in wins was pulled going into the third Islanders. “They know what’s at stake. We need to go win a period of Game 5 in favor of Swayman, who allowed one goal on a game…that’s it. There’s nothing else other than, we’re not looking ahead handful of shots that actually ended up being the difference in the game or behind now. We’re going up to New York to win a game. We have to. once the Bruins stormed back in the final 20 minutes. Bruce Cassidy was very vague about whether Rask was going to start for Game 6, saying “In terms of the mindset of the guys, they know that we can outplay the only “we’ll see [on Wednesday]” while indicating pretty clearly Boston’s opposition. We just have to get out and do it. We’ve got to minimize No. 1 goalie is not at 100 percent healthy right now. some of our mistakes from our blue line back, obviously. Do our best to stay out of the box; obviously, their power play is clicking. Keep getting to “We’re happy with his performance. He’s been better than he was the net to create our offensive opportunities. At the end of the day, we yesterday, but we weren’t good enough in front of him. There are health need to be one goal better than them.” issues,” said Cassidy of Rask, who has been very cagey about what exactly is bothering him physically while posting a .925 save percentage The best way for the Bruins to do that in thus humble hockey writer’s in 10 playoff games thus far. “We’re not dissatisfied with Tuukka’s play. opinion? There are some health issues. Listen, we know he missed some time this year. We’re not going to get into where he’s at if it affects his game, all Go with the rookie goaltender in Game 6 that’s 100 percent healthy and that. There’s also a lot of games in a row he’s played. At some point that has shown every indication he’s going to be something special for the could be an issue in the playoffs. There’s a lot of things that go into [the Black and Gold. What do they really have to lose at this point? decision].” Rask has continuously shown that he comes up just a little bit short in the At its core, the decision is whether it’s better to go with Swayman at 100 Stanley Cup playoffs when it comes to actually rising to the big Boston percent or Rask at whatever diminished percentage he is playing at right Bruins moments. There’s no reason to watch that particular movie again, now. regardless of the legitimate reasons behind it, when the Bruins have a choice for the first time ever between Rask and another viable goalie This marks the second time that Rask’s performance in the series that’s ready to go. against the Islanders has been tied to nagging physical issues. His save percentage vs. the Islanders is well down to a .906 figure after posting a The Bruins should go with a healthy Swayman for Game 6 and they .941 save percentage in the first round against the Washington Capitals should never look back after that. and he’s twice given up four goals in games vs. the Isles while looking very average indeed. Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 06.10.2021 This all points toward a basic philosophical decision for the Black and Gold: Do they go with Rask at less than 100 percent when his health seems to worsen with heavy usage, or do they go with a rested, healthy Swayman who was lights out down the stretch during the regular season?

It might have been a much easier decision if the 22-year-old Swayman hadn’t seen any game action over the last month, but he was able to get his feet wet facing three shots on net in the third period of Game 5 while relieving Rask. Heavy rust was part of the calculation that kept Swayman out of consideration for being used earlier in the playoffs even if Rask struggled physically, but it’s no longer an adequate reason to hold the rookie out.

The biggest reason to just stick with Rask is the fear that the playoff moment would be too big for Swayman, of course. But the poised University of Maine netminder showed nothing but poise and sheer goaltending talent while posting a .945 save percentage in 10 games 1189469 Boston Bruins The Islanders trained their sharpest defenders — the No. 3 line of Palmieri, Pageau and Travis Zajac in concert with Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock — against the Bruins’ top line. They contained Brad ‘We’re all getting older’: Awful mistakes and no offense end the Bruins’ Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak superbly. Pastrnak did season and threaten an era not record a single five-on-five shot.

The Bruins’ offense withered, partly, because of how deep they had to go on their blue line because of injuries to Brandon Carlo and Kevan Miller. By Fluto Shinzawa Jeremy Lauzon and Jarred Tinordi have their strengths. They do not include triggering rush chances by placing pucks on forwards’ sticks or Jun 10, 2021 hitting the net with point shots. Carlo and Miller are neither puck movers nor offensive dynamos, but they have longer histories of blunting attacks and lending a hand in the transition game. Matt Grzelcyk and Tuukka Rask picked the worst time to have a bad night. “They managed pucks, clearly, better than us. We’re not getting those free chances that they got tonight in terms of mismanaging pucks,” The Bruins’ 2020-21 season started to shatter in the second period after Cassidy said. “They do play a good game that way. They don’t beat the Islanders’ Brock Nelson picked Grzelcyk’s pocket at center ice. themselves. So you take into effect that they have good defensive Seconds later, Nelson snapped a tie by firing the puck over Rask’s glove. players that play a structured system. They don’t beat themselves. The onus becomes on you to generate. Tonight, at times, we were able to go. Six minutes later, Rask threw a grenade, in his words, that exploded off Other times, things fell apart low to high. We didn’t get our shots through Mike Reilly’s skates. Josh Bailey gloved down the loose puck and fed or find the right guy.” Nelson in front for what would be the winning goal. Rask may require surgery for an ailment he declined to disclose. Krejci, The goalie and defenseman tag-teamed to cough up the third and final 35, is unrestricted. Bergeron, who turns 36 next month, has one year goal of the second-period nightmare. Adam Pelech, after taking a low-to- remaining on his deal. What started with saying goodbye to Zdeno Chara high pass from Jean-Gabriel Pageau, took advantage of traffic to fire a last offseason may continue in the weeks to come. long-distance shot on net. “We’re all getting older,” said the 34-year-old Rask. “We’re not going to Rask had trouble tracking Pelech’s release. He stopped the last forever. It’s definitely closing at some point, yeah, for sure. We have defenseman’s shot but burped the rebound into dangerous ice in front of great leadership, great veteran guys. We try to build a new team every the net. Grzelcyk tried to sweep it out of harm’s way. But Grzelcyk gave it year and come together. I thought we accomplished that pretty good this to Kyle Palmieri instead. A finisher like Palmieri was delighted with year.” Grzelcyk’s present.

Just like that, a 1-1 game had turned into a 4-1 crevasse. The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 “You don’t want to call them gifts,” coach Bruce Cassidy said after the Bruins’ season-ending 6-2 Game 6 loss to the Islanders. “But that was on us to manage the puck better in those situations. I don’t think the period mattered in this instance tonight. It was just us not managing the puck well enough to beat a team that pressures the puck well.”

Perhaps on another night, the Bruins could have survived in-zone calamity. Not on Wednesday. The Bruins required a flawless defensive performance to overcome the spitballs they lobbed at Semyon Varlamov.

The kind, in other words, the Islanders played in front of their goalie.

The Islanders gave the Bruins nothing during five-on-five play. In the third, when they had to erase a three-goal deficit, the Bruins placed only three five-on-five pucks on Varlamov.

It is impossible to win with so many offensive ghosts, especially when they’re all clustered on the same line. Taylor Hall and David Krejci each had one five-on-five shot. Craig Smith had none. Early in the third, when Hall and Smith pulled away for a two-on-one rush, the right wing fired his close-range attempt wide left of the net.

“Of course he could have been better,” Cassidy said of Rask. “There were some rebounds that we, as a whole, could have cleared or controlled better. It could have started there. But we mismanaged some pucks and put him in bad spots as well. This is a team loss to me, all the way down the line. We certainly could have used some more scoring out of certain people in this series. You can do the math on that.”

Hall and Smith had one goal apiece in Round 2. Same for Charlie Coyle. Nick Ritchie and Jake DeBrusk had none. The fourth line, collectively, delivered zero goals.

Game 6 may have been the softest offensive push of the series. The only line with a positive Corsi For result, according to Natural Stat Trick, was the fourth line (70.0 CF%). The Bruins are not designed to win that way.

Other than when they were on the power play (2-for-3), the Bruins ran headfirst into the Islanders’ defensive wall. The Islanders’ forecheck disrupted the Bruins’ breakout. Hall and Smith, who thrive on rush chances, did not receive the puck regularly or cleanly enough in center ice. Once they arrived in the offensive zone, the Bruins smacked into blue-and-orange resistance at every turn: bodies stuffing shooting lanes, sticks sending pucks aside, a goalie standing tall as the last line of defense. 1189470 Boston Bruins Matt Grzelcyk: Yet more proof that speed, quickness and hockey IQ can make up for size.

Brandon Carlo: Rotten luck with head injuries this year. Plays an Boston Bruins’ expansion protected list: Who’s staying and who could be important shutdown role when healthy. picked by the Seattle Kraken? Goalie

Dan Vladar: Remains to be seen if he can become Jeremy Swayman’s By Fluto Shinzawa backup. But only 23.

Jun 9, 2021

The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 Trent Frederic has yet to appear in the playoffs. He did not play in 14 of the final 20 regular-season games because of illness and performance. Before Frederic’s exit on April 8, he was scoreless in 14 of 15 games.

You could question, then, why Frederic would be up for expansion protection, considering how severely he ran into a midseason wall. Compare Frederic’s season with four goals and one assist in 42 appearances to that of Nick Ritchie (15 goals-11 assists), the only Bruin to dress for all 56 games. By the numbers, there is not much of an argument between the two.

Ritchie, however, is a left wing. He turns 26 on Dec. 5. The pending restricted free agent, reinforced by arbitration rights, could double his current $1,498,925 average annual value.

Frederic is a natural center. He will not turn 24 until Feb. 11, 2022. There is further growth in his game based on how he developed between 2019- 20 and 2020-21. While Frederic, like Ritchie, will also be restricted, he is not eligible for arbitration.

For all those reasons, Frederic will be the seventh and final forward protected. Ritchie, meanwhile, may not be selected at all.

While Seattle may have needs elsewhere based on their other selections, Connor Clifton would be a fine addition to the Kraken’s inaugural roster. He is a right-shot defenseman, a commodity always desired. He turned 26 on April 28. Clifton is an excellent skater. He’s signed through 2023 at $1 million annually. He is a good teammate.

The Bruins would be sad to say goodbye to Clifton. He’s been very good since joining the lineup in Game 2 of the first round against Washington.

The Bruins, however, are in excellent shape for expansion. Because Taylor Hall and Mike Reilly, their two primary acquisitions before the trade deadline, will be unrestricted, neither requires protection. Tuukka Rask and David Krejci are also pending UFAs. All of them could be re- signed between the July 21 expansion draft and the opening of free agency a week later.

Other UFAs-to-be include Sean Kuraly, Anton Blidh, Greg McKegg, Kevan Miller, Steve Kampfer, Jarred Tinordi and Jaroslav Halak.

Here, then, are the seven forwards, three skaters and one goalie the Bruins will protect:

Forwards

Craig Smith: The right wing has found a home on the No. 2 line with Hall and Krejci. Has active legs, a good shot and a low-key personality.

Patrice Bergeron: Guaranteed protection because of his no-move clause. Also guaranteed protection because he’s excellent.

Brad Marchand: Same as Bergeron.

Charlie Coyle: Did not have as good a season as expected. But also has no-move protection. Contributes in all areas (even strength, power play, penalty kill) and can play right wing.

David Pastrnak: Among the most talented finishers in the business.

Trent Frederic: Room to grow.

Jake DeBrusk: A year to forget. Could be on the block if the Bruins re- sign Hall. Bruins would be selling low. But they have to get something back for DeBrusk instead of letting him go to Seattle for nothing.

Defensemen

Charlie McAvoy: There is nothing he cannot do. Due for a big-time raise after 2022. Deserves every cent. 1189471 Buffalo Sabres When the Wolverines weren’t practicing, playing games or completing schoolwork, their freshmen huddled together in a dorm room to watch their games or top players in the NHL. Portillo thought only goalies Why should Sabres consider Owen Power, Matthew Beniers and Kent studied to this extent, but he learned that Michigan’s big three, Johnson? Their goalies weigh in specifically Power, poured over hours of video to try to obtain a competitive edge.

“He's a defenseman, so he has a good shot and stuff, but like when you Lance Lysowski have him in front of you, I think that's when you notice the difference in his game,” Portillo said of Power. “I played with Dahlin a little bit when I Jun 9, 2021 Updated 19 hrs ago was younger and it's a similar feeling. (Power) skates so well and, you know, they have a sense of dominating the zone. So, like they really own the zone and you get a feeling of trusting those guys. I really trust Owen Kevyn Adams and his scouting staff with the Buffalo Sabres won’t have when to do his job and that makes it easier for you as a goalie to just to predict which player will be available when they are on the clock in the focus in on your part and just do your thing.” first round of the NHL draft on July 23. Matthew Beniers, center, 6-1, 175 pounds Winning the lottery last Wednesday night ensured the Sabres own the first overall pick for the second time in four years. The general manager Surprisingly, Beniers was ranked by NHL Central Scouting as the No. 6 will soon gather his scouts to complete their prospect rankings, but they North American skater in this class despite most draft analysts calling the have almost seven weeks to focus on several players who could be 18-year-old the top forward available. Beniers has top-end speed that considered at No. 1. compares to Dylan Cozens and a fearless, responsible two-way game that will help him make the transition to the NHL when he’s ready Adams can save himself some time by watching as many University of physically. Michigan games as possible. Three of this draft’s top players were freshmen for the Wolverines this season: consensus top prospect Owen Beniers averaged a point per game at Michigan with 10 goals and 14 Power, a dynamic defenseman from Mississauga; center Matthew assists for 24 points in 24 games as a freshman. He also had impressive Beniers; and center/winger Kent Johnson. production at the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in 2019-20, totaling 18 goals and 41 points in 44 games. The Wolverines were a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament after completing a 15-10-1 season, but it ended prematurely because of a “He's just an all-around player,” Mann said of Beniers. “I think every scout Covid-19 positive test ahead of the Midwest Regional in Fargo, N.D. The or anyone that watches him can see that. It kind of seems like the guy roster included eight players already drafted by an NHL team, including doesn't run out of energy. He's just bopping around the ice, out-skating four chosen in the first or second round. everyone. He'll lead a rush and then be the first guy back on the backcheck. Just kind of a complete player that energizes your team and Perhaps no one had a better view of the three prospects than the his linemates and goes to the net really hard, does the little things well. Wolverines’ top goalies: junior Strauss Mann and freshman Erik Portillo, He's a guy that everyone would want on their team.” a third-round draft choice of the Sabres in 2019. Mann and Portillo lent their analysis on each player to The Buffalo News in separate phone Good news arrived Sunday when Beniers took warmups ahead of the interviews recently. bronze medal game after he suffered an ankle injury competing for the United States in a 6-1 victory over Slovakia. It appears the ailment won't “Every day in practice was fun,” said Mann, the Big Ten Goaltender of impact his ability to train in preparation for next season. the Year for 2019-20. “I could kind of see it from day one. Every year at Michigan, you've got a lot of skilled guys and a lot of talent and it Beniers is the top two-way center in this draft and would fit a potential challenges you in practice, but this year, the skill level, as a goalie, you need for the Sabres, who may trade Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart this could see it was kind of at a different level. Just the creativity from some summer. Beniers would provide Buffalo with needed depth down the of these young guys was off the charts.” middle and his unflappable work ethic fits Adams’ preference for how this club should be built. Owen Power, left-shot defenseman, 6-foot-6, 213 pounds “He has a good shot, he stickhandles really well, but I would say skating Labeled by Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting, as a “very fluid is his greatest strength,” said Portillo. “He never really stops skating. He and agile skater,” Power uses his speed and edge work to make zone works so hard on the ice. It’s unlimited energy. That’s what makes him entries and exits appear effortless. He was ranked by central scouting as special. He has the shot and the skill set. Everything you’d want. But he the top North American skater in this draft. just keeps on going. He never stops and never slows down. … He’s always in the right position, and he has the technique and the smarts to Power’s game isn’t flashy like Rasmus Dahlin’s, but they are both always make a play.” excellent at making the 5- to 10-foot pass that’s necessary to start the rush. This makes Power an ideal fit for how we expect the Sabres to play Kent Johnson, center/wing, 6-1, 167 pounds under their next coach. Arguably the most skilled player in this draft, Johnson’s highlights from In 26 games as a freshman at Michigan, Power totaled three goals and this season were spectacular. His playmaking ability resembles that of 16 points. His previous two seasons with the United States Hockey Trevor Zegras, who was drafted ninth overall by the Anaheim Ducks in League’s Chicago Steel included 23 goals and 65 points in 65 games. He 2019. was named the league’s defenseman of the year for the 2019-20 season. The biggest knock against Johnson is his size. He may need multiple Power’s 0.62 points per game this season helped him secure rookie of years to gain the strength necessary to produce consistently during an the year honors from the College Hockey News and he was a Big Ten 82-game NHL season. However, a closer look at Johnson’s game shows Freshman of the Year finalist. More important for the Sabres, Power was that he’s not a perimeter player. He makes tight area plays to score goals remarkable against older competition at the IIHF World Championship. and create opportunities for teammates. Johnson has some fearlessness He had three assists, 17 shots on goal and a plus-1 rating while in his game, as he’s shown a willingness to park himself in front of the averaging 20:07 of ice time in 10 games to help Canada win gold. net for deflections and retrieve pucks along the boards.

“His game probably is the least flashy of the three, but as a defenseman, This would be a high-upside pick for the Sabres. You would have to wait that's probably what you'd expect,” Mann said of Power. “He's just so for Johnson to develop into a contributor, and he likely projects to play efficient with everything he does. He's got so much detail to his game. … left wing long term, but the tantalizing skills will put him in the He’s definitely a guy that would be staying out there after practice, putting conversation for this pick. in the extra work with his skating and his skills because really, he likes attacking his weaknesses. Also, as a big guy, it can be hard, I think, to “He's very creative out there,” said Mann. “I think he has a lot of fun with have that foot speed. You see him every day working on his turns and his that part of his game, which is great to see. He was so locked in day one speed out of the zone, and all that stuff, but he's really just taken his and he looked like maybe he was a high schooler still, but then you game to the next level this year.” realize these guys are like 17-18 and it's just fun. It brings a good energy, especially with him. He just loves the game and loves to Watch video and learn from guys and learn different moves and play with different types of things. There’s definitely a method to the madness.

"He’ll be doing shootouts or penalty shots like at the end practice and he'll just pull things out of his back pocket that you didn't even know existed. It was definitely fun to kind of be at practice with him and try and stop some of those attempts. … He still will mature a lot physically, but he’s always working in the gym and on the ice. And I feel like the sky's the limit for him because of that.”

Across 26 games as a freshman at Michigan, Johnson totaled nine goals and 27 points. He was a prolific player during his junior career with 41 goals and 101 points across two seasons with the Trail Smoke Eaters of the British Columbia Hockey League.

Portillo has faced NHL players during his summer workouts in Gothenburg, Sweden, including Dahlin. But he said none of those competitors were more difficult to face in a shootout than Johnson, who was meticulous in how he crafted his stickhandling to fool goaltenders.

“Kent is incredibly skilled,” said Portillo. “I've never faced anyone like him in shootouts, not even NHL players. His individual skill is that good. The way he can score goals, and the way he can find ways to score goals from incredible positions and like, penalty shots, and so on. He’s always a threat.”

Buffalo News LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189472 Calgary Flames “With the quarantine the first few days, it was just an awful feeling not being able to help your team,” Mangiapane said. “And then once I was out there, I just really wanted to help my team any way possible to win. I ‘So unbelievably cool’: Flames’ Mangiapane on top of world after golden think Canada’s standard is to win gold. And at that rate, losing the first performance at international tournament three games, it was a little uneasy. We maybe weren’t going to even make it to the quarters. So then, it was just, go out and play your game and have fun with it. This is an unreal opportunity, an unreal situation, just an unreal life experience, so I just wanted to go out there and just Wes Gilbertson play my hardest. Publishing date: Jun 09, 2021 “Obviously I did well, but I have to thank my linemates Henrique and Connor Brown — they were two great guys to play with, easy to play with, and they could have easily both won the MVP trophy. It was fun to It seemed like nothing was going to stop Andrew Mangiapane — or even play with those guys, and I’m just so happy we were able to close it out. slow him down — at the 2021 IIHF World Hockey Championship in We all did it together.” Latvia. That gold medal, Mangiapane reported Wednesday from back in Ontario, His opponents never thought of this … Confetti. has a little more weight to it than he’d imagined.

Shortly after Team Canada’s storybook ending, an overtime triumph in What’s so encouraging for fans in Calgary is that he was one of the guys Sunday’s gold-medal game, the Calgary Flames forward was trying to who did the heavy-lifting. figure out how to navigate the thousands of shiny shreds of paper that had rained from the rafters as part of the post-game festivities. There is, after all, still a biggie left on Mangiapane’s bucket-list, and while the Flames try to retool after their playoff miss in the NHL’s North “We were contemplating maybe skating around with the trophy, but once Division, this hard-working winger proved during his overseas excursion the confetti came down, you weren’t skating anywhere,” Mangiapane that he can be counted on in those must-win moments. chuckled. “So it was just, ‘Well, let’s just stay in the little circle that we’d formed.'” It seemed like nothing was going to stop him … at least not until he was forced to a standstill by all that confetti. For the past couple of winters, Mangiapane has been a big name in local circles — emerging as a fan favourite in Calgary thanks to his dogged “The more big games you play, the easier they get for you and the more determination, his nose for the net and his aw-shucks demeanour. calm you can stay in them,” Mangiapane reasoned. “I think this is a great learning experience on never giving up. Taking these games, these do- For the past couple of weeks, he’s been big news from Campbell River to or-die games, to overtime and they’re close battles and it’s just about Corner Brook and in every hockey-crazed community in between. who wants it more. I think that can easily be translated into the Stanley Cup playoffs.” It’s not quite everything he dreamed of, but the 25-year-old left-winger from Bolton, Ont., returned home from Latvia as both a gold-medallist ICE CHIPS and tournament MVP. Flames prospect Dustin Wolf repeated as the winner of the Del Wilson “When that goal went in (during overtime), it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, we’re world Memorial Trophy as the Western Hockey League’s goaltender of the champions!'” Mangiapane said Wednesday, presumably still in pinch-me year. Now 20, Wolf posted an 18-3 record with a splendid 1.80 goals- mode. “That was an unreal feeling, going to the huddle and everyone is against average and .940 save percentage in his final junior campaign jumping up and down and hugging everyone. And then getting your with the Everett Silvertips. medal, all of that is just, ‘Wow.’ So surreal. That whole experience — being on the ice, them handing out the awards, you have the confetti everywhere and O Canada is playing, everything like that … You went all Calgary Sun: LOADED: 06.10.2021 the way, right? That’s what you want in that tournament, to be winning that last game. That whole scenario was just so crazy and so unbelievably cool.

“As a kid, you grow up and you want to win the Stanley Cup and then you want to win a gold medal on the world stage. So it’s an unreal feeling. I’m just so happy we were able to accomplish it, especially after losing the first three games like we did. I just want to say thanks to the whole Team Canada organization. They brought me on, and I’m so happy that they did and so honoured at the same time.”

The thanks goes both ways.

Without No. 88, tickled to be representing his country for the first time, there may not have been a fairytale finish.

While Nick Paul of the Ottawa Senators ultimately potted the golden goal, two of Canada’s key cogs — captain Adam Henrique and coach Gerard Gallant — mentioned Mangiapane’s arrival as the turning point for a squad that had started pool-play with three straight losses, including setbacks to the not-so-mighty likes of Latvia and Germany. The Flames’ speedster watched those stunners from his hotel room as he completed his mandatory quarantine.

When he was finally able to introduce himself to the rest of the team, Mangiapane piled up eight points over a four-game stretch as these unlikely underdogs managed to squeeze into the playoff round.

He scored the overtime winner in a quarterfinal ouster against Russia and then tallied twice more as Canada stormed past the U.S. in the semis.

Despite being blanked by Finland in the gold-medal matchup, he tied for the tournament lead with seven snipes.

Mangiapane insists he was “shocked” to be saluted as MVP. He was apparently the only one who didn’t see it coming. 1189473 Calgary Flames Forwards (7 spots)

The questions among the forward group are far less complicated than they were in December, when Eric Duhatschek did his last Flames’ Flames protected list: Who’s staying and who could be picked in the protected list. Seattle expansion draft? At the time, with Sam Bennett still in the organization, the Flames had too many forwards worthy of protecting, and not enough spots. As By Hailey Salvian Duhatschek laid out, Calgary was in a position in which they needed to choose between Backlund, Bennett, Mangiapane and Dube for three Jun 9, 2021 spots.

With Bennett traded to Florida at the deadline and Lucic waiving his NMC, the forward group has become much more straightforward. The Seattle expansion draft is less than six weeks away, which means it’s almost time to stop projecting the expansion draft … and actually To me, the clear locks are Tkachuk, Lindholm, Monahan, Gaudreau, have it. Dube, Mangiapane, and Backlund.

In Calgary, much of the expansion draft talk of late has surrounded There shouldn’t be any surprises here, as all seven players have value to around what will happen on defence, and whether or not the Flames the Flames and if they have played their last game in Calgary, it’s most would expose long-time captain Mark Giordano, ending his more than likely going to be due to a trade, not by being given up for nothing in decade-long tenure with the team. expansion.

“Everybody knows there’s an expansion draft coming up and (Giordano) Lindholm was among the most consistent players this season and and I have spoken about that. …We’ll keep that internal for now,” general established himself as a reliable No. 1 centre option for the Flames manager Brad Treliving said during last month’s exit meetings. “But we’ll moving forward. His line with Tkachuk and Gaudreau also gave a make decisions like everybody else has to make.” glimmer of hope for next year’s lines. And, his $4.85 cap hit for three more years makes Lindholm even more valuable. The Flames will almost certainly use a 7-3-1 protection model — seven forwards, three defencemen and one goalie — which will allow them to Mangiapane is a fan favourite in Calgary, and for good reason. He’s a protect most of their key forwards, especially with Milan Lucic waiving his workhorse with a great come-up story and just added a gold medal and no-move clause. MVP to his resume at the IIHF World Championships with Team Canada. He led the Flames in five-on-five scoring this year (16 goals), set a That being said, after missing the playoffs, it’s assumed that changes are career-high in goals (18) and tied his personal best in points (32). He’s coming in Calgary. And some moves could be coming before the Kraken not going anywhere. draft their roster. As such, some players who are currently projected to be protected by the Flames could be with other teams by the July 21 Dube, 22, is coming out of his ELC this year and is among the team’s top draft. young players. He also set career-highs with 11 goals and 22 points this season. Dube has a high ceiling that the Flames’ front office isn’t likely to No matter what, Calgary is going to lose a player to Seattle, and with our give up in this scenario. guesstimate protected list, we can try to get a better idea of who that player could be. Backlund is an interesting case, as he will be 32 when Seattle plays its first game, and exposing him — and his $5.350 million cap hit for three As a refresher, there are a few rules to the expansion draft. Perhaps the more years — could provide come cap relief (if taken) and open up a most significant one is that first- and second-year players and unsigned protection spot for a younger player like Phillips or Gawdin. However, draft choices are exempt from expansion and do not count toward the Backlund does have value as a middle-six centre who has eclipsed 50 protection list. points once and flirted with that number four times in the last six seasons. The Flames’ exempt list features forwards Connor Zary, Emilio Again, I believe that you move on from Backlund as part of a core shake- Pettersen, Jakob Pelletier, and Adam Ruzicka; defencemen Juuso up trade, not for nothing in expansion. Valimaki, Colton Poolman and Connor Mackey; and goaltenders Dustin Finally, some have speculated this offseason about trades involving Wolf and Artyom Zagidulin. Monahan, Gaudreau, and even Tkachuk. It should go without saying that Here’s who is left to be protected by Calgary or exposed to Seattle. if they are in Calgary when Seattle arrives, they will be on the protected list. Forwards (13): Matthew Tkachuk, Milan Lucic, Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Dillon Dube, Andrew Mangiapane, Mikael Defence (3 spots) Backlund, Matthew Phillips, Byron Froese, Glenn Gawdin, Justin Heading to the blue line, two-thirds of the choices are easy. Kirkland, and Dominik Simon. With Valimaki exempt, the Flames can protect both Hanifin and Defence (5): Noah Hanifin, Rasmus Andersson, Mark Giordano, Chris Andersson and keep their trio of young blueliners safe from Seattle. Tanev, and Oliver Kylington Interestingly, Hanifin’s status as a “core” player had previously been in Goaltenders (2): Jacob Markstrom, and Tyler Parsons question as he struggled in previous seasons to put it all together and be The Kraken will also get an exclusive negotiating window with worthy of his draft status (fifth overall in 2015). But, mostly paired with unrestricted free agents from July 18-21. If the Kraken sign a UFA in that Tanev to start this season, Hanifin transformed himself into a reliable top- window, that counts as their selection against the roster of that player’s pair defenceman and was one of the few bright spots this season in former team. Calgary.

Calgary currently has 10 UFAs to choose from: Derek Ryan, Josh Leivo, He was in the midst of his best season to date when it was announced Buddy Robinson, Brett Ritchie, Joakim Nordstrom, Michael Stone, Nikita that Hanifin would require season-ending shoulder surgery in April. Nesterov, Louis Domingue, Zac Rinaldo, and Alex Petrovic. Hanifin became one of the most relied-upon players on the team, With the housekeeping out of the way, let’s get into our latest projection especially at five-on-five, as no player on the Flames logged more even- of who Calgary will protect and who they could lose. strength minutes (880:39, or 18:44 per game) at the time of his injury. He also was playing against some of the toughest competition in the league. Goaltender (1 spot) According to Dom Luszczyszyn’s data tracking, Hanifin’s competition had been the 14th highest in the league, and second on the team behind This is an easy place to start. Tanev (ninth league-wide). The Flames have to protect Markstrom due to his full no-movement It’s safe to say he’s, well, safe. clause. It prohibits Calgary from trading, waiving or loaning him without his permission. Not that they would want to, because Markstrom is the Andersson didn’t have quite the same impressive year, although his clear-cut No. 1 goalie in the organization and he’s locked in for five more expectations were much higher. years. Andersson seemed to struggle at times with the heightened In the flat-cap world the NHL is in, if he plays his cards right, Francis will responsibilities he was tasked with to start the year, being given the reins be well-positioned to leverage the Kraken’s cap space to gain additional on the power play and top-four minutes alongside Giordano. Under assets from cap-strapped teams desperate to get out from big-ticket Darryl Sutter, Andersson was moved on and off the top power-play unit a contracts. Teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning, for example. fair bit and eventually was paired with Hanifin (before his injury), as Sutter said that Giordano was being “held back” by playing with a young Taking on Lucic or Giordano’s contract would eat away at Seattle’s cap defender. space and their ability to weaponize that space. As Duhatschek alluded to in his piece, Seattle could realistically look at Calgary’s list of available Andersson still scored five goals and 21 points in 56 games this season, players and opt for a low-priced AHL player (because they too need a which was second behind only Giordano on the blue line. And, Sutter farm system) or a fringe NHLer. gave Andersson a vote of confidence in April when he noted that his call to the team’s young defencemen to step up “didn’t apply to Rasmus.” Not It’s possible that Kylington (scheduled to be an RFA) is the most to mention, Andersson is only 24 and is locked into a team-friendly attractive option for Seattle because of his age (23) and the fact that he’ll contract for five more years ($4.55 million average annual value). come cheap. Stockton Heat players such as Phillips or Gawdin are other potential options. Or, as Vegas did with Deryk Engelland in 2017, Seattle Now, this is where the big decision comes into play. With one spot could select one of the Flames’ pending UFAs and sign them to a remaining, will the Flames protect Tanev or Giordano? contract — Ryan or Leivo perhaps?

After thinking about this for a few months since Ryan S. Clark and I wrote Again, this could all be subject to change, but it doesn’t seem like the a piece around it, I personally don’t believe it’s as big a question as we Flames risk losing a significant piece this summer. At least not to Seattle. initially thought.

Tanev, 31, was without a doubt the Flames’ best defenceman this season, and arguably one of the best shutdown defenders in the league. The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 If he were left exposed, Seattle would take him without hesitation. That should be avoided for obvious reasons. For one, it’s not that simple to find a top-pair, right-shot defenseman who has already established himself as a leader in the locker room.

Giordano, on the other hand, is the team’s captain and has been in the organization since 2005-06. He had a solid second half of the season and despite being 37 years old, is still one of the Flames’ best defenders. He’s got some game left in him.

However, he will be 38 next year and still has one year left on his contract at $6.75 million. Frankly, the Kraken are probably going to be able to find defensive alternatives who will be cheaper and younger than Giordano.

So, is exposing him even really that much of a risk?

I don’t think so. Not anymore.

It’s still a guessing game at this point, but my bet is that Treliving would explain the situation to Giordano as a business move, with the understanding that Seattle would be unlikely to take him. It’s similar to the conversation had before he put Ryan on waivers (multiple times) or the one involving Lucic and his NMC prior to his trade to Calgary.

I know Giordano is the captain, and there is some level of optics involved here. But the fact is, Tanev is cheaper — $4.5 million for three more years — and younger and is more of a risk to lose. The answer should be simple: The Flames protect Tanev.

If Treliving and the Flames are worried about losing Giordano, they could always offer Seattle GM Ron Francis a future asset, which could be seen as beneficial for both parties. Although, Calgary would be giving up an asset to keep Giordano, while Seattle would get that asset, plus another exposed player of their choosing.

The Flames are required to expose at least two forwards and one defenceman who are under contract for the 2021-22 season and have played either 27 games this past season or 54 games between the last two seasons. They also must make available to Seattle at least one goaltender under contract for next season.

Lucic, Kylington, Giordano and Parsons meet those requirements among the forward, defence and goaltending positions respectively. However, as it stands now, the Flames will need to sign one of their pending free- agent forwards before the July 17 protected list deadline so that they meet those exposure requirements.

In this scenario, Seattle could ultimately end up choosing one of the Flames’s low-cost options.

As mentioned, Lucic and Giordano are exposed in this projection. However, willingly taking on a $5 million-plus contract out of Calgary may not make a lot of sense for Seattle.

On Tuesday, Duhatschek laid out why Seattle should not (and won’t) choose the best available player from every team. In short, it’s for cap space and roster flexibility purposes. 1189474 Carolina Hurricanes Aho had no problem pinpointing a key to the Lightning winning the series: Tampa Bay scored on a lot of their power plays and the Canes did not. That, and Vasilevskiy.

Hurricanes turn attention to free agency — and signing Rod Brind’Amour “It’s such a small margin,” Aho said. “Games could go either way. But if I to a new contract had to say one, it’s got to be the special teams. Today they got a power- play goal and that was the game-winning goal. We didn’t get any. That’s the game.” BY CHIP ALEXANDER As the Canes shook hands with the Lightning players and staff after the JUNE 09, 2021 07:30 AM game, one had to wonder: which of the Canes players would not be with the team next season? Some will be unrestricted free agents, headed by

defenseman Dougie Hamilton, and could leave in free agency. Others Not long after Vincent Trocheck’s shorthanded shot was stopped by could be traded. Andrei Vasilevskiy, the realization began to sink in: the Carolina And what about Brind’Amour? He’s essentially a free-agent head coach, Hurricanes would not be beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in their playoff his three-year contract ending this season. Will the Canes and series. Brind’Amour finally hammer out a new contract, as many expect, or could The Canes’ season would be ending Tuesday at PNC Arena, which had an NHL team in a bigger market, offering more money, possibly lure him been a huge home-ice advantage for Carolina all year but not against the away? Lightning. For the third straight season, the Canes would find a playoff Asked after Tuesday’s game if he would be the Hurricanes coach next opponent that was too tough, too good for them to handle. season, Brind’Amour said, “Yeah, I hope so.” The past two years, it was the Boston Bruins. The Lightning, the 2020 Brind’Amour often has said he wants to stay with the Canes and continue Stanley Cup champion, offered an even sterner test with a blend of to live in this community, but there must be an agreement that fits both experience, savvy, scoring, special teams. And with Vasilevskiy, the best sides’ needs. goalie in the world, in net. There’s much to be done before the 2021-22 season begins and there The Canes had Trocheck and Nino Niederreiter back in the lineup will be some uncertainty. But everyone can agree that beginning a full, Tuesday for Game 5, but having the two forwards come off injuries and new season in a more normal setting, with fans in the arena on opening play wasn’t enough. The Lightning won 2-0 to end the second-round night, with an outdoor game likely being played, is an exciting thought series in five games, a sour end to what had been a special season for after the challenges and limitations of the 56-game pandemic season. the Canes team that won the Central Division with a 36-12-8 record, “This team was a great team all year and people didn’t get to watch us “We obviously had a strong season,” Canes captain Jordan Staal said. until the end,” Brind’Amour said. “This would have been an unbelievable “We had a solid playoffs. We just couldn’t quite pull it together here at the year. We were one of the best teams in the league the whole year and end. nobody could come see us play. They missed out on that. “We had a lot of fun this year and we did a lot of good things. It’s great to “Hopefully we can replicate that and create that excitement, and people see our young guys grow and become elite players. It’s only going to get have a lot of fun around here. Because that’s what I’m hoping that we better here in Carolina.” can provide.” The handshake line after the game was prolonged, as the players paused to speak and patted each other on the chest. Brind’Amour took several moments speaking to Vasilevskiy. News Observer LOADED: 06.10.2021 “I’ve been around a long time and I’ve seen a lot of goalies that are good, but he’s as good as anybody I’ve ever seen,” Brind’Amour said. “And how he affects the team and how they can play. That’s kind of what I told him. And it’s true.”

The Canes scored four goals on Vasilevskiy in Game 4, which made him uncomfortable, but lost 6-4. The 2021 Vezina Trophy finalist -- and likely favorite -- was back on his game Tuesday.

“He makes it look easy,” Brind’Amour said.

Vasilevskiy’s save on Trocheck at 3:18 of Tuesday’s second period was a game-changer. Had the Canes broken through shorthanded for the first goal of the game, PNC Arena would have erupted and the Canes could have played from in front.

Instead, Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point scored on the power play. And he did it with a crafty little move, faking a forehand, toe-dragging the puck and then lifting a backhander past goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, who Brind’Amour gave the start after Petr Mrazek started the two games in Tampa.

When Ross Colton scored in the third period, with Vasilevskiy unflappable in net and the Lightning limiting the Canes’ offensive chances, Tampa Bay was able to ruggedly lock it down. It’s on to the NHL semifinals for a team capable and talented enough -- with Nikita Kucherov in the lineup -- to make it back-to-back titles.

The Canes were left badly disappointed. Center Sebastian Aho, ever competitive, took the series loss hard and refused any notion of the Canes taking a “step forward” this season.

“It doesn’t feel like that right now,” Aho said. “We had, in our minds, something different than this. I thought we were ready to take the next step. The next step is to be the best, right?” 1189475 Carolina Hurricanes I’m seeing far too many comments, presumably from people who might not follow the Canes closely, saying the biggest issue is still the lack of a “No. 1 goalie.” I’m not saying Alex Nedeljkovic was the Hurricanes’ best The Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup window is open, so what’s next? Five player through the playoffs, but the Canes scored only six goals in five priorities for a critical offseason games with him in net. Take away Game 4 and that’s two goals in four games. Nedeljkovic is known for his goalie goals in the minors, and he might already have a primary assist on a regular-season game-winner, but even he can’t fix the Canes’ playoff scoring woes. By Sara Civian My sense among the organization is that the Hurricanes now have their Jun 9, 2021 “guy” in Nedeljkovic — they rolled with him in an elimination game, after all, and he was fine. He is a Calder Trophy finalist coming off a fantastic season under odd circumstances, recency bias and first-ever NHL playoff The Hurricanes’ third consecutive playoff run is over, ending Tuesday in run aside. He’s also a restricted free agent under team control, whereas Game 5, Round 2, at the hands of the defending champion Lightning. Petr Mrazek and James Reimer are set to become free agents. This time around, the lingering feelings are a mixed bag of optimism for the future and disappointment in a team that seemed primed to take the Considering everything else the Canes need to get done, I don’t think next step. they re-sign Mrazek. And while I sort of hope Reimer gets to live his best life in Toronto with Steve Dangle, I think it’d be smart for the Canes to re- “I’m always proud of these guys, that’s the thing that’s great,” coach Rod sign him as a backup. The jury’s out on that decision, but I have a strong Brind’Amour said postgame. “You come to work and you have a group of sense Nedeljkovic is the starter. people that just leave it out there. That’s what they did tonight. Everybody was just going so hard. But we’re obviously disappointed. This is not 3. Re-sign Hamilton — or come up with something else what we started out to have. We wanted to win it all. It’s tough. I think The Dougie Hamilton contract situation warrants a novel of its own, and everyone’s disappointed right now, but I’m always proud of the group. we’ll get much deeper into it soon. But my bare-bones opinion is this: It’s When we started this three years ago, it was to get relevant and expect not that he doesn’t deserve Alex Pietrangelo’s $61.6 million, seven-year to win, and we do now. And then to be proud of what we’re doing. I think contract, but sometimes I wonder if even Pietrangelo deserves that deal we’ve done that. in these times. “There’s that next step we’ve got to find. That’s what’s left.” I don’t know. As always, Down Goes Brown had me second-guessing So how do they get there? It all starts with what promises to be a lively everything I believe with one tweet: offseason for the Canes. Here are their main priorities: Yet Vegas is still alive and the Canes delivered a goose egg when facing 1. Sign Brind’Amour, key staff members elimination.

After the Hurricanes’ season ended, un-signed Brind’Amour was asked In a vacuum, I think Hamilton’s value falls somewhere in between sort of in a tongue-in-cheek way if he plans on being the coach of the Pietrangelo’s number and Torey Krug’s seven-year, $45.5 million deal. Hurricanes next season. I don’t envy the Hurricanes front office in deciding if that price and term He laughed, aware of all the speculation, then said, “Yeah, I hope so.” make sense for this specific team. But Hamilton has been one of the biggest factors in the Hurricanes going from “cursed” offensively to all of While the response was obviously meant to match the tone of the a sudden scoring goals. Brind’Amour, the longtime coach of the question, it reminded us of the dynamic of the situation. The ball is in the Hurricanes power play, points directly to increase in talent for the reason Hurricanes’ court. the power play has suddenly become good.

Part of the hold up in the Hurricanes re-signing the Jack Adams Award I’m not saying they have to sign Hamilton, but if they can get him for front-runner is that he wants to bring the band back together and make around Krug’s price, they absolutely should. And if they don’t sign him, sure the rest of the coaching staff gets paid fairly. Another hold up is that they’d better have a backup plan. although he’s not going anywhere else (sorry, Buffalo), he deserves fair pay, too. To exploit Brind’Amour’s allegiance to the Hurricanes would be 4. Pick one (or two): McGinn, Martinook, Foegele, Paquette? a terrible look for this front office. The Canes have a lot of big stuff to take care of this offseason — sign The Canes should also look to erase the questionable vibe created when two goalies, sign Hamilton or do something that will make the fan base they signed color commentator Tripp Tracy to a one-year contract at a 70 forgive them for not signing Hamilton, sign RFA Andrei Svechnikov. percent pay cut. They did this in the face of uncertainty, and this is what When teams go from making the playoffs to expecting to win in the Waddell told me at the time: playoffs, they just can’t have the fourth line operating on a payroll “The problem now is: Who knows what’s going to happen next year?” hovering around $2 million per player. For context, the Lightning have Waddell said. “The way I’ve done these contracts is base-by-base, (the Blake Coleman on a $1.8 million AAV, Barclay Goodrow at $925,000, Pat main difference being) playing games with no fans and playing games Maroon at $900,000, Ross Colton on his ELC — and this team is with fans. No one knows what’s going to happen here. We can’t pay famously over the cap. everyone their whole salary if we don’t play hockey again next season.” Carolina probably has to go with Warren Foegele considering he’s an That was totally fair, but there are fans now, and kudos to the Canes for RFA, but he’s already at a $2.15 million AAV. Brock McGinn’s at $2.1 making that happen. The pandemic pay cut multiple sources confirmed to million, Jordan Martinook’s at $2 million and Cedric Paquette’s at $1.65 me makes you wonder what’s next, who else took huge pay cuts and million. who might not be willing to take one for the team when better Again, I don’t envy making this decision, but Brind’Amour of all people opportunities arise next season. has the utmost respect for McGinn for a reason — tough as nails, scores There are certain financial realities about working for a small-market tough goals on the road in the playoffs. He’s a perfect fourth-liner. team that are unavoidable, number one being you could almost certainly 5. Sign Svechnikov make more money elsewhere. This is understood, and the positive side of that is knowing if some of the staff is taking below their market value, This is obviously going to happen, but when it happens it’ll be a relief and it’s because they genuinely love working for the organization, the vision then the Canes can put all their focus into the surrounding pieces. for the future and their colleagues.

The Hurricanes’ on-ice success speaks for itself. But it’s a fine line between the financial savvy it takes to win consistently in a small market The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 and disrespect. And for more than one Hurricanes employee with contract negotiations coming up, it isn’t even about the money — it’s about the respect.

2. Figure out the goaltending direction, act accordingly 1189476 Carolina Hurricanes Brind’Amour kept coming back to Aho’s words in his own press conference.

“I’m glad he would say that,” Brind’Amour said. “You certainly don’t want ‘It’s not a step forward’: Disappointed Sebastian Aho breaks fourth wall to be satisfied because that’s not it. We were here to try to win. I love that as Hurricanes’ season ends that’s what he said because we fell short of that. I think in looking just at him, he took a big step this year. He went toe to toe with one of the best players in the game this series, and I thought was right there with him. By Sara Civian That’s where he took a step forward. I love that he’s all in to just win. That’s what we need around here, for sure.” Jun 9, 2021 “… What I love about (Aho) is that he wants to win. It’s all about winning

the Stanley Cup. That’s it.” On the CVS receipt-sized list of things I won’t miss about video call Anything short of that is a disappointment to a choked-up Aho and interviews, not being able to read the room ranks No. 1. maybe to a fanbase whose expectations have been rightfully higher after If you’ve read my stuff over the past three seasons (thank you), I hope a Central Division regular season championship (please, no banners) you can tell how much I’ve cherished the relationships I’ve made and and a young core getting more experience. We’ll get to the road ahead personalities I’ve met while covering the Hurricanes — the friends we’ve tomorrow, but let’s put this season to rest first. made along the way, if you will. It’s been the joy of my career to attempt Postgame Observations to uncover new tidbits about the Justin Williamses and the Rod Brind’Amours while witnessing the Andrei Svechnikovs and Sebastian • The things everyone saw coming but nobody could stop finally proved Ahos form their own stories in front of our eyes. I didn’t realize how easy I fatal for the Canes: Special teams, world-class goaltending, wasted had it back in the day, or how lucky I was to get backstage access to the opportunities and failing to score first. Sometimes it really is that simple. little moments — and I seriously wasn’t prepared for how much it would Game 5 was as surgical as it needed to be from Tampa’s standpoint — affect something as simple as a postgame column. squeeze the Canes’ energy out after their best period (first) with nothing to show, grind them down and score on the power play before the Throughout the Hurricanes’ third consecutive playoff run — that ended in second period expires, capitalize on a small, late-game error and make it Round 2, via a 2-0, Game 5 loss to the Lightning on Tuesday — I’d been seem gigantic. Oh, and do all that while allowing nothing. Brind’Amour searching so hard for the little moments to no avail. It was such a weird told Andrei Vasilevskiy (29 saves) in the handshake line that he’s as juxtaposition, in a season filled with such resolve and emotion, to have to good as any goalie he’s ever seen. I’m still thinking about Brind’Amour’s ask about it all through a computer that more often than not had an answer to NHL.com’s Tracy Myers, when she asked what, exactly, he unignorably bad WiFi connection. said.”I’ve been around a long time, that’s kind of what I said. I’ve seen a I don’t know if Aho realized it in the moment, but his postgame presser lot of goalies that were good, but he’s as good as anyone that I’ve ever actually broke through the video call wall, which has become a bit of a seen,” he said. “I go back to Dominik Hasek and how he affects the team fourth wall, and he said much more than he thought he did. the way they can play. He makes it look easy. Dominik Hasek made it look hard. We had a lot of great looks tonight, and they looked like A transcript: nothing because he was in the right place or whatever. That’s what I told him.” Is this a step forward?: “I don’t know. It doesn’t feel like that right now. We had, in our minds, something different than this. I thought we were • The Canes are one step closer, but this series showed they still aren’t ready to take the next step. The next step is to be the best, right? A lot of quite there. How do they get there? The most important question for the good things. I’m proud of the effort. I love the group. I enjoyed this year Hurricanes this offseason is honestly weighing themselves against their with these guys, but at the same time it’s not a step forward because we playoff opponents and not asking — how do you get there? — but asking didn’t get the ultimate goal.” how you get beyond it. It sort of felt like the Lightning were able to solve the Hurricanes surgically because the Canes were just playing to match What does it feel like, then? “It feels pretty bad right now. I don’t know. the Lightning and survive. You can’t blame them, but you do wonder Maybe tomorrow or in two days I can give you a better answer, but I feel what their “Oh, I’m good enough to win a Cup” moment will really be. not good right now. It sucks. But it is what it is.” Let’s remember it took the Lightning getting swept in the first round. It On the difference in the two teams that eventually lost it for the Canes: feels like the Canes have something special brewing they haven’t yet “It’s such a small margin. Games could go either way. But if I had to say figured out how to ferment into their own brand. They’re young, and one, it’s got to be the special teams. Today they got a power-play goal, they’ll get there, but right now some of their passes and plays feel too and that’s the game-winning goal. We didn’t get any. That’s the game. easy to read to actual Cup contenders. You saw it in the way the The guys who play on the power play and penalty kill, it needs to be Lightning adjusted their penalty kill like it was nothing halfway through the better. That’s probably the top PK in the league, but guess what. They’re series, and the Canes suddenly couldn’t connect on the power play. the defending champs, and it’s a pretty good run they’re making right Whatever that is, it isn’t about a certain goalie or a certain top six now. Those are the things where you’ve got to be better, for myself acquisition or any perceived “hole.” At this point, it’s about how to put it today. It’s one part of the game if the team wants to win, I’m one of those all together to be less predictable to the top dogs. guys who plays a lot of special teams. I’ve got to be better.” • I polled 3,171 of my lovely Twitter followers before the game, and 83 As great as Jordan Staal has been on and off the ice as the Hurricanes’ percent of you said Alex Nedeljkovic should start in net, while 17 percent captain, he’s got the perspective of a Cup-winning veteran, and he’s of you said Petr Mrazek should start. Shout out to those of you who much more of a do-er than a talker. That’s fine, and he’s had an amazing replied “James Reimer” for making me feel bad. Regardless, season by any account. His postgame interview wasn’t fluff, and it wasn’t Brind’Amour, goalie coach Paul Schonfelder and company agreed with a lie — he’s super even-keeled, and he genuinely believes this team will you — and everyone was right. This postseason didn’t end because the win it all, eventually — he sees beyond himself. Canes “need a No. 1 goalie” — they’ve finally found him in Nedeljkovic, I think — even if Nedeljkovic isn’t fully there yet. He will be next playoffs, That’s exactly what the young Hurricanes need to balance out the and we’ll look back and remember how it all started when the Canes uncertainty and inner turmoil. But after this playoff run, and after a gave him the playoff experience he’s absolutely going to need. season that was somehow so emotional and so cold at the same time, the people needed humanity. • Hot take? I don’t know. Brett Pesce was the best Hurricanes player in these playoffs. I refuse to elaborate for dramatic effect, but if you ask me The most positive takeaway from this arguably disappointing playoff run why I think this in the comments I’ll give you a 300-plus word answer. was Aho’s negativity. • Vincent Trocheck wasn’t lying when he said he’d run through a brick Six goals and 11 points in 11 games, a few tussles he initiated himself wall for Brind’Amour. The end-of-season list of injuries and surgeries when he took exception to shots at his teammates and a teary-eyed hasn’t been revealed yet, but, how do I put this? Multiple sources tell me press conference. This bizarre situation showed us that the passion and it took a serious belief in the team and desire to win to play through what competitiveness we’ve always sort of thought Aho had is legit. Trocheck played through. He didn’t just play through it either, he was one of the best on the ice — he laid a huge hit on Anthony Cirelli in the first. You think of the way he’s played since he became a Cane, and you just have to tip your hat.

• To the outside media members that came at Hurricanes fans for, uhh, cheering on the team after *gestures toward a year of actual Hell on Earth*, I will put this as kindly as my Bostonian ass possibly can: Please, just shut up. I will also leave you with this, from the first playoff game at PNC Arena: “That’s why you play. You kinda forgot about it, cuz you haven’t had it for so long. I think the guys were just, like, wow. And I think the people just needed something to cheer about. We had a year-and-a- half worth of just junk thrown at everybody. They let it all out last night. That’s what it felt like. Yeah, they’re cheering for us, but they were just cheering that they got to go outside, root for a team and have a sense of, OK, this is kind of normal again. Forget about all the crap that’s gone on. It’s just, hey, we’re here to enjoy ourselves, and that’s what life is about. We can do it in an environment with people you love and care about, and what the heck? Why wouldn’t you? I think it just all came out last night.”I don’t know who needs to hear this, but being negative doesn’t mean you’re smarter or better than anyone else. I don’t want to go back to normal after COVID-19 — I want us to celebrate every darn thing worth celebrating. If you wake up and get out of bed tomorrow, I’m clapping for you. But I’m definitely not doing the wave.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189477 Chicago Blackhawks

Lukas Reichel, the Chicago Blackhawks’ 1st-round pick in 2020, reaches terms on a 3-year contract

By PHIL THOMPSON

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

JUN 09, 2021 AT 2:41 PM

The Chicago Blackhawks reached terms with 2020 first-round draft pick Lukas Reichel on a three-year deal, the team announced Wednesday.

The contract, which runs through 2023-24, carries a $925,000 annual salary-cap hit.

The 19-year-old forward, selected 17th in last year’s draft, had 10 goals and 17 assists in 38 games for Eisbären Berlin this season. He recorded two goals and three assists during Eisbären’s nine-game run to the championship in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), Germany’s top professional league.

“Lukas made tremendous strides in his second year as a professional,” said Stan Bowman, Hawks president of hockey operations and general manager. “The game appeared to slow down for him this past season, which allowed his playmaking skills to be on full display.

“Bringing him over to North America is the logical next step for his continued development, and we’re excited to be able to add such a young, dynamic player to our forward group.”

Reichel is a key piece to the Hawks’ rebuild. They have talked about his flexibility to man either the center or wing positions as well as his natural playmaking ability.

They hoped with more time in Europe he would get bigger and stronger and mature as a player.

The Hawks have been eager to move him up the pipeline, though he’s not assured a spot on next season’s roster. AHL affiliate Rockford could be an option if he doesn’t acclimate quickly.

“He still has hockey left to go,” Bowman said during exit interviews in May, “but he’s a player we’d like to get over here to North America. Whether he’s in Chicago or not, we’ll see. But he had a great season, so pretty optimistic about his potential, whether it’s next year or the year after.”

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189478 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks officially sign top prospect Lukas Reichel to 3-year contract

By Ben Pope@BenPopeCST

Jun 9, 2021, 2:00pm CDT

Reichel signed his three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Hawks on Wednesday, shortly after Germany’s run at the World Championships ended Sunday — as the Chicago Sun-Times reported last month he would.

His new contract carries a $925,000 cap hit through 2024.

“Lukas made tremendous strides in his second year as a professional,” Hawks general manager Stan Bowman said in a statement. “The game appeared to slow down for him this past season, which allowed his play- making skills to be on full display. Bringing him over to North America is the logical next step for his continued development and we’re excited to be able to add such a young, dynamic player to our forward group.”

The 19-year-old forward — the Hawks’ top prospect and 17th overall pick in last year’s draft — followed up an excellent season with Eisbaren Berlin with another strong performance in the World Championships.

Germany went 4-3 in the group stage and eliminated Switzerland in the quarterfinals before losing to Finland in the semifinals and to the U.S. in the bronze-medal game. Reichel had six points (two goals and four assists) in nine games, good for third on the team.

Reichel will arrive in North America next season having bulked up to 176 pounds (and counting) and showing potential to transition to a center. His Berlin coach, Serge Aubin, moved him to center for much of this past season and saw him thrive there, scoring 27 points in 38 regular-season games and five points in nine postseason games en route to the German league title.

“I used him as a [first]-line player,” Aubin said last month. “His skating this year was even better than last year. He’s really an elite skater. And his decision-making was also better. We could see a lot of growth.”

Reichel’s agent, Allain Roy, described Reichel’s development as like “a boy playing in a men’s league” in 2019-20 versus “a man against men” in 2020-21. Roy also said in May he and Bowman expected to settle Reichel’s first contract after the World Championships concluded, and he wasted no time.

Whether Reichel will start the 2021-22 season immediately playing in the NHL remains to be determined, though. He’ll be given every opportunity to prove he should stick with the Hawks, but his acclimation could be aided by at least a couple months in the AHL.

Competition will be fierce for NHL roster spots, too, as the Hawks currently are staring down a logjam of forwards with incoming youngsters Reichel and Henrik Borgstrom only adding to the overload.

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189479 Chicago Blackhawks

2020 first-round pick Reichel signs 3-year deal with Blackhawks

John Dietz

Follow @johndietzdh

Updated 6/9/2021 2:26 PM

After Lukas Reichel was selected 17th overall by the Blackhawks in last year's draft, the German forward hoped to begin his NHL career when the 2021-22 season rolled around.

That dream moved one step closer to reality Wednesday when the 19- year-old inked a three-year, entry-level deal with the Hawks. It carries a $925,000 cap hit.

Mark Kelley, the Hawks Vice President of Amateur Scouting, said last year he believes Reichel can develop into a top-six forward who could play on a line with players like Patrick Kane, Kirby Dach and Alex DeBrincat.

President of hockey operations and general manage Stan Bowman said in a statement: "Lukas made tremendous strides in his second year as a professional. The game appeared to slow down for him this past season, which allowed his playmaking skills to be on full display."

The 6-foot, 170-pounder had 2 goals and 3 assists in nine playoff games while helping Eisbaren Berlin capture the 2021 championship in Germany's top league, the DEL. He added 10 goals and 17 assists in 38 regular-season games.

Reichel also helped lead Germany to a fourth-place finish in the recently completed World Championships by scoring 2 goals and notching 4 assists.

Reichel will speak with reporters at 11 a.m. Friday.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189480 Chicago Blackhawks Strome started the season as the No. 1 center. By season’s end, he wasn’t even in the top four as he was leapfrogged by Suter and Kurashev, along with the returning Dach and the stalwart Kampf. Blackhawks protected list: Who’s staying and who could be picked by the Strome’s offensive upside is both substantial and proven, but he has to Kraken in the expansion draft? earn back coach Jeremy Colliton’s trust in order to get the role, the minutes and the linemates he needs to succeed.

If they feel he’s not a fit for the future, it’s conceivable the Blackhawks By Mark Lazerus could move Strome, who will be a restricted free agent after next season. But there’s no way they let him go for nothing. He’ll be protected. Jun 9, 2021 5. Brandon Hagel

Hagel’s name certainly never came up when doing these protected We’re less than six weeks away from the July 17 deadline for teams to projections last season or even at the start of this season. But Hagel submit their protected lists for the Seattle expansion draft. And the burst onto the scene as both a fan and coach favorite as a rookie — the Blackhawks’ plans are becoming more and more clear. Ish. embodiment of the relentless, energetic style Colliton harps on. His Brent Seabrook’s unofficial retirement made Stan Bowman’s job a lot numbers are modest (nine goals and 15 assists in 52 games), but with easier in regard to the expansion draft — the Blackhawks will almost his speed and hustle, he was a chance-generating machine. In one certainly protect seven forwards and three defensemen rather than eight shortened season, Hagel entrenched himself as a big piece of the long- total skaters — but there’s still some intrigue about who will be left term picture in Chicago. exposed to the Kraken. As Bowman has repeatedly said, the only thing 6. Alex Nylander he knows for sure is that he’s going to lose a player to Seattle. It won’t be a top guy, but it almost certainly will be a player of some significance. Go ahead, let it out. Run into the comments section and vent, if you must, then come back. I’ll wait. Let’s start by getting the knowns out of the way before we dive into the unknowns. All first- and second-year pros are exempt and ineligible to be OK, now that you got that out of your system, Nylander is a no-brainer to taken by Seattle. So neither you nor Bowman has to worry about protect. He’s 23, carries a top-10 draft pedigree and was the Blackhawks’ forwards Kirby Dach, Dominik Kubalik, Pius Suter, Philipp Kurashev, fifth-most productive forward at five-on-five during an oftentimes Mike Hardman, Mackenzie Entwistle and Reese Johnson or defensemen maddening 2019-20 season, with more goals (10) than DeBrincat, Adam Boqvist, Ian Mitchell, Wyatt Kalynuk, Nicolas Beaudin and Alec Strome and Dach. Yes, it’s harder to envision where he’ll slot into the Regula, along with a host of other mid- to low-level prospects. lineup now that players such as Suter, Hagel and Kurashev have established themselves, and with Lukas Reichel and Henrik Borgström The Blackhawks also are required to protect Jonathan Toews, Patrick on the way, but talent is talent. And frustrating as he’s been (the motor Kane and Duncan Keith, as all three have no-movement clauses. doesn’t always match the skill), it would be unwise to assume Seattle So here are the NHL-level players Bowman has to make a decision on, would overlook a recent top-10 pick just because he missed last season whether to protect or expose. with an injury. Nylander is expected to be at 100 percent by training camp — and that training camp will be in Chicago, not Seattle. Forwards: Henrik Borgström, Ryan Carpenter, Brett Connolly, Alex DeBrincat, Adam Gaudette, Brandon Hagel, Vinnie Hinostroza, David 7. Henrik Borgström Kampf, Alex Nylander, Brandon Pirri, John Quenneville, Zack Smith and Here’s where things get really difficult. If it were up to me, I’d protect Dylan Strome Adam Gaudette here. Maybe his ceiling isn’t quite as high as Defensemen: Calvin de Haan, Connor Murphy, Riley Stillman, Nikita Borgström’s, but his floor is substantially higher (we don’t know if Zadorov Borgström is even an NHL player at this point), and if Gaudette really got his stomach issue under control and can put on some weight and Goaltenders: Collin Delia, Kevin Lankinen, Malcolm Subban strength, he could become a valuable player for the Blackhawks. He frequently looked pretty darn good during his seven-game stint following Seattle will have an exclusive negotiating window with any unrestricted his bout with COVID-19 and subsequent trade from Vancouver, with a free agents, and should they sign one, that will count as their expansion goal and three assists. draft selection. This has little bearing on the Blackhawks as only Hinostroza, Pirri, Quenneville and Smith (who’s injured) are UFAs, and If it were up to only Colliton, he’d probably lean toward protecting Kampf, none of those players is likely to draw the Kraken’s interest. his defensive security blanket and one of the only Blackhawks forwards who can win a faceoff (though he was dismal at draws on the penalty kill, With all that prologue out of the way, let’s break down the players which are the most important ones). Chicago is likely to protect, starting with the seven forwards: But it’s ultimately Bowman’s call, and I think he’ll go with Borgström, who 1. Patrick Kane he acquired from Florida ahead of the trade deadline. Borgström is one Duh. of those first-round reclamation projects that Bowman loves (think Strome, Nylander, Slater Koekkoek and several others), and his skill 2. Jonathan Toews level is tantalizing, even if his NHL track record isn’t. The Blackhawks signed Riley Stillman to a three-year deal, but Borgström was the Despite missing the entire 2020-21 season with an undisclosed health centerpiece of the deal for Bowman. He’s not going to risk losing the kid issue, the Blackhawks are required to protect Toews. Toews’ health is before he even gets a chance to bring him over from Europe. indeed improving, and the Blackhawks are optimistic he’ll be back in the lineup next season. And no, Bowman isn’t going to ask Toews to waive Now to the blue line: his no-movement clause so he can be exposed in order to protect another player. Please stop asking me that on Twitter. 1. Duncan Keith

3. Alex DeBrincat He might not be 2010 or 2015 Keith, but he’s still a reliable, minutes- eating defenseman who has evolved into an important mentor for the Kane finished fifth in the league in points, but you can make a strong Blackhawks’ bevy of young blueliners. He’s not going anywhere, nor argument DeBrincat was the Blackhawks’ best player this season. His should he. shooting percentage rebounded in a big way (from 8.7 to 20.6 percent, with 32 goals in 52 games) and he evolved into a two-way force, even 2. Connor Murphy becoming one of the team’s top penalty killers by the end of the season. On a great team, Murphy is probably a No. 3 defenseman, a Niklas With a $6.4 million cap hit over the next two seasons, DeBrincat’s a Hjalmarsson-type doing all the defensive dirty work while the top-pair bargain, even in a flat-cap world. guys run wild offensively with favorable matchups. On the Blackhawks, 4. Dylan Strome Murphy is the clear-cut No. 1. He’s gotten better every year, and at 28, is in the prime years for defensemen. Strome is the most intriguing forward on the team this offseason as his role diminished greatly this season. With Toews and Dach both out, 3. Nikita Zadorov Zadorov was this year’s Nylander, a polarizing figure whose performance didn’t warrant the outside outrage. Without question, with the puck on his stick, Zadorov was a turnover waiting to happen — hesitant, risky, sometimes calamitous. But Zadorov was a solid defender, effective at breaking up entries and separating opponents from the puck with his physical play.

