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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 04/22/17 Bruins 1060882 Senators let this one slip away 1060927 Blackhawks' stunning exit a dramatic mandate for change 1060883 Sean Kuraly’s in double lifts Bruins over 1060928 NHL commissioner on Winter Olympics: 'We're not going' Senators 1060929 NHL commissioner on Blackhawks' early exit: 'That's our 1060884 Bruins’ David Krejci injured, will not return in Game 5 playoffs' 1060885 Overtime hero Sean Kuraly gave the Bruins sudden life 1060930 , Kelly Clarkson burn Blackhawks with 1060886 Bruins will insert Sean Kuraly for Ryan Spooner tweets 1060887 Cam Neely finding positives, regardless of Bruins’ fate 1060931 Aging Blackhawks defense should be huge concern to 1060888 Bruins expect Ryan Spooner to be a scratch in Game 5 Stan Bowman 1060889 Kuraly's 2nd goal of game lifts Bruins past Senators in 1060932 The urgent change the Blackhawks must make 2OT 1060933 Blackhawks must stop living in the past and look to the 1060890 Bruins notebook: With season on line, Bruce Cassidy opts future to sit Ryan Spooner and insert Sean Kuraly 1060934 Why nothing went right for Chicago Blackhawks against 1060891 Sean Kuraly keeps Bruins alive with double overtime Nashville winner 1060935 WHAT'S DONE AND WHAT LIES AHEAD: FIVE 1060892 Bruins rally back to stay alive by beating Senators in 2-OT THOUGHTS ON THE BLACKHAWKS 1060893 PASTRNAK FOCUSES ON GENERATING MORE 1060936 Keys to the offseason: Blackhawks OFFENSE FOR BRUINS IN GAME 5 1060894 SPOONER LIKELY OUT, KURALY LIKELY IN AS BRUINS PREPARE FOR LAST STAND 1060937 Blue Jackets | Playoff newcomers didn’t back down from 1060895 HAGGERTY: IT'S TIME FOR BRUINS' BIG GUNS TO defending champs START FIRING 1060938 Blue Jackets | Three reasons the Penguins won 1060896 PATRICE BERGERON LOOKING TO MAKE HISTORY 1060939 The Front Row: Blue Jackets leave mixed feelings AS SELKE FINALIST 1060940 Blackhawks' playoff loss could benefit World 1060897 Gionta on Sabres shakeup: 'Ownership wants a winning Championship-bound Wings team and they want it now' 1060941 Athanasiou, Mantha carry weight of Wings’ playoff void 1060898 Mike Harrington: Pegula is right when he says Sabres 1060942 Wojo: Pistons, Wings stuck in neutral need to fix character flaws 1060943 Griffins don't play well, but follow simple plan for 1-0 series 1060899 Pegula adamant about adding discipline, character to lead Sabres' organization 1060944 Tomas Nosek delivers overtime winner for Griffins in 1060900 Jerry Sullivan: If communication is key for Sabres, why are Game 1 so many questions left unanswered? 1060945 Ask Ansar: On Steve Yzerman, expansion draft and jersey 1060901 Bucky Gleason: Next step for Pegula is backing up words retirements with action 1060902 Hockey duties to be shared while Pegula searches for Oilers Sabres' next leaders 1060946 Dan Barnes: Some Oiler OT heroes defined by goals they 1060903 The last photo of Dan Bylsma as coach of the Sabres? score 1060904 Insta-Graham: From under the fog, Pegula gets privy 1060947 San Jose goalie Martin Jones could have broken Oilers 1060905 Jerry Sullivan's Hot Read: Pegula speaks briefly, says little hearts 1060906 Mike Harrington's Hot Read: More please, Terry 1060948 Dan Barnes: ' big (and little) men come to 1060907 Bucky Gleason's Hot Read: 's mea culpa was play in Game 5 a start 1060949 Terry Jones: McDavid revs Oilers engine after 1060908 Sabres owner Terry Pegula: 'We have to get better' outing in 7-0 loss to San Jose 1060909 10 unanswered questions worth asking Terry Pegula 1060950 David Desharnais as Edmonton Oilers playoff hero has 1060910 Pegula seeks established GM to instill discipline in Sabres nice ring to it 1060911 Sabres captain Brian Gionta 'shocked' by housecleaning 1060951 Terry Jones: Edmonton Oilers' thrilling overtime win a night to treasure forever Flames 1060952 'have to believe' they will forget Game 5 1060912 Flames soon-to-be free agents hoping to stick around loss to Edmonton Oilers, return to winning Saddledome 1060953 Fan with huge Oilers tattoo has body parts earmarked for 1060913 Early playoff exit still "pretty raw" for Flames GM Treliving Connor McDavid, Wayne Gretzky 1060914 After shooting blanks in first-round exit, Flames star 1060954 San Jose Sharks 'have to believe' they will forget Game 5 Gaudreau off to Worlds loss 1060916 Flames goalies both want to return to Calgary 1060955 Barnes: Some overtime heroes defined by goals they 1060919 After shooting blanks in playoffs, Flames star Gaudreau score off to Worlds 1060956 Martin Jones came close to breaking Oilers hearts 1060920 Flames' Monahan to undergo wrist surgery 1060957 Terry Jones: Edmonton Oilers' Game 5 win over San Jose Sharks will resonate forever 1060958 Edmonton Oilers centre David Desharnais realizes every 1060921 Checkers’ Dwyer still having fun at 33 NHLer's dream: To score an overtime winner 1060922 Canes sign Dahlbeck, solve needs 1060959 Dan Barnes: Edmonton Oilers powered by men big and 1060923 Canes sign Lorentz to entry-level deal small in Game 5 overtime win over San Jose Sharks 1060924 Could Saarela be the next Aho for Canes? 1060960 McDavid revs engine after atypical outing in 7-0 loss to San Jose NHL 1060961 Kings' talks with Stevens on coaching job moving 'in a 1061000 Seahawks, Mariners and Sounders demand binding deal positive manner,' could be resolved soon for events at proposed Sodo arena 1060962 ODDS AND ENDS: NORRIS, FOO, BUFFALO, SETOGUCHI 1060963 Game 1 vs. San Diego postgame quotes: Brodzinski, 1061001 Chris Kelly returns to Senators lineup, adding veteran Kempe playoff experience 1060964 Game 1 vs. San Diego postgame quotes: Mike Stothers 1061002 At 40, Zdeno Chara loves hockey and wants to play as long as he can 1061003 Senators' Mike Hoffman keeping an eye on old friend and 1060965 Wild, Blues are resigned to low-scoring series new enemy Mika Zibanejad 1060966 Preview: Wild vs. St. Louis, Game 5 1061004 Erik Karlsson nabs fourth Norris Trophy nomination 1060967 Blues' addition of Paul Stastny back from injury 1061005 Kelly gets a chance to send old teammates packing downplayed 1061006 Boston sportswriters — no strangers to great defencemen 1060968 Wild fans trying to muster up hope heading into Game 5 — are blown away by Karlsson 1060969 Coyle, Wild aim to keep pressure on Blues with 3-1 deficit 1061007 Senators' Mike Hoffman was all sorts of spectacular on 1060970 Erik Haula, and Wild, ready for Game 5 great play in Game 3 1060971 Cheating on the faceoff dot is delaying Wild-Blues games 1061008 Senators have their hands full with shorthanded Bruins 1060972 Wild: Pressure still ‘all on us’ heading into Game 5 1061009 Bruins sink Senators in double overtime, extending series 1060973 Wild: Marco Scandella thriving in postseason to Game 6 1060974 Wild’s Erik Haula expected to return for Game 5 against 1061010 Scanlan: After a tentative start, Sens fans were fully on Blues board before Game 5 heatbreak 1060975 Brian Murphy: Bogeyman dead, can Minnesota emerge 1061011 Zdeno Chara wants to keep playing for years from Wild West? 1061012 'So complete': Senators' Karlsson nominated for Norris Trophy Canadiens 1061015 'Finally' Mark Stone scores for Senators 1060976 Flying Finn Artturi Lehkonen a pleasant surprise for Habs 1060977 Stu Cowan: Two must-win games? Claude Julien has been here before 1061016 Flyers take a step back, but pipeline is promising 1060978 Rangers' Lundqvist has edge on Carey Price in clinching 1061017 FLYERS SIGN 2016 4TH-ROUND CENTER CONNOR series BUNNAMAN 1060979 What the Puck: Game 5 loss a bitter pill to swallow for 1061018 IVAN PROVOROV PROVIDES FLYERS A TIMELY Habs fans REMINDER OF THEIR MISSION 1060980 If the sputtering don’t find offence 1061019 Where does Alex Lyon fit in line of goalie prospects? soon, their season will be over this weekend 1061020 Fleury's performance leads top 5 reasons Penguins 1060981 Maturation leads Predators' Kevin Fiala to overtime winner advanced 1060982 Predators, fans on verge of next big step 1061021 Penguins keep lineup healthy, intact during Blue Jackets 1060983 Predators earn second-highest TV rating ever series 1060984 Meet the Blues (and Wild) — Predators' next likely 1061022 Penguins notebook: Pens await their second-round playoff opponent in playoffs opponent 1060985 Rexrode's Playoff Barometer: Cloud Nine in Nashville 1061023 Chipped Ice A.M.: Penguins let Blue Jackets punch themselves out Islanders 1061024 Star-studded Penguins find success in blue-collar 1060986 Islanders will submit bid for new arena at Belmont Park approach 1060987 Islanders plan to submit bid for arena at Belmont Park, 1061025 Penguins send three to Wilkes-Barre, keep Jarry NHL’s Gary Bettman says 1061026 Tickets on sale for Penguins' second-round playoff series 1061027 Penguins dilemma: Rest is nice, but how much is too much? 1060988 Rangers must stand up for Henrik Lundqvist in order to defend Garden, clinch series victory San Jose Sharks 1060989 Pavel Buchnevich’s new spot on offense already paying 1061028 Brent Burns named finalist for Norris Trophy off for Rangers 1061029 sity, fatigue catching up with the veteran Sharks? 1060990 Rangers agree to terms with defenseman Alexei 1061030 Will Saturday be Marleau and Thornton’s last game as Bereglazov Sharks? 1060991 Rangers’ Oscar Lindberg ‘fine’ after massive hit sidelines 1061031 e learned in the Sharks’ Game 5 loss: Experience is him for a bit in win over Canadiens overrated 1060992 ‘Wiser than his age’: Rave review for young Rangers 1061032 Barracuda hope a deep playoff run puts their young talent defenseman on a ‘fast track’ to Sharks 1060993 How Rangers plan to stop Canadiens from crashing 1061033 San Jose braces for wildest weekend ever Henrik Lundqvist 1061034 Have Sharks passed their sell-by date? 1060994 Don’t mess with Henrik Lundqvist right now 1061035 Sharks looking to survive in Game 6 1060995 Where does playoff spare part Kevin Klein fit in Rangers 1061036 SHARKS' DEFENSEMAN BURNS NAMED NORRIS future? TROPHY FINALIST 1060996 Rangers’ ‘KZB’ line starting to pay big dividends 1061037 ANALYSIS: DON'T EXPECT SHARKS' POOR OT TO 1060997 Rangers hope to finish Canadiens at Garden, avoid trip to CARRY OVER INTO GAME 6 Montreal 1061038 ONLY THING WRONG WITH ENDING OF 1060998 For Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad, honesty is the best SHARKS-OILERS GAME 5 WAS THAT IT ENDED policy 1060999 Rangers-Canadiens Game 6 tickets draw top dollar on resale market St Louis Blues Capitals 1061039 Blue Notes: Wild's edge on faceoffs due to a little cheating 1061070 An injury scare and a pause to reflect on the importance of 1061040 Upshall takes over 'pest' role against Wild Alex Ovechkin 1061041 Hochman: Blues must generate more scoring chances 1061071 Analysis 1061042 Blues haven't ruled out Stastny for Game 5 1061072 Justin Williams’s overtime goal lifts Capitals to 2-1 victory 1061043 Stastny back for Game 5? Looks promising over in Game 5 1061044 BenFred: Dubnyk out from Allen's shadow in time to 1061073 on the hit that injured Alex Ovechkin: ‘That’s threaten Blues a legitimate hip check’ 1061074 Alex Ovechkin left the ice after a big hit by Nazem Kadri. Now he’s back. 1061045 Lightning's Victor Hedman finalist for Norris Trophy 1061075 Hot-then-cold Frederik Andersen flummoxed the Capitals 1061046 Victor Hedman a Norris Trophy finalist once in D.C.; can he do it again? 1061076 D Kevin Shattenkirk played less than 13 minutes in Game 4, a career postseason low 1061047 Capitals put Leafs on the brink after Williams scores in 1061077 Constitutional lawyer explains his viral Caps/Leafs overtime Frankenjersey 1061048 Penguins’ prescient decision to keep Fleury shows why 1061078 Nazem Kadri on hit to Alex Ovechkin: ‘I was hoping he’s teams need insurance okay’ 1061049 Kadri vs. Ovechkin subplot to Leafs’ OT heartbreak: Arthur 1061079 ‘That’s why he’s Justin’: Playoff superhero Justin Williams 1061050 Capitals still have to prove they can be closers: Feschuk can’t stop being clutch 1061051 Washington’s Justin Williams beats Maple Leafs in 1061080 Ovechkin returns to ice after scary hit overtime 1061081 Williams the OT hero as Caps beat Leafs in Game 5 1061052 Just another day at the races for the Maple Leafs: 1061082 Justin Williams, Capitals top Leafs 2-1 in OT Feschuk 1061083 Coyle, Wild aim to keep pressure on Blues with 3-1 deficit 1061053 Auston Matthews says Calder nomination ‘special’ 1061084 Shattenkirk on reduced minutes: ‘I don’t mind’ 1061054 What you need to know about the Maple Leafs loss to the 1061085 After injury scare, Alex Ovechkin comes back as only he Capitals in Game 5 can 1061055 Matthews legend grows in playoff spotlight 1061086 3 KEY OBSERVATIONS FOR GAME 5: JUSTIN 1061056 Leafs not happy to be tied WILLIAMS PROVES CLUTCH PLAY DOES EXIST 1061057 Spotlight on Leafs rookies 1061087 MR. GAME 5: JUSTIN WILLIAMS DELIVERS IN THE 1061058 Capitals' Ovechkin too distracted for such a big game CLUTCH FOR OT WIN 1061059 Maple Leafs lose heartbreaker in OT to Williams, Capitals 1061088 CAPITALS PUSH TORONTO TO THE BRINK WITH 1061060 WATCH: Maple Leafs' Kadri sends Ovechkin flying with EMOTIONAL OVERTIME WIN IN GAME 5 controversial hit 1061089 FLOP OR NOT? NAZEM KADRI A BAD ACTOR 1061061 No doubt Maple Leafs' Matthews earned Calder Trophy FOLLOWING OVECHKIN HIT nomination 1061090 NAZEM KADRI HIT ON ALEX OVECHKIN: DIRTY OR 1061062 Maple Leafs have temporary fan in Jets' Scheifele JUST TERRIFYING? 1061063 Babs' Game 5 advice to Leafs: 'Best time of your life, dig 1061091 INDESTRUCTABLE: ALEX OVECHKIN RETURNS FOR in' THE START OF THE SECOND PERIOD AFTER 1061064 Maple Leafs play almost the perfect playoff game and lose HORRIFYING HIT 1061065 Toronto Maple Leafs on brink of elimination after Justin 1061092 ALEX OVECHKIN SUFFERS APPARENT INJURY Williams goal gives Washington Capitals 2-1 win in OT AFTER HIP CHECK TO THE KNEE BY NAZEM KADRI 1061066 ‘We want to be that team’: Could Mark Scheifele’s young 1061093 3 BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR GAME 5: HOLTBY'S TIME be the next Toronto Maple Leafs? TO SHINE 1061067 Toronto Maple Leafs try to embrace the opportunity of now 1061094 PENN QUARTER Q&A: GETTING YOU READY FOR in Game 5 of the NHL playoffs CAPS-LEAFS GAME 5 1061068 Maple Leafs did everything well in Game 5 except win the 1061095 BRADEN HOLTBY FEELS BETTER PREPARED TO game, with Capitals now on the verge of taking the se BATTLE THE LEAFS' OFFENSIVE APPROACH 1061096 KARL ALZNER OUT, CHANDLER STEPHENSON RECALLED BUT NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY GAME 5 1061104 Town Talk: Canucks Autism Network readies for Rogers 1061097 ICE TIME FROM GAME 4 HINTS SOME PLAYERS ARE Arena gala STRUGGLING AGAINST TORONTO 1061105 After 43 years of elegant writing in Sun sports, Beamer 1061098 START TIME FOR CAPITALS-MAPLE LEAFS GAME 6 lands in retirement ANNCOUNCED 1061099 CAPITALS VS. MAPLE LEAFS: GAME 5 TIME, TV CHANNEL, LIVE STREAM, HOW TO WATCH 1061069 Construction on schedule for Vegas Golden Knights 1061100 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS AWAIT CAPS IN THE facility in Summerlin SECOND ROUND AFTER ELIMINATING COLUMBUS Websites 1061106 ESPN / Maple Leafs need to show a little more desperation in Game 5 1061107 ESPN / Hit on Alex Ovechkin by Nazem Kadri was borderline 1061108 FOXSports.com / 5 reasons the Columbus Blue Jackets were eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins 1061109 FOXSports.com / 5 reasons why the Predators pulled off a shocking, historic sweep of the Blackhawks 1061110 FOXSports.com / Carrie Underwood trolls Blackhawks after Predators sweep Chicago in first round 1061111 CNN/Sports Illustrated / Hockey's big-game scorer Justin Williams comes through again for the Capitals 1061112 Sportsnet.ca / Leafs sent ‘back to drawing board’ to fix power-play issues 1061113 Sportsnet.ca / Was Nazem Kadri’s hit on Alex Ovechkin a dirty play? 1061114 Sportsnet.ca / Senators lament clincher that wasn’t with series headed to Boston 1061115 Sportsnet.ca / Takeaways: Ovechkin ‘running around’ after Kadri’s dirty hit 1061116 Sportsnet.ca / Flames can’t overreact to sweep heading into busy off-season 1061117 Sportsnet.ca / Oilers-Sharks as unpredictable a series as there has ever been 1061118 TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Bye bye 'Hawks, Jackets 1061119 TSN.CA / Capitals grab overtime win to push Leafs to brink of elimination 1061120 TSN.CA / Sabres should have been hiring instead of firing 1061121 TSN.CA / Pegula seeks established GM for Sabres 1061122 TSN.CA / Andersen focused on details, communication 1061123 TSN.CA / Matthews proving he’s the Leafs’ most complete player 1061125 TSN.CA / ost 2 Post: Fleury's best game of the series 1061126 TSN.CA / Four junior hockey players diagnosed with CTE, researcher says 1061128 USA TODAY / 5 reasons everyone was wrong about the Predators Winnipeg Jets 1061101 The silence is deafening, Mr. Chipman 1061102 Maple Leafs have temporary fan in Jets' Scheifele 1061103 Jets have money coming off books, players to sign SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1060882 the next one is going to be the same- extremely close and a hard fought battle between two teams that are pretty equal.”

If a Game 7 is required it will be back at Senators let this one slip away Wednesday night. Boston Globe LOADED: 04.22.2017 Darren Desaulniers APRIL 22, 2017

OTTAWA — In this, their 25th anniversary season, the Ottawa Senators are playing in their 25th playoff series, but they are going to have to wait until at least Game 6 if they are going to win and move on to a 26th. A 2-0 lead early in the second period appeared to be a good omen for the Senators, but two goals from Sean Kuraly, including the tying goal in the second and the winner at 10:19 of the second overtime period gave the Boston Bruins a 3-2 win and life in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal. David Pastrnak started the comeback nine minutes into the second. The Senators still lead the best-of-seven 3-2 with Game 6 at TD Garden Sunday afternoon, but the Senators can’t help but think they let one slip away — and they did. “We had a 2-0 lead but you see it in the playoffs every night. It’s a mental thing and we missed some really good chances. It’s brutal that you spend five periods of energy and battle and you come up short,” said Senators forward Derick Brassard. “You have to give them credit but it could have gone both ways.” The Senators got breakaway goals from Mark Stone in the first period and Jean-Gabriel Pageau 30 seconds into the second period to build their 2-0 lead. The goals were the first of the series for both players and for Stone it was his first in 20 games. “Those guys are huge parts of our team. They compete, they play hard every shift and it’s just a matter of time until good players are going to score goals and they stuck with it and scored big goals for us,” Senators defenseman Dion Phaneuf said, adding it was a shame to waste those two markers. “Are we happy about it? No. these losses they sting. Double overtime, you’re throwing everything you’ve got. Every little thing and they found a way. We found a way in other games in this series and we’re going to regroup.” The Senators had won the last seven times they went into a Game 5 of a series with a 3-1 lead. They’ll certainly want to find a way to get a win Sunday because they are 0-4 in Game 7 matchups. “We have to continue to push. I don’t want to give a boring answer but I think I’ve said it before, they seem to push, we seem to push, back and forth, both teams are playing hard and both are good teams. It’s tough, hard fought series. It’s all it’s made out to be if not more and we’re still in a good spot,” Phaneuf said. They may be in a good spot in the series, but they may be a little fragile mentally after losing not only the game they way they did, but the chance to book their ticket to Round 2. “You just have to let (the loss) slip away. Tomorrow’s a new day and you just have to completely refresh because Sunday is a big game,” Stone said, adding it would have been nice had they been able to capitalize on one of their six power plays, including two late in the third period and one early in the second overtime. “It would have been nice to seal the deal on one of those chances but it didn’t happen so we’ll have to look at some video and make some adjustments.” In all honesty only slight adjustments are required on either side. The Senators outshot the Bruins by the slightest of margins at 43-39 and both teams had multiple scoring chances throughout the game. It all comes down to who gets the last break. “I thought five-on-five we had tons of quality scoring chances and their goalie played well and it was down to who was going to make that one mistake and we made it,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said, who didn’t mix words when asked about the outcome. “I said it since the beginning that it’s going to be a tough long series and that’s exactly what it is. The reality is every game has been like this and 1060883 Boston Bruins in a backhander at the left post. The puck ricocheted in off a skate of Senators defenseman Chris Wideman.

Earlier in the night, Wideman added to Boston’s expanding injury ranks Sean Kuraly’s goal in double overtime lifts Bruins over Senators when he nailed No. 2 center David Krejci with a leg-to-leg check at 17:03 of the first period. Kevin Paul Dupont Krjeci needed help getting off the ice, went directly to the room, and did not return for the rest of the night. Krejci’s absence had coach Bruce APRIL 21, 2017 Cassidy scrambling behind the bench, once again reconfiguring his lines. Among his first moves: bumping Pastrnak up to first-line duty with Patrice Bergeron and Marchand. It was that trio that came up with the first goal. OTTAWA — With midnight approaching, their season on the cusp of a Kuraly also was put in the middle of a makeshift line, with Backes, failed ending, the Bruins Friday night prolonged their Stanley Cup stay originally on the first line, dropping down to the third line (RW) with Frank with rookie Sean Kuraly’s goal at 10:19 gone of the second overtime at Vatrano on the other side. the Canadian Tire Center. Boston mistakes played a huge part in Ottawa building its 1-0 lead. The goal, Kuraly’s second of the night and the second of his career, handed the Bruins a 3-2 win over the Senators and cut Ottawa’s lead to Stone’s strike, with 11:19 gone in the first, came compliments of Dominic 3-2 in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series. Moore failing to pick him up as he left the zone. Mike Hoffman, with a look all to familiar to the Bruins, sprung him for a breakaway with long Game 6 will be at the Garden on Sunday at 3 p.m. stretch pass through the neutral zone. “Yeah, it feels good, keeps the series going,” said Kuraly, who less than Hoffman finished off near the left with with a quick-snap backhand as he a year ago finished up his studies at Miami (Ohio) and turned pro with the faded to the corner. Only 30 seconds into the second period, the Bruins Bruins. “We did what we came here to do. It was a good night.” still flat from a lackluster first period, the Senators moved to the 2-0 lead when Pageau broke in a lone from the neutral zone and zipped a Also crazy because the Bruins twice appeared to win it in the first doorstep wrister between Rask’s pads. overtime, only to be denied both times. The Bruins seemed to have it won with 5:35 remaining in OT when Noel Acciari knocked home a loose Captain Zdeno Chara was caught way out of position, vacating his left puck off a strong charge to the net by Kuraly. The play was ruled no-goal defense post to help McAvoy on the other side of the ice. on the ice, due to Kuraly’s hard charge to the net, which had the Bruins rookie steamrolling Senators goalie Craig Anderson. The Bruins survived a frightful third period to get it to OT. With 5:08 to go in the period, Moore flipped the puck out of play from deep on the left After a five-minute review, the play on the ice stood: no goal due to wing, charged with a delay-of-game . Only 40 seconds after killing goaltender interference. that shorthanded situation, the Bruins then were tagged with a too-many- men-on-the-ice penalty. They killed that, too. Two delicate walks along “The coaches told us . . . all to stick with it,” said Kuraly, who slid home the tightrope with their season hanging in the balance. the winner after Backes’s tip ricocheted off Karlsson low in the slot. “I think we did and got rewarded.” Only 56 seconds after the goal lost to the interference call, it appeared Boston Globe LOADED: 04.22.2017 Backes had the 3-2 winner amid a scrum. Replay showed the puck never crossed the line. However, replay also showed Jean-Gabriel Pageau using his left glove hand to keep the puck from crossing the goal line. “Why no penalty shot?” bellowed Bob Beers, the former Boston defenseman, on the Bruins radio broadcast. Beers’ contention: Pageau used a gloved hand to cover the puck. Not in the eyes of the refs. The game continued, tied. “No complaints after winning,” said a beaming Backes. “We stuck with it long enough and got a reward in the end. Backes started the winning play by winning a faceoff to Anderson’s left, pulling the puck back to McAvoy at the right point. McAvoy, growing more willing to shoot the puck in his fifth NHL game, unloaded a slapper that Backes tipped downward as it headed on net. The nimble Karlsson just missed getting a handle on it, and Kuraly punched it in. Game over, 11:46 p.m., a season kept alive. “I was able to get it back to [McAvoy],” added Backes, noting it was Plan B to pull it to McAvoy off the draw. “He was able to keep his head up, let one rip. I am able to get to the net, get a tip. Everything that Anderson could see, that was clean, he was controlling rebounds. We were able to get one that is a tip and he has to react to it. Kuraly was able to finish it off.” A sense of poetic justice, given how the OT played out? “Yeah, we knew it wasn’t going to come easy,” said Backes. “It hasn’t come easy for us. We knew we were going to have to stay with it and stay with it. Tuukka [Rask] made some good saves and in the end we were able to — to like a said in pregame — tilt the scales in our favor.” Down by a pair of goals (Mark Stone and Pageau) by the 0:30 mark of the second period, the Bruins chipped back even with the strikes by David Pastrnak and Kuraly in a span of just more than nine minutes later in the period. Pastrnak, with only two shots on net in the first four games, knocked home his at 8:40, making the pot at the right post after Brad Marchand caught him with a cross-slot pass from the doorstep. In Game 3, the Bruins erased a 3-0 Senators lead in the second period. The Bruins completed the comeback at 17:05 when Kuraly, suited up for the benched Ryan Spooner, walked out from behind the net and stuffed 1060884 Boston Bruins

Bruins’ David Krejci injured, will not return in Game 5

JOHN TLUMACKI APRIL 21, 2017

Bruins center David Krejci suffered a lower-body injury after he was checked by Ottawa’s Chris Wideman in the first period of Game 5 Friday night at Ottawa. The Bruins announced on Twitter that Krejci will not return. Boston Globe LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060885 Boston Bruins Beleskey is due $3.8 million annually through 2020. Hayes will earn $2.3 million for one more year. Beleskey was expected to be a healthy scratch on Friday for the third time this series. Hayes has yet to pull on a jersey Overtime hero Sean Kuraly gave the Bruins sudden life in the playoffs. They are two failed forecasts by management at a time when the Bruins desperately need some up-front help. The Bruins’ Sean Kuraly buried this chance to beat the Senators in double overtime. The Bruins, after all, have survived their blue-line cratering. Even without Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo for the entire series and having Adam McQuaid and Colin Miller for only parts of two games, the Bruins have played three straight one-goal matches. With a few fortunate Fluto Shinzawa bounces, they could have entered Game 5 with a 3-1 lead, not the other way around. APRIL 21, 2017 The trouble has been that they’ve given the Senators too many easy

shifts to defend. OTTAWA — Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy had nowhere else to go. Ryan “Defensively, we’ve talked a lot about how we’ve lost players. Maybe Spooner, a slick and quick center, had been a ghost for the first four we’ve got to switch the focus to the other end of the ice — how we can games of the series against the Senators. have the puck more, generate more, and put them on their heels,” Enter Sean Kuraly. Cassidy said. “We have talked about that this morning. Let’s hope that’s what transpires. For the most part, there’s guys up front that have played Kuraly is a straight-line, no-nonsense, dependable forward. The way he’s very well for this team. Offensively, we need them to find their game and been playing, the Bruins can say none of those things about Spooner. find their second effort around the net.” And Kuraly was the hero in Game 5 Friday night, scoring twice, including The Bruins knew they had soft spots up front entering the playoffs. They the clutch strike in overtime, as the Bruins fended off elimination with a have been searching for a No. 2 left wing all season. They haven’t had a gutty 3-2 victory at Canadian Tire Centre. dangerous No. 3 center. Dominic Moore, Riley Nash, and Noel Acciari should be fourth-liners. The series shifts to Boston for Game 6 Sunday (3 p.m., NBC). The playoffs have a way of magnifying shortcomings. The Senators had the Bruins’ number in the first four games. And finding a hero such as Sean Kuraly. With every shift they had taken, the Senators had not given the Bruins a moment to breathe. Boston Globe LOADED: 04.22.2017 Coach Guy Boucher had spread his scorers among four lines to the point where they have been indistinguishable on a depth chart. In Game 4, Clarke MacArthur, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Tom Pyatt served as Boucher’s fourth line. In comparison, Derick Brassard centered Viktor Stalberg and Bobby Ryan on what Ottawa considered its No. 1 line. There is not much difference in skill, speed, or grit between those two lines. “We don’t really have a fourth line,” Boucher said before Game 5 Friday. “Every line could be our first, second, third, or fourth every game. Right now, that’s our biggest strength. A lot of the guys that weren’t supposed to be on the top two or top three lines all year were. They got all these minutes.” It has been the opposite for the Bruins. For most of the series, they have been a one-line team, crossing their fingers that Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Backes can deliver on the attempts they pile up. When the Senators have survived the first unit’s shifts, they’ve been able to step out for a smoke break when the next three lines take their turns. David Krejci (0-0—0 in three games and injured in Game 3) is neither healthy nor productive. David Pastrnak (two shots on goal, eight blocked, 11 missed) had been aiming for something other than the net. Drew Stafford and Frank Vatrano (one goal apiece) had been quiet. The remaining forwards are meat-and-potatoes men who earn their paychecks by grinding and checking and killing penalties, not putting pucks in nets. Spooner, the one forward with the wheels and hands to make a difference, had been such a ghost that he was told not to put on a uniform for Game 5. Cassidy said Spooner is not 100 percent physically — the center had his left elbow wrapped in ice after Game 4 — but acknowledged that replacing him on the fourth line with Sean Kuraly had more to do with his hushed performance than his health. “He could play,” Cassidy said of Spooner. “We’re just making a decision. It’s more about what Sean brings right now than Ryan. Clearly Ryan does some very good things for us. I’m not going to address everything. But we just made a decision that Sean is a center ice man who can play the wing as well.” It is a whimper of a conclusion for Spooner, the second straight season in which he’s gone from a dependable depth scorer to an even-strength liability. Spooner will be restricted at year’s end. He will be eligible for arbitration and due for a raise. Given his back-to-back disappearances, it is unlikely the 25-year-old will be drawing any kind of paychecks from the Bruins beyond this season. The same cannot be said about Matt Beleskey and Jimmy Hayes. Unless general manager Don Sweeney can use his available mechanisms (trade, buyout, AHL assignment, expansion draft), both remain on the Bruins’ books beyond this season. 1060886 Boston Bruins

Bruins will insert Sean Kuraly for Ryan Spooner

Kevin Paul Dupont APRIL 21, 2017

OTTAWA — In need of more grit and overall “will” — to use coach Bruce Cassidy’s term — the Bruins will replace center Ryan Spooner with Sean Kuraly in the lineup Friday night when they face the Senators here in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. The Senators, with a three-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven set, can close out the series with a win. The Bruins hope to force a Game 6 at the Garden Sunday. Spooner, who often plays the right half-wall on the power play, totaled but two assists and two shots on net in the first four games of the series. Cassidy at first said Spooner was “not 100 percent,’’ but later clarified that right now he feels Kuraly can contribute more to an offense that was held scoreless in a 1-0 loss in Game 4 in Boston Wednesday. “I still think most of these games come down to the will at the puck, on the puck, around the puck,” said Cassidy. “And we just have to have that. “We’ve got to outwill them at the puck, to win pucks, and once we have it, we’ve got to outwill them at the net to get second chances and we have to outwill them in our slot area. “We have talked about that all year. Win the slot battle, in front of our net, in front of the other team’s net. The other day, end of the night, they got one [a Bobby Ryan goal] in front of our net. “So in a nutshell, they won it. We have to make sure that’s where it starts.” Kuraly will anchor a third line, flanked by Frank Vatrano and Tim Schaller. The Bruins aren’t expected to make any other lineup changes. Key defensemen Brandon Carlo, Torey Krug, and Adam McQuaid all remain on the sidelines with injuries. None of them participated in the morning workout. The 6-foot-2-inch, 205-pound Kuraly played in the first two games of the series as a winger, and did not pick up a point on the third line. The 24- year-old graduated last spring from Miami (Ohio). Kelly will suit up for Ottawa Old friend Chris Kelly will see his first action of this series for Ottawa, suiting up for Tom Pyatt, who was injured early in Game 4. Kelly, who played on the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup team, played all 82 games for the Senators this season, then got bumped from the postseason lineup when Clarke MacArthur finally came off the DL. “He’s a guy I hated to take out,” said Ottawa coach Guy Boucher. “He is a terrific person, a great professional. He’s helped us all year. He’s been outstanding in our room. “That was probably the toughest thing I had to do all year, sit him out. Not because he is not doing a good job, but just because the other guys available were ahead of him — and for the first time this year we had a full team. “It was no fun to do that. To have him back is exciting for me.” Boston Globe LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060887 Boston Bruins Neely certainly hadn’t given up hope going into Friday night: “We’ve got to go home,” he said. “So we might as well take them with us and play another game.” Cam Neely finding positives, regardless of Bruins’ fate Boston Herald LOADED: 04.22.2017

Stephen Harris Friday, April 21, 2017

OTTAWA – Regardless of the outcome in Game 5, Bruins president Cam Neely had a pretty positive feeling about what this team has accomplished over the past few months. “Hopefully this a springboard for big things to come,” said Neely as he watched the team’s morning skate Friday. He said he actually is not disappointed at how the series has gone. “I don’t want to say disappointed,” said Neely. “Maybe a little frustrated. At worst, we though we should be 2-2 in the series instead of down 3-1. But the team has played well. Every game was close enough that we felt like we at least gave ourselves a good chance to win.” Neely sees comparisons between this playoff experience and the team’s efforts in its 2008 first-rounder vs. Montreal, a terrific seven-game matchup – featuring the magnificently entertaining 5-4 Game 6 win in Boston – that re-awakened excitement and hope for what had been a diminished franchise. The B’s lost that series but began a resurgence that led to the 2011 Stanley Cup. “Yeah, I would agree with that comparison,” said Neely. “There’s lot to be said about having that experience of playoff hockey. And I think the way we finished this year and how we played has a bigger impact than if we just sort of hung on and snuck into playoffs. “Think about what we had to do just to get into the playoffs. That last 26- 27 games (going 18-8-1) showed a lot about this team and what the capabilities were. Obviously getting into the playoffs is not as easy as it used to be, with more teams and the parity. “The last two years we probably should have been in the playoffs but faltered at the end. This go-around has been kind of the opposite: We had to finish well and we did. It was a completely different feeling.” And even being down 3-1 and facing elimination, Neely felt pretty good about how the B’s, despite having several key players injured, have played against Ottawa. “There have been four one-goal games, two in overtime,” he said. “We knew it was going to be tight against these guys. We wish we could have created a little bit more offense. We had plenty of chances (in Game 4), in the first period, for sure. You know, it’d be nice to get a lead and see what happens. But it’s been hard to get a lead. “We’ve played well defensively, too. Considering what we’re missing on the back end, team-wise we are playing well defensively. We’re getting saves when we need them. And we’re getting opportunities. We just haven’t been able to capitalize on them. “The way the games have been played and how close they all were, they could have gone either way. It wasn’t a team dominating. There have been some pockets of play where one team or the other didn’t play well, but overall we’ve had a chance to win every game.” And Neely readily acknowledges how well the Senators have played, what a challenging opponent they’ve been. “I am impressed,” he said. “They’ve played well in this series, no question. We all know what they do the neutral zone and how they make it difficult to get through that, but they also have pretty good speed and talent on this team. They’re very structured and they’re playing well in all three zones.” Neely sees great value in the B’s many young players gaining postseason experience against such a strong opponent. “Obviously you want to go as far as you can (in the playoffs) and see where it can take you. But the experience that Pasta (David Pastrnak) is getting, seeing what (Charlie) McAvoy can do – a guy who maybe wasn’t even expected to be in the lineup, except for these injuries – and other guys getting this chance. “There are real positives with some of the guys who hadn’t played playoff hockey before, giving them the chance to see what it’s really like to compete.” 1060888 Boston Bruins

Bruins expect Ryan Spooner to be a scratch in Game 5

Steve Conroy Friday, April 21, 2017

OTTAWA -- Facing elimination in tonight's Game 5 at the Canadian Tire Center, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy has opted to make a fairly notable lineup change. With the B's trailing the Ottawa Senators in the series, 3-1, Cassidy will sit center Ryan Spooner and insert more physical rookie Sean Kuraly in his spot between Frank Vatrano and Tim Schaller. Cassidy said that Spooner is “not 100 percent.” But Spooner participated in the morning skate and Cassidy said he was available if needed. The switch, he conceded, was more about what the rugged Kuraly brings. “We liked Sean's game up here. He's good at getting on pucks and the forecheck's been a big part of how we've been able to create some of our offense and he gives us that. So we'll see how it goes,” said Cassidy. With Noel Acciari missing the first two games of the series Kuraly played in those games here as a wing. “I've just got to be ready to do whatever. I'm just happy to be in the game and wherever I am it doesn't really make much difference. I've played a little more center, but you just take on whatever challenge you're given,” said Kuraly. Spooner has a pair of assists in the series and, if there's any place the B's will miss him, it will be on the power-play, on which he controls and distributes from the half wall very well. But he has not been a factor at 5- on-5, and that's where most of the game is played. In Game 4, he played just 9:34, but he was on for the Ottawa game-winner in the third period. With Spooner heading into restricted free agency in the offseason, it's not out of the realm of possibility that he may have played his last game as a Bruin. Meanwhile, the Senators will be making a lineup change of their own, though their change has been forced. With Tom Pyatt (upper body) out, former Bruin Chris Kelly will make his series debut and will center Zack Smith and Clarke MacArthur. Boston Herald LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060889 Boston Bruins The Senators took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Mike Hoffman made a great pass to Stone, who slipped behind the Bruins defense and beat Rask on the backhand. Kuraly's 2nd goal of game lifts Bruins past Senators in 2OT An already depleted Bruins lineup took another hit as David Krejci left the game late in the first after a collision with Chris Wideman. The Senators lost Viktor Stalberg in the first overtime and he is considered day-to-day. Staff Writer NOTES: C Chris Kelly was in the Senators lineup for first time, replacing Saturday, April 22, 2017 the injured Tom Pyatt. ... Ottawa D Mark Borowiecki (lower body, day-to- day). RW Chris Neil, C Tommy Wingels were healthy scratches. ... The Bruins remained without defensemen Adam McQuaid (upper body), Torey Krug (lower body) and Brandon Carlo (upper body). C Ryan OTTAWA, — Sean Kuraly picked a great time to score his first Spooner was scratched as he wasn't 100 percent. two NHL goals. Boston Herald LOADED: 04.22.2017 Kuraly's second goal of the game at 10:19 of the second overtime gave the Boston Bruins a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators in Game 5 on Friday night, avoiding elimination in the first-round series. Charlie McAvoy's shot from the right point was tipped by David Backes and then hit Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson's skate in front of goalie Craig Anderson, and Kuraly backhanded it in. "I was just at the tail end of (my shift) and the puck lands on my stick and then (I put) it into the back of the net," Kuraly said. "Those are the good ones, you don't get many of those, but hey it bounced on my stick and I'm happy that it did." David Pastrnak also scored and Tuukka Rask finished with 41 saves to help the Bruins rally from a 2-0 deficit early in the second period and cut the Senators' lead to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 is Sunday in Boston. Boston nearly won it at 14:25 of the first overtime, but Noel Acciari's apparent goal was waved off due to goalie interference when Kuraly tripped over Anderson. The Bruins challenged the call to no avail. "We were just battling ," Boston captain Zdeno Chara said. "We were close and a few denied goals, but that's just part of it and you have to battle through it and keep going and that's what we did." Mark Stone and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for the Senators, and Craig Anderson stopped 36 shots. Ottawa had two great chances to take the lead in the third as the Bruins took a delay of game and a too many men penalty in the final 6 minutes of the period, but Ottawa managed just two shots on goal. "We expected a hard-fought, long, grinding, grueling series and that's what we've got," Ottawa's Dion Phaneuf said. "I don't know how to explain it any better than they're pushing, we're pushing and it goes to double overtime and anything can happen. It's disappointing, but we've got to move on the same way that we moved on from the other couple that we won in overtime." Before Acciari's near-goal, the Bruins went on the power play on Clarke MacArthur's high-sticking penalty, but couldn't get anything past Anderson. "We knew it wasn't going to come easy, it hasn't come easy for us," Backes said, "and we were going to have to stay with it and stay with it and Tuukka made some huge saves and in the end we were able to tilt the scales in our favor, get that opportunity, make good on it and this is a tight series." Ottawa was 0 for 5 with the man advantage, while the Bruins were 0 for 3. Trailing 2-0, Brad Marchand helped cut the lead in half when he took the puck behind the Senators net and made a cross-crease pass to Pastrnak, who beat Anderson short side at 8:40 of the second. Kuraly tied it with his first-ever NHL goal on a bank shot from the side of the net with 2:55 left in the middle period. "You get the playoffs and there's no lead that's big enough to say that you're going to get away with it," Ottawa coach Guy Boucher said. "It's not because we started playing differently, they just scored. We didn't do anything different. "It's one of those games that could go either way and it didn't go our way." Ottawa scored just 30 seconds into the period to push their lead to 2-0 when the Bruins defense was caught flat-footed. Pageau was able to break in alone and beat Rask through the legs. 1060890 Boston Bruins “It’s been a community effort,” Kelly said. “Faceoffs are oftentimes the result of five guys working together. Specially in the postseason, the faceoffs are rarely snapped back. I think it’s been a great job not just by Bruins notebook: With season on line, Bruce Cassidy opts to sit Ryan the centermen but the wingers and the defense to get in there and get Spooner and insert Sean Kuraly those pucks.” When asked if he had been teaching his teammates any of Patrice Bergeron’s tricks, Kelly just laughed. Steve Conroy “I wish I knew some of Bergy’s tricks,” he said. “I’d use them.” Saturday, April 22, 2017 Boston Herald LOADED: 04.22.2017

OTTAWA — With the season on the line last night, Bruins interim coach Bruce Cassidy made a fairly notable lineup change. Cassidy chose to sit Ryan Spooner, the enigmatic third-line center who had seen his minutes shrink to below 10 in Game 4, and play rookie Sean Kuraly between Frank Vatrano and Tim Schaller, giving the B’s a line that could bang but still have a touch of skill. Cassidy said Spooner “wasn’t 100 percent” but did not say what was bothering him. Spooner participated in the morning skate and Cassidy said he was available if needed, conceding the switch to the more physical player was more about what Kuraly could bring to Game 5 with the Bruins trailing the Ottawa Senators, 3-1, in the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. “We liked Sean’s game up here,” Cassidy said. “He’s good at getting on pucks and the forecheck’s been a big part of how we’ve been able to create some of our offense and he gives us that. So we’ll see how it goes.” Spooner has a pair of assists in the series and, if there was any place in particular where the Bruins would miss him, it was on the power play. But he has not been a factor in 5-on-5 play. In Game 4, Spooner played just 9:34 but was on the ice in the third period when Ottawa scored the lone goal at the Garden. Scheduled to be a restricted free agent this summer, Spooner has shown signs that he’s been ready to turn the corner to being a reliable NHL centerman, only to fall back into inconsistency. When Claude Julien was fired and Cassidy took over in February, Spooner enjoyed a big spike in his play, notching points in 5-of-6 games. But his play tailed off and, after missing three games with a concussion March 8-13, he hasn’t had much of an impact unless it’s been on the man advantage. Center of attention With Noel Acciari missing the beginning of the series due to injury, Kuraly played in the first two games as a winger. For most of his time in the AHL with Providence and in college, Kuraly skated as a center. “I’ve just got to be ready to do whatever,” Kuraly said. “I’m just happy to be in the game and wherever I am it doesn’t really make much difference. I’ve played a little more center, but you just take on whatever challenge you’re given.” Kuraly has played eight regular-season games in the NHL, but the playoffs are a different matter, he’s learned. “The stakes are higher and it’s more physical,” he said. “You’ve just got to manage the puck really well because if you don’t you can get in trouble quick. One goal is significant at this time of year. . . . Vatrano was seen wearing a walking cast after Game 4 at the Garden, but he said he was fine for last night’s game. Kelly appears for Ottawa With Tom Pyatt out with an upper-body injury, former Bruins forward Chris Kelly made his series debut for the Senators. Kelly had played all 82 regular-season games before coach Guy Boucher scratched him to start the playoffs. “He’s a guy I hated to take out,” Boucher said. “He’s a terrific person. He’s a professional. He’s helped us all year and been outstanding in our room. That was probably the toughest thing I had to do this year, was to sit him out. It was not because he wasn’t doing a good job, it was that the other guys who were available were ahead of him. For the first time in the year, we had a full team. It was no fun to do that, so to have him back is exciting for me.” The Senators had done a good job over the first four games of neutralizing one of the B’s greatest strengths: faceoffs. Every Ottawa center arrived at Game 5 having won at least 50 percent of the time in the dot. 1060891 Boston Bruins hey, I’m a passionate guy. I felt they didn’t go our way, voiced my opinion and moved on. And I think our guys, they were angry, but I think they were more motivated, like ‘We’re going to get this.’ ” Sean Kuraly keeps Bruins alive with double overtime winner And 14 minutes to midnight, the B’s did indeed get it. Boston Herald LOADED: 04.22.2017 Steve Conroy Saturday, April 22, 2017

OTTAWA — Whether the Bruins have enough healthy bodies to actually win this intense Eastern Conference playoff series remains to be seen. But last night they came through with a gut-check 3-2 win for the ages in double overtime over the Ottawa Senators to get to Game 6 tomorrow at the Garden. The B’s started the game down 3-1 in the series and with half their defense corps on the shelf. David Krejci joined them late in the first period, courtesy of leg-on-leg hit from Sens defenseman Chris Wideman. They then found themselves down by two goals early in the second with the Canadian Tire Centre crowd fully expecting their team to eliminate the Bruins. But the B’s got off the mat with two second-period goals to tie the game, and had what looked like a game-winning goal in the first overtime taken off the board before winning at 10:19 of the second overtime, as a new star — rookie Sean Kuraly — was born. After Kuraly tied the game, he got the winner when a puck bounced off the Senators’ Erik Karlsson in front, and he backhanded it home. “I thought we hung in there through some injuries and some things that didn’t go our way when we thought we may have scored earlier, and we just kept playing,” said interim coach Bruce Cassidy. “We’ve had a word for us all year, resiliency, and tonight it really came through in our group. You don’t know how it’s going to turn out, but, at the end of the day, we weren’t going quietly.” The injury to Krejci created more ice time for Kuraly, as well as some faceoff duty for David Backes, including the final one of the game. Backes beat Derick Brassard cleanly in the right dot, snapping it back to Charlie McAvoy. The teenage defenseman fired it toward the net. It went off Karlsson and right to Kuraly for the winner. “There’s no bad shot in overtime, so I said to Charlie ‘If it gets back to you, take a step, find the lane and head up and shoot it,’ ” said Backes. “He’s able to do exactly that. I was able to get a tip on it and Sean Kuraly was where he was, finding those loose pucks.” Kuraly would not have had a chance to be the hero if not for Tuukka Rask. Rask was beaten on two breakaways, the first by Mark Stone in the first period and the second by Jean-Gabriel Pageau 30 seconds into the second. But Rask would not let another puck by him, turning away 41 shots, 24 in the third period and overtimes. In Cassidy’s mind, the game turned in the B’s favor when Wideman took out Krejci. With Krejci in pain, Wideman apparently had some words for the B’s center. “I think with the hit on Krejci, when they started chirping Krejci, that rankled (us) a little bit,” said Cassidy. “It’s one thing to play hard. It’s another thing with a veteran guy in the NHL, a proven performer, and a young kid starts lipping him. I think that really got to our guys to be honest and turned the temperature up in the game.” The Bruins overcame the deficit before the second period was out. First, David Pastrnak scored on a rebound of Brad Marchand’s wraparound at 8:40. Then at 17:05, Kuraly took a feed from Backes and jammed it in off Wideman at the post for his first NHL goal. The fun had only just begun. Late in regulation, the B’s tried their hardest to give the game away. Dominic Moore took a delay penalty with 5:08 left. After killing that, the B’s were whistled for too many men with 2:28 to play. They survived that one, too. Then the Bruins thought they won the game at 14:25 of the first OT when Noel Acciari put home a rebound off a Kuraly rush, but after a five-minute review it was ruled that Kuraly interfered with goalie Craig Anderson. Next, at 15:21, McAvoy backhanded a puck toward the net and it pinballed around the slot. It nearly rolled over the goal line but Pageau stopped it with his glove. Cassidy was incensed, believing Pageau closed his hand on the puck in the crease, which would have resulted in a penalty shot. It was not called. “All you had to do was look at the Jumbotron to see how I felt about it,” said Cassidy with a chuckle. “Clearly, I had a composure issue there, but 1060892 Boston Bruins

Bruins rally back to stay alive by beating Senators in 2-OT

Steve Conroy Friday, April 21, 2017

OTTAWA—After tying the game in the second period, Sean Kuraly scored at 10:19 of the second overtime to lift the Bruins to an improbable 3-2 victory at Canadian Tire Centre in a whale of game by the shorthanded B's. David Backes cleanly won a right-dot draw back to Charlie McAvoy and then tipped McAvoy's shot. It went off Erik Karlsson and the rookie Kuraly backhanded it home to force Game 6 in Boston on Sunday. The Bruins, who overcame a two-goal deficit in regulation, thought they were victorious at 14:25 of overtime when Noel Acciari followed up a Kuraly rush, but after a five-minute review it was ruled that Kuraly had interfered with goalie Craig Anderson. Kuraly took the puck hard to the net and, after Anderson made the initial save, appeared to attempt to avoid contact. But he did collide with the goalie's pads and, after the lengthy review, the goal was washed out. Then at 15:21, Charlie McAvoy backhanded a puck toward the net and it pinballed around the slot. It nearly rolled over the Ottawa goal line but Jean-Gabriel Pageau stopped it his glove. Interim coach Bruce Cassidy was incensed, believing Pageau closed his hand on the puck in the crease, which would have resulted in a penalty shot had it been called. It was not. The B's spotted the Senators, up 3-1 in the series and ready to put the hammer down, a two-goal lead early in the second period, but came back to tie it on goals from David Pastrnak and Kuraly later in the second. The B's, who had lost David Krejci late in the first period to a leg injury, lived on the edge in the final 5:08 of the third. First, Dominic Moore was whistled for delay of game (Moore argued vehemently that the puck hit the glass), and the B's killed it. Then the B's were called for an obvious too-many-men on the ice penalty with 2:28 left in regulation, and they killed that one also to get the game – and the B's season – into extra time. Boston Herald LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060893 Boston Bruins

PASTRNAK FOCUSES ON GENERATING MORE OFFENSE FOR BRUINS IN GAME 5

Joe Haggerty April 21, 2017 4:15 PM

OTTAWA -- David Pastrnak has a goal in his first career Stanley Cup playoff series, but the 20-year-old winger knows he’s got to start getting more rubber to the net if he wants to be a difference-maker for a Bruins team that sorely needs one right now. Pastrnak has just two shots on net in the four playoff games against the Ottawa Senators and said his focus is going to be on generating more offense after going shot-less in Boston’s Game 4 loss at home. “I just want to play the same hockey I did during the season, you know?" said Pastrnak, who finished second on the Bruins with 34 goals scored in the regular season. "I want to try and shoot the puck a lot. I didn’t really shoot a lot in the last games and I don’t know why. I definitely need to get back to shooting the puck at the net. There weren’t many games during the season when I had zero shots, so I definitely need to start shooting. “I’m still finding opportunities and chances to shoot, and I’ve just been passing on them. Today is one of those days when I want to start shooting again. Shoot to score.” There were exactly two games during the regular season when Pastrnak had zero shots on goal, and there have already been two of them in the four games against the Senators. One other area where Pastrnak needs to get a little more focused is on simply hitting the net after missing with 12 of his shot attempts in the first four games. That’s an area coach Bruce Cassidy mentioned after the B’s shutout loss in Game 4, and goes into the general idea that Boston’s best offensive players need to do a little more of the heavy lifting with Erik Karlsson, Bobby Ryan and Derick Brassard going off for the Senators thus far in the series. “We’ve got to match their production,” said Cassidy. “That’s certainly one way to counter [Ottawa’s depth]. We’ve got to ask a little more from our group. We need to start making the extra plays here or there that tilt the game in our favor. I think our back end has done a pretty good job with the matchups. We’ve plugged people in defensively and we’ve talked a lot about that and losing players. “Maybe we need to switch the focus a little bit to the other end of the ice, and how we can have puck more and generate more to put them on their heels. We have talked about that this morning, and let’s hope that’s what transpires.” Pastrnak is one of those players that can tip the scales in favor of the Bruins in a playoff series, so it was encouraging to hear him talk about “shooting to score” prior to a game where they most certainly need his kind of offense. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060894 Boston Bruins

SPOONER LIKELY OUT, KURALY LIKELY IN AS BRUINS PREPARE FOR LAST STAND

Joe Haggerty April 21, 2017 2:11 PM

OTTAWA -- Bruce Cassidy will be making some lineup changes headed into the Bruins' do-or-die Game 5 against the Senators, and the most significant is that Ryan Spooner won’t be playing after a largely ineffective first four games in the series. Cassidy said Spooner “was less than 100 percent” due to an unspecified injury, but that it’s something he could have played through under normal circumstances. Rookie Sean Kuraly will be back in the lineup after doing a pretty good job filling in for Noel Acciari earlier in the series, and he’ll center a young, more inexperienced fourth line that includes Frank Vatrano and Tim Schaller. “[Spooner] could play. This is more about what Sean brings right now,” said Cassidy. “Clearly Ryan does some very good things for us, but we just made a decision that Sean, as a center iceman, will bring us some good qualities as well. So we had to make that decision.” Clearly Spooner hasn’t done enough during five-on-five play to justify keeping him in the lineup for power-play responsibilities, and he wasn't making enough of an offensive impact with just two shots on net in four games. Otherwise most of the group is the same. There's still no sign of the injured Torey Krug, Brandon Carlo or Adam McQuaid as the Bruins, who trail the best-of-seven series 3-1, play what could be their final game of the year. Here are the projected Bruins line combos and D-pairings based on morning skate: Marchand-Bergeron-Backes Stafford-Krejci-Pasta Moore-Nash-Acciari Vatrano-Kuraly-Schaller Chara-McAvoy Morrow-K Miller Liles-C Miller Rask Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060895 Boston Bruins But if the Bruins' big guns start firing and match what Ottawa has been doing for the entire series, maybe the results will be different. And it’s plain as that. HAGGERTY: IT'S TIME FOR BRUINS' BIG GUNS TO START FIRING Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017

Joe Haggerty April 21, 2017 11:50 AM

BRIGHTON -- Sometimes a Stanley Cup playoff series can be a complicated twist of strengths and weaknesses, with an ever-changing tone and balance. It’s the kind of high-level equation of statistics, momentum and flat-out desire that defies convention or easy explanation, and it’s why there's nothing quite like the NHL postseason when it’s firing on all cylinders. To date, the Bruins-Senators series has been nothing like that, unfortunately. Instead, it's had a pretty simple storyline: Ottawa's best players have risen to the occasion and Boston's haven't. It's why the Senators carry a 3-1 series lead into Game 5 Friday night at the Canadian Tire Centre, and why the B's are going home after tonight if it doesn't change. Brad Marchand -- who had a number of scoring chances that he failed to capitalize on in Game 4 -- was the Bruins' leading goal-scorer in the regular season but he has just one in the first four games. That one was the game-winner in Game 1 . . . and it's not much of a coincidence that the Bruins won when he scored. David Pastrnak also has a goal for the B’s in the series, but has been limited to just two shots on goal while missing the net or getting it blocked a whopping 18 times. Those two combined for almost 75 goals during the regular season and have been explosive game-breakers. But they, and their teammates, have been stifled by a Senators team that gums up the neutral zone and frustrates the B’s offensively at every turn. Combine that with a clearly banged-up David Krejci (two shots and no points in two games), an invisible Ryan Spooner (two shots on net and a minus-2 in two games) and a below-his-level Patrice Bergeron (one goal and two points in two games and down to a 50 percent success rate on face-offs), who hasn’t quite been up to his standard in any facet of the game, and it’s been a challenge for coach Bruce Cassidy to find a way to spark Boston’s offense. “You’ve got to keep plugging away,” said Cassidy. “Our power play through the course of the year has generated offense. We haven’t drawn enough penalties too. So, we’ve got to look at ourselves there and say, how can we get on the power play and get inside more often? [How can we] force them to pull you down a little bit? . . . "But . . . yeah . . . we need a little bit more from our offensive guys.” On the other side of the coin, Ottawa’s best players are dominating the series. Erik Karlsson has proven his standing as one of the best players in the world with five assists and a plus-2 in four games while playing close to 30 minutes a night. In addition, the Swedish defenseman has been the architect of nearly every important Senators goal. His speed, his on-ice vision, his ability to avoid big hits and stay on his game, and his underrated big shot from the point have all been problematic for the B’s, and they don’t seem to have an answer for him. “He’s good," said Marchand. "He's probably the most efficient skater in the league. The way he can get up and down the ice is pretty impressive,. He’s not an easy guy to hit either, so it’s tough . . . "I think the main thing is you need to have everybody coming back, and to know where he is at all times. But he’s not an easy guy to shut down when he wants to play.” It goes beyond Karlsson wanting to play, of course. Bobby Ryan is only on the ice for an average of 12 minutes a game but has found a way to frustrate with his flopping and play-acting while also scoring three goals around the net as a big-body with skill. Mike Hoffman’s speed (two goals) and Derick Brassard’s grit (two goals and five points in four games) have been difference-makers as well, and those players have stepped up to win games for the Senators and put them in a position to snuff out the B’s on Friday night. If this trend continues in Game 5, it’s going to be over for the Bruins. It won’t be an upset, or a shock, given all of the injuries Boston has suffered in its defense corps. 1060896 Boston Bruins

PATRICE BERGERON LOOKING TO MAKE HISTORY AS SELKE FINALIST

Joe Haggerty April 21, 2017 6:03 PM

OTTAWA – It perhaps flew a little bit under the radar amid the Bruins playoff battle with the Ottawa Senators, but Patrice Bergeron has once again been recognized as one of the best defensive players in the NHL. Bergeron was named a finalist for the 2017 Selke Trophy along with fellow centers Ryan Kesler and Mikko Koivu. It marks the sixth straight season that No. 37 will be one of the finalists for the NHL Award. Bergeron has won previously on three occasions, so a fourth Selke Trophy would have him join Hall of Fame Montreal Canadiens forward Bob Gainey as the only players in NHL history to win the prestigious award four different times in their career. The 2016-17 season certainly wasn’t Bergeron’s best offensive year as he was hampered by a lower body injury in the first half of the season, but that never really impacted his always dependable defensive zone play usually against the other team’s best offensive players, his superior face-off skills where he once again led the league and his penalty killing duties. For the third consecutive season, Bergeron led the league with 1,812 draws and 1,089 wins, and his 60.1 winning percentage was third among all NHL players this season. Bruins interim coach Bruce Cassidy said that Bergeron is the perfect player for him to use as a teaching tool for the younger guys on the Boston roster, and it’s the positioning, instincts and high motor that all allow him to defend so well. “I think you see the obvious: The face-offs, the penalty kill and the match- ups,” said Cassidy. “You don’t have a true appreciation for how good his stick is and the angles that he takes to close guys off until you see it up close every day. He just has an uncanny ability to always be on the right side of the puck and get his stick into the passing lanes to close off breakouts. “You’re constantly teaching some of the young guys how to do it, and this guy just gets it like that. The biggest thing is his hockey IQ with getting his stick into passing lanes and killing off plays. We’re always trying to reinforce with our young guys that you’ve got to find those seams, and he’s just a natural. As it relates to the Selke that’s where I think he’s second-to-none.” The six straight Selke nominations for Bergeron ties Pavel Datsyuk for the longest such streak in the history of the award since it was introduced into the NHL back in 1978. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060897 Buffalo Sabres

Gionta on Sabres shakeup: 'Ownership wants a winning team and they want it now' Brian Gionta on NBCSN: “Leaving our exit interviews, we didn’t think that was coming.”

