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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 2/4/2020 1174251 Ducks feeling fortunate to have Ryan Miller serving as 1174282 After missing almost two years from post-traumatic John Gibson’s backup headaches, Stars defenseman Stephen Johns scores first 1174252 ‘I always knew I could play’: Derek Grant’s drive pushed him from unknown to Ducks’ #Elite1C 1174283 Joe Pavelski’s special teams scoring leads the Stars’ offensive outburst in win over Rangers 1174284 Stars 20/20: Stephen Johns scores emotional goal to help 1174253 Arizona Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo 'drills down' with lift Stars with mom and dad in attendance Arizona Coyotes' Rick Tocchet 1174285 Shap Shots: Janmark’s analytics, Comeau’s ‘A,’ Stars’ 1174254 Did the Coyotes violate Combine Testing Policy? A ruling travel challenges and more may hinge on semantics Bruins 1174286 Detroit Red Wings lay down in 3-0 defeat to Flyers for 9th 1174255 Bruce Cassidy pushing team with internal competition straight loss 1174256 The Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy can manage all situations 1174287 As Anthony Mantha nears return from fight injury, was it 1174257 Bruins face Canucks in a battle of divisional leaders at the worth not looking soft? Garden 1174288 Game thread: Red Wings lose to Flyers, 3-0 1174258 Joakim Nordstrom (undisclosed) misses practice, 1174289 Red Wings shut out again vs. Flyers, suffer ninth questionable vs. Canucks consecutive setback 1174259 Bruins Mailbag: Fans still clamoring for B's trade updates 1174290 Anthony Mantha refuses to let Red Wings be ‘a team that 1174260 From the hopeful start to the painful finish, a day inside gets stepped on’ Harvard hockey as it vies for 1174291 Red Wings blanked in back-to-back games, losing to 1174261 Boston College’s Spencer Knight looks like the NHL goalie Flyers of tomorrow 1174292 How to watch Detroit Red Wings vs. : TV channel, start time, stream Feb. 3, 2020 1174293 Elliott gets 40th shutout in Flyers' 3-0 win over Red Wings 1174262 Jimmy Vesey remains focused on helping Sabres as trade deadline approaches 1174263 Rasmus Dahlin, Johan Larsson miss Sabres practice for 1174294 Draisaitl rampage further evidence the Oilers aren't just 'maintenance' McDavid anymore 1174295 Injuries and call-ups are making life difficult for Bakersfield Condors 1174264 Flames' Ward preaches importance of emotional balance 1174296 Yamamoto's tenacity against Calgary a great sign for 1174265 Flames goalie Talbot all smiles about tilt against Smith Edmonton Oilers 1174266 Flames’ Lucic on quiet night against Oilers: ‘You can’t just 1174297 Pistol-whipping Calgary adds to Edmonton Oilers' go around being an idiot’ momentum 1174267 GameDay: Calgary Flames vs. — Flames look to shake up defence Panthers 1174268 History is stacked against the Flames and their goal 1174298 Mark Pysyk gets first career hat trick, propels Panthers differential. Here’s how they could reverse their fortune past Maple Leafs 1174299 Doh! Panthers’ minor-league team honors ‘’ by becoming the Springfield Ice-O-Topes 1174269 Blackhawks claim defenseman Nick Seeler from the Wild off waivers and send Dennis Gilbert back to Rockford 1174270 Blackhawks claim Nick Seeler off waivers from Wild, 1174300 Kings try to slow Alex Ovechkin, Capitals adding defensive depth 1174301 Kings trade-deadline primer — Possible destinations for 1174271 Blackhawks claim D Seeler off waivers from Wild Tyler Toffoli and Alec Martinez 1174272 Ex-Hawks Pirri making the best of it with Wolves 1174302 MCLELLAN’S MESSAGE EVOLVES; BATTLE OF 1174273 Blackhawks claim Wild defenseman Nick Seeler ALBERTA REPS “PRETTY CALM” AT ASG 1174274 Former Blackhawk Dustin Byfuglien in talks to end 1174303 GRUNDSTROM RECALLED (+ RECENT SCOUTING contract with REPORT); LUFF ASSIGNED TO ONTARIO 1174275 Blackhawks claim defenseman Nick Seeler off waivers 1174304 HARD SKATE AFTER SUNDAY’S PRACTICE; THE from Wild ALEC MARTINEZ BOOK CLUB 1174276 Nick Seeler leaving Wild for a new as Blackhawks claim him off waivers Wild 1174277 ‘It’s just been crazy to keep track of it all’: Inside a month 1174305 Wild's reaches make-or-break time of minor-league Blackhawks transactions 1174306 Wild-Chicago game preview 1174307 Blackhawks claim D Seeler off waivers from Wild 1174308 Wild loses defenseman Nick Seeler to Chicago on waivers 1174278 Tickets still available for Avs’ Stadium Series game as ice 1174309 Wild players, GM Bill Guerin know clock is ticking as NHL rink setup begins at Air Force trade deadline nears 1174279 Kiszla vs. Chambers: Will Avalanche’s lose 1174310 Waived by Wild on Sunday, Nick Seeler claimed by Calder Trophy to ? Blackhawks on Monday 1174311 Nick Seeler leaving Wild for a new shot as Blackhawks claim him off waivers 1174280 Blue Jackets place Alexander Wennberg on injured reserve, recall Ryan MacInnis 1174281 ‘Let’s just say the kid liked drawing outside the lines’: Elvis Merzlikins looks to become calm puck handler l Philadelphia Flyers 1174312 'This is a good stop for me,' Kotkaniemi says of demotion 1174339 Scott Laughton, spark Flyers past Detroit, to Rocket 3-0, and into top wild-card spot in East 1174313 Stu Cowan: Best place for Canadiens to develop 1174340 Flyers injury updates: Carter Hart continues to make Kotkaniemi is Laval progress; to miss another game but 1174314 Canadiens Notebook: Carey Price sidelined with flu bug wi 1174315 What the Puck: Poor drafting has handcuffed Canadiens 1174341 Shayne Gostisbehere on verge of returning for Flyers; for 17 years says he will come back 'hungry’ 1174316 Melnick’s GBU: The Canadiens keep waiting for a 1174342 Flyers mascot cleared of claim he punched teenage fan torpedo-like charge, but they are made to tread water 1174343 Flyers mascot Gritty cleared of claim he assaulted teenage fan 1174344 Kevin Hayes in Brad Marchand company, a decision 1174317 Soft, uninspired Predators still searching for a spark that looming and Flyers keep climbing with win over Red may not arrive | Estes Wings 1174318 P.K. Subban: ‘I trust in John Hynes as a coach’ with the 1174345 Police clear Gritty in alleged assault from November Predators 1174346 Flyers prospect WATCH: Wyatt Kalynuk may have pro option next month 1174319 Devils recall ; Nico Hischier, Sami Vatanen miss practice | What it means 1174347 Defenseman Justin Schultz wants to stay with Penguins 1174320 Do ex-Devils Scott Stevens, Patrik Elias have any interest 1174348 Mark Madden: Excluding Steelers guard Alan Faneca from in coaching? ‘I’m pretty content doing what I’m doi Hall of Fame is outrageous 1174321 NJ Devils coaching search: Could a former great be the 1174349 Ex-Penguins defenseman Ulf Samuelsson named coach next one? in 1174322 How NJ Devils' prospect Joey Anderson got his 'swagger 1174350 Unfiltered: Tim Benz, Mark Madden break down Super back' in the AHL Bowl, Alan Faneca snub, hot Penguins 1174323 Martin Brodeur knows Henrik Lundqvist’s Rangers 1174351 Tim Benz, Mark Madden recap Super Bowl, Hall of Fame struggle all too well voting, Penguins’ wild weekend 1174352 The Penguins have found a winning formula for the NHL's evolving 3-on-3 1174324 Isles call up Kieffer Bellows to boost scoring 1174353 'You’re supposed to hit': Penguins brush off battering battle with Capitals 1174325 Henrik Lundqvist struggles in goal as Rangers no match San Jose Sharks for Stars 1174354 Sharks’ Patrick Marleau discusses hit by Lightning 1174326 What went into Henrik Lundqvist’s Rangers benching defenseman 1174327 Henrik Lundqvist pulled in Rangers’ eye-opening loss to 1174355 San Jose Sharks’ injury list continues to grow Stars 1174356 Sharks rookie Mario Ferraro building NHL, YouTube 1174328 Martin Brodeur knows Henrik Lundqvist’s Rangers careers at same time struggle all too well 1174357 Could Joe Thornton be a fit for the Lightning at the NHL 1174329 Postgame analysis: Henrik Lundqvist and the NY Rangers trade deadline? follow-up shutout with a loss 1174330 NY Rangers' Chris Kreider maintains singular focus; will St Louis Blues not play Monday with injury 1174358 Blues get back to work as they try to snap out of slump 1174331 Henrik Lundqvist pulled in Rangers' loss to Stars 1174359 With goals in short supply, Berube engages in major line 1174332 Rangers wing Chris Kreider scratched two days after dancing taking knee to head 1174360 Blues hoping home ice cures what ails them 1174333 It’s the same old, same old for the Rangers as their playoff hopes go nowhere 1174334 2020 vision: Examining how the Rangers are trending 1174361 Lightning Super Bowl memories: The projector cut out on after the first month of the year Jon Cooper 1174362 Could Joe Thornton be a fit for the Lightning at the NHL NHL trade deadline? 1174335 NHL Seattle scout Ulf Samuelsson bolts for coaching job in Sweden 1174336 Anders Nilsson remains in limbo while recovering from concussion 1174337 New-look Batherson making an impact every night for Senators 1174338 Senators Alumni host injured soldiers for hockey mini- camp Maple Leafs Websites 1174363 Leafs lose 5-3 to Panthers as Andersen suffers upper- 1174400 The Athletic / The Athletic’s 2020 NHL trade deadline body injury tracker 1174364 Hockey Hall of Famer Willie O’Ree says Akim Aliu ‘did the 1174401 The Athletic / The inside story of the romance writer in the right thing’ by speaking about racial abuse middle of Seattle’s NHL name debate 1174365 Kapanen says ‘I’ve just got to take responsibility’ after 1174402 The Athletic / DGB weekend power rankings: Escaping the being scratched from Leafs lineup for arriving late mushy middle, the Battle of Alberta erupts and Buffalo 1174366 Fears for Freddie highlight just how easily the Maple 1174403 The Athletic / LeBrun: Six specific trade deadline moves Leafs’ season can go sideways that make a lot of sense 1174367 After his 37th of the season, and the 1174404 Sportsnet.ca / Leafs dealt double whammy with Andersen Maple Leafs watched the Panthers score four unanswered injury in tough loss to Panthers g 1174405 Sportsnet.ca / Eight goalie trade options the Maple Leafs 1174368 Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen exits with upper-body should explore injury after collision vs. Panthers 1174406 Sportsnet.ca / Flames' David Rittich 'going to do' stick-flip 1174369 Leafs forward Kasperi Kapanen, a healthy scratch for celebration again Saturday’s game against the Senators, called the transgre 1174407 Sportsnet.ca / Flames' Lucic fails to answer the bell in 1174370 Monday NHL preview: at Toronto Maple latest Battle of Alberta Leafs 1174408 Sportsnet.ca / Battle of Alberta creating strong bonds for 1174371 Fighting isn’t dead in the NHL — the Leafs and Panthers Oilers, Flames are still buzzing about the latest Battle of Alberta 1174409 Sportsnet.ca / Coyotes' trade for a cautionary 1174372 Andersen hurt in Leafs loss to Panthers tale with deadline on horizon 1174373 Maple Leafs' mentors in town 1174410 Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs' Kasperi Kapanen skating 1174374 Leafs hope Kapanen's troubling "pattern" ends with toward thin ice after oversleeping one-game benching 1174411 Sportsnet.ca / Kyle Bukauskas Notebook: Rasmus Sandin 1174375 TRAIKOS: When will start playing up to has always been a 'big player' his contract? 1174412 Sportsnet.ca / Growing up on ice: Geoff Sanderson's 1174376 'A PATTERN': Contrite Kapanen back for Leafs after journey from N.W.T. to the NHL suspension 1174413 TSN.CA / Workhorse Andersen suffers injury in Maple 1174377 Maple Leafs’ uncertain goalie situation might force Kyle Leafs loss Dubas to spring into action 1174414 TSN.CA / pays tribute to minor coach as 1174378 Leafs Report Cards: In a crucial game vs. a division rival, start Mentors Trip Toronto dominated the run of play … and lost in re 1174415 TSN.CA / Kasperi Kapanen says lateness led to healthy 1174379 Monday Morning Leafs Report: Sending a message to scratch on Saturday Kasperi Kapanen, Justin Holl zone entries, concussion 1174416 TSN.CA / Trade Bait: Winnipeg Jets and Dustin Byfuglien woes heading toward split 1174417 TSN.CA / Ilya Kovalchuk bet paying off handsomely for Montreal Canadiens 1174394 Canucks' J.T. Miller named NHL's third star of the week 1174418 USA TODAY / Flyers mascot Gritty cleared in alleged 1174395 Patrick Johnston: Canucks 'D-lighted' with defence assault of 13-year-old pairings 1174396 Canucks Extra: Super Monday, Super Pettersson and Winnipeg Jets Trade ___ Club 1174386 Are Jets better off without Big Buff? 1174397 Canucks prospects tracker: Madden full of beans, 1174387 Roslovic adds consistency to his impressive play Podkolzin drops the gloves 1174388 Power play lacking juice 1174398 Canucks trade tiers: Who’s tradable? Who’s untouchable? 1174389 Jets hope 'engagement' helps pull them out of tailspin Who could realistically move ahead of the deadline? 1174390 Winnipeg double-whammy, as Streveler, Big Buff, head for 1174399 From 4 to 88, Canucks players share the stories behind door their jersey numbers 1174391 Byfuglien, Jets working toward contract termination: report 1174392 Niku's forte is finesse, not force 1174393 Dustin Byfuglien and Jets appear to be heading toward a 1174380 William Carrier’s abilities excelling in 3rd season with split. Has he played his last game in the NHL? Golden Knights SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1174381 Zach Whitecloud happy to be back in NHL with Golden Knights 1174382 Wheeler’s 2020 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 10 Vegas Golden Knights 1174383 The hits keep coming: The Capitals’ Jonas Siegenthaler wants to be more physical 1174384 Alex Ovechkin approaches 700 goals in Capitals vs. Kings: Time, TV Channel, Live Stream, how to watch 1174385 It sounds like Samsonov is going to get more looks - but Reirden won't call it a goalie 'competition' 1174251 Anaheim Ducks It’s believed the Ducks are interested in bringing him back for another season if he wants to continue his career.

“I’m just trying to enjoy the time I get in the net,” Miller said of moving up Ducks feeling fortunate to have Ryan Miller serving as John Gibson’s the league’s all-time wins list. “It’s really nice to play NHL games and I’m backup just trying to take each one seriously. (Saturday) was an exciting time. I had my mom in town and the whole family, my son, my in-laws.

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: February 3, 2020 at 2:54 pm | “It’s an opportunity for everybody to feel good.” UPDATED: February 3, 2020 at 2:57 PM Orange County Register: LOADED: 02.04.2020

The shots came from all directions, from near and far. Ryan Miller handled them all, the easy ones and the more difficult challenges. He even stopped the one that got away, initially halting Tyler Toffoli’s laser from the wing that ended up slipping from his grasp and trickling behind him and into the net.

Miller made 46 saves in the Ducks’ 3-1 victory Saturday over the Kings. It was all in a night’s work for the Ducks’ backup , who is 6-5-2 with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage in 14 appearances this season, including 13 starts in relief of John Gibson.

“We’re extremely fortunate to have those two guys back there,” Ducks center Derek Grant said of Miller and Gibson. “Obviously, we want to help them out as much as we can by putting pucks in the other net. If we can hold teams to one or two, we have to do the job of getting two or three.

“We did that (Saturday).”

The Ducks’ season of transition, as coach Dallas Eakins calls general manager Bob Murray’s rebuilding project, hasn’t been easy on anyone in the organization. The Ducks’ goalies have suffered from a lack of support. The Ducks average of 2.5 goals-per-game is the third-lowest in the NHL.

Miller, in particular, has held up as well as could be expected, given that his starts are often few and far between. Saturday’s start against the Kings was his first since the Ducks’ overtime victory Jan. 17 over the . Gibson had played three in a row after the All-Star break.

Some nights it all comes together better than others, for the Ducks and for Miller.

Saturday was the latest example.

“I’m feeling it right now,” Miller said after Saturday’s heavy workload against the Kings. “I’m a little tired. It felt good to get in there and see some pucks. I felt like was playing a game I’ve been trying to strive for, for a little while, so that was rewarding to feel that way.”

Miller had lost four consecutive decisions before Saturday’s win.

His next victory will be the 385th of his Hall of Fame-caliber career, tying him with Mike Vernon for 15th place on the NHL’s all-time wins list. Miller has already won more games than any other goalie born in the , passing John Vanbiesbrouck (374) last season.

The Ducks will need Miller to be sharp again later this week, when they play the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday. Gibson was expected to start Tuesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators and then either Thursday or Friday.

It’s also possible Miller could start Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, for whom he won 284 games over 11 seasons before moving on to play for the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks and now the Ducks during his 17-year NHL career.

How many more chances Miller, 39, gets to play in the Ducks’ net remains to be seen. Not only is Gibson expected to get most of the starts for the rest of the season, but Miller could be traded before the Feb. 24 deadline. If he wishes to be dealt to a contending team, that is.

Last season, he turned down a chance to be traded in order to remain with the Ducks and be a part of the solution, as they attempted to rebound from a lost season in which they were 35-37-10 and missed the for the first time in six years. He re-signed for one season and $1.25 million.

It’s possible Miller will be traded at the deadline and then re-signs with the Ducks in the offseason, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. 1174252 Anaheim Ducks humor make him the ideal teammate. Plenty of joy was found in an unexpectedly magical night.

But one memorable evening does not make a hockey career. And Grant ‘I always knew I could play’: Derek Grant’s drive pushed him from held firm with his belief that somehow, some way, he was going to stick unknown to Ducks’ #Elite1C in the NHL.

“I feel like I always knew I could play,” he said.

By Eric Stephens Feb 3, 2020 The Ducks are having another rough season. There haven’t been many individual superlatives on a team that sits near the bottom of the Western Conference. Their lone All-Star, Jakob Silfverberg, withdrew from last Trailing by two goals as the scoreboard clock dipped under two minutes weekend’s game as the winger remained at home with his wife, Clara, left in regulation, the St. Louis Blues were making one final desperate awaiting the birth of their second child. (Clara delivered a daughter, attempt to pull closer as the visiting Ducks looked to close out what Flora). would be one of their most impressive wins of the season. As legitimate bright spots go, there aren’t too many on this roster, but First-year coach Dallas Eakins put Derek Grant on the ice as Blues count Grant as one. coach pulled goalie Jordan Binnington for a sixth attacker. Eakins doesn’t mind sending Grant out in the waning minutes and There has been much more than the hat trick. The native of Abbotsford, seconds of games when the Ducks are protecting a lead. At 29, Grant British Columbia, reached double digits in goals for the second time in his has found his niche as a fourth-line center with size who can kill penalties career on Jan. 16, scoring shorthanded in a road win over Nashville. It and win faceoffs. He has long been strong on the dot and his success was his first game back from a shoulder injury that kept him out for 12 rate this season is 53 percent. Eakins highly values that. contests. And it was his third shorthanded goal of the season, which at the time moved him into a tie for the league lead. On this mid-November evening at , Grant was on the ice for another big reason. Eakins knew this could be an individual Grant hasn’t stopped. On Saturday, the center got his 11th goal with moment his well-traveled veteran could cherish for the rest of his hockey quite a one-handed deflection. Grant used his right hand to present his career. So did his teammates. stick for Cam Fowler, who found him with a shot-pass after he got a stride on Kings forward Trevor Lewis, who was draped over his dominant And for this moment to occur, it was fitting that the teammate to allow it to left shooting hand. The score put him one away from his career high of happen was Ryan Getzlaf, the franchise center and longtime who 12 set two seasons ago with Anaheim. has set up his fellow Ducks for all 15 of his NHL seasons. He obviously knew Grant had already scored twice in the game. Goals haven’t been his only contribution. Since Grant returned to the lineup in that Nashville game as one of Anaheim’s top -killers, the “I think everyone is usually aware,” Grant said. “But obviously a guy like Ducks have erased 13 of 14 shorthanded situations (92.8 percent). In the Getz, probably extra aware.” 12 games he was sidelined, the Ducks killed off 22 of 30 (73.3 percent).

After Getzlaf blocked a Colton Parayko shot from the point, Grant got the “He’s such a huge asset to this team,” Ducks defenseman Josh Manson puck and passed it back to Anaheim’s leader. And the captain said. “When he’s out of the lineup, you miss him. And you see it on the immediately did the unselfish thing that has earned him widespread PK. His angles. His stick placement. All those little things. The little things respect, within the dressing room and throughout the entire league. that maybe you don’t notice the first time. But he gets the job done.

“As soon as he got it and they didn’t have anyone back, I was getting on “And then he’s got that touch that you might not think he has. He’s got my horse pretty quick there,” Grant said. “It was cool.” the ability to score goals.”

With the remaining half of the rink free and clear of any player wearing For a time, it appeared that he couldn’t in the NHL. As he bounced the opposite color, Grant carried the puck in as if he was on an outside around from organization to organization, Grant could not find the back of stroll on a frozen lake. Once he deposited it into an empty cage, the the net during the short stints of action he’d get with the parent clubs. grinder who had battled for years to stick on an NHL roster broke into a Twice he thought he had broken through, but the goals were taken away. wide, missing-tooth smile befitting a hockey player as Getzlaf and On one, a referee blew the play dead before Grant knocked in a loose Rickard Rakell were the first to mob him. puck. On the other, a successful offside challenge negated his score.

Grant had his first hat trick in the , after 228 NHL But on Oct. 20, 2017, Grant chopped a rebound past Montreal’s Carey games with five teams and another 320 with the American Hockey Price and the play passed every test of legality. It snapped a 92-game League affiliates of four organizations. And it came against the reigning drought for the Ducks center, who was on his fifth team by then. The champions. taste of scoring goals was so delicious that his second NHL goal came only after 43 more minutes of action in a 6-2 win over the Canadiens. “It’s obviously something that everyone wants to do,” Grant said. “Probably didn’t see it happening for me. I’ll take it. It’s always nice when Now he is up to 27 goals in 248 games. Twenty-five of those have come you have a lead and two goals and an empty net. You’re up by two. It with Anaheim over two separate turns with the franchise. The 2017-18 makes it a little easier. It was just a fortunate situation I was put in. Getzy season proved pivotal for Grant. Called upon to play a much bigger role made a great play to get me that puck. I’ll take it. in the Ducks’ lineup after injuries kept Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler out for an extended length, Grant chipped in with more offense than he had ever “I think it’s something you always want to do but something you probably shown with Ottawa, Calgary, Buffalo or Nashville. don’t think is ever going to happen.” “I think the first time, I was kind of put into a good situation,” Grant said. It is easy to think that way when you spend the majority of your six pro “Obviously, we had a couple tough injuries to some top guys at the time. seasons playing in Binghamton or Rochester, N.Y., and Stockton, Calif., So, I think that kind of built confidence that year and played a big role in often taking lengthy bus rides to other AHL cities. At last, Grant is an my development. Just having the confidence to play. NHL player, night in and night out. His stays in the press box as an extra forward and healthy scratch are never far away but, for now, they’re not “And then the second time coming back, when you come back to a something he expects. dressing room where you’re familiar with pretty much all the guys and all the staff, system and everything, it’s a lot easier. I knew that I had played The road to this point in his hockey life has been winding, and that’s why my best here and I think coming back and getting a chance to play here the hat trick in St. Louis carries a significance that doesn’t get taken for again, it kind of brings back the confidence you had the first time around.” granted. Text messages — “A bunch” of them, Grant says — piled up on his cell phone. The most interesting came from one of his best friends, Grant’s exploits are now chronicled regularly by Ducks supporters on who indicated he would hold up his end of a deal in which Grant would . The hashtag #Elite1C has become popular. It is a playful nod to get to name first child of the friend and his fiancee. his unexpected offensive contributions that have made him as important as a first-line center on some difference-making nights. He has had fun with that. He smiles broadly at a nickname he knows has taken root on Twitter — #Elite1C. His unassuming demeanor and easy #Elite1C harkens back to his first stint with Anaheim, when then-coach Randy Carlyle — with stars Getzlaf and Kesler missing from the lineup — occasionally put Grant on the top line before the Ducks addressed their His big 2017-18 season with the Ducks cemented his place in the NHL, crater-sized hole at center in trading for Adam Henrique. (The author of but not with them. He remained hopeful that the two sides could get this piece isn’t taking credit for creating that hashtag but freely admits to together on a new contract after a successful one-year association. It continually feeding the beast.) didn’t happen, and Pittsburgh picked him up on the cheap.

Grant has emerged as a fan favorite. Well aware of the moniker, he said, But the Penguins were deep up front and the ageless Matt Cullen, a “It’s funny. I don’t know which way to look at it sometimes. I know it’s all favorite who won two Stanley Cups with them, was still playing well at in good fun. I’ll take it for sure. They have fun with it. It’s always funny to age 42. Looking back, Grant can smile at the irony of returning to see.” Anaheim.

Twists and turns in his career have given him perspective. It is about “It just wasn’t a good fit for me,” Grant said. “But they gave me an enjoying the present. opportunity and they got me back to here. Which probably went the way it should, I guess.” There was a time when it was easy to big. Grant was a fourth- round selection by Ottawa in 2008. At the time, the 18-year-old was How well is Grant playing this season? Enough that he may be making playing in the Junior A level British Columbia Hockey League. He himself attractive to a playoff team seeking additional center depth for the continued his development in college with Michigan State. postseason.

Corey Tropp was in his junior season with the Spartans when Grant His low salary can fit into the tightest of cap situations a team might have. entered the program. He remembers a quiet, easygoing kid who And his versatility could be a prized asset for a contender trying to beef immediately got along with everyone in the dressing room. In Grant, up its fourth line. Being a major factor in the Ducks’ penalty kill, coupled Tropp saw a youngster with size and tools that would allow him to with his faceoff prowess— a 53 percent success rate this season and a succeed if he put in the work. career win rate that is a near match — make him much more than an energy grinder. Eakins loves those traits about him, and the reward is a “I was excited that I was able to be on his line because I think right away career-high 13 1/2 minutes of ice time per game. you could see he was going to be a good player,” said Tropp, now a veteran right wing with the ’s . But with Anaheim’s season in its current state, it may make sense for “He could skate really well. Had a good shot. He saw the ice as well. You general manager Bob Murray to listen to any calls about Grant or could just tell coming in he was going to make an immediate impact, investigate whether there is a team willing part with a mid-round draft which he did as a freshman.” pick. Continued strong play and occasional scoring by the center over the next two weeks will only raise his value. The Ducks have only five picks Now when the two cross paths, Tropp said their days in East Lansing this year, because they traded their fourth-round selection to Montreal for occasionally come up. The Spartans didn’t win anything big, but they are Grant’s linemate, Nicolas Deslauriers. fond memories still. The well-traveled Grant knows no situation is permanent. February often “We had a good little gig there,” Tropp said. “Jeff Petry. Torey Krug. is an unsettling month for a team well outside the playoff picture. Derek. Andrew Rowe. We were kind of a middle-of-the-road team. But we had a lot of fun. We pushed each other to get better and that’s kind of “You see it every year with guys,” Grant said. “It’s something you what you really do at that age. It was fun to cross paths with him in obviously try not to think about. Try not to let that get in your mind at all. college. There’s so many things that can happen. Obviously, I don’t have a clause in my contract. It’s something that’s part of the game. It’s part of “It’s always awesome catching up and following your buddies that you business. One of those things where you just got to take day by day. played with along the way. To see him have success, that’s great.” “At this time of the year, there’s always movement around the league. There were setbacks to endure and to work past. Ottawa opted to not Guys in and out. It’s an adjustment for everybody. When you’re at the tender Grant a contract in 2015. Calgary brought him in and gave him 15 place in the standings where we’re in right now, it’s historically been NHL games, and then Grant signed a two-way deal with Buffalo for the where guys have been moved to teams in playoff position right now. But 2016-17 season. Buffalo waived him and Nashville put in a claim. you try not to worry about that or think about that too much. It’s out of Nashville did the same and Buffalo got him back. Teams remained your control at the end of the day.” interested but not enough to where he felt he could drop an anchor. Right now, Grant very much views himself as a member of the Ducks. “I think I went up and down a few more times than a lot of guys do,” He’d like to stay that way. As of now, there isn’t any discussion between Grant said. “Sitting on that bubble for a long time, it’s never easy. You the club and his camp about a new contract after this one expires in see it go both ways for guys. You talk to other guys that have been in June. Even his breakout year with Anaheim didn’t result in flood of offers. that position. It didn’t work out or they played some games and it just He accepted Pittsburgh’s league-minimum $650,000 in the summer of didn’t work out. They’re all great players that could play. 2018 so he wouldn’t get left out of the free-agent frenzy and go well into “It’s something that I just kept working at. Tried to learn something every August or September without a contract. time. And then every time I would go back down, I just tried to use what I His stay with the Penguins lasted barely half a season. Murray learned and also tried to build more confidence. Play with a little more reacquired him for Joseph Blandisi midway through last season and he’s confidence in my game.” been a fixture with the Ducks ever since. He could finish out the year with Ryan Huska has always been a believer. Huska coached Grant with the the Ducks or another team. But he also knows there is one place that has , the AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames. Five years into let him prove true his inner belief. He is an NHL player and Anaheim has his pro career, Grant had the kind of season that strengthened his inner been the beneficiary. belief. He always felt he could produce, and 27 goals and 18 assists in “I love it here,” Grant said. “I’ve loved my time here in the two different just 36 games were his receipt. stints. We have a great group of guys here. I believe in the core group “Derek was excellent for us,” Huska, now a Flames assistant coach, told here that we have. It hasn’t gone the way we’ve wanted it obviously this The Athletic. “Before we got him our pro scouts (and) management year. But there’s still belief in our group. thought he had the potential to put up some more offensive numbers “It’s a fun place to be and a good organization to be with. Obviously, it’s than he had in the past. We wanted to use him in every role we could, something that you have to take day by day. You can’t tell what to plan including both power play and penalty kill — which we knew he was a for.” good penalty killer. It didn’t take us long to notice his overall talent and ability to impact the game in different ways. Tropp, his old college teammate, continues to root for him. The 30-year- old veteran of more than 360 AHL games knows Grant’s story and lives “He got off to a great start with us. I feel like his confidence grew each it, trying to make an NHL roster each September and hoping to get the and every day and at that time, he became one of the most dangerous call from the big club and hoping to stick when the call comes. players in the AHL. When he was on, our team typically had success and ended the night in the win column. He brought a lot to our young team And he was among the happiest to witness his fellow grinder’s biggest and not only raised his level of play but made the players around him night. better.” “I don’t want to call Granter a Cinderella story, but I think he’d probably agree getting a hat trick in the National Hockey League might be one of the hardest things to do,” Tropp said. “To accomplish that feat, that’s just awesome. He’s put in the work. He’s always had the talent. It’s good to see him finding his way and having another very productive season with the Ducks.”

Huska is now with a rival club, but it doesn’t matter. Pride for one of his former players has no boundary.

“It is great to see him having continued success now at the NHL level,” he said.

When you bring up the minor leagues with Grant, the sheepish gap- toothed smile emerges. The memories of three games in three nights come back, and of long bus trips across one state or several. And of card games and quick-witted banter. And of friendships built along the way.

It is a road he wouldn’t trade with anyone.

“I think I’ve been a lot of places,” he said. “But it’s something that’s kind of built me into the player I am. It’s something that’s allowed me to kind of round out my game in multiple ways. To be able to play in different situations and different roles when I need to. For that, I’m thankful and grateful for it.”

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174253 Arizona Coyotes Raanta said he had no idea that the save had a scorpion namesake until media made him aware after the game. After all, Raanta has had his run- ins with scorpions in the past; his house was infested during the 2017-18 Arizona Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo 'drills down' with Arizona Coyotes' season, his first in Arizona. Rick Tocchet Perhaps Raanta was stung by one of those scorpions and gained the ability to make a scorpion-save?

Richard Morin, Arizona Republic Published 7:05 p.m. MT Feb. 3, 2020 Raanta said he is considering adding a scorpion to his mask for next season. If you ask us, that's coming dangerously close to superhero territory.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo has a line for the media whenever One-timers he is gathering information. Lovullo calls it "drilling down," and although it usually applies to getting answers for hungry reporters, it also explains — Oliver Ekman-Larsson (lower body) practiced with the team on what he was doing at Gila River Arena on Monday. Monday but was forced off the ice early. He is still day-to-day and is questionable for Tuesday's game. The full story is that Lovullo met with Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet and veteran TV host Todd Walsh for an upcoming piece to air on Fox — Darcy Kuemper (lower body) continues to partially practice with the Sports Arizona. But Lovullo was there to learn, too. Coyotes but has not been cleared for a full practice, Tocchet said.

"It's a lot of fun for me to cross over into the other sports in this — Barrett Hayton (shoulder) is close to being cleared for full contact as community," said Lovullo, who is entering his fourth season as he continues to practice with the team, per Tocchet. Diamondbacks manager. "It's something that is really important to me. — Jason Demers (undisclosed) took a maintenance day on Monday but For me personally, I always want to be growing and evolving so it was looks to be probable for Tuesday's game. great to sit down with Rick and pick his brain and see some of his thoughts and beliefs." Up next

Tocchet echoed that same sentiment after the Coyotes wrapped practice Coyotes vs. Edmonton Oilers, 7 p.m., Tuesday: The Coyotes (26-21-7) on Monday, suggesting that coaches can learn from other coaches — look to snap a season-worst, five-game losing skid when they host the even those who work in a different sport. Edmonton Oilers (28-18-6) at Gila River Arena. ... This is the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season, with the Coyotes holding a "We were just talking about certain strategies with players and stuff like 1-1-1 record in the previous three games, the latest of which was a 7-3 that," Tocchet said of his conversation with Lovullo. "I really enjoy talking loss on Jan. 18 in Edmonton. ... The Coyotes are 8-1-1 on Tuesday with him. He's got a good presence with him and he's a good guy. It was nights this season. good." Arizona Republic LOADED: 02.04.2020 Lovullo said that, as a child growing up in suburban Los Angeles, he often wondered whether coaches mingled with one another. Did Lakers coach Bill Sharman ever cross paths with Kings coach Bob Pulford?

"That was just me being a fan," Lovullo said, "so I'm sure fans in this community wonder if we talk and get along. I think it's a way for us to extend ourselves in this community. To know that we're all aligned, I think the fans would want to know that."

Coyotes President of Hockey Operations and General Manager John Chayka is another individual who relishes any opportunity to learn from coaches or executives from other sports or businesses. Chayka has spoken in the past about the importance of perspective when doing this sort of work.

For Lovullo, it really is as simple as "drilling down" to find as much information as he can regarding his craft. In his conversation with Tocchet, Lovullo said he discovered much of their values are synonymous — despite the differences in the sport itself.

"It can just be a simple conversation where they might not even be that zoned into what they're saying," Lovullo said. "It's just them being themselves, so you get that authenticity and some good feeling about what works inside of their culture and inside of their clubhouse. Rick and I share the same vision about having a culture that is very positive and permits growth for players and staff members.

"But how do you get there? That's sort of what we talked about and shared. I think it's defined as a sport, period. Hockey, can you relate it to ? Not exactly, but mostly we were just talking about the bigger picture."

The Amazing Scorpion-Man

Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta might want to work in a comic-book deal into his next NHL contract.

Raanta made a spectacular save on Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks in which he, from his belly, lifted his legs behind him and stopped a puck with the blade of his skate.

The style of save, known as the "scorpion" since the goaltender's legs resemble the stinger of a scorpion, earned Raanta a place on highlight reels everywhere.

How does Antti Raanta do this!? pic.twitter.com/Ub4gz9P93X

— NHL (@NHL) February 2, 2020 1174254 Arizona Coyotes “I might interpret the rules one way but my interpretation doesn’t matter,” the executive said. “You have to remember, the people at the league work for us. They’re there to help. All you have to do is ask for an Did the Coyotes violate Combine Testing Policy? A ruling may hinge on interpretation before going forward with whatever you’re doing.” semantics Another source said that the Combine Testing Policy leaves too much gray area.

By Craig Morgan Feb 3, 2020 “If you look at the CBA (collective bargaining agreement), it lays out things in great specificity,” the source said. “This policy is legally binding, but it’s just a one-page memo. The fallout from this investigation could be more stringent clarifications on what’s allowable and what’s not.” An interpretation of the rules appears to be the core issue in the NHL’s ongoing investigation of the Coyotes, two sources told The Athletic. The If the Coyotes are found guilty, that could create a conundrum for the league’s ruling could mean the difference between a significant fine and league when it looks to punish Arizona. Alex Meruelo purchased a 95- complete exoneration. percent ownership stake in the Coyotes this past summer. How willing would NHL commissioner Gary Bettman be to levy stiff financial penalties The NHL is investigating whether the Coyotes violated league rules by on a new owner who was not part of those infractions — an owner who fitness-testing draft-eligible players before the 2019 scouting combine. has brought stability to a franchise that has faced relocation rumors, The investigation was first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger last week. arena issues, ownership issues and a seven-year playoff drought? Per the NHL’s Combine Testing Policy, no physical testing is permitted for prospects on the invite list before the combine, but a source told The There is nothing within the Combine Testing Policy to suggest other Athletic that the Coyotes do not believe they violated that rule. While the forms of punishment, only the aforementioned fines, but Bettman has Coyotes did interview numerous draft-eligible prospects on that list, wide discretion when meting out punishment for something he feels which is permitted, the source said they did not run any of those violates the spirit or integrity of the game. Could the Coyotes be forced to prospects through physical testing. Instead, they simply asked questions forfeit draft picks instead? Could Bettman insist on the termination of regarding such topics as eating habits, supplement use and workout individuals involved in the process? Could he choose another form of regimens. punishment?

The Coyotes’ draft process relies on a collaborative approach. The Bettman, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly and senior executive vice revamped process was created to collect more data and avoid a president of hockey operations Colin Campbell all declined to comment recurrence of mistakes in the draft. That means multiple staff members on the ongoing investigation when reached by The Athletic on Thursday. participate in the interviewing of draft prospects. Mental performance OHL commissioner David Branch, who was the CHL’s president until this consultant Brenley Shapiro handles the psychological portion of the past summer, did not return calls requesting comment, but a CHL interview, a regional scout will ask hockey questions and a recently hired spokesperson wrote via email: “This is an NHL matter and the CHL will strength and conditioning consultant, Tommy Powers, handles questions not be commenting at this time.” related to his expertise. The Coyotes issued a statement before the team faced the Los Angeles One source said that Powers’ inclusion raised some concerns with the Kings at Gila River Arena on Thursday night. league, as did the Coyotes’ request that draft prospects show up for the interviews in a T-shirt and shorts so that team staff could “eyeball” their “We are aware of the reports. We have discussed the matter with the bodies. But the source said the Coyotes did not take measurements or NHL and we will have no further comment at this time.” request any sort of physical tests. They simply looked the player over to It is unclear whether the league has placed any timeline for the assess such aspects as skating potential and potential physical completion of the investigation. development. The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 While the Coyotes have denied requesting any sort of physical testing of draft prospects on the combine list, even going so far as to decline one invitation from parents to watch their son work out, they have also provided feedback to junior teams when asked about their own processes.

The NHL’s policy was revamped to prevent teams from holding their own combines for draft prospects.

“Teams were sending letters to 40 kids to show up at the local high school and then they’d put them through two-mile runs, bench presses, squats, dead lifts,” one source said. “They were running these kids ragged and when you’re talking about a lot of teams doing it, it just wasn’t fair to the kids. That’s what the combine is for.”

Two sources said the initial complaint against the Coyotes was filed by someone connected to the league, but they did not name that person.

Dreger reported last week that the , the and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, all of which fall under the umbrella, sent emails to their respective teams at the NHL’s request, asking them to report any contact (a report that has been confirmed by The Athletic). Multiple teams reported contact.

A source said the investigation is not confined to the Canadian major junior leagues, however. It also encompasses the United States Hockey League. Per one source, the Coyotes tested numerous players on the combine invite list whom they expected to be high draft picks, which could amount to a significant of incidents. Per the NHL’s Combine Testing Policy, any club that violates these policies will be fined no less than $250,000 for each violation.

An NHL executive told The Athletic that the Coyotes’ interpretation of the rules may be correct, but that there is an easy way to clear up any confusion. 1174255 General manager Don Sweeney, who has until Feb. 24 trade deadline to augment this group for the stretch run, has first looked inward. In consultation with Cassidy last month, he called up forwards Karson Bruce Cassidy pushing team with internal competition Kuhlman and Anton Blidh and defenseman Lauzon to push the established players.

Cassidy praised fourth-liner Blidh as a hard-edged winger with lots of By Matt Porter Globe Staff, February 3, 2020, 8:13 p.m. energy, similar to Kuhlman (now skating on David Krejci’s line). With 29 games left in the regular season, he is making a case to stick around, the

coach said. Sean Kuraly was a healthy scratch Saturday in Minnesota, the latest in a “It’s good to see,” Cassidy said of Blidh. “It’s a short sample size, but he’s series of messages sent from Bruce Cassidy that lagging play won’t be got a good motor.” tolerated. Heinen returns When the Bruins were on their bye break, Sean Kuraly had a refreshing respite with several teammates in Puerto Rico. Then he was handed Heinen, unavailable on Saturday because of a lower-body injury, some unwelcome time off. practiced in full and could be ready to face the Canucks . . . Cassidy termed Nordstrom’s absence from practice a maintenance day . . . Clifton Kuraly, the fourth-line center, was a healthy scratch Saturday in (who has missed 13 games with an upper-body injury) and Kevan Miller Minnesota, the latest in a series of messages sent from coach Bruce did not practice. Sweeney said Jan. 31 that Miller has a “long, slow Cassidy that lagging play won’t be tolerated. progression” ahead before returning to the lineup . . . Providence center Boston’s No. 52 played the first 52 games this season, but was an able- Jack Studnicka was named AHL player of the week after putting up a 3- bodied spectator for No. 53. After Monday’s practice, he acknowledged 2—5 line in two games. He began the week with a five-point showing at he understood the hammer his coach holds. That doesn’t mean he’s OK the AHL All-Star game, one of his three goals standing as the winner in with it hitting him. the championship of the round-robin tournament. The 20-year-old is making the most of his first full pro season (17-18—35 in 46 AHL games, “Absolutely,” when asked if he was upset by the scratch. “I’ve maybe not with a league-best five shorthanded goals) . . . Bruins first-rounder played my best lately, but it’s the coach’s decision, and you go with it.” Johnny Beecher is showing a bit of a mean streak. The Michigan freshman was suspended one game by the Big Ten for head-butting an Kuraly isn’t relied on for big offensive numbers; he set a career high last opponent Saturday against Ohio State. The Michigan Daily student year with eight goals and 21 points in 71 games, and has 4-13—17 so far newspaper reported the 6-foot-3-inch center threw a tantrum after his this year. But one goal and two assists in his last 14 games is below his ejection, shouting a curse word toward an official and slamming his stick . standard. When he and his linemates (typically Joakim Nordstrom and . . Torey Krug, speaking about the idea of rust after a bye week, eagerly Chris Wagner) are on, they fatigue opponents with strong, speedy took a swipe at pal Brad Marchand: “That short of a break, it was only a forechecking, often helping the Bruins’ higher-skill lines take advantage. week, so you still have your hands. Everyone except Marchy. He’s still Cassidy hasn’t seen much of that lately, Kuraly’s overall presence looking for his.” . . . Tuukka Rask, seeing a larger-than-usual media lacking. group in the dressing room: “Football season must be over!” Bruce Cassidy isn’t afraid to tell his players to take a seat. Boston Globe LOADED: 02.04.2020 “I’m not saying it’s gone every night; it’s just, consistently getting it out of him,” Cassidy said Monday. “That line plays a lot of minutes when they’re on. I think they’ve lost a bit of their [offensive] zone puck possession game, where they were wearing teams down just by forcing them to defend. Hopefully they’ll find that again.”

Kuraly, who could suit up Tuesday against Vancouver, is certainly not the first Bruin to take a healthy scratch this season.

Punitive practices, informally known as bag skates, are a thing of the past in today’s NHL, where teams, including the Bruins, often manage practice workloads with wearable devices, and each team gets a mandatory day off per week. Coaches looking to send messages often shrink a player’s ice time.

It would be a stunner if Cassidy benched established stars like Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak, but Jake DeBrusk and Anders Bjork have been stapled to the pine in a few periods of games this year. Another young winger, Danton Heinen, watched from the press box Dec. 31 in New Jersey.

Regulars Wagner (Dec. 23 against Washington) and Nordstrom (Jan. 21 against Vegas) had their stints as the extra forward. Those at the fringes of the lineup have it tougher. Par Lindholm has sat 17 times in his first year as a Bruin. Before they were cut from the varsity, Brett Ritchie and David Backes took more than their share of scratches.

Defensemen are not immune, either. John Moore has missed the last three games, and six in total, with rookie Jeremy Lauzon making a case. Moore, returning from offseason shoulder surgery last month, knocked (since-injured) rookie out of the lineup. One of the Bruins’ brightest young back liners, , was annoyed when Cassidy sat him Jan. 14 in Columbus. A week later, he said it was a reset for his game.

Kuraly was getting there on Monday.

Sean Kuraly, seen here in a November game against Minnesota, has struggled at times this season.

“Maybe it’s good to get some perspective, maybe,” he said. “But you never want to sit out. I don’t think I’m feeling any more refreshed.” 1174256 Boston Bruins

The Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy can manage all situations

By RICH THOMPSON | PUBLISHED: February 3, 2020 at 4:21 pm | UPDATED: February 3, 2020 at 4:23 PM

Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy has made a case study of game management.

McAvoy is the Bruins’ leader in ice time, logging 23:13 minutes per game. In addition to his regular shifts with captain Zdeno Chara against the opponents’ top lines, McAvoy participates on the second power play with Matt Grzelcyk, the penalty kill and 4-on-4 situations.

“I think about it (ice time) and I’ve been watching and trying to be a student of the game since high school even before that,” said McAvoy.

McAvoy can expect to match or exceed his average when the Bruins take on the revitalized Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night at the TD Garden. The Bruins (31-10-12) lead the Atlantic Division while the Canucks (30-18-5) are in first place in the Pacific Division.

“I started to realize that the guys that play a lot of minutes, whether it’s (Brandon) Sutter or (Drew) Doughty or guys like that, they just manage the game so well.”

McAvoy’s version of game management balances the need to be proactive without overextending himself through the course of a shift, a period, a game or a season.

McAvoy is developing his own game management style, but he continues to learn from NHL players that have mastered the process over many seasons.

“Whether it’s decision making or even load management,” said McAvoy. “They are not always up every rush and it seems that they know how to manage their load and their fatigue and just staying fresh and managing the game and really just dictating it. That is something I try and do but I still have so much to learn and to improve on. But if I can do that, if I can be crisp with my breakouts and break up plays and when I’m out there, be a calming presence for our team.

“Playing it and managing it is something I take pride in and I’m very excited with the roles that allows me to play those minutes.”

McAvoy also serves as the Bruins’ second defenseman in 3-on-3 overtime situations behind Torey Krug. The Bruins have been dreadful in overtime and shootouts and lead the league with 12 overtime points, two ahead of Ottawa.

“We have Torey out there and Charlie,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. “You know Charlie hasn’t scored much but he’s actually had his chances on overtime ice and I think we have mobile guys back there.”

McAvoy believes the Bruins can reverse that trend in the remaining 29 games of the regular season. McAvoy enjoys playing on the open ice sheet, participating on two-on-one breaks while maintaining his defensive duties for goalies Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak.

“Three on three is a blast and it’s obviously an opportunity and I get really excited to go out there,” said McAvoy. “You get to play with skill and there is a lot of open ice and obviously defending.

“It’s one on one all over the ice and you have to take a lot of pride in that. You have to keep yourself between that guy and the net but then your skill gets to come out when you get the opportunity to change lanes or try something.”

Boston Herald LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174257 Boston Bruins

Bruins face Canucks in a battle of divisional leaders at the Garden

By RICH THOMPSON | PUBLISHED: February 3, 2020 at 4:14 pm | UPDATED: February 3, 2020 at 4:17 PM

The Bruins drew a tough opponent for their first home game since the winter break.

After securing impressive weekend road wins at Winnipeg and Minnesota, the Bruins will host the Vancouver Canucks in a battle of divisional leaders on Tuesday night at the TD Garden. The Bruins (31- 10-12) rule the Atlantic Division while the Canucks (30-18-5) are tops in the Pacific Division.

“They are playing really well but I haven’t seen them this year,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy following team practice on Monday at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton.

“They have taken a step from where they were last year. They are a playoff team and I thought they added some character guys and (J.T.) Miller has really helped their team. They have done some good things with their lineup and those young guys are a year older and a year better. They are probably a little bit underrated right now but they have always played us well.”

The Canucks have two quality lines. Bo Horvat leads the first line flanked by Tanner Pearson and former Bruin Loui Eriksson. Miller skates left wing on the second with center , the team’s leading scorer with 55 points, and Jake Virtanen.

Rookie Quinn Hughes is seventh in the NHL among scoring defensemen with eight goals and 31 assists. Hughes has helped elevate the Canucks power play, which is seventh in the league with a 23.0% success rate.

“They have got a young team with a lot skill and their guys did pretty well in the All-Star game,” said Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. “They are a pretty fun to watch and they always play well against us so we have to be ready to come out and play. They are in a tough race in the West and we are well aware of that and we want to be playing well going into the playoffs.”

Beanpot time

Boston University was the only participant in Monday night’s 68th annual Beanpot Hockey Tournament semifinals at the TD Garden with a presence in the Bruins locker room. Grzelcyk, fellow blue liner Charlie McAvoy and center Charlie Coyle are all Terriers-turned-Bruins.

Bruins had a better Beanpot representation on last year’s roster with former Boston College forward Brian Gionta and Harvard right wing Ryan Donato. The Bruins swelled the BU ranks when they traded Donato to Minnesota for Coyle.

“It seems like all four teams are pretty evenly matched and playing well coming in so it should be fun to watch,” said Grzelcyk.

Super Bowl squares

Cassidy attended a Super Bowl party on Sunday and drew favorable numerical squares that the victorious Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers failed to deliver on.

“I’m happy for (Chiefs’ coach) Andy Reid and it was an entertaining game,” said Cassidy. “But the problem at being at a party is you are always watching for your numbers and I didn’t win either.

“I had good numbers. I had three and zero and seven and six and came up with nothing.”

Boston Herald LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174258 Boston Bruins

Joakim Nordstrom (undisclosed) misses practice, questionable vs. Canucks

By Joe Haggerty February 03, 2020 6:43 PM

BRIGHTON, Mass – The Bruins are just a couple of games back from a 10-day break in the schedule, so they are relatively healthy with just fourth liner Joakim Nordstrom missing from practice on Monday morning at Warrior Ice Arena.

Nordstrom was out for “a maintenance day” per head coach Bruce Cassidy after the Bruins had a day away from the rink on Sunday. So, chances are that the fourth-line winger will be out for Tuesday night’s home game against the Vancouver Canucks.

Nordstrom played in each of the last two wins over Winnipeg and Minnesota and picked up an assist in the 6-1 win over the Wild on Saturday night. But he clearly got banged up during his 12:59 of ice time.

“It was a maintenance day today. I don’t know how he’ll be tomorrow, so we’ll have to see,” said Cassidy, who would likely go with Anton Blidh, Par Lindholm and Chris Wagner on the fourth line if Nordstrom is unable to play against the Canucks.

LIVE stream the Celtics all season and get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App.

Danton Heinen missed Saturday’s game with an injury, but he was back at practice on Monday with the rest of the Bruins and looks ready to go against the Canucks on Tuesday night.

Sean Kuraly was a healthy scratch for Saturday’s win and looks like he will be competing with Heinen for the left wing spot on the third line. The Bruins are looking for more consistency out of the usual fourth line center that has 17 points in 52 games along with a minus-4 rating this season.

“It’s just [the challenge] to consistently get it out of him backing D off on the attack, and the penalty kill,” said Cassidy, when asked about Kuraly. “That’s what we’re looking for on a more consistent basis. I don’t know if he’s looking offense more than he had in the past and that’s affected his game. We just want him to play like his consistent self and good things are going to happen.

"I think [the fourth line] has lost a bit of the O-zone puck possession game where they were wearing teams down just by forcing them to defend. Hopefully they can find that again.”

Here are the Bruins projected line combos and D-pairings vs. the Canucks based on the line rushes at Monday’s practice:

Haggerty: Tyler Toffoli a solid fallback for the Bruins

Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak

DeBrusk-Krejci-Kuhlman

Heinen/Kuraly-Coyle-Bjork

Blidh-Lindholm-Wagner

Chara-McAvoy

Krug-Carlo

Grzelcyk-Lauzon

Rask

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174259 Boston Bruins who can do a little bit of everything while not really being outstanding at any one area of the game.

He’s big, he’s mobile and he has all the tools to be an effective guy for Bruins Mailbag: Fans still clamoring for B's trade updates the Bruins, but it’s been difficult for him to establish himself within a deep group of defensemen who were already entrenched here when he arrived last season. By Joe Haggerty February 03, 2020 2:34 PM Moore would be movable if the Bruins ended up picking up some of the money in the deal if that’s the direction they wanted to go in, but I don’t think it’s ever smart to trade away any NHL-caliber defensemen for a After a full weekend of the Bruins again playing up to their potential, it team with Stanley Cup aspirations. feels like at the very least that the B’s have righted the ship while still holding a five-point lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Let’s see what Moore can do in the second half of the year after not even Division standings. playing in any games until the beginning of December.

Now it’s about the final couple of months of the NHL regular season and Haggerty: What B's are lacking if they meet Lightning or Caps in playoffs getting ready for the playoffs, and next up on the schedule is the NHL trade deadline set for about three weeks from now. As one might expect, What is the news on Joe Thornton coming to Boston and what is the the Bruins fans out there are mighty curious about what the Bruins are news on Chris Kreider from New York coming to Boston? Also, who are going to do and have plenty of questions about it. There are also a few we looking to deal on the trade deadline? curveballs in there as well, but the unexpected is what you come to --PHS (@paulsantos6954) expect in the Hagg Bag mailbag. JH: Jumbo Joe will be among several Sharks who should be moving As always, these are real questions from real Bruins fans using the ahead of the trade deadline, particularly in the wake of the Thomas Hertl #HaggBag hash tag, real messages to NBCS fan page and injury that’s knocked him out for the season. There is no update beyond real emails sent to my [email protected] email account. Now on to that because San Jose hasn’t even really put their players up on the the bag: trade market as of yet, and it still remains to be seen if Jumbo is a good If the Bruins are truly interested in Dillon (San Jose) does that make it fit for what the Bruins need up front. The jury is out on that one, though it probable that they are considering moving [Matt] Grzelcyk or [Torey] would be an amazing story if he returned to Boston. Krug? Kreider is out with a suspected concussion after taking a nasty hit to the --Robert McNeil head during last weekend’s game against Detroit. So stay tuned on that one. Once again the New York Rangers have not given up hope of re- JH: No, I think it makes it probable that the Bruins don’t feel like Kevan signing him, so he’s not available quite yet either. But he’s the top name Miller is going to make it back for a healthy return and that they need to on the list of trade options for the Bruins if/when he becomes available. add another big, rugged defenseman to a mix that’s on the small-ish side He’s big, he can skate, he can score and he will play on the edge from right now with Torey Krug, Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Clifton very much time to time. That’s exactly the kind of guy that the Bruins really need in on the small side and John Moore not really an in-your-face type of their top-6 forward group. defenseman either. I don’t think Dillon has much of anything to do with Grzelcyk or Krug being moved because they are wholly different types of Who’s your fan cast of Norman Osborne for the MCU? I would love for players. Willem Defoe to return but the likelihood of that is less than a Backes retirement announcement. I’d personally like to see Christian Bale Let’s be honest about Dillon: We’re talking about a guy who has two #haggbag goals and 35 points in his last 135 games, so he’d be brought in to rattle cages rather than light up scoreboards. And the B’s most definitely could --Tyler (@TylerBrewsBeer) use another 6-foot-3, 220-pounder on the roster, even if I think it would JH: Maybe it will be Christian Bale. I know he’s been cast in the MCU in be more useful to have that guy play the forward position rather than an as yet unidentified role. It sounds like Norman Osborne is going to bringing in another D-man to be a bit of an intimidator. have a major role in the next few phases of the MCU as a villain-type and LIVE stream the Celtics all season and get the latest news and analysis he may have even already been mentioned as the rich benefactor behind on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Sonny Birch in the Ant-Man and the Wasp movie. So I would like him. Teams App. You could go outside the box and cast somebody like Adam Driver too, although he might be a little too physically intimidating for a guy in Does JG Pageau need a place to stay when the Bruins trade for him? I Osborne I’ve always felt is a little bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde type as offer up my residence as tribute with the added perk of being strategically Osborne and the Green Goblin. located near 4 corners and a plentiful supply of Gold Fever Wings. I’ll tell you what really has me excited. There are rumblings that Keanu --Mike From Woburn (@mikefromwoburn) Reeves is going to play the Silver Surfer. How awesome would that be as they naturally get into Galactus and the Fantastic Four among other JH: C’mon, Mike. If you’re going to impress somebody at least go with things? Also, potentially Emily Blunt as Sue Storm, and if that happens the Country Fried Chicken or Chicken and Sausage Al Forno from the 9’s they absolutely, positively have to get John Krasinski as Mister Fantastic rather than the pedestrian Gold Fever Wings. The only way to prove himself, Reed Richards. That is the kind of casting I need to have as they you’re a high roller at the 99 is to start ordering off menu while you’re try to find ways to get fans excited after the departure of RDJ and Chris drinking tall boys of Bud Light at the bar. I will give you credit, though. Evans as Iron Man and Captain America. You have been on the JGP bandwagon from the very beginning. Who knows? Maybe it will end up happening, but I don’t think he’s close to the Hey there Haggs, top of Boston’s need list. Now that SJ has lost Hertl is it possible that the B’s have a young forward Am I correct to worry [John] Moore is trending to be similar to the Backes (prospect or current B) that may interest them enough to land Dillon? I situation? Bad contract, good player you are hoping things turn around love Dillon’s game and the B’s need his type. Secondly, could we have for. What happens to him if Kevan Miller gets healthy. Seems like two too enough trade chips to land BOTH Dillon and Kreider? Would love to see many NHL ready D-men with Lauzon’s performance, trade? #haggbag that happen.

--David Andrew DeWilde (@nddwld) --Jeff Gold

JH: There’s really no comparison between John Moore and David JH: I think the Bruins definitely have enough chips to land Dillon and Backes because Moore’s cap hit is $2.75 million as opposed to the $6 Kreider, potentially. I don’t think Dillon is going to cost all that much. I million cap hit for Backes. Moore is being paid like a bottom pairing mean, we’re talking about a guy who doesn’t put up points, doesn’t even defenseman, so he’s not a cap killer if he’s a healthy scratch for stretches play 20-minutes a night in a top-4 role and is a straight-up rental player. I of the season. It does beg the question why the Bruins felt the need to think a draft pick rather than a prospect would be sufficient to land a offer him a five-year term in the first place, but he does give them a guy bottom-pairing D like Dillon who does bring something to the table, but isn’t an elite player by any stretch of the imagination. The issue, as I see it, with Kreider is that the Bruins are going to be If they had drafted better there, they probably have enough talent to beat bidding against a lot of other teams for the Rangers winger if/when he St. Louis in last year’s seven-game series. I don’t think there is much becomes available, and there may simply be other contenders that can debate in that argument given how narrow the margin of victory was for offer a better prospect/draft pick package. It seems an automatic that it’s the St. Louis Blues, and given how many good, impactful players have going to be a first-round pick and a legit prospect, so the Bruins are going come out of the first round of that draft. to have to pay a premium for him if they want him. Do the Bruins have any salary cap room now since they just said Backes Could Joe Thornton actually return to the Bruins? is healthy & back with the club? Is there any wiggle room?

Hearing lots of trade talks like Kreider, Toffoli, even Brendan Dillon. If a --Dan (@blackorrgold4) big deadline deal is to happen (fingers crossed) what is your idea of a realistic trade? And does [Charlie] McAvoy really get moved? Feel like JH: David Backes is not with the club. He is not with Providence either. trading him would hurt in the long run. They get the cap relief as if he were in the AHL, which amounts to roughly $1.25 million, but they won’t get full cap relief from the 35-year- --Isaac Edwards (@isaacedwards46) old winger unless he’s traded somewhere else in the next few weeks. Even then, the Bruins will probably have to eat half his contract, and that JH: There’s no way Charlie McAvoy is getting traded, particularly right would mean being on the books for $3 million next season even if he’s now when he’s got zero goals and is coming off a “meh” first half in the not here anymore. first year of a three-year contract where he’s still a reasonably priced player. That’s just crazy talk. But it does speak, I think, to a general As with the answer up above, it would have been nice to see what might displeasure with some of the aspects of his game in the first half of the have happened if the Bruins had a more impactful player than a past-his- year despite the fact he’s blocking shots, paying more attention to the prime Backes in last June’s Stanley Cup Final when their marquee free defensive end of his game and trying to be a more well-rounded player. agent signing from the summer of 2016 was scratched for the final three He just hasn’t been enough of an impact player for a guy who's on the ice games of the Cup series. If the Bruins had that $6 million cap slot more than anybody else in a Bruins uniform, and the win over Winnipeg reserved for a better, more useful player, they might have actually edged was a good example of that. out the Blues and claimed the Cup.

He was beaten defensively for Winnipeg’s first goal in a start that wasn’t Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.04.2020 great, but it was his massive hip check on Mark Schiefele entering the zone that flipped the momentum of the game, and set up the power play goal that got Boston’s offense up and running. The frustration with McAvoy this season isn’t that he’s been terrible, because he hasn’t been. It’s that his ceiling is so high and he’s not getting close to reaching it yet, and the expectation was that he would be closer in his third full NHL season.

But McAvoy is still just as big as David Pastrnak when it comes to importance in the long-term future view of the Bruins. That hasn’t changed, nor will it barring anything crazy from happening.

What does Gary smell like?

--Bill (@BjMcDaddy)

JH: Gary Tanguay? He smells like rich mahogany, leather-bound books and greatness. It’s a pretty intoxicating combination if we’re being honest. You should check out Early Edition nightly on NBC Sports Boston to see (and smell) for yourself.

Haggerty: Potential forward the Bruins could trade for at deadline

Joe,

As much as many in Bruins Nation gripe about Sweeney’s 2015 draft moves, let’s not forget he also passed on Thomas Chabot before selecting McAvoy! Yes, the need may have been for a RD, NOT the “best available player” as is usually the mindset when the B’s are on the clock....

Ron

JH: Yes, Sweeney did pass on Chabot in 2015 and instead selected Jakub Zboril with the 13th overall pick and the first of the three straight selections that the Bruins made in that draft. That was a miss, but it was more forgivable in my opinion because both Zboril and Chabot were viewed as second-tier D-men prospects in that draft behind Noah Hanifin, Ivan Provorov and Zach Werenski. Those were the three that the Bruins were really interested in and wanted to trade up in order to select, but when that fell apart for Sweeney it became a matter of taking the next best player available in Zboril before going with Jake DeBrusk and Zach Senyshyn after that.

As I’ve said on many, many occasions, the legit second-guess in that draft was bypassing the highly-ranked Mat Barzal, who went with the very next pick after Boston’s three straight selections. They drafted wingers instead in DeBrusk and Senyshyn, but they should have simply taken the “best player available” in Zboril, or a more sure thing than Senyshyn whether it was , Travis Konecny or . Obviously they have received good value from DeBrusk and he was a good pick, but batting .333 with three straight first-round picks in arguably the most loaded draft in the last 10 years is going to stick with Sweeney and Co. for their entire run in Boston. 1174260 Boston Bruins So we need more opportunities. But we can take advantage of this. We’re going to need to. Our power play’s got to outplay their (penalty kill).”

From the hopeful start to the painful finish, a day inside Harvard hockey Assistant Jim Tortorella then took the podium to go over five-on-five play. as it vies for Beanpot glory Tortorella started with Northeastern’s breakouts.

“They’re going to use the reverse a lot, and then they’re going to flip it a By Fluto Shinzawa Feb 3, 2020 lot,” Tortorella said. “They get the pass to the wing, but the wing doesn’t spend a lot of time skating it out of the zone.”

“This is going to be a rim, bypass,” Tortorella continued, rolling through a Mitchell Gibson, Harvard’s starting goalie, leaned back in his chair, ran clip. “No. 39 gets to the wall, reverse, pass to 39, now the flip out, putting his fingers through his hair and tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. it up for grabs. They don’t like to take pressure. They don’t like to have Forward Henry Bowlby clutched his head in his hands. Right wing Casey 50-50s over on that side. Same thing. Doesn’t really move his feet. Flip Dornbach was one of the few with his helmet still on, fog lightly clouding out, then it becomes a 50-50 over on this side. So (defensemen), let’s be its surface. smart. Make sure it doesn’t get by us.”

“When it’s all said and done, there’s a price you need to pay to win those Tortorella then moved to the neutral zone, one of Northeastern’s games,” Harvard coach told his players after his team’s 3-1 strengths. Beanpot semifinal loss to Northeastern. “And you need everybody.” “They’re always going to come two,” Tortorella said of the Huskies’ two- “You don’t need everybody to be great and make all the great plays,” man neutral-zone forecheck. “So if we get it to our D partner, we’re going Donato continued, elevating the volume and gravity of his voice. “But you to go forward, make the quick play. Just know you’re going to get some need everybody to make the little plays instead of taking an icing, or not heat here. So we need good center support, support from the weak side getting it out, not moving your feet on the boards or fucking ending the as well. Can’t make individual plays there. They’re going to come right forecheck because you’re fucking … you just get bumped off the puck. back at you. Use the indirects. Don’t look to the middle. Push it up, fight They didn’t do much. They basically got a power-play goal and a goal another day.” after a power play. We didn’t give up all that much. Then again, I don’t know if we did enough to make it hard on them in front of their net. I don’t In the offensive zone, Tortorella underscored Northeastern’s strength at know if we shot the puck. I don’t know if we had enough guys that extending cycles. Sophomore forward Tyler Madden (17-16-33) took a wanted to get there. We talked about it the other night in fucking Union. star turn in Tortorella’s clips because of his speed, skill and creative We put guys in front of the net, and all of a sudden we started scoring ability. goals like crazy (in an 8-5 win). But at the end of the day, I’m not here to “To me, we have to do a job on 9,” Donato said, referring to Madden’s listen to myself talk. I thought you guys played well. Just not well number. “That doesn’t mean run him through the boards. But nobody enough.” pass up a hit. Just know when he’s out there, he’s going to try and do a Beanpot wins do not come easily for Harvard. The Crimson last won the lot of individual stuff. So make sure we come back with numbers, don’t four-team Boston collegiate hockey tournament in 2017. Before that, their leave him two-on-two or one-on-one with guys to look for late guys. last championship was in 1993. Come back with numbers and take the puck out of his hands as much as possible.” Donato and his staff, however, had nothing but a win in mind in preparing the players for Monday’s semifinal. A day spent inside the Harvard One player, it turned out, was paying attention. program showed how the Crimson did not expect to lose. Donato concluded the meetings by reminding his players of their primary Morning preparation asset: speed and skill up front. They can play fast if they put pucks in dangerous areas and support all over the ice. On the Harvard campus, the scooter is one of the preferred methods of transportation. To arrive at the Bright Center, players must cross the “They’ve got some good players. I get it. OK. But let’s be very clear,” Charles River, technically traveling from Cambridge to Boston. Donato said, emphasizing the last sentence. “This game is going to be determined on how we play. It’s about us. If if we bring what we want to Around 10 a.m., the scooters started to roll toward the rink. The Crimson bring, we’ll get what we want to get. Let’s go play our game. It’s, ‘Come were arriving for a morning skate and video meetings. at them in waves, we’re going to need everybody coming back, short shifts.’ But it’s about us. It’s our night. Let’s go get it.” Assistant coach James Marcou, who runs the power play, started the meeting at 11:15 a.m. The players, wearing sweatpants and hoodies, The players applauded to wrap up the meetings. They retreated upstairs sank into their chairs. to their lounge for lunch. About three hours later, they returned in suit and tie for their bus ride to TD Garden. While he rolled through clips, Marcou explained how Northeastern runs a 1-3 forecheck on the penalty kill. Marcou instructed his players to run the Preparing for puck drop delay to gain the zone, with Jack Rathbone and Reilly Walsh handling point duties. “Kerf, we got everybody?” Tortorella asked Colton Kerfoot. Upon affirmation, Tortorella — in command of the bus while Donato drove his “Attack them with speed, kick it out, use the width of the ice,” Marcou car to the Garden — gave his driver the green light. said. “They will try and score on every rush against. If we can enter the zone with speed and make a lateral pass, flat pass — don’t pass it into At 2:28 p.m., Harvard’s bus pulled out from the Bright Center parking lot the guy — then we’ll avoid these situations. Chip with support in the with two Boston Police Department motorcycles leading the way. The zone.” players, most of them with earbuds plugged in, rode in silence.

Marcou pointed out potential soft spots in Northeastern’s penalty kill. If Upon arrival at 2:53 p.m., it did not take long for the players to shed their Harvard could draw out Northeastern’s strongside defenseman, the suits for more comfortable gear. They filled Room 7B and spilled into the Huskies would leave some space in front of the net. Marcou explained to hallway to go through their routines — stretching, taping sticks, grabbing Jack Drury and Casey Dornbach, two of the team’s first-line forwards, snacks from the table in the room set up with fruit, bars, bread, nut that they could find some opportunities down low. butters and rice cakes.

This proved to be true. Harvard Hockey Bus beanpot

Ted Donato Harvard Hockey Beanpot The Harvard hockey bus made its way from the Bright Center to TD Garden for the Beanpot. (Fluto Shinzawa / The Athletic) Ted Donato addresses Harvard hockey the morning of its Beanpot game against Northeastern. (Fluto Shinzawa / The Athletic) The coaches were not as lucky.

“The one thing they do a good job of is their (defensemen) don’t get too The four Beanpot teams filled their respective dressing rooms. The trapped too far away from the net,” Donato said to conclude the power- Vancouver Canucks, in town for Tuesday’s game against the Bruins, also play meeting. “So the goalie knows what types of shots he’s going to get. had their gear at the Garden. This left the Harvard staff to use the hallway the Bruins use for pregame “Hey, fellas,” Donato said as the players lined up for the third. “Let’s get soccer as their makeshift office. The Garden staff had set up three easy those heads up.” chairs and a table as their workspace. More chatter from the players followed. The coaches laughed it off. “Let’s get ’er done.” About an hour before puck drop, Donato entered the room to write four reminders on the whiteboard: “Let’s fucking do it.”

“1st to pucks (win footraces), win 1 on 1 battles” “This is gonna be fun. Let’s go.”

“Manage the puck, job on walls, support puck” “Come on, come on, come on.”

“Compete with discipline — finish checks, FO intensity” “It’s in this room. It’s in this room.”

“Good F3 in OZ/filling in for each other” “We knew it wasn’t gonna be easy.”

Donato underlined his notes with a final reminder: “Sometimes you gotta work for it. Sometimes you’ve gotta get dirty.”

“Grit – Perseverance – Team 1st” “Everybody’s going here. Let’s go.”

The players filed out of the room for warmups with a healthy smattering “Our fucking night. Gotta believe. Gotta believe.” of chatter. Hockey, it seems, is a sales job.

“Fuckin’ right, 10,” one player said to Jack Donato. Not their night

“Special time of year,” said another. The Crimson got their break early in the third. Northeastern’s Jayden “Oh, yeah 3. Hometown hero,” one player said to West Roxbury’s Jack Struble had taken a tripping penalty at the end of the second. Sixteen Rathbone. seconds into the period, Mike Kesselring joined Struble in the box for cross-checking. The Crimson had a five-on-three for 1:44. After warmups, Ted Donato entered the room to deliver his speech. They didn’t do anything with it. Northeastern kept a tight 3-man box in “Grit. Finding a fucking way when it’s not going your way and it’s not front to eliminate the backdoor look. The Crimson didn’t move around always perfect,” Donato said. “Perseverance. Staying with what we do. enough to look for a second option. Rathbone and Walsh set up for Shift after shift. And team first. We’re here to win it. Do a job. Win a offside one-timers, but they were one-and-done looks. game. Let’s make sure we have a good start. Everybody’s on the same page. Positive. Let’s get after these guys.” The Crimson kept up the pressure. They finished the third with 14 shots on net. But the only puck that hit home was the empty-netter The players applauded. Donato then turned to assistant equipment Northeastern scored at 19:09 of the third. manager Rich Dean. As he read each position, the players batted their hands against their pants. Once Dean called out each name, the players “We just kind of stayed in that two up-top look,” Donato said. “We could clapped and let out a “Whoo!” have went to three up top, rolled and at least made them make some decisions. We just didn’t move the puck quick enough. When you catch Game time the puck, stickhandle three times and take a look — and each guy does that — it kind of negates your ability. Because it’s a five-on-three, you In the first period, Harvard grabbed a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal. It need to make two passes in a row. You need to know where it’s going to was just like Marcou had pointed out — a soft spot in the kill in front of go before you get it so you take advantage of the numerical advantage.” the net. After taking a pass from Nick Abruzzese, Drury roofed a backhander over Craig Pantano at 5:17. Harvard plays Dartmouth on Friday. The Crimson will play Boston College, which lost 5-4 in a two-overtime nightcap to Boston University, Later in the first, while Madden engaged in a puck battle with John next Monday in the consolation game. After that, they have only six Farinacci, Austin Wong decided to heed his coach’s call. Before Madden regular-season games before the ECAC playoffs. By then, every game could lift his head, Wong hammered the No. 1 center with a clean could be their last. shoulder check and dropped Northeastern’s best attacker. It might be one reason Madden ended the game with zero shots on net. “When you play one game, all the details and little things can make a difference,” Donato said. “I don’t think we gave up much. But we gave up But the Huskies tied the score with their own power-play goal. Zach enough to get on the wrong side of the game.” Solow slipped into net-front space. At the same time, Ryan Shea rapped a one-timer from the point. With no Harvard sticks in the area, Solow The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 tipped Shea’s shot past Gibson at 12:20.

The coaches were not satisfied with the first period. As soon as intermission began, Marcou and Tortorella grabbed their laptops. After a few minutes of reviewing clips, Marcou brought his laptop into the hallway, set it atop a sleeve containing Harvard’s spare skate blades and huddled his No. 1 unit together. Tortorella, meanwhile, propped his computer on top of a massage table.

Not much happened in the second period. The teams combined for 10 shots on net. But one of Northeastern’s beat Gibson at 19:30 of the second. The Crimson killed an elbowing call on Wong, but four seconds later, Brendan van Riemsdyk took advantage of a net-front vacancy to give Northeastern a 2-1 lead.

The Crimson felt the goal in a big way. During second intermission, their room went quiet. Abruzzese silently pulled on his water bottle and ate a bar. Drury, Abruzzese and Dornbach passed around an ice bag. Jack Badini, who had taken off his pads and jersey, retaped his stick in the hallway.

“Plenty of time left,” Badini said quietly to Wong, who was also tending his stick.

Body language said otherwise. 1174261 Boston Bruins volatility. Instead, Knight takes more pleasure in the sound save executed and the desperation stop deferred.

“To the regular person in the stands, the amazing save is the right-to-left, Boston College’s Spencer Knight looks like the NHL goalie of tomorrow sliding, in-the-splits save,” Knight said. “That looks amazing, right? Picture-perfect save. Sometimes you have to go into desperation mode. But if you don’t have to, I see the great save as when you’re set, you By Fluto Shinzawa Feb 3, 2020 push, stop, square, track it in, no rebound. That, for me, that’s a highlight- reel save.”

Unsexy, that is. Spencer Knight is Boston College’s No. 1 goalie. The freshman is 6-foot- 3 and 192 pounds, making him just about the perfect size for the position. For if there is a compass guiding Knight, it is his studious, reasoned and The 18-year-old was Team USA’s starter for the 2020 World Junior seemingly vanilla approach to making saves. A goalie’s job is to Championship, the annual gathering of the planet’s top teenagers. Last maximize his likelihood of stopping the puck — and, in some instances, June, the Florida Panthers drafted him No. 13 overall, making him the the rebound. highest goalie to be selected since Jack Campbell went to Dallas at No. 11 in 2010. He is considered the organization’s top prospect. For Knight, that requires thorough command of technique.

All of this is to say that Knight (15-7-0, 1.95 goals-against average, .931 “I can make some sprawling saves,” Knight said somewhat dismissively. save percentage) is on track to be a true No. 1 NHL goalie, the status “But you’re not going to be able to do that on a consistent basis. You’re that one NHL director of amateur scouting granted to the Darien, Conn., not going to be able to rely just on luck. When you find ways that are native. consistent and are proven that they work more often, you feel more comfortable.” I wanted more clarity ahead of Monday’s Beanpot Tournament, where Knight will start against Boston University. So I asked this executive, One non-negotiable principle stands out: skating. somewhat shamefully, a seemingly ridiculous follow-up: Could Knight Foundational concept become the Carey Price of his generation? There were times against Maine when Knight looked more like a dancer “Absolutely,” he answered. “Has the skill and mental makeup. than a goalie. Instead of executing the smooth and powerful T-pushes Unbelievable head on his shoulders.” that most goalies prefer, Knight patrolled his plot of ice with short, I was stunned. I had to speak to Knight and watch the BC goalie in stabbing, precise steps, keeping his feet bunched together, closer than person. most goalies.

On Jan. 25, BC lost to Maine in overtime, 3-2. To my eye, Knight did not “They’re small adjustments,” Knight said of shuffling, the term used to closely resemble any NHL goalie of today. describe his movement. “You don’t get ahead of yourself as easily as you would with a T-push. You’re more on it and on the puck. You’re staying The shuffling, edge-holding, overlapping, puck-tracking, stickhandling, with the play and not over-moving.” squared-up Knight looked like the NHL goalie of tomorrow. Shuffling corresponds with Knight’s insistence on holding his edges as Student of the position long as possible. It is the optimal manner for Knight to stay on his feet and in better control of his options. Physical freakishness was once enough to claim longtime membership to the NHL’s goalie clubhouse. Jonathan Quick applied his speed, This is not as easy as it sounds. A goalie’s natural instinct is to drop into explosiveness and flexibility to take away everything down low. One the butterfly every time a threat approaches. Some goalies have trained reason Nashville used Pekka Rinne and Anders Lindback as a former themselves to stay down and execute lateral slides to follow the play. It’s tandem was that both goalies stood 6-foot-5. not ideal form.

The NHL has evolved. Shooters, equipped with whippy, easy-to-load Elite shooters flick bar-down pucks effortlessly. Finishers like Auston carbon-fiber sticks, are better than ever. Defensemen cannot slash and Matthews incorporate deception into their shots with timing and unique hook and cross-check with abandon to clear out danger areas. The releases. They can hold on to pucks and execute east-west plays. NHL’s manifest destiny of 31-team speed is not the stuff of goalies’ dreams. All of this puts drop-down, slide-happy goalies at risk of pushing themselves out of position. Knight wants to negate this possibility by This has required goalies to adapt. They are practicing techniques such staying on his feet. as the lateral release. Concepts like box control are allowing shorter goalies to extend their NHL residences. “Once you get comfortable, it’s a lot easier to move laterally and consistently,” Knight said. “You’re consistently hitting your spots. You The NHL, in other words, is encouraging deep-thinking goalies to find a know where you’re going. You have more control. Also, tracking the spot alongside, or even ahead of, the fastest and fittest. In that way, puck’s a lot easier. Some goalies get so into, ‘I know I’m going down. Knight is approaching the league at the right time. Regardless of what happens or where it goes, I’m going down.’ But if you hold your edges, it’s so much easier to track the puck.” “He has really studied the , the whole art of goaltenders,” BC coach Jerry York said. “He’s really very studious. Very, very serious “You go down, your head’s here, then it’s here,” Knight continued, when you talk to him. He’s got everything mapped out, his whole day — dipping his head in correspondence to a drop onto his pads. “Whereas if the academics, what he eats, when he comes to practice, when he you’re holding your edges for as long as you can, your head’s staying in leaves practice. He stretches after practice. He’s a fascinating young a similar position. You’re looking over the puck. It’s a lot easier to track. guy. He’s 18, and you’d think he’s 24. There’s nothing frivolous about That’s why sometimes in practice, I won’t even go down on shots at all. him.” I’m really trying to focus on holding my feet until the last possible second. Eventually it becomes muscle memory. Shots will come from the slot and Knight, enrolled in BC’s Carroll School of Management, counts Sergei you just naturally don’t go down. You’ve trained yourself to stay up, and Bobrovsky, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jordan Binnington, Jacob Markstrom and it’s going into your chest or into your blocker.” Jake Allen as NHL goalies he likes to study. It is not necessarily because any of those five make eye-opening saves. Some goalies drop into reverse vertical-horizontal (RVH, lead pad down, trail pad held at a 45-degree angle, strong-side post sealed) even before The qualities they exhibit and that Knight appreciates may not translate a sharp-angle threat appears. Knight prefers to use the overlap, staying to the casual observer: tracking, skating, staying square to the puck, on his feet with his lead pad positioned in front of the strong-side post. executing the lateral release. They are dear to those who control the crease. For Knight, they are especially critical tools. He uses RVH sparingly, like in the first period against Maine, when Ryan Smith carried the puck below the goal line. Smith threw a net-front puck Speed, quickness and explosiveness come naturally to Knight. He does to Eduards Tralmaks for a point-blank bid. Knight tracked the puck, not prefer to express these skills frequently, however, to make highlight pushed off his right edge out of RVH and squared up to Tralmaks’ shot, saves. Such stops rely too much on good fortune and are subject to which pinged off Knight’s mask. The save brought me out of my seat. It was the lone show-stopper of Knight’s night.

Knight made his 18 other stops look routine. This is how he likes it.

Mature beyond his years

The quality that York and NHL scouts repeatedly underscore is Knight’s maturity. The teenager considers process as much as results. Not many 18-year-old goalies process with such poise.

“You have to ask yourself, ‘What does success look like in this drill?'” Knight said, using a two-on-zero rush as an example. “On the two-on- zero, is it beating the pass on your feet and getting there square? If they throw it backdoor, whatever. It is what it is.”

It’s why against Maine, Knight was less discouraged about losing in overtime than disappointed with how he played the sequence. He did not mention that Maine’s Tim Shea, who would score the goal, slashed Jesper Mattila’s stick out of his hands prior to his approach.

Instead, Knight took responsibility for turning his head to the right too soon. This allowed Tim Doherty, from behind the net, to go back to Shea against the grain. It was an unexpected and terrific pass and a slam-dunk finish.

“I got caught shifting and flipping which shoulder I look over too quickly,” Knight said of Maine’s winning goal. “I should have been a little more patient. But yeah, it was a good play.”

Monday’s Beanpot semifinal against BU will be BC’s 24th game. It will be Knight’s 23rd start. York originally planned to ease Knight into collegiate life. But senior Ryan Edquist got hurt in BC’s second practice. This gave York no other options but to ride his freshman.

More games are in Knight’s future. Assuming Knight returns to BC as a sophomore, the 19-year-old will be eligible to participate in the 2021 World Juniors. The Panthers, meanwhile, are in no rush to turn Knight pro. Bobrovsky is currently in his first season of a seven-year, $70 million contract.

Bobrovsky, 31, is flailing through an .898 save percentage as a first-year Panther. Based on his history in Columbus, it’s more likely to be an early blip than the start of a downward trend. Either way, Bobrovsky may find his ice time being challenged in several seasons.

York has seen this movie before. Ex-Eagle Cory Schneider, drafted by Vancouver 26th overall in 2004, was looking up at Roberto Luongo for his first five pro seasons. Schneider performed better than Luongo in 2012-13. The following offseason, Vancouver traded Schneider to New Jersey.

“They’re in no rush,” York said of the Panthers. “I think it’s good for Spencer too. We’d like to see him have a long career. I think when he’s ready, he’ll know. Florida will know.”

Schneider is one of several high-end goalies who called BC home. is backing up Markstrom in Vancouver. Joe Woll, a BC junior last season, is a first-year pro for AHL Toronto.

To this point, York believes Knight is better than all three were as college freshmen. Knight could already be ahead of some AHL goalies. In fact, most NHL netminders fall short of Knight’s cleanliness and confidence at handling the puck, a trait he honed during his time with the National Team Development Program.

“He could be outstanding,” York said. “And he’s good now. As he moves, we project real good things from him. It’s an interesting dynamic with all the first-rounders — how some make it, some don’t make it. I like his path. I like his maturity. I like his physical fitness. He’s not your typical 18- year-old player.”

Teenagers don’t usually talk about stretching, about Sweetgreen, or plant-based recovery drinks or foundational technique. Yet these are among Knight’s favorite subjects.

This is what sets him apart. This is what allows him to limit reliance on his big guns — in-the-splits glove saves, explosive slides, sprawling stops — until they’re absolutely necessary. This is why scouts dare to mention Price as a future comparable.

Knight’s story is about commanding every detail. He has just started to tell it.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174262 Buffalo Sabres featuring seven defensemen with 11 forwards and six defensemen with 12 forwards.

Vesey wouldn't use unpredictability as an excuse, though. He quickly Jimmy Vesey remains focused on helping Sabres as trade deadline pinpointed the reason behind his struggles, and he scored in the first approaches period of a 4-1 win at Dallas on Jan. 16.

"The last couple games before break I was really skating better," Vesey By Lance Lysowski Published Mon, Feb 3, 2020|Updated Mon, Feb 3, said. "I think it’s just sometimes you have to square yourself and get back 2020 to the basics, what got you here. It’s such a long season. It can be easy sometimes to let your mind take over. When that happens, when you’re worrying about everything else, it takes away from your game. Just try to put my head down and get back to work, and I think the best thing for me Jimmy Vesey is accustomed to the pressure and scrutiny. The 26-year- is when I’m skating and moving my feet, that’s when I’m most effective." old winger was detested by fans in Nashville and Buffalo before he ever played an NHL game because he chose to sign with the New York Vesey has proven he can be a consistent threat at even strength. His Rangers as a free agent out of in August 2016. 12.61 expected goals at 5 on 5 last season ranked second on the Rangers behind Chris Kreider. Vesey also logged the third-most 5 on 5 Vesey then played three years under the bright lights of the Big Apple, ice time among the team's forwards. where he reached the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs as a rookie. Yet even Vesey is learning to navigate the pressure-packed The Sabres' 5 on 5 play has fallen off since Olofsson's injury. Jeff situation in Buffalo. Skinner, one of the NHL's top 5-on-5 goal scorers over the past nine seasons, has logged most of his ice time with Marcus Johansson and "We’re looking still to find secondary scoring here," Vesey said following Michael Frolik since returning from an upper-body injury. practice Monday. "Everyone wants to chip in. When it’s not going your way, it’s easy to try to cheat for offense and just worry about trying to Skinner has zero goals in his past 14 games, and Krueger has been score, but there’s a lot of other areas of the game that are important." reluctant to reunite the $72 million winger with Eichel and Reinhart. In addition to Skinner, Johansson and Conor Sheary are marred in slumps. Vesey got lost in his pursuit at addressing one of the Sabres' The Sabres have scored two or fewer goals in each of their last four weaknesses. Cheating for offense made him less effective and resulted games. in him being a healthy scratch Jan. 12 in Detroit. He has since rediscovered the dog-on-a-bone relentlessness that made him first in line "I think when you get down to this point in the season, teams tighten up," to play with and Sam Reinhart when training camp opened Skinner said. "You have to make sure you’re trying to find ways to bury almost five months ago. (chances), but in some situations, we have been generating quite a bit. Now it’s just a matter of finishing those chances that we’re creating." Now, Sabres coach Ralph Krueger is hoping Vesey can man the left wing on the top line until Victor Olofsson returns from a lower-body injury. The Sabres General Manager Jason Botterill is scouring the trade market for early returns are promising. a forward, particularly one with speed. Botterill already gave up assets for two rentals – Vesey and Frolik, both pending unrestricted free agents – Vesey had three shots on goal in 17:56 of ice time in a 2-1 overtime win over the past seven months. The former was acquired last July for a over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. He made precise passes, third-round draft pick in 2021. including one to Eichel in the slot with seven minutes remaining in regulation, and he created chaos by driving to the net. Vesey skated A surge from Vesey could keep the Sabres' season afloat or it could lead down the left wing and chipped the puck wide on a cross-ice pass from to his early exit from Buffalo. He insists he hasn't given any thought to the Eichel in the first period. Feb. 24 trade deadline. His focus is on building off what he showed Saturday against Columbus. The Sabres have a 55.28% 5 on 5 shot differential with Vesey, Eichel and Reinhart on the ice together this season, compared to 44.29% when "No, it hasn’t really crossed my mind," Vesey said when asked about the Zemgus Girgensons was on the top line. In addition to being a reliable possibility of being traded again. "I’m just worried about the rest of the defender, Vesey had 50 goals, 43 at even strength, during his three season with this team. We have 30 games left, and it’s time for us to seasons in New York. make a push. Everyone here is buying in. We’re going to dial ourselves in to make a push." "It’s always a combination of all the lines and the final picture we end up with, but we feel that Jimmy this time around really is relaxed and just Buffalo News LOADED: 02.04.2020 playing his game," Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said. "Seems to be settling in to that kind of a role, where he might have catered a little bit too much to Sam and Jack and gave up his own game. I just think what we saw was something he can build on and we can build on here until we get Olofsson back."

Vesey has six goals with eight assists for 14 points with a plus-12 rating in 48 games. His average ice time (13:43) is the lowest since his rookie season, and he has a career-low shooting percentage (8.3). Vesey didn't score a goal until his 21st game as a Sabre, and three of his six goals occurred in a three-game span from Nov. 25-29.

Earlier this season, Krueger often defended Vesey's production by citing the forward's impact without the puck, particularly on the penalty kill. One mistake illustrated how Vesey was struggling last month and may have resulted in him watching a game from the Little Caesars Arena press box.

During the third period of a 6-3 loss to Vancouver on Jan. 11, Vesey missed a poke check in the defensive zone and was slow to cover Brock Boeser on what turned into a one-timer goal. Vesey was scratched the following day against the Red Wings.

Tanev fooled everyone, Boeser gets an easy one. 4-3 #sabres50 #canucks pic.twitter.com/Er6EcOU7gp

— Buffalo Hockey moments (@SabresPlays) January 11, 2020

Injuries and roster construction have prevented the Sabres from having continuity within their lines and defense pairs. Krueger has used lineups 1174263 Buffalo Sabres Krueger is practicing what he's instructing his players. The Sabres' coach said Monday that he hasn't heard about the recent surge in fan outrage, though he acknowledged he heard the boos following losses to Ottawa Rasmus Dahlin, Johan Larsson miss Sabres practice for 'maintenance' and Montreal last week.

"I don't hear it," Krueger said. "I don't read or follow anything outside of what I know, which is what's going on here. I think the fans have been By Lance Lysowski Published Mon, Feb 3, 2020|Updated Mon, Feb 3, fantastic. They've been angry when we haven't played well. They 2020 deserve to do that, and they've been great when we're playing well. I don't spend any of my free time doing anything but working on the things

in my control, and I'm the only one in this space with all the information. The Sabres were missing two more players when they practiced Monday So, I know exactly what's going on within our group. I continue to enjoy in KeyBank Center. the energy and the work ethic, but whatever noise is out there -- they're passionate, probably, but it doesn't get to my desk." Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and center Johan Larsson, both of whom were in the lineup for a 2-1 overtime win over Columbus on Saturday, sat Award recipient out the on-ice session for "maintenance," according to coach Ralph The Sabres announced Monday that Chris Panek was named the 35th Krueger. recipient of the J. Michael Duffett Memorial Award, which is presented Both players' availability will be determined Tuesday morning, hours annually to the coach whose contributions to amateur hockey in Western before the Sabres face the Colorado Avalanche in KeyBank Center. The New York "best exemplify the knowledge, teaching, love of the game and maintenance designation is noteworthy since Brandon Montour was a gentle humanity of Mike.” late scratch Saturday against the Blue Jackets after sitting out practice Panek will be presented with the award before puck drop Tuesday night for the same reason Friday. in KeyBank Center. According to a news release, Panek's coaching Montour (lower body) and Zach Bogosian (illness) both practiced Monday career has spanned 25 years, with his experience ranging from the and could be available against the Avalanche. Winger Kyle Okposo midget to high school levels. In addition to his players reaching the (upper body), meanwhile, is "weeks away" from returning, Krueger said. college level, Panek has worked with three who reached the professional level: Tim Kennedy, Chris Mueller and Mike Ratchuk. Dahlin had one assist and a shot on goal in 17:10 of ice time against the Blue Jackets, while Larsson won 10 of 13 faceoffs during his 14:07 of ice Panek played at SUNY Plattsburgh before competing in the ECHL and time. Their absence Monday forced Krueger to throw together make-shift AHL. He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings with the seventh pick in lines and pairings in preparation for Colorado (28-16-6), which is second the 1987 NHL Supplemental Draft. Panek’s father, Frank, was the sixth in the Central Division and has a plus-33 goal differential this season. recipient of the J. Michael Duffett Memorial Award.

Dahlin, 19, has one goal with eight assists in his last 10 games, and his Mike Duffett, a coach with the Buffalo Bisons and the Amherst Hockey 74 points through his first 126 games are the fourth-most by a teenage Association, was working in the Sabres' hockey department under Scotty defenseman in NHL history. He trails Phil Housley (132), Ray Bourque Bowman at the time of his death. The team established the award in (79) and Rick Hampton (76). 1984.

Dahlin also is on pace for the first 50-point season by a Sabres Buffalo News LOADED: 02.04.2020 defenseman since Garry Galley (54) in 1995-96, and he quarterbacks Buffalo's power play, which scored in back-to-back games before it did not receive an opportunity Saturday against Columbus.

Larsson, meanwhile, is arguably the Sabres' top forward option on the penalty kill and has shown significant improvement under Krueger. Larsson has four goals with eight assists and a plus-12 rating in 46 games. He has zero points in his last 17 games.

Krueger told the media following practice Monday that Montour was being assessed to determine his status, but the Sabres' coach expressed optimism that the 25-year-old defenseman will be able to face Colorado. Montour participated in warmups Saturday, only to be replaced in the lineup by Lawrence Pilut.

Montour has three goals with 10 assists and a plus-5 rating through 37 games. He missed the first 14 games of the season with a hand injury. Bogosian, meanwhile, was unavailable against Columbus because of an illness.

Forwards Vladimir Sobotka (knee) and Tage Thompson (shoulder), and defenseman Matt Hunwick (neck) are likely out for the season. Victor Olofsson and Linus Ullmark, both of whom are recovering from a lower- body injury, will not be available for the Sabres this week.

Olofsson is still week-to-week, and Ullmark is out the next three to four weeks. The Sabres have four games in six days this week: at home against Colorado on Tuesday, at home against Detroit on Thursday, at New York to play the Rangers on Friday and at home against Anaheim on Sunday.

Fan frustrations

Krueger has stressed the importance of the Sabres keeping the "picture small." He doesn't want them looking too far into the future or dwelling on past failures.