Two team sources suggested that the Blackhawks have occasionally wavered on their long-term commitment to Zadorov, who is an RFA and will be looking for a raise from his expiring $3.2 million AAV deal. Early in the season, the Blackhawks saw Zadorov as a huge piece moving forward. By the middle of the season, they were contemplating letting him walk. But a solid close to the season has the Blackhawks looking to re- sign him.

Could he be moved anyway? Sure. Could he end up in Seattle anyway? Sure. And such a trade would eliminate the risk of losing Stillman (a similar if less established player to Zadorov, but younger and cheaper), which is not something the Blackhawks would be happy about. But the Blackhawks are going to want something in exchange and would be content to keep him in the fold if nothing materializes. With so many 5- foot-11, 170-pound, offensive-minded young defensemen in the system, Zadorov and Murphy can be the bruising, defensive-minded pairing the Blackhawks need. Yes, at some point the Blackhawks will need to clear space on the blue line so they can get more than one or two youngsters in the lineup at a time — and losing de Haan to Seattle would open things up in that regard — but with the AHL returning to a normal schedule next season, guys such as Mitchell and Beaudin could benefit from developing in Rockford a little while.

In goal, the choice is easy. The Blackhawks will protect Lankinen and hope Seattle’s slew of goalies to choose from will allow them to keep Subban as the No. 2, with Delia in the mix as well.

So here’s the protection projection, leaving Gaudette, Kampf and de Haan as the likeliest to be lost to Seattle. Will the Kraken be looking for a veteran defenseman to provide a stabilizing presence on the blue line? Then de Haan could be their guy, though one league source suggested Seattle feels it has better defensive options elsewhere. Will they be looking for a cheap, reliable defensive option, because even expansion teams need role players who can kill penalties? Then maybe Kampf (or even Ryan Carpenter) could be their selection. Or are they looking for promise and untapped potential? Then Gaudette would be the smart pick.

We’ll finally know for sure next month.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189481 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights Game 6: Three keys for Colorado

By MIKE CHAMBERS | [email protected] | The Denver Post

June 9, 2021 at 5:37 p.m.

LAS VEGAS — The Avalanche visits the Vegas Golden Knights for Game 6 of their second-round series on Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena (7 p.m. MT, NBCSN).

Three keys for Colorado, which trails 3-2:

Play your game. The Avs returned to their identity in Game 5’s 3-2 overtime loss, and if it weren’t for two third-period turnovers that led directly to Vegas goals, overtime would not have been required and Colorado would have the 3-2 series lead. Turnovers aside, the Avs were sharp in all areas — zone exits, flow through the middle of the ice and significant possession time in the offensive zone. And they would have drawn more penalties if the officials called a tighter game. The Avs were just as physical as the Knights, who play a heavy game, and they won a significant amount of puck battles. If Colorado can again play to its fast- paced, in-your-face identity — and limit turnovers — Game 7 could happen.

Release MacKinnon and Co. Nathan MacKinnon has the ability to win games on his own. But the Avs have lost three straight partly because their star center hasn’t been himself. In Games 3, 4 and 5, MacKinnon is pointless with just nine shots. He often produces nine shots in a game. But he’s not the only frustrated offensive weapon on this team. Winger Andre Burakovsky, still goal-less in the postseason, has no shots in the last two games and just four in the series. And winger Gabe Landeskog has not produced a shot in regulation in the last three games. Vegas is a fabulous defensive team that has frustrated most of the Avs’ top players. If that continues Thursday, the chances of a Game 7 are slim.

Get shots through. Vegas blocked 26 shots in Game 5, compared to 11 for the Avalanche. That supports which team had more puck possession in the offensive zone. But the Avs need to capitalize on an advantage like that — just like the Knights did in Games 3 and 4 — and get pucks on net to force goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to make the save or get redirections from teammates. Avalanche defensemen have to be more aware of what’s going to be blocked — or dump it in the corner or carom it off the end boards and make Vegas’ defensemen work. Vegas’ game-winning goal Tuesday came off Ryan Graves’ two consecutive blocked shots — the latter from defenseman Alex Pietrangelo — and it fed the Knights’ strong transition game with Mark Stone winning a foot race with Graves and scoring on the breakaway.

Denver Post: LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189482 Colorado Avalanche “I thought Nate was pretty good (on Tuesday); he took a big step forward,” Bednar said. “I think he’s putting too much pressure on himself and is a little antsy with the puck. … I think he’s ready to break out this Another year, another must-win second-round Game 6: Avalanche heads next game.” to Vegas with season on the line Landeskog didn’t even have a shot on goal in Games 3-4 and regulation of Game 5. Bednar said he met with the Avalanche captain before Tuesday’s match. By RYAN O’HALLORAN | [email protected] | The Denver Post “I think he’s really fired up,” Bednar said. “I thought (his) line was outstanding. They were all over (Vegas).” PUBLISHED: June 9, 2021 at 2:59 p.m. | UPDATED: June 9, 2021 at 3:01 p.m. Create more than one power play like in Games 4-5. Be smarter with the puck and not commit own-zone turnovers. And get regular season-type production from MacKinnon and Landeskog. That’s the formula to force a Game 7. For the third consecutive postseason, the Avalanche faces a must-win Game 6 in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. “I’m as encouraged after (Tuesday) night’s game as I was at 2-2,” Bednar said. “If we can go and play the same type of game and just manage the Two years ago, the Avalanche had 18,006 home fans helping propel it to puck a couple percent better, we’re going to give ourselves a good a 4-3 overtime win over San Jose. chance to win. If we do that, we’re coming home for Game 7.” Last August, the Avalanche played a “road” game against Dallas in the

Edmonton bubble (attendance: none) and won 4-1. Denver Post: LOADED: 06.10.2021 But Thursday night’s assignment against Vegas is different and steeper. The Avs must win at the Golden Knights’ madhouse-of-a-home-rink, have lost three consecutive games and can’t get their top players out of their scoring funks.

No matter, the Avalanche chartered to Las Vegas Wednesday afternoon believing its Game 5 form (3-2 overtime loss) can carry over and optimistic Nathan MacKinnon and Gabe Landeskog (combined two assists in last four games) are close to busting out.

“We’re a really good hockey team, they’re a really good hockey team and you have to lay it all on the line, play your game, play fearless and the chips will fall where they fall,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “We know it’s not going to be easy. We don’t expect it to be easy. We have to go and earn it.

“I believe we can get it done. I’ve seen our guys step up in big moments and none is bigger than this one.”

A Vegas win sends the Knights to the conference finals against Montreal.

An Avalanche win sends the series home Saturday for Game 7.

“Our team has a really good mindset,” Avs defenseman Cale Makar said. “There are still two games left and that’s the way we’re looking at it. We’re just excited to get this next one going.”

In order to get his club going, Bednar made undisclosed tactical adjustments before Game 4 and on-display changes in Game 5, re- setting all four forward lines. He liked the steps forward in Sunday’s 5-1 loss that evened the series and really liked the strides in Game 5 even though the Avs threw away a 2-0 lead.

“Definitely another big step (Tuesday),” Bednar said. “I don’t see any reason why our team can’t play with the same attack mentality that we had last night and go in there and get the job done.”

Said rookie winger Alex Newhook: “A big focus going into (Game 5) was being the aggressor and I thought we did a good job at getting after pucks and not letting them come after us — we were getting after them. If we can carry that into Vegas and play that game, it will give us a good shot at getting the win.”

The right mentality, right approach, etc., will give the Avalanche a good shot.

But everybody knows what will give the Avs the best shot: Production from MacKinnon and Landeskog.

The NHL’s best line during the regular season, the MacKinnon- Landeskog-Mikko Rantanen trio rolled through St. Louis in the first round. In Games 2-5 against Vegas (1-3 record), Rantanen has two goals and an assist, but MacKinnon and Landeskog have only an assist apiece.

For Game 5, Bednar broke up the line, sending Landeskog to the second unit with winger Valeri Nichushkin and center J.T. Compher. Winger Brandon Saad moved up to the MacKinnon-Rantanen line.

Bednar largely kept MacKinnon away from Vegas’ top line of Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty and Chandler Stephenson. He won’t have that luxury in Game 6 if coach Pete DeBoer seeks that matchup via last change. 1189483 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche’s Cale Makar named Norris Trophy finalist

By RYAN O’HALLORAN | [email protected] | The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: June 9, 2021 at 9:22 a.m. | UPDATED: June 9, 2021 at 1:12 p.m.

The Avalanche’s Cale Makar was one of three finalists named Wednesday for the Norris Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s top defenseman.

The ballots were submitted by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the end of the regular season and Makar is joined by the New York Rangers’ Adam Fox and Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman.

At age 22, Makar is the youngest finalist since 21-year old Erik Karlsson won it for Ottawa in 2012 and only the fourth Avalanche finalist since 1996. Sandis Ozolinsh finished third in 1996-97, Ray Bourque second in 2000-01 and Rob Blake third in 2001-02.

“I think it’s definitely earned,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “He’s developing into a really good all-around player as a defenseman.”

Said Makar: “Obviously, very honored to be recognized as a finalist for that award. To be completely honest, it’s not something at the forefront of my mind now. We’ll worry about that when we get things finished up here.”

The Avalanche trail Vegas 3-2 in the teams’ second-round playoff series. Game 6 is Thursday in Las Vegas.

In his second full season with the Avalanche, Makar had 44 points (eight goals/36 assists) in 44 games — his points-per-game average of 1.00 led all NHL defensemen and was an Avs record.

“The jump in his game has been on the defensive side of it,” Bednar said. “He’s always been able to produce on the offensive side (and) drive the play from the back end, whether he’s leading the rush or joining it. He’s a more consistent and heavier defender for us this year and started to play more situations including time on the penalty kill if his minutes aren’t that high.”

If Makar or the 23-year-old Fox wins the award, they will be the second player to win the Norris in his first or second seasons — Boston’s Bobby Orr won in 1967-68 in his second season (age 19).

Makar, who was the NHL’s top rookie last season, is the second Avalanche player to be named an award finalist — goalie Philipp Grubauer is one of three finalists for the Vezina Trophy.

Two years ago, days after finishing his college season at Massachusetts, Makar debuted for the Avalanche in the playoffs against Calgary. The Avs upset the Flames and then lost to San Jose in seven games. The Sharks’ coach was current Vegas bench boss Pete DeBoer.

“I remember him coming out that year and how impressive he was at that point,” DeBoer said before the Knights-Avalanche series began. “You‘ve seen nothing but growth from his game. For me, he should be in the Norris (Trophy) conversation. He’s one of those generational defenseman that can really do it all — he can defend, he plays offense, he plays both special teams, he can skate for miles and days so minutes are never an issue. Just a rare player.”

Fox led NHL defensemen in assists (42) and points (47) and Hedman was third in points (45) and is a finalist for the fifth consecutive season; he won the Norris in 2017-18.

Denver Post: LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189484 Colorado Avalanche Said DeBoer: “That was vintage Mark Stone because he blocked a shot in our end of the ice first and then got the breakaway and stuck it in the net with a perfect shot. If there is one sequence of plays that defines him, Three Avalanche mistakes, three Vegas goals in Knights’ Game 5 that would be it. Willing to do that grunt work and dirty work around our overtime win net defensively and then obviously the big-time play to win it for us.”

The Knights now head home for a close-out attempt. They led Minnesota 3-1 in the first round, but lost Games 5-6 to the Wild, requiring a Game 7 By RYAN O’HALLORAN | [email protected] | The Denver to advance. Post “You’ve got the Presidents’ Trophy-winning (Avs) on the other side — PUBLISHED: June 9, 2021 at 5:45 a.m. | UPDATED: June 9, 2021 at you look at the numbers, they’re one of the best teams of the last 10-15 8:58 a.m. years,” DeBoer said. “There is going to be push and pull and I thought we did a great job. It wasn’t always perfect, but this is a tough place to win

and our guys really dug in and found a way.” Having survived the second period trailing only 2-0, the Vegas Golden

Knights knew they were fortunate, but also knew they had 20 minutes to rally. Denver Post: LOADED: 06.10.2021 They did just that — quickly, leading to overtime, which they won — quickly.

Two goals in a span of 3:04 in the third period erased the Avalanche’s lead and Mark Stone’s marker 50 seconds into overtime gave the Knights a 3-2 win in Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Vegas leads the teams’ second-round series 3-2 and can wrap it up Thursday at home.

“You knew this wasn’t going to be (like) the last couple games,” said Knights coach Pete DeBoer, referring to the wins in Games 3-4. “We knew there would be moments we had to weather the storm and bend but not break and I thought we did that.”

Said winger Jonathan Marchessault: “We take a lot of pride in being really good in the second period, but (Tuesday), they were really good in the second period. That was their push. We’ve been a team for four years that doesn’t sit back and is resilient. We knew we had a chance if we came out hard in the third period and we did that. Good teams find a way to win a game.”

A breakdown of the Knights’ three goals has a common theme: Mistakes by the Avalanche.

Vegas goal No. 1: Avs winger Andre Burakovsky intercepted a pass by Vegas center Nicolas Roy in the Avalanche’s zone. Burakovsky turned right toward the boards, but instead of pitch-forking it over Roy off the boards or glass and safely into the neutral zone, he attempted a cross- ice pass.

Trouble ensued.

Knights winger Mattias Janmark deflected Burakovsky’s pass to Roy, who centered to a streaking Tuck. The puck hit Tuch’s stick and went into the air, but he was able to bat it under goalie Philipp Grubauer’s right arm.

“That was very lucky,” said Tuch, who hadn’t scored in eight games. “I just tried to break toward the net and (Roy) put it on a platter and I was able to bat it into the net.”

Vegas goal No. 2: Led by winger Gabe Landeskog, the Avalanche had a 4-on-2 into the Knights zone. He had center J.T. Compher setting up for a one-timer and defenseman Ryan Graves open across the ice.

Landeskog’s pass was inaccurate — under the heel of Compher’s stick and off Graves’ right skate. The puck deflected into the neutral zone and was corralled by Knights center William Karlsson. Streaking down the right wing, he cut inside and passed back to Marchessault, who flipped it top shelf for the tie.

Vegas goal No. 3: As Stone would point out post-game, the Avs should have won 10 seconds into overtime, but goalie Marc-Andre Fluery stoned Compher’s rebound shot from the high slot.

At the other end of the ice, Graves’ point shot was first blocked by Stone and a second attempt also hit traffic. The rebound went to Knights winger Max Pacioretty, who back-handed it up ice to Stone.

Stone out-raced Graves and blistered a shot high over Grubauer’s glove side.

“Sometimes when the d-man shoots it like that, he can get flat-footed so I just took off and was fortunate to end the game,” Stone said. 1189485 Colorado Avalanche Colorado roster. MacK snarled disagreement, insisting that when healthy, he liked his team’s chances to win the Stanley Cup.

Well, during three consecutive Vegas victories that have knocked the Avs choking away playoff series against Vegas and biggest gag artist is Avalanche’s swagger on its keister, MacKinnon hasn’t made a peep. He Nathan MacKinnon has failed to tally so much as a single assist, let alone a goal, and played to a minus-3 while taking shifts that have been way too hyper to produce calm and cool efficiency. With the Golden Knights living rent free in By MARK KISZLA | [email protected] | The Denver Post Mack’s head, he needs help. Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar might be stars, but they’ve produced too rare moments of flickering greatness in PUBLISHED: June 9, 2021 at 5:45 a.m. | UPDATED: June 9, 2021 at this series. 8:53 a.m. After working all season to secure home ice throughout the playoffs,

blowing a 2-0 series lead to Vegas would stink. Failure to advance past The Avs skate like champs on the ice and talk like champs in the locker the second round again would begin to reek like the most sour smell in room and look like champs in their burgundy-and-blue sweaters. sports: squandered potential. There’s more than a whiff of suspicion that perhaps Bednar has taken this group as far it can go without a coaching But when NHL postseason pressure ramps up, they play like chumps. change.

The Stanley Cup is not awarded to C-minus hockey students. Blown The Avalanche is a pretty hockey team that has tried for too long to get leads, dumb turnovers and fading stars are not rewarded with by on its good looks. When the going has gotten tough in these playoffs, championships. however, Colorado has looked pretty weak, especially between the ears.

After surrendering the final three goals Tuesday night to Vegas during a Can the Avs grow the mental toughness to win an elimination game on disheartening 3-2 loss, the Avs are now 60 minutes away from being the road between now and when the puck drops in Vegas for Game 6? eliminated from the playoffs and being exposed as a pretty team that tends to be oh-so-pretty vacant between the ears. “We don’t have much of an option,” Landeskog said, “do we?”

What’s wrong with Colorado cannot be fixed on the ice. The Avalanche needs a couch. And a shrink. Denver Post: LOADED: 06.10.2021 The Golden Knights have won three consecutive games and pushed Colorado to the brink of exasperation.

If we ooh, ah and drool over the mad skills of Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, it’s also only fair to acknowledge his disappearing act in this best-of-seven series is due in equal parts to a suffocating Vegas defensive scheme and a choke job by the one player Colorado can least afford to have come up small in big moments.

Whether heaping mounds of tough love on his players or shaking his lines like an Etch a Sketch, coach Jared Bednar has been so full of wrong answers that as we head to the “Final Jeopardy” portion of the Avalanche’s season, maybe he should be barred from the team flight to the Nevada desert for Game 6.

Out of appeals to belly-ache about a well-deserved suspension for a mindless hit during the opening-round series against St. Louis, let’s hope second-line center Nazem Kadri has issued a profound apology to Colorado teammates, especially when you consider his anger management issues could prevent him from playing a single shift against Vegas.

There’s no sound sadder in pro sports than joy slowly hissing from a deflated crowd when the home team loses a playoff game in the oh-so- sudden death of overtime. After Golden Knights winger Mark Stone found nothing except open ice between him and Colorado goalie Philipp Grubauer and hammered the game-winning goal only 50 seconds into the extra period, it felt like a stake through the hearts of 10,495 spectators in Ball Arena.

Fifty seconds? That wasn’t even time enough to properly grieve all the chances Colorado squandered to take a lead significantly larger than 2-0 heading into the final 20 minutes of regulation time. In crunch time, the jittery Avs lost focus in much the same manner an anxious child forgets how to read music at a piano recital.

A mindless turnover by Andre Burakovsky and a careless, cross-ice pass by Gabe Landeskog gift-wrapped golden scoring chances for Alex Tuch and Jonathan Marchessault that allowed Vegas to tie the score during the opening four minutes and seven seconds of the third period. When the stakes were high, the Avs crapped out.

“That makes it sound like the third period was no good. I mean, it was two plays that lasted about 10 seconds,” said Bednar, taking umbrage with my suggestion the Avalanche buried itself with stupid hockey mistakes no championship team makes. “I don’t have a problem with the way we played the third period. I had a problem with the way we managed those two situations.”

A year ago, when the Avs failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs, a long list of injured players missing from the lineup was used as a crutch. After they were eliminated in the NHL bubble by Dallas, I asked MacKinnon if significant changes needed to be made to the 1189486 Colorado Avalanche Niedermayer, John Madden) but a bunch of other really good players as well (Alexander Mogilny, Jason Arnott, Petr Sykora, Scott Gomez, Patrik Elias). The Devils had a reputation as a trap team that took all the Book Excerpt: It was 20 Years Ago Today for Bourque, Avs fun out of offensive-minded hockey, but that 2000–01 squad was the top- scoring team in the NHL.

Without Peter Forsberg in their lineup, because of a ruptured spleen Published 7 hours ago on June 9, 2021 suffered a couple weeks prior, the Avs entered the series as underdogs in the eyes of many hockey pundits, despite home-ice advantage. After By Adrian Dater the Devils won fairly easily in the rubber Game 5 at the Pepsi Center, most everyone (myself included) wrote off the Avs. Hockey writers everywhere were getting ready to write stories comparing Bourque to Twenty years ago, tonight, it finally happened. Ray Bourque, lifting the Ernie Banks, the great Chicago Cub who could never quite get that World Stanley Cup in the final game of his brilliant 22-year NHL career. He did it Series ring. Mission 16W would end at only 14 Ws. as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. In the interest of giving y’all something to feel good about on this awful day-after from a gut-punch The Devils came out looking for the kill in Game 6, just swarming all over Game 5 loss to Vegas, I present a chapter from my 2016 book “100 the Avs in the first 10 minutes of the opening period. At Continental Things Avalanche Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die.” Airlines Arena, the press box was actually in the lower bowl of the building, right across the middle of the ice (that seems comically absurd The chapter is entitled: “Mission 16W; Bourque lifts the Cup, with an in today’s world of huge-money lower-bowl seats) and fans were really assist from Sakic”. letting us Denver media have it—my Denver Post colleague Woody Paige, in particular. Ray Bourque still would call it the greatest assist in hockey history 15 years after it happened, and he was the beneficiary. Earlier in the series, Paige had written a column making fun of New Jersey as a place to live, with Sopranos references and the like, and fans Bourque played his first 21 seasons as a premier NHL defenseman but kept walking up the aisle screaming insults at Paige and anyone else never won hockey’s biggest prize—the Stanley Cup. The first 20-plus who looked like they might be from Denver. Extra security actually had to seasons saw him in Boston, where the Bruins won a lot of games but be called over. never a Cup. But while the rest of the Avs looked ready to just give in to the Devils, After a near-miss at getting one with the Avs in 2000, Bourque signed a Roy refused. He, and he alone, kept the game scoreless entering the late contract for the 2000–01 season and told friends no matter what stages of the period. He stopped Madden on a breakaway, and he happened it would be his last. The Avs of 2000–01 were one of the best stopped Elias on a couple of three-footers in front and other blue-chip teams in NHL history, winning 52 games and breezing to a President’s chances. Trophy. But they needed to win 16 more games for that Cup, and so the slogan “Mission 16W” was born. Then Adam Foote got a little lucky. Coming over the blue line for a slap shot, the normally low-scoring defenseman got a goal when the shot Players wore caps and T-shirts with the inscription, and it became the knuckled a little on goalie Brodeur and past his blocker, far post. official rallying cry for a team that badly wanted to win that first Cup for Bourque—a classy, team-first man who might have been the most Instead of being blown out, the Avs came into the dressing room of a respected player in the league. The first four Ws, against the Vancouver much quieter Continental Airlines Arena thinking, Hey, we can still win Canucks, were easy. The second four, against the Los Angeles Kings, this thing. They did. Ville Nieminen, who blocked a shot and then set up came a lot tougher, with the Avs needing to go to seven games to win Dan Hinote for a great goal in a Game 3 victory, tipped in Martin their Western Conference Semifinals series. Skoula’s shot at 2:28 to make it 2–0. With 1:33 left in the second, Chris Drury scored his 11th goal of the playoffs and third unbelievable goal of The third set of four, against the St. Louis Blues, looked easy on paper, the series. Drury, who scored four goals overall in the Finals, faked the as the Avs won in five games. But Bourque has actually called that series pants off Devils defenders at key moments of the series, highlight-reel one of the toughest he ever played in, and years later he recalled the goals that make for great YouTube watching today. He particularly turned moment in which he said the team faced perhaps its biggest gut check of Devils defenseman Colin White inside out all series, leading to some all. dumb frustration penalties by New Jersey’s snaggle-toothed player. “It was before overtime of Game 4 in St. Louis,” Bourque said. “We When the Avs finished up with a 4–0 win, they knew the series was over. were only up 2–1 in the series and we came into the dressing room tied Or, at least they say that now. 3–3, and we’d had a 3–0 lead in the game. We were on our heels, their crowd was booming, and we’d just lost the previous game in OT. We lose “We weren’t going to lose that Game 7 at home, no way,” Reid said. that game, and now it’s all tied up and they have a ton of momentum, “Everybody was just very, very confident. and that was a real good team.” “Yeah, teams have seemed to struggle on home ice, but I don’t think Not only had the Avs blown the 3–0 lead, they needed a couple miracle that’s going to be a factor next game,” said Sakic, who rarely said saves by Patrick Roy late in the third period, against Scott Young and anything like that. Keith Tkachuk, to even get to OT. It was then that Bourque stood up to make a short speech to the team. While never afraid to speak his mind Sakic, in fact, was so confident he went up to Bourque after Game 6 on as captain of the Bruins, in Colorado Bourque deferred to Avs captain the team plane and tried to tell him of his plans for what he’d do with the Joe Sakic when it came time for big locker room speeches. This time, Stanley Cup when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman handed it to him however, Bourque felt compelled to say something. first—as is tradition. Bourque, though, told Sakic to keep quiet, that there was still another game to win. He didn’t need any jinx at this stage. “He basically just stood up and said, ‘Do we really want this? Because we’re not playing like it, and we’ve got to put a stop to it right now.’ I think But Game 7 would indeed be a coronation for Bourque, an ending every that made guys refocus a little better and we came out and won it pretty player dreams about. Alex Tanguay got the first goal, a bottle-knocker quickly. When it’s Ray Bourque standing up to say something, guys’ ears turnaround wrister from the right side after circling the net, the exact perk up pretty quick,” recalled Avs teammate Dave Reid, another locker- same shot Brodeur thwarted at the end of Game 2, a 2–1 Devils win. room leader who played with Bourque in Boston. Roy had just made his first tough save of the game the shift before, on Indeed, one game after he was the goat (taking too long and getting Gomez, when Hinote made a great play to help set up Tanguay’s goal— stopped on a wide-open short-and-easy shot in OT), Stephane Yelle was a play that didn’t get enough attention at the time. Hinote chipped the the Game 4 hero, tipping in a Rob Blake shot past Roman Turek at 4:37 puck in deep, then beat Stevens to it in the left corner. Brodeur came out for the win. of his net to play the puck deeper into the corner, but that allowed Tanguay to get to it first. He then beat Rafalski around the net with the Only one opponent stood in the way of Bourque getting that elusive puck. Hinote then essentially set a pick on Stevens that prevented him Stanley Cup, and it was a tough one. The New Jersey Devils came into from getting to Tanguay on the other side too. Was it interference? the 2001 Cup Finals as the defending champs, with not only a great core Maybe, but it wasn’t enough to call, and Tanguay’s goal gave the Avs a of veterans who knew how to win (Scott Stevens, Martin Brodeur, Ken lead they never relinquished. Daneyko, Bobby Holik, Brian Rafalski, Randy McKay, Scott The final minutes took forever, with long stops between whistles and lots of icing violations by the Avs, who were just trying to kill the clock with dump-and-change hockey for the final 10 minutes. Rob Blake left the ice with 20 seconds left to let Bourque be on the ice, and as the horn sounded everyone mobbed around him in front of Roy’s net. Roy scooped up the final puck and handed it to Bourque. All that was left was for Bettman to hand the Cup to Sakic. This time, Sakic deferred to Bourque.

“I remember Bettman handed it to me, and I tried to take it right to Ray right away, but Bettman goes, ‘Picture first,’” Sakic recalled. “So when you look at the tape, you see me give this little forced smile, and all the while I’m thinking, ‘Let me get out of here so I can give it to Ray.’ When I was able to hand it to him, it was like time stopped for a second. It was a great, great moment for all of us. We all worked really hard for it.”

One of the most memorable moments from the celebration was seeing tears run down the face of Bourque’s youngest son, Ryan.

“Joe was probably the classiest guy I ever played with,” Bourque said, 15 years later. “He didn’t have to do that, but I’m forever grateful he did. I remember that was the first time I’d actually ever touched the Cup, and I just remember thinking for a second, ‘So this is what it actually feels like. It’s heavier than I thought.'”

Mission 16W had become Mission Accomplished.

Colorado hockey now LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189487 Colorado Avalanche

Avs still have a chance to prove they aren’t just another “pretty, but not gritty” team

Published 13 hours ago on June 9, 2021

By Adrian Dater

Really, the Avs shouldn’t change a thing from Game 5. That’s the only way I think the Avs can beat that team, is to just outwork ’em. Work is what’s going to beat that team, not “talent.”

I can’t stand that word anymore, by the way. Talent. For me, it’s becoming a cursed word to the Avs. Everybody always raves about their “talent”, their “talented core”, their “talented roster.” The way I want to be labeled as a hockey team is “hard-working”, “gritty”, “tough”, “playoff tough.”

Hard work and playoff toughness are what wins this time of year, not “talent.” The Avs did outwork Vegas for most of the hockey game last night. Play that way again, and you have a decent chance of winning. If the Avs try to win on “talent”, it’s going to be “adios, 2021 season.”

Sure, “talent” can get you a great goal now and then, and of course you want that. But it’s hard work over 60 minutes, not a flashy goal or two, that’s going to win you the playoff game.

Make no mistake, there is a lot of pressure on this Avs team. A win, and it’s Game 7 on home ice, the kind of advantage you worked all season to get. A loss?

There will be changes. I know a lot of you will ask “Does that mean with the coaching position too, changes?”

Yeah, it might. I think Jared Bednar is a great guy and a great coach, but Joe Sakic is going to ask himself some questions if this ends again in the second round for a third straight season.

“Do I need a guy who has been there before and maybe a bit of a hardass (Torts, Babcock, Gallant, Boudreau?).”

“This was Jared’s fifth year at the helm. Are guys gonna start tuning him out now?”

The Avs will have cap issues going into next year, and some guys are going to have to go because of money, probably. They’re going to lose a good player to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft.

But forget about those things for a second. The only thing that matters is trying to find a way to steal a Game 6 in Vegas.

“I think the mood is pretty good. We know what we have to do. We have to go into Vegas and win one game,” Bednar said Wednesday. “For us, that’s how we have to play.”

On Nathan MacKinnon, who has been “shut down”, according to the Vegas media, by Mark Stone and Pete DeBoer’s brilliant adjustments.

“I thought Nate was pretty good last night. I think he’s putting a little too much pressure on himself. A little antsy with the puck. I think he’s ready and he’s going to break out in this next game,” Bednar said.

I’ve thought this team was dead and buried before. Like, after Game 5 in the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals, against New Jersey. The Avs lost Game 5 at home to go down 3-2 in the series, and had to go to New Jersey for a Game 6 against the defending Cup champion Devils. Yeah, I thought it was over. But it wasn’t. The Avs gutted out a 4-0 win and came back home and won the whole damn thing.

Right now, it feels hopeless. But it did 20 years ago too. This is a strange game.

Colorado hockey now LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189488 Colorado Avalanche

Cale Makar named a finalist for the Norris Trophy

Published 17 hours ago on June 9, 2021

By Scott MacDonald

Cale Makar has been named a finalist for the Norris Trophy for the first time in his young career.

This is, presumably, the first of many times we’ll see Makar as a nominee/finalist for the award.

The James Norris trophy is “given annually to the defenseman voted to have demonstrated throughout the season the greatest all-around ability at the position.”

Also among the field of finalists are Tampa Bay Lightning D-man Victor Hedman, who has been named a finalist for the fifth consecutive year. He won the award in 2017-18 and has finished third in voting in each of the last two seasons. The 30-year-old defenseman also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the 2020 NHL Playoffs in the Edmonton bubble last year.

Hedman tied for third in scoring with 45 points in 54 games and led all defensemen with 24 power-play points. Hedman also led the Lightning in in ice time, power-play time and was third in short-handed ice time. He helped Tampa Bay finish sixth in goals against per game and fourth on the PK.

New York Rangers D-man Adam Fox is also among the three-player group of Norris finalists. Like Makar, it is his first finalist nomination as well.

Fox, who was a serious contender for the Calder Trophy with Cale Makar last season (but ultimately finished fourth), finished second among NHL D-men with 47 points in 55 games this year. He led the Rangers in ice time per game and was first in power-play ice time, too.

Cale Makar averaged a NHL’s best point-per-game average this season among defensemen, finishing with 44 in 44 games. He also tied for the D-man league lead with three game-winning goals. Makar finished with the team lead in takeaways (32, T-Mikko Rantanen).

Should Makar take the Norris home, he’d be the first defenseman in club history to win it.

Colorado hockey now LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189489 Colorado Avalanche This team, also the Presidents’ Trophy winner, seems to be failing the test of trying to measure up to the 2001 champions. One asterisk is that it predated the salary cap era and loading up a roster was more possible, The Avs have done it before, can they do it again? so direct which-was-better comparisons are perilous and to a point irrelevant.

Granted, sometimes it’s easy to overrate what history and the precedents By Terry Frei of a franchise’s part mean to today’s players. When Ray Bourque took the handoff from Joe Sakic on June 9, 2001, Alex Newhook was 5 June 9, 2021 months old. Cale Makar — named Wednesday as one of three finalists for the Noris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman — was 2. (The other Norris finalists are the Lightning’s Victor Hedman and the Rangers’ OK, Avalanche fans. Adam Fox.) Tyson Jost and Samuel Girard were 3. Even MacKinnon was only 5. Not that you needed it, but now you have my permission to … Makar Wednesday said he was gratified to be a Norris finalist, but noted PANIC! that isn’t a major concern now. Turning to the series, he said no when I’ll stick to this: That reaction was premature before Tuesday night. The asked if the Avs had gotten comfortable after taking the 2-0 lead. Avs’ 3-2 overtime loss at home to Vegas made pressing that panic button “I think maybe just a little bit disconnected as a team and just not working much more justifiable, now that they trail 3-2 in the West Division second- as a unit on the ice,” Makar said. “I think everything’s been kind of round series heading into Game 6 on the road Thursday night. leading up since kind of that third game, we’ve been getting more As long as home-ice held up, as it did through the first four games, the momentum. Especially last night, a couple of bad breaks there. It is what Avs were in control. it is and that’s just the way hockey goes. I feel as a team we still have a great mindset going into the next game and obviously the goal is to come No more. back to Denver.”

There was plenty of blame to go around for the loss, starting with Jared If Bednar called upon his boss, Sakic, to talk to the Avalanche about that Bednar’s decision to break up the Nathan MacKinnon-centered top line, 2001 Cup run, including the comeback from the 3-2 deficit in the Finals sliding Gabe Landeskog to the second line. My quibble is that if you after many were writing off Colorado, it would be a better move than bought into the premise that panicking was unjustified with the series tied continuing to break up the top line. and the Avs still holding the home-ice advantage, the tinkering with perhaps the league’s top line sent the wrong message. With so much emphasis placed on the Avs’ shortcomings, it’s tempting to underplay that this isn’t happening in a vacuum. Though the Covid- The Avs hadn’t lost a home game in regulation since March 8, and caused temporary realignment and all-divisional scheduling has made it although Bednar said that returning home was heartening, his action more difficult to directly compare teams this season — it basically has showed he mistrusted what that meant. been four leagues — it very well could end up that these are the two best teams in the NHL. That said, to focus solely on that decision would be ridiculous. But that wouldn’t be much solace if the Avs let this series get away. The Avs blew a 2-0 lead, and Brandon Saad’s gift goal in the final second of the first period, with Marc-Andre Fleury whiffing on the shot, should have propelled Colorado. milehighsports.com LOADED: 06.10.2021 It didn’t.

The costly turnovers stood out. MacKinnon didn’t hit the scoresheet and Mikko Rantanen had one assist. They have to be better, regardless of the lines.

The Avs failing to even get a shot on net on a third-period power play was a glaring failure, especially considering the officiating clearly was of the no-autopsy, no-call playoff variety Andy Van Hellemond would have endorsed. That was the Avs’ only power play of the night.

Is it over?

Of course not.

“I think the mood’s pretty good,” Bednar said Wednesday. “We know what we have to do. We have to go into Vegas and win one game and give ourselves the opportunity to come home and take another kick at it, which we had last night.” He emphasized the Avs need to clean up their game avoid creating “home run” opportunities for the Golden Knights. “I don’t see any reason why our team can’t play with the same attack mentality we had last night and go in and get the job done,” he added. “We’ve played some nice games in Vegas this year, although it wasn’t so far in this series. We can go in there and play well.”

It can be done. In theory. There’s even the legendary Avalanche example to cite, the one that culminated 20 years ago today. Trailing 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Devils, the Avalanche — largely because of an incredible effort from Patrick Roy that kept them in the game despite being monumentally outplayed in the first period — won Game 6 on the road. The Avs then claimed the Cup when Alex Tanguay scored twice in the 3-1 win at the Pepsi Center in Game 7. I’ll never forget Devils coach Larry Robinson saying after Game 7 that, in truth, the Devils lost the series in Game 6.

That 2001 Presidents’ Trophy-winning team also had to go seven games to beat the Kings in the second round. Believe me, there was considerable gloom and doom around here when the Kings won both Games 5 and 6 and seemed to have claimed “momentum.” (In honor of Peter Forsberg, thinking back to THAT Game 7 makes my spleen hurt.) 1189490 Colorado Avalanche

It’s not over yet, but it’s all or nothing time for the Avalanche

By Ryan Boulding

June 9, 2021

Rumors of the Colorado Avalanche’s demise were somewhat exaggerated.

You knew, whether you’d admit it aloud after the previous eight periods of play, that the club wasn’t going to roll over and let the series slip away into the history books as a bit of a collapse.

Yet another second-round bow out. Dim the lights. Drop the curtain.

After vanishing in Vegas for Game 4, the Avs had plans.

Head coach Jared Bednar wanted to find space down low in the offensive zone and to shore up some line mismatches that have hurt the squad. Forward Tyson Jost said the squad was looking for confidence with the puck and a chance to create some snowballing momentum by stringing together positive-impact shifts. Defenseman Conor Timmins was determined to transition out of the home zone faster and support the offense by jumping in on the rush.

Colorado got all of those things and even the early lead on a here-you- goal gift from Golden Knights golden glove Marc-Andre Fleury.

But on a night when everything was pointing toward an Avalanche victory, Vegas found a way. Turnovers in the third period turned into markers for the enemy and then it came down to the next-goal-wins moments of overtime.

Brain farts of the worst kind plagued both teams, but they hurt the Avalanche more.

The end result was a heartbreaker for the team, and for fans. And you have a right to be upset. You can’t blame the loss on the refs or the ice or the full house at T-Mobile Arena and less than full barn in Denver. So you’re going to have to point your fury at two goals on bad plays from the home team. Or really you should blame Vegas for capitalizing more than the Avs.

It took some excellent shooting to beat Philipp Grubauer, but now the series has tilted away from the force of nature from the Rocky Mountains.

This is life in a heavyweight postseason series. This back and forth slugfest from the juggernauts of the Western Conference is more or less playing out as it should. It was, and still can be, anyone’s series.

Things ain’t over until the Brunhilde-clad soprano starts singing.

It’s all or nothing on Thursday.

“It’s not regular season and it’s not the Blues for that matter. It’s Vegas,” Bednar said of the series after the defeat.” I think we showed tonight that we can play with Vegas and create the chances we need and still defend properly.”

There’s a blueprint for success underneath the frustration and lost opportunities, one that is replicable—though it won’t be easy without the last change.

“We were forechecking hard. We were skating, coming up with pucks in the neutral zone and kind of turning it quick on them and didn’t really let them get set up in our zone,” captain Gabriel Landeskog said of what was working. “We were quick to contact and quick to stop their cycling game, and we were able to turn it and go the other way. So lots of positive to take out from tonight.”

As for what Bednar said to the burgundy and blue after Tuesday’s tilt: “I told them that’s exactly how they have to play to win. Go do it again in Vegas, but eliminate those little mistakes.”

milehighsports.com LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189491 Colorado Avalanche It worked, with Saad scoring with 1.8 seconds left in the first period on a shot that appeared to cross up Fleury. Saad has now scored in seven of Colorado's nine postseason games.

Stone scores early in OT, Knights beat Avs 3-2 in Game 5 Donskoi made it 2-0 late in the second on a pinpoint pass from rookie Alex Newhook, who was reinserted into the lineup after sitting out the last two games. By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer "We don't have much time to do anything but rebound," Landeskog said. "We've got to go into Vegas and win a hockey game. It's as simple as that." DENVER (AP) — Mark Stone blocked a shot on the defensive end and by the time he spun around, a pass was waiting for him with nothing but BACK IN ACTION clear sailing ahead. Returning to the lineup for Vegas was Mattias Janmark, who was hurt on A burst of speed — even as tired as he was — and a wrist shot later, he a check from defenseman Ryan Graves in Game 1. Back for Colorado was being mobbed along the boards by teammates. was forward Logan O'Connor, who hasn't played since since March 31 due to a lower-body injury. The captain to the rescue. SUSPENSION UPHELD Stone scored on a breakaway 50 seconds into overtime as the Vegas Golden Knights overcame a two-goal deficit to beat the Colorado Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri saw his eight-game Avalanche 3-2 on Tuesday night and take a 3-2 lead in their second- suspension for an illegal hit in the St. Louis series upheld by an arbitrator round series. hours before Game 5. Kadri will be eligible to return if there's a Game 7.

"He was exhausted and you saw how hard he skated all the way down AROUND THE RINK the ice," teammate Alex Tuch said. "He's the heart and soul on this team. He wears his character on his chest. He's the captain we've always Vegas F Ryan Reaves was a scratch. ... There was a shout-out on the wanted. It was a huge goal." video screen to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who was named the NBA MVP on Tuesday. Max Pacioretty corralled the puck after two blocked shots on that end and fed it to Stone, who was off to the races. Stone beat Philipp Grubauer on the glove side to hush what had been a boisterous crowd. LOADED: 06.10.2021 "That was vintage Mark Stone," Vegas coach Pete DeBoer said. "Big- time play to win it for us."

Trailing 2-0 entering the third, the Golden Knights found another gear with Tuch scoring 1:03 into the period and Jonathan Marchessault tying it up just 3:04 later.

Really, though, it was the Marc-Andre Fleury Show, with the Vegas goaltender stopping 28 shots, many of the sensational variety. He stuffed J.T. Compher just 10 seconds into the extra period.

"Fleury makes a big stop there. It happened bang, bang," captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "He's able to get a piece of it. It didn't go our way tonight."

Fleury picked up playoff win No. 88, which ties him with Billy Smith and Ed Belfour for the fourth-most in NHL history. It was also Fleury's 12th career playoff overtime win, which trails only Tuukka Rask (15) and Braden Holtby (14) for most among active goaltenders, according to NHL Stats.

"He's a Vezina candidate for a reason," Stone said of Fleury, who's up for the league's top goaltender award. "He's the Vezina winner in my opinion for a reason and he stayed strong throughout the whole game."

Colorado appeared in command after a 2-0 lead courtesy of Brandon Saad's goal late in the first and another from Joonas Donskoi in the second. The Avalanche couldn't make it stand as their 13-game home winning streak was snapped. It's a string that dated to March 27 — an overtime loss to Vegas.

The Golden Knights are in the driver's seat, with the winner of Game 5 going on to take the series 78.8% of the time when a best-of-seven series is tied at two games.

Game 6 is Thursday at Vegas.

"The biggest cliché in the playoffs is the toughest game to win is the fourth one," said Stone, whose team has won three straight. "We're gonna have to regroup and get ready for that one."

It was another big performance from Marchessault. He had a hat trick in Game 4.

Grubauer, who's been dominant at home, finished with 22 saves. He's lost only two of his last 19 games at Ball Arena — both in overtime.

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar switched up his lines in an effort to generate more energy and production. He paired Saad, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen on the top line, while moving Landeskog to the second unit. 1189492 Columbus Blue Jackets Chinakhov top rookie

Yegor Chinakhov was the recipient of the KHL’s Alexei Cherepanov Award on Tuesday as that league’s top rookie. Chinakhov, 20, was Columbus Blue Jackets connections abounded in world championship selected by the Blue Jackets 21st overall in last year’s draft and helped Avangard Omsk win the KHL’s Gagarin Cup with 5-2-7 in 21 playoff games. Brian Hedger He had 10-7-17 in the regular season (32 games) and has signed a The Columbus Dispatch three-year entry level contract with the Blue Jackets.

It wasn’t a normal rendition of the men’s hockey world championship. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 06.10.2021 The 2021 tournament concluded Sunday in Riga, Latvia, after being played amid quarantine conditions for players that kept the number of NHL regulars lower than usual. It didn’t subtract from the excitement of the tournament, though, which Canada won by topping Finland in overtime for the gold medal.

There were also plenty of Blue Jackets storylines to follow. Here's a breakdown:

• Gerard Gallant showed off his coaching chops by guiding Canada to its 21st world championship gold medal and third in the past six years. The Canadians overcame three straight losses plus a shootout loss to Finland on the final day of the preliminary round, sneaking into the medal round and then shifting into top gear.

Gallant, a former NHL player, gained his first NHL head coaching experience with Columbus and has also coached the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights. He reportedly interviewed for the New York Rangers’ coaching position before leaving for Latvia and interviewed with the Blue Jackets via video conference while there.

• Gregory Hofmann finished with eight points on six goals and two assists for Switzerland. He also finished tied for third in goals with Canada’s Adam Henrique (Anaheim Ducks) and U.S. forward Conor Garland (Arizona Coyotes).

Hofmann, 28, is expected to sign with the Blue Jackets this offseason. He is a friend and former teammate of Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins and won the NLA championship with EV Zug this season. He posted scoring lines of 18-23-41 in the regular season (36 games) and 6- 8-14 in 13 playoff games. The Blue Jackets acquired his signing rights from the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 13 for a seventh-round pick (2021).

• Liam Foudy collected his second gold medal in less than two years, representing Canada in this tournament and the 2020 world junior championship. Foudy had 0-2-2 with a minus-2 rating in 10 games this time.

• Justin Danforth has signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Blue Jackets for next season and spent the past three years in the top professional circuits of both Finland and Russia. After spending two years with Lukko in Finland’s Liiga, the 5-foot-9 forward shifted to Vityaz Podolsk in the Kontinental Hockey League this season, posting an impressive 23-32-55 in 58 games. Danforth, 28, played center for Canada and finished with one empty-net goal.

• Forward Eric Robinson and defenseman Adam Clendening helped the U.S. win bronze. Robinson finished with 0-3-3 in 10 games and Clendening had 2-3-5 in seven games.

• Russia had several Blue Jackets connections, including defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, center Dmitri Voronkov (2019 fourth-round pick) and forward Mikhail Grigorenko. Gavrikov had 0-2-2 and Voronkov 2-4-6 in eight games. Grigorenko, who is returning to the KHL next season, had 3-4-7 in five games.

Former Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky also joined the Russian team after the Florida Panthers were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He played in one game.

• Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks played for host Latvia and impressed despite a 1-2-0 record. Kivlenieks shut out Canada in the preliminary round for Latvia’s first-ever victory against the Canadians. He finished the tournament with a 2.18 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

Others with Blue Jackets connections included 2020 draft picks Samuel Knazko (Slovakia) and Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm (Norway). Knazko signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets on Wednesday. 1189493 Dallas Stars In the season finale, there were some shifts that Harley was able to contribute at both ends of the ice, shutting down plays in the defensive zone, carrying the puck the other way and then creating chances. That’s Stars prospect Thomas Harley ‘knocking on the door’ of NHL after what the Stars would like to see more and more consistently. standout AHL season “To play in the NHL, you have to be responsible offensively and you have to show urgency defensively,” White said. “That is what Thomas is working on. His last game of the year was very positive in that way, in my By Matthew DeFranks opinion. I thought he was really solid, he competed defensively and did what he needed to do without him jeopardizing or taking away from his Jun 9, 2021 CDT elements of his game that you mentioned.”

It is assumed that the Stars will acquire a top-four defenseman (including Harley, the team’s 2019 first-round pick, spent the past season with AHL the possibility of re-signing Jamie Oleksiak), leaving their defensive core affiliate Texas, posting eight goals and 25 points in 38 games to lead all with an opening next to Andrej Sekera. Joel Hanley is signed for two defensemen in goals and rank second in points. Harley, who turns 20 in more seasons in Dallas, and serves as a fine insurance policy should August, could fill a role on the third pairing as soon as this fall in Dallas. Harley not be ready for the NHL. If Harley cracks the lineup, Hanley is a solid seventh defenseman. The 6-3, 190-pounder is a smooth skater whose offensive instincts are above average, traits that lead to stretch passes, end-to-end rushes and “I believe he’s knocking on the door,” White said. “Different circling in the offensive zone, but also turnovers. The Stars would like circumstances, schedules that align properly, protocols, etc., who knows, Harley to improve defensively in his own end, but they don’t want that to not only Thomas Harley but maybe a couple other guys would have got a take away from his skill set with the puck. game or two in [Dallas]. Just didn’t work out.”

“The points and the goals, they’re going to come because he’s that way,” Texas GM and Stars assistant GM Scott White said. “He gets his shot Dallas Morning News LOADED: 06.10.2021 through, he transports the puck very well and he snaps the puck. We don’t want to take anything away from him, he’s just got to learn to play defensively and that’s the message. He understands it. He gets it.

“It’s just a matter of executing on a consistent basis. That’s just growth and development. It’s takes a little time, but he’s not that far away.”

In a normal year, Harley would have been ineligible to play in the AHL as a result of the CHL’s agreement with the NHL. But since the OHL did not hold a season during the pandemic, Harley was free to play in Cedar Park with the Stars.

“I don’t think it’s out of the question that 19-year-olds, if they’re good enough, can play in the AHL,” Harley said. “I think it’s a great league. I think we’ve shown that we can play here and develop. Maybe it’s something that needs to be looked at in the future. I’m pretty happy with the way it worked out this year.”

Harley played big minutes for Texas, anchoring the top pair, first with Joseph Cecconi and later alongside Ben Gleason. He also manned the top power-play unit (nine power-play assists and two power-play goals) and received some time on the penalty kill.

Killing penalties was a partial learning experience for Harley in the AHL.

“I’ve never really blocked shots before this year,” Harley said. “On the PK, you’re going to have to. You’re going to lose games because of the power-play goals against. That was the first I’m doing that. Everything else, I’ve done before.”

Since he’s been drafted, Harley’s defensive improvement has been a topic of conversation because, well, his offensive skills are good enough to not warrant that attention. With his ability to move the puck out of the defensive zone and keep plays alive in the offensive zone, the organization hasn’t had to worry about his scoring.

“Not trying to speak for management here, but I think that’s really one of the things they like about me, that I drive the play,” Harley said. “I’m going to trying to do that at this level, and the next level, just try to bring that defensive game up to snuff with it.”

For White and Texas coach Neil Graham, Harley’s final game of the season in Iowa was encouraging. Harley scored a 5-on-3 goal, but it was his defending that had Stars brass impressed, including his defensive urgency along the boards.

“He was defending fast,” Graham said. “He was closing, he was limiting time and space. He killed plays with urgency and those were all things that we have stressed and talked to him throughout the year. We saw a lot of progress in those areas.”

That was a big change from even 24 hours prior, when a Harley turned over the puck in the neutral zone, didn’t pressure the puck in the defensive zone and lost his man in the slot before an Iowa goal.

“That’s something that management has gotten through to me and something I’m going to work on, hopefully bring back better into camp next year,” Harley said. 1189494 Dallas Stars him exposed. So, while this piece was framed as two spots left for three forwards, it’s a pretty safe bet that Faksa gets that sixth protection slot and it becomes a one-spot-for-two-players situation.

Joe Pavelski’s big season creates debate in Stars’ approach to Seattle Joe Pavelski expansion draft As mentioned above, the plan all along was to leave Pavelski unprotected, but a couple of factors threw a wrench in that. Khudobin By Saad Yousuf underperforming after what he showed in the 2020 playoff run hurt the Stars but Pavelski also has had a say in this. Jun 9, 2021 If Pavelski had the same kind of season this past year as he did in his first season with the Stars, this wouldn’t be a discussion. In 2019-20, Pavelski had 14 goals and 17 assists for a total of 31 points in 67 games. Preparation for an expansion draft is something that begins years in Sure, he had an incredible 2020 postseason run of 19 points in 27 games advance, not weeks or months. Take the Stars signing Joe Pavelski to a to help the Stars get within two wins of the Stanley Cup but that could three-year, $21 million deal in 2019, for example. As a family man with a have been chalked up to a veteran star making plays in big games. Even son entering fifth grade this fall, Pavelski wanted to ensure that he with his off-ice intangibles, Seattle would not take a 37-year-old on an wouldn’t be part of tough business decisions, so his contract included a expiring $7 million deal if his production had been similar to the 2019-20 no-movement clause for the first two seasons. With the expansion draft regular season (projecting out to a full season). in mind, the third season didn’t include an NMC because, the thinking was, it didn’t seem probable for Seattle to select a 37-year-old forward on Instead, the 2020 playoff run turned out to be a foreshadowing of what an expiring deal worth $7 million. Pavelski would become in Dallas. In a season in which the Stars were ravaged by injuries, Pavelski was the only forward to play every game. However, with Pavelski coming off a nearly point-per-game season as an And he wasn’t just out there; he was producing. Pavelski finished tied for alternate captain for the Stars, the Kraken could look at “Captain second in the NHL with 13 power-play goals. With 51 points, he finished America” as their first captain in franchise history if they are given the as the Stars’ overall scoring leader. This was a season Pavelski began opportunity to select him. Pavelski’s success, along with Anton as a fill-in center in the absence of Seguin. Midseason, he was asked to Khudobin’s regression this season, has made the expansion draft far switch back to winger and form a top line with Hintz and Jason more interesting than it was six months ago. Robertson. He made that transition seamlessly and the line became, by We’ll make a full projection of the Stars’ expansion draft situation later far, the best on the team. The only way anybody would know he was 36 this week, but today we’ll focus on the final two slots on the forwards years old is by looking at his birth certificate. Otherwise, he was the same protection list. Dallas will opt for a 7-3-1 protection plan, and Jamie Benn, old dominant net-front presence and playmaker that he’s been his entire Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov and Roope Hintz are locks to be career. protected. Despite an underwhelming season, promising young talent This goes beyond his production. Pavelski was made an alternate Denis Gurianov is a near-lock as well. That leaves two slots available for captain in Seguin’s absence and he thrived in the leadership role. three forwards — Pavelski, Radek Faksa and Jason Dickinson — who Pavelski was already seen as a leader even without a letter but he also the Stars would like to have back in Dallas next season. Let’s examine was the new guy in the locker room last year. Now, he’s part of the each of them. veteran fabric of the Stars. All season, as the top line of he, Hintz and Radek Faksa Robertson produced, the two young stars sang the praise of Pavelski’s ability and hockey IQ, which not only allowed him to keep up with them The possibility of exposing Radek Faksa has been a more recent but allowed them to maximize their talents and thrive. As those two and development, one driven mostly by those outside of the organization. other young players continue to grow, Pavelski’s presence will be There is some logic to it, though. Dallas signed Faksa to a five-year, invaluable. $16.25 million deal last offseason. During the season, they discovered an additional centerman in Benn. At this point in the offseason, how the Pavelski’s value to this team’s championship aspirations has become too Stars set the lineup in the fall is anybody’s guess but the top three great. Maybe the age and money figure will still scare off Seattle but centermen could be Hintz, Seguin and Benn. In that case, Faksa’s $3.25 Dallas can’t take that risk by exposing Pavelski, not after what he showed million for a fourth-line center looks more unappealing than whatever what he’s capable of and what he means to this team. The importance of Dickinson’s charge will be after the pending restricted free agent gets a next season for the Stars has been written many times already and will new contract. There’s also the fact that two-thirds of the Stars’ checking be written many more times. Pavelski should be part of it. line, Andrew Cogliano and Blake Comeau, are pending unrestricted free Jason Dickinson agents, so the Stars could just move away from the entire line altogether. Exposing Faksa and allowing the Kraken to select him also would give Dickinson has been a quality player for the Stars for the past three the Stars his money to spend in free agency. seasons since becoming a full-time NHL player in 2018. He can play anywhere in the lineup, from fourth-line center to top-line winger. He It’s still unlikely to happen. There’s a reason the Stars gave Faksa the skates well and is easy for most players to mesh with. He’s also been a contract extension last fall. They like what he brings to the table. Faksa’s significant part of the team’s penalty kill. His money-to-production ratio lack of offensive production may prevent him from ever winning the Selke has been solid for the Stars, with him actually overachieving this past Trophy, but he’s one of the better defensive forwards in the NHL. Even if season. the Stars choose to move away from a checking line amid the Cogliano and Comeau departures, Faksa can center offensive talents. Some of his However, Dickinson doesn’t have a very high ceiling and his floor is what ability in that regard got lost in the roles the team asked him to play the it is. He’ll always be a solid middle-six option who can perform top-six last few seasons. duties in a pinch. His versatility is impressive but it’s not irreplaceable. In fact, the replacement for this very role may already be on the roster in Ty Despite Benn being a revelation at center, the Stars will also likely keep Dellandrea, and Dellandrea is young enough to potentially have a higher him and Seguin together. That doesn’t mean Benn won’t play center but ceiling. The Stars like Dickinson and would prefer not to lose him, but more so that Benn and Seguin can figure out those roles on the ice save for a side deal with Seattle, he may end up being the odd man out. together and be interchangeable. These are two veterans who have great chemistry with each other, and hockey is becoming increasingly positionless. It also helps that Seguin and Benn can each take faceoffs on their strong side. Line combinations are a discussion for another day The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 but as it pertains to this matter, Faksa’s role as the third-line center, at the least, is most likely still there for him.

Much of it also comes back to how the team feels about him. In conversations with multiple people in the organization, there was a strong backing for Faksa and many reminders that he played this past season with a nagging wrist injury from the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. Freeing up his $3.25 million to spend in free agency isn’t enough incentive to leave 1189495 Detroit Red Wings wanted it. He has been waiting for his opportunity, he got a good opportunity and made the most of it."

Erne (6-foot-1, 212 pounds) found a home playing on a line with Adam Erne's breakthrough season with Wings an example of capitalizing Glendening and Helm. on opportunities The line made life miserable for opposing scoring lines and supplied offense of its own with Erne's emergence. All three forwards have the ability to wear down opponents physically and mentally. TED KULFAN | The Detroit News "Those are two really hard-working guys," Erne said of his linemates. "All three of us pride ourselves on that. A lot of the nights we played against other teams' top lines, and we prided ourselves on not giving them much. Detroit — There’s a lesson here from Red Wings forward Adam Erne that When you can shut down the other team's top line, it gives you a better any young athlete can take to heart. chance to win. We tried to keep it simple and just kind of grind them, Heading into and out of training camp, Erne's season didn't appear to frustrate them, make them play in their zone." look rosy. Added Glendening: "Adam has always been a guy who works extremely Coach Jeff Blashill didn’t have Erne on the power play. Erne’s role in the hard. You can see his confidence on the ice, and just because he’s lineup was limited. And to top it off, Erne was coming off an extremely scoring goals doesn’t take away from the player he was. But it’s an disappointing season. added dimension when he’s putting the puck into the net.”

On the surface, not a lot of hope. Erne, 26, is a restricted free agent who has gone from a player who may have been a borderline choice to be left unprotected for the expansion But Erne didn’t mope or sulk. He went to work, capitalized on draft to a player the Wings are likely to sign to a multi-year contract and opportunities given and, suddenly, there were more opportunities. And could become a key veteran in the rebuild. increased success, as Erne capitalized on his playing time. Erne believes the Wings' future is promising, given the steps forward this Erne, who scored a grand total of two goals in 56 games during his first past season and the talented young players arriving in the near future. season with the Wings in 2019-20, led the team with 11 goals in 45 games this pandemic-shortened season, including putting together a "We're taking steps in the right direction, every practice, every game," career-high eight-game point streak in April. Erne said. "We put the work boots on and work hard in practice, work hard in the games and just get better. That's what we're trying to do. Without a doubt, Erne was one of the Wings’ biggest surprises and feel- good stories. "We know Steve is going to make moves he wants to make to make the team better. We're a young team with some really good veteran presence A tale of hard work being rewarded. in the room. As these young guys and everybody starts gaining confidence, you're going to see us start to gain some traction like we did "I just tried to stick with it and earn more opportunities," Erne said during this season." a season-ending Zoom chat. "Luckily, I was able to do something with those opportunities when they came. For me personally, I was happy Detroit Free Press LOADED: 06.10.2021 with my season."