Mike Harrington Fri, Apr 21, 2017

While moves are always inevitable after a losing season, Buffalo Sabres captain Brian Gionta said he did not expect the team to undergo the major shakeup it did Thursday as coach Dan Bylsma and General Manager Tim Murray were both fired. "Completely shocked," Gionta said Friday night, when asked for his initial reaction during an intermission appearance on NBC Sports Network's coverage of the Toronto-Washington game. "Leaving our exit interviews, we didn't think that was coming. We had some negative stuff as far as where we wanted to be as a team. Everyone was disappointed with where we wanted to be as a team but we didn't think this was coming down the pike. "Obviously though, ownership wants a winning team and they want it now. We had a disappointing season and it's on us players to be better. Whoever comes in, it's for us to be better and be a team that can make the playoffs next year." Speaking with NBCSN host and University of Buffalo graduate Liam McHugh, Gionta had praise for Bylsma but said he's already looking to next season. "Dan was great with the guys," Gionta said. "I know he got a lot of slack there with the communication they thought lacked there but he was good with us. It's somebody that's going to have to be able to hold guys accountable, keep that room tight. It's a good bunch of guys. We can make this work. We can be a team that can make the playoffs. It just has to be the right fit." Gionta, 38, was the only member of the Sabres to play all 82 games this season, including the 1,000th of his NHL career. He had 15 goals and 20 assists in the third and final year of his contract and said he planned on playing again next season. Gionta with NBCSN host and UB grad Liam McHugh. McHugh did not ask Gionta for his thoughts on Murray or about re- signing next season, nor did the host mention the controversy that has swirled around this week. For his part, Gionta had big praise for Eichel. "He can take games over," Gionta said. "He's a guy who's still maturing, 20 years old. It's just his second year in the league. He's going to be a guy for the Sabres for a long time that's going to make this thing run. Surround him with the right guys and as he matures, as he grows here he's going to continue to grow into that role." As for the Leafs, Gionta acknowledged the players understand the constant comparisons between Buffalo and Toronto. "There's no way you're not going to hear the comparison," he said. "You're a rival. You're right down the road from them. Similar situations coming into the season. That's what makes it disappointing. We know we could be that team. We know we could be the team that was right there on the verge of making the playoffs and that's what makes it frustrating going into the offseason." Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060898 Buffalo Sabres Pretty much tells the tale. Shady doings indeed. My disdain for The Tank is well known but the fact of the matter is it could have worked here. You might even say it should have worked. But Mike Harrington: Pegula is right when he says Sabres need to fix Murray simply blew it with bad moves and bad contracts. character flaws If the Sabres win now, it won't remotely be because they tanked. It will be because Pegula & Co. somehow found a way to hire experienced Mike Harrington executives to fill out the roster, make deals and draft better. Murray's 2016 draft looks like it has some solid potential. But for all the correct Fri, Apr 21, 2017 bagging on 's poor drafts, it doesn't get enough play how bad Murray looks in 2014.

After a 52-point season, the only player the Sabres got in Murray's first Terry Pegula talked a lot about character during those dozen or so draft who has played in the NHL is Sam Reinhart. Brendan Lemieux was minutes he took questions Friday morning. Not a bad topic to touch upon. traded to winnipeg in the Kane deal and still hasn't made the Jets yet. As His organization needs a lot more of it. Fast. for the rest, only Eric Cornel has even advanced to be a regular in Rochester. Vaclav Karabacek, Jonas Johansson, Brycen Martin, Max We've seen a lot here in the last 12 months, outside of whatever Willman, Christopher Brown and Victor Olofsson remain unknowns, and shenanigans Evander Kane got himself caught up in. none of them are regarded as more than fringe players if they ever make Players spent several months talking down and ignoring a Stanley Cup- the NHL. winning coach to the point where his existence in the organization was One thing easily overlooked: The Sabres are blowing the entry-level untenable. Then the general manager dissed the coach in his end-of- contract years of Eichel and Reinhart with their dysfunction while Toronto season news conference last week. On Friday, the owner clearly took is winning on the cheap while Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are on swipes at his ousted GM and one of the marquee players in franchise ELCs. Same with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton. history, a man named to the NHL100 earlier this season whose jersey still hangs in the KeyBank Center rafters. So the Pegulas aren't even getting the best bang for their tank bucks. And will we ever forget Murray's need to give Matt Moulson, of all people, All this coming from an organization that spent two years selling losing as five years and $25 million -- when and winning. Yep, an infusion of character might be a good idea. wouldn't give those exact terms to Daniel Briere and Chris Drury in 2007? It was good to hear Pegula talk about his team for the first time in 3 1/2 Whomever is brought in will preach patience now. Imagine that. After all years. All kidding aside. His opening statement had some of the this time. Patience! At least it's not suffering. Pegula seemed to have the necessary reverence and accountability you hoped to hear. answer for what the Sabres need. Would love to see his PR handbook It was baby steps. The whole give and take was only 15 minutes, which for this one. left lots of questions unanswered. But to say it wasn't informative would "You've got to have character throughout the organization on the ice," he be wrong. And it was about the best look we've seen from the owner said. "And they have to be in a disciplined, structured environment where since the day he cried at the sight of Gilbert Perreault. Still, it wouldn't everybody knows what everybody is doing and everybody is talking. And have killed him to give reporters -- and the fans -- a half-hour of his that's how you win." precious time. After all this time. If you say so, Terry. Get better people in your house and prove it. And There were plenty of buzzwords we learned. In addition to character, we hopefully we won't have to wait until 2020 to hear from you again. now have discipline, structure and communication. Pegula said them so much he must have fallen asleep while practicing them Thursday night. Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2017 No truth to the rumor Sean McDermott was going to burst through the backdrop, Superman-style, and join Pegula at the dais. Or that those giant sponsored banners in the arena pavilion will have the words on them come fall. (At least, we think that won't happen). Of the story which claimed Jack Eichel said Bylsma had to be gone before he pondered a contract extension, Pegula called it a "complete fabrication." Perhaps he should have a meeting with his broadcast rightsholder that put the story out. By the way, that's offensive to call a reporter's story a fabrication. That implies intent. Maybe sometimes people get things wrong. Or just maybe they get them right and you don't like what they say. But to accuse a reporter of fabricating a story? Not a lot of character shown there. As for Murray, both Terry and clearly think he lacked in that department as well. Murray had a well-known ribald personality in NHL circles. The owners clearly had tired of him. But Pegula obviously was a flawed judge of character when he extended Murray last October. "What happened a year ago is not important," he said. "We're looking forward. I don't want to discuss that." It's hard to say if Murray wouldn't fire Bylsma when ordered to or simply didn't give the Pegulas enough good answers. But Terry Pegula doesn't care about contracts. He'll just write checks. Guarantee you no other NHL franchise would can a coach and a GM with three years left on contracts. The Pegulas don't care about contracts when they can pay you off to leave and be quiet. Black Thursday easily cost them around $15 million. As simple as a steak dinner to you and me. There was talk Friday of more firings going on among the team's hockey staff in ancilliary areas too. Then there's Pegula's bizarre comparison to the Sabres not getting the same rope given the for going through a rebuild (the Cleveland Browns?). Pegula wouldn't say if he authorized or agreed with it. We know Pat LaFontaine was not on board with tanking and, lo and behold, he was quickly gone in the spring of 2014, with Pegula expressing regret Friday he wasn't part of the process when LaFontaine hired Murray. 1060899 Buffalo Sabres “You know, what happened a year ago is not important,” Pegula said. “We’re looking forward. We don’t need to discuss. I don’t want to discuss that.” Pegula adamant about adding discipline, character to Sabres' The owner also declined to get into specifics about his next hires or what organization the Sabres’ hierarchy would look like. While he’s interviewing a potential general manager, he may decide the person is more suited to be president of hockey operations. John Vogl Hockey duties to be shared while Pegula searches for Sabres' next Fri, Apr 21, 2017 leaders “We are going to find the best candidate – candidates – that we will bring into our organization to achieve our goals,” Pegula said. “The structure CM Punk is a UFC fighter who had a long career in professional will land depending on the first person that we bring in, what his attitude wrestling. He’s lived sporting chaos. is and how we should work together. The die-hard hockey fan couldn’t believe what he was seeing Friday as “We’re going to move as quickly and efficiently as we can.” he watched a broadcast of Terry Pegula’s news conference. Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2017 “I’m fascinated,” Punk tweeted. “I just picture the Buffalo Sabres room being like ‘Lord of the Flies.’” It wasn’t that bad in KeyBank Center this season. The Sabres didn’t crush each other with boulders or commit the other acts of savagery outlined in the legendary novel. Still, there was way too much lawlessness for Pegula’s taste. “I keep going back to discipline, structure, communication, character,” the owner said in the arena atrium. “We have to have character.” Pegula repeatedly made it clear the Sabres lacked those core values, which led to Thursday’s firing of General Manager Tim Murray and coach Dan Bylsma. “Those things are all something you need in your leaders so they are able to judge and look for the same characteristics in players and employees that work for your organization,” Pegula said. “You’ve got to have character throughout the organization, on the ice, and they have to be in a disciplined, structured environment where everybody knows what everybody’s doing and everybody’s talking. That’s how you win.” The Sabres did not win this year, missing the playoffs for the sixth straight season. It prompted Pegula and his wife, Kim, to remove the hockey bosses. “Kim and I spoke in depth with Tim and Dan separately and decided that our organization needed more discipline, structure and communication in order to be successful,” Pegula said. “We will move forward with new leadership and compete in the for the coveted Cup.” As he did during his first day as owner, Pegula said the Stanley Cup remains the goal. “Six years ago, I stood here and told the Buffalo Sabres fans that the reason for our existence was to win a Stanley Cup,” Pegula said. “That is still the truth. One team wins the Cup. We expected more this season.” Buffalo stumbled to a 33-37-12 record and finished 26th in the 30-team league. There was a disconnect between Bylsma and the players. Pegula reiterated his belief that the players’ opinions are important. “The detailed conversations with Tim, Dan, others in the organization – yeah, we talked to players – and put it all together, and the decision was made,” Pegula said. “Were players unhappy? Absolutely. We’re standing here today. We’re not in the Cup race.” He vehemently denied a report that said Jack Eichel would not sign an extension with the Sabres if Bylsma remained behind the bench. “Jack’s involvement as it was reported – and I don’t know the exact words of how that was reported – but is a complete fabrication,” Pegula said. “I defend Jack.” Jerry Sullivan: If communication is key for Sabres, why are so many questions left unanswered? While the firing of Bylsma was a probability heading into this week’s meetings – Pegula said no decisions had been made prior to the talks – the dismissal of Murray was surprising. Apparently, it shouldn’t have been. The owner implied he might not have even hired Murray in the first place. “I was not involved in the last GM-coach search to a large extent, and I regret that move,” Pegula said. However, Pegula authorized a three-year extension for Murray last fall. What went into the extension decision, and what changed this season to make him regret the original move? 1060900 Buffalo Sabres It's regrettable that Kim Pegula, who is one of the few women in major sports ownership and is said to wield at least as much power as her husband behind the scenes, chooses to stand in her man's shadow and Jerry Sullivan: If communication is key for Sabres, why are so many defer. This is 2017, not 1957. questions left unanswered? Their defenders argue that the Pegulas have no obligation to speak, that they own a private enterprise. Never matter that their teams perform in buildings supported by public money, in front of long-suffering Buffalo Jerry Sullivan fans growing weary of paying good money for inferior teams. Fri, Apr 21, 2017 The Bills have the longest playoff drought in sports. The Sabres have the second-longest in the NHL. You'd think the owners, rather than treat the media as a nuisance, would show some humility and see press conferences as a conduit to their customers, a useful inconvenience. Sorry, but I'm not here to applaud Terry Pegula for actually standing in front of reporters for 15 minutes and answering a few questions about The Pegulas recently hired a talent consultant, Gerry Matalon, to work firing the general manager and head coach of his hockey team. with the Bills coaches and players on PR. They have instituted a "one- voice" policy with the Bills, which is why McDermott ran the predraft That's how low the standard has become. Pegula goes 3-1/2 years luncheon without GM on Thursday. without a press conference specifically about the Sabres, then he condescends to give us a brief exchange and we're supposed to feel Again, you wonder if they'll be consistent. While interviewing GM grateful. candidates for the Sabres, will they inform them that part of the job will be allowing all public comments to come from the coach, or vice versa? If you see it as a positive sign that Pegula graced us with an audience, fine. Friday morning's session left me wanting a lot more and feeling, as That's one of the many questions that were left unanswered when they usual, that Pegula has an utter disdain for his critics and feels it's cut Pegula's Q&A short after 13 minutes. beneath him to have to field questions about his dysfunctional teams. Here's a list of questions, compiled with an assist from my News Pegula didn't feel a need to explain why he fired Tim Murray and Dan colleagues, that would have been asked if we'd had more time: Bylsma, except to recite the new Sabres mantra. Repeat after me, kiddies: It's all about discipline, structure, communication and character. What will Brandon's role be in the Sabres' coach/GM search, if any? Gee, you would think after six years, the Pegulas would have figured Are you considering a hockey man as team president? those things out by now. They've had a sudden epiphany on structure and communication? It's more vital than, say, gussying up the dressing Why couldn't he and Kim answer questions? rooms? Are the Sabres working with the PR consultant, or is that restricted to the Pegula did show a little edge, more than his team did on many nights this Bills? season. He dismissed the notion that Jack Eichel wanted Bylsma fired as Is Matalon advising Terry, too? a "pure fabrication," making sure to attribute such a fine choice of words to Eichel's agent, and wondered where such reports originated. How do you respond to season ticket-holders who say the organization doesn't care about them? He vigorously disputed the notion that his team lost on purpose to draft high enough for Eichel, lamely criticizing writers for not holding Cleveland What was up with the plastic sunglasses on Fan Appreciation Night? (the Browns, I assume) to the same standard. He gave a curt "No" when I asked if he regretted not replacing Pat LaFontaine after pushing him out Did Murray float the story about Eichel not wanting to sign an extension if three years ago, leaving Murray as an all-powerful GM figure in the old Bylsma remained the coach? Darcy Regier model. Did the Amerks' demise contribute to Murray's firing? But that speaks to his "structure" idea. When LaFontaine became Will the new GM do a radio show? president, he talked of the Sabres adopting the modern NHL management model, with power and responsibility more diffused and the Did the scouting directors, Rob Murphy and Greg Royce, quit or were GM answering to the team president. they fired? Once LaFontaine was out the door, Murray had more power than How concerned are you about scouting just eight weeks from the warranted for a first-time general manager. It's similar to what's expansion and amateur drafts? happening with Sean McDermott as the Bills' highly empowered, first- time head coach. Are you worried that your perception as a national laughingstock will hurt you in recruiting for coaches, executives and free agents? See, there's just no consistency to what Pegula does. He makes it up as he goes along. He reaches out to , contemplates having a Will the one-voice policy apply to the Sabres? veteran football "czar" to oversee the Bills, then abandons the idea. He Do you care that you're spending roughly the GDP of a small European hires LaFontaine, commits to a modern NHL front office, then gives up on nation for people not to work? it. Oh, and here's one I'm still awaiting after more than four years: Why did Pegula said he will almost certainly look for a new Sabres GM with you fire ? experience. But he seems to have no problem handing unprecedented control of his NFL team to a first-time head coach. One thing Pegula Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2017 asserted Friday was that he intends to be more involved in the new hires (now that he's done scouting college quarterbacks). "Well, I can tell you that I was not involved in the last GM/coach search to a large extent, and I regret that move," he said. "And that's all I'm going to say about that." That was a clear shot at LaFontaine, who hired Murray. It sounds to me as if Murray's issues had a lot to do with discipline and character. Word is, his style rubbed Kim Pegula the wrong way, and as co-owner holds a lot of sway in the family sports empire. Of course, if character is so important to the Pegulas, why did they sign off on the trade for Evander Kane, or the $100 million extension for the Bills' Marcell Dareus? Kim stood off to the side, as usual, while her husband spoke Friday. , the titular president of both teams, was alongside her. She and Brandon were whisked away as soon at Terry completed his remarks, rather than make themselves available to the media. 1060901 Buffalo Sabres It doesn't work when the chain of command is broken, when there's a direct link between players and owners. During the season, ownership should be sitting back while its underlings perform duties for which they Bucky Gleason: Next step for Pegula is backing up words with action were hired. If they fail to perform duties at the expected level, they run the risk of being fired.

When asked to identify his mistakes, Pegula pointed toward him sitting Bucky Gleason out the search that led to Murray. It was his way of blaming Pat LaFontaine. He conveniently failed to mention that Murray would have Fri, Apr 21, 2017 had a limited role in a three-man executive team. It never came to fruition because LaFontaine was forced to resign.

Sabres' apologists love to criticize LaFontaine, arguing he could have OK, so it wasn't the most inspiring 15 minutes in Sabres' history. Terry hired someone other than Murray. Fine, but they forget about the shift in Pegula never proclaimed himself a romantic speaker, and he looked like culture and injection of optimism during his three-month stint and focus he would have elected for a tooth extraction Friday over a news on the chaos that ensued after his departure. The organization was more conference. But at least he made a veiled attempt to take responsibility disarray before and after his arrival than during his brief regime. for their failures. Without trying to come across as a LaFontaine apologist, he had the very "Accountability starts with me," Pegula said. "We are not happy with our qualities that Pegula is now looking to instill. He was known across the season this year, and there are no excuses. Six years ago, I stood here NHL for his character and ability to communicate. His structure made and told the Buffalo Sabres fans that the reason for our existence was to sense. He attempted to implement the discipline required to execute his win a Stanley Cup. That is still the truth." plan before he was pushed to the exit. Pegula didn't exactly fall on the Sabres' crossing swords Friday. We're Character isn't something you purchase over the counter. You don't wake not talking about a full-blown mea culpa where he and his wife, Kim, up one day and take character pills. It comes individually and collectively copped to a litany of mistakes, apologized to fans who spent good money from within and becomes more evident over time. Its existence comes in while supporting lousy teams, asked for forgiveness and pleaded for various forms – personality, leadership, competitiveness, integrity, patience. teamwork, etc. – and often is revealed under adverse conditions. At best, his willingness to speak publicly about the Sabres for the first Discipline falls along the same lines. time in 3½ years and take a few questions was a start. At worst, he If Pegula held such qualities in high regard, he shouldn't have signed reluctantly followed the advice of a new public relations consultant hired Marcell Dareus to a ridiculous $100 million contract extension after the to improve his reputation as one-half of a disoriented, second-rate defensive tackle had brushes with the law. He wouldn't have allowed ownership that's over its head. Ryan to retain assistant coach Aaron Kromer after he was suspended for No matter, it was a step, albeit a tiny one, toward progress. his role in a dispute with a teenager over a beach chair. Several times, Pegula outlined the franchise's core values – structure, Any hockey fan paying attention knew Evander Kane wasn't a Boy Scout character, discipline and communication – when hiring executives and before he arrived. But he could score, so people looked the other way. coaches and acquiring players. All are admirable qualities to be sure. And when players started squawking about Bylsma, ownership failed to Evidently, he wasn't happy with Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma. He can't be support the coach. thrilled with Evander Kane, either. "Today's athlete is a little different than years ago. They're much more Pegula deserved credit for coming forward and addressing a few complex," Pegula said before he was asked how he can avoid being in problems during his short presser at KeyBank Center. It certainly beat the same position in the future. "I keep going back to discipline, structure, the alternative, which was hiding behind closed doors and hoping communication and character," he said. "We have to have character." problems would disappear. He showed his face and provided generic It sounds like a plan, but it can't be compromised if the Sabres want to insight into his intentions, knowing his next hire was critical. move in the right direction. As I mentioned in an earlier column, success Several years ago, he told me his job as Sabres' owner was to be liked. and failure starts with ownership. Pegula took an important step Friday He's a nice man, so it seemed easy enough. Really, it meant winning. He that shouldn't be overlooked. He made sure to hold himself accountable suggested he would rather stay out of the way and watch his team from a before blaming anybody else. distance. But after firing his general manager and coach, the owner Years from now, you may look back on his 15 minutes of shame as the couldn't continue in silence. moment he turned a talking point into a turning point. In time, we'll know "We don't like to be in situations like this," Pegula said. "I enjoy, and Kim the truth concerning his intentions for the Sabres. enjoys, both teams. We enjoy talking to our players and being involved Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2017 with their lives and communicating with each other. I think that's a healthy environment." Talk is cheap, as they say, as we learned since he stood in the same place six years earlier while fantasizing about Stanley Cups. Pegula's sermon Friday about establishing core values within his two organizations is drivel unless his teams show on a consistent basis that he's holding them to a higher standard. In other words, prove it. For now, recent history serves as the only guide. He talked about the importance of structure Friday, for example, while acknowledging that he didn't make a decision on Murray and Dan Bylsma until after speaking to various players and later meeting with the two men at the top of the hockey department. It was the same way with the Bills before a collection of players ran offensive coordinator Greg Roman out of town, with $4 million remaining on his contract, two games into the 2016 season. took responsibility, but the decision to fire Roman was made after ownership talked to players. There was a sense the inmates were running the asylum, a structure successful teams are sure to avoid. Structure includes a chain of command, which any incoming hockey executive worth hiring should demand before taking the job. It means players report to coaches, coaches report to the general manager, the general manager reports to the president, and the president reports to the owner. That's how structure works. Just ask the Patriots. It's not all Tom Brady, you know. 1060902 Buffalo Sabres

Hockey duties to be shared while Pegula searches for Sabres' next leaders

John Vogl Fri, Apr 21, 2017

Terry Pegula has no timetable to hire new hockey leaders. It could be after six interviews. It could be more or less. In the meantime, the Sabres owner is confident he has people who can guide the team. Assistant General Manager Mark Jakubowski, who handles contracts and the salary cap, remains in the organization. Pegula said others are available to help after Thursday’s firing of GM Tim Murray, coach Dan Bylsma and scouting executives Rob Murphy and Greg Royce. “We’ve got a lot of people in the organization that are pretty capable,” Pegula said Friday. There is no immediate need for replacements, but the organization can’t dawdle, either. Scouting departments typically meet in May to prepare for the NHL Draft (June 23-24 in Chicago) and the NHL Combine, which will be held May 28 through June 3 in Buffalo. Jeff Crisp, the Sabres’ head amateur scout, will handle the duties formerly belonging to Royce, who was the director of amateur scouting. Murphy was the director of scouting, but the Sabres still have an assistant director of scouting (Jerry Forton), director of European scouting (Anders Forsberg), director of player personnel (Kevin Devine) and pro scouting coordinator (Graham Beamish). “The pro side will be several people in the organization involved in decisions until that person comes in,” Pegula said in KeyBank Center. Sabres owner Terry Pegula: 'We have to get better' The owner said his interviews will determine whether the Sabres add a hockey president or stick with just a GM. “Without disclosing specifics on this search, we are going to find the best candidate – candidates – that we will bring into our organization to achieve our goals,” Pegula said. “The structure will land depending on the first person that we bring in, what his attitude is and how we should work together. “Experience is going to be key in our search. Without disclosing specific details about what our plan is – our plan may change as we start talking to people – but the plan is to build a stronger organization from top to bottom.” Pegula said he has yet to interview anyone. “We’re going to move as quickly and efficiently as we can,” he said. “Sometimes you talk to half a dozen or so people, and you need to talk to more people. It’s all a function of how our meetings go.” Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060903 Buffalo Sabres

The last photo of Dan Bylsma as coach of the Sabres?

Bob DiCesare Fri, Apr 21, 2017

It's no secret that deposed Buffalo Sabres coach Dan Bylsma is an avid fisherman. He grew up on the shores of Lake , cultivating a hobby that accompanied him to . Photos of Bylsma on fishing excursions crossed our Outdoors desk with some frequency during his two-plus years in Buffalo. The one below was taken Tuesday, the day before General Manager Tim Murray met with owners Terry and Kim Pegula. Both Murray and Bylsma were dismissed on Thursday. The picture, included in this week's Catches of the Week gallery, shows Bylsma (lower right) with Shawn Schott of Grand Island, Dave Arnts of Buffalo and Tom Ward of Buffalo (a Sabres assistant coach) with a cooler of perch. The four were fishing with Capt. Jim Hanley of Angola. Bylsma's love of fishing was detailed in a column by Outdoors writer Bill Hilts Jr. that appeared just last month. WNY fishing has Sabres Bylsma feeling right at home The local fishing economy will suffer if Bylsma returns to his native Michigan. On the other hand, that means there will be more fish for the rest of us. Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060904 Buffalo Sabres

Insta-Graham: From under the fog, Pegula gets privy

Tim Graham Fri, Apr 21, 2017

With a dense fog stooped over downtown Buffalo, Terry Pegula revealed some managerial clarity. The NFL and NHL owner held a news conference Friday morning in KeyBank Center to discuss the firings of Buffalo Sabres General Manager Tim Murray and coach Dan Bylsma. Pegula took the blame for the Sabres' deficiencies, for overseeing a mess of an organization beset with defeats while coping with the peer pressure of watching other teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers rebuild more efficiently. On one hand, Pegula was vulnerable. He admitted he wasn't as involved in the hiring of Murray or Bylsma as closely he should have been. On the other hand, Pegula was blaming those hires on ousted hockey ops boss Pat LaFontaine (for Murray) and Murray (for Bylsma). Sabres owner Terry Pegula: 'We have to get better' "I was not involved in the last GM, coach search to a large extent, and I regret that," Pegula said. "And that's all I'm going to say about that." To use another word, Pegula wasn't as privy as he should've been. Pegula struck a tone that will resonate well with hockey fans. He used all kinds of references that warm the "hockey code" cackles: discipline, communication, character. He also refuted Wednesday's report 20-year-old center Jack Eichel was leveraging his stardom to impact any decision on the coach. These were wise things to say, lest the narrative of Eichel turning into a young punk continue to gain traction, which it might yet anyway. Pegula called the report "fabricated," but I don't believe that. I can virtually guarantee WGR 550's Paul Hamilton received insight from a credible source. Perhaps that insight never floated all the way up to Pegula. There are all sorts of ways for the report to be true and for Pegula not to have been, uh, privy. The five times Doug Whaley said he wasn't 'privy' to decisions about the Bills Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060905 Buffalo Sabres

Jerry Sullivan's Hot Read: Pegula speaks briefly, says little

Jerry Sullivan Fri, Apr 21, 2017

Terry Pegula said several times during Friday's press conference that his four watchwords for success were "discipline, structure, communication and character." After three and a half years without a presser specifically about the Sabres, the owner gave a two-minute opening statement and answered questions for 12 minutes. That was it. So much for the public's right to know. Pegula didn't give any reasons for firing general manager Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma a day earlier. He thanked them and said they did a good job, which makes you wonder how long they would have lasted if he actually felt they were failing in their jobs. Murray gave detailed criticisms of Bylsma in his final session with the media last week. And he got the ax. You would think Pegula could have echoed some of those criticisms of Bylsma. He was quick to point out, of course, that he wasn't involved in Murray's hiring. He was happy to dump that on former president Pat LaFontaine. The co-owner, Kim Pegula, stood to the side with Russ Brandon, the current team president of both teams, and did not comment, which has become customary practice. Kim Pegula and Brandon were whisked away as soon as Terry completed his remarks, rather than make themselves available to the media. It's regrettable that Kim Pegula, who is one of the few powerful women in major sports ownership and is said to wield at least as much power as her husband behind the scenes, chooses to stand behind her man in these moments of crisis. Bucky Gleason's Hot Read: Terry Pegula's mea culpa was a start The Pegulas recently hired a public relations consultant to work with the Bills coaches and players. They have instituted a "one-voice" policy with the Bills, which is why new head coach Sean McDermott was alone on Thursday to conduct the pre-draft luncheon without GM Doug Whaley. Whether there will be a similar policy with the Sabres is unclear. Pegula didn't allow enough time to get to some of the less pressing issues. I can't imagine them telling a GM candidate that he could have the job, but, by the way, all public comments are coming from the head coach. Who knows with these people? Did their PR guru suggest it was OK for the owner to talk about his hockey team for 14 minutes every 42 months of silence? We're still waiting for him to explain the Lindy Ruff firing. Does he think it's OK for Kim to be uninvolved in press conferences, and for Whaley to be hidden in the back room like some daft uncle? It's hard to say. But this sorry PR can't do much for their future recruiting efforts. When I asked Pegula if he intended to hire a veteran hockey man to be president, with the GM answering to him – the model LaFontaine put in place – he was evasive. When I asked if he regretted not filling the job after firing LaFontaine, he gave an abrupt "No." Why would he? Murray did a good job, right? Sabres owner Terry Pegula: 'We have to get better' Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060906 Buffalo Sabres

Mike Harrington's Hot Read: More please, Terry

Mike Harrington Fri, Apr 21, 2017

Memo to Terry Pegula: That wasn't so bad, was it? Especially now that we're hearing there's a PR consultant on the payroll, the owner of the Bills and Sabres should stand up and answer questions on his teams once a season. Some years, it may be difficult and daunting. Maybe someday it would be celebratory. But it should be done. So on that note, Friday was a good thing. Pegula's hockey team is in crisis and he stood before the media and took questions. It was baby steps. It was only 15 minutes, which left lots of questions unanswered. But to say it wasn't informative would be wrong. And it was about the best look we've seen from the owner since the day he cried at the sight of Gilbert Perreault. Even if you don't agree with some of his answers or philosophies -- and, no surprise, I don't -- it was worth hearing from him. Pegula fell on his, ahem, Sabre when he said there were no excuses for the club's flat performance and that accountability starts with him. He gave about as forceful a denial as you can give when he called the WGR Radio report on Jack Eichel's demands regarding Dan Bylsma a "complete fabrication" He said the same thing about a Sportsnet report that the Sabres have already interviewed former Los Angeles GM Dean Lombardi, or anyone else, for a position in the organization. What did we learn? There might be a hockey czar, there might not be. It sounded like first-time GM candidates need not apply, which certainly seems to put two-time Stanley Cup winner Lombardi in the early lead. He regretted not being part of the decision three years ago when Pat LaFontaine hired Tim Murray as GM. The biggest takeaway in this view was when Pegula clearly swiped at Murray with his discussion for the need for better communication, structure and character in his organization. It's well-known Kim Pegula was not fond of Murray's style and it would appear Terry agreed. The owner said he had made no decisions about his coach or GM until he met with them this week. While that seems dubious, it did leave the door open for Murray to have provided answers on what happened and what he could do going forward. Pegula made it clear he wasn't happy with what he heard and has moved on. Fair enough. Of course, the PR consultant must have told Pegula to keep saying "we're not talking about the past." Well, the owner is a work in progress still. Hey, Terry: How about 30 minutes next year? Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060907 Buffalo Sabres

Bucky Gleason's Hot Read: Terry Pegula's mea culpa was a start

Bucky Gleason Fri, Apr 21, 2017

Terry Pegula started his first news conference about the Sabres in 3½ years by pointing the finger at himself. The mea culpa was a step in the right direction after going backward for the better part of six years. "Accountability starts with me," Pegula said. "We are not happy with our season this year, and there are no excuses. Six years ago, I stood here and told the Buffalo Sabres fans that the reason for our existence was to win a Stanley Cup. That is still the truth." He didn't complete fall on the sword, but at least he showed an understanding that he made some mistakes along the way. He acknowledged that he regretted not participating in the search that led to Tim Murray getting hired and, by extension, coach Dan Bylsma. Both were fired Thursday. Several times, Pegula outlined the franchise's core values – discipline, character, communication and structure – when hiring executives and coaches and acquiring players. It was a clear sign he wasn't happy with GM Tim Murray and questionable characters such as Evander Kane. Amen, brother. It's about time. But let's see where he goes from here. Pegula showed six years ago when he talked about winning Cups that talk was cheap. Look at the evidence. You'll know things are going in the right direction when their actions back up their plans. You'll know when Pegula can kick back as a successful sports owner. As I mentioned in an earlier column, it starts with ownership. He made the first move a day later when he held himself accountable before blaming anybody else. That alone was a sign of progress. Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060908 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres owner Terry Pegula: 'We have to get better'

John Vogl Fri, Apr 21, 2017

Terry Pegula wants to bring order to what appears to be a lawless Sabres organization. The Buffalo owner repeatedly stressed discipline, structure, communication and character Friday morning while discussing the firing of General Manager Tim Murray and coach Dan Bylsma. “We have to get better,” Pegula said in KeyBank Center. “Character throughout the organization, on the ice, and they have to be in a disciplined, structured environment where everybody knows what everybody’s doing and everybody’s talking. That’s how you win.” The Sabres did not win this year, missing the playoffs for the sixth straight season. It prompted Pegula to clean house Thursday. “We as members of the Sabres’ organization are all responsible for our success,” Pegula said, “but accountability starts with me. We are not happy with our season this year, and there are no excuses. “Six years ago, I stood here and told the Buffalo Sabres fans that the reason for our existence was to win the Stanley Cup. That is still the truth. One team wins the Cup. We expected more this season.” In accepting blame, Pegula said he wished he was more involved in the hiring of Murray four years ago. "I was not involved in the last GM, coach search to a large extent, and I regret that move," Pegula said. "That’s all I’m going to say about that." Pegula, however, authorized an extension for Murray last fall. He declined to answer what changed this season in regards to Murray. The owner said he has not yet conducted interviews for Murray's replacement. "Experience is going to be key in our search," Pegula said. "The plan is to build a stronger organization from top to bottom." Pegula said he and his wife, Kim, interviewed Murray and Bylsma separately this week. The owner said he had not decided to remove the hockey people before the meetings. "Kim and I spoke in depth with Tim and Dan separately and decided that our organization needed more discipline, structure and communication in order to be successful," Pegula said. "We will move forward with new leadership and compete in the National Hockey League for the coveted Cup." While admitting the players' views on the situation were important, Pegula steadfastly denied a report that said star Jack Eichel would not sign an extension with the Sabres if Bylsma remained behind the bench. Jack Eichel responds: Our exclusive Q&A with the Sabres' star "Jack’s involvement as it was reported – and I don’t know the exact words of how it was reported – but is a complete fabrication," Pegula said. "I defend Jack. "Were players unhappy? Absolutely. We’re standing here today. We’re not in the Cup race." Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060909 Buffalo Sabres Might also be worth asking, were the firings based more on the lack of on-ice success or the way the organization was being run? Pegula's response could be telling. 10 unanswered questions worth asking Terry Pegula 7. Would a Bills question be out of line? Sure, this is a Sabres news conference, but Pegula also owns the Bills Nick Veronica and has plenty to answer for there as well. He humorously said there was "no dysfunction" with that team after the season. He spoke briefly at Fri, Apr 21, 2017 McDermott's introductory news conference but didn't take questions. At the very least, how did Bills GM Doug Whaley outlast Murray? Sabres owner Terry Pegula is scheduled to hold a news conference at 10 8. How much weight do you give player feedback and recommendations? a.m. today. Here are 10 questions that you, the Buffalo sports fan, may hope to have answered. This is broader than the Eichel question. We know the Pegulas have met with Bills players on multiple occasions, including a reported meeting with 1. Why did you fire Lindy Ruff? offensive players right before Greg Roman was fired (a meeting that Ryan apparently wasn't a part of). Do Sabres players have the same Just kidding. Had to do that one. Pegula, the owner of the Bills and access to ownership, and if so, how much weight do the Pegulas give to Sabres, hasn’t given a hockey-centric news conference in 3 1/2 years, so their concerns? there are some lingering questions. This one is a favorite of Sabres writer Mike Harrington. As a potential follow-up, why is having an open dialogue with players so important to Pegula? Does he feel that's something special his The hell with Rex. I'm still waiting for the Pegulas to explain the decision organizations offer? Does he like being around the players? I would to fire Lindy Ruff -- who was here eight times longer. imagine some, if not many, professional athletes go their entire careers without exchanging more than pleasantries with the owner. Why do — Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) January 2, 2017 Buffalo players deserve such good access? But while we’re on the topic, might Ruff be a candidate to replace Dan 9. Who will be involved in the search? What are you looking for? What's Bylsma? Who else should be considered? Harrington raised the prospect your timeline? of Ruff after Murray's end-of-season news conference. John Vogl compiled a thorough list of candidates for both coach and GM here: Standard stuff ... unless it isn't. 2. What's the deal with this Eichel business? How much pull does he People seem quite perturbed over Russ Brandon's perceived really have in the organization? involvement in Bills and Sabres affairs (he became the president of both organizations after the Sabres fired Ted Black in July 2015). Harrington After a report Wednesday that Jack Eichel wouldn't want to re-sign in didn't mince words: "Shame on the Pegulas if [Brandon] had any say in Buffalo if Bylsma remained the Sabres' coach, Eichel's agent, Peter Fish, Murray's sacking." went above and beyond the call of duty to deny the report to anyone would listen. Vogl even scored an exclusive interview with Eichel himself, 10. Are you willing to get out of the way? who said he thought his end-of-year meeting with Blysma went well. This has become an increasingly important question, and it has never But after Thursday's news, Eichel's role in the situation is at least curious. been asked. The Pegulas may find more success by putting savvy, "As for Jack Eichel and agent Peter Fish? Their denials seem pretty veteran minds in charge of their teams and allowing those people space hollow now," Harrington wrote. to operate. 3. Will you hire a director of hockey operations? What management Here's Gleason's take: structure do you envision for the Sabres? Terry Pegula has little choice now given the current state of affairs. This With the Bills, coach Sean McDermott and general manager Doug entire mess began when he purchased the team, when he was nothing Whaley both report directly to Pegula. It was the same way with Rex more than a filthy-rich Sabres fan with enough money to fulfill a childhood Ryan. But at the Sabres, Bylsma was under Murray, who reported to dream. He has since found out money can't buy expertise and credibility, Pegula. and it certainly doesn't buy championships. Is that the way Pegula sees this working out? Does he plan to hire Now go read the rest of it. anyone else to oversee the hockey side of things? ... perhaps an autocratic ruler? Buffalo News LOADED: 04.22.2017 4. What made you fire Murray in addition to Bylsma? Pegula may not give a straight answer on this, but it's worth asking. Players seemed to tire of Bylsma at times this year, which, along with poor results, brought his job security into question. But firing Murray was a much bigger surprise. What happened? Bucky Gleason wrote about that topic here. 5. Are you worried about how many people you have fired? When you're a billionaire, maybe doling out severance pay of a couple million bucks doesn't mean that much to you. But even putting the money aside, the volume of people the Pegulas have cast aside is troublesome. The Bills and Sabres have shown five coaches, two GMs and two presidents the door since 2013, and another coach quit. Maybe the money isn't important to them, but what about their reputation and the way they're viewed nationally? Terry Pegula usually acts like that isn't an issue, but in a matter of months he has fired two coaches after only two years on the job. That's not a lot of leeway. Mark Gaughan compiled a comprehensive timeline of the Pegula ownership, and it's not pretty. 6. From your view, what went wrong for the Sabres? We know Terry is a fan. We may not get a straight answer on this one, either, but it's worth asking him, as the guy who makes the decisions, what issues he felt were the biggest contributors to the Sabres' poor record. It better be a stronger answer than "injuries." Jobs were lost over this. 1060910 Buffalo Sabres

Pegula seeks established GM to instill discipline in Sabres

JOHN WAWROW 10:17 a.m. ET April 21, 2017

Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula is strongly leaning toward hiring a general manager with a proven track record to strengthen a franchise lacking in discipline and communication. Pegula also says accountability starts with him and he has no excuse for why the Sabres took a step backward to finish last in the Atlantic Division and miss the playoffs for a sixth straight season. Pegula spoke on Friday, a day after firing general manager Tim Murray and coach Dan Bylsma . The decision to clean house came after Pegula and his wife Kim met with Murray, Bylsma and Sabres players. In overseeing the current search process, Pegula says he regretted not being more involved in the decisions that led to the team hiring Murray in January 2014 and Bylsma in May 2015. Democrat and Chronicle LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060911 Buffalo Sabres to do everything to win and he’s a young kid maturing. I think he feels a lot of the pressure for what he is, the face of the franchise at 19, 20 years old who is supposed to come in and revive the entire organization. Sabres captain Brian Gionta 'shocked' by housecleaning “He said it at his end-of-year news conference, 'There’s a difference between saying you want to win and doing the things to put yourself and your team in position to win.' That’s where we need to go as an Leo Roth organization and as players, look to what we can contribute to help a winning culture.’’ 11:00 a.m. ET April 21, 2017 Holleder Award

Buffalo Sabres captain and Greece native Brian Gionta was honored Buffalo Sabres captain Brian Gionta had one word to describe the firing Thursday with the prestigious Major Don Holleder Award at the 68th of general manager Tim Murray and coach Dan Bylsma on Wednesday. annual Press-Radio Club Day of Champions Dinner at the convention center. “Shocked,’’ he said. “Obviously, I worked close with Dan and Tim, both great guys who poured their heart into the team. It’s tough to see. At the The award goes to a person whose life has “exhibited the highest level of same time, it shows this organization wants to win and we want to win sportsmanship, character, courage, and achievement consistent with the now. I’m excited for the future if I’m part of it.’’ name of Don Holleder.’’ The question is will he be? Major Holleder was an Aquinas Institute and West Point football star who was killed in Vietnam in 1967 while rescuing fallen comrades. As an Gionta, 38, is a free agent who just completed his third season with the Aquinas graduate, Gionta was deeply moved to receive an award named Sabres. Murray signed the highly respected 15-year NHL veteran from for Holleder. Gionta, 38, has played 15 NHL seasons and last season Greece and Aquinas Institute before the start of the 2014-15 season to played in his 1,000th NHL game. be a leadership presence through what was sure to be a difficult rebuilding phase. “It means a lot,’’ he said. “I made mention to the Aquinas connection but more than that it’s the sacrifice he made for this country. To be raising The Sabres finished last in the NHL with 54 points for a second three kids now, to be in the place we’re at now, it comes with the consecutive season Gionta’s first season in Buffalo, improved to 81 sacrifices those guys made. I’m humbled by it.’’ points in 2015-16 after the acquiring stars Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane and Jack Eichel, then slid back to 71 points this season, 17 points out of Democrat and Chronicle LOADED: 04.22.2017 a playoff spot. Murray was with the club 3 ½ seasons and Bylsma two. Owners Terry and Kim Pegula have now launched a search for their replacements and Terry Pegula addressed the media at KeyBank Center Friday morning. For personal and professional reasons, Gionta, who won a Stanley Cup with the and also captained the Montreal Canadiens, is hopeful he can re-sign with the club. Murray expressed strong interest in bringing Gionta back but without Murray in his corner, it’s impossible to predict how this will play out. “It’s a business, pro sports, I’ve been around and I know how it works,’’ said Gionta, who spoke Thursday night at the Rochester Press-Radio dinner where he received the prestigious Major Don Holleder Award. “But my views haven’t changed. I’d love to see this through. I think there is potential with the team and I’d love to be part of that, but at end of the day it’s on the new management team and ownership to see what direction that is.’’ Murray, who worked tirelessly putting Buffalo’s roster back together, elected to stand pat on many fronts this season as his team finished 33- 37-12 while being outscored by 36 goals. He made no moves after Eichel hurt his ankle and missed 21 games to start the year, didn’t fire Bylsma when his team needed a spark and was still in contention, and the trade deadline was uneventful. Gionta, who could have been moved for a future draft pick, said Murray was justified in letting the team as constructed finish the year to see if a winning culture good take root. “It’s easy to say, ‘Tim should’ve made these moves, should have made that,’ ‘’ Gionta said. “Those moves have to (be there) one, and two they have to be right for the team and organization for the future. That was his job to make sure he wasn’t sacrificing any of that for the short term. I think he did a great job and turned this team around. This year was obviously a huge stall, but with that being said, his draft picks, those will be down the road and his impact will be felt maybe a few years out.’’ As for Bylsma, who won a Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh with superstar Sydney Crosby, Gionta said he felt everyone bought into his style and accepted his message “for the most part.’’ He said all players have to be held accountable. Blaming the coach is an easy excuse and firing the coach isn’t always the answer, he said. “I’ve been around the game a long time, been through a lot of coaching changes,’’ Gionta said. “They take the fall but it’s on the players and players feel the responsibility for that.’’ Gionta also addressed Eichel, the team’s 20-year-old star forward who is at the center of the firestorm. A report this week said Eichel would not sign a contract extension as long as Bylsma remained as coach. Eichel and his agent denied that to The Buffalo News and said he wanted to remain a Sabres player for a long time. “Lot of stuff came down yesterday, some unfair criticism his way,’’ Gionta said of Eichel. “He’s a great guy in the room, great teammate, he wants 1060912 The Flames’ first-line centre and alternate captain tickled twine in each playoff date against the , becoming the first sharpshooter in NHL history to score in all four games for the losing side of a best-of- Flames soon-to-be free agents hoping to stick around Saddledome seven sweep. “That’s obviously not a stat you want, I don’t think,” Monahan said. Wes Gilbertson It’s impressive, though, especially when you consider the 22-year-old was filling the net with a wonky wrist. April 21, 2017 8:32 PM MDT Monahan revealed Friday that he’ll soon go under the knife and had to pass on the opportunity to skate for Team Canada at the world championship. With all due respect to the fine folks of Bern, Kris Versteeg isn’t interested in a reunion. “I would love to go,” Monahan said. “I’m going to get surgery in the next couple of days, get some kinks out of there and be ready to go for next “If I’m sitting in Switzerland in September, my agent is getting fired,” year.” Versteeg quipped. Johnny Gaudreau will represent Team USA at Worlds, but several other David Kaye, consider yourself warned. Flames had to decline invites to extend their seasons. If you don’t understand the joke, we’ll catch you up … Michael Frolik has a been battling a wrist injury since mid-season and wasn’t cleared to join the Czechs, while Mikael Backlund informed With no serious nibbles when the NHL’s free-agency window opened last Sweden’s staff that he needs time off to rest a cranky back and TJ Brodie July, Versteeg instead signed with SC Bern, a perennial contender in the received a call from Team Canada but isn’t available due to family Swiss League. commitments. Thing is, the 30-year-old winger was just settling in overseas when his Calgary Herald: LOADED: 04.22.2017 contract was terminated due to an insurance issue. The two-time Stanley Cup champ headed home and instead accepted a training-camp tryout with the Edmonton Oilers. He showed enough to field not one but two contract offers, fleeing Edmonton and putting his signature on a one-year pact with the provincial rival Calgary Flames just before the puck dropped on the regular season. After a 37-point campaign for the Flames, plus a goal and three assists during a first-round playoff exit, the Lethbridge lad would rather not explore his options this summer. “First and foremost, I would love to be in Calgary,” he said. Versteeg is among the headliners on the Flames’ slate of six soon-to-be unrestricted free agents, a list that also includes goaltenders Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson and back-enders Deryk Engelland, Michael Stone and Dennis Wideman. Versteeg and four of the others told reporters on garbage-bag day that they’d like stick around. Wideman, a healthy scratch during the stretch-run and into the playoffs and now target of a $10.25-million lawsuit filed by linesman Don Henderson, is the exception. He wasn’t even spotted at the Saddledome as his teammates packed up their belongings Friday. He won’t be back. “This year was something special,” Versteeg said. “The coaches made it a great environment for you to be yourself. I know in Chicago, they let your personalities really blossom and I think that’s why they have a lot of success there. And that’s kind of like here — everyone, their personalities and their character was definitely wanted from the coaching staff, so it made it easy to come to the rink every day and be yourself. “I think that definitely helps you be comfortable in the room and it helps you play on the ice, so I loved it.” Stone is comfortable in Calgary, too. The 26-year-old arrived in a Feb. 20 swap from the Coyotes but didn’t need directions to his new home rink after starring for the ’s Hitmen as a junior. It’s a bonus that his wife, Michelle, was raised in Lake Bonavista. They welcomed twins in the fall. “It’s a great place for me and my family, and I think it’s a good situation with the team,” Stone said. “I’ve really enjoyed my time here. The guys are awesome, and it’s going to be a good team. We have some young players that are going to turn into some stars in this league. It’s something that you should want to be a part of.” Engelland, 35, is also talking like a guy who hopes to return. “If you want to look at any positives of being swept, guys are going to be angry and you want to do a lot better next year,” he said. MONAHAN NEEDS SURGERY In this case, Sean Monahan would rather not have his name in the record book. 1060913 Calgary Flames time we raised the bar. The expectation has to be raised. It’s really difficult to get into the playoffs, it’s extremely difficult.

“But good teams expect to be there year after year … this team is getting Early playoff exit still "pretty raw" for Flames GM Treliving to that point.” Calgary Herald: LOADED: 04.22.2017 Kristen Odland April 21, 2017 8:07 PM MDT

Brad Treliving’s contract situation with the Calgary Flames hung over the ’s media lounge like a Chinook arch. But that didn’t stop the general manager from keeping the post-mortem address directly on his team, its failure to get past the first round of the National Hockey League post-season, and the off-season issues needing attention. “It’s still pretty raw … it sort of takes your breath away,” Treliving said. “You invest so much and it ends. But (Friday) is an important day with our players. A large part of us feels like we should still be playing here tonight. But we’re not. And that’s the reality. In time, the pain will go away. In time, with a clear lens, you can look at the regular season and there’s a lot to be proud of during the regular season.” He’s not wrong. The Flames accomplished a lot, considering all of the changes they endured ahead of the 2016-17 regular season. New head coach Glen Gulutzan came on scene with a crew of assistant coaches (Paul Jerrard and Dave Cameron) while Treliving had added new goaltending in Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson. Add that to new veterans (Kris Versteeg, Troy Brouwer) and a rookie (Matthew Tkachuk), and there were plenty of adjustments. Calgary stumbled out of the gates, as did Elliott, and posted a 5-10-1 record in the first month of the season. They went on a six-game win streak at the end of November with the help of Johnson in net and Elliott rebounded. One last slide in January ignited the Flames to a 10-game win streak en route to qualifying for the 2017 NHL post-season. They also saw the NHL trade deadline additions of Michael Stone and Matt Bartkowski to shore up their blue line while Curtis Lazar added another smiling face in the dressing room. Calgary finished in the first wild card spot in the Western Conference with a 45-33-4 record and made a 17 point improvement from 77 points in 2015-16 with Bob Hartley at the helm. Their power play improved from 17.0 (22nd in the NHL) last season to 20.2 per cent (tied for 10th best in the NHL with the New York Rangers). Their penalty kill went from 75.5 per cent (30th in the NHL) to 81.6 per cent (12th best in the NHL). They allowed an average of 2.67 goals against compared with a league worst 3.13 a year ago. Yet, after a four-game first-round sweep at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks, they’re out of the NHL post-season. “We didn’t do enough … I look back to two years ago, I thought we were overwhelmed,” Treliving said of the last time the team qualified for the post-season (2015) under his watch as GM. “I didn’t think we were overwhelmed at all (this year). At certain critical times, we didn’t get things done to a certain extent. Maybe a bounce here or a bounce here. But I firmly believe you make your own luck sometimes. We’ll spend some time analyzing. That’s a really good team (Anaheim) over there … The gap here is not enormous.” Treliving would not comment about his own contract situation; “Today is about the players … my situation that’ll get dealt with when it gets dealt with. That’s not for today.” Or about Dennis Wideman’s looming $10.2-million lawsuit from former NHL referee Don Henderson; “It’s a legal proceeding in front of the courts and we’re just not going to comment on it.” But, for the most part, Friday’s final media availability promised no drastic changes or looming guillotines unlike a year ago when the Flames finished out of the post-season as the fifth-worst team in the NHL. Still, Treliving expects this group to head into the summer with chips on their shoulders. “What we do over the next 16 weeks, we have to have the most important hard-working summer as a group, individually, to be prepared to come back here and raise the bar,” Treliving said. “Because I think it’s 1060914 Calgary Flames The Flames are optimistic there’s a lot of winning in their not-too-distant future.