Jake McCabe repeated the sentiment, albeit with a different message, when he said following a 3-1 loss to Montreal last Thursday that the Sabres needed to "tune out" the media. Jeff Skinner explained Monday how each player has their own method of blocking out criticism. 1174264 Calgary Flames I’m still a proponent that you don’t want to have showmanship or one- upmanship. There’s too much emotion and down the road, this isn’t going to end after just one game. They’re going to keep talking about it and Flames' Ward preaches importance of emotional balance remembering it every time we play for a long time.”

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 02.04.2020

Daniel Austin

Geoff Ward can remember every single slight — real or perceived — the Boston Bruins felt from the Vancouver Canucks during the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.

Ward was an assistant coach with the Bruins back then and can list off all the things the Canucks did that provided bulletin board material to get his team motivated.

That might not be quantifiable, but Ward — the current Calgary Flames interim head coach — has no doubt in his mind that the things the Canucks did to get under the Bruins’ skin helped his then-team rise to a higher level.

It’s also why he wasn’t surprised to see the Edmonton Oilers come out flying in Saturday’s Battle of Alberta. The Oilers had three days to think about Flames’ goalie David Rittich’s celebratory stick-flip after the Calgarians won in a shootout last Wednesday night.

That’s the type of thing that’s going to put a little fire in the bellies of any team heading into a rematch.

“You’ve got to be mindful of it,” Ward said. “I can go back to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011 and all the things that fed our emotional level as a team that Vancouver did. It’s all things in the same vein. Biting (Patrice) Bergeron’s finger. Their goaltender going after Tim Thomas verbally … There was so much that happened in that series that kept emotionally feeding us.

“I think when you win say little, when you lose say less. It’s one of those things where you don’t want to emotionally feed it and we learned an important lesson (from Rittich’s stick flip and the Oilers’ response). That’s part of the process of learning how to win and now we move on for it.”

There’s been no shortage of debate about Rittich’s celebrations in the days since the Flames outlasted the Oilers in a shootout last Wednesday evening in Edmonton.

For many, it was just a bit of fun.

The Oilers were open about using the stick-flip as motivation after their 8- 3 shellacking of the Flames on Saturday night, though.

The Flames are in the middle of an ever-so-tight playoff race right now and they definitely don’t want to be giving divisional rivals any added incentive to play at their best.

For his part, though, Rittich spoke with reporters after Monday’s practice and reiterated that he had meant no disrespect. He was just celebrating a big win after an intense, hard-fought game.

“I didn’t do it to make somebody mad,” Rittich told reporters. “Are we not allowed to celebrate in this league, or what? I didn’t want to do something wrong. I just celebrated and that’s all.

“Why should I change myself? My personality, that’s why I’m in the NHL, so I’m not going to change anything.”

The Flames don’t necessarily need Rittich to change anything, and Ward was careful not to call out his goalie. Instead, he was more reflective about his team needing to find the right emotional balance.

If they’re going to do things that provide extra motivation for their opponents, they need to be matching the emotional energy those opponents bring to the rink. That’s not easy.

“When you look at it, 10 years ago guys would get their heads taken off for doing something like that,” Ward said. “Just across the culture of the game, you never taunted because you were going to pay the price. Now, it seems to be shifting a little bit, but it’s still there.

“You saw Edmonton the other night. They used it to their advantage, fully, but for us, it’s an important lesson to learn because we’ve got to make sure we stay humble and on-task ourselves because we’ve got to stay emotionally engaged so that things like that don’t generate any unnecessary things we don’t need. Even though it’s moving towards it, 1174265 Calgary Flames “She was not happy with me after the game, she drove to the game and when I went in after it happened I ended up having to drive her car home,” Talbot said. “She ended up having to have a couple drinks to Flames goalie Talbot all smiles about tilt against Smith settle herself down she was so mad at me.”

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 02.04.2020

Daniel Austin

Cam Talbot knew the first fight of his professional career probably wasn’t going to go all that well.

In the few seconds the Calgary Flames goaltender had to think to himself as he skated to centre ice to throw haymakers with his counterpart on the Edmonton Oilers, Mike Smith, Talbot was well aware of what he was getting himself into.

Up against a bigger opponent and having never actually been in a goalie fight himself, Talbot understood that the odds were heavily stacked against him.

That wasn’t going to stop him, though.

“I’ve seen (Smith) and I know he’s a big boy so I knew it wasn’t really going to work out well for me,” Talbot said with a smile on Monday afternoon at the Scotiabank Saddledome. “At the same time, it’s just one of those things that just felt like the right thing in the moment.”

Goalie fights tend to get the blood pumping, and replays of Talbot’s tilt with Smith have been everywhere in the days since Saturday’s heated Battle of Alberta. One video uploaded by Sportsnet was still trending on Youtube late Monday afternoon and had been watched more than 1.6 million times.

When it was all said and done, Talbot was on the losing end of the scrap with Smith but it’s not as if he had anything to be embarrassed about. Smith is 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 220 lbs., after all. Talbot may stand at 6-foot-4, but he steps on the scales at 196 lbs., almost 25 lbs. lighter than his dance partner on Saturday night. If this was the UFC, they’d have never been allowed in the octagon together.

With that in mind, Talbot did about as well as could be expected. He emerged unscathed and it’s not as if he took a bad beating or anything like that.

And win or lose, Talbot seemed to earn the respect of his teammates just by being willing to step up.

“It was great,” said Flames captain Mark Giordano. “I think he stood up for himself and our team, great. I think it sent a great message to our group and there’s a lot of guys in here who were really pumped up after that. The fact that Smitty came to centre, basically, that’s what he’s coming there for and it was great by Talbs to answer the bell.”

While it was Smith who skated to centre ice to essentially challenge Talbot, the Flames goaltender certainly played his part in getting things going, too. After covering up a loose puck, Talbot responded to some jabs from Oilers forward by throwing a few quick punches with his blocker on.

From there, mayhem ensued.

The tussle with Smith was the first goalie fight of Talbot’s career, although he did fight an opposing player during a line brawl back when he was in junior.

It could be the last fight of Talbot’s career, too. Nobody should be expecting a rematch between the two goalies next time the Flames and Oilers play, though, as there seems to be a healthy respect between Talbot and Smith even after their little scrap on Saturday night.

“I got a couple messages from guys on their team and they just said he respected me for coming out and meeting him out there and I respected him for doing the same thing,” Talbot said.

The last time two NHL goalies fought was back in 2013 when Braden Holtby and Ray Emery went at it, so Saturday’s punch-up has definitely made waves around the hockey world.

There was at least one person who wasn’t thrilled, though, and that was Talbot’s wife. Understandably, she was less-than-pleased by her husband’s decision to scrap. 1174266 Calgary Flames That explanation might not satisfy those in Cowtown who were thirsty for a water-cooler retort after a night that the Oilers won every other battle — ‘Yeah, but Looch beat up So-and-So!’

Flames’ Lucic on quiet night against Oilers: ‘You can’t just go around Lucic scrapped in Calgary’s season-opener and again five nights later being an idiot’ but hasn’t been in a tussle since.

As he pointed out, he was also dinged with a two-game suspension for Wes Gilbertson clubbing Kole Sherwood with a gloved hand after the Columbus Blue Jackets call-up had poked at netminder David Rittich.

And he did spend the past three winters with the Oilers, so they realize Moments earlier, Calgary Flames backup Cam Talbot had a crowd of he can be a very scary dude. reporters in stitches as he revealed the fallout from the first goalie fight in the storied history of the NHL’s Battle of Alberta. “I’ve said a lot of times before — you keep your friendships before and after the game and when you’re on the ice, the only people that are your “My wife wasn’t too happy with me,” Talbot said. “I had to drive her car friends are the guys wearing the same jerseys as you regardless of old home … She ended up having to have a couple of drinks to settle herself teammates and old teams,” Lucic said. “But it’s no secret, those guys down she was so mad at me.” know me well over there, too. They know that I play better when I’m riled up and when someone gets me going. It’s the old, I guess, scouting Nobody wants to be in hot water with their better-half, but Flames report on me that has been out for a long time — ‘Don’t poke the bear,’ thumper Milan Lucic — next up in Monday’s media session at the right? Saddledome — arguably had it worse. “They know that, because they’ve played with me, but you have to do The entire city, it seemed, was mad at him, with countless analysts and whatever you can to get yourself involved any way that you can, fans wondering why one of the NHL’s toughest customers didn’t demand regardless of who the opponent is or what the situation is. So I definitely a dance in Saturday’s embarrassing 8-3 loss to the arch-rival Edmonton could have been better last game. I think we all could have been better. Oilers. But in saying that, moving forward, you learn from things all season long “(Lucic) didn’t fight because no one wants to fight him, that’s the bottom and even though I wasn’t a part of it, I think we did a really good job of line,” said Flames captain Mark Giordano, rushing to the defence of his sticking up for each other. teammate. “Whether he fights or not, he brings it every night, the physical “Yeah, we lost the game, but I’m sure a lot of people were entertained part of his game. Just having him out there, I think he’s a big presence from watching that game.” for our team. Indeed, Saturday’s slugfest didn’t disappoint, even if there were lingering “A lot of times, to be honest, with guys like that, it’s tough for them to find questions about why one of the heavyweights was such a non-factor. fights because of who they are.” “It’s the world that we live in,” Lucic replied after Monday’s practice when It seemed like everybody was able to find a fight during the emotional asked if he was frustrated about having to explain himself. “When I’m home-and-home set between the Flames and Oilers. done playing, nobody is going to be asking me anything anyway. So I’d Sharpshooting centre Sean Monahan found one, his first at the NHL rather be asked questions when I’m playing and enjoy it while I can.” level. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 02.04.2020 Buddy Robinson, freshly arrived from the AHL’s Stockton Heat, found one.

Talbot found fellow puck-stopper Mike Smith waiting at the centre-line.

Heck, Enemy-of-Edmonton found one each night … and almost a second in Saturday’s late stages.

When the Flames acquired Lucic this past summer in a rare swap between provincial rivals, it was supposed to shift the fear factor in the Battle of Alberta.

He was, however, not involved in any of the extra-curriculars.

Between Wednesday’s score-settler and shootout in Edmonton and the rematch a few hours south, the two squads combined for 140 penalty minutes, but No. 17 didn’t even register a minor for roughing. (He was credited with four hits in each contest.)

The 6-foot-3, 231-lb. winger seemed, in the eyes of many, a little too buddy-buddy with his former teammates.

“You know, scrums happen, things happen and there are certain situations that you kind of wish you were on the ice for,” Lucic explained after Monday’s practice, certainly aware he’d been singled out on social media — and elsewhere — for not dropping his mitts against the Oilers. “The goalie fight and all that type of stuff, that’s all stuff that just kind of happened organically. It’s not like I could jump off the bench or just go around punching people in the head. I mean, I got a two-game suspension earlier this season for defending my goaltender with a jab. I don’t know what people expect. Like we talked about, it’s not the ’80s anymore. You can’t just go around jumping people.

“I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help the team win the game. As you notice, it’s pretty quiet out there when I’m on the ice. There’s never anything after the whistle when I’m on the ice. Even when I try to mix it up, things kind of cool off really quick. Especially for a guy like me, I wish I was on the ice when that stuff was going down, to be a part of it. But with today’s game and the league policing it the way that they do, you can’t just go around being an idiot.” 1174267 Calgary Flames Forwards

Andrew Mangiapane – Elias Lindholm – Matthew Tkachuk

GameDay: Calgary Flames vs. San Jose Sharks — Flames look to shake Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan – Buddy Robinson up defence Mark Jankowski – Mikael Backlund – Sam Bennett

Milan Lucic – Derek Ryan – Dillon Dube Wes Gilbertson Defence

Mark Giordano – Rasmus Andersson TUESDAY TJ Brodie – Travis Hamonic San Jose Sharks (22-27-4) at Calgary Flames (27-20-6) Noah Hanifin – Michael Stone 7 p.m. MT, Saddledome, Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan Goaltenders THE BIG MATCHUP David Rittich Flames G David Rittich vs. Sharks LW Evander Kane Cam Talbot Rittich will be anxious to … er … flip the script after he was shelled Saturday by the Oilers, who admitted after a one-sided romp that they SHARKS LINEUP were irked about how the Flames’ all-star netminder had celebrated Forwards Wednesday’s shootout triumph in Edmonton. Rittich heard all about it after being hooked early, then ultimately had to return to the home Evander Kane – Barclay Goodrow – Patrick Marleau crease after Cam Talbot’s tussle. Rittich, shelled for a grand total of six Timo Meier – Joe Thornton – Kevin Labanc goals in the latest edition of the Battle of Alberta, will be anxious to rebound. His biggest challenge could be Sharks winger Evander Kane, Melker Karlsson – Alex True – Stefan Noesen who always seems to be a force against the Flames. Kane has a dozen tallies and nine assists in 16 career clashes with the crew from Calgary. Maxim Letunov – Antti Suomela – Dylan Gambrell

FIVE STORYLINES FOR THE GAME Defence

BOUNCING BACK Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Erik Karlsson

The Flames should still be in an ornery mood after Saturday’s 8-3 Brenden Dillon – Brent Burns shellacking from the arch-rival Edmonton Oilers. “I want the feeling to Radim Simek – Mario Ferraro stick with us, for sure. For a while,” said Flames interim coach Geoff Ward after that demoralizing defeat. “If you’re not a little bit angry in your Goaltenders stomach about what happened tonight and it’s not bothering you, then we probably have an issue. We need to harness that a little bit.” They’ll try to Aaron Dell take out their frustrations on the Sharks. Martin Jones BLUE-LINE SHUFFLE INJURIES The Flames mixed up their defence pairings for Monday’s practice, Flames — D Juuso Valimaki (knee) hardly a surprise after they were smoked by the Oilers. Rasmus Andersson was promoted to rejoin captain Mark Giordano on the top Sharks — C Logan Couture (ankle), C Tomas Hertl (knee), C Joel tandem, while TJ Brodie was partnered with Travis Hamonic and Noah Kellman (undisclosed), D Dalton Prout (upper body) Hanifin was working with frequent healthy scratch Michael Stone. If the Flames stick with that alignment, Oliver Kylington would be in the press- SPECIAL TEAMS box as the spare part. Power play (prior to Monday’s action)

SLIDING SHARKS Flames: 19.6% (30-for-153, T-16th)

The Sharks, who were blanked by the Tampa Bay Lightning in their latest Sharks: 16.0% (23-for-144, 26th) outing, have just one win to show for their past six skates and have been outscored by a combined count of 24-10 during that slumpy stretch. The Penalty kill (prior to Monday’s action) news keeps getting worse — they learned last week that their lone all- star rep, Tomas Hertl, requires season-ending knee surgery. The Sharks Flames: 81.6% (12th) are in serious danger of missing the playoffs for just the second time Sharks: 87.2% (1st) since 2003. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 02.04.2020 JUMBO-SIZED

Sharks old-timer/all-timer Joe Thornton is on the brink of a massive milestone, just two shy of joining the NHL’s 1,500-point club. There are currently only 13 members, all legends and Hockey Hall of Famers — Gretzky, Jagr, Messier, Howe, Francis, Dionne, Yzerman, Lemieux, Sakic, Esposito, Bourque, Recchi and Coffey. The 40-year-old Thornton, a.k.a Jumbo Joe, has 415 goals and 1,083 assists on his career stat- sheet.

THIS N’ THAT

If Stone returns to the lineup Tuesday, it will be his first game action since Jan. 5. The 29-year-old rearguard has been scratched for nine straight … The Sharks won the first meeting of the season, skating to a 3-1 victory in a mid-October matchup in San Jose … The Men in Teal own an awful 8-14-3 record on the road. Only the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings have collected fewer points in enemy territory

FLAMES LINEUP 1174268 Calgary Flames but beat Chicago (4-2), St. Louis (4-2) and Edmonton (4-1), before losing to Pittsburgh (4-2) in the Stanley Cup final.

The last team to win the Stanley Cup was the 1948-49 Toronto Maple History is stacked against the Flames and their goal differential. Here’s Leafs (-14). In the six-team NHL, they finished fourth but upset Boston how they could reverse their fortunes (4-1) and Detroit (4-0) to win it all.

What’s interesting is that for all the advanced analytics and the myriad of By Darren Haynes Feb 3, 2020 ways to slice and dice the numbers — e.g., shot attempts, high danger scoring chances — at the end of the day, success boils down to two numbers that are as basic as it gets: Score more goals than you allow.

Around here, it’s generally considered a good thing if you’re looking to Well, no kidding, Sherlock, but how does Calgary get better at that? become the first team to accomplish something since a team that featured , Glenn Anderson, Craig MacTavish, Charlie That’s certainly the million dollar question because history has quite Huddy and Grant Fuhr. clearly shown that what they’re doing right now is not sustainable.

But it’s not what you think. The speed wobble, whether you chose to recognize it or not, was reeling off a 7-2-1 record, but with all seven wins coming by the slimmest of No, this season’s Calgary Flames don’t resemble the mid-’80s Edmonton margins — just a single goal. In fact, the Flames’ .680 winning Oilers. The comparison is to the 1995-96 St. Louis Blues and their cast of percentage in one-goal games of 17-2-6 is No. 2 in the NHL, just behind former Oilers — Gretzky, 35; Anderson, 35; MacTavish, 37; Huddy, 36; Pittsburgh (.682, 15-2-5). and Fuhr, 33 — and their dubious claim to fame as the last team to make the postseason in the Western Conference while having a goal An optimist could look at that figure and conclude that the Flames are differential in the negative double digits. learning how to win tight games and setting themselves up for success in the postseason when games are typically tighter. That season, St. Louis coach and general manager decided to get the old Edmonton band back together by making a series The skeptic, on the other hand, could quite fairly point out that if not for of personnel moves over the three weeks leading up to the trade excellent goaltending on most nights, a bunch of those one-goal wins deadline. In order, he traded for Gretzky (from Los Angeles), claimed could easily have been one-goal losses, in which case Calgary would be Anderson off waivers (from Edmonton), traded for MacTavish (from well back of a playoff spot right now. Philadelphia) and traded for Huddy (from Buffalo). They joined Fuhr, who Case in point is the fiery crash that was Saturday’s 8-3 drubbing at the started 78 of the Blues’ 82 games that season. Also on that team as the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, which could have been worse. Insert a club’s top two scorers were ex-Flames Brett Hull and Al MacInnis. rough outing between the pipes for David Rittich and you have a game As the story goes, Fuhr got injured in the first game of the playoffs and not even close on the scoreboard. while the Blues, backstopped the rest of the way by Jon Casey, went on Figuring out what exactly this team needs to do to turn around their to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games, they were eliminated in fortunes comes next — and will be a topic of ongoing debate and future Round 2 by the Detroit Red Wings on a Steve Yzerman goal in double- scribblings for weeks, if not months, to come. For now, a few quick overtime of Game 7. thoughts on the various approaches available to the Flames.

Why is this relevant? Calgary’s goal differential is currently minus-17. Of 1. Remain patient the 16 teams currently occupying a playoff spot — the Flames are in the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference — they’re the only team in This is what they’ve been doing so far with limited success. While there’s the red whatsoever, never mind being that far in the double digits. been a change at head coach — Geoff Ward taking over for Bill Peters — this is essentially the same team that won the West last season and In fact, that figure is deceiving. It’s actually worse. Take Calgary’s goals- finished second to Tampa Bay for the Presidents’ Trophy. That team will for of 140 (25th) and subtract its goals-against of 162 (20th) and they’re eventually emerge, right? The 2018-19 version of the Flames could actually at minus-22. The 6-1 record in shootouts — and the bonus goal barge Kramer-style into the room at some point — I’m back, baby! Or the league awards you with in the standings for every shootout victory — then again, maybe they won’t, given that we’re already two-thirds of the has inflated the Flames’ goal differential. way through the regular season and we’ve seen no evidence that that’s Getting back to that Blues team 24 years ago (back when the NHL had likely to happen. 26 teams), not only were they the last Western Conference team to make 2. Trade for reinforcements the playoffs while being in double digits in goals for/against, that trip to the second round made them the last team in either conference to win a You know that’s what they’re trying to do. Not sure what this will look like, playoff series while finishing the regular season with a negative double- but a month ago when Brad Treliving traded away Michael Frolik and the digit goal differential. entirety of his $4.3-million cap hit, the Flames general manager was quite candid about saying he planned to spend that cap space by trading for Since that Blues team, here is the history of teams making the playoffs, help — and even went so far as to say that he was looking for a right- despite finishing with a double-digit negative goal differential (excluding shot forward in particular. That said, the list of this team’s woes is shootout results): growing. Has Treliving expanded his wish list? If that ugly loss two days 2015-16 | Detroit (-10) finished third in Atlantic, lost to Tampa Bay (4-1) ago, in which Edmonton outshot Calgary 49-26, was an X-ray of all that’s ailing this club, the radiologist would be able to list a bunch of additional 2011-12 | Florida (-19) finished third in East, lost to New Jersey (4-3) concerns, starting with help on the blue line.

2009-10 | Ottawa (-13) finished fifth in East, lost to Pittsburgh (4-2) 3. Bring up help from the minors

2008-09 | NY Rangers (-12) finished seventh in East, lost to Washington This one is also in progress. Dillon Dube was called up from Stockton (4-3) (AHL) earlier in the season. The latest promotion was 6-foot-6 journeyman right-winger Buddy Robinson, who in three impressive 2006-07 | Tampa Bay (-16) finished seventh in East, lost to New Jersey outings so far has logged playing time on the top line with Johnny (4-2) Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. I remain intrigued by Austin Czarnik’s 2005-06 | Tampa Bay (-10) finished eighth in East, lost to Ottawa (4-1) production since he was demoted to Calgary in December. He’s got 11 goals and 22 points in 18 games. At the time of his recall, Robinson was 2000-01 | Carolina (-13) finished eighth in East, lost to New Jersey (4-2) the team’s leading goal-scorer, but his 16 goals came in 40 games. At the clip Czarnik is scoring at right now, he’ll reach 16 goals by the 26- 1996-97 | Montreal (-27) finished eighth in East, lost to New Jersey (4-1) game mark. If Robinson isn’t too old at 28, then neither is Czarnik at 27. For trivia buffs, a few other fun facts about teams finishing with a goal 4. Shuffle the lines and/or pairings differential in the negative double-digits: This is another area that, much like the southwest portion of the ring The last team to make a conference final was the 1990-91 Minnesota road, remains under construction. After a couple months on the wing, North Stars (-10). In the 21-team NHL, they finished fourth in the Norris, Mikeal Backlund is back at centre, where he’s at his best. Sam Bennett on his wing is something to see more of. As mentioned, Robinson is the latest player to audition on the Gaudreau-Monahan line. The fourth line could probably use some work with Ryan now in that 4C role after Backlund’s return to the middle. Do they try Jankowski on the wing? After all, he has two goals in his last two games. On defence, is it time to split up the struggling Travis Hamonic and Noah Hanifin and see if, perhaps, they can fine more stability by moving up Rasmus Andersson?

5. Change/tweak their systems

This is a pretty hefty thing to undergo this late in a season, especially with the scheduling ramping up and the games coming rapid fire now, but all possibilities should be on the table when it comes to figuring out how to bring down the number of shots and scoring chances surrendered, while finding a way to produce more offence.

The bottom line is the Flames have to play better — way better. The last time they won a game by more than one goal was Dec. 27. That 5-1 defeat of the Oilers seems like years ago now, as Edmonton has been on fire ever since. Calgary, not so much, despite the flattering win-loss record of late.

While opportunity is right there to figure stuff out and make hay in the tight Pacific standings with seven of Calgary’s next eight games coming against teams not in a playoff spot, this is also one of those careful-what- you-wish-for moments.

The last non-playoff team Calgary played was the Ottawa Senators, who whipped the Flames 5-2. The last one before that was the Montreal Canadiens, who shut out the Flames 2-0.

Take these upcoming teams lightly — San Jose, Nashville, Vancouver, San Jose again, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Chicago, Anaheim again — and you’ll be licking your wounds once again, all while that concerning goal differential figure gets worse, not better.

As history has taught us, that would not be good news for a team that entered this season with designs on winning a playoff round or two at minimum.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174269 Chicago Blackhawks “Honestly, no,” Seeler said. “I grew up watching them too. Especially when I was in high school. They were an unbelievable team.

"Obviously I was a Wild fan and we didn’t necessarily like them. It’s kind Blackhawks claim defenseman Nick Seeler from the Wild off waivers and of ironic being with Chicago now. It’s pretty cool, though.” send Dennis Gilbert back to Rockford Chicago Tribune LOADED: 02.04.2020

By JIMMY GREENFIELD CHICAGO TRIBUNE |FEB 03, 2020 | 6:59 PM

ST. PAUL, MINN.-Nick Seeler didn't get much sleep Sunday night waiting to hear what the whims of the waiver wire had in store for him.

But when Seeler’s agent called in the morning, the 26-year-old defenseman learned he wasn’t going anywhere. At least not for a couple of days.

The Blackhawks claimed Seeler off waivers from the Wild on Monday, allowing him to head over to the Xcel Energy Center from his Minneapolis apartment and practice with his new teammates ahead of Tuesday’s game.

“It’s been a kind of crazy day,” Seeler said. "You go from not knowing if you’re going to get picked up somewhere, to getting picked up by the team that the Wild are playing the next day. So I didn’t have to travel very far and (I’m) very thankful and grateful for getting picked up by Chicago.

"I'm extremely excited to be part of this great organization and it was nice to get the first practice under your belt and get to know the guys a little bit."

One guy Seeler won’t get to know just yet is defenseman Dennis Gilbert, whom the Hawks sent down to Rockford on Monday after making him a healthy scratch for eight consecutive games.

Blackhawks defenseman Dennis Gilbert blocks a shot during a game against the Avalanche on Dec. 18, 2019.

"Things happen quick," Hawks coach said. "(Gilbert) had a stretch where he was really good for us and we couldn’t take him out. Then all of a sudden things kind of flipped and (Slater) Koekkoek does the same thing where he played so well we just didn’t feel like we could even rotate the lineup.

“We’re trying to develop young players and win at the same time. It’s a balancing act. But we want (Gilbert) to play games so he can make more of an impact down the road.”

Colliton indicated Seeler wouldn’t be in the lineup against the Wild. Colliton also wouldn’t commit to when Seeler would get some playing time. That would be par for the course for Seeler, who has been on the Wild roster nearly the entire season but was a healthy scratch for all but six games.

Seeler was sent to the Wild’s AHL team in January on a conditioning assignment and played in six games there, but when he returned on Jan. 15 he was back on the bench. He hasn’t played in an NHL game since Dec. 7.

Last season, he appeared in 71 games, posting two goals and five assists, and seemed to have found a role as a physical defenseman. But the Wild went in a different direction during training camp and Seeler never was given an opportunity to reclaim his role from the previous season.

"Last year was a really good year in terms of getting games and getting experience under my belt," Seeler said. "This year's just been different. It's been challenging both mentally and physically. Sometimes change is good, and I think it was the right time for change."

Seeler grew up in nearby Eden Prairie, Minn., as a Wild fan and attended the same high school as Nick Leddy, who also came to the Hawks in a trade with the Wild.

But whereas Leddy was a first-round pick and still a teenager when the Hawks acquired him for Cam Barker, Seeler was a fifth-rounder and joins the Hawks as a waiver-wire pickup who can add some depth to a depleted blue line.

Seeler was wearing a Wild T-shirt after Monday’s practice, a byproduct of still trying to get all his equipment and clothes situated. He said he never developed a hatred of the Hawks despite spending his youth cheering for the Wild. 1174270 Chicago Blackhawks “I add that physical presence and am good in the defensive zone and good on the [penalty kill],” he said. ‘‘I think I can jump up in the play and contribute more offensively than I have in the past.”

Blackhawks claim Nick Seeler off waivers from Wild, adding defensive Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 02.04.2020 depth

The 26-year-old defenseman was waived by the Wild after playing in only six NHL games this season.

By Ben Pope Feb 3, 2020, 12:01pm CST

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Nick Seeler skated onto the Xcel Energy Center ice for practice Monday the same way he has for years, comfortably at home in the arena of the Wild organization that drafted him in 2011 and has worked with him for the last nine years.

But he did so wearing red, as a member of the Blackhawks.

“It’s been a kind of crazy day,” he said. “You go from not knowing if you’re going to get picked up somewhere, to getting picked up by the team that the Wild are playing the next day.”

Seeler had played in just six of 51 games this year, sitting uselessly as a healthy scratch except for a six-game AHL conditioning stint, so the Wild waived him Sunday in hopes of getting him to the AHL for good.

Of course, Seeler — a 26-year-old defenseman who was an NHL regular as recently as last season, making 71 appearances — hoped for a different outcome.

“The last thing I wanted to do was clear waivers,” he said. “We just kept saying, ‘It just takes one team.’ ”

“I was at my apartment in Minneapolis [this morning] and got the call from my agent. Obviously, I was ecstatic and excited, because I didn’t get much sleep, let’s just say that.”

Unfortunately for him, Seeler likely will occupy a similar role with the Blackhawks that he did with the Wild, as the No. 7 defenseman retained primarily as a spare body but rarely in the lineup.

Dennis Gilbert had assumed that role in recent weeks, last appearing Jan. 7. But the Hawks see the 23-year-old as a prospect who will benefit more from playing big minutes in Rockford. They sent him down just hours after claiming Seeler on Monday.

“[Gilbert] had a stretch where he was really good for us and we couldn’t take him out,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “All of a sudden, things flipped, and Koekkoek does the same thing. . . . It’s a balancing act, but we want [Gilbert] to play games so he can make more of an impact down the road.”

Colliton said Seeler, who is 6-2 with a solid frame, brings “some physicality, some toughness,” but he mainly emphasized the much- needed depth that having an additional experienced defenseman will bring.

After all, Seeler hasn’t shown much offensive upside, tallying just two goals and nine assists in 99 games with the Wild, and his advanced defensive numbers are decent but unremarkable, with 47.7 percent shot- attempt and 48 percent scoring-chance ratios. He has another year left at a cheap $725,000 salary-cap hit after this season.

One comment Colliton made — “It may take a little time to get him into the group and up to speed” — confirmed the theory that Seeler probably won’t play against his former team Tuesday. He did seem confused about his coverage assignment in at least one drill during practice, although new locker-mate Connor Murphy quickly directed him.

The relatively small transaction marks general manager Stan Bowman’s first external addition since November, and with the trade deadline just three weeks away, that is notable.

Colliton said the imminent deadline won’t significantly affect his lineup decisions but admitted it will increase the frequency of his conversations with Bowman.

In the meantime, though, Seeler will try to make an impact with the Hawks. 1174271 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks claim D Seeler off waivers from Wild

Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Chicago Blackhawks claimed defenseman Nick Seeler off waivers from the on Monday.

The 26-year-old Seeler appeared in six games with Minnesota this season. Seeler's contract has an average annual value of $725,000 and runs through the 2020-21 season.

Seeler could get an opportunity to face his former team when the Blackhawks visit the Wild on Tuesday night.

Chicago also re-assigned defenseman Dennis Gilbert to Rockford of the AHL on Monday.

Seeler was selected by the Wild in the fifth round of the 2011 draft. He set career highs with two goals and five assists in 71 games last season.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174272 Chicago Blackhawks began things just weren't clicking, for him or Vegas, which was 9-9-3 in mid-November.

After playing in the first four games, Pirri was a healthy scratch in nine of Ex-Hawks Pirri making the best of it with Wolves the next 16 contests. His stats when he was put on waivers: no goals, 1 assist and 19 shots on goal in 11 games.

John Dietz "It was tough to get in a rhythm, but at the same time I've done it before," Pirri said. "I know how to handle it.

"I wasn't getting that puck luck, per se. I evaluate my game on if I'm Brandon Pirri has been around long enough to know how things work in getting chances. I thought I was -- it just wasn't going in at that time." professional sports. Now that Pirri's back with the Wolves -- and in his house again after He's well aware that it's a cutthroat, what-have-you-done-for-me lately giving Carpenter some time to find a new place -- he's settled into his old world out there, and if you don't perform there's a good chance routine and is "happy to be here." unpleasant consequences are right around the corner. Pirri, who has 11 goals and 16 assists in 29 games, started helping the Still, that didn't make it any easier when Vegas Golden Knights general Wolves right away on and off the ice. manager Kelly McCrimmon caught Pirri in an elevator on Nov. 16 and told the forward that he was being placed on waivers. "I felt bad for him, but I was happy for us," said coach Rocky Thompson, whose team has overcome a rough 11-15-2 start and is 11-5-3 in its last This, after Pirri signed a two-year contract in July with the understanding 19 games. "We know how dominant a player he is for our team. He's that he'd be with the Golden Knights all season. He was so confident, in always been a good, positive presence." fact, that the 27-year-old moved his wife and young son to Vegas, renting out their home in Bucktown to former teammate and new Blackhawks Vegas fired Gallant on Jan. 15, so Pirri knows there's almost no way he's forward Ryan Carpenter. getting called back up, meaning it's entirely possible his NHL career might be over. Add it all up and it's easy to see why McCrimmon's news hit Pirri like a punch to the gut. And if that's the case? So be it.

"You know, I was frustrated. I really was. I wasn't scoring," said Pirri, who "I would say I've had an NHL career -- it wasn't a long one -- but I have was assigned to the when he cleared waivers. "I know I had one," said Pirri, who has 72 goals in 270 games for five teams. "I've need to do that to stay in the lineup. It's been like that my whole career. made some pretty good memories, had some pretty good opportunities to do things. So we'll see what happens. "(This was) a lot tougher in the sense that I had my whole family across the country. That was kind of my first thought, that I had to make them "But if this is it, I've had a good time and I'll move on to the next chapter." move again." By the numbers

McCrimmon passed on a phone interview and did not respond to a By the numbers question via email. Brandon Pirri's stats the last three seasons For those who need a crash course on the offensively gifted winger, he was drafted by the Blackhawks 59th overall in 2009, played most of three Season, team GP G A Pts. seasons with their AHL affiliate in Rockford and got his first true taste of the NHL in 2013-14. He scored 6 goals in 28 games for the Hawks that 2017-18, Vegas 2 3 0 3 season, then was traded to Florida where he scored 7 goals in 21 2017-18, WOLVES 57 29 23 52 games. 2018-19, Vegas 31 12 6 18 Pirri played 101 more games for the Panthers -- all under coach Gerard Gallant -- and then went on to play nine games for Anaheim and 60 for 2018-19, WOLVES 29 18 24 42 the Rangers in 2016-17. 2019-20, Vegas 11 0 1 1 It was during the 2017 off-season that Pirri signed with Vegas because 2019-20, WOLVES 29 11 16 27 the expansion team's AHL team was in Chicago, where his wife is from. He pumped in 29 goals during that campaign, then took full advantage of Career NHL stats 270 72 48 120 a mid-December call-up last season by pumping in a whopping 8 goals in his first 11 games. Career AHL stats 353 125 195 320

Things dried up from there as Pirri scored just 4 more times in his next 20 Daily Herald Times LOADED: 02.04.2020 appearances, but he loved playing for Gallant, a pure player's coach if there ever was one.

So when it came time to decide which team to sign with last July -- and there were multiple offers -- it didn't take Pirri long to ink a two-year, $1.55 million deal with Vegas.

The main reason? Gallant.

"I think you need a guy that believes in you and believes in your ability. Throughout my career he's been kind of that guy," said Pirri, who added that Gallant always tried to be clear about why you were missing a shift, why you were sliding down the lineup in the middle of a game, or why you weren't playing that night. "He played, he gets it. And that's why everyone loves to play for him."

There was one other big reason Pirri signed with Vegas.

"I've made my wife move a lot over the seven years we've been together," Pirri said. "That was a big decision for me, to give her and my son a little security. Just when you think you have it, you don't."

During training camp, Vegas -- like many teams do -- jostled its forward lines to get a look at different combinations, some of which included young prospects. Pirri said he took no offense, but when the season 1174273 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks claim Wild defenseman Nick Seeler

John Dietz

The Blackhawks claimed Minnesota Wild defenseman Nick Seeler off waivers and reassigned Dennis Gilbert to Rockford on Monday.

The 26-year-old Seeler is a left-shot D-man who was taken by Minnesota in the fifth round of the 2011 draft. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native had 2 goals and 5 assists in 71 games for the Wild last season, but appeared in just six NHL games and six AHL games for the franchise this season. He hasn't played since Dec. 7.

The Hawks play at the Wild on Tuesday, but it is likely the 6-foot-2, 198- pound Seeler will be a healthy scratch.

"The last thing I wanted to do was clear waivers," Seeler told reporters. "We just kept saying, 'It just takes one team.'"

"I was at my apartment in Minneapolis and got the call from my agent. Obviously was ecstatic and excited, because I didn't get much sleep."

The 23-year-old Gilbert (1G, 2A in 20 games) was a mainstay in the Hawks' lineup for a month, but he hasn't played since Jan. 7.

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Former Blackhawk Dustin Byfuglien in talks to end contract with Winnipeg Jets

By Kelly Twardziak February 03, 2020 1:23 PM

Former Blackhawk Dustin Byfuglien is working with the Winnipeg Jets towards a mutual contract termination, according to multiple sources reported by TSN.

Hearing #nhljets and Dustin Byfuglien are working toward a mutual contract termination over the next several days, which would end his suspension (and grievance) - and finally give Winnipeg the salary cap clarity needed ahead of #TradeCentre.

STORY: https://t.co/5KRyWUnplA pic.twitter.com/4P5JFGMheT

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 3, 2020

This mutual parting is seemingly a win-win for the Jets as well as Byfuglien. The 34-year-old defenseman has been off the ice since October after undergoing surgery on his ankle. Prior to surgery, Byfuglien took personal leave from the Jets in September and there was much speculation he was considering retirement. In November, Byfuglien filed a grievance to the NHLPA, saying he deserved to be paid during his recovery from a legitimate hockey injury.

According to TSN, he began rehabbing his ankle in December, but there haven’t been reports of when he was due back on the ice. This continued speculation that Byfuglien doesn’t intend to return to the Jets at all and wants to retire. If he does retire, Byfuglien will be leaving $14 million owed in salary over the final two years of his contract with the Jets.

The Jets have been in need a strong defenseman this season. After trading Jacob Trouba and Tyler Myers becoming a free agent, they had been hoping to rely on Byfuglien in that role. Terminating Byfuglien and freeing up cap space will allow the Jets to shop around for a quality replacement. However, a hearing date for Byfuglien’s grievance hasn’t yet been set, so the Jets must consider the possibility he could return or win the grievance.

Byfuglien was an eighth-round draft pick for Chicago, entering the NHL in 2003. He played with the Hawks until 2010, winning the 2010 Stanley Cup before being traded.

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Blackhawks claim defenseman Nick Seeler off waivers from Wild

By Charlie Roumeliotis February 03, 2020 11:15 AM

The Blackhawks announced Monday morning that they have claimed defenseman Nick Seeler off waivers from the Minnesota Wild. His contract runs through the 2020-21 season and carries a cap hit of $725,000.

Seeler doesn't have much offensive upside, but he's known to be a physical defenseman. The 26-year-old Minnesota native appeared in only six games for the Wild this season after being passed up on the depth chart and was expected to report to the of the American Hockey League for the second time in the last month if he cleared waivers.

He didn't, and Wild coach told the Pioneer Press on Sunday that he would be happy for Seeler if another team takes a chance on him.

“I would love it if he did because he’s such a tremendous person,” Boudreau said. “He works so hard in practice. It’s just unfortunate. If we were [a top-tier team], I’d be playing him every second game to work him in. But we aren’t. We are fighting for our lives. ... He’s a classy guy. Nobody works harder than him in practice, too. It’s not like he’s coming and sulking. He’s done everything we’ve asked him.”

Seeler was drafted by the Wild in the fifth round (No. 131 overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft and has accumulated 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 99 career games across three NHL seasons. He also registered two assists and averaged 17:23 of ice time in five playoff contests for the Wild during his rookie campaign in 2017-18.

Seeler gives the Blackhawks some depth on the back end and a gritty element they're always looking for. Fortunately for Seeler, he doesn't have to go very far. The Blackhawks practice in Minnesota on Monday before taking on the Wild on Tuesday night.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174276 Chicago Blackhawks Seeler made the Wild out of training camp last season and played 71 games. But his regular spot in the lineup ended in January once the Wild traded for Brad Hunt, then claimed Anthony Bitetto off waivers in a three- Nick Seeler leaving Wild for a new shot as Blackhawks claim him off day span. He ended up sitting on an almost nightly basis, a theme that waivers continued surprisingly into this season.

Seeler worked hard all of last summer in anticipation of a roster battle this season. The assumption by everyone, even those amongst the Wild By Michael Russo Feb 3, 2020 coaching staff, was Seeler, Hunt and Greg Pateryn would be vying nightly to play on the third defense pair.

However, Carson Soucy, considered the Wild’s most disappointing player Nick Seeler has been given a new lease on life. in the 2018-19 training camp and an early roster cut because of it, The Chicago Blackhawks, who coincidentally visit the Wild on Tuesday redeemed himself with a strong training camp this time. He ended up night, claimed the hard-nosed defenseman off waivers Monday morning. making the team, had a strong first half and thus pushed Seeler down the It’s uncertain as of yet if Seeler will make his Blackhawks debut against depth chart. Seeler had a tough training camp and start to the season his former team, but he won’t have to travel far to practice for the first because he does have a tendency to take bad penalties or lose his time with his new team. composure on the ice.

The Blackhawks practice at Xcel Energy Center on Monday afternoon at Once Pateryn returned to the lineup after missing the first half following 3 o’clock. abdominal surgery, Seeler fell into an eighth D role.

Seeler, 26, the Minnesota native who once upon a time won two state “He’s a class guy,” Boudreau said. “Nobody works harder than him in championships with Eden Prairie, hasn’t played since Dec. 7 and only six practice, too. It’s not like he’s coming and sulking. He’s done everything times this season, so general manager Bill Guerin decided it was best to we asked of him. … (Soucy) beat him out of a job. Take nothing away try to slide him through waivers and get him to playoff-bound Iowa or give from Seels. He’s worked really hard for us and he’s a great teammate. him a fresh start elsewhere after presumably exhausting trade options. Picking him up, good for Chicago.”

Seeler, drafted by his hometown Wild in the fifth round in 2011, has one Guerin was comfortable carrying eight defensemen for the short-term. year left on his one-way contract at $725,000. The Wild receive $56,250 Last month, Seeler accepted a two-week conditioning stint in Iowa so he from the Blackhawks for their waiver claim. could get back to being game-ready. In six games, he had two assists and was plus-9. Reached for comment before the waiver claim Monday morning, Seeler said he would chat with The Athletic later in the day Monday. But Seeler was recalled Jan. 15 and scratched another five games in a row before Guerin decided it was time to give Seeler a chance to play “I had a good talk with him (Sunday) morning,” coach Bruce Boudreau nightly in Iowa or provide him a fresh start with another team. said. “I’ve been in his shoes. I know what it’s like, and I asked to be sent down when I was in Toronto because as hockey players, we want to With Seeler, it got to the point Boudreau hasn’t felt comfortable playing play. You don’t even look at the money after a while. It’s just, ‘Let me him, especially because he’s not about to pull left-shot defensemen Ryan play. If I want to continue my career, then I’ve got to show guys I can Suter, Jonas Brodin or Soucy from the lineup. Pateryn’s return has also play.’” cast Brad Hunt, who has seven goals and eight assists in 44 games, aside. Fair or not, despite a pretty solid first half, Hunt hasn’t even played Boudreau said Sunday he “would love” if somebody picked up Seeler since Jan. 9. “because he’s a tremendous person and works so hard in practice.” Hunt did get spot duty on the power play during Monday’s practice, so After being informed by media members after Monday’s practice that perhaps he’ll draw into Tuesday’s lineup over Pateryn. Seeler was indeed claimed by a division rival, Boudreau said, “Good for him. Good for him. He’s a great kid. It’ll make for another interesting “If we were Boston, I’d be playing (Seeler) every second game, working moment for (Tuesday’s) game.” him in, but we’re not,” Boudreau said. “We’re fighting for our lives. We’ve got two weeks to fight for our lives here, you know.” It’s uncertain as of now if Seeler will actually make his Blackhawks debut against his old team. He hasn’t played in two months, and Blackhawks The inference is the Wild couldn’t afford playing a defenseman who GM Stan Bowman texted The Athletic that he was unsure yet about would be understandably several steps behind the competition. Chicago’s lineup plans against the Wild. He plans to meet up with the In the meantime, the Wild had two good days of practice with the hope of team and talk to Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton on Tuesday. getting back on track following Saturday’s 6-1 whipping from the Boston NEWS: #MNWILD DEFENSEMAN NICK SEELER HAS BEEN CLAIMED Bruins. OFF WAIVERS BY CHICAGO. Not surprisingly, Boudreau scrambled up the lines. THE #MNWILD WOULD LIKE TO THANK NICK FOR HIS HARD WORK While the top line of Zach Parise-Eric Staal-Mats Zuccarello stayed ON AND OFF THE ICE AND WISH HIM THE BEST OF LUCK WITH intact, Boudreau had to do something about the second line following a THE BLACKHAWKS. (EXCEPT FOR TOMORROW NIGHT… ) poor game from Jason Zucker-Victor Rask-Kevin Fiala. Rask, demoted to — MINNESOTA WILD (@MNWILD) FEBRUARY 3, 2020 the fourth line Saturday night, was predictably the 13th forward in practice the past two days and looks to be a scratch Tuesday night. With Brent Seabrook and Calvin de Haan out for the season, and Philip Holm heading back to Europe, the Blackhawks don’t have a lot of depth Luke Kunin, for the first time in weeks, will move from right wing to center on the blue line beyond seven or eight players. So, Seeler could end up and play between Zucker and Fiala. being a depth defenseman in Chicago as well. “I hate breaking up Kunin and (Joel Eriksson) Ek, but I’ve gotta believe The Blackhawks are currently ninth in the Western Conference — three this will give the (second) line a little bit of energy,” Boudreau said. points from a playoff spot and four points ahead of the 12th-place Wild. Eriksson Ek will center Jordan Greenway and Marcus Foligno and As one Wild player joked in the locker room after Monday’s practice, captain Mikko Koivu will remain on the fourth line with Ryan Hartman and “Hopefully Seels doesn’t kill someone tomorrow (if he does play). He’s recent scratch Ryan Donato entering the lineup as Koivu’s left wing. got a lot of pent-up frustration.” The Wild also spent most of Monday’s practice working on their penalty In 99 games with the Wild, Seeler, a former Gopher, scored two goals, kill. The Wild have given up 30 power-play goals in their past 87 penalty- nine assists, amassed 93 penalty minutes and was an even plus-minus. kill opportunities and have sunk from eighth in the league to 30th in the After a tough first-year pro with Iowa in 2016-17, Seeler was one of the NHL on the penalty kill in a nine-week span. prospect pool’s most improved players in 2017-18. He impressed so “We looked pretty stale (Saturday),” Boudreau said. “The sluggishness much in Des Moines, he was recalled to Minnesota and was terrific, with nine days off was there, so I thought a good skate was needed. We assisting on four goals and being a plus-10 in 22 games. definitely need a different result. … I know it seems like eons ago that we were 8-0-3, but we played the same way every night, whether guys were in the lineup or out of the lineup. Obviously we need an 8-0-3 run to get back to where we want to be. We’ve got seven games in the next two weeks and most of them are versus the West, so it’s make-or-break time right now.”

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174277 Chicago Blackhawks The IceHogs lost another forward, Tim Soderlund, to injury. They had even been forced to skate a defenseman as a forward for one game. Watson had been acquired by the Blackhawks the previous season from ‘It’s just been crazy to keep track of it all’: Inside a month of minor-league the Los Angeles Kings for Matheson Iacopelli. The Blackhawks didn’t Blackhawks transactions qualify Watson in the offseason and he became a free agent. He then signed an ECHL deal with the Fuel. He was playing well for the Fuel, and Bernard was confident he could play at the AHL level.

By Scott Powers Feb 3, 2020 “It’s about cooperation No. 1 from your ECHL team,” Bernard said. “Doug Christiansen, the coach of Indy, does a fantastic job. At one point I think

we had six or seven players up from him. I called about Watson because Mark Bernard’s job title may as well be chaos manager. he was playing very well. The players at that level they’re striving to get that opportunity at the American Hockey League level, and the coaches That goes for him and anyone else overseeing NHL minor-league down there recognize that. And still in this day and age, it surprises me, affiliates. Players are always coming and going for an assortment of but (there are) still coaches in the ECHL who aren’t thrilled about letting reasons, and it’s their job to make sure there are always enough bodies their players go up. Doug Christiansen, even though Spencer wasn’t to fill an AHL roster. under contract to us, was more than willing to let him go and let him come up. You learn to be prepared for anything and everything, and that has never been truer for Bernard. In his 12 years with the Blackhawks, this season “A player is able to play 25 games on a PTO, but you’re also able to has been the most chaotic. He’s rarely gone more than a few days release him at any time. You’re not locked into that 25 games. So you without making a transaction for the Rockford IceHogs, the Blackhawks’ can sign them for two games and then just release them from it. And AHL affiliate. after that 25 games, you can either sign him to a full American hockey deal for the remainder of the year, or you can put them on another team.” Thirty-nine players have already played for the IceHogs this season, 11 of whom have also played in the ECHL. Nine players were recalled by Jan. 6: Forward Josh Winquist signed to PTO with the IceHogs. the Blackhawks and 10 players have missed significant time with injuries. The IceHogs lost another forward, Mikael Hakkarainen, in a game on “I don’t think we’ve had a year this bad,” Bernard said. Jan. 5. Bernard went to the ECHL again and signed Winquist from the . January was especially active for Bernard. The IceHogs were missing 13 players at one point. Bernard ended up making 28 transactions in the “At that point, we needed actually another player and there was a player month. To help understand the chaos he deals with on a daily basis, in Indy wanted to give an opportunity to and he got injured,” Bernard Bernard walked The Athletic through every one of his January said. “So I called Toledo and they were very happy to get to be able to transactions. give Josh Winquist an opportunity and the coach there allowed us to bring Josh up. But it’s about for me, working in that league, every time we Jan. 1: Goalie Matt Tomkins recalled from loan to Team Canada. call a player up from the ECHL, well, now it leaves them short. So now The IceHogs have carried three goalies all season. Tomkins was the only they’re looking for players from the Southern Professional League. You one not under an NHL contract. With NHL-contracted goalies Collin Delia really have to work with these teams and in that manner. and Kevin Lankinen healthy at the time, Bernard was happy to loan “Yes, we may like them as a player. Now our lineup’s full again, and it’s Tomkins to Canada in December to play in the Spengler Cup. hard to get them (playing time), we get them back to their ECHL team “It was kind of twofold,” said Bernard, whose official title is Blackhawks and be loyal to the team, or else maybe next time they won’t be so nice vice president of hockey operations/team affiliates. “It was a good to us and allow us to bring a player up. I’ve tried to do that for the last 12 opportunity for Matt to put on the Canadian jersey — he had never years — return players as soon as we don’t need them, instead of just played for his country, and to be able to pull on your country’s jersey is having them sit in the stands eating popcorn.” such an honor and such a privilege — and it was an opportunity that we Jan. 6: Defenseman Phillip Holm recalled by the Blackhawks from the all wanted him to experience. And then at the same time, we were IceHogs. healthy. We had both Collin and Kevin prepared to go. And if something happened during what I think was only gonna be a three-game stretch Holm had played last season in the KHL and decided to return to North that he missed because he left after the game on the 21st and he America for another shot at the NHL. When he was sent to the IceHogs returned on the 1st, so it was only three games that he was going to miss out of training camp and didn’t foresee an NHL opportunity, his agent anyway. And we figured he goes over there, maybe he gets a game or asked the Blackhawks to release him from his contract and allow him to two and has a terrific experience, which is exactly what happened on the finish out the season in Europe. The Blackhawks had to recall him on first.” Jan. 6 to put him on unconditional waivers.

Jan. 1: Forwards Matthew Thompson and Dylan McLaughlin recalled “It really happened pretty quick,” Bernard said. “His agent reached out to from loan to the Indy Fuel (ECHL). Stan (Bowman) and just felt that with (Adam) Boqvist coming on so young and then Dennis Gilbert coming on so young and then we made The IceHogs were missing a number of forwards. John Quenneville, the trade and it brought in (Ian) McCoshen, his agent felt that maybe it Matthew Highmore and Dylan Sikura were in the NHL. Anton Wedin, was time for them to look over in Europe and wanted our permission. Philipp Kurashev and Alexandre Fortin were injured. Kris Versteeg had You know, if they found something, would we release him? I think they already left the team. Bernard needed reinforcements. He had already already had something, and we didn’t want to hold him up as he wanted recalled Thompson and McLaughlin from the Fuel earlier in the season to be in Europe. We wanted to help them out and let him go.” and turned to them again. The IceHogs are currently 20-24-1-2 in the AHL. They’re in seventh place “Both of those players were playing well down in Indianapolis and in the Central. (Courtesy of the IceHogs) deserved to be recalled at the time,” Bernard said. “All the recalls have been injury related. Kurashev was injured I believe it was in Manitoba (on Jan. 8: Lankinen reassigned to IceHogs from the Blackhawks. Dec. 29) and then we recalled those guys. Thompson played five games and he blocked a shot and he’s been out since. It’s just been crazy to Lehner returned to the Blackhawks, so Lankinen returned to the IceHogs. keep track of it all.” Jan. 11: Forward John Quenneville reassigned to IceHogs from the Jan. 4: Goalie Kevin Lankinen recalled by Blackhawks from the IceHogs. Blackhawks.

Robin Lehner suffered a knee injury, so the Blackhawks recalled The Blackhawks would’ve had to put Quenneville on waivers if he Lankinen to back up Corey Crawford. Tomkins had returned to the continued to play in the NHL. They sent him back down to Rockford while IceHogs, so Bernard didn’t have to make a corresponding move. he was still waiver exempt.

Jan. 5: Forward Spencer Watson signed to a professional tryout contract Jan. 13: Winquist released from his PTO with the IceHogs. with the IceHogs. Winquist was released from his PTO because he had a death in his family and needed to return home. Jan. 13: Foward Peter Quenneville signed to a PTO with the IceHogs. set. And No. 2, also working with our strength and conditioning coach, getting his conditioning back up. So it was a good week for Chase to Peter Quenneville, John’s older brother, was added to the roster from the come up, be around our group, work with Peter every day, work with Rapid City Rush (ECHL). He had 45 points in 37 games in the ECHL this (strength and conditioning coach) Kristian Skarphagen every day and season. then be assigned back down.”

“It’s utilizing your resources,” Bernard said of scouting the ECHL. Jan. 19: Defenseman Dennis Gilbert and forward Brandon Hagel “(Blackhawks vice president of pro scouting) Ryan Stewart sees a lot of reassigned to the IceHogs from the Blackhawks. games in Greenville because he doesn’t live far from there, so he’ll go see games there. I’ll call people throughout that league that I know and Gilbert and Hagel were being healthy scratched with the Blackhawks. people that, you know, I’ve had the player before and I’ll do my The IceHogs were playing at home on Jan. 20 and the Blackhawks were homework. But when you’re recalling the guy that’s the leading scorer in off. Gilbert and Hagel returned to Rockford and played one game. the league, you’re usually going down the right avenues. He’s playing well. “We wanted to keep these players playing,” Bernard said. “Dennis, I think at the time hadn’t played for three or four games straight. Hagel had got “And it was kind of a funny story. I think I called his coach, I believe it was recalled while we were on the trip and hadn’t played. So it was going to a Saturday morning. His coach was very open to him coming. I think he’d be a day off in Chicago. It was Martin Luther King Day on the Monday scored four goals the night before. I set up a flight and everything. The and Rockford had an afternoon game., so it was a good opportunity with coach was going to talk to him after the game on Saturday night. And I taking advantage of the proximity of our AHL affiliation and these players said, that’s fine, I don’t expect you to pull him from your lineup because not needing waivers. Let’s get them down for the day, play a game.” you’re gonna be short. Talk to him after the game on Saturday and then I will fly him in on Sunday. Jan. 20: Gilbert and Hagel recalled by the Blackhawks from the IceHogs.

“The coach called me after the game. I was thinking it was to tell me that Gilbert and Hagel returned to the Blackhawks for their next game. he’d spoken to Peter. And Peter actually scored a goal that night, but Jan. 21: Gilbert and Hagel reassigned to the IceHogs. unfortunately, it went off his face. And in the end, he called me to say he was in surgery. I’m like, oh, geez, now I’m not going to be able to recall As the Blackhawks entered the All-Star break and their bye week, Gilbert him. and Hagel were returned to the IceHogs.

“So the next morning I was actually reaching out to John Quenneville to Jan. 22: Watson released from the PTO with the IceHogs. see how he was because he had just been sent back to us. I said, how’s The IceHogs started to get healthy with Fortin and Soderlund returning your brother doing? And he goes, oh, he’s doing OK. His mouth is sore, from injuries and didn’t need Watson any longer. but he’s fine. He’s going to play the next game. He goes, how do you know about that? And I said, well, I was going to recall him. He goes, “Spencer wasn’t our player,” Bernard said. “He’s Indy’s player and I Bernie, he’s fine, it wasn’t as bad as they originally thought. So I reached wanted to get him back to them.” out to his coach, and his coach actually said, I was just told to call you. It wasn’t as bad as originally thought. They had to do some dental work Jan. 22: Nathan Noel reassigned to the Fuel from the IceHogs. and there’s no break in the jaw. If you need him, he’s ready to come.” Noel, who is on an NHL contract, has split time with the IceHogs and Jan. 16: Forward Brandon Hagel recalled by Blackhawks to the NHL. Fuel the last few seasons. With more players healthy, Bernard thought it was best for Noel to play more with the Fuel. The Blackhawks needed another forward on the roster and called up Hagel, who had been playing well. Jan. 24: Tomkins released from a standard player contract and loaned to the IceHogs from the Blackhawks. Jan. 18: Forward Gabriel Gagne signed to a PTO by the IceHogs. The Blackhawks signed Tomkins to a two-year, NHL entry-level contract. With Hagel up, the IceHogs needed another forward. Gagne had 38 He first had to terminate his AHL contract, sign the NHL one and then be points in 36 games with the Allen Americans in the ECHL. assigned to the IceHogs.

“And again, it’s kind of a funny story,” Bernard said. “It was a Friday “He’s a tremendous individual that has worked extremely hard,” Bernard night, we were playing in Grand Rapids, and I was going to fly Gagne in said. “I can’t say enough about how hard he’s worked to earn this the next morning. That was when we were having the bad snowstorms contract. It’s been a long time coming for him. All we have to do is Matt here in Chicago, and there was no way I was going to get his flight in. I would sign it’s called a mutual release. I would sign it. He would sign it to asked the people who do our travel for us, I said, what are the chances of release him from his American hockey deal and then he would sign a a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth, how hard would it be to get him into NHL contract and Chicago would assign him to Rockford. Grand Rapids, Michigan? And she goes, oh, we have a direct flight. I’m like, really? I did not expect that. So we actually flew him into Grand “(Him signing is) something that we had talked about earlier in the year Rapids, Michigan. He landed about 10:15. After the game, I talked to and then we just felt it was the right opportunity. He played well. And it (IceHogs coach) Derek King and I said this is the only way we can get kind of aligns us going into next year. We have three good young him in because of the snowstorms that are coming in. So the bus just goaltenders. Someone’s gonna probably going to fight for a position I went after the game over to the airport and the team welcomed a new would think in Chicago out of camp and the other two, whoever doesn’t player, picked him up at the airport.” make it, will be in Rockford. You want to look at your No. 1 one goalie will be obviously very good, but No. 2, 3, 4 will be very strong.” Jan. 19: Forward Dylan Sikura reassigned to the IceHogs from the Blackhawks. Jan. 25: Marchand loaned to the Fuel from the IceHogs.

Sikura wasn’t playing consistently with the Blackhawks. Being on a two- Marchand was healthy enough to rejoin the Fuel and begin playing again. way contract this season, Sikura is paid differently when he’s in the NHL Jan. 29: Defenseman Jack Ramsey recalled from the Fuel to the and AHL. IceHogs. “When we’re doing these transactions, they’ll always go to our payroll, The IceHogs lost defenseman Chad Krys to an injury in a game. Bernard the head of our payroll,” Bernard said. “Then she’ll send a copy to me also knew Gilbert would be returning to the Blackhawks. The IceHogs before the payroll goes out just to go over it and make sure the were going to be down to six defensemen. transactions and everything align with their pay.” “We had to recall another defenseman to be ready in case there was an Jan. 19: Goalie Chase Marchand recalled to IceHogs from the Fuel. injury,” Bernard said. Marchand, who is under an AHL contract with the IceHogs, was close to Jan. 29: Gilbert recalled by the Blackhawks from the IceHogs. returning from an injury, and Bernard wanted him to work with the IceHogs staff. After the Blackhawks’ break, Gilbert was recalled to be their seventh defenseman again. That was the IceHogs’ final transaction of January. “It was to make sure we’re giving him the best chance at success when he comes back after this long layoff,” Bernard said. “I wanted him Bernard had gone a few days without a transaction, but he knew that working, No. 1, with (goalie development coach) Peter Aubry on his skill could change quickly. “Well, knock on wood,” Bernard said. “The team just returned from their break and had a practice last night and a morning skate. So I’ll feel better saying that after the game. You might have just jinxed us.”

In that next game, Jacob Nilsson and Nick Moutrey were both injured for the IceHogs. The following day, Bernard recalled Liam Coughlin from the Fuel and made his first February transaction.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174278 Colorado Avalanche

Tickets still available for Avs’ Stadium Series game as ice rink setup begins at Air Force

By KYLE FREDRICKSON | PUBLISHED: February 3, 2020 at 7:40 pm | UPDATED: February 3, 2020 at 8:23 PM

AIR FORCE ACADEMY — The first steps in turning Falcon Stadium from a college football field into an outdoor NHL game venue began early Monday with floor surface installation.

The NHL’s Stadium Series pits the Colorado Avalanche against the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 15 with time running out to lock in a seat for what should be a highly unusual professional hockey setting.

Declan Bolger, chief marketing officer and senior vice president of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said: “Ticket sales are going well and we’re on track to sell out this game, although there are a few left.”

Seating capacity at Falcon Stadium for football games is 46,692.

Tickets are available online through Ticketmaster, VividSeats, and StubHub, with prices ranging from $99 in the upper corner section to $552 for the front row of the lower section, as of late Monday.

The NHL Stadium Series began in 2003 and became an annual event in outdoor stadiums since 2014. This marks its second arrival in Colorado after the Avalanche hosted the Detroit Red Wings at Coors Field in 2016, a 4-3 Red Wings victory. Former Avs center John Mitchell (2012-17) was at Falcon Stadium on Monday to drum up support for the 2020 outdoor game now less than two weeks away from puck drop.

“It seems like this field is very tight, so you’re not going to be so far away,” Mitchell said. “In baseball stadiums, it’s a little bit deeper, especially in the outfield.”

The Avalanche (28-16-6) travel to face the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night as the second game of a five-game road trip. The Kings are 19-29- 5 this season.

I’m posted up at the Air Force Academy today as setup begins for the NHL Stadium Series (Avalanche vs Kings, Feb. 15) at Falcons Stadium. Will soon learn more about the process. pic.twitter.com/MYWJNZ7TmE

— Kyle Fredrickson (@kylefredrickson) February 3, 2020

Denver Post: LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174279 Colorado Avalanche

Kiszla vs. Chambers: Will Avalanche’s Cale Makar lose Calder Trophy to Quinn Hughes?

By MIKE CHAMBERS and MARK KISZLA February 3, 2020 at 10:25 am

Kiz: My old friend and legendary Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix used to take great pleasure in admonishing me with these words: “You know nothing about hockey.” Well, maybe he was correct. Because if there’s one thing I was certain about this sport and this Colorado team in 2020, it was that Avs defenseman Cale Makar was a lock to win the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie? But who’s this Quinn Hughes kid?

Chambers: The kid is from the University of Michigan, born in Orlando, Fla., and I believe raised in the Toronto area. Just 20, but the older brother of 2019 No. 1 draft pick Jack Hughes. Good player, excellent skater. Hey, Makar and Hughes are both very special young defensemen, and currently 1-2 in rookie scoring (Hughes, Makar) with 39 and 37 points, respectively. But Hughes has played 10 more games. Gotta admit I haven’t seen Hughes as much as Makar, but I’ll take Makar — who leads all rookies in points per game (.88).

Kiz: Hey, nobody has a bigger mancrush on Makar than I do. But did that upper-body injury derail the amazing mojo of his season? We all know he can be spectacular on the power play. But does Makar sometimes get a bit too fascinated with his own puck-handling wizardry, as I’ve heard coach Jared Bednar suggest? And let’s get down to the real nitty-gritty. In five-on-five situations, might Hughes be more effective than Makar?

Chambers: It does seem as if Makar slowed down from his hot start — before he suffered a shoulder injury in December at Boston. But he’s going to bounce back. It’s amazing how calm and cool the rookie is — it was incredible what he accomplished in the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring, straight out of college — and I expect him to find his game again. He’s too talented not to. And as for Hughes, well, that’s just a lefty-righty argument at this point — and I’ll still take the righty in Makar.

Kiz: Maybe it’s a little early to evaluate who’s hot and who’s not as playoff seedings begin to take shape. But it’s not too early to wonder if Vancouver is one of those teams getting better as the season goes on, while the Avalanche seems to be in danger of falling out of shouting distance of the first-place St. Louis Blues in the Central Division. Are the Avs now destined for a knock-down, drag-out series against Dallas to open the playoffs? Might Hughes and the Canucks now be positioned to make a deeper playoff run than Makar and Colorado?

Chambers: Nobody saw Vancouver as a contender, but the Canucks are the second team to reach 30 wins. The Avs are right behind with 28, and based on their inadequate showing Saturday night in Philly, they’re bound to win the next one Tuesday at Buffalo and get back on track. But don’t worry about the Canucks. Colorado won’t fall out of the top-three in the Central, thus it won’t face a team outside the division to begin the playoffs. I suspect it will be an Avs-Stars first-round series, but, no, the Canucks aren’t equipped to go as deep into the playoffs as the Avs. Colorado has the past two years of experience to get further along this year.

Denver Post: LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174280 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets place Alexander Wennberg on injured reserve, recall Ryan MacInnis

Brian Hedger The Columbus Dispatch Feb 3, 2020 at 5:45 PM

Add another player to the Blue Jackets’ seemingly never-ending injury challenges.

This time, center Alexander Wennberg is expected to miss three to four weeks with an undisclosed upper-body injury that occurred Sunday in the Jackets’ 4-3 victory against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre.

Wennberg, who’s been centering the second line, played two periods but didn’t return for the third. He was placed on injured reserve Monday, which was an off day for the team.

The Blue Jackets recalled center Ryan MacInnis from the to fill Wennberg’s roster spot. It will be the rookie’s second NHL stint this season, after posting one assist in seven games Dec. 21 to Jan. 4 – when injuries quickly mounted to 10 regulars sidelined.

The amount currently out has dwindled as players have returned to action, but there is still a sizeable chunk of the roster missing.

Josh Anderson (shoulder) appears to be the closest to returning, but he’s still on IR along with rookie forward Alexandre Texier (lumbar fracture), defenseman Ryan Murray (back), defenseman Dean Kukan (knee) and center Brandon Dubinsky (wrist). Goalie Joonas Korpisalo isn’t on IR, but is working his way back from a torn meniscus in his left knee.

The Blue Jackets, who are third in the Metropolitan Division, host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday at Nationwide Arena.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174281 Columbus Blue Jackets in his NHL regular-season debut last month and Friday night attempted to score into an empty net against the Red Wings.

The Blue Jackets goaltender has shown little hesitation in retrieving ‘Let’s just say the kid liked drawing outside the lines’: Elvis Merzlikins dump-ins and sometimes even physically engaging forecheckers while looks to become calm puck handler like Carey Price his net is left yawning. Can he become as good as Price in this facet of the game?

By Tom Reed Feb 3, 2020 “I hope,” Merzlikins said. “I’m going to risk it. He risks it as well. He’s all the time risking, but he knows what he’s doing as well. That’s a great example for me.”

MONTREAL — Elvis Merzlikins loves adventure, risk and a bit of high- While playing professionally in Lugano, Switzerland, Merzlikins often speed fun. roved from his net to play pucks. Michael Lawrence, who coached him at Lugano HC, was asked if a wandering Elvis ever produced memorable He’s been known to satisfy such cravings behind the wheel of sports follies. cars. The free-spirited rookie goalie also will pursue them on the ice as he did in the dying seconds of Sunday’s first period at the Bell Centre. “Let’s just say the kid liked drawing outside the lines,” Lawrence said in a text message Sunday. Merzlikins charged out of his net and raced Canadiens center Nate Thompson to a puck that had been lobbed into the Blue Jackets’ zone. If Merzlikins learned an awful lesson on Nov. 23 as he attempted to fire a Thompson had beaten the goalie to the puck, he might have tapped it breakout pass up the middle of the ice against the Jets. The ill-advised into an empty net. effort was intercepted by Andrew Copp, who scored the game-winning goal with less than two minutes left in regulation. It’s a gamble Merzlikins believed was worth taking despite the potential for embarrassment to which he’s already intimately acquainted this Tortorella was so irate after the game he cautioned reporters he’d cut season. The goaltender reached the puck in the right faceoff circle and short his interview if anyone asked about Merzlikins’ gaffe. caromed it off the wall for an icing. “I’m warning you, I’ll walk,” the coach said. Merzlikins’ daring nullified a possible scoring chance for the Canadiens. It also helped out his teammates and likely earned him some respect from The Blue Jackets don’t want to dissuade Merzlikins from handling pucks. the goalie at the other end of the rink. Their coaches realize miscues happen — even to goalies with Hall of Fame pedigrees. Carey Price is not only among the best netminders of his generation, he’s also as good as any of his contemporaries at handling the puck outside Who can forget Marc-Andre Fleury mishandling the puck behind the net the crease. in Game 4 of the 2014 Blue Jackets-Penguins playoff series? The mistake led to Brandon Dubinsky scoring the game-tying goal with under Merzlikins hopes to rise to Price’s level in both categories. a minute left in the third period.

Watching the two keepers roam outside the crease to assist teammates The Jackets won in overtime. in moving pucks provided an entertaining subplot to the Blue Jackets’ 4-3 win over the Canadiens. Columbus goalies coach Manny Legace has worked with Merzlikins to improve his chances for success when he plays the puck. He stresses “In my opinion, he’s not ‘maybe the best,’ he is the best,” Merzlikins said that NHL skaters are much quicker than those in the Swiss League when of Price and his puck-handling abilities. “It’s just beautiful to see a goalie it comes to pouncing on mistakes. who is playing like that (with) the puck. I’m the young guy who came just into this league and I want to learn. Merzlikins’ all-around quality of play has risen dramatically since his 0-4- 4 baptism into the NHL. He ranks eighth in goals against average (2.42) “That’s the thought I had in my head, as well. I see (Price) going out of and is tied for fifth in save percentage (.925). the net so calm. He’s doing everything so calm. I’m like a little puppy running everywhere and trying to make the plays.” The Latvian goalie won his sixth consecutive decision Sunday and in doing so made many smart plays with the puck. Price and the Oilers’ Mike Smith are considered two of the elite puck- moving goaltenders in the league right now. Tortorella has lavished praise on his charismatic keeper, but he’s still a bit guarded in addressing that aspect of Merzlikins’ performance. Those capable of stick handling pucks can disrupt an opponent’s forecheck by intercepting dump-ins, assist in the transition game and “I’m not even going to answer the question because I just want him to spare their defensemen bruising hits. stop the pucks,” Tortorella said after Sunday’s game. “I’m not too concerned with that part of the game. I want him to take each thing in Price is so good at retrieving pucks rimmed along the wall, his order. He likes to play the puck and we’re not going to take that away defensemen sometimes won’t even journey below the goal line. They will from him, but I’m not going to analyze him on that. I just want him to stop station themselves along the half-wall and wait for Price to pass them the the puck and keep going about his business.” puck. On Sunday, that business included a footrace with a forward that Every time the Blue Jackets play against Price, they remind each other to Merzlikins fortunately won. try to keep their dump-ins out of his reach. Among the reasons the visitors got almost nothing going on the forecheck in the second period of The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 Sunday’s game was the puck-retrieval work of Price.

“We talked about not getting it to him and we got it to him like 100 times,” Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. “He’s just that good that he can read the play and come out and get the puck. He’s been doing it for so long. He’s like a third defenseman.”

The 32-year-old Price is in his 13th season. He’s learned how to play pucks around the wall — even knocking them down off the dasher — and when to take calculated chances. The six-time All-Star has 13 career assists. Price almost added another Sunday as he sprang from his crease and fired an indirect pass off the wall that led to a Thompson second-period scoring chance.

Merzlikins, 25, wants to become as proficient as Price with the puck on his stick. He’s not the only young goalie with such desires. The Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin fired a 60-foot stretch pass with the first touch of the puck 1174282 Dallas Stars selfless in the defensive zone with three blocked shots, tied for a game- high. And he uncorked two shots on goal, including his first goal since Feb. 16, 2018.

After missing almost two years from post-traumatic headaches, Stars Johns said that when he was a senior at Notre Dame, his parents went to defenseman Stephen Johns scores first goal of the season in front of his every game the Irish played. On Monday, 400 miles east of his parents hometown of Wampum, Pa., they got to see him play again.

Johns says having his parents in the building was ‘more important than “I think that was more important than anything,” Johns said. “Them being anything.’ here and seeing their son play again, because for a while, we didn’t really know what was going on. Couldn’t be happier for them.”

By Matthew DeFranks 4:22 AM on Feb 4, 2020 Dallas Morning News LOADED: 02.04.2020

NEW YORK — After Stephen Johns blasted a one-timer through the Rangers and past goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, after he celebrated his first goal in nearly two years with a roar, after his teammates mobbed then fist-bumped him, he knew where to look.

Up to Section 104.

That’s where Johns’ parents, Ray and Noreen, were sitting for the Stars’ 5-3 win over the Rangers on Monday and where they would watch their son in person for the first time since he returned from a 22-month absence because of post-traumatic headaches. So after the hugs and the high fives, there was a point: from Johns to the corner of Madison Square Garden’s lower bowl to the right of the opposite net, to Section 104.

“Throughout this whole process, it wasn’t just me going through hell,” Johns said. “As parents, they want to help and for them to be here and see that, I probably know my dad was for sure crying. I’m pretty excited to go see them and give them both a big hug. As parents, they want to help but they couldn’t.

“I know they were hurting the whole time I was too. That was the only thing going through my mind was going through the line and then finding them in the stands and pointing at them.”

Johns’ second-period goal — one born of great forechecking by Mattias Janmark and solid possession from Jason Dickinson — was the emotional high point for the Stars as they picked up their third win in four games since the All-Star break.

Joe Pavelski scored two power-play goals in a 16-second span in the first period, giving him three goals in the last two games counting his overtime winner Saturday in New Jersey. Blake Comeau and Corey Perry also scored for Dallas as the Rangers beat Anton Khudobin (33 saves) for three power-play goals.

Monday’s game had a lot: four combined power-play goals in the first period, a review that upheld Pavelski’s first goal after New York contended that the puck went out of play, a review that gave Brett Howden a goal after he gloved down a puck and swatted it in the net, Perry’s first goal since Nov. 19, the end of an 0 for 15 power-play stretch for Dallas, and a Jamie Benn-Brendan Lemieux scuffle in the last minute.

But Johns’ goal means so much more in the bigger picture.

Almost eight minutes into the second period, Dickinson circled from the goal line up the boards before feeding a wound-up Johns for a heavy slap shot. The shot beat Lundqvist over his right shoulder, detonating a revved-up and emotional reaction from Johns.

“Waited a long time, thought a lot about possibly never doing that again,” Johns said. “Helping this team at a crucial moment in the game, just couldn’t be happier.”

While Johns has not detailed exactly what the last two years were like for him enduring headaches, he has said how lonely those times have been and how isolated he felt. Johns has been understandably emotional talking to reporters about his return to the Stars 16 days ago, and his teammates have seen what he’s gone through each step of the way.

“I was so happy for him,” said Comeau, an alternate captain. “It’s hard to imagine what someone like that has been through. I’m sure he’s had some lonely days, some dark times, and to see him out there by himself and persevere and get back in the lineup, and not only get back in the lineup, he’s been outstanding for us, it’s hard to believe he’s missed as much time as he has.”

Monday night was a showcase of what Johns could be for the Stars down the stretch. He was physical with a game-high eight hits. He was 1174283 Dallas Stars Hintz’s insertion led to a shuffling of the lines for Monday’s game against the Rangers:

Benn – Hintz – Seguin Joe Pavelski’s special teams scoring leads the Stars’ offensive outburst in win over Rangers Mattias Janmark – Joe Pavelski – Alexander Radulov

Dallas ends its 0-15 power play drought with two special teams goals – Radek Faksa – Blake Comeau scored in a 16 second span. Denis Gurianov – Jason Dickinson – Corey Perry

It marked just the second time in the last 14 games that the Stars split up By Matthew DeFranks 4:40 AM on Feb 4, 2020 the top line of Benn-Seguin-Radulov. The other time was in a 7-0 loss to Minnesota before the All-Star break.

“We clearly need to score some more goals,” Bowness said. “If you look NEW YORK — By 9 p.m. on Monday night in Midtown Manhattan, the at that line, honestly, they had three Grade-As early in that first period. Stars had rendered the world’s most famous arena still and lifeless. One of those goes in, and we’re having a different discussion. It didn’t go Briefly resuscitated by a late Rangers goal, the New York crowd was in.” largely paralyzed by a Dallas stranglehold, incapacitated by an offensive outburst. Since Hintz re-entered the lineup, rookie Joel Kiviranta came out, one game after scoring his first career NHL goal in Saturday’s overtime win During a 5-3 Stars win over the Rangers, the Stars scored their most over New Jersey. goals since Nov. 21 and picked up their third win since the All-Star break ended. Joe Pavelski scored twice and Corey Perry, Blake Comeau and “It’s unfortunate that he plays that well and we have to pull him,” Stephen Johns each added goals as the Stars improved to 30-18-4 and Bowness said. “But if that’s what we have to do, that’s what we have to moved eight points clear of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. do. He’s a call-up, we loved what he did and we’re going to see him again.” The Stars snapped an 0 for 15 streak on the power play with Pavelski’s two goals, which came 16 seconds apart in the first period. Pavelski first -- Perry’s third-period goal off an Andrej Sekera rebound was his first one tipped a John Klingberg point shot on a play that was challenged by since Nov. 19, snapping a 24-game goalless streak. Rangers coach David Quinn. After Quinn lost the challenge (the puck was ruled to have stayed in play the whole time), the Stars went back on Dallas Morning News LOADED: 02.04.2020 the power play and Pavelski finished a feed from Jamie Benn behind the net.

The Stars had not scored a power play goal since Jan. 14 at Colorado.

“We’re not making that decisive play, that quick play to the open guy,” Pavelski said. “We’re holding it for a second. The support hasn’t been there. There’s a lot of areas that can go up with execution and that power play. For us, it was just a couple quick plays that were made and just something as simple as Klinger getting to the middle, the lane was open and he fired it. Get a stick on it and it goes in. There’s a formula.”

Behind again: For the seventh straight game and 11th time in the last 13 games, the Stars allowed the first goal of the game. Pavel Buchnevich flung a shot from the boards that beat Anton Khudobin between the legs just 2:29 into the first period.

With Monday’s win, the Stars are now 12-15-2 in games they trailed first, tied for the third-most wins in the league in that scenario.

“That’s not part of the game plan,” Bowness said. “We’re not going into the game saying ‘Hey, let’s give them one and then we get it back.’ That’s not part of the plan. Every game is different. … If we weren’t creating anything early, we’d be really concerned, but we are creating. We’re just not scoring.”

Seguin’s shots: Things are not going well for Tyler Seguin.

Monday’s win was Seguin’s 13th straight game without a goal, extending a career-long drought for the team’s leading scorer. Seguin has not scored since Dec. 28 against the Avalanche and was denied prime chances on Monday night.

He hit a post on a first-period power play. Henrik Lundqvist robbed him by going post to post on a 2 on 1 rush with Roope Hintz. Seguin redirected a pass from Alexander Radulov on net, but couldn’t beat Alexandar Georgiev. Seguin is goalless on his last 44 shots.

Dangerous Comeau: For the second this season, you heard Comeau’s goal before you saw it. On Monday night, Comeau rang the far post after speeding down the left wing and beating Lundqvist instead of passing to Stephen Johns on the other side of a 2 on 1.

The play was similar to Comeau’s goal in Los Angeles on Jan. 8, when he blasted a slap shot off the rush off the crossbar and in the net. Comeau now has seven goals this season, and five have come off the rush.

Lineup changes: Roope Hintz returned to the lineup for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury last week against Tampa Bay in his first shift of the game. Hintz missed two games and slotted in as the top- line center between Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. 1174284 Dallas Stars PIC.TWITTER.COM/3MHBG4WRPT

— SEAN SHAPIRO (@SEANSHAPIRO) JANUARY 12, 2020

Stars 20/20: Stephen Johns scores emotional goal to help lift Stars with Johns mentioned in his postgame interview about how the other day he mom and dad in attendance and I were discussing goal songs. It was Saturday morning in New Jersey and I was curious: if hockey stole baseball’s walk-up music as a concept for individual goal songs, what would his song be?

By Sean Shapiro Feb 3, 2020 “Is there a song out there named ‘Once In A While?'” Johns said Saturday morning. “Whatever it is, it’s not one that would be played very often.” NEW YORK — The Dallas Stars continued their road trip in the New York Metropolitan area with a 5-3 win against the New York Rangers on While that may be true, Johns’ shot is a weapon he’s been re-calibrating Monday. since he returned to the Stars and it’s a tool the Stars need to utilize more. It’s one of the heaviest shots on the team and as Johns continues 1. Stephen Johns skated by the Stars bench, received fist bumps from to grow back into a large role, someday he could be that roving cannon his teammates as an NHL goal scorer for the first time since Feb. 16, on the power play. 2018, and then he pointed to Section 104. 4. From a defensive standpoint, Johns’ reading of the game has been That’s where Ray and Noreen Johns, Stephen’s parents, were sitting. noticeably better against the Devils and Rangers. They were watching him play for the first time in two years, and have watched closely as their son battled post-traumatic headaches for 22 In Johns’ first two games there were times he would sell out more for big months and wondered if he’d ever play again in the NHL. hits, part of that being the urge to hit somebody after two years away, and would get burned by being out of position. Against New York and Johns was emotional after the game. New Jersey, he had some physical moments, but they were more well- rounded and involved smarter hits and rubbing out opponents trying to go “Yeah, really all there is to say about that,” Johns said. “I waited a long down the boards. time, thought about never possibly doing that again. And helping this team at a crucial moment in the game, I just couldn’t be happier. There are different definitions of Johns being back. He was back when he physically returned to the ice with the AHL team and he was back in “It makes it pretty special, my parents were here tonight. And throughout the NHL when he played against the Minnesota Wild. this whole process, it wasn’t just me going through hell. As parents, they want to help and them to be here and to see that, I probably know my But now he’s looking like he’s back in a more important manner, back to dad was for sure crying. I’m pretty excited to go see them and give them being the player who could be a legitimate long-term top-four both a big hug. As parents, they want to help but they couldn’t, and I defensemen on the right side in Dallas. know they were hurting the whole time I was too. So that’s the only thing going through my mind was going through the line and finding them in 5. Johns joined the rush later in the period and had the best look at Blake the stands and point at them.” Comeau’s goal that made it 4-2.

It’s an interview worth watching in its entirety here. On the two-on-one Comeau elected to shoot and picked the top corner.

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TWEETS THAT DOESN'T NEED AN IN- It was his 14th career goal against Henrik Lundqvist and as the MSG+ DEPTH CAPTION. JUST LISTEN. broadcast pointed out, only a trio of future Hall of Famers have more goals against the Rangers goalie. WHAT A GOAL, MOMENT, GAME, AND NIGHT FOR STEPHEN JOHNS #GOSTARS | @DALLASSTARS PIC.TWITTER.COM/FHYNFXI8HV PIC.TWITTER.COM/OLT0IKWYVS — SEAN SHAPIRO (@SEANSHAPIRO) FEBRUARY 4, 2020

— FOX SPORTS SOUTHWEST (@FOXSPORTSSW) FEBRUARY 4, Comeau said Monday morning someone had mentioned that to him, and 2020 he said it was probably just a side effect of having played against Lundqvist so often when he was with the New York Islanders. 2. Johns described his parents as traveling parents who have been extremely supportive of his hockey career. When he played at Notre 6. A sloppy start turned for the Stars thanks to Joe Pavelski and video Dame they hardly ever missed a game, and it’s roughly a six-hour drive replay. from Wampum, Pennsylvania to South Bend, Indiana. Pavelski scored twice in a span of 16 seconds, both on the power play, Back in 2016, when I was still covering the AHL, I was in Cleveland for a as the Stars made the most of a lost challenge by New York. game against the then-Lake Erie Monsters. There was an entire section in Cleveland filled with people from Wampum and one of Tyler Seguin had a shot from the point that hit the corner of the post and the churches in town had volunteered a bus to drive all of the Stephen crossbar and appeared to go out of play and hit the netting. Seguin Johns supporters from the small town in Western Pennsylvania. actually pointed this out to the referee and appeared to be asking for a whistle. Johns has always been proud of where he’s come from and the town itself has hurt while he’s been out with injury. Back in Wampum, the Seconds later Pavelski scored when he tipped a shot by John Klingberg Dallas Stars games had been appointment viewing on TV before Johns’ past Lundqvist. injury. While he was out with injury for a season and a half it felt like The Rangers, naturally, challenged that there was a missed stoppage on something was missing. the play. New York lost the challenge, there wasn’t conclusive evidence When he played his first NHL game back in Minnesota a couple of weeks on video that the puck had left the field of play, and was given a penalty ago most of Wampum was tuning in, including Ray and Noreen. On for delay of game. Monday most of the town was likely watching again as Johns scored and “I thought we had a chance when it kept going longer and longer,” pointed at his parents. Pavelski said. “They couldn’t see it and it’s hard to say. It was a bang- 3. There is something fitting about the location of the goal and the bang play and it’s nice to get a bounce like that.” manner it flew into the net. Because of lengthy review the Stars were effectively given a free timeout Here is the goal Johns scored on Monday. and sent out the top power-play unit on the center-ice faceoff and it immediately led to a goal when miscommunication by the Rangers and a CANNON. @STJOHNS28 | #GOSTARS forecheck by Jamie Benn created a turnover that teed up Pavelski for a PIC.TWITTER.COM/TBK9JSQBTA goal from the slot.

— DALLAS STARS (@DALLASSTARS) FEBRUARY 4, 2020 It was Pavelski’s third goal in two games after he also scored the game- winner against the New Jersey Devils in overtime on Saturday. Here is the goal he scored on Jan. 11 with the Texas Stars in his first AHL game of a conditioning stint. 7. The Rangers were the beneficiary of a review later in the period when The Stars rolled out this lineup: Brett Howden scored on the power play to tie the game at 2-2. Jamie Benn – Roope Hintz – Tyler Seguin Howden gloved a puck out of midair in front of the Stars net and tipped the puck with his stick before it crossed the goal line. Mattias Janmark – Joe Pavelski – Alexander Radulov

Initially it was ruled no goal, but video replay properly clarified that Andrew Cogliano – Radek Faksa – Blake Comeau Howden had scored in a legal manner. It’s clear when viewing the Denis Gurianov – Jason Dickinson – Corey Perry overhead, here is the screengrab. Esa Lindell – John Klingberg 8. Howden’s goal was the second power-play tally of the opening period for New York, which scored on a shot that Pavel Buchnevich threw at the Jamie Oleksiak – Miro Heiskanen net on a zone entry and shouldn’t have gotten by Anton Khudobin. Andrej Sekera – Stephen Johns It was part of an overall sloppy start for the Stars, who got outshot 8-1 The Rangers countered like this: before Pavelski scored to tie it on the power play. Phillip Di Giuseppe – Mike Zibanejad – Pavel Buchnevich And sloppy starts are the norm for Dallas, this is well established. Buchnevich’s goal was the seventh straight game where the Stars have Artemi Panarin – – Jesper Fast been down 1-0 and it’s the 11th time the opponent has struck first in the past 13 games. Brett Howden – Filip Chytil – Kaapo Kakko

In the past seven games the Stars are 4-3-0, which is a pretty good Brendan Lemieux – Greg McKegg – Brendan Smith showing for the number of early holes they’ve had to dig out of. Ryan Lindgren – Jacob Trouba As Rick Bowness joked in the morning with media members, letting up Brady Skjei – Adam Fox the first goal has never been part of the plan, but at least the team has found ways to make up for it. Marc Staal – Tony DeAngelo

9. Corey Perry’s career-long goal drought came to an end. 15. Chris Kreider is one of the biggest names who could be moving before the Feb. 24 NHL trade deadline. Perry last scored on Nov. 19 against the Vancouver Canucks and had gone 24 games and 76 days between goals before putting back a He was also labeled as a game-time decision on Monday morning after rebound to make it 5-2 in the third period. taking a knee to the head on Saturday from teammate Mika Zibanejad, who had leaped to try and avoid the fallen Ranger. Perry’s goal celebration was indicative of that drought and he put his hands on his head after scoring, almost in disbelief that the puck had Kreider didn’t take warmups and didn’t play against the Stars. The fact he gone into the net. didn’t take warmups is also a pretty strong indication he wasn’t truly a “game-time” decision. 10. While Perry’s drought ended, Seguin’s career-long dry spell continued and it’s now been 13 games since he last scored on Dec. 28 16. It’s been an odd year for goaltending in New York where the Rangers against the Arizona Coyotes. are carrying three goalies on the active roster and trying to rotate starts among Henrik Lundqvist, Alexandar Georgiev and Igor Shesterkin. Seguin had his chances on Monday to break the streak. Lundqvist, the longtime face of the franchise in New York, was making He hit the crossbar and post in the first period. In the second period, he his second straight start on Monday. It was the first time he was playing had a prime chance on a rush with Roope Hintz but was thwarted by back-to-back games since December and he had recently gone 21 days Lundqvist going side to side. A couple of minutes later he had a power- between games. play chance that Lundqvist also kicked away. It’s not a system that seems conducive to success for any of the goalies, In the third period, Seguin had a tip from the high slot that was gloved but all three of the Rangers goalies have been posting fine numbers down by Alexandar Georgiev, who had replaced Lundqvist in net to start behind a team that is in the middle of the pack in the NHL and allows a the third period. high volume of shots. 11. The Stars did allow three power-play goals, that’s something that will 17. Anton Khudobin played his first game since the Jan. 18 debacle at be discussed by the coaches, I’m sure, before Tuesday’s game in Minnesota and completed a game for the first time since Jan. 11 against Brooklyn. the San Jose Sharks. 12. Hintz returned to the lineup after missing the prior two games with an Because of the schedule and Ben Bishop’s play, January turned into upper-body injury he sustained on his first shift against the Tampa Bay more of a traditional starter-backup situation when it came to games Lightning a week ago. played for both goalies. Hintz was officially labeled as a game-time decision by Bowness but That’s not going to be the case in February and Khudobin is likely going went through morning skate centering Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, to get another start this week with a pair of back-to-backs. which was a pretty good indicator any decision had already been made. Khudobin made 33 saves and shook off some early rust against the Hintz looked more than comfortable and while minutes were a bit limited, Rangers. he nearly had a pair of assists. 18. Near the end of the game, Brendan Lemieux slashed Benn and then 13. With Hintz coming back into the lineup Joel Kiviranta was a healthy shot the puck after the whistle at Khudobin. scratch, even though he scored his first NHL goal on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. The Stars captain didn’t take kindly to either offense.

“He played very well and it’s unfortunate that he played that well and we HERE'S WHY JAMIE BENN WAS ANGRY have to pull him,” Bowness said. “But that’s what we have to do, that’s PIC.TWITTER.COM/BJJFI7NWZE what we have to do. He’s a call-up and we love what he did and we are going to see him again. It’s one game.” — HERE'S YOUR REPLAY (@HERESYOURREPLAY) FEBRUARY 4, 2020 It’s a tough scratch for Kiviranta after how well he played, but there also weren’t many other options. The other players who in theory could have Lemieux broke the unwritten rule that still dials up hostilities: you don’t been considered scratches — Mattias Janmark or Corey Perry — played shoot the puck after the whistle. rather well against New Jersey, had primary assists in that game, and are well-trusted by the coaching staff. 19. The Stars could have won by an expanded margin, but they failed to fire into the empty net despite attempts by Dickinson and Pavelski, who 14. The other change in the Stars lineup was Roman Polak getting a was looking to complete the hat trick. healthy scratch for Andrej Sekera. 20. A final note on Johns: he’s got my vote for the Masterton Trophy. Hopefully more media members pay attention to his story, because his journey back to playing again embodies what the award should be for.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174285 Dallas Stars “Blake plays a very hard, passionate game,” Bowness said. “And that’s what you want from your veterans and that’s what you want from your leaders. His game doesn’t change — it’s all heart and it’s all passion. Shap Shots: Janmark’s analytics, Comeau’s ‘A,’ Stars’ travel challenges Sometimes you want to recognize that so you give him an ‘A.’ Spread it and more out a little bit. He’s been the same from Day 1 (with Dallas), but like I told him, ‘You got the A, but you aren’t changing the way you play.'”

For several of the Stars’ young players, seeing Comeau get the letter By Sean Shapiro Feb 3, 2020 was proper acknowledgment of a player they look up to as a professional. It wasn’t viewed as a slight against any of the current

leaders, and many have felt Comeau was already part of the leadership NEWARK, NJ — By most metrics, Mattias Janmark is an analytical group even before he got the official letter. darling. Travel across the NHL varies by team. Corey Perry and Pavelski have The Stars forward’s CorsiFor (50.65 percent) ranks sixth on the team. His learned that firsthand this season after spending more than a decade expected Goal For percentage (56.66 percent) ranks third on the team. with California-based franchises. When it comes to high-danger chances, only Taylor Fedun (62.18) has a The Stars’ travel isn’t easy by any means, but at least Dallas is relatively higher percentage than Janmark (60) at even strength, according to in the middle of the country. Natural Stat Trick. “It’s very different. The road trips aren’t as long and there not as far (as In Dallas’ overtime win against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, Anaheim),” Perry said. “You are at home a lot more, and it’s definitely Janmark’s speed on the rush set up the game-winning goal for Joe different. Traveling with Anaheim, and you are going for five or six games Pavelski. at a time – that’s normal.” For as good as he’s been — Janmark seems to have at least one quality While the Stars are playing three games in four nights in the New York chance each game — his relative inability to finish has been a growing metropolitan area, it feels like a lighter trip to Perry, who said that trips concern over the past two seasons. During the 2017-18 campaign, his with the Ducks which included the New York-based teams often lasted first after missing an entire year because of a genetic knee disorder, upwards of 10 days. Janmark scored 19 goals. Last season that number dropped to six, and this season he has just five in 44 games. As far a family element, Perry said it’s a welcome change being in Dallas after his time in Anaheim. With fewer long trips, he gets to spend more Janmark’s shooting percentage during that time has gone from 14 time with his wife and son. From a hockey standpoint, Perry said it’s also percent to 5.7 percent last season 8.2 percent so far this in 2019-20. easier to split up games into segments with shorter trips, something he He’d like to score more goals; everyone would. But Janmark isn’t said helps keep a better perspective during a long season. allowing that to damper what he feels like has been a productive season overall. QUICK HITTERS

“I feel good. Like, last year I felt pretty good and I had a rough startm but — Most of the Stars players picked the Kansas City Chiefs to win the then I found my game,” Janmark said. “Took care of the defense and Super Bowl. Pavelski picked the San Francisco 49ers — call it Bay Area then I haven’t really been able to score like the year before, but I feel like loyalty — while Tyler Seguin picked the Patriots as a I’m creating chances. So if they start going in, it’s going to be good. But joke… I think. as long as I take care and do my job defensively and try to bring the team energy with defensive work, that’s what (we) need.” — An NHL scout had this to say about the Stars earlier this week: “Every time I have doubts about them they tend to pull out a win. There’s Janmark did say he needs to bury more chances, but he also “can’t bury something to that. You could be in for a busy spring.” your head for that, either.” The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 “You’ve just got to keep working,” Janmark said. “And as long as you get the chances, you know that you are going to score sooner than later.”