Erne’s role grew the second half of the season as he starred on a checking line with Darren Helm and Luke Glendening — arguably the Wings’ most consistent line — and became an effective presence on the power play (three goals, six points on the unit).

Just getting on the power-play unit alone showed the perseverance and diligence that Erne exhibited.

“He was on the power play a bit last year and made a few mistakes and got taken off,” Blashill said. “This year he earned it in practice. He was subbing in for somebody and he seemed to be doing a good job. We put him on and he did a good job time after time.

“That’s the essence of grabbing it. …He’s earned any of the opportunities he’s gotten. He’s had to earn his ice time, I haven’t given it to him.

“He’s earned more and more ice time as we’ve gone along. He’s got on the power play as guys were out and he did a good job with it, so he stayed on the power play and he’s earned it.”

General manager Steve Yzerman drafted Erne in the second round in 2013 (33rd overall pick) when Yzerman was with Tampa Bay.

"It’s very encouraging for us," Yzerman said of Erne's season. "I feel good for Adam. I was there in Tampa when we drafted him. I’ve gotten to know him since he was 18 and have watched him work through his final years as a junior, go to the American Hockey League, follow me to Detroit (the Wings acquired Erne for a fourth-round pick in 2019).

“He is really driven. He really wants to be a good player in the NHL. He puts the time and work in and it was good for him to earn a bigger role on the team and to thrive in it."

Yzerman believes there is room for Erne to expand further, especially given Erne's work ethic.

"We have a real good player who is a different dimension for us," Yzerman said. "A big, thick kid who has good hands and can play in a lot of different situations. Honestly, I think there is a lot more there.

"I really like Adam's determination and drive. We all feel good for him, because I know he has put a lot of work into it and I know he has really 1189496 Detroit Red Wings room and all the boys start chanting “Luuu!” It was such a unique experience to be a part of, especially being from Vancouver and following his career so closely during his time here.

‘Is this Troy from Richmond?’: Troy Stecher talks Roberto Luongo, the With the bubble environment, what was it like settling in over in Latvia expansion draft and Team Canada gold and getting to know your teammates?

It was pretty strict. We all had to fly to Newark, then we took a private charter with Team USA right to Riga. By Thomas Drance Jun 9, 2021 Over in Riga, we had a two-day isolation period in our hotel room. Meals were delivered to our room in a brown paper bag.

Troy Stecher’s first year as a member of the Detroit Red Wings was a Then after that, there was a three or five-day period where we could challenging one. practice as a team but we couldn’t cross paths with other teams and then it was literally just games, practices and if not, you were just in the team Stecher grappled with the death of his father, moved on from his conference room. There was no outside time, no restaurants, not like you hometown team, the Vancouver Canucks, after the club declined to had in the NHL bubble. tender him a qualifying offer, spent six weeks in the NHL’s western bubble and went through an isolating NHL season while adhering to strict It was definitely tough mentally, but Hockey Canada does everything first protocols in an entirely new city. class. They did the best job they could under the circumstances.

The 27-year-old was preparing to enjoy a hard-earned vacation in Miami So the tournament begins and you get off to a tough start. I don’t think with friends and take a golf trip in South Carolina with family. To enjoy anyone will remember this with what happened with Canada storming some freedom again. back to win gold, but there’s that third period of the final preliminary round game between Latvia and Germany. And Latvia is down one and if Then a call arrived from a future Hall of Famer who invited Stecher to they’d levelled it up in that third period, Canada wouldn’t have been in the spend an additional month in a bubble, but this time, over in Latvia. elimination round. Do you remember what it was like in the moment? It would’ve been completely understandable if Stecher had declined. But Yeah and I already forget, but I think if Kazakhstan had won their last he didn’t, and his World Championship experience turned into a game we would’ve needed that game to go to overtime. So the fact that memorable one. Stecher starred for an underdog Canadian side that Kazakhstan ended up losing, our whole mindset shifted because before it shocked the international hockey community by erasing an 0-3 start to we were just praying that it would. It was a wave of emotions. the tournament and storming back to win gold. Individually, Stecher played top-pairing minutes in the biggest games of the tournament and After the 0-3 start, Shane Doan came to the room and said to us, “Look, set up a highlight-reel goal that went viral and eliminated Russia in we just have to run the table, we’re not out of the tournament yet. If we overtime. win out and finish up with 12 points we’re going to get in.”

On Tuesday, Stecher caught up with The Athletic from his Vancouver So we’re up on Finland 2-1 in our fourth game, and they come back and home to discuss his conversations with the Red Wings about the won in a shootout. So we’re heartbroken. Let’s just call a spade a spade, expansion draft, getting hit high by Moritz Seider, being coached by we saw people calling us the worst Team Canadian national team in Gerard Gallant, why Owen Power is going to be an elite NHL history. Like, it was bad. defenceman and how winning gold at the World Championship brought back special memories of his late father. Then we get in, we’re playing such good hockey. We just caught fire at the right time. The following conversation has been edited for clarity and length. Your defence partner for much of the tournament was Owen Power. You went through this lonely NHL season and then went to Europe to What were your impressions of the young man likely to hear his name play at the worlds. What were the first conversations like with Roberto called first at the draft this year? Luongo when he first approached you and was it a difficult decision to make, considering what this past season was like? He is going to be one of the top defencemen in this league for his entire career. It’s insane how good he is. I was having breakfast with my girlfriend in Detroit. We’d had a trip planned to Miami and then we were going down to South Carolina after The way he conducts himself at 18 years old, how mature he is. And just to go golf with her family. Just kind of a getaway. The idea was to get being around him and looking at him and you’re just like, man, you need away from the whole bubble-like situation in the NHL because we didn’t to put on another 20, 30 pounds. He’s still kind of skinny! It’s scary to do anything all year. We didn’t go to a single restaurant. I grew my hair think about how good he’s going to be. out for the first time I can remember because I couldn’t go to a Awesome kid, great D partner. He’d ask me stuff on the bench and I’d tell barbershop. It was strict. We were excited to have some freedom. him, “Man, you’re already better than me! Just go do your thing, I’ll be Then I got a call from a Fort Lauderdale area code, but I missed it. Sure your eyes, I’ll call for an over and up, but don’t second guess yourself or enough, I get a text from Roberto Luongo asking me to call him. That’s think I’m going to get mad at you because I’ve been in the league longer when I knew. than you have. We’re here to win, so if you see something and you’re comfortable doing something, do it.” So I call him and he answers, “Hey, is this Troy from Richmond?” and I just started laughing. Pretty funny. He’s got some swagger to him, too. Every hockey player has it in their own right and every superstar has to have it. He’s no different, but in no He invited me to worlds and obviously Luongo, being the goaltender in way is it cockiness. Just confident in who he is and super mature for his 2011 and growing up a Canucks fan, it was pretty hard to say no. Not age. that I would’ve anyways. I was honoured to get the invitation and I was ecstatic to be part of the team. What was it like playing for Gerard Gallant and getting to play for him for a couple of weeks over in Europe? Did you know Luongo before? He was awesome. He’s obviously going to be in the NHL next year and I’ve met him, during the Sedin twins’ number retirement. I’ve been around deservedly so. him but hadn’t had an opportunity to get to know him on a personal level before, really. He’s an unbelievable coach, very hard but very fair.

What was your impression of Luongo? This was his first shot as a top If you come to the bench and you’ve made a mistake, you’re going to executive. What was it like having him around the team? hear it. As a player, you can accept it and we’re mature enough to take criticism. The thing is he wasn’t going to bury you on the bench He was awesome. Obviously, being a general manager he was pretty afterwards. He was going to put you out again the next shift and he was reserved around the guys. He had his poker face on. going to give you an opportunity to redeem yourself.

You could see once we won though how ecstatic he was, how proud he I think sometimes — just talking to players around the league, some of was of the group. He gave a speech after we won gold in the dressing my friends — you make a mistake and you feel like you’re done for the night. There was never that vibe with anybody. Maybe it’s that we had a — ICEHOCKEYGIFS (@ICEHOCKEYG) MAY 24, 2021 young team and he wanted everyone to feel confident, but that’s how he managed the bench at the worlds. It was awesome to be a part of. In the NHL, though, when I’m going to be his teammate, I’ll tell him to do the same thing. He’s just strong, hard, tough. He’s going to be a force in As Team Canada gets rolling, you get the highlight-reel assist and we’ll the NHL for sure. Detroit got a really good pick there. get to that, but now that you’ve seen him in practice every day and played with him, do you have a new appreciation for how good Andrew So it was an international ice hockey penalty, not an NHL penalty? Mangiapane is? You could say it that way. But obviously, we were down, so I was excited Yeah, he and I got along really, really well. that we got the power play there. If our roles were reversed I’d be pissed!

He didn’t get there until the fourth game of the tournament. All the boys No bad blood for training camp? were calling me “Stech” and as soon as he got there he started calling Not at all! That’s the coolest thing about the World Championships. me “Tony,” so all the boys started calling me “Tony.” Obviously, he’d There’s these guys you see that you hate playing against in the regular heard it from (Chris) Tanev and Marky (Jacob Markstrom) and (Josh) season and oftentimes they’re the best guys off of the ice. You get to Leivo in Calgary. Our rooms were right across the hall from one another, meet them, build a relationship with them, it’s a lot of fun that way. so we hung out every night. Yeah, just another guy I made a friendship for life with and he was a huge, huge reason why we won. It’s still pretty fresh, but are you able to reflect on what winning gold means to you yet? OK, so the highlight-reel assist. How did it unfold from your perspective and what was it like postgame with everybody sharing it and getting Not really, not yet. excited? The last time I went to the worlds, we lost in the finals to Finland. The It’s crazy, in a situation like that, how many different thoughts go through only two returning guys from that team were Adam Henrique and I. We your mind. It seems like it’s going so fast, but it’s almost slow motion. definitely took a minute after we won and were so pumped up to finally get redemption. I had the conversation with Doan the night before. I pulled the move off in practice and he came up to me at dinner and asked, “Why didn’t you ever I’m sure we’ll look back here in a week or so, over the course of time, do that in a game? That was unbelievable.” I just told him that it’s not and have a sense of the significance of what we did. No team in really how I play hockey in a game situation, and I’ve never really had the Canadian history has ever started 0-2 in the World Championships, let confidence to do it at the NHL level. alone 0-3, so to come back and win with no big-name player on our team, it was a pretty great story. He said, “Why not? Be confident in yourself, you’re a good player.” So, that was in the back of my mind. Here’s the most important question: Where was your dog Phoebe while you were over in Latvia? Then not to throw anyone under the bus, but the game before against Finland, the game we lost in a shoutout, I was in the Mangiapane Phoebe was in Madison, Wis., at my girlfriend’s parents’ house for most situation and I made the pass to Maxime Comtois on the Ducks and the of it and for the past six days she’s been in Vancouver in quarantine with shot got blocked. So that was in the back of my mind, too. my girlfriend. They made the drive to meet me here.

When he hit me and I was at the top of the ice and knew everyone was in You’ve been through the expansion process before, but the last time out the slot, that if I sold the shot that the defender would sell out. It’s next it was your rookie season and you were exempt. This is your first time goal wins. So I went for the wrist shot and sure enough he bit. through it as a player eligible to be selected. What’s that experience like from an uncertainty perspective and what have your conversations been Now it’s all just instinct, and Shane Doan in the back of my head. I kind of like with Detroit about their plans to this point? blacked out from that moment. Honestly, I haven’t even thought about it. By the time I get around the second defender, it’s in slow motion again. I make eye contact with Mangiapane, and the puck just happened to go I know at the end of the season I spoke to Steve Yzerman and he was under Sergei Bobrovsky’s stick and through the crease and it’s on his just excited for me to come to worlds and that we were going to speak tape. Then it’s all blackout again. afterwards. I have no idea where we stand.

It’ll probably be the biggest highlight of my career when it’s done. What I do know is I signed a two-year contract in Detroit for a reason and I’m hoping to be back there. THEY DID IT!!! �� What did you enjoy the most in your first year playing with the Red CANADA WINS IN OVERTIME!! Wings?

ANDREW MANGIAPANE IS THE HERO IN OT TO DEFEAT RUSSIA! It was tough this year with COVID. We didn’t really get to experience the @HOCKEYCANADA #IIHFWORLDS #ROCCAN @NHLFLAMES city or anything. I can’t really judge it fairly from that aspect. PIC.TWITTER.COM/XEICJBUTZV What I can say is that the group of guys were incredible. When we got on — IIHF (@IIHFHOCKEY) JUNE 3, 2021 the road and we were in the conference room, there were just so many How many people did you hear from in the 12 hours following that play? different characters on that team and everyone made me feel comfortable from Day 1. There’s a great group of guys there, that was It was insane. Hundreds of texts, my Twitter and Instagram notifications noticeable from Day 1. As tough as things were with COVID and as were insane, gained a few thousand followers. That went viral. challenging as it was not making the playoffs, we enjoyed each other’s company and I was super grateful for that. It didn’t last long, though. We took out the No. 1 seed, but now we had a game against the No. 1 seed in our division. So it was just, like, OK, let’s After you won gold, you posted on Instagram: “IIHF World Champions! refocus and regroup. Right before Father’s Day.” How much did the loss of your father last year register for you in the wake of the accomplishment last week in So you’re over there and so was Moritz Seider, a player you’ll likely play Latvia? with next year. Did you get a chance to watch him play and what sort of impressions did you have of his game? Throughout the year I’ve thought about him a lot obviously. I lost him on Father’s Day last year and the whole story is personal, I haven’t told I didn’t get to watch him play much, aside from that last game Germany many people about it. It is what it is. vs. Latvia because we were praying for help in that situation. Coming up on that date, even through the season when you’re not able Playing against him in the one game, they beat us 3-1, I thought he was to do anything, there’s a lot of free time and your mind starts to wander, really solid. He actually took a penalty on me behind the net — which I so he was on my mind quite a bit. was pumped about. I remember the last worlds I went to, he didn’t want to come. So I forced TROY STECHER, MEET MORITZ SEIDER #LGRW him to come. I bought his flight ticket and everything. He didn’t have a PIC.TWITTER.COM/XYVSVC9TLA passport at the time, so he went and got one. I’m so grateful to have that memory.

Coming back here, it all rehit me. It’s just very special to me.

You’re back in Vancouver now for the offseason. Nine months ago you weren’t qualified and you depart as a free agent. Does how it ended change how you regard your time here and do you wish it had turned out differently in any respect?

Well no, the hockey world is a business. I understood that from the second I signed up to play professionally in Vancouver.

That’s something I’ve always lived by in my career. You have to live day- by-day, be fortunate and grateful for the situation you’re in. And work to control what you can control.

I know I’m not a first-pairing defenceman, so I’m going to have to work for all my ice time every time. It’s no different in Detroit. Vancouver made their decision. That was their decision, I couldn’t control it, so it was just about moving on to the next day and make sure I’m doing everything I can to put myself in the best situation for me to succeed. That’s how I’ve always treated business in my career.

There’s a thought in the hockey world that Vancouver is a tough market to play in. A ton of pressure, a ton of media coverage. From the outside looking in, you were a guy that seemed to handle it pretty well.

No, believe me, I was very aware of it all!

I bet! What is it like, being from here, knowing this city better than most, what is it like to play in this market from a player’s perspective and what advice would you give to anybody trying to handle it?

Just be you. I think every market you’re going to play in has its own positives and negatives. That’s the reality of life. That’s true for businesses, cities and individuals.

You just have to be you and do your thing. That’s what I’d say to anybody going anywhere, whether it’s Detroit, Penticton, North Dakota or Vancouver.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189497 Edmonton Oilers

Bottom-six forward Devin Shore will be back with Oilers

While general manager Ken Holland continues to work with Nugent- Hopkins’ agent on hopefully a long-term contract for the longest-serving Oilers player, he’s starting a little smaller in terms of forwards.

Jim Matheson Edmonton Journal

So, the Edmonton Oilers have signed an unrestricted free-agent forward.

No, not Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Drum roll … Devin Shore.

While general manager Ken Holland continues to work with Nugent- Hopkins’ agent, Rick Valette, on hopefully a long-term contract for the longest-serving Oilers player before the team’s expansion draft list has to be into the NHL by July 17, he’s starting a little smaller in terms of forwards.

Ergo, the fourth-line forward Shore, who is getting a two-year, one-way contract for $1.7 million — $750,000 for the upcoming season and $950,000 in 2022-23. He could be taken in the expansion draft by Seattle because he won’t be protected as one of their seven forwards, but the Oilers are rewarding a solid roleplayer who came to camp this past January on a tryout and signed a two-way $700,000 deal.

Shore got into 38 of the Oilers’ 56 league games and the last two in the playoff loss to Winnipeg. He proved he could play any forward position as a Swiss Army knife guy.

“I like that he can play centre or the wing, he can kill penalties, he’s only 26 years of age. Hopefully, getting an opportunity in a stable environment will allow him to work on his game a little bit,” said Holland.

“He’s a bottom-six player who can check. He scored five goals this past year. Thirteen is his career high. It’s hard to get 13 in the bottom part of a roster today, but hopefully he can get seven to 10 goals this upcoming year and check.”

The number that makes the most sense though is his $850,000 cap hit over the two years. That’s only $100,000 over the league minimum. The dollars fit for Shore.

In a lot of ways, Shore, who played for Dallas, Anaheim and Columbus before coming here on a last-ditch camp shot when no other team offered an invitation in January, mirrors the career path of another Oilers UFA forward, Alex Chiasson.

The well-travelled right-winger Chiasson, 30, came to the Oilers in 2018 on a tryout, secured a one-way $650,000 contract from former GM Peter Chiarelli when the team went to Europe to play an exhibition game in Germany and a league game against the New Jersey Devils in Sweden.

Chiasson scored 22 goals in 2018-19, then was rewarded with a two- year deal with a cap hit of $2.1 million. Now Chiasson is unsure if he’ll get another Oilers contract or if he’ll hit the open market July 28. Not so for Shore, who played 24:56 in the triple OT game Edmonton last played against Winnipeg. That was the sixth most minutes of all Oilers forwards because he had 3:31 in penalty-kill work.

“I really liked the way he played in our final game against Winnipeg,” said Holland, who tossed out his name unsolicited at his season-ending video conference. That was a tell he was thinking of signing him.

Chiasson, Tyler Ennis, Gaetan Haas and Patrick Russell are all UFA forwards, with Holland trying to decide which ones to bring back for low money. Another unrestricted forward, Joakim Nygard, signed a six-year contract with Farjestad in Sweden.

Dominik Kahun can also become unrestricted if the Oilers decide not to qualify him to keep his rights at five per cent over his $975,000 salary, or $1.23 million.

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189498 Edmonton Oilers resume in the KHL), but there are no sure things bubbling under at this time. If we’re talking about the goalie depth chart in isolation, Cossa’s selection would ensure the Oilers have a strong prospect and a favourite in the group to eventually become an NHL starter. Lowetide: Why huge Oil Kings goalie Sebastian Cossa could be the perfect first-round fit for the Oilers It wouldn’t change the immediate future, but it would place a major foundation piece in an area of need.

Left defence By Allan Mitchell Jun 9, 2021 PLAYER 2020-21 LEVEL 2020-21 STATS 2021-22 PROJECTION

The Edmonton Oilers will draft at No. 19 or No. 20 in the first round of the Dmitri Samorukov 2021 NHL draft, depending on the outcome of the ongoing Boston Bruins-New York Islanders second-round series. It will be the team’s only KHL selection inside the top 100, so making it count is vital. 48GP, 2-6-8, 38-14 EV goal diff. The organization hasn’t enjoyed a great deal of success when drafting Closest among LH prospects to NHL ready goalies. Edmonton has chosen 43 since arriving in the NHL, with 13 making at least one appearance. Theodor Lennstrom

The Oilers have had success in the first round, though, with two picks AHL (Grant Fuhr in 1981, Devan Dubnyk in 2004) delivering strong careers as starters (Fuhr winning multiple Stanley Cups and being named to the 19GP, 2-5-7 Hockey Hall of Fame). The team also had one major success outside the Could be NHL recall, he is RFA first round (Andy Moog, who had a strong career as well). Philip Broberg The other 40 goalies drafted played anywhere from zero games (many draft picks) to 128 NHL games (Jussi Markkanen), none emerging as a SHL multi-year starter. 44GP, 3-10-13, 22-26 EV goal diff. The current Oilers, at this point, don’t have a clear-cut NHL tandem, are overloaded with AHL options and you’d have a difficult time identifying Likely to play in AHL for much of the season the best bet for an NHL career among the group bubbling under. Markus Niemelainen

Sebastian Cossa, the top-rated goalie in NHL Central Scouting’s North AHL American rankings, would solve that issue and give the Oilers something close to a plan for the future of the position for the first time since Dubnyk 21GP, 2-4-6 emerged over a decade ago. Should the director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright draft Cossa in the first round? Let’s look at the He could see NHL recall for third pairing duty organization’s position-by-position depth chart, with special emphasis on This is an area with enough depth for Holland to at least consider dealing potential and NHL readiness. from strength to address a weakness.

Goalies Dmitri Samorukov is close enough to ready to be considered a possible PLAYER 2020-21 LEVEL 2020-21 STATS 2021-22 option for NHL duty by the end of the 2021-22 season, and Philip PROJECTION Broberg’s speed and size should put him on a similar trajectory. Theodor Lennstrom and Markus Niemelainen are recall options for the coming Stuart Skinner year.

AHL An additional left-handed defenceman with similar talent to Cossa wouldn’t move the needle much, as this is one position that is well 31GP, 2.38 GAA, .914SP covered.

No. 1 AHL goalie, possible NHL recall Right defence

Dylan Wells PLAYER 2020-21 LEVEL 2020-21 STATS 2021-22 AHL PROJECTION

Did not play Evan Bouchard

RFA, it is uncertain he'll return NHL

Olivier Rodrigue 14GP, 2-3-5 with 38 shots

AHL NHL third pair, increasing power-play time

11GP, 2.99, .894SP Filip Berglund

AHL option, could spend time in the ECHL SHL

Ilya Konovalov 32GP, 1-7-8, 20-34 EV goal diff

KHL AHL top-six, uncertain of the size of his role

19GP, 2.29, .923SP Phil Kemp

AHL but could push to top of depth chart AHL

Stuart Skinner took a big step forward in 2020-21, winning his first NHL 12GP, 0-1-1 game and then backstopping the Bakersfield Condors to the Pacific A full season in AHL shutdown role Division crown. Dylan Wells didn’t play, instead spending much of the year on the taxi squad. Olivier Rodrigue impressed in Europe and then Mike Kesselring showed flashes during his time in California. AHL Ilya Konovalov has a chance to emerge from this list (he was drafted by Oilers general manager Ken Holland and owns an impressive pro 21GP, 1-2-3 A full season in AHL in two-way role The Oilers recently graduated two right-wingers (Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto) and have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at There’s a major gap between Evan Bouchard and the rest of the right- centre. There’s no pressing need up front (beyond first-shot scorers), but handed defensive group. Bouchard can be written in for the 2021-22 if Mason McTavish or Zachary Bolduc are available when Edmonton team on the third pair and on one of the power plays. selects, Wright should make that selection.

Filip Berglund is an SHL veteran of some repute and should see NHL Cossa’s numbers action at some point during his contract, but the organization will want to get a feel for what level he can play. That means Bakersfield. After that, Cossa played a short schedule against specific (Alberta) opponents in both Phil Kemp and Mike Kesselring are depth draft picks who have the WHL this season, so the gaudy numbers produced come with an earned NHL contracts and will need more AHL exposure before asterisk. To make up for the uncertainty, and to give us some idea of projecting as NHL players. what kind of goalie Cossa could be, I decided to run draft-minus-one and draft seasons (save percentage) for the last 10 seasons of WHL goalies Right-side defencemen are hockey unicorns. If a good one is available chosen in the first three rounds of an NHL draft: when the Oilers draft, the organization would be justified in contemplating the decision. Brooks Bandits (AJHL) prospect Corson Ceulemans might PLAYER DRAFT YEAR SV% DRAFT YEAR SV% MINUS 1 be in the conversation. Sebastian Cossa Forwards 2021 PLAYER 2020-21 LEVEL 2020-21 STATS 2021-22 PROJECTION .941

Tyler Benson .921

AHL Mads Sogaard

36GP, 10-26-36 2019

RFA, he has a clean shot at an NHL job .921

Dylan Holloway NAHL

Big-10 Stuart Skinner

23GP, 11-24-35 2017

AHL start, recall based on performance .905

Raphael Lavoie .920

AHL Carter Hart

19GP, 5-5-10 2016

Possible late-season recall .918

Cooper Marody .915

AHL Connor Ingram

39GP, 21-15-36

RFA, moved to right wing, tough road to NHL 2016

Kirill Maksimov .922

VHL .904

25GP, 12-15-27 Adin Hill

Feature role in the AHL playing big minutes 2015

Ostap Safin .921

AHL .934

22GP, 4-2-6 Tristan Jarry

Another AHL season, he has talent 2013

Matej Blumel .936

Czech .894

49GP, 17-15-32 Eric Comrie

Speedster could get a contract 2013

Carter Savoie .915

NCHC .900

24GP, 13-7-20 Chris Driedger

Another NCAA season, and then a pro deal 2012

Edmonton needs left-wingers for the NHL roster, and all of Benson, .896 Holloway and Lavoie could be in the plans over the next 12 months. .881 Savoie is a year behind but could cut through the depth chart if his scoring ability is as true as it looked with the Denver Pioneers last winter. Cossa’s numbers in both years show up well with a rather large crop of goaltenders chosen over recent seasons. It’s fair to suggest he belongs in the upper end of this group, and there are some fine talents (Carter Hart, Tristan Jarry, Chris Driedger) among them.

The problem is that using save percentage over a rather short period is a less than perfect way to project a first-round selection. Every NHL team has missed on a goalie once thought a sure thing, and as good as Cossa looks today, there are no guarantees he’ll continue to develop as hoped.

What does it all mean?

It’s a conundrum. Every team wants a franchise goaltender, but no team is excited to take one in the first round. The preferred method is to wait until Day 2 of the draft, with five or six goaltenders still on the board, and then jump in when the feeding frenzy begins. When the Oilers traded up in the third round of the 2017 draft to get Skinner, NHL teams were in the middle of a run that saw six goalies go off the board in a 25-pick window.

That’s the way teams normally go for goaltenders: Don’t take a risk in the first round but be prepared to trade into the second.

For the Oilers, if a goalie is the best player available at No. 19 or 20, taking him allows the team to address an area of weakness with a legit solution. If another player of greater value has fallen, then the decision is clear.

Cossa is a giant before he puts on skates (6-foot-6, 210 pounds) and blocks out the sun even in the butterfly. He has a good glove and quick feet.

I don’t know where Cossa is ranked on the Oilers’ list but will say if he’s on the board when Edmonton picks, and becomes the selection, it will be justified.

Goalies are voodoo, but Cossa is a tremendous prospect.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189499 Florida Panthers After the last year, he’s appears ready to play alongside him. The COVID-19 shutdown last year gave Lundell time to focus on his body, and he came back faster and stronger last season, and his points per game jumped from 0.64 to 0.96. After a monster World Championship, Panthers prospect Lundell is coming to ‘take a spot’ “It was a really long summer and I trained with my summer coaches here in Finland and we worked really hard a long time,” Lundell said. “I think that was the key for this season. I was in good shape and I think I did get more muscle, and it helped me in the game and I was stronger, faster. I BY DAVID WILSON had more confidence and it was really good to see that hard work pays off.”

Anton Lundell is having one of the best years of any hockey player not Miami Herald LOADED: 06.10.2021 yet in the NHL. Now he’s ready to give the Florida Panthers a needed boost.

The 19-year-old forward is slated to join the Panthers for the 2021-22 NHL season after signing an entry-level deal Monday and he’s coming to Florida to earn an NHL roster spot — and maybe more.

“There’s a lot of good players and my goal is to take a spot on the roster,” Lundell said. “That’s the first step: to show the coaches that I’m ready to play in the NHL next season.”

Ever since the Panthers took him with the No. 12 overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Lundell has looked ready to play at the sport’s highest level.

The center scored 25 points in 26 games — 16 goals and nine assists — for Finland’s HIFK in the 2020-21 Liiga season. He won a bronze medal and finished third in the tournament in scoring at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Edmonton. In the last month, he hit another height: In 10 games at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, Lundell scored seven points to lead Finland as it won a silver medal.

While Lundell was on his run, general manager Bill Zito joked he would “go get him myself” to make sure Lundell was in South Florida in time for training camp. On the day after the tournament ended, Lundell officially signed a three-year contract with the Panthers and expects to arrive in Florida in August to be ready for training camp.

After another first-round exit from the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs last month, the Panthers are ready to give Lundell a chance to compete for a major role.

“Anton is a cerebral, skilled and dynamic young player who continuously established himself in Finland’s top league and played a pivotal role on Finland’s national teams at all levels,” Zito said in a statement Monday. “Anton’s maturity, compete level and sound two-way ability are exciting qualities to add to our organization. We are thrilled to have signed Anton and look forward to his future with the Florida Panthers for years to come.”

Lundell is the No. 22 prospect in the NHL, according to ESPN.com, and a potential answer as a second- or third-line center with forwards Sam Bennett and Alex Wennberg both headed for free agency in the offseason.

Lundell, who won’t turn 20 until October and said he models his game off former Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk, feels the experience at the IIHF World Championship this spring helped get him ready for the NHL.

“It was a really good tournament and a lot of good players,” Lundell said. “Many of them have played in the NHL for a long, long time and it was really good to see. I played my own game, my own strengths on the ice, so it was good to see I’ve done something right.

“I could show everybody that I can play on a good level every game and, of course, my goal is to help my team to win games and we won a lot of games.”

While Zito has expressed interest in locking up Bennett long-term, Wennberg is an unrestricted free agent, who could be tougher to keep around after he set a new career-high in goals. Bennett finished the year as Florida’s No. 2 center — although he can also play either wing spot — and Wennberg finished the season on the third line, with forward Noel Acciari rounding out the roster as the fourth-line center. It’s possible the Panthers could wind up with two Finnish centers anchoring their top two lines.

Lundell said he was getting messages from Aleksander Barkov throughout the World Championship, and he’s looking forward to joining the star center after growing up watching him in the Liiga and NHL. 1189500 Florida Panthers

Panthers new forward Anton Lundell eager to make an impact

By MALLORY SCHNELL

Fresh off of a silver medal with Finland at the IIHF World Championship, Anton Lundell is eager to make his mark in the National Hockey League.

The Florida Panthers signed the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft to a three-year, entry-level contract on Monday.

“It’s always been one of my dreams to play in the NHL, and now I am one step closer to that,” Lundell said on a Zoom call with the media on Wednesday. “There is growth to do but it feels really good. I’m excited to sign with the Panthers, show them what I can do on the ice and help them win games.”

Lundell, 19, followed the Panthers throughout the 2020-21 season and knows how much talent is on the team.

“There’s a lot of good players,” Lundell said. “My goal is to take a spot on the roster. Of course, that is the first step. To show the coaches that I am ready to play in the NHL next season.”

Lundell is eager to contribute to the team by being a complete player on both sides of the ice.

“I want to be a trusted player that the coach can put on the ice,” Lundell said. “I want to be able to play a good offensive game, try to create chances for me and my linemates and I want to be able to play a two- way game.”

With a team-leading four goals and three assists at the IIHF World Championship, six goals and four assists at the IIHF World Junior Championship and 16 goals and nine assists for the HIFK in 2021, Lundell showed just what he is capable of as a professional hockey player.

“I think it had a big impact for me and my confidence,” Lundell said. “I have been playing against NHL players, so I can battle really good and produce good things on the ice also.”

Growing up, Lundell watched Aleksander Barkov play in Finland, and then continued to follow his career in the NHL.

“I’ve gotten some messages from Sasha (Barkov), and of course I’ve talked to [general manager] Bill [Zito],” Lundell said.

Lundell plans to come to South Florida in August, before training camp starts in September.

“I heard it is a really nice place,” Lundell said. “I haven’t been before [to] Florida. I’m really excited to see the ocean”

Sun Sentinel LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189501 Florida Panthers Zito says now that the draft is over, it makes no difference where Lundell landed, only that he is part of the Panthers now.

Rushing him into the NHL was not something the Panthers wanted to do. Anton Lundell ‘one step closer’ to NHL with Florida Panthers “You always err on the side of development,” Zito said on Wednesday. “I think it was absolutely the right decision for him to stay there, continue to get better. We had an uncertain year. By George Richards “That afforded him the chance to play and to do so for a great organization. HIFK is a wonderful, storied organization in his hometown. He was able to take his game and continue to elevate it. He took Anton Lundell could have been part of the Florida Panthers this past responsibility on the World Junior team and be an impact there then season but the team had no desire to rush his development especially return to his home team and be a difference maker there. All of the with the uncertainty of what exactly a Covid-19 NHL season was going to experiences he had are great for a young player and will only help him as look like. he prepares for the NHL and make the adjustments, learn and get better. Drafted 12th overall by the Panthers back in October, Lundell stayed in “Let’s not get caught up in where a player was taken. We value Anton as Finland playing for his hometown HIFK team and did everything the a player and as a person. He’s Anton Lundell, Florida Panther. We don’t Panthers could have hoped. look at the draft anymore. He’s in our organization and we’re looking Not only did he lead HIFK with 16 goals despite playing in just 26 games, forward to having him here.” he was one of Finland’s best players not only at World Juniors, but at the Bill Zito: Florida players are “proud to be Panthers” World Championships as well. Florida expects big things from the 6-foot-1 center but will not hand him Lundell’s HIFK team lost in the Liiga semifinals but ended up taking anything. Bronze by beating Sasha Barkov’s Tappara squad 7-1. Lundell had two assists in that game, including one on a goal by former Florida center Lundell sounds ready for the challenge which now awaits. Henrik Borgstrom. “I think the organization has done a great job, this last season was It was, Lundell said Wednesday, a season he said he will always unbelievable,” he said. “I was following the highlights from every game remember. and it was fun to watch. I will just try to do my best. There are a lot of good players. My goal is to take a spot on the roster and that’s the first “It has been a really busy year for me,” said Lundell, who signed his step. I have to show the coaches I am ready to play in the NHL next entry-level contract with the Panthers on Monday, a day after his Finland season.” squad lost to Canada in the Gold Medal game at the Worlds in Latvia. Said Zito: “He is going to have to come in here and earn it. And he knows “With the Corona, it was an even weirder season for me. But I was able that. I do know one thing: He is going to be prepared. You get that just to win medals on every team I played on this year and that gives me from talking to him. We’re very happy and looking forward to seeing what confidence. Too bad we weren’t able to win Gold, but we were good and he can do. We’re going to help continue his development and he is a guy we had a good year. I tried to play my best, show what level I could be at who wants to do that. He wants to get better and it’s an exciting part of from game-to-game.” his makeup as a person and a player.” Wearing a Panthers golf shirt with a game jersey handing on the closet The Panthers, who once were pretty light when it came to center depth, behind him, Lundell spoke to the South Florida media for the first time hope that is a strength moving forward. since the team drafted him. With Barkov leading the top line, Florida could eventually have Lundell, On that night (well, it was early morning in Finland) Lundell was not only Sam Bennett (RFA) and Alex Wennberg (UFA) rounding things out not to celebrating an HIFK win over Lahti the night before, but the draft as well. mention having Noel Acciari, Mason Marchment and Carter Verhaeghe After the game, Lundell went to dinner with family and friends before available if needed. returning to the arena in Helsinki to watch the draft unfold with about 20 Florida could lose one or more of its centers to free agency or to Seattle well-wishers — including his dad Jan who is the former longtime goalie in the expansion draft, but the team is definitely moving in the right for HIFK who is now the team’s goalie coach. direction when it comes to strength down the middle. Florida Panthers find their future No. 2 center in Anton Lundell Barkov, obviously, is the standard-bearer for that. “It was really fun to share this day with them,’’ Lundell said then. “My Lundell could be a solid part of the Panthers for a long time to come. He family has helped me so much both growing up and in my hockey career. will just turn 20 around the time the upcoming season starts. To share this day with them made it special for everyone.” “Anton had a quality place to play, to develop, improve and get better,” Now, he’s ready for the next step in his development — and that means Zito said. “He got great coaching, had great teammates and played in a moving to South Florida and officially joining the Panthers. great league. He was continued to evolve. It appears the NHL will have a normal start time for the 2021-22 season, “There are lots of different roads to the NHL and he took a pretty good so training camp should be in mid-September. one. He was very fortunate to be able to be participate in the Finnish Lundell said he plans on coming to Florida in August to get situated and league, the World Juniors and the World Championships all in one year. begin his new life with the Panthers. He went out and did it. He should get all the credit in the world.”

“It has always been one of my dreams to play in the NHL and now I am Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 06.10.2021 one step closer to that,” said Lundell, who said he spoke with Panthers’ executive Roberto Luongo at the World Championships.

“Of course there is work to do, but this feels really good. I am really excited to sign with the Panthers, go and show them what I can do on the ice. I want to help them win games.”

Florida general manager Bill Zito was thrilled Lundell dropped to Florida with the No. 12 pick in October, and found it hard to wipe the smile off his face every time he watched what Lundell was doing in Finland.

Like Sasha Barkov before him, Lundell played in the Liiga — a high-level men’s professional league in Finland — as a teenager before being drafted.

Unlike Barkov, Lundell got an extra year in his homeland. 1189502 Los Angeles Kings two victories from his final 14 games played. The Iowa native posted a .894 save percentage from April through the end of the season.

It’s not fair to put all of that on Petersen. You could hand pick several Kings Seasons in Review – Cal Petersen games in that stretch where the team gave him very little chance at winning – 4/5 vs. ARI, 4/24 vs. ARI and 5/1 @ ANA quickly come to mind – as well as a trio of games against Colorado at the end of the season. It’s not all on the goaltending, regardless of who is in net, but the stats By Zach Dooley are the stats regardless of how you shake it out.

Additionally of note, Kings goaltenders, in general, conceded more We conclude this week’s player evaluations by capping off the Kings rebounds than any other tandem. Petersen was among the NHL’s goaltending tandem, first taking a look at the recent top goaltender at the leaders in rebound attempts against – no goaltender in the league faced IIHF World Championships. more rebound attempts per 60 minutes than Petersen’s 4.4, with Quick posting a similar total as we;ll get into in a couple of days. Today, we look at the newer member in Cal Petersen, who completed his first NHL campaign, as he assumed his share of the starting role, in a 2021-22 Status – Petersen concludes the final year of the three-year transition to taking on the number one job moving forward. On Friday, we contract he signed with the Kings in the summer of 2019. The bulk of the will take a look at the veteran half of the Kings goaltending tandem, with first season was spent in the AHL, while this season was spent entirely in Jonathan Quick’s 2021 season. the NHL. The expectation is that not only will the third season be spent in the NHL, but it will be done playing a prominent role for the Kings. Cal Petersen At the conclusion of next season, Petersen will be an unrestricted free NHL Statline – 35 games played, 2016 minutes played, 9-18-5 record, agent, meaning that he and the Kings will need to come to terms on an 2.89 goals against average, .911 save percentage, .915 even strength extension, likely one with more term and a sizeable raise, with Petersen save percentage, 0 shutouts viewed as the organization’s goaltender moving forward.

Through the ups and downs of his first full season at the NHL level, Cal General Manager Rob Blake said that Petersen has worked his way into Petersen went from a promising option, to the likely number one the team’s secondary core, that second leadership group, through his goaltender moving forward. Petersen appeared in 35 starts for the Kings, play. He called this season an important one, with the season to come as the organization began the transition to making him the starting important for the developing goaltender as well. netminder, a trend which is slated to continue for the Notre Dame graduate heading into the final year of his contract. “He had a good first half of the season, we would like to see a little bit more near the end, but the team also didn’t play very well in front, so “We feel we have a really good goaltender there for a lot of years to there were some games that he may have played well without the win come,” Todd McLellan said of Petersen. “I think, as you improve, as a result. I think every game he started was a step more in defining his forward, defenseman, goaltender, coach, whoever it might be, you grow position on our team.” in increments, and you’ve got to push through to the next level on a regular basis. Do what you need to in your increment and then move up With both Petersen and Quick under contract for the season to come, the to the next one, and then move up to the next one. We’re trying to push expectation is that both will be back with the Kings as the goaltending Cal through the next increment and make sure that he can elevate and tandem next season. Petersen’s continued growth, now as an compete as a number one consistently.” established NHL goaltender, will be a key point to watch for the newest edition of the LA Kings. Trending Up – To post a .911 save percentage, above the NHL average, in your first full professional season is a pretty solid introduction. To do it LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 06.10.2021 on a team that struggled in the standings, as the Kings did, makes it even more so. Among qualifying netminders this season, Petersen ranked 12th out of 27 in save percentage, which placed him in the upper half of the league.

Few goaltenders faced more expected goals against than the Kings goaltending tandem of Petersen and Quick, with Petersen ranking in the NHL’s Top 5 in expected goals allowed per 60 minutes. Few goaltenders faced more shots than Petersen, either. In fact, just two with at least 1,500 minutes played handled a higher workload than Petersen, who saw 32.2 shots per 60 minutes.

Where Petersen thrived perhaps the most was in denying high-danger opportunities against. To preface that, in sticking with the theme, few goaltenders faced more high-danger chances against this season than Petersen, and his .856 save percentage against those chances at even strength ranked third in the NHL amongst goaltenders with at least 30 appearances. By my calculations, that makes Petersen one of the league’s best in that department.

We’ll get into the end of the season later on, but for the first 2/3 of the campaign, Petersen was up amongst the league’s best in net. From January through March, Petersen ranked fifth with a .925 save percentage. Even as far into the season as late-April, Petersen remained in the league’s Top 10, though he and the Kings in general finished the season on a downturn.

Lastly, while not in a Kings jersey, Petersen represented the United States at the 2021 IIHF World Championships and was named as the tournament’s top goaltender, backstopping Team USA to a bronze medal. While the World Championships is far from an indicator of long- term NHL success, if nothing else, his performance was an encouraging bounceback after the way the season finished for the Kings.

Trending Down – While more of a blip than any cause for long-term concern, Petersen’s closing of the NHL season did not match his opening. As late as the end of April, Petersen ranked inside the NHL’s top 10 in several goaltending categories, but ended the season with just 1189503 Minnesota Wild

Wild names Ray Shero senior adviser to the general manager

During the early stages of a critical offseason, the Wild bolstered its front office by bringing in longtime executive Ray Shero.

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune JUNE 10, 2021 — 12:46AM

During the early stages of a critical offseason, the Wild bolstered its brain trust – bringing in longtime executive Ray Shero on Wednesday as senior adviser to the general manager.

Most recently, Shero was GM of the New Jersey Devils from 2015 to 2020.

Before that, Shero was the Penguins' GM from 2006 to 2014 and won General Manager of the Year in 2013. His tenure in Pittsburgh overlapped with Wild GM Bill Guerin's stint with the franchise. Not only did Guerin win a Stanley Cup as a player with the Penguins in 2009, but Guerin worked in Shero's front office as a player development coach after retiring.

The 58-year-old Shero is a native of St. Paul; his dad Fred played for and coached the St. Paul Fighting Saints before becoming a successful NHL coach who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame posthumously in 2013.

Shero played at St. Lawrence University and went on to become a player agent before joining Ottawa as an assistant GM. He also worked for Nashville and is involved with USA Hockey as a member of its National Team Advisory Board.

Star Tribune LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189504 Minnesota Wild

Wild hire former Stanley Cup exec Ray Shero as new senior advisor

By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: June 9, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. | UPDATED: June 9, 2021 at 2:01 p.m.

More than a decade ago, veteran general manager Ray Shero traded for Bill Guerin a few months before the Pittsburgh Penguins went on to win the 2009 Stanley Cup. A couple of years later, Shero gave Guerin his start on the management side, hiring him as a member of the Penguins front office.

Now the 50-year-old Guerin is returning the favor. On Wednesday afternoon, the Wild officially named Shero as senior adviser to the general manager, meaning he will work hand in hand with Guerin for the foreseeable future.

Originally born in St. Paul, Shero, 58, was the general manager of the Penguins from 2006-14. He most recently served as the general manager of the New Jersey Devils before being fired on Jan. 12, 2020. He has also served as the assistant general manager of the Ottawa Senators and the assistant general manager of the Nashville Predators.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189505 Montreal Canadiens

P.K. Subban joins ESPN as hockey analyst for rest of playoffs

Defenceman had five goals, 14 assists and was minus-16 in 44 games with the Devils this season, missing the end of it after contracting COVID.

Montreal Gazette

With his New Jersey Devils having failed to make the playoffs, defenceman P.K. Subban has found a new way to occupy his time, as a hockey analyst for ESPN.

Subban will join the network as of Wednesday and for the remainder of the playoffs, he confirmed on Twitter after a report by the New York Post.

Yup! It’s on https://t.co/7mMf4ofqwP

— P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1) June 9, 2021

ESPN recently won a share of the U.S. national NHL broadcasting rights, but those rights don’t begin until next season. And by then Subban will be back with his team, starting the last year of an eight-year, $72-million contract Subban signed with the Canadiens in 2014.

Subban had five goals, 14 assists and was minus-16 in 44 games with the Devils this season, missing the end of it after contracting COVID-19. The team finished 19-30-7 to end up 29th out of 31 teams in the league standings.

The Canadiens are still in the NHL playoffs, which means Subban could be called upon to comment on his former teammates, including Paul Byron, Phillip Danault, Brendan Gallagher, Jeff Petry, Carey Price, and the man he was traded to the Nashville Predators for in 2016, Shea Weber.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189506 Montreal Canadiens Ducharme said forward Jake Evans started off-ice training as he recovers from a concussion suffered during a vicious Game 1 check that resulted in a four-game suspension for Jets star Mark Scheifele. Ducharme added there was a possibility Evans could return for the next Canadiens hope to pick up where they left off, Gallagher says series, but there’s no urgency to get him back. Artturi Lehkonen has played well as Evans’s replacement on the shutdown line with Phillip Winger notes players are taking passionate message from Habs great Danault and Gallagher. Bob Gainey to heart as they prepare for Vegas or Colorado in next round. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 06.10.2021

Pat Hickey• Montreal Gazette

The Canadiens brought in a guest speaker Wednesday and Brendan Gallagher, who is an expert on passion, said Hall of Famer Bob Gainey delivered a passionate message as he spoke about playing on five Stanley Cup-winning teams.

“There are not many organizations that can count on former players as experienced as ours, and we were fortunate to have one with us today,” Gallagher said after the Canadiens held an off-ice workout as they await the winner of the West Division final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche.

Gallagher said Gainey, who also served as head coach and general manager of the team, stressed the importance of being ready for the first game and establishing their style of play.

“These are things we’re going to do this week to make sure we’re well rested, but also to stay mentally and physically ready,” said Gallagher. “We want to pick up where we left off at the end of the series against Winnipeg.”

That series offered a lesson for the Canadiens because the Jets had more than a week off after sweeping Edmonton in the first round and never recovered from a slow start against Montreal. If Vegas beats Colorado on Thursday in Game 6 (9 p.m., SN, CBC, TVA Sports), the semifinal could start as early as Saturday. If the Avalanche forces a Game 7, the Canadiens are looking at a Monday or Tuesday series start.

The Canadiens return to the ice in Brossard on Thursday and interim head coach Dominique Ducharme said it doesn’t matter that the Canadiens don’t know the identity of their next opponent.

“We focus on us,” Ducharme said. “Each team has its strengths, its weaknesses and its own style of play. The most important thing is us. We will have the chance to hold two or three practices on the ice before starting the series (and) we want to work on our things and make sure we’re 100-per-cent ready. Regardless of the opponent, it doesn’t change the way we play.”

If Quebec Premier François Legault wants to win another playoff bet, he should consider a way to get more fans into the Bell Centre for the next round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Gallagher and Ducharme expressed hope the province will allow more fans into the Bell Centre, where the attendance is capped at 2,500. They noted that the U.S. teams have an advantage because their buildings are operating at full capacity.

“Every time there is a fan who comes into the Bell Centre, we feel the energy on our side,” said Ducharme. “Would we like to have the right to welcome more supporters? For sure. I would say that the 2,500 fans are already making their voice heard and that brings energy to our team. If we could have a full house, it would be amazing to feel the frenzy and the atmosphere. We are aware of what is happening with the pandemic (but) each time we can add a supporter, it is a plus for our team.”

Ducharme had some good news on the medical front.

He said defenceman Jeff Petry is making progress as he recovers from what is believed to be a couple of dislocated fingers on his right hand. Ducharme said Petry could be ready for Game 1 of the semifinal series.

Petry had the misfortune of getting his fingers caught in a hole in the glass that is designed to give photographers a clearer view of the action.

There was no photographer present at the time Petry’s fingers were caught in the hole and there are two explanations why the hole wasn’t plugged. Either a photographer forgot to replace the hole plug or it was a case of negligence by the arena maintenance staff. 1189507 Montreal Canadiens 16:46 Jesperi Kotkaniemi

12:13 The Canadiens are finally a four-line team with four slightly different identities 13:39

Eric Staal

By Arpon Basu Jun 10, 2021 12:22

12:36

Throughout Dominique Ducharme’s time as head coach of the But again, what is most interesting about how the lines have come Canadiens he has been searching for what he now has. together is how they play well off each other, and that is best exemplified when looking at zone entry data. For this, we referred to the tireless work Due to a variety of reasons — an unrelenting schedule, the injuries that of Mikael Nahabedian, who does advanced stats and scouting for the came as a result of it, inconsistent play and poor results — Ducharme McGill Martlets hockey team and tracks Canadiens entries every game was never quite able to settle on four forward lines he could count on. and posts his work on Twitter (you should really be following him). Even finding two line combinations that were consistently reliable proved difficult. Here is Nahabedian’s tracking data on Canadiens zone entries against the Jets, with Lehkonen’s and Evans’ numbers combined, to show just This constant flux up front led to inconsistent play, yes, but most of all it how they throw different looks at an opponent from one line to another. led to a lack of cohesion, as if the four forward lines were not complementing each other, like they were not pulling on the same rope, Canadiens forwards zone entry data as the cliche goes. LINE ENTRIES DUMP CONTROLLED FAILED DUMP Prior to the playoffs, Ducharme finally had time to work with a healthy RECOVERIES team and come up with combinations that had the opposite effect. They did not work right away, but ever since Game 6 against the Toronto Gallagher Maple Leafs when Jake Evans entered the lineup to replace Tomas Tatar 37 at left wing on a line with Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher, the forward lines have not changed. When Evans was injured in Game 1 22 against the Winnipeg Jets, he was replaced on that line by Artturi Lehkonen, who provides many of the same attributes as Evans. 4

What stands out from how each forward line has performed in the 11 playoffs is that Ducharme identified roles for each one and 10 communicated them individually, line by line. Danault “Dom kind of took every line and had meetings telling you what he expects from you, what you need to bring,” Paul Byron said. “Sometimes 21 having that defined role really helps you break through games; you’re not 9 really focusing too much on getting points or scoring, you’re focusing on other little parts of the game that make a huge difference at the end in 8 terms of winning hockey games.” 4 Ducharme doesn’t seem to think this is anything special, and perhaps it isn’t. He is hardly the first coach in NHL history to meet individually with 7 each forward line and give them assignments for the playoffs. But what it Evans/Lehkonen has done is empowered each line to believe in what they are good at and to focus on that and nothing else, because they have been given the 21 assurance that what they are good at is what the Canadiens need to win hockey games. 14

“When I meet with the lines … it’s to really work with them to use their 6 strengths, play within their strengths, having each individual on that line 1 and putting that together, but for them to be bringing what they are as players,” Ducharme said. “So, it’s just trying to make them focus and 8 realize and really use those strengths at the maximum.” Total When you look at the lines Ducharme has been rolling with — and he is rolling them — it is not that difficult to identify each line’s role and identity, 79 as we will attempt to show. But the consistency and cohesion of the way 45 the lines are playing has allowed Ducharme to do what he said he would do entering the playoffs. He has depth, and he plans on using it. 18

Over the four-game sweep of the Jets in the second round, the average 16 even-strength ice time of the four centres was separated by a little over three minutes, from 12:13 per game for Jesperi Kotkaniemi to 15:30 per 25 game for Danault. And Danault was really an outlier, probably because of Percentage the extra shifts he gets specifically to take faceoffs. 56.9 Canadiens centres usage vs Jets 22.8 PLAYER ES TOI/GP TOI/GP 20.2 Phillip Danault ENTRIES 15:30 DUMP 17:30 CONTROLLED Nick Suzuki FAILED 13:04 DUMP RECOVERIES 12

Toffoli 8

28 3

17 3

6 Total

5 67

5 36

Suzuki 21

28 10

12 14

12 Percentage

4 53.7

8 31.3

Caufield 14.9

20 ENTRIES

4 DUMP

13 CONTROLLED

3 FAILED

3 DUMP RECOVERIES

Total Armia

76 26

33 13

31 6

12 7

16 7

Percentage Staal

43.4 15

40.8 5

21.1 6

ENTRIES 4

DUMP 2

CONTROLLED Perry

FAILED 15

DUMP RECOVERIES 3

Anderson 9

22 3

14 4

5 Total

3 56

7 21

Byron 21

22 14

10 13

8 Percentage

4 37.5

4 37.5

Kotkaniemi 25

23 The red lines are more dump and chase and the blue lines are more Nick Suzuki controlled entries. But even within those designations, there is variance from line to line. For instance, as we will attempt to show, there is a Cole Caufield difference between why the Danault line dumps the puck in as opposed The line of Suzuki, Tyler Toffoli and Cole Caufield use many of the same to the Kotkaniemi line, just as there is a difference in purpose when the principles as the Danault line, but in a slightly different way. Again, as the Nick Suzuki line executes a controlled entry compared to when the Eric table near the top showed, this is a line that is more likely to carry the Staal line does it. puck over the blue line than dumping it in, but the notions of creating two- The Danault line — Tough minutes for them and their opponents on-one situations and waves of pressure apply here as well — they are underlying principles to everything Ducharme believes in. Lehkonen-Danault-Gallagher Except this line is Ducharme’s high-octane skill line, and they like to use PLAYER CF% GF GA XGF% it. The Suzuki line will either maintain possession entering the zone or win it back and instead of simply sending the puck up to the blue line and Artturi Lehkonen funnel it toward the net — as the Danault line did in the video example — 57.83 this line will attempt to make plays to each other, oftentimes unconventional because of the sheer amount of offensive hockey IQ on 2 the line.

0 This is one example where the Suzuki line, out of a similar setup used by the Danault line, will use its skill to create an excellent look for Caufield. 67.9 The Kotkaniemi line — Crash and bang Phillip Danault (Eric Bolte / USA Today) Brendan Gallagher Byron-Kotkaniemi-Anderson Evans-Danault-Gallagher PLAYER CF% GF GA XGF% PLAYER CF% GF GA XGF% Paul Byron Jake Evans 50.43 50 3 0 3 0 47.07 44.01 Jesperi Kotkaniemi Phillip Danault Josh Anderson Brendan Gallagher Kotkaniemi’s line with Byron and Josh Anderson reverts back to It’s been two straight playoff years where the role of Danault’s line has favouring dump ins over controlled entries, but again, it is with a different shifted from being a two-way threat to largely having a defensive mission. purpose in mind. But as the numbers above suggest, they still attack that mission the same way, with the intention of playing with the puck in the offensive Yes, the line obviously wants to create offence, but it is also looking for zone and making the opposition’s top players defend. an excuse to punish the opposing defencemen on the forecheck. This kind of pressure is different in the sense that the consequence is not Last year, Danault wound up on a line with Lehkonen and Paul Byron, necessarily a turnover, it is bodily harm. If a defenceman going back for a and now he is on a line with Lehkonen and Gallagher, but the line is still puck against this line does not move it quickly, he will be drilled into the working in a very similar way. boards, as Derek Forbort learned not once, but twice on this sequence. “Regardless of who’s been there (on left wing), I think the responsibility And while the clip doesn’t quite show it, Neal Pionk learned it toward the has been the same; defence first, take care of your own end, take care of end as well with Anderson bearing down on him. that situation but at the same time we want to be playing in the offensive Though it was Kotkaniemi dishing out the punishment here, it is most zone and making them defend,” Gallagher said. “It’s a challenge that I’ve often Anderson and Byron doing it, and they are effective at it — enjoyed, that you embrace. It’s a big responsibility that the team puts on Anderson leads Canadiens forwards in the playoffs in hits with 36 and you. Obviously going into the next series, we know we’re going to have a Byron is third with 28. big task as well.” But as the above numbers also show, this line has not produced much in Something the line does well to maintain puck possession in the terms of offence and has the potential to do so. Ducharme is not offensive zone is forecheck in waves. If the opposition is able to get by unhappy with the line’s performance, but acknowledges he is hoping for the first obstacle, there is always another one waiting to pounce next. more from them. Here is an example where the Jets were able to make it through that web and exit the zone. “I think those guys have been pretty good,” Ducharme said, “and I think they can take another step in the next round.” But if you continue doing that, shift after shift, period after period, it becomes increasingly difficult to navigate. Pay particular attention here to The Staal line — Possession, possession, possession how the line creates two-on-one situations in pressuring the puck, even incorporating the defence into that scheme, until it finally pays off. Armia-Staal-Perry

The Suzuki line — A blast of skill PLAYER CF% GF GA XGF%

Toffoli-Suzuki-Caufield Joel Armia

PLAYER CF% GF GA XGF% 49.12

Tyler Toffoli 3

53.44 1

3 47.87

2 Eric Staal

57.38 Corey Perry The numbers above don’t necessarily point you in the direction of a high- end possession line, but this is the role of Staal’s line with Joel Armia and Corey Perry. They tend to favour controlled entries and if they succeed — no line has a higher rate of failed entries than this one — then they are a handful in the offensive zone.

They have produced some important goals playing this way, but the ultimate goal is to spend time in the offensive zone and get off the ice. Watch how long they play with the puck here and only twice do they even attempt to make a play toward the net, and both were attempted jam plays in tight.

That is a perfect shift for that line. Cycle, cycle, cycle and get off.

Taken individually, none of these lines is likely to strike fear in any opponent, let alone the Vegas Golden Knights or Colorado Avalanche.

But looked at collectively and how they play off each other, how they use similar principles but different styles to be effective, how they have different strengths and exploit them in slightly different ways, they provide Ducharme with something his system provides for his players on the ice.

They give him options.

The cumulative effect of how these lines play and the subtleties of their differences can keep an opponent — and particularly an opposing coach — off balance.

After weeks and even months of tinkering, Ducharme appears to have finally found something that allows him to fully exploit his depth up front.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189508 Montreal Canadiens Bill Guerin, Wild GM: “Honestly, the confidence he showed in making some big moves; he wasn’t shy about making the moves like (Josh) Anderson and (Tyler) Toffoli, Eric Staal, he had the confidence to do that. He’s believed in his process. It’s nice to see. Berg is one of those guys LeBrun: Canadiens’ Marc Bergevin praised for vision by NHL GMs, rival that everybody really likes. He’s such a fun guy but he really works his coaches impressed with team’s play ass off in a very demanding market. It’s not easy.”

Bob Murray, Ducks GM: “The ups and downs of this business … Bergy is in a really tough market. He’s had the guts to stick to his gut instincts. By Pierre LeBrun Jun 9, 2021 First of all, he cleared a bunch of money so he could do a couple of free- agent things and a couple of trades. He knew he had to pay for them. He’s built a pretty good hockey team. Again, he had the patience to stick Marc Bergevin has always been warmly viewed by his colleagues around to his gut instincts. And that’s a credit to him. Good for him.” the NHL. His sense of humour alone has cracked up a number of GMs over the years. Bill Zito, Panthers GM: “What you’re seeing is the vision that Berg had when he put the pieces together actually coming to fruition. When you This is the same guy who once picked up a plant at a GMs meeting in say ‘surprising run,’ he would probably tell you ‘No it’s not surprising.’ Boca Raton, Fla., and lifted it up to his head to hide from TV cameras This is what he intended. He had a plan and it came together. Which is while waltzing into the venue’s board room. hard to do.”

But his colleagues also know that the job of Montreal Canadiens GM has Jarmo Kekalainen, Blue Jackets GM (via text message): “Marc has done taken a toll at times on Bergevin over the nine years he’s been there. a great job, he is a passionate hockey guy driven to win. I am happy for They’ve seen him wear that, too. his success.”