Gaudreau plans to be a big part of that. After shooting blanks in first-round exit, Flames star Gaudreau off to Worlds “It was a tough series. I don’t think we deserved to get swept,” Gaudreau said. “I think, right now, it’s just a learning experience … (The Ducks) are a big, physical team. They’ve been in the post-season before and they’ve Wes Gilbertson gone deep before, too. You kind of learn playing against those guys. April 21, 2017 9:03 PM MDT “As a young team, as younger guys, we can get better in the off-season and come back pretty excited to try to get back to the same spot we were.” Chuck Berry’s hit record collected dust during the Calgary Flames’ oh-so- Calgary Herald: LOADED: 04.22.2017 short playoff run. There was no ‘Go Johnny, Go,’ the catchy tune that blares from the Saddledome loud-speakers every time Johnny Gaudreau finds the back of the net. In fact, as they filed to the exits after the Anaheim Ducks put the finishing touches on a first-round sweep, you couldn’t blame Flames fans if they were wondering, ‘Where did Johnny go?’ “Our line, I think we had a lot of good looks five-on-five,” Gaudreau said after Friday’s exit meetings and locker cleanout. “Obviously, it’s frustrating we lost pretty much every single game by one goal. But looking back on it, we were getting the looks, we just didn’t find the net. I can think back in every single game, five-on-five, where two or three chances we had some really, really good looks and we didn’t find the net. “That’s something we need to be better at.” From the outside, Gaudreau will always be judged on his point totals. That’s just life for a budding superstar, face-of-the-franchise and a guy now earning US$6.75-million per campaign on a big-ticket contract. Nobody suggested it would be easy against Selke Trophy nominee Ryan Kesler and the rest of Anaheim’s shutdown unit, but Gaudreau’s playoff stat-line — zero goals and two measly assists — was more Johnny Hooky than Johnny Hockey. He teed up Sean Monahan for a one-timer on the power play in Game 2. When the series shifted back to the Saddledome, No. 13 collected a secondary assist as Troy Brouwer spied Monahan for another man- advantage marker. Internally, though, Gaudreau is judged on other numbers, and Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan was adamant Friday that the 23-year-old left- winger and his linemates — Monahan and Micheal Ferland — earned a passing grade despite the four-game ouster from the Ducks, painting his lack of playoff production as a case of snakebite rather than see-ya-later. “You’ve gotta realize that we were playing against an elite team, the team that won our division,” Gulutzan reminded. “And their matchup was against a real good line, one of the better lines in the National Hockey League. And they out-chanced that line heavily throughout the time. It could have easily went either way, and it didn’t. But I look at the chances — the quality chances — that they had, that line specifically and Johnny, and I’m happy with the way they played. It just never went for them. “And I know that our power play ran at 33 per cent and their line scored, I think, five or six of those goals. So maybe you’re not the first or second assist, but when you’re putting the puck in the right spots and guys are banging them home with rebounds and executing what we talked about, I have no problems with that. “I’m not here to beat up any of my players, but I like the way that line played against a tough match. And even when we got them away, they created a lot of offence for us. Actually, the most in the series. It just never went in.” Gaudreau didn’t score in his final four regular-season outings, either, so Calgary’s marquee man finished the 2016-17 campaign on an eight- game goal drought. His next lamp-lighting, though, could come sooner than you think. Gaudreau has already accepted an invite to skate for Team USA at the world championship in Paris and Cologne. “Personally, I didn’t want the season to be over here,” Gaudreau said. “I wanted to keep playing and I think we deserved to still be playing. For me, I think going over there and playing for my country, it’s always exciting. “It’s huge to just build confidence up, have some fun over there and hopefully win. Because it’s always fun winning.” 1060916 Calgary Flames “The goaltending position is always going to be heavily scrutinized,” Treliving said. “As I told both guys today, ‘We’re not sitting here talking about a first-round playoff series if they don’t perform like they do — both Flames goalies both want to return to Calgary of them — at different parts of the season.’ Let’s not forget that. “I think everyone would agree — and Brian would be the first one — that he’s capable of playing much better. The playoffs didn’t go the way he Kristen Odland wanted them to go … emotion and frustration are never helpful in decision making so you have to take a step back. You need solid April 21, 2017 9:05 PM MDT goaltending to be competitive in this league and we saw it. chad had good stretch this year. Brian had a good stretch this year.

“Without that, we’re doing this meeting 10 days ago.” The last memory of Brian Elliott’s 2016-17 National Hockey League season is a short-side goal from Anaheim Ducks forward Patrick Eaves, Calgary Herald: LOADED: 04.22.2017 which he allowed in the early stages of Game 4 on Wednesday. And for a unrestricted free agent who is playing for a contract, it’s hardly the lasting impression you want to make on a team despite the fact Elliott believes he didn’t do anything wrong on the goal. But, as the 32-year-old netminder sees it, the overall evaluation of his first campaign with the Calgary Flames should be from a larger body of work — not just 5:38 and one goal on three shots in the biggest game of the team’s season. “I hope that doesn’t go into the decision,” Elliott said as the team went through their exit interviews with the coaching staff one-by-one. “That’s not the way anybody wants to end a game, let alone a season. Like I said, I wouldn’t have done anything different on the play it’s not like I’m wrapping my brain around, ‘Why didn’t I do this? Why didn’t I do that?’ I would have made the exact same save selection. “That’s how I can compartmentalize things.” Elliott, by now, is used to playing under a microscope. And in a Canadian market like Calgary, there is nowhere to hide from your mistakes. Joining the Flames at the 2016 NHL draft in a trade with St. Louis, Elliott was acquired to improve their crease. Outside of the first six weeks of the season (which saw him post a 3-9-1 record) and at least two performances in the playoffs that he’d probably like to have back (early in a 3-2 loss in Game 2 and a 5-4 OT loss in Game 3), he was an improvement. His regular season numbers were largely skewed by the start of the year, but eventually he was Calgary’s No.1 goalie with a 26-18-3 record and a 2.55 goals against average and .910 save percentage. But that didn’t help ease the emotions of a large portion of the Flames’ fan base that were blaming him for Anaheim’s four-game sweep of the Flames. “It comes along with the job, being a goalie,” Elliott said of the criticism, specifically after Game 4. “From when you’re eight years old to 38, you’re either the hero or getting blamed. If you can make it to this level, you’ve gone through a lot of situations where you could end up an eight-year-old crying on the way home for letting your team down. “You have to go through those situations to handle the next one.” Elliott indicated he wants to return to the Flames in 2017-18, saying he would, “welcome the opportunity” but that decision is up to Flames general manager Brad Treliving now. Ditto for back-up netminder Chad Johnson who is also a unrestricted free agent this off-season. Johnson, of course, excelled early in the year when he won 13-of-15 during a stretch from Nov. 3 to Dec. 10. Battling a groin injury at the end of the regular season, Johnson finished with an 18-15-1 record, a 2.59 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. The Calgarian, for obvious reasons, would love to continue playing in his hometown. But he also believes in his abilities, and also the direction the Flames are trending. “I want to be a 1A goalie,” he said. “I think I’ve proven I can be a 1B when I was given the opportunity I took that role and had that roll and did well. My goal is to be part of a winning team and to play and to contribute. I think I can do that here. “It really comes down to what the organization wants to do. They’ll have their meetings and things like that. But I want to play.” The two had come at a bargain last off-season. Their combined salaries ($3.8-million) were less than Jonas Hiller’s salary alone ($4.5-million). Once again, Treliving is faced with a goaltending predicament this off- season as both goalies need new contracts. 1060919 Calgary Flames Gaudreau plans to be a big part of that. “It was a tough series. I don’t think we deserved to get swept,” Gaudreau said. “I think, right now, it’s just a learning experience … (The Ducks) are After shooting blanks in playoffs, Flames star Gaudreau off to Worlds a big, physical team. They’ve been in the post-season before and they’ve gone deep before, too. You kind of learn playing against those guys. WES GILBERTSON “As a young team, as younger guys, we can get better in the off-season and come back pretty excited to try to get back to the same spot we FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 07:43 PM MDT were.” Calgary Sun: LOADED: 04.22.2017 Chuck Berry’s hit record collected dust during the Calgary Flames’ oh-so- short playoff run. There was no ‘Go Johnny, Go,’ the catchy tune that blares from the Saddledome loud-speakers every time Johnny Gaudreau finds the back of the net. In fact, as they filed to the exits after the Anaheim Ducks put the finishing touches on a first-round sweep, you couldn’t blame Flames fans if they were wondering, ‘Where did Johnny go?’ “Our line, I think we had a lot of good looks five-on-five,” Gaudreau said after Friday’s exit meetings and locker cleanout. “Obviously, it’s frustrating we lost pretty much every single game by one goal. But looking back on it, we were getting the looks, we just didn’t find the net. I can think back in every single game, five-on-five, where two or three chances we had some really, really good looks and we didn’t find the net. “That’s something we need to be better at.” From the outside, Gaudreau will always be judged on his point totals. That’s just life for a budding superstar, face-of-the-franchise and a guy now earning US$6.75-million per campaign on a big-ticket contract. Nobody suggested it would be easy against Selke Trophy nominee Ryan Kesler and the rest of Anaheim’s shutdown unit, but Gaudreau’s playoff stat-line — zero goals and two measly assists — was more Johnny Hooky than Johnny Hockey. He teed up Sean Monahan for a one-timer on the power play in Game 2. When the series shifted back to the Saddledome, No. 13 collected a secondary assist as Troy Brouwer spied Monahan for another man- advantage marker. Internally, though, Gaudreau is judged on other numbers, and Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan was adamant Friday that the 23-year-old left- winger and his linemates — Monahan and Micheal Ferland — earned a passing grade despite the four-game ouster from the Ducks, painting his lack of playoff production as a case of snakebite rather than see-ya-later. “You’ve gotta realize that we were playing against an elite team, the team that won our division,” Gulutzan reminded. “And their matchup was against a real good line, one of the better lines in the National Hockey League. And they out-chanced that line heavily throughout the time. It could have easily went either way, and it didn’t. But I look at the chances — the quality chances — that they had, that line specifically and Johnny, and I’m happy with the way they played. It just never went for them. “And I know that our power play ran at 33 per cent and their line scored, I think, five or six of those goals. So maybe you’re not the first or second assist, but when you’re putting the puck in the right spots and guys are banging them home with rebounds and executing what we talked about, I have no problems with that. “I’m not here to beat up any of my players, but I like the way that line played against a tough match. And even when we got them away, they created a lot of offence for us. Actually, the most in the series. It just never went in.” Gaudreau didn’t score in his final four regular-season outings, either, so Calgary’s marquee man finished the 2016-17 campaign on an eight- game goal drought. His next lamp-lighting, though, could come sooner than you think. Gaudreau has already accepted an invite to skate for Team USA at the world championship in Paris and Cologne. “Personally, I didn’t want the season to be over here,” Gaudreau said. “I wanted to keep playing and I think we deserved to still be playing. For me, I think going over there and playing for my country, it’s always exciting. “It’s huge to just build confidence up, have some fun over there and hopefully win. Because it’s always fun winning.” The Flames are optimistic there’s a lot of winning in their not-too-distant future. 1060920 Calgary Flames Calgary Sun: LOADED: 04.22.2017

Flames' Monahan to undergo wrist surgery

KRISTEN ODLAND, POSTMEDIA FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 07:44 PM MDT

Calgary Flames centre Sean Monahan revealed at the team’s final media availability of the season that he will undergo wrist surgery in the upcoming days. That news, of course, prevents Monahan from attending next month’s IIHF World Championships in Cologne, Germany, and Paris, France. “They did ask me and I’d love to go,” said Monahan. “I’m going to get some kinks out of (his wrist) and be ready to go for next season.” After being ousted from the Stanley Cup playoffs in Game 4 on Wednesday, the Calgary Flames addressed the media on Friday at the Scotiabank Saddledome. One-by-one, they filed out of their exit meetings and tried to sum up their 2016-17 National Hockey League campaign in 10 minutes or less. Monahan’s news was a surprise considering he was arguably Calgary’s best forward against the Anaheim Ducks, scoring powerplay goals in all four games of the Flames abbreviated post-season run. The 22-year-old scored 27 goals and 31 assists in 82 regular season games. “I think, obviously, you go the playoffs and we worked as hard as we did to get there,” Monahan said. “To be on this team, it’s a good team. Getting that experience for this group and myself, obviously, it was my second time in the playoffs. “We know how important it is to step up and be good in those kind of situations.” While Mark Giordano is pondering the idea of attending worlds — although the Flames captain hasn’t heard from Team Canada brass — winger Johnny Gaudreau will represent the U.S. But, according to the 23-year-old, it doesn’t make this time of the year any easier. “I think just personally, I didn’t want the season to be over here,” Gaudreau said. “I wanted to keep playing and I think we deserved to still be playing. For me, I think going over there and playing for my country, it’s always exciting. “I’ve talked to some guys that are on the team, we have a good group out there, so I’m excited to go over there and keep playing hockey.” A post-mortem of “what went wrong” has already begun as Flames brass dissects the 2016-17 campaign and the players. The Flames overcame a slow start (5-10-1) and a dip in January to win 10 straight games from Feb. 21 to March 13 and qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The post-season was over after a four-game sweep by the Anaheim Ducks. “I just think our belief, next year, right from the start has to be there,” Giordano said. “At the start of this year, with the ups and downs, we were a bit shaky. We started to believe in the second half of the season that we were a good team.” Motivated by the abrupt end to their playoff run, the off-season starts immediately and players’ attention either turn to the world championships or recovery. While Dougie Hamilton hasn’t been approached by team Canada, winger Michael Frolik revealed, like Monahan, he’s also been dealing with a injury to his left wrist since December. Although the injury won’t require surgery, he won’t play for the Czech team at worlds. “I just had my medicals and I didn’t get cleared,” Frolik said. “I was dealing with it most of the season. I just called them and said I didn’t get cleared. Obviously I would love to go but I just want to make sure I’m going to heal properly and train for next year.” 1060921 Carolina Hurricanes News Observer LOADED: 04.22.2017

Checkers’ Dwyer still having fun at 33

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

CHARLOTTE — Pat Dwyer still gets uneasy riding on the team bus after a hockey game, when all is dark and quiet. That will never go away. “When it’s at night and you hear the rumble strips going, it brings back memories,” Dwyer said Friday. On an icy night in February 2009, Dwyer was with the Albany River Rats, then the Carolina Hurricanes’ affiliate, and returning from a game. The Rats bus skidded and hit a guard rail, then flipped onto its side on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Dwyer was fortunate and not injured in the crash. Nor were there any fatalities. But several players suffered serious injuries — defenseman Casey Borer had a broken neck — and everyone was left mentally scarred. Dwyer called it life-changing, saying, “It brings to light how quickly things can happen. You can’t take anything for granted. You never know.” So much has happened since that night for Dwyer. Now 33, he is again in the AHL, a forward for the Charlotte Checkers, doing all he can to help them win a Calder Cup playoff series against the Chicago Wolves. Dwyer played 416 games for the Hurricanes and can say he was in the Carolina lineup for Game 4 of the 2009 Eastern Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. That was the last Stanley Cup playoff game for the Canes, who were swept by the Pens, and now seems eons ago. After parts of seven NHL seasons with Carolina, Dwyer said he had surgery for a double sports hernia after 2014-15 and was not re-signed by the Canes. His best option was overseas, playing for MODO in the Swedish Hockey League, taking his family to live in Ornskoldsvik, a scenic city of more than 30,000. After a professional tryout this season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Dwyer accepted the opportunity to return to the Carolina organization with the Checkers. Signing an AHL contract in October, he has given the Checkers dependable play while mentoring some of the young forwards, being the consummate organizational man. “I still think I can play at the (NHL) level but as a realist I don’t know if that’s going to happen,” Dwyer said. “I’m not holding my breath on that happening. I’m just a guy who loves the game. I can still play the game at a high level. These young guys keep you young and on your toes. It’s still fun to me.” In 58 games with the Checkers, Dwyer had 14 goals and 26 points and closed with a plus-4 rating as Charlotte fought its way into the AHL playoffs. At 6 feet and 176 pounds, Dwyer has always relied on his quickness, hustle and instincts on the ice. A fourth-round draft pick by the then- Atlanta Thrashers in 2002, he spent four years at Western Michigan before turning professional and then paid his dues in the AHL. Dwyer made his NHL debut with the Canes in the 2008-09 season, playing 13 games. Needed in the playoffs when Tuomu Ruutu was injured, he was used in Game 2 and Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. There was another Carolina game with playoff implications that also stands out. On April 9, 2011, the Canes needed only to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning at home in the regular-season finale to again reach the playoffs. That close. The Lightning won 6-2. “We knew it was win and you’re in,” Dwyer said. “There was such a good feeling in the locker room and we came out and they took it to us. That was our chance when I was a fulltime player to make it. It was tough.” But Dwyer said he has a lot more good memories than bad. With Carolina, he played his first NHL game, scored his first NHL goal and, yes, was in his first playoff game. “To be with an organization that long is something I take pride in,” he said. “They must have liked something I did and I’m still in the organization, which must say something about the respect both ways.”

1060922 Carolina Hurricanes

Canes sign Dahlbeck, solve needs

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

The Carolina Hurricanes solved a couple of needs Friday by signing defenseman Klas Dahlbeck to a one-year contract that will pay him $850,000 for the 2017-18 season. Dahlbeck, 25, played in 43 games with the Hurricanes in 2016-17, scoring two goals and earning four assists while averaging 13:53 of ice time per game. The Swede, used mostly in the third defensive pairing, also gave the Canes physical play when needed. Dahlbeck can help protect the Canes in the NHL expansion draft that will stock the roster for the Vegas Golden Knights, who begin play next season. Dahlbeck can be a defenseman exposed to the draft by the Canes, having played a total of 114 NHL games the past two seasons with Arizona and Carolina. If he is exposed to the draft, as expected, and not selected, Dahlbeck will report to preseason training camp to compete for a spot on the Canes roster.

News Observer LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060923 Carolina Hurricanes

Canes sign Lorentz to entry-level deal

From staff reports

The Carolina Hurricanes announced Friday they have signed forward Steven Lorentz on a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will pay Lorentz $650,000 on the NHL level in 2017-18 and 2018-19, and $700,000 in 2019-20. On the American Hockey League level he would earn $60,000 per year. Lorentz receives a signing bonus of $185,000. Lorentz, 21, tied for second among Peterborough Petes skaters with a career-high 29 goals during his fourth season in 2016-17. The Kitchener, Ont., native also had career highs in assists (32), points (61) and plus/minus (+12), serving as Peterborough’s alternate captain and helping the Petes earn the top record in the Eastern Conference during the regular season. “Steven took a big step forward this season with Peterborough, and has earned an opportunity to continue his development with our organization,” Carolina general manager Ron Francis said in a statement.

News Observer LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060924 Carolina Hurricanes News Observer LOADED: 04.22.2017 Could Saarela be the next Aho for Canes?

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

CHARLOTTE — Sebastian Aho got everyone excited in his rookie year with the Carolina Hurricanes, scoring 24 goals, playing with a certain panache this season. Now comes another Finn making some noise, Aleksi Saarela. Unlike Aho, Saarela wasn’t drafted by the Canes, coming to Carolina last year in the trade that sent former Canes captain Eric Staal to the New York Rangers. Like Aho, the forward spent an extra season in SM-liiga, playing in the Finnish elite league rather than coming to North America. But when Saarela did arrive last month, joining the Charlotte Checkers’ lineup in the American Hockey League … “Sometimes it takes a player some adjustment time but it took him no time at all,” Checkers coach Ulf Samuelsson said. Saarela, 20, started scoring and kept on scoring. The center scored in his debut March 28 against Cleveland and had four goals and two assists in a four-game span to quickly be named AHL player of the week. “After the first game I felt like I had been here a while and it’s been good since,” said Saarela, who had six goals and four assists in nine games to help push the Checkers into the AHL playoffs for the first time since 2013. Saarela said he would like a good, strong finish after what he called a disappointing season in Finland. He said he needed surgery for an injury before the season, keeping him out of the Canes’ preseason training camp and setting him back. “It was a tough start. The first 15 games it was bad,” he said. “Then I had some good moments but it didn’t go as I planned.” Saarela was coming off almost a dream season in 2015-16. Then 19, he led Assat Pori with 20 goals and became something of a teen sensation — with Aho, Patrik Laine, Kaspari Kapanen and others — by winning the gold medal for Finland in the 2016 World Junior Championship. That it was played in Helsinki, Saarela’s hometown, only added to the excitement of winning. “For a couple of months after the championship, everyone wanted to talk to us and it felt like we were rock stars,” he said, smiling. The Canes signed Saarela to a three-year, entry-level contract last June. A former third-round pick by the Rangers in the 2015 NHL Draft, he moved to Lukko Rauma in the SM-liiga,scoring a team-high 15 goals in 49 games but unable to get his team into the playoffs. At 5-11 and 198 pounds, Saarela has a strong frame and can play a heavy game, if need be. During the AHL playoff opener Thursday against the Chicago Wolves, he went to the front of the net and held his ground against some physical D-men. But Saarela can skate. Unlike some European players, he said he took an immediate liking to the tighter confines of the North American rink. “Everything happens fast and I think it works for me,” he said. Saarela quickly made friends with Checkers forward Andrej Nestrasil, a native Czech who has become an admirer of Saarela’s game. “The games I saw him play he was probably our best player,” Nestrasil said. “He’s really built well for hockey. He’s really fast and he’s got an unbelievable shot with an unbelievable release. “He can speed up within seconds. The D-man thinks he’s got him and he just burns him. He’s been really impressive.” The Staal trade last year had ripple effects. Center Derek Ryan was recalled from the Checkers and began to prove he can play in the NHL. Center Victor Rask was given a six-year, $24 million contract by the Canes in the offseason and asked to take on a bigger role with Staal gone. Saarela could fill another need for the Canes, potentially adding a scoring forward to the mix. “If I’ve got a good scoring chance I usually take a shot – I’m not looking for a pass,” he said. “I think it was good for me to be traded here.” 1060925 Carolina Hurricanes

Canes sign Dahlbeck, solve needs

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

The Carolina Hurricanes solved a couple of needs Friday by signing defenseman Klas Dahlbeck to a one-year contract that will pay him $850,000 for the 2017-18 season. Dahlbeck, 25, played in 43 games with the Hurricanes in 2016-17, scoring two goals and earning four assists while averaging 13:53 of ice time per game. The Swede, used mostly in the third defensive pairing, also gave the Canes physical play when needed. Dahlbeck can help protect the Canes in the NHL expansion draft that will stock the roster for the Vegas Golden Knights, who begin play next season. Dahlbeck can be a defenseman exposed to the draft by the Canes, having played a total of 114 NHL games the past two seasons with Arizona and Carolina. If he is exposed to the draft, as expected, and not selected, Dahlbeck will report to preseason training camp to compete for a spot on the Canes roster.

Herald-Sun LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060926 Carolina Hurricanes Herald-Sun LOADED: 04.22.2017 Could Saarela be the next Aho for Canes?

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

CHARLOTTE — Sebastian Aho got everyone excited in his rookie year with the Carolina Hurricanes, scoring 24 goals, playing with a certain panache this season. Now comes another Finn making some noise, Aleksi Saarela. Unlike Aho, Saarela wasn’t drafted by the Canes, coming to Carolina last year in the trade that sent former Canes captain Eric Staal to the New York Rangers. Like Aho, the forward spent an extra season in SM-liiga, playing in the Finnish elite league rather than coming to North America. But when Saarela did arrive last month, joining the Charlotte Checkers’ lineup in the American Hockey League … “Sometimes it takes a player some adjustment time but it took him no time at all,” Checkers coach Ulf Samuelsson said. Saarela, 20, started scoring and kept on scoring. The center scored in his debut March 28 against Cleveland and had four goals and two assists in a four-game span to quickly be named AHL player of the week. “After the first game I felt like I had been here a while and it’s been good since,” said Saarela, who had six goals and four assists in nine games to help push the Checkers into the AHL playoffs for the first time since 2013. Saarela said he would like a good, strong finish after what he called a disappointing season in Finland. He said he needed surgery for an injury before the season, keeping him out of the Canes’ preseason training camp and setting him back. “It was a tough start. The first 15 games it was bad,” he said. “Then I had some good moments but it didn’t go as I planned.” Saarela was coming off almost a dream season in 2015-16. Then 19, he led Assat Pori with 20 goals and became something of a teen sensation — with Aho, Patrik Laine, Kaspari Kapanen and others — by winning the gold medal for Finland in the 2016 World Junior Championship. That it was played in Helsinki, Saarela’s hometown, only added to the excitement of winning. “For a couple of months after the championship, everyone wanted to talk to us and it felt like we were rock stars,” he said, smiling. The Canes signed Saarela to a three-year, entry-level contract last June. A former third-round pick by the Rangers in the 2015 NHL Draft, he moved to Lukko Rauma in the SM-liiga,scoring a team-high 15 goals in 49 games but unable to get his team into the playoffs. At 5-11 and 198 pounds, Saarela has a strong frame and can play a heavy game, if need be. During the AHL playoff opener Thursday against the Chicago Wolves, he went to the front of the net and held his ground against some physical D-men. But Saarela can skate. Unlike some European players, he said he took an immediate liking to the tighter confines of the North American rink. “Everything happens fast and I think it works for me,” he said. Saarela quickly made friends with Checkers forward Andrej Nestrasil, a native Czech who has become an admirer of Saarela’s game. “The games I saw him play he was probably our best player,” Nestrasil said. “He’s really built well for hockey. He’s really fast and he’s got an unbelievable shot with an unbelievable release. “He can speed up within seconds. The D-man thinks he’s got him and he just burns him. He’s been really impressive.” The Staal trade last year had ripple effects. Center Derek Ryan was recalled from the Checkers and began to prove he can play in the NHL. Center Victor Rask was given a six-year, $24 million contract by the Canes in the offseason and asked to take on a bigger role with Staal gone. Saarela could fill another need for the Canes, potentially adding a scoring forward to the mix. “If I’ve got a good scoring chance I usually take a shot – I’m not looking for a pass,” he said. “I think it was good for me to be traded here.” 1060927 Chicago Blackhawks he bears responsibility for the inflexibility of the roster now. Brent Seabrook, 32, has six more years left on a deal paying him $6.875 million per season. Artem Anisimov, who struggled mightily winning faceoffs Blackhawks' stunning exit a dramatic mandate for change against the Preds, has four more years at $4.5 million per season. Marcus Kruger proves invaluable to the Hawks at times but is a $3 million salary-cap hit exorbitant for a 17-point center? Then there's 38-year-old Marian Hossa, whose contract preceded Bowman, still on the books four David Haugh more years at $5.275 million per season. That leaves Niklas Hjalmarsson, who has a limited no-movement clause, according to capfriendly.com, as the Hawk most likely to bring something Recovery from Chicago sports shock this severe can take years, if ever. worthwhile in a trade. Unrestricted free-agent defensemen Brian Just ask the Cubs of 2003 or 2008 or the 2000 White Sox. Or the 1986 Campbell and Johnny Oduya, whose age showed in the playoffs, likely Bears and 1991 Blackhawks, Presidents' Trophy winners ousted in the will move on. Getting younger and faster on the blue line is a priority. first round by the North Stars. None of the current Hawks are old enough Fixing what's broken is a must. to have played on that team; they only looked like it getting swept by the A knee-jerk reaction has been to declare the Hawks' championship Predators. window closing but, realistically, it can stay open as long as Kane and The most stunning aspect of the Predators taking the series 4-0 wasn't Toews remain capable of playing at a high level. And despite the Preds necessarily that the aging Hawks were beaten. What left the deepest series, that seems like a reasonable expectation. Those two stars, goalie scar was how badly the Hawks were dominated. They only scored three Corey Crawford, Duncan Keith and Artemi Panarin represent the only goals in 13 periods. Predators goalie Pekka Rinne finished the series five players the Hawks should consider untouchable this offseason. with as many points as Patrick Kane — two. Jonathan Toews waited until Every other possibility must be on the table after a short postseason that late in Game 4 to score a meaningless goal, officially recording his caused pain likely to last a long time in a sports town that never forgets. participation in a series he otherwise skipped. The Captain's game went kaput. Any legitimate Stanley Cup contender needs more out of $10.5 million-per-year players than the Hawks got from theirs. Chicago Tribune LOADED: 04.22.2017 Had the Hawks been eliminated in Game 7, the immediate impact on the organization would be less jarring. Going down meekly in four straight games represented a mandate for change and rattled the Hawks enough to reassess everything. The powers-that-be can't be tone-deaf to what happened in the Music City. Stop clinging to the Hawks winning 50 games and earning 109 points. Listen to coach Joel Quenneville, who acknowledged his team's postseason failure nullified its regular-season success. The Hawks "One Goal" isn't being the best team from October to April. It's beating four playoff opponents and hoisting the Stanley Cup in June, something the current roster was ill-equipped to do. Credit goes to the Predators, the first No. 8 seed to sweep a series, who resembled the real Western Conference favorites with speed, skill and a hot goalie. But blame in the form of accountability must be assessed with the Hawks to avoid this occurring again. It's not overreacting to demand as much from the Hawks as they do from themselves. The Hawks weren't done in by lousy officiating or fluky plays. They were exposed as an inferior hockey team incapable of kicking into that playoff gear. They didn't lose as much as they were beaten by a better team. Finding a silver lining in the 2016-17 season contradicts everything the Hawks always have espoused. Where was the championship pedigree? Their quest ended abruptly, as Quenneville put it, because the Hawks couldn't find "the all-out button.'' Translation: The Preds showed more heart. Depending on the shift, the Predators alternately made the Hawks look old and slow or young and lost. The pushback everybody expected never came, the response muted by a more relentless bunch. Something was missing from the Hawks and that indicted everybody on the bloated payroll. Oversimplifying it, the Hawks always appeared too comfortable. What we interpreted as confidence, in retrospect, could have been complacency that often is the residue of continuity. Kane hinted as much in postgame comments to reporters. "Maybe we won a couple close games that might have made us feel like we were better than we really were,'' Kane said. Now comes the hard part for general manager Stan Bowman: Being honest about the roster, identifying what it lacks for playoff competition and finding creative ways to address those deficiencies. Two straight first-round exits have left the Hawks searching for an element difficult to describe that good playoff teams have. It goes beyond talent. The possibility that the Hawks have gotten stale after so many years together can't be discounted. Besides fresh legs on the ice, perhaps a set of fresh eyes in the front office alongside Bowman or on the bench next to Quenneville — not instead of him, Twitterverse — would help. Maybe adding a guy who plays like his hair is on fire and doesn't necessarily fit the prototypical Blackhawk mold would shake up team chemistry in a productive way. Incorporating six rookies infused youth and enthusiasm but none of them possessed a strong enough personality to change the temperature in the dressing room. Making a trade to alter the mix — as tricky as that will be given how many Hawks' contracts have no- movement clauses — must be considered. Bowman received justifiable praise for putting the Hawks in position to win 50 games with players drafted and developed on his watch. Likewise, 1060928 Chicago Blackhawks

NHL commissioner on Winter Olympics: 'We're not going'

Joe Knowles

Even if the International Olympic Committee sweetens its offer, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman insists that his league will not participate in the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea. "We're not going," Bettman said Friday during his annual meeting with a group of sports editors at league headquarters. "That decision has been made." The issues on the table included insurance and travel expenses for players, and the IOC appeared to be willing to soften its stance on both. But Bettman said who pays for what is just part of the equation. "We're not anti-Olympics," Bettman said. "We're anti-disruption." The Winter Olympics fall squarely in the middle of the NHL season, during mid-February when the league only shares the pro sports calendar with the NBA. That, more than any financial consideration, is the deal-breaker, according to Bettman. Going dark for two weeks — "invisible," as Bettman put it — is too much of a sacrifice at that time of year. Bettman said the idea of moving the hockey tournament to the Summer Olympics was floated, but the Olympic charter specifies that games of "snow and ice" should be in the Winter Games. He noted that ice hockey was introduced to the Olympics at the Summer Games in Antwerp in 1920, so apparently the charter could be amended. While some NHL players — most notably Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin – have said they would abandon their teams to play for their home country, Bettman thought that scenario was unlikely. The various national hockey federations may not accept NHL players if the league doesn't participate in the Olympics, and there are obvious contractual obligations that would be violated if a player chose to leave his NHL team to participate in the two-week Olympic tournament. "We're confident our players will remain with their teams," Bettman said.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060929 Chicago Blackhawks

NHL commissioner on Blackhawks' early exit: 'That's our playoffs'

Joe Knowles

It takes an 82-game regular season to determine who the top-seeded teams will be in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Then … poof. The first round isn't even over and two of the top-seeded teams are out. That's hockey, baby. Or at least that's how NHL commissioner Gary Bettman explained the league's playoff format in a meeting Friday with a group of sports editors. "For all the prognostication and everything you can see on paper, I think everybody was surprised," Bettman said, referring to the biggest upset, in which the Western Conference's top-seeded Blackhawks were swept by the eighth-seeded Predators. "But that's our playoffs, right?" "We have extraordinary competitive balance. You see it throughout the regular season. Every game seems to matter when you get to the point where you need to qualify for the playoffs," Bettman said. "Virtually every team gives its fans hope at the start of the regular season. And I think what you've seen over the last decade or so is once the playoffs start, anything can happen." A look at the Blackhawks roster now, and what it might look like next season. (Chris Hine) This season, the top three teams in the Eastern Conference were clustered in a single division, the Metropolitan. The divisional format — as opposed to the previous 1-through-8 conference format — assures that at least one of those teams will be eliminated in the first round. Columbus (108 points) was knocked out by Pittsburgh (111 points) Thursday night. Top-seeded Washington (118 points) is tied 2-2 with Toronto, the eighth-seeded wild card, heading into Friday night's game. But Bettman is happy with the format and thinks the upside outweighs the downside. "Just because the points seem to be clustered (this year) that can change from year to year. The purpose of the format is to accentuate rivalries, and you get your best rivalries in divisional play," Bettman said. "It's also for the fans. You know your division rivals and their players better than perhaps you would for some other teams. So we think it's working well." The new format also sets up a bracket that holds up from round to round. "We like the fact that we don't now re-seed, and the reason for that it was toohelter-skelter about knowing what you were following,"Bettman said. "If you're a fan watching one series, you know to keep your eye on which series (winner) you'll be playing next. You wouldn't necessarily have that if you re-seed. It's been three years (with the new format) and we think the early returns have been great."

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060930 Chicago Blackhawks

Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson burn Blackhawks with tweets

Phil Thompson

You could say Carrie Underwood "takes the wheels" off the Blackhawks bandwagon. Or not. Sorry about that. The "Jesus, Take the Wheel" singer and wife of Predators center Mike Fisher had been playing it cool throughout Nashville's first-round series against the Hawks, but she couldn't resist trolling Chicago after the Predators pulled off the sweep Thursday night. Underwood tweeted a GIF of a raccoon pushing a broom and added "#sweep," "#Smashville" and other hashtags in the caption. Kelly Clarkson tweeted a photo of herself and her son at the game, adding, "Just watched the Nashville Preds sweep the Chicago Blackhawks!! Fun game!! Little man was one of my many dates tonight #MamaTo4 #Smashville" (Wait, do all the American Idols hate the Blackhawks?) Former Vice President and Nashville resident Al Gore noted, "Big win for @PredsNHL tonight! SWEEP! #StandWithUs #GoPreds." The Tribune caught some payback, too. The city of Nashville tweeted, "Bye Chicago. So much for Nashville being insecure @chicagotribune #SWEEP." Attached was an image of Ice Cube saying "Bye Felicia" in the movie "Friday." The Tribune ran an article last week that needled the Tennessean newspaper — and the city as well — for showing its "hockey inferiority complex" by running a photo illustration of a saber-tooth cat with a mouthful of Blackhawks-colored feathers with the headline "Predators, meet prey." The Twitter account for Predators mascot Gnash showed (again, our apologies for this) zero chill going after ESPN, Alyssa Milano (yes, Alyssa Milano) and Blackhawks mascot Tommy Hawk, and even taking a couple of jabs at the league office. (OK, if not an inferiority complex, how about a persecution complex?) Read one tweet: "@espn please stick to and social issues because hockey isn't your thing. World Wide Leader in Sports my furry butt." To Milano, whose playoff bracket had the Hawks in the Stanley Cup Final: "Hey @Alyssa_Milano Who's the Boss now?!?!?" A couple of memes implied NHL executives would prefer the ratings- friendly Hawks had advanced instead of small-market Nashville. "Waiting on an email today from New York saying they've decided to make it best 5 out of 9," Gnash tweeted.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060931 Chicago Blackhawks

Aging Blackhawks defense should be huge concern to Stan Bowman

Chris Hine

For the first three games of their series against the Predators, the Blackhawks started six defensemen with an average age of 31.8 years. Possibly the most startling sight for the Hawks in their sweep at the hands of the Predators was that their defensemen looked their ages. The struggles of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane were a major problem in the series, but you could argue that was a four-game aberration. Also, Toews and Kane are still in their late 20s and have several prime years of hockey ahead of them. Instead, the biggest issue was something that might not improve next season — the younger Predators skating circles around the Hawks' veteran defensemen. If that's the future of the Central Division, that ought to keep the Hawks' restless throughout this offseason. With a lot of salary-cap space tied up in big contracts, there might not be much general manager Stan Bowman can do about it. Duncan Keith, one of the premier defenseman in the league for a long time, is 33 and is 18 months removed from major knee surgery. Brent Seabrook, who is signed for seven more seasons, is 32 but has looked for two seasons like there is wear on his treads. Brian Campbell, 38, is a free agent who could retire or go elsewhere. Johnny Oduya, 35, is also a free agent, is coming off an injury-riddled season and, by his own admission, a disappointing playoff series in which the Predators made him look like he was skating in sand. Bowman tried to recapture the magic of previous Cup runs with that core of defensemen. It was a patchwork solution that looked good on paper but failed when it counted. Several Hawks said they couldn't quite reach the level of play they have had in previous seasons. Maybe it wasn't a lack of desire or motivation to do so. Maybe the Hawks couldn't skate with the Predators — because they just weren't as fast, especially on defense. Steve Rosenbloom reacts to the Predators' sweep of the Blackhawks in the playoffs. This season the Hawks saw the emergence of some young forwards who might be contributors the next few years in Nick Schmaltz and Ryan Hartman. But if the Hawks want to keep their Stanley Cup window open, next season and the years after are going to depend on the development of defensemen currently in the system to bolster the aging core. Among the names are Gustav Forsling, who played in 38 games this season, Erik Gustafsson, who played in 41 games a season ago but didn't crack the roster this season, Viktor Svedberg (27 games a season ago), Ville Pokka and Lucas Carlsson, who spent the year in the Swedish Hockey League. But developing young defensemen is different from forwards. Young defensemen need time, sometimes multiple seasons, to become viable NHL players. The Hawks don't have a lot of time to wait. The Hawks feel they have one young defenseman in Trevor van Riemsdyk, who could be a solid bottom pairing defenseman, but van Riemsdyk, who is under contract for next season, could be in danger of the Vegas Golden Knights plucking him in the upcoming expansion draft. Meanwhile, the Hawks would like to re-sign Michal Kempny, but Kempny is also a free agent. Who fills up minutes beyond the top three defensemen — and how they perform — is very much a question headed into next season and beyond. The enduring Images from the first-round exit are going to be the Predators skating by the Hawks, relentlessly forcing the issue in the Hawks' defensive zone. No matter who coach Joel Quenneville threw out there, the Hawks had no answer to slow the Predators, and looking at the defensive roster next season, it's hard to determine who might be part of the solution.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060932 Chicago Blackhawks The Hawks best defenseman at driving offense during the regular season, according to NaturalStatTrick, was Michael Kempny, and he was the best by a lot — a 56.66 percent Corsi For compared to Trevor van The urgent change the Blackhawks must make Riemsdyk’s 50.51, Keith’s 50.20 and Brent Seabrook’s 50.14. For Seabrook, that’s an improvement from the last couple seasons. For Keith, that’s a terrible drop. For Kempny, he and everyone else had a Steve Rosenbloom right to ask why he didn’t get a playoff shift for a slow team struggling with offense until Game 4.

That can’t happen next season. That can’t happen next postseason. Remember how the Blackhawks finally proved they were quicker, faster Oduya and Campbell don’t need to come back next season. Kempny, a and better than the vexing Red Wings after all those years? free agent who should be re-signed, and Forsling need ice time. They need ice time in the regular season and the postseason. They need ice Well, guess what? The Predators just made the Blackhawks look like time because the salary cap is hammering the Hawks like always. those Red Wings, the aging team that lost speed and skill and hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since the Hawks blew past them in 2010. Even if Kempny and Forsling pan out, that’s still not enough youth and speed on the blue line. GM Stan Bowman will have to be an aggressive The Hawks are working on two straight years of not just failing to win the trader. Stanley Cup, but failing to get out of the first round, and this latest faceplant was a slaughter. The Predators ruined the Hawks. Exposed Ideally, the Hawks would trade Seabrook, but he has a no-movement them as little more than a traveling Stanley Cup museum exhibit. clause, and even if he didn’t, nobody’s taking a 32-year-old defenseman with seven years left on a deal that swallows $6.875 million of salary-cap The Hawks scored three times in four games. They managed only one space annually. goal skating five-on-five. Imagine: A team with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov and Duncan Keith Similarly, no one is taking a 38-year-old Hossa who has four years left on scored only one stinking goal at even-strength. a deal with a cap hit of more than $5.2 million a season. And that goal came from Dennis Rasmussen. You’re going to bring up Corey Crawford’s name, aren’t you? Well, stop. Just stop. Crawford also has a no-movement clause, but besides, he has The Predators were faster, quicker and better. They had top-end talent won two Stanley Cups and he was pretty much the Hawks’ only up front and a mobile defense that scorched the Hawks the way the consistently good player in the Nashville series. Hawks’ top-end talent and mobile blue line used to char opponents. What I think the Hawks are looking at is moving a young forward that The Predators moved the puck out of their zone quickly and gained the developed at the NHL level this season for a young defenseman who is Hawks zone with control. They passed tape-to-tape. They played as five- ready to do the same. man units. They did everything the Hawks used to do but can’t anymore, apparently. I don’t see them dealing Nick Schmaltz because his great vision and slick passing skills plug a hole at center, especially with the possibility of Most of all, the Predators battled all over the ice. They competed. The losing Marcus Kruger in the expansion draft. Hawks, meanwhile, played soft. They lost a ton of board battles and didn’t seem to want to traffic between the dots. The Hawks didn’t want to Ryan Hartman, though, might be a different story. He’s going to be 23 go to the hard areas. They had almost no net presence. The Hawks next season, he has NHL experience and he nearly scored 20 goals this refused to persevere and fight to get to the blue paint. season. The Hawks were exposed as some combination of old, slow and Or maybe Bowman makes a two-for-one or three-for-one deal, trading inadequate in many areas. They were exposed as a team that cannot highly rated minor leaguers for a young defenseman who can win a spot play the puck-possession game the way champions must. Their ability to next season. manage and control the puck was an issue all season, and this playoff ignominy demands that the Hawks raise their skill level, a change that Whatever Bowman does this offseason, making the blue line younger starts on the back end. and faster can’t wait. It’s urgent. It’s overdue. Toews and Kane will be 29 next season. Coincidentally, that’s about the percentage of the Hawks’ The Hawks offense has always started with their defense, and their salary cap they chew up. Their greatness is running out — Toews, defense starts with Keith, but he never got started against the Predators. unfortunately, has a big head start on that — which means the Hawks’ He looked ordinary. The Hawks cannot afford to have Keith look ordinary. Cup chances are dwindling, too. It’s the creaky defense that is aiding and The Hawks thrive when he’s controlling the puck and controlling play. He abetting what looks like a slow fade from legitimate contention. did none of that against the Predators and did it less than usual in the regular season. To think, the Hawks spent all those years molding themselves after the Red Wings, and now they must desperately avoid becoming that team. Keith always has been in phenomenal shape. He plays half the game. He plays every game. But it was inevitable that time would beat Keith someday, and it looks like time just took a big lead.

A look at the Blackhawks roster now, and what it might look like next season. (Chris Hine) Chicago Tribune LOADED: 04.22.2017 I don’t know if Keith can regain his Norris Trophy level. I do know the Hawks don’t have another Keith handy. I also know the Hawks must start developing young, mobile defensemen who can play in the postseason. Of all the failures exposed by the Predators, an old, slow defense with inadequate talent was the most painful to see. Predators forwards jumped the Hawks defense every chance they got, and the Hawks defense stayed jumped. Hawks defensemen didn’t have time or space to find an outlet. If they tried to skate, the Predators forwards buzzed them. And this was without Michal Rozsival dressing, mind you. That area has to change. I know Joel Quenneville loves his veteran defensemen, a bias driven home by Eric Gustafsson’s horrible series- deciding giveaway in the third period of Game 7 against the Blues last year, but sorry, the blue line has to change. The Gustafsson-centric bias prompted the Hawks to reacquire Johnny Oduya, who was broken-down, as feared. That bias also prompted the Hawks to bring back supposedly offensive defenseman Brian Campbell, who had better puck-possession numbers than only Oduya and Gustav Forsling in the regular season. That plan, like the Hawks, went nowhere this month. 1060933 Chicago Blackhawks Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 04.22.2017 Blackhawks must stop living in the past and look to the future

04/21/2017, 07:37PM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Patrick Kane slumped at his locker, his body language betraying the level tone of his voice. Like everybody else in the aftermath of the Predators’ stunning first- round sweep of the once-mighty Blackhawks, he was trying to figure out how a 50-victory season ended so suddenly, so pathetically. ‘‘Maybe we won a couple of close games that might have made us feel like we were better than we really were,’’ Kane said, a startling and honest self-assessment of a flawed team. ‘‘To score three goals in four games, I mean, there’s no way you’re going to win doing that.’’ And there’s no way the Hawks are going to continue to win Stanley Cups doing what they’ve been doing. The lesson from this postseason flameout is clear: The Hawks need to stop living in the past and start looking toward the future. It’s easy to look at two consecutive first-round exits and think the Hawks’ championship window has closed. But Kane is only 28 and at the top of his game. Jonathan Toews turns 29 next week, and another long offseason without the World Cup getting in the way might work wonders. Duncan Keith is still on the best contract in the NHL. Marian Hossa had 26 goals this season at age 38. The core isn’t what it used to be, but it’s still as good as any in the league. And just like the Pittsburgh Penguins did in recent seasons, turning what looked to be a fading one-Cup wonder into the Hawks’ successor as the best franchise in hockey, the Hawks still can retool around their two superstar forwards and prolong their relevance, if not their dominance. It starts with getting younger and faster. It’s not 2010 anymore. Nor is it 2013 or even 2015. No more nostalgia signings and trades. Andrew Ladd, Brian Campbell and Johnny Oduya always will be a big part of Hawks lore, but aging former players on the wrong side of 30 no longer should be the target. The Hawks were the oldest team in the league this season, and they looked like it against the younger, faster, hungrier Predators. The Hawks don’t have the salary-cap flexibility to make massive changes, even if the Vegas Golden Knights take Marcus Kruger off their hands in the expansion draft in June. It would be insane to trade Corey Crawford to save only a couple of million dollars, and Brent Seabrook’s albatross of a contract and no-movement clause will make him difficult to unload. Richard Panik needs — and deserves — a new contract, too. So much of the change has to come from within. And there’s hope there. Nick Schmaltz needs to take the next step and become a more consistent, multidimensional player. Ryan Hartman needs to build off his terrific rookie campaign. Tyler Motte needs to come back healthy and raring to go in the fall. Gustav Forsling is only 20 years old and might be the next elite Hawks defenseman. Michal Kempny wants to come back, and the Hawks should sign him and actually play him next season. And the Hawks would be wise to swing a deal with the Golden Knights to ensure they don’t take Trevor van Riemsdyk. The good news is, there’s a rush of new talent entering the system in the fall. Who knows whether diminutive Alex DeBrincat can produce right away at the NHL level, but you don’t score 65 goals in 63 games by accident, even in the Ontario Hockey League. Big John Hayden showed great promise in his brief stint. There’s help on the way on the blue line not too far down the road, too. Nobody wanted to talk about the future Thursday. And it’s hard to put a finger on what the 2016-17 season meant. The rookie-laden Hawks defied expectations with a 50-victory campaign, then suffered one of the worst postseason results in franchise history. When asked if the four losses nullified the 50 victories, coach Joel Quenneville grumbled, ‘‘Certainly nullifies it to me.’’ But all hope is not lost. The Hawks might not be the dominant team they once were, but they’re in no danger of tumbling out of playoff contention. And, most important, another great team can be built around the remaining pieces of the Hawks’ golden age. The championship window doesn’t have to close. It just might need to be propped open for a season or two until the next generation is ready to bust it wide-open. 1060934 Chicago Blackhawks 4. Anybody home? The fact that the Blackhawks had nothing to play for at the end of the regular season came back to bite them in a big way. With the top seed Why nothing went right for Chicago Blackhawks against Nashville wrapped up, they coasted into Game 1 just expecting the "on button" to magically go back on. John Dietz It never did. The Hawks of the past -- like the 2015 title team -- were able to take it easy in the final week or so, but the stars were a bit younger and there NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Fifty victories. The No. 1 seed in the West. were far more playoff veterans such as , Brad Richards, Andrew Shaw, Kris Versteeg, Brandon Saad and Antoine Vermette who Eighty-nine points from Patrick Kane; 74 by Artemi Panarin. Seven guys wouldn't be fazed by any sort of deficit, or by any opponent for that with 19 or more goals. matter. Plenty went right for the Chicago Blackhawks this season, yet when the For as nice a season as some of the young players had, they followed in rubber met the road, the Hawks skidded out of control and saw their lock step with Kane, Toews, Keith and Seabrook, and never were a Stanley Cup dreams squashed in an instant by an extremely talented factor against Nashville. bunch of Nashville Predators. It was nothing short of a total team collapse up and down the lineup. Before the postseason began, we ran a story about how clutch the Hawks had been all season; that 20 of their 50 victories came in large The most damning evidence that the Hawks were in deep trouble came part because of a tying or winning goal being scored in the final 5.5 after their 5-0 loss in Game 2. Expecting to see fuming -- or at least minutes or overtime. agitated -- players in the locker room, reporters instead found Toews, Kane and Corey Crawford talking like they'd just lost a game in January. In retrospect, that fact should have been more of a red flag than something to boast about. Where was the fire? The passion? The disappointment? "Maybe we won a couple close games that might have made us feel like It was nowhere to be found -- just like the Hawks in this series. we were better than we really were," Kane said after Thursday's season- ending loss to Nashville. There were about 100 reasons why the Predators swept the Hawks, but Daily Herald Times LOADED: 04.22.2017 because it took just four games, we'll look at the four biggest ones ... 1. Wrong team, wrong time What if the Hawks had opened against Calgary? Or a team like Minnesota? Would we be talking about the second round in a few days? Would the young guys have played better, gained more confidence and used it to help propel the Hawks deeper into the postseason? Or would it not have mattered one lick? They are all good questions with no obvious answer, but the fact is the Hawks ran into two tough-as-nails opponents the last two years. The postseason is often about matchups, injuries and getting the right bounces. Last season against the Blues, it was a tough matchup and the bounces didn't go the Hawks' way. This season, it was more about the matchup. Nashville was just better in every conceivable way. Faster. Hungrier. Deeper. Stronger. More resilient. Better coached. "They were relentless," Jonathan Toews said. "Anytime we seem to start to get things going they found ways to stymie our momentum or our offense." 2. Dimming stars If Jonathan Toews can't score more than 1 meaningless goal in a playoff series, it's time to wonder if the Hawks' captain isn't starting to become a liability, especially when one considers his $10.5 million salary cap hit. But it's not just Toews. Where was Patrick Kane? Or Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov? Or Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Johnny Oduya and Brian Campbell? These supposed big-name performers couldn't win a key faceoff, couldn't get off many high-quality shots and couldn't keep up with just about all of Nashville's young and hungry players. The Hawks' stars never got going and that's a slam-dunk recipe for disaster. 3. Slower traffic move right Roller skates vs. jet packs. At times, that's how it felt watching the Hawks try and keep up with Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson, Ryan Johansen, Colton Sissons, Kevin Fiala, Ryan Ellis and P.K. Subban. We lost count of how many times Nashville's players beat the Hawks to a puck and got behind the defense to create prime scoring chances. The Predators also outworked the Hawks for every loose puck and rarely turned it over once they were in control. 1060935 Chicago Blackhawks

WHAT'S DONE AND WHAT LIES AHEAD: FIVE THOUGHTS ON THE BLACKHAWKS

By Tracey Myers April 21, 2017 3:00 PM

The end came quicker than most of us expected on Thursday night when the Blackhawks were swept by the Nashville Predators, their second first- round exit in as many seasons. Where do the Blackhawks go from here? General manager Stan Bowman, coach Joel Quenneville and Blackhawks players will address the media on Saturday as part of their locker clean-out day. Before they do, a few thoughts on the abrupt end of this season and the look ahead. 1. Quenneville taking the blame is wrong. Quenneville said it was on him that the Blackhawks didn't reach the necessary level in the postseason, that he didn't find "whatever buttons you have to push." As a coach he's responsible for finding the right combinations, for recognizing a player's strengths and weaknesses and adjusting accordingly. But when it comes to realizing it's the postseason and you've got to play that much better? That's on the players. These are grown men with very robust annual paychecks that serve as reminders on how they're supposed to play, especially during the postseason. Quenneville is responsible for certain things. Making sure a player's appetite to win is there in April is not one of them. 2. It wasn't about the goalie. There are still a few (albeit very few) who think if Scott Darling would've been in net at some point against the Predators, there would've been a different outcome. Well, we'll apply the same logic there as we did with Corey Crawford: Unless the Blackhawks' goaltenders were going to score some goals themselves, it didn't matter. Crawford wasn't the problem. Out of this four-game mess, he was probably the most consistent player. You get a slight argument on Game 3, but not much past that. The Blackhawks scored three goals in four games. They had more goals in the first game of this series two years ago. 3. Don't look to the past anymore. On paper, both the Brian Campbell signing and Johnny Oduya re-acquisition looked like good ideas. Neither cost much. Neither were expected to be the go-to guys. But neither ended up being what the Blackhawks needed. This is the fourth time since 2013 the Blackhawks have brought back guys from previous Stanley Cup teams (Campbell, Oduya, Andrew Ladd and Kris Versteeg), but the moves usually didn't bring the desired results. It's great to think you can recapture the magic with former players, but years go by and times change. 4. Be ready for changes. Don't expect front-office changes. What Bowman and Quenneville have done over the past few seasons is tremendous, especially in the salary-cap era. While this result is shocking and beyond disappointing, it's not reason enough to start dismantling the brain trust. Roster changes, however, won't be a surprise. They never are with this team. It would be a surprise if either Oduya or Campbell are back. Do they consider moving a bigger contract? Maybe, but that depends on having a willing trade partner and the player (likely) having to OK it. But the Blackhawks have to start looking forward more. 5. Take heart in the future. The Blackhawks got a glimpse into what the next generation can bring this season, and most of it is good. Ryan Hartman had an outstanding rookie season. Nick Schmaltz had the growing pains that accompany a player making the jump from college straight to the pros, but the skill is there and he should keep developing. Tyler Motte was outstanding at the start of the season. If he can reach pre-injury levels again this fall, he'll be valuable. Let's not forget Alex DeBrincat, who put up an astounding 127 points and set and/or tied a few Ontario Hockey League records with the this season. He's been great in the playoffs, too, with 22 points through 11 games.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060936 Chicago Blackhawks

Keys to the offseason: Blackhawks

10:43 AM ET Craig Custance

For the second consecutive year, the Chicago Blackhawks are out in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. This time in dramatic fashion – a sweep at the hands of the Nashville Predators. Factor in the Blackhawks' consecutive first-round exits along with the massive changes in Los Angeles, and it’s an indication of how the power has now shifted in the NHL. The powerhouse Kings and Blackhawks are no longer powerhouses. Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has done a remarkable job in Chicago finding new and creative ways to keep the championship window open for the Blackhawks and faces a challenge this summer with his aging roster one year older. Here’s where he should focus:

ESPNChicago.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060937 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets | Playoff newcomers didn’t back down from defending champs

Posted at 8:43 PM Updated at 8:43 PM By Tom Reed

PITTSBURGH — Alexander Wennberg didn’t hide his disappointment in the visitors’ dressing room Thursday night after the Blue Jackets’ season ended in playoff defeat to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The top-line center offered a sobering self-assessment of his first postseason experience that generated one assist and a minus-3 rating in a five-game series setback. “I’m proud of the guys, but I’m not too happy about my playoffs,” said Wennberg, the third-year pro who enjoyed a breakout regular season with 13 goals and 46 assists. “I have to be better. There are a lot of things I need to improve on. I’m supposed to be an offensive guy so I have to produce, and that’s not what I’m doing. I have to look at this, learn from it and be better the next time I get a chance.” Wennberg was one of 10 Blue Jackets who made his playoff debut against the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Swedish forward can take solace in the fact Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury — stars of the series — were humbled 10 years ago in a five- game, first-round defeat against the Ottawa Senators. “They were overwhelmed,” former Penguin and current team radio analyst Phil Bourque recalled. Neither Wennberg nor his fellow Blue Jacket first-timers looked out of place in a series dominated by the Penguins’ top-six forwards and marked by the struggles of Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The Jackets received quality performances from playoff neophytes William Karlsson, Zach Werenski, Josh Anderson and Markus Nutivaara. Defenseman Gabriel Carlsson, 20, who appeared in two regular-season games, played better as the series unfurled. Nutivaara and Carlsson, who formed the third pairing, had plus-3 ratings in two elimination games. “I’m not going to the ‘young and inexperienced’ stuff,” coach said. “I don’t want to go there at all. I thought our guys had no fear, playing against the Stanley Cup champs.” The legend of Werenski, an NHL rookie-of-the-year finalist, grew in the postseason despite suffering a series-ending broken cheekbone in Game 3. The 19-year-old defenseman scored a goal, played like a veteran and returned from the gruesome injury for one period before his right eye swelled shut. His courageous display inspired at least two T-shirts, one including Tortorella’s “(A heart) as big as the building” comment. Tortorella actually referred to another part of the anatomy. Karlsson, 24, scored two goals and in Game 4 was part of a line with Anderson and Matt Calvert that held Crosby without a shot attempt for the first time in 128 playoff games, according to Penguins historian Bob Grove. Anderson, 22, a broad-shouldered, 6-foot-3 wing with good speed, registered a goal and an assist, and was noticeable throughout the series. Nutivaara, 22, might have been the most pleasant surprise with his poised, offensively aggressive approach, recording a goal and an assist despite being a healthy scratch in the first three games. Even Wennberg had his moments and went hard to the net on the controversial goalie interference call in Game 5 that nullified a potential tying goal in the third period. “We have to lick our wounds and learn from some of the things that went on in the series,” Tortorella said. “But I can’t wait to get going again with them. I’m proud of them.”