The lack of finishing is a source of irritation.

“Of course it’s frustrating not to score,” Janmark said. “It’s more frustrating when I go out in a game and have no scoring chances. I’d rather have the scoring chances and then use that to find a way. You look at video later and find maybe you had a little bit more time than you thought. Sometimes it’s a bouncing puck … it’s frustrating not to score. But you’ve got to just set yourself up for the next best chance.”

Failing to finish is a common problem for the Stars; just look at their goal- scoring numbers. But Janmark’s struggles seem to be more pronounced than most. That’s because most of his chances come on the rush, when all of the focus is on him, and he’s struggled to capitalize with that spotlight within the game.

“I have to score more, I know that,” Janmark said. “But it’s something if you worry too much about it, then you are just wasting your time. You do something about it and then you worry later.”

On Saturday, it was unveiled that Blake Comeau was now officially part of the Stars’ letter-wearing leadership group as an alternate captain alongside John Klingberg, Tyler Seguin and Esa Lindell.

Comeau had been an alternate captain during his time with the Colorado Avalanche and has been one of the Stars’ vocal leaders since he signed as a free agent before last season.

“Another great voice, and he’s been here a couple years now,” Seguin said. “Sometimes the same voices get repetitive. Blake is great with the music in the room and saying the right things.”

Stars interim coach Rick Bowness said he doesn’t want the letter to change anything about what Comeau does on the ice. 1174286 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings lay down in 3-0 defeat to Flyers for 9th straight loss

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 10:08 p.m. ET Feb. 3, 2020 | Updated 10:15 p.m. ET Feb. 3, 2020

The Detroit Red Wings made it easy on their opponent, fumbling to possess the puck and foiled by errant passes.

Their performance Monday at Little Caesars Arena against the Philadelphia Flyers lacked energy and efficiency. They barely got out of their zone. The end result was a 3-0 loss that left the Wings 12-38-4 and winless in their past nine games. The Wings have been shut out in two straight games, and were outshot by the Flyers, 31-16.

Scott Laughton scored midway through the second period, taking a pass from Michael Raffl and firing a shot from the slot. That happened shortly after the Wings killed off their second penalty of the night. They were better at that than at generating chances, limited to five shots in the first period and outshot, 21-11, after two periods.

The Wings went on the power play 2:03 into the third period, but coughed up a shorthanded goal to Kevin Hayes. Opponents have scored 10 times this season during Wings man advantages.

The Wings pulled Jonathan Bernier when they went on a power play with 3:36 to play in regulation to have two extra skaters. Matt Niskanen took advantage and banked an empty net goal.

Slow start

Much like Friday at the Rangers, the Wings struggled to get out of their zone at the start Monday. It took a penalty kill to spark a better effort in the second half of the first period. The Wings were outshot, 8-2, when Trevor Daley was called for holding. Darren Helm used his speed to generate a scoring chance during the kill, skating the puck to the Flyers net and taking two shots at goalie Brian Elliott. Tyler Bertuzzi had a good chance late in the period when he caught a pass from right in front of the Flyers net, but Elliott dove to make the save. Bernier made 11 saves in the first 20 minutes.

Sorry second

After mustering only five shots on net in the first period, the Wings didn’t do any better in the second. They were pinned again and again in their own zone, relying on Bernier to bail them out. The Flyers (29-17-7) set up in the slot and down low, cycling the puck and keeping it away from the Wings. It wasn’t until late in the period the Wings showed some jump, with Brendan Perlini throwing a backhand at Elliott. Larkin had the puck on his stick in the waning seconds, but his attempt to sneak the puck in from the right side went nowhere.

Athanasiou reappears

Flyers left wing James van Riemsdyk skates with the puck against Wings left wing Andreas Athanasiou in the first period.

Speedy forward Andreas Athanasiou played for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury Dec. 29. Athanasiou slotted onto the top line with Larkin and Bertuzzi, filling the spot left vacant by Filip Zadina because he is out 2-3 weeks with a lower-body injury. It generally takes a few games for a player coming off a layoff to regain his legs, but Athanasiou is blessed with explosive speed.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174287 Detroit Red Wings player, and so situations arise where a skilled player has to decide whether to drop his gloves.

Mantha spent three weeks unable to do anything conditioning wise, while As Anthony Mantha nears return from fight injury, was it worth not looking watching his teammates lose. soft? “It’s terrible,” he said. “I was just staying at home watching them. It’s hard not to be out here. It’s been a long six weeks.

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 6:00 a.m. ET Feb. 3, “Hopefully I can finish this season healthy at some point.” 2020 Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.04.2020

Anthony Mantha slid the orange jersey over his head and deposited it in the laundry bin, proclaiming he didn’t like the color.

It signified he isn’t allowed contact during practice, but at least he’s allowed to wear a color. Sunday was his first time skating with his Detroit Red Wings teammates since he was injured Dec. 21 in a scuffle with Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin.

Mantha estimated he’ll be in orange for seven to 10 days, and then see how he responds to contact in practice, but he sounded confident he will be back this season. He was the last player off the ice Sunday after doing drills with assistant coach Dan Bylsma.

“If I keep skating with Disco,” Mantha said, “I’ll be back in no time.”

Mantha has missed six weeks since he left with his right shoulder in a sling. He also needed two stitches to the back of his head, after being slammed to the ice by Muzzin. Mantha challenged Muzzin after seeing him hit Wings defenseman Madison Bowey, who was not injured.

“I thought maybe it was a high elbow from what I saw in my peripheral,” Mantha said. “I just went in there. Things happen.”

While video appeared to show Muzzin slew-footing Mantha, the NHL did not discipline Muzzin.

“It was obviously a slew foot but the league didn’t see it, I guess,” Mantha said.

[ Red Wings' Filip Zadina (lower body) out 2-3 weeks: 'It is unfortunate' ]

This is the second straight year Mantha has missed time after deciding a teammate needed his help. Last season he missed a month after injuring a hand fighting Patrik Nemeth (now a teammate, but then with Colorado) after Nemeth hit Dylan Larkin. Mantha missed the last five games of the 2016-17 season after injuring a finger fighting Tampa Bay’s , who challenged Mantha because of a hit in a prior game on Gregg McKegg.

Asked if he second-guesses his decision, Mantha didn’t hesitate to respond: “No. No.”

The Wings don’t want to be perceived as soft, but Mantha is a top-line winger who had 12 goals and 12 assists in 29 games. They need him in the lineup, not in sick bay for preventable injuries.

On a smaller scale, the Wings paid the price Saturday when Justin Abdelkader decided to grab Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba after he checked Wings forward Christoffer Ehn. Abdelkader was called for interference, and the Rangers scored during the power play and won the game, 1-0.

“There is a balance, for sure,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “You want guys to look after each other. You want guys to look out for each other. You don’t want a team of selfish players that don’t care about each other. That’s number one. You don’t want to do it taking penalties. I don’t think Justin’s purpose was to go take the penalty, I actually think Trouba was already on his way down. I didn’t think the contact was that much but the refs look for that right away, so you have to be real careful.

“With Anthony, we want him to be real careful. He’s been hurt multiple times sticking up for himself or a teammate, and we don’t want that. We don’t want him out of the lineup. He’s going to have to be real smart about how he proceeds with that. Maybe somebody else steps in instead.”

The Wings signed Witkowski in 2017 partly to serve as an enforcer, but his limited dimension left him a healthy scratch more nights than not. The NHL is too competitive to squander a lineup spot on a one-dimensional 1174288 Detroit Red Wings

Game thread: Red Wings lose to Flyers, 3-0

Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press Published 5:56 a.m. ET Feb. 3, 2020 | Updated 9:59 p.m. ET Feb. 3, 2020

Detroit Red Wings (12-37-4) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (28-17-7)

When: 7:30 p.m. tonight.

Where: Little Caesars Arena.

TV: NBCSN.

Radio: 97.1 FM (Red Wings radio affiliates).

Game notes: The Red Wings have lost eight straight. ... The Flyers won the lone matchup this season, 6-1, on Nov. 29 in Philly.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174289 Detroit Red Wings It happened again Monday, but different circumstances. With the Wings on the power play early in the third period — Tyler

Bertuzzi was clipped with a high stick — they had an opportunity to tie Red Wings shut out again vs. Flyers, suffer ninth consecutive setback the score and generate positive momentum.

Instead, defenseman Dennis Cholowski couldn’t control a pass at the blue line, and Hayes gathered it for a breakaway. Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 10:16 p.m. ET Feb. 3, 2020 | Updated 4:37 a.m. ET Feb. 4, 2020 Hayes beat Bernier glove side, and suddenly it was 2-0 Flyers and a Wings team lacking confidence and goals lately, was again staring at a difficult deficit.

Detroit — Scoring goals has been a problem all season for the Red Offense has been, and will likely continue to be an issue, considering the Wings. Wings' injury situation.

But when you score none, as the Wings have done in these past two They did get Athanasiou back Monday — although he's struggled with games, winning becomes impossible. only five goals this season — but played without Filip Zadina (eight goals) and Anthony Mantha (12 goals), Zadina who missed his first Philadelphia blanked the Wings 3-0 Monday at Little Caesars Arena, game after injuring himself over the weekend (he could miss about two extending the Wings’ losing streak to nine games. weeks) and Mantha, who has been out since late December and isn't Detroit defenseman Trevor Daley looks away as Philadelphia celebrates likely to return for several more weeks. a goal by center Scott Laughton in the second period. The Wings are off until traveling for back-to-back games in Buffalo The Wings (12-38-4) have only scored more than two goals — they had (Thursday) and Columbus (Friday). three in a 6-3 loss to Colorado — once during the losing streak. Detroit News LOADED: 02.04.2020 Goaltender Jonathan Bernier made 28 saves and actually had one of his best games of the season, again getting little or no help offensively from his teammates to work with.

Philadelphia’s Scott Laughton scored his ninth goal at 9 minutes, 31 seconds of the second period, breaking the 0-0 tie, and Kevin Hayes added a short-handed goal in the third.

Matt Niskanen scored a short-handed empty net goal at 17:43 of the third period.

Flyers goalie Brian Elliott stopped 16 shots to earn his second shutout.

On the tiebreaking goal, Flyers defenseman Robert Hagg knocked Andreas Athanasiou — returning to the Wings lineup after missing 13 games with a lower body injury — off the puck along the boards.

The puck got to forward Michael Raffl who Laughton near the hashmark, and Laughton snapped a shot past Bernier.

Hayes added his short-handed goal, his 17th goal, at 2:47 of the third period, making it 2-0 Flyers.

With the victory the Flyers (29-17-7) moved into third place in the crowded Metropolitan Division, nudging past the tightly-packed wild- cards.

The Flyers are 9-0-2 in their last 11 games against the Wings.

Justin Abdelkader talks about Red Wings' 3-0 loss to Philadelphia The Detroit News

“They’re a good team,” Athanasiou said after Monday’s morning skate. “They’re pushing for a playoff spot. Every game down the stretch is so important for every team. You want to go out there and give them a good, hard battle.”

Bernier, who is putting together a fine season in recent weeks, made a flashy glove save on Justin Braun and denied Raffl on a drive to the net midway in the third period, keeping the Wings within two goals.

The Wings didn’t give themselves much of a shot offensively simply because, well, they didn’t shoot the puck a lot, the 16 shots a season- low.

They only had five shots after one period, and added six in the second, before being limited to four in the third period.

But coach Jeff Blashill said after the morning skate that’s one of the Flyers’ keys to success — possessing the puck

“They have the puck a lot, that keeps you from the shots,” Blashill said. “They’re a very good team on the transition, especially from their own end, so that would be one area where teams would be a little gun-shy. They front pucks well, so you don’t get as many pucks to the cage, even though you might be shooting them.”

Ironically it was a Flyers’ breakaway goal in the first game between the teams this season 1174290 Detroit Red Wings Timely return Andreas Athanasiou returned to the lineup Monday after missing 13

games with a lower-body injury. Anthony Mantha refuses to let Red Wings be ‘a team that gets stepped For Athanasiou, the timing of the eight-day All-Star break and bye week on’ for the Wings helped him heal and get in the lineup.

“At the start I had to let the bone heal, so it was rest and do a little bit of Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 1:59 p.m. ET Feb. 3, 2020 treatment,” Athanasiou said. “Then I started skating and once it started feeling good, and I felt I had my step back, I felt comfortable enough playing.”

Detroit – Considering there was speculation Anthony Mantha could miss The Wings missed Athanasiou’s explosiveness and speed, an ingredient the rest of the season, just seeing Mantha on the ice the last couple days Blashill enjoyed adding, especially with Filip Zadina (lower body now out has been a revelation. for at least two weeks.

And the fact Mantha now appears capable of returning with several “He’s a guy who can self-create,” Blashill said of Athanasiou. “There’s not weeks left in the season is good news for Mantha and the Red Wings. a ton of guys in the league that can self-create. You have to be extremely fast and make plays at high speed, and he’s one of the few guys in the “It feels good mentally, and hopefully for the physical part, it comes along league that can do those things. and in a couple weeks I could be back playing again,” Mantha said. “Just being around here and the boys, practicing with them, it really does feel “The thing with Double-A is he skates so well that it’s a little bit easier for good.” somebody that’s as athletic and fast as he is.”

What had been turning into a career-best season for Mantha came to a Back on the ice sudden halt Dec. 21 in Toronto. Mantha saw Toronto defenseman Jake Muzzin hit Madison Bowey with what Mantha felt was a cheap shot to the Frans Nielsen (upper body) skated Monday but missed his third game in upper body. the last four.

Mantha took exception and grabbed Muzzin, who slammed Mantha hard “I feel better every day,” Nielsen said. “It’s still just day to day; see how I to the ice with some analysts felt was a slew foot. feel every day when I wake up. It’s just a little setback (suffered Friday in New York).” Mantha’s head hit the ice hard, but he insists there was no concussion. But Mantha did suffer a mid-body injury that has forced him out of the After Monday the Wings' next game is Thursday in Buffalo. lineup since. Detroit News LOADED: 02.04.2020 Was it a dirty play on Muzzin’s part? The NHL didn’t suspend Muzzin but Mantha has another opinion.

“It was a dirty play,” Mantha said. “The league probably didn’t look at it the same way as I did. But I’m on the receiving end of it; maybe I’m biased a little bit more. But it was a clear slew foot.

“But like I said, the league didn’t see it that way, so take some time off and be ready to go in a couple of weeks and we’ll see what happens.”

The Wings and Maple Leafs meet once more this season, on April 2 in Toronto in the next-to-last game on the schedule.

Ironically, Muzzin broke his foot the next game he played and just returned to the Leafs lineup last week after missing a month.

“I kind of believe in karma, and that’s worse than being suspended for one game, right?” Mantha said.

This was the third time Mantha has gotten hurt while in a fight protecting a teammate. Coach Jeff Blashill wants teammates to look after each other and doesn’t want to totally discourage Mantha from that part of the game.

Still, Blashill has urged a balance, and being more judicious about the fighting.

Mantha understands that but isn’t going to completely stop protecting teammates.

“I’m always going to be looking after people, it’s part of the game,” Mantha said. “It’s what needs to happen because if we stop looking after each other, that’s when teams take advantage of us and we don’t want to be a team that gets stepped on.

“This dressing room is like your family, right? You want to protect each other and if something happens to one guy, everyone’s got his back. So we need that mentality, especially when things aren’t going our way and we have to find a bond that we trust.

“Moving forward that’ll be our team identity.”

This injury came just one week after Mantha had missed eight games with a lower-body injury. It’s been that sort of season for Mantha, who still ranks fifth on the team in points (24), and whose 12 goals are tied for third on the team, all in just 29 games.

“It’s not fun,” said Mantha of missing so many games. “It’s hard mentally to miss so many games, be away from the team, not traveling with them. Like I said, it’s like a family.” 1174291 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings blanked in back-to-back games, losing to Flyers

By Ansar Khan

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings have had difficulty scoring all season, more so since returning from an extended break.

Brian Elliott needed to make only 16 saves Monday to lead the Philadelphia Flyers past the Red Wings 3-0 at Little Caesars Arena.

The Red Wings (12-38-4) have been shut out in back-to-back games and have lost nine in a row (0-8-1), including the past six in regulation.

Detroit ranks last in the NHL in goals per game (2.04) and has been blanked six times.

Jonathan Bernier has returned from injury and turned in strong back-to- back performances, stopping 58-of-61 shots, giving his team a chance to win.

Trailing 2-0 with 3:36 remaining in the third period, the Red Wings pulled Bernier for the extra skater at the start of a power play to gain a six-on- four advantage. But Matt Niskanen scored into an empty net with 2:17 to play, his team’s second shorthanded goal of the night.

The Red Wings were missing rookie Filip Zadina, who is out 2-3 weeks with a lower-body injury, but Andreas Athanasiou returned after sitting out 13 games due to a lower-body injury.

Athanasiou replaced Zadina on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi but the Red Wings managed a season-low 16 shots. They recorded 33 shots on Henrik Lundqvist Saturday in a 1-0 loss to the New York Rangers.

The Flyers (29-17-7) have won five in a row and eight of their past nine against the Red Wings. Detroit is 0-13-1 against the Metropolitan Division.

The Red Wings have scored only twice in three games since returning from an eight-day All-Star break/bye week.

The Red Wings’ first power play of the night turned out to be a break for the Flyers.

Kevin Hayes stole Filip Hronek’s pass attempt to Dennis Cholowski at the point and scored on a shorthanded breakaway at 2:47 of the third period to put Philadelphia ahead 2-0. It was his fourth shorthanded goal of the season.

Scott Laughton scored the lone goal through 40 minutes, breaking the ice at 9:31 of the second period.

As Athanasiou was about to corral a pass along the boards, he was knocked down by Robert Hagg. Michael Raffl grabbed the puck and passed to Laughton in the slot, who quickly fired it past Bernier.

Michigan Live LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174292 Detroit Red Wings

How to watch Detroit Red Wings vs. Philadelphia Flyers: TV channel, start time, stream Feb. 3, 2020

By Lauren Williams

The Detroit Red Wings host the Philadelphia Flyers in the second matchup of the season between the two teams. The Flyers won the first meeting and the Red Wings look to take the second. Detroit and Philadelphia will face again in March.

The Flyers have won the last four meetings between the two teams and lead the overall series 70-56-21. A win on Monday night could also help the Flyers land in a wildcard spot in the East. The Red Wings, however, look to snap their eight-game skid.

The Red Wings will have Andreas Athanasiou, who missed the month of January, back in Monday’s game. The 25-year-old has 19 points this season off five goals and 9 assists and looks to turn around the down year he’s been having.

Detroit (12-37-4) and Philadelphia (28-17-7) take the ice on Monday, Feb. 3 at Little Caesars Arena at 7:30 p.m.

WATCH

Broadcast: NBCSN

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Michigan Live LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174293 Detroit Red Wings

Elliott gets 40th shutout in Flyers' 3-0 win over Red Wings

By PAUL HARRIS The Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — Brian Elliott made 16 saves for his 40th career shutout in the Philadelphia Flyers' 3-0 win over the sinking Detroit Red Wings on Monday night.

It was the Red Wings' ninth consecutive loss (0-8-1), and the second straight time they've been shut out. This is their third losing streak of at least eight games in 2019-20.

Scott Laughton, Kevin Hayes and defenseman Matt Niskanen scored for Philadelphia, which has won four of five (4-0-1). It was Elliott's second shutout of the season.

The goals by Hayes and Niskanen were short-handed.

Jonathan Bernier stopped 28 shots for Detroit, which was blanked for the sixth time this season. It was the second time the Red Wings have been shut out in consecutive games.

Laughton gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead 9:31 into the second period. He beat Bernier on the short side from the inside edge of the right circle with a shot along the ice. It was Laughton's ninth goal.

Hayes' goal 2:47 into the third made it 2-0. He picked up a loose puck after Red Wings defenseman Dennis Cholowski misplayed it just inside the Philadelphia blue line and had a breakaway. Hayes beat Bernier with a forehand shot for his 17th goal and fourth short-handed of the season.

Niskanen added an empty-net goal with 2:17 left. It was his second goal.

Philadelphia's James van Riemsdyk hit the post with a few seconds left in the first period.

Elliott stopped Tyler Bertuzzi from right in front with 6:54 remaining in the first.

NOTES: The 16 shots were a season low for the Red Wings. ... Detroit forward Andreas Athanasiou returned after missing 16 games with a lower-body injury. He replaced rookie RW Filip Zadina in the lineup. Zadina, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft, will be out two to three weeks with a lower-body injury. … Philadelphia D Shayne Gostisbehere missed his ninth game with a knee injury but is expected to return Thursday against New Jersey.

UP NEXT

Flyers: Host the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.

Red Wings: At the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

Macomb Daily LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174294 Edmonton Oilers

Draisaitl rampage further evidence the Oilers aren't just McDavid anymore

Robert Tychkowski

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Leon Draisaitl isn’t on a roll, he’s on a rampage.

He has five-straight multi-point games (13 points) and was named first star three games in a row and the NHL’s first star of the week.

“It’s nice,” he said. “But we have a goal as a team and that’s the main focus.”

He also has a four-point lead over Connor McDavid in the NHL scoring race, which is great as far as everyone on the Oilers is concerned. It’s further evidence that this isn’t just the Connor McDavid Show anymore, it’s becoming a well-rounded team that can hurt an opponent in many different ways.

“I give Connor a ton of credit,” said Tippett. “He’s kind of tried to drag everybody along for a few years, but now we’ve got a little more balance and we’ve become a better team.

“He’s still doing his part, he’s one of the top players in the league and he plays like that every night, but we have some players around him who are helping him now.”

Ask McDavid if he’d rather win another Art Ross or see the Oilers finally grow into a strong playoff teams and the answer is obvious

“Connor likes to win,” said Tippett. “And he understands the game. He understands how you win and he knows you can’t do it alone. He’s happy with the way things are going. You watch him flying around in practice and enjoying it and that’s a good thing for him.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174295 Edmonton Oilers back with a great attitude and he’s been way different since Christmas,” said Woodcroft.

This ’n that: Brandon Manning finished his five-game AHL Injuries and call-ups are making life difficult for suspension Feb. 1 for a racial slur at ’s Boko Imama and is practising with the Condors … Jurco just had hip surgery and might be back by April. He hasn’t played on the farm since mid-December, playing eight games with seven points… Persson, who took an elbow up high, Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal might be back this week after missing three weeks … Marody, last year’s first-line centre with 64 points, has only played 30 games. He was sick for awhile and now has an upper-body issue. Being the Bakersfield Condors head coach means getting kids ready to fly away from the minor-league nest like Ethan Bear, Kailer Yamamoto Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 02.04.2020 and Caleb Jones, but it also means that with developing and winning, part B of the equation is a tougher chore.

Last year’s Edmonton Oilers farm team had a 17-game winning streak, second-longest in AHL history.

This year’s Condors are a .500 hockey club trying to win on more will than skill. But, Jay Woodcroft knows the score; he wants to see his kids in the NHL.

“I told Yamo I hope to see you at training camp (Oilers, in the fall),” said Woodcroft.

Yamamoto isn’t going back to the minors, not when he’s a point-a-game second-line RW. Neither is Bear, playing 21 minutes a game in a shutdown defence role with Darnell Nurse. Jones looks like a No. 6 or No. 7 NHL defender off his 26 games since his call-up.

Now, first-line LW Tyler Benson is up for an audition and top 4 hard- nosed Bakersfield D-man William Lagesson is on his third Oiler call-up. They would be five of the Oilers farm team’s top 10 players.

“As a coaching staff here our job is to develop players and do so in a winning environment. And this year that means scrapping and clawing and get our foot into the playoff dance,” said Woodcroft. “We’re proud when guys who’ve spent significant time down here go up (Oilers).

“We want the players down here to build their skills enough so their time in the NHL isn’t measured in days but years. It’s not the same for everybody. Some guys have to go up and get sent down, then they go up the next time and it’s a little bit longer (NHL) before they secure their spot.”

Most kids coming out of junior need at least two years in the minors before they’re anywhere near ready for the NHL.

“It’s a such step from junior or the NCAA to the American Hockey League. There is no one formula for a player’s personal development,” said Woodcroft,

Which is why first-year forwards Ryan McLeod and Kirill Maksimov, both 20, are playing every night or close to it but McLeod has 16 points in 44 games and Maksimov 12 in 41. Why is Dmitri Samorukov who dazzled in his last year of junior (Guelph), has only been OK in 35 games even with his tools in his first kick at the pro game. Which is why Bouchard will spend the entire season in Bakersfield even as a first-rounder?

“I’m not the least bit surprised about Kailer because what I saw from him here was a very determined player who worked every single day in practice and came to the rink with a purpose,” said Woodcroft.

“Those seeds were planted in his game when sent down last year but he got hurt (wrist). This year, he was the focal point of the other team’s game plan every night and found ways to come out of it.

“I’m actually quite pleased with our record (43 points, 44 games, fifth in Pacific Division), our compete, our execution since Christmas time, our players are laying it on the line every night. We’ve weathered some adversity with the flux in our lineup and we went through a stretch of seven games in 11 days.

“We’ve had some injuries to some skilled pieces (Cooper Marody, Joel Persson, Tomas Jurco) down here. But we’re trying to ingrain some habits into our younger players. We’re playing a hard-style of hockey. We’re competing for the final playoff spot.”

Goalie Stuart Skinner has kept the team afloat with No. 1 goalie Shane Starrett (core muscle problem) only playing 11 games.

“Stuart was Player of the Week last week (AHL) and he’s been very good. It was a good thing sending him to the East Coast Hockey League, another development tool when people are struggling and he’s come 1174296 Edmonton Oilers to play him. Nuge, too, he’s an unbelievable player who finds you all over the ice.

“Playing with them feels like a dream. I’m going to keep riding the wave Yamamoto's tenacity against Calgary a great sign for Edmonton Oilers and hopefully I can stay with them.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 02.04.2020

Robert Tychkowski

GLENDALE — If it’s true that you get your best information about a player when the sledding is toughest, then Edmonton Oilers fans should be very excited about Kailer Yamamoto.

You know, even more excited than they already are after watching him put up 10 points in 11 games since being recalled from Bakersfield.

Because Saturday night in Calgary, in the most physically and emotionally challenging game of the season, Yamamoto might have delivered the best game of his young NHL career.

He was all over the place, stripping pucks, digging in the corners like a hungry dog in search of a bone, giving and taking hits and basically making a royal nuisance of himself in the reborn Battle of Alberta. He also had a goal and an assist was the game’s second star.

On a night when it would have been easy for a player of his size and experience to fade into the background, he took centre stage, instead.

That’s a really good sign.

“I don’t think he’s very fun to play against,” said linemate Leon Draisaitl, whose production hasn’t dropped a bit since moving from Connor McDavid’s wing to the so-called second line with Yamamoto and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

“He’s very feisty and he gets under guys’ skin. And he has a lot of skill — he can finish plays and make those little plays around the net. He’s been a huge piece for us. He’s helped us a lot.”

Being able to deploy McDavid and Draisaitl as two separate waves of attack is a luxury the Oilers haven’t been able to enjoy until Yamamoto came on the scene and provided the depth necessary to make it happen.

And it’s been a lethal option. Since the line came together 10 games ago (Jan. 2 in Buffalo), Draisaitl has 21 points, Nugent-Hopkins has 13 and the Oilers are 7-1-2.

“He’s been dynamic, he gets a lot of pucks and makes a lot of plays out there,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “He’s just feisty, and he’s all over pucks. It was a tough game out there (in Calgary), but he’s going and getting pucks, he’s laying the body, taking hits, he’s not scared at all.

“Despite being a small guy he’s tenacious on pucks. He likes to go get it and make plays.”

Yamamoto looks faster and stronger on his skates than he did before, which he attributes to turning a negative into a positive: While he was out with a wrist injury he worked really hard on his leg strength and it paid off. But legs don’t matter if the heart isn’t there and he seemed quite at home when the pressure and intensity ramped up in Calgary.

“I felt good out there,” he said. “I’ve never seen a line brawl like that before, so it was interesting and a lot of fun. You can’t shy away from those games, you have to take them head on.

“A couple of things I pride myself on are always being tenacious around the puck and always trying to get it back. I kind of got that from my Dad and brother growing up.”

As a coach, it’s a pretty nice option when you can look down the bench after McDavid’s line just finished its shift and be able to throw Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins and Yamamoto over the boards.

“They’ve played long enough together now where you can really see some chemistry coming,” said Tippett. “The three of them together have played well and got some results and it looks like they’re having a lot of fun out there.”

They are.

“(Draisaitl) is unbelievable,” said Yamamoto. “He always controls the puck so well. You just have to get it to him and get open. It’s pretty easy 1174297 Edmonton Oilers things to make us stop, but once I saw (the goalie fight), I was fired up again.”

It’s stuff like that that brings a team together, makes a good team even Pistol-whipping Calgary adds to Edmonton Oilers' momentum stronger.

“It shows that we’re willing to go the distance for the win,” said Bear. “It was a big one for us and we came in with everything we had.” Robert Tychkowski And when they do, it’s a lot. Head coach Dave Tippett has created a climate where everyone is buying in, and once they get a little taste of success, after all those years of bitterness, they dig in even harder. Ask GLENDALE, Ariz. — Here come the Oilers. Calgary. A few years back, that was the seemingly harmless, and not especially “I like the way our players played, right from the drop of the puck,” he creative, slogan put forth by the Edmonton Oilers marketing department. said. “That second period was probably as dominating a period as we’ve It turned out to be a disaster, though, because it coincided with one of played all year. Talbot came in and I think he had six or seven their worst seasons ever. outstanding saves or the game could really have gotten out of hand. Every time the team would go Full Oiler en route to gassing another “We played with emotion and played hard, came in with a real purpose to game, the internet would explode with an endless stream of prat fall win and we did. We’ve played well and our team feels a little more videos under the headline, Here come the Oilers. balanced right now.” Guy lands face-first on the concrete while trying to skateboard down a Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 02.04.2020 railing: Here Come the Oilers!

Drunk girl takes a wobbly, 10-step header into the kitchen table: Here Come the Oilers!

Overweight guy slips on diving board and gets smacked in face and dunked in the water: Here Come the Oilers!

There was endless material provided from both sides.

Now, after the new-look Oilers took down the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues and punk slapped the Calgary Flames in their own building less than 30 hours apart, they might want to dust that slogan off again.

Because here come the Oilers. And this time, we mean it in a good way.

The Oilers are the talk of the NHL right now, and not just because of a line brawl and a goalie fight. The chaos in Calgary is an entertaining and galvanizing element in this equation, to be sure, but the bigger picture is that 8-1-2 record they’re flexing.

The Oilers are rolling. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have never looked better. The goaltending is giving them a chance to win every night. The secondary scoring is coming through in waves. And for a newcomer like Kailer Yamamoto to absolutely flourish in the toughest game of the season – on the same night when some of Calgary’s top guys were quiet as church mice – is as good a sign as you can possibly ask for from a 153-pound rookie.

This has been building for weeks and it exploded last weekend with that 8-3 pistol whipping they gave Calgary.

“The energy was unlike anything we’ve seen this year from this group,” said goaltender Iron Mike Smith, whose scrap with a courageous Cam Talbot made every sports highlight package in North America.

“There are things you can take out of games and there is a lot we can take out of that one. We stuck together. We got a big win against a good hockey team and kept moving up in the standings. That can only make us stronger and better as a team.”

The Oilers were running hot before the Battle of Alberta erupted in Calgary. The way they banded together and ran the Flames out of their own rink only adds to the momentum.

“This is hopefully one of those games that can define your season,” said Sam Gagner, who was at the heart of the second-period dust up in the Saddledome. “I think it brings your group together. You want to know that your teammates are in the fight with you. You want to get in there with them. Those are type of games, when you see everyone sticking up for each other, everyone staying in the fight, those are the best games to be a part of as a teammate.

“They really help you build as a group. It was a big one for us and a lot of fun. I like where our game is at. We have to keep pushing from here.”

Ethan Bear figures his last fight was three or four years ago in junior, but when the rookie defenceman was not surprisingly cut from the herd by Matthew Tkachuk, he went Full Oiler. In the good way.

“Everyone was scuffling up and (Tkachuk) said, ‘Do you want to go?’ And I said, ‘Sure.’ The rest is history. The ref got in there and said a few 1174298 Florida Panthers

Mark Pysyk gets first career hat trick, propels Panthers past Maple Leafs

ASSOCIATED PRESS |FEB 03, 2020 | 10:38 PM

TORONTO-Mark Pysyk scored three times in his first career hat trick, and the Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 on Monday night.

Mike Hoffman had a goal and an assist for Florida, which trailed 3-1 early in the third period. Mike Matheson had three assists, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves in the Panthers' seventh win in eight games.

Frederik Andersen started for Toronto and stopped seven of eight shots before departing with an upper-body injury after a collision with Panthers center Frank Vatrano. Michael Hutchinson came in and allowed three goals on 13 shots.

Auston Matthews, and John Tavares scored for Toronto, which had won three in a row. had two assists.

Matthews' 37th goal of the season made it 3-1 38 seconds into the third. But Pysyk and Huberdeau scored 58 seconds apart, tying it at 3 at 3:18.

Hoffman put the Panthers ahead to stay when he banked his 19th off Leafs defenseman Cody Ceci and through Hutchinson's pads at 10:30.

Florida, which beat Toronto 8-4 in Sunrise on Jan. 12, weathered a late surge by the Maple Leafs before Pysyk completed his hat trick with an empty-netter.

The Panthers were without Aleksander Barkov, who was sidelined by a lower-body injury. The star center got hurt during Saturday's 4-0 loss at Montreal in Florida's first game back after the All-Star break and bye week.

Leafs defenseman Travis Dermott returned to the lineup after missing Saturday's 2-1 overtime win against Ottawa with an illness, while winger Kasperi Kapanen was also back following a one-game banishment to the press box for being late to Friday's practice.

A morning update with the latest news and analysis on South Florida sports, including info about the Dolphins, Heat, Marlins, Panthers and much more.

Andersen, who watched Hutchinson pick up the victory Saturday, was injured when Vatrano slid into the goaltender off the rush. He didn't appear to be favoring anything as he got to his feet, but Hutchinson took over to start the second.

NOTES

Florida D Anton Stralman, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2005 NHL draft by Toronto and played parts of two campaigns with the Leafs, suited up for the 800th regular-season game of his career.

UP NEXT

Panthers: Visit Columbus on Tuesday.

Sun Sentinel LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174299 Florida Panthers In a Season 12 episode entitled “Hungry, Hungry Homer,” Homer saves Springfield’s minor-league baseball team by exposing a secret plan to move them to Albuquerque, N.M.

Doh! Panthers’ minor-league team honors ‘The Simpsons’ by becoming A few years later, Albuquerque was looking to name its new Triple-A the Springfield Ice-O-Topes team (then the Marlins’ top farm team), which was moving south from Calgary.

Instead of going with a traditional moniker — the Albuquerque Dukes had By George Richards Feb 3, 2020 been a long-time affiliate of the Dodgers, among others — they went with “Isotopes.”

It was a bold and very successful decision. Albuquerque Isotopes gear is SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Frank Vatrano is not a big fan of the iconic among the most popular in minor-league baseball, thanks to its obvious television show “The Simpsons,” nor had he ever played for his tie-in with “The Simpsons.” The team’s logo has been spotted in the hometown AHL team. Albuquerque-based dramas “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” which Yet when the Florida Panthers asked if he would drop the puck at a has only added to the popularity. Springfield Thunderbirds game and do a meet-and-greet with fans during @BREAKINGBAD_AMC WHEN WALT FIRST MEETS WITH SAUL, the All-Star break, he only asked for one thing. HE'S WEARING AN ISOTOPES HAT “I wanted one of those Ice-O-Topes jerseys,” Vatrano said with a smile. LIKE FROM THE SIMPSONS? PIC.TWITTER.COM/11ZVEF8ZAA “I am the only guy in the world right now who has one. They put my — SAMB (@SAMTHEINFINITE) FEBRUARY 10, 2014 number and my name on it. That thing is getting framed for sure. It is sweet.” “The name had a lot of interest, but we wanted something that was uniquely ours,” said Costa, who was part of the new management of the Vatrano’s sweater was on full display Saturday night as — for one night AHL team in 2016 and was behind Saturday’s special Simpsons night. only (at least for now) — the Springfield Thunderbirds tapped into the long-running television show by rebranding as the Ice-O-Topes for their “While the Albuquerque Isotopes are a baseball team, they have their game against the . own identity, and we wanted to kind of stay away from it from a permanent perspective.” The American Hockey League team came out wearing specially designed sweaters in Simpsons yellow, blue and pink with a nod to the Though Springfield, Mass., has been mentioned over the years as one of nuclear power plant has worked at for all these years — the cities on which the Simpsons’ fictional town could be based, creators not to mention the doughnuts he scarfs down while he’s there. and writers for the show have thrown cold water on that idea.

Although , a West Springfield native, wrote the 1994 episode , who created “The Simpsons,” grew up in Portland, Ore., of “The Simpsons” titled “Lisa On Ice,” which was the basis for Saturday’s and said he named the town after a nearby town. “Springfield was named tribute, the team did not have any official link to the show. after Springfield, Oregon,” Groening told Smithsonian Magazine in 2012.

But you wouldn’t know that looking at those beautiful jerseys. “The only reason is that when I was a kid, the TV show “Father Knows Best” took place in the town of Springfield, and I was thrilled because I “We have some really hardcore ‘Simpsons’ fans here who made this all imagined that it was the town next to Portland, my hometown. When I happen,” said Nate Costa, president of the Thunderbirds. grew up, I realized it was just a fictitious name. “We wanted to do something special, and we take a lot of pride in our “I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names theme jerseys — you know, doing them right. I have been around the for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, league, been around minor-league sports a long time, and there are ‘This will be cool; everyone will think it’s their Springfield.’ And they do.” some atrocious jerseys out there sometimes. Not this one. We wanted to do it first class. With the show celebrating its 30th season this year, however, the hockey team in Springfield (Mass.) decided the time was right to go all-in on a “We wanted this to be, ‘What if the Ice-O-Topes were a real team?’ This tribute night. is an ode to ‘The Simpsons,’ and we wanted all the details to hit. Like the sprinkles on the jersey, the nuclear logo on the bottom. We wanted the Saturday’s game against the Wolf Pack brought a sellout crowd to the hardcore fans of the show to appreciate this.’’ 6,793-seat MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield.

WHAT IF YOUR FAVORITE HOMETOWN HOCKEY TEAM WAS Fans dressed up in Simpsons masks, with one even bringing a sign CALLED THE SPRINGFIELD ICE-O-TOPES? WHAT IF, ON reading “Go Springfield, Beat Shelbyville,” invoking the rivalry between FEBRUARY 1ST, THE T-BIRDS BECOME THE SPRINGFIELD ICE-O- the two fictional cities in the show. TOPES FOR ONE DAY ONLY? HAPPY 30TH ANNIVERSARY #THESIMPSONS TO LEARN MORE AND PURCHASE TICKETS >> Eric Joyce, the assistant GM of the Panthers who serves as the GM of HTTPS://T.CO/YBCHXE1CBI PIC.TWITTER.COM/99LDBQWTCM the Thunderbirds, remembers when the team name came up in 2016.

— SPRINGFIELD T-BIRDS (@THUNDERBIRDSAHL) DECEMBER 17, Joyce liked Thunderbirds, but when he heard about the possibility of 2019 naming it in honor of “The Simpsons,” he thought that was a no-brainer. The Springfield AHL team, Joyce recalls thinking, would lead the league Simply based on the long lines of fans waiting to buy the specially in merchandise sales. designed caps and shirts, the Thunderbirds’ special Saturday night was a huge hit. Judging by the reaction Saturday, he might have been right. The Ice-O- Topes may have sold more gear in one night than they have all season. Welcome to Springfield. Home of the Ice-O-Topes. Joyce even had a list of orders from Florida players who, like Vatrano, The Simpsons, from Springfield wanted their own custom-made sweaters.

Saturday was dubbed ‘What If?’ Night for the Thunderbirds. “They are selling ‘Simpsons’ hockey jerseys in China, so I think from a business standpoint it made a lot of sense,” Joyce said Saturday night. When the AHL team from Portland, Maine, was to be moved to Springfield in 2016, a contest was held to name the team. “But with the tie-ins locally, I understand and like the Thunderbirds nickname. There is a connection to the Air Force here, to the flight group Although “Thunderbirds” was a popular choice and eventually was attached to the name. It is a very appropriate nickname, and they did a chosen, there was a strong push to go with the Simpsons — who hail great job with the logo. But for one night, Ice-O-Topes works pretty good, from a fictional Springfield — and name the team some variation of too.” Isotopes. Bringing hockey back to Springfield In the show, various teams representing Springfield (which takes pride in its nuclear reactor) have had that nickname. There has been AHL hockey played in Springfield since the 1920s and, Although the Thunderbirds made T-shirts and jerseys available for with rare exception, the city of 150,000 a few miles north of Hartford, presale, no other Ice-O-Topes paraphernalia was made available until Conn., has always had a team. Saturday night.

But in 2016, the struggling announced they had been At 4:45, more than two hours before the game, dozens lined up in the bought by the Arizona Coyotes and would be leaving Massachusetts for lower atrium waiting to get into the arena to get their hands on some Tucson as part of the AHL’s westward push. gear.

Just a few weeks later, a group of local investors bought the Portland By 5:30, there were more than 50 people in line waiting to get into the Pirates and moved them to Springfield. Local hockey had been saved. small team shop (which is little more than a cubby hole jammed into one end of the main concourse) with buyers snapping up the red, yellow and Now, the team needed a new name. blue T-shirts along with sweatshirts, baseball caps and toques.

According to Costa, the group considered keeping the Falcons nickname THE SPRINGFIELD ICE-O-TOPES STUFF IS A BIG HIT. DOZENS and coming up with a new logo and color scheme. WAITING TO GET INTO BUILDING A GOOD HOUR-PLUS BEFORE “The Springfield Falcons built up quite a bit of name equity around here ⁦@THUNDERBIRDSAHL⁩ TIP TO BUY MERCH. and in professional hockey,” Costa said. “There was a push just to keep PIC.TWITTER.COM/2AHHDILYHH it.” — GEORGE RICHARDS (@GEORGERICHARDS) FEBRUARY 1, 2020 The problem was, when the Coyotes bought the team, they took the An hour later, the line had tripled in size and snaked all the way through nickname with them. So, the new group in Springfield was all but forced the concourse. to come up with something new and different. Staffers hurried to replenish the supply. A good 45 minutes after the “We went to the next-best thing, and I think what we’ve created here is game had ended, there were still more than a dozen people in line our own identity,’’ Costa said. “It was a fresh start for us, which I think we picking through what was left. needed in the market. Toward the end, the perception was not necessarily the greatest for the Falcons, and it was really a nice clean For a team that has had success with special events honoring Red Sox slate for us.” stars David Ortiz and Pedro Martinez as well as 1980 Miracle on Ice captain Mike Eruzione — not to mention going back in time with The name “Thunderbirds” was selected for a variety of reasons. nights — the Thunderbirds may just bring the Ice-O- First, with the Springfield Falcons struggling to draw fans before leaving, Topes back. the thought was a more traditional name would be best to show fans the Players would not have a problem with it. new team was serious about hockey. Montembeault has spent parts of the past three seasons in Springfield, Springfield is home to an Air Force base that lends itself to a direct tie-in and the goalie mask he wore last season not only has the Thunderbirds with the name Thunderbirds, while the nickname is also a nod to the logo on it but different characters from “The Simpsons” as well. original Springfield Indians, a longtime AHL powerhouse that played in the city for 60 seasons between 1926 and 1994. In many indigenous Not only is on the mask, but it features Milhouse in goal as North American cultures, the thunderbird is a legendary mythological well as Itchy & Scratchy. Montembeault still wears the Springfield mask creature that signifies power and strength. in practice.

A fierce-looking logo was designed — which looked a little like a .@THUNDERBIRDSAHL ADDED SOME NICE DETAIL TO SAM Springfield Falcon, which appeased old-school fans — and has proven to MONTEMBEAULT’S NEW HOCKEY CARD. THE REBRANDED be a success. SPRINGFIELD ICE-O-TOPES TAKE ON HARTFORD TONIGHT. MONTEMBEAULT IS IN MONTREAL WITH THE #FLAPANTHERS BUT OUR POST ON THE SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS (AHL) WILL STILL BE PART OF THE FUN… ANNOUNCING THEIR NAME, UNVEILING THEIR PIC.TWITTER.COM/UTIVHFLRWX LOGOHTTPS://T.CO/KBYGKZW31K PIC.TWITTER.COM/7I5IMDZ8OT — GEORGE RICHARDS (@GEORGERICHARDS) FEBRUARY 1, 2020 — CHRIS CREAMER (@SPORTSLOGOSNET) JUNE 15, 2016 “I have been a fan of ‘The Simpsons’ my whole life, and when it is on TV, “At the time, we really wanted to speak to the history and the tradition of I am going to watch,” said Montembeault, who missed Saturday’s game hockey in Springfield,” Costa said. because he is currently backing up Sergei Bobrovsky with the Panthers. “Our fans have really taken to it. We wanted to create a brand that was a “This being the 30th anniversary of the show, I think it is really cool we bit more serious and a bit more fierce. And I think we’ve done that.’’ brought it to hockey. I know it hasn’t been confirmed, but the real The team is now in its third season in Springfield with the Springfield is in Massachusetts.” Thunderbirds/ in their fourth season as the AHL affiliate Going all out of the Panthers. The Thunderbirds did not just print up some T-shirts, design a new Players such as MacKenzie Weegar, , , Sam sweater and call it a day. Montembeault and all played in Portland or Springfield before making their way down to Florida. No, the team went all-in on “The Simpsons.”

Vatrano, who was born and raised in Springfield and played at UMass, Not only were some concession stands renamed in honor of landmarks spent his AHL years with the rival before Boston from the show (there was a Krusty Burger and Moe’s Tavern), but they traded him to the Panthers in 2018. even sold Homer’s favorite pink-frosted doughnuts.

“Springfield has always had a unique connection to the sport of hockey, THE LINE FOR ICE-O-TOPES MERCH NOW AT LEAST 50, WRAPS and “The Simpsons” has a unique connection to Springfields AROUND ‘DUFF MAN’ AND TOWARD THE $2 HOMER DOUGHNUT everywhere,” Joyce said. STAND. @THUNDERBIRDSAHL PIC.TWITTER.COM/5WAG77PS57

“This could be the Springfield, so that said, this is what minor-league — GEORGE RICHARDS (@GEORGERICHARDS) FEBRUARY 1, 2020 sports is all about. Nate and his staff did a great job putting this together. The fans love it, our players love it. This is a lot of fun. Incredible job. One beer vendor dressed up and acted like Duff Man, hawking Miller Fans are chanting, ‘Go Ice-O-Topes!’ so they’re digging the whole thing.’’ Lites and White Claws in the busiest spot in the arena, in front of the team store. Good for business Fans were also given cardboard posters with Simpson-ized hockey cards When the team announced in December it was having its “What If?” on them. night, it was a huge hit on social media, and the team’s website was flooded with pre-orders for T-shirts and jerseys (which go for $250). Henrik Borgstrom really liked his artist rendering. did not. He thought he looked like an angry lumberjack. .@THUNDERBIRDSAHL GIVEAWAY TO THE FIRST 2,000 ICE-O- TOPES FANS WHO COME THROUGH THE BUILDING TODAY… PIC.TWITTER.COM/RYXBJVWXE9

— GEORGE RICHARDS (@GEORGERICHARDS) FEBRUARY 1, 2020

“I really liked ‘The Simpsons Movie’ and everything we have done for this night is really cool,” Borgstrom said. “This is not something you see every day, and it is nice to see all the work the team has put in coming to fruition.

“Everything looks good, like, really good. Like it came from ‘The Simpsons.’ And that’s how it should be. When you do something like this, you better go 100 percent, and they really did.”

Before the game got going, the intro video was a recreation of the traditional opening of “The Simpsons” — only this one featured Greco (as Bart) writing “Springfield Rules!” on a dry erase board; the team’s mascot, Boomer (as Marge), driving a Zamboni; and five players (as, well, all of the Simpsons gang) jumping onto a couch.

The couch shot was done in one take. It had to be.

The four players who jumped onto the couch broke it — and that was before teammate Jonathan Ang dove on top of them.

“That was a lot of fun. We absolutely destroyed that couch,” said Montembeault, who had been sent back to Springfield during Florida’s All-Star break to get some work in and was in town for the taping. He was wedged on the end of the couch in the bit.

The Ice-O-Topes won 2-0 Saturday night thanks to a stellar game in net from Florida prospect Ryan Bednard, and clips and songs from “The Simpsons” were played throughout.

After Springfield scored each of its two goals, Homer’s famous “Woo- hoo!” rang out through the arena.

“Ever since we announced we were going to do this, it has just been crazy, a flurry of activity,” Costa said. “There was a lot of excitement around town for his.

“This has been something we have wanted to do for the past few years, and we finally pulled the trigger on it. We have seen minor league teams have nights like these and have great success. For us, this has worked out great. Having a night tied around ‘The Simpsons’ made too much sense.”

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174300 Los Angeles Kings

Kings try to slow Alex Ovechkin, Capitals

By ANDREW KNOLL | PUBLISHED: February 3, 2020 at 2:37 pm | UPDATED: February 3, 2020 at 2:37 PM

The Kings were unable to fend off a bottom-dwelling neighbor before they traveled across the country to protect themselves against Alex Ovechkin’s assault on the record books.

After a loss at home Saturday to the also lowly Ducks, they will stare down the Washington Capitals Tuesday, who saw Ovechkin have an explosive and historic month in January.

His name has become inextricable with scoring prowess, so much so that Kings coach Todd McLellan mentioned him as a standard when evaluating his team’s play in a 3-1 loss to the Ducks, whom the Kings out-shot heavily, especially in the third period.

“You look up, you see 47, 48 shots. Were they real good? Were they Ovechkin type scoring chances? I don’t know,” McLellan said.

Ovechkin ascended from twelfth to eighth on the NHL’s career goal leaderboard by scoring 13 goals to kick off the new decade. He was held scoreless in their last game, a 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh Sunday, after surpassing four legends–Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, Teemu Selanne and Steve Yzerman–last month.

Ovechkin seeks his third straight Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal-scorer, which would be the ninth of his career. He sits 199 goals behind Wayne Gretzky for the all-time lead, with no signs of slowing down his production despite being 34 years old.

Washington defenseman John Carlson and rookie goalie Ilya Samsonov are chasing benchmarks of their own. Carlson is on track for 96 points, and if he can pick up that pace slightly, he could turn in the first 100-point season for a blue-liner since accomplished the feat for the New York Rangers in 1991-2. Samsonov has won 11 straight decisions, making him the third rookie in NHL history to do so and placing him three decisions behind Ross Brooks for the record for consecutive wins by a rookie netminder.

For the Kings’ part, they are chasing a mark of their own, albeit an ignominious one. They are on pace for roughly 66 points for the season, which would tie their worst mark in franchise history for an 82-game season, set in 1995-6. They have won just four of their last 17 games, meaning they could set the bar even lower. Their all-time worst mark was a meager 38 points in a 76-game horror show in 1969-70.

They look to right the ship on a four-game trip, starting in Washington and then remaining light on mileage as they hop between meetings with the three New York metropolitan area teams: the Islanders, New Jersey Devils and Rangers.

Multiple Kings players have expressed a bit of disbelief that they are on pace for a worse campaign than last year, when they finished last in the West with 71 points.

“I read that the other day, and it was pretty surprising to me,” Kings captain Anze Kopitar said. “I feel, I know that we play a lot better hockey this year than we did last year. We are a lot more competitive. The no- quit attitude is always there, as opposed to last year.”

Kings at Washington

When: 4 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Capital One Arena

TV/Radio: Fox Sports West/iHeartRadio

Orange County Register: LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174301 Los Angeles Kings good value, the trade probably would have happened already. The Flames could end up making a hockey deal elsewhere and it should be noted that they’ve come close on a number of occasions.

Kings trade-deadline primer — Possible destinations for Tyler Toffoli and Toffoli to Boston Alec Martinez The case for: Ideally, the Bruins are looking for more balance up front. They are top-heavy right now, and the drop-off from their first line to their second is pretty dramatic. If they put Toffoli on their second line with By Lisa Dillman Feb 3, 2020 David Krejci, then suddenly the gap between the first and second lines isn’t so great. They are deep in their Stanley Cup window, with

tremendous depth on defense and a great one-two punch in goal. Where LOS ANGELES — How many players from the Kings’ 2014 Stanley Cup they lack is one more quality finisher up front. championship roster will remain after the trade deadline passes in exactly The case against: Acquisition cost is always a factor. Last year when the three weeks? Bruins went shopping before the deadline, they made a hockey deal, Surprise — More than you think. sending Ryan Donato to the Minnesota Wild for Charlie Coyle. How the Bruins rate their B-level prospects might not mirror the evaluations by the Nine players remain as of today: Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Drew Kings, or other teams for that matter. Lastly, if the Kings are looking for a Doughty, Tyler Toffoli, Dustin Brown, Alec Martinez, Trevor Lewis, Kyle second-round pick, the Bruins’ selection, which would be in the lower half Clifford and Jonathan Quick. of the round, might be lower than their liking.

For fans, the weight of losing seasons has shortened the shelf life of Toffoli to St. Louis sentimentality. While it might be cathartic to talk about wholesale change for the sake of change, making it happen is a much lengthier process in The case for: Even though they are the defending Stanley Cup the real world occupied by NHL general managers. champions, the Blues have needs to be filled. Last season, the Blues had Patrick Maroon playing a bottom-six role, but they didn’t sign him in the One can examine the Kings’ assets and neatly separate them into three offseason. They never really replaced him. More critically, the Blues have categories at this juncture. gone almost the whole season without their de facto No. 1 right wing, Vladimir Tarasenko. (Tarasenko suffered his shoulder injury against the The moving van can drive past his house and keep going (Kopitar) Kings on Oct. 24.) Toffoli has a championship pedigree, which matters to Allied Van Lines probably won’t be getting a call (Doughty, Quick, Brown, a team trying to defend its title. With Tarasenko back in the fold next Carter) October, a rental to fill his spot would be preferable to a player with term on his contract. Gentlemen, turn off your Twitter notifications but not your cell phones (Toffoli, Martinez, Lewis, Clifford, Derek Forbort, Ben Hutton) The case against: If the Kings are holding fast and angling for a first- round draft pick, the Blues might balk. Similar to Boston, the Blues’ The Kings’ two most tradeable assets right now are Toffoli and Martinez. second-round selection will be out of the top 50. Players such as Klim Craig Custance of The Athletic had Toffoli and Martinez listed second Kostin or Jordan Kyrou may have some appeal to the Kings but the Blues and third, respectively, at the top of his 2020 Trade Board 1.0 behind the might not be prepared to surrender prospects of that caliber for a rental. New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider. Martinez to Nashville TSN’s recent Trade Bait list had Kreider first, Martinez second and Toffoli sixth. Incidentally, TSN listed Montreal Canadiens forward Ilya The case for: Nashville’s needs on the blue line fall into three distinct Kovalchuk, formerly of the Kings, third. categories: short-term, medium and long-term. The days when they could roll out Shea Weber, Ryan Suter and Seth Jones are long gone. They’ve With 21 days to go, let’s look at possible landing spots for Toffoli and gone from a team with the deepest defense corps in the NHL to being Martinez and the case for trades happening — or not happening — with quite thin on the back end. A player like Martinez could easily play in the each situation. top four, as needed. But if Ryan Ellis returns and pushes Martinez to the With Toffoli, there are two points worth noting. It isn’t out of the question third pair, that’s even better for the Predators. And Martinez would have he could end up staying in Los Angeles if the Kings don’t get a decent an advocate behind the bench in new Predators assistant coach Rob offer for him. That’s what happened with the Calgary Flames and Michael Scuderi, who played with a young Martinez when the Kings won their first Cammalleri in 2014 when he was on an expiring contract. They kept him Stanley Cup in 2012. when none of the proposals that materialized before the deadline offered The case against: This might sound like a broken record but it could enough value in return. come down to the acquisition cost. Nashville has given up so much in the Or, the Kings could move Toffoli and he could end up re-signing with past couple seasons to try to win now. The Predators made their mark as them on July 1. His year-round home is in the South Bay and he has a draft-and-develop organization. But you can’t keep trading away become deeply invested in the community. assets. Plus there’s the question of whether Nashville will be a buyer at the deadline. Here we go… Martinez to Toronto Toffoli to Calgary The case for: First, the Maple Leafs have three defensemen on expiring The case for: The Flames have had varying degrees of interest in Toffoli contracts (Cody Ceci, Jake Muzzin and Tyson Barrie). Having a player over the years. One thing worth noting is that Toffoli’s career-best with a contract for this season and next could be considered an numbers came in 2015-16 playing alongside Milan Lucic, who was advantage. Martinez, a left shot, can and has played both sides and has acquired by the Flames last summer. The Athletic colleague Darren a history playing with Muzzin. Historically, Martinez has played his best Haynes also recently noted Toffoli’s juniors history with Flames center hockey on the biggest stages, scoring the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in Sean Monahan (two seasons with the Ottawa 67s). They played together 2014. Plus, Kings general manager and his Maple Leafs on a line in 2011-12 and combined for 90 goals and 186 points. The counterpart, , already have made one meaningful trade, a Flames are in the process of turning Elias Lindholm into a full-time center little more than a year ago with the Muzzin transaction. and, as a result, they need a right wing to play on the top line. Toffoli seems like a possible fit with Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, someone The case against: Toronto likely will not have its first-round pick in 2020 who can find the seams and who can finish. At different times in his (due to conditions attached to the Patrick Marleau trade with Carolina), career, Toffoli has been that player. so the Maple Leafs presumably wouldn’t be rushing to move their second-round choice as well. Settling on a deal that works for both The case against: Historically, the Flames prefer contract players rather organizations is the primary drawback. Another obstacle: Teams are not than rentals at the deadline. The stumbling block isn’t the fit — there exactly sure what they are getting with Martinez at the moment, so soon appears to be one — but what would Calgary be prepared to give up and after his return from a serious wrist injury, which required surgery. what would Los Angeles accept? The Kings probably would have limited Because Martinez has had an up-and-down time of it, a deal for him may interest in someone like Mark Jankowski because they already have a lot go down to the wire, thus giving any interested parties three additional of players like him. If the teams could come to terms on what constitutes weeks to evaluate the state of his game. The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174302 Los Angeles Kings You might have heard: The Pacific made waves. Not only because the division split the $1-million prize for the third time in five seasons, but because of the Kings-Oilers-Flames Matthew Tkachuk triangle of hate. Kopitar, not Drew Doughty, was Los Angeles’ representative, and as an MCLELLAN’S MESSAGE EVOLVES; BATTLE OF ALBERTA REPS NHL statesman and gentleman who won the 2015-16 Lady Byng “PRETTY CALM” AT ASG Memorial Trophy, I wasn’t expecting any sort of salacious interaction at a league event where personal and club-driven acrimony is shelved.

“Yeah, I talked to the guy. Nothing specific, but the small talk that you JON ROSEN FEBRUARY 3, 2020 always do when you go to events like that,” said Kopitar, who played against Tkachuk’s father, Keith, for four seasons. “So, yeah, he seems like a nice guy.”

Several additional notes from our nation’s capital, where it was 63 Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire degrees at 5:30 p.m., the same temperature as El Segundo three hours behind. We… brought the weather, I guess? While there hasn’t been a flare-up in the L.A.-Calgary portion of the rivalry since Mark Giordano’s Leap of Faith early in the season, and — Some final sign-offs from Todd McLellan’s availability yesterday. An though the All-Star Game apparently took place during the eye of the “unacceptable” start manifested in faceoffs and scoring chances-against Battle of Alberta storm, there was, of course, Leon Draisaitl’s assertion through 15 minutes. “We weren’t engaged,” he said of the performance not even two weeks prior that he “would get off the ice” were he to share versus Anaheim. It raised a thought about whether to Throw Away The a shift at any point with Tkachuk. Tape or not, but Todd was encouraged that something could be mined from it. We like this. Anything taking place in Western Canada that includes intimations of discord at a nonpartisan league showcase is reminiscent of “We used the tape. We applied some of the concepts in practice Smythe Division hockey and therefore fun and good. But by the time the [Sunday], and we’re going to try and get better,” he said. “But the game came around, any festering bitterness was rerouted, and Tkachuk structure part of it, the systematic play is secondary when you don’t get ultimately assisted on a Draisaitl goal in the exhibition. (This shaky truce enough from enough players. The structure’s there to protect you and to has since collapsed.) make you predictable and to help the group, but if they’re not willing to help themselves, you’re in trouble.” “Obviously, everybody’s there to have a good time and enjoy the weekend. I mean, I would lie if I said that I didn’t pay a little bit of We’ve all written about McLellan’s communication with his players and attention, so I did,” Kopitar said. “But once you get together, like I said, how he strives to leave no room for interpretation or doubt. He’s direct. it’s about having a good time. I had my kids there, so I was obviously And that doesn’t mean he’s going to yell or scream when a sans-legs paying a lot more attention to that than I would [Tkachuk]. It’s just performance like Saturday’s pops up, which hasn’t happened too often hanging out, and between Edmonton and the Flames, it was pretty calm. this season. Sometimes he may choose to raise his voice. He’s keen on Not as bad as it flared up [Saturday] night. But, yeah, there was nothing reading the room and knowing the individual player and efforting to there worth mentioning.” communicate in a way that best maximizes their skill set and fine tunes their play for the game that follows. “It can be pretty point blank. ‘I’m LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 02.04.2020 disappointed in your play,’” he used as an example. “There aren’t very many human beings that like to hear the word ‘disappointed,’ whether it’s from your father, your teacher, your teammate, your coach. None of us want to hear that word, and sometimes that helps, too.”

The ability of a coach push or pull back or otherwise manipulate his direction or handling of a player to generate wins rather than the best statistics is a very difficult dynamic to describe. The approach taken on October 1 is not the same as the April 1 approach. Earlier this year, McLellan was figuring out his players, and his players were diving right into a system that for many challenged their way of processing what they saw. It took time for systematic changes to become second nature. Now that they essentially have, the players are expected to execute that system effectively so that the team and standards may improve and evolve.

“We made mistakes, we worked off the mistakes, and now, 53, 54 games into the season, you better know what your job is,” he said. “If you haven’t figured it out by now, if you don’t know what your responsibility is in certain situations, then where have you been for six and a half months, or what type of job have we done? We have to accept some responsibility in that. If you err in being in the right spot – maybe on a misread, or there’s a physical battle you happen to lose, for whatever reason, we have to live with some of that. All teams do. But if it’s an error on omission, that’s not acceptable at this time of the year. Earlier in the year we were a lot more patient with it. Not as much anymore. You’ve been around. There’s no language barrier anymore, there’s no structure barrier anymore in my opinion, and if you don’t know, you better be asking.”

Norm Hall/NHLI

— And, lo, stick taps and happy trails to the 2020 NHL All-Star Game, Anze Kopitar’s fifth in the National Hockey League and the first in which his full family was there to support him.

“The one thing I’m obviously going to remember about this one is having my kiddos there,” he said. “They’re just old enough where they kind of know what’s going on now, so it was special for me, and obviously winning the tournament and all of that, but at the end of the day, we’re all there, I was there to have fun, to enjoy time with my family, too, so it turned out to be a really good weekend.” 1174303 Los Angeles Kings Again, this isn’t punitive or because a player isn’t equipped to play in the NHL. Certainly both will have the opportunity to grow their opportunity should the team exchange veterans at the trade deadline. But at this point, and on this trip, Grundstrom is the next man up, with Luff ready to GRUNDSTROM RECALLED (+ RECENT SCOUTING REPORT); LUFF continue to build his game and be entrusted in a wider array of situations. ASSIGNED TO ONTARIO In fourth place in the AHL’s Pacific Division with a 22-18-5 record, Ontario travels to Bakersfield on Friday before welcoming first place

Tucson to Toyota Arena on Saturday. JON ROSEN FEBRUARY 3, 2020 Oh yeah, we never really talked about how Grundstrom is now "The Tank," according to McLellan. There's The Cheetah, The Ferrari, The Professor. What other (non -ie / -s) recent nicknames are we forgetting? Movin’ and shakin’ as the LA Kings travel east: Carl Grundstrom has been recalled and Matt Luff was assigned to AHL-Ontario, the team — Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) November 6, 2019 announced Monday morning. They maintain a roster of 23 skaters that’s LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 02.04.2020 presumably healthy, given Drew Doughty’s recovery from a lower-body injury that should make him available for Tuesday’s opener in Washington.

Grundstrom had been hot-hot-hot in the AHL but hasn’t yet applied his bowling ball, north-south mentality to the benefit of the team at the NHL level this season, an observation Grundstrom will be looking to prove is stale with his most recent call-up. He has three goals, seven points, a plus-four rating and 16 shots on goal in his last seven games and netted a clutch game-tying deflection on Sheldon Rempal’s long-distance blast with Matt Villalta pulled during Ontario’s thrilling 5-4 overtime comeback win at San Diego on Hockey Day SoCal.

What a shot by @rempal_11

Were headed to overtime in San Diego!#HockeyDaySoCal | @ontarioreign pic.twitter.com/9Y7CjqrhEp

— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 2, 2020

Grundstrom had most recently been assigned to Ontario on November 27 to get a wide array of playing time in a variety of situations that weren’t necessarily available at the NHL level. As has been shared once or twice, the teams’ dressing rooms are adjacent at TSPC, so players are going to hop on and off the Reign Train at regular intervals, among them the margins of road trips these roster moves often book-end.

He’s poised to play his first NHL games since late November, when he was assigned to Ontario at the time of a Luff recall. Grundstrom, who turned 22 in December, had a knack for the back of the net last season, scoring five times in 15 games. Backed by four assists in nine games this season, he has 10 points (5-5=10) in 24 NHL games overall. His 56.6% CF% in nine games this season is too small of a sample size to give us much clarity, but the team has shot 9.3% with him on the ice in five-on- five play, leading for seven L.A. goals-for and only four against in such situations.

Mike Stothers, January 18, on the Grundstrom-Vilardi-Frk line:

It was good to see that line get on track. Grundy got a couple big assists, obviously Frker with two goals and seeing Gabe score early, that’s what you need out of your big line, your top line. You need that kind of production, right, and it kind of filters on through after that. The good thing with those guys is you know they’re not going to stay quiet for long, it’s only a matter of time. Hopefully, this is a big weekend for us, so hopefully it’ll carry into tomorrow and Monday afternoon.

Stothers, on Carl Grundstrom:

He was hard on pucks tonight, he was getting to the puck first, he was using his size and his strength. You might look at him and think he’s not overly big, height wise, but he’s a big man, he’s a solid guy and I think that’s when he’s at his best is when he’s bumping. It’s almost like he needs to get angry early and then he’s capable of making some good plays. I think that line, it’s just got a little bit of everything for you. Frkster’s just a pure sniper, although he makes some pretty nice plays too. Gabe is kind of that middle guy who just makes plays and sees the ice, so again, it was good to see those guys get on the board.

Luff is also vying to recapture last year’s scoring penchant. With one goal and a minus-five rating in 18 games, it hasn’t been coming regularly, and on Saturday, his first period backhanded clearing attempt was intercepted by Ondrej Kase, who started the wheels on a quick strike finished off by Max Jones. It was one of two giveaways on Anaheim’s go- ahead goal, with McLellan referencing the failed clears as “punts” that “went right to the middle of the rink” in his press conference following the loss. In 51 career games, Luff, also 22, has nine goals and 16 points. 1174304 Los Angeles Kings

HARD SKATE AFTER SUNDAY’S PRACTICE; THE ALEC MARTINEZ BOOK CLUB

JON ROSEN FEBRUARY 3, 2020

INSIDERS. We are very much in flight. It should be a crisp 3:57 to Washington-Dulles, which seems a touch on the short side, and I’m wondering if those heavy winds across the Southland this morning are part of a stream of tail winds whisking us across the continent faster than usual. Some notes to start off the day:

— Thanks for the patience on Super Bowl Sunday, Insiders. It was a Sunday that followed a game day and preceded a week-long road trip, so time was spent with family and the computer didn’t make it out of my bag. Some family even joined me at the rink, where they got a good view of Todd McLellan bagging Drew Doughty, Nikolai Prokhorkin and Joakim Ryan after a practice that had already included a lot of skating.

That’s not to run any of the players’ noses in it, but to get them ready for the Washington game. There’s a extra day between games, Doughty hasn’t played in over two weeks, and with a travel day Monday, this was an appropriate day to get in necessary conditioning. “He’s so important to our team. We’re trying to prepare him for the games,” said McLellan, who confirmed Doughty has dealt with a lower-body injury.

In the dressing room, several players attempted to convey “hard skate” to Prokhorkin in English and ended up compiling a variety of colorful bilingual possibilities. They’re not Bad Words, at least what I understood in English, but they weren’t, shall we say, AP-favored. Think of the adjectives used from a famous This Is Sportscenter commercial.

Jimmy Key is a two-time World Series champion and this is still what I most associate with his career.

The plan is to best allow Doughty to be able to hit the ground running for the road trip opener on Tuesday. Because he suffered the injury late into the first post-bye practice, he hasn’t played since January 18 in Philadelphia. Hence, conditioning.

— More to come. Photos from our takeoff and ascent are below. But before that, we had a fun interaction with Alec Martinez after practice. I was thinking about an evergreen story I could bank – Say! What cuh-razy YouTube or Wikipedia wormhole have you gone down recently? – but whom do I take the Kings’ NHLPA representative for? “I’m actually reading a book called Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, so my answer is ‘neither,’” said Martinez, serving up more or less the antithesis to such a premise.

It varies, but Martinez goes through a large handful of books per season. There’s obviously the occasional TV binge, as there would be for anyone who spends so much time in transit, but right now he’s been on a long reading kick. “I only read nonfiction. I save fiction for the movies,” he said. He’s also reading A History of the World in 6 Glasses.

Known appreciator of history Dean Lombardi didn’t offer recommendations, though Senior Advisor to the General Manager/Development Mike O’Connell does, and Martinez’s girlfriend is an even more voracious reader. “She reads a book a week or something crazy. I can’t keep up with that,” Martinez said.

“I like World War II history, I like just anything with a compelling story. “I know that sounds kind of boring. The one fiction book I did read that I really liked was All of Light We Can Not See. That was an O’C recommendation.”

— More to come, gang. Shots from our climb:

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174305 Minnesota Wild “Good for him,” Boudreau said. “… He’s worked really hard for us, and he’s a great teammate. Picking him up is good for Chicago.”

Whether or not more subtraction is on the way is unclear, and that’s also Wild's season reaches make-or-break time what’s at stake with these next batch of games.

Any playoff possibility likely hinges on the next two weeks. Not only could the Wild determine how relevant the rest of the season is, but the team’s performance is also likely to sway General Manager Bill Guerin’s decisionmaking ahead of the Feb. 24 NHL trade deadline.

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune FEBRUARY 3, 2020 — 10:57PM “For us, it’s about all these games leading up to that to make it to where he wants to build this team, not take it apart,” Zucker said.

Star Tribune LOADED: 02.04.2020 Two months’ worth of games remain on the Wild’s schedule, but to coach Bruce Boudreau, this week and next stand out from the rest.

“We have seven games,” he said. “So, if we get 12 points, 10 points, we’re right in the thick of things. And if we get two points, it’s going to be a difficult task.”

Boudreau hasn’t shared his prognosis with the players, but they already know their playoff hopes could hinge on how they fare in the next 12 days — a stretch spent mostly at home and predominantly against the Western Conference that starts Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center against the Blackhawks.

And while the potential to have the season decided very soon might seem intimidating, the Wild is looking at this pressure-packed itinerary as an opportunity to control its own fate.

“It can’t cripple you,” winger Jason Zucker said. “It’s got to be something that pushes you to be better, to push harder, to know that these are must-win games now. That’s the facts of it. These are must-win games. Does it mean if we lose, we’re out? No. But these are big, big games for us. So, we’ve got to play like it.”

This would have been the Wild’s reality even if the team didn’t get throttled 6-1 by the Bruins on Saturday in its return from the All-Star break and bye week.

But that outcome did shrink the team’s margin of error, seeing as it dropped seven points back of the second wild card in the West, and the clubs it needs to leapfrog to even approach the doorstep of that berth moved farther away.

Saturday’s loss was also an example of what could continue to happen if the Wild doesn’t fix its abysmal penalty kill, which was dinged for three power play goals in four chances.

“Right now, the penalty kill is getting us in a deep hole in the game, and it’s something we need to figure out how to get better,” captain Mikko Koivu said. “It’s something we need to start doing step-by-step, get that confidence back, and then start building from there.”

Overall, the unit ranks 30th in the NHL at 73.5% after giving up at least one goal in 10 of the past 11 games. Goalies Devan Dubnyk (.826) and Alex Stalock (.843) both have save percentages below .900 on the PK. Dubnyk was the latest to get tagged in Saturday’s loss. Boudreau called Stalock starting Tuesday a possibility.

“I’d like somebody to get this team on a roll,” Boudreau said.

Aside from working on the penalty kill at practice Monday, the Wild also ran through the power play with Brad Hunt back in the mix after he was scratched the past seven games.

“I don’t know what the lineup is going to be yet [Tuesday],” Boudreau said. “There were just guys that haven’t played in situations for a while that if we do use them, they’ve got to be used in practice.”

One player the Wild no longer has the option of working back in is Nick Seeler.

Chicago claimed the defenseman from Eden Prairie on Monday after he was placed on waivers Sunday, a decision the Wild made to try to get him to the minors so he could resume playing.

Seeler had been a healthy scratch for the Wild for most of the season, appearing in only six games after getting bumped down the depth chart by rookie Carson Soucy. The 26-year-old, who played two years of college hockey at Omaha and one with the Gophers, has another season remaining on his three-year, $2.175 million contract.

In 99 career games with the Wild after being drafted in the fifth round in 2011, Seeler recorded two goals, 11 points and 93 penalty minutes. 1174306 Minnesota Wild

Wild-Chicago game preview

Sarah McLellan FEBRUARY 3, 2020 — 9:04PM

7 P.M. VS. CHICAGO • XCEL ENERGY CENTER • NBCSN, 100.3-FM

Chicago is on a roll away from home

Preview: The Wild starts three games in four nights at home by facing the Blackhawks, who are four points ahead of the Wild in the standings and three points back of a playoff spot. Chicago won the teams’ previous meeting 5-3 on Dec. 15. So far on this seven-game homestand, the Wild is 3-2.

Players to WATCH: Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane is in the midst of a 12- game point streak. LW Brandon Saad has four goals in his past four games. … Wild RW Kevin Fiala scored twice vs. Chicago earlier this season. C Eric Staal has an assist in five consecutive games.

Numbers: With 14 goals, RW Mats Zuccarello already has surpassed his total from last season (12). The Wild has limited opponents to less than 30 shots in five of its past six games. … The Blackhawks are 6-1 in their past seven games. They are 8-1 over their past nine road contests.

Injuries: Blackhawks Ds Calvin de Haan (shoulder) and Brent Seabrook (shoulder and hip), RW Andrew Shaw (concussion) and C Dylan Strome (ankle) are out.

Star Tribune LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174307 Minnesota Wild

Blackhawks claim D Seeler off waivers from Wild

Associated Press FEBRUARY 3, 2020 — 8:15PM

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Chicago Blackhawks claimed defenseman Nick Seeler off waivers from the Minnesota Wild on Monday.

The 26-year-old Seeler appeared in six games with Minnesota this season. Seeler's contract has an average annual value of $725,000 and runs through the 2020-21 season.

Seeler could get an opportunity to face his former team when the Blackhawks visit the Wild on Tuesday night.

Chicago also re-assigned defenseman Dennis Gilbert to Rockford of the AHL on Monday.

Seeler was selected by the Wild in the fifth round of the 2011 draft. He set career highs with two goals and five assists in 71 games last season.

Star Tribune LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174308 Minnesota Wild

Wild loses defenseman Nick Seeler to Chicago on waivers

The Blackhawks will play the Wild on Tuesday night at Xcel Energy Center.

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune FEBRUARY 3, 2020

The Wild lost defenseman Nick Seeler on waivers to the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, and he won’t have to go far to play his next game.

The Blackhawks are at Xcel Energy Center to play the Wild on Tuesday night.

“Good for him,” said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. “He’s a great kid. It should make for another interesting moment for tomorrow’s game. … We’ve said it, that [Carson Soucy] beat him out of a job. Take nothing away from Seels. He’s worked really hard for us, and he’s a great teammate. Picking him up is good for Chicago.”

Seeler, who had a year remaining on his contract at $725,000 a season, was the odd man out of the Wild lineup this season. The 26-year-old from Eden Prairie, who played college hockey at Omaha and with the Gophers, appeared in only six games because of the emergence of Soucy. When Greg Pateryn returned after missing most of the first half after core muscle surgery, the Wild was left with eight healthy defensemen.

In 99 career games with the Wild after being drafted in the fifth round in 2011, Seeler has two goals, 11 points and 93 penalty minutes. He played a career-high 71 games last season as a regular.

Star Tribune LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174309 Minnesota Wild “We know the trade deadline is always something in this game that’s going to be a topic,” Zucker said. “For us, it’s about all these games coming up, and making sure we make it where he wants to build this team, not take it apart.” Wild players, GM Bill Guerin know clock is ticking as NHL trade deadline nears Pioneer Press LOADED: 02.04.2020

By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: February 3, 2020 at 2:00 pm | UPDATED: February 3, 2020 at 6:45 PM

No one in the Wild locker room knows what it’s like to be on a team that is a seller at the NHL trade deadline more than hard-nosed winger Marcus Foligno.

Before arriving in the Twin Cities a couple of years ago, Foligno spent what felt like an eternity as a member of the openly tanking Sabres during the last of his six seasons in Buffalo. As Foligno put it, more often than not, the front office usually had its mind made up pretty early that they were going to be sellers.

“We saw good guys go because other teams wanted them,” he said. “It wasn’t a fun thing to be a part of.”

Which is why Foligno has been so vocal about the Wild needing to right the ship over the next couple of weeks.

With the Wild (23-22-6, 52 points, last in the Central Division) clinging to slim playoff hopes at this point, general manager Bill Guerin will have some tough decisions to make before the trade deadline on Feb. 24.

Does the first-year GM want to maintain status quo and let the Wild ride this thing out? Does he want to try to maximize the value of some of his players who might fit in on a contender elsewhere? Maybe a little bit of both?

“It’s something where if we don’t tighten things up here in the home stand early and we don’t make up ground, then things could happen,” said Foligno, who could be a valuable trade asset. “There could be guys in here that we don’t want to see go. Or it could be the other way where we’re really close and do something to get better. We want to be in that position rather than the other position.”

According to defenseman Matt Dumba, whose name has been floated around the past couple of weeks, Guerin has been upfront that he’s going to give the team a chance to prove it deserves to stay together.

“He’s been frank with us that he’s going to wait as long as he can,” Dumba said. “We have to play better and we have to got to show him that this is a group that wants to stay together.”

In addition to Foligno and Dumba, other players who have been attached to recent rumors are speedy winger Jason Zucker, smooth-skating defenseman Jonas Brodin and veteran center Eric Staal, among others.

Last season, as the Wild went through similar struggles, former general manager Paul Fenton blew up the team’s young core at the trade deadline, shipping out Nino Niederreiter (for Victor Rask), Charlie Coyle (for Ryan Donato), and Mikael Granlund (for Kevin Fiala).

“We have no control over that,” said Zucker, who has become extremely familiar with trade rumors over the past couple of seasons. “There’s nothing we can do about that. We have to play hockey. We have to win these games. We have to play well. That’s just what it comes down to.”

Entering Monday’s games, the Arizona Coyotes (59 points) have the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, though the Wild (52) are lurking with a few games in hand. In between, Central Division foes like the Chicago Blackhawks (56), Winnipeg Jets (56) and Nashville Predators (55) are all jockeying for position.

With everything so gridlocked, the Wild will face pressure in pretty much every game the rest of the way.

“It can’t cripple us,” Zucker said. “It’s got to be something that pushes us to be better, to push harder, and know that these are must-win games now. That’s the facts of it. These are must-win games.”

If the Wild can find a way to go on a run over the next couple of weeks, that might be enough to convince Guerin to delay the reshuffling until at least the offseason. If they suffer through another swoon, well, then that likely will make Guerin’s decision pretty simple. 1174310 Minnesota Wild

Waived by Wild on Sunday, Nick Seeler claimed by Blackhawks on Monday

By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: February 3, 2020 at 1:14 pm | UPDATED: February 3, 2020 at 1:16 PM

Well, the idea of trying to slide gritty defenseman Nick Seeler through waivers didn’t exactly go according to plan for the Wild.

Instead of getting him to the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League, the rival Chicago Blackhawks claimed the 26-year-old Seeler off waivers on Monday, giving the often-scratched blue liner a new lease on life.

Adding to the intrigue, the Wild and Blackhawks play Tuesday night at Xcel Energy Center, though it’s unclear whether Seeler will draw into the lineup .

“Good for him,” a rather surprised coach Bruce Boudreau said after hearing the news. “He’s a great kid. He’s worked really hard for us and been a great teammate. Picking him up is good for the Blackhawks.”

It’s a rather abrupt end to Seeler’s tenure for his home-state Wild.

After winning two state championships with Eden Prairie High School as a teenager, Seeler was selected by the Wild in the fifth round of the 2011 NHL Draft, and went on to finish his collegiate career with the Gophers.

He grinded away through the minors upon turning pro and eventually carved out a niche in the lineup last season.

But this season, Seeler got passed on the depth chart by fellow defensemen Carson Soucy and Brad Hunt this season, and has only suited up for a half-dozen games.

While the Blackhawks don’t have a lot of depth on the blue line, it might be hard to justify playing Seeler considering he hasn’t played in an NHL game in nearly two months. But Seeler almost certainly will play for the Blackhawks at some point, which isn’t something he could say with the Wild.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174311 Minnesota Wild Seeler made the Wild out of training camp last season and played 71 games. But his regular spot in the lineup ended in January once the Wild traded for Brad Hunt, then claimed Anthony Bitetto off waivers in a three- day span. He ended up sitting on an almost nightly basis, a theme that Nick Seeler leaving Wild for a new shot as Blackhawks claim him off continued surprisingly into this season. waivers Seeler worked hard all of last summer in anticipation of a roster battle this season. The assumption by everyone, even those amongst the Wild coaching staff, was Seeler, Hunt and Greg Pateryn would be vying By Michael Russo Feb 3, 2020 nightly to play on the third defense pair.

However, Carson Soucy, considered the Wild’s most disappointing player Nick Seeler has been given a new lease on life. in the 2018-19 training camp and an early roster cut because of it, redeemed himself with a strong training camp this time. He ended up The Chicago Blackhawks, who coincidentally visit the Wild on Tuesday making the team, had a strong first half and thus pushed Seeler down the night, claimed the hard-nosed defenseman off waivers Monday morning. depth chart. Seeler had a tough training camp and start to the season It’s uncertain as of yet if Seeler will make his Blackhawks debut against because he does have a tendency to take bad penalties or lose his his former team, but he won’t have to travel far to practice for the first composure on the ice. time with his new team. Once Pateryn returned to the lineup after missing the first half following The Blackhawks practice at Xcel Energy Center on Monday afternoon at abdominal surgery, Seeler fell into an eighth D role. 3 o’clock. “He’s a class guy,” Boudreau said. “Nobody works harder than him in Seeler, 26, the Minnesota native who once upon a time won two state practice, too. It’s not like he’s coming and sulking. He’s done everything championships with Eden Prairie, hasn’t played since Dec. 7 and only six we asked of him. … (Soucy) beat him out of a job. Take nothing away times this season, so general manager Bill Guerin decided it was best to from Seels. He’s worked really hard for us and he’s a great teammate. try to slide him through waivers and get him to playoff-bound Iowa or give Picking him up, good for Chicago.” him a fresh start elsewhere after presumably exhausting trade options. Guerin was comfortable carrying eight defensemen for the short-term. Seeler, drafted by his hometown Wild in the fifth round in 2011, has one Last month, Seeler accepted a two-week conditioning stint in Iowa so he year left on his one-way contract at $725,000. The Wild receive $56,250 could get back to being game-ready. In six games, he had two assists from the Blackhawks for their waiver claim. and was plus-9.

Reached for comment before the waiver claim Monday morning, Seeler But Seeler was recalled Jan. 15 and scratched another five games in a said he would chat with The Athletic later in the day Monday. row before Guerin decided it was time to give Seeler a chance to play nightly in Iowa or provide him a fresh start with another team. “I had a good talk with him (Sunday) morning,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “I’ve been in his shoes. I know what it’s like, and I asked to be sent With Seeler, it got to the point Boudreau hasn’t felt comfortable playing down when I was in Toronto because as hockey players, we want to him, especially because he’s not about to pull left-shot defensemen Ryan play. You don’t even look at the money after a while. It’s just, ‘Let me Suter, Jonas Brodin or Soucy from the lineup. Pateryn’s return has also play. If I want to continue my career, then I’ve got to show guys I can cast Brad Hunt, who has seven goals and eight assists in 44 games, play.’” aside. Fair or not, despite a pretty solid first half, Hunt hasn’t even played since Jan. 9. Boudreau said Sunday he “would love” if somebody picked up Seeler “because he’s a tremendous person and works so hard in practice.” Hunt did get spot duty on the power play during Monday’s practice, so perhaps he’ll draw into Tuesday’s lineup over Pateryn. After being informed by media members after Monday’s practice that Seeler was indeed claimed by a division rival, Boudreau said, “Good for “If we were Boston, I’d be playing (Seeler) every second game, working him. Good for him. He’s a great kid. It’ll make for another interesting him in, but we’re not,” Boudreau said. “We’re fighting for our lives. We’ve moment for (Tuesday’s) game.” got two weeks to fight for our lives here, you know.”

It’s uncertain as of now if Seeler will actually make his Blackhawks debut The inference is the Wild couldn’t afford playing a defenseman who against his old team. He hasn’t played in two months, and Blackhawks would be understandably several steps behind the competition. GM Stan Bowman texted The Athletic that he was unsure yet about Chicago’s lineup plans against the Wild. He plans to meet up with the In the meantime, the Wild had two good days of practice with the hope of team and talk to Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton on Tuesday. getting back on track following Saturday’s 6-1 whipping from the Boston Bruins. NEWS: #MNWILD DEFENSEMAN NICK SEELER HAS BEEN CLAIMED OFF WAIVERS BY CHICAGO. Not surprisingly, Boudreau scrambled up the lines.

THE #MNWILD WOULD LIKE TO THANK NICK FOR HIS HARD WORK While the top line of Zach Parise-Eric Staal-Mats Zuccarello stayed ON AND OFF THE ICE AND WISH HIM THE BEST OF LUCK WITH intact, Boudreau had to do something about the second line following a THE BLACKHAWKS. (EXCEPT FOR TOMORROW NIGHT… ) poor game from Jason Zucker-Victor Rask-Kevin Fiala. Rask, demoted to the fourth line Saturday night, was predictably the 13th forward in — MINNESOTA WILD (@MNWILD) FEBRUARY 3, 2020 practice the past two days and looks to be a scratch Tuesday night.

With Brent Seabrook and Calvin de Haan out for the season, and Philip Luke Kunin, for the first time in weeks, will move from right wing to center Holm heading back to Europe, the Blackhawks don’t have a lot of depth and play between Zucker and Fiala. on the blue line beyond seven or eight players. So, Seeler could end up being a depth defenseman in Chicago as well. “I hate breaking up Kunin and (Joel Eriksson) Ek, but I’ve gotta believe this will give the (second) line a little bit of energy,” Boudreau said. The Blackhawks are currently ninth in the Western Conference — three points from a playoff spot and four points ahead of the 12th-place Wild. Eriksson Ek will center Jordan Greenway and Marcus Foligno and captain Mikko Koivu will remain on the fourth line with Ryan Hartman and As one Wild player joked in the locker room after Monday’s practice, recent scratch Ryan Donato entering the lineup as Koivu’s left wing. “Hopefully Seels doesn’t kill someone tomorrow (if he does play). He’s got a lot of pent-up frustration.” The Wild also spent most of Monday’s practice working on their penalty kill. The Wild have given up 30 power-play goals in their past 87 penalty- In 99 games with the Wild, Seeler, a former Gopher, scored two goals, kill opportunities and have sunk from eighth in the league to 30th in the nine assists, amassed 93 penalty minutes and was an even plus-minus. NHL on the penalty kill in a nine-week span. After a tough first-year pro with Iowa in 2016-17, Seeler was one of the prospect pool’s most improved players in 2017-18. He impressed so “We looked pretty stale (Saturday),” Boudreau said. “The sluggishness much in Des Moines, he was recalled to Minnesota and was terrific, with nine days off was there, so I thought a good skate was needed. We assisting on four goals and being a plus-10 in 22 games. definitely need a different result. … I know it seems like eons ago that we were 8-0-3, but we played the same way every night, whether guys were in the lineup or out of the lineup. Obviously we need an 8-0-3 run to get back to where we want to be. We’ve got seven games in the next two weeks and most of them are versus the West, so it’s make-or-break time right now.”

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174312 MontrealCanadiens Kotkaniemi was assigned to Laval one day after the Canadiens demoted 21-year-old defenceman Cale Fleury, who was an NHL rookie but played 60 games with the AHL team last season.

'This is a good stop for me,' Kotkaniemi says of demotion to Rocket The reinforcements, while making the Rocket stronger, hardly paid immediate dividends. Laval outshot Belleville 43-17 Friday night, but lost "Frustrating is a good word. Things didn't work well. I didn't play that 4-3, and fell 5-4 in overtime on Saturday. The Rocket hosts Utica much," he says as potential rift with Habs coach Julien surfaces. Wednesday night before beginning a five-game, 10-day road trip on the weekend.

“I’m not upset, but we need to be better,” Bouchard said. “What’s wrong HERB ZURKOWSKY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: February 3, with trying to be better? What’s wrong with raising the bar? We’re not far 2020 off. We have some good moments in games, but we’re not as tight as we should be. I think they’ve had enough of losing games we should win. Now it’s time to do those little details a little better. It starts in practice. This was a side of Jesperi Kotkaniemi we’ve yet to see. Gone was the constant smile and positive attitude. The answers were short, the voice “I’m not against them. I love those guys.” spoken barely above a whisper at times. Meanwhile, winger Cox, who hasn’t scored a goal since Nov. 27, suffered Perhaps this was the result of, at times, a gruelling 60-minute Laval what appeared to be a serious lower-body injury during Monday’s Rocket practice on Monday, followed by a video session ordered by head practice. Bouchard had no immediate update but admitted it didn’t look coach Joël Bouchard? Or maybe, 48 hours after being demoted to the good. Cox has three goals and 12 points in 41 games. minors, reality finally is starting to sink in for Kotkaniemi, a former first- Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.04.2020 round (third overall) draft choice by the Canadiens in 2018.

“He was very happy Saturday, after the game. That’s part of being a pro,” Bouchard said. “We rode him hard today. That doesn’t bother me. They’re hockey players. It’s okay if they have a little cut on the lip … if they’re not always happy.

“He’s a great kid. What you’re talking about, I didn’t see it. He did a lot of good things in practice today. It’s part of their job to talk to the media, but it might not be their strength. You have to respect that. Not everyone’s good in front of a camera. That doesn’t bother me.”

After being a healthy scratch last Thursday in Buffalo, the Canadiens assigned Kotkaniemi to their American Hockey League affiliate two days later. Whether it was a sophomore jinx, the production was missing this season for the 19-year-old Finnish native.

He scored only six goals, adding a pair of assists, through 36 games. He had gone six games without a goal, and only had one score to show for his last 12 games. Kotkaniemi also had a team-worst plus/minus rating of minus-11.

The 6-foot-2, 185 pounder also battled injuries this season, missing seven games with a groin injury and eight more with a concussion.

Canadiens head coach Claude Julien said the prospect hasn’t found his game and probably has lost some confidence. Perhaps, but after playing his first game Saturday night with the Rocket, Kotkaniemi called it his “favourite game” this season.

Although Laval lost 5-4 to Belleville for the second time in two nights — squandering a three-goal lead with fewer than six minutes remaining in the third period — Kotkaniemi played on the first line, between Charles Hudon and Joe Cox. Kotkaniemi contributed an assist on Hudon’s 21st goal, scored on the power-play.

If Kotkaniemi was sending a message to Julien, he denied that Monday. But reading between the lines of some of what he said, it appears a chasm might exist between the player and the Montreal coach.

“I think frustrating is a good word,” Kotkaniemi said. “Things didn’t work well. I didn’t play that much. It didn’t work. This is a good stop for me, hopefully. I should get more ice.

“I’m excited to come here, see these guys and play with them,” he added. “I Just love hockey. That’s me … playing with the puck. I like that they have a clear system here. Everyone here knows what to do when they’re on the ice. I like that.”

In Laval, Kotkaniemi almost certainly will average more than the 13 minutes he was logging most nights with the Canadiens. And he’ll be counted on to improve his efficiency on faceoffs, which stood at 42.8 per cent.

“I was doing the best I can with those third-line minutes,” he said. “Sometimes it’s dump and chase. Sometimes I can do something with the puck, too.

“If I can play a lot here, why not? Why not stay here?” 1174313 MontrealCanadiens Gallagher believes confidence is huge in the NHL, especially for a young player.

“You’re not going to be able to do what you do if you don’t have belief,” Stu Cowan: Best place for Canadiens to develop Kotkaniemi is Laval Gallagher said. “Confidence comes from two things. Obviously doing it in the past … you’re not going to believe in yourself if you haven’t been able "We’ve talked about this a lot … everything around here has to be to do it in the past. There’s obviously recent success that leads to that. earned, nothing can be given," Habs standout says. When you’re able to put those two things together, you start to feel good about your game and instincts take over. That’s when players are at their

best because we’ve been doing this our whole lives. And when you’re STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: February 3, 2020 able to just trust your instincts, you don’t think the game, things happen naturally and you’re able to just go play and you seem to have results that way.”

A downside to being a high first-round pick at the NHL Entry Draft is that The Canadiens are telling Kotkaniemi to just go out and play. you’re always going to be compared with players who were selected after you. It was the right decision.

That’s what’s happening with Jesperi Kotkaniemi, after the Canadiens Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.04.2020 sent him down to the AHL’s on Saturday. Kotkaniemi, the No. 3 overall pick at the 2018 NHL Draft, had 6-2-8 totals in 36 games with the Canadiens and was a team-worst minus-11 when he was demoted.

The player Kotkaniemi is being compared with the most is left-winger , selected by the Ottawa Senators with the No. 4 overall pick at the 2018 draft. Tkachuk has 15-14-29 totals in 52 games this season and is minus-15. In 115 career NHL games, Kotkaniemi has 17- 25-42 totals, while Tkachuk has 37-37-74 totals in 123 games to go along with 137 penalty minutes from his gritty, pestering style of play.

Another player Kotkaniemi is being compared with is defenceman Quinn Hughes, who was taken by the Vancouver Canucks with the No. 7 overall pick at the 2018 draft. In 52 games this season, Quinn has 8-31-39 totals to lead all rookies in scoring and rank seventh among NHL defencemen through Sunday’s games.