So it’s no surprise that with the Habs clinching a spot in the Stanley Cup Brad Treliving, Flames GM: “Berg did a great job last summer in playoff semifinals, there were several GMs who could appreciate what it changing the look and identity of his team … He just addressed every meant for Bergevin to get there and have the faith of his vision for the need he needed to address. He added scoring and depth up front with team pay off with a deep playoff run. Toffoli, who’s been excellent, and Anderson and Corey Perry, all he does is go everywhere and win. It’s all worked out, right? And I thought he did I canvassed a number of GMs Tuesday for their insight on Bergevin’s a really good job of bringing in guys with pedigree in terms of work and also asked a few NHL head coaches for their take on what is Edmundson has won a Cup, Perry has won a Cup, Toffoli has won (the getting it done for Montreal right now. Cup), Staal has won. I think the blend that he’s had in terms of the Ken Holland, Oilers GM: “I think Berg has done a marvellous job. He’s younger players developing in (Nick) Suzuki and (Jesperi) Kotkaniemi definitely a General Manager of the Year candidate, if he doesn’t win it I and then (Cole) Caufield coming in now, with the veteran guys, it’s been would anticipate him being one of the finalists. He’s done a marvellous a good mix. I’m happy for him, he’s a good man.” job. It’s taken time. He’s done it over a few years. He’s done it piece by Joel Quenneville, Panthers head coach (via text message): “Happy for piece by piece by putting in building blocks and surrounded those pieces Berge. Playing a real solid, patient game with a check-first mentality. with really good free-agent signings and he’s built a team that’s in the Strong on pucks. (Defensive zone) structure with a strong purpose, clean final four. When you’re in the final four, you’ve got a chance to go on and up second and third opportunities and let Pricer see the first one. (Neutral win the Stanley Cup. Hats off to Marc Bergevin for a job well done.” zone) very disciplined, tough to get through with possession offensively. Jim Nill, Stars GM: “Marc had a real good offseason and went out and They are holding onto pucks, spending quality time in (offensive zone).” addressed needs, the (Joel) Edmundsons, (Tyler) Toffolis and (Josh) Darryl Sutter, Flames head coach (via text message): “Tremendous Andersons. He believed in what he was doing. (Corey) Perry was a big confidence and composure of Price running off on teammates. Big D pickup, too, probably under the radar, but an important add for the team closing gaps and making it hard to get inside. Balanced attack with and his results during the season and now in the playoffs are reaping playoff-proven vets, sprinkle fresh legs and off to the conference finals.” (the) reward. And Marc also had to make tough decisions during the season (coaching change). That’s not easy. He had support of ownership Todd McLellan, Kings head coach (via text message): “Montreal: which is important. I’m happy for him because that’s not an easy market confidence very high. Came from goaltender. and he believed in a plan. The only thing now is that we need to get him a haircut!” “The right mix. Older vets accepting roles and producing takes some pressure off youth — Suzuki, Caufield, Romanov to relax and play. Doug Armstrong, Blues GM (via text message): “Marc built his team from the goalie out with big defencemen, playoff style hockey, and he and his “Checking for chances and volume shooting, keeping opposition in D- organization are being rewarded.” zone for long periods of time. Last is confidence in special teams. Not afraid of penalties and excited when PP opportunity arrives.” Doug Wilson, Sharks GM: “To me, it’s fun to see. He’s built a really nice blend of (a) team. You always look at your team on paper, you see what Rick Tocchet, former Coyotes now free-agent head coach (via text you have and you see what you don’t have. But until they all connect as message): “Excellent goaltending will buy time for young guys mistakes, a group, and buy in and you get them to play the way you need them to players in slumps and a bad period here and there. As the playoffs have play, not the way they want to play; it’s not a negative on Claude Julien gone on there is less of those factors in Montreal’s game. They are but obviously (Dominique) Ducharme has come in and done a really playing like a team on a mission not to prove everybody wrong but to good job, too. They’re playing as a group. They’re really playing a prove to themselves that they are a very good team that can win this committed, connecting style of hockey. It’s fun to watch, because it’s thing if they keep embracing who they are … Montreal is a dangerous something we look at, that’s how you have to have success if you don’t team because of their strong belief and character !!” have the superstar players or whatever it may be. Yes, they have Carey The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 Price, who has been outstanding and one of the best goalies in the league. But they are the sum of all their parts, they’re a really connected team. You can just see it. … They’ve got great leadership in Price and Shea Weber and (Brendan) Gallagher and (Phillip) Danault. Danault has played unbelievable. I think he’s one of the most underrated guys in the game, because how he plays exemplifies their entire team; he’s a really smart, good player who does all the right things at the right moment.”

Brian MacLellan, Capitals GM: “I thought Berg did a good job. Obviously he has a vision that he stuck to and it’s nice to see it paying off for him. I liked what he did last offseason, me personally I didn’t think he got enough credit for the moves he made. I think he did a great job … Best thing about Montreal winning is that Berg has to keep wearing the red jacket and he can’t get a haircut.” 1189509 Nashville Predators Is Calle Jarnkrok the 2021 James Neal? Four years ago, Poile said it was a “business decision” to protect

Jarnkrok, who had five years left on his contract, over Neal, who was one Predators protected list: Who’s staying and who could be picked in the year away from free agency. Seattle Kraken expansion draft? Now Jarnkrok, 29, is entering the final year of his deal. Colton Sissons, 27, is locked up until 2026. By Poile’s logic, keeping Sissons would be a better business decision. Like Jarnkrok, Luke Kunin, 23, is under contract By Adam Vingan Jun 9, 2021 through next season. The six-year age difference between the two, however, works in Kunin’s favor.

The wild card is Viktor Arvidsson, whose recent injury struggles are At his end-of-season news conference last week, Predators general cause for concern. The Predators’ best course of action would be to manager David Poile did not bite when a reporter asked him about his trade him before the expansion draft, which would help simplify their plan for next month’s Seattle Kraken expansion draft. approach. That will likely prove difficult, though, because the acquiring “I couldn’t tell you that,” Poile said. “I’m not prepared to tell you that. I team would have to factor Arvidsson into their expansion plans. won’t tell you that. We’ve got until July 17 to work on that. There’s no The verdict advantage for me to tip my hand to anybody as to what our strategy might be. We’re going to have a lot of opportunities here in this next Based on the Predators’ current roster, here is their projected protection month to talk to every team in the league about what they’re going to do list. Unrestricted free agents, such as Mikael Granlund and Pekka Rinne, for expansion and what trades they might make or a lot of different are not included. things. It wouldn’t serve me any purpose to tip my hand at all.” Nashville Predators protection list It was worth a try. FORWARD DEFENSE GOALTENDER In 2017, the Predators’ approach to the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft was predictable. They protected eight skaters and chose Calle Colton Sissons Jarnkrok over James Neal for the final spot on the list. Matt Benning Poile has a lot more to think about this time. There are a few things we Juuse Saros (RFA) know for sure. Captain Roman Josi, who has a no-movement clause, and starting goaltender Juuse Saros will be protected. Jeremy Davies, David Nick Cousins Farrance, Mathieu Olivier, Philip Tomasino and Eeli Tolvanen are exempt from the process. Mattias Ekholm

After the trade deadline, Poile declared, “I’m not losing Mattias Ekholm in Connor Ingram expansion,” so put him on the list. It is safe to assume that Ryan Ellis and Filip Forsberg will also be protected. Viktor Arvidsson As for the rest of the roster, let’s examine the biggest questions facing the Predators. Roman Josi (NMC)

The curious cases of Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen Calle Jarnkrok

For several months, Predators fans have been plotting ways to get rid of Dante Fabbro (RFA) Matt Duchene or Ryan Johansen in the expansion draft. Both have struggled to justify their $8 million salaries. Ryan Johansen

Johansen, 28, has delivered in big moments for the Predators over five- Ryan Ellis plus seasons, but his inconsistency is troubling. Duchene, 30, has 19 Yakov Trenin goals in 100 regular-season games since signing his $56 million contract and appears at odds with coach John Hynes. Ben Harpur (RFA)

“It’s out of my control,” Johansen said last week when asked if the Rocco Grimaldi expansion draft is on his mind. “My job is to go out there and work my Mark Borowiecki butt off every day and try to be the best I can be. I believe that takes care of itself. We’re obviously aware there’s a new team coming in, and Eeli Tolvanen (RFA) someone’s going to leave. Whoever it may be, that’s this business.” Alexandre Carrier “Anything’s possible in this league,” Duchene said, answering the same question as Johansen. “But I haven’t really given it two seconds’ Filip Forsberg thought.” Jeremy Davies (RFA) Poile said last week that he intends to talk to Kraken GM Ron Francis Luke Kunin about possible deals, but one assumes that Poile and his counterparts will be less freewheeling than in 2017, when the Golden Knights built a David Farrance Stanley Cup finalist by taking advantage of their overly cautious rivals. Matt Duchene The Kraken would have all the leverage in trade negotiations involving Duchene or Johansen. Is it worth giving up draft picks, prospects, roster Mathieu Olivier (RFA) players or some combination of those assets to get rid of one of them? Tanner Jeannot (RFA) Protect Alexandre Carrier, Dante Fabbro or both? Rem Pitlick (RFA) Before this season, protecting Dante Fabbro was a no-brainer. Then Available Alexandre Carrier came along and made things more complicated. Michael McCarron (RFA) The Predators are not ready to give up on the soon-to-be-23-year-old Fabbro, whose development hit a snag this season. Carrier, 24, was very Protected impressive in a top-four role and is signed through 2023 for the bargain price of $733,333 per year. Philip Tomasino

Teams are allowed to protect five defensemen. The New York Islanders Exempt did that in 2017. (Note: Roster sorted by games played in 2020-21.) The Predators are going to lose a good player. They should not pay an exorbitant price to convince the Kraken to take Duchene or Johansen.

If the Kraken take Arvidsson, 28, and his $4.25 million cap hit through 2024, they might be doing the Predators a favor.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189510 New York Islanders orange towels while chanting and singing in the last games of the Coliseum.

“As we started to have fans back with everyone getting vaccinated, it’s Islanders Advance to Semifinals for Second Straight Year giving it a lot more meaning,” Islanders Coach Barry Trotz said. “It’s a great feeling.” The Islanders beat the Boston Bruins in Game 6 to set up a series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, last year’s Stanley Cup winner. New York Times LOADED: 06.10.2021

By Allan Kreda

Two weeks after they won their first-round series before a similarly cacophonous crowd at Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders had a chance for another series-clincher game at home.

They did not disappoint, as the Islanders finished off the Bruins with a 6-2 win in Game 6 of their second-round series.

The Islanders broke a 1-1 tie with three second-period goals, two by Brock Nelson and one by Kyle Palmieri. Semyon Varlamov, who entered play with a .925 goals-against average, had another stellar game with 23 saves. The Islanders added two empty-net goals in the third period.

The Islanders reached the semifinals for a second straight season and will again face Tampa Bay. Last year, the Lightning beat the Islanders in six games before defeating Dallas to win the Stanley Cup.

The 2020 series played out in a bubble environment in Edmonton, Alberta, but this year’s showdown will be the first semifinal on Long Island since 1993. Tampa Bay advanced after beating the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.

“It’s a great opportunity seeing them again in the semifinals,” said Josh Bailey, an Islanders forward who had two assists. “We’re really looking forward to it.”

Travis Zajac opened the scoring at 8 minutes 52 seconds of the first period, putting the puck past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask.

Zajac, 36, who with Palmieri was a late-season acquisition from the Devils, sent the Coliseum crowd into a frenzy with his first goal of the postseason.

Zajac had played his entire career, more than 1,000 games, for the Devils before the trade and had replaced the injured Oliver Wahlstrom in the lineup for the final game of the opening-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Boston’s Brad Marchand scored both goals for the Bruins on power plays, one at 17:36 of the first to tie the game and the second in the third period.

But the Islanders — whose previous five wins this postseason came after they had allowed the opening goal — played with resolve and determination at even strength, forcing the Bruins to the perimeter and fiercely protecting the space in front of Varlamov.

“It was just a great team effort,” Zajac said. “We had contributions from everyone. It was an electric atmosphere and I liked the way we battled.”

He added: “It was nice to play with the lead.”

Nelson scored his fifth goal of the playoffs at 5:20 of the second period with assists from Bailey and Nick Leddy and then gave the Islanders a two-goal cushion at 12:39. Palmieri scored his team-best seventh of the postseason at 16:07, putting the Islanders up by three.

Hours before the pivotal Game 6, Andy Greene — acquired late last season by the Islanders — marveled at the chance to play with his former Devils teammates in such high-stakes games.

“You have to know the moment at hand and embrace it,’’ said the 38- year-old Greene, who had also been a career Devil before the trade. “It’s been great playing with Trav and Palms and being on a run. It’s been cool to be able to share it with them.”

Now the three former Devils — who were all acquired by Lou Lamoriello, their former boss in New Jersey, who is now the team president and general manager of the Islanders — will play on.

And a season in which the Islanders played their first home game with no crowd against these same Bruins will continue with 12,000 fans waving 1189511 New York Islanders Trotz revealed after the game that Nelson had played Game 4 of the series on no sleep after his wife had given birth. The coach said that everyone saw the “refreshed” version of Nelson on Wednesday.

Islanders beat Bruins in Game 6, win series and advance to meet Indeed, Nelson is now tied with Denis Potvin with 22 goals in his first 60 defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning career playoff games, second all-time in franchise history behind the great Mike Bossy (41).

Any team with championship aspirations needs its top players to lead, as By PAT LEONARD well, and the best news of this series was Mathew Barzal’s six points during a four-game point streak between Games 2 and 5, and

Varlamov’s elite form. The Islanders weren’t going to be denied one last Stanley Cup pursuit In the first round, it was rookie goalie Ilya Sorokin making 150 saves on through Nassau Coliseum, a chance to redo last year’s bubble run inside 159 shots in four games for a 0.943 save %. In this second round, it was the old barn out on the Island. Varlamov standing tall and outplaying Rask, making 169 stops on 181 Brock Nelson scored twice in Wednesday night’s second period in front shots for a 0.933 save %. of a deafening, sell-out crowd, eliminating the Boston Bruins in a 6-2 Then there’s the coach. Game 6 win to draw an Eastern Conference finals rematch with the reigning champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Trotz’s last four seasons have been a Stanley Cup title with the Washington Capitals, a second-round exit with the Islanders, and now “We want Tampa!” the fans chanted as the clock wound down. back-to-back trips to the semifinal round. The Islanders now will make their first back-to-back trips to the The Islanders have played 34 playoff games the last two years, just two conference finals since the dynasty years of 1980-83, the four straight fewer than the Lightning’s league-high 36, and one ahead of the Las Cup championships won by Al Arbour’s Isles, one of the greatest NHL Vegas Golden Knights’ 33. teams of all time. The Coliseum fans taunted Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy on Wednesday The moment and the meaning was not lost on anyone wearing blue, for good measure, chanting “New York Saints!” orange and white on coach Barry Trotz’s team Wednesday night, after empty-netters from Cal Clutterbuck and Ryan Pulock iced it and brought That was the derisive nickname Cassidy had given the Isles during his down the house. officiating rant after Game 5 that earned him a $25,000 fine from the league. “The place was rockin’ tonight,” Nelson said. “The team played great. One of those nights — Barry touched on it a bit after the game: you’ll But the Isles fans were undeterred by Boston’s bark. And they are always remember moments like. That was a big game, big team effort equally unintimidated by the Lightning’s six-game elimination of their from everybody. Just feels good having a full Coliseum there and playing Islanders last year in Edmonton. for them.” They are the audible embodiment of their team on the ice, which at the Normally, Stanley Cup playoff series so physical and evenly matched find Coliseum is how it should be. their way to a do-or-die Game 7, but the Islanders refused to let this go back to Boston, just as they’d closed out the Penguins in Game 6 of “It feels right,” Nelson said. round one to avoid a trip back to Pittsburgh. New York Daily News LOADED: 06.10.2021 They scored four or more goals in three straight wins to end the series. They got superb goaltending from Semyon Varlamov (23 saves) through the bulk of round two.

And they knew that winning here at the Coliseum in its final season means more.

“We recognize this is a special moment for this building and the guys understood the magnitude of the game,” Trotz said. “I talked to them and I said when your career’s all done, you’re gonna remember those special moments when you win a series and hopefully win a Stanley Cup, there’s gonna be special moments along the way. And we can make this a special moment by winning a series in the building — it’d be the second one we’ve done in this building — and trying to take the next step.”

At first glance, Trotz’s Islanders might seem one star defenseman or top- line scorer away from taking that next step to their ultimate goal, from avenging last season’s six-game elimination at the Lightning’s hands.

But a fair assessment of president Lou Lamoriello’s roster would describe this lineup as, quite simply, built for the grind of the playoffs. There is scoring and grit and puck movement and physicality and elite goaltending so far, too.

Wednesday they mounted a three-goal second period largely by capitalizing on the Bruins’ mistakes.

Nelson picked up a Matt Grzelcyk turnover and gave the Islanders a 2-1 on a wrister in all alone 5:20 into the second. Nelson then scored his sixth of the playoffs on the backhand at 12:39 off a Josh Bailey feed after a turnover by Bruins goalie Tuuka Rask and defenseman Mike Reilly.

And Kyle Palmieri stuffed in his team-leading seventh goal of the playoffs at 16:07 off another Grzelcyk giveaway in front.

Center J.G. Pageau, a hard-nosed player whose defensive work helped the Isles limit the Patrice Bergeron line in this series, created the Palmieri goal with hard work on the back wall to feed it back to Adam Pelech for a point shot and big rebound. 1189512 New York Islanders

Islanders getting another shot at Lightning

By Mollie Walker June 10, 2021 | 3:00am

Head coach Barry Trotz said he’d be thinking about the Islanders’ loss to the Lightning in the 2019-20 conference finals on his deathbed. Well, now he and his team will get a chance to rectify that.

With a series-clinching 6-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night, the Islanders advanced to the Stanley Cup semifinals and earned another crack at the Lightning. The rematch is expected to begin this weekend in Tampa, Fla.

During the bubble playoffs last season, the Lightning sent the Islanders packing after taking the series 4-2 before going on to win the Stanley Cup. The Islanders were gassed after the Flyers forced Game 7 in the second-round series, which led to the Lightning taking two easy wins to start the conference finals in Edmonton.

The Islanders won 5-3 in Game 3 and pulled out a 2-1 win in double overtime in Game 5 to stay alive, but the Lightning ultimately advanced. In six games, the Lightning outscored the Islanders 20-12.

“We’ve talked zero about Tampa Bay, zero,” Trotz said with a giggle after the win. “We started out this journey to beat Pittsburgh, and we were able to do that. Then we focused in on Boston. We get a shot to go against the champs again. They’re great. I just watched them close out Carolina. That’s a good hockey team right now, and a very dangerous power play, they’re getting about 50 percent I think, it seems like so.

“They’ve got superstar power, just as Boston does. They’ve got a few lines that can hurt you and a tight goaltender, their defense is extremely deep and their forwards are extremely deep. So this will be a huge challenge for us, but we’ll try to dissect it and see what we can do.”

After a high-scoring bout with the Panthers in the first round this postseason, the Lightning cruised through the Hurricanes, taking the series 4-1. But this time around, the Islanders will be much more rested heading into the series opener.

The Lightning finished third in the Central Division this season, behind both the Hurricanes and Panthers. But the organization took advantage of the Long-Term Injury cap regulations and now have a 20-man lineup that is nearly $8 million over the cap.

That’s with the addition of Nikita Kucherov, who missed the entire regular season due to hip surgery. He now has five goals and 13 assists in 11 postseason games.

“You have to beat the best if you want to win it all,” said Brock Nelson, who scored two of the Islanders’ three second-period goals in the win. “I don’t think anyone’s been sitting here thinking about revenge on Tampa. Just taking each series one at a time. Now we can turn the page and turn our focus on them.”

The Islanders have now won five playoff series, not including the play-in round against the Panthers last season, under Trotz and general manager Lou Lamoriello.

The organization had combined for five playoff series wins over the previous 34 years.

New York Post LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189513 New York Islanders

New dad Brock Nelson has two-goal night in Islanders’ win

By David Lazar June 10, 2021 | 2:11am

Brock Nelson puts family first. Goal scoring is a close second for the veteran Islander.

Wednesday night’s 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins was Nelson’s second biggest victory of the series — the 29-year-old and his wife, Karly, welcomed a baby into the world the afternoon of Game 4.

He was in the lineup hours later on no sleep.

“He’s been dealing with that,” Islanders head coach Barry Trotz revealed after Game 6. “We got him to Boston late that night. Today, you saw him fresh and happy to have a new child.

“He settled in and played a Brock Nelson game.”

The birth of a child is a fair excuse for time off, but not for Nelson. His teammates have matched his dedication and the Islanders won three straight since the baby was born.

Nelson was “rested” Wednesday night, according to Trotz, and it showed. He scored two goals, including the series-clinching tally, to help the Isles advance. He will now get more rest with his family as the Islanders prepare for a conference semifinal matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second straight season.

And the new father deserves it. In Game 6 against the Penguins and Game 6 against the Bruins, he was a difference-maker, scoring two goals each contest and ensuring there would be more history at Nassau Coliseum.

“We have a good group of guys that’ve been here a long time. They’ve grown up here, grown up together,” Nelson said. “It’s a special group, a special place with a lot of history dating back to the ’80s. Not just the players, but the community.”

The Islanders won only one playoff series in Nelson’s first five years with the team. They have won six — including the qualifying round last year — in the first three seasons under Trotz and GM Lou Lamoriello.

Nelson is a big reason why. Only Mike Bossy and Clark Gillies have more series-clinching goals in franchise history and just Brayden Point and Nathan MacKinnon have more playoff goals since 2020.

The center tasked with elevating his game when former captain John Tavares departed for Toronto has done that and more, stepping up when it matters most. And at Nassau Coliseum in front of raucous home crowds, he has shined brightest.

“It was one of those nights. You’ll always remember moments like that,” Nelson said. “Big game, big team effort. It just feels good having a full Coliseum behind you and playing for them.”

New York Post LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189514 New York Islanders it’s the sexy thing to do, he understands the intrinsic value of a player in tough games and in the locker room and as a teammate and as a pro.

“All the stuff that you really don’t put a lot of numbers to, everything he Islanders’ playoff run is classic Lou Lamoriello does is very thorough and has substance to it. It’s not lacy, fancy stuff. It’s real stuff and he puts a lot of value in that.”

Mary Richards had spunk. The Islanders have substance. They hounded By Larry Brooks June 10, 2021 | 12:58am | Updated the magnificent Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Pastrnak line into submission in this one to the tune of a 20 percent shot share and

32.03 xGF. They drove the play and relentlessly hounded the Bruins, He is a maestro conducting an orchestra without regard for the flavor of controlling the puck down low for 90 seconds late in the third with the the day or public opinion. He is Lou Lamoriello, on his third life in the score 4-2. NHL, and he has restored yet another franchise to prominence. Semyon Varlamov, whom Lamoriello signed as a free agent rather than Make no mistake. As much as this is Long Island’s team, as much as this re-upping Robin Lehner following 2018-19, outplayed an ailing Tuukka is a team of descendants from arguably the greatest dynasty in the Rask. Brock Nelson, who scored twice in the clincher against the history of the sport, as much as this is a team for the moment, this is Penguins and is emerging as Big Game Brock, got two more in this one. Lamoriello’s team and it represents Lamoriello’s vision. The defense was stout. The checkers checked. The hitters hit. The Oh, and that includes his choice of a coach to run his band, it most Islanders made the most beautiful music in the midst of a madhouse. certainly does. That includes hiring Barry Trotz the way he once hired The Old Barn remains open for business. Jacques Lemaire and Larry Robinson and Pat Burns two rivers away when Lamoriello turned 16W off the Turnpike into the Exit of Champions. New York Post LOADED: 06.10.2021 That includes trading for Andy Greene and Jean-Gabriel Pageau at last year’s trade deadline. That includes acquiring Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac this April.

The Islanders are going back to the semifinals after throttling the Bruins 6-2 for the Game 6 second-round clincher in their most imposing performance of the series under a din that recalled the days of Bobby Bourne and John Tonelli (or maybe even Shawn Bates). They did not back down, they did not back up, and as such have earned another crack at the Lightning, to whom they fell in six in last year’s conference finals under the Edmonton bubble.

A crack at the champs.

Boston was supposed to have pulled off the coup of the deadline by acquiring/liberating Taylor Hall from Buffalo. The former Hart Trophy winner was the marquee attraction and he helped turn the Bruins’ second line into a dangerous weapon. Oh boy, the B’s looked like smarty pants.

They then faced the Islanders, against whom Hall scored one goal, and that one a power-play empty-netter that put the seal on Boston’s 5-2 opening-game victory. The next five games? Nope. Nothing much.

Lou Lamoriello has transformed the Islanders into a bonafide contender.

Meanwhile, there were Zajac and Palmieri, supporting actors through most of their careers who possessed the characteristics (meaning: necessities) Lamoriello is always seeking. Toughness, being a good teammate, able to play a role, strength on and away from the puck.

In Lamoriello’s orchestra, there is always room for percussionists to accompany the strings, brass and woodwinds. Always room for a Cal Clutterbuck to accompany a Mat Barzal. Always need for a Pageau to accompany a Josh Bailey. Always need for a Greene to steward a Noah Dobson.

Always room for a Zajac, whom Lamoriello drafted 20th overall for the Devils in 2004 and then awarded an eight-year, $46 million contract in 2013-14 that is expiring this year. Always room for a Palmieri, who came to the Devils from Anaheim in May of 2015, a few weeks after Ray Shero replaced Lamoriello as New Jersey GM.

And so Zajac, who only got into the postseason lineup when Oliver Wahlstrom went down in Game 5 against Pittsburgh, went to the front to slam home a rebound for a 1-0 lead at 8:52 of the first period of this one. And so Palmieri, ornery throughout, powered through Matt Grzelcyk to bury one for a 4-1 lead at 16:07 of the second period while Charlie McAvoy was wrestling with Zajac on the ice behind the net.

Goals for the series: Lou’s deadline acquisitions 5, Boston GM Don Sweeney’s, 1.

“Lou has won a few Cups and I think that his knowledge since he’s been in the league, you know, he’s a learned guy,” Trotz said. “He’s seen a number of things. I love listening and talking to Lou.

“He understands building a roster. There will be a Player A and Player B and the values that a lot of people might put on a certain player because 1189515 New York Islanders

Islanders one step away from Stanley Cup final after routing Bruins

By Mollie Walker June 9, 2021 | 10:01pm | Updated

The New York Saints — ahem, Islanders — are marching on to the Stanley Cup semifinals.

Although, the Islanders may be considering a rebrand after the unruly crowd of 12,000 at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday night embraced the snide rename from Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. Right up until the final buzzer, rambunctious fans, many who wore halos, chanted their new rallying cry, which Cassidy kindly provided them after the Bruins loss in Game 5, as the Islanders powered their way to a 6-2 win over Boston to advance.

With the victory, the Islanders extended their streak to an absurd 8-0 at home when competing in series-clinching Game 6’s and earned themselves another crack at the Lightning, who ended their season in the bubble playoffs last season.

The semifinal series is expected to begin this weekend in Tampa Bay.

“We’re just taking a lot of pride in what we do to get back to the spot we were in last year with some unfinished business,” Anthony Beauvillier said after the win. “It’s a great opportunity and we’re looking forward to it.”

When Barry Trotz walked into the locker room, he told his team that this would be a special moment they’d always remember. Between the vivacious atmosphere, their ferocious performance on the ice and the satisfaction of knowing they’ve matched their playoff run from last season, the coach was certainly right.

“We’ve got a group of guys that have been together for quite a while,” said Brock Nelson, who scored twice in the second period. “We’ve added some key pieces and you get in these high-intensity games and guys just keep showing up for one another. It just builds a bond.”

The Bruins unraveled in the middle frame, which began in a 1-1 tie. Whether it was the relentlessness of the crowd, who began taunting Boston goalie Tuukka Rask the moment he stepped onto the ice, or the endless hits the Islanders landed beginning to take their toll, Boston was suddenly playing hesitant — and the Islanders ambushed.

Islanders fans cheer during Game 6.

Nelson — or Big Game Brock as we like to say — gave the Islanders the lead on a breakaway he created himself after pickpocketing Bruins defenseman Matt Gryzelcyk. He made it a 3-1 game after Boston’s turnover led to Josh Bailey centering the puck to Nelson for a tucked backhander at 12:39.

The Bruins couldn’t get out of their zone. And while the Islanders were finding ways to put the puck on net, Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy was too busy pinning Travis Zajac, whose second goal as an Islander in the first opened up the scoring, to the ice when Kyle Palmieri netted his seventh goal of the playoffs at 16:07 to take a 4-1 lead.

Brad Marchand had two power-play goals, including one just over five minutes into the third period to make it a two-goal game. But the Islanders hung on until Cal Clutterbuck and Ryan Pulock each potted empty-net goals to seal the deal.

There soon will be four teams left in the NHL playoffs. The Islanders are the champions of the East. This could become more than just one special moment to remember.

“It’s going to be no easy task, I think Tampa has a great team, defending Cup champs,” Nelson said. “It’s going to be tough but we believe in ourselves and we know we’re gonna need our best to find a way to take them down.”

New York Post LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189516 New York Islanders

Islanders hoping Coliseum edge helps close out Bruins in Game 6

By David Lazar June 9, 2021 | 5:56pm | Updated

As the clock wound down on an Islanders series victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins last month, play-by-play broadcaster Brendan Burke proclaimed that “this old barn still has a few more stories to tell.”

The Islanders are hoping to write another one in Uniondale when they face the Boston Bruins in Game 6 Wednesday.

While the Islanders’ “final” game on Hempstead Turnpike was six years ago, they have returned to Nassau Coliseum for a final postseason run. Armed with over 12,000 raucous fans, the Islanders do not plan on ending the Coliseum era quietly.

“It is so nice to have fans back. That atmosphere, the energy, it just adds to the emotion of the game and the overall play,” Islanders center Brock Nelson said after an optional morning skate. “It will be a fun one tonight. The [Coliseum] is going to be rocking. The fans always bring it for us.”

Fans will enter the arena with one main goal in mind: to be as loud as possible for their favorite team. This high-decibel environment – and the surplus of emotions of a Game 6 – will give the Islanders a home-ice advantage they hope will push them over the edge.

Islanders fans will be out in full force during Game 6 at ‘Fort Neverlose.’

“The fans can give you a lot of momentum,” Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said. “That is where you get your heart racing if you are on the wrong end of it.”

The Isles already clinched their first series win in Uniondale since 1993 during this postseason. Prior to this series, 1993 was also the last time the Islanders hosted a second-round playoff game at “Fort Neverlose” — a nickname coined during the Islanders’ dynasty in the 1980s after the team went 10-0 in Stanley Cup Finals home games.

Going into Game 6, the Islanders will try to secure a semifinal matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning and clinch at least two more appearances for their home crowd. If the Isles lose, the series will return to Boston for Game 7.

“It’s going to be an intense game,” Nelson said. “You gotta raise your level, stakes are high.”

Members of the New York Jets, including quarterback Zach Wilson and offensive lineman/internet sensation Dan Feeney, have been seen at games in both rounds. Franchise greats like Bob Nystrom and Clark Gillies were tailgating with fans prior to Game 5.

With a win on Wednesday, the Islanders inch closer to an appropriate send-off for the Coliseum before their new Belmont home, UBS Arena, opens next season. The significance is not lost on the players.

“I think you have to know the moment you’re in and embrace it,” Islanders defenseman Andy Greene said. “It’s a fun game to be playing in, and this is why we train and work so hard throughout the whole year, to be put in these situations and be ready for them and go from there.”

New York Post LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189517 New York Islanders With the Islanders’ emergence as a consistent playoff contender the past three years under the Lou Lamoriello-Barry Trotz regime, the demand has exceeded expectations.

Inside Islanders’ new arena, which will have a Coliseum feel The Islanders are already nearly sold out (over 95 percent) of its season tickets for UBS Arena’s inaugural season in 2021-22. Premium seating, which is a little over 80 percent sold out, and season tickets is expected to account for approximately 15,000 of the 17,500 seats. By Mollie Walker June 9, 2021 | 5:05pm | Updated The construction site for the Islanders’ UBS Belmont Arena.

Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman’s fondest memory at Nassau Coliseum took place May 24, 1980. That’s when Bob Nystrom’s overtime For comparison, when the Islanders were at Barclays Center from 2015 winner against the Flyers marked the beginning of a legendary dynasty, to last year, premium and general admission season tickets amounted to as the Islanders won their first of four straight Stanley Cups. just 3,500.

Bettman, a young lawyer at the time, recalled feeling overwhelmed as he Out of 56 suites, there are only seven left. They even had to convert a watched then-league president John Ziegler hand the Cup over to storage room into two more suites in order to keep up with the demand. Islanders captain Denis Potvin, as the rest of the team swarmed around The timeliness of the Islanders’ current success and the projected them. opening of their shiny new arena will have that effect.

Back then, the NHL was the only sports league that had such a But, at least until the end of the Islanders’ current playoff run, there will ceremony, in which the trophy was presented to the championship team be one last hoorah at the Coliseum. in front of the fans. To Bettman, it was spectacular. “We’ve taken the best of Nassau Coliseum,” Ledecky said, “and we’ve Standing outside of the Islanders’ nearly completed new home on dropped it into this wonderful arena.” Wednesday, the $1 billion dollar-plus UBS Arena next to the Belmont Park race track, it was difficult for Bettman to fathom that it took 41 years New York Post LOADED: 06.10.2021 since that storied moment at the Coliseum for the team he grew up around to move on from “Fort Neverlose.”

There were great memories at the Coliseum, he said, but the due date for the arena that opened in 1972 had long expired.

The Isles will take the ice for a potential second-round, series-clinching Game 6 against the Bruins on Wednesday night at the Old Barn, a building that has been eroding for years and whose welcome signs read, “DANGER: ASBESTOS – may cause cancer.”

So 1255 Hempstead Turnpike’s days as the Islanders’ home base are numbered as soon as this postseason run ends in defeat — or another Cup presentation. However, those who had a hand in building UBS Arena made sure to incorporate the little details that made the Coliseum the one-of-a-kind building that it is.

“The Islanders have always had a great fan base, not just on Long Island, but in the metropolitan area,” Bettman told The Post Wednesday while touring the new building’s construction site.

“They’ve needed, for as long as anybody can remember, a first-class state-of-the-art home. And now they’re going to have it. The confluence of events couldn’t be more fortuitous.”

Through all the tours he has taken of NHL arenas over his 28-year tenure as commissioner, Bettman has noticed that each project takes the most recent top-notch standard and expands upon it.

“Everyone seems to find a way to elevate it to the next level,” he said. “Based on the level of investment that they’ve made, they’ve spared no cost. That’s why you get what you’re seeing, which is simply incredible.”

The idea was to replicate the environment and culture of the Coliseum into the new-and-improved arena. It had to have that intimate feeling fans get when their cheers reverberate throughout the concourses.

To ensure that, the structure was built so that the distance from the ice to the roof was nearly the exact same as the Coliseum, along with the largest lower-bowl in the tri-state area. Yet, the arena will be able to seat roughly 17,500 fans, which is over 3,500 more than The Barn.

“For a year, I walked around when we were doing the design of the building, I walked around Barclays, I walked around the Coliseum,” Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky said. “I tried to meet 400 to 500 fans a night. I’d say, ‘What do you want in a new building, you’re the stockholders, what do you want in your building?’ And the number one thing they said was the intimacy of the experience. They want to be a part of the experience.

“Looking to [Wednesday night], I don’t think there’s been a higher get-in price on ticket websites and that’s because everybody in New York wants to be a part of this experience.” 1189518 New York Islanders A year ago, the Islanders lost four potential clinchers, needing a second try to close out Florida in the qualifying round and then Washington in the first round. The team did, however, eliminate the Penguins on the first shot this season in Game 6 at the Coliseum on May 26. Islanders know too well the painful cost of a long series The Lightning celebrate after defeating the Islanders in Game 6 of the 2020 Eastern Conference final.

By Larry Brooks June 9, 2021 | 2:44pm | Updated “You have to know the moment you’re in and embrace it,” said Andy Greene. “You know it’s a fun game to be playing in. It’s why we work and

train so hard throughout the whole year to be put in these situations and It is not quite the same as last year because last year was, well, it was then be ready for them and go from there. 2020, there were twin Canadian bubbles and the second round of the “You keep preparing the way you do and make sure to be ready from the playoffs seeped into the first week of September. start.” But it is close enough. Rest would be important. Time to prepare for Tampa Bay would be Because just as the Islanders were one victory away from advancing to important. But the Islanders could not afford to get ahead of themselves the Stanley Cup semifinals against Tampa Bay entering Game 6 of the without the risk of being left behind. second round against Boston at the Coliseum on Thursday, they were in “We’re conscious of it but the No. 1 thing is you can’t think past the first a similar situation last year. shift tonight,” Trotz said. “You’ve got to be laser-focused on, ‘Win your They were one victory away from the conference finals against the shift, win your shift,’ hopefully win the period and keep going. Lightning entering Game 5 of the second round against Philadelphia “If it happens, you might get a little rest. If it doesn’t happen you’re going under the bubble in Toronto a year ago. to have to go to Boston and hopefully do it again.” And lost in overtime. The Islanders do not want to go back to Boston. So they were still one victory away, two nights from clinching, entering New York Post LOADED: 06.10.2021 Game 6 against the Flyers.

And lost in double overtime.

So they were forced into a Game 7 two nights after that against Philadelphia, which they won 4-0 behind, yes, Thomas Greiss on Sept. 5.

And as their reward for winning that contest, the team traveled across Canada to the Edmonton bubble the following day, before facing Tampa Bay the next night on Sept. 7.

The Lightning, who had taken out the Bruins in five games in their second-round matchup, had been off since Aug. 31 and had taken the flight from Toronto to Edmonton a day earlier than the Islanders.

They were rested.

And won Game 1, 8-2, to get a jump in the series the Islanders were forced to chase until they were ultimately eliminated in overtime in Game 6 by the eventual Cup champions.

Barry Trotz coaches the Islanders against the Bruins.

So, though it is all about focusing on the task at hand, the lesson the Islanders should have learned last year is that it is never beneficial to play an extra game (or two) in the playoffs.

While a once-again rested Lightning team, following its Game 5 second- round clinching over the Candy Canes on Tuesday, is waiting at home, where the first two games of the semis will be contested.

Should have learned that Tampa Bay needs no extra advantage, on top of the one they gained by working LTI cap regulations well enough to have taken the ice for their Game 5 victory over Carolina with a 20-man lineup nearly $8 million over the cap at $89,329,116.

But enough (for now) about Nikita Kucherov.

And back to the Islanders’ quest to end this in a timely fashion. By the way, I have always believed the Rangers lost their best chance at winning the Cup in 2012 when they were forced into a seven-game, second-round series by Washington after losing Game 4 with a 2-1 series lead and then the potential clinching Game 6. Exhausted after playing 14 games in the opening two rounds, the Blueshirts were upset by the more rested Devils in the conference finals.

“It probably is,” Trotz said when asked if the experience last year was in the team’s consciousness. “We looked at it and look at how TV sort of dictates the schedule and obviously if you go to a Game 7…

“It really wasn’t fair, it wasn’t a good game to watch last year, us going to Game 7, with three of the games before that going to overtime, then we had to fly across the country and the next day we were playing in Edmonton. And with the time change and travel and emotional stuff that went on there wasn’t a lot of sleep and we got it handed to us.

“So it is important.” 1189519 New York Islanders

Islanders-Bruins Game 6 recap: Winning goal, key stat and more

By Colin Stephenson

Winning Goal: Brock Nelson’s second goal of the game, at 12:39 of the second period.

Key statistic: The Islanders improved to 12-2 in potential Game 6 clinchers and 8-0 at Nassau Coliseum.

Turning point: Nelson’s first goal, where he stripped Boston D Matt Grzelcyk of the puck and scored on a breakaway to make it 2-1 at 5:20 of the second period and give the Isles the lead for good.

Did you notice? The sellout crowd broke into its first "New York Saints" chant after two penalties were called against the Islanders in the first period, mocking Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy after his assertion of how the Islanders portray themselves.

Island Ice Ep. 97: Isles go marching on from Boston to Tampa

Andrew, Colin and Neil discuss the Isles' Game 6 win over the Bruins with Boston Globe columnist Tara Sullivan at Nassau Coliseum, then look ahead to the Tampa Bay Lightning series.

Injury report: Bruins C Curtis Lazar (lower body) was out after getting hurt in Game 5 . . . Islanders RW Oliver Wahlstrom (lower body) missed his seventh game . . . Bruins D Brandon Carlo and Kevan Miller remained unavailable . . . Bruins D Charlie McAvoy went to the dressing room after being hit into the glass after the whistle by Kyle Palmieri 14 seconds into the second period but returned at 6:04 of the same period.

Other news: In addition to Wahlstrom, coach Barry Trotz reported that Michael Dal Colle, who has yet to play in the postseason, remains unavailable with an undisclosed issue . . . The Islanders have yet to lead after the first period in the playoffs but improved to 5-1 when tied through the first 20 minutes.

Three stars

1. Brock Nelson (Islanders). His two second-period goals put the Isles in the driver’s seat.

2. Ryan Pulock (Islanders). Four hits, four blocked shots, team high 23:21, and a goal.

3. Brad Marchand (Bruins). His two power-play goals kept the Bruins in the game for a while.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189520 New York Islanders Clutterbuck and defenseman Ryan Pulock clinched it with empty-net goals in the final minute.

The game was evenly played to start with both goalies tracking the puck Islanders thoroughly beat Bruins in Game 6, head to NHL semifinal well and stopping early chances. Tuukka Rask (23 saves) was able to matchup against Lightning smother Pulock’s hard shot from the right point through traffic just 13 seconds into the game.

Defenseman Noah Dobson’s shot from the right point turned into the By Andrew Gross game’s opening score as Travis Zajac, with his first playoff goal for the Islanders, established position in the low slot and put back the rebound at

8:52 of the first period. If the Islanders are the New York Saints — and the boisterous Nassau But the Bruins tied it at 1 on Marchand’s power-play goal from the right Coliseum crowd embraced that unwitting rebranding courtesy of circle off David Pastrnak’s cross-ice feed at 17:36 of the first period. opposing coach Bruce Cassidy, chanting it repeatedly right through the Beauvillier was whistled for tripping defenseman Charlie McAvoy at final buzzer — then the Bruins are the Ain’ts. 14:13 and Casey Cizikas tripped Taylor Hall at 16:00. They ain’t in the playoffs anymore after the Islanders’ 6-2 win in The Bruins were 7-for-14 on the power play in the series. Wednesday night’s Game 6 before a crowd of 12,000. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 06.10.2021 It sets up a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference finals against the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning as the Islanders advanced to the NHL semifinals in back-to-back years for the first time since 1983-84.

"We recognized this as a special moment for this building," coach Barry Trotz said. "Guys understood the magnitude of this game. They’re a really solid, veteran group and they understand the moments and this was a moment for them. What a great atmosphere."

Island Ice Ep. 97: Isles go marching on from Boston to Tampa

Andrew, Colin and Neil discuss the Isles' Game 6 win over the Bruins with Boston Globe columnist Tara Sullivan at Nassau Coliseum, then look ahead to the Tampa Bay Lightning series.

The Lightning beat the Islanders in six games last season.

"To be the best you’ve got to beat the best," said Brock Nelson, who scored two goals. "I don’t think anybody has been sitting here thinking about revenge on Tampa. Just trying to take each game, each series one at a time. Now we can turn our page and turn our focus to them. They’re obviously a great team."

Josh Bailey added two assists and Semyon Varlamov made 23 saves.

"It’s a total team effort," Bailey said. "You need everyone to beat a team like that. I thought from Varly on out, we were playing the way we needed to play to get the win. Certainly happy to move on. I think we still have some unfinished business."

"It’s a great opportunity for us seeing [the Lightning] again in the semifinals," Anthony Beauvillier said. "To get back to the spot we were last year with some unfinished business, it’s a great opportunity for us and we’re really looking forward to it."

The Islanders also learned a lesson from last season, when they nearly lost a 3-1 series lead to the Flyers in the second round before winning Game 7 in the Toronto bubble. But they needed to travel to Edmonton and open the Eastern Conference finals against the Lightning within 48 hours and wound up losing that Game 1, 8-2, and the series in six games.

So, yes, clinching against the Bruins in their first opportunity was certainly on the Islanders’ minds. The NHL has not yet announced when the Islanders-Lightning series will start but it will almost certainly be this weekend.

"You want to close it as quick as you can," Beauvillier said. "We weren’t really thinking about Game 7, we wanted to get the job done tonight. We’re happy that we’re standing here with a happy face so it was really well done from us tonight."

The Islanders entered the third period leading 4-1 after their three-goal second period.

Nelson’s first goal made it 2-1 at 5:20 as he pickpocketed defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and skated unchecked to the crease. Nelson scored again at 12:39 after the Islanders’ forecheck forced a turnover and Bailey fed him at the crease.

That became 4-1 as Kyle Palmieri knocked it in at the right post at 16:07.

Brad Marchand’s second power-play goal as he spun open at the right post, brought the Bruins within 4-2 at 5:38 of the third period, then Cal 1189521 New York Islanders Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 06.10.2021

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman impressed with Islanders' UBS Arena after touring Belmont facility

"They’ve taken state-of-the-art and elevated it another level," NHL commissioner GaryBettman said Wednesday after touring the under- construction UBS Arena in Elmont. Newsday's Steve Langford reports. Credit: Howard Schnapp; File Footage

By Andrew Gross

Gary Bettman described himself as a "young lawyer" when he was at Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders clinch their first Stanley Cup in 1980. Even then, the now NHL commissioner remembers thinking the barn was already outdated and "needed to be temporary."

"The fact is there are great memories at Nassau Coliseum but the due date has long expired," Bettman said on Wednesday after touring under- construction UBS Arena at Belmont Park with Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky and Tim Leiweke, the CEO of developer Oak View Group. "It was well past time to move on."

Wednesday marked Bettman’s first visit to the Islanders’ $1.2 billion new home since the topping-off ceremony on Oct. 9. It came hours before the team faced the Bruins in Game 6 of their second-round series at the Coliseum with a chance to advance to the NHL’s final four for the second straight season.

Ledecky and Leiweke gave constant explanations to Bettman during the walking tour of how things would function and how they came to be designed. The designers have tried to replicate the intimacy of the Coliseum as best as possible in a modern arena.

"It’s important to us that all of our clubs are doing well and are well- supported and playing in state-of-the-art facilities," Bettman said in an interview with Newsday. "For the Islanders, the combination of Scott Malkin’s ownership and the commitment to the team on Long Island and the incredible commitment he’s made to this building means the Islanders finally have the home they’ve always needed and always deserved. It’s quite energizing to see it all coming together at the same time."

Bettman confirmed the NHL would stage some of its marquee events, for instance the draft or All-Star game, at UBS Arena, which is targeted to open in November.

The large "UBS Arena" sign on the building’s west side was put into position on Wednesday and Leiweke said construction shifts are now set to go to a round-the-clock, seven-day schedule as subcontractors are brought on site for finishing touches. Seats are being installed in the upper bowl at a rate of about one section every two or three days.

"It’s spectacular, right?" Bettman said. "It is incredible what they’ve done. They’ve taken state-of-the-art and elevated it another level. Every detail has been accounted for."

Bettman was shown the ice-making facility, and the two large NHL dressing rooms — 2,300 square feet for the Islanders and 1,500 square feet for the visitors.

"We want free agents to see it as the best in the NHL," Ledecky told Newsday.

Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello and coach Barry Trotz both had significant input into the building’s design with regards to hockey concerns. And, over the course of three planning meetings, the Islanders’ players could also voice their interests.

Ledecky also believes the promise of UBS Arena is, in part, sparking the Islanders’ current playoff run.

"When Lou gave the players a tour, they puffed their chest up," Ledecky said. "They realized where they’re going and they want to go in really strong. They’re leaving this iconic place they love. But they know they’re coming here and they’re expected here to compete for the Stanley Cup every year. We put a billion two [$1.2 billion] into the facility, privately financed, to show the players, ‘You’ve got the best, go out there and try to win the Cup.’ " 1189522 New York Islanders both their goaltenders, and . . . the info is there. And there might be just a reminder.’’

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 06.10.2021 Islanders know from experience the importance of ending Bruins series now

By Colin Stephenson

Just about everything was in the Islanders’ favor for advancing to the Stanley Cup semifinals as they hosted the Boston Bruins Wednesday night in Game 6 of their second-round series at Nassau Coliseum.

Barry Trotz’s team held a 3-2 advantage over the Bruins in the best-of- seven series, meaning a win would give them the series and move them on to a rematch with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the defending Stanley Cup champion, who beat them in the Eastern Conference Finals last September in the Edmonton bubble.

Wednesday’s game was to be played in a raucous Coliseum, where Trotz would have the last line change — and thus be able to get the on- ice matchups he wanted. And the Islanders, even without captain Anders Lee and rookie Oliver Wahlstrom, were a lot less banged up than the Bruins, who were down two key defensemen and had questions about the health of their No. 1 goalie, Tuukka Rask.

The thing is, with Tampa Bay having finished off their series against the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday, the pressure was on the Islanders to close out the Bruins Wednesday and avoid having to go to a Game 7, which would be Friday night in Boston.

Island Ice Ep. 97: Isles go marching on from Boston to Tampa

Andrew, Colin and Neil discuss the Isles' Game 6 win over the Bruins with Boston Globe columnist Tara Sullivan at Nassau Coliseum, then look ahead to the Tampa Bay Lightning series.

Last year, the Islanders held a 3-1 advantage over the Philadelphia Flyers in their second-round series, but lost Games 5 and 6 in overtime before eventually winning Game 7. Going to seven games, though, meant the Islanders had less than 48 hours between Game 7 and Game 1 against Tampa Bay — with a cross-Canada flight in between. They lost the series opener to the Lightning, 8-2.

"It really wasn't fair,’’ Trotz recalled. "It wasn't a good game to watch last year. Us going to Game 7 — and we had, if you remember, three of the games [against the Flyers] were all overtime games. And then we have to travel across the country, and then the next day we're playing [in] Edmonton. And with the time change, and the travel, and the emotional stuff that went on, there wasn't a lot of sleep, and we got it handed to us in Game 1.

"In Game 2 we were a much better team, and we tried to fight our way back in the series.’’

In the end, the series went six games, but not closing the Flyers out early essentially cost the Islanders Game 1. So Trotz and his team understood the importance of closing the Bruins out Wednesday.

"We're conscious of it,’’ he said, "but the No. 1 thing is, you can't think past the first shift today. You've got to be really laser-focused on, just, win your shift; win your shift; win your shift. Hopefully, win the period; win your shift, keep going. And if it happens, then you might get a little rest.

"And if it doesn't happen, you're gonna have to go to Boston and do it again.’’

The Bruins were already down defenseman Kevan Miller when they lost defenseman Brandon Carlo after a hard but clean check from Cal Clutterbuck in Game 3. Then, in Game 5, Boston coach Bruce Cassidy pulled Rask after the goalie allowed four goals on 16 shots in the first two periods. Afterward, Cassidy said there was an injury to Rask that played a part in his decision to replace him with rookie Jeremy Swayman.

Trotz said it didn’t matter to the Islanders whether they were going to be shooting the puck at Rask or Swayman (or ex-Islander Jaroslav Halak, for that matter).

"It’s not going to affect us a whole lot,’’ he said. "There might be some tendencies, which our goaltending department has watched the film on 1189523 New York Islanders They bonded while schlepping to Brooklyn, then going back to the Coliseum, then living in playoff bubbles in Canada. They bonded while practicing in Syosset, then moving to East Meadow.

These Islanders are making lasting memories for the franchise and its No matter how this season concludes, reality looms on the horizon. fans There is an expansion draft ahead, and the veteran core is certain to start breaking up in two or three or four years.

That is what makes the current circumstances so interesting, and so By Neil Best special. Now it is on to Tampa to face the defending Stanley Cup champions and the best goaltender in the world in Andrei Vasilevskiy.

More than one Islander spoke of "unfinished business" from last year. Barry Trotz spoke to his players about seizing the moment and making it Should be entertaining. Only eight wins to go. something they would remember for the rest of their lives. But no matter the outcome, folks will be talking about these games and That they did, blowing out the Bruins, 6-2, on Wednesday night to secure this team in 2031 and beyond. a return trip to the NHL semifinals, and a rematch with the Stanley Cup champion Lightning. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 06.10.2021 But beyond the immediate gratification of another wild evening at Nassau Coliseum, the events of Game 6 were part of a larger story arc: The second-greatest era in the franchise’s nearly half-century history.

Ten years from now, Trotz and GM Lou Lamoriello and most of the current players figure to be retired from the jobs they currently hold, based on hockey’s actuarial tables.

But no matter what the franchise looks like in 2031, we know one thing for certain: That the people associated with the franchise, and those who follow it, still will be talking about these Islanders then.

The ones who reached the second round of the playoffs three years in a row, and now have reached the final four two years in a row for the first time since 1983-84.

The ones who if they make the playoffs next year will be able to say they were the designated home team in postseason games in five different arenas in two countries over four seasons — and thrived anyway.

The ones who have gone from playoff games in front of nobody in Toronto and Edmonton last summer to 12,000 screaming fans at the Coliseum, which now will have at least two more Islanders games in its future.

"It was deafening," Trotz said. "I couldn’t hear anything out there. I had some white noise out there for a while. That was fantastic. What an atmosphere."

Andrew, Colin and Neil discuss the Isles' Game 6 win over the Bruins with Boston Globe columnist Tara Sullivan at Nassau Coliseum, then look ahead to the Tampa Bay Lightning series.

This Islanders era has been as good as local sports spectacles get, and it keeps getting better.

It was the second series in a row in which the Islanders fell behind 2-1, then won three in a row. "It was awesome," Brock Nelson said after scoring two goals. "The place was rocking. The fans were feeding us energy."

This sort of run is uncommon for any franchise, let alone one with a history of frustration before and after the glory days, which lasted approximately from J.P. Parise’s overtime goal on April 11, 1975, through the 1984 Stanley Cup Final.

So it has been great fun for fans, who have been pulled in multiple directions along with the players themselves as the nomadic search for a permanent home unfolded, complete with a COVID-19 detour to Canada.

The final piece of the uplifting narrative is the makeup of the roster itself, which has been remarkably stable for the modern free-agency era.

Had not Anders Lee suffered a season-ending injury March 11, there would be even less change. Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac almost certainly would not have been acquired in a trade.

Zajac scored the Isles’ first goal and Palmieri their fourth, a pair of former Devils contributing to the team Boston coach Bruce Cassidy famously referred to as the "New York Saints" after Game 5.

Nelson, a franchise fixture with graying hair, scored the second and third goals, then said having a team with so many longtime members who appreciate its history added to the satisfaction. 1189524 New York Islanders For the playoffs, it’s been a laugher the other way. Palmieri was a force this series, scoring in four games and all from right around Rask. He was physical — too much so in the second period Wednesday, when he threw a post-whistle shoulder into McAvoy’s face that should have been Islanders grind down another good team on their way to the semifinals called but wasn’t — and played a very Anders Lee-like series, doing just what the Islanders hoped Palmieri would when they acquired him.

Zajac played his first playoff game in the Game 6 clincher over the By Arthur Staple Jun 10, 2021 Penguins. As the other checking wing opposite Palmieri with Jean- Gabriel Pageau, Zajac filled a crucial role this series by playing against Bergeron’s line five-on-five for the majority of the three Coliseum games, Another Game 6 in front of another loud Nassau Coliseum crowd. The when Barry Trotz had the last line change. The Bruins’ top line produced Islanders faced this moment a couple of weeks ago against the Penguins one even-strength goal in those three games, and that was Marchand’s and didn’t flinch. overtime winner.

Neither did they flinch on Wednesday. In fact, this 6-2 series closeout Hall, again, was fairly invisible. He showed speed and had a couple of over the Bruins was more dominating than the clincher over Pittsburgh. nice zone entries, but the Islanders kept him to the perimeter all series. The Islanders won the last three games of this series and trailed for a He was never a consistent threat. total of 20:05 in those three games. They let the Bruins creep closer in Games 5 and 6 but slammed the door when it mattered, especially • Hall (playoffs with Boston): 11 games, 3-2-5 Wednesday — the Bruins mustered just three shots on goal after cutting • Palmieri (playoffs with Isles): 12 GP, 7-2-9 their deficit to 4-2 in the third, and two of those were from outside the Islanders’ blue line. • Zajac (playoffs with Isles): 7 GP, 1-1-2

There are a bunch of reasons the Islanders are back in the NHL’s final Isles fans would love one of their own in Palmieri to stick around beyond four to face the Lightning. Let’s break them down. this run. That seems incredibly difficult from where things stand, given the Isles’ cap woes and Lee’s impending return for next season. Wouldn’t The better goalie it be something if the Bruins opted for Palmieri over Hall in free agency? Semyon Varlamov wasn’t perfect this series, but he certainly regained This series might have a lot to do with that decision. the mojo he lost after an ugly Game 3 against the Penguins. Subbing in Better shutdown defense for Ilya Sorokin in Game 2, Varlamov went 4-1 against the Bruins, standing on his head at times in Game 2 and Game 5, then calmly It seems strange to give the Isles defense such high marks in a series in closing off most threats in Game 4 and Game 6. His work in Game 3 was which they gave up 17 goals in six games, but the work of Adam Pelech pretty special, too, until Brad Marchand’s no-angle overtime winner. and Ryan Pulock was exemplary. Pelech in particular really stepped to the fore once again, and he’s perhaps the most unheralded top-pair This likely wouldn’t have been a plus position for the Islanders entering defenseman in the NHL. His price for his next contract is not going down the series, but Tuukka Rask was compromised by an undisclosed injury — let’s put it that way. that he said after the game might require surgery. It raises the question of why Bruce Cassidy stuck with Rask after pulling him in Game 5. The And Mayfield had yet another forceful series. He made Hall his personal Islanders beat Rask four times from a total distance of about 20 feet, a valet, shoving him away from the net at will while playing a very calm theme throughout the series that wasn’t entirely Rask’s fault — his game at both ends. defensemen couldn’t keep the Islanders away from the net — but it wasn’t the elite goaltending we’ve come to expect from the Bruins Noah Dobson’s level improved quite a bit this series over the Penguins veteran. series as well.

Varlamov carried the Islanders through the bubble tournament last McAvoy carried a huge load for the Bruins after Brandon Carlo left in summer. He’s nearly back at the same level now at just the right time. Game 3 with a concussion. The Long Beach, N.Y., native was as good as he could have been, but he clearly was wearing down, unable to win a Better depth battle in front of the net on Zajac’s opening goal of Game 6. And the Bruins’ other defensemen just weren’t up to par. Had this series been a matchup of the teams’ top players, the Bruins would have won it easily. The Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Better structure Pastrnak line was downright scary every game, finishing 11-12-23 for the series. The problem for the Bruins was that the rest of their team The keys to what the Islanders can do in games like Wednesday’s are managed just 22 total points, and 14 of those came from Charlie McAvoy the layers and support they provide, either on the forecheck or in the and David Krejci. defensive zone. Someone is always available for a pass out of danger or to follow up on a pressure in deep. When their line is humming, as it was Taylor Hall was supposed to solve the Bruins’ forward depth issues. He in Game 6, the Anthony Beauvillier-Nelson-Josh Bailey line is best at cost himself a lot of dough on his next deal with his no-show series, with that. Scott Mayfield outplaying Hall every chance he got. Hall had a Game 1 empty-net goal, a Game 3 assist and that’s all. The Bruins’ third and The Bruins were dead set on a ton of zone entries. That works for the fourth lines produced one goal total: Charlie Coyle’s Game 2 score. Bergeron line, as good as it is. It didn’t work for the Hall-Krejci-Craig Smith line very often, and the other Bruins lines never sustained anything Meanwhile, the Islanders got contributions from all corners of their lineup. or kept the Islanders from clean exits. Kyle Palmieri led the way, Mathew Barzal dazzled in the middle three games, Brock Nelson sealed the deal in Game 6 and Casey Cizikas had Better coaching the biggest goal of the series, the Game 2 overtime winner. Cassidy’s strange post-Game 5 rant and decision to stick with an injured The Islanders always need the full complement of players to win. That Rask in Game 6 are head-scratchers. Trotz didn’t waver from his was even more evident this series, when the Bruins had one line and not commitment to his same 18 skaters even after falling behind 2-1 in the much else. series. The switch to Varlamov in Game 2 proved the right move, and his subtle decision to swap Pageau and Nelson early in Game 5 helped turn Better trade deadline the tide of that pivotal game.

Palmieri and Travis Zajac cost the Islanders a first-round pick. Hall cost Another master class from Trotz. the Bruins a second. For the post-deadline regular season, those trades looked good for the Bruins and bad for the Islanders: The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021

• Hall (regular season with Boston): 16 games, 8-6-14

• Palmieri (regular season with Isles): 17 GP, 2-2-4

• Zajac (regular season with Isles): 13 GP, 1-1-2 1189525 New York Islanders “We recognized this was a special moment for this building,” Trotz said. “Guys understood the magnitude of this game and the importance of this game. This is a group that’s very easy — you don’t have to say many things.” 13 Minutes: Islanders Stifling Defense In 3rd Seals Series Win Over Bruins NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 06.10.2021

By Andrew Battifarano

After the Boston Bruins erased third-period deficits in Games 2 and 5, New York Islanders fans could be forgiven for being a little nervous when Brad Marchand scored five minutes into the third period. Facing elimination, Boston would surely be the hungrier, desperate team.

After the goal, the Islanders led 4-2, but the next 13 minutes told an amazing tale. Boston didn’t get another shot on goal until the final 82 seconds of the game.

Zero shots for nearly 13 minutes.

“We know you have to bring your best game. I look back at Game 7 against Philadelphia (last season)– was as good a game we played in a closeout game, and we know we had to do that,” Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said. “Those experiences… that’s what allows you to have success, to understand the moment. We don’t get too far in front of the moment. We weren’t thinking about Boston, we were thinking about the next shift.”

The Islanders are in the NHL’s final four again. Unheralded. Underappreciated. Most pundits picked the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round One. More, still, picked Boston in Round Two.

Yet for a second straight year, the Islanders are one of the last four teams still standing after a 6-2 win in Game 6 at the Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday night.

After Marchand netted his second of the game and eighth goal of the playoffs, you may assume that Boston would be the desperate team, but the Islanders scored the last two goals of the series. Both were empty netters in the waning minutes to seal Boston’s fate.

The stout defensive work in the third period stands as one of the Islanders’ best in recent memory and best of the Barry Trotz Islanders era. The New York Islanders consistently stifled the Bruins zone entries.

Again–zero shots for almost 13 minutes of the third period in a series- clinching game.

Strong forechecks, good sticks in the neutral zone, and aggressive plays at the defensive blue line kept the Bruins off the scoreboard.

Boston had only five shots in the third period. Yes, five. In an elimination game, the Islanders held the team that needed to win to low single digits. After Marchand’s goal, the next Boston shot on goal came with 1:22 remaining on an easy shot by Jake DeBrusk.

In the final minutes, the Islanders were relentless and hemmed Boston into their own zone. Boston had six chances and three high danger scoring chances, but only five shots on goal.