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060938 Columbus Blue Jackets Injuries are a huge part of hockey, and the Blue Jackets — to their credit — made no excuses.

But losing sensational rookie defenseman Zach Werenski to a gruesome Blue Jackets | Three reasons the Penguins won injury in Game 3 was a tough blow for a club that relied so heavily on him to generate offense. Posted at 8:32 PM The Blue Jackets also played the entire series without the steady hand of Ryan Murray (hand, back), turning one of the roster’s strengths into a Updated at 8:32 PM nightly scramble. By Aaron Portzline In hindsight, physical veteran Kyle Quincey and puck-moving rookie Markus Nutivaara should have been in the lineup from the start. They brought life to the lineup starting in Game 4. The Blue Jackets’ season can’t be defined by one word, much less one emotion: It was thrilling and devastating, out-of-nowhere and a long time coming, a season like no other with an ending Columbus has seen twice. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.22.2017 Nobody expected the Blue Jackets to be a 50-win, 108-point team, to set franchise records in scores of categories and flirt with the Presidents’ Trophy until the final week of the season. And yet the highly successful regular season, including a 16-game winning streak, only served to make the Blue Jackets’ quick postseason exit feel like a disappointment. The Jackets lost 5-2 on Thursday at the Penguins Pittsburgh, ending the best-of-seven series after only five games. Coach John Tortorella and center Brandon Dubinsky often use the same verbiage, and so it was after the game. “This was not a 4-1 series,” they both said. But it was a 4-1 series. And here are three reasons it ended so quickly. 1. Fleury beat Bob Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky needed to outplay the Penguins’ Marc- Andre Fleury for the Blue Jackets to have a chance. He didn’t. Not even close, really. Bobrovsky was leaky and looked nervous all series, letting in 20 goals in the five games and putting up an unfathomable .882 save percentage. If Bobrovsky stopped pucks at the same pace as during the regular season — his .932 save percentage led the NHL — he would have allowed eight fewer goals to the Penguins in the series. It seems Pittsburgh’s puck-movement and plethora of stars unnerved Bobrovsky. He usually goes about his work with an economy of motion, but he was jumpy and unpredictable. “They’ve got good players, a good team,” Bobrovsky said. “They beat me. We learn from it and move on.” If only it were that easy. This is now part of Bobrovsky’s reputation. He is 3-10-1 in his career in the postseason, and his .887 save percentage and 3.63 goals-against average are some of the worst numbers among his contemporaries. Among the 34 active goaltenders who have started 10 postseason games or more, Bobrovsky ranks 33rd in save percentage and 34th in goals-against average. Meanwhile, Fleury — pressed into duty late when Matt Murray was injured in Game 1 warmups — was outstanding, despite some outrageous rebounds. He capped the series with 49-save beauty on Thursday. In the series, the Blue Jackets generated 24 more shots on goal and 34 more shot attempts than the high-octane Penguins. And lost. 2. Penguins’ stars stand out Before Friday’s playoff games, the top three playoff scorers across the NHL were all Penguins: Evgeni Malkin (11 points), Phil Kessel (eight) and Sidney Crosby (seven). Crosby scored the dagger goal on Thursday, a one-timer on the power play for a 4-2 lead after the Jackets had a goal that would have tied the score at 3 disallowed because of goaltender interference. Yes, the Penguins’ top players were their top players in the series. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets’ highest-paid forwards sputtered offensively. Brandon Saad had one goal and two assists; Brandon Dubinsky had one goal and one assist; and Nick Foligno had no goals and two assists. And you know about Bobrovsky. 3. Devastated ‘D’ 1060939 Columbus Blue Jackets which he won 41 games and had a GAA of 2.06 and a .931 save percentage.

The perplexing falloff of Bobrovsky leaves mixed feelings, much as the The Front Row: Blue Jackets leave mixed feelings Jackets’ season as a whole will be recalled, at least in the early aftermath of being outscored 21-13 in losing four of five playoff games. Posted Apr 21, 2017 at 9:48 AM Half empty? Half full? Updated Apr 21, 2017 at 10:03 AM This fan base has had only three playoff appearances to savor, and the Jackets are 3-12 all-time in the postseason. By Todd Jones You can say these are the same-old Jackets and be right, at least in an historical sense, because once again Columbus is left to only watch other teams play the final three rounds of the playoffs. The end comes so suddenly, as if you’re walking down the street and step into an open manhole. The Jackets fell short of the expectations they created with their own unexpected success in the regular season. You’re a hockey player, and you strap on the equipment, lace up the boots, and play, day after day, week after week, through six-plus months This is a team that still has holes, especially in regards to offensive of a check-the-skyline-to-see-what-town-you’re-in-tonight regular season, firepower, and now Bob is an enigma that must be addressed. His career 82 games in all, and then skate into the cyclone of fury known as the playoff record is 3-10, including two losses with the Philadelphia Flyers in Stanley Cup Playoffs, and then . . . 2011. It’s over. Yet there is much for the Jackets to build upon, especially the stellar young blueline pairing of Werenski and Seth Jones. That’s a dynamic The final horn sounds. You shake hands with the opponent, skate off the duo for years to come. ice, and try to make sense of it all. The Jackets were not a fluke this season. You don’t win 50 games and Disappointment is the immediate tempting feeling for the Blue Jackets total 108 points with smoke-and-mirrors. They’re a good team – one that and their fans now that the season is over, ended Thursday by a bitter learned how to win and be professionals in Tortorella’s first full-season – and frustrating 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 of a their that was beaten by a better team, the Stanley Cup champs. first-round series. Still, all the highs and lows create a mixed bag for Columbus to sort Going 1-4 in the playoffs after finishing the regular season 1-5-1 creates through. an emptiness at the end of a Jackets journey that had so many highlights, chief among them a 16-game winning streak in December and A sudden, disappointing end to the season makes it difficult to see the early January that was the second-longest in NHL history. good from the bad. Perhaps a little time this offseason will heal the wounds. We are 16 seasons into the franchise’s history and we’re still waiting for the Jackets to win a playoff series. Maybe that’s why Tortorella, not one to easily swallow losing, had the presence of mind to see the big picture and say this about the Jackets And yet the Jackets had their greatest season ever, setting a slew of immediately after falling into the open manhole: team records, including regular-season marks for wins (50) and points (108) while posting the NHL’s fourth-best record after finishing with the “We’re a good team. I’m not going to the ‘young and inexperienced’ stuff. league’s fourth-worst record a year earlier. I don’t want to go there at all. I thought our guys had no fear, playing against the Stanley Cup champ. That’s a very good team we played. So fans, and probably the players, too, are left all over the emotional map They had no fear. We put a ton of good minutes in. with what to make of a season with extremes highs ending on such a low, a thudding crash into the abyss after stepping into that open “I’m proud of our club. That’s not a 4-to-1 series. I’m not going to piss and manhole. moan about it. They win. But I like a lot of things about our club. We have to lick our wounds and learn from some of the things that went on in this A micro view, one focused only on Game 5, no doubts centers on series. I can’t wait to get going again with them, quite honestly. I’m proud frustration with the referees awarding the Stanley Cup champion of them. I’m very proud of the group.” Penguins a power play while waving off an apparent game-tying goal by the Jackets early in the third period. Here’s how Jackets coach John Tortorella reacted on the bench Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.22.2017 Thursday to the ruling that Alexander Wennberg had interfered with Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, nullifying Oliver Bjorkstrand’s apparent goal: Tortorella bit his tongue in the post-game press conference when asked about the call, which led to a power play goal by the Penguins for a 4-2 lead. “Stop baiting me into it,” he said to Dispatch beat reporter Aaron Portzline after a follow-up question about the controversial call. “There’s no sense in me having a viewpoints on it. It happened.” Instead of complaining, Tortorella choose to credit his players for their tenacity in a series that would still be alive if not for an overtime loss Sunday in Game 3. The Blue Jackets played the past two games without star rookie defender Zach Werenski, who suffered facial fractures when struck by a puck in the third game. They also played Thursday without captain Nick Foligno because of a lower body injury. Still, the Jackets roared back from a 3-0 deficit in Game 5, outshot the Penguins 51-32, but were stymied by Fleury’s 49 stops. Fleury, a veteran backup pressed into emergency service in the series, outplayed Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky over the five games. That’s a cold, hard, simple truth. Dispatch columnist Michael Arace wrote that the Jackets needed Bob to steal a game, maybe two, against the high-powered Penguins. Instead, Bob didn’t do the job. He had a 3.888 goals-against average with a .882 save percentage in the series after a stellar regular season in 1060940 Detroit Red Wings

Blackhawks' playoff loss could benefit World Championship-bound Wings

Helene St. James 9:01 p.m. ET April 21, 2017

The playoff upset of one NHL powerhouse likely will benefit several Detroit Red Wings. The Chicago Blackhawks were swept by the wild-card Nashville Predators in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, making it likely superstar Patrick Kane will go play for the U.S. at the World Championship next month. If so, he’d improve a squad coached by Wings coach Jeff Blashill and featuring Wings players Jimmy Howard in goal, Dylan Larkin up front and Danny DeKeyser on the back end. The tournament runs May 5-21 in Cologne, Germany and Paris. The U.S. is in Group A, based in Cologne, along with Russia, Sweden, Slovakia, Germany, Latvia, Denmark and Italy. Group B, based in Paris until the moving to Cologne for the final weekend, features the Czech Republic, which has Wings goalie Petr Mrazek on the roster, along with Canada, Finland, Switzerland, Belarus, Norway, France and Slovenia. The Blackhawks were the top-ranked team in the West and third-ranked in the league. It didn’t go much better for the fourth-ranked team, Columbus, which lost in the first round in five games. Since joining the league in 2000, the Blue Jackets have appeared only three times in the playoffs, and have yet to win a series. Kane, 28, had a quiet Predators series with one goal among two points, but he’s an indisputable talent who just put in his second best NHL season with 89 points in 82 games, after finishing 2015-16 with a career- high 106 points. He has topped 50 assists two straight seasons. Since Kane is usually still playing for the Blackhawks when Worlds take place, he hasn’t done so since the 2008 World Championship, when he posted 10 points in seven games. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060941 Detroit Red Wings

Athanasiou, Mantha carry weight of Wings’ playoff void

Ted Kulfan 4:23 p.m. ET April 21, 2017

Detroit — Motivation for next season? Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou have a lot, mainly from the Red Wings watching — and not competing — in the playoffs. The stigma of being the team that ended the streak of 25 consecutive playoff appearances will be a constant motivator. But the same can be said individually about their seasons. Occasionally having to watch — being healthy scratches for several games — is a motivation for next season and not having to go through that again. “A learning process,” said Mantha, of his first full-time NHL season, during locker cleanout day last week. “The ups and downs we faced this season as a team, it was a lot of downs. (But) we learned from those.” For the two young players that fans have particularly latched on to — and are definitely part of the organization’s nucleus going forward — it was a roller-coaster season. Mantha had 17 goals an 36 points this season, and definitely showed the elite goal-scoring ability that was so evident during his junior hockey and minor league career. But there were potholes, too. Mantha was a healthy scratch for two games in early March, as coach Jeff Blashill wasn’t satisfied with Mantha’s competitive level and intensity. “For me, it’s just something I have to focus on, to always have a good or great games,” Mantha said. “I watched (captain Henrik) Zetterberg practice and play and he’s always at the same level, always competing, even in practice. “I’ll try to get that mentality for next year.” Athanasiou had 18 goals, but played just over 13 minutes of ice time (13:27), often having difficulty earning playing time on the top lines. Athanasiou was a healthy scratch for one game, benched during games several times, and was scolded in the media by Blashill for competitive and defensive shortcomings. “This is a team and every night it’s going to take a team effort to win,” said Athanasiou during cleanout day. “As for individual efforts, I’m going to take care of that and make sure that I’m good for this team and making sure I give (this team) what I can give.” Fans constantly voiced displeasure with Blashill’s use (or lack there of) of Athanasiou, wanting to see the fast and electrifying skater on the ice more often. “I see people comment on it, message me about it, tell me about it, but I don’t pay much attention,” said Athanasiou of fan reaction. “I don’t want to say I’m happy with my production — I always want to do better — but the goal for next year is to step it up and do even better.” From a team standpoint, being part of the roster that ended the streak stung. That could be as big a motivator as anything from an individual standpoint. “We’ve been in the playoffs for 25 years, we don’t want to make it two years out,” Mantha said. “We want to be back in (in the playoffs). That’s our focus for this summer and next season. “It’s a terribe feeling to break the streak. We obviously didn’t have the season we wanted. We need to come back next year with better preparation and have a better year.” Detroit News LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060942 Detroit Red Wings What’s left are rosters with few guarantees. For the Pistons, the overwhelming hope is that Jackson, who missed 30 games with knee tendinitis, rebuilds his energy and confidence. If he bounces back, the Wojo: Pistons, Wings stuck in neutral pick-and-roll game with Drummond bounces back. By the end, Jackson’s physical struggles became mental struggles, and after an offseason out of the pressure-cooker, I think he’s capable of a significant rebound. Because of that, the Pistons have a better shot at a quick recovery than Bob Wojnowski the Wings. 11:54 a.m. ET April 21, 2017 “Getting our point guard situation back to where it was, or even better, is more than feasible, and I think that corrects a great deal of the

problems,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t have much doubt Reggie will be You’re experiencing withdrawal, absently flipping from channel to back to being that guy. I honestly believe he’ll be better because fighting channel, glancing at random NBA and NHL playoff games. It’s an empty through it tends to mature you and focus you.” feeling, a strange feeling, and you never want to experience it again. Center of attention It’s as if the Red Wings and Pistons hit the pause button, out of the Maturity and focus — which brings us to the big fella. Drummond remains playoffs simultaneously for the first time since 1983. It’s an eerie an enigma, and although he’s only 23, he’s been in the league five coincidence, but it’s not a fluke. Both franchises slogged through ugly seasons and has to act like his reputation is at stake, because it is. I think seasons, shuttered their buildings and then pledged to start over at Little the Pistons would trade him if they could, but he has four years and Caesars Arena. about $100 million left on his contract, and has shown no ability to I’m not here to bemoan their absence, but to determine how long they’ll improve his free-throw shooting. be gone, and how they get back. The issues for both are similar and not The Pistons need to shoot better, which means they need better easily fixed. Young players regressed for various reasons — Pistons shooters, and perhaps they deal someone like Tobias Harris. Van Gundy Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson; Wings Dylan Larkin and Petr and Bower aren’t reluctant to make big moves, but they also have to Mrazek — leaving the franchises lacking superstar cornerstones. It’s the decide if Caldwell-Pope is worth a pricey extension, which is a tough call. worst spot to be in pro sports, neither poised for a quick return to the playoffs, nor willing to accept a painful descent. The lesson for both teams is, you can’t just stick with what you know and who you have and hope natural growth occurs. Holland counted on Players bear blame, certainly, but the problems and possible solutions players such as Tatar, Gustav Nyquist, Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader start in the same general place, with the guys in charge of personnel — and Danny DeKeyser to be more than complementary pieces, and they Ken Holland and Stan Van Gundy. haven’t been. Larkin had a rough second season, and if Mantha and Holland overvalued his own players, believed his core would improve Athanasiou are capable of giving more, they have to prove it, and the with experience, and was slow to react when it didn’t happen. Because of team has to give them a chance to prove it. that, he feels the heat entering the final year of his contract. Holland is stocking up on draft picks, still with the goal of returning to the Van Gundy, Pistons coach and president of basketball operations, playoffs, realistic or not. Van Gundy is taking stock of his own overvalued his own players, believed his core would improve with performance, admitting his offense didn’t necessarily fit his roster. He experience, and was slow to react when it didn’t happen. Because of either has to be more flexible with his system, or find different players. that, he also feels the heat. To be clear, owner Tom Gores hasn’t Down separate paths, the Pistons and Wings have arrived at the same commented on Van Gundy’s status since the 37-45 season ended, spot, soon to be in the same arena. The atmosphere will change, but if although I doubt he’d make a move. The coaching part of Van Gundy’s they want to be back in the spotlight next April, the thinking at the top has dual roles was more disappointing than the personnel side, with GM Jeff to change too. Bower handling the day-to-day work. Detroit News LOADED: 04.22.2017 Also to be clear, Wings owner Chris Ilitch expressed “100 percent confidence” in Holland, who in turn pledged support for coach Jeff Blashill. The Wings, like the Pistons, believe growth will come from within their relatively young teams. Hand-picked belief Here’s the question: Do they really believe in their rosters, or do they have no choice but to believe in their rosters? Cumbersome contracts and underperforming players hamper their flexibility. Do the Wings need a shakeup, now that their 25-year playoff streak is over? Absolutely. Some form of a rebuild is inevitable, and Holland might even agree, as long as you don’t define “rebuild” as “tanking.” I respect the Wings’ undying desire to reach the postseason instead of scaling way back to start over. But if they’re going to pull it off, Holland must get bolder, more creative. With so many players on bloated contracts — due to Holland’s miscalculations — it’ll be difficult to make trades. That means he might have to take a risk and deal one of the promising youngsters — Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou — for a much-needed defenseman in a value-for-value blockbuster. “Would I like to shuffle the deck? Would I like to make some changes? Yeah, I would,” Holland said. “In order to shuffle the deck, you gotta have a partner. In looking to improve the team, part of it has to come internally, and we have a number of players that have more to give.” Listen to Van Gundy and it sounds strangely similar: “Realistically, you always think you have a better chance to tweak things instead of some bombshell move. I don’t think we need a bombshell move. … I don’t think this is the final verdict on our team. We got young guys who didn’t make the progress we wanted this year, but I still like the core.” Outside of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, every Piston starter took a step back. Outside of Henrik Zetterberg and perhaps Tomas Tatar, most key Wings took a step back. 1060943 Detroit Red Wings OT Period-7, Grand Rapids, Nosek 1 (Lorito, Russo), 9:32. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Milwaukee 10-12-10-3-35. Grand Rapids 14-8-15-5-42. Griffins don't play well, but follow simple plan for 1-0 series lead Power Play Opportunities-Milwaukee 1 / 6; Grand Rapids 1 / 7.

Goalies-Milwaukee, Mazanec (42 shots-38 saves). Grand Rapids, Peter J. Wallner Coreau (35 shots-32 saves). April 21, 2017 at 11:12 PM A-7,504 Referees-Tim Mayer (19), Cameron Voss (41). GRAND RAPIDS - The execution wasn't there most of the night for the Linesmen-Jake Davis (23), Pat Richardson (67). Grand Rapids Griffins, but the right idea led to a 1-0 series lead against the Milwaukee Admirals. Michigan Live LOADED: 04.22.2017 Grand Rapids coach Todd Nelson reminded the team between periods of a task he's encouraged throughout the season - get the puck on the net. "The message was just fire pucks on net even from a bad angle," Nelson said. It worked for Tomas Nosek, who took a pass from Matt Lorito and fired a sharp-angled shot from the left side that hit goalie Marek Mazanec between the glove and side and slipped in for a 4-3 overtime victory before 7,504 at . "I just followed the puck, didn't see any player around me and just threw it on net then it goes in," Nosek said. "It actually was the first time I did that shot, so I'm happy." It was redemption of sorts for Nosek, the third-year center. Early in the third period, he missed an open net twice within a matter of moments with the Griffins behind 3-2. "I had a couple chances in the game so I should have scored, for sure," he said. "But this time it goes in. But, I think it was a lucky shot." Matt Lorito sent it into overtime with a clean-up after Tyler Bertuzzi hammered away twice close in with 9:15 left. The win gives the Griffins a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Central Division Semifinals. Game 2 is 4 p.m. Sunday at Van Andel Arena. Special teams play struggled as the Griffins went one for seven on the power play - the goal coming from Matthew Ford in the first period - and allowed a short-handed goal allowed to give the Admirals a 3-2 lead. Overall, 15 penalties were called. That led to some concern going forward. "It was a tough game where thing just weren't really clicking for us," Nelson said. "I don't know if it was a chemistry thing or probably a lack of execution to be quite honest ... but we're definitely going to have to be better on Sunday." The power play is such a big part of the Griffins game - 32 percent of their goals - that the absence of leading goal scorer Martin Frk had an effect. The team's leading goal scorer with 27 has missed the past four games with an upper body injury. Twelve of his goals have come with a man advantage. "I thought we played the right way but I don't know if we played our best hockey," said Ford. "The power play probably could have been a lot better. There was a lot of special teams (play) than you usually see in a playoff game." Milwaukee Admirals 3 at Grand Rapids Griffins 4 (OT) - Status: Final OT Friday, April 21, 2017 - Van Andel Arena Milwaukee 2 1 0 0 - 3 Grand Rapids 2 0 1 1 - 4 1st Period-1, Milwaukee, Gaudreau 1 (Carrier, Smith), 12:08 (PP). 2, Grand Rapids, Ford 1 (Nosek, Russo), 17:23 (PP). 3, Grand Rapids, Svechnikov 1 (Criscuolo), 17:36. 4, Milwaukee, Granberg 1 (Gaudreau, Ribeiro), 18:44. Penalties-Lashoff Gr (delay of game), 0:49; Kirkland Mil (high-sticking), 5:55; Kamenev Mil (hooking), 7:45; Lashoff Gr (interference), 12:04; Kirkland Mil (delay of game), 16:28. 2nd Period-5, Milwaukee, Gaudreau 2 16:53 (SH). Penalties-Richard Mil (high-sticking), 1:26; Criscuolo Gr (high-sticking), 7:47; Criscuolo Gr (double minor - high-sticking), 10:05; Payerl Mil (high-sticking), 15:03; Pardy Mil (delay of game), 17:05; Kamenev Mil (roughing), 19:07; Bertuzzi Gr (tripping, roughing), 19:07. 3rd Period-6, Grand Rapids, Lorito 1 (Bertuzzi, Paetsch), 10:45. Penalties-Payerl Mil (tripping), 1:35. 1060944 Detroit Red Wings Coreau's glove. Second goal in the game for Gaudreau. Milwaukee 3, Grand Rapids 2

15:03 - The Griffins, after doing a great job staving off a four-minute high Tomas Nosek delivers overtime winner for Griffins in Game 1 stick, get their chance as Adam Payeri called for a two-minute high stick. That's the fifth high stick call overall so far. Peter J. Wallner 11:05 - Criscuolo just gets out of the box and high sticks Vladislav Kamenev. It's four minutes. Kamenev, meanwhile, headed to locker April 21, 2017 at 11:13 PM room. 12:13 - First Griffins penalty of the period - Kyle Criscuolo for a high stick. He only had 14 PIM during the regular season. GRIFFINS 4, ADMIRALS 3 18:44 - Admirals' Anthony Richard goes off for a high stick. Tomas Nosek drifted over to pick up a long pass from Matt Lorito and it turned into the game winner for the Griffins. FIRST PERIOD (completed) The center got ahead of a dump-in and quickly flicked a shot from a tight GRIFFINS 2, ADMIRALS 2 angle from the left side that tucked behind goalie Mraek Mazenec at the 9:32 mark. The Griffins scored within 13 seconds to take a 2-1 lead, only to give it away in the closing seconds on a seemingly innocent shot. The goal enabled the Griffins to come back from a 3-2 deficit thanks to Lorito's third period goal. A power play goal by Matthew Ford at 17:23 was followed by Evgeny Svechnikov's goal to put the Griffins ahead. The teams will play Game 2 at 4 p.m. Sunday at Van Andel Arena. But with 1:16 left in the period, a shot from just inside the blueline by MORE: Scoring summary POete Granberg got by Jared Coreau for a busy four-goal first period. _____ The Admirals' Frederick Gaudreau opened the scoring with a power paly goal eight minutes in. THIRD PERIOD (completed) Griffins held an 11-9 lead in shots. They were 1 for 3 on the power play. GRIFFINS 3, ADMIRALS 3 The Admirals were 1 of 2. The Griffins picked up a scrappy goal in the period to send the opener _____ into overtime as both teams missed golden scoring opportunities. 17:44 - Goals coming fast and furious. Suddenly tied as Peter Grandberg Tyler Bertuzzi was aggressive in front of the net and twice whacked shots launched a simple shot straight on from inside the blue line and beat at goalie Marek Mazanec before the puck bounded over the Matt Lorito. Coreau stick side. Milwaukee 2, Grand Rapids 2 He buried the open shot at the 10:45 mark. 17:36 - Just 13 seconds later and the Griffins take the lead. Evgeny Early in the period. Tomas Nosek of the Griffins twice missed an open Svechnikov maneuvers inside left circle and takes a sharp angle shot net within moments. Likewise, the Admirals' Vladislav Kamenev fanned that dribbles through Mazanec's pads. Grand Rapids 2, Milwaukee 1 as goalie Jared Coreau was shifted to the left side. 17:23 - Persistence pays off. Matthew Ford jabs, jabs some more and The Griffins had a 14-10 shot advantage. At the end of regulation. The squeezes puck past Marek Mazanec's glove side for a power play goal. Griffins held a 36-32 shot advantage. Grand Rapids 1, Milwaukee 1 ____ 16:28 - Third PP opportunity for the Griffins in the period. Justin Kirkland for delay. The Griffins have managed just a few scoring chances in their 16:26- Review on shot that appeared to go in Griffins goal after a first two tries. massive scrum. Joe Hicketts ended up making a save while in the crease. 12:08 - It took four seconds. Frederick Gaudreau receives quick pass off faceoff and blast shot past Jared Coreau for power paly goal. Milwaukee 10:45 - Game tied. After Tyler Bertuzzi banged a couple close-in shots 1-0. on goal, Matt Lorito cleaned up as the puck bounced to him on the right side and a clear net. Grand Rapids 3, Milwaukee 3 12:08 - Griffins' Brian Lashoff absolutely leveled Anthony Richard on what appeared to be clean hit. He just released the puck. But he's in for 1:35 - Eric Tangradi lets out a yell after he got his stick slashed by Adam two. Payeri, who goes off. 7:45 - Griffins get 10 seconds of 5 on 3 as Vladuslav Kamenev goes off SECOND PERIOD (completed) for hooking. ADMIRALS 3, GRIFFINS 2 5:55 - Griffins get first PP as Justin Kirkland goes off for high stick. It was not a good period for the Griffins. They gave up the lead and had a 00:49 - Griffins' Brian Lashoff goes off for delay of game. Bad flip of couple costly penalties. clearing puck. Frederick Gaudreau scored a short-handed goal for a 3-2 lead for the PREGAME Admirals at 16:53, while the Griffins were called for five infractions, including six minutes in all for Kyle Criscuolo. And he had 14 penalty No. 3 Milwaukee Admirals at No. 2 Grand Rapids Griffins minutes all season.. 7 p.m. Friday at Van Andel Arena The Griffins' penalty kill also did a great job after Criscuolo was called for a four-minute high stick. The Admirals controlled the zone about 3:30 of The Griffins and Admirals meet tonight in the first game of the best-of-five that. series in the Central Division semifinals. The Admirals had a 12-8 shot advantage. For the game, the teams each We'll keep tabs on the game, so hit refresh periodically for scoring had 22 shots. updates and summaries after each period. You can also comment below. _____ Michigan Live LOADED: 04.22.2017 19:07 - Tyler Bertuzzi goes off for Griffins, then tries his best to bring someone with him in a scrum by the Admirals' goal. Not what Griffins need to close the period. Bertuzzi gets two for trip and two for roughing. Kamanev gets two for roughing. Still, man advantage for Admirals. 17:05 - Griffins get a chance to get back in it moments after the yielding the go-ahead goal. Adam Pardy whistled for delay of game. 16:53 - The Admirals take the lead on a shot-handed goal. Frederick Gaudreau got free ahead of Joe Hicketts and rifled a shot over Jared 1060945 Detroit Red Wings A: The list of players currently playing for the Griffins who are eligible for the expansion draft includes Coreau, forwards Tomas Nosek, Matt Lorito, Martin Frk and Eric Tangradi and defenseman Brian Lashoff. Ask Ansar: On Steve Yzerman, expansion draft and jersey retirements Forwards Ben Street and Mitch Callahan and defenseman Dylan McIlrath are unrestricted free agents, thus not eligible, and all the players with two years or less of pro experience (NHL or AHL) are exempt. April 21, 2017 Red Wings vs. Senators 4-3-17 Staff Writer Ulterior motive behind player usage?

Q: Do you think there is any intelligent reason that (Drew) Miller or (Riley) Former captain's speech increased speculation Sheahan were on the ice at all other than to make (Ken) Holland’s poor contracts look better? – Bill Steve Yzerman heaped praise upon the Detroit Red Wings during the closing ceremony at Joe Louis Arena, congratulating the organization on A: They have worse contracts than Miller’s ($1.025 million last season, its 25-season playoff streak, wishing the team luck in the future and an unrestricted free agent who won’t be re-signed) and Sheahan’s (one telling fans the franchise will win another Stanley Cup soon. year remaining at $2.075 million, restricted free agent in 2018). You wouldn’t expect a franchise icon to say otherwise, especially during Holland has maintained for many years that he doesn’t interfere with a festive occasion. But it led many fans to conclude Yzerman wants to coaching decisions. I’m sure he gives opinions, but the decision on who return to Detroit as the next general manager. Thousands chanted to play, how many minutes, what lines, what specialty team units, etc., is “Come home, Stevie” as he spoke. Jeff Blashill’s alone. The Yzerman-to-Detroit speculation probably will continue for years. It In general, Blashill trusts veterans more than younger players, giving was one of the topics in this week’s mailbag. experienced guys far more rope than younger players. That’s one of the reasons he used Miller as much as he did. Is Yzerman heir apparent to Holland? Blashill explained his usage of Sheahan on several occasions, saying he Q: The way the fans called for Steve to come home (on April 9), do you likes his defense-first mentality (despite his minus-29 rating) and ability to think that will put pressure on Chris Ilitch to make a change? If not this match-up against top centers, his size and strength on the puck and net- year then next season? – Jack front presence on the power play (despite only three points). A: I don’t think so. Two days after that scene, Ilitch affirmed his support You don’t have to agree with it, and many don’t, but that’s how he feels for general manager Ken Holland and confirming his return for 2017-18, and it’s his decision. the final year of his contract. Michigan Live LOADED: 04.22.2017 Ilitch said talk of an extension “is something for the future,” but his comments seemed to indicate he wants Holland here beyond this season. He said ownership has “100 percent confidence” in Holland as its GM into the future and that Holland has the passion to build a championship team again in Detroit. I get the sense Holland is not ready to retire anytime soon and wants the opportunity to get the Red Wings back to where they were. I don’t think Yzerman wants to return to Detroit, now or in the future. At least that’s what I’ve heard. He has a good situation in Tampa Bay. Even though the Lightning missed the playoffs, they have a strong core with Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Jonathan Drouin, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vesilovskiy. They are much closer to contending for a Stanley Cup than the Red Wings. If Holland were to step down after next season or in the near future, I think there’s a greater chance the next GM would be Kris Draper rather than Yzerman. Which Red Wing is Vegas-bound? Q: What players do the Wings have a chance of losing through the expansion draft this summer? – Tony A: The protected list will be one of the main topics of discussion and debate when the front office meets next month. I’m sure they have a good idea of what the list will be, but it could change if trades are made prior to the June 21 expansion draft. Right now, I think some of the players who’ll be available to the Vegas Golden Knights are forwards Darren Helm, Riley Sheahan, Luke Glendening and Tomas Nosek, defensemen Xavier Ouellet and Ryan Sproul and goaltender Jimmy Howard. Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson will be exposed, but it’s safe to say neither will be selected. Who would Vegas select from that list? It depends on what other players are available, league-wide, but my guess would be Sheahan. Despite his massive struggles this season, he’s been fairly productive in the past as a third-line center, he’s big (6-3, 222), though not physical, he’s young (25), not making a ton ($2.075 million) and remains under club control after this season (restricted free agent in 2018). Red Wings vs. Lightning 3-24-17 Which Griffins are available to Golden Knights? Q: Just wondering which Griffins, if any, are eligible for the expansion draft? I know (Jared) Coreau is, but after that, I don't know. – Josh 1060946 Edmonton Oilers shortie at 3:31 of OT on June 14, 2006 in Raleigh, N.C. to send the Oilers and Hurricanes back to Edmonton for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Search “Pisani and goal” on YouTube and up it pops. That’s pretty Dan Barnes: Some Oiler OT heroes defined by goals they score iconic. “I don’t know if you’re defined by that moment but it’s your most memorable moment,” said Pisani. “For me, it was a perfect script. You Dan Barnes couldn’t write it any better, being a kid from Edmonton, being able to score a big goal at such a key time. You lose and you’re done, your April 21, 2017 6:56 PM MDT hopes and dreams are shattered.” Horcoff was the saviour earlier in 2006, when he scored at 2:24 of the third OT to end the third longest game in Oiler history. It started on May He won a Stanley Cup, played 1,195 regular season games and 95 more 10, with the Sharks up 2-0 in their second-round series. The Oilers, for all in the playoffs for four NHL teams, and still, ’s career is intents and purposes, would have been done had they lost Game 3. But defined by one play. thanks to Horcoff — who banged in a loose puck or a pass from Smyth, One shot. and it depends who you ask — at the edge of the Sharks’ crease, the game ended in the wee hours of May 11, and they were still alive. One frozen moment. “There’s the pressure, and the excitement continually builds and builds In Edmonton, anyway. In Anaheim, where he drank from the Cup in 2007 from one overtime to the next,” said Horcoff, who remembers it more and still works as director of player development for the Ducks, the clearly than any other goal he scored as a pro. perception of Marchant is different. “And I think, in Edmonton, you’re not just talking about the people in the But in Edmonton, he is the Oiler who put away the favoured rink. The whole city is watching. That’s what makes it even bigger, makes in overtime in Game 7 on April 29, 1997. Such is the lasting power of it hit home even harder.” overtime and Game 7 combined. Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 04.22.2017 “At least you’re remembered for something,” Marchant said Friday. “I played almost 700 games for the Oilers. But it’s a moment you’ll never forget as long as you live. If somebody recognizes me or I’m in Edmonton, they say I remember where I was when you scored that goal.” Some Oiler fans might well remember, decades from now, where they were when David Desharnais scored the first Oiler OT goal in 11 years. It has been 20 years since Marchant did his thing. He was 23 then, just barely starting out on his NHL journey. That first-round series was packed with drama, the underdog Oilers rising up every other game to win in extra time. Kelly Buchberger scored at 9:15 of OT in Game 3. Ryan Smyth scored at 22 seconds of double OT in Game 5. And Marchant capped it with a goal, heck, THE GOAL, at 12:26 of OT in Game 7. It was blistering hot in Dallas. was a blast furnace. And the series had been a bruiser. “Our game plan was to punish Dallas,” said Marchant. “We tried to get 100 hits a game or something ridiculous like that.” Everyone was beat as Game 7 dragged on. After coincidental minors were called, the teams were playing four-on-four hockey in OT. Oiler goalie Curtis Joseph absolutely robbed Dallas sniper Joe Nieuwendyk on the doorstep, and the stage was set. At full speed, Marchant took a pass from Doug Weight just over the Oilers blue line, Stars defenceman Grant Ledyard turned, stumbled and fell, giving Marchant a beeline to Dallas goalie Andy Moog. From perhaps five feet outside the crease, Marchant snapped the puck high far side and mayhem ensued along the boards. In the dogpile, Dan McGillis kissed Marchant on the cheek. “He tackled me and yeah, he gave me a peck on the cheek. I’m thinking what the hell is this all about?” It’s about relief and joy and excitement. It’s about David beaning Goliath. It’s about a long awaited return to the feeling of post-season success, which spoiled a generation of Oiler fans and players. Those Oilers had been out of the playoffs for five years, not for 11 as is the case this post- season, but all those things applied then just as they do now. “In that city, five years was like an eternity,” Marchant said, “because they had so much success back in the ’80s. We get back in, we’re a complete underdog and we knock off the Dallas Stars.” Marchant was watching from his Anaheim home as Thursday night became Friday morning and David Desharnais took his place in Oiler lore, scoring the 25th playoff overtime goal in franchise history. He was the 18th Oiler player to get one. Wayne Gretzky was in on Thursday, agonizing with many other Oiler fans. Fernando Pisani was there too, but said he found it exciting, not stressful. Shawn Horcoff was asleep in front of the TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where it was way too early in the morning, and he had player development work to do on Friday with Detroit Red Wings prospects. They have all been there and done what Desharnais did for the Oilers against San Jose. Before Thursday’s heroics came about, Pisani had scored the most recent overtime goal for the franchise. He sniped a 1060947 Edmonton Oilers *** The Oilers, who went into the game short handed a playoff-leading 22 times, often with undisciplined penalties, kept their cool and the Sharks San Jose goalie Martin Jones could have broken Oilers hearts only had one power play in Game 5. “We played with emotion and composure, and when you mix those two Jim Matheson together you have a better chance of staying out of the penalty box,” said McLellan. April 21, 2017 6:57 PM MDT Patrick Maroon got the penalty for bumping Jones who was out of the net in the second period; maybe a carry over from an earlier incident where referee Dan O’Halloran confronted the Oiler winger for what the veteran SAN JOSE – Admit it, there was a time in that first overtime period zebra felt was a snow shower at Jones. Thursday where you were cursing San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones after those fantastic saves and wondering if the visitors would get one Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 04.22.2017 sniff at scoring and break the Oilers hearts? Jones looked a whole lot like the heroic Curtis Joseph at the Dallas Stars in the spring of 1997 before Oilers forward Todd Marchant ripped around defenceman Grant Ledyard and buried that shot by Andy Moog in Game 7 of the first round. Jones, who came to the Sharks from the Los Angeles Kings in 2015 in a three-way trade, gave up David Desharnais’ goal with 75 seconds left in the first OT, but was the only reason it got that deep into extra time. He made a phenomenal diving stop on Connor McDavid and he reached back to keep a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ shot from skipping over the line. He also threw up his blocker to rob Drake Caggiula. “I dove into the crease when I saw the puck and got my stick on it and thought for sure it was going in, but on the replay it showed he stuck his paddle back,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “Pretty good play by him and it would have been pretty deflating if we hadn’t won.” Jones was under siege, facing 14 shots while the Sharks threw two muffins at Cam Talbot by Joe Thornton and Brent Burns. Talbot came out of his net a few times to play the puck, just so he didn’t doze off. “The winner happens quick. He threw the puck from the corner, I just lost it for a second and saw it go by my shoulder,” said Jones. “I felt fine. I was just trying to buy us time. We were just a bounce away form getting an opportunity to score a goal. That’s my only mindset, buy us as much time as we can.” The save on McDavid was incredible, reminding people of the Cujo glove stop on Joe Nieuwendyk in 1997 just before Marchant’s goal. “Eddy (Marc-Edouard Vlasic) played it (two-on-one) pretty well,” said Jones. “I know the pass went through. He had to throw a slow sauce pass over to him so it gave me some time to get over there.” *** As we’ve been reporting for weeks, it’s getting down to the short strokes with the Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers and Kings in their hunt for local boy Spencer Foo, the NCAA free-agent forward from Union College. Foo went to St. Francis Xavier before a stint with Mark Letestu’s old Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL. The right-shot right winger, a Hobey Baker finalist this past season, was dined but probably not wined at a box at Rogers Place at Game 2 of the Oilers-Sharks series. The Oilers are likely selling Foo on fellow free-agents Matt Benning and Drake Caggiula making the jump to the NHL right away. The Flyers may have just as a solid a chance at the speedy Foo, though. They just signed Foo’s linemate, centre Mike Vecchione and his former teammate Shayne Gostisbehere also plays on Philly’s blue line. The economics major Foo turns 23 next month. *** The Sharks shut-down pair of Vlasic and Justin Braun played a ton in Game 5. Braun played the most of anybody, 34:30 in the 79-minute thriller. Vlasic was next at 33:49. They spent the entire night trying to stop McDavid, who had an assist on Letestu’s power-play marker. Vlasic played a whopping 50 shifts, Braun 48. Vlasic’s played the most shifts in the series (157). Kris Russell had the most Oilers shifts in Game 5, 42 for 27:21. He’s the Oilers leader in series with 155 shifts. *** Darnell Nurse says he wasn’t bellowing, “two bleeping goal-posts” at a stoppage in the Oilers end in the first period when the defenceman and Cam Talbot came together. “Nah, I didn’t say that but I was thinking it,” said Nurse. But, if he scores on those shots that smacked off the iron with the Oilers already up 1-0 maybe we’ve got a rout not an overtime thriller in Game 5. “If I hit the post an inch the other direction the pucks are going into the net but no matter what happened we stuck to it,” said Nurse. 1060948 Edmonton Oilers Patrick Maroon? Better. Scored the 1-0 goal and still took a bad penalty, the only one of the night for Edmonton. But he was better.

Milan Lucic? Better. His big hits early set a tone. Had some serious Dan Barnes: Edmonton Oilers' big (and little) men come to play in Game looks. At the net. And at some Sharks. 5 Draisaitl? Way better. Won a ton of draws, carried the puck with Dan Barnes authority, chalked up a key assist on Mark Letestu’s pivotal power-play April 21, 2017 5:00 AM MDT goal by sifting the puck through the slot, then found Desharnais with another in overtime to summon the cacophony and Game 6.

Oscar Klefbom? Better. Hit the net and it wasn’t empty. His searing Edmonton’s big men were supposed to decide this game. slapper tied it at 3-3 and sent it to overtime. Biggest goal of his life, he said. They promised to deliver in a pivotal Game 5 and they did. They held serve. They won face-offs, delivered hits, scored goals, mostly stayed out Connor McDavid? Better in overtime than he has been at almost any of the penalty box. other point of this series. He, Draisaitl and Drake Caggiula almost ended it earlier on a couple of Grade A chances. But few Oilers stood taller than the smallest player on the ice for either team on a throwback Thursday night that became a fantastic Friday Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle? Better. Seven shots between morning at Rogers Place as the Sharks and Oilers took Edmonton them. hockey fans on a thrill ride. So now what? Do the Sharks’ big men return the favour in Game 6? You Diminutive David Desharnais set up the tying goal by Oscar Klefbom and have to think that’s a real possibility. But the Oilers head back to San scored the overtime winner to send Oiler fans merrily, boozily into the Jose knowing what it takes and that their big men can help deliver it this downtown streets. He is all of 5-foot-7 and perhaps 175 pounds when time. soaked with the sweat of his best game for the Oilers. He had been hard to find on the ice in this series. He’d win a puck battle here and a faceoff “Our group believes,” said McLellan. “We know how bad we played in there, but he wasn’t getting much done offensively. And folks started to Game 4, but we were able to park it, and start again, make amends. It wonder how long a leash he was wearing. didn’t look good for us, but we kept at it, and when we do that, we’re a tough out. In Game 5, he was one of their little big men. “I’d like to think we learned our lesson now, that when you have a little bit “That’s how you win in the playoffs. You need everyone to step up,” said of success, you have to take it to another level on Saturday.” Leon Draisaitl, one of the acknowledged big men who came through in the clutch. “You need guys that maybe usually don’t put the puck in the Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 04.22.2017 net. Davie was unbelievable tonight. Goal and assist. Assist to tie it, goal in overtime. Huge props to him.” Indeed, playoff series are decided as much by the unheralded and the support players as they are by the big men, the go-to-guys and the goalies. San Jose forward Melker Karlsson won the first overtime game of this series, and that was unexpected. Desharnais was equally out of left field. That he buried a canny feed from Draisaitl past Sharks’ goalie Martin Jones — to ruin an otherwise otherworldly performance from the twineminder, especially in overtime — is of some consequence. Because Draisaitl had been missing in action for most of the series. Ill or injured was the guess, because he was a shadow. Then he took a ridiculous spearing penalty in Game 4 and the flood of scorn rose to a new level. Draisaitl admits spear was 'stupid' He heard it, according to his head coach, Todd McLellan. “He got a little bit of rest, and he had heard a lot about his play from you guys. As much as they tell you they don’t read or listen, they do. He just had a good night, started to go again. That line was quick, they were tenacious, they were on pucks. … They kept a lot of plays alive where, in Games 2 and 3, we didn’t keep them alive.” Draisaitl, coughing through more media interviews in the post-game glow of a Game 6 win — an indication that he is just getting over whatever was dogging him health-wise — said there was no secret to the turnaround in his play. “It’s easy. This is the playoffs,” he said. “This is what every kid dreams of playing. The team needs me. The team needs everyone to play their best. I wasn’t good the first few games. That was a step in the right direction.” San Jose’s legion of stars had already turned their trick in Game 4, leading the 7-0 dismantling of an Oilers team that couldn’t find its assets with both hands. That they did it mostly on the power play was noteworthy. But Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are as big as it gets for San Jose. And they had something to say about it at even strength, too. They put the Sharks up 2-1 on Thursday and it looked for the longest time as if it might be enough. Then Sharks defenceman David Schlemko threaded a point shot through for a 3-1 bulge and the gloom started to descend. The Oilers head back to San Jose knowing what it takes and that their big men can help deliver it this time. But the Sharks laid off for most of the third and all of overtime and the Oilers kept coming, led by their big men. As promised. 1060949 Edmonton Oilers At the morning skate, your correspondent asked coach Todd McLellan, considering what we’ve watched from McDavid so far in the series, how he viewed him going into this game. Terry Jones: McDavid revs Oilers engine after atypical outing in 7-0 loss “I see Connor being our captain and one of the top two or three players in to San Jose the world that rises to the occasion often,” he said. “I view him as being in his first playoff series going against the same team night in and night out going against one of the top defensive pairs and individuals in Vlasic and Terry Jones some pretty good veteran checkers up front. April 21, 2017 5:00 AM MDT “And I view him as having 19 other players around him that have to help him.”

With those words, it would be back to Rogers Place for Game 5 of the A Ferrari painted up like a race car with ‘97’ and ‘McDavid’ on the doors, next chapter of the Connor McDavid Edmonton Oilers Orange Crush Era Edmonton Oilers logos on the hood and sides in front of the rear wheels, Story. decorated with blue lightning bolts and ‘Lets Go Oilers’ lining the top of the windshield, showed up on the streets of Edmonton Thursday. It looked like the Oilers were doing that early, as the 103-point team was all over the Sharks and took a 1-0 lead. But, down 2-1 after one, the Would the human version of that show up at Rogers Place last night? chances stopped coming and McDavid couldn’t convert the ones he had. The eyes of most of the hockey world were going to focus on Connor Back to the dressing room and drawing board they went. McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 to see if he could get back to replicating that on skates. The Oilers went from winning all the little battles in the first 10 minutes to losing most of them until late in the second period, when it was For some, it would be to see how the team that spent the last decade out McDavid’s open ice hit on Marcus Sorensen sent the Shark sprawling. It of the playoffs and last season in 29th place could learn their lessons and was the biggest cheer since the Oilers opened the scoring. bounce back from a 7-0 loss. But for most outside of Edmonton, finding the focus would be how the league’s 20-year-old Art Ross-trophy-winning McDavid finally produced his point late in the second period on Mark scoring champion and likely Hart Trophy-winning regular season MVP Letestu’s power-play goal to bring the Oilers back to within one, going to would handle his own personal adversity. the dressing room down 3-2. Going into this one, McDavid had never gone three games without McDavid was back. But would the Oilers come back? producing a point so far in his NHL career. He had a goal and an assist to show for the first pair of playoff games of his career and was shut out With 2:46 remaining, David Desharnais set up Ocar Klefbom with Zack in both games in San Jose. Kassian in front to tie the game and turn Rogers Place to an absolute madhouse. It was 3-3 and going to overtime. So there was that. A game in which the Oilers body language all but said they were dead in Maybe it was the frustration of being involved in a game that would the middle of the second period said something entirely different as they become the most lopsided in all of Oilers Stanley Cup playoff history. went through overtime like they were on a perpetual power play. Maybe it was because he’d been fed so much of San Jose Sharks defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic in this series he might never eat The focus had left McDavid – who saw 30:27 of ice time along with pickles again. Draisaitl’s 28:11 – and spread around to everybody wearing Oilers orange as they had chance after chance after chance after chance. But there has been no night in his first two NHL seasons when we watched the Oilers captain lose his composure like he did in Game 4. In the end, it was Desharnais, the hero. Whether it was pumping crosschecks in to back of a prone Timo Meier, And the story line leaving Rogers Place this night was that no matter taking a selfish penalty back-checking or any of the other incidents what happens in San Jose in Game 6, there will be more Stanley Cup involving Joe Pavelski or Logan Couture, McDavid got caught running playoff hockey to be played in Edmonton this year. around like you never see from the mature-beyond-his-years, always Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 04.22.2017 under-control near-perfect hockey player. McDavid had been the horse the Oilers rode to their 12-2 record down the stretch that provided them with 25 points during that run and home- ice advantage in the series. Would he return to being the puck carrying, warp-speed producing, penalty drawing force with the Oilers coming off the 7-0 defeat in San Jose and returning to the incredible scene he helped create in Rogers Place? McDavid chose to do his scrum at the morning skate at his locker while Leon Draisaitl had the stage in front of the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo to offer his mea culpa for spearing Chris Tierney in the crotch, and express his thankfulness for being let off with a fine instead of a suspension. McDavid, as captain, chose mostly to talk about the ‘we’ and not about the ‘me.’ “It’s 2-2 in the series,” said McDavid after the morning skate where he’d been reunited with Draisaitl and given some speed to accompany him on left wing in rookie Drake Caggiula. “We’re not playing soccer here. The games don’t carry over. There’s no aggregate. “It was done early. It was forgotten about really quick. We got a split in San Jose. It doesn’t matter how we got to this point. It’s 2-2 and we have to win two of three.” Do the top guys have to step up? “Sure. Yeah.” On playing against Vlasic? “You try and figure it out. It’s not a big deal. I’ve played against them enough times to know what to expect.” 1060950 Edmonton Oilers Desharnais showed the same no-panic on the set-up to Klefbom for the goal after earlier drawing a tripping penalty on Brenden Dillon that the Oilers couldn’t convert in the third period. David Desharnais as Edmonton Oilers playoff hero has nice ring to it There haven’t been a lot of celebrations for Desharnais since the trade, though. Jim Matheson “Of course, there are highs and lows. You come into a new group and a new system and you’re away from everybody back home, and you still April 21, 2017 1:35 PM MDT have to worry about everything,” he said. “It’s playoff time now, though. I do feel a little bit more comfortable, but I still need to be better than I was tonight.” SAN JOSE, Calif. — Hockey players often say they’ve imagined scoring an overtime winner in the Stanley Cup playoffs, dreaming big as rosy- Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 04.22.2017 cheeked kids on the backyard rink or playing with a tennis ball on a frozen cul de sac under street lamps. David Desharnais is one of them. He’s dreamed of being that hero, of being at the bottom of a dog pile of happy teammates, which is exactly what happened late Thursday night after the Edmonton Oilers centre slipped past San Jose Sharks counterpart Tomas Hertl and took Leon Draisaitl’s saucer pass from the boards to score the goal. On the play, a foot away, Sharks defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic was guarding Oilers forward Benoit Pouliot. But Draisaitl wasn’t looking to feed the winger parked on goalie Martin Jones’s doorstep. A quick flip by Desharnais and the puck was past Jones, who had made two 10-bell stops in the OT on McDavid off a sweet Draisaitl pass and earlier on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Cue the crush of sweaty, relieved Oilers humanity on the ice and the rising sea of orange in the Rogers Place seats. Not quite a star-is-born story — Desharnais, who’s an unrestricted free-agent July 1, has been in the league for half a dozen years — but it’s one we’ve seen often in the playoffs, where an unsung guy steps out of the shadows and into the limelight. “You always want to be the hero. Daniel Briere once told me that he’s always had success in the playoffs and that he visualized himself scoring goals, and I did that and I got the goal,” said the heretofore forgotten fourth-line centre who had set up defenceman Oscar Klefbom for the tying goal with just under four minutes left in the third period — his first point in 17 frustrating games. “Everybody can be a hero and you just take one shot… you need to think that way,” said the 30-year-old, who hadn’t scored since March 14. With just four points (two goals, two assists) since the Feb. 28 Montreal trade for defenceman Brandon Davidson, there were late-season and playoff nights when people wondered if he’d be a healthy scratch. He’d been the third-line centre for weeks, but Mark Letestu took his spot and Desharnais found himself a little-used fourth-liner who was lucky to get 10 minutes or fewer minutes a night. People were yelling for change, asking why head coach Todd McLellan wasn’t putting the bigger JJ Khaira or Matt Hendricks into his spot. But McLellan stuck with Desharnaid. “Everybody has to have their night and this (Game 5) was Davey’s,” said McLellan, singing a popular playoff refrain that when the guys on the top two lines are being neutralized by the other team’s big guns, the periphery guys have to come through. “He’s filling a role for us, and over the last bit, he’s accepted the role. He’s become a better player because of it.” Everybody can be a hero and you just take one shot … you need to think that way. David Desharnais Like all heroes, Desharnais easily replayed the last scene. “They were tired, we were all over them, they were icing the puck. We just kept shooting.” “I’m putting this down to Drat (Draisaitl),” said Desharnais, who was in his 38th playoff game, the first 33 with the Habs, many against Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli’s old Boston Bruins, which is why he traded for him. “I saw everybody was tired a bit on the ice, and I just jumped in the hole and he made a really good pass. I just tried to shoot it as quick as I could and it went in.” “This is how you win in the playoffs, you need everyone to step up,” said Draisaitl, tossing out a Stanley Cup bromide. “You need guys who maybe don’t put the puck in the net (a lot). He was unbelievable for us. Goal in the overtime, assist on the late tying goal. Huge props to him.” 1060951 Edmonton Oilers It was like the Oilers spent the first 15 minutes of OT on a perpetual power play before Peter Chiarelli’s pint-sized trade deadline acquisition scored Edmonton’s first playoff overtime winner since Pisani’s Game 5 Terry Jones: Edmonton Oilers' thrilling overtime win a night to treasure snipe in 2006. forever You’ll remember the frantic action and the glorious chances that kept coming and coming and coming until Desharnais scored. Terry Jones It was like the Sharks ran out of petrol on the way back to the ice for OT. The Oilers had chance after chance after spectacular chance, April 21, 2017 3:23 PM MDT outshooting San Jose 14-2 including going 8-0 out of the gate. Time will probably forget the game Leon Draisaitl played getting out of the doghouse after failing to register a single point in the first four games SAN JOSE, Calif. — In the middle of the second period, the Edmonton and ending up being fined when he could have very well be suspended Oilers’ body language was so bad that the team looked like dead men for his spear to the private parts of Chris Tierney. skating. McDavid, who preserved his record of never having gone three games At that point, you’d never have expected them to arrive here Friday without producing a point and who now leads the Oilers in playoff scoring afternoon up three games to two in their National Hockey League playoff with a goal and two assists, played 30:27 and Draisaitl 28:11. The two series with the San Jose Sharks, with a chance to send last year’s linemates wore the Sharks down to the point the visitors were too pooped Stanley Cup finalists to tee times at Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill or to pop in overtime. Spanish Bay. And Draisaitl won 15 of 19 face-offs as the Oilers recorded a rare 59 per On Wednesday flying back to Edmonton, the challenge was parking the cent on the dot. 7-0 humiliation here in Game 4, the most lopsided loss in Oilers playoff history. But you’ll remember the frantic action and the glorious chances that kept coming and coming and coming until Desharnais scored. And you’ll On Friday flying here, the problem was to park one of the most remember the ear-splitting explosion from the crowd when it happened. memorable overtime victories in the storied history of the five-time And if they advance to the next round, you’ll be telling your grandchildren Stanley Cup champions. about that wild and crazy overtime in 2017. And if they have any aspirations of moving deep into their first playoff Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 04.22.2017 season since going to Game 7 of the Cup final in 2006, it might be advised. The Anaheim Ducks are now 15-0-3 in their last 18 games after sweeping the Calgary Flames and have a week off. The team may have to park that game, but Oilers fans are going to want to take Thursday night’s overtime and frame it, bottle it or otherwise try to preserve it forever. The night David Desharnais won it may end up ranking right up there with the most memorable of all Oiler moments if they go on to win the series and double down on their acquired playoff experience the first time in. Put this one with the overtime goal by Lee Fogolin and three consecutive by Glenn Anderson on the way to their second and third Stanley Cups in 1985 and 1987. Rank it with Jari Kurri’s in Game 4 against Detroit enroute to their fourth in 1988. It’s doubtful anybody would rank it up there with the 1990 night Petr Klima ended the ‘Boston Marathon’ at 1:23 a.m. with 4:47 left on the clock. Klima spent most of regulation time and two full overtime periods on the bench before took a chance on his fresh legs in 1990. Esa Tikkanen in 1991 over the Flames is one most fans remember. And there were several memory makers in the ‘annual’ playoff series against the Dallas Stars. Desharnais didn’t do in in Game 7 like Todd Marchant did in 1997, when the Oilers made the playoffs for the first time since 1992. After Cutis Joseph climbed out of his skin in back-to-back shutouts and made a diving save on Joe Nieuwendyk, Marchant went the other way and blew by defenceman Grant Ledyard and scored on goalie Andy Moog to win that one. But Desharnais’s OT winner was the most recent since Fernando Pisani won Game 5 of the 2006 final and thus worthy of special status. In the case of this year’s Game 5 win, it wasn’t so much the goal in itself, it was everything that happened before the goal finally came. You could make a case that Connor McDavid sent Marcus Sorensen into next week with a colossal hit that was blatant interference — but certainly a call No. 97 had coming after about 100 missed on him this year — was the turning point. Certainly, it wouldn’t have happened if Desharnais hadn’t made the pass to Oscar Klefbom, who blasted the 100-km/h shot past Martin Jones with Zack Kassian providing the screen with 2:46 remaining to get the game to overtime. No, the memory of this overtime won’t be restricted to the shot from the high slot by Desharnais that won it at 18:15 of the extra session. What will be remembered will be almost the entire overtime. I’ve never witnessed one like it. 1060952 Edmonton Oilers “Losing sucks and there’s no way around that, but we battled hard and did some good things that made us come up 3-1,” said Boedker. “There are lot of mood swings in this series, but that’s the way it goes. You have San Jose Sharks 'have to believe' they will forget Game 5 loss to to play every game like it’s the last game. That’s the way it goes. We’re Edmonton Oilers, return to winning heading home and we’ll look to tie it up. We expect a long series.” Seven games is their only hope now. Robert Tychkowski “We have to re-group now,” said Joe Pavelski. “Every game is fresh. We have to take care of business at home. In a situation like that, you have April 21, 2017 6:57 PM MDT to go win a game.” Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 04.22.2017 How does a team that looked so ferocious in Game 4 look so lost and hopeless in Game 5? That’s something the San Jose Sharks have to figure out, fast. They are facing elimination after a crushing overtime defeat Friday night that saw them blow a 3-1 lead and get outshot 14-2 in overtime. “We still believe,” said Sharks winger Mikkel Boedker. “We have to believe. We’ve got to believe that we can do it. I know the guys in here, the expectations in here are that we can do it. “We’re looking to push back.” The Sharks have to run the table now by winning Game 6 at home on Saturday and Game 7 back at Rogers Place. “What can we do?” said goaltender Martin Jones. “We just have to get ready for the next one. Our backs are against the wall. We have to play with some urgency and win a home game. We’re going to be a desperate team. We have to win.” The Sharks are still trying to figure out what went wrong here. How did a team that destroyed Edmonton 7-0 in Game 4 allow itself to lose the next game like that two days later. “We started to defend with 10 minutes left in the third, got into that mindset and they tied it up,” said head coach Pete DeBoer. “We went to overtime and couldn’t get back on our toes again and re-establish the forecheck. “You’re playing with fire when you’re playing in your own end all the time. We couldn’t re-establish any offensive momentum, and I think it was because of our mindset in the last 10 minutes of the third.” The Sharks felt like they had the series in control at the halfway mark of Game 5. They were up 3-1 and that point had outscored Edmonton 10-1 over four and a half periods. Then they slipped into a defence mode that backfired. The Sharks looked old and out of gas in overtime. “They came out with a lot of intensity and took it to us for most of the period,” said defenceman David Schlemko. “We couldn’t seem to get on the forecheck or have any real sustained O-zone time. When that happens, you’re just getting the puck out and changing.” But DeBoer believes the Sharks were still the better team for most of Game 5 and can be again in Game 6. Every game is fresh. We have to take care of business at home. In a situation like that, you have to go win a game. Joe Pavelski “I like our game,” he said. “We’re left with the taste of overtime, but the 60-minute game we came out and weathered the storm, found a way to get the lead and found a way to play with the lead right until two minutes left. There was a lot of good stuff on the road here in a tough environment. “We have to remind ourselves of that and forget the overtime and what that felt like and get ready for the next game.” The Sharks say they will have to re-establish themselves early on to prevent the Oilers from picking up where they left off in Edmonton. “It just takes a couple of shifts to get it going, turn the momentum and get on the attack,” said Schlemko. “It’s an adjustment we’ll have to make. You have to have a short memory in the playoffs. You win 7-0, you have to park it and get ready for the next one. It’s no different here.” Edmonton Oilers defenceman Matthew Benning battles San Jose Sharks forward Mikkel Boedker during overtime NHL playoff action at Roger Place, in Edmonton on April 20, 2017. DAVID BLOOM / POSTMEDIA They say clearing their heads will be easy. 1060953 Edmonton Oilers