One of the big reasons the Canadiens drafted Kotkaniemi is because they were in desperate need of a future No. 1 centreman. The 19-year- old still might develop into that and it’s far too early to say if the Canadiens made a mistake by drafting him, but there’s no doubt Tkachuk and Hughes are way ahead of Kotkaniemi so far in their development.

“He’s still a young player,” the Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher said Monday about Kotkaniemi being sent down. “I think this is something that you have to use as a positive. I think it’s going to be a good opportunity for him to go play, play some minutes. We’re in a position here where we have a lot of bodies, a lot of guys competing for those opportunities.

“We’ve talked about this a lot … everything around here has to be earned, nothing can be given,” Gallgher added. “In these spots and these opportunities, I think him having to work a little bit harder and to earn these opportunities is only going to benefit him further on in his career and he’s going to appreciate that much more. You see how special a talent he is, he’s obviously going to be a good player for a long time and this is just going to be a chance for him to play some minutes, to work on his game, build some confidence. And when he comes back, which he obviously will, come and be a good player for us.”

Gallagher said he can’t relate to Kotkaniemi being compared with players drafted after him. The reason is that Gallagher was selected by the Canadiens in the fifth round (147th overall) at the 2010 NHL Draft. Gallagher’s 168 career goals rank fifth among all players selected at that year’s draft.

“I don’t know who was taken around me,” Gallagher said with a chuckle and a big smile. “Once you’re in the league, it doesn’t really matter. All that stuff is probably outside noise that shouldn’t really have an impact. There will be comparisons made and things that (Kotkaniemi) will have to hear. For the most part, his goals shouldn’t be to be better than those players. His goals should be a little bit more short-sighted, what he wants to accomplish himself. When you set your mindset right, you kind of enjoy the game a little bit more.”

Canadiens head coach Claude Julien said Kotkaniemi was sent to the AHL so he would be in a better position to learn from his mistakes and not be so worried about making them.

“The American league, I was a coach there, it’s really a development league,” Julien said. “You let the player play and you correct the errors along the way. We want him to improve, we want him to regain confidence, and that’s the best place for him at this moment.” 1174314 MontrealCanadiens Drouin still not ready to return Jonathan Drouin was among four players who did skate Monday morning

in Brossard, along with Ryan Poehling, Jordan Weal and goalie Charlie Canadiens Notebook: Carey Price sidelined with flu bug Lindgren. But Drouin, who hasn’t played since having wrist surgery on Nov. 18, didn’t make the trip to New Jersey and won’t play Tuesday night Goalie doesn't make trip to New Jersey for Tuesday's game and Cayden against the Devils. Primeau gets called up from AHL's Laval Rocket on an emergency basis. Julien has said for the last few days that Drouin is close to returning to the lineup, but there’s no timetable for Paul Byron, who hasn’t played since having knee surgery on Nov. 19. STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: February 3, 2020 When asked if Byron would play again this season, Julien said: “There’s

no doubt there. It’s just a question of time there. I think he’s getting closer With a flu bug going through the locker room, Canadiens coach Claude from my discussions with the medical staff. Hopefully soon he jumps in Julien decided to cancel a scheduled practice Monday morning in with us.” Brossard before the team headed to the airport and an afternoon flight to Drou n’a rien perdu de sa précision.@jodrouin27 hasn’t lost his New Jersey, where they will play the Devils Tuesday (7 p.m., TSN2, touch.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/saGqlIA3Rf— Canadiens Montréal RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM). (@CanadiensMTL) February 3, 2020 Later in the day, the Canadiens announced that goalie Carey Price had Folin called up from Laval fallen victim to the flu bug and didn’t travel with the team to New Jersey. Cayden Primeau was called up from the AHL’s Laval Rocket on an With the flu bug going through the locker room, the Canadiens called up emergency basis Monday afternoon. With the Rocket, Primeau has a 12- Christian Folin from the AHL’s Laval Rocket on Monday morning in case 7-2 record with a 2.70 goals-against average and a .899 save they need a defenceman Tuesday night in New Jersey. Victor Mete is percentage. Primeau made two starts with the Canadiens earlier this among the players fighting the flu. season, posting a 1-1-0 record with a 2.52 GAA and a .931 save percentage. The Rocket called up goalie Michael McNiven from the Folin last played with the Canadiens on Oct. 19 and had only one assist ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals. in five games before being sent down to the Rocket. In 15 games with the Rocket, he has 1-3-4 totals. “It’s not just a Montreal thing, it’s a league thing,” Julien said Monday morning about the flu bug. “Every year — every team I know I’ve been on Tomas Tatar on Jonathan Drouin's recovery.#GoHabsGo — we go through that and it’s usually this time of year. A lot of different pic.twitter.com/EHGKLfuylV— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) reasons. Obviously, the flu bug being around, there’s fatigue. These guys February 3, 2020 put out a lot of energy. They’re always together. Everywhere you turn Gallagher left AHL behind around you’re touching the same thing, so it just takes one or two players. Door handles … it can be anything. We try and do our best. We Gallagher played only 36 games in the AHL, posting 10-10-20 totals with disinfect the room, we encourage guys to use the disinfectants that are the Hamilton Bulldogs, before getting called up by the Canadiens for the everywhere in the dressing room and do the best they can.” start of the 2012-13 strike-shortened season.

Brendan Gallagher said the players get flu shots but that they don’t He never played another game in the AHL after that. always work. “It was a little bit different for me because it was the lockout,” said “Every team deals with this,” Gallagher said about the flu bug. “Energy’s Gallagher, who was selected by the Canadiens in the fifth round (147th important. Got to conserve your energy when you can and I think (Julien) overall) at the 2010 NHL Draft. “The lockout ended and then played a probably kept that in mind when he was making his decision (to cancel (AHL) game in Rochester. I think there were four or five of us that they practice). As players, it’s our job to do what you need to do to get ready were bringing to camp. So we played our game, came to Montreal early to play a game.” and then it was maybe a five-day training camp and then they picked the team. So there wasn’t really too much time to really earn your spot on the Before being sidelined with a concussion suffered during a game on New team. I think that was kind of done playing in Hamilton. Year’s Eve in Carolina, Gallagher had played in 229 consecutive games, dating back to Feb. 11, 2017, which means he had been able to avoid “They kept me around, felt like I could contribute,” Gallagher added. “I the flu bug. didn’t play the first game against Toronto and then I just remember the next night I got in — I think it was against Florida — and you just try to How? make the most of it. You’ve played hockey your whole life. When you get “I don’t know … strong immune system?” Gallagher said. “Probably a those opportunities you try not to make it any bigger than it is. You just little bit of luck. Take care of yourself, do all that stuff. But when it hits try and do what you’ve always done as a player and have that trust that you, you don’t really see it coming and you just got to deal with it when the work you put in is going to get rewarded.” you do.” A warrior mentality.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/VjI4odnbGX— The reason why practice was cancelled this morning.#GoHabsGo Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 3, 2020 pic.twitter.com/I54Elci8FH— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) Habs need long win streak February 3, 2020 With a 24-23-7 record, the Canadiens need a long win streak if they want Gallagher feeling good to avoid missing the playoffs for the third straight season and the fourth Gallagher has played three straight games now — and scored two goals time in five years. — since fully recovering from a concussion. Gallagher missed four The longest win streak they have had so far this season is three games, games after the concussion, returned to play one game before which they have done three times. They also have two eight-game experiencing headaches, and then missed six more games. winless streaks. “I feel good,” said Gallagher, who has 17-18-35 totals in 44 games this “If we won three games and lost one and won another three we’d be OK,” season. “I’m looking forward … I already put that (concussion) behind Julien said. “But its more about we haven’t had a long, long winning me. After I played the (first) game and went through the next day streak and that’s what we need right now. I think part of it is with the everything was fine. I haven’t really had to think about it all that much. situation that we’ve had with injuries and that. Again, before the injuries I Like I said, I had full confidence in these guys (on the medical staff) that thought we were in a good spot. We were in a playoff spot and had we they were going to be able to follow the proper steps, proper protocol, stayed healthy could we have gotten those winning streaks going and and make sure my health was first and foremost. They did that. For me stuff? We don’t know that. But I think right now what we have to control my job is to play and I’m just happy to get back to doing that.” or think about is what’s in front of us and we need a winning streak right Gally's feelin' fine.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/O0HDkFV7PG— now. There’s no hiding that fact that if we’re going to get back in the race Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 3, 2020 we’re going to need a big winning streak and that’s what we need to do.” Atterrissage au Garden State. Brrrr… #GoHabsGo | @nsuzuki_37 pic.twitter.com/TENO1F1BCe— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 3, 2020 Touched down in the Garden State.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/67w4xI1HBd— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) What’s next? February 3, 2020 The Canadiens will fly home after Tuesday night’s game in New Jersey Devils have Habs’ number and have a practice scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard. They will play the Anaheim Ducks Thursday night The Devils rank 29th in the overall NHL standings with an 18-24-9 at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM) and record, but they beat the Canadiens in each of their first two meetings then practise at 11 a.m. Friday in Brossard before facing the Toronto this season. The Devils won 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 16 and 6-4 on Nov. Maple Leafs Saturday night at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., CBC, SN1, SNE, 28 with both games at the Bell Centre. TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

“We haven’t talked about that all that much,” Gallagher said when asked Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.04.2020 about those two games. “Today was reviewing last game (a 4-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday). But, you know, it doesn’t matter where you are in the standings, anyone can beat anyone on any given night if you play. If you’re not prepared to work, you’re not prepared to do all the things that you need to do to win, you’re not going to get the results that you want.

“What they’re going to do isn’t all that important,” Gallagher added about the Devils. “I think we need to focus on ourselves and as of the last little stretch here we’ve had some pretty good energy, we’ve been competing hard. As long as we bring that to the rink every night and continue to follow our structure, we give ourselves a chance. But it’s desperation level for us now where every point is critical and you can’t let any slide by.”

Célébration au banc. @nsuzuki_37 with the bench celly.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/gDuf8CRHoW— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 3, 2020

Kulak finds his game

After being a healthy scratch for two straight games, Brett Kulak has played in the last six and has earned a regular spot on the second defence pair beside Jeff Petry.

“He’s playing well,” Julien said about Kulak, who has no goals and five assists in 39 games and is minus-1. “I really like his game. There were sequences this year where he had difficulty. But when he keeps his game simple he’s at his best. When he moves the puck quickly with a simple pass, don’t complicate the play. He’s a guy we’ve always liked his skating stride. He closes the play quickly. That’s one of his strengths. When he moves the puck like he’s moving it lately it makes a big difference.”

Kulak has also been happy with his play recently after a bad start to the season when he was a healthy scratch for eight of the first 16 games.

“It’s been a bit of a process with my start,” he said. “But it’s been going along and try to change things and prepare a little differently and find what works again and adjust to the kind of role you’re expected to do within the team. So, yeah, lately things have been going good.”

What did he change?

“I think it’s just my ability to put the game that just finished behind me and then start looking forward to the next one,” Kulak said. “Use the time you’ve got in between to prepare your body and just work in practice and be ready for the team that you’re playing next and just kind of keep doing that cycle. I think that’s something that helped me.”

There’s also a comfort level with Petry.

“Yeah, I think so,” Kulak said. “He’s a really good player and he makes the game a lot easier. I enjoy playing with him a lot. He skates so well and he moves the puck. He can usually give me the puck when I got a little extra time and I can make the next play. So, yeah, I like playing with him.”

Kulak and Gallagher were teammates for two seasons in junior with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants.

“He’s just a really good player,” Gallagher said. “I played with Kuly in junior and you can see he’s always played that same way. He’s been a smooth skater and he makes really good passes and he thinks the game really well. And when you do those three things — especially the way the game’s going — you’re going to be able to play well. For him, the more and more opportunities he seems to get the more he takes advantage of it, which is obviously what you’re looking for in players.” 1174315 MontrealCanadiens “If you’re looking to win the Stanley Cup, Timmins is not going to bring you there,” said Simon Boisvert, who is a regular commentator on scouting matters on French language sports station 91.9 FM. “Whatever excuse they come up with, it’s clear after 17 years that he’s not going to What the Puck: Poor drafting has handcuffed Canadiens for 17 years bring you a team that will compete for the Stanley Cup.”

The biggest reason that the Canadiens have not been contenders in The Habs’ spin-meisters always go on about the great prospects coming recent years is Trevor Timmins' terrible drafting history. down the pipeline. It was Kotkaniemi, then it was Poehling and, now that both are faltering, they’re talking up Cole Caufield and Alexander

Romanov. And maybe they’ll pan out, but maybe they won’t. BRENDAN KELLY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: February 3, 2020 As Price famously put it last summer in the quote of the year: “We’ve got a great future with our prospects. … So it’s good to have depth in your system, but for me personally, being on the ice, it’s kind of irrelevant until It’s only been a couple of days, but already the cheerleaders are doing I see somebody in the lineup, you know?” cartwheels to explain how demoting Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the Laval Rocket after a year-and-a-half with the big team is perfectly normal. How Timmins hasn’t shown us the players for the past 17 years and that’s the KK is still very much a No. 1 centre and this stint in the minors will only biggest reason the Canadiens have never been in the Cup discussion help him. during that period.

And they’re adding how it has nothing to do with poor management Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.04.2020 practices on the seventh floor of the Bell Centre.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually think Laval is where Kotkaniemi should be. He has looked downright lost since January 2019 and is clearly not NHL- ready. But he never was. That’s the point. Saku Koivu was right. He should never have been tossed into the shark-infested waters of the NHL in fall 2018. He should’ve played another year in Finland, as Koivu suggested, or spent that season with the Rocket.

But the Habs manage by public opinion and they brought up Kotkaniemi too soon because the PR spin since the summer of ’18 is that it’s all about the youth movement and the bright future that’s lurking just around the corner. So it was just perfect for them to showcase a fresh-faced kid with a great smile, a great personality and a dimple for heaven’s sake.

Now they’re backtracking because they feel public opinion can live with them back-pedalling. So it’s a cynical move.

But that’s not today’s story. The real story is how the Kotkaniemi mess is only the latest example of assistant general manager Trevor Timmins’ downright mediocre drafting record since he took charge of the draft for the Canadiens 17 years ago. KotkaKid might turn out to be a decent NHL centre, maybe even an okay No. 1 centre somewhere, someday. But it doesn’t look good and based on the past season-and-a-half, the Canadiens would’ve been better off picking Brady Tkachuk or Quinn Hughes.

Kotkaniemi is a question mark and so far, not-so-good. But there are no question marks surrounding Timmins’ drafting history. It’s been mighty bad ever since he joined the Habs. Ask yourself this: Why are there only five players on the Canadiens’ roster who were drafted by the team? The five are Carey Price, Brendan Gallagher, Ryan Poehling, Victor Mete and Artturi Lehkonen.

That’s called failing consistently at the draft over a long period of time. Bergevin says it all the time and he’s right: The only way to truly build is to do it through the draft. The fact is Bergevin has been pretty successful in the trade/waivers game, picking up Shea Weber, Max Domi, Paul Byron, Jonathan Drouin and others. So if he’s good at trading and the team is set to miss the playoffs for the fourth year in five, then the drafting is the problem.

The other damning evidence is the bare cupboard in Laval. Despite of all the youth movement talk, there was no one in Laval to fill the gaps when injuries hit the CH hard this season.

Look at Timmins’ drafting history. In 2008, for example, the Canadiens selected Danny Kristo, Steve Quailer, Jason Missiaen, Maxim Trunev, Patrick Johnson. None of them ever played in the NHL. The Habs didn’t have a first-round pick that year, so we can look at 2009. That year’s class was led by first-round pick Louis Leblanc and it was a classic modern-day Habs draft saga. The draft that year was at the Bell Centre and there was much excitement about picking a francophone kid in the first round. And, well, the rest is history. He was a stiff.

So was everyone else Timmins picked that year. He has had some hits during the past 17 years, particularly in ’07 when he picked Ryan McDonagh, Max Pacioretty and P.K. Subban. And maybe his best pick ever was snapping up Brendan Gallagher at No. 147 overall in 2010. But you know the saying — even a broken clock is correct twice a day. 1174316 MontrealCanadiens consistently hard as Gallagher does. He’s scored two goals and three points since his return in Buffalo while in the four games Armia played, he had three assists.

Melnick’s GBU: The Canadiens keep waiting for a torpedo-like charge, · Ilya Kovalchuk: So when does he start to look like the over-the-hill and but they are made to tread water disinterested winger he appeared to be in Los Angeles? When does he hit this “wall” he was supposed to run into after 10-15 games? With reports of nothing less than a 2nd rounder emerging in any deadline deal for him, it’s starting to sound like the Habs are interested in keeping him By Mitch Melnick Feb 3, 2020 for next season. Whether they do or not, it’s difficult to imagine a better scenario for Suzuki than to be schooled by a future hall of famer.

A loss, a win, a win and another regulation time loss. That’s not the kind BELIEF FROM SOME TEAMS THAT THE PRICE TO RENT OUT ILYA of week the Montreal Canadiens desperately needed as they attempt to KOVALCHUK FROM MTL IS NO LESS THAN A 2ND RD PICK; ALSO catch some fairy dust on their playoff chase. HEARING HABS HAVE DISCUSSED MERITS OF KEEPING HIM B/C OF HIS POSITIVE IMPACT BOTH ON ICE/IN THE ROOM. STILL 3 After losing, as most teams do, to the Capitals, the Habs at least WEEKS TO GO BEFORE FEB. 24 BUT MIGHT BE 11TH HOUR positioned themselves to win their next three games to begin a pace DECISION. they’ll have to set for the rest of the season. — PIERRE LEBRUN (@PIERREVLEBRUN) FEBRUARY 1, 2020 After taking care of the Florida Panthers in one of their best-looking efforts of the season on Saturday, they needed to do the same to an · Dale Weise: Scored his only goal this season in his 500th career game equally hot team from Columbus (six straight wins; eight out of 10). But it last Monday against Washington. Weise has played the fourth line was too much to ask as some key players struggled while playing their energy type role pretty well since his return to his favourite NHL city. third game in four days. THE BAD Carey Price, who has been excellent of late (6-2 in his last eight starts), · Nate Thompson: Since scoring a goal against the Rangers in New York wasn’t quite as sharp as he needed to be while the defence pairing of on Dec. 6, Thompson has played 24 games with just one assist. In all but Shea Weber and Ben Chiarot struggled mightily in their own end. three of those games, including Sunday against Columbus when the And Claude Julien’s decision to sit Jordan Weal to get the bigger bodied Habs played catch up for the entire third period, Thompson has played Ryan Poehling into the lineup against the more physical Blue Jackets more than 11 minutes, and usually a couple of minutes more. backfired when Poehling was knocked off the puck in his own zone, · Max Domi: Finally scored his first goal of 2020 with time running out on leading to the opening goal by Vladislav Gavrikov. But it was Julien who Sunday afternoon against Columbus. He went 13 games without one. got caught with two thirds of his fourth line on the ice against the Blue Now, does he catch fire with the Canadiens’ playoff chances all but Jackets top line anchored by centre Pierre-Luc Dubois, who was the one gone? Claude Julien tried lighting one under Domi when Gallagher’s who outmuscled Poehling. return forced Kovalchuk onto a different line. But it was alongside Suzuki So there was plenty of blame to spread around, not just “mistakes” on the instead of Domi. Calling Jonathan Drouin. ice. · Power play: Remains stuck in neutral. Which means, on home ice, it’s There will be more weeks like this. The Canadiens will look good in still terrible. spurts. They’ll win some games but eventually will lose when they can’t (Courtesy Rocket de Laval) afford to. THE UGLY It’s who they are. · Jesperi Kotkaniemi/Cale Fleury/Ryan Poehling: All the Canadiens did Even with a decent stretch of games, the Habs remain a lot closer to 13th was send down two very young players, both of whom have shown place in the Eastern Conference than they do to a playoff spot. They’ve flashes of plenty of potential but whose on ice struggles mounted the also played more games (54) than all the teams they’re chasing while deeper into the season they got. In truth, it’s just been a mess of a teams right behind them – the Rangers and Sabres – hold four and two second year for Kotkaniemi. It doesn’t mean anything other than he games in hand, respectively. needs to play at a lower level and dominate on a regular basis, not So with each passing day, and reinforcements moved up the highway to simply show a flash or two of promise. Which is pretty much what TSN’s Laval, reality is setting in. Gord Miller suggested to us last season. And yet it was met with so much derision by too many so called Canadiens fans. Kotkaniemi at 19 is not a Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’ slippin’ into the future. bust, he’s just a little cracked and needs some mending. Fleury was handling his third pairing minutes fairly well, forcing older defencemen THE GOOD (Mike Reilly, Christian Folin) off the team. But he too, at age 20, needs · Nick Suzuki: It was a six-point week for the 20-year old centre who now more minutes on a nightly basis while Victor Mete and Marco Scandella sits fourth in rookie scoring behind Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar and the look more solid and consistent as the current third pairing on the Habs. injured Victor Olofsson. Whatever it might say is something else, but the Which brings us to Poehling, whose ice time in the last four games he’s bottom line right now is that good things happen when the puck is on played went from 12:38 to 10:41 to 8:33 to 7:04. All on left wing with Suzuki’s stick in the opposing zone. He’s become the Habs’ most Thompson in the middle. At this point, what is the point of doing this to a dangerous forward. 21-year old centre? The future might look better for the Montreal Canadiens. But at the moment it remains unwritten. · Jeff Petry: The first four-assist game of his NHL career Saturday against Florida was a Keith Yandle kind of game. And he almost had a The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 fifth late in the game while killing a penalty when his Patrick Mahomes- like pass to Artturi Lehkonen sent the winger in alone before he was stopped by Sergei Bobrovsky. Petry has emerged from his recent rough patch while helping Brett Kulak reestablish his game as well.

· Tomas Tatar: No coincidence the players whose names have been floating for weeks near the top of any trade rumors list are playing as well as they have all season. With goals in his last three games, Tatar reached the 20-goal mark for the sixth straight season. He’s now among the top 25 scorers in the NHL, one point ahead of Max Pacioretty.

· Brendan Gallagher and Joel Armia: It’s obviously a completely different looking team up front with these previously injured right-wingers back in the lineup. Armia’s physical presence and strength cries out for the need to get him some company. And very few people around the NHL play as 1174317 Nashville Predators “Yeah, 100%, I think it was just our mind-set. It was our intensity, our work ethic, showing up to play, being ready to play,” said Rocco Grimaldi, one of the players whose effort is not in question.

Soft, uninspired Predators still searching for a spark that may not arrive | This is clearly on the players at this point. They are professionals, and Estes many of them are being paid a lot of money to give their best.

If they’re not, can you coach effort? Or mentality?

Gentry Estes, Nashville Tennessean Published 5:00 a.m. CT Feb. 3, Hynes is trying. And he was understandably encouraged by the two 2020 | Updated 7:30 p.m. CT Feb. 3, 2020 games prior to Saturday night, both hard-fought, emotional road victories in which the Predators didn’t play fantastic hockey but showed toughness and overcame adversity. In Washington, they handed a tremendous Capitals team two goals with their own miscues and still managed to win. The big screen kept pleading in the final period for Smashville to come to The next night in New Jersey, they fought back and won a shootout. life and make noise, but there was no response. These were meaningful results. You could sense some momentum finally Much like the team that was on the ice. building. With the Predators, Saturday night’s 3-0 whipping by the visiting Vegas But then … nope. Just kidding. Golden Knights would have been surprising if this sort of thing hadn’t been happening all season. These Predators have teased like that too often, making you think they’re turning a corner before tossing out an uninspired dud like Saturday night. This game had arrived with promise. The Predators had won two in a row That has to be immensely frustrating for this team’s loyal, passionate on the road, results that felt big, perhaps heralding that much-needed fans, who are simply not seeing that passion consistently returned. change under new coach John Hynes for a team badly in need of a spark and points in the standings. And as inexplicably poor showings pile up, it’s becoming less “What’s wrong?” and more “What’s next?” The Predators had every reason to bring their best at home Saturday night, and they didn’t come close. A reckoning, sooner or later, is nearing. The NHL’s trade deadline is in about three weeks. There might not be a lot of flexibility in this roster for Instead, they spent most of the evening playing as if they’d rather be sweeping changes if things don't improve, but for an underachieving someplace else. Very little intensity or cohesion. No urgency on offense. team that already has fired its coach, the logical next step for general Poor body language. Just an uninspired, dismal effort. They were going manager would be to try to deal players not performing up to through the motions against an opponent that had much more energy expectations and salaries – and there are more than a few. despite having played the night before. And the Predators were dominated because of it. Either that or maybe you start scratching some bigger names and look at promoting more members of a Milwaukee team that is tearing up the The Golden Knights fired 29 shots on goal in the first two periods to the AHL. Predators’ eight. In the first period, the Predators had three power plays and two shots on goal. They’d at least care and play like it means something to them.

The final score should have been worse. Were it not for a strong For too many of these current Predators, that is not a given each night. performance in goal by Pekka Rinne, it would have been. And that remains the most worrisome problem in a season that has been full of them. Afterward, there were few answers. That's a trend, too. Tennessean LOADED: 02.04.2020 “Another home loss, and I guess the way it happened, too,” Rinne said. “They had a back-to-back, and it looked (like) they were the more fresh team. It’s just disappointing.”

As the guessing game continues of why the Predators stink, maybe there is no cure. Maybe this is just a bad team. We all look at the roster and know that shouldn’t be the case, of course, but the gap between what this team should be and what it is simply isn’t narrowing. By February, you are what your record says.

It’d be premature to write off the Predators’ chances to somehow get hot at the right time and make a playoff run as a low seed. That still could happen. But the sad truth is they’ve done nothing to inspire confidence that a sustainable shift in fortune is out there for them this season.

If talent is not the problem, then that means effort is the culprit.

And that’s what is so troubling.

Basically, this is a soft team. That’s not just physical. It’s mental, too. When things get tough, they often fold. Mental toughness, in fact, was the diagnosis from Hynes, who said addressing the Predators’ mind-set has been his first priority.

“When you come in as a coach because something happened to the previous coach, then something’s wrong,” Hynes said. “Sometimes it’s not all the coach. … Usually, it’s because results aren’t there, and when results aren’t there, then usually there’s a mentality, too. Teams become fragile. The mental toughness veers off. Sometimes a team isn’t as tight- knit as it needs to be. The pushback in the game isn’t there. The belief in what you’re doing isn’t there.”

Predators goalie Pekka Rinne on loss to Vegas Nashville Tennessean

Players are noting a changing mind-set under Hynes. They’ve agreed it was needed, that Hynes is near the bull's-eye. 1174318 Nashville Predators time to understand your players and understand where you can make an impact to improve things.

“Trust me, I trust in John Hynes as a coach with that group over there P.K. Subban: ‘I trust in John Hynes as a coach’ with the Predators and those players. I think he’s going to do a really good job.”

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020

By Adam Vingan Feb 3, 2020

NEWARK, N.J. — P.K. Subban is uniquely qualified to discuss the recent marriage between John Hynes and the Predators.

For three years, Subban played a significant role in the Predators’ unprecedented run of success, which included an appearance in the Stanley Cup final, a Presidents’ Trophy-winning season and two Central Division titles. When they traded him to the New Jersey Devils last June, he had the opportunity, albeit briefly, to play for Hynes.

Based on his experience on both sides, Subban sees them working well together.

“I really liked John Hynes as a coach,” Subban said last week. “I liked the way he operated every day, his demanding way of commanding guys to step up and perform and to play and hold guys accountable. I think that in Nashville, they’re in a position right now where they’ve had success over the past couple years and there’s some adversity. When I (was) there, we faced adversity a lot of times, and we responded well to it. That’s a character group there. I know that a lot of those guys care and want to win.”

After a summer highlighted by the arrivals of Subban and No. 1 pick Jack Hughes, the Devils entered the season with the hope of contending for a playoff spot. They went winless in their first six games and had the second-fewest points in the NHL when Hynes was fired Dec. 3. In four- plus seasons, Hynes had a .487 points percentage (150-159-45) and led the rebuilding Devils to one playoff appearance.

To hear Subban tell it, the Devils’ struggles weren’t a reflection of Hynes’ preparation.

“First and foremost, what (Hynes) did for me, coming to this team, it was one of the toughest training camps I’ve ever been in,” Subban said. “It was probably the first time I’ve ever gone into a training camp happy about training camp being as hard as it was, because I felt that that prepared our team the best out of anybody to be prepared to start the season. When I look at the way we skated compared to a lot of teams to start the year, we were prepared to play. But it’s a results-based business, and if you don’t win, regardless of whether it’s on the coach or the players, it doesn’t matter. You’ve got to be productive. For us as a group, we were all unsatisfied with the results that we had.”

Hynes, who turns 45 on Feb. 10 and is the fifth-youngest coach in the league, cut his teeth at the developmental level, spending six years as the head coach of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program before graduating to the American Hockey League in 2009.

The Predators are a veteran group with the oldest roster in the league, but Hynes’ ability to motivate players was part of what attracted the organization when it chose him to replace Peter Laviolette on Jan. 7. In his first month, Hynes has zeroed in on the mental side of the Predators’ game.

“I think (Hynes) is pretty cut and dry,” said Devils forward Wayne Simmonds, whom the Predators acquired at the trade deadline last season. “There’s no gray area with him. What he sees is what he tells you. They’ve got a lot of older guys on the team. Not older guys, but guys who are in that middle range from the age of 24 to 30. I think when you’ve been in the league a little bit, I think that’s what you want from a coach. You want a coach to be real upfront with you and give it to you straight. I think they probably appreciate that a lot.”

When the Predators hired Hynes, they extended his contract through 2022, adding an extra year to his deal with the Devils. Subban is confident that his former teammates will respond.

“He’s a guy who’s played the game and has a lot of ties in hockey and has learned working with the (NTDP),” Subban said. “It’s also just paying his dues here. He spent a lot of time here in an organization that’s been very successful with a lot of smart hockey people and learning from that. Also, look how quickly he was hired. That speaks volumes (about) how he’s seen around the league. But it takes time. I think sometimes it takes 1174319 New Jersey Devils

Devils recall Joey Anderson; Nico Hischier, Sami Vatanen miss practice | What it means

By Chris Ryan

The Devils recalled forward Joey Anderson from the AHL on Monday morning, and the second-year winger joined the team for practice at Prudential Center in Newark.

Center Nico Hischier and defenseman Sami Vatanen both missed practice due to injuries.

Hischier briefly left Saturday’s loss to the Dallas Stars to get stitches in his left knee, but he returned and finished the game. The Devils said he was still getting further evaluation from the medical staff on Monday morning, and he is considered day-to-day/

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Vatanen was also listed as day-to-day with a bruise from blocking a shot during Saturday’s game. Both Hischier and Vatanen are possibilities to play against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.

The Devils had just 12 forwards on the roster prior to recalling Anderson, so Anderson would likely jump into the lineup against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday if needed.

With the , Anderson had 34 points in 44 games and was named an AHL All-Star.

Here’s how the Devils lined up during Monday’s practice following the changes:

FORWARDS

Jesper Bratt - Jack Hughes - Kyle Palmieri

Blake Coleman - Travis Zajac - Nikita Gusev

Miles Wood - Pavel Zacha - Wayne Simmonds

Joey Anderson - Kevin Rooney - John Hayden/Ben Street

DEFENSEMEN

Andy Greene - P.K. Subban

Will Butcher - Damon Severson

Mirco Mueller - Connor Carrick

GOALIES

Mackenzie Blackwood/Louis Domingue

Star Ledger LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174320 New Jersey Devils

Do ex-Devils Scott Stevens, Patrik Elias have any interest in coaching? ‘I’m pretty content doing what I’m doing’

By Chris Ryan

There are plenty of Devils fans dying to see team legends Scott Stevens and Patrik Elias join the coaching ranks.

For Stevens, the desire to return doesn’t seem to be quite there right now. For Elias, his interest is certainly piqued.

Both addressed questions about their coaching futures on Saturday when both joined the Devils’ celebration of the 20th anniversary of the 2000 Stanley Cup. Stevens, who has held NHL assistant coaching jobs in the past, didn’t entirely shoot down the idea of returning behind a bench, but he didn’t sound like someone eagerly chomping at the bit to get back into the daily grind of an NHL schedule.

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“I’m not sure. I’ll think about it. I guess I’ve never closed the door. You never know. The right situation comes up, I’ve maybe listen, but I’m pretty content doing what I’m doing right now," Stevens said. "But we’ll see where it goes. I have a part-time job with NHL network. It’s not full time maybe seven, eight shows a month so we’ll see what happens.”

Stevens served as an assistant coach on the Devils in 2012-13 and 2013-14. He stepped down prior to the start of the 2014-15 season for personal reasons, but he did return as the co-coach of the team following the firing of Peter DeBoer in the December of 2014.

When John Hynes was hired by Ray Shero in May of 2015, Stevens was not retained as an assistant, with Hynes electing to bring in Alain Nasreddine to run his defense. Stevens took one season off before joining the Minnesota Wild as an assistant coach in 2016-17.

He stepped down from the Wild after one season to spend more time with his family, and he landed his gig with NHL Network, where he’s been ever since.

As for Elias, the Devils’ all-time leading scorer has been involved in coaching for the past two years, though in a much smaller capacity.

He was an assistant coach with the Czech Republic for the past two World Junior Championships, and he’s been occasionally returning to New Jersey to hop on the ice as a special assistant coach. Those stints last usually about a week.

When Elias retired in 2017, he said he would take his time and weigh his options on taking another job in hockey. Based on his experiences over the past two years, Elias has grown a passion for being behind a bench.

“Good question. We’ll see if any opportunities will come up. Obviously I’m done (with the Czech Republic), I was there for two years working with the junior national team. I liked it a lot," Elias said. "I’m glad my good friend Vaclav Varada, the head coach, asked me, and I got an opportunity to work with him. And we’ll see. It’s good to have options, and hopefully some options will open up and then I can make a decision and myself realize or at least come up with, maybe a game plan, and just see what I want to do and how much will I want to do it.

"And that was pretty much after I retired. People asked me, ‘Hey, now what are you gonna do all the time?’ Everybody needs some time to figure out what to do and I really enjoy being in hockey and being involved, hands on.”

Star Ledger LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174321 New Jersey Devils Brodeur seemed like he wasn’t a fan of it after working as an assistant GM under with the Blues.

Ray Shero might be gone, but his influence remains. Former Devils NJ Devils coaching search: Could a former great be the next one? coach John Hynes was hired by Shero’s mentor in Nashville, David Poile. Having worked with all three executives, I asked Hynes his thoughts on their management styles.

Abbey Mastracco, NHL writer Published 6:33 a.m. ET Feb. 3, 2020 | “Their big thing is that they like to have communication with the coaches Updated 4:25 p.m. ET Feb. 3, 2020 and they like to know what’s going on,” Hynes said. “They communicate well with things going on with them on the scouting side or the

management side that I may not have an awareness of, but they’ll let me It’s been a wild weekend in sports. We had a goalie fight in the Battle of know, ‘Hey, this is just a heads up.’ There are usually multiple Alberta and fourth-quarter Super Bowl comeback. conversations a day about what is going on and I think it’s important to have that type of relationship between a GM and a coach.” The state of Missouri might be victorious in hockey and football, but maybe the best moment of the weekend happened in New Jersey when On a personal note… former Devils’ winger Petr Sykora skated a lap with the Stanley Cup. I’ve never done this before and I may never do it again. I don’t like getting The Czech native was in a Dallas-area hospital when the Devils secured personal because when I write, it's not about me. their second championship in 2000 and was unable to take part in one of But really, this isn’t about me, it’s about sports, family and friends who the best celebrations in sports. It took two decades but he finally got his feel like family. chance. Earlier this month, my grandfather, William Maginnis (or Papa, as he Here’s what else went on New Jersey this week: came to be known after his grandkids were born), passed away at 91. He Scott Stevens took full advantage of all 91 years, serving in the Marine Corps during World War II and later working as a product and packaging engineer for The Devils have an interim coach in Alain Nasreddine and an interim Wesson Foods. Fun fact: He helped engineer the first squeeze-top general manager in Tom Fitzgerald. Neither of which ever played for the ketchup bottle and was influential in implementing bar codes on team. It’s common for fans to want former players to take leadership consumer food products. roles with the team, but it’s a tough position for those former players. But he was also a lifelong athlete who swam in the Olympic trials and New Jersey fans would love nothing more than to see Hall-of-Fame was still swimming a few days a week up until this past fall. Growing up defenseman and former Devils’ assistant and interim coach Scott in Baltimore, he played , but after enrolling at Johns Hopkins on Stevens at the helm in Newark, but after catching up with him Saturday the GI Bill and seeing his spot on the depth chart, he decided to run night, it sounds like his interest in coaching is minimal. cross-country and play on his fraternity team instead.

“I guess I’ve never closed the door and you never know if the right His first love was always lacrosse and he played in various leagues into situation were to come up, I may listen,” Stevens said. “But I’m pretty his 50s. There are still boxes of VHS tapes with lacrosse games he content doing what I’m doing right now.” recorded in the home he shared with my grandmother. We don't know what to do with them, so we just laugh. What he’s doing right now is seven to eight shows a month for NHL Network, emphasizing the word "part-time." The last time he had a full- He raised a family of four in Fullerton, California, and while he remained time NHL job it was on Bruce Boudreau’s bench in Minnesota, and he devoted to the Yankees, he also adopted the Southern California sports stepped away to spend more time with his family, so this part-time teams as his own, in particular, the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles position falls in line with what he was seeking in the spring of 2017. Angels. Most of the year, he would have a hockey game on TV and a baseball game on the radio at the same time. Patrik Elias Last fall, my dad’s best friend, Bob Peruch, died suddenly. A San While Stevens isn’t looking to get back into the coaching grind, Patrik Francisco Bay Area native, he was one of the biggest 49ers fans I’ve Elias might be. Elias has been working with the team as a special ever known. My dad, Vince, and his friends from high school, all gathered assistant in a development role this season, making periodic trips to New for a Super Bowl party in Sacramento, just as they've done for about 40 Jersey, where he still owns a home in Hoboken, to aid the Devils on the years. ice. But it was bittersweet without the jovial jokester of the group, Peruch. He also served as an assistant with the Czech junior national team for the last two years, but now that his contract is up he’s looking to what’s The world was rocked last Sunday when legend next. Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, former junior college baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri and their daughter Alyssa, Sarah Chester and “I’ve got to come up with a game plan and see what I want to do and how her daughter Payton, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan lost their lives much I would want to do it,” Elias said. “After I retired, people were in a helicopter crash. As someone who worked in Southern California, asking me, ‘Hey, what are you going to do with your time?’ Everybody interacted with Bryant and Altobelli and seen the impact they’ve had on needs to come up with a game plan but I really enjoy being in hockey, others, this unspeakable tragedy has me wanting to speak. being involved and hands-on.” Here is what I want to say: Tell your dad, your mom, your grandparents He’s not sure what, exactly, is next. If an NHL team were to call him, he or your fake uncles and aunts how much you love them. Tell your would pick up the phone, but he stopped short of saying anything coaches or your kids’ coaches how valued they are. definitive. Rib them about their sports team. Tease them about that jersey they “Those opportunities don’t come along and if they do, you better take it,” bought a few years ago with the player who is long gone. Tell them how Elias said. “They might never come. Not many coaches do get that much it means to be able to watch the Devils with them. Tell them how opportunity or ex-players. So we'll see” great it is to have them next to you when they win and how much better it Martin Brodeur and GM role feels to have them next to you after they lose.

It sounds like another former player, Martin Brodeur, doesn’t want a GM The trophies and the banners are great, but there is so much more to life. job, though it should be noted that multiple requests have been made to The relationships we form through sports are the real championship talk to him about it, and the team has not yet made him available to the trophies. local media. Bergen Record LOADED: 02.04.2020 Brodeur’s family is still primarily based in St. Louis. When he took the job in business operations in the summer of 2018 he took it for the work-life balance it would provide. The hockey operations side is a grind and 1174322 New Jersey Devils “All we want to see from those guys when they come up is, are they creating chances? Are they defensively responsible?” Nasreddine said. “We’ve talked about our defensive game lately, so everyone that’s going to come in play has to be better. Joey, what really like, he’s a reliable How NJ Devils' prospect Joey Anderson got his 'swagger back' in the player, he’s a smart hockey player on both sides of the puck. So I’m AHL excited to see what he’s going to bring.”

Whether or not he stays in New Jersey will likely depend on what the B- Devils the rest of the year. If they make the Playoffs then it Abbey Mastracco, NHL writer Published 3:41 p.m. ET Feb. 3, 2020 would benefit Anderson, as well as other top prospects like Jesper Boqvist, Brett Seney, Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian to stay in the minor leagues and play. NEWARK — Joey Anderson has always taken the approach that hockey is a game and games are meant to be played for fun. He’s lucky enough But for now, Anderson will get a chance to show how his season in the to do this for his career and he’s worked hard to get to this point, playing AHL helped bring back the joy of hockey. with the U.S. National Team Development Program and at Minnesota- “I’m so happy playing hockey again,” he said. “It’s so much fun going to Duluth. the rink, seeing the guys, hanging out, doing things away from the rink. But there was a period of time as recently as last season when the 21- It’s a new, refreshed look at everything and it’s helped my game on the year-old wasn’t having very much fun on the ice. Despite the fact that he ice.” was in the NHL, he wasn’t satisfied with how he was playing and he Bergen Record LOADED: 02.04.2020 couldn’t shake the feeling that came along with that.

His confidence had taken a hit even before he signed his entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils in April of 2018.

“When I came out of college it wasn’t great,” Anderson said Monday after the Devils practiced at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House. “I wasn’t really happy with where my game was coming out of my sophomore year. I haven’t really talked about that much.”

Anderson is back in the NHL feeling reinvigorated. With 15 goals and 19 assists (34 points) in 44 games for Binghamton of the American Hockey League, he was rewarded for his efforts with a trip to Ontario, California for the AHL All-Star Game and now a Monday call-up.

“I think I’ve got my swagger back,” Anderson said. “And not to say I didn’t have it before, but my confidence with the puck is higher than it’s ever been before. I’m confident making plays, defensively I want to be out there and I want to be out there in all situations.”

These changes didn’t come overnight. It was tough to develop his confidence in what turned out to be a tumultuous rookie season. Anderson didn’t make the team out of training camp last year and when he was promoted to the NHL he played limited minutes on a losing team.

Then, just 11 games into his NHL career, he went careening into the net and suffered the first major injury of his career. After returning from ankle surgery he bounced back and forth between Binghamton and New Jersey, unable to find his footing and unsure of his status on the team.

DEVILS: Could a former great be the next coach?

Anderson didn’t do anything exceptionally well in his first season but he didn’t show many weaknesses either. He just needed some refinement.

“He was a good college player and a player that could finish,” interim coach Alain Nasreddine said. “That doesn’t go away. Sometimes it’s just an adjustment, it’s gaining experience at the highest level. The game is a little faster here, the players are a little smarter defensively.”

Anderson watched as the Devils made several offseason acquisitions, knowing he may end up back in Binghamton. He came into training camp eager to grab one of those bottom-six forward spots but again, he started the season in Binghamton.

It wasn’t ideal, but it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to him.

“To be honest, it was a demotion,” Anderson said. “I wasn’t happy about it. It stunk. But we have a great group of guys down there, so we got down there and guys had a good attitude about things. We were approaching it the right way.”

HUGHES: NJ Devils coach Alain Nasreddine sends message to Jack Hughes

The B-Devils are 7-3-0 in their last 10 and have effectively turned their season around after a dismal start. Anderson has been a part of that, playing in all situations and getting big minutes in key late-game situations. Staying in one place allowed Anderson to settle into his role and his surroundings.

Offense is the next step for Anderson in the NHL, but it’s less about the numbers on the scoresheet and more about the overall impact on the ice. 1174323 New Jersey Devils Brodeur said he had first considered leaving the Devils when he became a 40-year-old free agent after leading the team to the 2012 Cup final in a last hurrah. But he re-upped for two seasons despite receiving offers at least equal to the one from New Jersey. Martin Brodeur knows Henrik Lundqvist’s Rangers struggle all too well “I couldn’t get myself to do it,” he said.

Two years later, though, eased out in favor of Cory Schneider, Brodeur By Larry Brooks February 3, 2020 | 6:01pm | Updated did do it, signing on for a brief 2014-15 run with the Blues, with whom he played seven games, started five and recorded the final three of his 691

victories and the last of his 124 shutouts. The franchise goalie, the franchise icon, was being displaced. Everyone “I can’t say what’s best for Henrik,” Brodeur said. “But the one thing I could see that. The trade deadline was approaching and for the first time, know is, you want to have options. I didn’t want other people deciding for serious talk circulated about asking him to waive his no-trade clause. me. I’m sure he feels the same way.” “I would have waived it if I was asked,” Martin Brodeur told The Post New York Post LOADED: 02.04.2020 Monday morning, for the first time revealing his thoughts leading into that 2014 deadline. “But Lou [Lamoriello] never asked me.

“For the first time, I was in the position of not playing much. I was fighting to get playing time. If there was a team that wanted me that I thought I could help win, I’d have gone.

“But it’s easy for me to say now, since I never actually had to make that decision.”

Let’s stipulate that Brodeur, who by that time had already won three Stanley Cups, is not Henrik Lundqvist. They are distinct individuals with different thought processes, different world views, and perhaps different priorities.

But if there is anyone on earth, or at least within the hockey industry, who can identify with Lundqvist’s current plight as he is eased out of the No. 1 goaltending slot on Broadway that he has filled since his rookie 2005-06 season, it is Brodeur.

If there is anyone who can understand the decision Lundqvist might have to confront if he is asked to waive his no-move clause in advance of the Feb. 24 deadline, it is the winningest goaltender in NHL history.

Martin Brodeur; Henrik LundqvistGetty, Anthony J. Causi

“I know what he’s going through,” Brodeur said before Lundqvist was pulled following the second period Monday night at the Garden after allowing four goals on 15 shots in the Rangers’ 5-3 defeat to Dallas. “When you’re an older goalie after a career of playing almost every game and suddenly you don’t get those starts, it breaks your rhythm and can play tricks with your confidence.

“Your entire approach and mentality is different. After a career of never being questioned as the No. 1, suddenly you are getting questioned. You just want to play, to have the chance to [reassert] your value. I think if [Lundqvist] played 10 out of the next 13 games, he’d get back to the level he’s been for his whole career.

“But it’s hard to do that at an older age when you get one start to prove yourself every once in a while.”

Lundqvist, who’d turned in a 33-save shutout in Saturday’s 1-0 victory in Detroit, was not at his best in this one behind a listless Rangers team in this back end of his first set of consecutive starts since late December. Who knows, though, when the next start will come with both Igor Shesterkin and Alex Georgiev — who played the final period Monday — lined up and ready to go?

Let’s all agree, though, that Lundqvist will not get the opportunity to start 10 of the next 13.

Brodeur, the Devils’ executive vice president of business development who has been acting as an adviser to the hockey department since GM Ray Shero was dismissed on Jan. 12, remembered a stretch in which he started two games in 31 days in 2013-14. Lundqvist had started twice since Jan. 2 before Saturday.

“Then I got a couple of starts in a row before the deadline and I know there was a lot of talk about me going, but it never came up,” Brodeur said. “I don’t know if anyone called and Lou said no.”

At this point, no team has made the call to general manager Jeff Gorton about acquiring Lundqvist. Among legit contenders, the Avalanche and Hurricanes could use a No. 1 for the playoff run. It is unknown whether the King, with one more year on his contract at an $8.5 million cap hit, would waive his no-move and go to either Denver or Raleigh if asked. 1174324 New York Islanders

Isles call up Kieffer Bellows to boost scoring

Kieffer Bellows shoots during Islanders prospect camp at Kieffer Bellows shoots during Islanders prospect camp at

By Brian Heyman

For those who haven’t seen Kieffer Bellows play hockey, here’s the scouting report — in his own words:

“I’d say I’m a power forward. I’m physical. I like to shoot the puck. I get in the dirty areas. And I just have a knack for finding the net.”

Just what the Islanders need. They’re ranked 22nd in the NHL in goals, and after scoring 15 of them in his last 26 games for AHL Bridgeport, Bellows was called up Monday for the first time.

The 2016 first-round pick led the Sound Tigers in goals (16) and points (24) in his 45 games. He immediately practiced for the Islanders in East Meadow as the third-line left wing.

“He deserves the opportunity to come up with his consistency, because he’s one of our ‘A’ prospects,” president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said. “We know he can score goals.”

With 32 games left, the Islanders head into Tuesday night’s game against Dallas at Barclays Center just 2-3-3 in their last eight. They hold the Eastern Conference’s second wild card — one point behind the Flyers and one point ahead of the Hurricanes and Maple Leafs — in an airtight race for a playoff spot.

The trade deadline is Feb. 24. “We’re looking to see where we might go,” coach Barry Trotz said. “We’re getting closer to the deadline. We’re looking for a goal here, a goal there. So we brought [Bellows] in. Take a look at him.”

Bellows will look to follow his dad, Brian, in the NHL goal-scoring business. The elder Bellows scored 485 of them across 17 seasons. His son scored 50 for the U.S. Under-18 Team in 2015-16 and 41 for Portland in the Western Hockey League in 2017-18. Now he’s in the NHL at 21.

“It’s such an honor and privilege to be here,” Bellows said.

The 6-1, 195-pound lefthanded shooter, who was in his second AHL season, had one goal and two assists after his first 19 games. He was scratched for the next two, had a talk with Bridgeport coach Brent Thompson about how to get better, and then took off.

“I was shooting the puck, but I felt I need to be more aggressive with my skating and just my whole mindset out there,” Bellows said. “I needed to be more assertive. Watching those two games from the stands really kind of made me sit back, kind of really focus on what I needed to do to improve my game and what I needed to do to help the team out . . .

“And I just went out there and just started to be more assertive, started carrying the puck more and just shooting more.”

Like Bellows, Anders Lee was born in Edina, Minnesota. The captain knows the kid’s potential.

“I skate with him in the summer; we have the same skating and shooting skills coach,” Lee said. “You’ve seen before how well he can shoot the puck. He’s a goal-scorer. He makes it look easy at times . . . Hopefully he can come up and make a big impact with us.”

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174325 New York Rangers

Henrik Lundqvist struggles in goal as Rangers no match for Stars

By DENIS P. GORMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS |FEB 04, 2020 | 12:19 AM

Joe Pavelski scored power-play goals 16 seconds apart, Stephen Johns and Blake Comeau helped chase Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and the Dallas Stars beat New York 5-3 Monday night.

Johns and Comeau scored 4:04 apart in the second period and Corey Perry also scored for Dallas, which improved to 30-18-4 with its second straight win. Anton Khudobin stopped 33 of 36 shots.

Pavel Buchnevich and Brett Howden scored first period power-play goals for the Rangers, and Brendan Lemieux added another on a man- advantage in the third. New York had won two straight coming out of the All-Star break and a bye week as the front office weighs its options ahead of the Feb. 24 trade deadline.

Henrik Lundqvist reacts as the Dallas Stars celebrate a goal by Blake Comeau during the second period.

"Every game is going to be key for us," Brady Skjei said. "We have a lot of big games ahead."

Johns played his fourth game since missing all of last season and the first 47 games of this one with post-traumatic headaches. He slammed a heavy slap shot 7:52 into the second period to break a 2-2 tie and give Dallas its second advantage of the game. Comeau followed with a snap shot from the left side at 11:56 to extend the lead to 4-2.

"I was open. I was calling for it," said Johns, whose parents were at the game. "It makes it pretty special."

Comeau's goal was the 14th in his career against Lundqvist, who was pulled after two periods having stopped 11 of 15 shots.

Buchnevich put New York up 1-0 with his power-play goal 2:29 into the game. Dallas has allowed the first goal in seven straight games.

Pavelski put Dallas ahead with two quick goals. He deflected John Klingberg's shot past Lundqvist at 8:08 for his first power-play goal, then connected again seconds later after Rangers coach David Quinn unsuccessfully challenged whether a shot from Tyler Seguin was out of play and was hit with a two-minute delay of game penalty.

Howden tied it with 4:19 left in the first. The goal was initially waved off after Bowden touched the puck with his hand, but a review showed he used his stick to knock the puck into the net and the call was overturned.

Alexandar Georgiev relieved Lundqvist and stopped 5 of 6 shots.

“We stopped playing for a bit and they took advantage,” Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad said. “We did some positive things but not enough.”

New York Daily News LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174326 New York Rangers

What went into Henrik Lundqvist’s Rangers benching

By Brett Cyrgalis February 3, 2020 | 11:28pm | Updated

The old-time smiles and exuberance lasted through Super Bowl Sunday, but that was it.

Because after Henrik Lundqvist collected his first shutout since 2017 on Saturday in Detroit, he lasted just 40 minutes before being pulled en route to his Rangers’ 5-2 loss to the Stars on Monday night at the Garden.

Lundqvist allowed four goals on 15 shots before being replaced by Alex Georgiev to start the third period, the Rangers down, 4-2.

“It was a tough game to play, that’s for sure,” Lundqvist said.

The Rangers are working within the three-goalie system that is not ideal for any of them, and coach David Quinn made it clear that part of the equation is the “human element.” With regards to Lundqvist, that means there is respect for what he has done in his career without losing sight of the way he is currently playing.

“You don’t treat every player the same. What you do is you treat every player fairly,” Quinn said. “When you’re 37 years old, and you’ve had the career Hank has had — and you’re still the goalie he is — there is a lot that goes into these decisions and the conversations you have.”

Georgiev gave up one goal on six shots, while Igor Shesterkin was a healthy scratch.

Chris Kreider did not play after he took the morning skate and was deemed a game-time decision. The winger took a knee to the head from teammate Mika Zibanejad on Saturday and did not return to that game, Quinn saying it wasn’t a concussion but just an upper-body injury.

According to the coach, Kreider was “hemming and hawing” to play, but was held out.

Quinn threw the lines into the blender for the third period, but Pavel Buchnevich was mostly on the bench, getting just two shifts in the final period and none over the 10:02.

“I didn’t like his game at all,” Quinn said. “I didn’t like a lot of his game, at all.”

Forward Phillip Di Giuseppe made his Rangers debut, starting in Kreider’s place on the top line with Zibanejad and Buchnevich. The 26- year-old winger, just called up from AHL Hartford, finished with four shots on goal in six attempts over 12:32 of ice time.

The fourth goal Lundqvist gave up was to Blake Comeau, who has been a curious career-long nemesis. It was Comeau’s 14th career goal against Lundqvist — the former Islander has 135 goals in 835 career NHL games — which tied him for the fourth-most goals against Lundqvist behind only Sidney Crosby (24), Alex Ovechkin (24) and Evgeni Malkin (20). He’s tied at 14 with the Devils’ Travis Zajac.

New York Post LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174327 New York Rangers The Rangers have just three even-strength goals in the past four games to go along with seven on the power play. That’s a hard way to win, and hard way to keep the postseason dream alive.

Henrik Lundqvist pulled in Rangers’ eye-opening loss to Stars “It just wasn’t enough,” Zibanejad said.

New York Post LOADED: 02.04.2020

By Brett Cyrgalis February 3, 2020 | 10:02pm | Updated

After a weekend of feasting on the delectable Winged Wheel, the Rangers bit into the Stars and cracked a tooth.

That happy little landing the Rangers had coming out of the break, sweeping a home-and-home with last-place Detroit, turned into a hard thud when a sturdy Stars team rolled into the Garden and rolled out with a 5-3 win Monday night.

After Henrik Lundqvist turned back the clock on Saturday night in Motown and collected his first shutout since 2017, he lasted just 40 minutes in this one, allowing four goals on 15 shots before Alex Georgiev replaced him. Lundqvist made some great saves, and allowed some tough goals, and so it goes for the Blueshirts — the inconsistencies sending their postseason hopes fading while the stark reality of the Feb. 24 trade deadline comes rushing forward.

“I don’t want to stand here and look for excuses or turning points or anything like that,” Mika Zibanejad said. “We did it to ourselves again, and it’s unfortunate.”

Well, coach David Quinn knew exactly when things turned for his Rangers (25-22-4), who scored two of their three power-play goals in the first period — while also giving up two power-play goals, both to Joe Pavelski — but then gave up a long bomb to Stephen Johns at 7:52 of the second period that gave Dallas (30-18-4) a 3-2 lead and turned the tide.

“It looked like we really got deflated after we gave up that third goal,” said Quinn, who also lost a challenge thinking a puck went out of play on the Stars first goal, giving them another power play that they converted on just 16 seconds later to take a 2-1 lead.

“It’s one goal, you’re still in the game. And then we got sloppy,” Quinn said. “It was really a tale of two games for us. I really liked what we were doing up to that third goal, and then we really got away from all the things we had been doing, and need to do, if we’re going to have a chance.”

The chance, of course, would be that long shot at the playoffs. But the bad things didn’t creep back into their game, they charged back.

“Holding on to the puck too long, cheating, not being physical enough — you name it,” Quinn said. “We weren’t good in many areas after they got that third goal.”

These young Rangers have shown glimpses of being mentally resilient, but, more often than not, there are big lapses in focus. Sometimes it hurts them, sometimes it doesn’t. So despite the Stars only getting 21 shots on net, they made them count.

After Johns scored, Blake Comeau continued his career-long assault on Lundqvist, beating him with a top-corner shot for his 14th career goal against the netminder, tied for the fourth-most of any player in Lundqvist’s career. Corey Perry was able to beat Georgiev to make it 5-2 early in the third, and essentially end the game.

“They’ve got men, they’re hard, they’ve got structure, they don’t beat themselves,” Quinn said of the Stars. “For the last 30 minutes, we just weren’t up for the challenge.”

The challenge in front of the Rangers now is rather monumental, and they know it. Complicating things a bit is the three-goalie situation, along with all the uncertainty as they approach the trade deadline. Quinn and his players want to focus on trying to win games, but for the youngest team in the league, they can get a little sideways at times.

The three power-play goals were nice, the first on a sharp-angle shot from Pavel Buchnevich — benched in the third — that goalie Anton Khudobin surely would want back. And then Brett Howden made a nice play to tie it, 2-2, at 15:41 of the first. But after Brendan Lemieux added the third of the night on the man-advantage in mop-up time, one stat just jumped off the page: 1174328 New York Rangers last hurrah. But he re-upped for two seasons despite receiving offers at least equal to the one from New Jersey.

“I couldn’t get myself to do it,” he said. Martin Brodeur knows Henrik Lundqvist’s Rangers struggle all too well Two years later, though, eased out in favor of Cory Schneider, Brodeur did do it, signing on for a brief 2014-15 run with the Blues, with whom he played seven games, started five and recorded the final three of his 691 By Larry Brooks February 3, 2020 | 6:01pm | Updated victories and the last of his 124 shutouts.

“I can’t say what’s best for Henrik,” Brodeur said. “But the one thing I know is, you want to have options. I didn’t want other people deciding for The franchise goalie, the franchise icon, was being displaced. Everyone me. I’m sure he feels the same way.” could see that. The trade deadline was approaching and for the first time, serious talk circulated about asking him to waive his no-trade clause. New York Post LOADED: 02.04.2020 “I would have waived it if I was asked,” Martin Brodeur told The Post Monday morning, for the first time revealing his thoughts leading into that 2014 deadline. “But Lou [Lamoriello] never asked me.

“For the first time, I was in the position of not playing much. I was fighting to get playing time. If there was a team that wanted me that I thought I could help win, I’d have gone.

“But it’s easy for me to say now, since I never actually had to make that decision.”

Let’s stipulate that Brodeur, who by that time had already won three Stanley Cups, is not Henrik Lundqvist. They are distinct individuals with different thought processes, different world views, and perhaps different priorities.

But if there is anyone on earth, or at least within the hockey industry, who can identify with Lundqvist’s current plight as he is eased out of the No. 1 goaltending slot on Broadway that he has filled since his rookie 2005-06 season, it is Brodeur.

If there is anyone who can understand the decision Lundqvist might have to confront if he is asked to waive his no-move clause in advance of the Feb. 24 deadline, it is the winningest goaltender in NHL history.

“I know what he’s going through,” Brodeur said before Lundqvist was pulled following the second period Monday night at the Garden after allowing four goals on 15 shots in the Rangers’ 5-3 defeat to Dallas. “When you’re an older goalie after a career of playing almost every game and suddenly you don’t get those starts, it breaks your rhythm and can play tricks with your confidence.

“Your entire approach and mentality is different. After a career of never being questioned as the No. 1, suddenly you are getting questioned. You just want to play, to have the chance to [reassert] your value. I think if [Lundqvist] played 10 out of the next 13 games, he’d get back to the level he’s been for his whole career.

“But it’s hard to do that at an older age when you get one start to prove yourself every once in a while.”

Lundqvist, who’d turned in a 33-save shutout in Saturday’s 1-0 victory in Detroit, was not at his best in this one behind a listless Rangers team in this back end of his first set of consecutive starts since late December. Who knows, though, when the next start will come with both Igor Shesterkin and Alex Georgiev — who played the final period Monday — lined up and ready to go?

Let’s all agree, though, that Lundqvist will not get the opportunity to start 10 of the next 13.

Brodeur, the Devils’ executive vice president of business development who has been acting as an adviser to the hockey department since GM Ray Shero was dismissed on Jan. 12, remembered a stretch in which he started two games in 31 days in 2013-14. Lundqvist had started twice since Jan. 2 before Saturday.

“Then I got a couple of starts in a row before the deadline and I know there was a lot of talk about me going, but it never came up,” Brodeur said. “I don’t know if anyone called and Lou said no.”

At this point, no team has made the call to general manager Jeff Gorton about acquiring Lundqvist. Among legit contenders, the Avalanche and Hurricanes could use a No. 1 for the playoff run. It is unknown whether the King, with one more year on his contract at an $8.5 million cap hit, would waive his no-move and go to either Denver or Raleigh if asked.

Brodeur said he had first considered leaving the Devils when he became a 40-year-old free agent after leading the team to the 2012 Cup final in a 1174329 New York Rangers The second Pavelski goal was the result of a failed challenge attempt by the Rangers, which resulted in the back-to-back power plays for Dallas.

"We thought (the puck) was 100% out," Quinn said. "Obviously, we had Postgame analysis: Henrik Lundqvist and the NY Rangers follow-up an angle that they apparently didn’t see, or there was a discrepancy. We shutout with a loss thought we had it. We thought for sure it was going to get called back, but we were wrong."

The Blueshirts' goals came from Pavel Buchnevich and Brett Howden. Vincent Z. Mercogliano, NHL writer Published 9:37 p.m. ET Feb. 3, 2020 | Updated 11:05 p.m. ET Feb. 3, 2020 Howden's goal came with three seconds remaining in the power play when he knocked down a rebound from a Kaapo Kakko shot with his hand and tapped it in with his stick. It was initially ruled no goal, but the referees reversed the call after a review. NEW YORK - No coach in the NHL is facing as much scrutiny over his nightly goalie choice as David Quinn. Now that's some / coordination from Brett Howden right there!!!! That's because no team is carrying three goalies quite as intriguing as #NYRpic.twitter.com/0ey2ZG2rPO the trio the Rangers have had on their roster for the past month. — Rangers on MSG (@RangersMSGN) February 4, 2020

There's the aging legend Henrik Lundqvist. There's the evolving Howden's goal tied the score at 2 — and gave Kakko his first point in 11 youngster Alexandar Georgiev. And there's the lauded rookie Igor games — but Dallas took control in the second period. Shesterkin. Stephen Johns scored on a one-timer at the 7:52 mark on a long shot As Quinn has repeated several times, "there’s a lot that goes into these near the blue line that Lundqvist didn't seem to see well, and about four decisions" regarding who will play each game. minutes later, Tyler Seguin fed Blake Comeau in a two-on-one situation The biggest factor, of course, is playing the goalie he thinks will give to increase the Stars' lead to 4-2. them the best chance to win that day. "I just really got deflated after we gave up the third goal for some "When a guy’s hot, you want to play him," Quinn said following Monday's reason," Quinn said. "We’re still in the game, and then we got sloppy. It morning skate at Madison Square Garden. really was a tale of two games for us. I really liked what we were doing up to that third goal, and then we really got away from all the things that The hot hand appeared to be Lundqvist heading into Monday's game we had been doing and need to do if we're going to have a chance — against the Dallas Stars. holding on to the puck too long, cheating, not being physical enough — you name it." The 37-year-old played only twice in the month of January, but after posting a shutout in Saturday's win over the last-place Detroit Red Dallas' fifth and final goal came when Corey Perry finished a rebound off Wings, Quinn decided to start him for the second consecutive game. Georgiev's pad at the 5:22 mark.

It likely won't reach three in a row after Lundqvist and the Rangers Brendan Lemieux scored the third power-play goal of the game for the suffered a 5-3 loss. Rangers, who were playing without forward Chris Kreider due to an upper-body injury he suffered Saturday. CHRIS KREIDER: Forward maintains focus; will not play Monday with injury "He was hemming and hawing," Quinn said of Kreider's reaction to sitting out. "He’s close." PREVIOUS GAME: Chris Kreider hurt; Henrik Lundqvist posts shutout More takeaways from Vin Two days after earning his first shutout since Nov. 19, 2017, Lundqvist stopped only 11 of the 15 shots he faced. It was a letdown performance The Lundqvist haters were quiet for a couple days, but they came out after one of his best of the season, although he wasn't helped by the barking Monday night. There's no way to spin a .733 save percentage as Rangers' propensity for allowing odd-man rushes. anything other than a lackluster performance, so I won't try. Lundqvist didn't have a good night. But I'm not sure if the Rangers win this game "We made some mistakes," Lundqvist said. "Unfortunately, I was unable with another goalie in net. Their penalty kill was bad, and the failed to clean that up a couple of times there." challenge really put them in a tough spot having to kill two in a row. They He was replaced for the third period by Georgiev, who allowed one goal also gave up a handful of odd-man rushes, with Lundqvist actually and finished with five saves. making a few key saves until Comeau beat him over the left shoulder. "I think we gave up 15, 16 scoring chances," Quinn said. "That number is Barring another shutout Monday, Lundqvist almost certainly wouldn't what you want — in that vicinity — but to me we gave up too many of the have started Wednesday's home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs grade A’s that we just can’t give up." anyway. It'll be rare for Quinn to go with any goalie three times in a row as long as Lundqvist, Georgiev and Shesterkin are on the active roster. I asked Quinn how he assessed Lundqvist's performance and the goals he gave up. "The fourth one the guy (Comeau) makes a hellvua shot," he "A guy might play two great games and get two wins, yet a guy who has said. "It goes off the post and in. The third one was a shot from the point, been playing well hasn’t played and you want to get him in there," Quinn a 60-footer. They do have traffic. The power-play goals, we really vacate. said. On the second one, we just make bad reads. We actually have the puck and fumble it. We kick it back to the left D and we try to go to the right D, The delicate juggling act continues. and we don’t make a stick-to-stick pass. It went to the back wall and our "It’s hard," Quinn said when asked if he could envision playing the same forwards end up getting overextended." goalie for three or four games in a row. "But if the other two aren’t doing Lundqvist said he was screened on the goal from Johns, which was the what they’re supposed to be doing, or there’s a guy clearly playing better softest he gave up. As for Comeau's goal, "he just beat me." than the other two, then that’s what will happen." Why did Quinn pull Lundqvist after two periods? "Just the feel; the mojo," Key moment he said. "It was more about giving us a little bit of a boost because we A wild first period ended in a 2-2 tie, with all four goals coming on special really got flat after that third goal. It was just a feeling." teams. My (fake) money is on Georgiev starting Wednesday against the Leafs. The Rangers (25-22-4) converted both of their power-play opportunities, He's the only goalie who hasn't received a start since the break, and while also allowing Joe Pavelski to score two power-play goals for the even though he allowed a combined 10 goals in two games against Stars in a span of 16 seconds. Toronto already this season, he did make 88 saves in those contests and has a career .929 SV% against them. Joe Pavelski scored two power-play goals in a span of 16 seconds. pic.twitter.com/C2D5uahVPr Quinn pointed to the third goal as the turning point, and the Rangers definitely played worse after that. But I thought a big moment was the — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 4, 2020 failed challenge. I can see why they thought the goal had a chance to be overturned, but I still haven't seen a replay that definitively proves the puck didn't go in. (We have the video embedded above with two different angles.) That's a spot where they really have to be sure because having to go right back on the power play is deflating.

After winning two in a row against Detroit, the Rangers clearly had a big step up in competition with Dallas. Really, almost any team would be a big step up in competition. But the players didn't want to buy into that narrative. "As cliche as it sounds, we try to come with the same mindset every game," Brady Skjei said. "We feel like it's all about us in here, not about the other team. We know how we need to play with our speed, with our skill, with our physicality. If we do that night in and night out, there's no way we have to worry about that our opponent. We feel like we can play with anybody in the league."

Quinn clearly wasn't happy with the effort from certain guys. He ended up leaning heavily on Artemi Panarin (24:36 time on ice), Mika Zibanejad (22:50), Ryan Strome (20:54), Filip Chytil (18:34) and Kakko (17:32). No other forward played more than 14:17. That was Buchnevich who, despite scoring, was benched in the third period. "I didn’t like his game at all," Quinn said.

And finally, our nightly standings update. At the time of this writing, the Rangers sat 10 points behind the Islanders for the final playoff spot in the East. The odds are growing longer by the day. "We definitely want to be good at home and make it a hard place to play," Skjei said. "These next four games and all the games past that are huge for us."

Bergen Record LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174330 New York Rangers He has more reasons to be distracted than any of them, yet he maintains that singular focus.

“We’ve got to win games,” he said. “We’ve got to climb the standings.” NY Rangers' Chris Kreider maintains singular focus; will not play Monday Trade talk vs. 'task at hand' with injury Perhaps the urgency to win is a subtle sign that Kreider knows it gives

him the best chance of sticking around. Vincent Z. Mercogliano, NHL writer Published 12:27 p.m. ET Feb. 3, He certainly won’t say that — at least not publicly — but every win and 2020 | Updated 6:52 p.m. ET Feb. 3, 2020 every goal and every play he makes must give the Rangers’ brass pause.

NEW YORK – Pro athletes are programmed to talk about taking it one On the other hand, it also increases his value on the trade market. day at a time, but Chris Kreider makes that rare type of singular focus It’s not impossible for the Rangers to come up with the salary cap room believable. to extend his contract beyond this season, although it’s unclear if he’ll A glaring example came following the Jan. 21 loss to the Islanders when insist on a seven- or eight-year deal or accept something more team- the 28-year-old forward was informed of his selection for his first NHL all- friendly in the five- or six-year range. They could keep him, but that would star selection. likely mean they’d have to move on from other players — particularly fellow winger Jesper Fast and one or two of their pending restricted free “I talked to management right after the game,” he said following agents. Thursday’s practice. “You’re a little off balance in a situation like that. You’re still trying to decompress from the game.” This is all being debated behind closed doors between Quinn, team president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton. Kreider is wired differently — hyper focused on the daily business of playing for the New York Rangers; not so much on anything else. “We have such an open dialogue between all three of us that inevitably all the conversations — you talk about everything,” Quinn said. “But that's That’s why, despite being the most talked about trade candidate in the never my purpose or my intention. My job and sole responsibility is to league as the Feb. 24 deadline approaches, he claims it’s not on his coach the players that are here — to coach our team. They ask me my mind. opinion on certain things and things of that nature. I just think it's just normal hockey dialogue when a head coach and a president and a GM “(You) can’t do your job at this level if that’s something — if you’re get together and talk.” thinking about anything else,” he said. “There’s always going to be other stuff outside of the rink. But as a professional athlete, you have to learn Protecting Kreider's health — and trade value — is another reason to to compartmentalize those things.” proceed with caution after what looked like a direct blow to the head.

New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) celebrates after scoring a He was unavailable for comment following Monday's morning skate, but if goal against the Nashville Predators during the first period at Madison he was, it's safe to assume his responses would have mirrored what he's Square Garden. said whenever contract or trade questions have been raised.

He seems to do that well. "Worry about the task at hand," he said Thursday. "There’s no such thing as pressure if you keep yourself in that present moment, and so that’s As the trade rumors have heated up — The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun said what I’m doing. I’m worrying about the games we have coming up." last week that “at least eight teams” are interested in prying Kreider from the Rangers — so has his game. Bergen Record LOADED: 02.04.2020 Kreider has scored in six of his last nine games and 11 of his last 18. In 49 games, he’s posted 35 points (18 goals and 17 assists).

A scary moment came in Saturday’s 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings, with Kreider taking an accidental knee to the back of the head from teammate Mika Zibanejad.

He did not return with what the team called an “upper-body injury,” but he participated in Monday’s morning skate at Madison Square Garden leading up to a 7 p.m. game against the Dallas Stars.

Rangers coach David Quinn called him a “game-time decision,” but shortly before the game it was revealed that Kreider would not play.

“He’s close, but I’m not sure if he’s going to play,” Quinn said in the morning. “You’re talking about a unique physical talent, for sure. All of that adds up to a guy who can recover quickly from situations like this.”

Kreider is a notoriously hard worker and may be the most gifted athlete on the team. He brings physicality along the boards and in front of the net — as evidenced by his league-high 33 tip-in goals since 2015 — and is probably the Rangers' fastest skater.

In fact, he’s one of the fastest skaters in the league. He showed that by placing third in the fastest skater competition at all-star weekend.

“It was a little daunting,” he said. “Having to go first and having it be the first thing that you do, I think I was more nervous for that than I am for most games.”

If Kreider is dealt, that unique skill set would be difficult to replace. His presence in the locker room would be, too.

“Apparently, I’m the resident old guy here now,” he quipped.

While he was partially joking, it’s no secret that he’s one of the team leaders. He’s the Rangers' longest-tenured forward and a respected voice in the eyes of young teammates. 1174331 New York Rangers Corey Perry scored on a rebound to put Dallas ahead 5-2 at 5:27 of the third period before Lemieux’s power-play goal at 13:17 closed out the scoring.

Henrik Lundqvist pulled in Rangers' loss to Stars Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 02.04.2020

By Colin Stephenson

Clearly, the Dallas Stars are a level or two higher than the Detroit Red Wings.

Coming off their weekend sweep of a home-and-home with lowly Detroit, the Rangers opened a four-game homestand Monday against the Stars, and things didn’t go nearly as well.

Henrik Lundqvist, who pitched a shutout Saturday in Detroit, was pulled after allowing four goals in two periods and was replaced by Alexandar Georgiev as the Rangers lost, 5-3.

The score was tied at 2 after a wacky first period that featured four power-play goals, but Dallas got two goals in the second period and took firm control of the game. Lundqvist exited after allowing four goals on 15 shots.

“I just thought we really got deflated after we gave up the third goal, for some reason,’’ said Rangers coach David Quinn, whose team outshot the Stars 36-21. “It really was a tale of two games for us. I really liked what we were doing up to that third goal, and then we really got away from all the things we had been doing, and need to do, if we’re going to have a chance. [We] hold on to the puck too long; [we were] cheating, not being physical enough. You name it, we weren’t good in many areas after they got that third goal.’’

Said Lundqvist, “We made some mistakes and unfortunately I wasn’t able to clean that up a couple times there. We had a stretch there, after the third goal, we gave up a lot of odd-man rushes and kind of got away from it a little bit.’’

Pavel Buchnevich, subbing for Chris Kreider — who missed the game with an upper-body injury suffered Saturday — scored for the Rangers at 2:29 of the first period on a shot from the left-wing boards that somehow got by Dallas goalie Anton Khudobin. But Dallas took the lead with two power-play goals from Joe Pavelski in a 16-second span.

Pavelski tipped in a shot by John Klingberg at 8:08. The Rangers challenged, arguing that a previous shot by Tyler Seguin had gone off Lundqvist’s stick and then the goalpost, ricocheted over the glass and rebounded onto the ice off the protective netting above the glass. Had they been correct, play would have been ruled dead at that point and the goal would have been disallowed.

After a long delay, the referees ruled against the Rangers, who were charged with a delay-of-game penalty.

“We thought it was 100% out, and obviously we had an angle they apparently didn’t see, or there was a discrepancy,’’ Quinn said. “We thought for sure [the goal] was going to get called back, but we were wrong.’’

On the ensuing power play, Pavelski scored at 8:24 as the Stars took advantage of a bad pass by Ryan Lindgren. Jamie Benn ended up with the puck behind the net and fed an onrushing Pavelski in the slot for a one-timer.

The Rangers tied it on a power-play goal by Brett Howden at 15:41 that initially was ruled no goal. Kaapo Kakko fired a shot that deflected up off a stick, hit Brendan Lemieux in the shoulder and popped into the air. Howden batted the puck down with his glove and swept it across the goal line.

Referee Trevor Hanson initially ruled no goal, saying Howden had batted the puck in, but upon review, it was determined that Howden had knocked the puck with his stick before it crossed the goal line, so the score was tied at 2-2.

But the Stars got second-period goals from defenseman Stephen Johns at 7:52 and Blake Comeau, on a wrist shot from the left faceoff dot, at 11:56. 1174332 New York Rangers

Rangers wing Chris Kreider scratched two days after taking knee to head

By Colin Stephenson

Chris Kreider was a full participant at the Rangers’ morning skate but was not in Monday night’s lineup against Dallas.

Kreider left Saturday night’s game in Detroit with what the Rangers said was an upper-body injury after taking a knee to the side of the head from teammate Mika Zibanejad.

With three weeks to go before the Feb. 24 trade deadline, the sight of Kreider leaving the ice in Detroit was particularly concerning. The left wing, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, is widely considered the No. 1 player available at the trade deadline. Given his likely market value as a UFA, the Rangers would be hard-pressed to fit him under the salary cap, and the likelihood is that he will be traded.

If management indeed has decided it will trade Kreider, team president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton could play it safe and opt to keep him out of action until he is dealt. There are 10 games remaining before the trade deadline.

Kreider, 28, who played in the first 50 games, has 18 goals and 17 assists. He was hurt when he slid toward the goal line after falling in the offensive zone and Zibanejad tried to leap over him. But Zibanejad couldn’t clear him without inadvertently hitting him in the head with his knee.

Ice chips

Phillip DiGiuseppe, called up from AHL Hartford on Sunday, started in Kreider’s spot on the left side of Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich. Buchnevich ended the game on the fourth line as coach David Quinn shuffled his lines. “I didn’t like his game at all,’’ Quinn said . . . was scratched along with goaltender Igor Shesterkin . . . The Rangers played their 7,000th game, including playoffs. Henrik Lundqvist, who started and was pulled after allowing four goals on 15 shots, has played in 1,012 of those games.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174333 New York Rangers 1. Quinn Bin: Pavel Buchnevich scored his third goal in four games and was awful thereafter, so he found himself back in the Bin. Buchnevich got two shifts in the third period. On two of his final four shifts, Dallas scored even-strength goals. It wasn’t due to the flu, apparently. “Yeah, I didn’t It’s the same old, same old for the Rangers as their playoff hopes go like his game at all,” Quinn said. “I didn’t like a lot of his game at all.” nowhere 2. Chris Kreider was out with that upper-body injury he sustained in Detroit when Mika Zibanejad’s knee caught him in the head. Quinn said he’s close to a return. Kreider skated in the morning and was listed as a By Rick Carpiniello Feb 3, 2020 game-time decision, but skipped warmups. Meanwhile, he continues to be at the top of teams’ wish lists as the trade deadline approaches.

NEW YORK — Last week, we wrote about what the Rangers need to do 3. Daily Bread: Artemi Panarin drew an early and questionable tripping to make the playoffs. penalty by Andrew Cogliano, who appeared to have been barking at Panarin for diving. Buchnevich manned Kreider’s net-front spot and had The story was more about why they won’t make it, and Monday night was a tip wide, then a chance stopped by goalie Anton Khudobin, and a perfect example. Again, with a chance to win three in a row — which eventually, a terrible-angle wrist shot from along the left wall that they’ve done exactly once this season, right around Thanksgiving — the Khudobin somehow knocked into his own net. See what happens when Rangers stumbled and crumbled in a 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars at the you shoot the puck? That’s goals in three of the last four games for Garden. Buchnevich, who had two in 23 before that. He’s now up to 10 for the season. 1-0. They had won two in a row (again, for the fourth time since Christmas), though with an asterisk: They were against Detroit. CHALK UP ANOTHER POINT FOR @ARTEMIYPANARIN. PIC.TWITTER.COM/VW823FPITG Thanksgiving. Christmas. Groundhog Day. And that’s what this is. Where’s Bill Murray? — NHL (@NHL) FEBRUARY 4, 2020

The Rangers don’t do anything well enough, except for a power play that 4. Good Tony, Bad Tony: Assists on the Buchnevich goal went to is on quite a stunning roll and scored all three goals. They were exposed Panarin and Tony DeAngelo, who got his 40th point (ka-ching). I’m not throughout, even though they were right there against a better team sure why Khudobin was in net instead of Ben Bishop, who is something before they folded. like 99-0 in the regular season against the Rangers (it’s actually 11-2).

Let Rangers coach David Quinn list the problems, as he did, after the 5. The game got weird when Brendan Smith went off for a needless Stars scored to make it 3-2, which he said “deflated” the Rangers. In fact, interference penalty. Immediately, Zibanejad lost a draw and Tyler that was the common locker room theme, that it got away from the Seguin cranked one off the post and crossbar, and the puck appeared to Rangers at 3-2. then carom out of play and off the screen above the glass. But play continued and John Klingberg cranked another shot and Joe Pavelski “Then we got sloppy … deflected it past Lundqvist. Zibanejad went to argue with the officials, and “We really got away from all the things we had been doing and need to the Rangers challenged that the play should have been stopped due to do if we’re going to have a chance … the puck in the screen. Even Seguin was pointing that the puck had gone out of play. “Holding onto the puck too long … 6. “We thought it was 100 percent out, and obviously, we had an angle “Cheating … that apparently they didn’t see, or there was a discrepancy,” Quinn said. “Not being physical enough … “We thought we had it. We thought for sure it was going to get called back. We were wrong.” “You name it, we weren’t good in many areas after they got that third goal.” “I thought (the puck was out of play),” Zibanejad said. “Apparently, it wasn’t. Not much to do there. … The game was at 2-2. I don’t want to Quinn counted 15 or 16 Dallas scoring chances — yes, coaching staffs stand here and look for excuses or turning points or this and that. We did count them differently — and that’s an acceptable number in most cases. it to ourselves again and it’s just unfortunate.” But he thought they allowed too many high-quality chances. He was right. 7. The video replay ruling went the Stars’ way, so the goal counted and the Rangers were assessed a minor for delay of game due to the failed So, the 7,000th game in franchise history (6,485 in the regular season, challenge. 1-1. plus 515 in the playoffs) was probably not among the top 1,000 or 2,000. 8. Moments into that second penalty, there was a massive penalty kill And, yes, the three-headed goalie thing raised its ugly, well, head. Henrik breakdown by the Rangers as Marc Staal tried to wrap the puck along Lundqvist, who sat out eight of the previous nine games before getting the back wall to Ryan Lindgren but overshot him. Nobody paid any his first shutout in two years in Detroit on Saturday, got the nod for a attention to Pavelski, who got it from Klingberg in the slot and beat second straight game. And, yeah, you can say he had little chance on Lundqvist. 2-1. some of the goals, but he allowed four on 15 shots and was out of the game after two periods. You’d have to think Alexandar Georgiev, who “We actually have the puck and fumble it,” Quinn said. “We kick it back to played the third period, will start against Toronto on Wednesday, his the left D and try to go to the right D and don’t make a stick-to-stick pass. history on his side. That means another long break for Igor Shesterkin. … Our forwards, we ended up getting overextended.” Then a long break for Lundqvist, likely. The Rangers are 6-4 since 9. One call on a puck that might have left the rink — and let’s be fair, a Shesterkin arrived, and he’s 3-1. dreadful penalty kill by the Rangers and not-so-hot goaltending by “We made some mistakes and unfortunately I wasn’t able to clean that Lundqvist — resulted in two quick goals. To sum up, the penalty was up a couple of times there,” Lundqvist said. “So, it is what it is. … If we called at 7:56 of the first period, the first goal, the challenge and the were able to get away with a couple of those, I think it’s a different second penalty happened at 8:08 and the second goal was scored at game.” 8:24. That’s some quick work.

But it’s the same game, mostly. The game the Rangers have played too JOE PAVELSKI SCORED TWO POWER-PLAY GOALS IN A SPAN OF frequently this season, the one in which they have eight or so bad-if-not- 16 SECONDS. PIC.TWITTER.COM/C2D5UAHVPR horrendous minutes, and it costs them. — SPORTSNET (@SPORTSNET) FEBRUARY 4, 2020 Or the game that just doesn’t measure up to the type of performance that 10. And of course, our fine, fine officials (in this case, Tom Chmielewski) will get a team on any kind of a roll, never mind one that will get it a sniff didn’t bother to clearly explain what the challenge was, nor why the goal of the playoffs. counted — was it inconclusive evidence? Or did the puck actually not go Thoughts out of play? And isn’t video replay supposed to be about “getting it right?” Just asking. 11. Anyway, the Stars took a too-many-men penalty and Buchnevich Benn tackled him from behind. Both went to the box. Obviously, the goal made an awful back pass meant for Panarin that was turned into a short- didn’t count. handed breakaway by Blake Comeau. Lundqvist, that time, stopped his former Islanders nemesis. Shayna Goldman’s analysis

12. Kakko-Meter: On the same power play, Kaapo Kakko’s shot deflected • The Rangers had a slight edge in the five-on-five shot battle, finishing off Brendan Lemieux and into the crease, where Brett Howden gloved it just over 51 percent. When factoring in quality with expected goals, they to the ice and, before it crossed the goal line, got the blade of his stick on fell short at 45.81 percent after trailing in the second and third periods; it. The referees waved it off, ruling Howden knocked it in with his glove. the Stars generated 1.32 expected goals for at five-on-five compared to But replay review showed he indeed got the stick on it. 2-2. Crazy stuff to the Rangers’ 1.11. that point, just 15 minutes and change into the game. Late in the game, • It was a night for power-play goals, with the Rangers scoring three and Kakko was shifted to a line with Panarin and Zibanejad. the Stars two. In their 4:14 on the power play, New York generated 1.21 홎홣홞홥홚. PIC.TWITTER.COM/OX7Z2OHVWD expected goals for to Dallas’ 0.57 in less than three minutes.

— NEW YORK RANGERS (@NYRANGERS) FEBRUARY 4, 2020 • Lemieux drew another two penalties, bringing him up to 27 on the season to rank fifth. 13. Lundqvist opened the second with a sprawling pad save on Seguin, off a two-on-one in which Staal’s snow angel failed (stay on your feet, • Quinn’s challenge was his third of the season — and his first for a kids). Staal and DeAngelo had some tough moments a few shifts later missed stoppage. Quinn and the Rangers are 1-2 on challenges this when the Diaper Line got pinned in its own end and Stephen Johns season. Last year, Quinn was one of the least frequent challengers with scored his first goal of the season through Alexander Radulov’s screen just four; he had a 1-3 record. and past Lundqvist. 3-2. • Jesper Fast led the Rangers with a plus-10 shot-attempt differential at “I don’t know what happened, if we got discouraged or what happened, even strength while Phillip Di Giuseppe’s plus-0.23 expected-goal but we stopped playing there for a bit,” Zibanejad said. “They took differential ranked the highest. New York generated the most shots with advantage of it.” DeAngelo on (19) and scoring chances with Staal (0.63). On the other end of the ice, it allowed the most shots against with Skjei on (17) and 14. Comeau skated down the left wing two-on-one with Seguin and, with chances with Buchnevich (0.8). Lindgren defending correctly — he took away the passing option — Comeau ripped one off the far post and in behind Lundqvist. 4-2. That • Lundqvist was about 8 percent below the expected-save percentage for was four goals on 13 shots against Lundqvist at that point. And that’s not his workload, and he allowed 2.11 more goals than expected when good. factoring in shot quality. • No Rangers player ranked in the top five in game score, which blends THAT'S A HECKUVA SHOT THERE, BLAKE. traditional and advanced statistics for a single value. Their top five PIC.TWITTER.COM/2YYG9B5GXY consisted of Lemieux (1.72, 10th), Panarin (1.07, 14th), Fox (0.68, 16th), — SPORTSNET (@SPORTSNET) FEBRUARY 4, 2020 Fast (0.53, 17th) and Howden (0.52, 18th).

15. Comeau has 14 goals and 24 points in 36 career games against the Data via NaturalStatTrick, Evolving-Hockey.com, and Rangers. It only seems like 50 goals. By the way, there were quite a few HockeyStatCards.com Dallas fans in the house, as evidenced by their screams of “star” when My Three Rangers Stars that word was sung during the national anthem. Brendan Lemieux 16. Howden went off for hooking Miro Heiskanen in the neutral zone and Heiskanen was boxed for embellishment. Not sure about either of those. Kaapo Kakko The Rangers survived that four-on-four, but when Adam Fox took a penalty, and then Zibanejad took another, they faced 46 seconds of five- Adam Fox on-three in the last half-minute of the period. Radulov shot one off Brady The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 Skjei’s stick and off the crossbar, and the Rangers were saved by the buzzer.

17. Georgiev replaced Lundqvist to start the third — “Just a feeling,” Quinn said — and the second power-play continued, Georgiev gloving a deflected shot after Staal was sent limping by a blocked shot and Lindgren’s stick exploded. Quinn went over the goals Lundqvist allowed and noted the “60-footer, and they do have traffic.” Sounded like he didn’t love that one.

18. My Great Aunt Tillie Could Have Scored: Probably. Georgiev nearly gave Dallas a gift a few minutes later when he went behind the net and played the puck directly to Radek Faksa, who somehow missed the empty net.

19. No matter. Moments later, Corey Perry banged in a long rebound of a shot by Andrej Sekera. Perry looked skyward and grabbed his helmet in disbelief, or relief, having scored his first goal since Nov. 19, a span of 24 games. 5-2.

PERRY #DALVSNYR | #GOSTARS PIC.TWITTER.COM/AX8DGEUJVV

— DALLAS STARS (@DALLASSTARS) FEBRUARY 4, 2020

20. Lemieux drew yet another penalty, and on the power play, playing in Kreider’s net-front spot, deflected Fox’s shot home. 5-3. That made the Rangers three-for-three on the power play. Some solace? “Maybe tomorrow,” Zibanejad said. “Right now, this game stings.” For what it’s worth, the Rangers are at 50 percent on the power play the last seven games and 40.5 percent over the last 15.

21. With a minute left, Lemieux slashed the stick out of Jamie Benn’s hands, went to the net and scored — after the whistle for his penalty. 1174334 New York Rangers on which position the team prioritizes. With Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba at the NHL level plus their defensive pipeline, things could get interesting.

Adam Fox 2020 vision: Examining how the Rangers are trending after the first Fox continues to climb up the rankings each month; he’s more than month of the year doubled his preseason projection of 0.87 wins to 2.06 after Saturday night’s game in Detroit. On the surface, the right-handed back added one goal and eight assists for nine goals in 10 games in January for a total of By Shayna Goldman Feb 3, 2020 28 points in 50 games.

But as the story has gone since the start of the season, he contributes more than just his scoring. The New York Rangers opened 2020 with a 6-5-0 record through their first 11 games, as they’ve moved up to a 25-21-4 record and 54 standing The Rangers were generally a better team on both ends of the ice at 5- points through 50 games. on-5 when Fox was deployed over the last month and overall this season. Offensively, he’s helped boost their shot rate and scoring While their January record was an even split, there were trends in both chances rate for. On the other end of the ice, none of his teammates has directions worth noting last month. had a better relative impact on limiting shots and scoring chances Trending Up against.

Artemi Panarin His impact isn’t just comparable to his teammates, but to other defenders in the league. Fox ranks 13th (at 10.3) with Evolving-Hockey’s Goals Panarin continues to be the Rangers’ best player, leading in points, Above Replacement model among defenders, joining a few other rookie shots, and leg kicks per 60. Just how different the team looked without backs in the top-25 rankings: Cale Makar (12.8), Quinn Hughes (11.9), their elite playmaker was abundantly clear in their last tilt before the All- John Marino (11.1), and Philippe Myers (10). Star break, when he was out with an upper body injury. But instead of just a blurb on how he’s trended up yet again after this last month, we’ll Igor Shesterkin have a deep dive next week on just how dynamic he’s been this season. Shesterkin only played four games in the month of January, but he’s Chris Kreider unquestionably trended up this season – all the way up to the NHL level after his stellar start in the AHL. Kreider finally made the ‘trending up’ list in December after a slow start to the season and he’s built on it through the month of January. In 25 games played, including two during the NHL’s All-Star break and Rangers’ bye week, Shesterkin’s backstopped the Wolf Pack to a 17-4-3 With six goals and three assists for nine points in 10 games in January, record, earning the highest save percentage (0.934) and goals against Kreider’s up to 18 goals and 35 points in 50 games this season and is average (1.90) in the AHL. producing closer to what was expected of him. The Rangers had two goaltenders performing well at the NHL level, but Since moving back to Mika Zibanejad’s wing, Kreider is back to doing added Shesterkin into the mix after he excelled in Hartford. Through his what makes him effective: using his speed to streak up the wing and first four starts, he saved 2.06 goals above average based on his creating quality chances, screening the opposing netminder to create workload (facing 34 shots against per game, on average), and allowing traffic in front of the crease, and when needed, tipping and deflecting 1.16 goals above expectation when factoring in shot quality. shots to help finish his teammates shots into the net. Because of his bounce back, the Rangers have two quality lines to roll in the top-six. Trending Down

The Rangers may get a preview of what this team looks like without Goalie ice time distribution Kreider after he sustained an upper body injury against the Red Wings While Shesterkin has trended up, the amount of ice time distributed to on Saturday. All eyes are on what happens next and how the team each goaltender has trended down because there’s three goaltenders to proceeds at the deadline. There are factors to consider including what his split time between. The benefit is having three skilled goaltenders to next contract could cost and what the return would be. But without choose from. But the disadvantage is keeping one out of the lineup Kreider, they become a weaker team, and that could conflict with the entirely each night. It was particularly tricky in January with the bye week team’s plans to contend in the near future. and All-Star break leaving longer gaps between starts — including 21 However it unfolds, there’s no question that Kreider trending up over the days between starts for Henrik Lundqvist before he returned to the net in last month bodes well for him – whether it increases interest around the Detroit on Saturday. league or makes the Rangers recognize just how important he is to their It remains to be seen if this could influence any of the goaltenders’ play, lineup. whether it’s the physical aspect of starting infrequently or the mental Tony DeAngelo aspect of having to be a part of this system long-term.

No player saw as much of a positive increase in GSVA as the Rangers’ There’s a better opportunity for the Rangers to get in a rhythm with this right-handed defender, who saw an increase of 0.86 to bring him up to system in February when they have a busier schedule. Whether the team 1.55 wins, which is three times his preseason projection. It’s worth noting has to keep this up past the trade deadline remains to be seen, but as that the average contender’s second pair right defender has a GSVA of long as there’s three goaltenders, there’s a system to balance and less 0.9 and third pair of 0.2. DeAngelo is ahead of that after surging this ice time to go around. season. Jacob Trouba With four goals and six assists, DeAngelo scored at a point per game Trouba’s value has dwindled each month as the season has pace in the month of January to bring him to a total of 39 points in 50 progressed, from 2.01 wins as a preseason projection (first pair territory) games this season, which sets a career high for him by nine points in 11 to 0.83 after Saturday’s game (second pair territory). The original fewer games. projection reaching those heights was dependent on power play time, Below the surface, we can see how DeAngelo drives play offensively. and it wasn’t clear if Trouba would stay on the first unit with Fox and The Rangers take a higher volume of shots with him on the ice and DeAngelo on the depth chart — but this change wasn’t anticipated. generate more scoring chances. While there’s room for improvement in What’s contributed to this drop? Trouba’s scoring stalling to just two his own end, he’s showing the offensive upside on a more consistent points in 10 games didn’t help. With 23 points in 50 games, he’s on pace basis. for about 38 points, which is 12 points shy of his career high of 50 points Like Kreider, his contract is also up this offseason. Unlike Kreider, he’s in 82 games last year. He’s still a frequent shooter and slightly increases only a restricted free agent. After signing a one-year ‘show me’ deal last the Rangers’ 5-on-5 shot rate for, but it’s not enough of an offensive summer, he’s enhanced his value with his play so far this season. boost to make up for the other end of the ice.