The highlight of the period was the puck possession by Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s line. On a singular shift, the line controlled the puck in the offensive zone for 1:20. The line also scored two goals as Kyle Palmieri, and Travis Zajac lit the lamp.

“It always helps when you play with the lead,” Zajac said. “We showed as a team that we’re comfortable with any type of game in any situation. We’ve shown a lot of adversity in these playoffs. It was nice to play with a lead throughout the game.”

According to NaturalStatTrick.com, the Islanders held the Bruins “Perfection Line” (yes, Marchand scored twice but once on the power play) to a 34.78% Corsi. The Islanders clamped down and will advance to the NHL semi-finals.

In other years, they would play the Tampa Bay Lightning for the Prince of Wales Trophy, but this year it’s just the semi-finals.

As chants of “We want the Lightning” rained down from the rafters of the old Coliseum, which is hosting its final hockey games before the Islanders enjoy their new digs at Belmont Park next season, the additional significance of advancing wasn’t lost on the Islanders. 1189526 New York Islanders

Papa Brock! Islanders Forward Welcomes New Child While Battling Bruins

By Christian Arnold

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — What better way to celebrate the birth of a new child than by helping your team advance to the Stanley Cup Semifinals. That’s exactly what Brock Nelson did during the New York Islanders series with the Boston Bruins.

Nelson’s two goals in the second period helped lead the Islanders to a 6- 2 win over Boston to clinch the series in six games and advance to the next round to face the Tampa Bay Lightning. All of this happening just days after the 29-year-old welcomed his third child to the world the day of Game 4.

New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz revealed the news during his postgame press conference following Game 6 on Wednesday.

“People don’t know Brock just had a child the other day, him and his wife,” Trotz said. “So he’s been dealing with that. He played Game 4.”

Nelson’s wife, Karley, gave birth at 12:30 in the afternoon on Saturday, which was the day of Game 4. Instead of taking the night off, Nelson was in the lineup.

The Islanders won Game 4-1 over Boston that night.

Brock-to-Brock: Two-Goal Night by Nelson Leads Isles Back to Stanley Cup Semis

“he played that night with no sleep. Said I’m in the lineup and has been battling through that,” Trotz said. “He came to Boston, spent some time, got him late into Boston, played that game. Today you saw him fresh and happy to have a new child with his wife and having his wife home. I think he settled in and played a Brock Nelson game.”

Brock Nelson was named the first star of Game 6 and had his second multi-goal game of the postseason. Nelson’s six playoff goals this year are the second-most on the Islanders.

His 10 points through 12 playoff games are third on the team.

NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189527 New York Islanders Brad Marchand scored his second of the game on the power play at 5:38 of the third to cut the Islanders lead to 4-2, but New York clamped down and allowed just three shots on net the rest of the way.

Brock-to-Brock: Two-Goal Night by Nelson Leads Isles Back to Stanley Clutterbuck scored the empty-net goal at 19:01 and Pulock scored his 11 Cup Semis seconds later.

Islanders accomplish feat in back-to-back years for first time since 1980s “We recognized this was a special moment for this building,” Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said. “Guys understood the magnitude of this game and the importance of this game. This is a group that’s very easy — you don’t have to say many things.” By Christian Arnold Zajac put the Islanders on the board first Wednesday night. It marked the

first time since Game 1 that the Islanders had scored the first goal of a UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The last time the New York Islanders hosted a game in the series. Stanley Cup Semifinals game at the Nassau Coliseum, the New York Noah Dobson flung a shot from the point onto the net and Rask was able Saints still existed and called the Coliseum home. to make the save, but the rebound went to Zajac in front of the net to put After Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy invoked the memory of New York up 1-0 at 8:52 of the first period. The goal was Zajac’s first of the defunct professional lacrosse team two days prior, the Islanders put the playoffs and just his second since joining the Islanders via trade just on a heavenly performance on Wednesday night to defeat Boston 6-2 to before the trade deadline in April. clinch the series and return to the semifinals. TRAVIS ZAJAC! New York will get another go at the Tampa Bay Lightning, who defeated The #isles are off and running in Game 6. #StanleyCup the Islanders in six games last year during the bubble. pic.twitter.com/d3l1ZI02cR “I think it’s a great opportunity for us seeing them again in the semifinals,” — NHL on NBC Sports (@NHLonNBCSports) June 9, 2021 Anthony Beauvilliersaid. “We’re just taking a lot of pride in what we do to get back to the spot we were in last year with some unfinished business, Boston managed to even the game back up with a late first-period power- it’s a great opportunity and we’re looking forward to it.” play goal. Anthony Beauvillier was called for a tripping penalty and just as the Islanders were about to kill it off, Casey Cizikas got called for Brock Nelson scored twice in the second period to erase a 1-1 tie and another trip. Kyle Palmieri added his seventh goal of the playoffs in the second. Cal Clutterbuck and Ryan Pulock sealed the game with a pair of empty-net Boston capitalized on the extended power play and Brad Marchand goals in the final minute, and Travis Zajac had the game’s first goal for finished a crisp, cross-ice pass from David Pastrnak to tie the game with New York. 2:24 left in the opening period.

“It was awesome. The place was rocking tonight,” Nelson said about the NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 06.10.2021 atmosphere at the Coliseum. “The fans were feeding us energy. The team played great. It was one of those nights you’ll always remember moments like that. Big game, big team effort. It just feels good having a full Coliseum behind you and playing for them.”

Brock Nelson with two goals. #Isles first star of the game. pic.twitter.com/JrNmR9ZPoY

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) June 10, 2021

Semyon Varlamov made 23 saves on Boston for his fourth win of the postseason, which have all come in the Islanders Second Roun series with Boston.

“We just try to play a good game. That’s all it comes down to,” Josh Bailey said. “Pager and Case’s line got more of Bergeron’s line and they did a great job with the commitment they showed, the work ethic, we followed their lead tonight.”

The Islanders opened the game up in the second period with three goals in the middle frame. New York capitalized on three critical errors by Boston in their own end and in the neutral zone.

Matt Grzelcyk had his pocket picked near center ice by Nelson for the breakaway. The Islanders forward quickly skated into the attacking zone and put the puck past the glove of Tuukka Rask for the 2-1 lead at 5:20 of the second.

Nelson picked up his second goal of the night at the 12:39 mark after Boston turned over the puck in their own end. Josh Bailey prevented a clearing attempt by Rask and was able to quickly feed Nelson down low for the goal.

Brock Nelson AGAIN!

The Coliseum is ROCKING. #Isles pic.twitter.com/OmMyIs2wwJ

— NHL on NBC Sports (@NHLonNBCSports) June 10, 2021

Grzelcyk had his pocket picked again, this time in front of Rask, by Palmieri, who pushed the puck past the Boston netminder to make it 4-1.

The three-goal second period continued the Islanders’ dominance in the middle frame during their series with Boston, New York outscored Boston 11-3 in the second period over the six-game series. 1189528 New York Islanders

Saints Go Marching In: NFL Team Jumps on Islanders Bandwagon

By Christian Arnold

One would have to imagine Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy wouldn’t have envisioned his comment about the New York Islanders trying to pass themselves off as the New York Saints would have led to this.

As both fanbases rallied around the Boston coach’s comments, an unlikely party jumped into the fray. The New Orleans Saints.

The NFL club responded to an Islanders fan’s tweet on Tuesday of a video of Saints quarterback Drew Breese firing up his team before a game. The tweet read, “Anders Lee fired the boys up at practice today. #isles.”

That’s when the Saints responded.

Game 6 is going to be INTENSE!!!!

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) June 8, 2021

New Orleans followed that tweet up with another one on Wednesday ahead of Game 6 between New York and Boston.

Hypothetically speaking, if the #Saints were in Game 6 of the @NHL's Stanley Cup Second Round tonight…

Which Saint would make the best hockey player? #StanleyCup — New Orleans Saints (@Saints) June 9, 2021

NFL teams have surprisingly become a big part of the series between Boston and the Islanders. Members of the New England Patriots have been spotted at TD Garden and the New York Jets have thrown their support behind the New York Islanders during the series.

New Jets offensive lineman Dan Feeney has become a cult hero on Long Island after chugging a beer and then smashing it on his head during Game 4 of the First Round. He did so again during Game 4 during the Isles Second Round series with Boston.

Jets star quarterback and other teammates have also made multiple appearances at the Nassau Coliseum during the Islanders playoff run.

The New York Islanders could advance to the Third Round with a win on Wednesday night on Long Island. The crowd at the Nassau Coliseum is expected to be in a raucous mood and will likely have some fun with Cassidy’s comments.

It’s unclear if Cassidy knew this beforehand, but the New York Saints had been a professional lacrosse team that called the Coliseum home from 1989 to 2003. They had been relegated to the annals of history before Monday night.

Former Saints goalie Sal LoCascio told Newsday that he will be in the building for Game 6 wearing his old New York Saints jersey.

NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189529 New York Islanders Nick Leddy — Scott Mayfield Andy Greene — Noah Dobson

Semyon Varlamov Saints and Sinners: Islanders Game 6 Lines, Matchups and Game Notes vs. Bruins Ilya Sorokin

BOSTON BRUINS LINEUP (PROJECTED VIA BOSTON HOCKEY NOW) By Christian Arnold Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — David Pastrnak

Taylor Hall — David Krejci – Craig Smith Will the war of words between New York Islanders coach Barry Trotz and Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy have an effect on the ice? We’ll Jake DeBrusk — Charlie Coyle — Karson Kuhlman soon find out when the puck drops on Game 6 between New York and Boston tonight at the Nassau Coliseum. Nick Ritchie — Sean Kuraly — Chris Wagner

The two coaches have spent the past and a half trading barbs at one Matt Grzelcyk — Charlie McAvoy another over Patrice Bergeron’s “cheating” in the faceoff circle and the Mike Reilly — Jeremy Lauzon “narrative” the Islanders have created about how they play. For his part, Trotz told reporters on Tuesday that he wasn’t trying to work the officials Jarred Tinordi — Connor Clifton with his comments. Tuukka Rask On top of that, the Islanders have a chance to punch their ticket to the Third Round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Last year Jeremy Swayman was the Islanders’ first trip back there since 1993. GAME NOTES

“I think emotions are high this time of year,” Brock Nelson said following The Islanders have played 41 playoff games under Barry Trotz. Only the Islanders’ morning skate. “Then obviously having the experience last Boston (47) has played more in that span. … The Islanders are 11-2 all- year and getting so close, making it to the conference finals. Using that time in series-clinching Game 6’s and 7-0 in potential-clinching Game 6’s as motivation, knowing that you’re right there. It’s going to be an intense at the Coliseum. … The Islanders are 11-5 all-time against Boston in the game whenever you’re trying to close a team out they’re going to come postseason, including 5-2 at home, with two series wins. … Boston has a with their best. You have to raise your level, come with a better game.” 4-21 record all-time in best-of-seven series when they trail 2-3 in a series Nelson added: “The stakes are high.” and they are 12-13 in game 6s of series in which they trail 2-3 after game 5. … David Pastrnak scored twice and recorded an assist in Game 5 in Nelson Pregame Availability pic.twitter.com/beKS7P5KBZ his second three-point game of this postseason and fourth of his playoff career. … David Pastrknak leads Boston in goals (7), Points (14) and — x – New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) June 9, 2021 shots (52).

The New York Islanders currently lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 as HOW TO WATCH they fight to not only move on to the next round but also keep the Nassau Coliseum doors open for just a little bit longer. The Islanders are moving Tonight’s game will air on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. On the radio dial, Chris into their new home at UBS Arena in the fall. King and Greg Picker will call the game on the Islanders Radio Network. 98.7 FM ESPN New York, 88.7 FM WRHU and 103.9 FM LI News Radio So the stakes get even higher. will carry tonight’s radio broadcast.

“You have to stay in the moment. Play our game don’t try to put on a NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 06.10.2021 show,” Trotz said. “The only thing that matters is getting results. You don’t have to put on a show at home. You just have to put the winning formula, which we try to do every night and be consistent at it.”

Don’t expect any changes to the lineup for Game 6 from New York. Trotz told reporters this morning that he would ice the same 18 skaters that he had on Monday for Game 5 and Semyon Varlamov is expected to be in net for the Islanders.

After some speculation, Cassidy announced this morning that Tuukka Rask would get the start for Boston. Rask left Game 5 after the second period.

“He’s ready to go. It’s that simple. He’s our starter,” said Cassidy of Rask, according to Boston Hockey Now. “He’s healthy and ready to go and let’s hope that he’s on, and that we’re better in front of him than we were in Game 5.″

Jake DeBrusk will take the place of injured Curtis Lazar in the Boston lineup.

Coach Cassidy confirms that Tuukka Rask will start Game 6. Jake DeBrusk will enter the lineup and play with Charlie Coyle and Karson Kuhlman. pic.twitter.com/5mjjS6px9o

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 9, 2021

NEW YORK ISLANDERS LINEUP (PROJECTED)

Leo Komarov — Mathew Barzal — Jordan Eberle

Anthony Beauvillier — Brock Nelson — Josh Bailey

Kyle Palmieri – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Travis Zajac

Matt Martin — Casey Cizikas — Cal Clutterbuck

Adam Pelech — Ryan Pulock 1189530 New York Rangers

Rangers' Adam Fox named a Norris Trophy finalist

The Rangers' Adam Fox celebrates his third-period shorthanded goal against the Penguins in an NHL game on April 6, 2021. Credit: AP/Bruce Bennett

By Colin Stephenson

A year after he failed to finish in the top three in voting for the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year, Rangers defenseman and Jericho native Adam Fox was named Wednesday as one of the three finalists for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top defenseman.

Fox, 23, joined Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman, a finalist for the fifth consecutive season, and 2020 Calder Trophy winner Cale Makar, as the top three vote-getters in the balloting for the Norris.

Fox, the first Rangers player to be a Norris Trophy finalist since Brian Leetch won the award for the second time in 1996-97, was second in the league in scoring among defensemen with 47 points (five goals and 42 assists) in 55 games. He finished one point behind Edmonton’s Tyson Barrie, who had 48. Fox led all defensemen in assists.

Fox, a second-year player in 2021, made a significant jump from his rookie season in 2019-20 by adding penalty-killing duties and first-pair responsibilities to his resume. He was 11th overall in the league in ice time, averaging 24 minutes and 42 seconds per game. He also quarterbacked the Rangers’ top power-play unit, and he was third among defensemen in power-play points (23) and second in power-play assists (21).

Originally a third-round pick by Calgary in the 2016 draft, Fox was traded to Carolina in 2018 as part of the deal that sent Dougie Hamilton to Carolina. The Rangers acquired Fox from Carolina in April 2019 and signed him to a contract after three years of college hockey at Harvard. Fox played every game of the 2019-20 season and every game but one in 2021, missing a game after being placed on the COVID-19 restricted list.

If Fox wins the award, he would be the fourth Rangers player to do so, after Leetch (1992, 1997), Harry Howell (1967) and Doug Harvey (1962).

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 06.10.2021

1189531 Ottawa Senators The Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s are scheduled to open their training camp in the last week of August, and it makes no sense for them to begin a season without fans in the stands at TD Place Arena.

GARRIOCH: Cheers on a patio in Ontario are great, but pro sports teams All the teams involved in these discussions have season tickets to sell, want to hear some from the stands single-game seats and sponsorship opportunities in the building or on local broadcasts, plus there’s also signage to be sold. There are a lot of revenue streams at risk right now.

Bruce Garrioch If all goes as planned, the province will be in Phase 3 by late July, and under the rules outlined by Ontario it means there will be large seating Publishing date: Jun 09, 2021 events allowed both outdoors and indoors. That means if the Senators wanted to book a concert at the Canadian Tire Centre in September or have people at pre-season games, then it shouldn’t be an issue. The province of Ontario will finally allow people to enjoy a nice, cold beverage on an outdoor patio Friday. Given the road map released by the province, there shouldn’t be any reason to believe the Senators and Redblacks won’t be able to have full And, as Ontario slowly makes its way out of this pandemic by moving into stands at some point this year, but who really knows? The rules change Phase 1 of the reopening plan Friday at 12:01 a.m., professional teams every hour and it has been stated in the past in this space that if you across the province will be waiting with bated breath to see what kind of don’t like the weather just be patient because its bound to change sooner crowds they can have whenever the provincial government gives its or later. approval to allow them to get back to business. Cheers to being able to have a beer at a golf club after the last putt drops While it’s a little shocking to turn on an NHL or Major League Baseball Saturday, but teams in Ontario won’t be pleased with this government game in the United States and see the stands full, teams across Canada unless they can hear cheers from the stands. are in awe of the fact their American counterparts can actually host that many fans while the biggest crowd we’ve seen in the North Division is 2,500 at a Montreal Canadiens game at the Bell Centre. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 06.10.2021 If there aren’t full stands, then it seems to me that the rules in Ontario would be different than every other place in North America. The vaccination rates are high in Canada, and if you believe in the optimism from Justin Trudeau’s government then nearly all of us should be fully vaccinated by the end of the summer.

Led by officials at Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Maple Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC and Argos, the Ontario teams have made a proposal to get fans back in the seats starting with the outdoor sports this summer. As reported by TSN’s Dave Naylor, all the Ontario professional teams are involved — including the Blue Jays, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Ottawa Redblacks.

Though the Ottawa Senators weren’t mentioned in the report, this newspaper has confirmed officials from the club are at the table with the rest of the teams trying to get answers from Ontario Premier Doug Ford and health officials.

The CFL will vote Monday to decide if it will start a shortened 14-game season Aug. 5. The Redblacks were supposed to play their first pre- season game at home last week, but we all know now that never happened. The CFL can’t afford to play without people in the seats, and that’s why it never got off the ground last season.

Under the proposal submitted, agreed upon by all teams, the Redblacks are hoping to start the season with 8,400 people (35 per cent of capacity) in the 24,000-seat TD Place. At this point, they have no idea if that’s going to be the case, and the bigger dream is to have a full stadium when the province moves to its third phase.

Really, at this juncture, teams in Ontario will take what they can get because anybody who travels outside Canada can see what’s happening across many parts of the world where the vaccination rates have allowed them to reopen. The quarantine and travel restriction rules won’t be lifted in this country before next month, which is a setback.

The Blue Jays have been forced to set up shop at Sahlen Field in Buffalo because American teams aren’t allowed to cross into Canada to play at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Given the fact the Habs can play either the Vegas Golden Knights or Colorado Avalanche in Montreal in the next round of the playoffs, it’s time to allow the Jays to return home.

Owner Eugene Melnyk and Anthony LeBlanc, the Senators’ president of business operations, along with Redblacks president Mark Goudie, have been working with teams across the province to try to get a handle on what their upcoming seasons will look like. The province doesn’t make any decisions quickly, but, at some point, these teams will need concrete answers.

The NHL teams, including the Leafs and Senators, are both seeking to have 100 per cent capacity when they open the season Oct. 12, but they’re prepared for any scenario, including as low as 20 per cent. 1189532 Ottawa Senators Jacob Bernard-Docker Tim Stützle

Olle Alsing What are the Senators’ roster debates ahead of the Kraken expansion draft? Colin White

Austin Watson

By Ian Mendes Ryan Dzingel

Jun 9, 2021 Alex Formenton

Derek Stepan

Over the next week, you will see stories about expansion protected lists Artem Anisimov start to trickle in from our The Athletic beat writers around the NHL. Clark Bishop I did a similar exercise with Ryan S. Clark last month, looking at which players the Seattle Kraken might be interested in selecting from Ottawa’s Shane Pinto roster. Michael Amadio

But since that piece landed, there have been a couple of developments Matthew Peca for the Senators that could potentially affect their protection list. Michael Haley Vitaly Abramov — who many of you strongly suggested should be protected — signed a two-year contract to play in the KHL. What does Vitaly Abramov that do to his status for the expansion draft? Available Also, owner Eugene Melnyk also came out in late May and flatly stated the club was looking for another centre and a defenceman. Should we Parker Kelly infer from that comment that players like Chris Tierney, Colin White, Protected Logan Brown and Nikita Zaitsev might be deemed expendable via the expansion draft? Logan Brown

Tierney and White are combining to make almost $9 million in real dollars Exempt next season. If the club feels they need an upgrade at centre, that could mean both players are viewed as weakened assets by the organization. Even though my final protected list is the same as I had last month, I really wrestled with a few new topics. And this time around, I found And if the Senators feel like they need a top-end defenceman for next myself with more uncertainty around the likes of White and Zaitsev. season, where does that leave Zaitsev, who is making $4.5 million in each of the next three seasons? In an ideal world, Ottawa’s top four In creating this protected list above, I found it helpful to divide the players should feature pairings of Thomas Chabot and Jacob Bernard-Docker into two distinct categories: Untouchable and debatable. and Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub in time for the 2022-23 season. The untouchables Maybe now is the time to move on from Zaitsev? Brady Tkachuk With all of that in mind, here’s a best guess on the Senators’ expansion protected list, using every player who appeared in at least one game for Drake Batherson Ottawa last season. Connor Brown (Note: Roster sorted by games played in 2020-21) Nick Paul Ottawa Senators protected list Thomas Chabot Brady Tkachuk Victor Mete Nikita Zaitsev The debatables Matt Murray Colin White Connor Brown Austin Watson Thomas Chabot Logan Brown Marcus Hogberg Evgenii Dadonov Josh Norris Vitaly Abramov Artem Zub Nikita Zaitsev Filip Gustavsson Josh Brown Drake Batherson All of the goalies Erik Brannstrom After examining the roster, there is only one player under contract for Anton Forsberg next season who didn’t fit in either category and that was Tierney. I feel fairly confident in saying Tierney will be exposed in the expansion draft, Nick Paul so he is neither an untouchable or a bubble player. There were trade whispers around the 26-year-old last season and he never seemed to Josh Brown gain traction during the shortened season. Tierney was omitted from the Joey Daccord second unit power-play unit all season and when he was a healthy scratch in the regular-season finale, it seemed to be a clear signal that Evgenii Dadonov the club views him as an expendable asset. In an ideal world, the Kraken Victor Mete would select Tierney and Ottawa would be out from having to pay his $4.2 million salary ($3.5 million cap hit) for next season. Chris Tierney But outside of Tierney, there are legitimate arguments still to be made on option on White and because of his age, they would only be on the hook a handful of bubble players. for one-third of his salary.

So here are the debates that are likely raging inside the Senators hockey If that was the case, the Senators would owe White just $5.2 million — operations department as they try to finalize their protected list in the which they could spread out over the course of six years. That would weeks ahead: amount to a cap hit of $875,000 per season, via CapFriendly.

Is Logan Brown really worth protecting? I also wonder how much public perception will play a role in this particular decision. After Melnyk publicly declared his club was looking for a centre, I couldn’t help but think about Logan Brown. For five straight years, he was viewed If they expose White, are the Sens acknowledging that signing him to a as the potential high-end centre this franchise was desperately craving. six-year extension less than two years ago was a mistake? Do they also But this pandemic-shortened campaign felt like another lost season for owe White some loyalty in return for him signing that deal? Before he the 23-year-old, as he managed to only suit up for the regular-season signed, nobody was willing to ink a long-term extension in Ottawa. finale against Toronto. Another injury-plagued season hampered his development and it’s fair to say he’s been leapfrogged on the depth chart And what about Dadonov? He was a significant free-agent signing last by both Josh Norris and Shane Pinto. fall. If they cut ties with him after one season, is that an outward admission of failure? So why waste a protection spot on Brown? In both cases, there is probably a small PR element associated with the It’s a fair question. decision-making process — though I suspect it’s more of a footnote in the entire process. But perhaps this is simply a case of asset management. Maybe the Senators are able to extract a third-round pick or a similar prospect in And we should always leave room for the possibility of both players being exchange for Brown around the NHL Draft. That would be a more exposed too — which could also happen in theory. But given that some palatable conclusion to his tenure in Ottawa than simply allowing him to key players for Ottawa — like Tim Stützle, Norris and Pinto — are be claimed by Seattle. Remember that from a timing perspective, the ineligible for the expansion draft, it does leave them with a lot of flexibility NHL Draft happens six days after the deadline to submit protected lists at the forward position. And my guess would be only seeing one of for the expansion draft. So if the Sens are anticipating moving Brown on Dadonov or White exposed next month. the draft floor, they’ll likely need to protect him in the expansion draft first. Should the Senators protect Watson or the rights to Abramov? If the Senators are truly worried about losing one of their young goalies, they could dangle Brown in the expansion draft and it seems like he When I initially examined the expansion draft last month, there was a would be a worthwhile gamble for the Kraken. Otherwise, the value on consistent theme in the comments section: Why not protect Abramov Brown is probably such that he’s worth protecting so you can recoup ahead of Austin Watson? some value this summer. But now that Abramov has signed a two-year contract in the KHL, it Should the Senators protect Dadonov or White? makes his status even murkier. The Senators can retain his NHL rights by sending him a qualifying offer by the deadline later this month. And if Evgenii Dadonov and White seem to be the two most worrisome that occurs, Abramov can be exposed to Seattle in the expansion draft contracts for Senators fans among the team’s forwards. Dadonov has under this scenario. Would the Kraken look at the potential upside of the two more years left on his contract with a $5 million AAV — but keep in 23-year-old and be willing to gamble that he comes back to North mind his actual salary will be $6.5 million in real dollars for the 2022-23 America in two years? If so, maybe they have a ready-made NHL player season. on their hands if they exercise a little patience.

White has four years remaining on his deal with a $4.75 million AAV and There will probably be some Sens fans who would like to retain it’s similarly backloaded in terms of real dollars. In the 2024-25 Abramov’s rights, feeling like his skill makes him a worthwhile long-term campaign, White stands to make $6.25 million in cash. If he’s not in the project. top six at that point, that’s an awful lot of money to shell out for a role player. If that’s the case, protecting Abramov could very well come at the cost of exposing Watson. So which player should the Senators expose? Watson, 29, was arguably the Senators’ best offseason acquisition, as he If it comes down to saving real dollars, exposing Dadonov — in the settled into a fourth line and penalty killing role before an injury ended his hopes Seattle claims him — might be the smarter play. The Senators are season. The Senators have explicitly stated they don’t want Tkachuk on the hook to pay him another $11.5 million over the next two seasons. dropping the gloves on a regular basis, so there is probably some Perhaps the Kraken will need to take a couple of these types of contracts organizational value in having someone like Watson in the lineup on a to get to the salary cap floor. As well, they could bank on the fact that regular basis to act as a deterrent. Dadonov could return to his 25-goal form and be a dependable top-six player for the expansion team. With two more years left at a $1.5 million cap hit, Watson is a relatively low-risk asset and he seems to know his role. If Dadonov is claimed, the Senators could look at re-signing Ryan Dzingel and flipping him to the right wing on a low-cost, one-year deal. A dissenting voice would suggest the Senators did not miss Watson after We saw Dzingel play a little bit on the right side at the tail end of last he played his last game on March 22. Consider the following: season, once Alex Formenton entered the picture. Dzingel clearly enjoys Ottawa’s record with Watson in the lineup: 11-20-3 playing in Ottawa, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he would sign on a reasonable contract. Ottawa’s record without Watson: 12-8-2

If the scenario where Dadonov is claimed and Dzingel is re-signed, that My suspicion, however, is that D.J. Smith likes the grit and penalty killing would leave Ottawa’s right wing as follows: ability of Watson on his fourth line. If I had to guess, I think the Senators would lean toward Watson in this debate — and Abramov’s decision to RW 1 – Drake Batherson sign in the KHL only strengthened that position.

RW 2 – Connor Brown Should the Senators expose Zaitsev or Brown?

RW 3 – Ryan Dzingel As per the expansion draft rules, Senators need to expose at least one RW 4 – Austin Watson NHL calibre-defenceman to Seattle next month. In his 14-game audition, Victor Mete seemed to find a natural comfort playing on the left side. And If it allows for some salary flexibility in other areas, I think many fans considering Mete is just 23 with almost 200 games of NHL experience, could see this as a win for Ottawa. he’s likely moved himself into the category of being automatically protected in the expansion draft. As it pertains to White, the Senators could give him one more season to try to establish himself as a valuable forward with this group. If that Which leaves the question: Should the Senators expose Zaitsev or Josh doesn’t materialize next season, the Senators could engineer the buyout Brown? I vacillate on this particular topic because I think Melnyk’s comments And if they’re truly searching for a centre or a defenceman, this would be about adding a defensive-minded defenceman were interesting. Zaitsev the time to exploit a team with protection issues and make a move. is a capable defender who probably just makes a touch too much money for what he brings to the team. So would the Senators risk exposing The Colorado Avalanche may have a protection issue on the back end, Zaitsev — who has three more years left at $4.5 million — knowing that could Ryan Graves be a fit here? Would Devon Toews be available? Zub and Bernard-Docker will likely occupy the top two spots on the right Carolina may run into similar issues and defencemen like Jake Bean and side before his contract expires? Could the Senators realistically find Brady Skjei could be exposed. Vince Dunn might be available from St. another right-shot defenceman to play this season on an expiring Louis. These teams would probably rather make a trade and get an asset contract who could provide similar effectiveness as Zaitsev? back — instead of losing a player to Seattle for nothing.

If they believe the answer is yes, it probably makes sense to expose Once all of my colleagues from The Athletic have submitted projected Zaitsev in the expansion draft. At best, he should be the No. 3 expansion protected lists for the respective teams they cover, I will comb defenceman when this team’s window of contention opens in the spring through the list of exposed players and look for some potential fits for the of 2023 and that’s not even taking the progression of a prospect like Senators. Lassi Thomson into the mix. The Senators have a chance to be a de facto expansion team But if you go back and listen to D.J. Smith and Pierre Dorion’s season- themselves — and use the draft to improve their NHL roster for next ending news conferences from last month, they lauded Zaitsev’s season. toughness and durability. And Zaitsev’s ice time never wavered; he consistently played between 22-23 minutes all season. He’s clearly a favourite of the head coach and for that reason, I have a hard time The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 feeling like he’ll be the one exposed to Seattle. I think the head coach will advocate for Zaitsev to be part of the picture.

I think when the Senators signed Josh Brown to the two-year extension, they did so with the intention of exposing him in the expansion draft.

Ottawa went 7-2-1 in the final 10 regular-season games that Brown played this season and Smith seemed to be very comfortable with playing him ahead of Bernard-Docker down the stretch. In an ideal world, Brown is back as the seventh defenceman next season and it’s very unlikely he would be claimed by the Kraken.

So unless the Senators are intent on dumping Zaitsev’s salary, it’s more likely they expose Brown to Seattle in the expansion draft.

Which goalie should the Senators protect?

The only goalie we can safely assume is out of the picture is Marcus Hogberg, who likely won’t be given a qualifying offer and should find himself as a free agent later this summer.

But the Senators are likely having a good internal discussion about how to proceed with their goalies.

It’s widely believed the Kraken would not touch Matt Murray’s contract, since he still has three more years left with a cap hit of $6.25 million. And to top it off, Murray will make $8 million in real dollars in 2023-24. There is no way the Kraken would pounce on that contract, given the depth that should be available at that position this summer.

But if the Senators are going to expose Murray, they should probably get out in front of that story and communicate that to Murray and his agent Robert Hooper. It’s a delicate situation, but if the Senators brass makes it clear they still believe in Murray, this can be done without any awkwardness. But a lack of communication can certainly erode confidence and trust. Players appreciate clarity and transparency in these situations and if the Senators deliver the news to Murray in such a fashion, there’s no reason for the netminder to be sullen.

New goalie coach Zac Bierk will likely have some influence on this decision and it will likely boil down to Filip Gustavsson or Joey Daccord. Anton Forsberg did a nice job to earn a one-year contract for next season, but it’s hard to imagine Ottawa deciding to protect the 29-year- old netminder.

Instead, they will likely have to make an informed decision based on a small sample of games between Gustavsson and Daccord. Each netminder has only appeared in nine NHL games, so there is not a significant body of work at this level. Gustavsson’s stellar play likely nudged him into the lead, but this could very well end up being Ottawa’s most contentious internal debate in the next month.

The expansion draft protected lists aren’t due to the league offices until 5 p.m. ET on July 17, but there is a good chance the Senators front office will debate this question right up until the deadline.

How can the Sens exploit the expansion draft to their benefit?

This is the question the Senators front office should be focused on over the next five weeks. One of the only benefits of bottoming out over the past three seasons is it put the Senators in a spot where they have a significant amount of roster flexibility for the expansion draft. 1189533 Philadelphia Flyers had nine goals in 30 regular-season games, was a former University of Vermont standout and a fourth-round selection (118th overall) in the 2016 draft. He was chosen nine picks after the Flyers took Connor Bunnaman, who has one goal in 39 NHL games. ... Hayes had four Flyers’ Kevin Hayes should be back to his old self next season, and his shorthanded goals in 2019-20 and none this season. team may look very different

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 06.10.2021 by Sam Carchidi

Published Jun 9, 2021

Kevin Hayes’ severe drop in production this season had more to do with an injury than anything else.

The Flyers center recently had surgery to repair a core muscle, also known as a sports hernia, and plans to start skating again in early July. He has already started working out.

This season, Hayes had 12 goals in 55 games; he collected 23 goals in 69 games in his first season with the Flyers.

On Wednesday, he acknowledged “it was tough to get going in games” because of his injury, which started to affect him midway through the season. He gutted it out but clearly wasn’t himself and didn’t have the acceleration he showed the previous year.

Hayes, 29, said trainers Jim McCrossin and Sal Raffa did a “great job making it feel good enough” to play.

With Hayes’ production dipping and Nolan Patrick (four goals in 52 games; minus-30 rating) unable to make a smooth return from a migraine disorder that caused him to miss the 2019-20 season, the Flyers suffered down the middle, which was supposed to be a strong suit.

Hayes should be back to his old self next season, but Patrick remains a big question mark. Claude Giroux and Scott Laughton are natural centers, but both are more effective at left wing. That might leave an opening for center Morgan Frost to make the team, or it could cause general manager Chuck Fletcher to explore the free-agent center market.

Among the 30-year-old-and-under centers who are pending unrestricted free agents and had a salary-cap hit less than $4 million this season are Mikael Granlund (13 goals, 27 points in 51 games; $3.75 million); Alexander Wennberg (17 goals, 29 points in 56 games; $2.25 million); and Erik Haula (nine goals, 21 points in 51 games; $1.75 million), who once had 29 goals for Vegas and played for Fletcher when he was the GM in Minnesota.

Fletcher’s main goal this summer, of course, is finding a right-side defenseman to play alongside Ivan Provorov on the top pairing.

The best two right-handed defenseman on the market are Carolina’s Dougie Hamilton, a pending unrestricted free agent, and Columbus’ Seth Jones, who is available in a trade.

Hamilton, who turns 28 next week, would be a perfect fit with the Flyers, but he will probably re-sign with Carolina. Jones would be a great consolation prize, and he has said he will test the free-agent waters when his contract expires after next season. So what would he cost in a trade? Plenty. And before the Flyers put together a hefty package, they would need to get assurances that Jones would sign a long-term deal here.

Would a package of, say, a first-round pick, Phil Myers, Patrick, and Laughton get it done?

Jones, who will turn 27 on Oct. 3 and has a modified no-trade clause, is a three-time All-Star selection and is in his prime. His defensive analytics slipped this season, but he played for a bad Columbus team.

The 6-foot-4, 209-pound Jones plays in all situations and averages about 25 minutes a game. He and Provorov would give the Flyers one of the league’s best pairings.

Jones’ father, Popeye, is a former NBA player who is now an assistant with the Sixers. Seth Jones’ brother, Caleb, 24, is an Edmonton Oilers defenseman.

Breakaways

Center Ross Colton, the pride of Robbinsville in Central New Jersey, scored a key goal Tuesday as Tampa Bay beat Carolina, 2-0, and won its second-round playoff series in five games. Colton, 24, a rookie who 1189534 Philadelphia Flyers Oskar Lindblom was named one of three finalists for the prestigious Bill Masterton Trophy Tuesday, along with Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba and San Jose center Patrick Marleau.

Flyers goalie prospect Sandstrom sticks around to play for Phantoms The award is presented every year to the player who "best embodies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game of hockey."

By Rob Parent [email protected] @ReluctantSE on Lindblom came back from a cancer fight to play a full Flyers season. Twitter Dumba is being recognized for co-founding the Hockey Diversity Alliance in an effort to drum up more inclusivity and eradicating racism within Jun 9, 2021 hockey's ranks. Marleau surpassed Gordie Howe for the NHL's most regular season games played mark this past season. At 41, he's played 1,779 regular season games. Felix Sandstrom, the Swedish goaltending cat who was apparently committed to the idea that his Flyers' path wasn't working out so well, has suddenly reversed course. Delaware County Times LOADED: 06.10.2021 Why else would Sandstrom, Carter Hart's organizational peer who faced him goalie mano a goalie mano in the World Junior Championships in 2017, have signed earlier this week to play in Finland, and now is planning to play again in Allentown?

The internet word out of Europe Monday had Sandstrom, a third-round Flyers pick in the 2015 draft coming off an encouraging mini-season with the Phantoms, heading to play with TPS Turku in Finland's top professional league.

Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher more or less confirmed that Monday.

"We've had on-going talks with Felix about the opportunities, and most importantly, he played really well at the end of the season," Fletcher said then. "The most important thing for him is to make sure he's getting No. 1 goaltender ice time, and that he's doing everything he can to continue his development.

"Last month was a big step forward for him. We'll just continue to speak and see what the right solution is for him going forward."

Apparently Fletcher gave Sandstrom another solution. The 24-year-old goalie agreed to a one-year, two-way deal for $750,000 Tuesday. Of course, he'd only make that much if he were with the Flyers, not simply among the crowded mix below old friend Carter Hart in the Lehigh Valley.

Sandstrom has had a much tougher organizational climb than 2016 second-round pick Hart. For Sandstrom, there was a delay to his coming over from Sweden, then long stretches of disappointment. Two seasons ago he was demoted to the ECHL affiliate in Reading for the bulk of the 2019-20 season, while Hart was ascending to NHL starter status.

Sandstrom fought his way back, however, playing first in Sweden last season then coming over for the start of the limited AHL campaign. He went 5-3-3 with a 3.09 goals-against and .903 saves percentage in 11 Phantoms games.

But with his former Reading teammate, highly valued prospect Kirill Ustimenko, 22, who only played two games overseas last year due to injury, along with Sandstrom's fellow Swede, 21-year-old Samuel Ersson, there is plenty of competition for playing time in the AHL on the docket for Flyers goalie prospects.

Not in that mix as of now is veteran Ivy Leaguer Alex Lyon, who after playing several Flyers games last season is now a pending unrestricted free agent. Sandstrom's sudden change of direction back to the AHL might be seen as an indicator that Lyon is expected to sign elsewhere, but that hasn't been confirmed either way.

"You never can predict ice time," Fletcher said Monday. "I think there's a strong possibility (Sandstrom) would get a lot of ice time. But we have Ustimenko and Ersson, and we're still making a decision with Alex Lyon, so you can't guarantee ice time and the important thing for Felix is whether it's here or over there, that he gets an opportunity to play."

At some point in the intervening 24 hours, that decision apparently came down to him playing here.

Meanwhile, Hart, 22, has his own problems. He's coming off a terrible season in which he appeared to lose direction and confidence. His veteran teammate Brian Elliott, like Lyon a pending free agent, will likely sign on elsewhere if he can find a taker. The Flyers have all-but committed to finding a viable veteran goalie either through trade or free agency that they feel can give Hart a proper competitive push. 1189535 Philadelphia Flyers

Change of plans: Flyers goalie prospect signs new deal, not going to Finland

BY JORDAN HALL

Plans quickly changed or were clarified with the Felix Sandstrom situation.

A day after it appeared the club's goalie prospect was headed to play in Finland for the 2021-22 season, Sandstrom on Tuesday signed a one- year, two-way, $750,000 contract with the Flyers.

Sandstrom had recently agreed to a one-year contract with TPS Turku to play next season in Liiga (Finland's top pro league), per the league website. If Sandstrom, who was a restricted free agent this offseason, had gone to play in Finland next season, the Flyers still could have retained his NHL rights by extending him a qualifying offer in July, which was likely.

That is no longer the case as Sandstrom will be staying in North America and competing for the net at AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

"We've had ongoing talks with Felix and about the opportunities," Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said Monday. "Most importantly, he played really well at the end of the season. The most important thing for him is to make sure he's getting No. 1 goaltender ice time and he's doing everything he can to continue his development. The last month was a big step forward for him. We'll just continue to speak and see what the right solution is for him going forward."

Sandstrom was selected by the Flyers in the third round of the 2015 draft. The 24-year-old Swedish native spent a good bit of the 2020-21 season on the Flyers' taxi squad and practicing with the big club.

With the original uncertainty and eventual late start to the AHL season in 2020-21, Sandstrom started the year on loan to Vasterviks IK of the Allsvenskan League in Sweden. He then joined the Phantoms, going 5-3- 3 with a 3.19 goals-against average and .903 save percentage through 11 games. He played well over his final six outings with Lehigh Valley, putting up a 3-1-2 record and 1.85 goals-against average.

The decision for Sandstrom to play with the Phantoms next season fuels the competition in Lehigh Valley's net. Last week, the Flyers signed their other Swedish goalie prospect Samuel Ersson to his three-year entry- level contract. Alex Lyon, who has played parts of the last five seasons with the Phantoms, is a pending unrestricted free agent this offseason. At this point, it's uncertain if the 28-year-old will be brought back. The Flyers also have prospects Kirill Ustimenko (signed 2017 third-round pick), Ivan Fedotov (unsigned 2015 seventh-round pick) and Matej Tomek (unsigned 2015 third-round pick) in the system.

Ustimenko missed the 2020-21 season after undergoing surgery on his left hip to repair a torn labrum. The 22-year-old was on the Flyers' 31- man playoff roster in the NHL's return-to-play 24-team tournament last summer.

Sandstrom, who is likely to be exposed in the July 21 NHL expansion draft, Ustimenko and Ersson are expected to battle for playing time with the Phantoms in 2021-22.

"You never can predict ice time," Fletcher said Monday when asked about Sandstrom. "I think there's a strong possibility he would get a lot of ice time, but we have Ustimenko and Ersson and still making a decision on Alex Lyon, so you can't guarantee ice time. The important thing for Felix is that, whether it's here or over there, he gets an opportunity to play."

This offseason, the Flyers have a decision to make for their 2021-22 backup netminder spot and will peruse the free-agent market in doing so. Along with Lyon, 36-year-old veteran Brian Elliott is a pending unrestricted free agent.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189536 Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh scores new dek hockey court in Lincoln Place with assist from Penguins

PAUL GUGGENHEIMER

Wednesday, June 9, 2021 4:04 p.m.

Dek hockey is a popular sport in Pittsburgh, but meeting the demand for places to play is sometimes challenging.

On Wednesday, a project that began in 2018 culminated in a new dek hockey court in McBride Park in the Lincoln Place neighborhood. The court was scheduled to be unveiled at 6:30 p.m.

Up until now, young people in Lincoln Place have either had to play their dek hockey on tennis courts or go elsewhere.

Ryan Herbinko, president of the 31st Ward Community Action Group, said Lincoln Place is sometimes a forgotten neighborhood in the city because of its geography, tucked into the area among West Mifflin, Homestead, West Homestead and Munhall.

“It’s a very different ward and there’s not much investment made in it,” said Herbinko. “So, a project like this is huge for us, it’s huge for the kids, and it’s going to help revitalize some of our local businesses as we host tournaments and things like that.”

The new court features an all-weather plastic surface and cost $750,000 to build. Construction began last fall and was slowed by delays due to the pandemic. Most of the funding was secured by the city with the Pittsburgh Penguins donating money as well.

“It’s one of the biggest investments that we’ve had in a very long time in our community,” said Herbinko, whose group partnered with Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O’Connor to get the court built.

O’Connor said concerns were raised when Lincoln Place residents saw that kids there were going outside the city to play in various leagues.

“We said wait (McBride Park) would be a great spot for a dek hockey court. Let’s redo the whole park, let’s make it all work,” said O’Connor. “We’re looking at adding a shelter next year. We got small chunks of funding the first year, then we got hit with covid and everything got delayed. But we see a lot of younger kids out in Lincoln Place taking an interest in hockey and this brings a lot of people back up to that park.”

O’Connor said it’s also gratifying to have a new dek hockey court because it allows young people to play hockey year round. He adds that adults can also use the new facility as well.

“It’s a huge addition to Pittsburgh because we’re hockey lovers,” said O’Connor. “Everybody loves the Penguins, everybody loves watching hockey and that’s why you see a lot of the dek hockey courts popping up and leagues starting. And it’s people of all ages playing which I think is great for everybody.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189537 Pittsburgh Penguins

Ex-Penguins forward Thomas Di Pauli signs in Germany

Seth Rorabaugh

SETH RORABAUGH

Wednesday, June 9, 2021 1:18 p.m.

Former Penguins forward Thomas Di Pauli has signed with the Krefeld Pinguine (German for “Penguins”) in Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).

The league announced his signing via Twitter.

After departing the Pittsburgh Penguins as a free agent following the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, Di Pauli, 27, did not play for any team at any organized level during the 2020-21 campaign.

Di Pauli’s entire NHL existence to date has been limited to two games and no points with the Penguins during 2019-20.

A fourth-round pick (No. 100 overall) in the 2012 draft by the Washington Capitals, Di Pauli never signed with that organization and instead signed with the Penguins after his NCAA eligibility had expired in 2016. The signing was seen as something of a coup for the Penguins as Di Pauli was a highly sought college free agent at that time.

Any hopes Di Pauli would develop into a regular NHLer never materialized, however, as he spent the bulk of his four seasons with the Penguins with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

Tribune Review LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189538 Pittsburgh Penguins But while Angello is one of the biggest players in the organization, he’s not a particularly vicious entity. He uses his body effectively to win battles on the boards and to shield the puck from defenders but no one would ever confuse him with the likes of a ruffian like Capitals forward Tom Penguins A to Z: Anthony Angello has shown a few things, but has he Wilson. shown enough? Angello has shown some signs he can be a viable contributor at the NHL level in a fourth-line role. But has he shown enough?

SETH RORABAUGH He should get plenty of chances to prove he has (or hasn’t) starting next season. Wednesday, June 9, 2021 8:01 a.m.

Tribune Review LOADED: 06.10.2021 With the Penguins in the midst of their offseason, the Tribune-Review is looking at all 49 players currently under NHL contracts to the organization in alphabetical order, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to top-six winger Jason Zucker.

Anthony Angello

Position: Right winger

Shoots: Right

Age: 25

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 210 pounds

2020-21 NHL statistics: 19 games, four points (two goals, two assists)

2020-21 AHL statistics: 12 games, 10 points (six goals, four assists)

Contract: Entering the second year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $725,000. Pending restricted free agent in 2022.

(Note: The first year of Angello’s contract was a two-way deal. The second year is one way.)

Acquired: Fifth-round draft pick (No. 145 overall), June 28, 2014

2020-21 season: For a franchise short on legit NHL-ready prospects, Angello offered some hope that the Penguins could have some youthful energy on the roster this past season.

But upon the dawn of the 2020-21 campaign, Angello was relegated to the taxi squad after falling behind forward Drew O’Connor, a college free agent, on the organizational depth chart. And by Jan. 19, he was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

The bulk of Angello’s season followed a similar pattern as he was moved between the NHL roster, the taxi squad or the AHL roster upwards of 34 different times. The vast majority of those transactions were for the benefit of the team’s salary cap figure and the mechanics involved in maximizing cap space with other players on long-term injured reserve.

Angello did not break into the lineup until Feb. 28 when injuries to incumbent players dictated. Primarily deployed on the fourth line, Angello dressed for 19 of the next 20 games.

The highlight of his season was personal in nature. During a 5-2 road win against the Buffalo Sabres, Angello, a native of Manilus, N.Y., scored on a snipe of a wrister against the team he rooted for as a child:

Angello remained in the lineup until April 3. By that point, most of the Penguins‘ veteran forwards had healed from their various ailments and Angello’s only action came in the AHL.

Primarily used on the top line with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Angello showed he was still capable of producing at that level, putting up eight points (five goals, three assists) in his final 10 games of the AHL season.

For the NHL postseason, Angello was recalled and served as a “Black Ace.”

The future: With the Penguins facing a salary cap crunch, a handful of their veteran reserve forwards scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this offseason and Angello’s contract status transitioning a one- way deal, a lot of circumstances certainly bode well for his chances of opening next season on the NHL roster.

Additionally, new management — general manager Ron Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Burke — have professed a desire to add some size to a lineup that is undersized. 1189539 Pittsburgh Penguins Using a comprehensive outreach program that includes social media, mailers, knocking on doors and working with community partners, Mr. Acklin hopes to get the word out about the center to the community.

'This is the starting line': Hill District job center opens as early step for “There are a number of construction jobs that we’re already working on, former Civic Arena project we’ve already had bids out,” he said. “Ultimately, though, our expectations were thousands of new jobs there. Everything from office to retail. We’re pursuing an entertainment facility. We’ll be hiring through the First Source Center for the PPG Paints Arena, so all of our arena EMMA SKIDMORE workers, all of those postings will be here.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette He said they are working to rebuild trust with the community through the JUN 9, 2021 8:17 AM development by giving priority to the residents from the neighborhood and setting an initial 10-year commitment to the area. He also said by being intentional about investing in the Hill District, Mr. Acklin hopes it will offset the impact of gentrification and displacement. A new workforce assistance center in the Hill District held a grand opening Tuesday evening, drawing in community members and officials “The people who were relocated or removed from the lower Hill, there eager to express their excitement, concerns and hopes about the project. were a lot of promises made,” Ms. Jennings said. “Those people never got a chance to come back, and neither did their descendants.” The workforce development and resource program, the First Source Center, at 1835 Centre Ave., is slated to provide services such as County councilman DeWitt Walton echoed Ms. Jennings. resume building, interview coaching, pro-bono legal services and job training. The center has multiple partners, including the Builders Guild of “For too many years, people in this community, African Americans, Western Pennsylvania, Community College of Allegheny County, the residents of the city of Pittsburgh and African American residents of Urban Redevelopment Authority and PA CareerLink. Allegheny County, haven’t had a fair shot,” Mr. Walton said. “[They] haven’t had an opportunity to engage in transformative practices that As one of the first steps being taken in a community collaboration raises per capita income, that increases homeownership. And as a result, implementation plan worked out through ongoing discussions, the goal is improve public safety. to address community concerns about the First National Bank headquarters development project taking place on the former Civic Arena Tracey McCants Lewis, the Penguins’ vice president of human resources site. Officials said postings for jobs, including those for workers at PPG and deputy general counsel, said in regards to debate about the amount Paints Arena, will be available there. of community outreach that should be done, they are continuing to do the work. “On behalf of the people of Pittsburgh, I’m here to say thank you,” Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said Tuesday. “We may have done it wrong “The First Source Center being here, this is not the end,” she said. “Us 60 years ago; you made sure we didn’t do it wrong again.” opening it is not the end. The work will continue. We’re coming to the community, but we also have to learn from the community. So we need The James F. Henry Hill House Center on Centre Avenue in the Hill to be able to listen and hear what the community needs.” District in 2018. It will be the location of a First Source Center for those seeking jobs at the former Civic Arena site.

The former Civic Arena was built on land that had held homes and Post Gazette LOADED: 06.10.2021 businesses cleared to make way for development, a project that forced many to move.

Kimberly Ellis, director of community arts and culture for the Buccini/Pollin Group, the developer for the new project, said the center will be open three days a week and has virtual and in-person components.

Longtime friends and Hill District residents Tracey Jennings, Renata Walker and Marcia Scott attended the event for the center and talked about the 2019 closure of the Hill House, a nonprofit operation that had provided residents of the Hill District with assistance.

“It was a ghost ship,” Ms. Scott said.

Ms. Jennings hopes the new center will truly benefit the people of the community, and said it was a “beautiful thing” that the site was reopening with these services.

“There’s a high percentage of unemployment [in] young Black males between the ages of 18 on up,” Ms. Jennings said. “So if this is going to benefit them and employ them, then I’m all for it. But the proof is in the pudding. Now I just have to definitely see that.”

Ms. Scott believes with new, fresh eyes on the development project, the neighborhood will see more emphasis on community-building programs.

Kevin Acklin, chief operating officer and general counsel for the Pittsburgh Penguins, has been overseeing the development of the arena site, which has been underway for about 10 years.

Mr. Acklin said the center represents the fulfillment of a commitment made from the Penguins and the team’s development partners to make it a one-stop shop for job opportunities.

“We’re at the beginning; this is the starting line,” he said. “Very excited after a lot of hard work by members of the community and the Penguins, our development team, our partners in First National Bank, to be here and hopefully start something great. It’s transformational.” 1189540 Pittsburgh Penguins It surely seems lots you want to go back there. You’re done with the superstars and disappointment. And no promise that it could be better next season quells the desire to get new blood, even if it’s not as good.

Kingerski: Penguins Fans, I Get it, You’re Tired But One More Time? Have I got it?

Some of you expect the Penguins to find new superstars to lead the team back to June hockey tomorrow. Let me caution, that’s just not going to Published 13 hours ago on June 9, 2021 happen. Unless Jack Eichel decides he wants to play for the Penguins and no one else, and by some miracle, Buffalo accepts a lowball offer, By Dan Kingerski the rebuild will be brutal.

Perhaps general manager Ron Hextall will add friends around Sidney You’ve been telling me, but not in so many words. Some of you have Crosby to make the descent more palatable, the way Craig Patrick did for been yelling it, actually, but the words belied the meaning. Most fanbases Mario Lemieux? in the NHL would kick you for the sentiment, but the heart wants what the It took six years of first-round picks and four top-two overall picks to build heart wants, and everything comes to an end. Even the Pittsburgh the Penguins’ latest championship era. Beginning with Brooks Orpik in Penguins run with the most talented players on the planet comes to an 2001 as a later first-rounder, then Marc-Andre Fleury (1st overall), Evgeni end. Malkin (2nd overall), Sidney Crosby (1st overall), and Jordan Stall (2nd It surely seems many of you are ready to move on, consequences be overall), the Penguins stockpiled brilliant talent by losing. damned. The Pittsburgh Penguins hit a paystreak at the right time. It doesn’t From emails, replies, and comments, Penguins fans are tired. The always work out that way. Ask the Edmonton Oilers who snagged a interest level is declining. Imagine a team with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni lineup of lottery picks for a decade that didn’t work out–including Taylor Malkin, and Kris Letang with waning interest. Yet, that’s precisely what’s Hall, Sam Gagner, Nail Yakupov, and Ryan Nugent Hopkins–until happening. Connor McDavid finally brought success to Edmonton.

No one is accusing Penguins fans of checking out. Pittsburgh has the Even so, the 2020-21 Edmonton Oilers made only their second playoff highest TV ratings of any NHL or NBA market. Penguins fans sell out appearance since 2005-06 (again, Qualifying Round notwithstanding). PPG Paints Arena as well as turn on the television, but your heart is But you want those new relationship jitters, the excitement, and broken. possibilities. You know how the rest of this plays out, right? Hope seems to be lost. Just a reminder kids, be careful what you wish for. You just may get it. “And how about last year? And the year before? Don’t take solace in that–it’s only a way to rationalize failure,” one of our comments read. Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 06.10.2021 I get a dozen or more per day. Or another:

“It’s just frustrating watching the Pens get ousted early, and venting helps especially when I read other Pen fans feel the same way…Dan does his best I just don’t like that sometimes he’ll call us kids, and we know it’s because we sound like it when we want to start from scratch–but if next year we start winning all will be forgotten.”

Well, first, “kids” is a term of endearment. Some folks get so touchy. Boys, kids, youngin’s, folks, are all the same.

Second, that winning feeling is gone from the fan base. Despite the most logical arguments that it doesn’t matter when the rebuild begins, it will hurt for a while, the consensus is to start now.

I can point to Chicago, Los Angeles, and Detroit, which are still in the midst of trying to figure it out and have playoff droughts since their last Stanley Cups (2020 Qualifying Round inclusions notwithstanding).

And I can point out that losing is most likely what awaits the Pittsburgh Penguins beyond the Malkin-Letang roster. If the Penguins can delay that skid by taking another and yet another shot with Crosby-Malkin- Letang and making the playoffs, isn’t it better than the tundra of losing?

The popular sentiment among fans is: No.

And I get it now. Being right or logical is less important. It’s like a relationship that has run its course. The end is within sight, and you’re anxious to see what comes next.

You want some strange.

You want to root for mediocre players who are new and getting a chance to establish themselves as productive NHLers. You’d like to get behind the underdogs again.

I must admit, those 7,000-11,000 fans who showed up for the 2003-2005 Penguins at the old Civic Arena were the most joyous fans outside of the early 1990s and 2008-2009 crews.

Fans found a way to enjoy the rosters with Dick Tarnstrom, Guillaume Lefebvre, Ramsi Abid, and Ryan Malone. Only Malone was a legit NHL player, but the smaller Penguins fan base rallied around them.

But there were a lot less of you, too. 1189541 Pittsburgh Penguins I can’t say I’ve been crazy about Marc-Andre Fleury’s goaltending in the Round Two series against Colorado, but three straight wins with a dozen big saves stand on its own.

How Would Penguins Fare Against Remaining Teams? The Penguins without Crosby’s line is a snake without a head, as New York showed. The Penguins can outplay teams, but without Guentzel filling the net beside Crosby, those big goals are elusive. Vegas’s top line would not only have won a matchup of top-line vs. top line but scored Published 17 hours ago on June 9, 2021 plenty of goals, too (unlike Mathew Barzal’s line). By Dan Kingerski This could have gone six, but no more. Vegas wins.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning They are matchups that never happened and never will. The collisions With a full lineup, Tampa Bay is scary good. Do we need much time to are hypothetical in the most speculative sense. But we must ask the dissect this one? Tampa Bay is as good as its gets with speed, top-end question because the Pittsburgh Penguins organization is asking itself scoring, lineup depth, depth scoring, defense, and goaltending. the same question in their offseason preparations for 2021-22. The Carolina Hurricanes are a very good team, and they lasted five How would the Penguins fare against the remaining NHL teams? games. There isn’t a weakness the Penguins could have exploited. I guess we can cross the New York Saints, er, Islanders off the list of However, Tampa Bay also exploited the salary cap this season. They’re teams. The Penguins well outplayed them. The loss should sting for quite playing with a $98 million team, not an $83 million team. That makes a a while but also provide hope for next season. huge difference to air-drop former Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov into the lineup. We can also skip ahead past the Boston Bruins. The Bruins bedevil the Penguins because Boston’s top line is better than the Penguins’ top line, It still counts. despite Sidney Crosby’s presence. This, too, would have been over quickly—Tampa Bay in five. “With Crosby, there’s a great player and two very good players,” Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said. “(Boston’s top line) there’s probably three great players.” We saw this matchup last season, didn’t we? No, we didn’t. We saw a disinterested Penguins team in desperate need of a cleanup and several Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pasternak are the best line players not very interested in being in the bubble for the Qualifying in hockey. Round. And so we’re left to wonder how the Penguins would have matched up We saw Sidney Crosby play very well and get far more chances than the against the rest. We will have to factor into our analysis that Evgeni Penguins top line yielded (we also saw Shea Weber keep Jake Guentzel Malkin’s knee was in bad shape, but Jeff Carter was in rare form. from the front of the net–that theme reappeared against New York). We will also have to factor in a steady and solid Tristan Jarry (otherwise, The Penguins are a better team than the Montreal Canadiens…except there’s no fun to be had). Jarry’s performance was undeniable in Round for Carey Price and the Canadiens defensive posture. One, but in this hypothetical, let’s assume the better Jarry that we watched all season is the Jarry in net. Given the Penguins’ ability to post significant scoring chances on New York and assuming a proper Tristan Jarry, we like the Penguins’ chances Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights: here. Montreal’s second line is easily their most dangerous with Cole As many of you know, I spent the last 10 days covering the Colorado Caufield and Tyler Toffoli on the wings–Penguins head coach Mike Avalanche and Vegas series. What a job! I was one of five American Sullivan would have needed his fourth line against that crew. journalists to cover the bubble playoffs in person and one of the few to Montreal’s fourth line with Eric Staal and Corey Perry has been a time get to travel this year, too. machine to their youth, but it could be contained. I must confess, I greatly underestimated the defensive skills of Chandler This series would have come down to Carey Price (just as the last one Stephenson and Mark Stone. GREATLY. They have been a wet blanket ultimately did, too). upon one of the best players in the game, Nathan MacKinnon. We think the rejuvenated Penguins would have broken through, this time, Vegas’s ability to stay with MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko and won in six. Rantanen for 200 feet has been the overriding difference in the series. Without Nazem Kadri, Colorado doesn’t have enough secondary scoring, Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Colorado Avalanche: and Vegas is set to win four straight on Thursday night in Vegas. I don’t think the Avalanche will survive Game 6 in the fortress–I think Stephenson would have won the battle against Crosby, Bryan Rust, and Tuesday night in Game 5 was their last stand. However, they’re a very Jake Guentzel, too. Barry Trotz understood that fact, which is why he good team and very similar to the Penguins. slipped Brock Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier on the ice against Crosby. The Islanders second line won the battle–but what about the rest of the I like the Penguins matchup here. The Penguins fourth line could defend lineup? Colorado’s top line with MacKinnon, and it would be the Penguins who had more depth in the middle of the lineup. I like the Penguins’ chances to compete against Vegas. The active defensemen would have been a major plus for the Penguins; Vegas The Penguins defensemen would have made a huge difference in this defensemen stand back and bomb away, but they’re not active like the series. Colorado hasn’t played well on the walls or the in battle zones. Penguins crew. While the Penguins are not as tough as Vegas, they are born of the Metro/East Division. That’s one spot where the Penguins would hang their hat. This would have been a series that left hockey fans begging for more. It Vegas’s top nine is better than the Penguins, too, especially factoring would have been played at 100mph, with jaw-dropping plays, offensive Malkin’s bad knee. Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, and Reilly rushes, and everything else that comes with playoff hockey. Smith are a dynamic second line. Nicolas Roy with Mattias Janmark and Alex Tuch is a stout third line. I think the Penguins would have won a series against the President’s Trophy winners. I think Jeff Carter’s third line would have won their battle, but overall, the Penguins are short in the top-nine matchup. Conclusions:

The Penguins’ fourth line with Zach Aston-Reese, Teddy Blueger, and The Penguins could be a top-10 team but are at the back of that pack. Brandon Tanev is one of the best in the biz. They have a chance, but to win the Stanley Cup one more time, they need a little bit of luck, a few changes, and, above all, health. We’ll analyze what the Penguins need to do to BEAT the four best teams remaining in the coming days. General manager Ron Hextall can say they want to add size, but what does that really mean and where?