Fan with huge Oilers tattoo has body parts earmarked for Connor McDavid, Wayne Gretzky

JURIS GRANEY April 21, 2017 6:18 PM MDT

If there’s an Edmonton Oilers fan who knows a thing or two about showing an undying love of their favourite sports team, it is Kevin Genest. Eleven years ago, as his team surged into the Stanley Cup final against the Carolina Hurricanes, Genest won a radio contest for a $1,500 back piece of the championship trophy emblazoned with the Oilers logo. It was the first time he had sat under the buzzing tattoo gun — it took 9- 1/2 hours to complete in one sitting — but it wasn’t his last tattoo, nor will it be. In fact, the 36-year-old is planning on making some new additions to his back piece, with the number 99 and a portrait of Wayne Gretzky planned for his left shoulder and the number 97 and a portrait of Connor McDavid planned for his right shoulder. Once Gretzky’s profile is added, Genest said he wants The Great One to sign his back so he can then get the autograph permanently inked into his skin. Work has already begun on an Oilers sleeve. As for anyone else thinking about getting permanently inked for the love of the Oilers, Genest has some simple advice. “Do your research,” he said. “Find a shop, find an artist, look at their work and decide where you want to get it.” A Stanley Cup tattoo on your calf muscle may seem like a good idea, he said, but if it comes out looking like a beer stein, you are going to be disappointed. Phone calls to some of Edmonton’s tattoo shops found that interest in Oilers-inspired art work was slowly trickling in, but, as tattooist Brent Smith with Lucky Strike Custom Tattoo explained, it was probably too early for most fans to commit to ink. “The last run they had it wasn’t until towards the third round that people started coming in (wanting tattoos),” he said Friday. “But if they get through, or should I say, when they get through to the next round, we’ll probably start seeing more people.” Asked if she had noticed an increase in requests for Oilers-inspired tattoos, Alissa Thomson, a body piercer and one of the managers at Atomic Zombie, laughed and said “Thankfully not.” “But I think it’s too early. If they win (the Stanley Cup), I’m sure we’ll get a few requests.” Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060954 Edmonton Oilers They say clearing their heads will be easy. “Losing sucks and there’s no way around that, but we battled hard and did some good things that made us come up 3-1,” said Boedker. “There San Jose Sharks 'have to believe' they will forget Game 5 loss are lot of mood swings in this series, but that’s the way it goes. You have to play every game like it’s the last game. That’s the way it goes. We’re heading home and we’ll look to tie it up. We expect a long series.” ROBERT TYCHKOWSKI Seven games is their only hope now. FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 07:20 PM MDT “We have to re-group now,” said Joe Pavelski. “Every game is fresh. We have to take care of business at home. In a situation like that, you have to go win a game.” How does a team that looked so ferocious in Game 4 look so lost and hopeless in Game 5? Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.22.2017 That’s something the San Jose Sharks have to figure out, fast. They are facing elimination after a crushing overtime defeat Friday night that saw them blow a 3-1 lead and get outshot 14-2 in overtime. “We still believe,” said Sharks winger Mikkel Boedker. “We have to believe. We've got to believe that we can do it. I know the guys in here, the expectations in here are that we can do it. “We’re looking to push back.” The Sharks have to run the table now by winning Game 6 at home on Saturday and Game 7 back at Rogers Place. San Jose Sharks captain Joe Pavelski upends Edmonton Oilers forward Milan Lucic during NHL playoff action in Edmonton on April 20, 2017. “What can we do?” said goaltender Martin Jones. “We just have to get ready for the next one. Our backs are against the wall. We have to play with some urgency and win a home game. We’re going to be a desperate team. We have to win.” The Sharks are still trying to figure out what went wrong here. How did a team that destroyed Edmonton 7-0 in Game 4 allow itself to lose the next game like that two days later. “We started to defend with 10 minutes left in the third, got into that mindset and they tied it up,” said head coach Pete DeBoer. “We went to overtime and couldn’t get back on our toes again and re-establish the forecheck. “You’re playing with fire when you’re playing in your own end all the time. We couldn’t re-establish any offensive momentum, and I think it was because of our mindset in the last 10 minutes of the third.” The Sharks felt like they had the series in control at the halfway mark of Game 5. They were up 3-1 and that point had outscored Edmonton 10-1 over four and a half periods. Then they slipped into a defence mode that backfired. David Desharnais #13 of the Edmonton Oilers battles against David Schlemko #5 of the San Jose Sharks in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on April 20, 2017 in Edmonton. The Sharks looked old and out of gas in overtime. “They came out with a lot of intensity and took it to us for most of the period,” said defenceman David Schlemko. “We couldn’t seem to get on the forecheck or have any real sustained O-zone time. When that happens, you’re just getting the puck out and changing.” But DeBoer believes the Sharks were still the better team for most of Game 5 and can be again in Game 6. “I like our game,” he said. “We’re left with the taste of overtime, but the 60-minute game we came out and weathered the storm, found a way to get the lead and found a way to play with the lead right until two minutes left. There was a lot of good stuff on the road here in a tough environment. “We have to remind ourselves of that and forget the overtime and what that felt like and get ready for the next game.” The Sharks say they will have to re-establish themselves early on to prevent the Oilers from picking up where they left off in Edmonton. “It just takes a couple of shifts to get it going, turn the momentum and get on the attack,” said Schlemko. “It’s an adjustment we’ll have to make. You have to have a short memory in the playoffs. You win 7-0, you have to park it and get ready for the next one. It’s no different here.” Edmonton Oilers defenceman Matthew Benning battles San Jose Sharks forward Mikkel Boedker during overtime NHL playoff action at Roger Place, in Edmonton on April 20, 2017. 1060955 Edmonton Oilers shortie at 3:31 of OT on June 14, 2006 in Raleigh, N.C. to send the Oilers and Hurricanes back to Edmonton for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Search "Pisani and goal" on YouTube and up it pops. That's pretty Barnes: Some overtime heroes defined by goals they score iconic. "I don't know if you're defined by that moment but it's your most memorable moment," said Pisani. "For me, it was a perfect script. You Dan Barnes couldn't write it any better, being a kid from Edmonton, being able to score a big goal at such a key time. You lose and you're done, your FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 06:26 PM MDT hopes and dreams are shattered." Horcoff was the saviour earlier in 2006, when he scored at 2:24 of the third OT to end the third longest game in Oiler history. It started on May He won a Stanley Cup, played 1,195 regular season games and 95 more 10, with the Sharks up 2-0 in their second-round series. The Oilers, for all in the playoffs for four NHL teams, and still, Todd Marchant's career is intents and purposes, would have been done had they lost Game 3. But defined by one play. thanks to Horcoff — who banged in a loose puck or a pass from Smyth, One shot. and it depends who you ask — at the edge of the Sharks' crease, the game ended in the wee hours of May 11, and they were still alive. One frozen moment. "There's the pressure, and the excitement continually builds and builds In Edmonton, anyway. In Anaheim, where he drank from the Cup in 2007 from one overtime to the next," said Horcoff, who remembers it more and still works as director of player development for the Ducks, the clearly than any other goal he scored as a pro. perception of Marchant is different. "And I think, in Edmonton, you're not just talking about the people in the But in Edmonton, he is the Oiler who put away the favoured Dallas Stars rink. The whole city is watching. That's what makes it even bigger, makes in overtime in Game 7 on April 29, 1997. Such is the lasting power of it hit home even harder." overtime and Game 7 combined. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.22.2017 "At least you're remembered for something," Marchant said Friday. "I played almost 700 games for the Oilers. But it's a moment you'll never forget as long as you live. If somebody recognizes me or I'm in Edmonton, they say I remember where I was when you scored that goal." Some Oiler fans might well remember, decades from now, where they were when David Desharnais scored the first Oiler OT goal in 11 years. It has been 20 years since Marchant did his thing. He was 23 then, just barely starting out on his NHL journey. That first-round series was packed with drama, the underdog Oilers rising up every other game to win in extra time. Kelly Buchberger scored at 9:15 of OT in Game 3. Ryan Smyth scored at 22 seconds of double OT in Game 5. And Marchant capped it with a goal, heck, THE GOAL, at 12:26 of OT in Game 7. It was blistering hot in Dallas. Reunion Arena was a blast furnace. And the series had been a bruiser. "Our game plan was to punish Dallas," said Marchant. "We tried to get 100 hits a game or something ridiculous like that." Everyone was beat as Game 7 dragged on. After coincidental minors were called, the teams were playing four-on-four hockey in OT. Oiler goalie Curtis Joseph absolutely robbed Dallas sniper Joe Nieuwendyk on the doorstep, and the stage was set. At full speed, Marchant took a pass from Doug Weight just over the Oilers blue line, Stars defenceman Grant Ledyard turned, stumbled and fell, giving Marchant a beeline to Dallas goalie Andy Moog. From perhaps five feet outside the crease, Marchant snapped the puck high far side and mayhem ensued along the boards. In the dogpile, Dan McGillis kissed Marchant on the cheek. "He tackled me and yeah, he gave me a peck on the cheek. I'm thinking what the hell is this all about?" It's about relief and joy and excitement. It's about David beaning Goliath. It's about a long awaited return to the feeling of post-season success, which spoiled a generation of Oiler fans and players. Those Oilers had been out of the playoffs for five years, not for 11 as is the case this post- season, but all those things applied then just as they do now. "In that city, five years was like an eternity," Marchant said, "because they had so much success back in the '80s. We get back in, we're a complete underdog and we knock off the Dallas Stars." Marchant was watching from his Anaheim home as Thursday night became Friday morning and David Desharnais took his place in Oiler lore, scoring the 25th playoff overtime goal in franchise history. He was the 18th Oiler player to get one. Wayne Gretzky was in Rogers Place on Thursday, agonizing with many other Oiler fans. Fernando Pisani was there too, but said he found it exciting, not stressful. Shawn Horcoff was asleep in front of the TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where it was way too early in the morning, and he had player development work to do on Friday with Detroit Red Wings prospects. They have all been there and done what Desharnais did for the Oilers against San Jose. Before Thursday's heroics came about, Pisani had scored the most recent overtime goal for the franchise. He sniped a 1060956 Edmonton Oilers *** The Oilers, who went into the game short handed a playoff-leading 22 times, often with undisciplined penalties, kept their cool and the Sharks Martin Jones came close to breaking Oilers hearts only had one power play in Game 5. “We played with emotion and composure, and when you mix those two JIM MATHESON together you have a better chance of staying out of the penalty box,” said McLellan. FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 06:12 PM MDT Patrick Maroon got the penalty for bumping Jones who was out of the net in the second period; maybe a carry over from an earlier incident where referee Dan O’Halloran confronted the Oiler winger for what the veteran SAN JOSE - Admit it, there was a time in that first overtime period zebra felt was a snow shower at Jones. Thursday where you were cursing San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones after those fantastic saves and wondering if the visitors would get one Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.22.2017 sniff at scoring and break the Oilers hearts? Jones looked a whole lot like the heroic Curtis Joseph at the Dallas Stars in the spring of 1997 before Oilers forward Todd Marchant ripped around defenceman Grant Ledyard and buried that shot by Andy Moog in Game 7 of the first round. Jones, who came to the Sharks from the Los Angeles Kings in 2015 in a three-way trade, gave up David Desharnais’ goal with 75 seconds left in the first OT, but was the only reason it got that deep into extra time. He made a phenomenal diving stop on Connor McDavid and he reached back to keep a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ shot from skipping over the line. He also threw up his blocker to rob Drake Caggiula. “I dove into the crease when I saw the puck and got my stick on it and thought for sure it was going in, but on the replay it showed he stuck his paddle back,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “Pretty good play by him and it would have been pretty deflating if we hadn’t won.” Jones was under siege, facing 14 shots while the Sharks threw two muffins at Cam Talbot by Joe Thornton and Brent Burns. Talbot came out of his net a few times to play the puck, just so he didn’t doze off. “The winner happens quick. He threw the puck from the corner, I just lost it for a second and saw it go by my shoulder,” said Jones. “I felt fine. I was just trying to buy us time. We were just a bounce away form getting an opportunity to score a goal. That’s my only mindset, buy us as much time as we can.” The save on McDavid was incredible, reminding people of the Cujo glove stop on Joe Nieuwendyk in 1997 just before Marchant’s goal. “Eddy (Marc-Edouard Vlasic) played it (two-on-one) pretty well,” said Jones. “I know the pass went through. He had to throw a slow sauce pass over to him so it gave me some time to get over there.” *** As we’ve been reporting for weeks, it’s getting down to the short strokes with the Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers and Kings in their hunt for local boy Spencer Foo, the NCAA free-agent forward from Union College. Foo went to St. Francis Xavier before a stint with Mark Letestu’s old Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL. The right-shot right winger, a Hobey Baker finalist this past season, was dined but probably not wined at a box at Rogers Place at Game 2 of the Oilers-Sharks series. The Oilers are likely selling Foo on fellow free-agents Matt Benning and Drake Caggiula making the jump to the NHL right away. The Flyers may have just as a solid a chance at the speedy Foo, though. They just signed Foo’s linemate, centre Mike Vecchione and his former teammate Shayne Gostisbehere also plays on Philly’s blue line. The economics major Foo turns 23 next month. *** The Sharks shut-down pair of Vlasic and Justin Braun played a ton in Game 5. Braun played the most of anybody, 34:30 in the 79-minute thriller. Vlasic was next at 33:49. They spent the entire night trying to stop McDavid, who had an assist on Letestu’s power-play marker. Vlasic played a whopping 50 shifts, Braun 48. Vlasic’s played the most shifts in the series (157). Kris Russell had the most Oilers shifts in Game 5, 42 for 27:21. He’s the Oilers leader in series with 155 shifts. *** Darnell Nurse says he wasn’t bellowing, “two bleeping goal-posts” at a stoppage in the Oilers end in the first period when the defenceman and Cam Talbot came together. “Nah, I didn’t say that but I was thinking it,” said Nurse. But, if he scores on those shots that smacked off the iron with the Oilers already up 1-0 maybe we’ve got a rout not an overtime thriller in Game 5. “If I hit the post an inch the other direction the pucks are going into the net but no matter what happened we stuck to it,” said Nurse. 1060957 Edmonton Oilers It was like the Oilers spent the first 15 minutes of OT on a perpetual power play before Peter Chiarelli’s pint-sized trade deadline acquisition scored Edmonton’s first playoff overtime winner since Pisani’s Game 5 Terry Jones: Edmonton Oilers' Game 5 win over San Jose Sharks will snipe in 2006. resonate forever It was like the Sharks ran out of petrol on the way back to the ice for OT. The Oilers had chance after chance after spectacular chance, outshooting San Jose 14-2 including going 8-0 out of the gate. TERRY JONES Time will probably forget the game Leon Draisaitl played getting out of FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 04:56 PM MDT the doghouse after failing to register a single point in the first four games and ending up being fined when he could have very well be suspended for his spear to the private parts of Chris Tierney. SAN JOSE, CALIF. - In the middle of the second period, the Edmonton McDavid, who preserved his record of never having gone three games Oilers' body language was so bad that the team looked like dead men without producing a point and who now leads the Oilers in playoff scoring skating. with a goal and two assists, played 30:27 and Draisaitl 28:11. The two linemates wore the Sharks down to the point the visitors were too pooped At that point, you’d never have expected them to arrive here Friday to pop in overtime. afternoon up three games to two in their National Hockey League playoff series with the San Jose Sharks, with a chance to send last year’s And Draisaitl won 15 of 19 face-offs as the Oilers recorded a rare 59 per Stanley Cup finalists to tee times at Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill or cent on the dot. Spanish Bay. But you’ll remember the frantic action and the glorious chances that kept On Wednesday flying back to Edmonton, the challenge was parking the coming and coming and coming until Desharnais scored. And you’ll 7-0 humiliation here in Game 4, the most lopsided loss in Oilers playoff remember the ear-splitting explosion from the crowd when it happened. history. And if they advance to the next round, you’ll be telling your grandchildren about that wild and crazy overtime in 2017. On Friday flying here, the problem was to park one of the most memorable overtime victories in the storied history of the five-time Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.22.2017 Stanley Cup champions. And if they have any aspirations of moving deep into their first playoff season since going to Game 7 of the Cup final in 2006, it might be advised. The Anaheim Ducks are now 15-0-3 in their last 18 games after sweeping the Calgary Flames and have a week off. The team may have to park that game, but Oilers fans are going to want to take Thursday night’s overtime and frame it, bottle it or otherwise try to preserve it forever. The night David Desharnais won it may end up ranking right up there with the most memorable of all Oiler moments if they go on to win the series and double down on their acquired playoff experience the first time in. Put this one with the overtime goal by Lee Fogolin and three consecutive by Glenn Anderson on the way to their second and third Stanley Cups in 1985 and 1987. Rank it with Jari Kurri’s in Game 4 against Detroit enroute to their fourth in 1988. It’s doubtful anybody would rank it up there with the 1990 night Petr Klima ended the 'Boston Marathon' at 1:23 a.m. with 4:47 left on the clock. Klima spent most of regulation time and two full overtime periods on the bench before John Muckler took a chance on his fresh legs in 1990. Esa Tikkanen in 1991 over the Flames is one most fans remember. And there were several memory makers in the 'annual' playoff series against the Dallas Stars. Desharnais didn’t do in in Game 7 like Todd Marchant did in 1997, when the Oilers made the playoffs for the first time since 1992. After Cutis Joseph climbed out of his skin in back-to-back shutouts and made a diving save on Joe Nieuwendyk, Marchant went the other way and blew by defenceman Grant Ledyard and scored on goalie Andy Moog to win that one. But Desharnais's OT winner was the most recent since Fernando Pisani won Game 5 of the 2006 final and thus worthy of special status. In the case of this year's Game 5 win, it wasn’t so much the goal in itself, it was everything that happened before the goal finally came. You could make a case that Connor McDavid sent Marcus Sorensen into next week with a colossal hit that was blatant interference — but certainly a call No. 97 had coming after about 100 missed on him this year — was the turning point. Certainly, it wouldn’t have happened if Desharnais hadn’t made the pass to Oscar Klefbom, who blasted the 100-km/h shot past Martin Jones with Zack Kassian providing the screen with 2:46 remaining to get the game to overtime. No, the memory of this overtime won’t be restricted to the shot from the high slot by Desharnais that won it at 18:15 of the extra session. What will be remembered will be almost the entire overtime. I’ve never witnessed one like it. 1060958 Edmonton Oilers “Of course, there are highs and lows. You come into a new group and a new system and you’re away from everybody back home, and you still have to worry about everything,” he said. Edmonton Oilers centre David Desharnais realizes every NHLer's dream: “It’s playoff time now, though. I do feel a little bit more comfortable, but I To score an overtime winner still need to be better than I was tonight.” Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.22.2017 JIM MATHESON FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 12:27 PM MDT

SAN JOSE, CALIF. - SAN JOSE, Calif. — Hockey players often say they’ve imagined scoring an overtime winner in the Stanley Cup playoffs, dreaming big as rosy-cheeked kids on the backyard rink or playing with a tennis ball on a frozen cul de sac under street lamps. David Desharnais is one of them. He's dreamed of being that hero, of being at the bottom of a dog pile of happy teammates, which is exactly what happened late Thursday night after the Edmonton Oilers centre slipped past San Jose Sharks counterpart Tomas Hertl and took Leon Draisaitl’s saucer pass from the boards to score the goal. On the play, a foot away, Sharks defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic was guarding Oilers captain Connor McDavid. But Draisaitl wasn’t looking to feed the team's scoring dynamo this one time. A quick flip by Desharnais and the puck was past goalie Martin Jones, who had made two 10-bell stops in the OT on McDavid off a sweet Draisaitl pass and earlier on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Cue the crush of sweaty, relieved Oilers humanity on the ice and the rising sea of orange in the Rogers Place seats. Not quite a star-is-born story — Desharnais, who's an unrestricted free-agent July 1, has been in the league for half a dozen years — but it's one we’ve seen often in the playoffs, where an unsung guy steps out of the shadows and into the limelight. “You always want to be the hero. Daniel Briere once told me that he’s always had success in the playoffs and that he visualized himself scoring goals, and I did that and I got the goal,” said the heretofore forgotten fourth-line centre who had set up defenceman Oscar Klefbom for the tying goal with just under four minutes left in the third period — his first point in 17 frustrating games. “Everybody can be a hero and you just take one shot… you need to think that way,” said the 30-year-old, who hadn’t scored since March 14. With just four points (two goals, two assists) since the Feb. 28 Montreal trade for defenceman Brandon Davidson, there were late-season and playoff nights when people wondered if he’d be a healthy scratch. He’d been the third-line centre for weeks, but Mark Letestu took his spot and Desharnais found himself a little-used fourth-liner who was lucky to get 10 minutes or fewer minutes a night. People were yelling for change, asking why head coach Todd McLellan wasn’t putting the bigger JJ Khaira or Matt Hendricks into his spot. But McLellan stuck with Desharnaid. “Everybody has to have their night and this (Game 5) was Davey’s,” said McLellan, singing a popular playoff refrain that when the guys on the top two lines are being neutralized by the other team’s big guns, the periphery guys have to come through. “He’s filling a role for us, and over the last bit, he’s accepted the role. He’s become a better player because of it.” Like all heroes, Desharnais easily replayed the last scene. “They were tired, we were all over them, they were icing the puck. We just kept shooting.” “I’m putting this down to Drat (Draisaitl),” said Desharnais, who was in his 38th playoff game, the first 33 with the Habs, many against Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli’s old Boston Bruins, which is why he traded for him. "I saw everybody was tired a bit on the ice, and I just jumped in the hole and he made a really good pass. I just tried to shoot it as quick as I could and it went in." “This is how you win in the playoffs, you need everyone to step up,” said Draisaitl, tossing out a Stanley Cup bromide. “You need guys who maybe don’t put the puck in the net (a lot). He was unbelievable for us. Goal in the overtime, assist on the late tying goal. Huge props to him.” Desharnais showed the same no-panic on the set-up to Klefbom for the goal after earlier drawing a tripping penalty on Brenden Dillon that the Oilers couldn’t convert in the third period. There haven’t been a lot of celebrations for Desharnais since the trade, though. 1060959 Edmonton Oilers Milan Lucic? Better. His big hits early set a tone. Had some serious looks. At the net. And at some Sharks.

Draisaitl? Way better. Won a ton of draws, carried the puck with Dan Barnes: Edmonton Oilers powered by men big and small in Game 5 authority, chalked up a key assist on Mark Letestu's pivotal power-play overtime win over San Jose Sharks goal by sifting the puck through the slot, then found Desharnais with another in overtime to summon the cacophony and Game 6. DAN BARNES Oscar Klefbom? Better. Hit the net and it wasn't empty. His searing slapper tied it at 3-3 and sent it to overtime. Biggest goal of his life, he FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 02:18 AM MDT said. Connor McDavid? Better in overtime than he has been at almost any other point of this series. He, Draisaitl and Drake Caggiula almost ended Edmonton's big men were supposed to decide this game. it earlier on a couple of Grade A chances. They promised to deliver in a pivotal Game 5 and they did. They held Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle? Better. Seven shots between serve. They won face-offs, delivered hits, scored goals, mostly stayed out them. of the penalty box. So now what? Do the Sharks' big men return the favour in Game 6? You But few Oilers stood taller than the smallest player on the ice for either have to think that's a real possibility. But the Oilers head back to San team on a throwback Thursday night that became a fantastic Friday Jose knowing what it takes and that their big men can help deliver it this morning at Rogers Place as the Sharks and Oilers took Edmonton time. hockey fans on a thrill ride. “Our group believes," said McLellan. "We know how bad we played in Diminutive David Desharnais set up the tying goal by Oscar Klefbom and Game 4, but we were able to park it, and start again, make amends. It scored the overtime winner to send Oiler fans merrily, boozily into the didn’t look good for us, but we kept at it, and when we do that, we’re a downtown streets. He is all of 5-foot-7 and perhaps 175 pounds when tough out. soaked with the sweat of his best game for the Oilers. He had been hard to find on the ice in this series. He'd win a puck battle here and a faceoff “I’d like to think we learned our lesson now, that when you have a little bit there, but he wasn't getting much done offensively. And folks started to of success, you have to take it to another level on Saturday.” wonder how long a leash he was wearing. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.22.2017 In Game 5, he was one of their little big men. "That's how you win in the playoffs. You need everyone to step up," said Leon Draisaitl, one of the acknowledged big men who came through in the clutch. "You need guys that maybe usually don't put the puck in the net. Davie was unbelievable tonight. Goal and assist. Assist to tie it, goal in overtime. Huge props to him." Indeed, playoff series are decided as much by the unheralded and the support players as they are by the big men, the go-to-guys and the goalies. San Jose forward Melker Karlsson won the first overtime game of this series, and that was unexpected. Desharnais was equally out of left field. That he buried a canny feed from Draisaitl past Sharks' goalie Martin Jones — to ruin an otherwise otherworldly performance from the twineminder, especially in overtime — is of some consequence. Because Draisaitl had been missing in action for most of the series. Ill or injured was the guess, because he was a shadow. Then he took a ridiculous spearing penalty in Game 4 and the flood of scorn rose to a new level. He heard it, according to his head coach, Todd McLellan. “He got a little bit of rest, and he had heard a lot about his play from you guys. As much as they tell you they don’t read or listen, they do. He just had a good night, started to go again. That line was quick, they were tenacious, they were on pucks. … They kept a lot of plays alive where, in Games 2 and 3, we didn’t keep them alive.” Draisaitl, coughing through more media interviews in the post-game glow of a Game 6 win — an indication that he is just getting over whatever was dogging him health-wise — said there was no secret to the turnaround in his play. "It's easy. This is the playoffs," he said. "This is what every kid dreams of playing. The team needs me. The team needs everyone to play their best. I wasn't good the first few games. That was a step in the right direction." San Jose's legion of stars had already turned their trick in Game 4, leading the 7-0 dismantling of an Oilers team that couldn't find its assets with both hands. That they did it mostly on the power play was noteworthy. But Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are as big as it gets for San Jose. And they had something to say about it at even strength, too. They put the Sharks up 2-1 on Thursday and it looked for the longest time as if it might be enough. Then Sharks defenceman David Schlemko threaded a point shot through for a 3-1 bulge and the gloom started to descend. But the Sharks laid off for most of the third and all of overtime and the Oilers kept coming, led by their big men. As promised. Patrick Maroon? Better. Scored the 1-0 goal and still took a bad penalty, the only one of the night for Edmonton. But he was better. 1060960 Edmonton Oilers At the morning skate, your correspondent asked coach Todd McLellan, considering what we’ve watched from McDavid so far in the series, how he viewed him going into this game. McDavid revs engine after atypical outing in 7-0 loss to San Jose “I see Connor being our captain and one of the top two or three players in the world that rises to the occasion often,” he said. “I view him as being in his first playoff series going against the same team night in and night out TERRY JONES going against one of the top defensive pairs and individuals in Vlasic and some pretty good veteran checkers up front. FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 12:24 AM MDT “And I view him as having 19 other players around him that have to help him." A Ferrari painted up like a race car with ‘97’ and ‘McDavid’ on the doors, With those words, it would be back to Rogers Place for Game 5 of the Edmonton Oilers logos on the hood and sides in front of the rear wheels, next chapter of the Connor McDavid Edmonton Oilers Orange Crush Era decorated with blue lightning bolts and ‘Lets Go Oilers’ lining the top of Story. the windshield, showed up on the streets of Edmonton Thursday. It looked like the Oilers were doing that early, as the 103-point team was Would the human version of that show up at Rogers Place last night? all over the Sharks and took a 1-0 lead. But, down 2-1 after one, the chances stopped coming and McDavid couldn’t convert the ones he had. The eyes of most of the hockey world were going to focus on Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 to see if he could get back Back to the dressing room and drawing board they went. to replicating that on skates. The Oilers went from winning all the little battles in the first 10 minutes to For some, it would be to see how the team that spent the last decade out losing most of them until late in the second period, when it was of the playoffs and last season in 29th place could learn their lessons and McDavid's open ice hit on Marcus Sorensen sent the Shark sprawling. It bounce back from a 7-0 loss. But for most outside of Edmonton, finding was the biggest cheer since the Oilers opened the scoring. the focus would be how the league’s 20-year-old Art Ross-trophy-winning scoring champion and likely Hart Trophy-winning regular season MVP McDavid finally produced his point late in the second period on Mark would handle his own personal adversity. Letestu's power-play goal to bring the Oilers back to within one, going to the dressing room down 3-2. Going into this one, McDavid had never gone three games without producing a point so far in his NHL career. He had a goal and an assist McDavid was back. But would the Oilers come back? to show for the first pair of playoff games of his career and was shut out in both games in San Jose. With 2:46 remaining, David Desharnais set up Ocar Klefbom with Zack Kassian in front to tie the game and turn Rogers Place to an absolute So there was that. madhouse. It was 3-3 and going to overtime. Maybe it was the frustration of being involved in a game that would A game in which the Oilers body language all but said they were dead in become the most lopsided in all of Oilers Stanley Cup playoff history. the middle of the second period said something entirely different as they Maybe it was because he’d been fed so much of San Jose Sharks went through overtime like they were on a perpetual power play. defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic in this series he might never eat pickles again. The focus had left McDavid – who saw 30:27 of ice time along with Draisaitl's 28:11 – and spread around to everybody wearing Oilers But there has been no night in his first two NHL seasons when we orange as they had chance after chance after chance after chance. watched the Oilers captain lose his composure like he did in Game 4. In the end, it was Desharnais, the hero. Whether it was pumping crosschecks in to back of a prone Timo Meier, taking a selfish penalty back-checking or any of the other incidents And the story line leaving Rogers Place this night was that no matter involving Joe Pavelski or Logan Couture, McDavid got caught running what happens in San Jose in Game 6, there will be more Stanley Cup around like you never see from the mature-beyond-his-years, always playoff hockey to be played in Edmonton this year. under-control near-perfect hockey player. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.22.2017 McDavid had been the horse the Oilers rode to their 12-2 record down the stretch that provided them with 25 points during that run and home- ice advantage in the series. Would he return to being the puck carrying, warp-speed producing, penalty drawing force with the Oilers coming off the 7-0 defeat in San Jose and returning to the incredible scene he helped create in Rogers Place? McDavid chose to do his scrum at the morning skate at his locker while Leon Draisaitl had the stage in front of the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo to offer his mea culpa for spearing Chris Tierney in the crotch, and express his thankfulness for being let off with a fine instead of a suspension. McDavid, as captain, chose mostly to talk about the ‘we’ and not about the ‘me.’ “It’s 2-2 in the series,” said McDavid after the morning skate where he’d been reunited with Draisaitl and given some speed to accompany him on left wing in rookie Drake Caggiula. “We’re not playing soccer here. The games don’t carry over. There’s no aggregate. “It was done early. It was forgotten about really quick. We got a split in San Jose. It doesn’t matter how we got to this point. It’s 2-2 and we have to win two of three.” Do the top guys have to step up? “Sure. Yeah.” On playing against Vlasic? “You try and figure it out. It’s not a big deal. I’ve played against them enough times to know what to expect.” 1060961 Los Angeles Kings

Kings' talks with Stevens on coaching job moving 'in a positive manner,' could be resolved soon

Helene Elliott

The Kings’ talks with John Stevens about their vacant head coaching job are continuing in a “positive manner” and a resolution is expected soon, according to a source who is familiar with the process but isn’t authorized to speak publicly. Stevens was the associate coach under Darryl Sutter, who was fired after the Kings missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. New general manager Rob Blake, who replaced Dean Lombardi in that job after the season ended, has focused on interviewing Stevens at length to determine whether Stevens can improve the offense of a team that ranked near the bottom of the NHL in goals scored per game this season. Stevens, 50, joined the Kings’ coaching staff in 2010 and served as interim coach for four games in the 2011-12 season, after Terry Murray was fired and before Sutter was hired. Stevens previously played defense in the NHL and coached the Philadelphia Flyers. He has been credited with implementing the Kings’ successful defensive strategy and with guiding their successful penalty- killing unit. How he will boost their offense remains the big question, and whether he can do that without compromising their excellent defensive foundation. Blake, soon after he took over, emphasized the team’s need for increased scoring, and apparently he has been getting satisfactory answers from Stevens during their discussions. LA Times: LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060962 Los Angeles Kings

ODDS AND ENDS: NORRIS, FOO, BUFFALO, SETOGUCHI

JON ROSEN APRIL 21, 2017

A fine morning to you, Insiders. Let’s get down to brass tacks. NORRIS FINALISTS. This hasn’t officially been announced – check out tonight’s NBCSN coverage for the actual reveal – but Sean Leahy of Puck Daddy apparently found a page published a touch too early on the Lightning’s site and learned that Brent Burns, Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson are this year’s finalists. (That page has since been taken down.) There are no real surprises here. Throw a dart at any of them; there’s no clear cut, number one favorite among that group. SUP, FOO? Via Ken Campbell of The Hockey News: The Kings are still a bit of a dark horse here. I wrote about Foo three weeks ago after learning there was ample interest in his services, and that the Kings, as they do with many free agent prospects they’re recruiting, often try to sell the young player on their developmental model (rather than, say, the ability to play right away). This is an uphill battle – an Edmonton native, Foo grew up an Oilers fan, and as a Union College product, Philadelphia recently signed his teammate Mike Vecchione and boasts Shayne Gostisbehere on its blue line – but while Los Angeles may not be the favorite here, don’t discount the impact of a pair of Hall of Famers in Luc Robitaille and Rob Blake reaching out to free agent recruits. As Elliotte Friedman noted earlier this month, Union goes by a trimester system, and the forward wanted to finish his classes for the year before making his decision. A Hobey Baker finalist, Foo had 26 goals and 62 points in 38 games with the Dutchmen. BUFFA-LOW DOWN. Reports this morning! First, Mark Spector reported that Dean Lombardi interviewed in Buffalo yesterday for their open general manager position in the wake of Tim Murray’s dismissal. But that was shot down by Sabres owner Terry Pegula in a press conference this morning, and John Shannon reported, after speaking with Luc Robitaille, that Buffalo had not yet asked for permission to speak with Lombardi. (Even when a coach or executive is fired, they are still under contract and paid by their former club, and outside teams must require permission to speak with them. Even after a figure is fired, they still occasionally, but not necessarily frequently, perform some scouting work or other duties for the team. In the 2011-12 season, when I covered the Ducks for FOX, Randy Carlyle was still a familiar figure in the media room at Ducks games.) Perhaps I’m speaking from guts and emotion here, but I think Dean to Buffalo is a good fit personality-wise. If he has interest in that job, here’s to hoping he gets it. Don’t pay much attention to the Mike Futa Buffalo rumblings as they relate to Lombardi; even though there could theoretically be interest on the Sabres end (there was before Murray was hired), Futa was just promoted by Los Angeles, and all indications I have are that there’s excitement and energy at the top of the front office as he works alongside Robitaille and Blake. SE-DEUTSCH-GUCHI? Happy trails to Devin Setoguchi, who cracked the Kings roster by virtue of a strong performance at training camp and with the need for additional skill on the wings when Marian Gaborik was felled by a broken foot at the World Cup, and has been signed by Adler Mannheim of the DEL. He appeared in his 500th NHL game with Los Angeles this season and through 516 NHL games has 131 goals – 40 of which were scored on the power play – and 261 points. Wednesday was the six-year anniversary of his overtime game-winner at as San Jose erased a 4-0 deficit to grab a 2-1 series lead. (And that means today is the six-year anniversary of Game 4, a 6-3 L.A. loss that doesn’t rank among the most compelling playoff games of this past decade.) Setoguchi finished with four goals and 12 points in 45 games with the Kings. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060963 Los Angeles Kings

Game 1 vs. San Diego postgame quotes: Brodzinski, Kempe

Lindsay Czarnecki April 21, 2017

Jonny Brodzinski, on his game-winning goal set up by Kempe: That’s all Kempe. Just found the spot in the slot. Great play by him, he kind of just flushed up the side. Little lackadaisical, he took advantage of it, hit him over and put it right between the D-man’s legs right on my tape in front and all’s I had to do was put it in. [Reporter: Were you aware of how much time was left?] Yeah, I looked up right away because I didn’t know what they were going to do. I heard five from our bench, I thought there was only five seconds left but I looked up there was 15. So, just trying to stay a little higher in the slot, just make sure they didn’t have any stretch plays or anything like that and he made the play so I just went hard to the net and got rewarded. Brodzinski, on taking Game 1 in the best-of-5 and avoiding overtime: That’s huge, especially going into tomorrow too. I think [we’ll] be a little more rested coming into tomorrow and I think home-ice advantage is pretty big too. We’re just looking to focus up tonight and come with a better performance tomorrow. I don’t think we had our best tonight. Brodzinski, on the second period and the Gulls’ ability to get back into the game: A couple bad turnovers I think is what led to their goals. The one by me on the power play, just kind of a soft play to the boards, they pick it off, go down for a breakaway. The other one too was just a soft play. I think if we clean up that, a little bit more sound defensively I think we’re going to come out with a bigger win. Adrian Kempe, on his set-up to Brodzinski on the game-winner: I actually didn’t know how many seconds were left but he was waiting behind the net and I had a chance to flush him out there and I got a stick on the puck and I won it and tried to just look up to see if I had anyone and Brodzy was all alone in front there. So I just tried to chuck it there and he got a good shot. It was really nice, really nice goal. [Reporter: Surprised to see that he was that wide open?] Yeah, I mean, I don’t think they expected that D-man to turn it over like that. I think right after I got it, I don’t know if Teddy was open too, I just tried to look up and he was all alone in front so that was good. Kempe, on taking Game 1 after San Diego’s response in the second period: Obviously it’s huge that we got Game 1 but it’s only the first game. We’ve got to win two more. I think we started off really good the first period and they came back in the second, played better than we did. But I think we came back strong in the third and we won the game so we deserved that too. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060964 Los Angeles Kings

Game 1 vs. San Diego postgame quotes: Mike Stothers

Lindsay Czarnecki April 21, 2017

On the game-winning goal by Brodzinski set up by Kempe: I think they were trying to set something up and Kempe read it and jumped on him and kind of forced him into something and actually was real good with finishing his check, knocked the guy off the puck and good things happen. On how key it is for the Reign to have both Brodzinski and Kempe back in the lineup: You know what, they should difference-makers. They were up there in the NHL. Kempe got over 20 games and Brodzinski was up there long enough that you get sent back down you’re expected, you’re counted on to be a difference-maker, a game-breaker and you know what, I thought they were very good tonight. It’s obviously to our advantage to have two quality players like that back. On San Diego’s ability to work the stretch pass in the second to get back in the game: We’ve talked about that all season long with those guys. It’s a matter of our defense and they’ve got to be aware. You’ve got to make a visual count and a mental count of how many guys are in front of you and if somebody’s not in front of you, there’s a good chance he’s behind you. But, you’ve got to give them credit. That’s a good team. I thought it was a real good first game. I think it’s only going to get better from here. On the importance of grabbing the Game 1 win in the shortened best-of-5 series: You guys always ask that question, like who scores first crap. Eh. Just good to get a win, that’s all. I don’t care if it’s the first game, the second game or whatever, it’s just good to get a win. You know what, that’s all it is. It’s one win. Everything starts over again tomorrow. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060965 Minnesota Wild “I think a lot of it is just discipline and just playing hard defensively,” winger Jason Zucker said. “We can’t focus on [only Tarasenko] and forget about the other guys on the team because they have a lot of guys Wild, Blues are resigned to low-scoring series that can do some damage.” Minnesota and St. Louis players are surprising even themselves with The Wild has gotten terrific play from the Mikko Koivu line defensively, tenacity in limiting goals. and defensemen beyond just top pair Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon. Defenseman Marco Scandella, for one, has been a horse. Three of his six biggest-minute games this season have come in this series, including Michael Russo his top two (26:41 in Game 1 and 24:22 in Game 4). Overall, his average ice time in the regular season of 18:20 per game is up more than five APRIL 21, 2017 — 9:43PM minutes per game. “He’s competed really hard,” Boudreau said. As Wild players keep one eye on the rest of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Yeo said there’s no question Tarasenko is getting heavily checked, but, many have been shocked at the amount of goals being scored in games “If they’re keying on [Tarasenko], it means somebody else is available. compared to theirs, which have been decidedly low-scoring. We have to do a little bit better of job of isolating people, finding people and certainly when he gets an opportunity, that’s what he does, he The Wild-St. Louis Blues’ tight-checking, fight-for-every-inch affair has finishes. thus far been, as Zach Parise so correctly put it after the Wild’s shutout in Game 4 Wednesday night, “a race to two” goals. “It’s a grind. That’s the type of game we’re playing this type of year. It’s a fight for space all over the ice, but around the net it’s certainly more Take away Alex Steen’s empty-net goal in Game 3, and the Blues have evident.” scored six goals in four games — three by only two forwards. The Wild has scored five times. Star Tribune LOADED: 04.22.2017 “You had to expect a low-scoring series, but I honestly didn’t expect it to be like this. I really didn’t,” Parise said. “I really didn’t expect the lack of scoring chances both ways. I don’t think anyone saw that coming, but that’s the way it’s being played.” Facing elimination for a second consecutive game — the Wild is 4-3 all- time at home in elimination games, including three consecutive losses — the Wild hopes to flip the pressure in this series right onto the Blues on Saturday afternoon by forcing a Game 6 Monday in St. Louis. “We get that win, and all of a sudden they’re second-guessing,” said Charlie Coyle. “They’re still in the driver’s seat, but they’re second- guessing. The pressure’s on, and now they’re thinking, ‘We’re going back home, Game 6, if we lose this one, it’s Game 7 back in their barn,’ and they’re starting to doubt themselves.” For that to happen, players say they must continue to suffocate the Blues’ top players, especially Vladimir Tarasenko, who has no goals, 16 shots and two assists in the series. This is a player who tied for fourth in the NHL with 39 goals in the regular season, including 11 goals and 19 points in the final 18 games. “I feel like when he crosses the blue line, we haven’t given him a lot of time and space. When you do, he’s a player that doesn’t need a lot of it,” Parise said. Since 2014-15, including the playoffs, Tarasenko is second in the NHL with 131 goals and first with 99 even-strength goals. But after scoring 16 goals in his first 24 playoff games, including six against the Wild in 2015, Tarasenko has only three goals in his past 13 playoff games, including an empty-netter and two meaningless goals in last year’s conference final elimination game. “There’s no question, we need our best players to play their best,” Blues coach Mike Yeo said. “That’s not just in the playoffs, that’s anytime. It’s certainly magnified right now. What we need from Vlady, from all our top players, is make sure we understand if we’re going to play well, if we’re going to beat these guys, then we have to be great defensively. “That’s how we got up 3-0 in the series and realistically that’s what we need to do if we want to close it here.” So while Yeo doesn’t want Tarasenko to get frustrated and cheat for offense, Wild coach Bruce Boudreau similarly wants the Wild to continue to play smart defensively, especially since No. 1 center Paul Stastny may return from a foot injury Saturday. “All of a sudden one of them could break out and get four [Saturday],” Boudreau said. “We’ve got to be better than we were the last game, and I think we’re capable.” Other than defensemen Joel Edmundson and Colton Parayko scoring three goals, Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Sobotka have scored the Blues’ three non-empty-net goals from forwards. That means the Wild is doing one of heck of a job against a Blues team that was averaging 2.9 goals per game, 29.6 shots per game and clicking at 19.8 percent on the power play since Feb. 1. In the playoffs, the Blues have averaged 1.75 goals per game, 26.8 shots per game and 9 percent on the power play. 1060966 Minnesota Wild

Preview: Wild vs. St. Louis, Game 5

APRIL 21, 2017 — 8:48PM Michael Russo

2 p.m. vs. St. Louis • • Ch. 11, 100.3-FM Preview: Coming off a 2-0 Game 4 win, the Wild still has an uphill battle ahead. It is trying to become the fifth team out of 187 in history to complete a comeback from a 3-0 deficit. Chicago and Calgary were already swept in such a scenario, and Columbus was eliminated in five games. The Wild is 11-7 all-time in elimination games, 4-3 at home. The Wild has lost three of its past four elimination games at home and is 3-11 in its past 14 playoff games overall. Players to WATCH: Wild G Devan Dubnyk is coming off his first shutout since Dec. 20, his second career playoff shutout and the first shutout in Wild history when the team faced elimination. LW/RW Charlie Coyle has goals in the past two games. C Eric Staal is looking for his first playoff goal since 2009. C Mikko Koivu has no goals in the past 21 games and two in his past 34. RW Mikael Granlund has one goal and three assists in the past 14 games and no multipoint games in his past 19. He led the Wild with 15 multipoint games this season. Blues G Jake Allen has stopped 140 of 145 shots in the series (.966 save percentage). LW Jaden Schwartz had the game-winning goals in Games 2 and 3. RW Vladimir Tarasenko has no goals and two assists in the series. Numbers: The Blues are 11-for-12 on the penalty kill (11-for-11 5-on-4). The Wild is 10-for-11 on the penalty kill. … The team that scores first is 4-0 in this series and 26-9 in the playoffs. The Wild and Blues have been within a goal 90.5 percent of this series. … The Wild has directed 277 shots at the Blues’ net compared to 192 aimed by the Blues at the Wild net. The Wild’s faceoff advantage is 164-119 and its hit advantage 130- 104. Injuries: Blues C Paul Stastny (foot) might return. RW Alex Steen (foot) is probable. Star Tribune LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060967 Minnesota Wild

Blues' addition of Paul Stastny back from injury downplayed

Rachel Blount APRIL 21, 2017 — 8:52PM

Always coy about his lineup, St. Louis coach Mike Yeo wouldn’t confirm whether Paul Stastny could make his long-awaited return Saturday. The only thing Yeo would say was that Stastny had “another good day’’ of practice Friday in St. Louis, heightening speculation that the team’s top center would play in Game 5 of the Blues’ first-round playoff series against the Wild. Stastny, who has been out since March 21 because of a foot injury, practiced on the Blues’ top line with Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz. At Ridder Arena, another injured player—Wild forward Erik Haula — also hustled through a full-speed practice session Friday. Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said Haula, who missed Wednesday’s Game 4 because of an undisclosed injury, “looks like he’s ready to play’’ in Saturday’s game at Xcel Energy Center. Despite Yeo’s hedging, the Wild is fully prepared for Stastny to re-enter the lineup. Boudreau said the center’s experience, power-play ability and skill in the faceoff circle will make the Blues stronger. Yeo doesn’t disagree, but he cautioned that Stastny’s return would not be a magic bullet for a team looking to close out the series on the road. “Getting a player back is always nice,’’ said Yeo, whose team holds a 3-1 advantage in the best-of-seven series. “It helps to stabilize things. It gives us more options. But at the same time, it’s not like getting a player back is the answer and it’s going to make things better for us. “We’ve lost players, and it’s sharpened our focus. (Other players) have understood they need to bear down and do their jobs and do the little things. We have to make sure we continue to have that mind-set, and then, if we add a player like (Stastny), we become a better team.’’ Haula said he felt good after Friday’s practice and was excited to get back into the lineup. He added it was excruciating to be a spectator for Game 4. “I was barely able to watch the game, I was so nervous,’’ Haula said. “The guys did a great job. I was very relieved and happy after the game, knowing I might be able to play Saturday and be a part of it.’’ Beyond the first goal The Wild and Blues, both boasting strong defenses, anticipated a low- scoring series. That has made scoring the first goal especially critical, but the teams cautioned Friday that what happens next is equally important. Players and coaches said whether their team is leading by one or trailing by one, it must have the discipline to avoid satisfaction or panic. The real key, they added, is to stay with the plan, whatever the situation. “It doesn’t matter if we get that first goal or not, we have to stick to our game,’’ Wild forward Charlie Coyle said. “We can’t change anything. Sometimes you feel like you have to — if things aren’t working and you’re not scoring — but you’re doing the right things.’’ Though the Blues have scored first in three of the four games, Yeo still saw lapses when they got the first goal. Since he became head coach on Feb. 1, the Blues are 22-3-1 when scoring first. The Wild has a 36-8-5 record when netting the first goal. “If we score first, we have to continue to play,’’ Yeo said. “We’ve had times we’ve scored first, and then we backed off a little bit. And obviously, that leads to momentum for (the Wild). We know we have to play a 60-minute, great-effort game (Saturday).’’ Etc. • Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk and his Blues counterpart, Jake Allen, are ranked among the top three in goals-against average during the playoffs. Allen is second with a 1.17 GAA, and Dubnyk is third at 1.42. Allen also is second in save percentage (.966), while Dubnyk is fourth (.943). • The Wild will host a pregame party Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the parking lot across from Xcel Energy Center on West 7th St. Former NHL players Steve Payne, Brad Maxwell, Pete LoPresti and Jeff Nielsen will sign autographs from 12:30-1:30. Star Tribune LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060968 Minnesota Wild

Wild fans trying to muster up hope heading into Game 5

Jason Gonzalez APRIL 21, 2017 — 12:16PM

Wild fans appear to be holding onto hope entering Game 5 against St. Louis trailing the first-round series 3-1. A quick survey of startribune.com and recent action on Twitter revealed 33 out of 50 game-related comments are optimistic the Wild will win Saturday and possibly rally to win the series. This argues there is more optimism than pessimism among the fan base, although 34 percent of our survey showed little faith in the Wild. Voting on startribune.com reveals hockey fans expect St. Louis to win the series, while 35 percent of voters believe the Wild will the next three games and advance to the second round. A sampling of the optimism and pessimism: Arniej: "Saturday afternoon is supposed to be beautiful, won't be watching these chumps." Rallen1225: "We will see what the team is made of in Game 5 if the team can use the momentum it built in Game 4. Let's use the roll to roll: every player has to bring their A+ game: how badly do you want it, Wild?" Rallen1225: "Nice to see Coyle step up his game: he played a full three periods on both ends of the ice and I hope Game 4 brings that kind of passion, ability and consistency going forward ... Wild needs every player to bring it. Hope Saturday brings continued momentum and confide that the team can do it ... one period at a time. Let's do this!" Evie: "Give credit to the Wild for working hard and not folding...... NHL is tough as also noted by Chicago struggles in this year's playoffs. Go Wild!!!!!" Pspoolplayer: "Come on Wild, you can do it!" Twitter buzz Wild in 7 #mnwild — Kyle Ramsey (@KyleRamsey27) April 20, 2017 Hey @mnwild I knw u are down 3-1 but u can do this. Have u thought about using the "Flying V"? I watched a movie & it works. #BlackGuyHockey — Ron Johnson (@3RonJohnson) April 21, 2017 @JamieHersch I hope we hear "Let's Go Crazy" at least 4 times tomorrow afternoon! #mnwild — Shawn Ed (@iShibs21) April 21, 2017 I'm not sure why #MnWild fans would even be excited? This is their dream scenario & they might not even have a chance to live it through. https://t.co/8m72dDqAZ8 — Ross Brendel (@BrendelRoss) April 21, 2017 Not done yet! #mnwild pic.twitter.com/ECRyh3A0mu — Seth Hilgert (@SethHilgert) April 20, 2017 Star Tribune LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060969 Minnesota Wild said. "Now we've got to find a way to win one, and the rest will take care of itself."