The easy answer is extending the pending RFA after boosting his value The Rangers allow more shots and slightly more scoring chances against this year, but there’s only so much cap space to go around, so it depends when Trouba’s on the ice, relative to his teammates. It’s worth nothing that he does face a challenging role as their first-pair defender, playing against top competition and being leaned on for minutes, but he’s also far off from the first-pair defender the team needs him to be.

The question is where Trouba goes from here. Earlier this season, he skated alongside Libor Hajek, which led to an uneven pair. With Brady Skjei, they weren’t quite the first-pair this team needs either. Now he’s paired with Ryan Lindgren, which adds a more defensively minded partner on his left.

Filip Chytil

Chytil was a part of the ‘trending up’ section after October and November, but after January, he’s on the other end of the spectrum. The current third-line center saw the biggest drop in value of -0.41 after dropping to 0.47 wins.

Chytil tallied three points in January for a total in 17 in 41 games at the NHL level. That’s six points shy of a career best in fewer games. So while there’s growth in increasing his scoring pace, there’s a difference in his level of play over the last month or so.

When Ryan Strome stayed at center after Zibanejad’s return, it pushed Chytil to the third line, despite playing at a high level down the middle of the second line (most often with Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich). Moving down meant moving away from top-six wingers. While there have been glimpses of potential with the current third line of Howden-Chytil-Kakko, they aren’t driving play either, which may have contributed to his value decreasing.

There are only so many options for Chytil at center with Strome down the middle of the second line. And since Strome and Panarin have had chemistry, there’s a reason they’ve been kept together.

As a building team, there’s an argument to be made about moving Chytil up and seeing if he clicks with Panarin — even if it means disrupting his play with Strome. The Rangers already know what they have him, but may need to learn more about Chytil’s potential, especially if Strome could be on the move at the deadline. But it seems unlikely that Strome and Chytil are flipped, given how much the Strome and Panarin duo have clicked.

Another solution could be moving the sophomore center up and keeping him in his natural position, and shifting Strome to wing. But that would likely require Howden to shift back to center because of their lack of NHL-ready center depth.

Days until the trade deadline

We keep circling back to the trade deadline and which players could stay or go. February will be a telling month, as there could be quite a few subtractions – and some additions – by the end of the month which will be influential on the team’s trajectory and on individual players’ performances. Player movement could create an opportunity for others. It could also weaken the Rangers’ depth and cause issues lower in the lineup.

Moving forward, that’s where the focus is going to be — who will be on the move. Just how different will the Rangers look at this time next month?

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174335 NHL

NHL Seattle scout Ulf Samuelsson bolts for coaching job in Sweden

By Geoff Baker Seattle Times staff reporter Feb. 3, 2020 at 9:13 am Updated Feb. 3, 2020 at 9:24 am

NHL Seattle professional scout Ulf Samuelsson admittedly took the job last fall in order to get his feet back into the league ahead of seeking new coaching opportunities.

So, it wasn’t all that shocking to see Samuelsson, 55, depart Monday for Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League, where as its new head coach he’ll try to help his onetime pro club stave off relegation to a lower division by avoiding the bottom two places in the standings its final 14 games. Samuelsson was contacted about the job late last week, soon after making his debut local appearance at a “Science of Scouting” event at Seattle Center.

His son, Philip, a second round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, plays on the Leksands team.

NHL Seattle general manager Ron Francis said Sunday, ahead of the move being officially announced, that he’d fully endorsed it and won’t replace Samuelsson’s position with only a few months to go in the current season. Instead, he’ll have others double up on some of Samuelsson’s prior Pacific Division work and leave a door open for his onetime teammate and roommate to rejoin NHL Seattle down the road.

Samuelsson was never intending to stay in scouting very long. One of the more despised players in NHL history — amassing more tha 2,400 penalty minutes and several controversial hits — over 16 seasons with five clubs, the two-time Stanley Cup champion had reinvented himself as a communicative “player’s coach” at the pro level the past decade both in his native Sweden and the U.S..

In an interview prior to last week’s scouting event, he talked at length about how the experience this season has familiarized him with NHL players again and kept him in touch with the league enough to pursue future coaching opportunities.

“Now I’m up to speed with, not every player but most players in the league,” he said. “And even more than before because when you’re a coach, you’re going hard after the next team, going through every detail, but then as soon as your game’s over you move on to the next team. And you forget about that team that you just played. So scouting, it’s maybe a little more detailed, a little more intense than coaching. I now have a better grip of the league as a whole than I think I’ve ever had.”

He’d spent several seasons as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers, then became head coach of Carolina’s American Hockey League affiliate under GM Francis before joining the Chicago Blackhawks as an assistant and winning a Stanley Cup with them before coach Joel Quenneville’s staff was let go last year.

The Blackhawks are still paying part of Samuelsson’s salary, so they had to be consulted first about letting him go overseas.

If Samuelsson is to return to Seattle, it could potentially be on the team’s coaching staff. Much would depend on who gets hired as head coach — something that could happen this summer.

Seattle Times LOADED: 02.04.2020

1174336 Ottawa Senators

Anders Nilsson remains in limbo while recovering from concussion

Ken Warren

Published:February 3, 2020

Updated:February 3, 2020 7:27 PM EST

The only update on the status of injured Ottawa Senators goaltender Anders Nilsson is that coach D.J. Smith believes he will return to the net at some point this season.

“There are a lot of games left and we want to get him back in,” Smith said of Nilsson, sidelined with a concussion since Dec. 16. “He’s working out really hard and we want to get him back in, but again, there’s nothing you can do. It’s just time.”

As for the current rotation involving Craig Anderson and Marcus Hogberg, Smith says he won’t be publicly announcing who is starting until the last possible moment.

“I just think it’s (being) more competitive,” he said. “I don’t think the other teams give the starters’ names out, so it’s a ‘why should I’ kind of thing. Our goalies internally will know, so that’s all that matters for us.”

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174337 Ottawa Senators “I see what’s going on,” Batherson said. “All my buddies are down there. I talk to them on a daily basis. They’re playing great hockey. I saw a stat that they’ve won 19 games or something on the road.”

New-look Batherson making an impact every night for Senators For the record, Belleville has a record of 19-4-2 away from home.

For today, at least, Batherson’s eyes are on trying to beat Anaheim.

Ken Warren “The more you stay here, the more confidence you’re going to get, especially for a young guy,” he said. “I’ve been playing some decent Published:February 3, 2020 minutes and being put in some key situations, so it has been great.”

Updated:February 3, 2020 5:57 PM EST STAYING UPBEAT: Paul says having a healthy attitude towards recovering from his high ankle sprain might have sped up his recovery.

“They say when you’re upset and mad about an injury it takes longer,” he Hockey was very much a game of inches for Ottawa Senators prospect said after taking part in a full practice since going down Jan. 7 in on the weekend. Washington. “The treatment has been really good here. I stayed here during the All-Star break and really rehabbed it. When it first happened, I If only one of his many close calls had hit the net instead of sailing just was really scared I felt a little pop and didn’t know what it was. But there high or wide or catching a piece of Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender were no big tears or breaks or anything. To be back this quick is a best Michael Hutchinson, the Senators would have flown out of Toronto with a case scenario.” 2-1 win instead of a 2-1 loss Saturday. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 02.04.2020 Officially, Batherson was credited with four missed shots. No wonder he beat the crowd onto the ice Monday morning, fine-tuning his shot before practice officially began, in preparation for Tuesday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.

“The other night in Toronto, one went off the (Hutchinson’s) shoulder off the draw and there were a couple in overtime, that just went over (the net),” said Batherson, who has delivered consistent playmaking (four assists), hitting (12 hits) and speed in the club’s four games since the All- Star break.

Taken all together, he was one of the Senators best all-around forwards last week. He has made the power play look sharper. He’s confident that he’s where he belongs, a far cry from the guy who struggled through training camp before his demotion to Belleville of the American Hockey League two games into the season.

“In the first couple of games, it was just about getting the pace down and the speed up here,” he said. “From then on to now, I’m more comfortable every game, every day coming to the rink. I’m really finding my legs. I never really skated like that before.

“It has been great. I’m making sure I’m taking care of my body. There are a lot of games and I’m making sure I’m doing the right things in the gym to be ready for the next one.”

Batherson knows that nothing is guaranteed. He could very well be back to Belleville seen enough.

Regardless of what happens before and after the Feb. 24 trade deadline, if you look at today’s Senators lineup and think about the handful of current players who are all but guaranteed to be around in two or three seasons, Batherson is right there with Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot and Colin White.

“He has been more physical, but I think that’s confidence,” said Senators coach D.J. Smith. “He’s getting there quicker. He’s skating better. He makes plays. He’s one of the young guys we’re banking on, going forward. He was really good in Belleville, but he has also been very good on this recall. He has really taken a step.”

Drake Batherson. PROVIDED /

Batherson showcased his offensive touch during stretches last season when he played alongside Matt Duchene. Lately, though, he looks more assertive in all facets of the game.

“I can play that way if I want to and (Smith) likes that kind of game,” he said “I played it before in the world juniors. I was a fourth line guy there, kind of a physical presence. That’s what I’m trying to do here and make plays, too. Just being involved in all factors, I guess.”

There will be endless moving parts for the Senators in the weeks to come. With Nick Paul on of returning from his ankle sprain and the possibility of players moving on in trades, it’s possible that Filip Chlapik and/or Batherson could be returned to Belleville at any moment.

Batherson understands the big picture and is well aware of the excitement that is building in Belleville. , Alex Formenton, Logan Brown, Rudolfs Balcers and Erik Brannstrom — the prospects with promise — are all helping fill the net. 1174338 Ottawa Senators

Senators Alumni host injured soldiers for hockey mini-camp

Ken Warren

Published:February 3, 2020

Updated:February 3, 2020 3:16 PM EST

On Monday, a group of 17 ill and injured veterans received the golden hockey treatment.

Members of the Ottawa Senators Alumni acted as the hosts for the start of a two-day training camp at Canadian Tire Centre. The camp, conducted in partnership with the Canadian Forces’ Soldier On program, began by watching the Senators morning practice.

In the afternoon, Senators Alumni joined the soldiers for a practice at CTC.

On Tuesday, the veterans will take in the morning skates for both the Senators and Anaheim Ducks, in preparation for Tuesday night’s game.

Following that, the soldiers will go head-to-head against Senators Alumni for an afternoon game.

The camp will conclude with the veterans being invited to the Alumni suite at the arena to check out the Senators and Ducks in action.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174339 Philadelphia Flyers “When they came into our building, it was a pretty close game for a while,” said Farabee, referring to the Flyers’ 6-1 win on Nov. 29, a game in which they held just a 2-1 lead until late in the second period. “Obviously, they’re not the best in the standings … but we have to really Scott Laughton, Kevin Hayes spark Flyers past Detroit, 3-0, and into top go after it if we want the two points.” wild-card spot in East Farabee was trying to become the fifth teenager in franchise history to have a point streak of at least six games. He had no points but played another standout game. The 19-year-old winger had 11 shots, including by Sam Carchidi, five on goal.

The Flyers have shown signs of breaking out of their road funk. They DETROIT -- All was good in Flyerdom on Monday. beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Blues in St. Louis, 4-3, and then dropped a 4-3 overtime decision in Pittsburgh. They dominated the Early in the day, police cleared Gritty, who had been charged with third period in the latter game, outshooting the Penguins, 17-4. punching a 13-year-old fan, of any wrongdoing. Then the Flyers went into Little Caesars Arena and beat the poor, hapless Detroit Red Wings, 3-0. And they thoroughly outplayed the Red Wings on Monday, avoiding a letdown against a team that is the worst in the NHL, by far. With the win, the Flyers jumped into the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, which is much more crowded than jail cells holding furry “We talked about it,” Elliott said. “We want to play our game and not play mascots. down to any other teams’ levels. These points mean a lot to us and not so much to them right now. We definitely wanted to come out and grab Scott Laughton and Kevin Hayes (shorthanded) scored the key goals, them -- and that’s what we did.” and Brian Elliott recorded the shutout for the Flyers, who sent the worst- in-the-NHL Red Wings to their ninth straight defeat. On Thursday, they will try to handle another struggling team, New Jersey, which is at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. Matt Niskanen added an empty-net (shorthanded) goal to finish the scoring. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 02.04.2020

Elliott was sharp but was forced to make just 16 saves as he collected his second shutout of the season -- and second in his last three games. With Elliott out of position, winger Tyler Pitlick (plus-2) prevented a goal with a skate save to maintain a 2-0 lead with about 12 minutes left. The save helped Elliott notch his 40th career shutout.

“It’s those efforts that have been there,” Elliott said of Pitlick’s save. “Everybody’s buying into the little things [like] blocking shots. That’s a big win for us, too.”

Hayes took advantage of a Red Wings miscue and scored on a breakaway with 17:13 left in the third, giving the Flyers a 2-0 lead. It was his fourth shorthanded goal of the season and second in as many games.

Laughton continued his hot streak, scoring a goal in his third straight game to put the Flyers ahead, 1-0, with 10:29 remaining in the second period.

Taking a pass from Michael Raffl, Laughton scored from deep inside the left circle for his ninth goal in 33 games this season. The goal was needed because the Flyers had just squandered a power play – getting no shots against the Red Wings’ league-worst penalty kill – and Detroit appeared ready to gain some momentum.

“Raff made a really good pass and I just tried to get it on net as quick as possible,” Laughton said after sending a low shot through the legs of Detroit goalie Jonathan Bernier. “It was kind of a greasy goal, but you take them any time they come your way.”

The Flyers dominated the first period, which ended scoreless only because they fired wide on their best chances or because Bernier (28 saves) made a handful of key saves. James van Riemsdyk hit iron with 6 seconds left in the period, one in which the Flyers outshot the Red Wings, 11-5, and held a huge territorial advantage.

“We’ve kind of focused on the first 5 minutes of every away game and then taking it from there,” Hayes said after the Flyers ran their road point streak to four games (2-0-2).

The Flyers, playing their third game in four nights, took 26 shots in the first, compared to Detroit’s eight.

The Red Wings’ best first-period chance came with just under 7 minutes left in the stanza, but Elliott robbed Tyler Bertuzzi, who was alone in front.

The Flyers finished with a 65-31 domination in shot attempts.

Detroit entered the night with a league-low 28 points and a staggering minus-93 goal differential. The Red Wings had scored the fewest goals in the league and allowed the most. They had been outscored, 34-12, in their previous eight games, all losses.

You can’t look past them, rookie left winger Joel Farabee said before the game. 1174340 Philadelphia Flyers Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 02.04.2020

Flyers injury updates: Carter Hart continues to make progress; Shayne Gostisbehere to miss another game but will return Thursday

by Sam Carchidi,

DETROIT — Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, who has been sidelined by a lower-abdominal strain, continued to make progress Monday and skated with the team during their morning practice in Detroit.

“It’s going in the right direction and I’m feeling better every day. I’m putting the work in to come back as soon as I can,” Hart said after the skate. “At the same time, you don’t want to rush anything to make it go backwards."

Hart, 21, said he has felt “really good the last couple days, and today was the first time I was able to get back out there with the team. It just feels good to be out on the road with them again instead of hanging at home by yourself.”

Hart said he wants to get to the point where “it’s all instinctual and you don’t even worry about” the injury and “just go out and play.”

That day is close, he said, adding he “aggravated” his lower abdominal area a couple of games before he left the ice during a Jan. 14 practice because it started to bother him even more.

Coach Alain Vigneault said the next few days will dictate whether Hart is ready to play Thursday against visiting New Jersey.

During the All-Star break/bye week, Hart was able to return home and spend time with his family and friends.

“And I was able to enjoy the beautiful Edmonton weather,” he cracked, referring to the frigid temperatures.

Brian Elliott (2.94 GAA, .901 save percentage) will start Monday’s game against hapless Detroit, which has lost eight straight, has a league-worst 28 points — 15 fewer than the next team — and has a whopping minus- 93 goal differential.

Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, meanwhile, will miss his 10th straight game, but, like Hart, he is making progress. Gostisbehere, coming off arthroscopic knee surgery, said he could play if needed Monday, but the Flyers are using precaution and holding him out of the lineup until Thursday.

“He’s had just one full team practice, and he wasn’t totally 100%,” Vigneault said. “I think the smart thing is for us to give him a couple more days and he’ll be ready."

Gostisbehere will skate Tuesday — the Flyers will not practice that day — and have a full practice Wednesday. “And he’ll be ready for Thursday’s game,” Vigneault said. “He was playing through it; it was painful. I think now he’ll be 100%. It’s just a matter of him getting his conditioning and his timing back.”

The Flyers are 18-4-4 at the Wells Fargo Center and have the league’s best winning percentage (.769) on home ice. They are just 10-13-3 on the road, but have shown positive signs lately, winning in St. Louis against the defending Stanley Cup champions and losing in overtime in Pittsburgh, 4-3, in a game in which they dominated the third period, outshooting the Penguins, 17-4.

Breakaways

Vigneault said he believes Claude Giroux, goal-less in his last 11 games, was pressing and “trying too hard.” .... Jonathan Bernier (2.92 GAA, .907 save percentage) is expected to get the call for Detroit, which dropped a 6-1 decision to the Flyers on Nov. 29. The Flyers pulled away from a 2-1 lead by getting three goals (Sean Couturier, Kevin Hayes, Oskar Lindblom) in a 69-second span that started late in the second period. Jake Voracek had three assists in that win against Red Wings goalie Cal Pickard. ... James van Riemsdyk and his wife, Lauren, are expecting their first child, a girl, in May. Van Riemsdyk said it will be his parents’ first grandchild. “I’ve never seen my dad so excited besides hockey and boating,” he said with a smile. ... Nolan Patrick (migraine disorder) did not make the trip. 1174341 Philadelphia Flyers

Shayne Gostisbehere on verge of returning for Flyers; says he will come back 'hungry’

by Sam Carchidi,

DETROIT – As a precaution, the Flyers held defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere out of the lineup Monday in Detroit, but he will return Thursday against visiting New Jersey, according to coach Alain Vigneault.

Gostisbehere missed his 10th straight game following arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

“He’s had just one full team practice, and he wasn’t totally 100 percent,” Vigneault said. “I think the smart thing is for us to give him a couple more days and he’ll be ready."

Gostisbehere will skate Tuesday — the Flyers will not practice that day — and have a full practice Wednesday. “And he’ll be ready for Thursday’s game,” Vigneault said. “He was playing through it; it was painful. I think now he’ll be 100 percent. It’s just a matter of him getting his conditioning and his timing back.”

After participating in Monday’s morning skate in Detroit, Gostisbehere said he felt “ready to go, but I think just to get a full practice in will make me have a better mindset going in” to Thursday’s game. “If they really needed me, I could go, but the boys are really rolling right now, so just stick with it and I’ll get in on Thursday.”

Entering Monday, the Flyers were 6-2-1 in the last nine games without Gostisbehere.

Gostisbehere said the pain in his knee made it necessary to have the surgery.

“To know you’re not going to have that pain anymore is a better way to play hockey,” he said.

The long layoff was also beneficial for him, mentally. “It was a good reset,” he said. “You get away from the game a little bit and, like everyone in this room, you come back hungry.”

Hart update

For the first time since he was injured, goalie Carter Hart took part in the morning skate Monday and he continues to make progress. He has missed the last seven games because of a lower abdominal strain.

Vigneault said the next few days will dictate whether Hart can return and play Thursday.

“It’s going in the right direction and I’m feeling better every day. I’m putting the work in to come back as soon as I can,” Hart said after the skate. “At the same time, you don’t want to rush anything to make it go backwards."

Breakaways

Ivan Provorov played in his 299th straight game Monday, which ranks second in NHL history for a defenseman with the same team at the start of his career, according to the league. He trails only Dan Girardi, who played in 330 consecutive games to start his career with the Rangers. … Entering the night, the Flyers were averaging 3.62 goals per game at home and 2.62 on the road; they were allowing a league-low 2.04 goals per game at home and 3.81 in away contests.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174342 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers mascot cleared of claim he punched teenage fan

6 hrs ago

AP

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty has been cleared of allegations that he punched a 13-year-old boy in the back after a photo shoot, police said.

Chris Greenwell and his son Brandon met the hairy, googly-eyed mascot at a November event for season ticket holders. Brandon patted Gritty on the head after he and his father posed for a photo with him at the Wells Fargo Center, Greenwell has said.

Greenwell said that as Brandon walked away, the person in the Gritty costume ran from his chair and “punched my son as hard as he could."

Greenwell, who has said he only wanted an apology and something special for his son, filed a complaint with police Dec. 21. But police announced Monday that their investigation determined that "the actions of the individual portraying the Flyers' mascot did not constitute physical assault as alleged."

The Flyers said in a statement that they are pleased that police “concluded there was no merit to the alleged claim."

“The police department’s statement confirms our thorough internal investigation that found no evidence of the described actions ever having taken place,” the team said.

Delaware County Times LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174343 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers mascot Gritty cleared of claim he assaulted teenage fan

39 min ago AP

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty has been cleared of allegations that he assaulted a 13-year-old boy during a photo shoot, police said.

Chris Greenwell and his son Brandon met the hairy, googly-eyed mascot at a November event for season ticket holders. Brandon patted Gritty on the head after he and his father posed for a photo with him at the Wells Fargo Center, Greenwell has said.

Greenwell said that as Brandon walked away, Gritty ran out of his chair and “punched my son as hard as he could."

Greenwell, who has said he only wanted an apology and something special for his son, filed a complaint with police Dec. 21. But police announced Monday that their investigation determined that "the actions of the individual portraying the Flyers' mascot did not constitute physical assault as alleged."

Officials at Comcast Spectacor, the company that owns the Flyers, have said the firm conducted an investigation but couldn't verify whether the alleged assault happened.

Delaware County Times LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174344 Philadelphia Flyers The keep-it-simple Hagg has gone 16 straight games without being a minus player. During that stretch, the 24-year-old has put up six points and a plus-11 mark after notching a helper Monday.

Kevin Hayes in Brad Marchand company, a decision looming and Flyers Don't be surprised if Vigneault goes with a matchup, performance-based keep climbing with win over Red Wings approach moving forward. Gostisbehere, Philippe Myers and maybe even Justin Braun will have to be consistent to keep their spots.

• The Flyers are off Tuesday, practice Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. in By Jordan Hall February 03, 2020 10:45 PM Voorhees, New Jersey, and host the Devils Thursday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Hart's status is uncertain for the game, while Gostisbehere is expected to These wins say a lot more than what they show in the standings. return after missing 10 games because of arthroscopic surgery on his left Despite facing the NHL's last-place club, the Flyers still played like a knee. contender to pick up a 3-0 victory Monday night over the Red Wings at Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.04.2020 Little Caesars Arena.

The Flyers (29-17-7) are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, a stretch that includes wins over the Capitals, Bruins, Blues, Penguins and Avalanche.

The league-worst Red Wings (12-38-4) are 5-26-3 with a minus-67 goal differential since Nov. 14 and have lost nine straight games.

• Strong work by the Flyers, who controlled the game from start to finish. They needed this one and left no doubt.

With 65 points, the Flyers are just outside of third place in the Metropolitan Division because of the regulation/overtime wins tiebreaker (see standings). They hold the Eastern Conference's first wild-card spot, while the Blue Jackets (65 points), Islanders (64) and Hurricanes (63) all play Tuesday night.

So while the Flyers' win came against the NHL's bottom-feeder, it was huge.

• The Flyers went after Kevin Hayes this offseason in large part because of the big center's defensive and penalty kill abilities.

Boy, are they reaping the reward so far in Year 1 of his seven-year, $50 million deal.

Hayes netted a shorthanded goal for the second straight game and is tied for the NHL lead with four such tallies.

Since 2016-17, Hayes owns 16 shorthanded points. Only one NHL player has more in that span — Brad Marchand with 17.

Hayes has 17 goals and is projected to break his career high of 25 set in 2017-18. Just as importantly, he and Matt Niskanen have done wonders for the team's PK, which entered this season sporting the league's second-worst percentage (78.4) since 2014-15.

Shorthanded goals in back-to-back games?

• Since Carter Hart went down with a right lower abdominal strain, Brian Elliott has gone 4-0-1 with a 1.58 goals-against average.

He has been massively important in Hart's absence, picking up victories over the Blues and Penguins.

Although he had to make only 16 saves against Detroit, he converted some big stops.

• Scott Laughton made a real positive play to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead midway through the second period.

The role forward didn't overthink things when he received a pass in the slot from Michael Raffl. Instead, he simply let it rip and extended his goal streak to a career-best three games.

Laughton has nine goals in 33 games. He scored a career-high 12 in 82 games last season. The Flyers are 10-1-1 when Laughton records a point and the 25-year-old has played like a valuable depth forward yet again.

The Flyers needed that goal as Detroit started to uncomfortably hang around (see highlights).

Laughton making moves!

• Robert Hagg seemed like the obvious odd man out for Shayne Gostisbehere's impending return.

Give credit to Hagg, though, he has made the decision as difficult as possible for head coach Alain Vigneault. Seven healthy and serviceable defensemen is a good problem to have in the NHL. 1174345 Philadelphia Flyers

Police clear Gritty in alleged assault from November

By NBC Philadelphia February 03, 2020 9:37 AM

Philadelphia police have cleared the Flyers' brash costumed mascot, Gritty, in the alleged assault of a 13-year-old boy during a fan photo event last year, a police spokesman said.

The incident occurred during a photo shoot at the Flyers' home stadium, the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia on Nov. 19, police said.

On Monday morning, Philadelphia police detectives announced they had cleared Gritty after an investigation.

"That investigation, which has been completed and is no longer active, determined that the actions of the individual portraying the Flyers' mascot did not constitute physical assault as alleged," police said in a statement.

The boy's father filed the police report that led to the investigation. The father said the incident happened while he and his son were taking pictures with Gritty during an exclusive event for season ticket holders.

"He taps Gritty three times on the head, a light tap," the father said. "After that, my son walks away. Gritty was about eight feet away from my son, got out of the chair and lunged at him and hit him in the back."

The father said he initially thought it was just "horseplay" given Gritty's reputation but soon realized his son was in pain. He told NBC10 his son later received medical treatment for bruising on his back.

The dad said he went to the police after he was unable to come to an agreement about the incident with the Flyers' owners, Comcast Spectacor. Comcast Spectacor is a subsidiary of Comcast NBCUniversal, the parent company of this NBC10 and NBC Sports Philadelphia.

"From the beginning, all I asked for is I wanted my son's medical bills paid. I wanted an apology from the team and for them to do something special for him like a picture with players," the dad said. "I would've been happy with that but they tried to get me to accept complimentary tickets to make this go away."

Comcast Spectacor issued a statement at the time, saying, “We took [his] allegations seriously and conducted a thorough investigation that found nothing to support this claim."

In regards to whether or not he plans on taking legal action, the father said last month that, "it's still too early to tell."

Gritty, a giant, orange, googly-eyed monster, debuted as the Flyers' mascot in September 2018. Initially greeted with some confusion and skepticism, Gritty quickly won over fans of the Flyers as well as Philadelphians and followers nationwide.

Gritty is known for his smart-aleck tone and penchant for trolling — such as one of his first tweets, in which he warned the Pittsburgh Penguins mascot, Iceburgh, to "Sleep with one eye open tonight, bird."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174346 Philadelphia Flyers with helping him bring out proper details in defending within his own zone, but that’s still an area he’s working on.

Cohen’s take: “Smooth skating D man, good hands, gets up and down Flyers prospect WATCH: Wyatt Kalynuk may have pro option next month the ice with ease, able to use his feet to get himself out of trouble. Good on the top of power play, but will need time in AHL to learn to be heavier defensively and to take the five-foot pass in front of him.”

Dave Isaac, NHL writerPublished 9:48 a.m. ET Feb. 2, 2020 Noah Cates

Noah Cates, left wing, University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (NCAA)

Ten years ago, Wisconsin Badgers associate coach Mark Osiecki had a Age: 20 roster that best illustrates his reputation as a groomer of defensemen. The 2009-10 squad had a loaded blue line that included team captain Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 190 pounds Ryan McDonagh, Jake Gardiner, Brendan Smith, Justin Schultz, Cody Acquired: 2017 fifth-round pick (137th overall) Goloubef and John Ramage (yes, the son of ex-Flyer Rob Ramage). This season: 26 games, 12 goals, 13 assists All went on to play in the NHL. Most still make an appearance in Osiecki’s video sessions, where Flyers prospect Wyatt Kalynuk finds The skinny: There’s been building speculation that the Flyers are himself these days, hoping to be another Osiecki success story. interested in signing Cates, will turn 21 this week, when his season at UMD is over also. The winger moved into a top-line role with his brother, “He’s the best teacher I’ve ever had with defenseman-specific stuff,” Jackson, this season for Scott Sandelin’s crew, which won a national Kalynuk said by phone this week. “I think I just developed a lot with him championship last season. Not surprisingly, the Minnesota native has and a lot of it’s a credit to him. been on Chuck Fletcher and Brent Flahr’s radar for a while. He would “He sent a ton of guys through. It’s a lot of teaching, mostly video and definitely be a candidate to start with the before stuff you might not think about during the game. He kind of just points it advancing to the NHL. out and it becomes second nature eventually. Every week we’re watching Tanner Laczynski video individually and with our D partners and as a group. It’s not just our video; it’s NHL clips. It’s been a lot of that and he’s really good at it. It’s Tanner Laczynski, center, Ohio State University Buckeyes (NCAA) just fun with him. I think that’s why he’s so good at it.” Age: 22 Kalynuk mentioned McDonagh, Chicago’s and Flyers top blueliner Ivan Provorov among those who grace the video screen often. Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 205 pounds The 22-year-old defenseman the Flyers took in the seventh round of the Acquired: 2016 sixth-round pick (169th overall) 2017 draft is in his third year with the Badgers and is team captain. This season: 28 games, 7 goals, 19 assists It hasn’t exactly been the season anyone in Madison, Wisconsin expected, particularly with goal scoring machine Cole Caufield joining the The skinny: Unlike Cates and Kalynuk, Laczynski is someone who could fray. According to College Hockey Inc., Wisconsin is second youngest to step into the NHL sooner rather than later. The Flyers have remained Minnesota at 20 years, 256 days and that inexperience may be a big confident that they can sign Laczynski, who is in his senior season and factor. Wisconsin is last in the Big Ten standings with a few weeks to go. hasn’t been open about his intentions in either direction. Because he wins so many down-low battles, is good on faceoffs and has a terrific “It’s been disappointing, to be honest with you,” Kalynuk said. “We’ve release on his shot, Laczynski is actually exactly what the Flyers are been playing better of late, but where we thought we were going to be looking for right now, but with OSU potentially looking at a long playoff when we started…maybe not. We’re not gonna sit here and cry about it. run the Flyers won’t be able to introduce him to the NHL until the Anything can happen in the Big Ten.” Buckeyes’ season is over.

It would be understandable if the state of the Badgers’ program this Cohen’s take: “Was the best player on the ice in the game I did against season had Kalynuk looking to the future. There’s been rumblings that Wisconsin. Dominated down low in offensive zone, has good vision and the Flyers would be interested in signing Kalynuk to a pro contract at the ability to make plays around the net. Plays heavy, which will serve him end of this season, which would put an end to the NCAA chapter of his well at the next level.” career. Jack St. Ivany He’s not ready to entertain that thought just yet. Jack St. Ivany, defense, Yale University Bulldogs (NCAA) “That time will come when it comes,” Kalynuk said. “The NHL is always going to be there. It’s not going to disappear after this year or next year Age: 20 or three years down the line. It’s always going to be there. I’ve never been in a rush to get out of here. I love it here. I haven’t thought about Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds that. Right now it’s just about focusing on getting our team home ice in Acquired: 2018 fourth-round pick (112th overall) the playoffs and going from there. I haven’t thought about what’s going on after the year or anything like that.” This season: 21 games, 1 goal, 12 assists

This week’s prospect report includes others in the NCAA and adds The skinny: Last year, St. Ivany made the USA Hockey roster for the insight from college hockey analyst Colby Cohen, a broadcaster for World Junior Championship but didn’t have much of a role. As a ESPN and Westwood One who also does pre- and post-game analysis of freshman last season, he averaged half a point per game for Yale and in the Flyers for NBC Sports Philadelphia. his sophomore season the puck-mover has improved that rate. He’ll be a long-term project for the Flyers, but management always see right- *all statistics through Saturday, February 1. handed blueliners as something worth waiting for.

Wyatt Kalynuk Cohen’s take: “Big, rangy guy who has some very solid puck skills. Wyatt Kalynuk, defense, University of Wisconsin Badgers (NCAA) Makes a good outlet pass and has a very heavy shot from the point. Skating is smooth, has big long strides and is fast enough, but not quick Age: 22 enough yet. This will come as he gets stronger. Needs to put on weight and get stronger in order to play at the AHL level, but he’s a right-shot D Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 189 pounds man which obviously excites everyone.”

Acquired: 2017 seventh-round pick (196th overall) Courier-Post LOADED: 02.04.2020 This season: 26 games, 6 goals, 16 assists

The skinny: Kalynuk is known as a power play quarterback who has always had the offensive side of his game down pat. He credits Osiecki 1174347 Pittsburgh Penguins Said coach Mike Sullivan: “(Schultz) has done a good job. You can only control certain things. Sometimes, players get hurt. It’s just part of the game. I don’t think he’s had a lot of good fortune in that regard this year. But he’s a real good player, and he’s an important player for us. Defenseman Justin Schultz wants to stay with Penguins “We’re excited that he’s back in our lineup. We think that he’ll get better with each game that he plays. We had a short conversation on the ice today just about his first game (back in the lineup). He’s encouraged. SETH RORABAUGH | Monday, February 3, 2020 1:22 p.m. We’re encouraged. He’s done a good job under difficult circumstances.”

With 30 games remaining in the regular season, Schultz claims he isn’t Justin Schultz has endured his fair share of doldrums throughout his focused on putting up points. He just wants to play well. career. “No goals with points or anything,” Schultz said. “It’s not really a goal but For example, being a member of the woebegone Edmonton Oilers for just skating and joining the rush. When I do that, it helps my defensive parts of four seasons. game for whatever reason. I have the puck a lot more and feel more confident out there. “Yeah, I’ve been through a lot worse,” Schultz said. “That last year in Edmonton was tough. (Much worse) compared to this right now.” “When you do that, if the team’s winning, you’re going to get points.”

“Right now” would be Schultz’s mostly forgettable 2019-20 season with Tribune Review LOADED: 02.04.2020 the Penguins.

Injuries have limited him to 29 games and eight points (two goals, six assists).

“It (stinks),” Schultz said Saturday. “I can’t stay healthy this year. Had that one little injury early, then the knee issue. It’s tough coming in and out. But hopefully, I can stay healthy, stay in the lineup and contribute.”

During Friday’s 4-3 overtime win at home against the Philadelphia Flyers, Schultz returned after missing 16 games because of a knee injury and came close to scoring the opening goal early in regulation.

About 1 minute, 20 seconds into the contest, Penguins forward Jared McCann centered a pass off the left half wall to the slot for Schultz, who lifted a wrister that Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott rejected with a glove save.

“That would have been so nice (to score),” Schultz said with a wistful smile. “It would have given a lot of confidence right off the bat there. It still was nice getting a chance, but I wish I would have scored. It would have been a good way to feel a part of the team again.”

It’s fair to wonder if Schultz will be part of the team in a handful of months. As a pending unrestricted free agent, the 29-year-old has had a poor season by any measure. Still, as a right-shooting defenseman who has produced potent offensive totals throughout his career, Schultz won’t lack suitors should he hit the open market.

Furthermore, with 23-year-old Marcus Pettersson signing a contract extension last week as well as the emergence of 22-year-old John Marino, the Penguins simply might not need Schultz past this season.

Schultz, who also missed seven games in November and December with a suspected groin injury, said he isn’t worried about his status in July.

“I’ve got to try to stay healthy, worry about this year,” Schultz said. “If we have success, then everything is going to take care of itself. You’ve got to try to not worry about it. Just try to stay in the moment.”

At the same time, Schultz makes it clear he prefers to remain in Pittsburgh for the long term.

“Obviously, I love it here,” said Schultz, a member of the Stanley Cup championship teams of 2016 and ’17. “It feels like a second home to me. That’s the priority. Hopefully, we’ll figure it out — the team has success, and I can stay here. That’s what I want.”

Said goaltender Matt Murray of Schultz: “He’s just a perfect pro. He comes to the rink and does his thing every day. Never complains. When he’s in there, he competes. He’s been a little bit unfortunate this year, for sure, with injuries. We’re happy to have him back.”

In the two games Schultz has played since his most recent injury, he mostly has been marooned on the third pairing with Chad Ruhwedel, and Pettersson and Marino have taken over as the second pairing.

Schultz logged an average of only 15:37 of ice time in his past two games. Before the knee injury, he averaged 20:17.

“It’s tough coming back,” Schultz said. “Obviously, I want to contribute more. I feel like I’ve been getting chances. Got to keep jumping up and skating. That’s when I’m at my best. I think it will come.” 1174348 Pittsburgh Penguins • Has Chad Ruhwedel outplayed Juuso Riikola to the extent that Ruhwedel playing awkwardly on the left side (his off-side) trumps Riikola continuing in that spot now that Justin Schultz has returned from injury? Ruhwedel has been flailing since that move. Mark Madden: Excluding Steelers guard Alan Faneca from Hall of Fame is outrageous • The moment Sidney Crosby turned toward the net with the puck and momentum in overtime against Philadelphia Friday, the game was over. Because that’s Crosby, and those are the Flyers. Have you ever seen the Flyers win the Cup? MARK MADDEN | Monday, February 3, 2020 1:14 p.m. • There’s no better advertisement for hockey than the Mario Lemieux

Foundation Fantasy Hockey Camp, which concluded Saturday at PPG “Put your little hand in mine. There ain’t no hill or mountain we can’t Paints Arena. Ex-NHL stars mix freely with regular citizens, and fun is climb.”… as long as we have refreshing sports notes! Too early for had by all. Mario’s game is still elegant. Paul Coffey can still move. flapjacks? Darius Kasparaitis found a way to hit people in relatively safe fashion. (No kidding. He sent two campers sprawling with hip checks. They loved • Troy Polamalu was absolutely worthy of first-ballot induction to the Pro it.) Football Hall of Fame. He is arguably the best safety ever, and no one ever has been a better representative for football and the NFL. But the • The Pirates have signed four free agents: Two pitchers with ERAs over exclusion of Alan Faneca for a fifth straight year is outrageous, especially six last year, and two hitters who batted under .190 last year. Meet the when juxtaposed to the inclusion of Steve Hutchinson, also a guard. new boss. Same as the old boss. Faneca was first-team All-Pro six times to Hutchinson’s five. He was a Tribune Review LOADED: 02.04.2020 nine-time Pro Bowl pick to Hutchinson’s seven. Faneca won a Super Bowl, and Hutchinson didn’t. Are the resumes meaningless? What’s the criteria?

• Polamalu does little media but speaks plainly when he does. When former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis talked about getting Polamalu to bite on play-action, Polamalu replied: “That’s because you guys had our playbook. A big asterisk next to those play fakes.” Yikes. Polamalu also spoke plainly about the deterioration of the Steelers’ locker-room culture during the latter stages of his Pittsburgh tenure.

• It was an exciting Super Bowl but a sloppy one. Patrick Mahomes was MVP despite throwing two interceptions and fumbling twice. The NFL had no great teams this year. The Kansas City Chiefs were deserving champs but mostly the last men standing.

• If James Conner doesn’t fumble, the Steelers beat NFC champ San Francisco at their stadium in Week 3 and probably make the playoffs.

• Ric Flair’s hummus endorsement was a close second, but the best Super Bowl ad was undoubtedly Bill Murray’s return to Groundhog Day. “Not a bad day, huh?”

• Shakira and Jennifer Lopez wore skimpy outfits, shook their backsides and behaved a bit lewdly. It’s what they do. Maybe they should have conducted a halftime Bible study.

• The Penguins’ win at Washington Sunday was big but revealing. Washington’s heavy forecheck had the Penguins on the ropes by the third period. The Penguins’ speed did control large chunks of the afternoon. A best-of-seven would feature a bunch of games played similarly, but the Capitals’ physicality would exact a heavy toll over the series.

• It was a checkered weekend for the Penguins’ goaltending. allowed three goals Friday vs. visiting Philadelphia. Matt Murray did the same at Washington. That’s a goal too many, but each made big third-period saves that contributed mightily to winning. Murray was brilliant dealing with the traffic around his net. Jarry’s superior puckhandling duly noted, Murray seems to be edging his way back to the No. 1 spot.

• Washington’s Tom Wilson had an incredible 13 hits Sunday. His mission is clear. There’s no antidote for Wilson. He’s 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and plays bigger than that. You just have to hope he gets frustrated and does something stupid. (He will.)

• Their stats will never confirm, but the impact of the Teddy Blueger- Brandon Tanev-Zach Aston-Reese line is monstrous. They are relentless skaters, finish every check and give coach Mike Sullivan a shot at creating matchup problems for foes. They get big goals, like Tanev’s change-up that proved to be the winner at Washington. Winning hockey teams have a line like that. They define being hard to play against.

• Many factors point to the necessity of getting a top-six wing before the Feb. 24 trade deadline. One is the possibility Bryan Rust cools off. That hardly seems imminent: Rust has three goals in his last five games. He has 22 goals in 38 games on the season. Rust’s hard work, skating and nose for the net have combined with blossoming confidence to work wonders. But his career high in goals before this season was 18. You hope Rust keeps scoring. But can the Penguins count on that? 1174349 Pittsburgh Penguins

Ex-Penguins defenseman Ulf Samuelsson named coach in Swedish Hockey League

SETH RORABAUGH | Monday, February 3, 2020 11:53 a.m.

Former Penguins defenseman Ulf Samuelsson has been hired as head coach of Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

The hiring was announced in a press release by the NHL’s Seattle expansion franchise for which Samuelsson had been serving as a scout since September.

Fired as an assistant coach by the Chicago Blackhawks in November of 2018, Samuelsson was out of hockey until September of 2019 when he was hired by Seattle general manager Ron Francis, his former teammate with the Penguins and the Hartford Whalers, to serve as a professional scout.

Samuelsson, a physical defenseman during the Penguins’ first two Stanley Cup championships in the early 1990s, has served as a head coach with MODO in the SHL as well as the in the American Hockey League.

Last month, he spoke with the Tribune-Review about his desire to become a head coach in the NHL.

“That’s a big goal of mine,” said Samuelsson, a candidate for the Penguins’ vacant head coaching position in 2014. “Working hard towards building a resume and a career here. I feel like I’m taking strides each time I work for (a team).

“(Scouting) is pretty fun, but I think the longer it goes now, the more I miss coaching. I’m keeping all the doors open, obviously, but I’m really starting to miss coaching.”

Samuelsson played for Leksands IF in the early 1980s before jumping to the NHL in 1984. Currently, his son Philip Samuelsson, a member of the Penguins briefly in 2013-14, plays for Lekslands IF.

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Unfiltered: Tim Benz, Mark Madden break down Super Bowl, Alan Faneca snub, hot Penguins

TRIBUNE-REVIEW | Monday, February 3, 2020 11:30 a.m.

Aside from the obvious — Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” commercial — what were the highlights of Super Bowl LIV?

TribLIVE columnists Tim Benz and Mark Madden break down Patrick Mahomes as the choice for MVP, how the Kansas City Chiefs managed to come back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter, what kind of game 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo played and how close former Steeler Emmanuel Sanders came to being a hero.

The guys also discuss the Pro Football Hall of Fame announcement and lament former Steelers offensive lineman Alan Faneca once again failing to make the cut.

Benz and Madden break down the Penguins winning their first two games out of their long layoff against the Flyers and Capitals and whether they can sustain this level of success.

Finally, the guys talk about the state of the Pirates, the minimal moves during the offseason and what a “rebuild” would entail.

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Tim Benz, Mark Madden recap Super Bowl, Hall of Fame voting, Penguins’ wild weekend

TIM BENZ | Monday, February 3, 2020 6:19 a.m.

“Madden Monday” this week is jam-packed with Super Bowl reaction, Hall of Fame fallout, the Penguins’ celebration after a win in Washington, and….

…Shakira?

Mark Madden and I start by recapping the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers. I consider it a tribute to Kansas City’s comeback ability. Mark thinks it’s more of a commentary on how parity has taken over the NFL.

Meanwhile, Mark seems to be on board with Patrick Mahomes as the Super Bowl MVP. I thought it should’ve been given to running back Damien Williams, who had 133 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. We debate that.

The Hall of Fame vote went well for Troy Polamalu. He got in on the first ballot. Alan Faneca didn’t get in on his fifth try. We dive into both angles of how Steelers fans should to those developments.

On the hockey front, we analyze the Penguins’ win in Washington, Bryan Rust’s gutty game against the Flyers, and how both goaltenders performed in weekend victories against Philadelphia and Washington.

Also, we think about the Pirates’ championship drought, the Super Bowl halftime show, and whether Darius Kasparaitis should be hip-checking fantasy campers.

Tribune Review LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174352 Pittsburgh Penguins Two nights after that “brutal” overtime display against the Islanders, the Penguins were better but lost another in OT to the Islanders in Brooklyn. At that point, they were 7-13 in games decided in overtime since the start of 2018-19. The Penguins have found a winning formula for the NHL's evolving 3-on- 3 overtime Since then, they are 6-1 in games that ended in OT with two wins in a shootout. In six of those nine games, they didn’t even allow a shot. So, what changed?

MATT VENSEL “It boils down to a lot of things that add up to big things,” Sullivan said.

FEB 4, 2020 12:31 AM The name of the game now in the 3-on-3 OT is hogging the puck. After all, it’s hard to score when you don’t have it. Winning faceoffs helps with

that. So does close but cautious man-to-man defense, another area of TAMPA, Fla. — The bus was waiting and Matt Murray still needed a improvement. shower. But he didn’t seem to mind a trip down memory lane after “A couple of times early this year, we tried to jump a pass [and failed],” Monday’s practice. Marcus Pettersson said. “And then it opened up and they were able to Right here in Tampa, where the Penguins will face the Lightning on score.” Thursday, the first 3-on-3 overtime period in NHL history took place on However they get possession of the puck, the Penguins are showing Oct. 8, 2015. restraint in terms of their shot selection. They are forcing fewer high-risk That overtime was a thrill ride. There was a 2-on-0 rush, another point- passes in the hopes of highlight-reel plays. And more and more, they will blank chance on a 2-on-1 and a penalty shot. And that was all in the first pull the puck back out to center to regroup and get fresh legs on the ice 87 seconds of OT. The Lightning won with 2:44 left when defenseman before heading back on the attack. Jason Garrison slipped the puck between the pads of Philadelphia goalie “You get stuck out there on a 3-on-3, it can be a grind,” Jack Johnson Steve Mason on a breakaway. said. Lightning fans somehow had enough oxygen left in their lungs to scream. Just ask the Columbus Blue Jackets, who on Dec. 12 couldn’t get tired Capitals right wing T.J. Oshie (77) battles with Penguins defenseman defenders off the ice because of Tristan Jarry’s stickhandling. In OT, both Justin Schultz, right, during the third period Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020, in teams have to change at the far bench. Jarry wouldn’t let the Blue Washington. Jackets do it, firing the puck back up the ice. Eventually, Bryan Rust put them out of their misery. Murray debuted in that 2015-16 season, the first since the NHL went to 3-on-3 for overtime during the regular season. The Penguins goalie “Teams are trying to focus on puck possession,” Rust said. “Every now subtly nodded his head Monday, acknowledging how much OT has and again, you’ll see games that are 2-on-1 after 2-on-1. Those games changed in just a few years. are fun to watch. Not as much fun to be in. Teams are focused on being able to out-change teams, especially because it’s a long change [to] “It was so new,” he said. “No one knew the best strategies to use in 3-on- capitalize on tired players.” 3.” There is still end-to-end action sometimes and multiple high-danger Pittsburgh’s average overtime shot total has dipped year over year since chances on many nights. But the pace of play often slows to a crawl as 2015-16. They put 5.7 shots on goal per overtime period that season. teams are careful not to cough up the puck or miss the net, sending Two years ago, it was down to 3.0. This season, the Penguins average opponents the other way. 2.6 shots per overtime. Honestly, 3-on-3 OT looks like a different game than that night here five On the flip side, they averaged 4.2 shots against during overtime in 2015- years ago at , when the Lightning and Flyers traded 16. That, too, continues to decline. Currently, they allow only two per breakaways. overtime. “I think it’s evolved away from what the NHL had in mind [in 2015-16],” Murray, from his perch in the crease, sees it as reflective of the entire Johnson said. “I think they wanted more run and gun. But we’re trying to NHL. limit that. Teams are figuring out how to strategize it in a way that’s taking away from some of the excitement. “Players would just kind of go down and shoot, and if you missed the net, it was a 2-on-1 or a breakaway the other way,” Murray said. “When you “But that’s what teams do to try to cut down scoring chances.” get into that rush-for-rush game, it can go either way. If you play with structure, you have a better chance of controlling play. We’re starting to Post Gazette LOADED: 02.04.2020 figure it out finally.”

Murray, in that moment, was referring to the evolution of OT. But that last part certainly applies to the Penguins, too. They have been one of the league’s toughest to beat at 3-on-3 since one November loss left coach Mike Sullivan fuming.

Penguin goalie Matt Murray makes a save on a shot by Capitals' Jakub Vrana during the second period at Capital One Arena on February 2, 2020 in Washington, DC.

The Penguins lost, 5-4, to the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena on Nov. 19. They blew a two-goal lead in the final five minutes of regulation. But what really grinded Sullivan’s gears was how the Penguins played during overtime.

“I didn’t think we were very good at all,” he said then. “Our details were brutal.”

The Islanders held the puck for much of the extra session and out-shot them, 5-0. Brock Nelson got the game-winner, poking in a rebound after Justin Schultz had a bad giveaway trying to exit the zone, leading to a 2- on-1 rush on Murray.

The next day, Sullivan gave them an earful before spending a chunk of practice working on 3-on-3 play. That rarely happens. (Coincidentally, they did it Monday.) 1174353 Pittsburgh Penguins Rust misses practice Bryan Rust, who leads the Penguins with 22 goals, did not practice

Monday when the team had a practice at the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 'You’re supposed to hit': Penguins brush off battering battle with Capitals training facility.

Before practice, Rust took a twirl around the ice without most of his equipment as Penguins head athletic trainer Chris Stewart looked on. MATT VENSEL After a couple of minutes, Rust left the ice. He was riding an exercise bike when practice began. FEB 3, 2020 9:57 PM Sullivan said the team gave Rust a “maintenance day.” With Rust sitting

out, was the one picked to skate with Evgeni Malkin TAMPA, Fla. – The Penguins may have arrived in Florida with a few and Hornqvist. extra minor bumps and bruises following Sunday’s game against a Special circumstances heavy-hitting Washington Capitals team. But they also landed here with a huge 4-3 win, having stood up to the Capitals without letting their The Penguins remained in D.C. overnight after Sunday’s win so that longtime rivals get them off their game. players and coaches could watch the Super Bowl and headed down to Florida on Monday morning. With three days before their next game “Since I’ve been the coach here, there’s been a lot of teams that try to Thursday against the Lightning, Sullivan used much of Monday’s practice utilize those physical tactics to beat our team,” Mike Sullivan said to work on less common situations. Monday. “It’s not anything that our guys aren’t accustomed to, especially the core guys.” In addition to about 15 minutes of special teams drills, the Penguins simulated 3-on-3 overtime and pulling the goalie for a 6-on-5 late in the The Capitals were credited with 47 hits, including a career-high 13 from game. The players also practiced their shootout moves before the Tom Wilson. There were 13 penalties between the two teams, including afternoon’s final whistle. one assessed to Capitals forward for hitting Patric Hornqvist from behind long after the puck went by. Hornqvist was shaken up but Post Gazette LOADED: 02.04.2020 stayed in the game.

There was also a play where Sidney Crosby, sitting on the bench, suddenly felt T.J. Oshie’s stick in his midsection. Crosby, who jostled back at the Capitals forward from the bench while grimacing in pain, got called for holding his stick.

Penguins center Sidney Crosby celebrates after beating Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott in overtime, Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, at PPG Paints Arena.

Sullivan was pleased with how the Penguins responded to them, though he would have been even happier had they responded with a goal on any of their seven power plays. They also held up well earlier this season against the big, bad Boston Bruins, who are second in the conference behind the Capitals.

“We’ve just got to make sure we play our game and don’t get caught up playing somebody else’s,” he said. “I thought we had plenty of push- back. We’ve got a team that plays with a lot of courage. We’re going to take hits to make plays.”

The Penguins aren’t the biggest team, but they are willing to throw around the weight they do have, too. Brandon Tanev, their 180-pound winger, is the embodiment of that. Entering Monday, they were averaging 28.04 hits per game, second in the NHL. The New York Islanders, another possible playoff opponent, are first.

No wonder Jack Johnson, second on the Penguins in hits behind Tanev, shrugged when asked how he thought they handled the Capitals’ heavy hitters.

“It was fine. It’s a contact sport,” the blue-liner said. “You’re supposed to hit.”

Kahun, Bjugstad stay home

Crosby Harkins sits inside the Stanley Cup at Sewickley Academy, as her parents Chris Harkins, left, and Olivia Saperstein stand near by.

The Penguins took injured players Dominik Kahun, Nick Bjugstad, Jake Guentzel and to D.C. for Sunday’s game, but all four returned to Pittsburgh instead of accompanying the team on its week- long trip to Florida. Given their respective situations, it is notable that Kahun and Bjugstad stayed home.

Kahun has missed the last three games with the concussion he suffered Jan. 19. He was spotted skating on an individual basis Thursday and Friday, which Sullivan felt was a positive sign. But Kahun remains in the concussion protocol.

Bjugstad had surgery to repair a core muscle about 11 weeks ago and had been skating on an individual basis last month, even joining the Penguins for their West Coast trip to Vegas, Colorado and Arizona. Last week, Sullivan said Bjugstad was only doing off-ice workouts but that he “hasn’t had a setback, per se.” 1174354 San Jose Sharks

Sharks’ Patrick Marleau discusses hit by Lightning defenseman

By CURTIS PASHELKA | PUBLISHED: February 3, 2020 at 1:32 pm | UPDATED: February 3, 2020 at 1:33 PM

SAN JOSE — Sharks forward Patrick Marleau escaped injury but said Monday a check by Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak in a game two days prior that caused him to crash into the end boards was still unsafe.

Late in the third period of Saturday’s game at SAP Center, Marleau had the puck on his stick, with Cernak right behind, as he skated toward the end line. Just as an off-balance Marleau sent the puck behind the Lightning net, he was checked by Cernak into the boards.

Marleau got up after a couple of seconds, skated toward Cernak and gave him a stiff cross check to the lower back. After a whistle, Marleau, 40, again confronted the 22-year-old Cernak. A scrum quickly ensued, with Brent Burns also stepping in.

The Lightning, leading by two goals at the time, won the 3-0 game.

Marleau said he remained a little sore Monday, but was a full participant in practice. He skated on the Sharks’ top line with Barclay Goodrow and Evander Kane.

“I just think that it’s a dangerous play,” Marleau said. “Cross checking somebody when they’re going really fast. Nobody likes falling into the boards.”

“That’s one thing about Tampa. I’ll say this: They’ve changed a little bit to the fact that I think they’re a more physical team than they’ve ever been,” Sharks interim coach Bob Boughner said.

“We got into some situations — and we dished out our share of hits as well — we’re trying to be more physical. Those are those games you see teams that are fighting hard or doing the little things. It was unfortunate we were on the wrong side of a couple hits. Same thing happened the other night against Vancouver where we put a guy out.”

Boughner was referring to Erik Karlsson’s check last Monday on Tyler Motte, who is now on injured reserve with an upper body ailment.

The Sharks have been beset by injuries to their forward group in recent weeks.

Tomas Hertl was lost for the season with torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee in the Sharks’ game with the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 29.

Saturday, rookie center Joel Kellman suffered a lower body injury in the first period. He has been placed on injured reserve and will miss at least the next two games with the Sharks playing in Calgary on Tuesday and in Edmonton on Thursday.

Two forwards, Alexander True and Maxim Letunov, are slated to make their NHL debuts Tuesday against the Flames.

“Just one of those things where if guys are getting hurt, other guys will get an opportunity,” Marleau said. “You’ve got to take advantage of it, focusing on what each individual can do to help the team win.”

Sharks goalie Aaron Dell, who made 32 saves against the Lightning, will start against Calgary.

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174355 San Jose Sharks “I think they’re both coming in with some confidence,” Boughner said of True and Letunov. “In the situation (Tuesday) night, they’re going to be thrown in the fire a little bit. Calgary’s a good team that’s playing well.

San Jose Sharks’ injury list continues to grow “But just staying within themselves is the main thing for me. Against Tampa, we got in a little trouble. Some of our young guys, when something goes wrong, it’s like they’re trying to do everybody else’s job. You’re spinning and you’re turning, you almost have to take a breath and By CURTIS PASHELKA | PUBLISHED: February 3, 2020 at 11:05 am | slow down, stop your feet and assess it.” UPDATED: February 3, 2020 at 2:56 PM Boughner said Monday he did not know what forward would be scratched

Tuesday. SAN JOSE — The Sharks keep getting younger as the list of players on “There’s going to be a rotation of young guys coming in and out,” injured reserve gets longer. Boughner said. “Whoever plays best and whoever deserves to stay in is Joel Kellman became the latest player to be added to the team’s injured going to stay in. That’s really where we’re at. I guess you could consider reserve list, as the Sharks recalled center Alexander True from the it almost a tryout phase for these guys.” Barracuda. The moves came shortly after the Sharks placed Tomas Hertl San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 02.04.2020 on long term injured reserve and recalled forward Maxim Letunov.

Both True, 22, and Letunov, 23, will make their respective NHL debuts Tuesday when the Sharks play in Calgary to start a two-game road trip, which ends Thursday in Edmonton.

The Sharks now have four players on IR, including three centers, as captain Logan Couture joined defenseman Dalton Prout on the list with his his ankle fracture. Couture could return by the end of February, but Prout’s status for the rest of this season with his head injury is uncertain.

Hertl will miss the rest of the season and is on long term injured reserve with torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee. He was scheduled to have his surgery Monday.

“We’ve talked about young guys coming in and seizing their opportunities,” Sharks interim coach Bob Boughner said. “For me, it’s not coming up and playing one good game. You get that chance, you’ve got to back it up and allow me as the coach to have confidence in you that you’re working on everything that we work on systematically up here, and then we can put you on the ice in those situations.”

Kellman, 25, suffered a lower body injury in the first period of Saturday’s home game with Tampa Bay, as he was hit from behind along the boards by Lightning defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. He returned to play one shift in the second period, but had to sit out the rest of the game.

Kellman had three points in 17 games with the Sharks, but showed he could be a responsible player on the defensive end and kept his place in the lineup. Boughner said he didn’t believe Kellman’s injury would keep him out long-term, adding, “there’s nothing structurally wrong. More of a bruising situation.

“(Kellman’s) a little bummed out, but the good part about him is he’s not as bad off as the other guys walking around with braces and crutches and everything else,” Boughner said.

True practiced on the Sharks’ third line Monday with wingers Stefan Noesen and Melker Karlsson. Since he signed with the Barracuda in 2017, True has spent all of the last two-plus seasons in the AHL, collecting 108 points in 176 games.

This season, in the second year of the entry-level contract he signed in 2018, True has 11 goals and 25 points in 40 games.

True was thought to have a legitimate chance to make the Sharks’ opening night roster in October after he led the Barracuda with 24 goals and 55 points in 68 regular season games in 2018-19. But True did not have a good training camp, going without a point in three preseason games, and was reassigned to the Barracuda a week before the NHL regular season began.

True said his camp did not go “as well as I had hoped. There were things I still could work on. I didn’t feel like it was my best camp. I didn’t feel like I had the legs in the game, didn’t have much jam in the games I played.”

“With True, he’s a guy that’s been here now for three years,” Boughner said. “He contributed every year, he’s gotten better, to the point where he’s a real trusted player down there. Yes, he came in and he didn’t have the camp he wanted to or we expected, and it hurt him. Put him behind the eight-ball a little bit, sent him down. But he didn’t pout. He’s kept his head up and played well.”

Letunov practiced on the Sharks’ fourth line Monday with Antti Suomela, Marcus Sorensen and Dylan Gambrell. 1174356 San Jose Sharks

Sharks rookie Mario Ferraro building NHL, YouTube careers at same time

By Brodie Brazil February 03, 2020 11:03 AM

SAN JOSE -- It’s Mario Ferraro’s rookie season in the NHL. And Year 4 of his YouTube career.

“That’s just a hobby of mine,” Ferraro said after a January practice. “Tech, I’ve always been into that sort of thing.”

Most of the Sharks defenseman’s published videos are tech product reviews, produced in spare time from his home or hotel rooms. But make no mistake about the required effort to produce and grow his channel titled “Youngest of Plugs.”

“At the start I was getting no views,” the 21-year-old said. “It’s kind of hard to build stuff when nobody’s watching. But you just have to stick with it. Now I’m getting more views, thanks to Sharks fans too.”

Ferraro does post some hockey-related Q&A videos, but the channel is more focused around headphones, iPad accessories and computer gaming upgrades.

As for who influences Ferraro’s videos, there are definitely some familiar names to be discussed.

“Marques Brownlee and , and then there’s also Unbox Therapy,” Ferraro said.

“I’ve always been watching [Brownlee] MKBHD for the longest time. I’d say six years now. I saw him when he was around a million [subscribers], now he’s at 10 million. It’s cool to see him grow.”

Ferraro said Brownlee’s journey reminds him of what it’s like to become a pro hockey player.

“When you see his videos at the beginning, versus how they are now,” reflected Ferraro. “A lot of high-quality stuff and it’s just from work ethic and determination.”

Many top-level YouTube stars have top-notch production resources at their disposal. Including cameras and gear that can easily value into five and six figures.

Conversely, Ferraro currently uses his phone as the camera, and his iPad to edit videos. It’s nothing special, but it gets the job done.

“It’s a work in progress, I’m going to build it as I go,” Ferraro said. “Right now not focused on the equipment I have it’s more about the content and what I put out there. The basis of my videos.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174357 San Jose Sharks Thornton has the kind of experience, skill and leadership in the room that could loom large in a playoff run. Just ask the Sharks. Or anyone who has played against him. There’s enough of an edge to Thornton’s game that opposing players need to pay attention when he’s on the ice. Could Joe Thornton be a fit for the Lightning at the NHL trade deadline? “For years and years and years, he’s been giving guys nightmares on backdoor passes and all that kind of stuff,” said veteran Ducks defenseman . “He’s a complete player. We’ve been By Joe Smith Feb 3, 2020 fortunate to see him for as long as we have, and he’s still playing at a really high level.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — You watch this Lightning team on a daily basis, and “He’s a nightmare down low, so strong. And another guy who, anytime it doesn’t look like it needs much upgrading at the NHL trade deadline, he’s on the ice, his hockey IQ is a little bit higher than everyone else. He which is three weeks from Monday. knows where he needs to go, he knows where the empty spaces are. And when the game gets dirty, he’s the first one in the middle of it, too.” They’ve won 15 of their last 18 games and sit solidly in second place in the Atlantic Division (leading the league in goal differential). We’ve seen The referee attempts to separate Colorado’s Nazem Kadri and San more commitment and buy-in to play in their own zone than they ever Jose’s Stefan Noesen (right) as Joe Thornton (left) becomes involved showed during their historic, 62-win season a year ago. They’re deep. during a January game. (Isaiah J. Downing / USA Today) They’re determined. The Lightning have the cap space, with the potential to add $10 million at But GM Julien BriseBois is still going to look for ways to improve his club the deadline; and Thornton wouldn’t take much as he’s already more and will do anything he thinks will give it an edge to put it over the top. than halfway through a one-year, $2 million deal. Thornton may only cost you a middle-round pick, and his contract expires at the end of the And one intriguing name to watch the next few weeks is a familiar one: season, so he wouldn’t cause cap headaches or impede the progress of Joe Thornton. a young player. BriseBois has always said that he’s open to making deals at the deadline but that that player has to be a difference-maker, an Thornton, 40, may not skate like he used to, but the future Hall of Fame upgrade over what the team already has. center could be a difference-maker on the third or fourth line of a contending team. He’s got size (6-foot-4, 220), character, playoff The Lightning put a priority on skating, which isn’t Thornton’s strong suit. pedigree and a mean streak. If the Sharks continue to fall further out of As BriseBois once told me, “If you’re a big guy who can’t play with pace, playoff contention, he could be available for a reasonable price, like a you can’t play for us.” That being said, Pat Maroon isn’t an elite skater, mid-round draft pick. And you’d think Thornton, who has a full no-move but he brings so much more: like his size, experience and his presence clause, would be open for one final shot at a Stanley Cup. both down low and in the dressing room.

How much interest would Tampa Bay have in Thornton at this point? It’s There has been a debate over whether size matters in building a Cup hard to gauge. But the franchise has a ton of respect for him. winner, so I asked about Cooper’s philosophy on that. The Blue Jackets did seem to outmuscle the Lightning at times in their stunning sweep last “The players that can think will survive a long time,” coach Jon Cooper April. For what it’s worth, Tampa Bay is 7-0 this season against the said. “(Thornton) has an extremely high hockey IQ. And he knows where Pacific Division, including winning three of four against “heavy” teams on to stand. And he knows where to be on the ice. He’s got exceptional skill. this most recent trip. So with the size and the stick that he has, he’s a hard guy to play against. That’s how he’s had this longevity, how he’s been as effective as “I think some of our players have played, I don’t want to say heavier, but he has been. There has been part of his game that’s slowed down a bit, our ‘compete’ has been better,” Cooper said. “Naturally, if you’re a but he makes up for it with his brain.” smaller player, there’s just physics that are going to come into it at some point. But that doesn’t judge the ‘compete’ inside the heart. A lot of what Whether Thornton is available — or interested — is yet to be determined. we’re seeing is guys winning battles because guys are working hard. I He said last week he’s still fighting with the Sharks to make the playoffs, don’t think (size) has a big effect on us.” so my guess is he hasn’t given up hope yet. To get more insight on Thornton as a potential Tampa Bay trade target, But if Tampa Bay decides not to upgrade its bottom six by pursuing the we checked in with The Athletic’s San Jose Sharks beat writer Kevin likes of Thornton or perhaps former Lightning center Nate Thompson, Kurz. BriseBois and company have to answer one question: The Sharks haven’t been very good this year, but where is Thornton’s How comfortable are they heading into what they hope will be a long game at age 40? What kind of impact can he still make? playoff run with two rookies — Carter Verhaeghe and Mitchell Stephens — on the fourth line? The two have played well, combining with Yanni Thornton hasn’t had the most consistent season, but he has still had Gourde to become a fast, relentless trio. Stephens has been invaluable some stretches of effectiveness, including from Dec. 27 to Jan. 9, when in the faceoff dot (56.6 percent), and he is already a staple on the penalty he posted seven points in eight games. Interim head coach Bob kill. Boughner increased Thornton’s ice time after taking over for Pete DeBoer earlier in December, and the future Hall of Famer responded with “They’re a bunch of young kids that work really hard for us,” Cooper said some of his best performances. Although he clearly has lost some of his of the line. “They can skate, and they’re getting more confidence in their mobility and play-making ability, Thornton has been adversely affected game. Gourde has been here for a few more years than the other guys, by the Sharks’ miserable depth at the wing position. His wingers last but their tenacity, in the end, pays off. You’re starting to see them get season and for long stretches this season, Marcus Sorensen and Kevin rewarded with some points. But they’re just adding good, solid minutes to Labanc, haven’t done him any favors with their subpar play. From my our team. And if you want to win, you need all four lines going, and it’s perspective, Thornton would be a solid addition for a team that’s looking been good for us.” for help at center on either the third or fourth line. You don’t depend on your fourth line to score, but Gourde’s career-long What would San Jose want in return? goal drought has reached 31 games. Stephens (two goals, two assists) and Verhaeghe (six goals, four assists in 39 games) haven’t exactly lit up Obviously, Doug Wilson would want to maximize any return for Thornton. the scoresheet either. Thornton has two goals and 18 assists in 53 But I believe that considering the nature of their relationship, Wilson games after scoring 16 and 13 the previous two years, respectively. would accommodate Thornton if there was another team he wanted to play for. In other words, it might not take more than just a mid-round draft “We all skate very well, that’s the key,” Gourde said. “We’re fast, we pick. forecheck, we reload. When we do that, we’re pretty tough to play against.” What are the chances he would want to leave, and would Tampa Bay be a fit? Seems like he is made for the playoffs. If someone like Thornton is acquired, it would either mean rearranging the bottom six or pulling someone like Verhaeghe out. Stephens can play When asked recently if he’d be open to going to another team in a better all three forward spots if they were to get Thornton to play in the middle. position to make a (playoff) run, Thornton said he’d have to think about it. “We’ll have to see how these next couple weeks play out, and then we’ll go from there.” Tomas Hertl’s devastating knee injury earlier this week essentially ended any slim hope the Sharks had of making the playoffs. Whether Thornton really wants to leave San Jose, though, is difficult to say at this point.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174358 St Louis Blues Sanford-O'Reilly-Perron Schwartz-Schenn-Thomas

Steen-Bozak-Kyrou Blues get back to work as they try to snap out of slump Blais-Barbashev-Brouwer

Defensemen Tom Timmermann 13 hrs ago Gunnarsson-Pietrangelo

Bouwmeester-Parayko After a 1-3 trip and five losses in their past six games, with their only win coming in a shootout, the Blues had a predictably rigorous practice on Dunn-Faulk Monday at Centene Community Ice Center before they're back in action on Tuesday at home against Carolina. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 02.04.2020

"I don't think anybody was too happy out there," coach Craig Berube said, "but that's OK too."

Berube wasn't exactly sure what they weren't happy about.

"Maybe they were just not happy with whatever, not winning enough games," he said. "It could be a lot of things. Maybe they weren’t happy with me, I don’t know."

It was by no means a bag skate, but it was a fairly intense session going about a half hour. The intensity is understandable. Throughout their four- game slog through Western Canada, the team got off to slow starts. They also made some poor puck decisions among some otherwise solid stretches of play.

"Just get going," Berube said. "You come home after a trip like that, yesterday off, I just wanted to push a little bit today, get guys going again. You fall into a trap coming home like this after a trip like that, just seemed like a lot going on so I just thought we’d push a little harder today."

Because pushing harder is the biggest tipoff to Berube about whether his team is doing the right thing.

"I thought in Winnipeg, I thought our first period was one of our better periods in a long time, the first," he said. "Direct hockey, I thought we were highly competitive in that first period and we won every puck battle, we had people around the puck, on the puck, we were physical. That type of game, I think we need to do it more. Just play our style of hockey, put pucks in deep, go and forecheck, be physical and win puck battles. We did that I thought pretty much all game in Winnipeg. I know we didn’t get the results but it was a step in the right direction."

And just because a team is made up of veterans who have been though these battles before doesn't mean they don't need reminders.

"Definitely," he said. "Coming back from this trip, we’re not happy with the results, I think we played some real good hockey on the road but we didn’t find a way to win games and we’ve got to make sure we keep going in the right direction here. It was a little bit going on today."

The fear for a lot of people is that the Blues heavy workload, 82 regular season games last season, 26 playoff games, and now 53 games this season is going to catch up with them at some point. The players strongly refute any assertion that the team is wearing down in any way, but Berube acknowledged that the way his team needs to play is not an easy way.

"It’s hard, game in and game out, 82 games," he said. "That’s a tough way to play. It’s not an easy way to play but it’s the way we have to play to be successful. We’ve got to get a certain percentage out of it every game. It is hard to play that way every game, but it’s our style of hockey. We’ve got to play real good defense, everybody’s got to be accountable for playing good defense and doing the right things with the hockey puck. Those are the two things that come to mind when it comes to accountability."

There were, also predictably, some line changes on Monday. Most notably, Robert Thomas skated with Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz. In some drills, Thomas was in the middle. In others, Schenn was in the middle. Schenn said later that was probably the way it would be, with the two of them both playing center, and switching off on faceoffs.

Here's how the Blues lined up in practice, which is likely how they will line up in the game on Tuesday:

Forwards 1174359 St Louis Blues In 40 games this season, Sanford has 19 points on six goals and 13 assists. He’s just one point off his total for all of last season, when he had 20 points on eight goals and 12 assists in 60 games.

With goals in short supply, Berube engages in major line dancing Blue notes

• Perron took a puck to the mouth near the end of Thursday’s game in Edmonton. He didn’t need any stitches, but played with a protective Jim Thomas 16 hrs ago shield around his mouth against Winnipeg.

• Jay Bouwmeester had the secondary assist on the O’Reilly goal Saturday, marking his first point since Nov. 30 against Pittsburgh. In 63 regular-season games after replacing Mike Yeo last season, Blues coach Craig Berube had 57 different line combinations to open games. • The Blues are 3-3-1 on the front end of back-to-backs this season and 5-2 on the back end. He’s on a similar pace this season. In 53 games, Berube’s trotted out 48 line combinations. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 02.04.2020 (Those numbers reflect line combinations at the beginning of games, not in-game changes.)

In any event, his lineup Saturday in Winnipeg represented perhaps his most massive changes of the season.

For openers, Jaden Schwartz and Brayden Schenn were split up for only the second time all season. Schwartz played on a line centered by Robert Thomas and with Tyler Bozak on right wing. That’s the first time he’s used that combination to open a game this season.

Schenn centered a line with Alexander Steen on left wing and Troy Brouwer on right wing, also a new trio.

The fourth line consisted of Mackenzie MacEachern, Ivan Barbashev and Sammy Blais, only the second time that trio opened a game together this year.

The only thing that looked normal Saturday was the trio of Zach Sanford- Ryan O’Reilly-. That group has started 26 games together.

The only other time Schwartz and Schenn have been separated was Jan. 1 in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights. On that day, Schenn played on a line with Thomas and Bozak, and Schwartz joined O’Reilly and Perron.

For Brouwer, Saturday marked his first game since Dec. 18. Over that span, he was a healthy scratch for 14 games and was off the roster for two others. MacEachern has missed the last three games, as he recovered from a left leg injury.

Why all the changes?

“Well, we had no goals,” Berube said. “So I’m looking for goals. Sometimes when you switch things up, we get a couple, which we did. It’s a little bit later in the (third) period, but that’s all. I was trying to look for some goals.”

The Blues scored two goals or fewer in three of their four games on their western Canada trip. The Blues were shut out Saturday against Connor Hellebuyck and the Jets until Schenn and O’Reilly scored in the final 6 minutes 40 seconds.

Like most coaches, Berube normally doesn’t mix things up when the team is winning. But when the team is losing, all bets are off. Coming off the 5-2 loss to Winnipeg, look for more line changes Tuesday against Carolina.

“I could,” Berube said. “We’ll look at things. And look at what’ll be our best way to go against Carolina.”

No matter who lines up where, the common denominator is that the Blues could use a few more goals.

“For myself, I gotta get in front of the net more,” O’Reilly said. “Too much on the outside. I think I gotta plant myself in front. What I’m doing, it definitely isn’t working.

“Gotta find a way to create and just try to get greasy ones. This possession stuff really isn’t working. We gotta find a way to grind away and make it tougher on goalies.”

Streaking Sanford

With an assist Saturday on O’Reilly’s goal, Sanford now has at least one point in his last five games (two goals, five assists). That matches his career-high point streak, originally set early last season (Oct. 20 at Toronto through Nov. 1 against Vegas). 1174360 St Louis Blues Against Calgary, the team’s normally stout penalty kill went AWOL, with the Flames scoring on each of their first three power play attempts.

There also were some common threads, such as periodic defensive Blues hoping home ice cures what ails them breakdowns that frequently resulted in goals.

The Blues continue to have problems in the second period. They were outscored 2-0 by Winnipeg on Saturday and have been outscored 11-2 in Jim Thomas 21 hrs ago the second period over their past six games.

And they continue to find themselves playing from behind. They trailed after two periods in all four games on the trip and were down 2-0 to Perhaps more than any professional team sport, there’s a fine line Edmonton after one period and 3-0 to Winnipeg after two. between winning and losing in hockey. The puck takes strange bounces, a shot clangs off the post, you run into a hot goalie. “We can’t put ourselves in that situation all the time,” Ryan O’Reilly said. “We have to find a way to get on the board early and then have our “It’s real fine,” Blues coach Craig Berube said after Saturday’s 5-2 loss in identity and wear teams down from that.” Winnipeg. “It’s tough playing catchup against good teams, especially good The Blues are falling on the wrong side of that line lately, at least when it goaltenders,” Pietrangelo said. “You’re pushing, you’re pushing.” comes to playing away from home. They’ve lost their road mojo. If anyone in western Canada finds it, please return to: St. Louis Blues, 14th But the Blues couldn’t push back enough in Edmonton and Winnipeg. & Clark, c/o Craig Berube. The Blues did run into very good goaltending from Vancouver’s Thatcher “We’ve been really good on the road (in the past),” captain Alex Demko, Edmonton’s Mikko Koskinen and Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck. Pietrangelo said. “I think what’s gotten us being successful on the road is They had a combined 109 shots on goal in those games — an average our desperation, being predictable to one another. We just kinda got of 36.3 per game — but only five goals to show for it. away from that.” “We had a lot of what we call Grade A opportunities, it’s just you gotta After a 1-3 road trip, they’ve gotten away from victory. They are now 1-6- bear down in that spot,” Pietrangelo said, speaking specifically of the 1 away from home since the end of December. The Blues have one of Winnipeg game. the best home records in the NHL at 17-4-4, but are a modest 14-10-4 away from home. In addition, the Blues definitely have to do something about their puck possession and offensive strategy in empty-net situations. They yielded “It happens,” goalie Jordan Binnington said. “We’ve had some adversity empty-net goals in Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg (two). Take before. It’s no problem, we can handle it. We got good leaders and a lot away those four empty-netters and all four games on the trip were one- of talent on this team. We’re just gonna keep working. We’re at home I goal contests, with the Blues’ only victory coming in a 5-4 shootout in think for a couple of games, so it’ll be good to get back and regroup and Calgary. just keep working, right?” “We have a lot of work ahead of us,” O’Reilly said. “We’re still obviously The Blues play Carolina on Tuesday, Winnipeg on Thursday and Dallas in a good spot. We want to get back to winning games, but it’s doing the on Saturday at Enterprise Center, where they’re 9-0-1 over their past 10 little things.” games. Little things that can decide which side of that fine line you end up on. No one in the Central Division has really gotten hot lately, with the possible exception of the Chicago Blackhawks who have won seven of Blues at Hurricanes their last 10. So even with their recent road lull, the rest of the Central > Up next: 7 p.m. Tuesday vs. Hurricanes, FSM hasn’t nibbled much into the cushion the Blues built over the first half of the season. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 02.04.2020 Last year at the start of February, the Blues were in the process of rocking the hockey world with a franchise-record 11-game winning streak. The last thing they want this February is the opposite — an extended slump.

From the start of the season everyone has wondered when or if the Stanley Cup hangover would hit, when the impact of all those playoff games, coupled with the shorter offseason, would catch up with the Blues.

Well, four months of the regular season have passed — only two remain — and the Blues have done a remarkable job of making sure those two- or three-game skids haven’t become extended slumps.

“We know what we gotta do,” Pietrangelo said. “We’re a pretty honest group. So we’ll get back at it on Monday and look at it, and have good, honest conversations. We know that we can be better in a lot of different areas. So I expect the next game for us to start a lot better than we have been.”

This season is flying by. The Blues (31-14-8) are down to just 29 games remaining in the regular season. We’re not quite down to the stretch run, but it’s not far off.

On the just-completed road trip, different things hurt the Blues at different times.

Against the Jets, the Blues allowed late goals in both the first and second periods — three of them in total — including one with 15 seconds left in the second by Andrew Copp. That simply can’t happen.

Against Edmonton, they had a terrible first period, one of their worst of the season, getting outshot 13-3 and outscored 2-0. The Oilers had a whopping 30 overall shot attempts if you include blocked shots and missed shots in the period. 1174361 Tampa Bay Lightning which leads the league with 35 wins, would need to finish out the season 27-2 to match that number.

* 2020 is 34 days old and we have had a goalie goal (courtesy of Lightning Super Bowl memories: The projector cut out on Jon Cooper Nashville’s Rekka Rinne) and a goalie fight (Edmonton’s Mike Smith and Calgary’s Cam Talbot, courtesy of the Battle of Alberta). That is all.

Three-on-three By Diana C. Nearhos Worst power plays in January: 3. Montreal, 11.1 percent; 2. Detroit, 10.5 Published Yesterday percent; 1. Tampa Bay, 8.8 percent.

Updated Yesterday Hottest goalies right now: 3. Carey Price, Montreal; 2. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay; 1. Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus.

Reasons to root for a team in the Super Bowl: 3. You hate the other Like many, Jon Cooper will never forget Super Bowl 49 between the team; 2. It’s your favorite team; 1. You’re Jon Cooper, who met 49ers Patriots and Seahawks. But for the Lightning coach, it’s less directly coach Kyle Shanahan on vacation this summer. about Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception and more about the Four Green Fields’ projector. Question for the Lightning

Cooper was at the Tampa bar with his father and about 15 people. The What’s up with the power play? Seahawks got in the red zone late in the game when a message popped up on the screen. Remember when the Lightning had one of the most dominant power plays? So does the rest of the league, and that’s the problem. The projector was set to restart in a minute if no one hit a button. Last year, their power play was as close to an automatic as the NHL “(The manager) had to go get a ladder,” Cooper said. “We’re cheering gets. Through three months, it ranked second with a 29.7 percent him on, ‘come on, come on!’ By the time he got up there the screen went success rate. black.” Teams are scouting that dangerous unit harder recently, and it’s working. That was just as the Seahawks lined on the 1-yard line. By the time the The Lightning are scoreless on their last 14 power plays. Going back machine rebooted, the Patriots filled the screen cheering. Mass further, to Jan. 1 when they were second in the league, they’ve only confusion ensued for the following seconds until a replay of Malcolm scored on three of 34. Butler’s game-saving interception cleared up what they missed. There’s not one consistent issue, though. On Saturday, the Sharks, with Five years ago today, rookie Malcolm Butler sealed the Patriots' fourth the league’s best penalty kill, played the Lightning hard at the blue line Super Bowl with this incredible goal-line interception and didn’t let them set up. At Dallas on Jan. 26, the Lightning overpassed on four chances. Lightning defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk’s favorite Super Bowl moments also involve the Patriots, but go the other way. I had thought the two effective power plays on Wednesday, against the Kings, might spark the Lightning. One turned into a goal 13 seconds later The New Rochelle, N.Y. native grew up a Giants fan. And even better, he and the other carried the momentum into five-on-five play. But neither was attending Boston University when the Patriots and Giants met on scored a goal. Feb. 3, 2008, as New England tried to complete a perfect season. Tampa Bay still ranks third at 25.3 percent through Sunday’s games. But Eli Manning threw a pass that David Tyree caught against his helmet and the longer it goes without a goal, the harder it seems to get one. Right Shattenkirk didn’t make many friends that day. now, it’s not costing them — they earned seven of eight points on the “Our security guard in our dorm was the biggest Pats fan," Shattenkirk road trip and are 14-2-1 since Christmas. When games start coming said. "He was devastated and we were throwing it in his face.” down to special teams, which they inevitably do, it could.

Shattenkirk has never been to a Super Bowl, but he’d love to check it out Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 02.04.2020 in Tampa next year. The Lightning will be on the road, as Amalie Arena will host Super Bowl Opening Night (or what used to be media day). But if they play on the East Coast the Saturday before, they’d likely fly back that night and could go to the game.

So, I had a thought

* Anthony Cirelli might be one of the most underrated players in the league. He flies under the radar because players like Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Victor Hedman get so much attention. Then he makes plays like the forecheck to set up the Lightning’s first goal Friday at Anaheim.

Cirelli reached the puck behind the net, a step behind Hampus Lindholm, so he reached his stick around the Ducks defenseman to tip the puck along the boards, then spun the opposite way to pick it up. Cirelli got to the puck before Anaheim’s Erik Gudbranson, covering Lindholm on the other side, and tipped it out to Ondrej Palat crashing the net.

Cooper said he admired Cirelli’s “wherewithal” to stay on the play with the awareness of each of those elements.

* Do birthdays feel like birthdays when they fall on a game day on the road? Definitely not, according to Shattenkirk who turned 31 on Wednesday. His wife snuck a couple of presents (a belt and a new electric toothbrush, which he really wanted), so that helped. He, Deanna and their six-month-old Connor enjoyed a vacation over the break, so they celebrated his birthday then.

* The Lightning currently sit at third in the league with 32 wins. That sounds pretty good, right? Well, they need to win all 30 of their remaining games to match last season’s NHL record-tying 62 wins. Washington, 1174362 Tampa Bay Lightning Thornton has the kind of experience, skill and leadership in the room that could loom large in a playoff run. Just ask the Sharks. Or anyone who has played against him. There’s enough of an edge to Thornton’s game that opposing players need to pay attention when he’s on the ice. Could Joe Thornton be a fit for the Lightning at the NHL trade deadline? “For years and years and years, he’s been giving guys nightmares on backdoor passes and all that kind of stuff,” said veteran Ducks defenseman Erik Gudbranson. “He’s a complete player. We’ve been By Joe Smith Feb 3, 2020 fortunate to see him for as long as we have, and he’s still playing at a really high level.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — You watch this Lightning team on a daily basis, and “He’s a nightmare down low, so strong. And another guy who, anytime it doesn’t look like it needs much upgrading at the NHL trade deadline, he’s on the ice, his hockey IQ is a little bit higher than everyone else. He which is three weeks from Monday. knows where he needs to go, he knows where the empty spaces are. And when the game gets dirty, he’s the first one in the middle of it, too.” They’ve won 15 of their last 18 games and sit solidly in second place in the Atlantic Division (leading the league in goal differential). We’ve seen The referee attempts to separate Colorado’s Nazem Kadri and San more commitment and buy-in to play in their own zone than they ever Jose’s Stefan Noesen (right) as Joe Thornton (left) becomes involved showed during their historic, 62-win season a year ago. They’re deep. during a January game. (Isaiah J. Downing / USA Today) They’re determined. The Lightning have the cap space, with the potential to add $10 million at But GM Julien BriseBois is still going to look for ways to improve his club the deadline; and Thornton wouldn’t take much as he’s already more and will do anything he thinks will give it an edge to put it over the top. than halfway through a one-year, $2 million deal. Thornton may only cost you a middle-round pick, and his contract expires at the end of the And one intriguing name to watch the next few weeks is a familiar one: season, so he wouldn’t cause cap headaches or impede the progress of Joe Thornton. a young player. BriseBois has always said that he’s open to making deals at the deadline but that that player has to be a difference-maker, an Thornton, 40, may not skate like he used to, but the future Hall of Fame upgrade over what the team already has. center could be a difference-maker on the third or fourth line of a contending team. He’s got size (6-foot-4, 220), character, playoff The Lightning put a priority on skating, which isn’t Thornton’s strong suit. pedigree and a mean streak. If the Sharks continue to fall further out of As BriseBois once told me, “If you’re a big guy who can’t play with pace, playoff contention, he could be available for a reasonable price, like a you can’t play for us.” That being said, Pat Maroon isn’t an elite skater, mid-round draft pick. And you’d think Thornton, who has a full no-move but he brings so much more: like his size, experience and his presence clause, would be open for one final shot at a Stanley Cup. both down low and in the dressing room.

How much interest would Tampa Bay have in Thornton at this point? It’s There has been a debate over whether size matters in building a Cup hard to gauge. But the franchise has a ton of respect for him. winner, so I asked about Cooper’s philosophy on that. The Blue Jackets did seem to outmuscle the Lightning at times in their stunning sweep last “The players that can think will survive a long time,” coach Jon Cooper April. For what it’s worth, Tampa Bay is 7-0 this season against the said. “(Thornton) has an extremely high hockey IQ. And he knows where Pacific Division, including winning three of four against “heavy” teams on to stand. And he knows where to be on the ice. He’s got exceptional skill. this most recent trip. So with the size and the stick that he has, he’s a hard guy to play against. That’s how he’s had this longevity, how he’s been as effective as “I think some of our players have played, I don’t want to say heavier, but he has been. There has been part of his game that’s slowed down a bit, our ‘compete’ has been better,” Cooper said. “Naturally, if you’re a but he makes up for it with his brain.” smaller player, there’s just physics that are going to come into it at some point. But that doesn’t judge the ‘compete’ inside the heart. A lot of what Whether Thornton is available — or interested — is yet to be determined. we’re seeing is guys winning battles because guys are working hard. I He said last week he’s still fighting with the Sharks to make the playoffs, don’t think (size) has a big effect on us.” so my guess is he hasn’t given up hope yet. To get more insight on Thornton as a potential Tampa Bay trade target, But if Tampa Bay decides not to upgrade its bottom six by pursuing the we checked in with The Athletic’s San Jose Sharks beat writer Kevin likes of Thornton or perhaps former Lightning center Nate Thompson, Kurz. BriseBois and company have to answer one question: The Sharks haven’t been very good this year, but where is Thornton’s How comfortable are they heading into what they hope will be a long game at age 40? What kind of impact can he still make? playoff run with two rookies — Carter Verhaeghe and Mitchell Stephens — on the fourth line? The two have played well, combining with Yanni Thornton hasn’t had the most consistent season, but he has still had Gourde to become a fast, relentless trio. Stephens has been invaluable some stretches of effectiveness, including from Dec. 27 to Jan. 9, when in the faceoff dot (56.6 percent), and he is already a staple on the penalty he posted seven points in eight games. Interim head coach Bob kill. Boughner increased Thornton’s ice time after taking over for Pete DeBoer earlier in December, and the future Hall of Famer responded with “They’re a bunch of young kids that work really hard for us,” Cooper said some of his best performances. Although he clearly has lost some of his of the line. “They can skate, and they’re getting more confidence in their mobility and play-making ability, Thornton has been adversely affected game. Gourde has been here for a few more years than the other guys, by the Sharks’ miserable depth at the wing position. His wingers last but their tenacity, in the end, pays off. You’re starting to see them get season and for long stretches this season, Marcus Sorensen and Kevin rewarded with some points. But they’re just adding good, solid minutes to Labanc, haven’t done him any favors with their subpar play. From my our team. And if you want to win, you need all four lines going, and it’s perspective, Thornton would be a solid addition for a team that’s looking been good for us.” for help at center on either the third or fourth line. You don’t depend on your fourth line to score, but Gourde’s career-long What would San Jose want in return? goal drought has reached 31 games. Stephens (two goals, two assists) and Verhaeghe (six goals, four assists in 39 games) haven’t exactly lit up Obviously, Doug Wilson would want to maximize any return for Thornton. the scoresheet either. Thornton has two goals and 18 assists in 53 But I believe that considering the nature of their relationship, Wilson games after scoring 16 and 13 the previous two years, respectively. would accommodate Thornton if there was another team he wanted to play for. In other words, it might not take more than just a mid-round draft “We all skate very well, that’s the key,” Gourde said. “We’re fast, we pick. forecheck, we reload. When we do that, we’re pretty tough to play against.” What are the chances he would want to leave, and would Tampa Bay be a fit? Seems like he is made for the playoffs. If someone like Thornton is acquired, it would either mean rearranging the bottom six or pulling someone like Verhaeghe out. Stephens can play When asked recently if he’d be open to going to another team in a better all three forward spots if they were to get Thornton to play in the middle. position to make a (playoff) run, Thornton said he’d have to think about it. “We’ll have to see how these next couple weeks play out, and then we’ll go from there.” Tomas Hertl’s devastating knee injury earlier this week essentially ended any slim hope the Sharks had of making the playoffs. Whether Thornton really wants to leave San Jose, though, is difficult to say at this point.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174363 Toronto Maple Leafs The Maple Leafs dominated the first 20 minutes but could not beat opposing goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. The two-time Vézina Trophy winner turned away 10 shots in the first 11 minutes 24 seconds as his teammates failed to generate one. He had 15 by the end of the period. Leafs lose 5-3 to Panthers as Andersen suffers upper-body injury Bobrovsky entered the game with a sub-par 3.26 goals-against average and .897 save percentage, but had won nine of his past 13 decisions. He finished with 31 saves and is 11-5 now in his career against Toronto. MARTY KLINKENBERG In a break for the Maple Leafs, the Panthers were without team captain PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 3, 2020 Aleksander Barkov, who suffered a lower-body injury in a 4-0 loss to UPDATED FEBRUARY 3, 2020 Montreal on Saturday in their first game since the all-star break. Before that, Florida had won six straight games.

"We want to make sure we're ready to play,” Joel Quenneville, the The Toronto Maple Leafs’ worst fears could have been realized at Panthers coach, said earlier in the day. "Everybody's looking for the Scotiabank Arena on Monday night when goaltender Frederik Andersen same two points. [This game could be] a huge four-point swing.” was pulled from the game with a possible injury. Kasperi Kapanen returned to Toronto’s lineup after being held out on The Toronto netminder, who carried the team on his shoulders during its Saturday against Ottawa for being late to a team meeting. The 23-year- rocky start to the season, was banged up in a collision with Florida old forward said he overslept on Friday. It was first game he has missed Panthers winger Frank Vatrano with 1:36 left in the first period. this season.

Vatrano rushed hard to the crease and plowed into Andersen and “I was late and they felt sitting out was something I deserved, and I dislodged the net. Andersen remained in the game until the intermission agreed,” Kapanen said following the morning skate. but was replaced by Michael Hutchinson to begin the second period. The team announced at the time that Andersen had suffered an upper-body He admitted to being late to practice when Keefe was his coach with the injury and would not return for the rest of the evening. American Hockey League .

Afterwards, head coach said Andersen was checked for a “It is not me not caring,” Kapanen said. “It’s an honest mistake.” possible concussion. Keefe said Andersen passed an examination but Keefe said he did not want to make too big a deal about it. was held out for the remainder of the game due to the nature of the injury. “It’s about trying to reset [a] player and help him grow and get better,” the head coach said. “We want him to be the player he is capable of being. “We want to proceed with caution,” Keefe said. You have to be sympathetic to what the situation might be. Sometimes He said Andersen would be re-evaluated on Tuesday morning. The team innocent things happen. plays next on Wednesday in New York against the Rangers. “He is a big part of our team.” Andersen’s removal from the game may have led to a crushing 5-3 Even if Andersen returns quickly, the loss could leave the Maple Leafs defeat against a team with which the Maple Leafs are in a tight race for a with second thoughts about their backup goaltending. Hutchinson has playoff position. They allowed four consecutive goals in the third period played better lately but entered the game with a 3.56 goals-against as the Panthers leaped over them in the Atlantic Division standings. average and .890 save percentage. It was Florida’s first victory in Toronto after seven straight losses dating “I’m not going to answer that,” Keefe said when asked if the team was back to April of 2016, and only the fourth time the Maple Leafs prepared to play Hutchinson for a stretch if Andersen’s injury is more surrendered a lead all season when leading after the second period. serious than thought. “I think we played 45 or 50 minutes of good hockey and then let the Globe And Mail LOADED: 02.04.2020 game get away from us,” Auston Matthews, the Toronto centre, said. “There was a lack of concentration and focus on our part.”

In defeat, Matthews scored his 37th goal. It was his 18th in the last 19 games and leaves him one behind David Pastrnak of Boston, who leads the league.