We’ll stack up the Penguins against the best and begin to analyze as a front office team would. We’ll be able to come to real conclusions about the state of the Penguins and step past the angst and negativity into some sort of clear picture.

Good and bad. Stay tuned.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189542 Seattle Kraken Stone amassed a league-high 58 take-aways in the 56-game schedule, blocked a second-best 30 shots and was key to the NHL’s top penalty- killing unit. In a Game 5 victory by Vegas on Tuesday, Stone blocked a shot in overtime and scored the winner on the ensuing counterattack. Vegas, Montreal playoff success provides insight into Kraken’s possible coaching hire, style of play Players such as Stone help neutralize top scorers from opposing clubs. The Avalanche’s top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabe Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen has just two goals and three assists since Game 1.

June 9, 2021 at 12:51 pm And Colorado’s puck-moving defenders — Cale Makar, Devon Toews and Samuel Girard — have been besieged by forecheckers and unable By Geoff Baker to make typical breakout passes. Seattle Times staff reporter The solution isn’t to move Colorado’s top line away from Stone’s, because the second Vegas line of Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith is doing an equally formidable shutdown job We’ve got plenty of Kraken-related items worth discussing after another and performing even better offensively with eight goals and eight assists. week of Stanley Cup playoffs, with good news off the ice and developments on it that the expansion team is undoubtedly considering. What makes Stone an aberration is he’s a winger. The Selke almost always goes to a center. Paired alongside centerman Chandler Canada’s federal government announced an exemption to its COVID-19 Stephenson, whose neutral-zone speed has eliminated much of border rules, allowing the North Division champion Montreal Canadiens Colorado’s space to be creative, the Golden Knights have the Avalanche — wait, what? — to play host to U.S.-based teams in semifinal and scrambling to reinvent themselves. potentially finals action without those opponents facing a 14-day quarantine. Like Vegas’s second line, Montreal’s veteran fourth line of Corey Perry, Joel Armia and Eric Staal provided depth by combining for five goals and Minus that exemption, the Canadiens would have relocated to a U.S.- five assists during a four-game second-round sweep of Winnipeg. based “home” arena, further throwing the integrity of these playoffs into Montreal doesn’t have a Selke finalist, but centerman Phillip Danault is question. Even now, U.S. teams are playing before near-capacity crowds highly regarded for his two-way play and faceoff ability, and he drew while the Canadiens have been limited to 2,500 fans, which still gave raves for holding Toronto star Auston Matthews to a lone goal in seven them an advantage over defeated Toronto and Winnipeg opponents opening-round games. Danault’s suffocating play also helped limit the capped at 500 apiece. Jets to six series goals, with top threats Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor managing a goal and three assists combined. The exemption also stands to benefit the Kraken and entire NHL going forward, as it signifies a possible permanent loosening of border If Montreal somehow fails to re-sign him, undervalued Danault would restrictions sooner than anticipated. make for a solid Kraken free-agent target this summer.

A few weeks ago, word was the restrictions might remain deep into fall — Likewise, if defenseman Owen Power goes No. 1 overall to Buffalo in the bumping up against the Kraken’s planned October launch. If that expansion draft, the Kraken might use its No. 2 pick on University of happens, NHL owners could delay next season’s Oct. 12 start rather than Michigan centerman Mathew Berniers. He also plays a two-way, 200-foot enduring another campaign of regionally modified divisions and lost game just like a certain general manager named Ron Francis used to, so revenue. yeah, the Kraken’s front office is well aware that this stuff matters.

Remember, the NHL doesn’t exist in a U.S. vacuum. What happens with The Kraken won’t exactly have an All-Star roster, so players outworking the seven Canadian-based teams directly impacts business as usual. opponents will be paramount. It’s why Gerard Gallant reminded everybody of his coaching value last weekend when he led Team Some might argue — and wouldn’t be entirely wrong — the North Canada to gold at the IIHF World Hockey Championship. Division was an example of a Canadian vacuum in which inferior teams gained a simpler semifinal path by playing only each other. Montreal, Canada had lost its first three games, and players later praised Gallant anchored by netminder Carey Price, looks nothing like its past dynasties, for holding them together by preaching the value of outworking their and it’s a stretch even comparing these Canadiens to the franchise’s favored opponents. most recent, somewhat lucky 1993 champion that similarly rode a hot goalie and plenty of overtime magic. The Kraken spoke to Gallant last year about its coaching vacancy. It also is awaiting whether Rod Brind’Amour stays with the just-eliminated But it isn’t just the Canadiens surprising this postseason. Montreal and Carolina Hurricanes — who also preach relentless forechecking — or the Vegas Golden Knights are demonstrating the usefulness of having becomes a free agent. teams that are “built for the playoffs,” as opposed to just the regular season. If Brind’Amour re-signs with Carolina, Francis will turn to coaches similarly espousing hard work. Last Thursday, Francis flew to Las Vegas Only some late Game 2 bad luck in its second-round series against to conduct a second interview with Rick Tocchet, a coach praised for Colorado has prevented Vegas from punching its semifinal ticket. Since squeezing the most he could out of a limited Arizona Coyotes roster. dropping a lopsided opener, the Golden Knights have owned the Avalanche — a team boasting arguably the league’s most talented roster So stay tuned. — and lead the series 3-2. It could take years for the Kraken to match the Avalanche, or Maple Vegas and Montreal have stymied more skills-reliant opponents by Leafs in pure talent. But not necessarily as long to achieve the team’s simplifying the game into a series of short passes, zone clearances and ultimate Cup goals. lethal counterattacks. Sure, Vegas was also a regular-season powerhouse, but the Golden Knights are winning with a disciplined, more defensive-minded playoff approach that has negated Colorado’s Seattle Times LOADED: 06.10.2021 highlight-reel breakout passes and freewheeling style.

Doing what Vegas and Montreal have done is exhausting and more sustainable over shorter bursts than an entire season, which is why “playoff built” teams can appear to outperform expectations come May and June when they’re really just meeting them. It requires four solid lines that never stop skating, impeccable positioning to intercept passes and block shots, plus an inherent size advantage.

It also requires forwards that do more than score goals. One of the most underrated NHL awards is the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the league’s best defensive forward, and it’s no coincidence Vegas captain Mark Stone is among this year’s three finalists. 1189543 St Louis Blues A: If you would define the top pairing as the guy who plays alongside Colton Parayko, which is what Blues management would want, then Nikko Mikkola is the young guy who can do that and would be available to do so next year. If the top pairing is the one that includes Justin Faulk, Should the Blues dangle Robert Thomas? The upside and the down to well, Torey Krug did well there this season. Scott Perunovich is an that idea offensive-minded left-handed defenseman. The Blues have shown a willingness to play Faulk on his offside. In any case, I wouldn't get too

married to any one combination. Players will be moved around. Tom Timmermann Q: Do you see Klim Kostin stepping in next year and playing around 12- 15 mins a game?

We look at some roster issues during our weekly chat with Blues fans. A: Kostin next season will be like Jordan Kyrou was this season. His time Here are the highlights. has come, and if the Blues don't use him then they need to get rid of him because he's past the point when another year in the minors will do him Q: If Ryan O'Reilly and Brayden Schenn are penciled in as the top two any good. His ice time will depend on where he ends up playing. If the centers, that drops Robert Thomas down to the third line. Wouldn't it Blues decide to use him as a puck winner on a top-two line, he'll get make sense to see if trading Thomas would fetch a winger who could more time than that. On the third or fourth line, he'll get 12 or so minutes, play in the top six? depending on if he's logging any special-teams time.

A: I've been wondering about that possibility, because Thomas could give Q: Why do young players like Robert Thomas or Jordan Kyrou not you a pretty solid return. The reasons not to would be that good young playing to their full potential get the benefit of the doubt but other young centermen are hard to develop, Thomas is cost-contained for a few more players, like Vince Dunn, don’t? years, and there are times when Schenn plays the wing and then you need a No. 2 center. But if the coaching staff is prepared to commit to A: Kyrou is in his first full season and was one of the better players on using Schenn only at center, then it's an option. Thomas had some good the team. That gets you the benefit of the doubt. Thomas has drawn numbers this season and some bad ones. He's got to get better at some criticism, including from his coach, but has also been bothered by faceoffs if he's going to be a two-way center. Right now, he's not going to injuries. So I'm not sure about how much benefit of the doubt he's get many defensive-zone starts. getting. He's also young enough that there's time to learn, and he plays a key position. Dunn has had four full seasons in the NHL. He's at the point Q: Why did the Blues give Zach Sanford so much time in the top six? when expectations have to be met. Does his failure to produce over the course of last season cause the Blues to give up on that project? Q: Of the players most likely to be lost in the expansion draft (Ville Husso, Zach Sanford, Ivan Barbashev, Vince Dunn), who would be the A: The Blues gave Sanford so much top-six time because he was a good most difficult to replace? fit for it when they were low on forwards. He can score. He can win the puck. He can play defense. (He was fourth on the team in penalty kill A: Husso would cause the more complicated replacement, since the time.) Sanford can do a lot of things quite well. He also can disappear for Blues would have to go out and find a backup goalie or would have to long stretches and make silly turnovers. But he's a better fit than a lot of promote an untested player from their system, a player who otherwise guys in there. In an ideal world, he's on the third or fourth line, because would be at least a year away. Replacing the others wouldn't be terribly that would mean all the Blues’ regular top-six forwards are healthy. The complicated. Dunn would be another case where his replacement would Blues will re-sign Sanford. They could very well trade him, and there have some learning to do, but where the options are readily available. would certainly be teams interested, though at what price I'm not sure, Q: Do you take the chance and hold on to Vladimir Tarasenko? If he but I think he would certainly bring a higher return than Robby Fabbri did. plays the same as this year and regresses more, then his trade value And given the right situation, Sanford could do quite well. He also will be diminishes. Wouldn't it be better to sell high? unprotected in the expansion draft. A: Selling high would have been trading Tarasenko a couple years ago. I Q: How does Jordan Kyrou's skating speed compare to that of Nathan don't know that trading a guy who has barely played over the past two MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, etc.? On TV, Kyrou seasons meets that description. I think Tarasenko, assuming he's consistently blows by defenders and looks like the fastest guy on the ice healthy, will be better next season. Demand for Tarasenko, especially whenever we aren't playing one of the above-mentioned players. What considering his contract, won't be high. But if a team is interested and type of ceiling do you see for him? makes an offer, I think the Blues have to look at it. Though Tarasenko A: Kyrou is a very fast skater, though it's hard for me to compare him with does have a no-trade clause, so he has some say in the matter. players like MacKinnon. So much of it depends on the situation. Players Q: What do you make of many teams salivating at the chance to acquire like MacKinnon get up to top speed really quickly. Vince Dunn? Do they see something the Blues (and many Blues fans) Kyrou had a lot of good analytics numbers this season, which bode well are missing? for his future. His defense has to get better. At hockeyviz.com, his A: There's a lot to like about Dunn. Teams may feel that a change of isolated impact on offense is 10 percent above the league average. But scenery will serve him well, that the right situation and right pairing will on defense, opponents are seven percent better when he's on the ice. accentuate his pluses while limiting his minuses. And he comes at a Getting that number into negatives would be a big jump, but something good price. If cap space is an issue, the point production you get from not a whole lot of players do. The closer he can get that to zero, the him in the $2-3 million range could be desirable. The Blues have the better he will be. advantage now of having guys who make even less waiting in the wings Q: Why have the Bruins, Lightning, Penguins, etc. been able to sustain for a chance. legit Cup contender status while the Blues could not? Were the Blues just Comment: Matthew Tkachuk recently made a very kind donation to St. a hot team in the right place at the right time? Why are we talking about Louis Children's Hospital. As a doctor there, it really means a lot. As a changes to a two-year-old Cup team? hockey fan I hope it means keeping his roots in St. Louis means he will A: Had the Blues won earlier in their Cup window, repeating would have come play for the Blues when his contract is up. been easier. Those other teams have had their foundational players – Reply: Matthew and Brady Tkachuk would come at a high price, both in Sidney Crosby, Yevgeni Malkin, the Perfection Line -- stay together. The dollars and in terms of players since neither is an unrestricted free agent Blues won their Cup and had the second-best record in the league when for a while. You're looking at trading multiple young players off the NHL the COVID shutdown hit, and then started losing key players and haven't roster, plus a draft pick or two, plus finding room under the cap. And been quite the same. In some ways, it's a rebuild (while trying to while either Tkachuk would advocate a trade to St. Louis, the Flames or maintain). Losing Alex Pietrangelo was a big thing and has set a lot of Senators could care less about that and would be looking for the deal other moves in motion. that best suits them going forward. So it's going to take a lot to make that Q: Which of the Blues’ young defenseman (prospect or NHL player) has happen. the best chance at cracking the top pairing in the next two or three years? St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189544 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning’s Victor Hedman named a Norris Trophy finalist

By Mari Faiello

Published Yesterday

Updated Yesterday

TAMPA — Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman was named a Norris Trophy finalist for the fifth consecutive season Wednesday morning.

The Professional Hockey Writers Association also nominated Cale Makar of the Avalanche and Adam Fox of the Rangers for the award, which goes “to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the position.”

Hedman, 30, placed third in points among blue line skaters (45) and tied for fifth in assists (36) and seventh in goals (nine) through 54 regular- season games.

Hedman won once (2017-18) and placed third in voting the other three years (2016-17, 2018-19 and 2019-20). The last time such a streak was achieved came courtesy of Nicklas Lidstrom from 1997-98 through 2002- 03 (six seasons). The Hall of Fame defenseman, who skated with Detroit for 20 years, won the Norris seven times in his career.

Voting for the Norris Trophy is done at the end of the regular season, so playoff production (or lack thereof) doesn’t factor in much.

Fox, playing in his second NHL season at 23 years old, did not reach the postseason; New York finished fifth in the East Division with 60 points behind the fourth-place Islanders (71 points).

In 55 games, Fox finished first among defensemen in assists (42), second in points (47), second in power-play assists (21), third in takeaways (38) and third in power-play points (23). His most impressive run was a 12-game streak starting in mid March in which he notched 22 points (three goals, 19 assists).

After winning the Calder Memorial Trophy last year (given “to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League,” as voted by the PHWA), Makar finished sixth among defenseman in points (8-36—44) even though he missed 12 games (21.4 percent of the regular season).

Makar, 22, would be the first Norris Trophy winner in Avalanche/Nordiques history. Regardless, he’s made an impact as the fourth player from the franchise named a finalist (Rob Blake, third in 2001-02; Ray Bourque, second in 2000-01; and Sandis Ozolinsh, third in 1996-97).

Winners of the 2021 NHL Awards will be revealed during the Stanley Cup semifinals and final.

Hedman isn’t the only Lightning player in the running for extra hardware this year. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy (along with Vegas’ Marc-Andre Fleury and Colorado’s Philipp Grubauer) on June 1. Vasilevskiy won in 2018-19 and finished third in voting two other times (2017-18 and 2019-20).

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189545 Tampa Bay Lightning so I go to my forehand, and the goalie has got me. I make a move to the backhand. It’s just kind of reaction. I was lucky enough it went in.”

Lucky? Hardly. Lightning fans have gotten used to those moments, and When it comes to the playoffs, no one has been more prolific than so have NHL defenders the past five seasons. At 17.3 percent, Point has Brayden Point the best shot percentage in Tampa Bay history.

Now that the Lightning have moved on to the NHL’s final four, there will surely be bigger moments to come for other players this postseason. By John Romano Maybe for Palat, who has a knack for game-winning goals. Maybe for Killorn, whose game seems to grow at do-or-die time. Maybe for Published Yesterday Hedman, who edged Point for the Conn Smythe Trophy last postseason. Updated Yesterday But keep watching the Lightning play, and I can almost guarantee Brayden Point will amaze you again.

Before the postseason gets too deep, before Lord Stanley’s Cup starts Elite company showing up at arenas, can we please take a moment to appreciate Most NHL postseason goals since 2017-18: Brayden Point? Brayden Point, Tampa Bay: 30 goals in 55 games On a team flush with scorers, no one finds the back of the net with greater regularity in the postseason than Point. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado: 26 goals in 42 games

Not Nikita Kucherov, not Steven Stamkos, not Ondrej Palat. For that Brad Marchand, Boston: 26 goals in 59 games matter, not Alex Ovechkin, not Connor McDavid, not Auston Matthews. Point is tied with Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon for the NHL lead in goals Alex Ovechkin, Washington: 25 goals in 44 games this postseason, which shouldn’t be a surprise because he has more David Pastrnak, Boston: 25 goals in 56 games goals in the postseason than anyone in the NHL in the last four years. Patrice Bergeron, Boston: 21 goals in 58 games He was at it again Tuesday night in Tampa Bay’s series-clinching 2-0 victory against Carolina in Game 5. On Point

The score was tied at zero, the shot totals favored the Hurricanes and Brayden Point is 25 years old and averaging .55 goals per game for his the crowd in Raleigh, N.C., seemed to be anticipating imminent glory career in the postseason. At that age, there are only a handful of players when Point completely changed the storyline five minutes into the second who were scoring at that rate with at least 50 playoff games under their period. He took a pass from Alex Killorn to the left of the net and, with a belts. And almost all of them are Hall of Famers. bit of nifty puck work, created his own opening past goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. Wayne Gretzky*: .80 from 1979-86

Tampa Bay had the lead, the momentum and, eventually, the series. Mike Bossy*: .74 from 1977-82

“Well, you can see it’s not a fluke,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. Jari Kurri*: .65 from 1980-86 “He’s a heck of a player, and he’s been like that in juniors, he was like Cam Neely*: .61 from 1983-91 that for Team Canada in world juniors and he’s showing that in the NHL. He’s got the heart of a lion, he can play the game at a fast pace. There Denis Savard*: .59 from 1980-87 are a lot of players on this team that do big things in big moments, and the moment is just (never) too big for him. He just continues to deliver for Pavel Bure*: .57 from 1991-95 us.” Steve Payne: .55 from 1979-84

In 2018 when the Lightning reached the Eastern Conference final, Point Brayden Point: .55 from 2017-21 tied for the team lead in goals with Stamkos and Kucherov. That was at age 22. In 2020, when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup, he led the * Denotes Hall of Famer entire NHL in postseason goals. That was at age 24.

Now, at age 25, he has upped his game. His goal against the Hurricanes Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 06.10.2021 on Tuesday gave him eight in his first 11 games of the 2021 playoffs, which is his quickest pace yet. He’s averaging 0.55 goals per game in his postseason career, which is better than any 25-year-old has done (minimum of 50 playoff games) in the 2000s.

We know this, we see this, but I’m not sure we always appreciate it.

Kucherov is the flashier playmaker, and Stamkos is the sentimental favorite. Victor Hedman is the defenseman with the big shot, and Pat Maroon is the mischievous ringleader. Point? He’s just the guy who comes up with big goal after big goal.

He is, in some ways, this generation’s Marty St. Louis. A smallish player who learned to make up for that potential shortcoming with uncanny speed and determination. Point wasn’t chosen until the third round of the 2014 draft but has already outscored 76 of the 78 players chosen ahead of him.

If you want to understand the beauty of Point’s game, go back and look at Tuesday night’s goal. Killorn sent a pass across the center of the ice and Point received it on his backhand. He shifted to his forehand, which got Nedeljkovic moving one direction, and then quickly returned to the backhand. At this point, Nedeljkovic was hopelessly out of position and Point simply flipped the puck between the corner post and the goaltender’s right shoulder.

“Killer makes a great play just to battle and even get it over to me,” Point said. “You get it on your backhand — I just want to try to make a play — 1189546 Tampa Bay Lightning

No additional discipline for Lightning forward Ondrej Palat

By Eduardo A. Encina

Published Yesterday

Updated Yesterday

RALEIGH, N.C. — Lightning forward Ondrej Palat will not receive further discipline for his illegal hit on Carolina defenseman Brett Pesce in Tampa Bay’s 2-0 series-clinching Game 5 win on Tuesday night.

As he was skating along the right circle in the third period, Palat’s right elbow went into Pesce’s head. Pesce was blindsided by the hit and went to the ice in pain for several moments before getting back to his feet.

Palat received a two-minute minor for the hit, which drew boos from the hometown crowd at PNC Arena.

The league’s Department of Player Safety did not believe the hit warranted any additional discipline beyond the call made on the ice. There was no hearing Wednesday.

The league is clamping down on illegal hits to the head. This postseason, Colorado forward Nazem Kadri was suspended eight games following a hit on Blues defenseman Justin Faulk. Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele received a four-game suspension for a hit on Montreal’s Jake Evans, in which Evans was sent to the hospital on a stretcher.

Palat didn’t physically drive his body into Pesce nor put much force into the hit.

Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour had faith that his team could break through against Andrei Vasilevskiy, and the Hurricanes averaged 30 shots against the Lightning goaltender, so they had their chances.

But outside of Carolina’s four-goal output in Game 4, the Hurricanes didn’t manage much against Vasilevskiy. After his team was shut out in Game 5, Brind’Amour has a longer than typical conversation with Vasilevskiy during the post-series handshake line.

“I’ve been around a long time,” said Brind’Amour, who played in the NHL for 20 years before entering coaching. “That’s kind of what I said. I’ve seen a lot of goalies that are good, but he’s as good as anyone that I’ve ever seen. And I go back to Dominik Hasek, and how he affects the team and the way they can play.

“That’s kind of what I just told him, and it’s true. I mean, he makes it look easy. ... We had a lot of great looks (Tuesday night), and they looked like nothing because he’s in the right place.”

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189547 Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 06.10.2021

Lightning ‘s Ross Colton doesn’t let lack of experience define postseason play

By Mari Faiello

Published Yesterday

TAMPA — It’s Ross Colton’s first time in the NHL playoffs, but from the outside looking in it doesn’t look like his first go-round.

The rookie forward has four points (three goals, one assist) through 11 postseason games and has proven to be a key contributor at times on the Lightning’s third and fourth lines.

It hasn’t been a complete surprise. At the start of the team’s playoff run, coach Jon Cooper said Colton “definitely has not disappointed” with nine goals and three assists in his 30 regular-season games.

His offensive abilities were on full display during the Lightning’s second- round, series-clinching win over the Hurricanes Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C.

Colton, who skated alongside veterans Pat Maroon and Tyler Johnson on the team’s fourth line, netted an insurance goal in the third period of the team’s 2-0 win. It was just the latest example of how Colton doesn’t let his experience, or lack thereof, show on the ice.

Colton repeatedly has helped the Lightning through injuries — Nikita Kucherov missing all 56 games and captain Steven Stamkos the last 16 of the regular season — and come up big in important moments, even in the postseason.

“When you have these injuries you need guys to step in, and Ross has been able to play multiple positions for us,” Cooper said. “And as he was growing, you have to have faith in your players and players have to have faith in themselves, and as a coaching staff we have to have faith in them.”

Colton is one of two players in the Lightning lineup who has never made it this far in the postseason (the other being defenseman David Savard, who did not make it past the second round during 10 years in Columbus).

It helps when you’re surrounded by 18 teammates who won the Stanley Cup a year ago and you skate on a line with a back-to-back champion (Maroon, who also won with St. Louis in 2018-19).

“It’s been awesome, and I give a lot of credit to everyone in the lineup,” said Colton, 24. “Especially Coop, who had the confidence to throw (our line) out there in all situations, kind of just rolling all four lines, and that gives, I think, me, Patty and Johnny all the confidence in the world to go out there and make plays, and I think we got rewarded there at the end.”

Colton had three shots on goal during his 7 minutes, 50 seconds on the ice Tuesday. His confidence was on full display about halfway through the third period as he scored the Lightning’s second goal.

Colton skated down the right side toward goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. He looked like he was going to pass back to Johnson, but instead took a quick shot, fooling defenseman Brett Pesce.

It was a move no one anticipated and gave the Lightning a bit of a cushion as they closed out the second-round series.

But it wasn’t Colton’s only look. Just minutes before his goal, Colton had a couple of chances from in front of the net that Nedeljkovic stopped, causing Colton and his linemates to review the sequence on tablets on the Lightning bench.

It’s that kind of relentless effort that has grabbed the eyes of his coaches and teammates.

“The kid’s got a shot,” Cooper said. “He can skate, he’s just a good (player), and that line, I think they were trying to find an identity and I think they found it. It was a matchup game early and I didn’t really care about the matchups (later), and there was one time they looked at me, saying, ‘Are we going?’ and I’m like, ‘Damn right you’re going.’ Trust yourself, and they did, and they scored a huge goal for us.”

1189548 Tampa Bay Lightning Every game of this series was decided by two goals or fewer, and the Lightning locked down defensively in the third period. They totaled 22 blocked shots on the night.

Lightning close out Hurricanes, advance to Stanley Cup semifinals The Lightning’s fourth line didn’t get much ice time — a total of 5:39 together during 5-on-5 play — but was brilliant. They frustrated the Hurricanes on the forecheck and were rewarded in the third period on Ross Colton’s goal from the right circle. Tyler Johnson buzzed around By Eduardo A. Encina the net all night, and Maroon battled for possession in the dirty areas. Published Yesterday “Carolina comes out so hard and especially in this building,” Point said. Updated Yesterday “They work so hard, and they had a huge push there in the second period where we were just surviving. They played fantastic. I think that game could have gone either way, but we were lucky to get that one.”

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Lightning didn’t lose any sleep over finishing third in the Central Division. They know championships aren’t won in the regular season. Yes, they learned that lesson the hard way and went into Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 06.10.2021 the postseason carrying a calm confidence that their best players would make big plays in the most critical moments.

Getting past their division foes in the first two rounds was no easy task, but the Lightning emptied another road arena Tuesday night, turning out the lights on the division champion Carolina Hurricanes’ season.

After its 2-0 victory in Game 5, Tampa Bay is back among the final four playoff teams, advancing to the Stanley Cup semifinals. The Lightning await the winner of the East Division matchup between the Islanders and Bruins. New York leads that series 3-2 going into Wednesday’s Game 5.

The Hurricanes had just three regulation losses at home during the regular season, but the Lightning beat them three times this series in Raleigh

Including last year’s Stanley Cup run, the Lightning have won six straight playoff series and are halfway to a second straight title. This is the fifth time in the past seven years that the Lightning have advanced to the final four.

This trip has been different than last year’s. After winning the Cup in the bubble without fans, the Lightning’s path to the semifinals has gone through two loud road arenas full of passionate fans who waited through the pandemic to fill their buildings again. The Lightning won five of their six road playoff games in Carolina and Florida, quieting crowds, breaking hearts and shattering postseason hopes along the way.

“I’m going to tell you,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “I’ve been very fortunate to coach in a few playoffs now, and those are two of the toughest rounds we’ve ever faced. It was a hell of a grind to get out of this division.”

Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded his third straight series- clinching shutout, stopping all 29 shots he faced. He also had 29 saves in Tampa Bay’s Game 6 win over Florida and shut out the Dallas Stars in last postseason’s Cup-clinching Game 6.

Tuesday’s game tilted during a 38-second span early in the second period. The game was still scoreless when, seconds into a Tampa Bay power play, Carolina had a shorthanded 2-on-1 breakaway that put every one of the roughly 16,299 fans at PNC Arena on their feet.

Nikita Kucherov lost the puck in the neutral zone and Jordan Staal led a rush up the left side before feeding Vincent Trocheck charging toward the near post. Vasilevskiy slid from one side to the other and made a glove save to stop Trocheck’s shot from heading to the top shelf.

“I tried to try to get across as fast as possible and the guy actually, he made a good shot, and I just tried to react to it,” Vasilevskiy said. “It was kind of an awkward knuckleball, and I think I touched it with my glove or my pad. I don’t even remember.”

On the other end, Alex Killorn stormed off the Lightning bench and took the puck along the far wall, worked around Trocheck and past a diving Brett Pesce as he crossed the right circle before feeding Brayden Point along the near post.

Point took the pass on his backhand side, faked to his forehand, sending Carolina goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to his left, before returning to his backhand and tucking the puck high inside the near post.

“He’s done a lot for us this year,” Point said of Vasilevskiy. “He makes a big save one way and we come down and end up capitalizing. It was a pretty messy power play. They were all over us, pressuring us hard and giving us fits. We get one chance, and we made it count.” 1189549 Toronto Maple Leafs “Sometimes when the D-man shoots it like that, they can get flat-footed,” said Stone, who has five goals and eight points in 12 games in these playoffs.

Vegas' Mark Stone shows the value of having a captain “I just took off. Just fortunate to end the game.”

It’s the Golden Knights who are fortunate. And to think, they spent their first few years not wanting a captain — or even needing one. The reason Michael Traikos they always gave was that this was a team in which every player was pulling on the rope together. Everyone had a voice. Everyone was Publishing date: Jun 09, 2021 equally important.

It was a nice concept, especially for a group of so-called “golden misfits” What is the value of having a captain in hockey? who were cobbled together off the scrap heap of an expansion draft. But over the years, the team’s DNA has evolved from what it once was. It’s a question that was asked quite a bit back when Vegas reached the 2018 Stanley Cup final without anyone wearing a ‘C’ on his chest. And The Golden Knights are hardly a team of castaways any more. From it’s one that came up again last year after Steven Stamkos spent less Stone and Pacioretty to Alex Pietrangelo and Robin Lehner, they are now than three minutes on the ice during Tampa Bay’s championship run. a prime destination for some of the biggest players in the NHL. Bringing together this group required leadership. And while Pacioretty and Is it necessary to have a captain any more? Was it ever? Pietrangelo had both been captains prior to arriving in Vegas — Pietrangelo led the Blues to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2019 The Maple Leafs sure could have used John Tavares to help finish off — head coach Peter DeBoer said Stone was the logical choice because the Canadiens in their first-round series. he is not just “a one-moment guy.” But the Islanders, who had a 3-2 series lead heading into Game 6 And yet, that was certainly a huge moment that Stone came up with in against the Bruins on Wednesday, haven’t missed a beat since losing Game 5. Anders Lee at the end of the regular season. “That was vintage Mark Stone, because he blocked a shot in our end of The Jets, meanwhile, didn’t get swept in the second round because they the ice first and then got the breakaway and snuck it into the net with the were missing Blake Wheeler. They got swept because they were missing perfect shot,” said DeBoer. “If there’s one sequence of plays that defines Mark Scheifele, who is not the captain, but who happens to be their best him, that would be it. Willing to do that grunt work and that dirty work player. around our net defensively. And then the big-time play to win it for us.” Traditionally, a captain was both. He was the best and the most It’s what a captain is supposed to do. important player. He was the leader. The voice of the players. The person who spoke up, stepped up and did whatever was necessary to get the job done. Toronto Sun LOADED: 06.10.2021 It was Mark Messier guaranteeing a win in Game 6 of the 1994 final — and then backing it up with a hat trick. Or, more recently, it was an exhausted Mark Stone blocking a shot in overtime against Colorado on Tuesday, then skating the length of the ice and scoring a breakaway goal to swing the second-round series in Vegas’ favour.

Now, that is how you lead. That is why you have someone wear the ‘C’.

“He’s the captain that we’ve always wanted,” said Golden Knights forward Alex Tuch. “He’s the heart and soul of this team. He wears his character right on his chest.”

This is the obligatory part of the column where you ask why in the world the Ottawa Senators traded such a valuable player in the first place. Or that when it comes to naming a captain — whether it’s Brady Tkachuk or Thomas Chabot — the franchise should search for the same qualities that Stone exhibits.

Indeed, the 29-year-old checks off all the boxes you want in a captain: He is the team’s best offensive player, having finished 11th in scoring during the regular season. He is also the team’s best defensive player, a Selke Trophy finalist who led the NHL in takeaways this year. He blocks shots, he finishes hits, and he scores big goals.

If that were not enough, he’s also humble.

When asked about his overtime goal, Stone brushed off the question and changed the topic to Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, whose 28-save performance in Game 6 made Stone’s goal a possibility.

“Twenty seconds into overtime, the game should have been over,” said Stone. “Flower made a huge save to keep us in it and give me an opportunity to end it.”

With the win, Vegas now has a 3-2 lead in a series that it wrestled back from Colorado after losing the first two games. A lot of that is because of Stone, who went without a point in the first two games of the series, but since then has been the team’s best player.

It was Stone who set up Pacioretty for the winning goals in Games 3 and 4. In Game 5, it was Pacioretty’s turn to return the favour. After Stone blocked a wrist shot from Colorado’s Ryan Graves, the Golden Knights captain sprinted up the ice and received a pass from Pacioretty, before beating Philipp Grubauer with a wrist shot over the goalie’s glove hand. 1189550 Toronto Maple Leafs Did Holl maintain his strong early-season play throughout the late season and the playoffs? Definitely not. He wasn’t necessarily a drag, but he drifted in and out of games at times and his errors with and without the puck became more noticeable. There’s certainly merit in exposing him, Maple Leafs protected list: Who’s staying and who could be picked in the as you could argue that he’s propped up by his defence partner Muzzin. Seattle Kraken expansion draft? But part of the value in protecting Holl lies in his cheap cap hit, and the flexibility that having a second-pair defenceman earning just $2 million allows the Leafs. Could management find a comparable defenceman By Joshua Kloke elsewhere in the NHL for Holl’s $2 million cap hit? It’s not as likely Jun 9, 2021 compared to other players who could be exposed (more on that in a bit). There’s just too much bang-for-your-buck in Holl, and my sense is the Leafs see Holl as a player they can continue to coach up and find different elements of his game to tinker with. The 2021 NHL expansion draft will go down on July 21, which means there are less than two months left for Kyle Dubas and the rest of the Two more seasons of Holl at $2 million allows the Leafs some much- Maple Leafs management group to make one of their early, but still needed stability on the blue line. Their back end made great strides as a pressing, offseason decisions: which players should the Leafs expose for collective this season and I don’t know how much you want to mess with possible selection by the Seattle Kraken? that core.

Changes could ultimately come to the Leafs roster before the expansion Goaltender (1) draft — with Zach Hyman’s future up in the air as an unrestricted free agent — and trades also a possibility for a team that needs to improve Jack Campbell: Having their emerging starting goaltender making $1.65 around the margins after another disappointing early playoff exit. million next season is going to be a serious boon to the Leafs in terms of roster construction. They’re going to have to add another goalie who can But for now, given the current makeup of their roster, the Leafs look likely log close to half the games in the season, sure. Even if you question to abide by the 8-1 allowance (eight skaters, one goalie) instead of the 7- whether or not Campbell can have another stellar season that he did in 3-1 protection option (seven forwards, three defencemen and one 2021, he is undoubtedly the guy in Toronto, and his contract could end goalie). up being the most valuable for the Leafs.

But who should the Leafs protect? Which players are exempt from the Notable players exempt from selection draft? And who does that leave as possible options for the Kraken? Rasmus Sandin: Still in his entry-level contract, this valuable member of Protected skaters (8) the future Leafs defence corps isn’t going anywhere. If things shake out the way they could and the Leafs lose a defenceman to Seattle, Sandin John Tavares: The Leafs captain has a no-movement clause, and I can’t could be due for a bigger role than planned next season. foresee any situation in which Tavares waives his NMC. In 2020-21, he improved and took on more of a defensive role, then late in the season Nicolas Robertson: Another player in his ELC, I have Robertson pencilled played some of his best offensive hockey since he signed with Toronto in in for fourth-line minutes next season. 2018. Ilya Mikheyev: Yes, he’s 26, but with only two NHL seasons under his Auston Matthews: Exposing the top goal scorer in the league this belt he’s exempt from the expansion draft. He needs a more productive season? season offensively, but for his $1.6 million cap hit, his energy and penalty-killing skills still provide value. Mitch Marner: There’s a different Leafs player every offseason that divides the fan base in a particularly vitriolic way. And this summer, after Timothy Liljegren: He should log more NHL minutes next season, even a brutal postseason, Marner is that player. But it doesn’t matter how as the seventh defenceman. That’s a reasonable expectation for a first- divisive a player he is right now, Marner’s not getting exposed in the draft round pick in his final year of his ELC. to clear cap space. Offensive producers like him don’t grow on trees. And even if the Leafs do part with him, he’s far more valuable in a trade than Unlikely to be selected just a salary-cap dump. Moving on. Zach Hyman: He’s a UFA, and if you’re Hyman, why wouldn’t you at least William Nylander: Not only was Nylander the Leafs’ best playoff wait until free agency opens after the expansion draft on July 28 to see performer, if he continues his stellar production throughout the regular what your value could be on the open market? And if you’re the Kraken, season, his $6.9 million cap hit may actually end up being a bargain. do you want to take the chance that Hyman signs with you while there are surer things available on the Leafs roster? I have no doubt there are Leafs fans that would be happy to see Nylander’s contract off the books to clear some room for a defenceman Re-signing Hyman before the expansion draft is of course an option for or something. But like Marner, that’s just not going to happen. Nylander’s the Leafs, as he is a player the Leafs clearly want to keep. But doing so only going to get better, so he’s not going anywhere. would only create more headaches for how they approach the draft. In Hyman’s end of season availability, he expressed very little urgency Jake Muzzin: Muzzin continues to be a rock on the Leafs blue line. He’s regarding his decision about next season. I do think this one could play a player who is a safe and responsible puck-mover. Plus, his emotional out a bit longer than some Leafs fans might hope it does. stability and continued physicality will come in handy if the Leafs ever make a long playoff run. Another immensely valuable part of the core. Jason Spezza: Another UFA, but it sure does feel like he’ll be back for another season. His agent did say after he was waived in January that T.J. Brodie: The Leafs’ best defenceman this season, and one who he’d rather retire than play elsewhere if claimed. My bet is he re-signs supported Morgan Rielly in a way no other partner has during Rielly’s after the expansion draft. tenure in Toronto. He was the picture of dependability as one of two Leafs players to play every regular season and playoff game. Joe Thornton, Nick Foligno, Wayne Simmonds, Alex Galchenyuk, Stefan Defencemen who can play the right side like him are hard to find, and if Noesen, Kenny Agostino, Scott Sabourin, Zach Bogosian, Frederik he continues doing all the little things right in his own zone and Andersen, Martin Marincin, Ben Hutton, Calle Rosen, David Rittich: supporting whoever the next puck-mover is on the top pair, his $5 million There’s an even longer list of soon-to-be UFAs whose futures are up in cap hit could also end up providing great value for the Leafs. the air and probably won’t warrant a selection by Seattle. Some of them might return to Toronto (Galchenyuk?), but others are far less likely Morgan Rielly: Very quietly, Rielly had an excellent postseason against (Andersen?). Any players intent on returning and find mutual interest Montreal, and remains a key piece of the roster to start next season. Of from the Leafs will probably wait until much closer to free agency for their course, Rielly’s status as UFA in 2022 complicates things by casting offers to come in. some doubt over his long-term future in Toronto. I’m of the opinion that Rielly is important to this core. But even if there is a trade to be made in- Nic Petan: He’s a restricted free agent and after two seasons spent season, the Leafs still have to protect him. primarily with the Marlies with some Leafs appearances sprinkled in, it wouldn’t surprise me if Petan wants to move on from the organization. Justin Holl: Holl is probably the only real debatable player on this version Given that he has yet to solidify himself as an everyday NHL player, of the protected list. Let’s look at both sides of the debate. being selected by the Kraken is a stretch. Michael Hutchinson: The 31-year-old is under contract for another season with a $725,000 cap hit. The Leafs need to expose a goalie, and could well have signed Hutchinson back in October for that very reason. But there will undoubtedly be better goalies available for the Kraken and so Hutchinson will return to the Marlies next season.

Joey Anderson: Anderson made noticeable improvements to his skating and puck skills with the Marlies this season and should get more than the one NHL game he got this season. But even if he might be a Leafs player in 2022, he’s not worth a valuable spot on the protected list.

Top projected exposed players

Alex Kerfoot: I polled some people throughout the NHL, as well as James Mirtle and Jonas Siegel, about whether the Leafs would be better off essentially protecting Holl or Kerfoot. The responses were varied, which speaks to how difficult a decision this could be for the Leafs.

At first, I was leaning toward protecting Kerfoot. He had a tremendous series against the Canadiens and looked like a versatile forward who can play up and down the lineup, kill penalties and essentially do what’s asked of him on a moment’s notice. When he’s playing with energy, there’s even some offence to be found as well. He’s a likeable player, and he clearly impressed coach Sheldon Keefe with how much he transformed his game to be an effective player on both sides of the puck in seven games against the Habs.

But the more you look at it, the more the odds are stacked against Kerfoot and he will be exposed. In a sense, it almost feels like exposing Kerfoot is this summer’s version of the 2020 cap-shedding trade of Andreas Johnsson. If the Leafs were going to lean in on the seven forwards, three defencemen route, you’d think there would be more valuable forwards to protect than Pierre Engvall, who becomes the next forward to protect after Kerfoot.

And so in a way, the Leafs’ hand is a little forced here.

Kerfoot is younger than Holl, too, which works in his favour. But really, how much more can we realistically expect the 26-year-old Kerfoot to improve? He was a more impactful player than Holl in the playoffs. But looking at the season as a whole, the Leafs got more bang for their buck out of Holl, and probably will in the future.

If we compare Kerfoot’s standing within the organization to Holl’s as a player who could possibly be exposed in the expansion draft, it seems more likely that Dubas could find a more comparable player to Kerfoot in free agency for less than the $3.5 million he’s commanding right now. That’s especially true in a post-COVID-19 landscape in which non- superstars have seen their salaries drop.

Another benefit? Freeing up $3.5 million in cap space also allows the Leafs more flexibility to take a run at re-signing Hyman than Holl’s $2 million coming off the books would.

Finally, with Kerfoot’s hometown of Vancouver just a few hours north of Seattle, the opportunity for Kerfoot to be closer to home makes the fit all the more plausible.

Travis Dermott: Protecting either Kerfoot or Holl doesn’t ensure the Leafs will get to keep the 24-year-old RFA. If the Kraken see Dermott emerging as a top-four defenceman, there’s a very real chance the Leafs could lose him.

He’s become a serviceable player with some offensive upside, but it’s still become clear the coaching staff doesn’t necessarily trust him to become much more than that. Rasmus Sandin was always going to step in and take a top-six role next season, and losing Dermott would also allow the Leafs to re-sign Zach Bogosian if he’s interested in returning on the cheap.

Losing Dermott does, however, mean the Leafs would still have Kerfoot on their roster. The likelihood of them trading him for a draft pick then increases.

Pierre Engvall: The smooth-skating forward showed his worth in flashes this season. He deserves credit for developing as a seventh-round pick into an NHL player. But even if the Leafs expose him, there will be more attractive options for the Kraken. Engvall is still a fourth-line player with more to give next season.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189551 Toronto Maple Leafs Leafs, a streak that is second-longest in NHL playoff history to only the Canadiens of 1960.

It is bonkers. The one remaining curiosity is whether Montreal’s wild run Scott Stinson: Sure, no one believed in the Montreal Canadiens, but we is proof that the North Division skeptics were right all along. As the Leafs, had our reasons and to a lesser extent the Oilers, piled up wins in their isolated Canadian league, there were reasonable questions asked about what it all meant. With all of the NHL’s recent heavyweights playing each other on the other side of the Canadian border, were the North’s best teams putting Scott Stinson up points totals that were something of a mirage? The answer to that will Publishing date:Jun 08, 2021 be a resounding yes if the Canadiens, having ripped through their North opponents, find themselves throttled in the third round by either Colorado or Vegas. There are plenty of NHL observers who will expect just such a thing to happen, with the Avalanche and Golden Knights now fighting One comment leapt out in the coverage of Montreal’s series-clinching win each other for the chance to flatten Montreal on the way to the Cup final. on Monday night in the second round of the NHL playoffs. But if no one believed in the Canadiens a couple of weeks ago, they Forward Tyler Toffoli noted that it “kind of seems like nobody believes in have no doubt won a few more converts by now. us,” after the Canadiens had finished off the Winnipeg Jets in four games.

No one did believe in you, Tyler. Because you were not good. nationalpost.com LOADED: 06.10.2021 Montreal deserves heaps of credit for punching themselves through to the third round of the Stanley Cup chase, particularly in coming back from a 1-3 series deficit to the Toronto Maple Leafs and ripping off seven straight wins, even if three of them were in overtime. And while some of that can simply be chalked up to the perennial goofiness of the NHL in springtime, where unexpected results are properly expected, it’s overstating things to look at the Habs’ run and explain it as the vagaries of hockey, complete with a theatrical shrug and some LOLs tacked on. What they have done is exceptionally weird.

The usual formula for a surprise team making a Stanley Cup run is that the team was better than its results in the regular season. That is, it played well, created more chances than it surrendered, but was undone somewhat by unlucky finishing at either end of the rink. Occasionally a team will benefit significantly from a major lineup change, such as the insertion of a goalie who steals games or a shooter who is suddenly on a heater.

None of that happened with Montreal. Heading into the playoffs, the Canadiens were, by any measure, not a good hockey team. They had won just one of nine games in regulation, and over the course of the season had won 24 of 56 games in the first 60 minutes. (They had also won just 15 of 38 games since Dominique Ducharme had taken over head coaching duties when Claude Julien was deposed mid-season.) The Canadiens had earned fewer than half the available regulation points over the shortened schedule — 49.1 per cent of them, to be precise — which is not a mark often seen by a playoff team. Throwing out the 2019- 2020 season, which had an expanded playoff field and an extra round, and the last team(s) to make it out of the East in the regular season with a regulation points percentage below .500 were the Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals of the 2011-12 season, both of which squeezed in on the back of a pile of overtime losses. Ottawa lost in the first playoff round that year, Washington lost in the second. It is also worth noting that those teams made the playoffs back when the NHL had six divisions; since the switch to the four-division format no team other than the Canadiens has made the playoffs in a non-pandemic season while winning fewer than half of its regulation points. So, there’s that.

In the Habs' Room: 'Our goal is not to stop here,' coach Ducharme says

And yet this would all still be something less surprising if the Habs were on this streak as a product of hot goaltending and some lucky bounces. That stuff happens, and it was always going to be the case that a bad team with Carey Price would have a chance to beat a better team without Carey Price. But while Price has been excellent, the remarkable thing is that the rest of his team has turned dominant as well. They overwhelmed the Jets, snuffing out a team that had just beaten Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in four straight. And before that they beat Toronto in three straight after falling into that 1-3 hole. That was right about when the team’s own fans were, understandably, ready to see the back of general manager Marc Bergevin and the rest of the management team. How do you say “rebuild” in French? The games against the Leafs weren’t quite as impressive on paper, in terms of puck possession statistics, as their pasting of the Jets, but the Canadiens did seize multiple-goal leads in each of their last three wins against Toronto, and then held on to defend them. The final analysis of those games showed contests that were close-fought, in other words, but only because the Leafs created a lot of offence in the final periods, when they were in desperation mode. Montreal hasn’t trailed since Game 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights The Avalanche adjusted in Game 5, as coach Jared Bednar changed 1189552 forward lines. Colorado owned significant advantages in scoring chances (29-15) and high-danger chances (13-6), according to NaturalStatTrick.com. Golden Knights look to eliminate Avalanche in Game 6 But the Knights were able to withstand the push and steal home-ice advantage as Fleury came up with several key stops, including a game- saver on J.T. Compher early in overtime. By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal “We’ve got to go out and earn it, and that’s the mentality I want our guys to have. And I believe we can get it done,” Bednar said. “I’ve seen our Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) and Vegas guys step up in big moments now for four years, and none bigger than Golden Knights defenseman Alec ... this one here (Thursday) night.” Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) and Vegas The Knights have the last change at home and probably will match the Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez (23) defend the goal against Stone-Chandler Stephenson-Max Pacioretty line against center Nathan Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin (13) in the second MacKinnon and his wingers, which worked well in Games 3 and 4. period of Game 3 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff MacKinnon doesn’t have a point in the past three outings and has gone series at T-Mobile Arena on Friday, June 4, 2021 in Las Vegas. (Erik four straight without a goal. Verduzco / Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Erik_Verduzco Colorado hasn’t lost four straight games all season, but this might be the Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) takes a shot under Knights’ best chance to clinch the series. pressure from Vegas Golden ... Game 7 would be Saturday at Ball Arena in Denver, where the Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) takes a shot under Avalanche won 13 straight and were 20-0-1 including the regular season pressure from Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (7) in before Tuesday’s loss. the second period of Game 3 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series at T-Mobile Arena on Friday, June 4, 2021 in Las “I think Colorado has found another level here, and that’s not going Vegas. (Erik Verduzco / Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Erik_Verduzco away,” DeBoer said. “They’re going to be at the same level (Thursday). This isn’t going to look like Game 3 or 4. It’s going to look more like Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) attempts a shot on Avalanche (Tuesday) night, and we’re going to have to find a way.” right wing Logan O'Conno ... LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 06.10.2021 Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) attempts a shot on Avalanche right wing Logan O'Connor (25) in the first period of Game 3 of a second- round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series at T-Mobile Arena on Friday, June 4, 2021 in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review- Journal) @ellenschmidttt If there is one lingering criticism of the Golden Knights in their brief but successful postseason history, it’s their inability to close out a series. That lack of a knockout punch nearly proved costly last season in the bubble and again during the first round against Minnesota, which pushed the series to seven games. The Knights can’t afford to swing and miss Thursday when they look to close out the Colorado Avalanche in Game 6 of the West Division final at T-Mobile Arena. “We know the task at hand and how difficult it’s going to be,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “I think Mark Stone said it (Tuesday) night, we all know the last one’s always the toughest. Especially against a team like this. Excited about the home crowd. We’re going to need that extra boost of energy.” After falling behind 2-0 in the series and in Game 5, the Knights are in position to eliminate the Presidents’ Trophy winner following Stone’s goal 50 seconds into overtime Tuesday in Denver. However, potential series-clinching games have not been the Knights’ strength since their inaugural season when they wasted no time sending Los Angeles, San Jose and Winnipeg to the golf course. The Knights are 3-8 in their past 11 closeout games, including a 6-2 victory over Minnesota in Game 7 on May 28. They were unable to hold a 3-1 series lead against San Jose in 2019 and nearly squandered a 3-1 advantage against Vancouver in the Western Conference semifinal last season before winning Game 7. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had five straight losses with a chance to clinch a series before he shut down the Wild in the deciding game. “I’m a huge believer in leadership in your room and experience, having been there before,” DeBoer said. “We’re very fortunate to have obviously Mark Stone and everything he brings, but the two guys that I think also bring a ton to the table there are Alex Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez. “Both Stanley Cup winners. Both have been there and seen almost every situation in the playoffs and have a real good feel for what to say at the right time and messaging in those moments. We’re real fortunate to have those guys in the room.” Should the Knights advance to the final four of the postseason for the third time in four seasons, North Division champion Montreal is waiting in the Stanley Cup semifinals. To get there, they’ll have to continue standing up the Avalanche at the blue line and forcing Colorado into turnovers with pressure on the forecheck. 1189553 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights now Stanley Cup favorites at Westgate

By Todd Dewey Las Vegas Review-Journal

The Golden Knights, a victory away from advancing to the NHL semifinals, have been installed by the Westgate as the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. After rallying for a 3-2 overtime win at Colorado on Tuesday to take a 3-2 lead in their second-round series, the Knights were made the +175 Stanley Cup favorites at the sportsbook over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 2-1 second choice. The Lightning are slight Stanley Cup favorites over the Knights at Circa, William Hill and BetMGM. “We have the Knights -360 on the series price (over the Avalanche), and whoever wins the series is going to be favored over any team remaining,” Westgate vice president of risk Jeff Sherman said. “When you add up the recent liability we’ve had on the Knights, we just feel they should be the favorite at this point.” Sherman noted that the path to the Stanley Cup Final sets up easier for the Knights, who would face the fourth-seeded Montreal Canadiens in the next round. Tampa Bay will play the New York Islanders, a winner in six games over the Boston Bruins. “If they finish it off, the Knights would get Montreal, and the price would probably be -400 if they played,” Sherman said. “The other side will be more competitive than that.” Tampa Bay is a 2-1 favorite to repeat as Stanley Cup champion at BetMGM, and the Knights are +225. At Circa and William Hill, where the Lightning are +190, the Knights are 2-1. “The only reason the Knights aren’t favored is because this series isn’t over,” William Hill sportsbook director Nick Bogdanovich said. “If they can get through Colorado, they’ll be the favorites.” William Hill was a small loser and the Westgate a small winner on Game 5. The Knights are -135 favorites at the Westgate for Game 6 on Thursday at T-Mobile Arena and +195 on the puck line (-1½). The total is 5½. “I’m sure the handle will be incredible,” Sherman said. “We write much more on home games than road games.” Bogdanovich said bettors will be all over the Knights. “They look like the best team,” he said. “They’re going to lay 140, and they’re going to lay 1½.” The Avalanche are the largest Stanley Cup futures liability at BetMGM, where almost four times as much money was wagered on Colorado to win the title than on any other team. BetMGM took a $5,000 wager to win $150,000 on Montreal to reach the Stanley Cup Final and a $5,000 bet to win $100,000 on New York to hoist the Cup. The Knights are the only liability at William Hill and the Westgate. “For futures, we’re a small loser with the Knights,” Bogdanovich said. “Everyone else, we’re good.” LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 06.10.2021 1189554 Vegas Golden Knights

Ryan Reaves’ leadership praised after being healthy scratch

By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal

Right wing Ryan Reaves wasn’t in the lineup for Game 5 of the Golden Knights’ second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday in Denver. Yet, when the team walked back to the locker room after a 3-2 overtime victory that gave it a 3-2 series lead, there was Reaves dishing out fist bumps, a shoulder check to goaltender Robin Lehner and a hug to defenseman Zach Whitecloud.

THAT’S WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT pic.twitter.com/0jBKxOsInF — Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 9, 2021 Knights coach Pete DeBoer has stressed the importance of depth and leadership if the team is going to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He said how veterans such as Reaves and defenseman Nick Holden, who played Game 5 after sitting out Game 4, have handled going in and out of the lineup has been important. “We don’t get to this point without a deep bench and everybody contributing at different times,” DeBoer said. “Nick Holden and Ryan Reaves, for sure, when you watch them and how they’ve handled those situations, that’s huge to the leadership of our team.” Reaves was a healthy scratch Tuesday for the first time in the playoffs since the Knights’ inaugural season. Left wing Mattias Janmark’s return from injury necessitated a forward coming out of the lineup. DeBoer opted to put rookie Keegan Kolesar, who was scratched for Game 1, on the fourth line and bench Reaves. Kolesar played well with left wing William Carrier and center Patrick Brown when Reaves was suspended two games for roughing/unsportsmanlike conduct against Avalanche defenseman Ryan Graves in Game 1. Reaves had an assist in his return to the lineup Game 4. The fourth line of Carrier, Brown and Kolesar was minus-1 at five-on-five in Game 5, but DeBoer complimented Kolesar on Wednesday for blocking two shots five seconds apart in the final 1:18 of regulation. “(He) could’ve took it in the head,” DeBoer said. “Didn’t think twice about it. Ended up taking it in the arm.” Reaves has been praised for his leadership in the past. The 11-year veteran has held ball hockey clinics in Las Vegas to promote the sport and is helping build a ball hockey rink at the James Boys and Girls Club of Southern Nevada. “Joining the team last year halfway through the season, he made me feel like family,” Whitecloud said after Reaves’ suspension was announced. “He looked after me, and he was a big reason why my adjustment to the NHL level was smooth.” Comeback Knights The Knights, for the most part, haven’t been getting off to great starts this postseason. But it has hardly mattered. The team has scored first in just four of 12 playoff games but is 7-5. The Knights have scored the first goal once in five games against the Avalanche. Colorado entered Tuesday’s game 35-1-1 when leading after two periods. The Knights then scored two third-period goals before winning in overtime on Mark Stone’s goal. “Who cares about the odds, right?” goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said. “You just have to win.” Game 7 start time The Knights and Avalanche would play a Game 7 at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday at Ball Arena in Denver if necessary, the NHL announced Wednesday. The game would be televised on NBCSN. Game 6 is Thursday at T-Mobile Arena. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 06.10.2021 Vegas Golden Knights During these playoffs, the Avalanche are averaging 32.09 scoring 1189555 chances, 2.59 expected goals and 4.84 goals per 60 minutes when MacKinnon is on the ice. Those numbers are video game-esque, and they come when Stone isn’t on the ice against Colorado’s best player. In ‘Vintage Mark Stone’ — Vegas’ captain taking control of series with huge the 32:38 that Stone has been matched up against MacKinnon, the goal, Selke-level defense Avalanche are averaging 20.22 scoring chances and 1.25 expected goals per 60 minutes and have not scored a single goal.

Colorado's production with MacKinnon By Jesse Granger Jun 9, 2021 Shots/60

20.22 DENVER — Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone often is lauded for his exceptional hockey sense and IQ. Tuesday night at Ball Arena, 33.30 with the game on his stick in overtime, he made one of his most impressive reads of the season. 36.32 Stone’s elite anticipation allows him to make plays all over the ice despite Scoring chances/60 not being the fastest skater. He processes everything at a tremendous 20.22 speed, even a detail as minute as an opposing defender’s footing. 32.09 In the opening minute of overtime, Stone stepped in front of Avalanche defenseman Ryan Graves’ shot, deflecting it straight back off his shin 36.65 pad. Graves grabbed the puck and immediately fired another shot, hitting Alex Pietrangelo before the puck made it through traffic. High danger chances/60 The sequence came at the end of Stone’s shift. He was visibly tired and 9.19 breathing heavily, and when Vegas gained possession, conventional 11.50 wisdom said to head for the bench for a line change. But when Stone saw the puck ricochet to Max Pacioretty, he knew he had a chance to 12.79 end the game, and broke into a sprint down the ice. Stone took the pass from Pacioretty, skated in alone and beat Avalanche goalie Philipp xGoals/60 Grubauer. 1.25 “We had a couple big shot blocks right before that,” Stone said. “Sometimes when the defenseman shoots it like that, they can get flat- 2.59 footed, so I just took off and was fortunate to end the game.” 3.01 Stone is modest, but it was far from fortune that gave Vegas the 3-2 Goals/60 victory, 50 seconds into overtime. Stone’s perfectly placed shot, set up by his attention to detail, ended Tuesday’s Game 5 to give Colorado its 0.00 first home loss since March 27. Stone’s play also is one of the biggest reasons Vegas has won three straight games to take a 3-2 lead in the 4.84 second-round best-of-seven series. 3.94 “That was vintage Mark Stone because he blocked a shot on our end of It’s not Stone alone. His linemates Pacioretty and Chandler Stephenson the ice first, and then got the breakaway and stuck it into the net with a are a big part of the equation, and the trio has neutralized a line that has perfect shot,” coach Peter DeBoer said. “If there’s one sequence of plays run roughshod over the rest of the hockey world. that kind of defines him, that would be it. Willing to do the grunt work and dirty work around our net, defensively, then obviously the big play to win “They didn’t necessarily produce as much as (our line) for now, but they it for us.” play against the best line in the NHL,” Jonathan Marchessault said. “They’ve done a tremendous job in the past two games. (In Game 5) we One play did not define Stone as a player. This entire series has. He’s were matched with them a little more, but we’re an unselfish group and one of the best defensive forwards in all of hockey, nominated for the whoever has to play against the best line in the NHL we’re going to do Selke Trophy after another year of shutting down hockey’s top scorers. the job. It just shows how great of a leader (Stone) is, both on and off the The playoffs don’t count towards end-of-season awards, because ballots ice. It’s been a real treat to play alongside a guy like that.” were cast in mid-May. Marchessault’s line was matched up with MacKinnon’s a lot more on That’s a good thing for fellow Selke Trophy finalists Aleksander Barkov Tuesday. That’s because Colorado coach Jared Bednar smartly avoided and Patrice Bergeron, because if these games factored into determining putting MacKinnon on the ice against Stone at all costs. And it’s no the best defensive forward in the game, Stone’s performance against the coincidence the Avalanche had their most effective offensive Colorado Avalanche would seal the deal. performance of the last four games. He is putting on the most impressive display of defense of his career, and “We’re on the road, so he controls those matchups,” DeBoer said. “I liked he’s doing it against one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in our whole group. The matchup thing, for me, is overblown. I know the recent playoff memory. analytics say this and say that. We’re here in this position, with an Entering the series, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon was averaging 1.47 opportunity to win this at home, because of our depth.” points per game in the postseason. That ranks third on the NHL’s all-time DeBoer is correct in that Vegas’ play as a team has led them to this leaderboard, behind only Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky. It’s elite point, but the matchup game has been absolutely crucial in this series, company to keep for MacKinnon, who absolutely shredded the St. Louis and the numbers show that. Blues defense in the first round. He became the first player to record at least eight goals and 13 points through the first six games of the playoffs In the two games in Las Vegas, Stone played 9:21 and 10:37 against since, you guessed it, Gretzky. MacKinnon, when DeBoer controlled the matchups with the last line change. But in Colorado, Bednar put MacKinnon’s line on the ice for only MacKinnon’s rare combination of speed, puck handling and finishing 2:42 against Stone. And most of that came in the late stages of the game ability is nearly unstoppable, but Stone has found a way to corral him in a when both teams sent their top units out looking for a late goal. Early on, way few (if any) have been able to do. Bednar was playing the matchups. He played MacKinnon against Stone “Mark doesn’t take too much credit but his line is playing great in front of only 13 seconds in the first period. It actually reached a point at which their big line with MacKinnon, (Gabriel) Landeskog and (Mikko) every time Stone would head to the bench for a change, MacKinnon Rantanen,” Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. “They’re a big part, to would leap over the boards and onto the ice. shut them down. You see on the score sheet the goals they score, and What are Stone and his linemates doing so well to force this tactical the assists and points they get, but the work they do against the other change? Watching the film back from the last three games, it’s actually team in our defensive zone to prevent scoring chances from the big guys nothing spectacular. Stone is fully capable of highlight-reel defensive on the other side. It’s huge. They’ve been doing that, night in and night plays in which he takes the puck off the opponent’s stick with ease and out.” transitions to offense. He’s had a few of those in this series, like in the third period of Game 3 61.9% when he stripped Landeskog and fired a dangerous shot on net, forcing Grubauer into a nice save. xGoal share But those aren’t the types of plays that have slowed the Avalanche’s 23.5% mighty offense. It’s more about simple body positioning to minimize their 55.2% speed in the neutral zone. 63.7% No one knows how better than the Golden Knights how dangerous MacKinnon is when he reloads in his own zone with a wide circle to build Goal share speed. Pietrangelo was famously caught saying “oh boy” when he was mic’d up for the outdoor game at Lake Tahoe at the mere sight of 0.0% MacKinnon wheeling around. He was right, as MacKinnon proceeded to 90.0% dice through the entire defense and score. He made an identical move in the video above, but this time Stone read the play and cut him off. It 65.8% halted MacKinnon’s momentum and forced a harmless dump into the zone and a change of possession. Stone is able to match up with Stone’s understanding of what is happening on the ice allows him to not MacKinnon despite being at a significant speed disadvantage. only play good defense, but also transition into an attack the moment possession changes. On this play late in the second period of Game 3, “It’s the same reason he can create offense without being the fastest guy Stone skated back to fill in for Pietrangelo, who pinched on the play. on the ice,” DeBoer said. “It’s all hockey IQ, angles, and never putting MacKinnon actually got a step on him as he entered the zone, but Stone yourself in poor positions where you are in a foot race because you didn’t trailed the play and took away the cross-ice pass. When Shea Theodore take a better angle. He’s got elite, elite hockey sense, and that allows poked the puck away from MacKinnon, Stone collected it and him to be that effective both offensively and defensively.” immediately fired it through all three zones to hit Pacioretty in stride for a breakaway chance. If Stone wasn’t a hockey player, he would be able to teach high school geometry. He’s a master of angles and sees them before they even As that video shows, the Golden Knights are defending Colorado’s top happen. This example came in the third period of Game 4, when Stone line as a five-man unit. The defenders have done an impressive job since eliminated three different passing lanes in a matter of seconds. Game 1 of keeping tight gaps at their defensive blue line, which is easier said than done against players of MacKinnon and Rantanen’s caliber. It’s not a play that shows up on a highlight reel, but taking away the easy Vegas has stayed within its structure and played as a team to deal with pass through the middle of the ice is how the Golden Knights have the toughest matchup a defense can face, but it’s all centered around subdued Colorado’s seemingly unstoppable attack. When the Avalanche one of the best defensive forwards on the planet. make those simple passes to their exceptional skaters, they enter the offensive zone with speed and possession and drive straight to the net Stone once said he believes his defensive stick skills were sharpened in for chances. When those options are taken away, they’re forced to dump his youth, playing pickup hockey on the frigid outdoor rinks of Winnipeg. the puck into the corners. Playing without contact meant every defensive play was a stick check, and playing in temperatures that rarely breach freezing makes those “If you make them come 200 feet and they make a great chance and plays increasingly easier when you can actually feel your extremities. score or if Fleury makes a great save, then you kind of have to tip your Since then, Stone has continued sharpening his defensive skills. It all led cap,” Stone said. “But when you’re forechecking the way we’re him to this point. forechecking, and forcing them to make plays to beat us, that’s when you’re playing your best.” This series is Stone’s moment. He has matched up with one of the offensive weapons of his generation and has nullified him to this point. Pacioretty plays the role of the first forward in on the forecheck, He’s defending with intensity and he scored an overtime winner to put his pressuring Colorado’s defensemen as much as possible, while Stone team within a win of advancing. and Stephenson patrol the neutral zone and take away options. The job they’ve done defensively against the Avalanche top line would be Now the series shifts back to Las Vegas for Game 6, where DeBoer will impressive on its own. The fact that they’ve turned that defense into have the last change and you can bet he will send Stone over the boards chances of their own is the reason Vegas has won three straight against to guard MacKinnon every chance he gets. a team that was 6-0 in the playoffs prior to that. “He’s the heart and soul of this team,” Alex Tuch said of Stone. “He “He does everything well,” Pietrangelo said of Stone. “I think the wears the character on his chest. He’s the captain we’ve always wanted.” important thing is they’re playing in the offensive zone, making that top line defend. Mark’s defensive capabilities are obviously pretty special. The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 There’s a reason why he gets nominated (for the Selke Trophy) like he did this year, but I think offensively they’ve been making them defend, which limits their time in the offensive zone, which obviously they’re extremely good at.” The Avalanche have completely dominated with MacKinnon on the ice in these playoffs, shown by the analytics. Colorado has a shot share of 54.8 percent, a scoring chance share of 60.2 percent, a high-danger chance share of 55 percent and a goal share of 90 percent. But when Stone is matched up against MacKinnon at even strength, Colorado’s shot share is 29.7 percent, its scoring chance share is 30.6 percent, its high-danger chance share is 27.8 percent, and the goal share is at zero because the Avalanche haven’t scored a goal in that span. Shot share 29.7% 54.8% 61.0% Scoring chance share 30.6% 60.2% 65.1% High danger chance share 27.8% 55.0% Washington Capitals would hurt our team and our organization if we lost him in the expansion 1189556 draft," he said.