___ Coyle, Wild aim to keep pressure on Blues with 3-1 deficit Oilers at Sharks, Edmonton leads 3-2 (10:30 p.m. EDT, NBCSN)

Momentum hasn't been much of a factor in this back-and-forth series. DAVE CAMPBELL The Oilers bounced back from an overtime loss in Game 1 to post APRIL 21, 2017 — 4:40PM consecutive shutouts. The Sharks followed that with a 7-0 win before blowing a two-goal lead in a 4-3 overtime defeat in Game 5.

Now it's San Jose's turn to reverse the tide and force a decisive Game 7 ST. PAUL, Minn. — Charlie Coyle has that enviable blend of size and in Edmonton. The Sharks have a history of responding well to setbacks, skills, a 25-year-old forward on the verge of realizing the potential of a with the run to the Stanley Cup Final last year as a prime example. They former first-round draft pick. followed all four postseason overtime losses with a victory in the next game. Without Coyle's clutch contributions, the Minnesota Wild would have been bounced already from their first-round series against the St. Louis To do that on Saturday, the Sharks must resume the aggressive style Blues. Perhaps this spring has triggered the breakthrough performance that helped them build the 3-1 lead in Game 5 rather than the defensive for a player the Wild have planned to be part of their core for several shell that allowed the Oilers to tie the game and then dominate overtime seasons to come. until the game-winning goal by David Desharnais. That's a good reason why coach Bruce Boudreau, whose long-ago, "It's human nature," coach Peter DeBoer said. "You're defending, you're short-lived NHL career was unfulfilling because he lacked the drive to defending, and you're not thinking about offense or being on your toes or match his ability, has been as demanding of Coyle as anyone else on his scoring a goal. To flip that switch and get that attack mindset is hard to roster. do." "When he wants to play," Boudreau said, "he can play. He's been a good Star Tribune LOADED: 04.22.2017 player." With the first goal in a 2-0 win for Minnesota at St. Louis in Game 4 on Wednesday, Coyle helped keep the Wild alive. He also had four shots on goal, two hits, two takeaways and one blocked shot in a well-timed two- way effort. He has scored two of the Wild's five goals in the series, totaled 13 on-target shot attempts, which is tied for the second-most on the team, and played sound defense on the other end. "You'd like to get it every night," Boudreau said. "Right now I just would like to get it for the next three games." Trailing 3-1, the Wild host the Blues in Game 5 on Saturday (3 p.m. EDT, NBC). "Everything, the intensity, the atmosphere is ramped up, and you have to bring your level up," Coyle said. "So that's my mentality. That's our team's mentality." Coyle, who's the franchise's all-time playoffs leader with 98 hits, including 14 in this series, had a career-high 56 points and 159 shots on goal during the regular season. But he went through a 27-game stretch from early January to early March when he scored only one goal, and Boudreau didn't hesitate to hound him for it. The issue for Coyle hasn't been so much about coasting as it is about a nice guy by nature not being as aggressive as his team needs him to be. "I don't mind a coach being hard on me. If he needs something more from me, tell me," Coyle said. The Blues were hoping a two-day break between games and the possible return of center Paul Stastny from a lower body injury would re- energize them. Stastny skated on the first line between Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko at practice on Friday, though coach Mike Yeo wasn't ready to declare him good to go. "If we add a player like Stas, then obviously you become a better team," Yeo said. Here's a look at the two other series on the slate for Saturday: ___ Canadiens at Rangers, New York leads 3-2 (8 p.m. EDT, NBC) The Rangers return to in position to polish off the series at home on the heels of an overtime victory in Montreal. "We showed it, how hard we played," goalie Henrik Lundqvist said. "We pushed." The last time the Canadiens trailed in a series 3-2, Carey Price shut out the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of the second round in 2014. They won again to advance to the conference finals. The Rangers, in a series that has seen heavy bumping in the crease of both Lundqvist and Price, were bracing for more intensity from the Canadiens on Saturday. All five previous games have been close, with a bounce or a hit goalpost making a difference. "I'm pretty confident in the guys we have here, that we're just going to be able to worry about Game 6," Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher 1060970 Minnesota Wild

Erik Haula, and Wild, ready for Game 5

Rachel Blount APRIL 21, 2017 — 3:08PM

Wild forward Erik Haula looked like he had some pent-up energy to burn off in Friday's practice at Ridder Arena. After sitting out Game 4 in St. Louis--and a pair of practices--because of an injury, Haula went full-bore in Friday's session. Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said Haula "looks like he's ready to play'' in Game 5, which is Saturday at Xcel Energy Center. There could be a return to the Blues' lineup, too. Paul Stastny had "another good day'' of practice Friday, St. Louis coach Mike Yeo said. Yeo wouldn't tip his hand as to whether Stastny will play Saturday--he still had to talk to him to see how he feels--but the center skated with the top line in practice. Haula, who was hurt in Game 2 but played in Game 3, said it was agonizing to sit out a potential elimination game Wednesday. The Wild's 2-0 victory extended the best-of-seven series, much to his relief. "You have no idea,'' Haula said when asked how hard it was to watch Game 4. "I was barely able to watch the game, I was so nervous. The guys did a great job. And I was very relieved and happy after the game, knowing that I might be able to play Saturday and get to be a part of it. Now we just continue.'' Haula said he feels good, and his teammates seemed eager to get on with Game 5. The team did lots of five-on-five work in Friday's practice, along with drills to hone their shooting, tips and rebounds. Despite the Game 4 win, Boudreau said "the pressure's all on us'' with the Wild still trailing the series 3-1. He and his players continued to say the Wild can be much better, all over the ice. The emphasis Saturday will be on getting pucks behind the Blues and then using the Wild's speed to create turnovers. "If we do that,'' the coach said, "then we have a shot.'' Lines today were: Coyle-Staal-Niederreiter; Parise-Koivu-Granlund; Zucker-Hanzal-Pominville/Schroeder; Stewart-Haula-Eriksson Ek/White. Some post-practice observations by Wild players: --Jason Zucker, on the improvements the Wild must make: "I think we can be a lot better. I think our first period (in Game 4) was pretty good. I think we pressured them really hard and played our game. In the second and third, we sat back a little bit. Especially in the third, I think we gave them too much respect and let them play their game without dictating ours. We have to make sure we're playing our game and push for a full 60 minutes.'' --Charlie Coyle, on the momentum that could be gained with a Game 5 win: "I think it's huge. We get that win, and all of a sudden, they're second-guessing. They're still in the driver's seat, but they're second- guessing. The pressure's on, and now they're thinking, 'We're going back home, Game 6; if we lose this one, it's Game 7 back in their barn.' And they're starting to doubt themselves. It's such a mental thing here. That's what you learn as it goes along. We just focus on tomorrow.'' And Mike Yeo on the possibility of having Stastny back: --"Getting a player back is always nice. It helps to stabilize things, and it gives us a little bit more options. But at the same time, it's not like getting a player back is just the answer and is going to make things better for us. We've lost players, and it's sharpened our focus. Guys have understood that they need to bear down and they need to do their jobs and do the little things. We need to make sure we continue to have that mindset.'' Star Tribune LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060971 Minnesota Wild based in the East. So they don’t work with the Wild or Blues as often and thus don’t know their tendencies or have relationships with the centers.

Blues coach Mike Yeo feels the Wild’s domination in the circle has led to Cheating on the faceoff dot is delaying Wild-Blues games the Wild’s high shot volume (277-192 in shot attempts) and “there’s been As both teams look for an edge in the circle, the linesmen are cracking a number of occasions our forwards are getting picked to the inside and down on Mikko Koivu and Martin Hanzal. they’re getting scoring chances off that.” If Yeo has complained to series manager Kay Whitmore about this, the linesmen Wednesday likely were informed of the Blues’ concern and thus Michael Russo were laying the hammer down on the Wild. APRIL 21, 2017 — 5:33PM “We’re trying to do what we can to equal the advantage and we feel there’s been some cheat on the other side,” Yeo said Friday.

Star Tribune LOADED: 04.22.2017 Faceoffs are becoming a big story in the Wild-St. Louis Blues series, and not only because the Wild’s scorching the Blues in the circle and the Blues are accusing the Wild of cheating. In a Game 4 Wednesday, linesmen Brian Murphy and Mark Shewchyk drew the scorn of restless fans inside Scottrade Center and tired fans watching the late game on TV for slowing down faceoffs with either incessant warnings or violations, mostly on the Wild. The Wild has won an NHL-best 58 percent of its draws (164 of 283) in the playoffs, yet coach Bruce Boudreau still voiced agitation Thursday that Murphy and Shewchyk kicked “our centermen out every second time.” “They cheat a lot,” Vladimir Sobotka, the Blues’ only center above 50 percent, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We need to adjust to that and try to cheat more, too.” A linesman’s lone wish on faceoffs is to make it fair for both teams. As long as that puck can land in the middle of the dot without incident, linesmen will usually let centers move their feet and hack and whack as much as they want. But if a center attempts the same thing before the puck hits the ice or a winger jumps too early, a violation is whistled and the center’s gone. Two violations on the same faceoff results in a penalty, although it’s rare a linesman will call that, especially in the playoffs. Wednesday, the clashes between the linesmen and centers were magnified. “I know it slowed the pace of the game up quite a bit, but the linesmen were just trying to make the faceoffs as fair as possible,” said former Wild Kyle Brodziak, who has won 43.9 percent of his draws. Wild captain Mikko Koivu leads the NHL in faceoff win percentage at 66 percent (62 of 94). Martin Hanzal ranks fourth at 60.3 percent (41 of 68). Eric Staal has won 52.3 percent. The Blues’ Alex Steen has had the toughest time at 30 percent, while Ivan Barbashev has won 42 percent and Patrik Berglund 41.9. Other than faceoffs at the center-ice dot where the visiting team’s center must put his stick on the ice first, the defending team’s center must place his stick on the ice first in the other eight faceoff locations. This is where things get tricky. The Wild’s considered a tough team to control. The two biggest reasons? First, according to some linesmen, Koivu and Hanzal are considered two of the bigger “cheaters” in the league in that they try to gain every advantage possible; and second, since most Minnesota lines have a winger that has played center in the past, the Wild’s centers know a competent drawman will replace him if he happens to be kicked out. In other words, if Koivu, Hanzal or Staal get the boot, there’s usually backup in wingers Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund or Jason Pominville. Besides Koivu and Hanzal, linesmen say some other rampant “cheaters” include San Jose’s Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, Pittsburgh’s Matt Cullen and Boston’s Dominic Moore. Koivu’s MO? If he’s the defensive center, linesmen say after he puts his stick down, the moment the other center comes down, Koivu will slide across and hook the offensive center’s stick before the puck hits the ice. Hanzal’s MO? If he’s the defensive center, he’ll either fall to the ice to tie up the other center or come through with his stick and block the strong- side center’s forehand before trying to win the draw with his feet. Wednesday was also a perfect storm because Murphy, one of the NHL’s most senior linesmen, and Shewchyk, who has also been around the block but seemed to be having the toughest time gaining control, are 1060972 Minnesota Wild

Wild: Pressure still ‘all on us’ heading into Game 5

DANE MIZUTANI April 21, 2017 at 7:30 PM

Staring down a sweep in Game 4, the Minnesota Wild leaned on cliches in the lead-up. Staring down elimination yet again in Game 5, nothing has changed. “We aren’t looking at the next three games now,” veteran winger Zach Parise said. “We can’t look at Game 6. We can’t look at Game 7. We need to worry about tomorrow and try to bring that same work ethic and that same pace.” The Wild trail the St. Louis Blues 3-1 in the best-of-seven series that continues with a 2 p.m. puck drop Saturday at Xcel Energy Center. That leaves the Wild absolutely no margin for error. “We (have to win) three games yet,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “So, no matter how we look at it, the pressure’s all on us.” Does that pressure change hands if the Wild can somehow gut out a win over the Blues in Game 5? With the Wild hosting a potential Game 7, that would make Game 6 back in St. Louis essentially a must-win for the Blues, right? Heck, Blues winger Ryan Reaves even talked about how his team gave the Wild new life after failing to close it out a couple days ago. “I don’t know,” Boudreau said. “You can talk about it.” Well, winger Charlie Coyle is certainly talking about it, well aware that a win could change things in the best-of-seven series. “All of a sudden, they’re second guessing,” Coyle hypothesized. “You know, even though they’re still in the driver’s seat, they’re second guessing, and the pressure’s on. Now they’re thinking, ‘We are going back home, Game 6, if we lose this one, it’s Game 7 back in their barn,’ and they’re starting to doubt themselves. It’s such a mental thing.” While there are surely other Wild players who feel the same way, no one else would take the bait. “It’s tough to say because this series has been so tight,” winger Nino Niederreiter said. “We have to keep our focus on Game 5.” The series thus far has been so close, the Wild shouldn’t have trouble imagining a comeback.They haven’t allowed more than two goals — excluding an empty-netter in Game 3 — in any game. In fact, the Blues only have three non-empty-net goals from their forwards, and none from superstar sniper Vladimir Tarasenko. “Well, that’s saying something,” Boudreau said. “Still, all of a sudden one of them could break out and get four (goals) tomorrow, so it’s not a sitting there and patting ourselves on the on the back type of thing.” And while the Wild have played well enough to be the team up 3-1, they know there’s nothing they can do about it now except prepare for Game 5. “I feel like our team feels pretty confident in here,” center Erik Haula said. “We feel like we’ve been playing fairly well and it’s 3-1. It is what it is right now. We want to go out there and play the best game so far.” “And I think we can be a lot better,” speedy winger Jason Zucker added. “You know, they’re obviously a great team. We have to make sure we’re playing our game and that we’re pushing for a full 60 minutes.” Pioneer Press LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060973 Minnesota Wild

Wild: Marco Scandella thriving in postseason

CHAD GRAFF April 21, 2017 at 5:53 PM

By the time the Wild’s regular season was over, Marco Scandella was eager to turn the page. Happy that his team recorded the best season in franchise history, the defenseman was ready to move on from what was an underwhelming individual performance. Scandella’s ice time was the lowest in any season during which he played at least 20 games, and his four goals were the fewest since his first season as an everyday player in 2013-14. But Scandella, 27, entered the Wild’s first-round playoff series against the St. Louis Blues optimistic because of 34 games of postseason experience and a track record of success at the most important time. “I’ve always thought my game works really well in the playoffs,” Scandella said, in part because he’s 6-foot-3, 208-pounds, and in part because he skates well. Through four games of a seven-game series against the Blues, Scandella has again upped his play, earning extra ice time and making the most of it. The Wild trail the series 3-1 heading into Game 5 on Saturday at Xcel Energy Center. For most of the regular season, Scandella was deemed the Wild’s fifth best defenseman, and his average ice time (18:20) was the fifth-highest Wild blue liners. But with goals at a premium in a low-scoring series against a big Blues team, Scandella has upped his average ice time by more than five full minutes, averaging 23:22 a game, and trailing only Ryan Suter in ice time in the Wild’s 2-0 Game 4 win. “He’s been really good,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “I’m really pleased with Marco’s game to this point.” Because of Scandella’s regular-season numbers, and his average cap hit of $4 million each of the next three seasons, many have assumed he will be one of the defensemen the Wild leave unprotected for the June expansion draft. Only able to protect three defensemen from the Vegas Knights, the Wild will secure Suter, Jared Spurgeon and one other. A month ago, it was unlikely that third protected blue liner will be Scandella, but the way he has played in the postseason could change that. “I haven’t thought about that once, to be honest,” Scandella said. “When it’s time to think about that, I’ll think about it. But these games are too important right now to be thinking about that.” In Game 4, Scandella was arguably the Wild’s best defenseman with three blocked shots, four hits and three of the Wild’s 28 shots on goal — most among defensemen. His 24 minutes, 22 seconds of ice time were the most Scandella played in a regulation game since Feb. 6, 2016. “(My playoff experience) helps a ton with preparation and learning to be excited for it, not nervous,” Scandella said. “I know what my game is and I know what I have to bring every night to be successful and help the team. For me, that’s working hard, having a good stick and winning one- on-one battles. I want to be a beast out there. That’s my goal every night.” Scandella’s breakout season was in 2014-15, when he scored a career- high 11 goals and added 12 assists and 56 penalty minutes in 64 games. In the ensuing playoffs, Scandella was a team-high plus-4. Two years later, Scandella is one of four Wild players with a plus rating this postseason. “This is the way that I have to play every night,” he said. “I find it’s been really effective. I just have to be an animal defensively. I have that long stick and a big body and I can skate, so I need to use that to my advantage.” Pioneer Press LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060974 Minnesota Wild

Wild’s Erik Haula expected to return for Game 5 against Blues

DANE MIZUTANI and CHAD GRAFF UPDATED: April 21, 2017 at 7:12 PM

Minnesota Wild center Erik Haula could barely get himself to watch. And yet, after being sidelined for Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinal series by an undisclosed injury, that’s the only thing Haula could do. “You have no idea,” Haula said when asked what it’s like to miss an elimination game. “I was so nervous.” Luckily for Haula, the Wild pulled out a 2-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues and earned the right to fight another day. “I was very relieved after the game,” Haula said. “Just knowing that I’ll be able to play Saturday and be a part of it.” Haula is expected to be back in the lineup for Game 5 at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center. Haula took line rushes as the fourth-line center, flanked by Chris Stewart and Ryan White, at Friday’s practice. “He looks like he’s ready to play,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. Haula was injured the first time by a hit from Blues winger Scottie Upshall in Game 2. He played in Game 3 before aggravating the injury and being put on the shelf for a few days. “Yeah, it helped a lot,” Haula said of the rest.” I feel good.” STASTNY BACK? While the Wild will get a lift by getting Haula back, all signs point to Blues center Paul Stastny returning for the first time this series. Stastny centered the team’s first line at Friday’s practice, flanked by Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko, and could be a difference- maker as the Blues try to close the Wild out. What exactly does Stastny bring to the Blues lineup? “Other than the fact that he’s a really good player?” Boudreau responded. “He handles the puck. He’s experienced. He’s good on faceoffs. He’s really good on the power play. He can make a play. You take the No. 1 center out of the lineup and then add him in and it allows everything else to be an awful lot stronger.” Stastny hasn’t played for the Blues since sustaining a lower-body injury on March 21. He had 18 goals and 22 assists in 66 regular season games. “You know, we’ve faced him enough to know what he brings,” Wild winger Charlie Coyle said. “They are definitely happy to have him back. … It doesn’t really change what we do.” LOW SCORING Even though the Wild ranked second in the NHL in goals per game in the regular season, and even though the Blues boast one of the best true scorers in the league, Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said he hasn’t been surprised by the lack of scoring in the first round playoff series between the teams. Neither team has scored more than two non-empty net goals in any of the four games yet. “I thought it was going to be a low-scoring series,” Boudreau said. “I thought it was going to be a 2-1 type game. I didn’t think we’d be up to Pittsburgh’s 5-4 type of situation. They defended so well down the stretch, and when we put our mind to it we’re fairly good at it as well.” The Wild’s defense has been very good on Vladimir Tarasenko, the Blues winger who scored 39 goals during the regular season, fourth-most in the NHL. On top of that, only three Blues forwards have goals in the series. “Well, that’s saying something, but still, all of a sudden one of them could break out and get four tomorrow,” Boudreau said. “So it’s not sitting there and patting yourself on the back type thing.” Pioneer Press LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060975 Minnesota Wild Nashville. All of which fuels how the Stanley Cup playoffs have become professional sports’ ultimate free-for-all.

Since 2012, higher seeds have won 40 series while lower seeds have Brian Murphy: Bogeyman dead, can Minnesota emerge from Wild West? won 37. In the NBA over that same span, higher seeds are 55-20 against lower seeds — a 73.3 winning percentage. BRIAN MURPHY “You know it, it doesn’t matter,” Wild winger Zach Parise said. “If you make the playoffs you’re a good team. When you get into the final eight April 21, 2017 at 6:17 PM or the final 16, anything can happen.” The Wild West is living up to its reputation. With their bogeymen dead and buried, perhaps the Minnesota Wild can finally burnish theirs. Ding-dong, the witch is dead! Which old witch? The Wicked Witch of the West. Pioneer Press LOADED: 04.22.2017 For the second straight postseason, the Chicago Blackhawks failed to emerge from the first round. This time, they were not just eliminated. The upstart Nashville Predators flicked them away in four straight games like a crumb on a tablecloth. Brian Murphy sigThere will be no second-round reckoning against their archnemesis for the Minnesota Wild; no chance to exorcise demons from Chicago ousting them three consecutive postseasons from 2013-15. There might not be a second round at all for Minnesota, which trails St. Louis three-games-to-one in their best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal. The Wild earned a stay of execution with their gutsy Game 4 victory Wednesday night at St. Louis, a 2-0 shutout that reinforced how tight this series really is while tightening the screws on the Blues. But there is no telling how the Wild will respond Saturday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center. This perpetually vexing club has an annotated history of lowering the bar when the stakes are highest. With momentum in its grasp but no margin for error, Minnesota is in an alley fight with the Blues, whose 2-4 record in close-out games hangs around their necks like a millstone. Every year the Blackhawks were the No. 1 or 2 seed in the West, they won the Stanley Cup. Not this time. Not this team. Fifty regular-season wins translated into just three postseason goals. Chicago looked tired, disengaged and clueless against a deeper, hungrier Nashville club that will be well-rested for the second round against the Blues or Wild. “It’s indicative of how good Nashville is,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said Friday. “You can say what you want, but they played great hockey. I’m sure Chicago played as hard as they could. It just goes to show how good Nashville is.” It also reinforces how NHL parity has shredded any semblance of a playoff pecking order. Handicapping a sport played in confined spaces, on ice and ruled by random bounces is a risky endeavor. Disciplined game plans have to be executed by humans, after all. Tight checking, hot goaltending, unpredictable officiating and timely goals can dramatically alter momentum during a single shift, period or game. On a macro level, the system is rigged for parity. The Blackhawks won three Cups in six seasons but could only play the salary cap shell game so long before NHL economics gutted their depth and defeated their front office. High-level players become too expensive to retain, and the redistribution of talent and wealth levels competitive balance across the league. In 2003-04, the final season before a season-long lockout gave birth to a hard salary cap, nine teams missed the playoffs by 15 or more points. By 2016, there were only four. Chicago has not drafted higher than 18th overall since 2008, a byproduct of consistently top finishes in the standings and aggressive picks-for- player trades by general manager Stan Bowman to remain competitive. Playoff rookies Nick Schmaltz, Tanner Kero and Ryan Hartman buoyed the Hawks’ bottom two forward lines during the regular season but were unable to elevate their games to match Nashville’s postseason intensity. Star scorers Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane were ghosts. Dominant defenseman Duncan Keith looked like a rung-out dish rag. Goaltender Corey Crawford was simply overwhelmed. So, the Western Conference is truly wide open, with Edmonton and San Jose trading blowouts and overtime roundhouses in another unpredictable series. The Predators are the prohibitive favorites because of how easily and quickly they dismantled the Blackhawks. If the Wild extend this series to seven games, the counterargument will be how confident and finely tuned the victors are compared to rusty 1060976 Montreal Canadiens

Flying Finn Artturi Lehkonen a pleasant surprise for Habs

SEAN GORDON Friday, Apr. 21, 2017 7:19PM EDT

Roger Neilson, the late, great NHL coach, had a theory about fore- checking and early in his career he used a large, elderly collie named Jacques to teach it to junior-aged players. Neilson would head behind the net with a tennis ball on his stick and his dog would stand in front of the goalie, waiting for him to make a move. The lesson: If canines know not to chase people mindlessly around stationary objects, hockey players should be able to learn to do the same, or at least imitate the behaviour. It’s not known whether Montreal Canadiens forward Artturi Lehkonen had a dog growing up in Piikkio, Finland, but he plays like one, relentlessly, tirelessly and with enthusiasm. In the first period at the on Thursday Lehkonen provided an example of how subtle positioning and on-the-fly decision making can affect a close game. With New York Rangers defenceman Marc Staal skating back to retrieve a loose puck in the right corner of his own zone the Finn bustled in behind him, on his outside shoulder, forcing him behind the net. That’s where Lehkonen, rather than following, turned hard and scooted around the front, thus forcing Staal toward the boards and, as he turned to avoid a referee, the Finn sneaked his stick in and pilfered the puck. The play would eventually result in a goal – Lehkonen’s second of the playoffs, which jointly leads the team with Alex Radulov – and showed why Habs coach Claude Julien has compared the heady young winger to Loui Eriksson of the Vancouver Canucks, a one-time 36-goal scorer in the NHL. “A smart, smart player, he just has that personality, not much fazes him,” Julien said. “He just goes about his business.” Lehkonen later added an assist on Brendan Gallagher’s go-ahead goal and ended the night on the top line and first wave of the power-play. So, hands up out there if you predicted the 21-year-old NHL rookie would be the Habs’ most consistent forward in the playoffs to this point. Anyone? The Canadiens face elimination on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, which will test the theory character is more consequential than other qualities in hockey. Habs general-manager Marc Bergevin began stockpiling grit and leadership last summer (out: P.K. Subban and Lars Eller; in: Shea Weber, Andrew Shaw, Radulov), and continued at the trade deadline (in: Jordie Benn, Steve Ott, Dwight King, Andreas Martinsen). Overlooked in much of the discussion is the never-say-die contribution from Lehkonen, a second-round choice in 2013, Bergevin’s second draft with the club. He has 14 points in his past 17 games playing mostly third-line minutes. Not that his emergence is a shock. Lehkonen has a lethal shot and a sky-high hockey IQ. He also owns a world junior championship gold medal and, a year ago, led Sweden’s top pro league in playoff scoring, setting a Frolunda club record. Coincidentally, one of the club’s signature exports is Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. “Although [Lundqvist’s twin brother] Joel might be a bigger deal back there,” said Lehkonen, who speaks in a commanding baritone. The younger Lehkonen made his debut in the Liiga, or Finland’s elite league, at 16. He’ll never be a bruiser in the NHL – he is listed, optimistically, at six feet and 182 pounds – but as Bergevin told the Montreal Gazette earlier this year, “he shakes hands like he’s six-four.” Globe And Mail LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060977 Montreal Canadiens probably an easy target right now, but certainly — as you all know — he’s supported by his teammates and our coaching staff. That’s not an issue.” Stu Cowan: Two must-win games? Claude Julien has been here before Pacioretty is one of six members of the current Canadiens who were part of the comeback victory over Boston three years ago. The others are Brendan Gallagher, Tomas Plekanec, Alexei Emelin, Andrei Markov and Stu Cowan Carey Price. April 21, 2017 9:23 PM EDT “You just go there … you’re ready for the game, you’re ready for the first period,” Plekanec said Friday when asked what lesson he learned from that series. “You don’t look for more than the first period. You have a good start to the game and go from there. NEW YORK — It ain’t over till it’s over. “We’re ready,” Plekanec added. “There’s not negativity or panic or Since we’re in New York, why not use one of the most famous lines from anything like that. We’re one game away to tie it up.” the late Yankee legend Yogi Berra. Maybe the Canadiens should put it up on their dressing-room wall before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference They’re also one loss away from it being over. quarter-final series against the Rangers on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m., CBC, NBC, TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690). Welcome to the NHL playoffs. It’s part of what makes it the best tournament in all of sports and the Canadiens are hoping for a repeat of If the Canadiens lose, their season will, indeed, be over and a very long 2014 against Boston. summer will start with many questions to be answered before the next season begins. But we’ll hold off on those questions for a while … maybe Déjà vu all over again. only as long as Sunday morning. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.22.2017 If you remember the movie Dumb & Dumber, you’ll recall the scene in which the dumb (or dumber) Lloyd Christmas (played by Jim Carrey) asks the gorgeous Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly) about the chances of them hooking up. “Not good,” she says. “You mean, not good like one out of a hundred?” he responds. “I’d say more like one out of a million.” “So you’re telling me there’s a chance. Yeah!” The Canadiens still have a chance and it’s better than one out of a million. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, when an NHL best-of- seven series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series 78.1 per cent of the time. That means the odds of the Canadiens winning Game 6 and then a Game 7 Monday night at the Bell Centre are 21.9 per cent. Not impossible. In fact, the Canadiens did it three years ago when they were trailing the Boston Bruins 3-2 heading into Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semi-final series. The Canadiens won Game 6 by a 4-0 score at the Bell Centre and then beat the Bruins 3-1 in Game 7 in Boston. The coach on the losing end of that series with the Bruins was Claude Julien, now coaching the Canadiens. “Thanks for reminding me,” Julien said when he met with the media Friday afternoon at the team’s Manhattan hotel. “The toughest thing to do is to close,” Julien added. “The pressure is on them. They need to close tomorrow. We need to create a Game 7 by playing well in Game 6. That’s how you have to look at it. We have to focus on our job here. We’ve got a pretty good road record, I don’t think their home record is the best. I would have to say the pressure’s on them, too.” Julien knows what it takes to win a Stanley Cup, accomplishing the feat behind the Boston bench in 2011 after beating the Canadiens in OT of Game 7 in the first round. Julien was also behind the Boston bench in 2013 when the Bruins became the first team in NHL history to win a Game 7 after trailing by three goals in the third period, rallying to beat Toronto 5-4 in OT. “I’ve been through a lot in the playoffs in the past and every time we’ve had success we at one point had to face real adversity,” Julien said. The Canadien facing the most adversity heading into Game 6 is captain Max Pacioretty, who has yet to score a goal in the series — and has only one assist — while leading the NHL in playoff shots with 24 through Thursday’s games. With less than seven minutes left in the third period of Game 5, Pacioretty was stopped on a breakaway by Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. If the captain had scored, we’d probably be looking at totally different story lines heading into Game 6. But Pacioretty didn’t and that’s the roller-coaster ride the NHL playoffs can be, with a top-seeded team like the Chicago Blackhawks falling off after only four games against the Nashville Predators. “Max is not the only guy who hasn’t scored yet, but if he’s getting chances that means he’s doing something well,” Julien said. “So 1060978 Montreal Canadiens

Rangers' Lundqvist has edge on Carey Price in clinching series

Pat Hickey April 21, 2017 10:42 PM EDT

NEW YORK — The narrative at the start of the Canadiens-Rangers series was goaltending would be key and Montreal was the favourite because Carey Price is Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist isn’t. Lundqvist is a fine goaltender, but there was something about playing the Canadiens that brought out the worst in him. He has a career record 0f 14-17-3 against Montreal in the regular season with a 2.87 goals-against average and an .898 save percentage, and he was terrible at the Bell Centre. He was 0-2-1 against Montreal this season with a goals-against average of 4.04 and an .871 save percentage. But the Rangers lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series 3-2 and have a chance to wrap it up at at home Saturday (8 p.m., CBC, NBC, TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690). And it’ mostly because Lundqvist has exceeded expectations. Or has he? While Lundqvist has struggled against the Canadiens in the regular season, he has a 7-3 record in playoff games with a 1.99 GAA and .934 save percentage. In this series, he is 3-2 with a 1.83 GAA and a .942 save percentage, while Price has a 1.83 GAA and .936 save percentage. “You have to give him credit, he’s played pretty well,” said Canadiens coach Claude Julien. “Can we do more? I think so. We have to do more in order to win. Our team can probably be a little better to make it tough on him.” The Canadiens have been averaging 35.6 shots a game while allowing 31.6 shots, but the numbers don’t reflect the quality of the shots. “He’s made a lot of the saves he’s supposed to and some big ones where maybe we thought we had good opportunities,” said defenceman Shea Weber. “They’re doing a good job of cleaning out the second opportunities as well and we have to hunt those pucks down.We have get even more traffic in front of him because he’s playing so well.” There was a lot of talk Friday about the way the Canadiens have handled adversity this season. They led the league in third-period comebacks, but their third period and overtime performance in Thursday’s 3-2 loss at the Bell Centre was pitiful. But Julien said the Canadiens are focused on Game 6 and the players are relaxed and determined. “We have a pretty good road record and I don’t think their home record is the best so I would have to say the pressure is on them, too,” Julien said. “You have to win four games to win the series and winning that fourth game is always the toughest.” And that brings us to a final set of numbers for Lundqvist, who knows a thing or two about wrapping up series. Since 2012, he has been involved in seven games in which the Rangers had a chance to close out a series. In those games he is 6-1 with a 0.96 GAA, a .964 save percentage and a 1-0 shutout win over the Canadiens in Game 6 three years ago. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060979 Montreal Canadiens been doing is scouring the league for a big strong forward who could put the puck in the net. He also should’ve been trying to develop that same player through the Habs’ farm system. He’s failed miserably on both What the Puck: Game 5 loss a bitter pill to swallow for Habs fans counts. The other thing people were saying after the game Thursday is they traded the wrong guy last summer. They should’ve traded 67 not 76. And Brendan Kelly they’re right. Yes, Max Pacioretty scores 30-something goals every season, but he is beyond terrible in the playoffs. Always has been. Hey, April 21, 2017 4:20 PM EDT he might redeem himself Saturday night in the Big Apple and I’d love to see that happen.

But we can only talk about what’s already happened and our fearful To be a Habs fan is to suffer. captain has never had anything approaching a decent playoff run. And And that’s exactly what we were doing Thursday at the Redondo Beach he’s been horrible in this series. Let’s not beat around the bush here — Café in this quiet seaside community just south of the much more for your leading scorer and captain to have one assist in five games of a hopping Santa Monica and Venice beach scenes. I was watching Game playoff series is simply not acceptable. Great players — hello, Jonathan 5 of the Canadiens Rangers series with Chris and Kosta Tsangaris, two Toews, Patrick Kane, Bobby Orr, , to name a few — score brothers who grow up in a Greek-immigrant family in Park Ex and run this the big goals when they’re needed. In other words, if you’re not-so-mad hockey-obsessed/Montreal-obsessed restaurant in Southern California. Max, you need to lift that puck over Henrik Lundqvist’s pad on that breakway in the third period. I had spent the hour before the game chatting with Chris, a super friendly guy who told me his story, of how one year of playing major-junior If our Habs lose this series, the loss is on Bergevin. He said as much last football in Quebec led to a football scholarship to Long Beach State year. He claims he takes responsibility and he should. He hasn’t University, not that far from Redondo Beach. He then spent six years as addressed the team’s inability to score and instead he’s continued with a linebacker in the CFL, including a stint with the Alouettes. He’s lived in the same plan as ever, a plan that is no plan at all — just hope Carey the L.A. area ever since his time studying here. Now, he’s a professor of Price pulls off a miracle every night. Well, The King has been the better kinesiology at Long Beach U and spends his time outside the classroom goalie so far. That’s a fact. His team is up 3-2. Both goalies have been overseeing the Redondo Beach Café with his brother Kosta. The resto, superb, but the Rangers are one game away from sending the by the way, makes a mean Montreal-style smoked-meat sandwich and Canadiens to the golf course. they say they were the first place in Los Angeles to sell poutine. The lack of scoring killed the Canadiens in their 2015 playoff run and it “I’m living the dream,” says Chris, as we walk down to the gorgeous looks like it’s going to seal their fate again. beach five minutes from his restaurant. Oh yeah, but the team used to have a guy who turned up for the big Who am I to argue with him? games and notably provided some much-needed heroics in a certain 2014 Bruins Habs series. A guy named P.K. Subban. The Tsangaris brothers live and breathe hockey and that’s reflected in their restaurant, which has Habs and Kings memorabilia everywhere. Price has never pulled off that playoff magic. Weber has never done that. After the first Kings Cup win in 2012, the team brought the Cup to the And Patch doesn’t even know what we’re talking about. Tsangaris’s restaurant and there was a line of fans right down to the Meanwhile back at the Redondo Beach Café, Chris Tsangaris was beach waiting to get a pic with Lord Stanley’s chalice. talking about how one of his all-time favourite Habs players was Chris So we had a great time Thursday — until the Canadiens soiled the bed in Nilan and we were thinking that’s exactly the kind of guy these the third and especially the overtime, dropping the crucial game 3-2 to Canadiens need so badly. A guy who’s all heart. A gladiator who will do the Blueshirts. anything to get that win. After the game the brothers were despondent. Like so many of us, the Tsangaris brothers grew up enthralled by some of the greatest Canadiens teams ever. Their dad had a barbershop just “This agony of defeat thing is too much,” said Kosta, after Mika Zibanejad across from the old Forum in the 1970s and Chris remembers watching potted the winning goal for the Rangers at 14:22 of the first overtime from the barbershop window every June as those parades wound down period. Ste-Catherine St. I hate when we lose. — Kosta Tsangaris Now, they dream of putting a photo of that elusive 25th Habs Cup parade on the wall of their restaurant in Redondo Beach. But right here, right You already know the entire city of Montreal was in a funk after that bitter now, neither is feeling the dream. But it’s another beautiful day on the defeat. Now you know the heartache was being felt 3,000 miles away in beach. sunny Southern California. Though fellow Montreal ex-pat Steven Spitzer aka ‘Expo’ did put an L.A. spin on the defeat. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.22.2017 “You get all upset that your team lost and then you walk outside and it’s 65 degrees (Fahrenheit),” said Spitzer, a divorce lawyer whose offices are just around the corner. Just how upset were folks Thursday night going into Friday? Pop Montreal creative director Dan Seligman caught the bitter zeitgeist perfectly with his Facebook post Friday morning: “At least we can all agree on who won the trade now.” Of course, Seligman was referring to the P.K. Subban/Shea Weber trade from last summer and just as obviously Seligman was being ultra- provocative here. Though he has a point — Subban and his Predators swept the almost-dynasty-like Chicago Blackhawks while Montreal is on the ropes against the Rangers. Yeah, Subban was not lighting it up against the Hawks but he was playing a solid defensive game and showing he can be a team guy, something Montreal management insisted he was incapable of doing. Bottom-line is that you make a blockbuster trade to help your team in the playoffs and right here, right now, the Predators are doing better than the Habs. So to quote Charlie Sheen, ’s team is #winning. Fact is that trade doesn’t look good right at this exact second. The Man Mountain has often been a force to reckon with in these playoffs but, as I’ve said for close to a year now, Habs GM Marc Bergevin failed to deal with Montreal’s real problem because he was so obsessed with shipping P.K. out of town. The Canadiens’ biggest problem has been the same one for … well for 24 years. They need quality Top Six scorers. What Bergevin should’ve 1060980 Montreal Canadiens same things, the right things, over and over again, eventually you’re going to get the results you want.

‘We want to be that team’: Could Mark Scheifele’s young Jets be the If the sputtering Montreal Canadiens don’t find offence soon, their season next Leafs? will be over this weekend “You got to believe in that and go out there every shift and continue to work, continue to battle and not feel sorry for yourself. It’s not going to Stu Cowan get any easier and, obviously, the chances are there. Find ways to put one in and hopefully it makes a difference in a game here coming up.” April 21, 2017 12:45 PM ET Gallagher scored his first goal of the series Thursday night, but it didn’t make a difference. Artturi Lehkonen was the only other Canadien to score. MONTREAL — After Thursday’s morning skate in Brossard, Que., Max Pacioretty was asked how much the fact he hadn’t scored a goal during A lot of players need to take a long look in the mirror before Game 6. So the first four playoff games against the New York Rangers was on his should the GM. mind. National Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 “Not as much as your mind,” the Montreal Canadiens captain responded with a smile. It should really be on Pacioretty’s mind, now, and the smile should also be gone. Pacioretty failed to score a goal for the fifth straight game and the Canadiens lost 3-2 in overtime Thursday night at the Bell Centre on a goal by the Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad. The Rangers, who now lead the best-of-seven first-round series 3-2, can eliminate the Canadiens with a Game 6 victory Saturday night on home ice at Madison Square Garden. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, when an NHL best-of-seven series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series 78.1 per cent of the time. Things are not looking good now for the Canadiens — or Pacioretty — after the team won the Atlantic Division title during the regular season and the captain scored 35 goals. But Pacioretty isn’t the only player responsible for the Canadiens being within one loss of elimination. Pacioretty was the only big gun the Canadiens had all season, scoring 13 goals more than Paul Byron, who was second with 22. Byron and Alexander Radulov, who was third with 18, scored only five more goals combined than Pacioretty. With the score tied 2-2 after 40 minutes Thursday night, the Canadiens went almost 11 minutes into the third period without getting a shot. Then they were outshot 10-3 in OT. Offensive depth is the team’s biggest problem, and GM Marc Bergevin did nothing to fix that at the NHL trade deadline, when he added fourth- liners Steve Ott, Dwight King — who somehow stays in the lineup — and Andreas Martinsen, who was a healthy scratch Thursday. When you’re basically a one-gun team offensively, the opposition has a better chance of figuring out how to shut you down when you play each other every second night. The Rangers have shut down Pacioretty, who has only one assist in the series. But he’s not the only forward who has yet to score a goal. Also in that club are Alex Galchenyuk, who has three assists, Phillip Danault and Andrew Shaw, who was acquired by Bergevin last summer from Chicago with the playoffs in mind. Shaw has yet to register a point in the series and is minus-2. The trio of Ott, King and Martinsen has zero points. Carey Price has played very well in goal, but Henrik Lundqvist has played much better than expected, after losing all three regular-season games against the Canadiens while posting a 4.04 goals-against average and .871 save percentage. The stats for Price (1.82 GAA, .936 save percentage) and Lundqvist (1.83 GAA, .944 save percentage) in this series are almost identical, but the most important stat has Lundqvist with one more win. The Canadiens haven’t been able to count on their goalie to win while they have only scored 10 goals through five games. Former Canadiens coach Michel Therrien liked to say you need three goals to win a game, so do the math. “It’s tough, but you got to win four to win a series,” Pacioretty said. “I think we’ve done an OK job of, I guess, tuning out the negativity this far. It’s important, especially in Montreal. This should be no different.” After Thursday’s morning skate, the Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher talked about how difficult it is to score in the playoffs. “It’s obviously tough to score at this time of the year,” he said. “But you want to be doing that, you want to be contributing. It’s not the time of year to be getting frustrated, either, or feel like it’s not going to happen. Like I’ve been saying to you guys all year, I have this belief that if you do the 1060981 Nashville Predators

Maturation leads Predators' Kevin Fiala to overtime winner

Adam Vingan 11:09 a.m. CT April 18, 2017

In the delirium of the Predators' Game 3 comeback overtime victory against the Blackhawks on Monday (or Tuesday morning since it ended at 12:09 a.m.), you may have excitedly texted someone to celebrate forward Kevin Fiala's hero-making moment. Darn autocorrect. You see, if you type "Fiala" into your text box, your phone will attempt to change it to "goals." How appropriate. Two years ago, the Predators thrust Fiala, then a baby-faced rookie, into his second NHL game, which happened to be a triple-overtime Game 4 loss to the Blackhawks in the first round. On Monday, Fiala, now a barely less baby-faced rookie, scored the most momentous goal of his life. The path between those two points hasn't been smooth. Fiala didn't rocket to the NHL as a first-round draft pick. He failed to make the Predators' opening-night roster last season and lugged a sour attitude to the American Hockey League. Fiala had to grow up. He had to, as he said last summer, "respect the process" that most young players must undergo to become full-time NHL players. "You're not happy when you go down (to the minors), but that's the kind of experience you need," Fiala recently said. "You cannot do anything else but give 100 percent, and that's how you get back up here." The 20-year-old has become a lineup regular for the Predators since last returning from the AHL in mid-February, scoring a career-high 11 goals this season and oozing raw playmaking ability. “That’s part of him maturing as a person and a player," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "Going down there, figuring out the game, figuring out how to be a pro, figuring out how to do it on a daily basis and then bringing it up to the National Hockey League. "Even still with up-and-down movement over a couple years, he’s in a position now where he seems to have found some stick-to-it." Carrie Underwood sings national anthem before Game 3 The 17,000-plus fans at on Monday grabbed their heads as Fiala threw his back in disbelief. He just missed winning the game with a wrist shot as a tense overtime period became even more nerve-racking. No problem. He darted to the net three minutes later, sneaking a backhand past sprawling Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford and putting the Predators one win from completing their first series sweep. After reliving his redemption, Fiala fielded a question about his emotions immediately after the game-winner that almost was. He smiled and shrugged. "Never mind," he said. "We won." "It probably goes to confidence more than anything else," Laviolette said. "He's a young kid playing in a man's league, and a really good league at that. I think young players, when they come in, they can grab experiences like that and try to take that and harness it." Tennessean LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060982 Nashville Predators That’s still a fraction of football ratings in this area, and that’s where building community ice rinks comes into play. There’s Ford Ice Center in Antioch and one coming in Bellevue and more planned. Predators, fans on verge of next big step Give kids and families access to the game so they are invested in it early. Then give them a winner. Joe Rexrode “I think it’s all about playoffs,” Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne said. “It’s always, when teams are being successful, I think that creates new 10:02 p.m. CT April 19, 2017 fans. Creates more youth hockey. It’s this whole cycle and I think hockey has really grown a lot in Nashville and it is great to see.”

Downtown has been something to see as well. Brenda Sanderson, who “We’ve got a choice to be awesome tonight; let’s choose that,” Nashville owns four honky-tonks along with her husband, Ruble, and son Brad, Predators coach Peter Laviolette told his players before Monday’s playoff said home playoff games typically mean a “huge increase in revenues” game against the Chicago Blackhawks. from a normal night. When they did by coming back to win 3-2 in overtime at Bridgestone So if the Predators were to lose Game 4, then Game 5 on Saturday in Arena, he said of the Blackhawks: “They’re not dead yet. They will be, Chicago, that would mean Game 6 and a lucrative Monday night on but they’re not dead yet. Let’s finish this.” Broadway. But Sanderson isn’t just a business owner; she’s a devoted fan who has had season tickets since the Predators arrived. This is how you get more people interested in your product. By pulling back the curtain for them, as NHL.com did with those comments from “I will gladly give up that extra game,” she said, “for them to put it away Laviolette and other behind-the-scenes footage from Monday. By Thursday night.” shedding light on the people in this game of hockey, something the NHL should do as much as possible. Tennessean LOADED: 04.22.2017 And in the specific case of the Predators, by finishing the job. Making the Blackhawks dead, figuratively speaking, by eliminating them from the Stanley Cup playoffs. Thursday’s Game 4 at Bridgestone (7 p.m., Fox TN, NBC SN) is the first of four potential opportunities to do so in this best-of-seven series. Nashville’s 3-0 lead is a shocker in the hockey world, at the expense of a Chicago team favored by Las Vegas oddsmakers to win the Stanley Cup and picked by just about everyone else to win this first-round series. If the Predators can get one more win, it will be the most significant achievement in their 19-year history – beating an elite team that has won three of the past seven Stanley Cups, and setting themselves up to make a serious run at one of their own. That’s why Lower Broadway is wilder than normal these days, and why this team’s TV ratings are surging, and why Monday night in Bridgestone was one of the best scenes at a sporting event you’re going to find anywhere. From Carrie Underwood’s surprise, soaring national anthem to the euphoric celebration after Predators forward Kevin Fiala scored the winning goal in overtime, it was epic. “Awesome,” Laviolette said. “The rink was unbelievable, the fans were absolutely incredible. … From an organizational standpoint it’s huge, to watch the growth of it. It’s hard not to mention or acknowledge the impact they had on the game (Monday).” Bridgestone has rocked before and was sold out for all 41 regular-season games for the first time in franchise history. There’s a core of folks who have built that atmosphere over several years, and Predators President and CEO Sean Henry figures there are about 10,000 fully devoted followers. But when you destroy a team like Chicago in a nationally televised playoff game, as the Predators did Saturday on NBC by a score of 5-0, you make others notice. If you can win the series against Chicago and turn that into a deep run – Nashville has never advanced past the second round – then the “bandwagon” starts to fill. And though “bandwagon” may be a derisive term in fan circles, every team wants a big one. Winning is how they build followings that can sustain them during tough times. The Predators are loaded with young, talented players and appear built for more runs in years to come, so now is the time to capitalize. “That’s the real financial success of the playoffs; it’s long term,” Henry said Wednesday. “If you were here in the building Monday, you’re a casual fan and that was the first game you’ve seen in two years, now you’re pretty hooked. It’s hard not to fall in love.” The Predators sold out all of their suites and other premium areas in Bridgestone this season for the first time, part of what Henry said is the franchise’s best financial year to date. Nashville has about 10,200 season-ticket holders, just 10 years after fans held a “Save the Predators” rally to keep the team from moving, and season tickets dipped to 5,500. TV was a big priority this season, and ratings on Fox Sports were up 30 percent after they jumped 80 percent in the 2015-16 season. They’re still relatively meager, in the range of a 1.5 rating (14,800 households) for regular-season games, while Monday’s Game 3 got a solid 5.2 (52,603 households). 1060983 Nashville Predators

Predators earn second-highest TV rating ever

Mike Organ 12:06 p.m. CT April 21, 2017

The Predators 4-1 win Thursday night over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 4 of the playoffs earned the second-highest local television rating in the franchise’s history. The game posted a 6.9 rating, according to WTVF-5 program and research director Mark Binda. That is second behind the 7.2 rating earned in 2015 in Game 6 of the playoffs, which also was against the Blackhawks. A total of 69,800 households in the Nashville market tuned in to Thursday’s game, which was played at Bridgestone Arena and broadcast on Fox Sports and NBC Sports. The highest viewership came between 9:30-9:45 p.m. when the rating was 10.1. Other than the Big Bang Theory on CBS, the game was the highest rated show in prime time in Nashville Thursday. Tennessean LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060984 Nashville Predators

Meet the Blues (and Wild) — Predators' next likely opponent in playoffs

Adam Vingan 11:55 a.m. CT April 21, 2017

The Predators' sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks was cause for muted celebration within the team's locker room. There wasn't any chest-thumping regarding the Predators' four-game statement, which made them the third team in NHL history to complete an opening-round sweep of a top-seeded opponent. "We can enjoy the win," Predators captain Mike Fisher said Thursday. "Then it's back to business." What awaits the Predators is a second-round matchup against either the St. Louis Blues or Minnesota Wild. The Blues have a 3-1 lead in that series and can finish it Saturday afternoon (2 p.m., NBC). With five first-round series across both conferences still undecided before Friday's games, it could be a week before the Predators play again. The NHL, which prefers not to start a new round until the entire preceding round is complete, doesn't expect to open the second round league-wide until at least April 27. The Predators will again play Games 1 and 2 on the road. "It was good to win a series," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "We beat a good team. We've got a lot of work to do. It's such a long process. I promise you this — the next round will be harder than this one. And that's not to disrespect (Chicago). It's just the way the playoffs go." Here is a look at Nashville's two potential second-round opponents: Predators' top performer vs. Blues this season: Filip Forsberg (two goals, five points) The Blues, like the Predators, opened their first-round series with three consecutive wins, but a shutout loss to the Wild on Wednesday forced a fifth game in Minnesota on Saturday. Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne was remarkable against the Blackhawks, finishing with a 0.70 goals-against average and .976 save percentage in four games. Based on the equally impressive play of Blues goaltender Jake Allen, who has surrendered five goals on 145 shots against the Wild, a goaltending duel might be in these teams' futures. In 32 regular-season games under new coach Mike Yeo, St. Louis allowed a league-leading 60 goals, a significant turnaround from the porous play that necessitated former coach Ken Hitchcock's dismissal in February. This potential series won't be as speed- and skill-based as the Predators' previous one. St. Louis plays a more bruising style, which Nashville has no problem adapting to. The Blues, however, have many top-flight forwards, starting with offensive dynamo Vladimir Tarasenko, who has 22 points in 24 career games against the Predators. A potential Game 7 between St. Louis and Minnesota is scheduled for April 26. In regards to arena availability, Scottrade Center is unavailable April 27 because of a concert. Predators' record vs. Wild this season: 2-2-1 Predators' top performer vs. Wild this season: Ryan Johansen (five assists, six points) Four teams in NHL history have conquered a 3-0 deficit, so analyzing a possible series against the Wild might be a fruitless exercise. Minnesota appeared to be coasting to a Central Division title and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. The Wild then lost 13 of their last 21 regular-season games to limp into the playoffs and are one loss from a disappointing end. Despite trailing their series with the Blues, the Wild have carried play by dominating puck possession, leading the 16-team playoff field in that category. They were the second-highest scoring team in the NHL this season, but Allen and the stingy Blues have neutralized them to this point. Tennessean LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060985 Nashville Predators

Rexrode's Playoff Barometer: Cloud Nine in Nashville

Joe Rexrode 10:52 a.m. CT April 21, 2017

For as long as the Nashville Predators are in the playoffs, we’ll take the temperature of the series the morning after each game. In the clouds:Nashville and the fans of the Nashville Predators. Sweeping the reviled Blackhawks? Shutting up their fans? Knocking out the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and carving a path to the deepest run in franchise history? Playing like a Stanley Cup champion? It’s all true. And there’s plenty of time to enjoy it until the second round begins. The Finnish wall of ice: Available English superlatives can’t do justice to the performance of Pekka Rinne in the series of his career. He stopped 123 of 126 shots, and two of the goals he allowed were on the power play. He shut out the Blackhawks twice in Chicago, almost got another one in the clincher, and might have done his best work in the Game 3 win with huge saves to keep the Predators in it until they could come back and win in overtime. He was totally mahtava. Man-made weather: Peter Laviolette and his coaching staff seemed to have Joel Quenneville and Co. stumped for four straight games. A large share of that credit obviously goes to the players who skated faster, won more puck battles and sustained excellence with their considerable talent. But the plan to aggressively defend the Blackhawks while still protecting Rinne — and still attacking — was ambitious. A good plan is one thing. The fact that it was executed almost flawlessly is the most impressive part of all. Line of storms: If any non-goalie served notice in this series, it was Predators center Ryan Johansen, who controlled the action against heralded Chicago star Jonathan Toews. Johansen played up to his physical gifts and led the team with six points (one goal, five assists) in the series while winning 60.2 percent of his faceoffs. Linemates Filip Forsberg (two goals, three assists) and Viktor Arvidsson (two goals, two assists) were right there with him. All three made critical plays on both ends. Arvidsson was a ridiculous plus-8 in the series, with Forsberg and Johansen at plus-7. Hot name: Colton Sissons. It’s like all the young role players for the Predators are coming of age at once. We’ve talked about 20-year-old Kevin Fiala a lot since his overtime winner in Game 3, but how about 23- year-old center Sissons? The 2012 second-round pick had the deciding goal in Thursday’s deciding game, along with a dazzling pass to Roman Josi for the goal to make it 3-0 in the third period. Sissons started to become more of an offensive force late in the season on a line with Craig Smith and Colin Wilson. Both of them are now injured, but he’s still surging. High pressure system: The Blackhawks tried to say all the pressure was on the Predators in Game 4, but it was always on the Stanley Cup favorite. And now that the Hawks have lost in the first round for the second year in a row, there are a lot of questions in Chicago about whether the decline is underway. There’s still a nucleus of stars with good years left in place, so don’t bury them yet. Tennessean LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060986

Islanders will submit bid for new arena at Belmont Park The Islanders and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn have been a bad fit leaving team looking for new home.