William Nylander also scored for Toronto, his career-high 25th of the season. Nylander, who had seven last year in 54 games after holding out for a better contract, has a goal in each of the last five games.

Mark Pysyk had three goals for the Panthers for his first career hat trick. He had only four coming into the game over the entire season. Jonathan Huberdeau also scored for the Panthers, his 19th, and Mike Hoffman had the game-winner with 9:47 left in the third. It was also Hoffman’s 19th, and broke a 3-3 tie. Pysyk added an empty-netter with 48 seconds remaining.

Hutchinson, who had won four straight starts, fell to 4-8 on the season in relief. He allowed three goals on 13 shots.

“It didn't go very well, but it's a challenging scenario,” Keefe said. “He came in cold and [was] not expecting to play. He goes in during the second period and other than a couple of dump-ins, I don't know if he had any shots. That's a tough ask of any goalie.”

Hutchinson, who started the season so poorly that it was questionable if he would retain the job as Andersen’s backup, said he learned during the intermission that he would enter the game.

“It's definitely difficult,” Hutchinson said. “It's probably the hardest thing in pro sports as far as going in cold. Baseball players have the bullpen, football quarterbacks can throw a few balls on the sideline.

“As a goalie, you go from sitting around to being thrown right into it.” 1174364 Toronto Maple Leafs O’Ree believes the most impactful change will likely come as more black players and players of colour get the opportunity to move into more prominent positions within the game itself.

Hockey Hall of Famer Willie O’Ree says Akim Aliu ‘did the right thing’ by “There’s room there for coaches, managers, linesmen, referees,” O’Ree speaking about racial abuse said. “Just set your goal and work towards it.

“Those players of colour and black players are there because they have the skills and abilities to be there. If they didn’t have the skills they LISA WALLACE wouldn’t be there. They have the skills and the ability to be there and they can’t help their colour. They just want to be accepted as another THE CANADIAN PRESS player and this is the way I think it should be. PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 3, 2020 “Just go out there and don’t look at a person by the colour of their skin.” UPDATED FEBRUARY 3, 2020 It’s been more than 60 years since O’Ree played an NHL game, yet his presence continues to inspire generations as was evident by the excitement of the young children on hand to meet O’Ree. Willie O’Ree is hopeful that one day sport will be free of racism and bigotry, but thinks it’s still a long way off. “I still work with these kids and still tell them the same thing,” O’Ree said. “Work towards your goals. Set goals for yourself. Stay in school and get The 84-year-old O’Ree was in Ottawa on Monday as part of the NHL’s an education. Be all that you can be, feel good about yourself, like Black History Month Tour, which features a mobile curated museum yourself. I like myself. I feel good about myself and I work with these kids displaying the history of black hockey players in the NHL. and I hope I can pass something on to them that they can use in their daily life and be a better person.” O’Ree became the first black player in NHL history when he suited up for the Boston Bruins in a game against the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 18, Globe And Mail LOADED: 02.04.2020 1958. He played two NHL games in the 1957-58 season and 45 more in 1960-61, scoring four goals and adding 10 assists.

Being the only black player of his generation, O’Ree endured a great deal of racism. He said he is saddened it continues to happen today.

“It’s not only happening in hockey, it’s happening in football and baseball and other sports,” O’Ree said. “Now we’re concentrating on hockey because the sport has very few black players and players of colour playing in it. I’m disappointed in that there’s still players out there that have to look at a person and judge them by the colour of their skin.

“We’ve taken one step forward and two back. I believe we’re working in the right direction, but it’s going to take a long time. It’s not going to happen overnight.”

Racism was brought to the headlines last November after Akim Aliu came forward about racial slurs he endured from head coach Bill Peters while both were with of the American Hockey League’s Rockford Ice Hogs. Aliu played seven games in the NHL with the Calgary Flames and is currently playing for HC Litvinov in the Czech Extraliga.

Aliu’s comments led to Peters resigning as head coach of the Calgary Flames.

O’Ree credits Aliu for finding the fortitude to come forward.

“I believe he did the right thing,” O’Ree said. “He felt within his heart, within his mind this is what he should have done and he went out and did it. I speak of racism, prejudice and bigotry and ignorance. It happens all the time. Not only in sports, but general life. I’ve had racial remarks and racial slurs directed at me in the gas station or in a drugstore or in a mall. It’s just because the colour of your skin.

“The one thing I learned from [Martin Luther King Jr.] is don’t judge a person by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character and there’s a lot of truth to that.”

The latest incident of racism in hockey took place just a couple weeks back in the AHL when a player was suspended five games for using a racial slur.

The fact these incidents continue to take place frustrates O’Ree, but he says he feels hockey is moving in the right direction with fines and suspensions being given to those, both on and off the ice, who utter racial slurs.

O’Ree is most saddened when he hears of young players having to deal with racism. His message to them is simple.

“Stay focused,” he said. “Names will never hurt you unless you let them. If people can’t accept you for the individual you are, then that’s their problem. I know it’s hard as I’ve talked to a lot of boys and girls that have had racial slurs directed towards them from not only players on the opposition, but players on their own team and I think it’s just a disgrace to hear players on your own team make racial remarks and racial slurs.” 1174365 Toronto Maple Leafs graces and flourished with back-to-back 32-goal seasons in 2016-17 and 2017-18 before this summer’s trade to the Colorado Avlanche.

“Kappy owned up to his mistake and I think he feels bad about it,” Leafs Kapanen says ‘I’ve just got to take responsibility’ after being scratched captain John Tavares said. “He’s a big part of this team and we count on from Leafs lineup for arriving late him for a lot.

“We understand that there’s a standard that we want to carry and the way we want to conduct ourselves. It’s an attention to detail we need in JOSHUA CLIPPERTON all areas to keep getting better, and we need to do to keep things moving ahead. No one’s perfect. We support Kappy. It was an honest mistake.” THE CANADIAN PRESS Kapanen’s name had been mentioned in trade rumours before this PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 3, 2020 incident came to light, but he didn’t want to discuss what his tardiness UPDATED FEBRUARY 3, 2020 could mean in relation to his standing with the organization.

“It’s always going to be there,” he said of chatter ahead of the Feb. 24 trade deadline. “It’s no surprise so I don’t really read into that stuff. I’m Kasperi Kapanen waits for play to resume against the Colorado just focusing on the guys here.” Avalanche during a game at Scotiabank Arena on Dec. 4, 2019 in Toronto. The message has been sent. Keefe hopes it was received.

The Maple Leafs sent Kasperi Kapanen a strong message. “Any time you get called out like that and held accountable, it gives you an opportunity to reflect and grow,” said the coach. “That’s really what Now it’s up to him to respond. we’re looking for.

Toronto scratched the speedy winger for Saturday night’s game against “This is not punishment or anything like that. It’s just about trying and the Ottawa Senators after Kapanen showed up late for the previous day’s reset the player and try to help him grow and get better. We want him to 12 p.m. practice. be the player that he’s capable of being.”

He didn’t take part in warmups and watched the Leafs’ 2-1 overtime Globe And Mail LOADED: 02.04.2020 victory from the press box.

“They felt like sitting me out was something I deserved, and I agree,” the 23-year-old said following Monday’s morning skate. “I’ve just got to take responsibility for that.”

Kapanen was set to return to the lineup Monday against the Florida Panthers in a key matchup in the Atlantic Division playoff race.

Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was vague in his explanation for the benching following Saturday’s win — he referenced “internal accountability” — but said Monday that the player wanted a chance to speak.

“I just overslept,” said Kapanen, who got a little testy in his exchange with reporters. “I don’t want my teammates to think that I’m not serious about this.

“They sat me out and, you know, that’s that.”

The son of former NHLer Sami Kapanen did, however, add that this isn’t the first time he’s been late or missed practice during his time with the organization, citing similar incidents in the minors with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.

“That’s something that I’ve been trying to work on,” Kapanen said. “It’s just honest mistake, and it happens. I’ve got to own up to it.”

Keefe, who coached Kapanen in the AHL, didn’t recall the Finn being late or missing a practice when both were with the Marlies. But he acknowledged this type of behaviour has happened during Kapanen’s tenure with the Leafs.

“It’s all to do with here,” said Keefe, who replaced Mike Babcock as head coach on Nov. 20. “Both previous to my time coming and since arriving.”

He added it’s a balancing act for him when it comes to discipline.

“I think we’re pretty forgiving place,” Keefe said. “You’ve got to be sympathetic to what the situation might be. Sometimes just innocent things happen, particularly in a city like this where you can get caught up in a hurry.”

Kapanen, who signed a three-year, US$9.6-million contract extension with Toronto in June, has 10 goals and 28 points in 51 games this season. Acquired in the Phil Kessel trade with Pittsburgh in 2015, the 22nd pick at the 2014 NHL draft has 38 goals and 82 points in 184 regular-season contests to go along with five points (one goal, four assists) in 20 playoff outings.

This Leafs’ management group led by team president Brendan Shanahan followed a similar route with Nazem Kadri in March 2015 after the then-24-year-old centre arrived late for a team meeting. He was suspended three games by the club, but eventually got back in its good 1174366 Toronto Maple Leafs “If we play that type of game 100 times, we probably win 99 of them, something in that neighbourhood,” said Keefe. He called it their best defensive game of the season.

Fears for Freddie highlight just how easily the Maple Leafs’ season can But Hutchinson was beaten three times on the 13 shots he faced. On the go sideways fourth one, Mike Hoffman collected a shot that went wide and was behind the goal line as he spun the puck back out front, where it deflected off a sliding Hutchinson for a 4-3 lead midway through the third.

By Bruce Arthur YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN...

Mon., Feb. 3, 2020 Hutchinson had won four of his previous five games with a .927 save percentage, but after his first easy save after Florida’s fourth goal, there

was a brief sarcastic Bronx cheer from some of the Toronto crowd. Ceilings don’t cave in until they do. It’s not like Frederik Andersen hasn’t Hutchinson is at .886 right now. Statistically, he has been one of the been hurt as a Toronto Maple Leaf: The goaltender suffered the first worst goalies in hockey. groin injury of his life last season, and that cost him a month or so. He’s Maybe Andersen, as he has in the past in various concussion scares, been bumped in the crease more than once, or hit by pucks to the head, wakes up happy and healthy. Maybe he doesn’t miss a game. and outrun the fear of a concussion somehow. They have relied on him, and Andersen has been reliable. Whatever happens, this team’s first 53 games of the season have erased a lot of any margin for error, and this team is living dangerously. The This season hasn’t been that, and in the best case Monday night was a Leafs are 10th in the East right now, behind not just Florida but reminder of how tremulous the whole arrangement has been. Philadelphia, Columbus and Carolina, and two of those teams will miss Toward the end of the first period of what would become a disappointing the playoffs. So maybe GM Kyle Dubas tries harder to shake the goalie 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers, two things happened. One, Florida tree, even if the prices are too high. winger Mark Pysyk was denied on a rush, and as he spun around his But you can tell the same story now as you could before this whole rear end seemed to hit Andersen in the head; Andersen looked stunned season, before Mike Babcock was fired, before they showed the flashes for a moment. Shortly after that, Jake Muzzin was trying to keep Florida’s of brilliance they are showing now. Freddie is their most essential player, Frank Vatrano from the net; Vatrano collided with Andersen, and Muzzin and they can outscore a lot of their problems these guys. But not all of did too, and the impact briefly bent Andersen’s head forward like an them. accordion. Toronto Star LOADED: 02.04.2020 Andersen finished the period, and after the first intermission the Leafs announced that he was done for the night with an upper-body injury. Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said that “results were positive on (concussion protocol). Given the nature of the injury, they wanted to take caution and give it time.

“He’s feeling better, from what I’m told,” said Keefe. “I think we’re just going to have to give him the night and see how he feels in the morning.”

So, they wait. This whole Leafs season has felt oddly unstable, and Andersen has been a bigger than usual part of that. He’s been a big Danish metronome for three years here. 66 starts, 66 starts, 60 starts; .918 save percentage, .918 save percentage, .917 save percentage. His seasons have a habit of expressing themselves like waves, but he usually ends up in the same place.

And under Mike Babcock, Andersen was leaned on, and leaned on, and leaned on. Backups were basically fire extinguishers: only for emergencies. Since Freddie became a Maple Leaf in 2016, no goaltender has played more games, seen more shots or made more saves. Andersen has seen 500 more shots over the past four seasons than anybody else.

And then came this year. At times the 30-year-old Andersen has looked uncharacteristically creaky, or leaky. It’s true he’s faced unconscionably good shots, which is one reason backup Michael Hutchinson had struggled too. Andersen has always been able to make the extra saves that his backups couldn’t.

So Andersen was at .910 going into the Panthers game, but had two good starts since he got some work in over all-star weekend. This has been the season where concern over his workload has become apparent. During training camp, Andersen variously set his target for games at 55 and 60, and while Hutchinson’s early struggles sent him over budget on that, it was still a concern.

“Yeah, we’ve had these discussions,” said Keefe back in January. “That’s part of why we’re trying to get a little more traction with the backup goaltender. Freddie’s been here in the organization long enough, and there’s enough history and data there, both as it relates to him specifically and others around the league, as it relates to workload.”

But the backup hasn’t been good enough. Against Florida, the Leafs were utterly dominant for long stretches. Florida was without star centre Aleksander Barkov, and through two periods Toronto was outshooting the Panthers 23-5 at five-on-five. This was how well this team can play when it attends to details and manages the puck. 1174367 Toronto Maple Leafs

After his 37th of the season, Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs watched the Panthers score four unanswered goals in the third period.

By Mark Zwolinski

Mon., Feb. 3, 2020

There was a big difference between the start and the finish for the Maple Leafs in a 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Monday night.

“It just got away from us,” Leafs centre Auston Matthews said. “For 45 minutes, we played some of our best hockey in the last couple of weeks. It got away from us and they took advantage of their opportunities.”

Indeed, Toronto owned a large portion of the puck possession stats and limited Florida to about five decent scoring chances through two periods. They also had the Panthers outshot 27-11, but were done in by what the players called a lack of focus and concentration over a 10-minute spell in the third.

Matthews put Toronto up 3-1 with his 37th goal, just 22 seconds into the third. It was all Florida after that, as Mark Pysyk (with his second of three goals), Jonathan Huberdeau and Mike Hoffman all scored by the 10:13 mark. Pysyk and Huberdeau beat backup goalie Michael Hutchinson 58 seconds apart in an offensive surge less than a minute after Matthews’ marker.

“Overall, it was positive, but it’s the result that matters,” centre John Tavares said. “It’s frustrating that we didn’t do what we needed to do in that stretch. Obviously, this one stings.”

The Panthers have won the last two meetings between the Eastern playoff hopefuls, and regained third place in the Atlantic Division.

Cold call: Hutchinson came in cold to start the second period after starting goalie Frederik Andersen went to concussion protocol following a collision in the first. Hutchinson faced just three shots in the second period — one of the Leafs’ most dominant of the season, controlling over 75 per cent of the puck possession. He allowed three goals on nine shots to open the third, but much of that was a reflection of a lack of effective checking in the Leafs zone. Toronto, which also controlled the puck for 61 per cent of the first period, fell off to just 31 per cent in the third. When asked about his confidence in Hutchinson should Andersen miss more time, Keefe said: “(Hutchinson) was coming in cold and he wasn’t expected to play. That second period, there were (almost) no shots … so it’s tough to ask any goalie (to deliver). But he’s part of this team and he wants to contribute. I’d take more off his previous game (a 2-1 overtime win Saturday over the Senators) than tonight.” Hutchinson praised the Leafs for the way they played in the second period. “It was fun to watch,” he said with a smile. Hutchinson felt the Huberdeau goal — the puck came from behind the net and banked in off a skate — was unfortunate: “It’s a series of unfortunate events that ends up in the back of your net.”

Captain strikes: Leafs centre John Tavares scored on a tip-in, his 19th goal of the season but first in six games. That was a relief for the captain, who told reporters last week that he’s struggling a bit on offence after a career-high 47 goals last season. Despite the slump, he has continued to contribute consistently on defence and faceoffs.

Nylander hits 25: Another bright spot for the Leafs is the production of forward William Nylander, who fired his 25th goal of the season off a nice feed from Kasperi Kapanen. Nylander has more goals than the top scorer on 21 other NHL clubs.

Up next: Wednesday at New York Rangers, 7:30 p.m.

Toronto Star LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174368 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen exits with upper-body injury after collision vs. Panthers

By Mark Zwolinski

Mon., Feb. 3, 2020

Maple Leafs No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen left Monday’s game against Florida with an upper-body injury and was ruled out for the night, the team announced.

Andersen was replaced by backup Michael Hutchinson.

The goalie took the brunt of a first-period collision with Florida forward Frank Vatrano. The two came together on a hard rush to the net, with Vatrano taking Andersen’s legs out from under him. The goalie finished the period, but didn’t return for the second.

Replays showed Andersen and Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin making contact also on the collision.

Toronto Star LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174369 Toronto Maple Leafs for another three weeks wouldn’t have been too onerous. Or maybe they know that Kapanen’s speed and potential are saleable no matter what.

But if he is traded, his apparently chronic lateness won’t be the reason. Leafs forward Kasperi Kapanen, a healthy scratch for Saturday’s game Kapanen has had a veering season: a slump to start, visible against the Senators, called the transgression that led to team discipline unhappiness, a hot streak, different lines that he either has or hasn’t fit “an honest mistake.” on, and now this.

And it has all added up to .55 points per game, down from .56 last season, when he earned that $3.2-million (U.S.) deal. Kapanen scored By Bruce Arthur 1.9 points per 60 minutes of five-on-five last year, and was at 1.88 this year before the Florida game. The difference is, last year he was fifth Mon., Feb. 3, 2020 among Leafs who had at least 300 minutes on the ice and this year he’s seventh among regulars, with Pierre Engvall and the injured Ilya Mikheyev ahead of him. Kasperi Kapanen felt bad but looked well-rested, so maybe it was a win- win. The Toronto Maple Leafs punished their Finnish forward in an So if you can add a right-shot defenceman who fits in the salary structure exceedingly public fashion over the weekend after he overslept and was and gives you options beyond overpaying a valuable but aging Jake late for practice Friday. It wasn’t the first time he hadn’t been on time, Muzzin, then Kapanen could be an acceptable ticket, and not because of apparently. Really, punctuality seems like one of the least onerous parts punctuality. Nazem Kadri was once suspended by this team for three of being a professional hockey player. games late in a lost season for his off-ice mistakes, but that trade to Colorado isn’t a clear win yet. “I mean, in my Marlies days I’ve missed or have been late to practice a couple times, and it’s something that I’m trying to work on,” Kapanen said In the meantime, Keefe said “we want him to be the player that he’s before Toronto’s 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Monday night. “And capable of being,” and team captain John Tavares said “it’s just an it’s not me not caring. It’s just an honest mistake, and it happens, and honest mistake, and (he’s) still growing and maturing.” (I’m) just going to own up to it.” But they also know what’s at stake here for a team that expected much “To be honest, I have no recollection of it happening in the AHL,” said more than to fight for the playoffs. The Leafs may need to get better to head coach Sheldon Keefe, who also coached Kapanen with Toronto’s contend, and if Kasperi Kapanen is the way there, they can’t wait too AHL affiliate. “Nothing that went into this decision had anything do (with) long for him to leave. that. It’s all to do with here, and previous to my time coming and arriving Toronto Star LOADED: 02.04.2020 here.

“I mean, I think we’re a pretty forgiving place when things happen, and things happen all the time. When there’s a pattern of things that haven’t corrected themselves, then you have to do something a little bit outside of what you normally do.”

In other words, Kapanen has veered outside the boundaries more than once as a Leaf. What exactly caused him to be late is not known, which means people will speculate beyond his already buzzed-about life. Everybody knows that if you are a Leaf or a Raptor or a Blue Jay in this town, you have access to all kinds of off-ice activities. One thing the Raptors have had going in recent years is that few of their core players drank.

“I mean, we’re going to be sympathetic to what the situation might be,” said Keefe. “Because as I’m saying, sometimes some innocent things happen, particularly in a city like this where people can get caught up in a hurry.”

That’s what they always say about big, vibrant, sexy, enticing cities: a lot of innocent mistakes happening out there. Kapanen was asked if he felt any insecurity in his status with the organization, which is when he got a little shirty.

“Listen guys, if you guys want to talk about hockey I’m all for it,” he said. “So I’ll talk about today, or (about) the future, that’s fine, but I overslept and that’s that.”

Maybe. Enough Leafs people repeated the idea of this being an honest mistake Monday that you wondered if a memo had been circulated about messaging. Maybe Kapanen just forgets to charge his phone, or consistently sets the alarm to PM instead of AM, or underestimates traffic. We’ve all been there.

But the Leafs were very specific with the punishment, for an innocent mistake. Kapanen was mysterious scratched from Saturday night’s home game with Ottawa. The club announced Keefe would address the matter post-game. Kapanen was put in the pressbox, where his face could be broadcast on “.” And then there was another day to wait before Kapanen got to face the media.

“I’m a grown man,” said Kapanen. “And I know what I did was wrong and I’ve just got to live up to it. And just forget about it, and get back at it.”

It was also notable because as the trade deadline approaches, and as this elite offensive team keeps having defensive problems, Kapanen is the name most commonly associated with the idea of swapping a luxury for a necessity like another right-shot defenceman. (Of trade talk he said, “it’s always gonna be there.”) If the Leafs were close on a deal, you’d think publicly rebuking Kapanen when they could have kept this in-house 1174370 Toronto Maple Leafs

Monday NHL preview: Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs

Mark Zwolinski

Mon., Feb. 3, 2020

SCOTIABANK ARENA

FACEOFF: 7 p.m.

TV: TSN4

RADIO: Sportsnet 590 The FAN

Playoff payoff: Toronto vaulted over Florida into third place in the Atlantic Division on Saturday, and they’ll meet two more times after Monday night’s game. The Panthers 7-3-0 in their last 10 games, the Leafs 5-3-2. On offence, Florida leads the NHL with 6.2 assists per game, while the Leafs rank second in goals per game at 3.6. Between the pipes: Florida goalies have posted a .911 save percentage over the last 10. Leafs netminders are at .892 over the same span.

Trade buzz: The Panthers are likely to be buyers before the Feb. 24 trade deadline. Reports suggest they could be shopping forwards Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman, both pending unrestricted free agents, in pursuit of help elsewhere. Dadonov leads the team with 23 goals, while Hoffman has 12 points in his last 10 games.

Barkov iffy: Florida lost 4-0 in Montreal on Saturday night, in their first game back after a 10-day break. They also lost captain Aleksander Barkov to a lower-body injury after the all-star centre took a hit from behind. Barkov, who has 16 goals and 38 assists in 49 games, was listed as day-to-day.

Toronto Star LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174371 Toronto Maple Leafs Players appear quite content with the level of fighting now, happy that there’s still an outlet to let off steam.

“I think it’s great when guys protect each other and protect their Fighting isn’t dead in the NHL — the Leafs and Panthers are still buzzing teammates,” said Ekblad. “I think it’s great when guys stick up for about the latest Battle of Alberta themselves. I think it’s great when teammates come in and stick up for the other guy. I think it’ll always have a place in hockey.”

Anaheim leads the NHL with 20 fights, while the Leafs had the fewest Kevin McGran with two before Monday night. Defencemen Justin Holl and Travis Dermott were the warriors, although Hyman fought twice last year. Mon., Feb. 3, 2020 “It’s important that there’s passion and emotion,” said Hyman. “And what

comes with that is frustration, and what comes from that is guys battling The first thing Jason Spezza did when he got home after the Maple and competing, and stuff happens and then fights happen. Leafs’ game on Saturday night was tune in to Edmonton vs. Calgary. “Whether that has to lead to fighting, that’s always up for debate. But the Ditto Zach Hyman. Ditto Michael Hutchinson. Ditto other players, such as emotion, the passion, I think that is the most exciting part — seeing guys Florida’s Aaron Ekblad and Jonathan Huberdeau. actually be that engaged.”

They aren’t just hockey players, they’re hockey fans, and they liked what AROUND HOCKEY they saw — goalie fights and all. Players on the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star have left China and been checked “I thought it was good entertainment. Thought it was good emotion, and a for the novel coronavirus. “We left the country early so we wouldn’t get little bit old school there,” said Spezza. caught up in anything serious,” said Kunlun defenceman Trevor Murphy, a native of Windsor, Ont. who also played for the Arizona Coyotes. “It was fun,” said Hyman. “It’s old school, but this is different because you “We’ve all been checked, we’re all healthy.” The Russian-based have guys who don’t usually fight fighting. Growing up, I remember Kontinental Hockey League has had to make scheduling changes, with watching old-school Maple Leafs playing against Ottawa, and you start China having imposed a temporary ban on large-scale public events, your fourth line. And it would be the big boys going to war. Now we’re in including sports. Kunlun Red Star’s game against Dinamo Riga on Feb. a different era where it doesn’t happen that often.” 24, originally scheduled for Beijing, will now take place in Novosibirsk, Russia. Kunlun’s playoff games will also likely be played on the road, the It’s well documented that the days of the staged fight are over, and that league said. goons — signed strictly for what they bring to the game physically — are a thing of the past. Making the rounds: Anton Stralman played his 800th NHL game on Monday night, suiting up for the Florida Panthers — his fifth NHL stop — Matthew Tkachuk, a lightning rod for hostilities between the Flames and against the team that gave him his start: the Maple Leafs. “It’s special Oilers this season, wrestles Edmonton’s Ethan Bear during Saturday coming here,” the 33-year-old defenceman said, “with Mats (Sundin) night’s testy encounter in Calgary. being a role model for me growing up, and I had a chance to play with “I don’t think it’s ever going to go that way (again), just because of the him for a year.” Though the Leafs showed little patience with Stralman at safety issues,” said Spezza. “The league is doing a really good job of the time, trading him to Calgary for veteran Wayne Primeau in 2009, the trying to make it known that it’s not really acceptable as much anymore. I blue-liner is an example of the talents of European scout Thommie don’t think we’re ever going to go back to the old days, but there’s Bergman. Bergman typically handles the last pick in the draft for the nothing wrong with passion in the game and rivalries.” Leafs and chose Stralman in the seventh round in 2005. Other seventh- rounders from Sweden: Carl Gunnarsson (2007), There have been 137 fights this season featuring 181 different NHLers, (2013) and Pierre Engvall (2014). according to hockeyfights.com. At that pace there will be 209 scraps by season’s end. A decade ago, there were 1,423. Polak on Babcock: Former Leafs defenceman Roman Polak said he had a great relationship with ex-coach Mike Babcock in Toronto. “I still think Fighting in hockey isn’t dead. It still has a heartbeat. he’s a great coach,” said Polak, now with the Dallas Stars. “Whatever “There aren’t as many tough guys as there used to be,” Huberdeau said happens, happens. I had no problems with him.” Polak added that there before Monday night’s game against the Leafs. “It’s a faster game, but I was give and take in his time with Babcock, and suggested other players think sometimes it’s needed.” should have talked back to the coach more often: “Maybe that’s what he needed. He just needed that feedback.” That’s what the players liked about Saturday night’s Battle of Alberta — an 8-3 Edmonton win that featured 102 penalty minutes. Flames goalie Bobbing for wins: Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was Florida’s big free-agent Cam Talbot and Oilers counterpart Mike Smith squared off in the signing over the summer, with the Panthers committing $70 million (U.S.) highlight of the night. over seven years to the Russian. They’d certainly hoped for a better record than 19-13-4 with a 3.26 goals-against average and .897 save “After I saw the goalie fight on my phone, I flipped over and watched the percentage through Sunday — but they expect that to change. “He’s rest of the game,” said Hutchinson, the Leafs’ backup netminder. “I think trending in a good direction,” said Panthers coach Joel Quenneville. “As it’s entertaining. I think it’s hard, wearing goalie gear, to do much the games get deeper, the saves become more important. He seems to damage. have been in the right place at the right time. He’s had a real good stretch at home. He’s won some big games for us recently on the road as “All the fans enjoy seeing it, because it’s one of the more rare moments well. So we think there’s real progress to his game, and we know that you see in hockey. So I know for me, as long as both guys are healthy at down the stretch here we’re going to be relying on him.” the end of it, I thought it was pretty entertaining.” Stats pack: Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray is 6-0-0 since Dec. 28 with a It was the first goalie fight in the NHL since Washington’s Braden Holtby 2.63 goals-against average and .922 save mark ... Columbus has points and Ray Emery, then with Philadelphia, grappled in 2013. in eight straight games (7-0-1) ... At age 21, Canucks forward Elias YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN... Pettersson is the seventh Swedish-born player in NHL history to reach 50 regular-season goals in 124 games or fewer … Edmonton forward Leon In this case, the goalie fight was really just a sideshow. Tensions were Draisaitl has an 11-game points streak (seven goals, 15 assists) and is high after Calgary and Edmonton played each other three times in less the first player to eclipse the 80-point mark this season — 83 and than a month — games that featured one-on-one battles between the counting, after a four-assist performance in Saturday’s win over the Flames’ Matthew Tkachuk and the Oilers’ Zack Kassian, a near knee-on- Flames. knee hit by Calgary captain Mark Giordano on Edmonton captain Connor McDavid, and a stick-flip by Flames netminder David Rittich after a Toronto Star LOADED: 02.04.2020 shootout save.

“(The Oilers) were celebrating their seventh goal (in a blowout) because they hate each other,” said Hyman, laughing. 1174372 Toronto Maple Leafs The Panthers took until 11:20 to get their first shot as opposed to nine by the Leafs, but the visitors made it 1-0 anyway on their second stab. With Tyson Barrie trying to skate off a painful shot block, Mike Matheson found Pysyk in front. Andersen quickly redeemed himself with a down- Andersen hurt in Leafs loss to Panthers and-out glove save on Huberdeau.

The Leafs cranked it up in the middle period and scored on the power play, Tavares tipping in his 19th. Lance Hornby They narrowly missed a second with the man advantage after Kasperi Published:February 4, 2020 Kapanen spied Nylander on Bobrovsky’s doorstep, Nylander’s 25th, just Updated:February 4, 2020 12:12 AM EST two ticks after Jayce Hawryluk exited the box.

Nylander was made aware last week that the ‘family record’ is in reach, father Michael’s 26 with the 2006-07 Rangers, with Nylander and the The Maple Leafs’ “rock” in net might be chipped. Leafs now headed there.

Nothing would upset hopes for a playoff drive more than a lengthy Matthews then reached the 37-goal mark, set up by linemates Zach absence by Frederik Andersen, though coach Sheldon Keefe sounded Hyman and Mitch Marner, the latter’s second assist of the night. optimistic after the Dane departed Monday’s game against the Florida Panthers with a head injury. The Panthers clearly missed Barkov, but it was a milestone night for one- time Leafs defenceman Anton Stralman, his 800th NHL game, back It came after a heavy crease collision in the first period and the evening where he started. was made worse by Toronto blowing a 3-1 lead it built after Michael Hutchinson had a good start in relief, losing a 5-3 decision packed with “Funny how it works,” Stralman said in the morning. “It was very special implications in the standings. coming here. Mats (Sundin) being such a big role model for me growing up (in Sweden) and I had a chance to play with him for a year. That was “He’s feeling better,” Keefe said after Andersen went through concussion quite special” protocol. “We understand the results were positive on that. Given the nature of the injury, we decided to take caution, We’ll give him the night In addition to Kapanen’s return after a one-game team suspension, and see how he is in the morning.” Travis Dermott was back on defence after a bout of food poisoning.

Keefe, who is more vague on injuries than predecessor Mike Babcock, After narrowly beating lower echelon Ottawa on Saturday, the Leafs fell wouldn’t rule out Andersen practising on Tuesday, but follow-up tests in below .500 at home again. At least the Leafs can now get back on the the morning make that unlikely. The coach also said no decision has yet road where their record is a solid 15-11 and they tend to more detail and been made on Andersen’s availability for Wednesday’s game in New have scored four or more in past eight. They’re in New York and then York against the Rangers. Montreal on Saturday, sandwiched around a home date with Anaheim on Friday. The Leafs’ room was deflated after the doors opened. Despite getting 34 shots on Sergei Boborovsky to just 21 against, the Panthers missing top That latter game will make it three straight visits by former Leafs scorer Aleksander Barkov and goals by star power John Tavares, Auston defencemen turned coaches, D.J. Smith (Ottawa), Joel Quenneville Matthews and William Nylander, “it just got away from us,” said (Florida) and Dallas Eakins (Anaheim). Matthews, who missed a glorious opportunity to put the Leafs back up 4- Toronto Sun LOADED: 02.04.2020 3 on a third-period power-play when he rang a shot off the crossbar in close from the right side, facing a wide-open top half of the net.

Goals less than a minute apart by defenceman-turned-forward Mark Pysyk (en route to a hat trick with an empty-netter) and Jonathan Huberdeau (on the power play after the Leafs had killed 11 straight) stunned the home side. Then came the winner at 10:13, Hutchinson unwittingly citing children’s book character Lemony Snicket in his narrative.

“A series of unfortunate events,” sighed the backup, of a rolling puck Aaron Ekblad swatted at, which took a weird hop off the backboard and out the other side, where Mike Hoffman’s backhand gamble struck Cody Ceci’s skate and found the five-hole.

“That happens, it’s just unfortunate because we were playing well.”

Two points up on the Cats at puck drop, in third place in the Atlantic, the Leafs were knocked all the way out of wild-card contention for the moment.

“If we play that type of game a hundred times, we likely win 99 of them,” Keefe said. “But you don’t get the points and that hurts. Given it was 3-1, it should be over from there and we lose our focus a bit.”

General manager Kyle Dubas, already feeling public pressure to make another backup part of his trade deadline shopping list in the next three weeks, will be anxiously awaiting word on Andersen as well. Kasimir Kaskisuo or rookie Joseph Woll would likely get the call from the Marlies if another goalie is needed, perhaps Woll if it’s just for practice on Tuesday.

First bumped in the head by Pysyk, Andersen later took the worst of a drive to the net by Frank Vatrano, with Leafs teammate Jake Muzzin accidentally running into him, too.

Mid-season injuries have popped up a couple of times for Andersen, at least once with fatigue as the culprit. But any lengthy time lost with a playoff spot not secure would be costly. Vatrano appeared to apologize to Andersen after the latter took a few moments to get to his feet. 1174373 Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Sun LOADED: 02.04.2020

Maple Leafs' mentors in town

Lance Hornby

Published:February 3, 2020

Updated:February 3, 2020 9:44 PM EST

Scot Prohaska remembers the first time he encountered a young Frederik Andersen six years ago.

“He was a young kid from Denmark who stayed in his hotel playing video games, just eating Danish sweets,” joked Prohaska, a renowned high- performance coach in the Anaheim area when Andersen started with the Ducks. “It’s nice to see someone absorb what you teach. He’s so up on sports science, he’s taught me a few things.”

On Monday, Prohaska was in the stands at Scotiabank Arena, wearing Andersen’s No. 31 sweater, excited to be the goalie’s chosen guest for the Maple Leafs “mentor trip.” Each player and staffer was allowed to bring someone greatly influential in their lives for the game against Anaheim and Wednesday’s road game in New York City.

This twist on the traditional mothers and fathers trip of previous years saw best friends, old teammates, former coaches, brothers and grandfathers in the stands and in coach Sheldon Keefe’s case, his mother-in-law.

Former NHL stopper Dwayne Roloson introduced Andersen to Prohaska. From carrying too much weight in his early 20s, Andersen embraced all aspects of Prohaska’s conditioning bible and is now an established NHL starter, fifth in all-time Leafs victories and worthy of all-star game selection last month.

“He’ll come back to Newport Beach in summer and we’ll work six days a week, two to three hours,” Prohaska said of Andersen’s dedication. “He or (goalie coach Steve Briere) will tell me what he wants to work on that year. We’ll formulate a plan, whether it’s weight or certain movements. If there’s an injury we want to restore it, or maybe it’s something visual we work on, how he’s seeing the ice.”

Prohaska’s clients include 11 NFLers, Southern Californian NHL prospects and he was recently hired by the U.S. Figure Skating Association.

“A huge thing we focused on early with Fred was hip and core. He’s a bigger goalie, so he has to have a certain level of strength to generate a lot of force. If he has any leakage through his core. he won’t be as efficient and he’ll break down a little. Hip power is easy for me, but then it’s transferring up his whole body.

“It was more about setting a lifestyle path and diet that could support all that. Now he can mentor younger guys.”

Prohaska was thrilled Andersen is getting recognition around the league, such as all-star honours.

“It’s always good to see someone get what they deserve. As usual, Freddy framed it the right way, a great experience, but he wanted to get back to his team and start winning again.

“This has been an amazing trip so far. I want to meet other mentors, too.”

Alexander Kerfoot brought his Harvard University teammate Devin Tringale, while fellow forward Trevor Moore invited Connor Christ, a childhood friend from Thousand Oaks, Cal. Pierre Engvall brought coach Michael Andersson all the way from Sweden, whom he has known since age 15.

Captain John Tavares had GTA minor hockey coach James Naylor in the house.

“He made a big impact on my life, not just as a hockey player but as a person,” Tavares said. “When you have someone who was around you almost 20 years ago, when you still talk to them frequently and have a really good relationship, it speaks to the impact he has made on me. I’m happy to have him here.” 1174374 Toronto Maple Leafs Kapanen, who last off-season signed a three-year contract with an annual average value of $3.2 million US, has been battling on-ice inconsistency in 2019-20, scoring 10 goals in 51 games prior to Monday after he had 20 last season. Leafs hope Kapanen's troubling "pattern" ends with one-game benching Keefe said his first inclination was to protect the player, but Kapanen wanted to speak publicly.

Terry Koshan What’s clear is there is no appetite from the coach’s office for another off- ice misstep on Kapanen’s part. Published:February 3, 2020 “Anytime you get called out like that, and held accountable, it gives you Updated:February 3, 2020 6:02 PM EST an opportunity to reflect and grow from it and that’s really what we were looking for,” Keefe said. “We want him to be the player he is capable of being. We need him to be great and I fully expect he will be.” Kasperi Kapanen won’t get caught sleeping again. TEAMMATES GET BENCHING That’s the hope of the Maple Leafs, who are hedging their bets that a one-game benching of the winger brings to an end a disregard for team Not that the rest of the Maple Leafs needed to get the message sent to rules. Kasperi Kapanen, but it found a mark in the dressing room anyway.

“I think we’re a pretty forgiving place,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said “It just shows there has to be accountability for actions,” veteran centre on Monday. “Things happen all the time … but when there is a pattern of Jason Spezza said on Monday. “For the player (involved), it’s more things that have not corrected themselves, you have to do something a personal, but for the team, it shows there is a standard that has to be little bit outside what you normally might do.” met.

So it was that Kapanen watched the Leafs’ 2-1 overtime win versus the “It’s what the coaching staff expects, and we all take notice of it.” Ottawa Senators on Saturday night from the press box with injured Kapanen didn’t address the Leafs as a whole, instead talking to some of teammates Morgan Rielly and Ilya Mikheyev. his teammates about his one-game benching on an individual basis. Rather than have Kapanen address the benching that night, the Leafs let Captain John Tavares, who sets a fine example each time he walks into him stew for another 24 hours. the room, naturally concurred with Spezza. Kapanen, in talking to media on Monday morning before getting back into “There is a certain expectation and a standard, especially with what we the lineup against the Florida Panthers, acknowledged careless are trying to accomplish,” Tavares said. “That accountability we need, we behaviour on his part. talk a lot about it on the ice, but (it applies) off the ice as well. But after having some time to think about what he might say, there was “I think sometimes a situation like this can get blown out of proportion. I some confusion from Kapanen regarding the situation. Kapanen copped think it was an honest mistake. I don’t think (Kapanen) is trying to come to sleeping in on Friday causing him to be late for practice, and then said in and be unprofessional. No one is perfect. We support Kappy.” similar occurrences happened when he played for the Toronto Marlies. Keefe didn’t have a recollection of anything happening with Kapanen in Toronto Sun LOADED: 02.04.2020 the minors, but alluded to earlier incidents with the Leafs.

“It’s all to do with here, both in previous to my time coming and since arriving here (on Nov. 20 when he replaced Mike Babcock),” Keefe said. “This is not a punishment or anything like that. It’s about trying to reset the player and trying to help him grow and get better.

“Especially in this case, it was innocent, (but) it just gets to the point where you have to respond for the sake of the player and for the sake of the team.”

For his part, Kapanen was contrite, but lost some patience when questions persisted.

“They felt like sitting me out was something I deserved, and I agree,” Kapanen said. “I have to take responsibility for that.

“It’s not me not caring, it’s an honest mistake. I overslept. I don’t want my teammates to think I’m not serious about this. They sat me out and that’s it.”

Kapanen answered with a curt “no” when asked whether the thought it would hurt his standing in the organization.

Why not?

“Listen guys, if you want to talk about hockey, I’m all for it,” Kapanen said. “So talk about today or the future, that’s fine, but I overslept.”

To what extent did Kapanen seek the advice of his dad, Sami, a former NHLer?

“Nothing,” Kapanen said. “I’m a grown man and know I did wrong and just have to live up to it and just forget about it.”

As it is, the benching came in the midst of trade speculation involving the 23-year-old, the belief being that if Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas is able to acquire a defenceman of repute prior to the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 24, a player of Kapanen’s stature would have to be moved.

“It’s always going to be there,” Kapanen said of the trade chatter. “It’s no surprise. I don’t really read into that stuff. Just focusing on being with the guys here. We have a great group.” 1174375 Toronto Maple Leafs It’s not like the Panthers have made life easy on their goalie. A year ago, the team allowed the 10th-fewest shots. This year, the team is allowing the 10th-most. That’s a huge difference, especially for a goalie that was playing behind a stingy Columbus team that allowed fewer than 30 shots TRAIKOS: When will Sergei Bobrovsky start playing up to his contract? per game last season.

“He’s been great,” said defenceman Anton Stralman. “Unfortunately, maybe our defence hasn’t really given him as much credit as he Michael Traikos deserves, because he’s out there stopping a lot of pucks and keeping us Published:February 3, 2020 in games. Maybe it doesn’t show.”

Updated:February 3, 2020 3:33 PM EST “You saw in Montreal, we left him by himself,” Huberdeau said of Saturday night’s 4-0 loss to the Canadiens, where Bobrovsky stopped 31 of 36 shots. “It could have been even worse.”

TORONTO – What about Bob? This has been an odd year for proven goalies, with Washington’s Braden Holtby and Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers having lost their It was a question that Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville has net to rookie upstarts, while everyone from Jonathan Quick and Pekka been asked many times this season. Far too many times than anyone Rinne to Carey Price and Corey Crawford has struggled to find their could have expected. form. When the Panthers signed goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to a seven-year, Maybe the book on beating goalies is getting shared amongst the top $70-million contract, the giant question mark that has hovered around the snipers. Maybe age is a factor. Or maybe — and fans in Florida have to team’s net for the past several years was supposed to be answered. be hoping this last part is true — the veteran goalies are simply saving Finally, Florida had an elite goaltender. Finally, the Panthers had all the their best for when it matters the most. pieces in place to push them to the next level. If so, don’t count out the Panthers just yet. Except, it hasn’t exactly worked out that way. Bobrovsky hasn’t looked “When the games get bigger and bigger and bigger, he finds a way to elite. And Florida, who has missed the playoffs in six of the past seven meet that challenge,” Quenneville said of Bobrovsky, who headed into seasons, is once again on the outside looking in. Monday night’s game against the Maple Leafs having won four of his A lot of that is because of Bobrovsky. past five games. “We know the importance of goaltending and what it means to team success that was one of the key ingredients when we As a team, the Panthers are not having any difficulty scoring goals. They acquired him. We felt like he could deliver.” rank second in the league in that department, with one forward (Jonathan Huberdeau) ranked amongst the top-10 in scoring and another Now is the time to do so. (Aleksander Barkov) inside the top-10, as well as have the sixth-best Toronto Sun LOADED: 02.04.2020 power play.

Keeping the puck out of their own net, however, has been a different story. That’s where Bobrovsky deserves much of the blame.

The 31-year-old struggled mightily in October and in November, losing more games than he won. He was slightly better in December and January. But by the All-Star break, Bobrovsky still had a save percentage that was under the .900 mark and was sharing the net with a rookie and another who was in the ECHL a year ago.

And so, with two months remaining in the season and the playoffs in jeopardy, the question is being asked once again.

What about Bob?

Will he be able to find his game in time for the Panthers to secure a playoff spot? Will he do for Florida what he did for Columbus at this time last year? Will he start earning his money?

Quenneville is banking on it.

“He’s trending in a good direction,” said the Panthers head coach. “I think when the games get deeper and the saves become more important, he seems to be in the right place at the right time to find those challenges … we think there’s been real progress to his game and we know that down the stretch we’ll be relying on him a lot.”

This is a new team for Bobrovsky. But this isn’t exactly a new situation. A year ago, while playing for the Blue Jackets, he also struggled in the first half of the season for a team that had largely underachieved. It wasn’t until February, when Bobrovsky went 8-3-0 and then won 10 of the final 13 games with four shutouts and just 20 goals allowed in that span, that he started playing like a two-time Vezina Trophy winner.

It was that stretch run, along with a miraculous four-game sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs, which led the Panthers into signing the 32-year-old on July 1.

When asked if the team has confidence that Bobrovsky can do it again, defenceman Aaron Ekblad did not hesitate to answer: “For sure, 100%” he said. “We totally think that he’s ready to go and we’ll be there in front of him ready to battle.”

That’s the part of the equation that maybe hasn’t gotten much talk this year. Bobrovsky isn’t the only one responsible for what is the seventh- worst goals-against average in the league this season. 1174376 Toronto Maple Leafs

'A PATTERN': Contrite Kapanen back for Leafs after suspension

Lance Hornby

Published:February 3, 2020

Updated:February 3, 2020 1:04 PM EST

On a day the Maple Leafs brought the mentors in their lives to town, Kasperi Kapanen shifted uncomfortably in the spotlight of his one-game team suspension.

After 48 hours to think about missing the start of Friday’s practice which he over-slept for — coach Sheldon Keefe called it “a pattern” of such incidents — Kapanen faced the media Monday morning before returning to the lineup against the Florida Panthers.

“It’s not me not caring,” Kapanen said. “It’s just an honest mistake and it happens. I just have to own up to it. It (being forced to watch Saturday’s win over Ottawa from the press box) is something I deserved.

“I just overslept. Obviously, I don’t want my teammates to think that I’m not serious about this or what not, and they sat me out, and that’s that.”

Kapanen admitted the same practice tardiness happened once with the Marlies, and though his old farm coach Keefe could not recall the specific incident, the latter was more concerned that it’s happened a couple of times at the NHL level.

“When there’s a pattern of things that haven’t corrected themselves, you have to do something a little bit outside of what you would normally do,” Keefe said.

Kapanen bristled at a question about how the trouble might affect his standing on the team, while Keefe would not say how late Kapanen was.

“I don’t think that’s important or necessary. I also don’t think it’s necessary to make this a bigger deal than it needs to be. It was very innocent. It just gets to a point where you have to respond. We’re a pretty forgiving place.”

Keefe said there would be no further disciplinary moves with Kapanen, that he would play his usual right wing role with Pierre Engvall and Andreas Johnsson and the coach expected him to be fired up.

As Keefe’s “internal accountability” was being preached the past few days, the players and staff welcomed one person who has been influential in their careers to come to Monday night’s game and then accompany the team to New York for Wednesday’s match against the Rangers. This twist on the traditional mothers and fathers trip of previous years saw best friends, old teammates and former coaches at SBA, and in Keefe’s case, his mother-in-law.”

Goaltender Frederik Andersen brought his Newport Beach, Calif., high performance coach Scot Prohaska.

“It has been amazing so far,” said Prohaska said as he watched morning skate after a players/mentors on-ice photo session. “I came a couple of days early to hang with Freddy.

“He can now mentor young guys himself, he’s so up on sports science. It’s nice to see someone absorb it. He wants to give back to the NHL and the city.

“When I met him (in Andersen’s Anaheim days), he was a young kid from Denmark who stayed in his hotel playing video games and just eating sweets. That was the impetus of (former NHL goalie) Dwayne Roloson hooking us up.”

Andersen will start against the Panthers in this crucial four-pointer. Leaf defenceman Travis Dermott is getting over food poisoning and will be a game-time decision. Keefe will dress seven blueliners in warm-up as a precaution.

The Leafs catch a break with Panthers’ leading scorer Aleksander Barkov out.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174377 Toronto Maple Leafs The goals that tied the score and gave the Panthers the lead were shots the Leafs needed Hutchinson to stop.

Both went through him. Maple Leafs’ uncertain goalie situation might force Kyle Dubas to spring “It’s just one of a series of unfortunate events that ends up in the back of into action your net,” Hutchinson said of the fourth and final tally, which gave the Panthers the lead.

By Jonas Siegel Feb 3, 2020 Hutchinson said he learned he was taking over for Andersen a few minutes into the first intermission. Then came that ghost town of a second period, followed by the unraveling in the third.

The Maple Leafs very likely go on to beat the Florida Panthers with “You try to do your best, get your body ready and prepared, but it’s Frederik Andersen between the pipes for the final two periods Monday probably the hardest thing in pro sports, as far as going in cold,” he said. night. “Baseball players have bullpen(s), football quarterbacks going in cold get to throw a few balls on the sideline. And as a goalie, you’re sitting around “If we play that type of game 100 times, we probably win 99 of them,” to jumping right into the game and being thrown right into it.” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said after the 5-3 loss. “But you don’t get the points, and that hurts.” “Obviously, it didn’t go very well,” Keefe said of Hutchinson’s night, in which he yielded three goals on only 13 shots. “But that’s a challenging Two points in a win and the Leafs go up four points on the Panthers and scenario. He comes in cold, he’s not expected to play, and he goes in the keep hold of a playoff spot. No points in a loss and they’re now out of the second period, and other than a couple dump-ins, I don’t know that he postseason picture, even in points with Florida but with two fewer games had any shots. to go. “It’s a tough ask of any goalie, but he is part of the team and he wants The loss was costly. It could even be the difference in qualifying for the the opportunity and he’s in the net, and you’d like to see positive results. playoffs or not. But he’s in tough here today. I take a lot more from games he’s played Nothing was more apparent coming out of it than the lingering concern for us previous than I would tonight.” the Leafs still have in the backup spot. Regardless of whether Andersen After Monday’s showing, Hutchinson is down to an .886 save percentage misses no time at all with what the team described as an upper-body in 14 games. He ranks 59th out of the 60 goalies to log at least 600 injury, continued instability from Michael Hutchinson might force Kyle minutes with an .897 five-on-five save percentage. Dubas to finally spring for an upgrade. On the whole this season, he hasn’t looked the part of an NHL Monday night only exposed what’s been apparent all season: that goaltender. Hutchinson doesn’t offer enough security behind the Leafs’ No. 1. His most recent stumbles came over only two periods — one, really. Recent results have been more positive for him, including a solid performance in a win against Ottawa over the weekend, but ultimately, What if the Leafs need him to perform for weeks? he can’t give the Leafs what they should have in the backup spot: a Keefe didn’t divulge what exactly forced Andersen from the game after goalie who’s capable enough to step in for Andersen for more than a the first period, though it seemed apparent it was the result of a bump game at a time. Can Hutchinson stand in for a week or carry the Leafs from Mark Pysyk. Andersen went through concussion protocol with through a playoff series if Andersen were to get hurt, as other backups positive results, Keefe said, and wasn’t ruled out for practice on Tuesday have for their teams in recent years? afternoon. The Leafs were going to wait and see how Andersen was Losing a No. 1 to injury would cause nightmares to the GMs of most feeling in the morning, though, before determining whether he’d join them teams, but losing Andersen feels more perilous to the Leafs given how on the ice and for their one-game trip to New York after that. poorly Hutchinson has performed for the most part this year and how “I guess he’s feeling better,” Keefe said, “but from what I’m told, they’re long it’s been since he’s been even adequate. Hutchinson’s last real just gonna have to give him the night, see how he is in the morning.” season of moderate success was 2014-15, when he posted a .914 save percentage in 38 games for the Jets. Andersen has had scares like that before. Since then, he’s fluttered around .900 in the NHL and posted a .910 mark Late in the 2017-18 season, Alexander Radulov fell onto him during a in 23 games with the Marlies last year. It was Kasimir Kaskisuo who got home game against the Stars. Andersen left the game that night and sat the starting nod in the playoffs. out the next two games with a head injury. “I’m not gonna answer hypotheticals tonight,” Keefe said when asked He also had concussion troubles in Anaheim. about his confidence in Hutchinson if Andersen were to miss games.

Any kind of absence, but especially a lengthy one, would punish the Even if Andersen misses no time at all, it’s a position the Leafs front Leafs. Not only is the 30-year-old substantially better than his 29-year-old office has to look hard at upgrading. It’s been a position of weakness all backup, but he also appeared to be coming out from a midseason funk in season, with an untested Kaskisuo lurking in the three-hole. stopping 65 of 70 shots in wins over Nashville and Dallas. Barring an upgrade, an absence of any length could cost the Leafs a playoff spot. How much is worth paying, though? What’s too much to give up for a goaltender who might only be required for a handful of games the rest of It’ll be tight even with Andersen healthy. the way? Can the Leafs afford not to do it?

The Leafs were destroying the Panthers after he left the game Monday It’s something the Leafs GM will have to think long and hard about, night. Just three shots found their way to Hutchinson in a near-perfect regardless of whether it is indeed just a scare with Andersen. second period: one from 121 feet, another from 79 feet and a third from 46 feet. — Stats and research courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, Hockey-Reference and HockeyDB. There wasn’t a single scoring chance, and overall, the Leafs matched a season best in yielding just 11 scoring chances all night. The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020

The heat map tells the story:

“The result sucks, but I don’t think the result is in any way indicative of the way the game went,” Keefe said. “You talk about the maturity of our team — a lot of it is just how we can’t defend. It’s the best defensive game we’ve played the entire season. I don’t know if we gave up more than four scoring chances at even strength throughout the whole hockey game, including the third period.” 1174378 Toronto Maple Leafs Only one of those plays resulted in a goal, but that probably should’ve been two primary assists for Kapanen. This has been the biggest criticism in his game, especially since Sheldon Keefe took over, so it was nice to see Kapanen take a significant step forward in the playmaking Leafs Report Cards: In a crucial game vs. a division rival, Toronto department. dominated the run of play … and lost in regulation Andreas Johnsson (LW, No. 18) — He’s starting to look like more of the speedy Johnsson we’re used to watching. There were a few times he burst up the ice with speed, ran a quick little give-and-go with a By Ian Tulloch Feb 3, 2020 teammate in the neutral zone, then burned the defenceman for a partial breakaway.

This team is ruining my life. I love it when he drops his shoulder like this to get the puck to a more dangerous area. It’s part of the reason he’s always generated so many In a crucial game against a division rival, the Leafs thoroughly dominated chances from the inner slot. the run of play … and lost to the Panthers in regulation. Those are two crucial points we’re going to be thinking about in April, especially when Trevor Moore (LW, No. 42) — Moore didn’t play many minutes in this you consider Toronto had the lead going into the third period. To make game, but he always seemed to be around the puck. There was one shift matters worse, Frederik Andersen left the game early with an “upper- when he made a great backdoor pass to Jason Spezza, who body” injury and did not return. unfortunately didn’t see it. Moore made another great pass to the slot in that shift, which is about as much as you can ask for from a fourth-liner For Leafs fans, this kind of feeling is par for the course. We’re used to offensively. having our hearts broken by now, but I don’t think anyone expected to go through these emotions on a random Monday evening in February. Rasmus Sandin (LD, No. 38) — After a quiet first period, Sandin really Sports suck sometimes … let’s talk about it. started to take over in the third period. He made some great plays up the ice to get his teammates into open space off the rush. He also generated Player reports a few chances off the cycle by stepping up into the play and firing a hard wrister on net. One of them almost beat Sergei Bobrovsky, who hasn’t ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ looked very sharp this season for Florida. It was also nice to see Sandin Game Ball : Auston Matthews (C, No. 34) — It sucks that the Leafs dropping his shoulder a few times and leveraging his weight in puck lost this game because I genuinely thought it was one of Matthews’ most battles. impressive 200-foot performances in a Leafs uniform. He was able to find If you can make plays like these with consistency, you’re going to have a the back of the net only once, but he was generating tons of quality lot of success at the NHL level. chances off the rush. Somehow he ended the game with zero power-play goals despite getting some A-plus looks from the slot. More importantly, Zach Hyman (LW, No. 11) — As always, Hyman was fighting for loose though, he was an animal on the backcheck. pucks as if his life depended on it. He was also able to make a few plays offensively, namely the pass he completed to Matthews off the rush for I’ve been critical of Matthews this season on nights when he doesn’t look what would’ve been the game-winning goal … if life wasn’t a carnival of engaged without the puck, so I need to be objective and point out just pain. how hard he was trying defensively. He blocked a few key passes through the middle of the ice by getting his stick in the right position, ⭐⭐⭐ which helped lead to some offence the other way. Individually, you don’t always get rewarded with a win despite playing some of your best John Tavares (C, No. 91) — This wasn’t Tavares’ most memorable hockey, but I’m not going to let that take away from Matthews’ dominant game, but then again, he’s 48 hours removed from playing sick. Tavares performance. These are the kind of games that make me think he can scored a weird goal on the power play when he fanned on the shot, but it become the second-best player in the world behind Connor McDavid. still knuckle-pucked its way past Bobrovsky.

William Nylander (RW, No. 88) — Nylander’s been on such a tear lately. Mitch Marner (RW, No. 16) — I wasn’t sure what to do with this grade He potted another goal from the inner slot off a brilliant feed from Kasperi because Marner made a couple of passes that resulted in goals, but he Kapanen, putting the Swedish winger on pace for 39 goals this season. also had a few inexcusable turnovers that cost his team. I’m sure most He also made a few highlight-reel passes on the power play. fans will point to his giveaway on the six-on-five breakout, giving Florida an easy empty-net goal, but there were a few other times when he turned He’s playing with so much confidence right now. One thing I would like to the puck over and it led to an odd-man rush the other way. When you see more of, though, is him driving toward the net off the rush, similar to add all that up, what do you get? I decided to go with three stars, but what we saw from Andreas Johnsson tonight. there’s a good argument for anywhere between two and four after such an up-and-down night. When you’re playing the best hockey of your life, it’s hard to find things to criticize. Consider this “nitpicking” for a star player I’m extremely high on, Frederik Gauthier (C, No. 33) — Gauthier made a great pass to Moore but it is something I think could help take his game to the next level. through the middle of the slot, but there weren’t too many memorable moments from him the rest of the night. We’ve come to expect that from Jake Muzzin (LD, No. 8) — “How can you give so many players five stars Gauthier, whose calling card is “nothing happens when I’m on the ice.” in a game the team lost?” Because they played well. The Leafs shouldn’t Mission accomplished in that regard. have lost this game, but somehow it happened. That isn’t the fault of Muzzin, who was making excellent passes all night. One of his worst Jason Spezza (RW, No. 19) — It was cool to see Spezza get behind habits as a defenceman is his tendency to take low-percentage shots another slap shot; he can still get a ton of power on it. He was also able from the boards or blue line when there’s a better play available. Against to draw a penalty after making a nice move into the slot at even strength. Florida, he was making those high-percentage passes to open The Leafs weren’t able to capitalize on the man advantage, but Kapanen teammates. It’s a big part of the reason Toronto spent so much time in was able to find Nylander for a backdoor tap-in two seconds after the the offensive zone. When Muzzin was on the ice, Toronto outshot Florida penalty expired. 22-6 and out-chanced it 12-2. Good things happen when you make smart decisions with the puck. Justin Holl (RD, No. 3) — This was one of those quiet but effective games from Holl. Justin Bourne, who was the video coach for the ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Toronto Marlies when Holl played there, likes to say he’s one of those players who always makes the “right” play. It might not be dynamic or Kasperi Kapanen (RW, No. 24) — After getting some extra rest Saturday, super memorable, but his team tends to spend more time on offence Kapanen looked pretty sharp Monday night. All jokes aside, I was than defence because of the little passes he makes up the ice and smart impressed with some of the passes he was able to pull off. He has a pinches to keep his team on offence. Tonight was a great example. tendency to get tunnel vision sometimes in the offensive zone, but he whipped a couple of beautiful passes through the middle of the ice to an ⭐⭐ open teammate backdoor. The first one was to Nylander. (LW, No. 15) — Kerfoot made a few shifty little moves The second was to Pierre Engvall off the rush. along the boards in the offensive zone, but I didn’t think this was his greatest game. I’m sure most fans will be frustrated with his pumping the Cody Ceci (RD, No. 3) — Oh, boy. If you watched the highlights or read brakes on a partial two-on-one, looking for the better play instead of what some of the comments on Twitter, there isn’t much else to be said about was right in front of him. His instinct to look for the “extra” pass is part of Ceci in this game; he was terrible. I’m still not sure what he was thinking what makes him such a great playmaker, but man, sometimes you just on this play: need to take what the defence gives you. He was also involved with Florida’s game-winning goal, although that one Tyson Barrie (RD, No. 94) — As I might’ve mentioned before, Barrie is a was more a product of bad luck than anything else. That doesn’t change confusing player. He’s so skilled with the puck on his stick, which is why the fact most of Leafs Nation is frustrated with Ceci, and frankly, I don’t you want him in offensive situations with dynamic talent. He has the blame it. After Kyle Dubas asked us not to have a referendum on Ceci ability to make plays other players can’t. The frustrating part is he doesn’t every time he makes a mistake, he sure has made a lot of mistakes. always take advantage of that ability, firing shots into shin pads or turning the puck over in a bad spot when there is a high-percentage pass Heat map available to him. The most annoying part for me, though, is just how Here’s a quick look at where each team’s shots were coming from, passive he is in transition. courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.

We all know by now he’s not a great defender, but for a guy with wheels, The Leafs generated 19 more shots from the slot than Florida through 40 I’ve never understood why he backs up so much when he’s defending minutes … and still lost the game. I don’t like hockey. the rush instead of tightening up his gap and making a play on the puck carrier as they cross the blue line. There were a few plays when he Game score essentially gave the Florida forward a free entry and let him skate it all Game score is a metric developed by The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn to the way into the zone below the goal line. That shouldn’t be happening, quickly measure a player’s performance in a single game. especially late in the game when you’re losing and need to get the puck back. He also telegraphed his drop pass to Marner at six-on-five, which It’s not perfect, but it can help give us a decent idea of how well players made life easier for Mark Pysyk to force a turnover and pick up a hat performed in a particular game based on their numbers — although I’d trick. always recommend combining stats with video, because single-game numbers can be wonky. That’s right: Mark Pysyk scored a hat trick in this game. Trending up or down? Frederik Andersen (G, No. 31) — We’re talking about a 20-minute sample here, but it’s fair to say this wasn’t Andersen’s best night. Florida This is where we break down the latest trends in my Leafs Report Cards, had two legitimate chances in the first period, and Andersen was able to courtesy of Mark Norman. You can play around with the data at his stop only one of them, although the double push-off to get to the right Tableau page if you’re interested. side of his crease on Jonathan Huberdeau’s shot was a pretty impressive recovery considering it came on a rebound. The more concerning aspect Tweets of the night for Leafs fans is the fact Andersen left the game early. We need a little bit of humour on nights like this, so let’s see what I can This could’ve been catastrophic for Toronto, but it sounds like this was do to help cheer people up. more of a precaution than anything. The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 Pierre Engvall (C, No. 47) — This was one of Engvall’s quieter games of the year. He made a few nice plays on the forecheck, especially at the tail end of the game, but he wasn’t making an impact on things in transition the way we’re used to seeing from him. He also had some rough shifts on the penalty kill, which could be said for a lot of Toronto’s players Monday.

Travis Dermott (LD, No. 23) — Let’s start with the obvious: This was a bad play by Dermott that resulted in a goal against.

It’s frustrating to watch such a talented player continue to allow preventable goals like these. I’m sure he was hoping Barrie would cover for him on the switch, but as Jeff O’Neill pointed out on the broadcast, this is a situation in which you can’t leave the player open in front of the net; he’s the most dangerous player on the ice, not the puck carrier behind the goal line. Dermott actually played really well aside from this moment, making some crisp passes out of his zone and playing some excellent defence in transition.

If he wants to move up the lineup, though, he needs to prove to the coaching staff that he’s going to improve in some of the “dirty” areas of the ice. Much like Sandin, it’s never going to be a strength in his game, but if Dermott can do a better job taking away the front of the net and win some more battles in tight spaces, he can be a strong play-driving defenceman. He just needs to prove he can handle it.

⭐

Coaching staff — No timeout when the team was letting the game get away from it, the penalty kill looked brutal and, also, STOP PLAYING CODY CECI SO MUCH. Ceci played 22 minutes against Ottawa, then kept getting shifts on a night when he couldn’t complete a pass. (There are some nights when he has “it” in transition and other nights when he doesn’t — why are we so comfortable trusting him on nights when he’s a walking turnover?)

Michael Hutchinson (G, No. 30) — It’s never easy entering the game in relief unexpectedly when your starting goaltender suffers an injury midgame, but Hutchinson did a solid job of settling things down for Toronto. Then the third period happened. It’s probably best if all of us just forget about those 20 minutes of hockey, with Hutchinson allowing three goals on 11 shots. 1174379 Toronto Maple Leafs Justin Holl zone-entry special The Justin Holl zone entry is becoming a thing.

More and more often these days, Holl is grabbing hold of the puck in his Monday Morning Leafs Report: Sending a message to Kasperi Kapanen, own zone, scanning for options as he wades into the neutral zone and Justin Holl zone entries, concussion woes then lugging it himself into the offensive zone. It’s a special skill that helps the Leafs hop onto offence with ease every now and again, and is especially beneficial with Morgan Rielly, the Leafs’ best zone-entry By Jonas Siegel Feb 2, 2020 wizard on defence, out until March with a broken foot.

“It’s really not something that I look to do,” Holl said last week, a day after logging nearly 21 minutes in a win over the Predators. “In Nashville, there *Editor’s note: The Monday Morning Leafs Report is a weekly collection were a couple opportunities where I got the puck in the neutral zone and of quotes, observations, stats, and notes. This version was updated as of I was looking, looking, looking, and nobody really came to me. So, it was 11:16 a.m. Monday with Kasperi Kapanen’s comments at practice. kinda one of these deals where it’s like, ‘I guess I’ll just go. If the Then-general manager Dave Nonis was on a scouting trip at the time, opportunity is there, and I think it’s the best play, then I’ll do it.'” which left it up to Brendan Shanahan to explain why the Maple Leafs (Dan Hamilton / USA Today) were unexpectedly suspending Nazem Kadri for three games. Holl becomes almost like a quarterback in those situations, reading the The Maple Leafs president said it wasn’t just a case of Kadri, then 24, defence, looking for outlets to move the puck, and when one doesn’t being 15 minutes late to practice one time. emerge, like Patrick Mahomes, he runs it across the line himself. “Sweeping this under the rug would have been the easiest, but probably It’s not a tactic that Holl says he’s discussed in any great detail with the weakest move for us,” Shanahan said sternly. “If this was a one-time Keefe, though he believes his coach is fully on board if it amounts to thing, yeah, you’d love to handle this internally, have him take the guys to more O-zone shifts for the team. lunch, pay a fine, donate some money to charity, something like that, but this is a moment where a player has to look in the mirror and make some The increasing frequency of the zone entries speaks to the growing decisions.” confidence of Holl, who turned 28 on Jan. 30 and played his 63rd career NHL game on Saturday. “It’s more just like trying to figure out what the Almost five years later, the Leafs appear to be sending a similar best play is at any certain time,” he said. message to 23-year-old Kasperi Kapanen. Trading for Morgan Rielly’s partner? Kapanen didn’t play over the weekend against the Ottawa Senators and the Leafs declined to explain why. All Sheldon Keefe would tell reporters If the Leafs do end up trading for a defenceman before the Feb. 24 after a 2-1 overtime win was that Kapanen had been scratched for deadline, it seems likely that someone partners with Morgan Rielly — not “internal accountability.” Jake Muzzin.

The Leafs coach wouldn’t say what that meant. Why?

On Monday Kapanen did that himself when he met with reporters before The combination of Holl and Muzzin, hatched in Mike Babcock’s final the team took on the Florida Panthers. game as Leafs coach, looks like a winner. The Leafs boast a shiny 57 percent expected goals mark when Holl and Muzzin have been out there Just as they could have kept things quiet with Kadri, the organization over 20 games as a tandem. And that’s with the twosome grabbing top- could have easily swept the situation with Kapanen under the rug. Not line competition and starting a whole bunch in the defensive zone (42 doing so, and going so far as to have Kapanen step in front of a pack of percent offensive zone start percentage). cameras and microphones to explain his infraction, suggests the Leafs wanted to teach Kapanen a lesson as well. Otherwise, why not handle Thanks to a lowly .897 save percentage, the Leafs are only 15-15 in the the matter internally? goals department in those 290 minutes. But those underlying numbers point to something special forming. Kapanen conceded to a pattern of lateness when he was still playing for Keefe with the Marlies. The Leafs coach didn’t recall that, noting on What the Leafs need is a more dependable presence next to Rielly Monday morning, “It’s all to do with here, both in previous to my time whenever he returns next month. (Who might that be? Stay tuned to The coming and since arriving here.” Athletic on Tuesday for our suggestions.)

“We’re a pretty forgiving place,” Keefe went on. “When there’s a pattern Life with trade rumours of things that haven’t corrected themselves then we have to do something a little bit outside of what you normally do.” For years, before he was finally dealt to the Leafs on Canada Day last summer, Tyson Barrie heard his name tossed around in trade Kapanen will re-enter the Leafs lineup against the Panthers, playing speculation. alongside Andreas Johnsson and Pierre Engvall. “For me, I think the first time I heard my name in trade rumours I maybe “It was just an honest mistake,” he said. “I was late to practice that day, got caught up in it a little bit,” Barrie said the other day. “I called my on Friday, and they felt like sitting me out was something I deserved, and agent, I was like, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ There’s rumours, (but) nothing I agree. So, I just gotta take responsibility for that, and that’s that.” ended up happening. And then it seemed like three years of constant trade rumours where nothing happened. So I just learned to ignore it. Back in 2015, Shanahan said the Leafs were urging Kadri to “grow up” in You think it might happen, it never happens, never happens, and then it keeping him out of the lineup, and Kadri responded the following season, comes out of nowhere on you. playing on a one-year, make-or-break contract, by leading the team in scoring. That earned him a six-year deal and he evolved into a “It’s absolutely out of your control. You just gotta take care of what you dependable player — save for two notable on-ice instances in the do and that’s your play on the ice.” postseason. And that’s the way Kapanen has tried to handle it. “There’s a maturing process that happens for all NHL players,” Shanahan said of the Kadri situation in March, 2015. “We need this to be a real If there’s a current Toronto equivalent to what Barrie endured on the learning moment. It’s something that has happened to me in my career. rumour mill in Colorado it’s definitely the Finnish winger. It’s something that has happened to a lot of players. It’s really how you No name gets bandied about more in trade speculation around the Leafs respond to it that’s important to us. We didn’t think it would help him or than Kapanen. And for good reason: Kapanen won’t turn 24 until July; our team or our organization if we didn’t address it in a firm way.” he’s signed for two more seasons at a reasonable $3.2 million cap hit, Kapanen’s explanation on Monday isn’t really the point. after which he’ll remain in team control as a restricted free agent; he’s as fast as they come, and on pace for a second consecutive season of Making him get up there at all — not burying this away — says around 20 goals and 40-odd points. everything. (It’s worth wondering what effect, if any, Kapanen’s one-game benching something going on there, whether it’s a concussion or not you probably will have on his trade value. That the Leafs were willing to let his situation need to figure it out.” come to light in spite of those possibilities is interesting and seems to speak to the urgency they feel in correcting an apparent problem.) Moore had just returned from a 15-game absence (shoulder), playing one game, when he got hit the wrong way at practice. He knew something Kapanen also has pedigree on his side, as a former first-round pick wasn’t right afterward and felt off again the following morning. (2014) and son of a longtime NHLer. Sami Kapanen was traded only once in his NHL career, to Philadelphia from Carolina in February, 2003. “For me, it was kinda weird because it wasn’t really bothering me too Kasperi was 6 at the time. much when I was on the ice,” he said. “Then the rest of the day was bad headaches.” He learned the business side of the game from a very young age. Moore tried to avoid screens as much as possible, especially early on, “It’s always gonna be around, so just let it be,” Kapanen said of how he’s which meant no TV. “So, I was just in the dark,” the 24-year-old said with learned to deal with trade rumours. a chuckle.

And then, sounding a lot like Barrie, he added: “A lot of people get talked He turned to audio books instead, landing on, and enjoying, Jim Collin’s about a lot of the time and nothing usually happens or whatever. It is “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others what it is.” Don’t.”

Big Willie Style The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020

William Nylander donned a white Dwight Schrute T-shirt during the Leafs road trip last week. It’s obvious from his sunny disposition off the ice, and dominance on it, that Nylander is feeling pretty, pretty good right now (sorry, different show).

This move, on his 24th goal of the season in Dallas last week, was yet another sign of those vibes.

Notice how Nylander tries at first to corral the Muzzin rebound onto his stick, only to quickly put his left skate to work when that fails:

Heading into play on Sunday, Nylander ranked 12th in the league in goals per 60 minutes this season. He’s on pace for 38 goals.

3C questions

One thing to keep an eye on, especially as the Feb. 24 trade deadline draws closer: the simmering question mark in the Leafs third centre spot.

Alex Kerfoot was supposed to be the guy there, coming to the Leafs from Colorado (alongside Barrie) for Kadri last summer, but Keefe has just as often moved him to the wing since he replaced Babcock, including in the past three games.

Getting most of the reps in his place has been Pierre Engvall, who doesn’t have much experience at centre. He only started playing in the middle with the Marlies in the second half last season.

He last did it before that as a kid in Sweden.

(Douglas DeFelice / USA Today)

Keefe didn’t think it was the uptick in quality between the AHL and NHL that posed challenges for Engvall. “It’s different that we’re playing with a different structure defensively than we were with the Marlies,” the Leafs coach said. “Different responsibilities in the defensive zone. But other than that, (playing centre) fits him well with the way he skates, and the way he can close space, and the way he can take the puck in his own end and get us out of trouble.”

That’s what Engvall was most enthusiastic about, all that space in the middle to get the puck and go. As for the adjustments Keefe referenced, Engvall said, “You just gotta be more conscious about where you should go, and where you shouldn’t go, and staying on the inside and not letting them in there. So, yeah, it’s a little bit changed, but that’s been good for us.”

Keefe has bounced back and forth between Kerfoot and Engvall in that third centre spot. He’s even given Jason Spezza some run there to solidify things. It’s worth wondering if it’s a position Kyle Dubas looks to address in the coming weeks, or if the Leafs believe that between Engvall and Kerfoot they’ve got enough there already.

Concussion woes

The toughest part of Trevor Moore’s first career concussion, the one that kept him sidelined for over a month earlier this season: all the uncertainty.

“It was hard because you don’t know what you’re looking for and you don’t know if it’s just a headache or — so many things can be contributing factors to have headaches, so you don’t know if it’s actually a concussion,” Moore explained of his recent ordeal. “But when the headache goes on for a week, or two weeks, or whatever, it’s like, it’s 1174380 Vegas Golden Knights

William Carrier’s abilities excelling in 3rd season with Golden Knights

By Ben Gotz

February 3, 2020 - 3:08 PM

Updated February 3, 2020 - 4:36 PM

TAMPA, Fla. — William Carrier insists he’s doing nothing differently. Longtime linemate Ryan Reaves believes him.

Yet the numbers tell a completely different story.

In his third season with the Knights, Carrier’s offense is up, his hitting is down — albeit slightly — and, most importantly, his availability is through the roof. Carrier has yet to miss a game after dealing with injuries the past two years.

When the left wing skates Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, it’ll be his 55th game, surpassing his career-high for games played in a season. He seems like a totally new player. Just not to himself.

“(I’m doing) nothing different,” Carrier said. “I’m playing the same game.”

Carrier’s words can be taken at face value. But the perception of his play has changed, whether he will admit it or not.

He’s a bottom-six grinder who was a former second-round pick and point- per-game forward in junior hockey. He’s a bruiser who has the speed of a top-line player. And despite his rugged exterior, he’s still young, having turned 25 in late December.

He reached the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres playing a certain way, but that doesn’t mean that’s all there is to him as a player.

He has a lot of talent. This year it’s showing.

“The first couple of years, you just try to stay in the league,” Carrier said. “Try to get a role. That’s the role (grinder) they (the Sabres) wanted me to play. Obviously now, the offense is coming back in.”

Carrier has a career-high 14 points this season, including nine assists. He only had six assists his first four seasons. That production is leading to more opportunities. He’s playing on the third line instead of the fourth to try to give a struggling unit a jolt.

Yet he insists he hasn’t changed. His offense isn’t up because he discovered new tricks. The ability was always there. His linemates just happen to be finishing the chances he gives them a little more.

“I just think the players he was passing to last year didn’t always bury and the guys he’s passing to this year are putting them in the back of the net,” said Reaves, who admitted he’s one of the players he’s talking about. “I think sometimes his skill surprised me last year, and I wasn’t always ready for it. So now this year, I know he’s coming for me.”

It’s hard to blame teammates for Carrier’s skill sneaking up on them. He did plenty to mask it when he became so good at hitting people.

Carrier’s hits per 60 minutes the past three seasons (24.03) rank third in the NHL among players who have skated in at least 10 games. He’s even ahead of Reaves, the well-known heel, 23-14.

He’s toned it down this year to 18.97, which ranks 15th. He still isn’t afraid to play physical or land a big check. But the slight reduction in wear-and-tear might be what’s keeping him on the ice.

It also might be helping his talent shine more. Count new Knights coach Peter DeBoer among those who came to know Carrier by his hitting. Now that DeBoer has taken a closer look, that’s not all he sees.

“I’ve always admired Will’s game from the other bench,” DeBoer said. “The type of momentum he can create for his team with his physical play and his speed. He’s also a much better player than people give him credit for. He can make plays and get up and down the ice. We’ve promoted him, we’ve bumped him up, and I think he’s a big part of this group.”

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174381 Vegas Golden Knights “Our record isn’t good in overtime, 3-on-3,” coach Peter DeBoer said. “There are some things I think you can get better at in those situations, some areas of concentration, (some) strategy to it. So we talked about some of those things.” Zach Whitecloud happy to be back in NHL with Golden Knights LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 02.04.2020

By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal

February 3, 2020 - 2:00 PM

Updated February 3, 2020 - 3:36 PM

TAMPA, Fla. — To say that Zach Whitecloud is happy to be back with the Golden Knights is underselling it. Thrilled and determined to make the most of the opportunity would be more accurate.

The 23-year-old defenseman made his NHL debut April 5, 2018, 28 days after signing with the Knights as a college free agent. He then waited nearly 22 months, 667 days to be exact, for his next shot.

He played his second NHL game Saturday against the Predators and is hoping he’ll play his third Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“You kind of look back on those things and you’re thankful for it and thankful for the opportunity,” Whitecloud said of his reintroduction to the NHL and the long road he traveled to get there. “But you also want to take advantage of the opportunity you’re given and make the most of it. And just come here with a positive attitude, upbeat spirit and just have fun and be part of the team.”

The right-shot defenseman had a good training camp this fall but sustained an upper-body injury in the Knights’ third-to-last preseason game. That ended his chances of making the team.

So Whitecloud waited in the American Hockey League, where he had seven points (two goals, five assists) in 35 games for the Chicago Wolves.

Then, after a game Friday against the , he learned he was being called back up. The Wolves were set to play Saturday as well, so Whitecloud was already getting ready to play the next day. He flew to Nashville the next morning and played 13:34 in the Knights’ 3-0 win.

“I did my normal stuff after the game. Cool down and get ready for the next night,” Whitecloud said. “So it kind of worked out.”

He hopes his latest NHL chance works out as well. The Knights could certainly use a player like Whitecloud, one who can provide a little offense and isn’t afraid to be physical in front of his own net. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a right shot — one of only two on the blue line along with Deryk Engelland.

“(I want to show) just, first of all, that I can be a good teammate and a good person in the organization,” Whitecloud said. “Then obviously do my best on the ice to contribute in any way possible. Just do my part and pull my weight.”

Goalie fight

“The Battle of Alberta” rivalry between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers went to a new level Saturday when goaltenders Cam Talbot and Mike Smith fought in the second period.

Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury loved it.

“I get excited,” Fleury said. “I think everybody gets excited, you know, to see a goalie fight. There’s not too many of those anymore, right? Kudos to the guys to stand up like that and do it.”

Right wing Ryan Reaves was a fan as well.

“It’s nice, old-school hockey,” Reaves said. “I loved it. A heated game. Obviously, that rivalry is back in full force, which, you know, is good for the sport, good to see. I like seeing a nice goalie fight once in a while.”

OT practice

The Knights ended Monday’s practice with a 3-on-3 scrimmage, something they never did under previous coach Gerard Gallant.

The team is 3-6 in games decided in 3-on-3 overtime. The Knights are also 3-1 in shootouts. 1174382 Vegas Golden Knights offense out of nothing for his teammates, quarterback a power play, and create entries and exits with his hands and feet. When he’s on the ice, he’s always a threat to make something happen. He has proven that yet again this season as the Wolves’ leading scorer and the AHL’s third- Wheeler’s 2020 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 10 Vegas Golden highest scoring under-21 player. He’s not a huge scoring threat and he’s Knights not explosive, per se, but he has all of the qualities you look for in a dynamic second-line playmaker, and he’ll be a huge asset to any power

play. By Scott Wheeler Feb 3, 2020 3. Jack Dugan, RW, 21 ()

Dugan is putting together one of the better college seasons in recent Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2020 rankings of every NHL organization’s memory, with the fourth-best point per game rate (1.68) by an under-22 prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on collegiate player in the past 10 years. And though he’s not in the same the criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 31 to No. 1. The echelon of prospect as the three names ahead of him on that list (Johnny series, which includes evaluations and commentary from coaches and Gaudreau, Jack Eichel and Kyle Connor), I think it’s fair to put Dugan in staff on more than 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 13 to Feb. 11. the same conversation as those who are slightly below him: J.T. Compher, Kevin Hayes and Adam Gaudette. Dugan, like Krebs and Considering the Golden Knights have graduated both Cody Glass and Elvenes, is a pass-first creator who is at his best when he’s making plays Nic Hague to the NHL level in the past few months (and that they traded to his linemates instead of on net. Unlike them, though, he’s 6-foot-2 and Nick Suzuki and Erik Brannstrom!), this ranking is as much of a he’s a pain in the ass to play against, the kind of player who doesn’t pass testament to the job Vegas has done at the draft as any other team in the up an opportunity to finish a check or go back at an opposing player post- league. whistle. That gives him more versatility than Elvenes and contributes to his safer projection at the NHL level because it will help him play up and Featured below are a pair of fifth-round picks who’ve become some of down the lineup, and he doesn’t always have to have the puck to make the game’s top forward prospects; a late-round defenseman who has an impact. He’s got a shuffle to his stride that I don’t love, but he protects surprised everyone (himself included); and hits in the first, second and the puck so well when he’s in motion that it’s not a huge concern. third rounds. 4. Pavel Dorofeyev, LW/RW, 19 (Stalnye Lisy/) While the sheer number of picks it had in its three drafts is certainly an advantage (28 picks across 21 rounds), there really haven’t been any Dorofeyev is a source of a little bit of controversy in the scouting world. major misses. For my money, it has been one of the three or five most There are people who believe he drifts to the perimeter too often for a 6- impressive amateur scouting departments since 2017. foot-1 player, or that he doesn’t play with enough speed to become an NHL player. And while both of those things are true, I love his blend of It also has a slew of picks in the first three rounds in the next two drafts, creativity and puck skill, with a willingness to try things to create an so barring some big moves to acquire talent at the deadline, its pool exciting offensive package. He’ll routinely make plays that others either should remain well-stocked as graduations happen. can’t make or don’t dare try, whether that’s putting a pass through feet or 1. Peyton Krebs, C/LW, 19 (Winnipeg ICE) making the extra move to get himself into a better position to score. There’s an element of risk, or of boom or bust to his projection. I’m OK Krebs got off to an understandably slow start in his return to action with that, though. Player evaluation is about taking risks, and he has the following his Achilles injury. He has been great ever since, though, and tools and the mentality to become a dangerous offensive threat. I’m looks like the dominant player you’d expect him to be. When I talked with willing to be wrong on this one. Winnipeg ICE general manager Matt Cockell in December, he pointed to Krebs’ third game of the year against Spokane as the first time they 5. , C/RW, 22 (Vegas Golden Knights/Chicago Wolves) began to see him at his best. Though Roy has bounced between levels, he is included here because “Peyton has been real good. He obviously got excellent treatment in he hasn’t fully established himself in the NHL yet. Roy’s upside may not Vegas and they kept in touch with our team so that when he was heading rise to the level of some of his peers in the Golden Knights system, but back he was ready to jump right back in. It’s a little bit unique in that we I’ve been reasonably high on him since I ranked him 55th in my final were 20-plus games into our season, so (with) the pace of play and ranking at McKeen’s Hockey in 2015. His progression hasn’t followed a speed, he was more than ready to jump in and handle that, but he hadn’t steep curve, but it has traveled on a steady incline. Today, he’s a big played any exhibition,” Cockell said. “His hands and speed and work center with just enough skill to be dominant at the AHL level and likely to ethic had to set him apart, and they did. He looks comfortable.” contribute at the NHL level. He’s reliable without the puck, he can penalty kill, he could slot into a net-front role on a PP2 at the NHL level, his shot Krebs has really taken off of late, with points 15 points on a seven-game is powerful (though he can at times struggle to get to his spots), and he streak as I write this. Krebs isn’t a natural finisher but he has everything can make plays in transition and off the cycle. I still think he’s going to else in his game that you look for in a dominant player. He’s got high-end become a serviceable third-line player who can be counted on in tougher top speed and agility, which he uses virtually nonstop to stay on top of minutes. opposing players and apply pressure with and without the puck. He’s got superb stickhandling ability, which allows him to break down goalies in 6. Ivan Morozov, C, 19 (SKA St. Petersburg) tight even without a heavy shot, create space for himself, cut through Morozov is a player who has always progressed up levels faster than his traffic or stop up at full speed. There are times when he can actually peers because of his combination of pro size and his two-way game. But move too much, putting himself out of position when patience would have he’s an underrated offensive player with a dangerous release, and 15 sufficed. Otherwise, he’s a versatile playmaking forward who can play goals and 30 points in his last 23 MHL games in the past year and a half through the middle at his natural center position or slide to the wing to (where he’s playing against his peers). Though mediocre international complement his linemates. He can also penalty kill, which gives him all performances may have skewed the way some see him, Morozov has situations upside at the next level. His goal scoring may hold him back also impressed at both of Russia’s pro levels as a teenager, and I was from becoming a true star, but I see a player who can become an impact impressed with his play at the world juniors, despite just three points in guy in all three zones. seven games to show for it. Morozov navigates traffic extremely well in 2. Lucas Elvenes, LW/RW, 20 (Chicago Wolves) the offensive zone, protects the puck wide on his forehand and can cut through seams without opening himself up to a stick check. I see a player Jack Dugan is probably the natural pick for most people at No. 2 for the with middle-six upside who can play in a variety of roles, score goals and Golden Knights these days, but I think age can get lost in that involve his linemates. conversation a little. Elvenes is a full 17 months younger than Dugan and already has three excellent seasons in two of the world’s four best pro 7. Peter Diliberatore, LHD, 19 (Quinnipiac University) leagues under his belt. His defensive game needs some work as he Diliberatore is exactly what you imagine when you think about a modern, doesn’t engage particularly well in puck battles and can give up on plays, complementary defenseman. He’s an outstanding, long skater who so there’s more safety in Dugan who doesn’t have some of those red doesn’t get tired. His stick is always on pucks defensively. He can flags. But on pure skill, I think Elvenes has the clear edge, especially if escape pressure with his feet or make the short outlet pass seamlessly. I’m projecting him a year and half into the future to match up with He rarely tries to do too much, with or without the puck, even though he Dugan’s age. Elvenes is a brilliant playmaker who can drive a line, create has slick curl and drag stick handling ability. He just looks smooth on the as he is slowing the game down to wait for a sequence to develop into a ice. He’s effortless. He’s not going to break anyone’s ankles, but he plays more creative opportunity. I’m intrigued. hockey the way the game is meant to be played in 2020, he’s a standout defender and he can drive possession. I’m a fan. 14. Xavier Bouchard, RHD, 19 ()

8. Kaedan Korczak, RHD, 19 () After a strong third year in the QMJHL, Bouchard struggled in some of my early viewings with Baie-Comeau this season, as he looked Korczak is the No. 1 defenseman (and leading scorer) of this year’s overwhelmed in spurts while playing tough minutes. He’s a heavy, hosts. If I’m being honest, he has surprised me this year cautious defender who can sit back off the rush too much instead of with his ability to create offense. His play without the puck has always using his decent skating ability to play a little tighter. He can also get been strong. He uses good body positioning to box out. He skates well, caught standing around defensively or overcommit to knocking someone which helps him gap effectively off the rush. He’s got length and the over once he does go after them. But while he’s not dynamic in any necessary physicality. But his puck skill always came into question sense offensively, he’s a fine passer who can keep up offensively, which whenever I would watch him. This year he has taken some nice steps in he has shown the ability to do on a better Cape Breton team post-trade. I that regard, making more plays from the blue line in (he has always been wouldn’t rule him out because of his skating and size, but I wouldn’t hold fine moving the puck in transition) at even strength and on the power my breath either. play, to the point where I might bump up a third pairing projection to potentially something slightly more than that. 15. Marcus Kallionkieli, LW, 18 (Brandon Wheat Kings)

9. Dylan Coghlan, RHD, 21 (Chicago Wolves) After losing his summer to an offseason lower-body injury that required surgery, Kallionkieli’s rookie season in the WHL hasn’t gone as planned. After an outstanding rookie season in the AHL, Coghlan has been forced He spent October and November in Vegas working on his rehab, which into more of a battle for offensive opportunities with Jimmy Schuldt this meant he wasn’t even around his new team on a daily basis until he got season. The end result has been fewer touches, a dip in production, and closer to rejoining them in December. Since then, he hasn’t looked like a player who hasn’t looked quite as confident at both ends. Coghlan’s himself, struggling to produce at the rate you would expect out of a kid offensive game is already there – it’s the reason he earned an NHL deal. who finished fifth among all under-18 USHL forwards in points last year He’s a threat to score, he’s mobile (without being explosive) at 6-foot-2, and third in goals. Some of his slower production is also about luck, as he’s physical when he needs to be, he can move the puck up ice in Kallionkieli, who thrives as a catch-and-release shooter, has just one transition to lead forwards into the attack and he shoots right. The goal on 36 shots (2.8 percent). He’s more of a give-and-go player than a defensive game will determine the kind of player he can be. He needs to primary puck handler so that may limit his ability to generate for himself move his feet more without the puck and he can get caught flatfooted. If as he progresses. But he’s talented enough as an offensive threat to he can sort those things out, there’s everyday defenseman in the NHL merit ongoing consideration as a prospect, especially considering the upside to his game. If he doesn’t, he’s probably a bit of a tweener. time he lost to injury and the fact that he’s still 18.

10. Isaiah Saville, G, 19 (University of Nebraska-Omaha) 16. Ben Jones, C, 20 (Chicago Wolves)

Saville hasn’t had the kind of freshman year I expected him to have, but I Jones was excellent in his final season in Niagara last season, where he still think he’s got the talent to turn it around. Though he is a little on the served as the team’s captain and forced his will onto games as one of smaller end for a goalie at 6-foot-1, he’s extremely athletic, which the league’s more physically imposing presences. This season, though, complements a good glove hand. Saville can make the tougher saves, he has struggled to produce offense while playing further down the stretching for rebounds or exploding off of his inside edge on a slide Wolves roster. The fear among scouts with Jones has always been that when it looks like he’s down and out. He can move too much and I’ve he’s more of a checking player than an offensively dangerous one – and seen him let some soft goals from mid-distance sneak through this year. that he may not have enough offense to become the complementary But I think there’s enough technical ability and athleticism for a potential player he projects as at his ceiling. He’s got a two-way element to his NHL future in a few years. game that is desirable, but he’s not going to be a power play option up a level (despite decent playmaking flashes here and there) so you’re 11. Connor Corcoran, RHD, 19 (Windsor Spitfires) probably looking at bottom-six upside if he can establish himself in the In what may be the last year of his junior career, Corcoran has taken his AHL in the next year or two. game to new heights as Windsor’s go-to top defenseman, driving offense 17. Jiri Patera, G, 20 (Brandon Wheat Kings) and results defensively. When I’ve watched the Spits play this year, he has looked much improved, playing an aggressive two-way style and I didn’t think much of Patera in his draft year, and haven’t been regularly sneaking off the point into more dangerous spots. He also has particularly impressed by the two seasons in the USHL and WHL that pro size, which helps him cover ice and defend the rush well despite followed. He’s been great this year though, so I have made an effort to average to maybe slightly above average mobility for his size. I wouldn’t watch him more closely. He’s bigger than his 6-foot-2 frame might say he’s a great playmaker or that he has good hands, but Corcoran has suggest and, though he’s not the most technically sound goalie in the enough offense in his game to potentially progress well at the AHL level world, nor is he the most athletic, I’ve been impressed by his ability to and beyond. make tough saves consistently. He plays an aggressive style and can get caught out of position, but he does a good job blocking and controlling 12. Slava Demin, LHD, 19 (University of Denver) the first shot. I still think he’s a long shot, but goalies are weird so maybe After a strong freshman year at Denver, Demin hasn’t taken major steps he has begun to turn a corner. forward as a sophomore. I still like where his game is at though. The The Tiers production will begin to come once he’s awarded more opportunity offensively after star collegiate defender Ian Mitchell moves on to the pro Each of my prospect pool rankings will be broken down into team-specific level. Defensively, there’s a lot to admire about the way Demin plays. He tiers in order to give you a better sense of the talent proximity from one throws his 6-foot-2 frame around as a hard-to-play against, long defender player to the next (a gap which is sometimes minute and in other cases with above-average skating for his size. He can also push pace, quite pronounced). occasionally with his feet and often with an outlet. His play from the blue line in needs to develop a more dynamic quality, but I’ve seen him The Golden Knights prospect tiers break down pretty plainly, with Krebs manufacture offense from the point. He’ll be a four-year player in college, in a tier of his own, Elvenes and Dugan as virtually interchangeable, a but he’s still a teenager. Look for him to take a big step forward next strong group of potential NHLers from No. 4-9 and then some long shots year, particularly on the scoresheet. with enough intrigue to make the list. Saville probably would’ve been in that third tier if I’d done this project before the season began, so his slip 13. Brandon Kruse, LW, 20 (Bowling Green State University) is just me being a little cautious with a player I like who hasn’t performed up to expectations. Besides the fact that he’s 5-foot-9 and he can drift to the perimeter to make his plays, which has contributed to low goal totals despite a lot of The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 skill, Kruse has a lot of tools that make you wonder whether he might just be able to contribute at the pro level. He’s got slick hands, which help him escape pressure, play through defenders, hang onto the puck in transition as a line driver and adjust his passes on the power play to hit tough seams through feet. He’s as capable of making a play at full speed 1174383 Washington Capitals “He is a big body back there, and I think if he can use his size and as physical as he has been playing, if he can keep up playing like that, it is going to be huge for us,” Gudas said. “If we want to go deep in the playoffs, that is one of the things you want from your third D-pair.” The hits keep coming: The Capitals’ Jonas Siegenthaler wants to be more physical The Capitals’ game against the Penguins on Sunday showed that they are at their best when they are aggressive, physical and forechecking.