But again, he may have no choice. Caps faced with tough choices due to salary cap (Oshie, for his part, told reporters that he wanted to stay in D.C.)

What if the Kraken look at the Caps roster and decide to go after a player BY J.J. REGAN like goalie Vitek Vanecek? Samsonov may be expected to be the No. 1, but Vanecek's cap hit is less than $717,000. Replacing him with a different backup goalie would probably be more expensive, thus making the situation worse. Losing a player and losing cap space in the The Capitals may not be planning a rebuild this offseason, but changes expansion draft would be the absolute worst-case scenario for are coming. The team's salary cap situation is going to dictate a lot of Washington. Could that force MacLellan to make a tough decision about what the Caps do this offseason and will force the team to part with some Oshie? significant players. The Caps may not want to rebuild and they may still have belief in their Washington currently has 11 forwards, seven defensemen and one core as championship contenders, but for a team that does not see the goalie under contract with a cap hit of just over $72 million. need to make significant changes to the roster, they will have no choice. "We're still going to have a veteran team because that's our core," They have to clear cap space. The question is how? Capitals General Manager MacLellan said at the team's final media availability of the season late last month. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.10.2021 The first problem is that the salary cap is going to remain flat at $81.5 million for the 2021-22 season. Typically, the cap rises every year based on expected revenue, but the pandemic has changed that. It's complicated, but the players are going to owe the owners a significant amount of money from the 2020-21 season so the cap is going to stay in place until the players are able to pay that money back. This could take several years. A flat cap is an issue for Washington because it means no cap relief, but several other teams are going to be in similar positions. With more teams out there trying to shed cap and fewer willing to take it on, MacLellan's options will be limited. The second issue is a big one: Alex Ovechkin. He finished out the last year of his contract. Though he is expected to re-sign, it is also expected that his cap hit is going to go up from his previous $9.5 million which is already more cap space than the team has left. Basically, a team with an aging core that lost in the first round in each of the past three postseasons does not currently have the cap space to re- sign Ovechkin, re-sign goalie Ilya Samsonov who is expected to be the No.1 goalie heading into the season and add any players to improve the roster. That's why even though the team won't commit to a rebuild this year, changes are still coming and they will have to be significant. Don't forget, when a team moves a player it means having to bring in another to replace him. That's why trying to move a fourth-line player or a bottom-pair defenseman is not going to be enough. Moving a player like Garnet Hathaway, for example, would only clear up $1.5 million worth of cap space. But even if he's replaced with a prospect making only $700,000, the team has only saved $800,000 against the cap. That's not going to cut it and this will ultimately force MacLellan's hand this offseason. When asked about the possibility of trading away Evgeny Kuznetsov, MacLellan said: "I think we're always open to trading people if it makes sense for what's going on. If it's going to make our team better, I think we're open to it. I don't think anybody's off the table. We're not going to trade Ovi or [Nicklas Backstrom] and those type of people, but I think you have to be open on anything. We would talk to anybody about any player." Even if MacLellan didn't want to trade Kuznetsov, his cap hit is $7.8 million. His trade value is probably the lowest it has ever been at this point, but it is something the team will have to explore if, for no other reason, than to try to recoup cap space. The Seattle expansion draft is also looming. It's a good news/bad news prospect for Washington as the Caps are going to lose a player off their roster which could ease the cap situation, but that may mean giving up a better player than MacLellan would want to give up for nothing. T.J. Oshie's name has been widely speculated as a possible target for Seattle given he was born in Washington state, is still a productive player and is the type of personality a new team could easily promote. He is also 34 years old with four years remaining on a contract with a cap hit of $5.75 million. In his postseason availability, MacLellan didn't seem happy with an option of losing him to Seattle. "[Oshie] continues to produce, he continues to be a big part of what's going on in the room and on the ice. He's a big part of our organization. It 1189557 Washington Capitals

SEE IT: Sergei Ovechkin takes the ice with his dad

BY BIJAN TODD

The tiny legs, the Gucci shirt, the tumbles on the ice…yep, this will be the cutest thing you’ll see all day. Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin took his son Sergei to the rink today, and luckily, their day on the ice was captured on film.

OVI JR. ON THE ICE ( IG/nastyashubskaya) pic.twitter.com/WnUtdQwPSj— NHL (@NHL) June 9, 2021 Yes, that’s Sergei, two months short of his third birthday, sporting a Gucci shirt and gold chain to the rink. His dad helped him put on his hockey attire, which included a Russian national team uniform and a hockey stick no taller than Sergei himself. Little Ovechkin took a couple stumbles on the ice, but No. 8 was there with him every step of the way. Sergei is the older of Alex and his wife Nastya’s two sons, with Ilya just over one year old. Ovechkin’s contract with the Capitals is up, but both he and the organization have publicly stated they want the superstar to remain in the nation’s capital. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.10.2021 Washington Capitals But fans wanting a major change to the roster to get younger are likely 1189558 set to be disappointed. The team’s four top scorers (Backstrom, Carlson, Oshie, Ovechkin) this season were all over the age of 30 and, pending something drastic, all will be back in 2021-2022. GM Brian MacLellan wants to add youth to Capitals in offseason The Capitals were tied for first in the East Division this year and were a tiebreaker away from avoiding the Bruins altogether. Even with their age, they were a mightily successful team and by all indications, the Capitals BY ANDREW GILLIS are set to run a majority of the 2020-21 team back for another run. The added youth will come on the fringes. As different Capitals came in and out of the lineup with injury as the The question now is how young the Capitals want to get, and what regular season wound down, their age became apparent. they’re willing to do to get there. Several players, including Alex Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie, John Carlson, Lars “If you knew these guys like I did, I don't know it matters how old this core Eller and Nicklas Backstrom, were dealing with injuries as the Capitals gets,” T.J. Oshie said. “We're going to be right there, we're going to be were brushed aside by the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. battling, we're going to be contending and we have a real shot. I think as The condensed schedule had slowly taken its toll on the league's oldest long as this core's here, we have a real shot to win the Cup.” team. The first three games of the playoff series were tightly contested. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.10.2021 All of them went to overtime. The final two games of the series was not as kind. In overtime of Game 3 and for the entirety of Game 4, the Capitals were the slower and less dangerous team. In Game 5, while the Capitals racked up shot attempts, they didn’t create the high-danger chances they needed to in a 3-1 loss. In the final 145:48 of the series (when Game 3’s overtime started) the Capitals managed just two goals — one of which came on the powerplay. With an aging core group of players, general manager Brian MacLellan knows Washington has to get a bit younger this offseason. That’s, of course, a task easier said than done. “We will be looking to add younger players, yes,” MacLellan said earlier this offseason. “I think you just can't force that into your lineup. I think we had a gap where we didn't have players to fill in so we tried to fill with outside players, free agents. I think we've got some guys coming that we can consider. We'll look for opportunities.” The Capitals were the league’s oldest team at 30.8-years-old in the regular season, but unlike a few teams at the top (like the Maple Leafs), the Capitals have a core that is all on the wrong side of 30. While there can be a few easy moves to get younger, like replacing 44-year-old pending UFA Zdeno Chara, the way the Capitals are going to get younger is by moving players out of the lineup or off the roster entirely via trade. Washington has 11 forwards, not including Ovechkin, signed for next season. That forward group (with Ovechkin) is 30.1 years old, per CapFriendly. Ovechkin will be 36 by the time the next regular season rolls around. There are a few options for the Capitals to bring youth into the lineup up front, including Connor McMichael (20) who is the team’s top prospect and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (23) and Garrett Pilon (23) could slide into bottom six roles. But MacLellan made it clear he wouldn’t force youth into the lineup if he didn’t have to, even as it relates to the team’s best prospect. “I think (McMichael) finished up the year well,” MacLellan said. “I think it's going to be how his offseason goes, what improvements he makes. He's a young guy that we're not going to force into the lineup. We'll see how he does in camp and what he can handle, but he had a really good year. I think he finished up the year on a high, improved in all areas. So we're going to look for opportunities to play him, but we're not going to force him into a situation he can't handle.” The expansion draft for the new Seattle Kraken next month will provide the Capitals an opportunity to replace an older player with a younger (and potentially cheaper) player. The blueline, which has an average age of 31.4 right now — including Chara — is a place where the Capitals could get younger, too. Washington’s six defensemen under contract next year are 31, 29, 30, 30, 30 and 29 years old. Michal Kempny, who will be available after recovering from an Achilles injury, is also 30. If one of those players leave for Seattle, the Capitals can replace them with a younger internal option. Otherwise, they’ll have to make at least one move on the blueline — which they might be forced to do for salary cap reasons anyway. The likeliest option to get younger is the elevation of Martin Fehervary (21) to the NHL roster, but Alexander Alexeyev (21) isn’t far behind. “I think Marty is ready,” MacLellan said. “I think he's ready to be a full- time player. How high he plays in the lineup, will be up to him. I think we're counting on him to play right away and we'll make adjustments after that.” Winnipeg Jets "This summer is going to be a big important summer to get ready for next 1189559 season, next training camp."

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 06.10.2021 Groin strain put early end to DeMelo's playoffs

Jason Bell 6/10/2021

It was a matter of 'Pop, there goes the playoffs' for Dylan DeMelo. The Winnipeg Jets defenceman was injured on his first shift of Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens, on a play he maintains has occurred countless times before in his NHL career. A groin strain on a routine play put and end to Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo's playoffs early in the first game against the Montreal Canadiens. But it sidelined him for the remainder of the series, a four-game sweep by the Habs. "It was a low-grade strain/pull of the groin. Yeah, I mean it sucked, for sure. I was personally crushed," DeMelo said Wednesday morning, during the Jets' final media availability of the season. "I was hoping that maybe Game 6 or 7 there might be a chance to come back — and that probably would have been pushing it, to be honest. It’s a minimum two- or three-week injury. "I went down the wall with (Brendan) Gallagher. I don’t know how many times I’ve come down on a pinch and I get out and it’s no problem. It was just crap luck, to be honest, and we just caught skate to skate and I got super extended and I felt it pop and I knew right away because I couldn’t skate." While playing through pain comes with the territory during the chase for the Stanley Cup, that wasn't an option for the 28-year-old from London, Ont., who admitted he struggled mightily with being on the outside looking in. "Obviously, the most important time of the year and the most exciting time of the year and just building off the high of that first round (sweep of the Edmonton Oilers)," said DeMelo. "Even my game, personally, that was some of the best hockey I’ve ever played in my life and you want to carry that momentum, you want to help the team, and it sucked for sure. "Selfishly, I’d like to think I could have had an impact on that series and helped us out, and was really crushed and disappointed that it happened so early." He wasn't the only member of Winnipeg's walking wounded. Dynamic forward Nikolaj Ehlers didn't put up big numbers but was one of the club's most consistent performers in six playoff games, however, he revealed that he was dealing with a posterior labrum tear (shoulder) and rib cartilage fracture. He missed the final nine regular-season contests and also games 1 and 2 of the opening-round series in Edmonton, returning to fire the overtime winner in Game 3 at Bell MTS Place. Ehlers, who had just one assist against Montreal, didn't use health as an excuse. "I was 100 per cent, let’s put it that way," he said. Jets captain Blake Wheeler said his top priority this summer is to get healthy but declined to give details on the injury or injuries he's dealing with. He said he has a number of things to get looked and that it's too early to say if they could potentially keep him out of training camp in the fall. Veteran forward Paul Stastny was also playing hurt, missing the first two games of the Montreal series. He wouldn't offer specifics, only to say it was something that he'd been dealing with during the year which flared up after a first-round sweep of Edmonton. Meanwhile, many observers theorized Pierre-Luc Dubois' lacklustre play might have been owing to an injury. But the Quebec product, who turns 23 later this month, shot that down entirely, taking responsibility for his poor performance down the stretch and into the post-season. "No, I’m not hurt. I mean I’m as hurt as anybody, bruises and scratches and stuff like that. Nothing major that affected my game," he said. "In the playoffs, I’m someone who expects a lot from myself. I’ll be the first guy to say I didn’t play how I should have. I didn’t play how I thought I could and how I know I can. It was a disappointing year for me, it was a lot of ups and downs. The only person to blame is me. Winnipeg Jets and 39 playoff games (16-23). During that time, the squad has won just 1189560 three rounds (included a trip to the Western Conference Final in 2018) in five post-season appearances. Jets reflect on unique season Only Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper has more longevity behind the bench, and he shepherded his squad to a Stanley Cup title in 2020.

"He’s been the coach since I came in. It’s very unusual, even in Europe, Jason Bell and Mike McIntyre to have the same coach for that long. But it just shows what kind of coach and what kind of guy Paul is. I think everyone on the team is very happy with the way he coaches us and, not just the on ice stuff but the The Winnipeg Jets returned to the rink Wednesday for all the wrong off-ice too," said forward Nikolaj Ehlers. reasons. "He’s a guy you can go talk to when something’s up. There’s always Had they pumped in the winning goal in overtime Monday in Montreal something with the on-ice stuff that he’s got for you, whether it’s good or instead of allowing one and then shaking hands with the jubilant Habs bad." afterward, the revitalized Jets would have hosted Game 5 of the North Maurice signed a multi-year contract extension in mid-February 2020, Division final at their downtown home. although the terms were never disclosed. It’s believed he’s locked up Instead, they met for the final time for exit interviews with coaches and until after the upcoming 2021-22 campaign. management, then held their season-ending media availability followed Assistant-coach Charlie Huddy has been employed with the Jets since by the dreary exercise of clearing out their lockers. the team arrived from Atlanta, as has goalie coach Wade Flaherty. Fifteen players were made available and all spoke candidly about the Associate coach Jamie Kompon came aboard in 2016, while former NHL tumultuous 2021 NHL campaign. They faced questions about the player and coach Dave Lowry — father of Jets centre Adam Lowry — effectiveness of the Jets coaching staff, the importance of keeping the was added to the staff this year, replacing Todd Woodcroft who is now nucleus of the squad intact and the inevitability of bidding treasured coaching U.S. college hockey. teammates farewell. Centre Nate Thompson played just one season under Maurice but The following is a synopsis of some of the key areas of discussion. Keep developed a kinship with his coach almost immediately. in mind it comes from the players' mouths only, as head coach Paul "For me, as soon as I got here, there was an open line of communication Maurice and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff face the music later in right away. I knew what to expect. I have a great relationship with Paul. It the week. started right from the beginning. I think every guy on the team would say 1. How do you explain the many peaks and valleys of this season? the same thing. He has a true belief in our team and he did from the start. He made that clear right away from day one of training camp," said There's no question it was a season like no other. From divisional re- Thompson, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent. alignment required by the ongoing border closure, playing in empty rinks due to the pandemic and seeing only six different opponents over a 56- "Even though the good times and even when we were struggling, he still game schedule, there were plenty of firsts. And, hopefully, lasts. had that belief in us. I think every guy knows that. That’s why you’ll see, I think you’re going to see a good response from this group next year." The Jets rode a roller-coaster, including a seven-game slide near the end of the season, a first-round sweep of Edmonton and then a second-round Kyle Connor thought the Jets came out of its seven game losing streak sweep at the hands of Montreal. Several players believe those extremes as more of a well-rounded team. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press were a product of the unique environment. files) "I think playing the same teams was a big part of it. If you go a long Kyle Connor thought the Jets came out of its seven game losing streak stretch against teams that were playoff teams, they’re obviously there for as more of a well-rounded team. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press a reason as they’re one of the better ones in the division, and there’s a files) chance that they could run a streak. We ran a couple streaks on some 3. What lessons can be learned from a season such as this? teams too. Not having fans definitely stung," said goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it, right? Players spoke of several ways this season can ultimately make them Jets captain Blake Wheeler said getting to come to the rink every day stronger. provided a little light in a period with plenty of darkness, one that players recognized was important to fans forced to view entirely from home. But "The way we played coming out of that seven-game losing streak we the lack of connection on many levels made it a real challenge to stay had, how we came out of that and learned from our game… I thought we focused. came out of that just more of a well-rounded team. We were playing the right way, we knew what it took," said forward Kyle Connor. "I’ve just got to be really careful with how much I come up here and start trying to complain about how hard things were. The truthful answer to "When you go through a type of stretch like that — I don’t know if I’ve your question is yeah, it was by far the hardest year of my professional ever been a part of that in my career, seven-straight — it’s tough, but you life, my personal life, everything," he said. learn to enjoy the wins more too. It’s simple and dumb to say, it’s so much more exciting. We just found that every little play is almost like the "It’s been all-encompassing. As a team, as players, we knew we could playoffs. Someone blocked a shot and we got great energy on the bench provide entertainment, provide a break for all that for our fanbase. And coming up. So, I think we just used that and implemented that into our that was the most exciting thing about the year, kind of the only exciting game for a little more sense of camaraderie as a team and on the thing about the year for us that we knew we couldn’t play in front of our bench." fans but that they were watching and at 7 p.m. every night it was something for them to do to kind of break the monotony of the world." Despite the disappointing way it ended, Jets alternate captain Josh Morrissey believes they added another important layer to an increasingly 2. Has Paul Maurice's message grown stale? strong foundation. Maurice doesn’t exactly have an air-tight case if he’s fighting to keep his "I think we took some big steps forward as a team. Especially dealing job as head coach of the Jets. The evidence and simple precedent, in with some adversity in a tough season and tough schedule and (I'm) many respects, seem stacked against him. proud of the way we rebounded late in the season with, you know, a Yet, if hockey followers in Winnipeg and beyond believe the veteran pretty tough losing streak in a sort of a grim time in our season. We found bench boss has passed his "best-before date" with the NHL club, his a way to rebound from that and play some really good hockey, I think, players maintain that's simply not the case. that those are some lessons that we can keep with us here, going into next season and build off of in the future," said Morrissey. "I've been on teams where coaches have lost the team and the message isn't being received and guys roll their eyes every time he says NHL history is filled with examples of teams that sometimes took a step something, and that's just never happened with Paul," Wheeler said. "His forward, followed by a step or two back, before finally getting over the message is still received. The guys have a ton of respect for him hump. Forward Andrew Copp said learning how to win doesn't always because he's, first of all, a good person, a good man, and treats us as happen in a straight line. people." "You learn a lot during the course of a season, learn a lot about your Maurice replaced Claude Noel midway through the 2013-14 season and team and teammates and you learn a lot about yourself. I think it’s just has guided the Jets through 572 regular-season games (302-213-57) another year of experience, of figuring out what it takes to win, said Copp. "Another year of figuring out what makes your individual game On defence, the Jets will absolutely protect Pionk and Morrissey (NMC), successful, what helps you in the summer, what you need to do to put with a major decision to be made in terms of either the steady Dylan yourself in a position for success. You learn a lot about things not to do DeMelo — who still has three years left at an affordable US$3 million as well." annual price tag — or surprisingly impressive rookie Logan Stanley, who brings obvious size and strength, and good defensive smarts. He's gone 4. What kind of roster turnover might be coming? from potential first round bust to a big part of the future, a towering All pro sports organizations alter their rosters during the off-season — by presence who can shoot with accuracy and adds a mean streak. It would way of free agency, trades and promotions and demotions — and it's be a shame to lose him. inevitable that elements of Winnipeg's group will change. "You lay it all on the line with guys, you form a bond with the guys that For some parts, it's an absolute necessity. So, the melancholy will kind of meet you half-way and lay it on the line with you, you form a surrounding the club Wednesday wasn't just because the season came lot of really good friendships," Wheeler said of Wednesday's gathering. to a screeching halt, but also because co-workers were parting ways. "It’s more like a we’ll see you later than a goodbye kind of thing, because "It’s hard. That’s the worst part of the job, the revolving door, the you’re likely to play against them or just see them." teammates you build a strong bond with and guys you really rely on, Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 06.10.2021 guys you really enjoyed being around and they’re not around any more. So that’s the hard part of the job," said Wheeler. "The best part of the job, though, is that you still talk to a lot of those guys. Even after our last games, the amount of former teammates the reached out, it’s great. You make a lot of life-long friends in this business, which is pretty unique." The Jets have Hellebuyck, one of the league's top netminders, under lock and key for another three seasons, with a cap hit at just a shade below US$6.2 million. Talk about a rock-solid foundation. Uber-reliable back-up Laurent Brossoit is an unrestricted free agent and might just shop himself to other squads as a potential starter. Up front, Winnipeg has the majority of its offensive drivers under contract, including centre Mark Scheifele, Wheeler, speedy scoring wingers Connor and Ehlers, and Lowry. Pierre-Luc Dubois, acquired in the deal that sent fan-favourite Patrik Laine to Columbus, is still a year from restricted free agency and remains a massive part of the core despite a mediocre start to his tenure as a Jet. But Copp needs a new contract and, after a career season (15G, 24A) will be looking for a raise from his current US$2.28 million deal, an amount awarded to him by an arbitrator. "I don’t think anything is really off the table at this point. Those are the conversations, where they see me moving forward here, the direction of the team, what we’re gonna do to make us better. Those are the biggest things for me," said the Michigan product. "I’m sure with everything happening sooner rather than later that will get done and addressed pretty quickly. "You want to be important, not only on the ice and to the team but off the ice, in the room, leadership and all that stuff. I feel like, over the last two years, I’ve really taken steps from where I was. I’m happy with my development over the course of the last two years and I think I still have levels to get to." Defenceman Neal Pionk was somewhat of an unknown commodity when he came over in the trade that sent Jacob Trouba to the New York Rangers in 2019, but he has posted two sensational seasons and has become invaluable to a team in desperate need of stability on the back end. He's an RFA after earning US$3 million annually the last two seasons but sounds like a guy who has no interest in moving on. "I really like the motivation of this core. You look at our best players, and I think they’re the hardest working guys on the team. They’re the first guys in the rink, the first ones on the ice, the last ones off the ice kind of thing," Pionk said. "That motivation alone, along with the skill and talent that we have as a core, I think is really exciting for the future." Noticeably absent from the large pool of speakers Wednesday was Mathieu Perreault, now heading to unrestricted free agency after four years at US$4.125 million per season. While he's been a loyal, hard- working forward in Winnipeg since 2014, expect the club to move on. The same will likely be said for dependable foot soldiers Thompson and Trevor Lewis. The Jets have David Gustafsson as the heir apparent at the bottom-six centre position, and there's loads of excitement around 2020 10th overall draft pick Cole Perfetti. Kristian Vesalainen and Jansen Harkins will also push for larger roles next season. But with the expansion draft looming, things get tricky. All NHL teams (with the exception of the Vegas Golden Knights) will be analyzing their rosters to figure out who to protect and who to expose to the Seattle Kraken. Expect Cheveldayoff and his staff to shield seven forwards, three blue- liners and a goaltender. Forwards likely safe from Seattle GM Ron Francis's grasp are Scheifele, Wheeler, Connor, Ehlers, Dubois, Lowry and Copp (once he's signed). That leaves Mason Appleton and Harkins as the most likely to be left available. Winnipeg Jets enough? Is simply adding a bit of a window dressing to the existing 1189561 foundation — some third and fourth-liners here, some second and third- pairing defencemen there — going to ultimately get the job done? Is there enough NHL-ready talent in the pipeline to help put you over the Time for Chevy to make a move top? Other than Hellebuyck and perhaps Ehlers, I'm not sure there should be an untouchable, provided the price was right and the return was Mike McIntyre worthwhile. Considering defence remains a weak link, you can probably scratch the trio of rear-guards off the list. It was the biggest goal of the season for the Vegas Golden Knights, one Gifted goalscorer Kyle Connor might be the player the Jets have to give that puts them a win away from punching their ticket to the final four. And up in order to land a high-end defenceman. it was noteworthy who was involved in Tuesday's colossal overtime tally The name I keep coming back to is Connor. There's no question he's an against the Colorado Avalanche. elite scorer, one who has fit in well playing beside Scheifele. But as we Winnipegger Mark Stone scored it. Max Pacioretty had the primary just saw in the series against the Canadiens, take away his top centre assist. Alex Pietrangelo had the second helper. and it can be more of a struggle. Consider this: Back in the spring of 2018, when the expansion squad With young skaters such as Mason Appleton (provided he doesn't get from Sin City beat the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference final to selected in the expansion draft by Seattle), Jansen Harkins, Kristian make it to the Stanley Cup, all three of those players were starring for Vesalainen, David Gustafsson and Cole Perfetti, does that give you the other teams. Stone with Ottawa. Pacioretty with Montreal. Pietrangelo freedom to use Connor as trade bait that lands you a much-needed big with St. Louis. fish for the blue-line? Not content with simply being a runner-up in their first year of existence I'll remind you his name previously came up in rumours, which we first after losing to Washington, the Vegas brain trust rolled up their sleeves reported on here in the Free Press, prior to the 2019-20 trade deadline. and went to work re-tooling their already loaded roster, bringing in plenty Colorado was interested, with a package revolving around prospect of big names such as the above-mentioned trio through trades and free defenceman Bowen Byram (fourth-overall pick in 2019) said to be agency while shipping out others to make room. involved. Those talks quickly went nowhere. The Jets, meanwhile, are still trying to fill the holes on their blue-line The hope around here is that Ville Heinola and Dylan Samberg will caused by the likes of Dustin Byfuglien, Toby Enstrom, Jacob Trouba, eventually form part of a blue-line that can compete for the Cup, but Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot all bidding goodbye to River City since that given how little Maurice looked to them this year (Heinola played just five magical spring playoff run. With just one playoff series victory since, they NHL games, Samberg none), I wouldn't hold my breath on that seem further away today of capturing the ultimate prize than they did happening as early as next season. three years ago. And with the core not getting any younger — Wheeler will turn 35 in The Jets, meanwhile, are still trying to fill the holes on their blue–line August — can this team really afford to wait much longer? That's a caused by the likes of Dustin Byfuglien, Toby Enstrom, Jacob Trouba, question Cheveldayoff and his staff must take a long, hard look at this Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot all bidding goodbye. summer. Vegas and Winnipeg need I remind you, are working under the exact Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has a lot on his plate when it same NHL salary cap, although there's no question one city packs a lot comes to finding a way to shore up his club's blue-line. more sizzle when it comes to luring players who can write their own He took a big swing in mid-January when the disgruntled Patrik Laine ticket. Despite a level financial playing field, the way they go about doing and Jack Roslovic were shipped to Columbus for Dubois. The jury is still business couldn't be any different. out on that blockbuster, with both teams hoping for a bigger payoff than All of this was running through my mind on Wednesday morning as I took they got this season. Cheveldayoff spoke of stepping up to the plate at part in more than two hours of Zoom calls involving 15 current Jets the trade deadline in April, only to strike out when it came to adding some players, talking about the abrupt end to their season in the form of a significant help. second-round sweep to Montreal. Perhaps some of those previous discussions can be re-visited in what Connor Hellebuyck, as confident as ever and never one to set the bar should be a busy off-season, made all the more intriguing by the low, declared he thinks this franchise is on the verge of becoming a upcoming expansion draft. "dynasty." Player after player spoke of the strong core in place, the Most fans are long past the point of just being happy to have the NHL lessons learned from another up-and-down season and the prospect of a back in town. And when it comes time to start selling tickets in a post- clean slate and another shot next year. pandemic world to gather in large numbers at Bell MTS Place, selling Connor Hellebuyck, as confident as ever and never one to set the bar hope and patience and trusting the process is only going to get you so low, declared he thinks this franchise is on the verge of becoming a far. At some point, that message will grow stale, if it hasn't already. "dynasty." Nobody around here is demanding the dynasty Hellebuyck apparently And I couldn't help but wonder how different this all would sound if it were envisions. But in a results-oriented business, nobody should be satisfied happening in a market like Las Vegas. with one-and-done in the playoffs, either. Forget loyalty and patience and trusting the process and drafting and Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 06.10.2021 developing — the only measurement of success is winning. And getting ushered out this quickly would likely trigger massive changes, just as they did last year when the Golden Knights replaced the accomplished Gerard Gallant with Peter DeBoer in a stunning example of "what have you done for me lately?" Based on their history, I'm not expecting any seismic off-season activity here in Winnipeg. Considering the praise heaped upon him from numerous players Wednesday, coach Paul Maurice is likely coming back for a ninth year behind the bench. I don't believe general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff's job is in any danger, either. Both men are expected to speak with media later this week. As for the roster, you can expect the club to protect captain Blake Wheeler, centres Mark Scheifele, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Adam Lowry and wingers Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers and Andrew Copp in the upcoming expansion draft. Same goes for defencemen Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk and Dylan DeMelo. Along with Hellebuyck, those 11 form the current core of the Jets. The question must be asked: At what point should Cheveldayoff consider moving one of them out to try to balance a lineup that clearly isn't good Winnipeg Jets That perceived doubt will be used as motivation going forward, Scheifele 1189562 said.

"We don’t get a lot of respect in the grand scheme of things. Everyone Scheifele takes parting shots at league and media wants the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens to be going on. Nobody wants the Winnipeg Jets to be doing anything," he said. Mike McIntyre "But that’s what Winnipeg is made of. Our community is made up of hard- working people that grind for every inch. We’re that team that wants to grind for every inch and prove people wrong on a day to day basis. Mark Scheifele took a big run at the NHL and the media on Wednesday, That’s who the Winnipeg Jets are." suggesting both have treated him and his hockey team unfairly. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 06.10.2021 The Winnipeg Jets top centre was suspended four games for a hit on Montreal's Jake Evans after an empty-net goal in the final minute of Game 1 of the North Division final. Scheifele watched as the Jets lost the next three games without him, meaning the final game of his suspension won't be served until the 2021- 22 regular-season opener. "They knocked me out of the series," Scheifele said, as he spoke via Zoom following year-end exit interviews with coaches and management at Bell MTS Place. "I don’t even get a chance to play with my teammates and battle with my teammates in the series. For a guy with a clean record… I’m just going to stop talking before I get fined or something like that, so I’ll leave it as it is." Turns out he was just getting started. "It’s crushing that my season was ended and I wasn’t able to play in this series," he continued. "I thought I was going to be tried to be shut down by Phillip Danault, and it was the department of player safety that shut me down. That definitely sucks." The 28-year-old Scheifele, who led the Jets with 21 goals and 42 assists in 56 regular-season games, maintains he was trying to prevent Evans from scoring the goal by taking the body, even if the puck was already in the net by the time Scheifele arrived at full-speed. "Obviously I had my chance to speak my piece in the hearing. I don't know how much was actually absorbed by them. It’s a hard one. I think at the end of the day, you regret the outcome of it. I said that over and over. You never want to see a guy hurt. And I’m a guy that respects this game and respects players. I never want to see a guy hurt no matter what it is," he said. "I would have loved an answer from them of what would have been a better thing to do. I’ve replayed the thing over and over again in my mind, and the only real thing is if I gave up on my teammates on that play and just didn’t backcheck. It’s over and done with it. I’m not going to continue to cry over it, but it’s the decision they made. I still believe it was excessive." Scheifele was forced to watch his team's season end last summer in the Edmonton bubble after he suffered a knee injury in Game 1 against the Calgary Flames which knocked him out for the duration of the preliminary round series. "It’s not fun. It’s definitely not a great feeling," he said. "You feel pretty helpless when your team is out there battling and you’re watching from the stands. It’s not a great feeling, but the way you handle setbacks, I saw (pro golfer) Jon Rahm say that the other day, the way you handle setbacks is what defines us. That’s the mentality I’m taking. "I can’t let one bad thing knock me down, but that’s life. That is what we all deal with. We’ve dealt with that all year as a society in general. You know, lockdowns, COVID, bad things are going to happen in our lives. but it’s what we do to get over them. That makes us stronger, that makes us better people and more well-rounded human beings." At that point, Scheifele turned his anger towards the scribes and broadcasters who cover the team when asked if a second-round sweep at the hands of the Habs will be viewed as a disappointing result. "Well, first of all, you guys wrote us off from the beginning. The media had us not making the playoffs, being a bottom-feeder in the league. You guys get caught contradicting yourselves all the time. You guys didn’t have any hope for this team from day one, and I think we proved you guys wrong all season long," he said. "We were written off from day one and we proved people wrong all season long. We go through that slide towards the end of the year and we were written off. Everyone wanted a Calgary Flames-Edmonton Oilers series and we proved people wrong. We made the playoffs and we won our first round. I think that’s where my head’s at. We proved people wrong and we want to continue to prove people wrong." Winnipeg Jets He may be the poster boy for what happens to a 22-year-old who’s lost 1189563 his confidence.

“We didn’t have a lot of practices so it was hard to get into that rhythm,” Jets' 'Invisible Men' vow to rebound he acknowledged. “When you get to a new team you want to fit in, you want it to be the perfect fit. For me, it was hard finding what that was. I had a hard time trying to find what I could do. Paul Friesen “Many reasons, but at the end of the day you only have yourself to blame.”

Dubois insists outside pressure and expectations weren’t a factor, as Defiant and unapologetic on one side. Disappointed and perplexed on he’s hard enough on himself. the other. One season won’t define him, he vows. Mark Scheifele and Pierre-Luc Dubois took to the Zoom Room together on Wednesday, two players who should have been big parts of the With one more year on his contract at a salary of $5 million, there’s Winnipeg Jets’ chase for the Stanley Cup. plenty of incentive on both sides for Dubois to find the game that vanished most of this year. Centres No. 1 and 2, the thinking went at one time. Pick your poison: speed and skill, or a rugged clutch performer. In the end, he and Scheifele settled on the same mantra: tough times are a challenge to make you stronger. Instead, they were the Invisible Men, as the Jets went down meekly to Montreal in Round 2. Coming off the year we’ve all experienced, most of us can relate to that. For very different reasons, of course. Standing up for the ‘Peg Scheifele was forced to watch while serving a suspension, Dubois Mark Scheifele generally offers more cliches than memorable quotes, but continued a season-long search for his game. in Wednesday’s season-ending Zoom session he was spitting out interesting lines faster than my sump pump would keep up with the Two of the more significant questions I had going into Wednesday’s exit downpour later in the day. interviews involved these two players. His best barbs were directed at the media, which he says predicted his Let’s start with Scheifele, who called it “crushing” to be sidelined for his team wouldn’t do anything this season. devastating hit on Montreal’s Jake Evans near the end of Game 1 of the Canadiens’ eventual sweep. “We were written off from Day 1 and we proved people wrong all season long,” Scheifele said. “We go through that slide towards the end of the “I thought I was going to be tried to be shut down by Phillip Danault,” year and we were written off again. Everyone wanted a Calgary Flames- Scheifele said. “And it was the department of player safety that shut me Edmonton Oilers series and we proved people wrong, we made the down.” playoffs and we won our first round. That’s where my head’s at.” Scheifele described his “helpless” feeling over the next several days, The Jets were big underdogs against the Oilers. But many picked them watching his teammates struggle to generate much of anything against to beat Montreal in Round 2. the Habs. Regardless, Scheifele had his narrative and was sticking to it. With the benefit of hindsight, and knowing how much he was missed, I was curious if No. 55 had come to a different place regarding his hit. “We don’t get a lot of respect in the grand scheme of things,” he continued. “Everyone wants the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Specifically, whether he’d do anything differently if given the chance. Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens to be going on. Nobody wants the But no, Scheifele only regrets the outcome. Winnipeg Jets to be doing anything. But that’s what Winnipeg is made of. Our community is made up of hard-working people that grind for every “I had my chance to speak my piece in the hearing,” he said. “I don’t inch. know how much was actually absorbed by them. I would have loved an answer from them of what would have been a better thing to do. “We’re that team that wants to grind for every inch and prove people wrong on a day-to-day basis. That’s who the Winnipeg Jets are.” “I’ve replayed the thing over and over again in my mind, and the only real thing is if I gave up on my teammates on that play and just didn’t Winnipeg Sun LOADED 06.10.2021 backcheck.” He still thinks the suspension was excessive, given his clean record. Given the debilitating result for Evans, though, not to mention the suspension, I still believe Scheifele could have simply allowed the collision with Evans to happen, instead of launching through it the way he did. But this horse has been beaten enough. Which brings us to Dubois, a horse that looked riderless for much of the season. The Jets expected much more of a payoff from the blockbuster trade that sent Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic to Columbus, a move they didn’t make lightly. Dubois’ quarantine, adjustment to a new team and an early injury would explain his slow start, but it doesn’t explain the excruciating finish. It wouldn’t have been a surprise to hear he was playing hurt. It was a surprise to hear he wasn’t. “Bruises and scratches and stuff like that,” Dubois said. “Nothing major that affected my game. In the playoffs, I’m someone who expects a lot from myself. I’ll be the first guy to say I didn’t play how I should have.” That’s an understatement. Dubois looked disorganized and disengaged, while extending his goal drought to 24 games. He managed seven assists in that time. After coming through for Columbus in playoffs past, he was a complete non-factor for the Jets. Winnipeg Jets “But at the end of the day, you don’t know. You just don’t know what’s 1189564 going to happen.”

‘Mind-boggling, crazy’ year in Winnipeg for Stastny Jets' Wheeler: 'By far the hardest year of my life' Paul Stastny’s second trade to Winnipeg didn’t exactly start, or end, with a Hallmark moment. At least, not the kind you cherish. Paul Friesen “It’s mind-boggling and it’s crazy that when we started the year here it was Christmas time, the pandemic was at an all-time high,” Stastny was saying, Wednesday. “And it was understandable because there was no sun, no one was outside, the weather was freezing and everything was Jets forward Blake Wheeler (left) hits Canadiens’ Ben Chiarot during shut down. My wife and I came here and we were just trying to get Game 4. Wheeler has three more years remaining on his contract. wrapping paper for the kids for Christmas, and that was tough to get. He’ll be 35 years old by the time training camp rolls around again, with “You fast forward six months and it’s 85 degrees and people are afraid to three years left on his contract. go outside.” Jets captain Blake Wheeler acknowledges one Stanley Cup window has In between those two moments, Stastny’s Jets played 56 games against probably opened and closed in his time in Winnipeg. six Canadian teams, won four straight playoff games then lost four He figures he still has time to try to pry open another. straight. The first came in 2018 and ’19, when the Jets stopped one series short The 35-year-old says the mental toll was the hardest thing about the of reaching the Cup Final one year, then lost to the eventual Cup NHL’s shortened, yet frantic, pandemic season. champion the next. “It was very taxing,” he said. “Frustrating at times, because there’s light at “They’re two different peaks on the radar,” Wheeler said, Wednesday, the end of the tunnel one day and then all of a sudden, everything gets referring to then and now. “What you consider the core of our team, shut down again the next day. Then you see other provinces open up or outside of myself, probably, was very, very young. Now they’re maturing the States open up to full capacity, that’s where it gets mentally into men in the primes of their career. Those two years, the back-to-back challenging. years, those were probably very real chances to win it all. “You want everyone to stay healthy, but at the same time you want “We have a lot of the makings of what it takes to win it all. So I’m excited people to move forward, to get back to living their lives and enjoying about the direction that we’re headed.” themselves, to seeing friends, to seeing family. And a lot of people aren’t doing that, and that takes a big mental toll on them and on society itself.” His team, though, needs some help. Stastny will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and says he’ll take The Montreal Canadiens laid that fact bare in their four-game sweep in his time finding a home. Round 2. When he was last in this position, in 2018, he signed with Vegas. The Jets’ defence couldn’t handle the Habs’ speed and forecheck and the forwards couldn’t handle the loss of Mark Scheifele. Again. “You want to be where it’s a good fit for you and you want to go somewhere you’re wanted, too. I have nothing but good things to say “We’re already a contender,” Wheeler said. “You get to the final eight of here. I know the future has always been bright… there’s always going to 31 teams, you’re in the conversation. The hardest part is formulating a be a chance (to win) here. That’s a really important piece to picking a core group of players that you believe are the identity of your team, the team.” guys that can push you over the hump. And we have that.” Winnipeg Sun LOADED 06.10.2021 The captain says they have the coach, too, continuing his staunch defence of Paul Maurice. Adding the players to push that core over the top, in a flat salary-cap world, is the challenge. Most players Wheeler’s age, at least those who’ve never won the Cup, probably can’t imagine finishing their careers on a loser. Wheeler takes some solace in knowing the Jets are at least a perennial playoff team. “You just want opportunities,” he said. “I would categorize this year as an opportunity. That’s all I care about… being on teams that are in that conversation, that have a chance, that are playing in the playoffs. Because from that point, anything can happen. It’s so hard to win.” Wheeler is coming off a season that saw him miss a career-high six games to injury. He’s still nearly a point-a-game player who’ll probably score close to 20 and help set up 40 or 50 more. The cracked ribs he reportedly dealt with only added to what he calls the most difficult season of his 13-year NHL career. “I’ve just got to be really careful with how much I come up here and start trying to complain about how hard things were… in the face of everything else that’s going on in the world, in Canada, in Winnipeg right now,” he said. “Yeah, it was by far the hardest year of my professional life, my personal life, everything. It’s been all-encompassing.” The Minnesota native will take the summer to recharge, then come back with his wife and three kids in September to do it all over again for a 14th season, an 11th in Manitoba. Chasing that elusive Cup, while fending off Father Time. “I’m going to give everything I have to this team, to this city, for the rest of my career here and I hope that ends with our team raising the Stanley Cup,” Wheeler said. “But there’s only so much you can control. You can control your effort, your attitude, how you treat people. I’m going to do that every day. I believe that’s going to get this group over the hump and we are going to win. Winnipeg Jets Among those at risk of being exposed right now are winger Mason 1189565 Appleton, Stanley and defenceman Dylan DeMelo, who signed a four- year contract with the Jets last off-season and wants to stay. JETS SNAPSHOTS: ‘Nothing off the table’ for Copp in negotiation of new “Whatever will happen, will happen, said DeMelo, who missed the last contract with Jets three games of the playoffs with a “low-grade strain/pull of the groin.” “All I can say is that I signed here for four years and I hope I can be here for all four and maybe even beyond. Obviously, we’re going to lose a Ted Wyman good player either way.” The Jets can only protect three or four defencemen — most people think it will be three, along with seven forwards — so it’s likely they can’t keep Jets forward Andrew Copp sets up in front of the Montreal Canadiens' net all of Josh Morrissey, Pionk, DeMelo and Stanley. during Game 2 of their playoff series, from which Winnipeg was swept. Copp can become a restricted free agent this summer. SUCCESS FOR STANLEY Just because he went through a contentious negotiation the last time he Stanley started training camp as a long shot to make the Jets but wound became a restricted free agent, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen up scoring two goals in the last playoff game of the season. again for Winnipeg Jets forward Andrew Copp. The 6-foot-7, 230-pounder blue-liner showed great potential with his size, Copp, 26, easily had the best offensive year of his career, setting new strength, puck-moving ability, booming shot and even scoring touch. highs in goals (15), assists (24) and points (39), despite the fact that it was a truncated 56-game NHL season. “I thought, personally, it was successful year for me,” Stanley said. “I don’t think a lot of people had me playing for the Winnipeg Jets this year Coming off a two-year deal, awarded by an arbitrator in 2019, that paid coming into camp. So it was my goal to make the team and play this him $ 2.28 million per season, Copp is due to become an RFA again this year. So I achieved that. summer. “I think I had confidence in myself that I knew that I was going to be an So, is he thinking long-term deal? Short-term contract to get him to UFA NHL player. I just needed to stick with it and keep working on my game status in another year? Another trip to arbitration? and getting better. There are still lots of places to grow with my game and I think I can take it to a whole other level.” “I don’t think anything is really off the table at this point,” Copp said after the Jets cleaned out their dressing room stalls Wednesday at Bell MTS WORKING WITH DAD IS OK Place. Jets centre Adam Lowry, who signed a five-year contract extension “Those are the conversations: Where they see me moving forward here, during the season to avoid becoming a UFA, played for the first time, as the direction of the team, what we’re gonna do to make us better. Those a pro, with his dad, Dave Lowry, on the coaching staff. are the biggest things for me. I wouldn’t say anything’s off the table. I’m sure, with everything happening sooner rather than later, that will get “It was one of those situations where I wasn’t exactly sure how it was done and addressed pretty quickly.” going to go early on,” Adam Lowry said. “It might have been a little awkward the first few days of training camp, just making sure that the Copp said the 2019 negotiation was difficult for his camp because the interactions weren’t father-son, but more a coach-player relationship. But Jets had bigger priorities in terms of contracts at the time. Both Kyle it was fun. It was nice to kind of be able to interact with him on a day-to- Connor and Patrik Laine were RFAs at the time and the Jets still had day basis. Just see the hockey mind.” Dustin Byfuglien’s $7.6-million cap hit on the books. In a pandemic season, when most players were not able to see their “I can understand, looking back from their perspective and my own … I parents or extended families for the last five-plus months, it was nice for wouldn’t change a thing,” Copp said. “I don’t think two years ago is going the Lowrys to have the daily interaction. to impact the contract negotiation this year. I feel like, over the last two years, I’ve really taken steps from where I was.” “It’s always nice to be surrounded by family, especially in this year, you didn’t really get to see a whole lot of family,” Adam said. “So to get to see PIONK DUE A RAISE him at the rink every day was awesome.” Another player due a raise this summer is defenceman Neal Pionk, who Winnipeg Sun LOADED 06.10.2021 came over in the Jacob Trouba trade in 2019 and flourished on the Jets blue-line for two seasons. Pionk’s cap hit for the last two years was $3 million and the restricted free agent should get at least double that. It remains to be seen if the Jets can get him locked into a long-term deal. “To be completely honest, I haven’t thought a whole lot about it,” said Pionk, who has nine goals and 77 points in 125 games with the Jets. “Still kind of decompressing from the season and decompressing from that last series there (against Montreal). I’m sure that over the next few days, my agent and I will talk really for the first time about a new deal. But for the most part, I’ll let him take care of that (negotiation).” Pionk has developed into a highly reliable player at both ends of the ice since joining the Jets from the New York Rangers, where he was not nearly so highly regarded. “Coming over from New York, I got a ton of opportunity right away, and having that trust from the coaching staff really gave me a lot of confidence to develop and grow as a player,” Pionk said. “It’s amazing what a little boost of confidence will do for you.” Forwards Paul Stastny, Mathieu Perreault, Nate Thompson, Trevor Lewis and Dominic Toninato are all set to become unrestricted free agents unless signed before July 28, as are defencemen Tucker Poolman, Jordie Benn and Derek Forbort and goalie Laurent Brossoit. The only other RFA of note is defenceman Logan Stanley, who had a strong rookie campaign. EYE ON EXPANSION DRAFT There will be an expansion draft to stock the Seattle Kraken on July 21 and the Jets are destined to lose a good player. Winnipeg Jets Maurice has the sixth most wins (762) and the most losses (670) in the 1189566 history of the NHL. He’s 41-51 all-time in the playoffs, has been to the conference finals three times and has coached in the Stanley Cup final. WYMAN: Players have coach Maurice’s back after Jets get swept out of In eight years with the Jets, Maurice has led the team to the playoffs five playoffs times and helped them win three best-of-sevens. Overall, his regular- season record is 302-213-57.

“You guys wrote us off from the beginning of this season,” a combative Ted Wyman Scheifele said. “The media had us not making the playoffs, being a bottom-feeder in the league. And I think we proved you guys wrong all season long. We made the playoffs. We swept the Edmonton Oilers and Still digesting an unappetizing finish to the Stanley Cup playoffs, went to the second round of the playoffs. Winnipeg Jets fans might not be so sure that head coach Paul Maurice “I thought this team pushed for more.” holds the recipe for future success. Back in late April, Scheifele admitted he was “pissed off” when Maurice But though Maurice’s eighth season as the king of the Jets’ kitchen benched him for a full period in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. ended with a four-game sweep at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens, he is clearly still considered the right man for the job by Jets players. He said he didn’t agree with the coach’s decision but would try to learn from it. At least outwardly, the players have their coach’s back, even if the back- sliding that began after the 2018 playoffs continued into this 2021 On Wednesday, he suggested that’s exactly what he’s done. pandemic season. “What happened against Toronto, that’s learning lessons,” Scheifele said. “I’ve been on teams where the coach has lost the team and the message “That’s coaching. I’m a guy that loves to learn and I want the coach to isn’t being received and the guys roll their eyes every time he says push me. That’s what makes good teams, that’s what bonds relationships something,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said after the team conducted … it’s the forms of authority pushing you for more, pushing you for exit interviews at Bell MTS Place on Wednesday. better.” “I mean, that’s just never happened with Paul. I think his message is still Maurice certainly had Scheifele’s back, when the latter was suspended received. I think the guys have just a ton of respect for him because he’s, for four games for knocking Jake Evans of the Canadiens out with a hit first of all, a good person and a good man and he treats us as people. late in Game 1. “In some respects, the way Paul handled our team this year was almost Maurice called it a clean hit and stood by it, even if the Department of as good as he’s ever been. I’ve felt a lot of the decisions he made, Player Safety saw it differently. whether it be line combinations or what have you, were right on. I think his feel for our team was really good this year.” It’s just an example of why players know Maurice is in their corner. To recap a tumultuous first six months of 2021 for the Jets, they were “That goes for the whole coaching staff as well,” said Ehlers, who has considered by many to be on the bubble for a playoff spot as they flourished under Maurice and had a career year in 2021. entered the 56-game regular season. They started out looking pretty “They’re great at finding small things that they can help you with. They’ll good, contended for first place three-quarters of the way through the pull you aside. That’s been huge for me to work on the small details of season, and then went into an ugly tailspin that led many people to the game.” believe they’d be an easy out in the playoffs. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 06.10.2021 It turns out they were, just not in the first round. In Round 1, they pulled off a thrilling four-game sweep of the Edmonton Oilers, shutting down superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for the most part, and giving their fans plenty to celebrate, with three overtime wins. While some would argue the Jets’ performance against Montreal — they scored only six goals in four games and were dominated for the most part — was more indicative of the quality of the Jets season, Wheeler chose to focus more on Maurice’s role in the Round 1 win. “There’s a lot of coaches that haven’t won playoff rounds,” Wheeler said. “To win a playoff round this year, it’s not our goal, but there is still some kind of accomplishment in that. He would never acknowledge that because it’s not what we’re in this business for, but big-picture wise, to make the playoffs, win a round, you just have to kind of keep that in perspective and take the positives out of that.” There are certainly those who argue that Maurice’s success has been mostly tied to the excellence of Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck and to an extent that’s true. But Maurice is also a good citizen of Winnipeg, an ambassador for the city, a community-minded family man who would be missed if the Jets decided to go in a different direction. “I think everyone on the team is very happy with the way he coaches us and, not just the on-ice but the off-ice too,” Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers said. “He’s a guy you can go talk to when something’s up. “He’s been the coach since I came in. It’s very unusual, even in Europe, to have the same coach for that long. But it just shows what kind of coach and what kind of guy Paul is.” Maurice has coached more NHL hockey games (1,656) than all but three other people on the planet — Scotty Bowman, Joel Quenneville and Barry Trotz, all coaches who have won at least one Stanley Cup. Maurice has not, though he’s been around a very long time and there has to be a reason for that. “I have full support for Paul Maurice,” Jets centre Mark Scheifele said. “But I know I’m not alone there. There’s a lot of guys that love him, he’s a fantastic coach. He’s definitely one of the good ones in this league and he definitely has my full support.” Vancouver Canucks “At times, I’ve been told I’m too detailed or to finite. I’ve gotten better and 1189567 learned simplicity is a real important aspect and coaching five years with Torts is as simple as it can get. He has his trigger points.” Canucks: Travis Green picks veteran coach Brad Shaw for critical role Those who really got to know Shaw, label him as “a super-nice guy”. If anything, he tends to be a perfectionist and a constant drilling of 'At times, I’ve been told I’m too detailed or too finite. I’ve gotten better fundamentals might affect some, but the Canucks could use that right and learned simplicity is a real important aspect ... ' — new Canucks now. They need direction. assistant Brad Shaw “This is a steal for the Canucks,” said a Jackets’ insider. “You’ll see results pretty quick.” Ben Kuzma The Canucks also added Kyle Gustafson as an assistant and special assignment coach. He was assistant general manager and associate coach of the WHL Portland Winterhawks and his connection with Green The first conversation lasted an hour. dates to working the junior bench together. The second one went on for two hours. While assistants Jason King, goalie coach Ian Clark and video coach Darryl Seward were also re-signed, Newell Brown was jettisoned as the When Brad Shaw wasn’t afforded an opportunity to interview as a power-play architect, which speaks to Shaw’s heightened role. Clark was replacement for departed Columbus head coach John Tortorella — the reportedly rewarded with a whopping five-year extension for turning assistant was surprisingly not retained by the NHL club — Vancouver Thatcher Demko into a bonafide starter and tailoring Micheal DiPietro’s Canucks head coach Travis Green quickly sought permission to interview acrobatic game to be more effective at the pro level. the free agent. Chris Higgins will resume his role as assistant director of player What the Blue Jackets may have lost in their curious decision is what the development after the former Canucks winger supported the coaching Canucks hoped to have gained Wednesday in hiring the well-travelled staff and development coach this season. and highly respected Shaw as a key assistant to Green. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 06.10.2021 The former defensive defenceman, who logged 377 games with four NHL teams, hasn’t only guided top blueliners in a trio of coaching stops, his ability to deploy responsible mindsets will resonate with a club that has to stop the bleeding. The league’s 26th-ranked defence and 17th-rated penalty kill will get a boost from Shaw’s knowledge because the Jackets sported the best kill in the 2018-19 season. He was also instrumental in helping Seth Jones, Zach Werenski and Vladislav Gavrikov develop into top-tier defencemen and reliable rearguards. It’s why Shaw’s name popped up in the past to fill head-coaching vacancies in Arizona, New York (Rangers), Buffalo and New Jersey, and why the Canucks will deploy the 57-year-old Cambridge, Ont., native in an expanded role. Nolan Baumgartner will continue to work with defencemen and run the penalty kill but Shaw won’t be far away for some sage advice while helping direct forwards and the power play. “Brad brings a lot to the table,” said Green. “Everyone looks at him like he’s a defensive coach, but he’s a lot more than that. He’s a very sharp hockey mind and is going to be able to touch a lot of areas of our team and be a good influence on our staff. “We’ve (Baumgartner and Green) been together for four years and sometimes a different point of view and different set of eyes is helpful. That was a big part of it and I really enjoy talking to people who have a mind for the game. And as a coach, you want to be challenged and broaden your mind and ideas. He’s a new voice for me and somebody I can lean on and he’ll have some good words for Baumer.” Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella stands in the bench in the game against the Detroit Red Wings in May 2021. An example of Shaw’s expanded capabilities came in the 2019 playoffs. He worked with Tortorella and assistant Brad Larsen, who will interview to replace Tortorella, and the trio devised a plan that completely choked the Tampa Bay Lightning, winners of the President’s Trophy. A shocking first-round sweep of the high-octane Lightning, who had four of the league’s top-six scorers and were held to eight series goals, was made possible by a staying-above-the-puck approach and mucking and grinding through the neutral zone. It worked for the first round, but the Jackets were eliminated in six games by the Boston Bruins in the second. Still, Shaw made a statement that he wasn’t a one-dimensional coach. “The defensive side is something I’ve done for a long time and always had a huge interest in,” he said. “Your defence has a big role and how they see the game, react and finding solutions intrigues me and always will. It’s always a challenge to get that message across. “I know how I want players to play with habits and attention to detail. To have my hands in everything and have a little bit of a different job description is exciting. With Baumer, I hope to augment him in different ways by getting my point across and not being offensive. “We’re all in this together. It’s getting to a comfort level where you can say what’s on your mind and by being totally honest, we’ll get further ahead. For the defence and forwards, certain habits are important across the board. Vancouver Canucks defence and penalty kill, as he has for the Canucks the past four 1189568 seasons.