Peter Botte Friday, April 21, 2017, 3:41 PM

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman revealed on Friday that the Islanders’ owners plan to officially submit a bid to New York state officials with the hope of building a new arena for the hockey team at the Belmont Park racetrack site. Speaking to a group from The Associated Press Sports Editors at the league’s midtown office, Bettman added that Isles owners and Scott Malkin still are “reviewing their options” to procure a new local arena for the Islanders, who have encountered numerous problems in their two seasons at Barclays Center in Brooklyn since leaving in 2015. “Yes, there is an RFP (request for proposal) for Belmont and I know they are going to participate in that,” Bettman said. “I believe that everyone thinks there is a terrific opportunity there, if not at Willets Point (in Queens), to create a more hockey friendly environment for the Islanders, which is something Scott (Malkin) is committed to do.” Bettman also reiterated that the renovated Coliseum, which reopened earlier this month, is “not a long-term option” for the Isles. NHL playoffs are best drama on TV, too bad more aren't watching The Islanders and Barclays Center face a January 2018 deadline to open a renegotiation period of their 25-year lease that must happen before either side can opt out of the existing deal. After winning a playoff series last spring for the first time since 1993 – in their first season at Barclays Center – the Isles failed to qualify for the postseason this year. Despite a 24-12-4 record under Doug Weight after coach Jack Capuano was fired in January, the Isles finished one point behind No. 8 Toronto in the Eastern Conference to miss the postseason for the seventh time in general manager’s Garth Snow’s 11 years in the front office. New York Daily News LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060987 New York Islanders Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.22.2017

Islanders plan to submit bid for arena at Belmont Park, NHL’s Gary Bettman says

April 21, 2017 4:06 PM Mike Rose, Jim Baumbach and Robert Brodsky

The Islanders plan to submit a bid to the state to build a new hockey arena at Belmont Park, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday, marking the first public confirmation of the team’s stadium strategy. Saying that the Islanders “are reviewing their options,” Bettman also mentioned the land next to Citi Field in Willets Point as a potential landing spot for the Islanders and added that the renovated Nassau Coliseum is “not a long-term option.” “Yes, there is an RFP [request for proposal] for Belmont and I know they are going to participate in that,” Bettman said of the Islanders. “I believe that everyone thinks there is a terrific opportunity there, if not at Willets Point, to create a more hockey friendly environment for the Islanders, which is something [Islanders co-owner] Scott [Malkin] is committed to do.” Bettman made his comments about the Islanders’ arena plans on Friday to a group from The Associated Press Sports Editors at the league’s midtown Manhattan office. Both the Islanders and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, which operates Barclays Center and Nassau Coliseum, declined to comment. Sources have said the Islanders have been talking with the owners of the Mets about teaming up on the development. The Islanders are being advised by the , a sports arena development company backed by Madison Square Garden. A spokeswoman for Empire State Development said last week that the state’s primary business development agency is “working to finalize” a request for proposals to develop Belmont Park. Last year the agency scrapped proposals, including a 25,000-seat soccer stadium for the New York Cosmos, after a long-delayed, four-year process. Bettman’s comments come as the Islanders and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center near a deadline to open a renegotiation period of their license agreement that must occur before either side can opt out of the 25-year deal in January. The operators of Barclays Center plan to pitch the Islanders on a return to their former home, according to Kevin Law, the president and chief executive of Long Island Association, the region’s largest business group. But Bettman said Friday he doesn’t see the Coliseum as a possibility for the Islanders. “I don’t know if it’s a short-term option,” he said, “but I know it’s not a long-term option.” A spokesman for Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, who has lobbied the Islanders to return to the renovated Nassau Coliseum, said he had no comment on Bettman’s remarks. Lawmakers and area civic leaders are split on the prospects of an Elmont arena. State Sen. Elaine Phillips (R-Manhasset), whose district includes Floral Park and parts of Elmont, said “the community has waited a long time for economic development at Belmont. Any redevelopment needs to be done with extensive input from residents, before anything is considered.” State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach), who also represents parts of Elmont, said it’s “too early to prejudge” the project. “If there’s a path to bring the Islanders home while increasing jobs for the community and adding other benefits, such as a full-time LIRR station, then such a proposal would merit serious consideration,” Kaminsky said. Hempstead Supervisor Anthony Santino called on the governor’s office and the MTA to add full service commuter trains to the Belmont LIRR station Friday, in response to plans for developments and requests for proposals surrounding Belmont Park. Santino said he wants to see the Islanders come back to Hempstead and thinks the station would help Islanders fans. “If it comes to fruition, a commuter rail link for the Islanders would be a major plus,” Santino said. 1060988 New York Rangers

Rangers must stand up for Henrik Lundqvist in order to defend Garden, clinch series victory

Justin Tasch Saturday, April 22, 2017, 2:00 AM

MONTREAL − The Rangers’ primary task sounds simple but is anything but: Seal the deal Saturday in Game 6 at the Garden and avoid coming back here. What the Blueshirts also want to do as they head into this chance to advance to the second round for a date with Ottawa or Boston is put a stop to the carte blanche the Habs seemingly had Thursday in making contact with Henrik Lundqvist, since the officials certainly didn’t seem interested in providing any sort of deterrent during the Rangers’ Game 5 overtime win. Montreal is pushing the limit as much as it can with bumping Lundqvist, and the Rangers feel their opponents are overstepping boundaries. Brendan Smith, the deadline acquisition and pending unrestricted free agent who has shown considerable bite throughout this series, fought Andrew Shaw in the middle of the first period after Steve Ott fell on Lundqvist. “It’s a message, but I’m not out there just trying to send a message,” Smith said Friday here at the Rangers’ hotel before the club flew back home. “The thing is we’re trying to take care of Hanky. He’s playing really well so they’re gonna try to get their bumps and we have to protect him. I think they kind of crossed the line a little bit there. Those things happen. Shaw’s a warrior and he tries to go to the front of the net, and I’ve got to make sure that that can’t happen. I think Ott was right in there. “We obviously want to protect our goalie and we don’t want to see Henrik get hurt from guys jumping on him or falling on him. That’s a little bit on our ‘D’ and our low forwards to make sure that doesn’t happen. I guess it’s a message, but in most ways that just happens in hockey and sometimes you’ve just got to answer the bell.” There hasn’t been anything as dramatic as the Chris Kreider-Carey Price accident from three years ago, but there certainly was enough for the officials to call a penalty, which they didn’t do Thursday but did on Tuesday when Rick Nash drove hard to the net in the first period like he’s done all series. “I think we need either the refs making the calls to back them off or do your best to box them out within a shift,” Marc Staal said. “There’s a few shifts where they’re sitting on him, falling on him purposely, all that kind of stuff.” A danger exists in the heat of the moment sometimes to retaliate, and many times the retaliation is what’s penalized and not the initial transgression. Smith admitted he’s wavered on that fine line as guys like Shaw and Brendan Gallagher have. “I even had some of the refs saying ‘You’re on the line right now,’ and I respect that because I know where I’m at,” he said. “Sometimes I find the calls are kind of inconsistent, so if the refs can talk to us that’s pretty good.” Protect their goalie and protect their house, where they now have a one- game winning streak in the playoffs. The Rangers are 10-7 during the Lundqvist era in games in which they have a chance to clinch the series. “Our effort, compete (level) and desperation will be there,” Staal said. New York Daily News LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060989 New York Rangers

Pavel Buchnevich’s new spot on offense already paying off for Rangers

Justin Tasch Saturday, April 22, 2017, 1:58 AM

MONTREAL − Tanner Glass did his part over the first three games of this series, but Alain Vigneault’s shift in philosophy for his 12th forward spot by swapping Glass out for Pavel Buchnevich between Games 3 and 4 has paid dividends for the Rangers. The 22-year-old rookie has displayed the kind of skill that has the Rangers very optimistic about his future, and his upside was evident during overtime in Thursday’s Game 5 when he, Mika Zibanejad, who scored the overtime winner, and Chris Kreider thrived in a dominant extra period. “It’s pretty impressive,” Marc Staal said Friday. “He’s a high-skilled guy and he’s very smart. You can tell when he’s on the ice, he just knows where to be and he’s making some really skilled plays with the puck. It’s been a good boost for us.” With Buchnevich coming in for Game 4 it was Michael Grabner, who spent most of the season as the team’s leading goal-scorer, who shifted to the left wing on the Oscar Lindberg-Jesper Fast line vacated by Glass while the other lines were shuffled. They form what would be considered the fourth line, though Vigneault says he’s seeing his trios as equal. Rangers must stand up for Lundqvist in order to defend Garden NO POWER PLAY The longer the Rangers fail to convert on a power play, now 0-for-14 this series, the more Vigneault feels it’s only a matter of time before they break through. “I’m telling myself and we’re telling our group that we’re due,” Vigneault said. ... The Rangers signed free-agent Russian defenseman Alexei Bereglazov out of the KHL. The 6-foot-4 23-year-old had six assists in eight playoff games for Metallurg Magnitogorsk and was teammates with Buchnevich on Russia’s 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship team that won a bronze medal. ... According to TicketIQ, Saturday’s Game 6 became the most expensive ticket on the secondary market of any opening-round game. The website says there were just more than 1,000 tickets available and the cheapest was $268, up from $203 a week earlier. The Rangers signed free-agent Russian defenseman Alexei Bereglazov out of the KHL. The 6-foot-4 23-year-old had six assists in eight playoff games for Metallurg Magnitogorsk and was teammates with Buchnevich on Russia's 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship team which won a bronze medal. Rangers agree to terms with defenseman Alexei Bereglazov *** According to TicketIQ, as of Friday afternoon Saturday's Game 6 became the most expensive ticket on the secondary market of any opening-round game in the NHL. The website says there were just more than 1,000 tickets available and the cheapest was $268, up from $203 a week earlier. New York Daily News LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060990 New York Rangers

Rangers agree to terms with defenseman Alexei Bereglazov

Justin Tasch Friday, April 21, 2017, 1:53 PM

The Rangers have added a young defenseman to their organization, agreeing to terms with Alexei Bereglazov on Friday. The 23-year-old Russian posted six assists in eight KHL playoff games with Metallurg Magnitogorsk after putting up 19 points in 60 regular- season games. He's listed at 6-4, 205 pounds. Bereglazov played in 162 games over the last for seasons in the KHL. He helped Metallurg win the 2015-16 Gagarin Cup, the prize for winning the KHL playoffs. New York Daily News LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060991 New York Rangers

Rangers’ Oscar Lindberg ‘fine’ after massive hit sidelines him for a bit in win over Canadiens

Justin Tasch Friday, April 21, 2017, 12:34 AM

MONTREAL — With dried blood under the right side of his nose, Oscar Lindberg said he was “fine” after being crushed in the face by Andrew Shaw in the second period of the Rangers’ 3-2 victory in Game 5 Thursday night, not playing the final 8:26 of the second period after going through concussion protocol. He returned to the bench late in the second and was back in action in the third period. Alain Vigneault didn’t have an opinion on the hit as he said he hadn’t seen a replay of it. Zibanejad’s overtime goal carries Rangers over Habs in Game 5 Lindberg finished with five hits in 10:35 of ice time, and according to hockeystats.ca the Rangers had 14 shot attempts for and zero against when Lindberg was on the ice. Shaw, one of Montreal’s line-steppers, got in Henrik Lundqvist’s grill in the first period when the Canadiens were throwing as many bodies at Lundqvist as possible, and Brendan Smith fought Shaw for it at 10:36 of the first. Ryan McDonagh was slow to get up after a high hit by Alexander Radulov early in the first but didn’t miss a shift and wasn’t required by a spotter to go through concussion protocol. Not long after, he bulldozed Shaw along the boards and later in the first trucked through Brendan Gallagher. McDonagh was credited with six hits and had eight shot attempts in a team-high 30:41. POWERLESS The Rangers went 0-for-2 on the power play, are now 0-for-14 in the series and are the only team yet to score with a man-advantage in these playoffs. During their 2014 run to the Stanley Cup Final the Rangers went through an 0-for-36 skid on the power play, which included nine games without a power-play goal until Chris Kreider ended the funk in Game 5 of the second round against Pittsburgh. GOOD SOLDIER A key cog in the playoff runs in recent years, Kevin Klein was scratched for the fourth time this series. “It’s always difficult when you’re not in the lineup, but part of being professional and a good teammate is supporting those guys,” said Klein, who has one year left on his deal with a $2.9 million cap hit. “You want the team to win. That’s the No. 1 priority. I’ve got something to offer, and if they need me I’ll be there.” Klein missed about a month until late March with lingering back spasms, which frustrated him. “S--- happens,” he said. “It’s part of hockey.” ... This is the eighth time in Rangers history they’ve turned a 2-1 series deficit into a 3-2 lead. They’re 6-1 in those first seven series. New York Daily News LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060992 New York Rangers

‘Wiser than his age’: Rave review for young Rangers defenseman

Brett Cyrgalis April 21, 2017 | 10:13pm

MONTREAL — When Brendan Smith was with the Red Wings for the first five months of the 2016-17 regular season, he didn’t get to see a lot of Rangers rookie defenseman Brady Skjei. But since Smith came over in a Feb. 28 trade and recently spending a good amount of time on a defensive pair with the 23-year-old rookie, he has become a fan. “I’m actually really impressed,” Smith said Friday morning with his team up in their first-round playoff series with the Canadiens, 3-2, with a chance to close it out and advance with a victory in Game 6 on Saturday night at the Garden. “Now playing with him, I’m kind of in awe with some of the plays he makes,” Smith said. “He’s wiser than his age. People talk about a young guy in the league making rookie mistakes, and I don’t really see that with him.” Brendan Smith fights Andrew Shaw during the Rangers’ Game 5 win.AP Skjei has elevated his game throughout the season, especially in the playoffs. The highlight was scoring the game-tying goal in Game 5 on Thursday night, driving to the net to finish a rebound off a Rick Nash shot. “He’s strong defensively, we see his offensive skill, especially [in Game 5],” Smith said. “I’m really impressed with him, and he’s strong on both sides of the ice, and that’s what you need from a D-man.” Coach Alain Vigneault said since before the series began that the Atlantic Division-winning Canadiens were “highly favored,” though the Rangers finished with just one fewer point during the regular season. Though most pundits had the series as a toss-up, Vigneault said jokingly in French on Friday there was another reason he has repeatedly mentioned it. “To give you guys something to talk about,” he said, as translated by the friendly members of the French-speaking media. The Rangers signed 23-year-old free-agent defenseman Alexei Bereglazov to an entry-level deal Friday. Playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Russia-based KHL this past season, Bereglazov had the most assists (18) and tied for the most points (19) of any defenseman in the league 24 years old or younger. The Rangers’ power play is 0-for-14 on the series, and with very little time to practice, Vigneault said he is hoping extra work from the coaching staff can find something to help spark them. “We’re trying to pick up on a couple cues, a couple areas we might be able to jump on,” Vigneault said. “I’m telling myself and we’re telling our group that we’re due. Hopefully [Game 6] will be the time.” New York Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060993 New York Rangers New York Post LOADED: 04.22.2017

How Rangers plan to stop Canadiens from crashing Henrik Lundqvist

Brett Cyrgalis April 21, 2017 | 7:16pm

MONTREAL — If you think the Canadiens were attacking Henrik Lundqvist with reckless abandon in the first five games of this series, what do you think is going to happen with their season on the line? So the alert is out for Lundqvist when his Rangers take the Garden ice with a chance to eliminate the Habs and advance to the second round with a Game 6 victory Saturday night. “There is a few shifts where they’re sitting on him and falling on him purposely, all that kind of stuff,” defenseman Marc Staal said Friday morning with his team up 3-2 in the best-of-seven contest and preparing to use the day just for travel before Saturday’s crucial contest. “It’s a team that, when Hank is playing the way he is, they’re going to try to do things to try to get him off his game and try to create some offense. It’s something that we’re going to try to do our best to clear the way for him and if they do cross the line, hopefully we can get a man-advantage out of it.” Not that the Rangers’ 0-for-14 man-advantage has been the best way to exact revenge, but Staal’s point is valid. As has been the case over the past half-decade, the Rangers are not getting drawn into a physical quagmire. When they have played their best in this series, they have been the fast, high-tempo, intelligent team that tries to box out in front of Lundqvist rather than square up and box the opponent. There have been a few exceptions — notably Brendan Smith’s fight with Andrew Shaw on Thursday night that was a rare show of pugilistic aggression — but not a change in game plan. “It’s a message, but I’m not out there just trying to send a message,” said Smith, whose hard-edged game has elevated drastically in the postseason, much to the delight of general manager Jeff Gorton, who traded second- and third-round picks for him at the deadline. “I think the thing is we’re trying to take care of Hanky. He’s playing really well, so they’re trying to get their bumps in and we have to try to protect him. I think they kind of cross the line a little bit there, and those things happen.” Smith might be new to the Rangers, but he’s not new to postseason tactics, when referees so brazenly swallow their whistles and once again it’s on crashing goalies. (Of course, if Chris Kreider went anywhere near Carey Price, the league office might have him tarred and feathered and put on display on Saint Catherine Street.) There is still a theoretical line players cannot cross, even in the playoffs, and it was a good sign that Smith was told by a referee in Game 5, “You’re on the line right now.” “And I respect that because I know where I’m at,” Smith said. “Sometimes I find the calls are kind of inconsistent, so if the refs could talk to us, that’s pretty good. But there’s guys on their team — [Brendan] Gallagher, Shaw — they’re always on that line and you have to make sure you don’t cross it because you can’t give up power plays. That’s when you get hurt.” Lundqvist has outplayed Price this series, which has come by necessity. The Rangers have given up far more high-grade scoring chances, and Lundqvist has kept them in games during the deep lulls in their play. That’s what he did in the first 37 minutes of Game 5, when it seemed as if they were going to get blown out of the Bell Centre and sent back to New York licking their wounds and contemplating the end of their season. But Lundqvist held strong and allowed the Rangers to find their legs. They turned the game around in dramatic fashion, just as they turned around this series after falling behind 2-1 following an awful Game 3 performance at the Garden. But it only gets harder as the playoffs go along, and the Rangers know their opponent is going to be coming hard at them and their goalie with nothing to lose. “The opportunity is for us to close the series out at home,” Staal said. “Our effort and our [competitiveness] and desperation will be there.” 1060994 New York Rangers not a moment of peace in this series in which he is stringing together dozens of moments through which he has reminded the hockey world of who is he and what he can do, and oh, at age 35. Don’t mess with Henrik Lundqvist right now But it is not over. The Rangers know that. Lundqvist knows that. He’s been there before. So he prepares. Larry Brooks “It has been so intense,” he said. “I have to get away from hockey for a day to save some energy. So I won’t think about the next one until April 21, 2017 | 3:04PM gameday. “That’s when I’ll get ready.” Not until the morning. New York Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 Not until Saturday morning will Henrik Lundqvist turn his focus to the Game 6 potential opening-round clincher at the Garden against the Canadiens that night. “I put so much energy into every game, that I won’t think about it until morning of game day,” Lundqvist told The Post following Thursday’s 3-2 overtime victory in Montreal put his team on the brink of advancing to Round Two. “Maybe for a minute or two right before I go to sleep on Friday, but I won’t focus on it until the next morning.” Lundqvist and the Rangers have been here and done that many, many times before. Not to perfection, of course, not with that 2015 Game 7 conference finals defeat to the Lightning an irreversible pimple on this era’s landscape on that night on which Aura and Mystique were nothing more than the names of dancers in a gentleman’s club, to steal a phrase from Curt Schilling. But the fact is that the King and his Court have played nine potential clinchers at the Garden beginning in 2007 and have won seven of them, the other exception the Game 6 defeat to the Caps for which head coach John Tortorella was suspended in the 2009 Water Bottle series that the Blueshirts ultimately lost in seven after holding a 3-1 lead. Seven for nine for Lundqvist. Seven for nine for Dan Girardi. Seven for nine for Marc Staal. “I’ll think about it for a little bit before going to bed [on Thursday] and then I’ll start to focus on it during the day on Friday,” Staal said. “You don’t want to get ahead of yourself and you don’t want to overthink it. “But a chance to close it out at the Garden? It’s special.” The Rangers played their most poised hockey of the series through the late stages of Game 5, carrying the play for shift after shift over most of the final 35 minutes while Alain Vigneault studiously rolled four lines. The coach was rewarded when up to a half-dozen forwards — including Derek Stepan, Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey — dramatically raised the level of their play. Vesey, the young man who seemed to wear down through the second half of his first pro season, seems born for playoff hockey. He’s mixed it up along the boards, sparred with Canadiens and thrown himself into the fray with both abandon and a smile/sneer on his face. This one is a keeper. The Rangers have gotten better as this series has evolved. They have established a foothold they could not create through the final six weeks of the regular season, during which they went only 8-9-4. They’ve absorbed far more body blows than they have inflicted, but they have persevered and found the way to defeat Carey Price three times in five games within eight days after previously having beaten the Montreal goaltender twice in 14 games dating back to mid-November 2011. They have established a foothold and they have created an opportunity to advance. Ryan McDonagh is at the top of his game, playing with a fierce sense of pride and purpose that befits his role as captain of this team. A few short days ago, after that Game 3 defeat that extended their miserable playoff losing streak at the Garden to six straight, everything Rangers was in question. Now, the Rangers have the chance to turn the punctuation mark into an exclamation point. Of course they will face pressure. But make no mistake, so will the Canadiens, who entered the series as overwhelming favorites and who have played with a chip on their collective shoulders throughout the series. The Rangers have taken the Habs’ best metaphorical — and sometimes, literal — punches and soldiered on, and how about the moxie shown by Jesper Fast and Oscar Lindberg? This has been a tough series, a physical series, one in which Lundqvist has been hit as often as Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire. The King — who described what he felt when Mika Zibanejad won Game 5 in overtime as “a rush — the rush you look for that’s why you play” — has 1060995 New York Rangers

Where does playoff spare part Kevin Klein fit in Rangers future?

Brett Cyrgalis April 21, 2017 | 11:49am

MONTREAL — Of course Kevin Klein was thinking about his future, which was only natural when the present left him wanting for attention. The Rangers, who took a 3-2 lead in their first-round series with the Canadiens with a 3-2 overtime win in Game 5 on Thursday night at Bell Centre, must also be wondering what the future holds for the veteran defenseman, who was a healthy scratch for the fourth time in five games this postseason. Klein, 32, had been an integral part of the Rangers’ back end since arriving in January 2014 in a lopsided trade with the Predators, in exchange for mercurial young defenseman Michael Del Zotto. Klein was a mainstay as the Rangers made it to the 2014 Stanley Cup finals and the conference finals the next season. But his play slipped in 2015-16 and even more so this season. It went sideways when he suffered a back injury during a morning skate in Toronto on Feb. 23, going for a poke- check on teammate Kevin Hayes during a two-on-two drill. He knew something went wrong. “Just my body protecting itself by locking up my right side,” Klein said after his skated with the Rangers’ extras prior to Game 5. “But [stuff] happens, it’s part of hockey.” Klein said he’s feeling “really good” and the injury is not going to hamper him in the future — either this postseason or next year. Klein has one year remaining on his contract that carries an annual salary-cap hit of $2.9 million. The Rangers will make sure he sticks around at least to the point at which he can be exposed to the expansion draft June 21, when the Vegas Golden Knights surely will pass. After that, if no trade partner emerges out of thin air — as in, general manager Jeff Gorton can’t lump him into a bigger deal — it’s most likely he will get a chance to make the roster in training camp. How the back end of that roster is going to look is still a big question, though. The only sure things will be captain Ryan McDonagh along with Brady Skjei, whose full-season rookie campaign has been nothing short of hugely promising and whose goal at 18:28 of the second period Thursday forced overtime. Odds are the veteran Marc Staal will be there, with four more years remaining on his deal at $5.7 million per. That leaves the question of a possible buyout on Dan Girardi’s deal, with three more years at $5.5 million per for the 32-year-old veteran. Nick Holden, 29, back in the lineup again after his first healthy scratch of the season in Game 3, has one more year left on his deal with a $1.65 million cap hit, and there is a slight possibility that once exposed, Vegas would consider taking him. Then there is the question of pending unrestricted free agent Brendan Smith, obtained for second- and third-round picks at the trade deadline and in line for a significant raise from his current $2.75 million salary. Likely the Rangers would like to keep him, but at what price? So where does that leave Klein? Well, right now he’s hoping to get another chance this postseason, and then deal with the future when it comes. “It’s always difficult when you’re not in the lineup, but that’s part of being a professional and good teammate is supporting those guys,” Klein said. “You want the team to win, and that’s the No. 1 priority. I’ve got something to offer, and if they need me, I’ll be there.” New York Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060996 New York Rangers

Rangers’ ‘KZB’ line starting to pay big dividends

Brett Cyrgalis April 22, 2017 | 2:20am

MONTREAL — First came an experiment to see if the chemistry was still there. But now, the Rangers’ “KZB” line is back, and it’s hard to see coach Alain Vigneault splitting them up anytime soon. The trio of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich did not take long to rekindle their on-ice relationship once they were reunited in Game 4 of their first-round series against the Canadiens. They were integral in that victory, which tied the series at two games apiece, just as they were in Game 5 on Thursday night at Bell Centre. That night, they combined for the overtime winner by Zibanejad to grab a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series with the chance to close out the Canadiens and advance with Game 6 on Saturday night at the Garden. Game 4 was the postseason debut for Buchnevich, a scratch for the first three games of the series. But Vigneault needed more scoring and a more balanced lineup, and he thought bringing in the 22-year-old Russian rookie could awaken the distant memory of a line that worked so well early in the season. “That was part of the equation,” Vigneault said Friday at the team’s hotel. “We remembered that at some points during the season and early on they played together and they played well together. Good skill set, there was real good communication between the three.” With Kreider’s speed and the play-making ability of both Zibanejad and Buchnevich, the skill on the line is indisputable. It was on display when they almost won the game earlier in overtime, when a tic-tac-toe passing play went from Buchnevich to Zibanejad to Kreider, who just whiffed on a wide-open chance in front. Consistency has been an issue for all three throughout the season — as well as for Kreider and Zibanejad in the first three games of the postseason. But they seem to have found something again, and it has created the offensive depth Vigneault wants — and needs — against the physically imposing Canadiens. “I think if you look at our lineup now, we have four solid lines that can really create something offensively,” Zibanejad said. “It’s still a really good [Canadiens] team and they have a really good goalie, so they’ve been tight games. Not much offense, not much room for offense, really. But the four lines we have right now has been a threat.” When Vigneault put Buchnevich in, that meant the physical Tanner Glass came out of the lineup after he had been one of the team’s best forwards in the first three games. It was a risk, but one the coach believed was worth taking with the history of chemistry to lean on. “Putting Pavel in the last couple games has permitted us to continue to be physical, but maybe have just a little more skill on the ice,” Vigneault said. “It’s worked out for us so far.” New York Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060997 New York Rangers

Rangers hope to finish Canadiens at Garden, avoid trip to Montreal

April 21, 2017 8:05 PM Steve Zipay

Madison Square Garden has been a mecca of misfortune and mixed blessings for the Rangers this season. On Saturday night, their home ice could be their stepping stone. The Rangers were only 21-16-4 at the Garden during the regular season, but with a 3-2 series lead over the Montreal Canadiens, they can advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by winning Game 6 at home. A victory on Saturday night would send the wild-card Blueshirts to a matchup against the Ottawa Senators or Boston Bruins. A loss would send them on a flight north to uncertainty. Although the Rangers went 27-12-2 on the road during the season and have won two of three games at Bell Centre in this physically and emotionally bruising series, they do not want to take their chances in a fourth game there, especially a Game 7, when it means win or go home. “We want to look at [Saturday night] as kind of a Game 7,” said Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith, who has emerged as a rugged addition since being acquired from the Red Wings at the trade deadline. “We don’t want to come back here [Montreal] because anything can happen. I’ve played a couple Game 7s, and it can go either way. We’ve got to try to make sure that we play a smart game and use our fans as a motivator.” Another defenseman, one who has spent his entire career as a Ranger, felt the same way on Friday, a day after the Blueshirts’ 3-2 overtime thriller in Game 5. “It’s an elimination game for them,” Marc Staal said. “We’ve been in that situation a lot. You know the feeling going into it; you do everything you can to get a win. For us, it’s an opportunity to close it out at home. Our effort and desperation will be there.” The Canadiens are 14-9 in Game 7s since 1949. The Rangers are 12-4 in the last 16 matches that were either Game 6 or Game 7, dating to the start of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs. A major part of that clutch Game 6-7 record is Henrik Lundqvist, and he has more than done his part in this series. He ranks third among playoff goalies in save percentage (.944) and fifth in goals-against average (1.82). His teammates know where their bread is buttered, and they’re devoted to keeping Lundqvist in one piece by engaging in hand-to-hand combat near the crease. “We don’t want to see him get hurt by guys jumping on him and falling on him,” Smith said. “I think both teams are walking the line, myself included. I even had some refs saying, ‘You’re on the line now.’ If you watch these playoff games, most of these refs are calling the retaliation. Take a number and figure it out later.” Said Staal: “There’s a few shifts where they’re sitting on him and falling on him purposely. It’s a team, when Hank’s playing the way he is, they’re gonna try to do some things to get him off his game. If they do cross the line, hopefully we’ll get a man-advantage out of it.” A timely power-play goal from a forward such as Kevin Hayes, J.T. Miller, Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan or Jimmy Vesey and the series might have been over by now. Instead, the Rangers are 0-for-14 with the man advantage. “I’m telling myself that we’re due,” coach Alain Vigneault said Friday. “Hopefully tomorrow will be the time.” Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060998 New York Rangers

For Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad, honesty is the best policy

Mark Herrmann

If most of us went to central casting for the proverbial “athlete who can play in New York,” we probably would go looking for someone loud, hip and witty with a cocky streak. Truth is, we would be better off with someone who is quiet, honest and resilient with a clutch streak. Someone capable of having the week Mika Zibanejad just had for the Rangers. On Monday afternoon, he was strikingly candid about his play in a series that appeared headed south fast for him and his team. On Thursday night, he scored the Rangers’ biggest goal of the season to date. In between, he celebrated his 24th birthday. All the way through, he was living his Welcome to New York moment. “Still amazing, still one of the most important goals and one of the biggest goals I’ve scored,” he said Friday morning, hours after beating Carey Price in overtime to give the Rangers a 3-2 win and a 3-2 edge over the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup first-round playoff series. With a veteran’s poise, he added, “But now it’s done. Now the focus goes on to the next game here.” We will have to wait and see if it ultimately was a smart deal to acquire him from the Senators for Derick Brassard last July 18, just as we will wait and see if the momentum he created will last beyond the first shift in Game 6 Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. What Zibanejad showed in the past few days, though, sure earns him the benefit of the doubt. From this observer’s perspective, his honesty at his locker after the Game 3 debacle was as impressive as his earnestness in winning Game 5. The young Swedish center had been awful in the opening games against the Canadiens and said so. He did not become defensive about the questions (despite speaking in his second language, having sharpened his English by watching episodes of “Friends”). Nor did he skip out on the media session altogether, which more than one athlete has done when the New York heat made them sweat. Zibanejad emblemized an old baseball manager’s philosophy that said if you can’t face the media, you really can’t face the person you see in the mirror. It takes guts to admit shortcomings, as he did five days ago when it seemed as if the Garden roof was falling on the Rangers: “The mistakes I’ve made have been from being way too passive. That’s not the player I am. If I had the answer, it wouldn’t look like this . . . Right now, for whatever reason, I’m not even trying to make plays. I lose the puck in situations where I usually don’t, and that’s not good enough. I know that. But it’s the playoffs. You can’t dwell on things.” Instead, he and the Rangers put it behind them, quickly. “I don’t think it was a change. I just think we kind of went back to what to what made us successful, and that was playing fast,” he said before the team left Montreal. Before too long, these playoffs might provide a live measuring stick between two centers who were picked sixth overall in the first round five years apart. Their teams could meet in the second round. Brassard, the older, had 39 points in 81 games this season. Zibanejad had 37 points in 56 games. The former had five points in four playoff games entering Friday night. The latter has three points in five games, including a huge assist on a shorthanded goal as well as the game-winner Thursday night. As Taylor Swift sings in “Welcome to New York,” a local anthem: “Everybody here was someone else before.” Zibanejad said he has been fortunate to play with good teammates in Ottawa and New York. Honest again, he said, “It’s just up to me to make the most of it.” Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.22.2017 1060999 New York Rangers

Rangers-Canadiens Game 6 tickets draw top dollar on resale market

April 21, 2017 3:02 PM Neil Best

Asking prices for Game 6 of the Canadiens-Rangers playoff series Saturday night at Madison Square Garden are the highest for any game of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, according to TicketIQ.com, which monitors a number of secondary ticket market sites. There were just over 1,000 tickets for the game available on the resale market as of Friday afternoon, with the least expensive being $268 - up from $203 a week ago. The Rangers lead the series, 3-2, and are in position to advance with a victory Saturday. If there is a Game 7 in Montreal on Monday, the least expensive ticket was $97 as of Friday. The cheapest Rangers home game ticket for the second round, if they advance, is $209. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061000 NHL and suggested the city might require additional study and reporting on Sodo-area traffic impacts.

The Sounders had not commented on the proposed arena until now. Seahawks, Mariners and Sounders demand binding deal for events at Wiley wrote that the team supports having NBA and NHL teams here, but proposed Sodo arena noted its own plans are to increase average attendance from 44,000 to 65,000 in coming seasons. Geoff Baker “There is a place in Seattle for all five major sports franchises, and planning for that future is one important track,’’ he wrote.

All three sports ownerships stated that the Final Environmental Impact Representatives of the Seahawks, Mariners and Sounders ownership are Statement (FEIS) on the Sodo project, released in May 2015, is either demanding that Chris Hansen’s proposed arena for NBA and NHL use in lacking in scope or accuracy. the Sodo District be required to enter into a “binding agreement” on event and game scheduling. First & Goal vice president Young wrote the FEIS failed to consider non- sporting events at CenturyLink and Safeco Fields that would overlap Hansen has applied to the City of Seattle for a new vote on vacating part NBA and NHL games. Young said the team has no position for now on of Occidental Avenue South so his project can proceed. But whether the arena should be located in Sodo or at Seattle Center. representatives of the three team owners, as well as the city’s annual RV show and the public stadium authority overseeing CenturyLink Field, Mariners lawyer McCutcheon stated that the FEIS estimate of only 130 have written the city’s transportation department to say an initial pedestrians using the block of Occidental after Mariners games is agreement between all parties in April 2016 has yet to be solidified as “blatantly wrong’’ and that an independent expert hired by the team intended. showed 2,800 is more accurate. Hansen’s group referenced having a scheduling deal in his latest McCutcheon wrote that the FEIS based its pedestrian analysis on a application, in February, to the city asking for a new Occidental vote. But single May 2013 game in which the Mariners drew one of their lower the new team letters, obtained by The Seattle Times, seeking the binding crowds in franchise history, 12,936. She added that the team’s average pact were submitted in late March during a comment phase on Hansen’s attendance of 31,995 since Safeco Field opened in 1999 is much higher. proposal and have yet to be made public by the city. Sounders COO Wiley wrote the FEIS fails to appreciate differences in First & Goal Inc., formed by Seahawks owner Paul Allen to run the pregame and postgame travel between his team’s fans and those of the team’s business, states the previous deal must “be made more specific Mariners. “The vast majority of our fans arrive late,’’ he wrote. “Within the and incorporated into a binding agreement among the venue owners and final twenty minutes before kickoff.’’ operators,’’ as initially intended. Hansen’s petition must be forwarded to the council for a new vote, which “This has not happened,’’ wrote First & Goal vice president David Young. wouldn’t likely happen until next fall. The city is first exploring whether He suggested that the city’s transportation department consider the lack any of two proposed KeyArena renovations for NBA and NHL could work of a binding agreement before recommending whether to proceed with a before forwarding a recommendation to Mayor Ed Murray by late June. new vote. “It should be noted that CenturyLink Venues and Safeco Field After that, the council could have to choose between a KeyArena have such a binding scheduling agreement.’’ remodel or Hansen’s revised, all-private Sodo project. Jack McCullough, an attorney representing Hansen’s group, wrote in an Two groups have submitted proposals to the City of Seattle to renovate e-mail Friday to The Times that a “scheduling condition” is in place. KeyArena. “Last year, during the City Council review process for the (proposed) Seattle Times LOADED: 04.22.2017 street vacation, a comprehensive understanding on Arena scheduling was negotiated among the teams and the venues and SDOT, under the watchful eyes of the City Council. That understanding was embodied in an elaborate scheduling condition imposed on the street-vacation proposal. “ … This scheduling condition covers the issues that would be addressed in a scheduling agreement, so a separate agreement is unnecessary. As we have re-commenced the street-vacation process this year, we have been quite explicit that this condition would be carried forward in an approval of the vacation. The condition will govern future operations at the Arena.” Anne Kawasaki Romero, executive director of the Washington State Public Stadium Authority that oversees CenturyLink Field operations on taxpayers’ behalf, alleged that Hansen’s new street-vacation petition is misleading on scheduling. She wrote that Hansen’s petition “suggests that it has finalized an events-scheduling agreement with the two existing venues (CenturyLink Field and Safeco Field). Unfortunately, that assertion overstates the current situation.” She also wrote that a binding deal and additional environmental review by the city must occur before the city acts on Hansen’s petition. “It is not acceptable to defer these critical operational questions to an undetermined date in the future.” Mariners lawyer Melody McCutcheon stated that the transportation department should order a supplemental environmental review of the entire Sodo project and a full evaluation of alternative KeyArena options before any recommendation on a new Occidental vote. McCutcheon wrote that the current scheduling deal was rendered “moot” after Hansen lost an Occidental vote last May and is too basic to proceed further. “It was always understood — by everyone — that those basic parameters would have to be developed into a separate, much more detailed, enforceable agreement,’’ her letter states. Sounders chief operating officer Bart Wiley also wrote that the initial scheduling deal was merely “baseline” and not enforceable. Wiley wants a binding deal imposed before Hansen’s project advances any further 1061001 Ottawa Senators

Chris Kelly returns to Senators lineup, adding veteran playoff experience

Ken Warren, Ottawa Citizen Published on: April 21, 2017 | Last Updated: April 21, 2017 10:21 PM EDT

Eleven years and 90 games removed from his first Stanley Cup playoff game with the Ottawa Senators, Chris Kelly returned to the post-season with the Senators against the Boston Bruins on Friday night. The situation couldn’t have been more different. Back in 2006, Kelly was a wide-eyed 25-year-old, trying to soak up everything he could from established veterans including Daniel Alfredsson, Chris Phillips and Wade Redden during the era when the Senators always appeared poised for an extended playoff run. Now, Kelly is the seen-it-all 36-year-old veteran trying to “do my part” after suffering the sting of being a healthy scratch for the opening four games of the best-of-seven series. Kelly, who returned to the lineup because of the unspecified upper-body injury to Tom Pyatt after he was hit in the head by Boston’s Kevan Miller in Game 4, spent the first week of the playoffs quietly in the background, skating with the other extras. “It’s always difficult watching, but it makes it easier when the team is playing well and guys are succeeding and having fun,” Kelly said of his role as a cheerleader. “You just try to be that support system, whether you’re in or not.” Kelly, a defensive specialist, saw limited action in even-strength situations in Game 5. That was to be expected. His bigger value is in penalty killing and he was paired with Viktor Stalberg as a second unit of forwards after the first duo of Zack Smith and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. After three periods, Kelly had played nine shifts and 5:24. It was an act of faith on the part of Senators head coach Guy Boucher. Kelly struggled late in the regular season, part of a penalty-killing unit that dipped significantly, raising questions about whether he would be back next season. Yet Boucher said making Kelly a healthy scratch to start the series had been “probably the toughest thing I had to do” because the team had a full complement of healthy forwards for the first time. Boucher could have leaned on Tommy Wingels, who played in the series-opening 2-1 loss, but insisted Kelly’s experience and position as a centre gave him the edge. Kelly, of course, won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011 and went back to the finals with the Bruins in 2013. “(Kelly) has been there, he knows exactly how to handle himself,” Boucher said. “He helps with our identity, he helps with the intangibles.” Friday marked the 18th time during Kelly’s career that his team was in position to finish off an opponent in a series. His teams’ combined record was 11-6, including the runs to the Stanley Cup final with the Senators in 2007 and with the Bruins in 2011 and 2013. Appropriately, Kelly sounded an awful lot like his coach when he said the Senators needed to approach the contest by “staying in the moment” and insisting the opening 10 minutes were vital. He said the Senators needed to use the Canadian Tire Centre crowd for an energy boost, but not get so excited that they were too aggressive and gave up odd-man rushes. “It’s a balance,” Kelly said. “You see the good teams, they hover on that line constantly. They use that home-ice advantage and stay in that bubble on the road. They don’t get flustered one way or another, at home or on the road.” The Senators did that, waiting for the opportunity when Mark Stone opened the scoring on a breakaway against Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask. Pageau made it 2-0 on a breakaway of his own, but, as Kelly knew all too well from his own history with the Bruins, they wouldn’t go away easily.

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At 40, Zdeno Chara loves hockey and wants to play as long as he can

Don Brennan Published on: April 21, 2017 | Last Updated: April 21, 2017 9:56 PM EDT

A month past his 40th birthday and with one year left on his contract, Zdeno Chara speaks as if retirement is the furthest thing from his mind. At the same time, the Boston Bruins captain is not prepared to echo the words of Jaromir Jagr, the 45-year-old winger who has stated he wants to play until he’s 50. “I’d like to play as long as I want to play,” Chara said Friday morning before Game 5 of the Bruins’ playoff series against the Ottawa Senators. “I want to be effective. I love the game. I love competing. I love training. I love everything about it. “I don’t know if it would be fair to put a number on it. Jaromir put a number on it. I’m not sure … I still want to play. I enjoy it. I can’t say enough about it. I love the league and everything that’s part of it.” Chara, who spent three seasons with the Senators, represents one of the organization’s biggest mistakes. Ottawa allowed him to walk as unrestricted free agent when he was 27, and the 6-foot-9 defenceman went on to win a Norris Trophy and a Stanley Cup with the Bruins. In the first playoff series against his old team, Chara has been leaned on heavily because the B’s blue line has been demolished by injuries to Torey Krug, Brandon Carlo, Adam McQuaid and, for two games, Colin Miller. Chara averaged 27:14 of ice time through the first four games of the series, more than all but six players in National Hockey League playoffs. He had one assist and was a minus-2 heading into Game 5 while no doubt hearing whispers that the workload was too much for a man of his advanced years. “Listen, there’s always going to be talk about, once you get to a certain point of your career, all of a sudden, for whatever reasons, there just becomes more attention to your age,” Chara said. “I can’t really control that. “But I would rather people just kept looking at the performances and the way you play. You’re going to have players that retire earlier, and you’re going to have players that play for a long time. They shouldn’t be judged different just because of their age. I like to think it’s great that we still have a number of players close to 40 that are very effective in the league. I think it’s really great, for the game and for all the other players, to see that it’s possible to play for a long time if you take care of yourself and really handle it well and be humble about it.”

Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061003 Ottawa Senators

Senators' Mike Hoffman keeping an eye on old friend and new enemy Mika Zibanejad

Ken Warren, Ottawa Citizen Published on: April 21, 2017 | Last Updated: April 21, 2017 6:48 PM EDT

In a few days, Mike Hoffman could very well be lining up against former linemate Mika Zibanejad in the second round of the National Hockey League playoffs. For now, though, Hoffman is excited to see that Zibanejad has been making an impact with the New York Rangers, including the overtime game-winner on Thursday to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead over the Montreal Canadiens in their best-of-seven series. “He had a strong game and I’m happy to see him get on the board,” said Hoffman, who has been glued to telecasts of the Stanley Cup playoff action when he’s not involved in it himself with the Ottawa Senators. “That’s a tight series, though. Montreal could very well easily win the next two. You just never know what can happen in the playoffs.” The winner of the series between the Senators and Boston Bruins will face the winner of the Canadiens-Rangers series. Hoffman’s overall impression of what he had seen through the first 10 days of the playoffs? Anything is possible. “Nashville is obviously strong if they can sweep Chicago, and Pittsburgh is extremely strong,” the Senators’ left-winger said Friday before Game 5 against the Bruins at Canadian Tire Centre. “Watching New York and Montreal, it’s like us and Boston. Every game is close. Whoever gets the last kick at the can seems to make the most of it. “Every team is close. It’s not like it was in junior hockey, where you have two powerhouses that are going to make it to the final pretty much no matter what. It’s about who can execute at the right time and not give the other team free goals.”

Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061004 Ottawa Senators trophy? One-hundred percent but I don’t think that’s focus of our day today.”

What Boucher respects about Karlsson is he can take control of a game. Erik Karlsson nabs fourth Norris Trophy nomination “The strength of a high-end defenceman like that, who can jump into plays and make plays out of nothing, is that you can’t really cover that,” Bruce Garrioch Boucher said. “You never know when it’s coming. Erik has proven that so many times this year _ including in the playoffs. That’s the beauty of Published on: April 21, 2017 | Last Updated: April 21, 2017 3:27 PM EDT having a high-end defencemen with that kind of offence. “But also the fact that we can put him against any player in the league and he can defend at the highest level, it gives us tools on offence and Even if Erik Karlsson doesn’t bring home the hardware this spring, being defence.” nominated for the fourth Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenceman does come with its perks. All things being equal, it’d be nice if Karlsson left Vegas on a winning note. One is a trip to the NHL Awards in Las Vegas in June after the regular season has ended. The finalists are: “It’s fun to go to Vegas. I’d never say no to that,” Karlsson said Friday Erik Karlsson, Ottawa: Senators captain finished third in scoring amongst morning before facing the Boston Bruins in Game 5 at the Canadian Tire defencemen with 71 points. He was second among blueliners with 27 Centre. “I don’t get too many opportunities to go there. I’ve always had a power play points. This is his fourth nomination for the award and he’s good time going there, seeing all the guys.” won twice. Well, Karlsson can book his ticket after he was named one of three Brent Burns, San Jose: This is the odds-on favourite. Had 29 goals and finalists for Norris Trophy Friday along with Brent Burns of the San Jose 72 points but slowed down in the final month of the season. He led the Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman. The news NHL with 320 shots on goal and is a Norris Trophy finalist for the second leaked out early Friday afternoon when the Lightning mistakenly posted a straight year. press release about Hedman on their website and then deleted it when news outlets caught on. Victor Hedman, Tampa: This is the first time he’s been nominated for the award and finished with 16 goals and 72 points. He had 33 points on the This is the fourth time the two-time winner has been up for the award and power play but Hedman will be in tough here because the Bolts missed it’s hard to say if he’ll pick up the hardware for the third time. Karlsson, the post-season. who won the award in 2012 and 2015, finished second to Los Angeles defenceman Drew Doughty last year and there’s a lot of backers of Burns this year. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.22.2017 This may have been the best season of Karlsson’s career. Not only did the 26-year-old Ottawa Senators’ captain lead the team in scoring with 17 goals and 71 points in 77 games, he finished second in blocked shots with 201 and was solid at both ends of the ice. It’d be surprising if he doesn’t win but have happened. “Karl’s been incredible,” said alternate captain Dion Phaneuf. “He deserves all the credit that he gets because really he pushes our team, he drives our team, he plays at both ends of the rink and he plays important minutes _ the last minute of a close game, he’s out there and he does his job. “He changed his game this year, in a sense of blocking more shots, and I think he’s done a really good job of paying the price blocking the puck _ which isn’t easy to do _ and then what you don’t really have to speak about is his offence because he’s such a force night in and night out. He’s so dangerous that he really does wear the other team by making players the other teams don’t see.” And, despite Karlsson’s efforts to be better defensive, he’s still a game- changer. “He was so complete all year,” Phaneuf added. “When I say I complete I mean, defending, offensively extremely dangerous, and he finds ways to break down the other side. You used the word game-changer, I think it’s a great word because he does, he finds ways to open up the other side, to capitalize on the other side’s breakdowns. “But, he seems them from up top, he sees lanes to make plays that are tough to see when you don’t think there’s so much there.” Not everybody appreciates what Karlsson brings to the table for the Senators which is why he’s no slam dunk for the Norris in voting by the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association. Though many think he should win it, the vote could easily go to Burns. “It’s out of my hands. It’s not something I can control. I do what I can, on the ice, for my team and my organization,” Karlsson said. It’s understandable that coach Guy Boucher didn’t want to focus on the nomination only hours before the Senators faced the Bruins in an elimination game but he’s had plenty of kind words for Karlsson throughout the year. “I’m not even sure Erik would like me to talk about that, for him, it’s always been about the team all year long and the only thing he has cared about since Day 1 is winning,” said Boucher. “Today is a playoff game where, if you ask him, he’s only going to talk about the team and winning. “You know what he’s meant to us, he’s been an outstanding leader, he’s got total, complete game in all aspects. Do I believe he deserves that 1061005 Ottawa Senators

Kelly gets a chance to send old teammates packing

Bruce Garrioch Published on: April 21, 2017 | Last Updated: April 21, 2017 12:30 PM EDT

The wait is over for Chris Kelly. A member of the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in 2011, Kelly has a chance to be part of an Ottawa Senators’ team Friday night that has a chance to send his former teammates packing from the playoffs. Coach Guy Boucher confirmed Friday morning the veteran centre will dress in Game 5 of the series at the Canadian Tire Centre with Ottawa leading the Eastern Conference quarter-final by a 3-1 count. Winger Tom Pyatt is sidelined with an upper body injury after leaving Game 4 Wednesday night following a high hit from Kevan Miller. “The guys have done a great job so far. I just want to come back and do whatever I can to help,” said Kelly after the morning skate. Boucher said he decided to go with Kelly ahead of Tommy Wingels because the club needs a centre. Zack Smith has been moved to the wing. “(Kelly’s) a guy that I hated to take out for all the reason, he’s a terrific person, a great professional, he’s outstanding in our room. That was probably the toughest thing I had to do this year was sit him out, not because he wasn’t doing a good job, just because the other guys ahead of him were available,” said Boucher. “It was fun to do that for me but it’s nice to have him back.” The Senators are trying to stay away from any talk of eliminating the Bruins. “Our focus is on a really good start,” said defenceman Dion Phaneuf. “That’s the way we’ve approached every game and that’s the way we’re going to approach tonight. We expected a desperate game from the last game and we’re going to get another one tonight probably with a little bit more desperation.” The other candidate to play was winger Tommy Wingels.

Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061006 Ottawa Senators “I will challenge anyone that doesn’t say Erik is the most dynamic player in this league.”

Barbara Matson, Boston Globe, after Game 4: Boston sportswriters — no strangers to great defencemen — are blown away by Karlsson As good as (goalie Craig) Anderson and (Bobby) Ryan have been, Karlsson is the iron. Every time he starts up ice, something happens.

Karlsson has such control of the game, dodging opponents as he Ottawa Citizen stickhandles into the offensive zone, he seems to be moving at a Published on: April 21, 2017 | Last Updated: April 21, 2017 2:14 PM EDT different speed. “There’s a select few guys,’’ an appreciative Anderson said. “If you want to go back 15-20 years, there’s Mario Lemieux, and before that (Wayne) A defenceman knows he’s doing something right when, in a playoff Gretzky. All the great players find a way to slow the game down and series against the Bruins, the Boston media are mentioning names like make the game look easy, and he’s terrific at it.’’ Orr and Bourque when describing his play.

Boston, which has seen the all-time greatest in Bobby Orr and one of the very best ever in Ray Bourque, both first-ballot Hall of Famers, is not Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.22.2017 easily impressed when it comes to those patrolling the blue-line. But even the Bruins beat writers have been gushing about Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson, who has shown leadership and sublime passing skills in willing the Senators out of a 1-0 series and into a 3-1 series lead. One tactic for the Bruins to pursue would be to target Karlsson. If you’ve been around the rink a while, this was the de rigueur strategy opponents rolled out each spring when the Bruins had Ray Bourque as the resident “best defenceman in the game.” It never worked. Bourque was too sturdy, too good, too impervious. Karlsson lacks Bourque’s heft, physically, but his speed and ability to escape pressure make him near impossible to contain. And he is out there virtually every other shift. “He’s a good player,” said Boston goalie Tuukka Rask, recounting Karlsson’s work on the tying goal. “I saw him open up (as if to shoot), and I have to respect his shot. I had no idea there was a guy (Brassard) back door.” Karlsson worked it like a pickpocket among the drunken masses in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. In need of a goal, Ottawa inching toward the abyss of an 0-2 series deficit to the Bruins, Karlsson took command of the moment in a way Bruins fans remember Bobby Orr doing way back when. In a magical, near-taunting display of keepaway — like the game Orr learned while buffeted by winter’s howl on Parry Sound — Karlsson whirled around Boston’s defensive end, curled down left wing and delivered a laser cross-slot pass for Derick Brassard to drill into a wide- open net for the tying (3-3) goal in the third period. Breathtaking. Senators’ game-changing defenceman Erik Karlsson continues to confound the Bruins. From his own goal line, he sent a pass rippling through the Bruins to find Mike Hoffman alone at the blue-line on the Senators’ first goal Monday, and he also started the play that led to Bobby Ryan’s OT winner with a long pass to Kyle Turris. Neutralizing Karlsson is the Bruins’ toughest task. “I don’t know (that) you can neutralize the first play,’’ said (Bruins coach Bruce) Cassidy. “Honest to God, it’s an all-world play. … He saucered it over our guy’s head, so that’s one you’ve got to tip your hat to Karlsson.” Cassidy knows it’s hard to keep track of a player with Karlsson’s skill set, and hard to pin him down with a check. But it’s a tactic the Bruins need. “Knowing where he is on the ice, pushing him to the outside, take good angles, I think we’re capable of that,’’ Cassidy said. “So that way at least he’s not in the middle of the ice where everyone’s now in scramble mode. And he has the ability … to kick it out all of a sudden.’’ Stopping Karlsson could be the key to winning this series. The etymology of the word, simply, was the stem, or knob, on a watch that had to be wound periodically to make the watch run. For a guy like Hockey Hall of Famer and former Herald beat man D. Leo Monahan, the word came to mean an exceptional and unique player who made his team go. Monahan used it regularly to describe Bobby Orr. And, if there’s any player since Orr who deserves to be called a stemwinder, it’s Ottawa defenceman Erik Karlsson. Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion believes Karlsson is the single player in the NHL who is most important to his team. “We’re seeing the best overall complete version of Erik Karlsson this year, no ifs, ands or buts about it,” Dorion said to Yahoo Sports Canada. 1061007 Ottawa Senators

Senators' Mike Hoffman was all sorts of spectacular on great play in Game 3

Don Brennan Published on: April 21, 2017 | Last Updated: April 21, 2017 6:28 PM EDT

The finish on the most skilled end-to-end play in Ottawa Senators history was not inspired by Peter Forsberg’s “postage stamp” move, but rather by Montreal Canadiens winger Alexander Radulov. In the couple of seconds, he had between receiving Erik Karlsson’s incredible 114-feet-long, 10-feet-high saucer pass and scoring his breakaway goal in Game 3 on Monday, Ottawa Senators winger Mike Hoffman remembered watching Radulov beat New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist similarly one night earlier. “That was kind of in my head a little bit,” Hoffman said Friday morning. Hoffman’s deke, on which he moved from right to left while leaving the puck to slide straight past Boston Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask, was immediately compared to one Forsberg scored with against Canada during a shootout in the 1994 Olympics: a goal that Sweden commemorated with a stamp. Hoffman remembers scoring with the same move a couple of times while in junior hockey and “maybe” once in the American Hockey League. He tried it during his rookie season in the NHL, but was unsuccessful. Why this time? “I haven’t had too much success in breakaways in this league so far,” Hoffman said. “It’s almost like you have to have a pretty good move if you’re going to beat the goalies.” While Karlsson has rightfully been lauded for the long bomb that sailed from the Senators’ goal-line to the Bruins’ blue-line, Hoffman has not received enough credit for pulling in the pass. His timing was perfect, but even more impressive was Hoffman’s ability to find the puck after it had disappeared into the background of the crowd. “You do lose it once it gets to a certain height,” Hoffman said. “Like you saw on Bobby Ryan’s kind of fumble there (in Game 4) … and even I had one last game where I was the last one back … the puck is in the air and you can’t even see it. “Once it got below the glass line I was able to pick it up. And then, fortunately, I was able to handle it on my tape. If I would have missed it, it would have been right on Tuukka’s tape. I was kind of fortunate I was able to pick it up at the last second. Hoffman needed no wink or nod from Karlsson to “cheat” into the neutral zone behind the Bruins’ defencemen. “As soon as I saw he had control, I just took off,” Hoffman said. “He’s a smart enough player that, if he sees me out there, he’ll be able to put the puck near me. “I didn’t want to get too far ahead of the play. If the pass would have been a little softer, it probably would have been offside, but our timing was great.” Hoffman watched the play a couple of times once he got back to the hotel. “Just from a viewer’s perspective,” he said. “Obviously, on the ice, you don’t really get to see the whole thing unfold.” It can be viewed going forward on the Senators’ all-time highlight reel, not only as the greatest end-to-end play in franchise history, but also among the best ever in the NHL.

Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061008 Ottawa Senators let the crowd take over? It’s pretty cool when done in the other Canadian cities … Senators fans were very upset that I was “jinxing” Anderson and the team on Twitter during the second period. And here I thought the Senators have their hands full with shorthanded Bruins players weren’t checking their phones on the bench … Nice to hear the dulcet tones of Stuntman Stu, who was back handling PA duties from the penalty box … Don Brennan BUTT ENDS: Chris Kelly was used very sparingly (5:24) through three periods. The next most frequent bench sitter among the forward was Published on: April 21, 2017 | Last Updated: April 21, 2017 10:46 PM Ryan Dzingel, who played 10:11 … Karlsson’s heavy workload meant EDT just 9:44 of time time for Wideman through three periods … Kyle Turris and Wideman were the only Senators with a minus-2 after regulation

time … Zdeno Chara, on playing with guys half his age, teammates he Mark Stone was sitting on the bench, his helmet in his hand while he refers to as “first-year” guys because he didn’t like being called “rookie” cleaned his visor, when he heard his name on the public-address when he was one: “I can see there’s obviously differences in generations, system. whether it’s the involving of technology, the tweeters, the Snapchats. All that stuff is kind of in their hands and in their heads. That’s what we didn’t “Finally,” Stone said clear enough for all the lip readers in the house to have. Cellphones were just coming out when we were that age.” see.