AD Samantha Pell “For Jonas, it hasn’t been a tough sell at all,” Reirden said. "… He’s February 3, 2020 at 12:41 PM EST always been a defender first, and that is one of the reasons why we have always liked him because that is what he is going to bring to our group

with size and a different skill set.” As he transitioned into the NHL over the past several years, Washington Washington Post LOADED: 02.04.2020 Capitals defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler felt he lost some of his physicality. As the team readies for the playoffs over the second half of the season, he’s aiming to get it back.

Growing up, Siegenthaler was accustomed to relying on his physical presence as one of the bigger players on the ice, and while he said he “never really, you know, ran over guys,” his 6-foot-3, 206-pound frame still at least allows him that option.

“Yeah, I feel like I kind of lost it, my physical game,” Siegenthaler said in January. “You know, nowadays you go stick and puck and you want to try to transition as quick as possible so you don’t want to go for the big hit and get stuck there. … But you got to find good timing, too. Definitely something I can do a bit more of is use more of my body.”

Last time out: Capitals fall to Penguins after comeback bid comes up short

That effort has been noticeable the past couple of months. Part of that involves the matchups he and face as the Capitals’ third defensive pairing.

Often, the pair will end up seeing more of the opposition’s third and fourth lines, which tend to play more physically. Siegenthaler said he tries to watch Gudas for how he times hits on opponents and to gauge when it makes sense to go after something bigger.

“Sometimes you go in for the hit, the guy maneuvers and you don’t catch the guy, and you don’t want it to happen to you,” Siegenthaler said. “You got to time it, too; it is not easy.”

One of the most recent examples of Siegenthaler’s increased physicality was in the early stages of the Capitals’ 2-0 win over Carolina at Capital One Arena on Jan. 13. In one of the first shifts of the game, Siegenthaler came flying in and drilled Ryan Dzingel close to the boards and then gained possession of the puck.

Another was also against the Hurricanes, on Dec. 28, when he had a big hit on Jordan Martinook along the boards. The night prior, he got in his first NHL fight against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Nick Foligno appeared frustrated with a Tom Wilson hit. On the next shift, Foligno started cross-checking Siegenthaler high, and the two dropped the gloves. siegs ya l8r pic.twitter.com/DrglLOeh1E

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 14, 2020

“He is a big, strong guy that can handle himself, and I think he has done a really good job of that,” Capitals Coach Todd Reirden said. “I think one of his responsibilities is killing penalties, and there are net-front battles all the time. Obviously, you are outnumbered in those situations and you have to be hard in those areas, and I think that is something that he has gotten better with."

Gudas, who has made a name for himself in the NHL with his gritty, physical, aggressive play, said he has noticed an uptick in physicality from Siegenthaler. Gudas acknowledged how being a physical defenseman in the league is “obviously tough” but applauded his young partner’s instincts.

“He’s been playing really physical lately, and I’m really enjoying it,” Gudas said.

Gudas points to Siegenthaler’s time at the start of the season when he was paired with John Carlson as a good jumping-off point. Gudas and Siegenthaler are communicating constantly on the ice to know when to jump in a rush but also when to not get out of the structure and allow the opponent a free odd-man rush. 1174384 Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin approaches 700 goals in Capitals vs. Kings: Time, TV Channel, Live Stream, how to watch

By NBC Sports Washington February 03, 2020 5:10 PM

As Alex Ovechkin steals headlines by inching closer and closer to the 700-goal mark, the Capitals are in the midst of a tight race for the President's Trophy.

The Capitals entered play Monday holding the highest point total in the NHL (75) by the slimmest of margins, narrowly topping the Boston Bruins (74). But the more important looming threat lies in their own division, where the Pittsburgh Penguins (71) closed the gap with a 4-3 win over their archrivals in Washington on Sunday.

After falling to 2-2 since the All-Star Break with the loss to Pittsburgh, the Capitals are in desperate need of a win to fend off the Penguins for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division.

Luckily for Washington, the Los Angeles Kings will be in town Tuesday. The Kings (43) have accumulated the second-fewest points in the NHL and have just one regulation win since the New Year. It should be an easy victory for the Capitals, who don't want to get caught looking past LA at their next three opponents--all of whom are above the 60-point mark on the season.

Here's everything you need to know before puck drop Tuesday night.

CAPITALS vs. KINGS: HOW TO WATCH

What: Washington Capitals vs. Los Angeles Kings

Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

When: Tuesday, February 4, 7:00 p.m. ET

TV Channel: The Capitals-Kings game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington. (NBC Sports channel Finder)

Live Stream: You can watch the Capitals-Kings game on NBC Sports Washington live stream page.

Radio: Caps Radio 24/7

CAPITALS-KINGS TV SCHEDULE:

6:00 PM: Caps Faceoff Live

6:30 PM: Caps Pregame Live

7:00 PM: Capitals vs. Kings

9:30 PM: Caps Postgame Live

10:00 PM: Caps Overtime Live

10:30 PM: D.C. Sports Live

CAPITALS-KINGS INJURY REPORT:

Capitals: None

Kings: Derek Forbort (undisclosed injury/day-to-day)

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174385 Washington Capitals Yes, Samsonov has outplayed Holtby and if the playoffs were to start today, it would be very hard to argue against starting Samsonov. But it is also important to remember he has never been a No. 1 goalie at any professional level. The most games he has played in a season in his It sounds like Samsonov is going to get more looks - but Reirden won't career is 37, which he did last season in the AHL with the Hershey call it a goalie 'competition' Bears. With 29 games left in the regular season, it would seem unwise to load Samsonov with 20 or more of those starts.

You know what would be a bad time to learn Samsonov still needs to By J.J. Regan February 03, 2020 11:00 AM build up the stamina and stability it takes to play every other night? In the Stanley Cup playoffs.

WASHINGTON -- On Sunday, the Capitals played their archrival, the But it also would be unwise to lean solely on Samsonov because the Pittsburgh Penguins, for the first time this season. Pittsburgh sits in team may also need Holtby at some point when it matters. second place in the Metropolitan Division behind Washington and In 2018 when Holtby was supplanted by Philipp Grubauer, the two certainly looks like the only team that could still reasonably catch the netminders still largely split starts. From Feb. 1 to the end of the regular Caps for the division crown. In a big game against a division rival, it was season, Grubauer started 15 games and Holtby started 17. Then in the not the Vezina, Stanley Cup-winning veteran Braden Holtby between the postseason when the team needed to make a goalie change, Holtby pipes. Instead, it was the rookie, Ilya Samsonov. replaced Grubauer and was brilliant helping the team claim its first It is hard not to see the significance of such a move. Considering the Stanley Cup. Caps have led the NHL in the standings for the majority of the season, Would Holtby have been as good that year if Grubauer had started 20-25 the team has not played too many “meaningful” games. Samsonov has of those final 32 games? Probably not. clearly outplayed Holtby this season without a doubt, but it would not have been a surprise to see Holtby start when it mattered on Sunday. Based on where they are in the standings, the Caps have the luxury of There were still 30 games left on the schedule and Sunday’s game was not having to choose a goalie yet, and can still split playing time between the first of four against the Penguins. the two netminders to keep both engaged while also trying to get a better feel for what Samsonov is capable of. And yet, Samsonov got the start signaling that perhaps he may have taken over as the No. 1 in Reirden’s mind. Even if that is overstated, it at That is a luxury Reriden clearly intends to take advantage of. the very least signals that the top spot is up for grabs heading into the playoffs right? “Today's NHL you need to have two goaltenders,” he said. “We have so many games coming up here that you have to manage them properly Not according to Reirden who downplayed any talk of a goalie and put players in situations where they get a chance to be at their best.” competition. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.04.2020 “I don't know if I would call it necessarily a competition between the two,” Reirden said prior to Sunday’s game. “I think it's a situation where we're going to continue to learn more about a young goaltender, a rookie goaltender and put him into situations that are challenges. Thus far, every time we've challenged him he's answered accordingly so tonight's a different challenge; afternoon game, Pittsburgh, first time. That being said, we play them three other times. We'll play each game day by day.”

Before the bye week and All-Star break, Braden Holtby started 33 games while Samsonov started only 16. In those 16 starts and 19 total appearances, however, Samsonov managed a .927 save percentage, 2.06 GAA and a sparkling 15-2-1 record. Holtby, meanwhile, had a decent record of 18-9-4, but his stats fell woefully behind Samsonov’s with a .897 save percentage and 3.09 GAA.

Even if there is no goalie competition, as Reirden said, Samsonov has at the very least earned more playing time and we are already starting to see that play out.

Since returning from the break, Washington has played four games. Holtby started the first two, Samsonov the second two.

Managing the workload through the first part of the season was not difficult. Holtby was the No. 1 and has proven he could handle the rigors of being an NHL starter, while the team wanted to ease Samsonov into his first season in the NHL. Should the goalies continue to split time, which seems likely at this point, that presents different challenges in terms of keeping both goalies in rhythm.

“It's something that you definitely have to be cognizant of,” Reirden said. “It's important that you keep both goaltenders sharp in those situations and giving them the right amount of reps and opportunity and keeping their timing, it's so important with that position. It's something that's thought out and practice ice time is probably a little bit determined on guys who are doing more extra before and after with [goalie coach] Scott Murray if they're not playing as much. Maybe we do something more game-like in a practice if our goalie hasn't played for a little bit. There's lots of different things that we think about as a staff to try to keep them as prepared as possible. But with that position, there's nothing like game action so we've got to figure out how to do that, manage it. We're going to need both goalies here. We'll continue to evaluate as we move along here.”

For those who believe Sunday marked a passing of the torch from Holtby to Samsonov, that seems a bit premature. 1174386 Winnipeg Jets uncertainty. The Jets were supposed to be in "win-now" mode, with a talented core locked up long-term. Byfuglien's curveball changed everything.

Are Jets better off without Big Buff? It was too late to go out and find a suitable replacement, especially with Byfuglien, his agent and the NHLPA filing a grievance against the Jets which threatened to hold everything up until a decision on his suspension without pay could be rendered. I don't believe he ever truly had a shot at By: Mike McIntyre | Posted: 02/3/2020 7:00 PM | Comments: 72 | Last winning, as all of the information gathered suggests Byfuglien was in the Modified: 02/3/2020 8:19 PM | Updates wrong here. The fact it's going to be dropped would back that up.

That's been of little consolation to Cheveldayoff, who has been reduced It wasn't supposed to end this way. There were to be more thunderous to combing through the NHL's scrap heap, grabbing minimum-wagers bodychecks. More dazzling end-to-end rushes. More rag-dolling two such Carl Dahlstrom and Luca Sbisa off the waiver wire to round out a opponents at the same time. More penalty box sing-a-longs. And maybe, makeshift blue-line that has looked AHL-quality on many nights this just maybe, a Stanley Cup celebration. season, especially when injuries began to pile up.

Instead, the Dustin Byfuglien era in Winnipeg is about to come to an When healthy and on top of his game, there was nobody around the NHL unceremonious end as the big Jets defenceman with the even bigger who could do what "Big Buff" could. And there have been many nights personality goes out with a whimper, and not a bang. this year where the Jets sure could use that player — most recently in last Friday's game against Boston where they went 0-for-6 on the power And so, I say good-bye and good riddance to the never-ending play and were manhandled against the big bad Bruins, with lightweights speculation and sideshow that had accompanied this saga. such as Neal Pionk and dropping the gloves and not faring very well. For as much as Byfuglien helped the Jets reach new heights, including a trip to the Western Conference final just two seasons ago, he's also There have been many nights this year when the Jets could have used played a huge role in bringing all that progress and prospect of sustained Dustin Byfuglien's ability to handle the physical side of NHL hockey. success to a screeching halt this season. There have been many nights this year when the Jets could have used Which is why Monday's news — first reported by TSN's Frank Seravalli Dustin Byfuglien's ability to handle the physical side of NHL hockey. — of a pending mutual contract termination, abandonment of his ongoing grievance and parting of the ways might just be the best thing to happen The fact is, that version of Byfuglien is likely long gone. At his age, and to the organization all year. It's the closure they desperately need. And his size, not to mention barely playing over the past 13 months, he'd it's the resolution that will serve the franchise best. likely be a shell of his former self even if he were to return. And an extremely costly one at that. For the Jets, they will get much-needed clarity of their cap situation, no longer having to keep a light on for Byfuglien should he and his US $7.6 In that sense, the Jets dodge a bit of a bullet in getting him off the books. million cap hit for this season and next return at some point. That's a The pressure will now fall squarely on Cheveldayoff to see what he can substantial development, with the team just three points out of the final do with that money, as long as his club can stay in the playoff fight. It's Western Conference wildcard playoff spot and with the Feb. 24 trade hard to envision a magical in-season fix, as the crop of pending UFA deadline looming. defencemen who might be available don't exactly scream game-changer, including Brenden Dillon, Sami Vatanen, Ron Hainsey, Dylan DeMelo Suddenly, money is not nearly as much an object for a group that has and Marco Scandella. some substantial holes to fill. Sure, they are likely improvements over some of what coach Paul For Byfuglien, he gets... who knows, actually? A fresh start somewhere Maurice currently has to work with. But the Jets would be wise to focus else? Perhaps, if he decides he wants to put away his fishing rod, stash on potential impact players with term. Rasmus Ristolainen, Shayne his snowmobile and give hockey another chance. He would be an Gostisbehere and Matt Dumba are a few of the names currently churning unrestricted free agent who can sign with any club, not unlike what Ilya around the rumour mill who could be available for the right price. Kovalchuk did earlier this year after terminating his deal with Los Angeles, then signing a league-minimum deal with Montreal. It may ultimately be too late to save what is shaping up to be a lost season, with the real fix having to come in July 1 free agency or big However, until and unless Byfuglien actually gets back on the ice to test summer trades. But at least a resolution on this matter has thrown the out his surgically-repaired ankle — something Elliotte Friedman reported sinking club a bit of a life preserver. last weekend may not happen anytime soon — the chances of the soon- to-be 35-year-old actually returning and making an impact remain slim. I Unfortunately for Byfuglien, the entire soap opera has tarnished the suppose that might not preclude a legitimate contender from taking a bit legacy of one of the most unique athletes we've ever seen in the city. In of a flyer and signing him, the way many people buy a lottery ticket every this case, absence didn't make the heart grow fonder. week and hope to hit the jackpot. Who knew the last big hit he'd throw around these parts would do so Aside from the obvious financial flexibility, the dark cloud that's been much damage to the Jets themselves. hanging over Winnipeg can finally clear. As much as coaches and Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 02.04.2020 players can insist Byfuglien's lame duck status hasn't been a distraction, there's no question it's one of the main reasons they're currently outside the playoff line and facing daunting odds to find a way to play spring hockey for a third straight season.

Byfuglien, who has always marched to his own beat, pulled a fast one by keeping his playing intentions private until the eve of training camp last September. After taking a couple twirls after a summer spent away from the rink, he apparently wasn't feeling it and announced he was thinking of hanging 'em up.

That was quite the gut punch to general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who had already traded defenceman Jacob Trouba and allowed blue- liners Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot to walk in free agency, all due to salary cap concerns. One or more of those players, or at least suitable replacements, would still be here had Cheveldayoff known then what he does now.

A re-charged and rehabilitated Byfuglien, who missed half of the previous season with three different injuries, was expected to be a pillar on the back end. Instead, his selfish actions created nothing but chaos and 1174387 Winnipeg Jets "It has to do with the engagement in the game, and that’s really the young man’s challenge — not just Jack, all young players," Maurice said. "I would equate him to more somewhere between Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers. Roslovic adds consistency to his impressive play "You watch (Connor’s) game engagement now, in the (defensive) zone he pushes the points, he’s trying to battle pucks on the wall, he forechecks — he’s completely engaged in all parts of the game. So, Jack Jason Bell is learning to do that. Posted: 02/3/2020 3:00 AM "And then on the offensive side, more like Nikky," Maurice added. "When Nik Ehlers came in, one in four you’re going, ‘Oh my God, this kid is amazing.’ Blinding speed, just incredible hands, and then the other three, Jack Roslovic doesn’t need a copy of Saturday’s official game sheet to you maybe wouldn’t notice him as much. So, Jack is dealing with that as appreciate the kind of performance he turned in against the St. Louis well. It’s all about engagement every shift of every game." Blues. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 02.04.2020 Even if his quick wrist shot had rattled off the post late in the first period or a rebound in the second period had bounced just beyond his reach, the Winnipeg Jets winger would have been pretty content with his effort.

Indeed, victories tend to amplify those good feelings. Fortunately for Roslovic and the win-starved Jets, he cashed in on both scoring chances to spark the NHL team to a crucial 5-2 triumph over the Blues at Bell MTS Place.

The Columbus product upped his goal total to 11 — two more than a career high during the 2018-19 season — and picked up his 11th assist on Andrew Copp’s second-period goal.

Roslovic, who turned 23 last Wednesday, said he left the downtown arena feeling there was a thoroughness to his performance, an amped- up engagement level, against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

"I do a lot of evaluating of the games the day after. You have your initial thoughts, but sometimes there’s too much emotion right after. But going over it, I feel like I played better than the Boston game (Friday)," he said Sunday. "It’s tough to judge when you have a successful night to help the team win because it seems like an obvious answer, but that’s not always how the game goes.

"It’s tough some nights, especially coming off the bye week and shaking off that rust, but I think (Saturday) night I did a good job getting back on the horse and helping the team win."

The Jets (26-23-4), three points below the playoff line in the Western Conference, host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Roslovic, selected late in the first round of the 2015 draft, is in his second full season in Winnipeg and has cemented himself in the top nine, but his journey hasn’t been without pitfalls. His skating is elite, he possesses tremendous offensive instincts and is able to hold onto pucks down low. He’s also shown good hustle in the back-checking department.

The issue has been a lapse in consistency, something he’s focused on fixing while playing with a solid two-way centre like Andrew Copp. On his second goal, Roslovic was rubbed out by Troy Brouwer on the far wall but darted to the front of the net and swept in a loose puck coughed up by goalie Jordan Binnington after a shot by Dmitry Kulikov.

No sticking to the fringes, no coasting, no waiting for the play to come to him.

"It’s a mindset that you have to bring it every night, that consistency factor that you have to be good with," he said.

"For me and Andrew’s relationship on the ice, I think that chemistry starts off the ice. We have a lot in common but were two guys that didn’t really know each other and became friends. Just a great guy to be around. The energy is always positive with him, and it’s easy to want to play that same way."

Roslovic is coming to the end of his entry-level contract and, as a restricted free agent, will be looking for a major pay hike from Winnpeg on his next deal. But the onus is solely on him to earn it.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice said he was pleased with Roslovic’s play earlier in the season, particularly when he skated on a line with Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers. But things went sour for the trio, and Roslovic’s low intensity level was a factor.

Aligning Roslovic with Copp, the Winnipeg coach has seen some fire from him lately. It continued here against Boston and was heightened against the division-rival Blues. 1174388 Winnipeg Jets Blue-liner Luca Sbisa immediately went after Kuhlman, the fourth altercation of the night in a spirited contest between teams that only meet twice a season.

Power play lacking juice Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 02.04.2020

Jason Bell

Posted: 02/3/2020 3:00 AM

"There’s going to be times when you go through these little droughts, especially on the power-play. Confidence is everything,” said Jets defenceman Kyle Connor.

They have the turbines to generate power, yet the Winnipeg Jets’ ability to zap opposing penalty killers is intermittent at best.

In its last 10 games, Winnipeg has scored just four power-play goals in 30 chances (13.3 per cent) during a tough 3-7-0 stretch. Widening the sample size, the team has dented the twine just seven times in 38 man- advantage opportunties (18.4 per cent) since Jan. 1.

Blue-liner Neal Pionk has a pair of power-play goals in Winnipeg’s last 10 outings, while Andrew Copp and Blake Wheeler have one apiece.

The big guns? Silence.

Holiday-season shoppers were blitzing city malls the last time Patrik Laine netted a power-play goal Dec. 21, Kyle Connor is mired in a month-long power-play drought (Jan. 2), while Mark Scheifele last lit the lamp with the man advantage on Jan. 4.

With goal-scoring at a premium during the race to the post-season, the Jets (26-23-4) — still very much on the outside looking in — must figure out a way to cash in on the PP.

"It’s very frustrating. We want to be the difference, turn the game when it’s on the line," Connor said Sunday. "That’s part of the game. You gotta stick with it. There’s going to be times when you go through these little droughts, especially on the power-play. Confidence is everything."

Not much has been altered with the system lately, because the chances are coming. The unit peppered Boston goalie Tuukka Rask with a dozen shots Friday but came up dry on six power-play attempts, including two 5-on-3s.

Pionk’s owns a heavy shot from the right side, Laine continues to try and get open at the left dot, Wheeler controls the puck along the wall, Scheifele positions himself in the slow slot while Connor stays deep to collect loose pucks and maintain a net-front presence.

"We've been struggling this year at times. The special teams are really critical in tight games," said Patrik Laine on the power play struggles of himself, teammate Kyle Connor and the rest of the Jets.

"We have our structure, everybody’s got a spot, per se, on what we want to look like. But you get into a game... you have to be creative and that’s when we’re at our best."

The squad continues to put the work in every practice and skill guys are there. Smoother zone entries and quicker puck movement are always the goals.

"We’ve been struggling this year at times. The special teams are really critical in tight games and that something we need to improve," said Laine. He’s a favourite target of Wheeler, however, that seam pass that proved deadly during Laine’s first few seasons is rarely there.

"It’s such a tough pass. It might come to me once a game. I think every team knows that it’s eventually coming. So, it’s coming more from Pionk nowadays," Laine added. "For me, it’s just try to — it doesn’t matter if I’m shooting or in the slot — just try to find spots and, hopefully, get a couple of good shots in and try to hit the net."

Perreault out for two weeks

Veteran forward Mathieu Perreault is expected to be out for at least two weeks with an upper-body injury.

Perreault was injured after getting plowed over by Boston centre Karson Kuhlman during the Jets’ 2-1 loss to Boston on Friday. 1174389 Winnipeg Jets Maurice quantifies it all in terms of engagement and uses his captain and a young player in his explanation.

“There’s a big, big difference between a real young player for the most Jets hope 'engagement' helps pull them out of tailspin part and an older player in that environment,” Maurice said. “You can grab Blake (Wheeler) if you want and ask him the style and his engagement when he first came into the league. And yeah, he scored. He was a good player. But there’s a big difference between his game Scott Billeck now and what it was when he first came in. And we go through that with Published:February 3, 2020 all of these guys.

Updated:February 3, 2020 7:01 PM CST “You’ll have players in your group that have never really thought of blocking a shot in their life. They come through junior and the world juniors and all of that and this is a pure skill game, and how I play and is how my hands feel that night. For some of them, it’s whether the guys What is compete? around me give me the puck or not. And then they get into a National If you were to watch the Winnipeg Jets in their most recent games Hockey League game and for us to go to another level, for those men to against the St. Louis Blues or the Boston Bruins you’d likely deduce that develop into hard players, they got to get engaged on every shift.” what you were watching was a high level of it. ‘WORKING OUR ASSES OFF’ If you were to watch and see a game such as their most recent one The Jets have certainly come out of the break with a better head on their against the Tampa Bay Lightning or Chicago Blackhawks, you’d likely shoulders in terms of team defence. conclude that there wasn’t very much of it. The analytics will support that over the past two games and it’s provided You’d be right in both instances, of course. The Jets played very well a decent blueprint to form a base heading down the stretch. against the Bruins and the Blues and threw up duds against the other two. “We were more defensive-minded and tried to take care of our own zone first,” Dmitry Kulikov said. “Nobody was leaving the zone early to cheat But what does that competing mean on the ice, and what does more of it for offence. That’s what we have to do for the rest of the season to keep or less of it mean? winning games.” It’s a tough thing to quantify. Added Nikolaj Ehlers: “We’re working our asses off. We’re obviously If you’re asking some of the players, typical answers are as simple as, trying to limit their chances as much as we can, not give up too much in ‘We’re working our asses off.’ the slot and block some shots. We’re working together as five every single time we’re out there and helping each other out when one guy A coach, such as Jets bench boss Paul Maurice, will speak of makes a mistake, and we’re going to continue doing that.” engagement. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 02.04.2020 “When you’re saying that to the media and your fans are read that, I’m sitting at home and if I was listening, I’m going, ‘What do you mean? Aren’t you working every day as hard as you possibly can?’ ” Maurice said on Monday after a 50-minute practice at Bell MTS Place.

“It’s no different than a physical capability, a capacity… what’s the analogy? If you put me on a bike today, I couldn’t go very hard on it, but if I had to go on that bike every day for six months, I might be able to do a bit more. There’s a mental capacity to learning how to work that hard every night for young players.”

Where compete isn’t seen, at least through the ice test, would come in a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes and a 4-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets leading into the NHL all-star break.

Maurice feels the past four games, three of which have been losses, have had the right level of compete, even if the final score didn’t back it up.

The Jets have allowed 12 high-danger chances over their past two games — eight against the Bruins and four against the Blues.

There’s only a handful of times this season where the Jets have kept that number in single digits in consecutive games.

What’s interesting is that in the two games prior, both where Maurice liked his team’s compete level, they gave up a 29 over those two games — 18 to the Hurricanes and 11 more to the Blue Jackets.

In both of those games, they allowed six goals from those Grade-A scoring areas. They haven’t allowed one since.

But it still doesn’t make much sense.

How do you like the compete when all those chances are created and all of those goals are scored off them?

“Even though we gave up goals in the two games coming into the break, I didn’t think we gave up nearly as much in those games as we had prior,” Maurice said. “They’re just working way harder. You knock a couple more pucks down, you spend a little more time in the other team’s end. There’s not the easy ice in your own zone. You’re battling, competing hard, taking away the easy offence from them, especially against a real good offensive team in the last two.” 1174390 Winnipeg Jets agency, which gets a percentage, and the players union, which fought so hard for guaranteed contracts.

So they filed a grievance, claiming Byfuglien was still recovering from a Winnipeg double-whammy, as Streveler, Big Buff, head for door foot injury suffered last season – he actually had surgery to repair it – and tying up his money until lawyers could make their case to an arbitrator.

Paul Friesen Byfuglien recovered but still doesn’t feel like pulling on a pair of skates. So his side finally blinked, and here we are: the Jets reportedly willing to Published:February 3, 2020 cut him loose to get some much-needed wiggle room under the salary Updated:February 3, 2020 6:18 PM CST cap.

Like Streveler, Byfuglien played his own game, an unparalleled combination of brute strength and finesse, equally able to turn a game It’s the end of an era. with the force of a hit or the flick of his wrist.

Two of them, actually. His reticent approach with the media only endeared him more to fans. He was more like them, preferring blue jeans and a flannel shirt to a suit and And Winnipeg will never be the same again. tie. A cabin on a Manitoba lake over a high-rise in Vegas. Blue Monday began when the Bombers released the Fur Coat, also There may never be another like him. known as quarterback Chris Streveler, so he could take his bare chest and cowboy hat south of the border. Just like there may never be another Streveler.

The news only got worse, with word the Jets and defenceman Dustin Two athletes who captured the hearts of a city and province while Byfuglien are working towards a less amicable split: an outright marching to their own beats. termination of his contract, ending a nasty battle over $14 million. One leaves a champion, with a smile on his mug. Easily the most popular Jet and arguably the most popular Bomber, headed for the door on the same day. The other, with a shrug.

It’s hard to imagine them making more contrasting exits. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 02.04.2020

Streveler bolts town chomping on a cigar and grinning ear-to-ear, his ring finger soon to be fitted with a bauble marking the 2019 Grey Cup title.

The now 25-year-old bid farewell via Twitter.

“So thankful for these past two years,” he posted, Monday afternoon. “Winnipeg will always be a special place to me. I love all my teammates and appreciate all your support. We’ll still always be Grey Cup champs!”

While Streveler may have been listed on the roster as a backup, he was the one constant at the position in the Bombers’ historic, drought-busting, three-quarterback season.

But his skill set was anything but typical. In fact, we’re not sure anyone in the CFL has ever played the position quite like him.

Equal parts power-runner and speed merchant – Streveler runs a 4.45- second 40-yard-dash – the University of South Dakota product finished sixth in the CFL with 726 yards rushing, with 12 touchdowns, tied for the most in the league.

He was the Bombers’ best offensive player in a West semifinal win over defending champ Calgary, rumbling for 82 yards on 13 carries, including a 24-yard touchdown.

On a bad foot.

“I don’t know that there’s enough I could say about Chris Streveler,” head coach Mike O’Shea said, post-game. “He embodies the idea of honouring your teammates.”

Streveler didn’t light it up through the air – 1,564 yards, eight touchdowns, 14 interceptions on the season – but he did throw Winnipeg’s only touchdown pass in the Grey Cup win over Hamilton.

He then left a lasting impression as the lit-up and loquacious unofficial marshal of the Grey Cup parade.

Byfuglien’s lasting image? More like a chewing-tobacco stain on the sidewalk, for some.

You can picture the big man in a hut, sitting next to a hole in the ice, fishing rod in one hand, beer in the other, continuing to not give a carp about the hole he left the Jets in.

The Byfuglien saga began when he didn’t show up for training camp, apparently because he didn’t feel like playing anymore.

We can only imagine the Jets begged him to reconsider, given the already-depleted state of their blue line.

The only thing that got reconsidered was the way he walked away from the last two years of his contract. Imagine how that went over with his 1174391 Winnipeg Jets What we know about the situation — as minimal as it seems — is that Byfuglien had surgery to repair his ankle, he essentially hasn’t skated for 10 months at this point, and there’s no guarantee that he wants to continue playing hockey — the latter evidenced by reports that despite Byfuglien, Jets working toward contract termination: report being at the phase where he can begin to skate as he rehabilitates his ankle, he simply hasn’t.

So at the moment, his trade value is nil. Would that change over the Scott Billeck summer and into next season? Published:February 3, 2020 Sure, providing he followed through on his rehab, got back in game Updated:February 3, 2020 5:26 PM CST shape and showed that he could still play. At that point, his trade value would ascend steeply given what he brings to the table.

Having said that, it’s quite the risk to take for the Jets, who will want to re- Dustin Byfuglien’s time in Winnipeg appears to be over. tool come July 1.

A report from TSN’s Frank Seravalli on Monday suggests the Winnipeg From a team perspective, while they don’t get anything for Byfuglien as Jets and Byfuglien’s camp are working toward a solution to the 34-year- an asset, they free up $7.6 million for July 1, allowing them to go out and old’s months-long saga. That agreement would include termination of pursue a replacement. Byfuglien’s contract and the grievance the defenceman filed in November, something that will be worked on over the next several days. And then there are any other factors that we simply don’t know.

Such an agreement would immediately free up $7.6 million in cap space We don’t know Byfuglien’s side of the story and it’s likely we never will. for the Jets, allowing them to fly freely into the NHL’s trade deadline on DOES IT CHANGE ANYTHING FOR THIS SEASON? Feb. 24. This largely depends on how things shake out of the next couple of On the flip side, the arrangement would also make Byfuglien an weeks leading into the deadline. unrestricted free agent after clearing unconditional waivers. Byfuglien would forfeit the $8 million he is owed this season and the $6 million in If the Jets rattle off a bunch of wins and position themselves in a wild- the final year of his deal in 2020-21. card spot, it’s entirely possible that they would use the newfound cap space to acquire a reinforcement or two on the blue line. Not including the current season, Byfuglien had one year left on a five- year, $38 million with an average annual value of $7.6 million. Having that $7.6 million to play with allows them to at least consider it, something they couldn’t do before. The move, then, would also free up that money come the offseason and the opening of NHL free agency on July 1. It’s been reported that Cheveldayoff would like to reward his players for the season they’ve endured. It’s been reported that he would like to do so Byfuglien’s story is well-documented at this point. with a top-four defenceman. He showed up a week prior to training camp opening and skated But paying a steep price (a first-round pick or a top prospect) for a rental informally with some teammates but vanished soon after and never player may be unwise, something that head coach Paul Maurice stated arrived for the first day of camp. last Friday when asked about the deadline. At first, the message being told was the bruising defenceman needed “Paying a high price for a rental, I don’t know that that makes a whole lot some time to think some things over and that there was nothing “sinister” of sense for us,” Maurice said. “If we can get a guy that can come in and about the situation. play, maybe, more than the rest of the season, you’d think about doing From there, it was found out that Byfuglien was contemplating his future, that.” perhaps even retirement from the game after 14 seasons. The experience gained from playing in the postseason doesn’t come with This was followed by the revelation that, unbeknownst to the Jets, a price tag, however. Ideally, the Jets would acquire a defenceman that Byfuglien had walked into a surgeon’s office in Minnesota in late-October could help them this year and beyond. and had his troublesome ankle — which caused two separate stints on Winnipeg Sun LOADED 02.04.2020 the sidelines last season — repaired.

Byfuglien had already signed off on a clean bill of health following end-of- season medicals after the Jets were bounced from the Stanley Cup playoffs in the first round, so the team wouldn’t have suspected anything.

News of Byfuglien’s surgery was followed by an awkward interview with general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff while the team was on the road in California. When pressed on the matter, Cheveldayoff said nothing of substance because the NHL had muzzled the organization after assuming the reins with a pending grievance looming from the NHLPA.

That grievance was eventually filed, with Byfuglien looking to recoup the $8 million in salary he is owed this season, money set forth in his contract that was frozen after the Jets suspended him without pay for not showing up to camp.

No hearing has been held, however.

On Saturday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the situation was turning toward Byfuglien not returning this year and both sides re- visiting the situation during the offseason.

Cheveldayoff was not available for comment on Monday.

Byfuglien’s agent, Ben Hankinson at Octagon Hockey, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

SO WHY DIDN’T THEY TRADE HIM?

To answer a question with a question, who exactly was going to trade for him? 1174392 Winnipeg Jets While Maurice concerns himself with Niku’s development as a player, some people are more interested in talking about Niku’s flowing hair, which covers the name on his jersey. It’s the longest it has ever been and whether you love it or not, it’s not going anywhere — at least not this Niku's forte is finesse, not force season.

"I’ll probably cut it this summer," Niku said. "We’ll see how long it is by then." Taylor Allen Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 02.04.2020 Posted: 02/4/2020 3:00 AM

You’ll likely never see Sami Niku rag-doll two players at once like a certain someone who used to man the blue line for the Winnipeg Jets, but that’s OK.

The 23-year-old smooth-skating, puck-moving defenceman from Finland brings other qualities to the ice. Niku clearly displayed his offensive ability in Saturday’s 5-2 win over the St. Louis Blues as he picked up two assists in the second multi-point game of his NHL career.

That doesn’t mean he’s excused from becoming a more physical player.

"I think it’s more brain work, like experience," said Jets head coach Paul Maurice after Monday’s practice, on how Niku can improve defensively. "He’s never going to be dropping guys. We’re not asking Sami to go in the corner, put a guy on his ass, grab the puck and go. That’s not going to be his game. There are bigger men that can do that, so that’s what we ask them to do. You make sure you’re heavy in those corners."

With 11 NHL games under his belt this season, Niku said he’s starting to get into a rhythm offensively. He does, however, realize his defensive game can get better.

"I’m not that small, so I could be more physical and like, angry," said Niku, who has three assists this season. "I just need to be closer, like my gap could be a little bit closer. I need to trust my skating. I can play defence a lot with my skating. I just need to be closer."

Mistakes are going to be made by every young defenceman, especially one who only has 42 NHL games on his resumé. But with Niku’s offensive upside, Maurice said you can live with him not being a shutdown defenceman.

"It takes time to learn that... I’m not looking for excellence in that department in this part of his game. What buys him time for our hockey club to continually put him on the ice when those things are happening is that he’s got to be able to move the puck (which is) what he’s good at... He can do that in the offensive zone. As long as that’s there, we will be patient in the time it takes him," Maurice said.

"He’s not going to (always) get it right. He’s got lots of room to physically mature, as all the young guys do. But he can get stronger. He can become more fit. A big chunk of it is he can learn to go hard in practice because we don’t practise long. These are all things that they would’ve never done before and now they have to."

Niku’s most recent crucial mistake, if you can call it that, came Friday night when he was called for slashing after turning the puck over in the third period against the Boston Bruins with the game tied 1-1. Jake Debrusk capitalized on Niku’s misfortune by scoring the game-winning goal on the power play.

The next night against the St. Louis Blues, Niku served two minutes for holding. According to Maurice, when you’re 6-1 and under 180 pounds like Niku, it can be difficult to avoid holding penalties.

"The free-hand penalty is something that you would have seen Josh Morrissey and even Toby Enstrom, those two guys led our team in holding penalties just like that and one of them is a veteran. So, that’s a real challenge for a smaller man to take on a bigger man and it’s totally about experience," Maurice said.

"Now, there also is some strength and there is some experience. How many times can you keep that event from happening? Go back and get it first. Use that speed and your hand skills, so that one-on-one doesn’t happen as often. That’s a big part of it. And when you get into that, how do you handle it? It’s the first thing you see the smaller guy do is get his hands out into here and that’s a tell, right? The refs are looking for that. So, (you’ve got to) teach those guys to keep their free hand off their hip and not wrap around, and then the reach in can’t be as big." 1174393 Winnipeg Jets Information on Byfuglien’s immediate future has been limited since the bombshell announcement that he had been granted a personal leave of absence, especially after the grievance was filed by the NHLPA.

Dustin Byfuglien and Jets appear to be heading toward a split. Has he Outside of several sightings around Manitoba through social media, the played his last game in the NHL? only update on Byfuglien is that he had ankle surgery (independently) and was going through the rehab process.

The past several months have mostly led to speculation and left a series By Ken Wiebe Feb 3, 2020 of unanswered questions, with no clear indication of how things would turn out.

Is Byfuglien done with hockey? Dustin Byfuglien isn’t likely to play another game in the National Hockey League. Is Byfuglien done with the Jets and would prefer to be traded but wants to continue playing? Barring something unforeseen, that appears to be the most likely outcome to what has been one of the biggest stories in the NHL this Is Byfuglien pining for how things were when he started his career with season. the Chicago Blackhawks?

Call it a gut feeling, combined with the actions of Byfuglien to this point. These questions all remain relevant and given the complicated nature of the situation, finding the answers on the road to a resolution remains a As has been the case since Byfuglien was granted a personal leave of challenge. absence on the day before training camp, the Jets have been in limbo — not knowing for sure whether or not the minute-muncher would be back But that won’t prevent us from trying. in the lineup at any point this season. With the Jets and Byfuglien set to part ways, the hulking defender would “Nothing sinister,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said in his first public be walking away from the $14 million he is owed on the final two seasons comments about Byfuglien after the news was made public in on his contract. September. Even if Byfuglien was suffering from a lingering injury, all that is required What Maurice was saying was that Byfuglien was fine physically and to collect his salary for the season would have been to report to training simply needed to sort some things out. That this was a blip on the radar. camp and take his physical. If Byfuglien had failed that physical, he Given the benefit of hindsight, nothing could be further from the truth. would still have been paid in full this season. If he remained injured, the same set of steps would need to be repeated the following season. Given the state of the overhauled defence corps, the prospect of losing Byfuglien for part or all of the season compounded what was already the Mutual termination would allow the Jets to open up significant cap space biggest question mark of the year for the Jets. in the form of Byfuglien’s cap hit ($7.6 million), should they choose to pursue reinforcements going into the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 24. Details regarding what happened during the meeting between Byfuglien and Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff have been kept close to The Jets are believed to be in the market for a top-four D-man and would the vest, but sources say the hulking blueliner expressed a desire to now have the ability to go shopping in the high-rent district, though it’s retire. important to remember the cost of acquisition if that were to take place.

You can bet the revelation caught Cheveldayoff totally by surprise and Under normal circumstances, the Jets would prefer to have a healthy and one would suspect he encouraged Byfuglien to give the subject some engaged Byfuglien in the lineup for the stretch run, but knowing that he further thought before making a final decision. won’t don another team’s sweater this year is also important.

The working theory is that Byfuglien had lost his passion for the game With this next step, the Jets could move on and any doubt would be after dealing with a frustrating season that featured three injuries (a eliminated. Furthermore, for the first time since early September, concussion and two different issues with his ankle). Winnipeg will have the cap space to make significant changes to its roster. One would suspect that while trying to be supportive of Byfuglien and granting him a personal leave that eventually led to a suspension for not As for Byfuglien, mutual termination would open the door for him to make reporting for training camp, the Jets were hopeful he would eventually an NHL return with the team of his choosing — whether that’s later this reconsider and that some time away might rekindle the passion and year (which is highly unlikely) or next season. ultimately lead to a return. The other big issue to consider is that despite being a freak of nature, Because Byfuglien has not spoken publicly since before the end of the Byfuglien is 34 years old (he turns 35 on March 27) and he’s only played Jets’ first-round loss to the St. Louis Blues, it’s impossible to know for 22 games (16 in the regular season and six in the playoffs) since Jan. 1 sure how he’s feeling about his hockey future. of 2019.

Dustin Byfuglien Never mind missing all of training camp, Byfuglien is 50-plus games behind and would require a significant amount of time to get up to speed. The next step in the process appears to be mutual termination, as TSN’s Frank Seravalli first reported early on Monday afternoon. Of course, a healthy and motivated Byfuglien would be seen as an asset to almost every team in the NHL. Ben Hankinson, Byfuglien’s agent, politely declined comment when reached via text message. But until Byfuglien gets back on the ice and takes the next step in showing he’s serious about returning to action, the point becomes moot. Cheveldayoff also declined comment. Byfuglien is one of the most unpredictable individuals in the NHL, so The mutual termination option has been available from the time Byfuglien trying to predict what he’s going to do next is a mystery. was suspended for not reporting to training camp but was probably less enticing for the Jets if they were at all concerned about him signing with But it says here that Byfuglien is going to continue enjoying his life after another NHL team and potentially having that move come back to bite hockey, which includes spending time with his family, hunting and fishing them. and basking in the great outdoors.

Since only 29 games in the season remain, and Byfuglien still hasn’t Retirement remains the most likely option for Byfuglien. skated, the chances of him signing with another contender at a much lower cap number are probably less of a concern for the Jets these days. Just don’t bet your life savings on it because there’s no guarantee it’s going to happen immediately. It’s important to note that neither side can decide to unilaterally terminate the final two years of the deal — both Byfuglien and the Jets would have Even if Byfuglien doesn’t plan on ever playing again, he’s the type of guy to sign off on that. After that, Byfuglien would have to clear waivers who would try to avoid any pomp and circumstance that comes with before becoming an unrestricted free agent. retirement at all costs. There will be no elaborate announcement and the chances of a traditional farewell press conference would appear to fall somewhere between slim and none.

And if Byfuglien gets his wish, he probably won’t ever have to do another interview about hockey — which is unfortunate in itself because he is one of the most fascinating individuals to ever play in the NHL. Even if he didn’t pull back the curtain very often.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174394 Vancouver Canucks

Canucks' J.T. Miller named NHL's third star of the week

PATRICK JOHNSTON

Published:February 3, 2020

Updated:February 3, 2020 7:26 PM PST

The burly winger continues to be a revelation on Elias Pettersson' left wing.

J.T. Miller’s big week has earned him a league honour.

The left winger was named the third star of the week by the NHL on Monday for his big performance over the four games from Jan. 27 till Feb. 2.

In games against the Blues, Sharks, Islanders and Hurricanes, Miller scored three goals and added four assists.

He has 20 goals and 33 assists in his first season with the Canucks. He’ll soon be setting breaking his career-best marks in goals, assists and points: in 2017-18, his 23 goals, 35 assists, adding up to 58 total points are all his career bests.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174395 Vancouver Canucks defence corps’ flexibility. “Baumer’s got a lot of good options back there. We like our pairings right now.”

You do wonder if a better partner could be found for Myers — might this Patrick Johnston: Canucks 'D-lighted' with defence pairings be a good fit for AHL Utica farmhand Olli Juolevi? — but for the time being, it’s a group that’s been working well.

ICE CHIPS: Winger Justin Bailey, called up late last week from the Utica PATRICK JOHNSTON Comets, has yet to make his Canucks’ debut but he did earn an AHL honour Monday, being named the PHPA-BioSteel performer of the month Published:February 3, 2020 … Micheal Ferland hasn’t yet been assigned to the Comets for a Updated:February 3, 2020 2:03 PM PST conditioning loan, but is expected to join the Comets some time this week.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 02.04.2020 BOSTON — It’s a fascinating thing looking at the Canucks’ defence pairings.

Quinn Hughes’ emergence as a top-pairing defenceman has had some incredible knock-on effects.

Paired with Chris Tanev, Hughes is seeing plenty of ice time against the opposition’s best players. The defensive load has diminished their offensive touches some, but Hughes continues to be an offensive influence, even if the Canucks aren’t getting as many shots off with him on the ice as they were when he was playing softer minutes.

Count his coach as impressed with his young charge’s ability to soak everything up.

“We’ve been happy with Quinn right from Day 1,” Travis Green said. “Obviously with a young player, you’re going to see what he can handle without putting too many expectations on him, and he’s handled everything we’ve thrown at him.”

Hughes, of course, has seized the job of running the first power-play unit too, putting less pressure on veteran defenceman Alex Edler. Edler was playing upwards of 25 minutes per night earlier this season, but has now settled into the low 20s as power-play responsibility has been handed to Hughes and, on the second unit, Tyler Myers.

Myers, is the second interesting defenceman when you dig into this story.

The giant blueliner was brought in to help the Canucks improve their breakouts and he’s done a good job of this. It’s evident every night how good he is at distributing the puck.

And while there were legitimate concerns about his defensive form in recent seasons, Hughes’ emergence has allowed Myers to play more as a second-pairing, or even a third-pairing, defenceman, to which his two- way game is more suited.

Earlier in the season, he was paired with Alex Edler and the duo had a great deal of two-way success. Edler’s mobility isn’t what it once was, but like Myers he makes smart decisions with the puck and when the Canucks are controlling the puck, they are doing very well. It’s a case of the best defence is a good offence — you don’t have to play defence that way.

When those two have been on the ice together, they’ve played limited minutes at their own end while generated plenty of offence at the other end. The data backs this up.

Myers has also spent time with Hughes and they’ve also been a strong two-way pair, though Tanev remains the better fit.

Of late, though, Canucks assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner, whom Green entrusts to determine the team’s defensive approach, has had Edler partnered mostly with Troy Stecher, a pairing that’s been asked to be more of a defensive-oriented duo. Stecher isn’t the attacking presence that Myers is, but he’s a steady hand on the puck and rarely makes bad decisions in his breakouts or in his defending opposition rushes through the neutral zone.

This has meant that Myers is often playing with Oscar Fantenberg, who has been preferred of late to Jordie Benn. They aren’t the most enthralling pair and by the numbers are struggling to control play in the way you’d like, given they’re often facing the opposition’s weakest forwards.

Myers’ goal on Sunday, for instance, came with him and Fantenberg on the ice against the Hurricanes’ third line.

“It’s been nice with the minutes that we’re playing the guys, we can spread it out and it’s not always the same every night,” Green said of the 1174396 Vancouver Canucks said he did indeed laugh when he found out post-game Saturday that his assist on Tim Schaller’s goal meant the Sutters were the NHL’s all-time leading family in points.

Canucks Extra: Super Monday, Super Pettersson and Trade ___ Club Asked Brandon Sutter about his family becoming the all time leading scoring NHL family

‘I’m not going to be in the record books so I’ll definitely take that!’— PATRICK JOHNSTON Patrick Johnston (@risingaction) February 2, 2020

Published:February 3, 2020 He then pointed out how wild a stat it was, and figured it will be hard for another family to pass. (I do think the Tkachuks have a chance. Dad Updated:February 3, 2020 10:42 AM PST Keith played in a very low-scoring era and still amassed 1,065 points. Matthew has 216 points already, while Brady has 76.)

Monday morning thoughts about Super Bowl Sunday's Canucks game. Thanks to Brandon Sutter's assist on this goal, the Sutter family (3216 points) just surpassed the Hull family (3215) and now leads the NHL Good morning! With yesterday’s pigskin extravaganza, figured I’d wait family scoring race. until the a.m. before sharing further thoughts and ideas off Sunday’s 4-3 shootout loss in Raleigh. Third place belongs to Stastnys (2900), Gretzkys take the fourth place (2861). https://t.co/nKAp6Yjneu— Jiří Vítek (@JVitek94) February 1, “That was a pretty great hockey game,” Jeff Paterson and I said to each 2020 other as we headed off to watch the Super Bowl. “I think the key is the ’80s,” he said. “My dad picked up 800 points just It really was. As I noted in the game story, the Canucks are making good because he played then. Everyone got points.” choices all over the place. It’s a good point: the Gretzkys, powered mostly by Wayne, of course, And against the Hurricanes, that really is a true test. Rod Brind’amour’s racked up their totals in the 1980s, as did the Stastny brothers. group plays as tidy a game as you can imagine — but the Canucks were just as good. But then again, of the Hulls, only Brett played during the ’80s and most of his scoring wasn’t then. Just look at the shot attempts: Anyway, Sutter is going to be an all-timer for one reason, anyway, and That’s by period, the Canucks on the left with 46 at even strength, the he’s happy about that. Canes on the right with 49. That health And that third period: cagey. Being good certainly does help you with staying healthy. “I thought our team was outstanding tonight. To be honest, a tough game and tough building against a team that was desperate and, you know, I It’s a bit like the familiar trope from submarine movies and from science thought that was a pretty intense game,” Travis Green said afterward. fiction: the engineer being asked to push the engines beyond their safety “Teams played well, and probably fitting that it went to overtime.” limits, hoping to get to the destination a little bit faster in a moment of crisis. Petey’s prowess What does the engineer always shout back at the captain? “The engines Wyatt Arndt joked during the game that we don’t deserve Elias can’t keep this up!” Pettersson. It’s really quite amazing what he’s done already. And to think there were people worried about his frame. That’s what happens with teams that aren’t good enough. They strain themselves to keep up and after a certain amount of time, the engines Good thing Judd Brackett and Inge Hammarstrom argued so forcefully in break down. his favour, and good thing and Trevor Linden listened as they did. Cody Glass wouldn’t be doing this, the Canucks wouldn’t be One reason for Vancouver over-performing this season: no important where they are, and there are surely a few people who would be in forward injuries. pic.twitter.com/YVOCiO9bRo— Micah Blake McCurdy different jobs. (@IneffectiveMath) February 3, 2020

What a bizarro alternate universe. It’s a true feedback loop, one that you can avoid by making the other teams chase you. Anyway, Sunday saw Pettersson score the 50th and 51st goals of his career. It was his 124th career game. He has 121 career points. That’s been the other side effect, I’d argue, of the approach Travis Green’s team is taking. Yes, they’re playing more defence lately, but they Two Canucks have hit 50 goals faster: Pavel Bure needed just 82 games rarely get caught running around. and Brock Boeser 110 games. Bure achieved the milestone early in his second season on Nov. 14, 1992, while Boeser did it one year ago to the In the first 10 minutes of the second period, they were running around day (Feb. 2, 2019). and they paid for it. But the way they managed to right their own ship in the second half of the period, to seize back the game’s flow, allowed Pettersson is the seventh Swedish-born player to get to 50 goals in 124 them to set their own pace. games. Surprisingly, neither Peter Forsberg nor Mats Sundin is on that list. Brackett update

DYK? @_EPettersson is the seventh Swedish-born player in NHL history You know me, I’m always focused on wording. This was interesting: to reach 50 career regular-season goals in 124 games or fewer. More Jim Benning, “We’ve offered Judd Brackett an extension, he’s over #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/YdJq4v8tle— NHL Public Relations in Europe right now, and when he gets back I want to continue to talk to (@PR_NHL) February 2, 2020 him and try to get that figured out.” #Canucks— Dan Riccio (Yes, that’s Jonathan Dahlen’s dad Ulf.) (@DanRiccio650) February 1, 2020

The players outside this list are pretty good: Mats Sundin (145 GP), Benning said to me last week that he’d didn’t forsee any problems. That Daniel Alfredsson (151 GP), Markus Naslund (247 GP), Daniel Sedin was spoken with confidence. “Try and get that figured out” comes across (285 GP) and Henrik Zetterberg (170 GP). as less confident.

Those five, by the way, in order, are the five highest-scoring Swedes of He did go on stress that Brackett has been important to the team’s all time. (Sundin is first, Zetterberg is fifth.) scouting staff, as you would expect him to.

Sutter Family Values “He’s done a good job for us and we want to continue that relationship,” Benning said.

Sound on! In the first intermission, Jim Benning joined @sportsnetmurph and gave spot. And Ferland, when he gets back in the lineup, where does he play? an update on Micheal Ferland and his road to recovery. Benning also Conceivably he could take over for Eriksson, but in the limited viewing we talks about the #Canucks approach to the deadline and the status of had of him early in the season, he wasn’t good. Judd Brackett's contract. pic.twitter.com/hySi5sXMjV— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) February 1, 2020 And if Ferland lands next to Horvat and Pearson, where does Eriksson go? The point is, one of those guys ends up on the fourth line. And you’re Chatter continues to be, as Sat Shah said on the radio Thursday, that the already parking the aforementioned deals to Sutter and Beagle there. current offer probably pales in comparison to what other teams might Yes, both are good guys, and yes, those are players you want to have, offer. And as Irf Gaffar mentioned, this is also a case of what other teams but those are also roles you mustn’t overpay for. (And this is without believe Brackett could do for them in comparison to where the Canucks’ getting into the Jordie Benn story. He’s not playing and is being paid a lot thinking is right now. to sit in the press box.)

There are three players skating in the Beanpot on Monday that are Add this all up and you see a lot of money tied up in players who don’t Canucks prospects; two have Brackett’s name written all over them, in move the meter towards contender. And their salaries are keeping the Aidan McDonough and Jack Rathbone. Tyler Madden’s name was Canucks from making moves that would. always going to draw eyeballs from scouts. You know who would have moved the meter towards contender status? There’s no doubt how valuable a scout Brackett has been for Benning’s Taylor Hall. The Canucks should have been in on the Hall sweepstakes, staff. Remember when we all used to say how vital the Red Wings’ but because of how their cap is set up, they couldn’t be. And even at the scouts were and they did everything they could to keep them in the fold? coming trade deadline, they’re going to have to do some roster It wasn’t just that they were good, it’s that they had a competitive manoeuvring just to add a middle-tier player. advantage over other teams. That’s a real shame. Imagine Taylor Hall playing with Elias Pettersson This is one of those cases. and J.T. Miller.

Ferland update This brings us back to the Markstrom issue. Re-signing him, which does seem a necessity, combined with these expensive deals in less-than- I did wonder about the timeline Jim Benning suggested on the Sportsnet optimal spots, is going to force decisions on other players. broadcast Saturday about a return-to-play timeline for Micheal Ferland. He indicated that the rugged forward would head to Utica on Sunday and The trade deadline is just three weeks away. Even in the middle of a then practice and hopefully play for the Comets before returning to playoff chase, the Canucks would be wise to still ponder the long-term Vancouver. challenges of constructing this roster.

But as I noted in Saturday’s Canucks Extra, if he was loaned on Sunday, That means considering trading a defenceman like Troy Stecher or Chris he’d have to be recalled in Vancouver on Friday, unless the Canucks Tanev. Tanev, surely, is going to land himself a raise. Stecher might not, were able to successfully appeal to the league for an extension. This is but he’s having a good season and gives you lots of value. The bold because a player on LTIR can be sent on a conditioning assignment in move would be to trade Tanev and give Brogan Rafferty a go. It’s a big an effort to bring him back to full health, but that loan can last only six unknown, no doubt, but is Tanev being this healthy, this productive, really days. going to last? He’s 30 now.

With the Comets playing in Laval on Wednesday but then returning home Nonetheless, a team will be interested. Draft picks have been offered for for games Saturday and then the following Wednesday, it seemed a bit him before. This team has drafted well in recent seasons and you should silly to make him travel for an away game. always look to get as many lottery tickets as you can. Heck, maybe Tanev could get you a new first-round pick? Then the Miller trade’s price And so, pre-game Sunday, Travis Green confirmed what I’d suspected, doesn’t seem so bad. that Ferland’s assignment wasn’t going to happen quite yet, because of the scheduling quirk. It’s time to restart the Trade Tanev Club. He brings you more value in a trade than Troy Stecher. “The plan is to get him down to Utica as soon as possible and we’ll see where it ends up,” he said. And bold moves shouldn’t end there.

My best guess is he’ll actually get assigned on Monday, which would give What about moving Jake Virtanen? He’s having a good season and is him a couple days of practice before skating in Saturday’s game; or he’ll also going to be after a raise. Again, if you stick with Markstrom, your cap get assigned on Friday, which would give him a chance to play in the is going to be tight. Plus, Virtanen has built himself a nice arbitration home games Saturday and then next week. case; he’s in line for a raise too.

Efficiency in goaltending He’s played well this year, but this is surely the player Virtanen is. Maybe he might bring you back a defenceman who you could swap into a Tanev I do think the Bobrovsky deal is going to make it harder for goalies like spot. Braden Holtby and Jacob Markstrom to command a big number on the open market. And while we’re at it: could you trade Brock Boeser? That would be a bold move. What would he bring back? (I’m a big advocate of him playing Keepin' it real on the CBJ broadcast pic.twitter.com/nQ6OwnwaP1— with Pettersson but one shouldn’t avoid the thought experiment.) Patrick Johnston (@risingaction) February 2, 2020 The xG thing That said, the shorter the term for Markstrom, the bigger the number he’s going to ask for. This is a very tricky spot, which has plenty of knock-on You may have seen a story recently by TSN’s Travis Yost going in on consequences. some of the weird data he’s seeing about goals, Corsi, scoring chances and the like this season. The Canucks are never going to trade Markstrom at this point. They need him for this year’s playoff push. And with the team soon going into its Expected goals are consistently understating scoring rates. contending window — the ages of Pettersson and Hughes tell us this — a bird in the hand like Markstrom will be very hard to ignore in coming The relationship between shots/chances and goals has never been seasons. weaker.

But his price, as I’ve written many times, is going to force other roster What is going on in the 2019-20 season?!https://t.co/pjhebv3civ— Travis decisions because of the contracts already on the books. Yost (@travisyost) January 20, 2020

Setting aside the contracts that Brandon Sutter and Jay Beagle are Long story short, it’s a weird scene and the stats that have proven so drawing, we’re talking about the contracts for guys like Loui Eriksson and reliable in the past in predicting future success — the quick-and-dirty Micheal Ferland. number, shot attempts (a.k.a. Corsi), has always been the most reliable — may be having some problems, no matter who is doing the calculating. Between those two, that’s a $9.5 million locked-in block of salary that’s a very poor return on investment. Sure, it’s been a fun ride lately for The biggest issue, it appears, is the expected-goals metric. Eriksson, but let’s be honest, you can upgrade that second-line winger As a stat, it instinctively makes sense. It acknowledges that not every In the end, I do like the point that a fourth person made to me: Let’s see shot is made the same, that shooting from certain spots changes the how the data looks at the end of the year. xG has been a useful metric chance of the puck going into the net, as does the goalie’s movement, as for a while now, so one should be cautious about looking at a half- does the defence’s setup and so on. And as such, it weights every shot season’s worth of data. in a game against the history of goals scored from that spot. What are the odds you’re going to score from there? it asks. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 02.04.2020

It’s supposed to tell us which teams are taking better shots than others.

More and more, we have data to put into this calculation, but it’s clear we’re not there yet; and Yost’s research suggests what data we’re gleaning from this year may force everything to be thrown out the window.

There’s a cloudiness to the data’s conclusions and as a result, we don’t know what we are looking at.

When we look at Sean Tierney’s expected-goals model, we can see a trend that stretches across all. In general, at even strength the Canucks have been conceding better-quality chances than they’ve been taking themselves. I don’t think that disagrees too much with the eye test. We know that there have been a great many games of late where the play of their goaltenders — Thatcher Demko or, especially, Jacob Markstrom — has been a big part of the Canucks’ story.

They’ve been facing tough shots but are in such good form they’re never a worry.

The Canucks have been getting elite goaltending. We know this. That, inherently, is a good thing. The worry in the long run is that it’s going to lead to a breakdown in form. xG daggers

Most divisions have a middle ground — CAR and CBJ in the Metro, NSH in the Central.

The Atlantic is just very good or very bad.

The Pacific is just VGK. pic.twitter.com/J0M72kGKZ6— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) February 2, 2020

At the other end of the ice, we do know that the Canucks have proven to be an elite goal-scoring machine. They’ve got some top-end shooters and they’re playing a style that looks to maximize the chances of scoring. Now, if we believe the data, they’re still not doing that enough to counterbalance what they’re conceding against, not in terms of probability anyway; but that, again, comes back to the issues in the data that Yost was highlighting.

Are there things the data is missing? Probably. A little more context would probably make these numbers better.

When we look at the real scoring rates, during the tear the Canucks have been on since roughly Christmas, they’ve been out-scoring the rate the data thinks they should be scoring at by one or two goals per game.

The Canucks may have elite scoring talent, but at this level of hockey, no one is that good. There has to be more to this story.

So, I asked around, including a few people who have seen the kind of data that teams keep to themselves.

The consensus was: there’s no doubt that public models have issues. One person I spoke to pointed out that there have been a couple dozen expected-goals models over the last decade-plus, but only one proved to be better at predicting future results than sticking with shot attempts — and it’s not publicly available anymore.

The xG models do help with context, but they don’t tell us anything more about probability than your usual quick-and-dirty look at Corsi.

Another pointed out that even with just 20 per cent of the data, you can draw about 80 per cent of the conclusion. So don’t count out what the public models are telling us, even if things like pre-shot movement and passing data aren’t incorporated into the public models. Those things might affect things a little around the edges, but in the big picture, there’s not going to be a big shift.

Shooting percentage, another said, is worth considering. League-wide this seaosn, at even strength, 8.2 per cent of shots on goal are going in. Just five years ago it was 7.7. There may be something there, though given the shooting percentage a decade ago was 8.0, it’s not as drastic a long-run trend as you might think. 1174397 Vancouver Canucks The 20-year-old is tied for second in the NCAA with eight power-play goals, while he scored his first five-on-five marker of the season Friday. The goal was set up by Madden, who took a hit while making a spin pass at the sideboards to the 6-foot-3, 190 pound freshman. McDonough Canucks prospects tracker: Madden full of beans, Podkolzin drops the finished the play with a wrist shot as he streaked in on net. gloves After the game, McDonough said it was a relief to get his first even- strength goal.

MIKE RAPTIS “It feels really good,” said the 20-year-old Massachusetts native. “I mean, I’ll never complain about scoring, whether it’s on the power play or five- Published:February 3, 2020 on-five I’ll be happy. It was definitely really good for my confidence.” Updated:February 3, 2020 6:21 PM PST McDonough has nine goals, 12 assists and a plus-four rating in 21 games this season.

It’s the latest edition of the weekly tracker, where we tally up the efforts of Jack Rathbone the Vancouver Canucks’ highest-profile prospects: Jack’s in the Beanpot too — and that’s a welcomed sight after the slick- Tyler Madden skating defenceman missed a few games for No. 16 Harvard with an injury. The race is back on. Rathbone, 20, was back in Crimson red in an 8-5 win at Union on Friday. Madden netted a goal and an assist in No. 13 Northeastern’s 4-3 win at The Canucks’ 2017 fourth-rounder had two assists, one shot on goal and No. 8 Providence on Friday night to keep up the pace in the Hobey Baker an even rating. chase. Rathbone made his presence felt in Monday’s Beanpot semifinal, despite The Canucks’ 2018 third-rounder opened the scoring for the Huskies, the loss. He had four shots on net and two blocked shots, though he was using his instincts and quick stride to pick off a pass in the neutral zone, on the ice for two goals against, including the empty-netter. skate in alone and undress the Friars’ goaltender. Harvard coach Ted Donato praised Rathbone’s play after the game. It was a game in which the 5-foot-11, 155 pound centre showed off his array of skills, breaking down defenders and setting up teammates while “Jack’s a tremendous athlete and a really important part of our team,” being a menace defensively, drawing penalties and killing power plays. Donato said. “Being off for a few weeks, he was a little bit winded in the first but I thought he was good.” #Canucks Tyler Madden recorded 1G & 1A on Jan 31st. Little stop up and drawn penalty at 0:04. Pass into slot at 0:25. Almost a tap in at 0:54 Rathbone, an NCAA sophomore, has four goals, 14 assists and an even after going to the net. Intercepts a NZ pass and scores on a breakaway. rating in 17 games this season. Sweet backhand forehand move. Chances in slot at 1:35. He is fourth in the U.S. among defenders in points-per-game (1.06) and The super sophomore finished the game with a goal, an assist, five shots shots-per-game (3.06). on net and a plus-one rating, upping his season totals to 17 goals and 17 2 assists for Jack Rathbone tonight. The sophomore is up to 18 points in assists in 23 games. At 1.41 points per game, Madden is only the fourth 16 NCAA games. NCAA player in the last 10 years to average above 1.4 points per game in their draft-plus-two season. His 1.06 points-per-game and 3.06 shots-per-game both sit 4th in the nation for defenders. #Canucks— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) A couple other names on the list? Calgary Flames forward Johnny February 1, 2020 Gaudreau (2014) and Vancouver Canucks centre Adam Gaudette (2018), also a Huskies alum. Vasili Podkolzin

Both went on to win the Hobey Baker trophy as U.S. college hockey’s Fresh off rookie-of-the-week honours in the KHL, the freshest of the best player. Canucks’ first-rounders followed up with a raucous encore performance.

Tyler Madden has 17 goals, 16 assists, and 33 points in 23 NCAA games For the second week in a row, Podkolzin was on point for SKA St. this season. He is currently at 1.43 PTS/GP. Petersburg, playing alongside his world junior linemates Kirill Marchenko and Ivan Morozov. Only three other players have scored at over 1.40 PTS/GP in their D+2 NCAA season in the past 10 years. #Canucks The ‘Kid Line’ was dynamite against Dinamo Minsk on Tuesday, leading pic.twitter.com/r7uNPn9awW— S7 (@S7Dsn) February 1, 2020 the way in a 5-0 win. Podkolzin, 18, assisted on the game’s fourth goal, causing a turnover in the offensive zone and starting a three-way passing With the Canucks in town to face the Bruins, Gaudette made a surprise play that was finished by Marchenko. appearance in the Northeastern dressing room before Monday’s Beanpot semifinal against Harvard at the TD Garden in Boston. It’s the 68th- This SKA's #WorldJuniors teenagers line Marchenko-Morozov-Podkolzin annual edition of the four-team tourney that features Massachusetts’ is something special. pic.twitter.com/enSqQg5t3P— KHL (@khl_eng) biggest NCAA hockey clubs. Northeastern is defending back-to-back January 29, 2020 champions. Podkolzin, a 6-foot-1, 192 pound winger, played his usual power game, He also got caught with his head down in the neutral zone and took a big at one point taking the puck in the neutral zone and steamrollering his hit from Harvard forward Austin Wong. Madden got up slowly but stayed way to the front of the net, only to be stopped by the Dinamo goalie. in the game. Vasily Podkolzin. Northeastern's Tyler Madden takes a big hit from Austin Wong. Madden was slow to get up, but looked to be okay. (via @NESN) #HUvsNU Power Forward. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/zvLcuqi6B3— Daniel Gee #Beanpot pic.twitter.com/L5ZjTK6ZCV— Patrick Donnelly (@PatDonn12) (@DanielGScouting) January 30, 2020 February 3, 2020 The Moscow native also dropped the gloves with 27-year-old former New Madden, 20, is sixth in U.S. in scoring and is currently third in the Hobey York Islander Shane Prince, with Podkolzin throwing haymakers and Baker race, with 5.7 per cent of the vote out of 75 candidates. getting the upper hand in the tilt.

The dynamic forward who plays with a can-do attitude will still need all Podkolzin finished the game with an assist and a plus-two rating in 12:36 the help he can get from fans and linemates alike, most notably fellow of ice time. Canucks prospect Aidan McDonough, who had a big game against He kept his relentless play going in Thursday’s 1-0 overtime win against Providence as well. Avangard, causing chaos on the forecheck while making plays with the McDonough, a 2019 seventh-rounder, had a goal and an assist in the win puck. and was named the Huskies’ player of the game. While his four-game points streak was snapped, Podkolzin had two hits Teammate and fellow Canucks prospect Jett Woo also had a good game and a shot on net in a career-high 13:29 of ice time. from the blue-line on Saturday, assisting twice and going a plus-two overall. The teen will also welcome the news that Russia’s world junior head coach, Valery Bragin, has joined the SKA bench as an assistant coach Earlier in the week, Woo told Chris Faber of Canucks Army that he’s and also works with the men’s national team. Another familiar face will keeping tabs on the successful season in Vancouver. only help his development, both in league play and on the international stage. “There’s a lot of upside in Vancouver and hopefully I get to be a part of it one day,” Woo said. Podkolzin has two goals, two assists and a plus-three rating in 22 KHL games this season. Focht, 19, has 24 goals, 16 assists and a plus-six rating in 45 WHL games this season. Woo, 19, has six goals, 27 assists and a plus-13 Will Lockwood rating in 48 games.

He took a risk before the season began and is only now being rewarded for it. The AHL all-star break came at just the right time for the Comets. Lockwood could have turned pro this past summer. The hard-nosed, two way winger was coming off his most productive year with Michigan (16 G, Losers of four straight games, the Canucks’ farm team was ravaged by 15 A in 36 GP) and was expected to sign on the dotted line. With injuries on the blue-line, exposing the team to a deluge of goals-against. teammate Quinn Hughes joining the big club, it seemed like a slam dunk One of those injured D-men, Brogan Rafferty, healed up just in time for for Lockwood to follow suit and marinate in the minors with the Utica the festivities, and boy did he put on a show for the North Division team Comets in New York. in the all-star game.

Instead, the 21-year-old elected to stick around for his senior season. He Rafferty, a rookie who leads all defencemen with 39 points in 44 games, became the 100th captain in Wolverines history, but that’s where the put his skills on display in the tournament, scoring twice and assisting on good vibes ended for the sub-.500 squad. another goal in three games.

But the 2016 third-rounder has shown some leadership lately, going on a One of his goals was a beauty, with the right-shot D-man dangling five-game points streak and scoring the game-winner in Friday’s 3-2 win through a semi-interested defender and deking out the Atlantic Division against No. 11 Ohio State. goalie.

The goal came in the third period, as Lockwood picked up his own The Comets resumed league play Friday night and it was their goalie rebound, swooped behind the net and jammed in a wraparound attempt who made headlines, with rookie Mike DiPietro notching his first pro to break a 2-2 deadlock. shutout in a 3-0 win over the Cleveland Monsters.

Will Lockwood scored the game-winning goal last night for the Michigan DiPietro stopped all 27 shots, with none more important than a flashy Wolverines. The captain also registered 3 shots. glove save he made going side-to-side in his crease a few minutes into 5G and 9A in 21 games this season but is currently riding a 5-game the game. point-streak with 5 A and 1G over this time. His Wolverines are back in Rafferty had an assist and a plus-one rating in the win. action tonight pic.twitter.com/36nleZDGo3— Brett (@MirokiOnDefence) February 2, 2020 In Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the same Monsters, DiPietro didn’t play and the only notable highlight was a great pass by Olli Juolevi, which set up a Lockwood finished the game with a goal, three shots on target and a power-play goal. The 2016 first-rounder whipped a seeing-eye pass from plus-one rating. the left point through the penalty killers onto the stick of David Pope, who “It was a great win,” Lockwood said post-game. “I thought a lot of the wristed the puck into the net. guys did great things, we stuck to our game and we’ve become a third- Juolevi finished the game with the assist, three shots on net and an even period team. We’d like to stick with that.” rating.

“He’s a consummate student athlete and player here,” head coach Mel The Comets are third in the North Division with a 26-18-2-2 record, six Pearson told the Michigan Daily. “There’s a reason he came back and points behind the Belleville, Ont., Senators. he’s a captain and I’m so happy for him … Sometimes, he’s trying to carry too much of the load, but good for him, and we needed that. Good Vancouver Province: LOADED: 02.04.2020 for our team.”

Lockwood couldn’t carry his team to another upset victory over the same Buckeyes on Saturday. In a 4-1 loss, the Bloomfield Hills product had two shots on goal and a minus-two rating.

Still, with 10 games to go this NCAA season, Lockwood has a chance to climb back up the Canucks’ prospects chart and get that pro contract signed in the off-season. He has six goals and nine assists in 23 games this season while sporting a plus-three rating.

Carson Focht

Focht yeah — that’s more like it.

After going through a mini-slump with the Calgary Hitmen, including Friday’s 4-0 loss against Brandon, Man., in which he had just a shot on goal, Focht busted out with two goals and a first-star performance Saturday in a 5-0 win over Red Deer.

The 2019 fifth-rounder was noticeable all game. He played a big part in the opening goal, taking a hit to make a play. He was then thwarted on a partial breakaway. Not to be discouraged, Focht found his wrist shot — twice — to beat the Red Deer’ goalie from the high slot.

He finished the game with six shots on net and went 7-for-13 in the faceoff circle.

Carson Focht (#19) had his fingerprints all over last night's game.

He scored 2Gs while also initiating the play on CGY's first goal. 1174398 Vancouver Canucks pedestrian career numbers and his central importance on this Canucks team.

However the situation is resolved, it’s impossible to imagine the Canucks Canucks trade tiers: Who’s tradable? Who’s untouchable? Who could trading Markstrom before the deadline at this point. realistically move ahead of the deadline? J.T. Miller (four years remaining, $5.25-million cap hit)

It was a ballsy deal to acquire Miller at a premium price that included a By Thomas Drance Feb 3, 2020 conditional first-round pick, but it’s worked out and then some.

Miller has proven to be a singular and ideal fit on a line with Elias Pettersson, even taking faceoffs for Vancouver’s young star centre and The Canucks will most likely take a conservative approach to the Feb. winning an elite rate of them. He’s probably been the single best play- 24th NHL trade deadline. driving forward in the NHL. His competitiveness and his attention to detail have rubbed off on and impressed his young teammates. That’s partly a function of necessity. Vancouver can’t trade a first-round pick this season or next due to the J.T. Miller trade, they don’t want to At the age of 26, he’s come into his own as a star player in the NHL and take on money beyond the 2020-21 season, they’re reluctant to part with is on a contract that’s looking extraordinarily efficient from a cap their good young players and prospects and they don’t see their cap allocation standpoint – even if it had become prohibitive for the Lightning. situation as being dire enough to necessitate a significant cap clearing move over the next three weeks. Miller is a Canuck and will be after the trade deadline passes.

Despite leading their division, the Canucks are not a standard-issue Bo Horvat (four years remaining, $5-million cap hit) “buyer.” On pace for nearly 70 points, the Canucks’ first-year captain is in the General manager Jim Benning pointed out to The Athletic in late January middle of his strongest run this season. His two-way play has been a that the Canucks made their all-in trade deadline move already, back at crucial driver for a Canucks team that has won 14 of their last 17 games the Draft in June when they acquired Miller for a conditional first-round and he’s handled the extra pressure and attention that comes with pick and a third-round pick. Benning has also explicitly cited chemistry as wearing the “C” in one of the most critical, hardscrabble of hockey a reason to be careful in making over his roster. Translation: don’t expect marketplaces ably. too much movement. Horvat is going nowhere. What follows are our formal Canucks trade tiers, a categorization of Quinn Hughes (two years remaining, $925,000 cap hit – $850,000 in Canucks players and other assets based on their aptness as trade bonuses) assets. Elias Pettersson (two years remaining, $925,000 cap hit – $2.85 million The tiered groups aren’t ranked based on the likelihood of each scenario in bonuses) occurring. Within each category, however, we’ve listed the players top-to- bottom. That means within each tier, players that are more likely to be Hughes and Pettersson can be grouped together, for obvious reasons, dealt appear at the top and players less likely to be traded at the bottom. including the fact that they’re both on entry-level contracts that expire following the 2020-21 season. Hughes and Pettersson are already All- We’re pivoting off of an approach taken by The Athletic’s Toronto Stars and represent building-blocks for the future, pieces the Canucks Raptors beat writer Eric Koreen, and applying it to a Canucks roster that will try to engineer a contender around. we expect to look similar when they face off against the Montreal Canadiens at Centre Bell on Feb. 25th, the day after the trade deadline. Any rival GM asking about them in trade talks are going to find that those Over two-thirds of the Canucks’ 23-man roster is grouped into one of our are short conversations indeed. “Not Moving” categories, a reflection of the conservatism we expect from Canucks management this month. Tyler Myers (NMC – five years remaining, $6-million cap hit)

Whether Vancouver’s February features fireworks and trade alerts or, Micheal Ferland (NMC – four years remaining, $3.5-million cap hit) more likely, not, the tiering process is still a worthwhile exercise three Myers and Ferland both have young families, they just signed long-term weeks out from the deadline. It’s essentially an inventory based on a mix deals in Vancouver and they both have full control over any trade they’re of analysis, reporting and admittedly some informed speculation – involved in by virtue of their full no-movement clauses. Regarding dropping just as the NHL’s annual rumour season kicks into high gear. Ferland, it should be noted that head injuries have limited him to just 14 We’ll touch briefly where necessary on Vancouver’s overall cap situation, games in his first Canucks season. Vancouver wouldn’t try to deal either but expect an extended rumination on the club’s financial flexibility in the Myers or Ferland anyway and neither is likely to consent to it if they did. next week or two. Note that all salary, term and bonus information and Thank you, next. any notes on trade or movement protection are sourced from CapFriendly.com. Alex Edler (NMC – two years remaining, $6-million cap hit)

Not moving Edler remains a crucial Canucks contributor in all facets, his absence from the team is noticeable whenever he’s out of the lineup. The longtime Jay Beagle (three years remaining, $3-million cap hit) Canucks defender, easily the greatest blueliner in the history of the It would be a complicated deal considering the money and term franchise, also has full no-movement protection. Surely by this point, we remaining on Jay Beagle’s contract, not to mention his modified no-trade all know the answer to the “will he waive” question. Let’s not even bother protection. Anyway, the Canucks value what Beagle provides. He’s a asking it, except as a joke, this year. crucial chemistry guy on a team with zero appetite to disrupt their Not moving – unless there’s a blockbuster chemistry. He’s not moving. Adam Gaudette (10.2(c) RFA this summer, $916,000 cap hit – $850,000 Jacob Markstrom is the Canucks’ MVP this season. There are 22 NHL in bonuses) goaltenders who have made at least 30 starts and only two of those 22 goaltenders have managed a better save percentage than Markstrom’s If Adam Gaudette can continue to improve his two-way game, he has a .917 – Winnipeg Jets netminder and presumptive Vezina frontrunner chance to cement himself as a core piece for the Canucks over the next Connor Hellebuyck and Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop. 12 months.

The Canucks are in active extension talks with Markstrom’s camp. The The 23-year-old has performed well in a depth role on Vancouver’s third- relationship has worked out extraordinarily well for both sides over the forward line, recording eight goals and 23 points in 43 games. A 40 point past five years, so I’d expect them to hammer it out – though getting pace from a depth centre is valuable production, especially when that there won’t necessarily be straightforward. Markstrom has built himself a depth centre is a player on an entry-level deal who will be cost controlled star-level resume over the past 14 months and it’ll be fascinating to see for another four years. where his next deal comes in considering that dynamic, his more Gaudette still has some room for improvement as a two-way piece, but Brock Boeser played fewer than 15 minutes in a game on just five his offensive tools and work rate haven’t escaped the notice of rival occasions in the 2018-19 season. Up until the Canucks’ 4-0 loss to the scouts and executives. He’s highly rated around the league as an up- Jets on Jan. 14, he’d played fewer than 15 minutes on just one occasion and-coming pivot and could potentially fetch a haul in a trade. The during the 2019-20 season – an 8-2 blowout victory over the Los Angeles Canucks believe in him too though and will only deal him if it’s a Kings in the home opener. Since that mid-January loss on the road to Godfather-type offer – one you can’t refuse. Winnipeg, however, Boeser has played fewer than 15 minutes on four occasions. Thatcher Demko (two years remaining, $1.05-million cap hit) Boeser’s declining usage is a perturbing trend, which complicates this Thatcher Demko has been a really solid backup in his first full NHL discussion. Despite being mostly excellent this season and on pace for season, winning games and posting an above-average save percentage 70 points, is Boeser well suited to helping the Canucks as a depth in 17 starts. Demko’s pedigree and his solid performance as a 24-year- scorer? Or is he miscast as a player counted on to drive a supporting old means that he has real trade value, but that’s relatively speaking scoring line when he’s been so effective historically as a precision scorer since the trade market for goaltenders is notoriously fickle and difficult to and all-around producer in a top-of-the-lineup role? gauge. It’s also hard to imagine the Canucks leaping to make any sort of deal involving a netminder before the ink is dry on a potential Markstrom There’s no rush to answer those questions definitively over the next three extension. weeks, much less trade a player that has obvious chemistry with Pettersson and star-level ceiling. Would the Canucks consider it though, Hanging over Vancouver’s goaltending situation going forward is the if the fish being reeled in was big enough? The way the club has utilized Seattle “Kraken” and the club’s inability to protect more than one Boeser in recent weeks and the fact that he was signed to a bridge deal goaltender in the 2021 expansion draft. That pressure point could force instead of a contact with more term this past September suggests that it some tough decisions in goal eventually, but this year’s trade deadline is might not be an automatic “no.” likely too soon for expansion considerations to decisively influence Vancouver’s decision making. Could move if the Canucks decide to sell

Antoine Roussel (three years remaining, $3-million cap hit) Troy Stecher (RFA this summer, $2.325-million)

Antoine Roussel is still working his way back from significant offseason Troy Stecher’s situation is the most interesting among Vancouver’s knee surgery and is still “rusty” by his admission. Certainly Roussel’s expiring contract players from a trade bait perspective, for reasons we’ve play-driving form – something he’s consistently maintained throughout delved into at length. his NHL career – hasn’t shown up yet this season. For all of that, Roussel has still been a valuable contributor and on a team with a fair bit Stecher has played well in a reduced role this season. The underlying of redundancy among the bottom-six forward group, Roussel is the one profile is very good, with Stecher owning the best 5-on-5 goal differential guy who, with his physical play, snarl and energetic game, brings among all regular Canucks blueliners. His usage and ice time have also something wholly different. trended up in recent weeks, as he’s held down a regular top-four role on a pair with Edler. Roussel has modified no-trade protection in his contract and is a classic case of a player that’s more valuable to his current team than anything Performance aside, Stecher is in a volatile spot from a business-of- he’d likely fetch in a trade before the deadline, which is why it’s not going hockey perspective. A pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights to happen unless something large and completely unexpected develops. and a strong case, he has the profile of a possible non-tender candidate. The Canucks also have one of the best rookies in the American League, Tanner Pearson (two years remaining, $3.75-million cap hit) a fellow right-handed defenceman in Brogan Rafferty, signed to a one- way contract for next season. It was just under a year ago that the Canucks traded for Tanner Pearson, who has been a productive, steady, constant for the Canucks on the If the Canucks think Rafferty is ready and were able to attract a decent second line. Pearson has been excellent at the net-front of PP2 and a future asset in exchange for Stecher, would they consider it? We should near-ideal fit for how the Canucks want to play at even strength. It would expect the team to be reluctant to make any move that might weaken take something undeniable to pry him loose from Vancouver at the their club – which trading Stecher would clearly do – but it could still deadline. make business sense, particularly if the organization thinks there’s a chance they may not qualify Stecher in June. Chris Tanev (UFA this summer, $4.45-million) Tim Schaller (UFA this summer, $1.9-million) After spending years as a fixture in trade speculation at this time of year, Chris Tanev has reached the final season of his current five-year contract Though he’s spent some time in the press box of late, Tim Schaller has and there’s absolutely no noise surrounding him. rebounded this season.

The Canucks are winning games again. And in a situation like the one Schaller was on the market in the summer, but instead came back for a the team finds itself in going into the NHL’s silly season, trading Tanev second season in Vancouver and proved himself to be a solid penalty would be the equivalent to giving every single guy in the Canucks killer and a useful fourth-line wing. If the Canucks believe that a player dressing room who has worked so hard to exceed expectations to this from the Tyler Graovac, Zack MacEwen or Justin Bailey class can point two middle fingers. provide much of what Schaller can, while recouping an asset in a potential deadline trade – would they consider it? It seems unlikely based Jake Virtanen (RFA this summer, $1.25-million cap hit) on Benning’s stated mantra of prioritizing chemistry, but if the Canucks There have been times over the past 18 months when Jake Virtanen may do decide to chase some mid-to-late-round draft capital, a Schaller trade have been available in a trade, but the price always remained high. could be a relatively straightforward way to do so. Benning has always believed that the Canucks’ breakout scoring star Oscar Fantenberg (UFA this summer, $700,000) possessed the tools to be special if he put it all together. Oscar Fantenberg has been a nice find for Vancouver’s professional Well, he has. scouts, an unheralded and affordable depth signing who has played his With Virtanen’s latest run of productive form since the start of December, way into an everyday role in recent months. While Fantenberg’s the sixth overall pick at the 2014 draft has moved well beyond being on underlying profile is inauspicious, there’s always a seller’s market on the market. He’s cemented himself as a vital part of the team and has competent blueliners. Based on Vancouver’s justified preoccupation with looked solid when given an opportunity as a first-line winger. He’s been a defensive depth, Fantenberg’s affordability and his heavy usage in recent crucial cog in the Canucks’ surprising success this season. Even though months, expect the Canucks to keep the player and avoid cashing in their Virtanen is on an expiring contract, heading for restricted free agency found money on this front. and building a very strong arbitration case, a team looking to acquire Josh Leivo (UFA this summer, $1.5-million) Virtanen would have to overpay significantly before the Canucks would consider pulling the trigger. Tyler Motte (RFA this summer, $700,000)

Brock Boeser (three years remaining, $5.875-million cap hit) We’ll group Josh Leivo and Tyler Motte together because of injury status. Neither player will be back before the trade deadline, which may mitigate their value as niche trade assets if the Canucks do decide to try and summer — all indications are that the versatile, physical veteran recoup some futures. defender has been a good soldier and teammate.

Leivo is on an expiring contract and will be able to test unrestricted free Because of Benn’s experience, his ability to play both the left and right agency, where his valuation is extremely difficult to gauge considering his side and his status as a character human being, there’s really no relative lack of NHL experience – as we’ve covered at length. Motte, on incentive for the Canucks to move him prior to the deadline. He’s a the other hand, is also on an expiring deal, though he’ll be a restricted perfect depth piece, the sort of player teams in Vancouver’s situation free agent with arbitration rights. Motte has probably been the best and often look to add at the deadline. And it’s naive to think that Benn won’t most consistent among Vancouver’s most commonly used fourth-liners have a role to play for the Canucks down the stretch. this season. The most likely scenario is that Vancouver will consider both forwards as their “own rentals” as they work their way back for potential This seems like a situation that’s more likely to be revisited in the March returns. offseason.

Could move if the Canucks decide to buy Cap flexibility trade division

Nikolay Goldobin (RFA this summer, $900,000 cap hit) Sven Baertschi (two years remaining, $3.366-million cap hit)

Nikolay Goldobin has played really well for the Utica Comets. Going into If there’s one player that the club will be motivated to trade over the next Sunday’s American League slate, Goldobin ranked 6th in the American three weeks, it’s Sven Baertschi. League in scoring and is still 24-years-old, but he struggled in his only The deterioration of the Canucks’ relationship with Baertschi has been NHL game with Vancouver and doesn’t seem to have a place in the well documented. His agent has publicly demanded a trade. The Canucks’ plans going forward. Canucks have placed him on waivers on two occasions. And since If Goldobin was able to net something of real value in a trade, one Baertschi was re-assigned to the American League in late November, the suspects that trade would’ve already occurred. Still, there are probably Canucks have recalled a forward on six occasions without recalling some scenarios where Goldobin could be part of a smaller deal before Baertschi (Goldobin, Bailey and MacEwen four times). the deadline. The club has worked to find Baertschi a new team. I believe they’re Assorted other draft picks willing to retain salary if it helps them find a willing partner. Those efforts will continue as the trade deadline approaches. Aside from the conditional first-round pick owed to Tampa Bay in either 2020 or 2021 for Miller, the Canucks own a pick in every round at the Brandon Sutter (two years remaining, $4.55-million cap hit) next three drafts. Picks are the capital of choice at the trade deadline, so Every dollar of cap space will matter this summer and while Sutter’s if Vancouver wants to chase some added depth or quality, that’s the inability to stay in the lineup — he’s missed 25 games already this year weaponry they have at their disposal. — and his diminishing role as a fourth-line right wing make his deal an 2021 second-round draft pick inefficient one, the Canucks have limited appetite to allocate assets to create salary-cap flexibility in-season. And in Sutter’s case, while he’s With it looking increasingly likely that Vancouver’s 2020 first-round pick had genuine trade value in the not-too-distant past, that’s what a deal will transfer to Tampa Bay, it would make sense that the Canucks would would take at this point. prefer to hold onto their 2020 second-round pick if at all possible, even if they do indulge in some window shopping ahead of the deadline. That The Canucks see Sutter as a big part of their leadership group, he’s would make the 2021 second-round draft pick their most likely “big” useful insurance down the middle and a strong contributor on the penalty future asset to use if they do decide to buy. kill. It is probably best for all involved to see how the season plays out. If Sutter can stay healthy and put together a strong performance down the Nikita Tryamkin (unsigned player on Canucks reserve list) stretch and into the postseason, perhaps that gives Vancouver more options in the summer. Nikita Tryamkin and his camp have made it plain that he’d like to return to the NHL and give it another go next season. Vancouver has six Loui Eriksson (three years remaining, $6-million cap hit) defenders already signed to one-way contracts for the 2020-21 season though and will likely retain a couple of additional defenders on expiring There’s no way the Canucks can trade “the closer” in-season! deals. Considering that projected logjam, could it make sense for the But, actually. Eriksson has indisputably put together the best six week Canucks to explore what trade value the signing rights for the supersized stretch of his Canucks tenure – a low bar, sure, but also an indication Avtomobilist captain might have around the league? At the very least, that everything is breaking Vancouver’s way this season. The contract Tryamkin is another possible asset in Trader Jim’s quiver this month. remains an issue though and if there’s an opportunity to move it, the Kole Lind (two years remaining, $892,000 cap hit with $200,000 in Canucks have to pounce, even if such a move would – and it still feels potential performance bonuses) odd to type this – weaken their second line.

With 39 points in 48 games, Kole Lind ranked 15th in the American Not to worry, it’s next to impossible to imagine a contract as large and League in scoring going into Sunday’s slate of games and is still just 21- complex as Eriksson’s getting moved at the deadline. years-old. Among the American League skaters ahead of him by point The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 totals this season, only Ottawa Senators prospects Alex Formenton and Josh Norris and Florida Panthers sniper are younger.

Lind’s top prospect sheen has rebounded following a tough adjustment year in his rookie season and the Canucks think he’ll be a contributor for their club down the line. There would be a real reluctance to part with Lind, but on the trade market, teams do have to surrender real value to receive it back. It’s not GM mode in an EA game. With the prospect depth the Canucks have coming on the wings, particularly in Vasili Podkolzin and Nils Hoglander, one wonders if Lind could be the future asset to go the other way should the Canucks decide to push some chips into the middle of the table.

Will only move if the player desires it

Jordie Benn (two years remaining, $2-million cap hit)

Jordie Benn belongs in his own category here. The veteran blueliner has appeared in just one of Vancouver’s most recent 17 games, playing 12:44 in a dispiriting loss to the Florida Panthers. Despite appearing in just one contest since Dec. 23 — which has to be disappointing for a veteran player who chose to come home to British Columbia this past 1174399 Vancouver Canucks Linden) and 19 (Markus Naslund) are probably the numbers I would have chose and they’re all gone.

I’ve never been a fan of the weird, high numbers. You see all the young From 4 to 88, Canucks players share the stories behind their jersey guys now, they’ll wear numbers in the 70s and 80s and 90s that was numbers never for me, I like to keep it traditional. I wasn’t going to go with anything over 20. It was Chris Higgins’ number the year before. I sat next to him in the room, maybe that was part of it like “I’ll take his number” (laughs).

By Harman Dayal Feb 3, 2020 Loui Eriksson, 21: I had it since I was a little kid. I really liked (Peter) Forsberg growing up and he wore that in my younger years and I’ve just

kept it following me along everywhere I’ve gone. I’ve been lucky enough The story behind an NHL player’s jersey number can often be pretty to have it through my career. simple. Many just stick to the number they were given in their first training Alex Edler, 23: Thomas Gradin used to wear 23 back in the day and he camp. But there are a few Vancouver Canucks players that have a was the scout that kind of found me in Sweden and he basically drafted deeper meaning and purpose behind their choices. me. So that’s the connection. I don’t think I was well known to anyone in Multiple Canucks have numbers in honour of people who have passed the NHL in my draft year when I played back home in my hometown. away. Others wear it to remember the best friend they had in Obviously, he means a lot to me because he’s the reason I got drafted kindergarten or the NHL scout that found and drafted them, while some here and why I got the chance to play for the Canucks. love their number because of the uniqueness in how few other players Jacob Markstrom, 25: I was in junior it was either 1, 25 or 30 that I could share it with them. There’s no doubt numbers are special, though: Upon pick. I picked 25 because I grew up with Anders Lindback the goalie arriving in Vancouver, one player asked a teammate to switch their (former NHLer now in the KHL) who was two years older than me and number so they could use the one they had worn all their life. had 25 too. I was like “Yeah, this is perfect I get the same number as You also realize that some veterans hate high numbers and chirp some him,” he’s the guy in my younger days who I looked up to. We were of the younger players with jersey numbers in the 70s and 80s. friends in kindergarten together, both played in the NHL and still really good friends to this day. In any case, here’s the story behind every Canucks player’s number choice. After that, I kind of stuck with it because there’s no other goalie who has 25 and I like that. Jordie Benn, 4: Pretty simple. They (Vancouver) gave me some options. I’m not superstitious or anything like that like most guys are so they gave Antoine Roussel, 26: My son’s born on the 6th of September and my me a bunch of options and 4 sounded good so I said “I’ll take 4.” I was 8 daughter the 20th of December so I added the birthdates up and got 26. in Montreal — 8 was my old man’s number and I’ve loved wearing 8 for a Usually I like 21, but when I was in Dallas Loui was with us and had 21 while. It was retired in Dallas so I couldn’t wear that there. so I couldn’t get it, I started with 16. Lou left and then I took 21 about 30 I’m not big on high numbers. I wore 58 in Dallas my rookie year and I told games into the season in my first year so I wore that. them “I got to get rid of this thing.” After that, I kept 21 and then I come to Vancouver and Loui’s here again Oscar Fantenberg, 5: I had a couple of numbers that I was choosing. No. so I had to pick another number (laughs). 7 that I had in LA wasn’t an option so I saw that No. 5 was pretty nice. Thatcher Demko, 35: I had a really good buddy of mine pass away and One of my big idols growing up was Niklas Lidstrom so it was an easy he wore 35. His name is Ian Jenkins, Bo is familiar with his story as well choice. that’s why he wears 53 as the inverse. He passed away as he was up Brock Boeser, 6: My dad wore No. 6 in high school so there’s that and and coming and he was regarded as a pretty high-end prospect and just my buddy (Ty Alyea) who passed away in a car accident was No. 6 too a tragic accident happened. so that’s why I picked it. We were both American goalies, we were the same age. We always Chris Tanev, 8: I had 43 that I wore in Manitoba with the Moose, but I went to USA camps together. I got to know him over those couple years wore 8 in college. I used to like the Red Wings growing up, Igor Larionov of finding our path in hockey and it hit me pretty hard. I saw a lot of wore 8. I wore 19 a lot growing up because Steve Yzerman was my myself in him. We were actually roommates at a USA goaltending camp favourite player. When you get to this level and you’re young, you don’t just a few weeks before he passed away. It’s just always something that really get to pick your number a lot of the time. I didn’t really pick that in has stuck with me. the AHL. I was 18 first and then I think the team saw that I wore 8 in His saying was “Have a purpose” and I have that stitched into my gear college so the next year I showed up and they had No. 8 waiting for me. and stuff. It’s just a good reminder of not taking anything for granted and J.T. Miller, 9: They didn’t have 10 here because of Bure so I had to go to just relishing every day. 9 (laughs). I went with 9 just because it’s close. I wore 11 and 12 in Elias Pettersson, 40: I got it in Timra when I started high school there and juniors just because other guys had 10 already and just tried to keep I liked it, there’s no real meaning behind it. I like it though because not everything close to 10. I’ve always loved wearing 10, I’ve been lucky the many players wear it, it’s a unique number. couple teams before they had it free. Some of my favourite players when I was younger wore 10, Ron Francis and John LeClair. I thought it looked Quinn Hughes, 43: There’s two teams with the U.S. national team, the cool, my parents gravitated towards it. I kind of wore 10 my whole life U17 and the U18 teams. U17s get numbers 30 to 60 and U18s get 1 to except for juniors when a couple of older guys had dibs on it. 30 for their jersey. Going into my U17 year, I was always had No. 6 so I didn’t really know what to pick (between 30 and 60) and there wasn’t Jake Virtanen, 18: I was always 17 and 19 growing up. When I went to much for me to go with so I just went with 43 and I liked it and just stuck junior, one guy was already 19 so I just picked the number closest to it with it. and 20 was taken so I went with 18. Naslund was my favourite player so that’s why I wore 19 growing up when I was younger. There was a guy I just figured I would like 43 the most in between the numbers 30 and 60 on my team actually when we were young, he loved 19 too so every and turns out I like it more than anything now. second year we’d have to switch (laughs). That was the equality of minor hockey, he was one of my good buddies, still is. Troy Stecher, 51: I showed up to development camp and that was the number I had. I wasn’t in a position as a rookie to ask for a number I I always played as Naslund playing roller hockey and stuff growing up or wanted so I just kept my mouth shut and that’s the number I’ve worn ever at least I tried to be (laughs). since. I’m not really superstitious about numbers. I wore 10 and 5 growing up those were kind of our family numbers and I didn’t want to Brandon Sutter, 20: My first year here I was 21, that my dad’s old wear 5 because Sbisa was already wearing it and 10’s obviously retired number. In the past, I’ve worn 16 and 12 and they were both retired here and so 51 was good to me. so I couldn’t pick those. I picked 21 and the next year we signed Loui and he really wanted 21, asked me if I could change. He had worn it for 700- I think I bought like 20 jerseys that rookie year for family so I wasn’t about 800 games so I gave him that and just went with 20 instead. More chose to change my number and go buy new jerseys. Brian Campbell, Soupy, that because of a lack of options. Probably 12 (Stan Smyl), 16 (Trevor wore 51. I was like “Ah, I guess I’ll say that as the reason if people ask,” I never even liked Soupy, but that was kind of the best D-man that wore it.