In parting ways with Brown, the Canucks are moving on from one of the Canucks rework coaching staff: Brad Shaw’s role, Ian Clark’s new title game’s most respected power-play coaches and the foremost and adding ‘fresh voices’ popularizer of the neutral zone set drop pass — a power-play entry that is often derided by Canucks fans, even as it has become ubiquitous around the NHL over the past decade. That’s for a reason: It works. By Thomas Drance Jun 10, 2021 Over Brown’s last four years with the Canucks, the club ranked 14th in the NHL in power-play percentage and 10th in power-play goals scored despite being severely underskilled in some of those seasons and On Wednesday, the Vancouver Canucks announced a series of leaning heavily on extremely young players to do the bulk of the club’s changes, modifications and extensions for their coaching staff. damage. The announcement comes on the heels of intense internal discussion “Newell for me is an unbelievable coach,” Green said. “I’ve known him a over the past few weeks that was followed by a flurry of negotiations over long time, and I’ve got nothing but great things to say about him. the past month with everyone from head coach Travis Green to Whatever team gets him is going to get a great coach.” goaltending coach Ian Clark. The Canucks also confirmed an extension for Clark, a Vancouver native The final product was unveiled Wednesday as the club parted ways with who has spent 10 years with the organization in two stints and who has a Newell Brown, shuffled Chris Higgins back into hockey operations in the deserved reputation that has become supersized in the market over the player development role he held before the 2020-21 season and hired past couple of years. veteran NHL assistant coach Brad Shaw and longtime Portland As first reported by Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston, Clark’s deal is for five Winterhawks assistant coach Kyle Gustafson. years, team sources confirmed to The Athletic. That five-year term Various candidates were considered for the role Shaw is filling, as matches the term of Thatcher Demko’s extension and exceeds the term Canucks decision-makers felt that after four years with roughly the same remaining on the other coaching extensions the club has signed over the coaching staff, the club could use some new voices and new past month. perspectives. It’s a feeling that originated from management but that While it was unannounced in the release Wednesday, Clark also Green was receptive to. received a title change that formalizes the responsibility he has come to Enter Shaw and Gustafson. wield for the Canucks in evaluating professional and amateur goaltenders. Clark is now the organization’s director of goaltending and The Shaw hire is the starriest of the new additions. The long-tenured goaltending coach. assistant coach has had stops with the St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets and has developed a reputation for working with — and The Clark saga took on a life of its own as the season wound down. maximizing — talented young defencemen such as Alex Pietrangelo, Demko even publicly lobbied the organization to extend Clark’s contract, Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. Known as a detail-oriented and open- describing himself as “desperate” to continue working with the minded student of the game, Shaw will arrive in Vancouver with a more goaltending guru. general portfolio than is usually seen from an assistant coach. The organization had long assured Clark a deal would be there for him, Discussions with various team sources — and as Shaw alluded to during but in insisting that Green’s contract get done first before turning to the a fascinating hit on Sportsnet 650 on Wednesday afternoon — indicate business of filling out his staff, the club gambled that Clark — who that the role appears to more closely match the job description of a would’ve had significant options had he become a coaching free agent — traditional associate coach. wouldn’t grow impatient. The gamble paid off. Green and Shaw don’t have a close prior connection, but the decision to For all that drama, the end of the story is a happy one. The club — add him to the staff — after interviews were conducted with other management and ownership — stepped up to make an outsized candidates — was Green’s. commitment to Clark. The taskmaster goaltending coach has built a reputation for getting the best out of star-level puck stoppers, from “I talked to him for three or four hours over a couple of days,” Green told Roberto Luongo to Sergei Bobrovsky and Jacob Markstrom, and the The Athletic when reached by telephone Wednesday, “and it felt like he organization relies on him for more than just preparing goaltenders for was the right guy to add to our staff. game action. “There’s something to be said for a guy like Brad Shaw — who is a real The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 student of the game, studies the game, has a good read offensively and defensively — and he’s a fresh new voice for our group.” Though Green and Shaw don’t have a prior personal connection, Gustafson and Green are longtime friends and worked together in Portland, including the 2012-13 season, when the Winterhawks made it to the Memorial Cup Final. “I’ve kept in contact with him, when I talk about fresh voices and new voices, I think there’s something to be said for fresh new voices from outside the NHL, too,” Green said of Gustafson. “When him and I coached years ago, he was always studying the NHL, breaking down NHL video, even when I turned pro and coached in Utica and Vancouver, we talked a lot about the NHL game. He’s a sharp guy with systems, and I think having a fresh voice from that standpoint is going to help us as well.” Gustafson would superficially appear to fill the spot Higgins held down after longtime Canucks skills coach Glen Carnegie departed the organization in the 2020 offseason, but his assignments will match his title — assistant coach/special assignment coach — and isn’t skills- related. Coaches with specialized systems portfolios are becoming more common in the NHL, a template that’s been set by the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have a coach on staff named Brian Garlock. Garlock’s title is video coordinator, but he’s worked with Lightning head coach Jon Cooper for 15 years, specializing in diagnosing opponents’ systems. The Canucks will have three assistant coaches on their bench next season: Shaw and returning assistants Jason King and Nolan Baumgartner. King, who was the club’s eye-in-the-sky during the 2021 season, will take over running the power play. Baumgartner will continue running the Vancouver Canucks With the bubble environment, what was it like settling in over in Latvia 1189569 and getting to know your teammates?

It was pretty strict. We all had to fly to Newark, then we took a private ‘Is this Troy from Richmond?’: Troy Stecher talks Roberto Luongo, the charter with Team USA right to Riga. expansion draft and Team Canada gold Over in Riga, we had a two-day isolation period in our hotel room. Meals were delivered to our room in a brown paper bag. By Thomas Drance Jun 9, 2021 Then after that, there was a three or five-day period where we could practice as a team but we couldn’t cross paths with other teams and then it was literally just games, practices and if not, you were just in the team conference room. There was no outside time, no restaurants, not like you Troy Stecher’s first year as a member of the Detroit Red Wings was a had in the NHL bubble. challenging one. It was definitely tough mentally, but Hockey Canada does everything first Stecher grappled with the death of his father, moved on from his class. They did the best job they could under the circumstances. hometown team, the Vancouver Canucks, after the club declined to tender him a qualifying offer, spent six weeks in the NHL’s western So the tournament begins and you get off to a tough start. I don’t think bubble and went through an isolating NHL season while adhering to strict anyone will remember this with what happened with Canada storming protocols in an entirely new city. back to win gold, but there’s that third period of the final preliminary round game between Latvia and Germany. And Latvia is down one and if The 27-year-old was preparing to enjoy a hard-earned vacation in Miami they’d levelled it up in that third period, Canada wouldn’t have been in the with friends and take a golf trip in South Carolina with family. To enjoy elimination round. Do you remember what it was like in the moment? some freedom again. Yeah and I already forget, but I think if Kazakhstan had won their last Then a call arrived from a future Hall of Famer who invited Stecher to game we would’ve needed that game to go to overtime. So the fact that spend an additional month in a bubble, but this time, over in Latvia. Kazakhstan ended up losing, our whole mindset shifted because before it It would’ve been completely understandable if Stecher had declined. But we were just praying that it would. It was a wave of emotions. he didn’t, and his World Championship experience turned into a After the 0-3 start, Shane Doan came to the room and said to us, “Look, memorable one. Stecher starred for an underdog Canadian side that we just have to run the table, we’re not out of the tournament yet. If we shocked the international hockey community by erasing an 0-3 start to win out and finish up with 12 points we’re going to get in.” the tournament and storming back to win gold. Individually, Stecher played top-pairing minutes in the biggest games of the tournament and So we’re up on Finland 2-1 in our fourth game, and they come back and set up a highlight-reel goal that went viral and eliminated Russia in won in a shootout. So we’re heartbroken. Let’s just call a spade a spade, overtime. we saw people calling us the worst Team Canadian national team in history. Like, it was bad. On Tuesday, Stecher caught up with The Athletic from his Vancouver home to discuss his conversations with the Red Wings about the Then we get in, we’re playing such good hockey. We just caught fire at expansion draft, getting hit high by Moritz Seider, being coached by the right time. Gerard Gallant, why Owen Power is going to be an elite NHL defenceman and how winning gold at the World Championship brought Your defence partner for much of the tournament was Owen Power. back special memories of his late father. What were your impressions of the young man likely to hear his name called first at the draft this year? The following conversation has been edited for clarity and length. He is going to be one of the top defencemen in this league for his entire You went through this lonely NHL season and then went to Europe to career. It’s insane how good he is. play at the worlds. What were the first conversations like with Roberto Luongo when he first approached you and was it a difficult decision to The way he conducts himself at 18 years old, how mature he is. And just make, considering what this past season was like? being around him and looking at him and you’re just like, man, you need to put on another 20, 30 pounds. He’s still kind of skinny! It’s scary to I was having breakfast with my girlfriend in Detroit. We’d had a trip think about how good he’s going to be. planned to Miami and then we were going down to South Carolina after to go golf with her family. Just kind of a getaway. The idea was to get Awesome kid, great D partner. He’d ask me stuff on the bench and I’d tell away from the whole bubble-like situation in the NHL because we didn’t him, “Man, you’re already better than me! Just go do your thing, I’ll be do anything all year. We didn’t go to a single restaurant. I grew my hair your eyes, I’ll call for an over and up, but don’t second guess yourself or out for the first time I can remember because I couldn’t go to a think I’m going to get mad at you because I’ve been in the league longer barbershop. It was strict. We were excited to have some freedom. than you have. We’re here to win, so if you see something and you’re comfortable doing something, do it.” Then I got a call from a Fort Lauderdale area code, but I missed it. Sure enough, I get a text from Roberto Luongo asking me to call him. That’s He’s got some swagger to him, too. Every hockey player has it in their when I knew. own right and every superstar has to have it. He’s no different, but in no way is it cockiness. Just confident in who he is and super mature for his So I call him and he answers, “Hey, is this Troy from Richmond?” and I age. just started laughing. Pretty funny. What was it like playing for Gerard Gallant and getting to play for him for He invited me to worlds and obviously Luongo, being the goaltender in a couple of weeks over in Europe? 2011 and growing up a Canucks fan, it was pretty hard to say no. Not that I would’ve anyways. I was honoured to get the invitation and I was He was awesome. He’s obviously going to be in the NHL next year and ecstatic to be part of the team. deservedly so. Did you know Luongo before? He’s an unbelievable coach, very hard but very fair. I’ve met him, during the Sedin twins’ number retirement. I’ve been around If you come to the bench and you’ve made a mistake, you’re going to him but hadn’t had an opportunity to get to know him on a personal level hear it. As a player, you can accept it and we’re mature enough to take before, really. criticism. The thing is he wasn’t going to bury you on the bench afterwards. He was going to put you out again the next shift and he was What was your impression of Luongo? This was his first shot as a top going to give you an opportunity to redeem yourself. executive. What was it like having him around the team? I think sometimes — just talking to players around the league, some of He was awesome. Obviously, being a general manager he was pretty my friends — you make a mistake and you feel like you’re done for the reserved around the guys. He had his poker face on. night. There was never that vibe with anybody. Maybe it’s that we had a young team and he wanted everyone to feel confident, but that’s how he You could see once we won though how ecstatic he was, how proud he managed the bench at the worlds. It was awesome to be a part of. was of the group. He gave a speech after we won gold in the dressing room and all the boys start chanting “Luuu!” It was such a unique As Team Canada gets rolling, you get the highlight-reel assist and we’ll experience to be a part of, especially being from Vancouver and following get to that, but now that you’ve seen him in practice every day and his career so closely during his time here. played with him, do you have a new appreciation for how good Andrew Mangiapane is? Yeah, he and I got along really, really well. season and oftentimes they’re the best guys off of the ice. You get to meet them, build a relationship with them, it’s a lot of fun that way. He didn’t get there until the fourth game of the tournament. All the boys were calling me “Stech” and as soon as he got there he started calling It’s still pretty fresh, but are you able to reflect on what winning gold me “Tony,” so all the boys started calling me “Tony.” Obviously, he’d means to you yet? heard it from (Chris) Tanev and Marky (Jacob Markstrom) and (Josh) Leivo in Calgary. Our rooms were right across the hall from one another, Not really, not yet. so we hung out every night. Yeah, just another guy I made a friendship The last time I went to the worlds, we lost in the finals to Finland. The for life with and he was a huge, huge reason why we won. only two returning guys from that team were Adam Henrique and I. We OK, so the highlight-reel assist. How did it unfold from your perspective definitely took a minute after we won and were so pumped up to finally and what was it like postgame with everybody sharing it and getting get redemption. excited? I’m sure we’ll look back here in a week or so, over the course of time, It’s crazy, in a situation like that, how many different thoughts go through and have a sense of the significance of what we did. No team in your mind. It seems like it’s going so fast, but it’s almost slow motion. Canadian history has ever started 0-2 in the World Championships, let alone 0-3, so to come back and win with no big-name player on our I had the conversation with Doan the night before. I pulled the move off in team, it was a pretty great story. practice and he came up to me at dinner and asked, “Why didn’t you ever do that in a game? That was unbelievable.” I just told him that it’s not Here’s the most important question: Where was your dog Phoebe while really how I play hockey in a game situation, and I’ve never really had the you were over in Latvia? confidence to do it at the NHL level. Phoebe was in Madison, Wis., at my girlfriend’s parents’ house for most He said, “Why not? Be confident in yourself, you’re a good player.” So, of it and for the past six days she’s been in Vancouver in quarantine with that was in the back of my mind. my girlfriend. They made the drive to meet me here. Then not to throw anyone under the bus, but the game before against You’ve been through the expansion process before, but the last time out Finland, the game we lost in a shoutout, I was in the Mangiapane it was your rookie season and you were exempt. This is your first time situation and I made the pass to Maxime Comtois on the Ducks and the through it as a player eligible to be selected. What’s that experience like shot got blocked. So that was in the back of my mind, too. from an uncertainty perspective and what have your conversations been like with Detroit about their plans to this point? When he hit me and I was at the top of the ice and knew everyone was in the slot, that if I sold the shot that the defender would sell out. It’s next Honestly, I haven’t even thought about it. goal wins. So I went for the wrist shot and sure enough he bit. I know at the end of the season I spoke to Steve Yzerman and he was Now it’s all just instinct, and Shane Doan in the back of my head. I kind of just excited for me to come to worlds and that we were going to speak blacked out from that moment. afterwards. I have no idea where we stand. By the time I get around the second defender, it’s in slow motion again. I What I do know is I signed a two-year contract in Detroit for a reason and make eye contact with Mangiapane, and the puck just happened to go I’m hoping to be back there. under Sergei Bobrovsky’s stick and through the crease and it’s on his What did you enjoy the most in your first year playing with the Red tape. Then it’s all blackout again. Wings? It’ll probably be the biggest highlight of my career when it’s done. It was tough this year with COVID. We didn’t really get to experience the THEY DID IT!!! �� city or anything. I can’t really judge it fairly from that aspect. CANADA WINS IN OVERTIME!! What I can say is that the group of guys were incredible. When we got on the road and we were in the conference room, there were just so many ANDREW MANGIAPANE IS THE HERO IN OT TO DEFEAT RUSSIA! different characters on that team and everyone made me feel @HOCKEYCANADA #IIHFWORLDS #ROCCAN @NHLFLAMES comfortable from Day 1. There’s a great group of guys there, that was PIC.TWITTER.COM/XEICJBUTZV noticeable from Day 1. As tough as things were with COVID and as challenging as it was not making the playoffs, we enjoyed each other’s — IIHF (@IIHFHOCKEY) JUNE 3, 2021 company and I was super grateful for that. How many people did you hear from in the 12 hours following that play? After you won gold, you posted on Instagram: “IIHF World Champions! It was insane. Hundreds of texts, my Twitter and Instagram notifications Right before Father’s Day.” How much did the loss of your father last were insane, gained a few thousand followers. That went viral. year register for you in the wake of the accomplishment last week in Latvia? It didn’t last long, though. We took out the No. 1 seed, but now we had a game against the No. 1 seed in our division. So it was just, like, OK, let’s Throughout the year I’ve thought about him a lot obviously. I lost him on refocus and regroup. Father’s Day last year and the whole story is personal, I haven’t told many people about it. It is what it is. So you’re over there and so was Moritz Seider, a player you’ll likely play with next year. Did you get a chance to watch him play and what sort of Coming up on that date, even through the season when you’re not able impressions did you have of his game? to do anything, there’s a lot of free time and your mind starts to wander, so he was on my mind quite a bit. I didn’t get to watch him play much, aside from that last game Germany vs. Latvia because we were praying for help in that situation. I remember the last worlds I went to, he didn’t want to come. So I forced him to come. I bought his flight ticket and everything. He didn’t have a Playing against him in the one game, they beat us 3-1, I thought he was passport at the time, so he went and got one. I’m so grateful to have that really solid. He actually took a penalty on me behind the net — which I memory. was pumped about. Coming back here, it all rehit me. It’s just very special to me. TROY STECHER, MEET MORITZ SEIDER #LGRW PIC.TWITTER.COM/XYVSVC9TLA You’re back in Vancouver now for the offseason. Nine months ago you weren’t qualified and you depart as a free agent. Does how it ended — ICEHOCKEYGIFS (@ICEHOCKEYG) MAY 24, 2021 change how you regard your time here and do you wish it had turned out differently in any respect? In the NHL, though, when I’m going to be his teammate, I’ll tell him to do the same thing. He’s just strong, hard, tough. He’s going to be a force in Well no, the hockey world is a business. I understood that from the the NHL for sure. Detroit got a really good pick there. second I signed up to play professionally in Vancouver. So it was an international ice hockey penalty, not an NHL penalty? That’s something I’ve always lived by in my career. You have to live day- by-day, be fortunate and grateful for the situation you’re in. And work to You could say it that way. But obviously, we were down, so I was excited control what you can control. that we got the power play there. If our roles were reversed I’d be pissed! I know I’m not a first-pairing defenceman, so I’m going to have to work for No bad blood for training camp? all my ice time every time. It’s no different in Detroit. Vancouver made their decision. That was their decision, I couldn’t control it, so it was just Not at all! That’s the coolest thing about the World Championships. about moving on to the next day and make sure I’m doing everything I There’s these guys you see that you hate playing against in the regular can to put myself in the best situation for me to succeed. That’s how I’ve always treated business in my career. There’s a thought in the hockey world that Vancouver is a tough market to play in. A ton of pressure, a ton of media coverage. From the outside looking in, you were a guy that seemed to handle it pretty well. No, believe me, I was very aware of it all! I bet! What is it like, being from here, knowing this city better than most, what is it like to play in this market from a player’s perspective and what advice would you give to anybody trying to handle it? Just be you. I think every market you’re going to play in has its own positives and negatives. That’s the reality of life. That’s true for businesses, cities and individuals. You just have to be you and do your thing. That’s what I’d say to anybody going anywhere, whether it’s Detroit, Penticton, North Dakota or Vancouver. The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2021 Websites “We’ve got a group of guys that have been together for quite a while 1189570 [and] we’ve added some key pieces,” veteran forward Josh Bailey said. “You get in these high-intensity games and guys just keep showing up for one another. It just builds a bond. It’s going to be no easy task; I think Sportsnet.ca / With unwavering zeal, Islanders extend final Cup run at Tampa has a great team, defending Cup champs. But we know we iconic Nassau Coliseum believe in ourselves and we know we’re going to need our best to find a way to take them down.” Nelson's two goal night leads Islanders to series victory over Bruins The Lightning beat the Islanders in six games in the Edmonton playoff New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson scored two crucial goals to bubble last summer. help his team eliminate the Boston Bruins in Game 6. Since then, Lamoriello added two more experienced wingers in Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, and Trotz developed defenceman Noah Iain MacIntyre June 10, 2021, 12:52 AM Dobson and put him on the first-unit power play. It was classic Islanders that, late in the third period on Wednesday — with the score 4-2 before New York added a couple of empty-netters — In the final days of an arena made holy by a Stanley Cup dynasty more Trotz sent his third and fourth lines out to defend the lead, and on than a generation ago, proclamations from 12,000 grateful worshippers consecutive shifts these players spent their time on the ice running out thundered down from the pews Wednesday as validation: “New York the clock by keeping the puck protected deep in the Boston zone. Saints! New York Saints!” With their season, and possibly an era, on the line, the Bruins managed The crowd at old and dying Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on five shots in the third period. Long Island, N.Y., used Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy’s words against him, embracing his accusation about how National Hockey “I keep coming back to experiences because that’s what allows you to League referees were treating the New York Islanders. have success, to understand the moment,” Trotz explained. “We don’t get too far in front of the moment. We weren’t even thinking about Cassidy was right, of course: the Islanders aren’t saints. But they are Boston; we were just thinking about the next shift.” believers. “We have a good group of guys that have been here a long time,” Nelson Their conviction was evident as they swatted aside the Bruins with a 6-2 said. “They’ve kind of grown up here, grown together. It’s a special win to move into another NHL semifinal. The victory guaranteed their group, a special place, the history this place has dating back to the early joyous followers at least another couple of games in the Coliseum before days, the 80s. I’ve said a few times… it’s just not the players, but the the team moves next season about 15 minutes west, nearer to civilization community have a strong connection to this place.” and its new $1.5-billion home at Belmont Park. Never stronger in the last 35 years, even if the place is changing. There is an unwavering zeal about how the Islanders play: consistently, smartly, quickly and physically, shift after shift after shift. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.10.2021 That they do this with a deep, experienced, playoff-hardened lineup that has been through eight playoff series in three years since Barry Trotz arrived as coach and Lou Lamoriello as general manager – Hall-of- Famers cast off by previous teams that should have known better – make the Islanders a formidable opponent. Yes, even for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Stanley Cup champions who again will have to go through the Islanders to get to another Final. New York eliminated Boston in six games, winning the final three after falling behind to the Bruins 2-1 in the East Division Final. The Islanders are capable of winning a Stanley Cup even if few people outside of their flock will pick them to beat the Lightning. The Bruins had the bigger stars, as the Lightning will, too, but the Islanders had the better team. And by the end, really, it wasn’t close. “We recognize this as a special moment for this building,” Trotz said late Wednesday. “Guys understood the magnitude of this game, the importance of the game. This is a group… you don’t have to say too many things, you just have to give them little reminders here and there. But they are really a solid, veteran group. They understand the moments, and this was a moment for them and our crowd.” Nassau Coliseum is ROCKIN’ #ItsOn pic.twitter.com/b8BDTIzMcj — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 10, 2021 One of a dozen skaters who has been through all eight playoff rounds with the Islanders since Trotz won a Stanley Cup in Washington in 2018, Brock Nelson scored two of three Islanders goals during a second-period outburst made possible by dreadful Boston puck management. “One of those nights — Barry touched on it after the game — you’ll always remember moments like that,” Nelson told reporters. “It just feels good having a full Coliseum there behind us, and playing for them.” Trotz said: “I talked to them, I said, ‘You know… when your career is all done, you’re going to remember those special moments — when you win a series and hopefully when you win a Stanley Cup. There’s going to be special moments along the way, and we can make this a special moment. Try to take the next step.’ There’s going to four teams left playing, and all the other ones, the 27 other teams, they’re wishing they had this opportunity that we have.” The Islanders’ six playoff series victories under Trotz is one more than the franchise had managed over the previous 34 years since the Edmonton Oilers ended in 1985 the Mike Bossy-Bryan Trottier-Denis Potvin Islanders dynasty at four-straight Stanley Cups. Websites “Our core was still very young. What you’d consider the core of our team, 1189571 outside of myself probably, was very, very young,” Wheeler, 34, said of that 2018 roster. “And that core is now, I mean, they’re maturing into men in the primes of their career.” Sportsnet.ca / Jets’ Mark Scheifele: NHL’s department of player safety ‘shut me down’ Among the core group of players under contract for at least the next three seasons are Wheeler, whose deal will expire following 2023-24; ‘Feels helpless’ for Scheifele to watch Jets lose to Canadiens from Mark Scheifele, 28; Kyle Connor, 24; Nikolaj Ehlers, 25; Adam Lowry, 28; sidelines Josh Morrissey, 26; and Hellebuyck, 28. Mark Scheifele talked about having to watch the Jets take on the The 2017-18 post-season brought Winnipeg’s best shot at winning to Canadiens while serving a suspension, and the helpless feeling he had. date, with the club advancing to the Western Conference Final where they lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights. One year later, the team finished second in the Central for the second consecutive time, with Emily Sadle June 9, 2021, 1:49 PM its Cup hopes cut short after losing in six games to the eventual champion St. Louis Blues.

“Those two years, the back-to-back years, those were probably very real For the second straight post-season, Mark Scheifele watched the chances to win it all,” Wheeler reflected. “I think our team this year, we Winnipeg Jets‘ Stanley Cup hopes come to an end from the sidelines. have a lot of the makings of what it takes to win it all. I’m excited about the direction that we’re headed, I think there’s a lot to look forward to for “It’s not fun. It’s definitely not a great feeling. You feel pretty helpless our group.” when your team’s out there battling and you’re watching from the stands,” he told reporters during Wednesday’s media availability after the Wheeler continued: “The hardest part is formulating a core group of Jets were swept by the Montreal Canadiens. “But the way you handle players that you believe are kind of the identity of your team and the guys setbacks is what defines us. So, that’s the mentality I’m taking.” that can push you over the hump — and I think we have that. That’s a great step in the right direction … that’s a group you can get really While last year it was an injury that forced Scheifele out of the Jets’ excited about. qualifying-round series against the Calgary Flames in Game 1, this year it was his own actions that took him out of play. Scheifele was issued a “Now, it’s just supplementing,” he said. “And in a flat-cap world, that’s four-game suspension for charging Canadiens forward Jake Evans in the gonna be Kevin [Cheveldayoff]’s challenge this summer, is ‘How do you series-opener of Round 2. Evans had to be stretchered off and was fit the pieces in to kind of push that core over the top?’ And I guess that’s diagnosed with a concussion. what remains to be seen.” “I thought I was going to be tried to be shut down by Phillip Danault. Why Wheeler still feels Jets have Cup contending core Instead it was the Department of Player Safety that shut me down. So that definitely sucks,” Scheifele said of the suspension on Wednesday. Copp, Pionk, Stastny address upcoming contract negotiations To be clear, Mark Scheifele shut himself down General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has a busy summer ahead, with a trio of crucial restricted free agents in defencemen Neal Pionk and Logan This is the second time Scheifele has publicly addressed the suspension, Stanley, and versatile forward Andrew Copp due new deals. having spoken to reporters following the league’s decision last week. On the UFA front, veteran forwards Paul Stastny, Mathieu Perrault, Nate “I think at the end of the day, you regret the outcome of it. I said that over Thompson and Trevor Lewis will all have decisions ahead of them. and over. You never want to see a guy hurt, and I’m a guy that respects Asked about their impending contract talks, here’s what some of them this game and respects players,” he said Wednesday, repeating his said Wednesday: stance that he was trying to negate a goal when he hit Evans. Andrew Copp, RFA: “Those conversations — where they see me moving “I would’ve loved an answer from [the department of player safety] of forward here and the direction of the team, what we’re gonna do to make what would’ve been a better thing to do. I’ve replayed the thing over and us better — are the two biggest things for me. I wouldn’t say anything’s over in my mind and the only real thing is if I gave up on my teammates off the table at this point, and I’m sure with everything kind of happening on that play and just didn’t back check,” he said. sooner rather than later that that will get addressed pretty quickly.” Scheifele reiterated his stance that he still believes the suspension was Copp went through the arbitration process two summers ago with the “excessive.” Jets, and said Wednesday that the experience of 2019 won’t impact this off-season’s negotiations. “They knocked me out of the series,” he said. “I didn’t even get a chance to play with my teammates and battle with my teammates in the series … Paul Stastny, UFA: “I’m older, I think options are probably more limited.” I’m gonna stop talking before I get fined or something like that.” Stastny, 35, said he was open to a return to the Jets but indicated he Hellebuyck: We’re very close to being able to make runs and being a won’t be rushing into any decisions. dynasty.” “I think with the expansion draft and everything that’s going on, I’m pretty The Jets have been considered a contender the past few seasons now, sure teams are gonna be busy trying to figure that stuff out.” and Hellebuyck has always made clear his will to win it all. He reiterated that on Wednesday when asked about the club’s mindset. He also made clear that what’s best for his family will factor heavily into any decisions made. “You want to win, and I think having the conversations I’ve had now, I think they do want to win and they want to win now,” Hellebuyck said of “We’ll be patient about it. No rush. I kind of have an idea of what places the Jets, adding that he believes every team should have that all-in will to you wanna play at but you wanna do what’s a good fit for you and you win every single season. “They’re looking for the right pieces. My mindset wanna go somewhere where you’re wanted, too,” he said. “I have is now, and next year I’m gonna say the same thing. You also don’t want nothing but good things to say here, and I know the future has always to blow it for future years, so you want to be smart about it, but I think our been bright, it continues to be bright. There’s always gonna be a chance organization definitely wants it now and they’re gonna do what they have here and I think that’s a really important piece to picking a team you to do.” wanna play at.” He later added: “We’re close. We’re very close to being able to make Players throw support behind Paul Maurice runs and being a dynasty.” Jets head coach Paul Maurice joined the team in January 2014 and is Hellebuyck confident Jets will put together pieces to win Stanley Cup currently the second longest-tenured bench boss in the league behind Jon Cooper, who’s led Tampa Bay since March 2013. Wheeler talks expectations of 2018 vs. 2021 and beyond Said Wheeler: “I’ve been on teams where the coach has lost the team A lot can change in three years, and that includes the Jets’ identity. The and the message isn’t received. But that has just never happened with 2018 edition of the Jets was one built more on a foundation of defence Paul.” thanks to a group of veteran blue liners and an elite netminder, while this year it’s a strong, deep offence (and continued elite goaltending) that For Ehlers, Maurice is the only NHL head coach he’s ever known. propelled the club into the playoffs. All along, the same core group of “He’s been the coach since I came in. It’s very unusual, even in Europe, forwards has (mostly) remained, and captain Blake Wheeler believes it’s to have the same coach for that long. But it just shows what kind of just now hitting its prime. coach and what kind of guy Paul is,” he said. “I think everyone on the team is very happy with the way he coaches us — and not just the on-ice stuff, but the off-ice stuff, too. He’s a guy you can go talk to when something’s up and there’s always something with the on-ice stuff that he’s got for you, whether it’s good or bad. And that goes for the whole coaching staff. They’re great at finding small things that they can help you with, whether they do video or it’s on ice, they pull you aside. I think that’s been huge for me, to work on small details of the game. That’s been great.” Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.10.2021 Websites At the end of the day, though, it’s on Kuraly for putting the ref in that spot 1189572 in that moment, but you can see why he’d be frustrated given the score and timing of the huge playoff game they’re in. Sportsnet.ca / Thoughts on cross-checking, Islanders-Bruins, pushing That brings us to David Krejci’s cup-check on Mathew Barzal (which was refs to make calls arbitrarily deemed a slash because “he doinked him in the beans” isn’t an official penalty), and the Barzal cross-checks that preceded it. Bruins’ Cassidy disagrees with his fine, but respects the league’s decision Generally, attempts at “pushing them in” are allowed by referees, as they aren’t violent and are in service of controlling an opponent’s body, which Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy justifies his comments after Game 5, is the crux of defending. Barzal doesn’t want Krejci to be able to step says it was a bit of gamesmanship, says he’ll always stick up for his back from the pile, see the puck and pull it free, then have room to take it captain, says he thought he was civil enough and didn’t deserve a fine, where he wants. Barzal wants Krejci stapled to the glass, like Chris but is ready to move on from it. Pronger on Justin Bieber. So, are these cross-whatevers from Barzal too much? Justin Bourne @jtbourne June 9, 2021, 12:52 PM My answer is no, with the context being that I like the battling aspect of the game; I think it reveals a lot about players and their will, and part of what makes the game entertaining. “Push them in.” Part of being a player in these moments is that cross-checks are a Over and over I’ve heard coaches watching video talk to one another and subjective call, meaning it’s one of the places you can actually give it a say something like “Smitty’s gotta push him in there. Their guy’s able to little to your opponent, so of course guys push the envelope. Half the grab the loose puck and take off with it. He should never be able to get time they’re daring the ref to call it. But I think Barzal is just on the right out of that pile.” side of the line here (the first one is the hardest, but it’s when Krejci is closest to the pile so it doesn’t feel dangerous), even though some of the “Push them in” is in reference to puck battles in the corner, which contact comes away from his body on the cross-check motion. generally consist of two offensive players trying to get the puck moving in the O-zone, and two defensive players trying to kill movement and dig Part of the problem with calling cross-checking today is the same the puck free. One of the two defensive players is usually in the thick of problem we had with hooking many years ago. Everyone did it, and the the battle, with the other a step back from the pile to ensure they don’t refs would only call it if you went down. Palmieri went down, there’s a get burned by a puck popping free. It’s his job to contain the outermost penalty. Krejci didn’t, there’s no penalty. I certainly don’t want us in a offensive player by “pushing him in” to the pile … with cross-checks. position where we encourage diving to get calls, but I can’t see how moving the line to allow less or more cross-stick contact eliminates it Legal ones, of course. from happening. Here’s the thing about cross-checks, which have become a hot button Hooking wasn’t battling, though. It sucked joy from the game and was issue this post-season, particularly in the Islanders-Bruins series: how something we could just outright eliminate. As long as players have to they’re called is utterly subjective, it has to be, and it always is going to have two hands on their sticks to defend, we’re not going to be able to be. Even the “call the rulebook” zealots are going to have to accept some eliminate players from using the shaft of their sticks to control and defend measure of cross-checking or cross-pushing or cross-controlling, in their own zone. So no matter where you stand on the “call-everything- however much they want to water it down. That doesn’t mean we can’t o-meter,” you’re just moving the line of where the ref blows the whistle, do a better job calling the bad ones, there just has to be a subjective cut- not eliminating the subjectivity of the call. There’s always going to be off somewhere. some measure of pushing, the only thing that differs is how much you personally want to see. We accept that hockey is a physical sport, a contact one, and to some extent it has to be. This is true in international play, the women’s game, This is how we end up where we did with Bruce Cassidy’s post-game youth hockey, you name it — there’s too many bodies fighting for small comments on the refereeing, and the whole “New York Saints” thing. spaces to make it contact-free. So to defend someone as it currently stands, we’ve said that you cannot take your hand off your stick to do it. Bruins’ Cassidy calls out referees after Game 5 loss It’s an insta-penalty these days, called holding, whether much of a hold Cassidy was fined $25,000 for those comments, but you have to wonder takes place or not. So, everybody’s got two hands on their stick. if at times that’s money well spent. Calls are subjective, so coaches can You can’t slash down on opposing sticks anymore because composite get in refs’ heads, which is part of why they complain after borderline sticks break pretty readily, so that’s just begging for two minutes. All you calls. If they can convince the refs they’ve been unfair in their decision- can do, really, is stand in someone’s way, and try to control their body making, the hope is the next call is more likely to go their way. You with “cross-pushes,” as you’ve got both hands on your stick. control what you can as a coach, and I appreciate him trying to make a difference with the people in black and white. How these “cross-pushes” are generally accepted: on the opposing player’s hips (not back), with your hands closer together than farther In Game 6 Wednesday night, the Bruins and Islanders will get the same apart, and here’s the big one, contact with the player has to happen at officiating crew they had in Game 2, which saw nine penalties called, five the start of the cross-check motion so you’re pushing them where you against the Bruins and four against the Isles. It’s possible the Bruins have want to push them like a broom sweeping away dirt, rather than the the league’s attention and might be able to change a ref’s opinion on one contact happening at the end of the cross-check motion, which is more call in Game 6, which might make all the difference. But the Islanders likely to hurt and knock people off-balance a dangerous distance from the finished the regular season with the lowest number of penalties taken of boards. any team in the league, so it’s harder to make a case that they deserve more penalties now. You see the issue here is “how far into the cross-check/cross-push motion is it OK to start making contact with the offensive player?” Islanders and Bruins aside, cross-checking and cross-pushing are going Whatever your stance is on this, it has to be somewhere. Generally, as to remain a theme of the post-season as it moves along, as the battle the temperature of a game ramps up and people defend more level stays high and every inch of ice only matters more. Refs have a tenaciously, it gets harder to pick out the ones that are OK and the ones hard job, but they’re paid to decide what’s across the arbitrarily agreed- that aren’t, which of course refs try very hard to do and mostly do well. upon line, and they by-and-large do a great job of it. An example? In a 1-1 hockey game with less than three minutes to go, As Cassidy knows from his playing days, the pain of a cross-check hurts this got Sean Kuraly a two-minute minor for cross-checking. a little. The pain of losing playoff games because of refereeing — whether that’s perception or reality — that hurts a lot. And unfortunately, That angle looks bad, doesn’t it? I’m sure some people want to see that both pains will continue to be felt as long as people play hockey. called every time, and from my point of view, Kuraly invites the ref to make a subjective call, so he’s not exempt from blame. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.10.2021 Only, I don’t think that’s a penalty. His hands are low on Kyle Palmieri’s hips and close together. It’s more of a push than a jarring blow, and frankly, I think the Islanders savvy vet sells it a bit. Guys know to expect contact here. Like a good flop in basketball, and the value of what was created, I’d call it a pretty nice play. Websites it’s something that we’ve talked about and something that we’re going to 1189573 make sure is a key focus here as we prepare for Game 1.”

We’d imagine the guy they invented the Selke Trophy for might have also Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens Notebook: Gainey offers wisdom to help had a few words of praise for the defensive commitment that led the Montreal stay in rhythm Canadiens down this path. Perhaps Gainey cited what happened in 1976, when his Canadiens shut down the NHL’s best offence — a Who do the Habs cheer for, Vegas or Colorado? Philadelphia Flyers team that had averaged over four goals per game in both the regular season and playoffs, and was chasing its third The Canadiens await the winner of the Golden Knights-Avalanche series consecutive Stanley Cup — and Gary Dornhoefer said, “They’ve checked in the Stanley Cup Playoffs semifinals. Is there a preferred matchup? us so closely that you can tell what brand of deodorant they’re using.” Danielle Michaud and Eric Engels discuss this and how Montreal is rejoicing in the Habs' playoff success so far. I would think the Jets feel similarly right about now. Remaining Time -4:33 Eric Engels June 9, 2021, 3:55 PM How does Canadiens' defence stack up against Golden Knights or Avalanche?

Dominique Ducharme provides updates on Jeff Petry and Jake Evans MONTREAL — I’m not sure Marc Bergevin could’ve called on a better person to address his Montreal Canadiens at this critical juncture of their The Montreal coach reiterated Wednesday thatthe Canadiens are hoping quest for the Stanley Cup, as they await a semifinal opponent and Jeff Petry will only be out short-term after missing Game 4 of the attempt to avoid the same issue the team they just beat ran up against. Winnipeg series with a hand injury. Enter Bob Gainey, one of Bergevin’s predecessors as Canadiens general “Jeff, like we said after the game, we think he’s going to be back early in manager, a man of few words but one of even fewer words wasted. A the series,” said Ducharme of his top-scoring defenceman this season. legendary player of the game who was once described as “technically the “We don’t know if it’s going to be Game 1, 2 or 3. We’re hoping for the most complete in the world” by Russian coaching guru Viktor Tikhonov best. So, there’s no update now, because it doesn’t change for him. He and who was once hoisted up by some of the greatest players of all time needs a few days. So, when game-time comes, if he’s not in, we feel he’s for his role on one of the greatest championship teams of all time in going to be pretty close.” 1979. He has faced every situation imaginable, including the one the Canadiens are in right now, and you can bet that every player in that As for Jake Evans, who suffered a concussion on the Game 1 charge room devoured every word he used to inspire them and keep them in the that saw top Jets forward Mark Scheifele suspended four games, headspace they need to be in at this moment. Ducharme said there’s hope he could be back in this coming round. It’s a bigger challenge than anyone can imagine. You’d think a team eight “Jake is doing even better today,” Ducharme said. “He went to our gym wins away from a Cup could shock itself back into rhythm immediately, yesterday and worked out, he’s progressing well. Can he join us in this but no amount of preparation can guarantee that. series? It’s possible. At what point? Too difficult to say today. I spoke to former Canadien Nate Thompson about how he and his “For an injury like that, it’s more important for the person than the player. current Winnipeg Jets teammates weren’t able to overcome this after Jake being 100 per cent is the most important thing.” sweeping the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of this year’s playoffs. I That’s especially true given this was Evans’ third documented asked if they could’ve approached their layoff — while the Canadiens concussion since 2018. were in the process of coming back and beating the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games — any differently, and his answer perfectly encapsulated Evans went down when he was playing the best hockey of his career and why they couldn’t and why any team in a similar position would have as well, if not better, than most Canadiens forwards. He was the most- been challenged to. used player up front in the game he got hurt in. “Not sure what you can do, to be honest,” Thompson said via text. “You And yet, if he were somehow available for Game 1 of the next series, we can practise all you want, but the break just takes the rhythm out of can’t think of a way he’d get back into the lineup immediately. playing games and the feel of the playoffs. You get taken out of the mindset of having every second night as a game night and being in that Part of that is because everyone’s game has dramatically risen since routine.” Evans went down, and another big part of it is Artturi Lehkonen returning from a concussion suffered in Game 3 against Toronto and filling Evans’ It’s not as if any player purposely disengages. They are often described skates so admirably. as creatures of habit, and that’s not a notion that’s overblown. “He just played the best games of his career,” said an Eastern To have routines broken for eight days, as the Jets did between Conference executive we spoke to after Game 4, which saw Lehkonen dispatching the Oilers and facing the Canadiens, is a mental challenge score for a second consecutive contest. “I’ve watched Lehkonen a ton that can’t just be overcome by will. over the years, and I’ve always liked the way he plays. Great forechecker, great backchecker. He tightens up a bit in the scoring areas, If the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, but he does everything the right way and has never bailed on making a that would mean a Sunday start for the Canadiens against them in play — even with someone lining him up in the crosshairs.” Round 3 — making it only four days off between games. You’d think the Canadiens might prefer the Avalanche force a seventh game, for both I’d say the same of Evans, who has a bit more offensive poise to him. teams to travel once more and play six extra periods on top of the two games, but Thompson is probably not alone in thinking it would be better If the Canadiens need to turn to him after a tough loss or because off for them to just get back to playing as soon as possible. someone else goes down to injury, he’ll be able to provide exactly what he provided before he got hurt, if he’s completely recovered and He knows how well the Canadiens played to beat his Jets, how they got comfortable enough to come back in. complete buy-in and execution from the entire team, and he knows the value in keeping that going. But if even if Evans is healthy and can’t immediately reclaim his spot, it only highlights what’s so good about these Canadiens. Their depth and So does Bergevin, hence Gainey’s arrival Wednesday. balance have brought them this far, and Ducharme has said over and over again that he understands how crucial that is to their success. “We were fortunate enough to have Mr. Bob Gainey speak to us about exactly that,” said Brendan Gallagher. “You talk about experience, there’s Remaining Time -2:25 not a lot of organizations that can fall on alumni with the amount of experience that this one can, and we were fortunate to have one in the Are the Canadiens ready to play road games in a full arena? building today. And he was able speak to us on some things that he went Vibe check in Montreal through in his career and some things he’s seen, and it was exactly that — how important it is going to be to start Game 1 and really implement I’m 38 years old and have lived in this city my entire life. It is everything our style of play. visitors say of it — a beautiful metropolis, a unique and vibrant place with a mostly harmonious, multi-cultured society — and it exactly what you “It was a passionate speech, it was nice to have him here, and those are expect it to be when the Canadiens are doing well. the things we’re going to be doing this week to make sure you balance rest, but you also stay mentally and physically sharp. We don’t want our There’s just an extra pop to it, but this is even more apparent now given game to fall off from where it was from when we finished the series. So, everything we’ve been through since COVID-19 hit in March of 2020. We were locked down and under curfew from January through most of May, and we’re now on the cusp of moving from orange zones to yellow and green. Hallelujah! On Wednesday, the Montreal Gazette reported 77 per cent of eligible Quebecers had already received their first vaccine — a higher rate than any single state in the U.S. — and that Montreal was down to just 60 daily cases of the novel coronavirus. If that’s not a cause for celebration, I don’t know what is. What the Canadiens are doing is bringing the elation to another level. I feel it everywhere I go, in every interaction I have with even the most casual observers. A lot of people have asked me what it was like to have 2,500 fans at the Bell Centre over the last three games, and I described the first experience as an emotional one in just thinking about what it represented in terms of hope of soon emerging from this wretched pandemic. But I can’t describe in words how incredible the atmosphere has been in the building. I’m not sure 2,500 would sound as loud anywhere else. I know what it means to the players. Gallagher said Wednesday that it gave them a huge lift and was a big reason they won their last three games at the Bell Centre. But I also think about what it means to their partners. And think about the ones among them who came to Montreal from other cities in the off-season and knew they’d have to wait for the real benefits of being a part of the Canadiens family and the city to be realized. Can you imagine how special this experience has been for those people? They spent all year basically by themselves, tested twice per week, never permitted to be with each other and often separated from the players, who took three extended road trips to Western Canada, and their first glimpse of what it’s like when the Canadiens are doing well is coming with the team doing better than it has in seven years. The vibe they’re experiencing is absolutely electric, and the voltage is only going to rise as we move forward. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.10.2021 Websites really welcoming of me and 80 per cent of them spoke English too, so 1189574 that was a nice surprise. They welcomed me with open arms and they wanted me to do my thing. They were really supportive. It was a great organization." TSN.CA / Top prospect Clarke on experience in Slovakia, winning under- 18 gold You were named a tournament all-star at the world under-18 championship in Texas en route to winning gold with Team Canada. What did you take from that experience? By Mark Masters "We had a pretty star-studded team, but some of the guys hadn't played for 14 months or something like that, so we were worried at the start. Like, was rust going to be a problem? Are we going to have to ease our When top prospect Brandt Clarke does interviews with National Hockey way into this tournament? Are we going to drop a couple games early? League teams the questions are often similar and expected. That's why But then we beat Sweden 12-1, so that worry was right out the window the session with the New York Islanders stood out. and then we kept rolling from there. There was a different guy who stepped up every night. We all did our job and production-wise there "They run you through a test and you sit on Zoom for like two hours and were a couple different players every night and that's what you need. they have, like, a sheet of paper on the screen and you just answer math That's why other teams couldn't hone in on us. We had a great group and questions and [different] stuff," the Barrie Colts defenceman said. "I I made a lot of friends and definitely some memories that will last me a asked around and was like, 'Were they trolling me, or is that actually what lifetime." they do?'" Where do you keep the gold medal? He found out that older brother Graeme, a third-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2019, experienced the same thing a couple years ago, "It's in my room right now. It's hanging in my room. It's at the forefront. as did some of his friends this year. You see it right away when you walk in." "I guess there's something there [in the questions] that they realize your Brandt Clarke makes it 2-0 for Canada! �� #U18Worlds personality traits but, yeah, that was definitely strange and I wasn't too pic.twitter.com/plY1m80lCK sure how it aligned with hockey, but you just got to get through it." — TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 28, 2021 On the ice, Clarke seems to have all the right answers. He helped Team This season you switched from the P92 mid-curve blade to the P28 toe Canada win gold at the world under-18 championship in May, finishing curve. What sparked the change? with seven points in seven games. With the Ontario Hockey League unable to hold a season due to the pandemic, Clarke played in Slovakia's "The skills trainer I work with always preached that that's a curve you top professional league, where he posted 15 points in 26 games with should use and that's a curve that gives you more opportunity and lets Nove Zamky. you play further away from your body. You have your hands off your body more, which gives you more room to go to your forehand or go to The 18-year-old Ottawa native is ranked seventh by NHL Central your backhand. I feel like it fits my game really well. If I'm walking the Scouting on their final list of North American skaters. Clarke came in No. blueline, it's kind of sitting in the toe already and I can either sling it back 6 on TSN Hockey insider Bob McKenzie's mid-season list, which is to one of my forwards who are wanting a pass or, if the lane is there, I based on a sampling of scouts. can sling it to the net. I just feel like the puck is always in a shooting- Clarke spoke to TSN about his experience overseas, admiring Erik ready spot, but it's also not difficult at all to shimmy and make a pass. It Karlsson as a Senators fan growing up, and why he doesn't mind getting suits my game and definitely is the curve I will rock with from here on into it with guys verbally on the ice. The following is an edited transcript out." of the interview. Why do you use blade tape versus traditional hockey tape? What will you remember most about the experience playing in Slovakia? "A lot of people ask me that. A lot of guys on my team give it to me "Me and my brother went over there originally, but he was only there for sometimes. It's kind of unorthodox, but I like it. I've used it since I was a three weeks. He got the call back to play in the American Hockey League kid. My dad gave it to me and my brother when I was younger. A lot of so then it was just kind of me living on my own halfway across the world. people had it when they were in novice and atom, like ages seven to 10, It was a different experience, but one I definitely think was worthwhile. I and then they made the switch and I just didn't make the switch. I guess I was really fortunate that, even in a year where not much was going on, I missed that trend. It's just something I'm used to now. I had a couple still got to have a pretty good scenario." practices last summer when I went back to tape and I just didn't feel the puck as much. I take a couple chirps from the boys sometimes for it, but How do you think you held up against men in a professional league? it's worthwhile, because it benefits me." "It was definitely an adjustment, especially since I went over in late Your older brother went through the draft process not long ago. What's December and they were already 20, 25 games into their season. They the best advice Graeme has given you? were in mid-season form and I was playing professional hockey for the first time, so it was definitely an adjustment the first couple of games. I "It's been nice to follow his path. He had to learn on the fly and now he had to get my feet under me and start thinking the game at that speed. gets to tell me a bunch of advice. He says, 'Be respectful, be yourself and Some guys were pushing me off the puck easier than I would've liked. show the personality qualities that you have in these interviews.’ With the After the first couple games, I kind of got my feet under me and I was tournaments or in Slovakia, he tells me, 'Don’t shy away from your making more plays. I was more calm with the puck. I was holding onto game.' He said, 'Clearly, what you've been doing has been working and the puck longer and making safer plays and not just throwing it away people like the way you play. People like the way you move out there. If quickly. I felt like once I got comfortable I started to play my game. I you're feeling down on yourself just remember that the way that you do started to dominate a little bit and it was a big confidence boost for me things is what got you this far and don't take criticism and just keep knowing that I am playing against these guys and I can out-skill them strutting along. You're going to carve your own path and it’s going to go and, if I have better body position, I can win corner battles." really well for you.' I always take his advice. It means a lot to me."

#2021NHLDraft top prospect �� Brandt Clarke has just scored his 1st Our director of scouting, Craig Button, has you going to New Jersey goal of the season. The 17 y.o. defenseman showed off his skills and fourth overall in his latest mock draft. What would it be like to play with scored on the rebound. your brother in the NHL? Clarke is currently on loan in Slovak top tier league. He’s playing his "That'd be cool. All NHL teams are cool, but if me and Graeme could be 9th game with HC Nové Zámky. together for a really long time and make our paths together in the NHL, that would be awesome." : Tipsport TV pic.twitter.com/h2Lp0DAOCo MICHIGAN MOCK: @CraigJButton has Owen Power to Sabres; — Matej Deraj (@MatoDeraj) January 22, 2021 Matty Beniers to Seattle and Kent Johnson with the #Canucks in his post-lottery Mock Draft - https://t.co/7cOwKwooLQ#TSNHockey What was the culture shock like off the ice? pic.twitter.com/BRZNPl1c1r "Yeah, it was a culture shock. Having to cook my own meals, do my own — TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) June 3, 2021 grocery shopping. I've been pretty fortunate that my parents have kind of spotted me in those departments, but I had to do that. I made it work so What was your favourite moment growing up in Ottawa as a Senators that was part of growing up, I guess. In terms of the dressing room, we fan? had a lot of great guys. A lot of them were from age 25 to 32. They were "I'll go with 2017 when Karlsson was dominating and they had [Mark] Brandt Clarke (@ClarkeBrandt) almost scores on this lacrosse goal Stone and [Mike] Hoffman and they made the Eastern Conference final attempt! pic.twitter.com/CacsD4IR60 and Game 7 went to overtime. I was watching that game with my head right in front of the screen. That was really tense and I was really upset — Barrie Colts (@OHLBarrieColts) January 4, 2020 when they didn't come out on top that night. But that run was crazy and What's the focus for you this off-season? they were putting on a show every single night. Karlsson was my favourite player growing up and seeing him doing the things he does at "When I was in the Slovak league there were a lot of bigger guys, who the playoff level, as you can see in the playoffs this year, playoffs is a were stronger than me ... so I want to build my upper-body strength. I different game, but he was still the best player in the world and want to be filled out. I'm hoping to be north of 200 pounds next season. separating himself and making something happen every time he was on I'm closer to 190 now. I want to be north of 200 pounds and being able to the ice, so that was pretty remarkable to see." push guys off the puck. Check out these two pics of a young Brandt Clarke playing minor "And another thing is my first-step explosiveness. I feel like once I get to hockey in Ottawa. @TSNHockey @CraigJButton #U18Worlds my top speed, once I get up skating, I'm pretty fluid, pretty shifty and a #TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/8eFO3mVSnr pretty good skater. But if me and another guy are at a standstill, I'm not as fast out of the gates as I want to be so that's kind of what I'm working — Geoff Clarke (@GClarkeToronto) May 1, 2021 on. That will help me in situations like a two-on-two and there's a guy What was it like getting the chance to skate with Karlsson last summer? who chips the puck around me, as a d-man you got to pivot and go get it in the corner. If I can get to the corner even quicker, you know, that "That was crazy. Being on the ice last summer with guys like Karlsson, allows me to use my creativeness, have my head up and make a play Thomas Chabot and Claude Giroux, I was like, 'Holy crap! I really got to and not just have to whack it away." focus in here.' It’s summer skates and we're doing scrimmages and they're going 75 per cent and not going all out, but I'm going all out. I Here is my friend @ClarkeBrandt crushing his off ice hockey training! can't let one of these guys burn me. I know how talented these guys are Excited to see the future of this stud #NHLDraft @RobitailleRandy and if I take the foot off the gas for one second I'm going to get dangled, pic.twitter.com/wS5cghvueF so I was all in. I was 100 per cent focused." — Tony Greco (@TonyGrecoTG) September 19, 2020 I understand you like to talk on the ice. How much is trash talking part of What makes Tony Greco, who you work with, a good trainer? your game? "His energy. The atmosphere he creates in the gym. He makes you want "In terms of talking, it's more with my own teammates. I like to be there and makes you want to put in the work. He's done so much communicating. I like, before draws, telling guys where to go and saying, for me. I'm so thankful for him. We have a group where it's me, my 'I'll be here, if you get the puck there then maybe I'll cut backdoor and brother, Claude Giroux, Jack Quinn, a Buffalo Sabres pick last year, and you can look for me if that option is there.' In terms of trash talking, if a it's a fun group. Some people are like, 'Ah, I have to go to the gym today. guy gives me a shot in front of the net, you know, I don't mind getting in It's a drag.' But Tony makes the atmosphere into, 'Wow, I get to go to the front of his face and stuff like that. If he's going at me then sometimes I'll gym today. This is awesome! I'm going to have fun today.' I'm excited go back at him. I'm like that. I'm not going to say I'm the best trash talker when that morning comes and I get to go to the gym, because he makes in the world. I'm not trash talking every, single shift, but I don't shy away it a good time and everyone wants to put in the work. It's just a fun from going back at guys." atmosphere." During an interview on Showbound: The Podcast earlier this year you TSN.CA LOADED: 06.10.2021 spoke about getting into it with Dallas Stars first rounder Thomas Harley and some other guys during an overtime game against Mississauga. And then you actually called your shot and told them you were going to score. Is that the favourite chirp from your young career? "It's got to be that one. I always think back to that. These three guys, they were all NHL-drafted players, and it’s overtime and our two other guys, who were on with us, already went to the bench and it was just me barking at all three of these guys and telling them that I was going to score next shift and send them home and, 'Have a good bus ride home.' And I did score. So, I even surprised myself. I don't surprise myself too much, but the fact it happened on the very next shift after I called it was definitely pretty cool." @ClarkeBrandt doesn’t just talk the talk... Episode 12 with Clarkey is live tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/NsBAJBdUUi — Showbound: The Podcast (@ShowboundPod) January 19, 2021 What got into you that night? "These guys were whacking me and I don't know. It was a big rivalry. Barrie-Mississauga, you know, the one-hour rivalry and we play each other pretty often in the season, so we're pretty familiar with each other and, in the heat of the moment, I was just like, 'I'm going to score this shift and you're all going to catch dashes.' And that's exactly what happened. It was pretty funny." You seem to have a swagger to your game. You pulled off the lacrosse move with the Don Mills Flyers in minor hockey. We've seen that move done a bit more of late all around the hockey world, but maybe not by defencemen. What inspired that? "It's a thing that's blowing up these days. It started a couple years ago and you see guys pulling it off more and more. Graeme's really good at it. He gets like one or two a season, which is pretty remarkable. In terms of me, a defenceman isn't behind the net with time and space too often, but I pulled it off once with Don Mills and I actually tried it once in Barrie last year, too. It's cool if it works out. It's actually kind of an effective way, if there's no passing options, to get a shot on net from a place where you usually wouldn't be able to get a shot on net. It's not the first option you should think of when you're in the offensive zone, but once in a blue moon, if that's the right play, just try and use your skill and be creative and hopefully it works out and you don't stick the goalie in the face." Websites combined with the chance to give the Coliseum a proper send-off thanks 1189575 to fortuitous timing of lifted COVID-19 restrictions, has given the Coliseum an energy it has rarely seen in decades. USA TODAY / Islanders – and fans – giving Nassau Coliseum proper At 6:38 p.m., 47 minutes before Game 4’s start, a full-throated “Let’s Go sendoff with final postseason run Islanders!” chant filled the concourse. A fan of the visiting team was called a loser for wearing a Brad Marchand No. 63 Bruins jersey.

During the game, members of the New York Jets, notably offensive CHRIS BUMBACA | USA TODAY lineman Dan Feeney, shotgunned and rumpled cans of beer to charge up the crowd.

“This run has been like nothing I’ve ever seen,” Leboff said. “Because UNIONDALE, New York — These fans have already said their goodbyes there’s actual promise of this team.” to Nassau Coliseum, drank their last Bud Lights in the parking lot, sat in traffic on the way home for the final time. To call Nassau Coliseum “a barn” these days is technically a misnomer. The interior received a facelift during the renovation that began after the They did it six years ago, when the New York Islanders packed up after 2015 postseason. When the Coliseum reopened in 2017, the Islanders more than 40 years on Long Island for the shiny Barclays Center, home returned for an exhibition game, and then gradually for more regular of the Brooklyn Nets, ditching their dueling suburban-blue-collar identity season games each year. for Atlantic Avenue. With the Islanders leaving as tenants, the space will continue to be used But on Wednesday, they will play Game 6 of their second-round playoff for concerts and other entertainment events. The Long Island Nets, the series at the Coliseum – official name NYCB Live: Nassau Veterans G-League affiliate of Brooklyn, will continue playing at the Coliseum. It’s Memorial Coliseum, “the Coliseum” locally – against the Boston Bruins. It a far cry from the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association, will be New York’s sixth home game there this postseason, six more which won two titles (1974, 1976) while calling the Coliseum home with playoff games these fans ever thought they’d watch again in this building. local star Julius Erving leading the way at the dawn of his Hall of Fame A win would move the Islanders into the next round, securing at least two professional career. more games here. It could also be the last time the Islanders skate inside His jersey hangs in the rafters, right next to Billy Joel’s name – “34 sold the Coliseum – for real this time, exact date still unknown. out shows,” the banner reads. The only certainty is that by puck drop, Islanders fans will have “The There are also the names of Islanders greats from the dynasty of the Barn” rocking like a zoo. early 1980s. Michael Leboff was convinced Game 4 was really going to be the last Gillies. Potvin. Bossy. Trottier. Smith. time he watched the Islanders in the building. That core won four consecutive championships, a stretch not repeatedin Down 2-1 in the series, they’d lose the next two games , preventing the four major men’s professional league. The Islanders went 10-0 in Game 6 back at the Coliseum, he thought. Cup Final games at home during those years, and the Coliseum became “That’s being an Islander fan,” Leboff, the co-host of a team-centered known as “Fort Neverlose.” podcast called “Islanders Anxiety,” told USA TODAY Sports. “It was such a special place for me and my Islander group that I played With about three minutes left in the first period of a scoreless Game 4, with,” Hall of Fame center Bryan Trottier told USA TODAY Sports. “We the Bruins’ David Pastrnak hit the right post when shooting on a wide- all have our special memories of that place. I’m sure the fans do too. It open net. Had that shot gone in, maybe it’s a different series. Instead, the reflects well on Long Island. Islanders would prevail 4-1, scoring four unanswered goals after an early “It has its identity, but beyond that, I think it has its energy. I think that second-period Boston goal. energy is real.” But during the first intermission, Leboff met up with friends who said the After the Islanders advanced past the first round in 2019, playoff games gaffe was a sign the Islanders would win. Leboff wasn’t convinced, but moved to Barclays Center, which quickly became a sore spot for Isles he’s found himself more trusting under the regime of general manager fans, whether it be the commute or eerie feeling of a hockey game being Lou Lamoriello and coach Barry Trotz, who led the Washington Capitals played in a building not constructed for that purpose. They remained near to the Stanley Cup in 2018. the bottom in attendance at Barclays Center. “This team has showed us not to be so fatalistic with the Islanders,” he “It felt like you went to a shopping mall and there was a hockey game said. “They’re such a composed, confident group. I guess old habits die taking place in there,” Leboff said. hard.” In other words, the complete opposite of the Coliseum. Besides, he’d done this before. After a standoff with local government officials, the team let its lease with the building expire after the 2014-15 As the move to Barclays backfired, it allowed the Coliseum to host the season under former owner Charles Wang. The Islanders won their entire slate of home games – plus playoffs – in 2021, which New York "final" game at the Coliseum on April 25, 2015, Game 6 of the first round Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Feb. 29, 2020. Weeks later, the against Trotz’s Capitals. A defeat in Game 7 meant what Isles fanatics coronavirus pandemic threatened that reality. like Leboff had accepted and expected: the end. Fans were allowed back in the building in March 2021, starting at 1,400, What should have been a celebration was more of a depressing and the arena approached its 14,000-person capacity Saturday night. countdown. “If you’re a hockey fan,” Leboff said, “there’s no better place to watch a “We knew at some point they were going to get eliminated,” Leboff said. hockey game.” “Then Barclays Center looming felt shitty.” The seats are nicer now, the exterior of the building looks different and This time around, instead of Brooklyn, the Islanders will be moving 7.5 there are more corporate amenities compared to the old joint. But not miles west on the Hempstead Turnpike to UBS Arena, an 17,000-seat much of a difference exists when it comes to atmosphere. rink in Elmont, New York, across the street from Belmont Park that is scheduled to open by next season. “It’s so raucous,” Trottier said. “It sounds like they’re building the inside to basically be a spitting image The noise funnels down to the ice, he added. Lip-reading became an of the guts of the Coliseum,” Leboff said. “So there’s a chance that that essential skill – hearing the teammate next to you, even if he was place could be just as good.” screaming, was impossible. Leboff likened this sendoff to a New Orleans-style funeral, a lighter affair “Here we are, basically 50 years after it opened, and the Coliseum with a brass band as part of the procession – a celebration. stands ready,” he said. “It stands ready to bring that same, crazed din.” “The last time we said goodbye felt more like, I don’t know, an Irish- The proper way to close down a barn like this. Catholic funeral or something,” Leboff said. “This is much more a party. USA TODAY LOADED: 06.10.2021 It’s been an absolute zoo.” Even without captain Anders Lee, the Islanders are one win away from the NHL semifinals for the second consecutive season. The excitement,