Bo Horvat, 53: I wear 53 as the inverse of Ian Jenkins’ number. We got drafted the same year to the (London) Knights. I played against him growing up, he played for Honeybaked and a couple other teams I played against in tournaments. I knew he was an unbelievable goaltender, he stoned us every time we faced him. That year he got drafted and all of a sudden that tragedy happens a couple weeks before camp.

My dad and I ended up driving down for the memorial service. Just so heartbreaking, one of those freak accidents where it’s so unfortunate. It would have been nice to play with him.

I obviously didn’t know him personally, but just know we would have been great friends and he’s part of the London Knight family and so I wanted to honour him in that way.

Tyler Myers, 57: Mine’s pretty simple, I came into my first camp and the equipment guys gave me 57 and I just kept it (laughs). As a young kid coming into the league at 19, I was like “I’ll play with whatever number you give me.” I remember they came to me after a while when they knew I was staying and asked me if I wanted to change it, I think it was the 11th or 12th game of the year and that point it was like I’d already got attached to it and kept it.

Tim Schaller, 59: I was just given 59 at camp and stuck with it.

Jalen Chatfield, 63: I showed up to development camp and 63 was my number and that’s fine to me, I wore 51 in junior both just random numbers. I don’t know how 63 looks, I heard it’s all right. Some people chirp me for it, but I like it.

Tyler Motte, 64: There’s not much of a story. I was 14 in college and came to training camp and got 64 there. I got traded a couple times, sometimes those numbers are already taken. Obviously, with Burr here 14 was an important number so I decided to stick with 64 instead.

Tanner Pearson, 70: Rookie camp number just given to me in 2012. I won a Cup with it. I made the switch to 14 when I went to Pittsburgh and didn’t work out so went back to 70 here. Out of camp, every rookie gets a high number because the veterans aren’t likely to pick them. Unless you’re a stud coming into the league, you usually didn’t pick your first number back in the day.

Michael DiPietro, 75: My original number was 64, but 75 was just the number I got out of camp and so I stuck with it. I don’t think about it too much, it’s just a number to me. I’m just happy to be here. With 64, it’s my dad’s birth year and my dad and I are best friends.

Jay Beagle, 83: When I was in Hershey you get your first call-up and you’re not going to call them and be like ‘Hey what’s my number?’ I’m in no position to do that, I was just happy to get the call-up. I wouldn’t have cared what number they gave me, I was just happy to put on a Capitals jersey and play my first NHL game. I showed up there and 83 was in my stall because it was my number with Wash during my first tryout at development camp and I was just fired up. And then after that, I just liked it so I didn’t change it.

I personally don’t like high numbers, I like the old-school numbers, but like I said before I was in no position to go in there and demand a number so I just went with 83 and after my first NHL game it became special.

Adam Gaudette, 88: Ever since high school I’ve worn 8. In college, I was 8. I came here and obviously it was taken (by Tanev) and I just added another 8 to it so that it’d be 88. I just like the 8s, always loved them for as long as I can remember. There’s some great players like Patty Kane that wore 88 too so I guess I got to try and live up to that.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174400 Websites

The Athletic / The Athletic’s 2020 NHL trade deadline tracker

By The Athletic NHL Staff Feb 3, 2020

The countdown has begun to the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 24. The Athletic’s NHL team will keep you informed of all the trades and rumblings they are hearing, so keep checking back to see which players are on the move.

NHL Trade Big Board: 27 players who could move before the deadline

Feb. 3

Eight teams have informed the Rangers they’ve got Chris Kreider at the top of their wish list. And the Rangers are looking for at least the return they got on Kevin Hayes a year ago at the deadline (first-round pick and winger Brendan Lemieux).

The Hurricanes have talked to the Devils among other teams while they search the D market. The pending UFA Sami Vatanen, a right-hand shot D who can play both sides, would help fill the void left by Dougie Hamilton’s injury.

-Pierre LeBrun

The next step in the relationship between Dustin Byfuglien and the Jets could be mutual termination, according to a report by TSN. It’s important to note that neither side can decide to unilaterally terminate the final two years of the deal — both Byfuglien and the Jets would have to sign off on that. After that, Byfuglien would have to clear waivers before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Feb. 1

Some teams think that the price to rent out Ilya Kovalchuk from Montreal is no less than a second-round pick; also hearing the Habs have discussed the merits of keeping him because of his positive impact both on the ice and in the room. Might be an 11th-hour decision.

-Pierre LeBrun

Jan. 29

Jets star center Mark Scheifele has changed agent representation. Now with Newport Sports.

-LeBrun

Jan. 27

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford is prioritizing acquiring a top-six winger at the deadline, and he does not mind if it is a rental. “I’m open to all options,” he said. “I’m OK with a rental if that’s what’s there. Sometimes it’s actually better if a guy is an unrestricted free agent at summer. My main thing is finding a player who is the proper fit. I don’t care as much about how many years we’ll have him for. Sure, you consider that. But I want to win right now, this season. The goal is to win now. We have identified guys out there who we think can help us.”

The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174401 Websites Last year, she sent the franchise “a very nice letter.” She reached out to explain she was more than willing to work with them.

“We never heard back,” she said. “That’s all I know.” The Athletic / The inside story of the romance writer in the middle of A team source with the Seattle franchise confirmed that there hasn’t Seattle’s NHL name debate been any contact with the author or the publisher regarding the Sockeyes name. But this source also warned against jumping to any conclusions regarding the team name just yet. By Craig Custance Feb 3, 2020 “We’re still going through the process,” said the source. “No announcement is imminent.”

Let’s get two important distinctions out of the way. The internal hope for the Seattle franchise is to have a team name announcement in the first quarter of this year. If it’s Sockeyes, well, One, Jami Davenport doesn’t consider her book series about the Seattle there’s still time to make it work with Davenport. Sockeyes to be erotic romance. If you must classify it, put it in the sports romance category. You might be let down if you’re expecting a ton of In the meantime, she’s going to continue writing hockey romance sex. Even if the covers might suggest otherwise. because it’s a profitable enterprise. There’s something about hockey players that lend themselves to this genre. “They’ve been described as erotic romance but they’re really not,” Davenport said during a phone conversation. “There’s some sex but no “They’re tough guys. They work hard. They play with energy,” she said in more than one or two scenes. You can only write them so many ways, so trying to explain the attraction. “They’re the workmen of the sports world.” many times.” Davenport started out writing about football but found the transition to And two, if the NHL’s Seattle expansion franchise wants to name the hockey to be a smart one for business. Despite growing up six miles from team the Seattle Sockeyes, she’s not standing in the way – despite what Canada, she wasn’t a diehard hockey fan so she started her research fans who have gone on the attack might believe. into the sport as one should: By reading “Hockey for Dummies.” Then she started attending games, getting a crash “People need to understand that I’m not the person stopping them from course of the sport by attending Western Hockey League games with her using the Sockeyes,” she said. husband. She wants that to be clear. She discovered what we all eventually do about the hockey world. Last week, rumors circulated that the Seattle expansion franchise People in the game are generous with their time when someone shows a decided on the Kraken as its long-awaited name. The popular Capitals genuine interest. Her club seats for Thunderbirds games were near a blog Russian Machine Never Breaks cited a report that the Kraken won spot where amateur scouts would congregate and they answered every out in part because the NHL might want to avoid legal issues that might question Davenport had about the sport. surface around another popular option – the Seattle Sockeyes. “They were really nice to us,” she said. “We did a lot of research that The potential problem? Davenport trademarked the Sockeyes name way.” since its the fictional hockey team in her hockey romance series, a series She also asked a lot of questions in a hockey romance group she’s in, that added its newest book with the release of “Shutout: A Seattle filled with avid hockey fans. She’s learned that hockey fans are Sockeyes Puck Brothers Novel” last week. passionate about their sport. If you’re true to hockey, they’ll keep reading. So yeah, when all this surfaced, fans of the Sockeyes’ name came out in And if you miss something, they’ll let you know. full force. “I had a mistake where the team lost the Stanley Cup and the captain of “I did get a lot of nasty grams from people,” she said. “They tell me things the team walked off the ice,” she said. like, ‘Give up the name. You just write trash.’” She heard about that one. And the tradition of the handshake line. But A quick sampling of the messages Davenport has received: hockey fans are also forgiving. As long as she keeps writing, they keep reading. She said she needs to put out at least four books a year to keep You’re apparently motivated by greed. everyone satisfied.

Please don’t let your book series lead them to choose Kraken. Consistent production and suggestive covers. That’s a key part of the recipe. She laughed when the conversation turned to the covers of her For those who wanted Seattle Sockeyes instead you can thank book. It’s as if each of the hockey players pictured was inspired by Joe @jamidavenport for that not happening. Thanks Jami. Thornton’s postgame strategy – eternally topless. Actually, that last one might be a sincere thank you. It’s hard to tell “Man chests sell,” she said. sometimes on Twitter. As for the team name, she hopes something can be worked out. When If there was some confusion, it might be because Davenport has mostly she started her series, she brainstormed a list of potential names, much tried to lay low throughout this process. Even if the additional attention like fans in Seattle have been doing for years. To her, it was obvious. It might be good for book sales. had to be the Sockeyes. Part of the reason she’s been quiet is that people see sports romance “I think it’s the best of all the names,” she said. “Obviously, I picked it.” fiction and the suggestive covers, and it becomes a punchline. She once did a local television news interview and could hear the other anchors The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 laughing in the background while it was happening.

Was the original plan to write this story completely in sexual innuendo? Maybe. But after talking to Davenport, you hear just how seriously she takes this. This is her livelihood. She’s a business-woman first and foremost. She got the trademark to the Seattle Sockeyes name not because she wanted to prevent some future NHL team from getting the name or to make a cash grab. She got it because she was investing her own money in logo design and promotion of the book series, and she didn’t want some expansion franchise to later come after her and undo her investment.

“When I first trademarked the name, which was late 2017, I was a little worried they might pick Sockeyes,” she said. “After talking to some attorney friends, they said they could force you to change everything at your expense. I trademarked it.” 1174402 Websites made several in the first half and the Ducks were in just a few weeks back.)

There’s your look at our dirty dozen of season-long ranking no-shows. At The Athletic / DGB weekend power rankings: Escaping the mushy least you can’t say we never mentioned you. Now on to the real thing … middle, the Battle of Alberta erupts and Buffalo loses hope Road to the Cup

The five teams that look like they’re headed towards a summer of keg By Sean McIndoe Feb 3, 2020 stands and fountain pool parties.

This moment from Saturday night looked like it could have big implications not just for the Rangers, but several potential trade partners We’re a week clear of the All-Star break, which means we’re officially on our top five list and beyond: done with bye weeks for another year. We’re into the homestretch, where seasons are made or lost, and that should mean some movement in the Early reports are that the injury may not be serious, meaning everyone rankings. This week, though, not so much, hopefully for the last time. can breathe a little easier.

We’ve touched on this before, and it’s become a season-wide trend. This 5. Pittsburgh Penguins (33-14-5, +31 true goals differential*) – I haven’t time last year, there were only six teams that had yet to appear in either been able to get them any higher than fifth yet, but at some point, they ranking. This season, there are an even dozen. The top five have been may leave me no choice. Yesterday’s win in Washington was impressive stable, with just 11 teams showing up. But the bottom five has been a and is the kind of statement game you can only have when everyone is virtual log jam, with just eight entrants all season long. giving 100 percent on every play.

What’s the deal? I think there are three options. The first is that I’m bad OK, fine, almost everyone … at this; I’m being overly conservative, too reliant on preconceived 4. Tampa Bay Lightning (32-15-5, +41) – They’ve rolled off three more expectations and too slow to react to what teams are doing. The second wins, although those came during their California road trip. Go pick on is that I’m actually good at this, and unlike last year I’m not overreacting someone your own size. This week it’s back home for a bit of a test to short-term streaks and narratives that don’t last. And the third is that against the Knights, Penguins and Islanders. this has just been a weird season in the parity era, with even more teams than usual crammed into the middle of the pack. My vote is with option 3. St. Louis Blues (31-14-8, +20) – They drop out of the top spot after three, but your mileage may vary. three weeks, taking regulation losses in three of four. They’ve now won just five of twelve in the second half, flipping the script on last year’s run. But here’s a more interesting question: Which of those dozen no-shows There’s no need to panic since 5-5-2 isn’t exactly going ice cold and the has the best chance of showing up in the top or bottom five at some point Avs and Stars haven’t gained all that much ground, so the Central still during the rest of the way? feels relatively secure. But we’re keeping an eye on the champs. I think we can divide our candidates into four tiers. The first are the teams Also, this piece from Thomas Steen on his son’s 1000th game was that could conceivably make a push into the top five by stringing together excellent. a few strong weeks down the stretch. The strongest of those nominees are the Stars, who were right around the top five in the standings in terms 2. Boston Bruins (31-10-12, +47) – I keep looking for reasons to sneak of total points a few weeks back before cooling slightly. They had a lousy the Lightning ahead of them, and the Bruins keep doing just enough to start, nearly cracking the bottom five a few weeks in, which means hold them off. This week, that meant looking impressive coming off the they’ve been great ever since. If they can make a late run at the Blues on break, with a pair of road wins in Winnipeg and Minnesota and just two top of the Central, they’ve got a real shot. goals allowed. They’ve got a hot Canucks team tomorrow but then hit a two-week stretch where none of the opponents are all that scary. If If we’re feeling especially optimistic, other candidates to make a case for they’re going to manage to pull away in the Atlantic, this might be the the top five could include the Canucks and Flames, either of whom could time. still pull away in the Pacific and maybe the Panthers, who’ve been quietly solidifying their playoff credentials over the last few months (but are stuck 1. Washington Capitals (35-13-5, +34) – We don’t overreact to single- in a brutal division and will find it tough to even get home ice, so they’re a game outcomes when we’re 50+ games into a season, so we won’t panic serious long shot). over yesterday’s loss to the Penguins. The rose-colored glasses view is that it was two good teams, it was a close game, Matt Murray played Tier two are the teams who could make a run at the bottom five, and great and the Pens got the one extra bounce. But the result left the Caps they’re a little easier to find. The Sabres are the obvious candidate, and with just a four-point cushion on top of the Metro, and Pittsburgh has a we’ll have more on them in a bit. The Rangers are right in the same game in hand. They’ve got what should be a gimme against the Kings points range, although without as much sky-is-falling momentum. And tomorrow, then it’s onto a tough-ish stretch of schedule, so buckle up. then there’s the Canadiens, who continue to wallow and have now apparently reached the stage of hopelessness where they’re sending a *Goals differential without counting shootout decisions like the NHL does key piece of the future out of town for a reset. for some reason.

Tier three are the teams that just seem locked into the middle of the Not ranked: Flames and Oilers – But if it were a top-five list for standings. They’re good enough that they’re unlikely to collapse down to entertainment value, they’d be pushing for top spot. the depths, but also don’t seem like threats to shoot up the standings, partly because they’ve already given up too much ground. I’d put the Any concerns that Wednesday’s showdown between Zack Kassian and Flyers and Coyotes there, and after some early-season stumbles the Matthew Tkachuk had snuffed out the rekindled rivalry were put to rest Hawks probably deserve a spot too. I’m also going to somewhat on Saturday. You’ve seen the highlights by now, but let’s enjoy it one hesitantly put the Jets in this tier; despite lots of signs that they’re a bad more time. team being held up by excellent goaltending, they’ve banked enough Somewhat amazingly, it was the first goalie fight in Battle of Alberta points that they should be safe barring a total collapse. history, and the first in the NHL at all since 2013. All part of a night that That leaves just one team for tier four: The Oilers. I have no idea. Could saw 11 goals, three fights, one penalty shot and some petulant goalie- they win the Pacific going away? Absolutely – they’re playing well lately chirping. Not bad for an evening’s entertainment. and they have Connor McDavid. Could they blow a tire and plummet The Oilers won, by the way. That mattered too since it moved them up to down the standings? Absolutely – they’re the Oilers. I’ve pretty much second in a Pacific where the log jam is starting to separate just a bit. given up on trying to figure out what this franchise will do. You’re on your own, Edmonton fans. We get one more Flames/Oilers game during the season, although we’ll have to wait until the final weekend for that one. After that, we get seven (And for those about to ask “What about my team …”: The Knights, games in the first round. No, I don’t care what the standings say, just Hurricanes, Leafs and Predators all cracked the top five in October but make it happen. We haven’t had a Battle of Alberta playoff series since not since, while the Avs and Islanders have been in recently. And the 1991 and it’s time for the NHL to do the right thing. Give us these two Blue Jackets made a single bottom-five appearance in Week 1, the Wild teams for seven games. I don’t even care if one of them sweeps, make them play the full seven and let’s see how crazy it can get. The bottom five The local media has already got the knives out. So what’s next for what now looks like, as our own John Vogl put it, a broken organization? The five teams that are headed towards the best lottery odds and lots of Alexis Lafreniere junior highlight reels. Not the playoffs, barring a miracle, although a late-season run would certainly take some of the pressure off. But what if the Sabres continue to I’m going to throw this out there because I found in interesting. My old pal fade, and Jack Eichel spends the last two months of a breakout season Bill Barnwell asked this question on Twitter on Friday: that should have him in the Hart race playing meaningless games while The answer for the NHL is “nobody,” right? I’m not even sure I can fans check the lottery odds instead of the standings? imagine that many scenarios in the recent past where you’d pick a coach I’m not sure. I don’t think anybody is. Most of the anger from the fan base over a player. Maybe Mike Babcock in that first year in Toronto where is being directed to the very top, at Terry and Kim Pegula, but they’re not he’d just arrived and the team didn’t have any good players, but that going anywhere. Jason Botterill might be, after almost three years on the might be it. And that doesn’t mean that coaches aren’t important, job. Ralph Krueger is presumably safe after just one season, although a because they are. They’re just not as important, or as hard to find, as new GM might want his own guy. For most teams, the playbook here is elite talent. There are guys you could name in the NBA or NFL that to bring in some popular former player to serve as a team president or probably pass this test, but hockey? Nope. figurehead and deflect some of the criticism with memories of happier I said as much in a reply to Bill, and a few fans pushed back. The most times. Would Sabre fans fall for that old trick? I’m not sure they would. It common suggestion was Barry Trotz, and yeah, I can kind of see it. But didn’t work with Pat LaFontaine a few years ago, but maybe Chris Drury are you really going to take the 57-year-old Trotz over 22-year-old or somebody else shakes free. Mathew Barzal if you had to pick one? I don’t think I would. I’m not taking We’ll see. There’s a strong appetite for change in Buffalo, and the Joel Quenneville over Jonathan Huberdeau. Rod Brind’Amour? Craig Pegulas may find that standing pat isn’t an option. Blockbuster trades are Berube? Maybe you have to at least think about it, but in the end, it’s hard to make when you don’t have much value to offer. Free agency easier to find a new coach than a new top-line player. hasn’t worked out great for this team in the Pegula era. Marketing Am I wrong? A few people think I am, so I’m willing to hear the case. slogans aren’t going to cut it. And they can’t make this all go away by Would you keep your team’s coach over its very best player? ordering people not to talk about it.

5. San Jose Sharks (22-27-4, -42) – Just a brutal week all around, with In the short term, nothing’s going to help apart from winning. They took a losses in two of three and another major injury to a key star. This time it’s step in that direction with Saturday’s overtime upset of the red hot Blue Tomas Hertl, out for the year with a torn ACL. He joins Logan Couture on Jackets, so maybe that’s something they can build on. It’s not much, but the sidelines as a nightmare season somehow keeps finding a way to go it’s progress. This week brings a tough one with the Avs tomorrow, but from bad to worse. that’s followed by a string of four very winnable games featuring the Ducks, Rangers and Red Wings twice. Win all of those and … well, 4. Ottawa Senators (18-24-10, -30) – OK first of all, they played the Leafs you’re still too far out to pretend it’s a race. But at least the Duane’s of on Saturday and this happened during that game and even though it the world may not be as tempted to pick up the phone. doesn’t directly involve a Senators player we need to talk about it: Good luck, Buffalo. The fans deserve better. It’s just getting hard to see a I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a player do that during the play before. I’m clear path to them getting there. not sure I thought it was possible. But I’m vaguely impressed. I can’t get my kids to tie their boots before they leave for school, so apparently, The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 Marner had better parents.

In actual Senators news, this piece from Hailey Salvian was an excellent look at Mark Borowiecki, the life of an NHL family and what it means to be on the block at the trade deadline.

3. New Jersey Devils (18-24-9, -46) – I thought that this was a lot of fun. It’s been a rough season for Devils fans, so why not spend some time getting mad about Jason Arnott and backup goaltenders?

2. Los Angeles Kings (19-39-5, -34) – Kings fans, how would you feel about this happening?

I mean, the first response is obviously “good luck with that, Montreal,” because a second-round pick to rent a 36-year-old with eight goals seems silly. But a few weeks from now, in what figures to be a slow market, I guess you never say never. If you’re a Kings fan and you see that deal materialize, are you ticked off that your team couldn’t extract any value from the situation? Or do you just shrug and accept that it wasn’t working in L.A., the relationship had to end, and whatever comes next isn’t worth worrying about?

1. Detroit Red Wings (12-37-4, -93) – The Wings haven’t been in the playoff race since October, so their fans have had plenty of time to look ahead to the trade deadline. With three weeks to go, the consensus seems to be that everyone other than the young core is available – we’re just not sure if anyone wants to bother making a bid. Max Bultman dove into who makes the most sense to move. It’s an interesting read, featuring some old names (the annual Luke Glendening watch) and some new (raise your hand if you completely forgot Robby Fabbri was a Wing now), but only one veteran that seems like a sure thing.

Not ranked: Buffalo Sabres – This week felt like a tipping point. The Sabres have been bad for a long time, and are headed towards missing the playoffs for a ninth straight year. That’s not good, and nobody was going to be happy with the result. But up until this week, it felt like they might be able to ride it out, and at least get to the offseason without the torches and pitchforks coming out.

That won’t happen now, partly thanks to Duane, the frustrated fan whose sports radio rant seems to have struck a nerve. The Sabres’ apparent attempt to go on the defensive has, predictably, only made things worse. 1174403 Websites My take: Lou Lamoriello brought Hainsey to Toronto in July 2017 and I think has always admired the player. Hainsey would be a nice fit depth- wise on the left side for the Isles and he’s got championship experience with Pittsburgh. Hainsey has a modified no-trade clause, but I believe the The Athletic / LeBrun: Six specific trade deadline moves that make a lot Isles are clear of it. Pageau fills a top-9 need for the Isles and his blue- of sense collar, two-way playing style fits in nicely with the Isles’ culture.

Now, it might be that either or both of Pageau and Hainsey end up signing extensions with the Senators but for the time being, they’re still By Pierre LeBrun Feb 3, 2020 pending UFAs and there’s potential for them to be dealt. As I wrote last week, my sense is that Senators GM Pierre Dorion would try to get a straight first-rounder for Pageau and why not try given how thin the rental The majority of the 31 teams have held their scouting meetings now, and centre market is. But I’m betting the first-round picks will all have with three weeks to go until the trade deadline, those preliminary conditional strings attached. Dorion had a solid deadline a year ago in conversations that have been happening between GMs start to take on selling off parts, most notably getting two second-round picks plus more clarity. Anthony Duclair from Columbus for pending UFA winger Ryan Dzingel.

This could be the week we start to see a sprinkling of moves although the New Jersey Devils trade Sami Vatanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for a closeness of the standings suggests the majority of them will still go 2020 second-round pick. (Devils retain 30 percent of Vatanen’s $4.875 closer to the Feb. 24 deadline. million cap hit.)

So here I’ve put on my matchmaker hat. Based on some plausible My take: Let me preface this by saying Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon scenarios, here’s a six-pack of trades that would make sense from my isn’t a big fan of paying for rentals. He doesn’t think it’s good business. perspective. He’d rather GM Don Waddell make a hockey deal for a blueliner under contract past this season. But as we know, that’s easier said than done. New York Rangers trade Chris Kreider to the St. Louis Blues in exchange Although I do think Carolina inquired on Matt Dumba in Minnesota for a 2020 first-round pick and RW Jordan Kyrou. (Rangers retain 50 recently. I just think that’s too big a deal for Canes right now. percent of Kreider’s $4.625 million cap hit.) The pending UFA Vatanen, a right-hand shot D who can play both sides, My take: Yes, it’s a high price to pay. Teams don’t spend first-round picks would help fill the void left by Dougie Hamilton’s injury. The Hurricanes, at the deadline like they’re candy anymore. But here’s what I do know so in doing their diligence, I’m told, have talked to New Jersey among other far: Eight teams have informed the Rangers they’ve got Kreider at the top teams while they search the D market. Carolina has two second-round of their wish list. And the Rangers are looking for at least the return they picks, its own plus the Rangers’ (from the Adam Fox trade). The Devils got on Kevin Hayes a year ago at the deadline. The Jets gave up a first- might have enough interest in Vatanen to get a second asset in the deal, round pick and winger Brendan Lemieux for renting out pending UFA perhaps a conditional pick attached in case Vatanen signs with his new Hayes. Now, Hayes is a centre, Kreider is a winger. But Kreider currently team. is the top of the rental class. Anaheim Ducks trade Ondrej Kase to the Boston Bruins in exchange for The Blues have other young forward prospects coming up the pipeline. prospect Oskar Steen and a 2020 third-round pick. I’m sure they would hate giving up the promising Kyrou, 21, but Kreider is such a nice fit with his playing style on the Blues, who are eager to My take: I’m sure the Bruins would rather get their hands on Rickard defend their Stanley Cup title. Maybe the Blues can try to condition the Rakell but the Ducks aren’t moving him unless it’s a knocks-your-socks- first-round pick to make sure they get out of the first round of the playoffs off offer. Kase, 24, would still fill Boston’s need for a right-shot winger at least. But given the serious interest in Kreider, I’m not sure that’s going and his $2.6 million cap hit through this season and next isn’t exorbitant. to be an option. It’s not clear yet if Vladimir Tarasenko will be back before You might remember that Kase was the player involved in the failed the playoffs, and that has major cap implications, but the Rangers Justin Faulk trade back in September between Carolina and Anaheim. retaining gives the Blues more breathing room either way. Which is not to suggest I think the Ducks are shopping Kase, I don’t think they are. But Anaheim GM Bob Murray is disappointed in his team’s Los Angeles Kings trade Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames in exchange performance this season. The word around the league is that he is very for a 2020 second-round pick, prospect Adam Ruzicka and a conditional much listening on some hockey deals to shake up things. In a Kase deal, fourth-round pick in 2021. (Kings retain 30 percent of Toffoli’s $4.6 million I think it’s clear Murray would be looking for a young player in return and I cap hit.) feel Steen fits that bill. (Condition: Kings get the ’21 fourth-round pick if Toffoli re-signs with the Kings trade Alec Martinez to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a Flames. If he doesn’t, the Flames retain the fourth-round pick). 2021 second-round pick and prospect Sampo Ranta. My take: I just don’t think the Kings will be able to drum up a first-round My take: My sense is the Kings won’t be able to duplicate the same pick for Toffoli. He would fill a need rather perfectly for the Flames, who package they got for Jake Muzzin a year ago with Martinez, whom teams created cap space last month by trading away Michael Frolik, and have I’ve talked to view just a notch below his former teammate. But I do think been looking for a right-shot, top-6 winger. Toffoli, who was OHL Martinez, 32, has something to offer: He’s a lefty who can play both linemates with Flames centre Sean Monahan, has always made the most sides, I love that flexibility, he’s got championship experience and I sense sense to me, but I guess part of the risk for the Flames is they aren’t 100 a fresh start away from rebuilding L.A. will get this guy going. He’s also percent assured of making the playoffs and Toffoli is a pending UFA. signed for another season at $4 million, which is decent value. Then again, the faster you make this trade, the more help you get from As I’ve said before, I think the Avs should be thinking hard about adding him in making the playoffs. The Slovakian-born Ruzicka was a fourth- another blueliner even though they have no glaring need for it right now. round pick in 2017 who had back-to-back 30-plus goal seasons in the If you’re planning to play two months of playoff hockey, you’re going to OHL and this year is adjusting to his first pro year in the AHL. I think the potentially need 9-10 D. It’s a grind. The Kings are aiming to trade Kings hope to get two assets for Toffoli. Would this do it? And could the Martinez for a second-round pick and a prospect. Ranta is a 2018 third- Flames live with the price? I don’t think this is a crazy idea but it might be rounder who recently played for Finland at the world juniors. Our that the Kings, whether it’s with Calgary or another team, have to live prospects guru, Corey Pronman, feels Ranta’s upside is limited to with a second-round pick plus another conditional pick instead of the bottom-six NHL forward although he likes his speed and size. The Avs prospect. don’t have a second-rounder this year, hence the ’21 pick. Maybe the Ottawa Senators trade Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Ron Hainsey to the Avs feel this is too rich a price and would rather just pay the second- New York Islanders in exchange for a 2020 conditional second-round round pick or substitute the prospect for another conditional pick. pick, a conditional third-round pick in 2021 and prospect Kieffer Bellows. The Athletic LOADED: 02.04.2020 (Conditions: The second-round pick becomes a first-round pick if the Isles reach the second round and Pageau plays in at least 50 percent of the games; the third-round pick in ‘21 becomes a second if Pageau re- signs with the Isles. If he doesn’t sign with the Isles, the Sens still get a third-rounder in ’21). 1174404 Websites know that he had any shots through two periods. So that’s a tough ask of any goalie.

“He is part of the team, he wants the opportunity, he’s in the net and he’d Sportsnet.ca / Leafs dealt double whammy with Andersen injury in tough like to see positive results, but he’s in tough here today. I take a lot more loss to Panthers from the games he’s played for us previously than I do tonight.”

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Chris Johnston | February 3, 2020, 9:51 PM Stream 56 Maple Leafs games this season with Sportsnet NOW. Get over 500 NHL games, blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, all outdoor games, the All-Star Game, 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs and more. TORONTO — This was a game Sheldon Keefe felt his Toronto Maple Leafs should have won 99 times out of 100. Still, it’s hard to look past how significant this particular loss was.

Instead, they lost their starting goaltender, lost their grip on a playoff spot The Leafs carried play by every metric — controlling the expected goals and lost to the one per cent longshot thanks to a soul-crushing third (61.3 per cent), scoring chances (69.4 per cent) and shot attempts (57.1 period inside a stunned Scotiabank Arena. per cent) at even strength — and could have moved four points clear of the Panthers for the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. “I mean the result sucks, right? But I don’t think the result is in any way indicative of the way the game went,” said Keefe. “We talk about the Instead, they fell back to a tie with them at 63 points, with two more maturity of our team, a lot of the narrative is just how we can’t defend: games played. That’s the best defensive game we’ve played the entire season. I don’t know if we gave up more than four scoring chances at even strength Florida was playing without top centre Aleksander Barkov and veteran throughout the whole hockey game, including the third period. Brian Boyle and found itself out-attempted 37-18 through 40 minutes. The Leafs were in total control, especially after Auston Matthews made it “So that’s the way it goes.” 3-1 during the opening shift in the third period.

That’s the way it went because they couldn’t get a key save after an “It was fun to watch. It was great,” said Hutchinson. “I think that was the upper-body injury ended Frederik Andersen’s night during the first most dominant period we’ve had this season. We didn’t give them intermission. anything. It’s nice for us to see how we can play when we manage the puck and we eliminate their chances and really let our offence come The Leafs dominated the Florida Panthers to such a degree that it nearly alive.” didn’t matter. They built a 3-1 lead and barely asked Michael Hutchinson to break a sweat in relief of Andersen during a second period where they And yet that good process didn’t yield results. gave up just three shots — from 121, 79 and 46 feet out. In a race this tight, that hurts. However, the job got a little tougher in the final period and Hutchinson wasn’t up to the task while allowing three goals inside eight minutes, Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.04.2020 including Mike Hoffman’s pinballing winner from below the goal-line.

“It was a knuckleball off (Aaron) Ekblad’s stick,” explained Hutchinson. “It was on edge when he shot it and it kind of curved coming into me and hit short side, and then because the puck was on end, it shot out far side instead of kind of staying on the short side, goes right to Hoffman, he goes to centre it and it goes off our D’s skate in between my legs.

“It was just one in a series of unfortunate events that ends up in the back of your net.”

This is nightmare fuel if you’re emotionally invested in the Leafs.

Even with all of their talent, even with the way they’re capable of controlling play, the entire season basically hinges on Andersen’s health and performance. The organization has played with fire by not having a more stable backup behind him — a storyline that’s fallen quiet thanks to a couple solid starts from Hutchinson of late, but one that can’t be ignored entirely given that he still sits 58th in even-strength save percentage (.899) among the 62 goalies with at least 10 NHL appearances this year.

The initial prognosis on Andersen was encouraging after he was involved in two separate collisions during Monday’s game — one with Frank Vatrano and teammate Jake Muzzin, the other with Mark Pysyk.

Andersen has a history of concussion and neck-related health issues, but Keefe indicated that he was only kept out as a precaution after passing the SCAT2 test. Should he remain symptom-free, we may even see him take part in Tuesday’s practice.

However, even if he’s ready to return for a visit to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, it’s hard to imagine management watching how things played out against the Panthers and not at least wanting to explore the trade market for more depth at the position.

Keefe wouldn’t even entertain a question about how much confidence he has in Hutchinson should Andersen be sidelined for a prolonged stretch: “I’m not going to answer hypotheticals tonight.”

The coach did point to the hurdles he faced with this particular assignment, though.

“Obviously, it didn’t go very well, but that’s a challenging scenario,” said Keefe. “I mean he comes in cold but he’s not expected to play and he goes in the second period, and other than a couple dump-ins, I don’t 1174405 Websites Dell has been victorious in five of his past nine starts despite getting minimal run support. He’s an impending UFA with a $1.9-million cap hit and could be a low-risk gamble as a rental option.

Sportsnet.ca / Eight goalie trade options the Maple Leafs should explore Corey Crawford or Robin Lehner, Chicago Blackhawks

The snag here, besides cap hit, is that Stan Bowman is unlikely to declare himself a seller just yet—and may turn into a buyer. Luke Fox | February 4, 2020, 12:11 AM Arizona is stumbling, and Chicago is surging in the West’s wild-card race. The Blackhawks sit just three points back and hold two games in hand.

TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs have been kicking tires in goalie The 35-year-old Crawford ($6-million cap hit) and 28-year-old Lehner ($5 market for weeks now, but it’s time for Kyle Dubas to slip on a pair of million) are sharing starter’s duties as they speed toward unrestricted steel-toed boots and get serious about adding to his depth in the crease. free agency. One of them won’t be back in Chicago next season. Both are having great campaigns. Two things happened in Monday night’s dominant 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers that should hasten the search. Crawford can name 10 teams to which he’s willing to accept a trade. Lehner doesn’t have that luxury. Starter Frederik Andersen left the game after getting knocked in the head, and backup Michael Hutchinson surrendered three goals on 13 The only way we this option being realistic is if Andersen were to go on shots, spoiling what coach Sheldon Keefe called “the best defensive LTIR. game we’ve played the entire season.” Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey Even if Andersen—who passed concussion protocol and will be world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what reevaluated Tuesday morning—is granted a clean bill of health, they think about it. Monday’s scare should serve as a reminder how much the club’s playoff bid depends on having a capable netminder and how little pro Craig Anderson, Ottawa Senators goaltending experience the organization has in the minors. The same goes for Anderson, who also hold a 10-team yes-trade list and Asked how much confidence he’d have in Hutchinson picking up is in the final season of a deal that pays him an AAV of $4.75 million. Andersen’s workload if necessary, Keefe said this: “I’m not going to The 38-year-old veteran proved he could backstop a hot team to deep answer hypotheticals tonight.” run, as he did in spectacular fashion during the Sens’ run in the spring of Not on the night Hutchinson recorded his 10th sub-.900 save percentage 2017, posting a .926 save percentage. in 14 appearances. Although it would be bizarre seeing Anderson flip sides in the Battle of So, with the trade deadline less than three weeks away, let’s look at eight Ontario, one wonders if he’d be willing to go just about anywhere for one of Dubas’s options. last shot at meaningful games.

With veteran Jonathan Quick signed to a nearly impossible-to-trade And if Ottawa can get anything for Anderson to help with the rebuild, contract and 25-year-old Cal Petersen knocking at the door, the fantastic. rebuilding Kings might be willing to part with Campbell. Ryan Miller, Anaheim Ducks We’ve learned that Dubas has kicked tires on the 28-year-old, who As awful as Anaheim has performed this season, the Ducks’ goaltending carries a friendly $675,000 cap hit this season, before his raise kicks in. has not been the issue. Even at 39, Miller is posting above-average Campbell’s AAV goes up to $1.65 million for 2020-21 and 2021-22. numbers (6-5-2, .912 SV%). While he’s three years removed from a Campbell hasn’t lived up to the expectations of a first-round draft pick starter’s workload, Miller has adapted to the support role nicely, earning (2011), but he has outperformed Quick the past two seasons and has a his modest $1.125-million salary. career .916 save percentage. While it’s doubtful Miller would be too excited by the thought of leaving Dubas and Kings GM Rob Blake partnered up for a mutually beneficial his family in sunny California for pressure-packed Toronto, his old Buffalo deadline deal around this time last season, when the Leafs acquired rival — and he does hold a six-team approved trade list — the goaltender Jake Muzzin. is entering his final days.

Casey DeSmith, Pittsburgh Penguins This could be his final chance at a Stanley Cup, and the playoffs aren’t coming to Disneyland anytime soon. Surpassed by Tristan Jarry on the Penguins’ depth chart and relegated to AHL work, DeSmith has posted a .917 save percentage at the NHL level Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.04.2020 and carries a manageable $1.25-million cap hit through 2021-22.

With neither Jarry nor Matt Murray under contract next season (both are RFAs due significant raises), Penguins GM Jim Rutherford may be reluctant to part with a sure thing but he is searching for help on the wings—Toronto’s greatest position of depth.

Alexandar Georgiev, New York Rangers

Georgiev may be the most obvious target in the bunch because the Rangers are that rare club carrying three goaltenders, and Georgiev is the one available.

The Bulgarian has a winning record (12-10-1, .909) for a losing team and his cap hit is a beauty — $729,500 — until July 1, when he becomes a restricted free agent.

The Rangers are in the market for young forwards, a Leafs specialty, and although Jeff Gorton’s asking price is high, we do wonder if it comes down closer to Feb. 24. Splitting starts between three capable goalies gets old fast.

Aaron Dell, San Jose Sharks

With all the bad news in San Jose this season, backup Dell has quietly enjoyed a good-news campaign, surpassing Martin Jones as the goaltender most likely to deliver the Sharks a win. 1174406 Websites “The first thing that went through my mind was, ‘that was my fight,’” said Rittich, who was pulled earlier in the second period after allowing four goals.

Sportsnet.ca / Flames' David Rittich 'going to do' stick-flip celebration “When I saw Talbs going on him I kind of hoped and wanted him to win. again But it was awesome what he did.”

Would he have fought his former teammate?

Eric Francis | February 3, 2020, 6:56 PM “I’m not really care – I will fight everyone,” he smiled.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Smitty or someone else.”

CALGARY – The man who flipped his stick in celebration is now flipping Has he been in a fight before? mad at the notion he helped fuel the Oilers’ victory on Saturday. “No, but it’s kind of bucket list for me,” said Rittich. Frustrated, angry and somewhat confused by the backlash following his “I want to be in that fight.” Jose Bautista-style celebration to end a shootout win last Wednesday, David Rittich said Monday he makes no apologies, and would do it again. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.04.2020 His coach feels differently.

“Everyone who is here knows me, I’m an emotional guy,” said the Flames netminder.

“I didn’t do it to make someone mad. I mean, we are not able to celebrate in this league anymore, or what? I didn’t want to do something wrong – I just celebrate and that’s all.”

The Oilers clearly took offence to his animated celebration following his game-ending poke check on Leon Draisaitl, and let him know it Saturday as the Czech all-star skated by the opposition’s bench after being pulled.

The chirping caught him off guard, as there’s an element of naivety to the happy-go-lucky goalie that’s part of his charm.

Most hockey folk indeed figured his over-the-top celebration wouldn’t be well received.

He has a hard time understanding why.

“I mean, you can find a lot of things to motivate – it’s Battle of Alberta,” said Rittich, shrugging.

“I don’t know if it’s about a stick flip. Honestly, I don’t even want to talk about it. If someone’s mad on me for doing that – just be mad on me. I’m going to do it next time (also). Honestly I’m that guy who is showing my emotions, who is celebrating goals, who is celebrating wins, and it is what it is. Why should I change myself? My personality is why I’m in the NHL, so I’m not going to change anything.”

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Leon Draisaitl revealed following Saturday’s 8-3 Oilers win that Rittich’s celebration was disrespectful, “like he won the Stanley Cup.”

Mike Smith, his former teammate, pointed out that sometimes, “what goes around comes around.”

Flames interim coach Geoff Ward said his team needs to be a little more careful in the celebration department moving forward.

“You’ve got to be mindful of it,” said Ward.

“I can go back to the Stanley Cup final in 2011 and all the things that fed our emotional level as a team that Vancouver did. It’s all things in the same vein:

Biting (Patrice) Bergeron’s finger; goaltender going after Tim Thomas verbally; making fun of an old jacket of Johnny Bucyk’s we had used as a player of the game thing – they made a comment about how petty it was, and that it was bantam hockey.

“In Boston we fed on emotion. I think when you win, say little. When you lose, say less. It’s one of those things where you don’t want to emotionally feed it. We learned an important lesson by doing it.”

That conversation will undoubtedly be shared with Rittich sometime soon.

Rittich’s mood was better earlier the conversation, when asked about the first ever Battle of Alberta goalie fight involving Cam Talbot and Smith. 1174407 Websites “It’s old teammates, too. I’ve said it a lot of times before – you keep your friendships before and after the game. And when you’re on the ice, the only people that are your friends are the people wearing the same jerseys as you, regardless of old teammates and old team. Sportsnet.ca / Flames' Lucic fails to answer the bell in latest Battle of Alberta “It’s no secret those guys over there know me well, too. They know I play better when I’m riled up. They know the scouting report on me that’s been out for a long time is, ‘don’t poke the bear.’ They know that because they’ve played with me. But like I said, you’ve got to do whatever you can Eric Francis | February 3, 2020, 5:59 PM to get yourself involved any way you can, no matter what the opponent is, or what the situation is.”

CALGARY – Standing his ground at the front of the Calgary Flames‘ Coach Geoff Ward deflected the obvious storyline following Saturday’s dressing room, Milan Lucic faced the criticism head on. loss, saying he’s got too much history with the player to fuel the criticism. On Monday he was asked again. If only he handled the Edmonton Oilers in such direct fashion. “We’ve dealt with it as a team in there and that’s going to stay in there,” On the heels of a three-game war with his former club in which he was a he said. mere spectator, Lucic finally entered the spotlight Monday to answer questions about his inability to get involved. “Everybody has got their opinions about it and everybody is weighing in on it, but for us, that’s something we really think is something that should While the likes of Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, Buddy Robinson remain internal.” and even Cam Talbot found themselves squaring off against Oilers combatants, Lucic didn’t so much as draw a two-minute minor, or even a As expected, teammates rushed to Lucic’s defence. crowd. “He didn’t fight because no one wants to fight him — that’s the bottom How, in the name of , can that happen? line,” said Mark Giordano.

“I don’t know what people expect,” said the 31-year-old winger, who was “In our league, there’s not too many guys who can match up with Looch. traded for James Neal this summer with an eye on adding team He’s a presence out there, whether he fights or not. A lot of times, guys toughness. like that have a tough time finding fights because of who they are.”

“It’s not the ’80s anymore. You can’t just go around jumping people. No doubt. There are certain situations you wish you were on the ice for. The goalie “Looch is the toughest guy in the league and our team — I feel like that fight and all that was just stuff that happened organically. It’s not like I question is ridiculous,” said Travis Hamonic when asked if Lucic could can jump off the bench or just go around punching people in the head. I have been more involved. got a two-game suspension this year earlier for defending my goaltender with a jab.” “I know, playing against Looch, he’s one of those guys you don’t want to come close to on the ice when things are happening.” Home of the Flames That said, even Lucic admitted he needs to be more of a self-starter. Stream all 82 Flames games this season with Sportsnet NOW. Get over 500 NHL games, blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, all “I know what my role is and how to do it,” said the six-foot-three, 231- outdoor games, the All-Star Game, 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs and more. pounder.

It’s foolish to believe Lucic should or could have found someone to drop “Just come to play every game and play with emotion. Sometimes you the mitts with following Saturday’s melee that ended with everybody’s can’t have the other team wake you up. Sometimes you’ve got to take it favourite two words: goalie fight. upon yourself to wake yourself up. That’s what it is moving forward.”

No Oiler would have obliged him given the lopsided score. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.04.2020 But there can be no doubt Lucic fell short in his role when looking back over a contentious three-game set that had a trio of Flames trying to motivate their team with their very first NHL fights.

Does he find that regrettable, or something that can’t be measured in fights?

“I just think you can’t measure it just based on fights,” said Lucic, in the awkward position of trying to point out there are few tough enough who will ever take his invite to tussle.

“The game has changed a lot since I first came in it. It’s not like there are a lot of willing combatants out there in the league today. If you notice, it’s pretty quiet out there when I’m on the ice. There’s never anything after the whistle when I’m on the ice. Even when I try to mix it up, things kind of just cool off really quick. With today’s game and the league policing it the way that they do, you can’t just go around being an idiot.”

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Only two of his 137 NHL fights have come this season.

While Lucic’s mere presence certainly has an effect that’s hard to quantify on many nights, the temperature of these three battles dictated much more from him.

Deep down, he knows it.

“You’ve got to find a way to make an impact,” he admitted. 1174408 Websites They know what it means to watch Johnny Gaudreau shy away from physical confrontation time after time on Saturday, passing up on pucks and scoring chances in favour of personal preservation. They know — on both benches. Sportsnet.ca / Battle of Alberta creating strong bonds for Oilers, Flames Home of the Oilers

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They know that Talbot was giving up 25 pounds when he went out to EDMONTON — The coolest thing about Saturday night in Calgary? It centre ice to meet Smith, and that he went out and fought for his was like time travel, back to an age when Tim Hunter and Dave teammates anyhow. No player — Oilers or Flame — cares if Talbot won Semenko roamed the earth. or lost. Only that put himself on the line for his team and his teammates, The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames took us back to 1986, while and he’s a guy you want on your team when things get tough. Cam Talbot and Mike Smith taught us that there is more to Canadian Analytics be damned, that stuff is still meaningful inside sports locker clichés than maple syrup and hosers in tuques. rooms. Even in an NHL that has seen fighting fade into history, for the Who knew that goalie fights could be this kind of a national unifier? A most part. highlight that the guy in Toronto loved as much as the guy in Vancouver “I hate using the term war, because I was never in the military and I’ve so — even when there wasn’t a Canuck or Maple Leaf in sight? much respect for what those people do,” old Oilers defenceman Kevin (Loose thought: If the Swedes can put Peter Forsberg on a stamp, can’t Lowe once said. “But for us in sport, this was as close to war as we’d we have a bank note with two guys in pads duking it out, instead of some ever get. old Prime Minister whose name we can never remember?) “There were definitely broken bones. And if you weren’t ready to play, As a new week begins, however, both teams have moved on. The Oilers bad things could happen to you,” he said. “There were moments in the play in Arizona on Tuesday night, while Calgary hosts San Jose. season where you really had to prepare (to be a champion). If we didn’t have Calgary, I guess we had the Flyers and the Islanders, but you only But we wonder: Is Saturday night really forgotten? Or has its effect on played them twice a year. It was in-season playoff training, and both teams only just begun? hardening and all that stuff.”

Here in 2020, is there still currency in fighting and brawling? Or has the As Mark Messier said of the Flames, “Ali needed Frazier.” emotional value left the game like some old heavyweight who once sat on the end of the bench? And we wonder, can that dynamic ever exist again?

Oilers winger Sam Gagner, who jabbed at that puck under Talbot that Ask anyone on the Flames or Oilers this morning. started the whole melee, immediately felt the combined wrath of Talbot They’ll all tell you they learned a lot about their teammates in that game. and Flames captain Giordano. But when he finally came up swinging, And for some, about themselves. Gagner looked around and loved what he saw. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.04.2020 “At that point you look at your teammates and everyone is sticking up for each other — and I’m going to stick up for myself as well. It defines your group. We answered the bell,” he said. “Those are the types of games that really bring your group together. Everyone stayed in the fight. Everyone was sticking up for each other.”

“There was a good feeling in here after this game… A gooood feeling,” added Oilers goalie Mike Smith, inside a visiting dressing room that has done more than any other room — their included — to forge Oilers teams into stronger groups than they’d been when they walked through those doors.

And here is where old school hockey violence, and the myriad of emotions therein, has always served to bond together a group of alpha males inside a hockey dressing room.

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“Some of the greatest meetings that we ever had as a hockey team, whether they were organized by management, the coaching staff or the players, all happened in Calgary,” Craig MacTavish told me for the book, “The Battle of Alberta.” “The most dramatic moments I remember in the dressing room happened in Calgary. There would be probably, three of those.”

Wow, really? Only three? Can you give us an example?

MacTavish: “I really can’t. Those things are best left in the dressing room.”

Me: “Even 30 years later? C’mon…”

MacTavish: “Especially 30 years later.”

So, what exactly is the “special sauce” that gets injected into a team when they brawl together? Well, for one, it gives players a tangible opportunity to show their teammates how deeply they are committed to the cause — and nobody can identify that more than an NHL player.

The players know. You can’t fool them. 1174409 Websites Since the start of last season, the only D-men to post a higher points-per- game rate than Krug’s 0.83 are John Carlson (0.99) and Brent Burns (0.86).

Sportsnet.ca / Coyotes' trade for Taylor Hall a cautionary tale with • Sticking with the Bruins blue line, it irritates me to no end that Charles deadline on horizon McAvoy had to fight after this hit on Mark Scheifele in Winnipeg on Friday.

That’s a slightly undersized player laying a completely clean hit on a six- Ryan Dixon | February 3, 2020, 11:08 AM foot-three guy who popped right back up. The only logically next step is for peaceful and slight Neal Pionk to charge in and do his best Bob

Probert? There have been so many awesome developments in hockey The Arizona Coyotes don’t like to let things linger. during the past decade; by far the worst is the mentality that clean, awesome hits must immediately be answered with a fight. In the past couple years, the team has been very aggressive in locking up its young core to long-term deals well before any restricted free agent • This season’s first head-to-head between Sidney Crosby and Alex squabbles could take root. And while the rest of the league is just gearing Ovechkin was a spirited Sunday afternoon beauty. The Pittsburgh up for trade season — the deadline is exactly three weeks away — the Penguins left Washington with a 4-3 win and Matt Murray has now won Coyotes jumped in early and hard, acquiring Taylor Hall from the New his past six starts. It will be interesting to see how things shake out Jersey Devils just before Christmas to aid their playoff pursuit. between the two-time Cup champ and his breakout battery mate, Tristan Jarry, down the stretch — and who winds up being the man come Game In fact, Arizona’s big move was long enough ago that the club has 1 of the playoffs. already had time to turn into a cautionary tale about how even the most sensible and strong actions don’t guarantee you a thing. • Twenty years ago, Petr Sykora was knocked out of the Cup-clinching game by the type of hit we saw far too often in those days. He was The Coyotes entered their first game with Hall on Dec. 17 as leaders of carried off the ice in the first period of a contest Jason Arnott eventually the Pacific Division. Following Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the won in overtime to deliver a Devils championship. While celebrating that Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona sits in the final Western Conference wild club two decades later, the team finally got Sykora his lap with the Cup. card spot, just three points ahead of those same Blackhawks and the This, from Saturday night in Jersey, is awesome. Winnipeg Jets — both of whom hold at least one game in hand on the Desert Dogs. The Coyotes have just one win in their past nine outings • No better way to kick off Black History Month than with this stirring and are 7-9-3 since the 2018 Hart Trophy winner joined their ranks. opening to Hockey Night in Canada dreamed up and voiced by one of the best in the Sportsnet newsroom, Donnovan Bennett. (The team is also now dealing with off-ice concerns, with reports surfacing the Coyotes are being investigated by the NHL for breaking Red-and-White Power Rankings league rules about physically testing draft-eligible players before the 1. Vancouver Canucks (30-18-5) – The J.T. Miller trade continues to look annual NHL Combine.) like a winner. Miller netted his 20th goal of the season during Saturday’s I loved the Hall swap for Arizona. This organization hasn’t seen playoff 4-3 overtime win versus the New York Islanders and that first-round pick hockey since 2012 and simply qualifying for the post-season — even if it Vancouver gave Tampa to get him is almost certain to be outside the resulted in a short stay — would be a meaningful step for this young draft lottery, as the Pacific-leading Canucks march toward the playoffs squad. with a 14-3-1 mark in their past 18 outings.

Sometimes you go out and get a guy like Hall to put you over the top in a 2. Toronto Maple Leafs (28-17-7) – The Leafs have picked up a huge six Cup quest. Other times — as was the case last year with the Columbus points in three games coming out of the all-star break, including Blue Jackets and Matt Duchene — you pull the trigger on a marquee Saturday’s 2-1 extra-time victory over Ottawa. Will a healthy scratch rental because you know your fans are long overdue to see a playoff kickstart Kasperi Kapanen? series win or post-season action of any kind. 3. Edmonton Oilers (28-18-6) – Lost in all the Battle of Alberta blood lust; As it turns out, the Coyotes’ souring fortunes stand in contrast to some the Oilers have just one regulation-time loss in their past 11 games. productive play by Hall. Overall, he’s put up 17 points in 19 contests for 4. Calgary Flames (27-20-6) – Every team currently holding down a Arizona and he’s actually been a point-per-game player with four goals playoff spot in the West has a positive goals for/against ratio, except the and five assists during the team’s current nine-game rough patch. minus-17 Flames. The problem — in addition to the fact the big trade basically dovetailed 5. Winnipeg Jets (26-23-4) – The Jets snapped a five-game losing streak with the squad losing Vezina-calibre goalie Darcy Kuemper to a lower- on Saturday, but this season is quickly slipping away and it sure sounds body injury he’s still not back from — is some of the players Arizona was like we won’t see Dustin Byfuglien this year. counting on before the Hall deal have hit the wall. 6. Montreal Canadiens (24-23-7) – With three points in Montreal’s annual Clayton Keller has just one assist in his past nine outings and Phil Kessel pair of Super Bowl Weekend afternoon affairs, Nick Suzuki is now — who’s been a colossal disappointment in Year 1 as a Dog — has one second in scoring among rookie forwards with 33 points in 54 games. even-strength tally in that duration and is on pace to net just 17 goals this season. 7. Ottawa Senators (18-24-10) – Another extra-time loss for the Sens on Saturday brings their total to 10 on the season. Only the single-point The good news for the Coyotes is they play in a Pacific that’s more stars in Boston (12) have more. bunched than a rush-hour bus. In Your Ear Two hot weeks and this club could be right back atop the division. That said, they’re more than a month into life with Hall and things are trending February is trade season, so how could we start the month on Tape-to- the wrong way fast. If the guys they’ve had all season don’t pick it up Tape with anything but swap talk? Sportsnet insider Chris Johnston soon, maybe the team that got a head start on trade season should joined the show to give his take on what we’ll see league-wide and contemplate a follow-up before it’s too late. specifically from the Canadian clubs in the coming weeks.

Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey Senior Writer Ryan Dixon and NHL Editor Rory Boylen always give it world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what 110%, but never rely on clichés when it comes to podcasting. Instead, they think about it. they use a mix of facts, fun and a varied group of hockey voices to cover Canada’s most beloved game. Other Weekend Takeaways The Week Ahead • Hall might be the UFA headliner this summer, but Torey Krug is going to attract all kinds of attention if he makes it to the open market, too. The • The Leafs and Panthers — both vying for the third seed in the Atlantic 29-year-old had five points on the weekend, with four of them coming — will play a huge tilt in Toronto on Monday. Florida lost Aleksander during a two-and-two performance in Boston’s 6-1 beatdown of Barkov to a lower-body injury on Saturday and while the results of an Minnesota on Saturday. MRI were positive, the Cats will still be holding their breath hoping the captain misses as little time as possible.

• Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh have been two of the league’s best clubs in 2020. They will square off in a tasty matchup in Florida on Thursday.

• Zach Parise is slated to play game No. 1,000 for his NHL career on Friday in Dallas. Anyone else feel old when you realize it was eight years ago he and Ryan Suter “came home” by signing twin 13-year deals with the Minnesota Wild worth $98 million apiece?

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174410 Websites In the larger picture, it’s fair to wonder about what this means for his long-term future with the organization. Nazem Kadri got things on track after a team-imposed, three-game suspension following a missed practice in March 2015, but he never fully regained the trust of his Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs' Kasperi Kapanen skating toward thin ice after superiors before getting traded to Colorado last summer. oversleeping Kapanen’s name has already been mentioned in trade rumours because of the Leafs forward depth. He’s also seen a reduced role under Keefe, going from averaging 17:05 per game under Babcock to 15:08 since that Chris Johnston | February 3, 2020, 1:34 PM coaching change.

While he doesn’t think this incident will compromise his standing inside TORONTO — We were still very much focused on the why’s and what’s the organization — “Nope. No,” he answered when asked directly about some 40-plus hours after Kasperi Kapanen’s sacrificial scratch, but it’s that — it’s hard to imagine the Leafs remaining patient with him if they really the how that matters most here. don’t see some changes.

As in how the Toronto Maple Leafs chose to handle the 23-year-old For it’s not the scratch alone that tells us Kapanen is skating toward thin winger after he reported late for Friday’s practice. ice here, but the way his bosses left him to clean up the mess he made.

Remember that this is an organization as deliberate as it is well staffed. “I’m a grown man and I know what I did was wrong,” he said before Every decision is weighed carefully and thought out. So it was not by Monday’s game against Florida. “I’ve just got to live up to it, and just happenstance that the Leafs surprisingly sat Kapanen against the Ottawa forget about it, and just get back at it.” Senators, had head coach Sheldon Keefe provide next to no insight into Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.04.2020 that decision following the 2-1 overtime victory and then rolled the player out for the media Monday morning to explain how he ended up missing his first game of the season.

That back-and-forth was about as awkward as you might expect, with Kapanen veering from emotional to combative while fielding multiple questions on his tardiness.

“Listen guys if you guys want to talk about hockey I’m all for it,” he said at one point. “So talk about today or the future, that’s fine. But I overslept and that’s that.”

Except the entire situation hardly feels open and shut.

For starters, there was really no unified front or consistent messaging on how things escalated to this point.

Kapanen’s very public punishment is obviously the cumulative result of previous transgressions, but it’s not clear what those were — with the player copping to having “missed or been late to practice a couple times” during his days in the American Hockey League and Keefe, his former Marlies coach, saying he had no recollection of that happening.

Instead, Keefe pointed to previous incidents involving Kapanen in the NHL both during his time behind the Leafs bench and before he succeeded Mike Babcock in the role.

“I think we’re a pretty forgiving place when things happen,” Keefe said. “Things happen all the time. When there’s a pattern of things that haven’t corrected themselves then you have to do something a little bit outside of what you normally would do.”

The Leafs coach wouldn’t reveal what time Kapanen was supposed to report for practice Friday, but it couldn’t have been too onerous — especially since the team was coming off a travel day home from Dallas. They were scheduled to take the ice at noon and players typically arrive at the practice rink no later than an hour before then.

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Kapanen skated with his Leafs teammates that afternoon so there was no hint to reporters that anything was amiss until he was replaced by Dmytro Timashov in the warmup immediately before Saturday’s game.

“It was just an honest mistake,” said Kapanen. “I was late to practice that day on Friday and they felt like sitting me out was something I deserved and I agree. So I’ve just got to take responsibility for that.”

If this is part of a concerning pattern of behaviour, you can understand why the Leafs chose to make an example of Kapanen rather than, say, issuing him a fine or punishing him behind closed doors.

There’s a certain amount of embarrassment tied to this even if Kapanen indicated that his scratch wasn’t followed by a period of introspection.

“I mean I just overslept, I don’t really know what there is to think about,” he said. “Obviously I don’t want my teammates to think that I’m not serious about this or whatnot. They sat me out and that’s it.” 1174411 Websites Now, the goal above was beautiful, but the call may have been just as good. My Swedish is a little rusty so we spoke with Sandin before Saturday’s game and asked him to translate.

Sportsnet.ca / Kyle Bukauskas Notebook: Rasmus Sandin has always “That’s a big player with big-P, big-L, big-A, big-Y, big-E, big-R,” Sandin been a 'big player' said with a smile.

A big player at 15, and he’s quickly becoming a big player for the Leafs at 19. Kyle Bukauskas 5. Trevor Moore returned from a 12-game absence due to a concussion after the all-star break and you may have noticed he has a slightly different look. Every other Monday, Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas will give you a peek behind the curtain and share stories about what he sees and hears in his For most of his pro-career, Moore wore the old school Bauer 4500 job as a rink side reporter. helmet. After the injury, it was recommended to him to wear a helmet with more modern cushion and protection. So, he made the switch to the Based in Ottawa, Kyle’s notes will sometimes be about the Senators, but CCM Tacks 710. he’ll also include content from wherever Hockey Night in Canada takes him. Moore said he wasn’t sure if he’ll stick with that helmet moving forward and was the first to admit he doesn’t know how the technology all works. 1. Having the privilege to work on Saturday nights, you get the However, he was all for making the adjustment to help prevent head opportunity to learn about different connections hockey has to various injuries moving forward. corners of the country. Our research team found an old hockey card of Senators coach DJ Smith from his playing days with the St. John’s Maple Senior Writer Ryan Dixon and NHL Editor Rory Boylen always give it Leafs. 110%, but never rely on clichés when it comes to podcasting. Instead, they use a mix of facts, fun and a varied group of hockey voices to cover The one thing we noticed in the top right corner of the card was the logo Canada’s most beloved game. of Marie’s Mini Mart & Deli, a fixture in the St. John’s area since 1979. Smith lit up when we showed him the card and logo. 6. Got a chance to catch up with Anderson Whitehead at all-star weekend in St. Louis. He got the invite from Carey Price during that “Oh yeah! We’d get our sandwiches there. Either there or Billy Breen’s unforgettable moment at the NHL Awards last year. place, those sandwiches were massive. The players would go there all the time,” Smith said. Price, of course, wasn’t in St. Louis as Shea Weber represented the Canadiens this season. After winning the hardest shot during the skills I exchanged emails with Rick Kenny, the co-owner of Marie’s, and he told competition, Weber visited with Anderson at Enterprise Center. me his phone was blowing up after his store was mentioned on Hockey Night. Newfoundlanders are among the most proud and supportive Apparently, during their chat Anderson had no problem telling Weber the people there are. Good to see things are clearing up there after that Habs won the Weber/Subban trade. That young man has a bold horrific snow storm a few weeks back. personality with a wicked sense of humour, and we’re all better because of it. 2. What a week for Mark Borowiecki. He scored his sixth and seventh goals of the season after tallying a total of eight his previous six seasons Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.04.2020 combined. Those goals may not have even happened if the stick he took to the face from the Devils’ Blake Coleman caught him an inch higher and struck his eye last Monday night.

It was a scary scene. The fact Borowiecki of all people rushed off the ice as quick as he did, you knew it was serious. Borowiecki said his right eye swelled up right away and when he tried to open it in the tunnel, he was worried he wouldn’t have any vision.

Thankfully, he yelled “I can see! I can see!” to the training staff. After gluing the cut, he was back on the ice a few shifts later.

Moments like that are why Brady Tkachuk refers to Borowiecki as “nail gun.”

3. Speaking of Borowiecki, he’s one of 10 pending UFAs on the Senators’ roster. He could become a father for the first time any day now, so no surprise taking care of his family is his number one priority at this stage.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau is just focusing on what’s led to a career year for him so far, though he is going to reach out to the likes of Mark Stone and Matt Duchene to pick their brains on how they handled their situations at this time last year.

GM Pierre Dorion returned from a lengthy European scouting trip last week. He’s been clear he’s not interested in discussing any specifics around contracts or trades publicly.

Three weeks left until the trade deadline and as we all wonder who will go and who will stay, you get the sense there’s just as much uncertainty inside the Senators dressing room as well.

4. Thanks to our stats guru, Jason Murdoch, for unearthing this gem from Rasmus Sandin when he was just 15 years old:

This was during what’s called the “TV-pucken”, an annual tournament featuring the best district teams in Sweden. The games are televised, and there are 5,000-6,000 people in the stands, an atmosphere Sandin had never played in before then. 1174412 Websites A nine-year-old Sanderson, his team and their parents packed into a Twin Otter plane for a flight to a tournament in Yellowknife. While in the air, the cabin door flung open.

Sportsnet.ca / Growing up on ice: Geoff Sanderson's journey from “I was sitting there (by the door) — I remember my mom told me that she N.W.T. to the NHL saw me in the seat, I had my tuque on — and then the door opened and my tuque was gone and she had a quick panic attack. But I actually just pulled my tuque off because it got super windy in the plane when the door opened,” said Sanderson with a trace of impish bravado in his Mike Shulman | February 3, 2020, 12:01 PM voice.

“And … the dads got together and found a way to chain arms, to pull the It’s a moment seemingly algorithmically produced to go viral across door back and then close it while we’re flying, so I remember that.” Canada in the age of Instagram. A glassy, frozen street, the sound of Geoff-Sanderson-Byers skates carving into ice, children playing the national pastime, and the stars shining only as they can once you escape the light pollution (Courtesy of Geoff Sanderson) clouding the views of the South. Despite the scare, growing up and playing hockey in the North was plain It’s almost surreal. and simple — fun.

But for former NHLer Geoff Sanderson — by far the most accomplished “I grew up on ice. That’s what it was … All of our outside playtime was on of five from the Northwest Territories — it was real life, and the way he the road, playing on the ice, sliding around playing hockey. Or you were grew up in the remote, now-ghost town of Pine Point, N.W.T., in the at the rink playing hockey. And it was not super organized and super 1970s and early ’80s. competitive probably,” he said. “I think that is a big part of the reason why I grew to love the game. There’s no pressure, no expectations.” “I remember playing road hockey with my brother (the oldest of three) all the time. There were only a few kids in our area, so we would always Geoff-Sanderson-goalie plan on meeting out front of someone’s house. Normally, whoever had a net, maybe a sponge puck and whoever’s street lights were working at (Courtesy of Geoff Sanderson) the time,” recalled Sanderson, whose best years were spent with the It wasn’t until his family uprooted for High Level, Alta. — after his father Hartford Whalers and Columbus Blue Jackets. bought a pharmacy in the town — that Sanderson was moved out of net “I vividly remember that, and I vividly remember the gravel truck. It’d and started finding the back of it, that he realized he might have a shot at been given the instructions not to gravel anywhere near where we’re The Show. playing road hockey,” he continued with a laugh, reflecting on his early The kid from Pine Point then went on to star for the WHL’s Swift Current fastidiousness about the quality of his ice surface. Broncos, capturing the Memorial Cup as a rookie in 1989, and was Sanderson, now 48, spent the first 11 years of his life in Pine Point — a drafted 36th overall in the 1990 NHL Draft by the Whalers. nearly 600-kilometre drive around Great Slave Lake to the territorial Once he made the league, Sanderson put up back-to-back 40-goal capital of Yellowknife, where this month’s Hockey Day in Canada campaigns, played in two all-star games, made it all the way to Game 6 festivities take place — before eventually carving out a 17-year career in of the Stanley Cup Finals with the Buffalo Sabres, claimed gold at two the NHL. world championships and finished his NHL career with 355 goals and It was a life that began on a day so harsh that even his own mother 700 points across 1104 games. hasn’t forgiven him. After retiring in 2008, Sanderson worked in player development for the Hockey Day in Canada in Yellowknife, NT New York Islanders for two years. But the grind of constant travel — and living in eight cities across 17 seasons — caught up with him, and Celebrating Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada’s 20th anniversary, Sanderson moved to Calgary with his young family to become a stay-at- Sportsnet and Scotiabank unite to bring a 4-day hockey festival to home dad/coach as his three sons were just starting Timbits hockey. Yellowknife, NT and a 12-hour NHL broadcast to Canadian fans coast-to- coast-to-coast. Now, with his kids grown — aged 19, 17 and 14 — Sanderson would like to one day take a trip back to his old stomping grounds. Sheila Sanderson, 72, spent 17 years with her husband, Aaron, 73, in Pine Point — after he took a job at the pharmacy — and was used to The last time he was back was roughly 10 years ago on a promotional bundling up before braving the frigid outdoors of the North. trip to Hay River. And even though he was close by, Sanderson opted against visiting Pine Point on the advice of a good friend who also lived But on Feb. 1, 1972, it was minus-55 C. there.

And to this day, she still brings up her “sacrifice” — how she had to “‘You’re going to get sad and confused, and the roads are all overgrown endure the bone-chilling cold and wind to get in an ambulance bound for and you’ll have a hard time remembering at all where you lived,’” he said, the closest hospital in the town of Hay River. reflecting on the conversation about the town, which was abandoned in 1988 soon after its mine shuttered. “Every birthday she reminds me,” Sanderson said with a laugh. Pine-Point-Closure But on most days, even though the mercury regularly dropped to minus- 40, the cold wasn’t an impediment — it was a way of life. (Courtesy of Geoff Sanderson)

Sanderson remembers hopping on a Ski-Doo with his parents or older And while some things may have changed, Sanderson’s fondness for the brother and zipping off on the snowy roads to his home away from home: beauty of the North remains. the hockey rink. “It’s a goal of mine for my kids to see (the northern lights),” he said. “You Competition wasn’t exactly fierce in Pine Point — which had a peak know, we live in Calgary, there have been times when you can kind of population of roughly 2,000 in 1976 and just the single arena — but it see them, but when you’re living in the North — there’s nothing like it.” was where Sanderson learned to love the game. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.04.2020 Pine-Point-Arena

(Courtesy of Geoff Sanderson)

Pushed into goalie gear — ironic, given the goal-scoring prowess that was to emerge down the road — Sanderson recalls seldom travelling to face other teams, as is the norm nowadays, and perhaps making a single hour-or-so drive to Hay River for a tournament each year.

The one time he ventured further, he’ll never forget. 1174413 Websites started for the Leafs, but 0-3 when he’s come in to relieve Andersen, giving up 10 goals combined in those outings.

“It's the same [mindset] as it has been, just take it one day at a time,” TSN.CA / Workhorse Andersen suffers injury in Maple Leafs loss Hutchinson said of potentially increasing his workload. “It doesn't matter if you're playing every single night or you're playing once every two weeks, you have to approach each day and try and get better and try and take advantage of each day and if I happen to get more starts than that, that's Kristen Shilton the way it is. But hopefully Freddie is good.”

That sentiment echoed throughout the Leafs’ room, along with the TORONTO – The Maple Leafs lost starting goaltender Frederik Andersen disappointment over not helping out Hutchinson more in achieving a to an upper-body injury after the first period of Monday’s 5-3 loss to the better outcome. Florida Panthers, but head coach Sheldon Keefe relayed optimistic news “You still got to play,” Matthews said of seeing Andersen get hurt. “He's a afterwards about the netminder’s status. big part of this team, obviously. But he goes down, and obviously we got “He's feeling better, from what I'm told,” Keefe said. “They're just going to faith in Hutchinson. We just didn't play well in front of him in the last 10- have to give him the night and see how he is in the morning. He went to-15 minutes.” through that whole [concussion protocol] process. My understanding is “Freddie is a big part of our team, he's been huge for us all year,” added the results were positive on that, but given the nature of the injury, [the Tavares. “But Hutch is very capable and has played great for us. We medical staff wanted] to take caution. We'll give him tonight and see how have to do a better job in front of him, especially for the shifts there that he is in the morning." lead to their opportunities and their goals in the third. Injuries happen and Keefe didn't know which play specifically Andersen was hurt on, but the we have to find a way to get the results.” most violent of bumps he took in the period was towards the end, when Masters: 'This was the worst loss of the Leafs season' Panthers forward Frank Vatrano bulldozed into the net and forced Andersen to land awkwardly on his neck and shoulders. The Leafs not only lost an important divisional game against the Panthers, but goaltender Frederik Andersen's status moving forward is in Andersen stayed down briefly on the ice but was able to get up and finish question due to injury. Mark Masters has more. out the frame, during which time he made eight saves. Although the Leafs remain tied with Florida at 63 points, the Panthers Before the second period began though, the Leafs announced backup hold two games in hand on their Atlantic Division rivals and so Toronto goalie Michael Hutchinson would be taking over the cage, and revealed has fallen out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture once again. And soon after Andersen wouldn’t return. while Keefe liked much of what he saw from the Leafs on Monday, their Keefe said at this stage he doesn’t know whether Andersen will travel chances of getting back in the playoff hunt could hinge on how quickly with the Leafs for their game against the New York Rangers on Andersen returns. Wednesday. “If we play that type of game 100 times, we’d probably win 99 of them,” Leafs' loss to Panthers costly in more ways than one Keefe said. “But you don’t get the points, and that hurts. A lot of the narrative [around our team] is how we can’t defend. That was the best The TSN Hockey panel takes a closer look at the defensive miscues that defensive game we’ve played the entire season. The result sucks.” allowed the Panthers to comeback and beat the Maple Leafs, and discuss how big a loss it would be for Toronto if Frederik Andersen was TSN.CA LOADED: 02.04.2020 to miss time with his his injury.

“We'll see how he is in the morning and if he's on the ice for practice and all that kind of stuff," Keefe said. "Practice hasn't been ruled out for tomorrow at this point."

The 30-year-old Andersen has been the Leafs’ workhorse in net once again this season, starting 42 of their 53 games and posting a 24-9-6 record with .910 save percentage and 2.87 goals-against average.

With Andersen’s availability now suddenly in question, Keefe was non- committal about his level of confidence in Hutchinson starting a string of games, saying, “I’m not going to answer that tonight.”

Given how Hutchinson played in relief of Andersen, Keefe’s hesitation in providing a ringing endorsement of his backup could also be understood.

Hutchinson was told early in the first intermission he’d be taking over for Andersen, but Toronto played so well in the second period he barely saw any action. At the end of those 20 minutes, the Leafs had built a 2-1 lead off goals by John Tavares and William Nylander, and Hutchinson had turned aside the only three shots he faced.

It was in the third period that the Leafs and Hutchinson really faltered. After Auston Matthews extended his team’s lead to 3-1 just 38 seconds in, Toronto temporarily lost some of its composure and couldn’t recover as Hutchinson allowed three goals on 10 shots.

The veteran would finish the night with 10 saves and a .769 save percentage.

“Obviously it didn't go very well,” Keefe said of Hutchinson’s performance. “But it's a challenging scenario. He comes in cold when he's not expected to play and goes into the second period [where] I don't know that he [faced] any [good] shots. That's a tough ask of any goalie. I'd take a lot more from games he's played previously for us than tonight.”

Hutchinson conceded as well it was “definitely difficult” coming in cold for Andersen, but insisted he’d be ready to take over as Toronto’s starter if necessary. Since Dec. 21, Hutchinson is a perfect 4-0 in games he’s 1174414 Websites Toronto will dress seven defencemen in warmup with Martin Marincin on standby if Dermott can't go.

Leafs lines at morning skate: TSN.CA / John Tavares pays tribute to minor coach as Toronto Maple Hyman - Matthews - Marner Leafs start Mentors Trip Kerfoot - Tavares - Nylander

Johnsson - Engvall - Kapanen Mark Masters Moore - Gauthier - Spezza

Timashov TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes on the Maple Leafs. The Leafs and Florida Panthers (optional) skated at Muzzin - Holl Scotiabank Arena on Monday. Dermott - Barrie Monday marks the start of the Maple Leafs’ first-ever Mentors Trip. Sandin - Ceci "It's outstanding," said head coach Sheldon Keefe, who has invited his mother-in-law. "This is unique from what I've seen and I think it's great to Marincin expand it. They've already done moms and dads here and to expand it to Andersen starts really anyone who has a positive impact on your life is outstanding." Hutchinson Leafs’ captain John Tavares is bringing his old minor hockey coach James Naylor. TSN.CA LOADED: 02.04.2020

"He made a big impact on my life not just as a hockey player, but as a person," Tavares said. "When you have someone who was around you almost 20 years ago and you still talk to him frequently and have a really good relationship, I think it speaks to the impact he made on me, so happy to have him here."

The group of mentors posed for a picture with the players and staff before the morning skate and will be accompanying the team to New York for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov left Saturday's game in Montreal with a lower-body injury and will miss tonight's showdown in Toronto. The centre is listed as day-to-day.

"It affects your power play, five-on-five important minutes and penalty killing," said head coach Joel Quenneville. "He plays big minutes, important minutes and you're missing a very important piece ... so it will be a good test for us to play the right way and do the little things we'll need to do to have some success. Everyone should assume they'll get more ice time and quality ice time as well."

Barkov is averaging just less than 20 minutes per game this season and is second on the Panthers in scoring with 54 points.

"He's our best player," said Jonathan Huberdeau. "He's so good in every situation so we all got to step up."

The Leafs are looking to avenge an ugly 8-4 loss to the Panthers on Jan. 12. Keefe previously said his group looked like an "immature team" in that setback, which saw them trailing 5-0 early in the second period.

"The feeling of that game certainly lasted longer," Keefe admitted. "I don't know that it bled into the other games that we had that didn't go our way after. I don't know if that was necessarily the case, but because it was such a big game and a divisional opponent it stung for longer, in particular, through that break and everything like that. So we've been looking for a chance to get back at it."

Quenneville confirms Barkov is out against Leafs with lower-body injury

Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville confirms that Aleksander Barkov will miss tonight's game against the Maple Leafs with a lower-body injury and listed as day-to-day. He explains why it just means more valuable minutes for others and everyone will need to pick up the slack.

Panthers’ defenceman Anton Stralman will play the 800th game in his NHL career tonight right back where he started his career in the 2007-08.

"Funny how it works," the 33-year-old said with a smile.

Stralman reflected on his two-season experience in Toronto this morning.

"It was very special coming here," Stralman said. "Mats (Sundin) being such a big role model for me growing up and I had a chance to play with him for a year and that was quite special ... It's all good memories."

Travis Dermott skated alongside Tyson Barrie this morning after missing Saturday's game due to illness. Keefe noted that Dermott hasn't done much over the last few days and will be a game-time decision tonight. 1174415 Websites Asked whether he was surprised that Kapanen was punished so harshly, Tavares theorized it had to do more with honouring the values the organization is aiming to uphold.

TSN.CA / Kasperi Kapanen says lateness led to healthy scratch on “The sense that we got is there's a certain expectation and standard – Saturday especially with what we're trying to accomplish,” he said.

Kapanen was back in his usual third line place with Andreas Johnsson and Pierre Engvall at the Leafs’ morning skate, a sign of how eager Kristen Shilton Keefe is to turn the page on what he views as a minor blip.

“This is not punishment or anything like that,” Keefe said. “It's just about trying to reset the player and try to help him grow and get better. We TORONTO – Kasperi Kapanen says a late arrival to practice on Friday want him to be the player that he's capable of being and we want our led to him being a healthy scratch in the Maple Leafs’ 2-1 overtime win team to play very well. He's going to get a great opportunity. We need over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. him to be great and I fully expect that he will be.” “They felt like sitting me out was something I deserved and I agree,” TSN.CA LOADED: 02.04.2020 Kapanen said Monday after the Leafs’ morning skate, ahead of facing the Florida Panthers. “So I just have to take responsibility for that.”

Head coach Sheldon Keefe touched on the matter briefly Saturday night, saying only that Kapanen’s absence was due to “internal accountability” and that the winger would fill in the details himself.

When he did, Kapanen also copped to having been late to practices when he played for the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies, without mentioning any problems with the Leafs prior to Friday’s incident. Saturday marked the first game he had missed all season for Toronto.

But Keefe, who coached Kapanen with the Marlies from 2015-18, said he couldn’t recall any such issues, and that the decision to scratch him was based entirely on Kapanen’s behaviour this season.

“It all had to do with [what’s happened] here, previous to my time coming and since arriving here,” said Keefe, who took over as Leafs' head coach on Nov. 20. “I think we're a pretty forgiving place, even when things happen. Things happen all the time. When there's a pattern of things that haven't corrected themselves, then you have to do something a little bit outside of what you'd normally do.”

Keefe refused to offer up any particulars (“I don’t think that’s important or necessary”) but stressed he didn’t feel the situation was a big deal and hoped simply that Kapanen would learn from it.

“Any time you get called out like that and are held accountable, it gives you an opportunity to reflect and grow from it,” Keefe said. “And that's what we're looking for.”

The 23-year-old winger wasn’t feeling contemplative on Monday though, shrugging off a question about whether he'd reflected on his actions.

“I just overslept; I don't really know what there is to think about,” Kapanen opined. “Obviously, I don't want my teammates to think that I'm not serious about this or whatnot. They sat me out and that's that.”

Kapanen also said he didn't think the incident would hurt his standing within the organization, but shut down the topic when pressed on why he felt confident that’s the case.

“Listen guys, if you guys want to talk about hockey I'm all for it,” he said. “Talk about today or the future, that's fine, but I overslept and that's that.”

Inside the Leafs’ dressing room, Kapanen’s teammates said he has made sufficient amends.

“I think Kappy owned his mistake and I think he feels bad about it,” said John Tavares. “No one's perfect. We support Kappy. It was an honest mistake and I know he's excited to be back and be in it. As a team we all understand what it means to be professional and what we have to do every day.”

Tavares said Kapanen had gone up to guys individually to apologize for his behaviour but hadn’t formally addressed the group. Following Keefe’s lead, the Leafs’ captain tried to downplay the situation by insisting it could be getting “blown out of proportion.”

“I think it was just an honest mistake. I don't think he's trying to come in and be unprofessional and whatnot,” Tavares stressed. “You get to this point in the season and sometimes you forget what day it is. I think he feels bad about it and it's just an honest mistake. I think he brings a lot to our team. He's well-liked in our locker room and works hard every day. We appreciate Kappy as a player and a person.” 1174416 Websites 2. Alec Martinez, LA LD 32 35 1 7 $4M 1

3. Ilya Kovalchuk, Mtl RW 36 29 8 TSN.CA / Trade Bait: Winnipeg Jets and Dustin Byfuglien heading 19 $700K UFA toward split 4. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ott C 27 50 20 32 $3.1M UFA

Frank Seravalli 5. Sami Vatanen, NJ RD 28 47 5 23 $4.9M UFA

6. Brenden Dillon, SJ LD 29 53 1 The Winnipeg Jets’ salary cap picture appears to finally be coming into 13 $3.27M UFA clearer focus three weeks before TradeCentre. 7. Tyler Toffoli, LA RW 27 52 14 29 The Jets and defenceman Dustin Byfuglien are working toward a mutual $4.6M UFA contract termination over the next several days, according to multiple sources, which would formally end his suspension and bring to a close 8. Shayne Gostisbehere, Phi LD 26 40 5 the grievance Byfuglien filed in November. 12 $4.5M 3

For the Jets, the termination would bring much-needed clarity to their 9. Andreas Athanasiou, Det LW 25 36 5 salary cap picture, freeing up GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to use the $7.6 19 $3M RFA million in space they have earmarked for Byfuglien all season in case he 10. Carolina's 1st Round Pick returned to play or successfully grieved his suspension. 2020 If executed, the contract termination would also make Byfuglien an 11. Matt Dumba, Min RD 25 51 3 unrestricted free agent, free to resume his career with any team of his 16 $6M 3 choosing. That could be next week, next season or never again. Byfuglien's on-ice future remains very much in doubt. 12. Ondrej Kase, Ana RW 24 46 6 21 $2.6M 1 Byfuglien, 34, has not resumed skating since undergoing ankle surgery in late October. He reportedly began rehabbing the injury in consultation 13. Dylan DeMelo, Ott RD 26 42 0 with the Jets in mid-December, but hasn’t progressed to the next step in 10 $900K UFA the process. 14. Mikael Granlund, Nsh LW 27 45 10 One of the questions lingering during Byfuglien’s rehabilitation was: How 18 $5.75M UFA much did he want to return to play? He was suspended without pay by the Jets for failing to report for training camp. The Jets said Byfuglien 15. Josh Manson, Ana RD 28 33 1 took a personal leave of absence, but sources close to Byfuglien 6 $4.1M 2 believed he was contemplating retirement. 16. Ryan Donato, Min LW 23 45 9 Byfuglien’s decision blindsided the Jets. After trading Jacob Trouba and 15 $1.9M 1 losing Tyler Myers to free agency, the Jets planned to rely on Big Buff, 17. Alexander Georgiev, NYR G 23 23 3.11 the team’s leader in average ice time over each of the past four seasons, .910 $793K RFA to bite of an even bigger chunk of the game this season. 18. Andreas Johnsson, Tor LW 25 37 7 Retirement meant that Byfuglien would have been walking away from 18 $3.4M 3 $14 million (U.S.) owed in salary over the final two years of his contract. The grievance filed in November in conjunction with the NHLPA claimed 19. Kasperi Kapanen, Tor RW 23 51 10 that Byfuglien deserved to be paid while recovering from a legitimate 28 $3.2M 2 hockey injury. No hearing date was ever set with a neutral arbitrator. With that grievance lingering, the Jets could never truly fill Byfuglien’s void 20. Jeff Petry, Mtl RD 32 54 7 33 because they always had to account for the possibility he could return or $5.5M 1 win his grievance. 21. Ron Hainsey, Ott LD 38 45 1 The Jets have admirably hung in the playoff chase without him, sitting 11 $3.5M UFA just three points back of the second wild-card spot despite the fact that 22. Alex Galchenyuk, Pit LW 25 43 5 four of their seven blueliners earn around the league minimum $700,000 17 $4.9M UFA salary. 23. Robin Lehner, Chi G 28 29 2.86 A contract termination is the only route for Cheveldayoff and the Jets to .922 $5M UFA truly have the freedom to target a replacement. According to coach Paul Maurice, that replacement likely will not be a rental player in a year in 24. Zach Bogosian, Buf RD 29 18 1 which there is no guarantee the team makes the playoffs. 5 $5.14M UFA

“Paying a high price for a rental, I don’t know that that makes a whole lot 25. Craig Smith, Nsh RW 30 51 11 of sense for us,” Maurice told reporters on Friday. “If we can get a guy 22 $4.5M UFA that can come in and play maybe more than the rest of the season, you’d think about doing that.” 26. Kyle Turris, Nsh C 30 44 6 22 $6M 4 Maurice said he is "all for" something that would give the Jets a boost. Who are some of the options? 27. Valtteri Filppula, Det C 35 52 4 17 $3M 1 There are four defencemen with term on their contracts on the latest TSN Trade Bait board, where the ranking always aims to blend a player’s 28. Marco Scandella, Mtl LD 29 44 3 likelihood of a trade with his prominence: 10 $4M UFA

Player Pos Age GP G PTS Cap Hit 29. Kyle Clifford, LA LW 29 52 6 14 Years $1.6M UFA

1. Chris Kreider, NYR LW 28 50 18 30. Jesse Puljujarvi, Edm RW 21 42 17 35 $4.63M UFA 41 - RFA TSN.CA LOADED: 02.04.2020 1174417 Websites this season. A lot of that is because the interchange between Gallagher and Kovalchuk was quite smooth.

It’s fascinating to watch how the shots fall with players like Gallagher (as TSN.CA / Ilya Kovalchuk bet paying off handsomely for Montreal high a volume a shooter as you can find in the league) and Kovalchuk Canadiens (arguably one of the best snipers the league has had over the last two decades). When Gallagher has been on the ice, Montreal is flurrying shots at goaltenders left and right – it explains the huge shot advantages that line tends to carry, and also explains why the Gallagher lines tend to Travis Yost play such little time in the defensive zone.

Kovalchuk has seen some incredible offence generated in his own right, We routinely see one-year, league-minimum ‘prove it’ contracts handed but you can see that offence tends to not be a ‘from anywhere, by out at the NHL level. What we don’t often see is one of those deals anyone’ style – the offence tends to navigate towards the circle, tendered to a possible Hall of Famer, as is the case with Montreal and something that’s been consistent for Kovalchuk since he’s entered the the 36-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk. league:

Kovalchuk’s career has been one hell of a roller-coaster ride. The star I think Julien will stick with the Gallagher trio with a fully healthy lineup, Russian sniper plied his trade for years with an Atlanta Thrashers but what a find by a Montreal organization that was willing to make a franchise that could not get out of its own way prior to relocating to smart, low-cost bet on a player who seemingly still had something left in Winnipeg. It’s been a while now – more than a decade, if you want to feel the tank. old – since Kovalchuk’s last Thrashers game, but the truth is they all Kovalchuk has looked completely re-energized in Montreal, and even looked the same. The team was routinely overpowered, and in the though the Canadiens may be in tough to reach the playoffs this season, fleeting moments they did have success, it was usually their vaunted top he has been quite a positive contributor. And if Montreal chooses to be a line – driven by Kovalchuk with players like Todd White, Mark Recchi, seller at the trade deadline and looks at flipping Kovalchuk, it's a safe bet Marian Hossa and Bryan Little around him – doing all of the work. they'll get more as part of the return than Los Angeles did. His post-Thrashers career has been even more dizzying. He infamously TSN.CA LOADED: 02.04.2020 signed a 17-year contract with the New Jersey Devils (the sides later agreed to a 15-year deal after the original contract was blocked by the league for circumventing the salary cap) and nearly won the Stanley Cup during the 2011-12 season, pulling up just short against a juggernaut Los Angeles team.

He followed that up by shockingly retiring from the NHL in 2013, heading home to Russia to play for SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL for the next four years.

When he ultimately decided to return to the NHL, he picked possibly the worst landing spot for a player of his skill set – an aging, slow Los Angeles Kings team devoid of playmakers and eyeing a serious rebuild. The arrangement was a disaster and ended unceremoniously in December.

The interesting thing about Kovalchuk – and we have seen this from other world-class shooters – is that while his sheer athleticism and skating speed have diminished with time, his shot has not. We saw that from time to time in Los Angeles, and it’s why some fans in Montreal – a high-end skating team with limited finishing talent – believed a “last ditch” marriage could work. Has it ever.

In just 11 games with the Canadiens, Kovalchuk has five goals and nine assists. Add it to his early season totals with the Kings, and Kovalchuk has scored at a 53-point pace (per 82 games). What’s clear in Montreal is that, especially at 5-on-5, the Canadiens have found a pair of players to complement Kovalchuk.

Head coach Claude Julien has tried a lot of Phillip Danault and Tomas Tatar on his line, two players capable of carrying and transitioning the puck up ice, backing defenders off the puck and setting up critical passing lanes – the critical passing lanes you cannot give to a player with Kovalchuk’s shooting ability.

Kovalchuk was moved to another line when Brendan Gallagher returned from injury – this one featuring Nick Suzuki and Joel Armia – where his teammates (a) were comfortable playing a quick transition, high-tempo style of hockey; and (b) in need of a shooter to help finish attacking sequences.

Perhaps most notably: with Gallagher out, Kovalchuk stepped in and Montreal’s top line didn’t miss a beat. That is a huge complement considering just how impactful Gallagher is – a player in his prime playing years:

So much of hockey is finding the players who can capably complement one another – chemistry on a forward line or defensive pairing is a real thing, and the coaches who can find the right mix are usually the ones that stay behind the bench for a long period of time.

Regardless of whether Gallagher was in or out of the lineup (which, historically, has been a huge barometer for whether or not the Canadiens top line will have any success), Montreal has been productive at the top 1174418 Websites

USA TODAY / Flyers mascot Gritty cleared in alleged assault of 13-year- old

Scott Gleeson

The Philadelphia Flyers' mascot was absolved of any wrongdoing on Monday after allegations arose that "Gritty" punched a 13-year-old boy during a Nov. 19 game at the franchise's Fargo Center.

The Philadelphia Police Department announced that its investigation into the matter had closed and released a statement to media outlets, including USA TODAY Sports, that read: "That investigation, which has been completed and is no longer active, determined that the actions of the individual portraying the Flyers' mascot did not constitute physical assault as alleged."

Flyers season-ticket holder Chris Greenwell filed a police report December 21. He told the Philadelphia Inquirer in January that his son, Brandon, "playfully patted" Gritty on the head after a photo during a meet-and-greet event before the mascot turned and "punched my son as hard as he could." Greenwell told the media outlet his son was diagnosed with a back bruise as a result of the interaction.

The Flyers, which released a statement when the allegations became public noting that it reviewed video recordings and did not see evidence to support Greenwell's claim, also released a statement noting that the police department's findings Monday coincided with the organization's own independent investigation into the matter.

Gritty, who debuted as the Flyers' mascot in 2018, has been a regular in public appearances, including the NHL All-Star Game, since the incident.

Greenwell had told the Inquirer in January he hasn't hired a lawyer and is only seeking an apology from the team and something special for his son.

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