Finally is right. It was his first goal in two months and two days, a slump that was into its 20th game and had lasted approximately 450 shifts. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.22.2017 Hearing “scored by” connected to his handle had to be sweet music for Stone. A few minutes later, Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the Ottawa Senators’ second consecutive breakaway goal to give the home team a 2-0 lead. A few minutes after that, Clarke MacArthur missed adding another when he failed to get his blade on a pass from Derick Brassard off a 2-on-1 break. Finally, everybody thought, the Boston Bruins’ fractured blue line was starting to show cracks. Important to remember in this series of one-goal victories is that Boston played much of it without four of its top six defencemen. Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo haven’t played a shift. Adam McQuaid and Colin Miller were both injured in Game 2, although the latter did return after missing a pair of games. Take four of the Senators’ regular D-men out and see where that would have left them. The playoffs are not going to get any easier for Ottawa going forward against teams that are using National Hockey League defencemen. STARTS AND STOPS: Crusty Craig Anderson was perfect in Game 4’s 1-0 win, hours after he one-worded questions from the media. On Friday morning, he was cordial Craig, wearing his hood pulled over his head like a prize fighter while chatting freely with reporters. After watching him give up Sean Kuraly’s tying goal in the second, you want Crusty Craig back, Senators fans … Only a short while earlier, Anderson’s shutout stretch ended at 100 minutes and 32 seconds …. Agonized groans were the reaction to a chance by Mike Hoffman with just about nine minutes left in the third period. His shot off the left wing was partially stopped by Tuukka Rask before the puck rolled on edge just past the post … In two of three games played at Canadian Tire Centre, a Bruins veteran has taken a delay of game penalty by firing the puck over the glass in the final few minutes, First Zdeno Chara and now Dominic Moore are counted on to be better than that … Still, that’s nothing compared to taking a too-man- men penalty with 2:28 left in a tie game when losing means the end of your season. The Senators’ power play was up to its old tricks, generating next to nothing on the back-to-back golden opportunities. BETWEEN PERIODS: Erik Karlsson was on the ice for more than half (30:22) of regulation time. During that time, he took 10 shots, with three hitting the net, three blocked and four going wide …. Kuraly was in the Bruins lineup for Ottawa’s Ryan Spooner, who was essentially made a healthy scratch by Ottawa’s Bruce Cassidy. “Ryan’s not 100 per cent,” Butch said at his morning availability. “We liked Sean’s game up here (in Games 1 and 2). He’s good at getting on pucks and forecheck has been a big part of how we’re able to create some offence. (Spooner) is not 100 per cent, (but) we like the way Sean plays as much as anything.” Kuraly is also pretty crafty, as he beat Anderson through an opening while basically standing behind then goal line. It was his first NHL goal … Stone almost had his second when he ripped a shot off the cross bar four-plus minutes into the third … Chris Wideman knocked David Krejci out of the game with a neutral-zone hit in the first period. Injuries have kept Krejci from playing in all but approximately 40 minutes of the series, a fact not to be shrugged at given that the former Olympiques centre has won the NHL playoff scoring race twice … THINGS I THINK I THUNK: The Senators were doing pretty good in the faceoff circles against Patrice Bergeron, one of the game’s best drawmen, often by throwing a foot onto the dot to jam his stick. The Bruins’ Selke Trophy nominee was back to his usual self in Game 5, winning 15 of 24 faceoffs (63 per cent) through three periods … Just once wouldn’t you like to see the CTC anthem singer hold the mic up and 1061009 Ottawa Senators Until then, this game hadn’t really lived up to the kind of start everybody thought it would. The Bruins looked content to see if they could get chances by capitalizing on Senators mistakes. Anderson was forced to Bruins sink Senators in double overtime, extending series to Game 6 make a good stop with 13 minutes left on a re-direct by David Krejci. Before the end of the first period, though, Krejci had to be helped off the ice after a leg-on-leg hit by Wideman. He didn’t return. BRUCE GARRIOCH “There’s a lot of desperation and you’ve got to expect it’s going to be a Published on: April 22, 2017 | Last Updated: April 22, 2017 12:39 AM really tight game by the third period,” Senators head coach Guy Boucher EDT said. “It’s different than during the regular season. Sometimes teams are tired when you get to 2-0, but you get to the playoffs and there’s no lead that’s big enough to say you’re going to get away with it. Instead of sending the Boston Bruins into an early spring, the Ottawa “We weren’t scared to lose. I thought we did a good job at that. It’s one of Senators will be packing up for another trip to Beantown. those games that could go either way and it didn’t go our way.” After failing to book a ticket Round 2 of the National Hockey League The Senators finished the game without Stalberg, who left with an playoffs, the Senators were left with more work to do after they unspecified injury. He was listed as day-to-day. squandered a 2-0 second-period lead and lost 3-2 to the Bruins in double overtime in front of 19,209 at Canadian Tire Centre on Friday night. That cut Ottawa’s lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal to 3-2. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.22.2017 Sean Kuraly scored his second goal of the game at 10:19 of the second OT to give the Bruins the win and the Senators don’t have a lot of time to recover with Game 6 set for Sunday at 3 p.m. at Boston’s TD Garden. “Right now, it definitely stings. They’re emotional games. We expected a hard-fought, long, grinding gruelling series and that’s what we’ve got. I don’t know how to explain it any better than they’re pushing, we’re pushing and it goes to double overtime; anything can happen. It’s disappointing, but we have to move on,” Senators defenceman Dion Phaneuf said. “The same way we moved on from the two wins in overtime. “We expected a battle and we’ve got one.” The Bruins had what looked like a goal by Noel Acciari called back at 14:25 of the first overtime because it was ruled that Kuraly had interfered with Senators netminder Craig Anderson. The review took five minutes, but the officials had ruled no-goal on the ice and the call stood. There was a second review moments after that when Senators centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau pushed a puck off the goal-line with his glove. It was ruled the puck never crossed the line, and, naturally, the Bruins were livid a penalty shot wasn’t awarded. “It was good that we had a chance to keep the game going,” Pageau said. While Mark Stone and Pageau scored on Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask in regulation, Kuraly and David Pastnak beat Anderson. “We knew they were going to come hard. We knew they weren’t just going to roll over and die. We’ve just got to go to Boston and regroup,” Stone said. The Senators had two power plays in the final six minutes of the third period and couldn’t score on either of them. One was for too many men on the ice penalty and the over for delay of game on a puck shot over the glass by Dominic Moore. No lead has been safe in this series and this night was no different. After pulling out to a 2-0 advantage early in the second period, the Senators let it slip away. The Bruins got on the board when Anderson initially stopped Brad Marchand’s wraparound attempt, but Pastrnak was there to deposit the rebound. It came not long after Ottawa’s Clarke MacArthur missed a golden opportunity to make it 3-0, fanning on a shot from close range. Kuraly tied it up at 17:05 of the second period. From behind the net, his attempt to bank the puck off Anderson hit Chris Wideman’s stick and the puck deflected past the netminder. Only 30 seconds into the second, the Senators had taken their 2-0 lead when Pageau scored his first of the playoffs, ending a 17-game scoreless skid. He took a breakaway pass from Viktor Stalberg and beat Rask through the five-hole. Not long after the crowd struck up a “Pageau, Pageau, Pageau” chant. There hadn’t been a whole lot to cheer about for either team in the first period of this series with only three goals total, and the third came Friday. You could see the sense of relief on Stone’s face as he opened the scoring at 11:19, taking an excellent pass from Hoffman before skating in alone and beating with a backhander. Not only was that Stone’s first career playoff goal, but it also ended a 19-game slump stretching back to Feb. 19. 1061010 Ottawa Senators because I always eat out at night. I don’t think I’ve cooked one meal this year.”

So much for the advantage of home cooking. This backup tender eats Scanlan: After a tentative start, Sens fans were fully on board before out home and way. Although he spent the better part of the past week Game 5 heatbreak eating beans and other New England fare in Boston around games 3 and 4, Condon is starting to getting a feel for what passes for playoff fever in the nation’s capital. Wayne Scanlan, Ottawa Citizen “You’re starting to see a few more flags on the cars, I’ve noticed that,” Published on: April 22, 2017 | Last Updated: April 22, 2017 12:21 AM Condon said. “We’re in a good spot right now. EDT “If we get this one here and move on to the second round, the buzz will be even greater. The faith in this room is very high – and I think it’s growing on the fan side as well.” The slogan on the towel is “All In!” The faith received a bit of a jolt in the middle of that second OT period, Can we change it to, “Still In?” but the Sens live to fight another day. Their fans ride with them. The Ottawa Senators lost a battle on Friday night, dropping Game 5 to the Boston Bruins in overtime. Yet, the crusade lives on for another day. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.22.2017 Game 6 is in Boston on Sunday afternoon. The Senators carry a 3-2 series lead into the matinée. Historically, the Senators are generally more efficient at this business. In the modern history of the franchise, Ottawa had all converted seven straight 3-1 series leads until Friday’s stumble. Their fans would be just as happy not to experience the stress of a Game 7 back in Ottawa next Wednesday. Game 5 was stressful enough. After having a goal called back, the Bruins won on a goal by Sean Kuraly in the second OT period. With two more chances to get it right, the town is getting a bit of that feel again. There’s no champagne on ice, far too early for that kind of hex, but the beer was plenty cold on Elgin Street Friday night. (Sources say). The Senators’ two-time Norris Trophy winner (and 2017 nominee) Erik Karlsson isn’t the only one who has elevated his standard of play in the playoffs. The Ottawa Senators and the Boston Bruins met in Game 5 of their first- round playoff series on Friday, April 21, 2017 at the Canadian Tire Centre. Postmedia cameras were there before the game and during the on-ice action. From the fan department, tentative would be a word to describe Ottawa’s entry into the post-season. Toes were dipped in water. The Game 1 crowd was underwhelming, and the atmosphere slow to rouse, like a hard-core partisan working on muscle memory of how to act in a playoff environment. Friday’s gate of 19,209 was the largest of the three home dates. In Game 2, the OT thriller, beer sales doubled from Game 1, according to a club official. Same goes for face painters in the pre-game Red Zone. The throng was such that they had to bring in painter reinforcements. How long was the Game 5 lineup to get a Senators logo painted on a face? Let’s just say it was roughly a Sens Mile. Of course, for players all this frivolity is something to note from the corner of one’s eye, and then to acknowledge once a series is over. On the morning of Game 5, asked about the bubbling playoff fever and a sense of anticipation in the room, starting goaltender Craig Anderson was his circumspect self. “It’s more focus than excitement,” Anderson said. “If you lighten the mood a bit, that’s when you get hurt.” In the stands, the mood was light on potential clinching night, fans erupting in a chant from the drop of the puck at 7:40. By the time Jean- Gabriel Pageau had given the local heroes a 2-0 lead early in the second period, Pageau chants rang out and the party was on. Until the Bruins fought back to tie the game. Nerves crept into the game. On and off ice. Senators goaltender Mike Condon, new to the Senators this season and a key contributor in Anderson’s absence, is just getting a feel for Ottawa hockey when spring is in the air. Condon was a third-stringer for the Canadiens last spring. The season before that, he was invited up from the AHL to hang around. Condon doesn’t get recognized in the streets of Ottawa the way he did in Montreal by those rabid Habs followers, but he can sense a temperature rising in the nation’s capital. He hears it from his favourite people — the chefs and proprietors in his local berg. “I live in Westboro and I’ve got a few eating spots I go into,” Condon says, pre-game. “I’ve made a few friends there in the restaurant business 1061011 Ottawa Senators “You do lose it, once it gets to a certain height,” said Hoffman. “Like you saw on Bobby Ryan’s kind of fumble there ... and even I had one last game where I was the last one back ... the puck is in the air, and you Zdeno Chara wants to keep playing for years can’t even see it. “Once it got below the glass line I was able to pick it up. And then, fortunately, I was able to handle it on my tape. If I would have missed it, it BY DON BRENNAN, OTTAWA SUN would have been right on Tuukka’s tape. I was kind of fortunate I was able to pick it up at the last second. FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 08:56 PM EDT | UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 09:01 PM EDT Hoffman needed no wink or nod from Karlsson to “cheat” into the zone. “As soon as I saw he had control, I just took off,” said Hoffman. “He’s a smart enough player that if he sees me out there, he’ll be able to put the A month past his 40th birthday and with one year left on his current puck near me. contract, Zdeno Chara speaks like retirement is the furthest thing from his mind. “I didn’t want to get too far ahead of the play. If the pass would have been a little softer, it probably would have been offside. But our timing At the same time, the Bruins captain is not prepared to echo the words of was great.” Jaromir Jagr, the 45-year old Florida Panthers winger who has stated he wants to play until he’s 50. Hoffman watched the play a couple of times once he got back to the hotel. “I’d like to play as long as I want to play,” Chara said Friday morning. “I want to be effective. I love the game. I love competing. I love training. I “Just from a viewer’s perspective,” he said. “Obviously on the ice, you love everything about it. don’t really get to see the whole thing unfold.” “I don’t know if it would be fair to put a number on it. Jaromir put a It can be viewed going forward on the Senators all-time highlight reel, not number on it, I’m not sure ... I still want to play. I enjoy it. I can’t say only as the greatest end-to-end play in franchise history but also among enough about it. I love the league and everything that’s part of it.” the best ever made in the NHL. Chara, who spent three seasons with the Senators, represents one of the organization’s biggest mistakes. Ottawa allowed him to walk as unrestricted free agent when he was 27, and the 6-foot-9 defenceman Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.22.2017 went on to win a Norris Trophy and a Stanley Cup with the Bruins. In the first playoff meeting against his old team, Chara’s been leaned on heavily while the B’s blue line was demolished with injuries to Torey Krug, Brandon Carlo, Adam McQuaid and, for two games, Colin Miller. Chara averaged 27:14 of ice time through the first four games of the series, more than all but six players around the league. He had one assist and was a minus-2 heading into Game 5, while no doubt hearing whispers that the workload was too much for a man of his advanced years. “Listen, there’s always going to be talk about once you get to a certain point of your career, all of a sudden, for whatever reasons, there just becomes more attention to your age,” said Chara. “I can’t really control that. “But I would rather people just kept looking at the performances and the way you play. You’re going to have players that retire earlier, and you’re going to have players that play for a long time. They shouldn’t be judged different, just because of their age. I like to think it’s great that we still have a number of players close to 40 that are very effective in the league. I think it’s really great for the game and for all the other players, to see that it’s possible to play for a long time if you take care of yourself and really handle it well, and be humble about it.” The finish on the most skilled end-to-end play in Senators history was not inspired by Peter Forsberg’s “postage stamp”, but Habs winger Alexander Radulov. In the couple of seconds he had between receiving Erik Karlsson’s incredible 140-foot long, 10-foot high saucer pass and scoring his breakaway goal in Game 3, Mike Hoffman remembered watching Radulov beat Henrik Lundqvist similarly the previous night. “That was kind of in my head a little bit,” Hoffman said Friday morning. Hoffman’s deke, a move from right to left while leaving the puck to slide straight past Tuukka Rask, was immediately compared to one Forsberg scored with on a shootout in the 1994 Olympics — a goal Sweden commemorated with a stamp. Hoffman remembers scoring with the move a couple of times as a junior, and “maybe” once in the AHL. He tried it during his rookie season in the NHL but was unsuccessful. Why this time? “I haven’t had too much success in breakaways in this league so far,” Hoffman said. “It’s almost like you have to have a pretty good move if you’re going to beat the goalies.” While Karlsson has rightfully been lauded for the long bomb that sailed from the Senators goal line to the Bruins blue line, Hoffman has not received enough credit for pulling in the pass. His timing was perfect, but even more impressive was Hoffman’s ability to find the puck after it had disappeared into the background of the crowd. 1061012 Ottawa Senators trophy? One-hundred percent, but I don’t think that’s focus of our day today.”

What Boucher respects about Karlsson is he can take control of a game. 'So complete': Senators' Karlsson nominated for Norris Trophy “The strength of a high-end defenceman like that, who can jump into plays and make plays out of nothing, is that you can’t really cover that,” BY BRUCE GARRIOCH, OTTAWA SUN Boucher said. “You never know when it’s coming. Erik has proven that so many times this year — including in the playoffs. That’s the beauty of FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 02:05 PM EDT | UPDATED: having a high-end defencemen with that kind of offence. FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 09:37 PM EDT “But also the fact that we can put him against any player in the league and he can defend at the highest level, it gives us tools on offence and defence.” OTTAWA — Even if Erik Karlsson doesn’t bring home the hardware this spring, being nominated for the third Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top All things being equal, it’d be nice if Karlsson left Vegas on a winning defenceman does come with its perks. note. One is a trip to the NHL Awards in Las Vegas in June after the regular THE NOMINEES season has ended. — Erik Karlsson, Ottawa: Senators captain finished third in scoring “It’s fun to go to Vegas. I’d never say no to that,” Karlsson said Friday amongst defencemen with 71 points. He was second among blueliners morning before facing the Boston Bruins in Game 5 at the Canadian Tire with 27 power-play points. This is his fourth nomination for the award and Centre. “I don’t get too many opportunities to go there. I’ve always had a he has won twice. good time going there, seeing all the guys.” — Brent Burns, San Jose: This is the odds-on favourite. Had 29 goals Well, Karlsson can book his ticket after he was named one of three and 72 points, but slowed down in the final month of the season. He led finalists for Norris Trophy on Friday, along with Brent Burns of the San the NHL with 320 shots on goal and is a Norris Trophy finalist for the Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman. The second straight year. news leaked out early Friday afternoon when the Lightning mistakenly posted a press release about Hedman on their website and then deleted — Victor Hedman, Tampa: This is the first time he has been nominated it when news outlets caught on. for the award and finished with 16 goals and 72 points. He had 33 points on the power play but Hedman will be in tough here because the Bolts This is the fourth time the two-time winner has been up for the award and missed the post-season. it’s hard to say if he’ll pick up the hardware for the third time. Karlsson, who won the award in 2012 and 2015, finished second to Los Angeles defenceman Drew Doughty last year and there’s a lot of backers of Burns Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.22.2017 this year. This may have been the best season of Karlsson’s career. Not only did the 26-year-old Ottawa Senators’ captain lead the team in scoring with 17 goals and 71 points in 77 games, he finished second in blocked shots with 201 and was solid at both ends of the ice. It’d be surprising if he doesn’t win but stranger things have happened. “Karl’s been incredible,” alternate captain Dion Phaneuf said. “He deserves all the credit that he gets because really he pushes our team, he drives our team, he plays at both ends of the rink and he plays important minutes — the last minute of a close game, he’s out there and he does his job. “He changed his game this year, in a sense of blocking more shots, and I think he’s done a really good job of paying the price blocking the puck — which isn’t easy to do — and then what you don’t really have to speak about is his offence because he’s such a force night in and night out. He’s so dangerous that he really does wear the other team by making players the other teams don’t see.” And, despite Karlsson’s efforts to be better defensive, he’s still a game- changer. “He was so complete all year,” Phaneuf added. “When I say I complete I mean, defending, offensively extremely dangerous, and he finds ways to break down the other side. You used the word game-changer, I think it’s a great word because he does, he finds ways to open up the other side, to capitalize on the other side’s breakdowns. “But, he sees them from up top, he sees lanes to make plays that are tough to see when you don’t think there’s so much there.” Not everybody appreciates what Karlsson brings to the table for the Senators, which is why he’s no slam dunk for the Norris in voting by the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association. Though many think he should win it, the vote could easily go to Burns. “It’s out of my hands. It’s not something I can control. I do what I can, on the ice, for my team and my organization,” Karlsson said. It’s understandable that coach Guy Boucher didn’t want to focus on the nomination only hours before the Senators faced the Bruins in an elimination game, but he’s had plenty of kind words for Karlsson throughout the year. “I’m not even sure Erik would like me to talk about that, for him, it’s always been about the team all year long and the only thing he has cared about since Day 1 is winning,” Boucher said. “Today is a playoff game where, if you ask him, he’s only going to talk about the team and winning. “You know what he’s meant to us, he’s been an outstanding leader, he’s got total, complete game in all aspects. Do I believe he deserves that 1061015 Ottawa Senators given the former Olympiques centre has won the NHL playoff scoring race twice.

The Senators were doing pretty good in the face-off circles against 'Finally' Mark Stone scores for Senators Patrice Bergeron, one of the game’s best drawmen, often by throwing a foot on to the dot to jam his stick. The Bruins Selke Trophy nominee was back to his usual self in Game 5, winning 15 of 24 face-offs (63 percent) BY DON BRENNAN, OTTAWA SUN through three periods ... Just once wouldn’t you like to see the CTC anthem singer hold the mic up and let the crowd take over? It’s pretty FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 10:59 PM EDT | UPDATED: cool when done in the other Canadian cities ... Senators fans were very SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 2017 12:11 AM EDT upset that I was “jinxing” Anderson and the team on Twitter during the second period. And here I thought the players weren’t checking their

phones on the bench ... Nice to hear the dulcet tones of Stuntman Stu, Mark Stone was sitting on the bench, his helmet in his hand while he who was back handling PA duties from the penalty box ... cleaned his visor, when he heard his name on the public address system. Chris Kelly was used very sparingly (5:24) through three periods. The “Finally,” Stone said clear enough for all the lip readers in the house to next most frequent bench sitter among the forward was Ryan Dzingel, see. who played 10:11 ... Kyle Turris and Wideman were the only Senators with a minus-2 after regulation time ... Zdeno Chara, on playing with guys Finally is right. It was his first goal in two months and two days, a slump half his age, teammates he refers to as “first-year” guys because he that was into its 20 game and had lasted approximately 450 shifts. didn’t like being called “rookie” when he was one: “I can see there’s obviously differences in generations, whether it’s the involving of Hearing “scored by” connected to his No. 61 had to be sweet music for technology, the tweeters, the snapschats, all that stuff is kind of in their Stone. hands and in their heads. That’s what we didn’t have. Cell phones were A few minutes later, Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the Senators’ second just coming out when we were that age.” consecutive breakaway goal to give the home team a 2-0 lead. And a few minutes after that, Clarke MacArthur missed adding another when he failed to get his blade on a pass from Derick Brassard off a 2-on-1. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.22.2017 Finally, everybody thought, the Bruins fractured blue line was starting to show cracks. Still, the Senators gave away another lead then had to dodge not one but two bullets in the first overtime, when a goal was called back because of interference on Craig Anderson and then when Pageau made a sprawled stop on the goal line. That the Bruins weren’t awarded a penalty shot when Pageau clearly closed his hand on the puck in the crease didn’t seem right. Sean Kuraly finally ended the ordeal in double overtime with his second NHL goal. His first came earlier in the game. Important to remember in this series of one-goal victories is Boston played much of it without four of its top six defencemen. Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo haven’t played a shift. Adam McQuaid and Colin Miller were both injured in Game 2, although the latter did return after missing a pair of games. Take four of the Senators regular D-men out and see where that would have left them. The playoffs are not going to get any easier for Ottawa going forward against teams that are using NHL defence. Crusty Craig Anderson was perfect in Game 4’s 1-0 win, hours after he one-worded questions from the media. On Friday morning, he was cordial Craig, wearing his hood pulled over his head like a prize fighter while chatting freely with reporters. After watching him give up Sean Kuraly’s tying goal in the second, you want Crusty Craig back, Senators fans ... Only a short while earlier, Anderson’s shutout stretch was ended at 100 minutes and 32 seconds .... Chris Wideman had just 9:44 of ice time through three periods and didn’t have a single shift in the first OT …. In two of the three games played at Canadian Tire Centre, a Bruins veteran has taken a delay of game penalty by firing the puck over the glass in the final few minutes. First Zdeno Chara and now Dominic Moore are counted on to be better than that ... Still, that’s nothing compared to taking a too-man-men penalty with 2:28 left in a tie game when losing means the end of your season. The Senators power play is up to its old tricks, generating next to nothing on the back-to-back golden opportunities. Erik Karlsson was on the ice for more than half (30:22) of the regulation time three periods. During that time he took 10 shots, with three hitting the net, three blocked and four going wide .... Kuraly was in the Bruins’ lineup for Ottawa’s Ryan Spooner, who was essentially made a healthy scratch by Ottawa’s Bruce Cassidy. “Ryan’s not 100%” Butch said at his morning availability. “We liked Sean’s game up here (in Games 1 and 2). He’s good at getting on pucks and forecheck has been a big part of how we’re able to create some offence. (Spooner) is not 100% (but) we like the way Sean plays as much as anything.” Kuraly is also pretty crafty, as he beat Anderson through an opening while basically standing behind then goal line. It was his first NHL goal ... Stone almost had his second when he ripped a shot off the cross bar four-plus minutes into the third ... Chris Wideman knocked David Krejci out of the game with a neutral zone hit in the first period ... Injuries have kept Krejci from playing in all but approximately 40 minutes of the series, a fact not to be shrugged at 1061016 Philadelphia Flyers said before the playoffs began. "I feel it's been a good test for me as an individual and I've definitely grown."

Coming from defensive-minded Yale, Lyon wasn't accustomed to Flyers take a step back, but pipeline is promising opponents' getting as many quality scoring chances as in the much-faster and much more competitive AHL. Updated: APRIL 23, 2017 — 3:01 AM EDT "It's tough going from a year where you give up 1.50 goals a game, but that's the adjustment I knew I was going to have to make," Lyon said. "It's by Sam Carchidi, STAFF WRITER @BroadStBull | been difficult, but it's been a learning and a growing process." [email protected] Lyon was accustomed to being a starter, but he had to share duties when Stolarz was around. G eneral manager Ron Hextall would rather be deep in the first round of "It was a very valuable tool to put in your tool belt," he said of learning to the Stanley Cup tournament with the Flyers, hoping they could build off coexist with Stolarz. "If I'm going to make it to the next level, I realize last year's playoff appearance against Washington. they're not going to hand the keys to Alex Lyon and say, 'Here, you go.' I'm going to have to earn my spot and work my way up. I want to learn Instead, he's preparing for the NHL draft, deciding on which players he how to do both. I think that's when you become the most valuable asset." will protect in the expansion draft that will stock the Vegas Golden Knights, and keeping close tabs on his franchise's top farm team, Lehigh Hart is with the Phantoms after starring for Everett Silvertips in the Valley, as the Phantoms compete in the AHL playoffs. Western Hockey League and compiling a league-best 1.99 goals-against average. He is not expected to see action in the AHL playoffs, but is But it must be extra painful as he watches a rookie-laden team such as practicing with the team and getting the feel of pro hockey. His day will Toronto gain invaluable postseason experience. come. With stronger performances from some of his veterans, Hextall realizes, "Great things take time," he said. it could be the Flyers, not the Maple Leafs, climbing a rung toward relevancy. Because of his young age, Hart will not be AHL-eligible in 2017-18 until his junior season ends. He either will go back to Everett or join the "We're all disappointed," Hextall said last week. "We made the playoffs Flyers. last year and it was a step in the right direction, and we took a step back this year." Hart, who won't turn 19 until Aug. 13, doesn't lack for confidence. While the big-league team regressed, the Phantoms tied for the second- "My goal is to push hard and make it to the big club" next season, he best record in the 30-team AHL. Yes, the Phantoms used some past- said. He acknowledged it's unlikely to happen, "but if you don't set goals their-prime players such as Colin McDonald, Andy Miele, and Chris like that, you're selling yourself short." Conner as they made a 26-point improvement from last season, but they also developed many youngsters who inched closer to the Big Show. Hextall called Hart "technically sound," and said playing for Team Canada in the World Juniors was an "enormous experience for him in In his three years as general manager, Hextall has not done well in the terms of his development, so we're real happy where Carter is at. He can free-agent market, and his trades have had mixed results. go back [to Everett], and they didn't win this year, so there will be more for him to accomplish." But he and his staff have excelled in the draft, and the farm system has received a major upgrade. The Flyers have waited many decades for a dominating goalie, so what's another few years? That's imperative because if the Flyers want to someday get to the level of the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins - whose elite farm system doesn't get nearly as much credit as it deserves - they must continue having productive drafts and keep sending top-notch Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.22.2017 prospects to the big-league team. The pipeline has gotten much better in recent years. Shayne Gostisbehere arrived last season, and Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny this season. Those three were draft picks, while Jordan Weal, another promising young player, advanced from the Phantoms after being acquired from Los Angeles. This spring, Hextall is looking for the Phantoms, particularly the young ones, to benefit from what he hopes is a long playoff run, starting with their opening-round matchup against talented Hershey. "You're looking for the kids to play big at the right time of the year," Hextall said. "This is what you play for all year, and it's the biggest stage they've been on all year, so it's another good test." Hextall said the heated matchup against Hershey "is the best viewing we should get on these kids to see where they're at." The Phantoms, who have 12 Flyers draft picks on their roster, will open the playoffs Friday at the PPL Center in Allentown. Most of Lehigh Valley's blue-chip prospects are on a defense that includes Sam Morin, Travis Sanheim, Robert Hagg, and the recently added Phil Myers. At some point next season, it wouldn't be surprising if three of them were playing at the Wells Fargo Center. There are many other intriguing prospects, including goaltenders Alex Lyon and Carter Hart. Some scouts think Hart and Felix Sandstrom are the Flyers' goalies of the future, but Lyon and Anthony Stolarz, who is injured, are also highly regarded. Lyon, 24, has had a solid rookie season after being signed as a free agent out of Yale. Because Stolarz spent lots of time with the Flyers this season, Lyon played more games than expected. "It was a totally interesting, bizarre, roller-coaster of a year," Lyon, who overcame a rocky beginning and finished the regular season with a 27- 14-5 record, a 2.74 goals-against average, and a .912 save percentage, 1061017 Philadelphia Flyers

FLYERS SIGN 2016 4TH-ROUND CENTER CONNOR BUNNAMAN

By Tim Panaccio | CSNPhilly.com April 21, 2017 3:58 PM

Center Connor Bunnaman, the Flyers' fourth-round pick (109th overall) from the 2016 NHL draft, signed an entry-level contract with the team on Friday. The 19-year-old prospect has spent the past three seasons with the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL. He scored 37 goals and compiled 52 points in 64 games this season. That's his best offensive output with the Rangers so far. His 37 goals led Kitchener, as did his 16 power-play goals. His 52 points were third best on the club.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061018 Philadelphia Flyers "The guys and the coaches said, and I knew myself, it's a long year. Sometimes you forget about games and then you go back and learn from mistakes and you get better." IVAN PROVOROV PROVIDES FLYERS A TIMELY REMINDER OF Provorov said he learned to make the simple play sometimes instead of THEIR MISSION always swinging for the home run. "That was my biggest adjustment," he said. "You can't make the most out By Jordan Hall | CSNPhilly.com April 21, 2017 3:50 PM of every possession you have. So it probably took a little bit. In juniors, if there was no play, I could have just kept it myself or held onto the puck as long as I wanted to. You can't do that here. All the teams are well- structured and pressured hard." Shayne Gostisbehere laughed in sheer wonderment. While Provorov learned, the Flyers did, too. He was talking about 20-year-old defenseman Ivan Provorov. "I think it's fair to say he's one of the guys we're going to build around Gostisbehere, only 24 and no slouch himself on the blue line, was trying here," Hextall said. to comprehend Provorov's ability, which doesn't quite match the player's age. And Gostisbehere is looking forward to it. "Ivan's game is so mature -- he has no risk in his game, he's just so "You can look at Ivan, and you think he's a young man -- he is, but the sound and the way he plays, makes it look so easy and it pisses people way he carries himself, he's a great kid, great player and his game is off," Gostisbehere said last week with a smile. "But just the things he mature beyond his age," Gostisbehere said. "It's just the swagger these does is unbelievable. He's awesome to watch. younger guys have. And it's not cockiness at all, it's just confidence and that's the biggest thing." "He's only 19 or 20 and I'm like, 'This guy makes me look bad sometimes because he's so smooth.' He's a great player. I don't see Provy having any problems next year. If he does, they'll be minor." Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 Provorov had that type of impact in his first NHL season, one that saw him jump from the junior ranks right to the big boys as a teenager. How did he fare? Well, considering he played all 82 games, led the Flyers in ice time at 21:58 per night -- a franchise rookie record -- and took home the Barry Ashbee Award as the team's top defenseman, he acquitted himself just fine. With the Flyers' failure to make the playoffs and an offseason bubbling with unanswered questions, Provorov is the team's surest bet moving forward -- a reassuring positive about the organization becoming younger and building through the draft. "You get a sense of a kid in his draft year," Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said last Thursday at his end-of-the-season press conference. "You watch him and you get a sense of the kid. You start meeting with him up to the draft, meet with his parents, you start to get a sense that this kid is really, really dialed in. Most kids, they're out playing video games and doing this and doing that. Provy, it's like he's 30. He's a very mature kid." The native of Russia has become the poster child for the Flyers' youth plunge on defense. Two more rookies are likely to carve out roster spots alongside Provorov and Gostisbehere in 2017-18. "Provy, I hope he's one of the guys next year where young kids come in and watch him," Hextall said. "Kid's a pro." Last training camp, Provorov convinced Hextall there was no more junior play needed. At 19 years old, Provorov had to either go back to his junior league or make the Flyers' roster. He made Hextall's decision look easy. "For a 19-year-old defenseman to come in and provide the minutes, the hard minutes, steady play, composure, professionalism -- I mean, it's unique," Hextall said. "He's a special kid in terms of his whole focus in life is hockey. He's 24/7. He watches hockey, he studies hockey, he thinks hockey. He trains a ridiculous amount of time in the summer. He's a hockey player and it's special." Provorov was quickly anointed to a crucial role on the Flyers' special teams units. He led the Flyers in shorthanded ice time and was Gostisbehere's backup running the power-play point, especially once veteran Mark Streit was traded at the March 1 deadline. Overall, Provorov finished with 30 points -- six goals and 24 assists. More impressively, the 2015 seventh overall draft pick showed he's a quick study. In his third NHL game, Provorov made an embarrassing tumble and turnover during a 7-4 loss to the Blackhawks at the . Provorov finished a minus-5 that game and was a minus-9 through his first 11 outings. Those struggles did not last long and the next time he saw the Blackhawks, he scored two goals in a 3-1 win to put his Chicago nightmare in the past. "I think after 15, 20 games, I started to play my game," Provorov said, "and I think I got better as the season went on, both on and off the ice. 1061019 Philadelphia Flyers goaltender, it would be something that wasn’t expected,” Gordon added. “Credit to him for not only doing it, but the work that he puts in behind the scenes, off-ice, being out on the ice early, being out on the ice with the Where does Alex Lyon fit in line of goalie prospects? goalie coach. It didn’t happen by accident. He earned it and he put in a lot of work.”

Lyon won’t have to look over his shoulder in the playoffs, not even with Dave Isaac , @davegisaac Published 12:18 p.m. ET April 21, 2017 | hot shot goalie prospect Carter Hart joining the team on an amateur Updated 12 hours ago tryout after his playoff season ended with the Everett Silvertips. Lyon isn’t threatened by Hart’s appearance and is only looking at a playoff series and where a postseason run could take him. ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Unlike the draft picks, Alex Lyon chose to be here. “If I’m going to make it to the next level,” the goalie said, “I have to realize they’re not going to hand the keys to Alex Lyon and say, ‘Here you go.’ He fielded other offers as a free agent before he decided to sign with the I’m going to have to earn my spot and work my way up. I want to be able Flyers. He also could have decided to go back to Yale University for his to do both. I think that’s when you become the most valuable asset.” senior season where playing time would have been guaranteed.

The 24 year old signed with Philadelphia knowing he was really going to Allentown and that he’d have to compete with second-round pick Courier-Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 Anthony Stolarz for playing time. “I didn’t know how I fit in amongst the professional ranks,” Lyon said. “I wanted to get a lot of playing time, like anybody would, but at the end of the day I didn’t know. It was a totally interesting, bizarre roller coaster of a year, but it’s been a good test of me as an individual and I’ve definitely grown.” Fast forward through Lyon’s first pro season and Stolarz can’t play for the Phantoms due to a left leg injury that puts him on the shelf until next season. It’s Lyon’s net now in the Phantoms’ first-round playoff series against the Hershey Bears and he has a chance to prove, with a lot on the line, that he should be part of the conversation on how the Flyers fix their NHL goalie problem. General manager Ron Hextall doesn’t appear comfortable with a tandem of Michal Neuvirth, who inked a two-year contract extension in March, and Stolarz, who will need a new contract after his entry-level deal expires June 30. The door bring Steve Mason back is barely cracked open. Lyon is now in the spotlight and has turned his season around after a poor start out of the gates. He finished his season leading rookie goalies in wins with 27. His first two pro games he allowed five goals apiece and Stolarz began getting more and more starts. “I’m always going to fight for my ice time, but if at the end of the day the other guy deserves it more than I do, I think that’s fair,” Lyon said. “I think that’s how the world should work. It makes things a lot easier, a lot more simple.” With two lengthy recalls for Stolarz in the NHL, Lyon evened out the playing time for the Phantoms across the season. The detail-oriented Ivy Leaguer had to adjust on the fly and those changes were, well, unorthodox. He wondered where to sit on the bus and in video sessions, how to approach the trainers, how he’d maintain a relationship with captain Colin McDonald and coach Scott Gordon. “It sounds funny, but that’s honestly it,” Lyon said. “That stuff makes a huge difference. For me, I’m very self aware and I like to think about things a lot. Every interaction is like, ‘All right, how did that go? How am I doing?’” As for the on-ice adjustments, he had to make those as well. Gone are the days of 1.50 goals-against averages in the NCAA. The quality of play is so much higher in pro hockey and Lyon wasn’t used to getting outshot a lot of games. At Yale, coach Keith Allain instituted an extremely defensive system and had a defense corps that Lyon “definitely took for granted.” That’s no knock against his current teammates, he said, but an adjustment he had to make and he wasn’t alone. He consulted with St. John’s IceCaps goalie Charlie Lindgren and Utica Comets netminder Thatcher Demko, two fellow AHL rookies that came from college hockey. “We all agree that a routine chance in the AHL is a Grade-A chance in college hockey,” Lyon said. “That’s a massive adjustment. We get outshot, but we also score a lot of goals.” The Phantoms’ 260 tallies this season led the league by eight, but in the playoffs teams live and die by the masked man between the pipes. “Now he’s the guy. He knows that,” McDonald said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how he does and I’m confident he’s going to do very well for us.” “He’s handled that well and I think if anybody had told you that he was going to put up the numbers that the put up this year as a first-year 1061020 Pittsburgh Penguins In Game 5, Kessel's first-period, power-play goal gave the Penguins the lead for good. Crosby's impossible-angle shot from the right-wing corner in the third period provided much-needed breathing room. Fleury's performance leads top 5 reasons Penguins advanced 5. BALANCED DEFENSE When the Penguins announced Kris Letang would be out for the season JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Friday, April 21, 2017, 7:03 p.m. with a neck injury, Sullivan said he planned to spread the minutes out evenly between his six defensemen. Updated 2 hours ago He wasn't kidding.

Against Columbus, all six defensemen averaged between 19:44 and When Matt Murray hobbled to the locker room during warm-ups before 22:16 of ice time per game. While they would like to break the puck out the Penguins' playoff opener with the Columbus Blue Jackets more than cleaner and allow fewer shots, the players on the blue line generally kept a week ago, it was perfectly rational to think the team's hopes of the net-front area clean. repeating as Stanley Cup champions were leaving with him. Most important, no pair emerged as a weak link for opponents to attack. This wasn't a run-of-the-mill goalie succumbing to a lower-body injury. It was a goalie who won a championship at age 22, then followed with a season where he ranked in the top 10 in the league in wins and save Tribune Review LOADED: 04.22.2017 percentage. And while Marc-Andre Fleury is one of the most beloved figures in franchise history, there was every reason to believe his play would pale in comparison to what the Penguins expected from Murray. Fleury's .909 save percentage in the regular season was the third-worst of his career. Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2009 in Detroit, he had more poor playoff outings than strong ones. With presumptive Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky staring at Fleury from the other end of the ice, it was reasonable to predict the Penguins would be at a significant goaltending disadvantage in the series. Instead, it was perhaps their greatest strength. The Penguins didn't exactly play airtight defense against the Blue Jackets. The 38.6 shots per game they allowed are the most among the 16 teams in the playoff field. Fleury responded with some of the best hockey of his career. He badly outplayed Bobrovsky and the .933 save percentage he recorded was the third-best for a playoff series in his career, trailing only matchups with Ottawa (.955) and Philadelphia (.939) nine years ago. “Flower's been, not many words to describe the way he's playing right now,” winger Scott Wilson said. “It's a boost to our team. Couldn't be happier for a good guy like him to shut the door.” Fleury's resurgence was the biggest reason the Penguins finished off the Blue Jackets in five games. Here are the rest of the top five: 2. NO WORRIES Coming into the series, there was reason to believe the Penguins might not be able to lean on some star scorers. Evgeni Malkin hadn't played in a month because of a shoulder injury, and Phil Kessel scored just two goals in the last 26 games of the regular season. The concerns were unfounded. Coming into Friday night's games, Malkin was leading the league in playoff scoring with 11 points. Kessel was second with eight. 3. THIRD WHEELS When coach Mike Sullivan filled out his playoff lineup card, each of the team's top two lines had a third wheel. On the first line, Crosby and Conor Sheary had shown long-term chemistry together. Jake Guentzel was a rookie with no playoff experience. On the second line, Malkin and Kessel were players with world-class skill. Bryan Rust was playing on his off wing with hands that couldn't come close to matching his linemates. The third wheels scored the biggest goals of the series. In Game 3, Guentzel completed a hat trick with an overtime winner. Rust scored twice in a series-clinching Game 5 victory. 4. POWERFUL PERFORMANCE The Penguins went 5 for 15 on the power play in the series, which while an excellent percentage, only tells part of the story. The Penguins scored big goals at key times on special teams all series long. The power play connected in four of five games. In the one game (Game 2) it didn't, Malkin scored one second after a roughing penalty to Brandon Dubinsky expired. 1061021 Pittsburgh Penguins Tribune Review LOADED: 04.22.2017

Penguins keep lineup healthy, intact during Blue Jackets series

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Friday, April 21, 2017, 7:03 p.m. Updated 2 hours ago

It would be like the losing because their opponents let air out of the footballs. Or the Golden State Warriors winning because their opponent blew a 3-1 series lead. One of the reasons the Penguins advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a clinching Game 5 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night was that their opponents lost more key players to injury during the series than they did. Defenseman Zach Werenski, a sure-fire future star on the blue line, missed the last two games of the series with facial fractures after a puck hit him below the eye in Game 3. On top of that, Columbus captain and locker room leader Nick Foligno was a late scratch for Game 5 with a lower-body injury. The Penguins, meanwhile, used the same lineup for all five games in the series. It represented a stark departure for the Penguins, who had stretches in the second half of the season where they seemed to lose a new player every game. At one point in March, they had eight regulars on the sidelines. “With that bad luck that we had in that run, I've never seen anything like it,” defenseman Brian Dumoulin said. “It's good to get through some games injury free.” That's not to say the Penguins have shooed the injury bug. Kris Letang watching Game 5 in a neck brace after having season-ending surgery is a reminder of that. Matt Murray (lower body), Carl Hagelin (lower body), Chris Kunitz (lower body) and Chad Ruhwedel (upper body) remain on the injured list. Kunitz and Ruhwedel skated on their own before the Penguins held morning skate Thursday. There have been no indications Murray and Hagelin are close to returning. Still, starting and ending a playoff series with the same 18 skaters is a luxury the Penguins haven't enjoyed much in recent seasons. “It definitely helps,” winger Conor Sheary said. “You create chemistry with your linemates. When guys are in and out of the lineup, sometimes it's hard to find. Especially in a playoff series, I think it's important to stay healthy and stay with your linemates.” Not only did the Penguins dress the same 18 skaters for each game, they used the same four lines and three defense pairs at the start of each game. The only time coach Mike Sullivan broke from his regular configuration was when he swapped right wings on the first and third lines in the middle of Game 5. Sheary joined Nick Bonino and Scott Wilson on the third line. Patric Hornqvist bumped up with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel on the first line. Seeing where Sheary and Hornqvist end up is probably the only bit of lineup intrigue the Penguins have to offer heading into a second-round series with Washington or Toronto. “We just thought the (top) line, as a group of three, wasn't as dynamic as it's been in the last month or so in the last couple of games,” Sullivan said. “Listen, Conor Sheary is a really good player. Patric Hornqvist is a really good player. They're just different players. They bring a different dimension to their lines. We thought Horny could bring some size and some grit and help in the battle areas a little bit more just because of his size and his strength and his ability to go to the net and win puck battles. “That's why we decided to make the switch. Looking back on it, I think it helped us in the third period a little bit, both of the lines. I think it helped Conor in particular. But moving forward, I really haven't given it much thought, where we're going to go.”

1061022 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins notebook: Pens await their second-round playoff opponent

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Friday, April 21, 2017, 11:33 a.m. Updated 5 hours ago

Because he scored two goals in a series-clinching victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night, winger Bryan Rust received the Pirates batting helmet the players distribute internally to the team MVP following every win. After fitting it on his head, Rust offered only a brief address to the locker room. “See you in a couple days, boys,” Rust said, as various celebrations went on around him. Rust's comments illustrate perhaps the biggest benefit the Penguins earned by finishing off the Blue Jackets in five games. They'll have more rest than their opponents heading into the second round. Washington and Toronto will settle their series Sunday if it ends in six games or Tuesday if it goes seven. The Penguins had Friday off and were scheduled for an off-ice workout Saturday before returning to practice Sunday morning. “You've got to make the most of it,” Sidney Crosby said. “You can use it as rest, and you can use it to prepare for whoever you play. It's big, especially (because) we've had some guys who have been injured and banged up. Hopefully we get some guys back slowly here. It was a physical series. To get a couple days to rest and get ready will help us.” The Penguins made a few roster changes Friday morning, sending wingers Tom Sestito and Josh Archibald and defenseman Cameron Gaunce to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Baby Pens opened their AHL playoff run Friday night in Providence. Gaunce has to clear waivers before playing for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. With Archibald, Sestito and Gaunce back in the AHL, the Penguins have only one healthy extra on their roster: defenseman Mark Streit. When Scott Wilson scored about six minutes into Game 5, it was a significant moment for three reasons. First, it drove a dagger into any potential comeback the Blue Jackets were planning, making the score 5-2. Second, it was the first playoff point of Wilson's career. He got his postseason start before some of his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton call-up compatriots, playing in three games of a first-round loss to the Rangers in 2015, but he missed all of last season's playoffs with a lower-body injury. Third, it was highlight-reel caliber, with Wilson skating into the rebound of a Trevor Daley shot from the left wing and quickly flicking a behind-the- back backhand shot past goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and inside the post. “That's definitely blind, hoping I make contact,” Wilson said. “Anytime I can try to get to the net and find loose pucks, I do my best.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061023 Pittsburgh Penguins “I don't think it's energy,” Tortorella said. “I think it's just trying to deal with those surges in games in playoffs.”

The Penguins wouldn't explicitly say it was part of their strategy either. Chipped Ice A.M.: Penguins let Blue Jackets punch themselves out The closest they came was when winger Scott Wilson said before Game 5 that the Penguins needed to “tire them out a little bit more.” JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Friday, April 21, 2017, 8:30 a.m. But make no mistake. The Penguins are in the second round of the playoffs in large part because they used a rope-a-dope strategy to Updated 16 hours ago perfection. THE SERIES: Penguins win, 4-1 Editor's note: Visit triblive.com for the Chipped Ice A.M. report every LAST GAME: Bryan Rust scored two second-period goals and Marc- morning the Penguins play or practice throughout their playoff run. Andre Fleury made 49 saves as the Penguins blew open a close Game 5 with two third-period goals and came away with a 5-2 victory. Judo is a martial art in which practitioners use an attacker's own momentum against him. NEXT GAME: The Penguins are awaiting the winner of the Washington- Toronto series, which is tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 Friday night. The Penguins used a hockey version of judo to secure a 5-2 win Thursday night and oust Columbus in five games in a first-round Eastern A NOTE: With his first-period goal in Game 5, Kessel further cemented Conference playoff series. his status as one of the most clutch playoff scorers in the NHL today. Among active players with at least 50 postseason games played, Kessel They took the Blue Jackets' greatest strength and turned it into a is second in goals per game (0.49), just barely behind Washington's Alex weakness. Ovechkin (0.50). The Blue Jackets came into the series with their reputation well A QUOTE: “I've kind of learned to expect the unexpected. Anything can established. They were a big, physical team that liked to throw punishing happen. There's huge momentum swings either way. Just kind of stay hits, especially on the forecheck. On every line, from Brandon Dubinsky even keel throughout the entire thing. That's what I'm trying to do.” – Rust to Boone Jenner to Josh Anderson, there was a hulking forward capable on playoff hockey of stapling opponents to the boards. A NUMBER: 60 – wins for the Penguins in their last 80 home games, The game plan against the Penguins was simple. The Blue Jackets were counting the regular season and playoffs going to come out of the locker room with guns blazing and hit everything that moved for as long as they could. To an extent, it worked. They recorded 197 hits in the five-game series. Tribune Review LOADED: 04.22.2017 “It was physical,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “They don't pass up any opportunities to finish checks. They really tried to establish that from the first game.” It turned out to be their downfall, too. It wasn't because it wasn't effective at times. The Blue Jackets used their physical forecheck to make life miserable for Penguins defensemen in the opening minutes of every game in the series. Columbus had a cumulative shots advantage of 71-39 in the first period. It wasn't because they took too many penalties either, as excessively physical teams often do. The Penguins went on the power play 15 times in the series, which is obviously more often than Columbus would have liked, but only two of those penalties were called during their opening- game surges. It was because the style of play turned out to be unsustainable for a 60- minute game. On multiple occasions, the Blue Jackets punched themselves out, ran out of gas and allowed the Penguins to mount a successful counter-attack. “I thought we were strong,” defenseman Ian Cole said. “We did a good job of recognizing when they were starting to gain momentum and turned momentum in our favor.” It happened in almost every game. -- In Game 1, the Blue Jackets outshot the Penguins 16-3 in the first period. The Penguins countered with goals from Bryan Rust and Phil Kessel in the first four minutes of the second. -- In Game 2, Columbus held a 12-7 shots advantage in the first period. By the time the second period was eight minutes old, after the line of Jake Guentzel, Sidney Crosby and Conor Sheary connected twice, the Penguins were up 2-1. -- In Game 5, the effect was most dramatic. The Blue Jackets built up an 8-3 shots edge in the first five minutes of the game. Only a spectacular performance from Marc-Andre Fleury stopped them from taking an early lead. But they didn't, and as soon as Kessel beat goalie Sergei Bobrovsky with a short-side wrister before the first period hit its midpoint, the Penguins were in front for good. “They do such a good job of coming at you and really putting the pressure on in the first period,” defenseman Justin Schultz said. “I thought we did a good job of weathering that and then getting our momentum and getting our legs. We still want to have better starts, but I thought we did a good job of weathering the storm. That's one of the best teams in the league coming at us.” The Blue Jackets never admitted that their frenetic first periods ended up hurting them later in games. 1061024 Pittsburgh Penguins To complement their stars, the Penguins have acquired a group of players with something to prove.

Conor Sheary was undrafted. Bryan Rust was a third-round pick whose Star-studded Penguins find success in blue-collar approach ability as a finisher was questioned. Kuhnhackl was a fourth-round pick who traded an offensive game April 22, 2017 12:18 AM overseas for a defense-first one in North America. Patric Hornqvist was drafted last overall. By Jason Mackey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Many players on the Penguins roster had to change peoples’ perceptions. Ask most hockey fans, and they likely are to associate the Penguins with “Guys like [Matt] Cullen and Bonino have been around a long time,” NBC star power. analyst Pierre McGuire said. For good reason, too. “They know how they got in the league. They know what they have to do to stay in the league. [Chris Kunitz], Cole and Brian Dumoulin, those are After all, the team allocates more than 44 percent of its salary-cap space guys who were not counted upon to be superstar players from the time to Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Phil Kessel. But, for as they got in the league. They were counted on to struggle to stay in the much skill and speed as the Penguins possess, there’s almost a second league. identity. “Sheary, Rust, Kuhnhackl … you bring in all these guys who want to One built on a blue-collar work ethic, a straightforward approach and the prove a point. They all want to say, ‘I’m better than what you think.’ They desire to prove a lot of people wrong. all came in together at the right time. “If you look at our team, obviously we have a lot of high-end talent,” “Don’t forget that Mike Sullivan had a point to prove, too. After those two forward Tom Kuhnhackl said. “At the same time, they’re not shy about seasons with the [Boston] Bruins, Mike had to prove he could coach in working hard. the league.” “They’re working in the offensive zone. It’s probably safe to say Sullivan has done that. “They’re working in the defensive zone. They’re blocking shots. And he has done it by taking a bunch of high-end talent and cultivating a culture around it that’s similar to what you might find at a welding shop in “They’re playing for the team. We have trust in each other. You can see Dravosburg. that on and off the ice.” “Sully did a good job with all of us, just putting us in the right situations to The key stat here is this: Since Mike Sullivan took over as coach, the succeed,” defenseman Trevor Daley said. Penguins are the only NHL team to rank in the top 10 for hits, blocked shots and Corsi For Percentage, a measurement of puck possession as “He preaches a lot of the same stuff. He keeps it pretty simple. a percentage of shot attempts one team has versus another. “Every day, it’s the same; it doesn’t really change much. It’s consistent The reason is this: It starts at the top. around here, and I think that shows in our play.” The Penguins’ two most impactful leaders in and around the dressing The Penguins, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and Detroit have room — Sullivan and Crosby — either have skill or can coach skill. accounted for the past nine Stanley Cups. Here’s a look at how the five have ranked since Dec. 14, 2015 — Mike Sullivan’s first game as But they’re grinders in the way they approach their jobs. Penguins coach — through the end of the 2016-17 regular season when They’re both impeccably dressed when seen in public. it comes to hits, blocked shots and Corsi For Percentage (CF%). But give them a choice, and they easily would rather throw on a hat and go fishing on a quiet lake. Post Gazette LOADED: 04.22.2017 “Look at our coach,” defenseman Ian Cole said. “Look at our captain. “The message Sully’s putting out there and what our captain does as far as doing all the little things, the things that might go unnoticed. “You notice a lot of things that he does, but there are a lot of things that you don’t [notice]” Some of the things that are noticeable and/or quantifiable for the Penguins this season include: • The team ranks sixth in blocked shots with 1,307 and eighth in hits with 2,060. • Cole ranked third among all NHL players and set the Penguins franchise record with 194 blocked shots. • Nick Bonino led NHL forwards with 99 hits and nearly became the third forward since 2005-06 to break the 100-block barrier. • The Penguins lead the league in goals (3.39) and shots on goal (33.5) per game. “Talent alone doesn’t win in the playoffs or doesn’t win at this time of year,” Sullivan said. “You’ve got to play the game the right way. There’s only one way to play this game, and that’s hard. You can’t win if you don’t play hard. “Part of that is defending when the time is called upon. It’s getting in shot lanes. It’s being willing to engage in puck battles. It’s getting involved in wall play. “It’s a lot of those thankless jobs that are very, very difficult to quantify, where you can’t go to a website and look up a stat, but they’re vitally important to helping teams win hockey games. “I give our players and leadership group a lot of credit for leading by example and making sure we value those things.” 1061025 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins send three to Wilkes-Barre, keep Jarry

April 21, 2017 11:17 AM Jason Mackey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Penguins re-assigned forwards Tom Sestito and Josh Archibald along with defenseman Cameron Gaunce to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday morning. The move was made so they could play in the Baby Penguins’ opening- round playoff series that starts Friday night at Providence, but the interesting move — again — could be the one the Penguins didn’t make. Tristan Jarry remains with the big club. He served as Marc-Andre Fleury’s backup for all five games of the Columbus series after Matt Murray re-aggravated a lower-body injury during warmup before Game 1. The Penguins are staring at about six days of off time before their Eastern Conference semifinal-round series against either the Capitals or Maple Leafs. Keeping Jarry around could help them ease Murray back into practices. Or it could mean that Murray isn’t tracking toward a potential return in this upcoming round. Murray was spotted in the press box Thursday at PPG Paints Arena, with no noticeable limp. The last Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was asked about any of his injured players — NHL coaches aren’t required to communicate injury information in the playoffs and usually don’t — Sullivan said he had no substantive updates on anyone. Murray has not skated during a time when reporters were around since re-aggravating what’s believed to be a groin injury suffered three days before the end of the regular season in New Jersey. One note: Gaunce must clear waivers before he can be returned to Wilkes-Barre. The Penguins are off Friday after closing out the Blue Jackets in five on Thursday night.

Post Gazette LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061026 Pittsburgh Penguins

Tickets on sale for Penguins' second-round playoff series

April 21, 2017 6:49 AM By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Individual tickets for the Penguins’ first two home games in their second- round playoff series went on sale Friday morning. Approximately 2,000 tickets for each game are available. The Penguins will face the winner of the Washington-Toronto playoff series, which is tied, 2-2. Games 1 and 2 will be at PPG Paints Arena if they face the Maple Leafs, but the first two home dates will be Games 3 and 4 if the Penguins are matched against the Capitals. The team is encouraging fans to purchase tickets online at www.ticketmaster.com, but they also will be available at the arena box office and by calling TicketMaster at 1-800-745-3000. The Penguins closed out their opening-round series against Columbus with a 5-2 victory against the Blue Jackets Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena — pushing the Penguins through to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Post Gazette LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061027 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins dilemma: Rest is nice, but how much is too much?

By Sam Werner / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

And now, the Penguins wait. They finished off their first-round playoff series against Columbus with a 5-2 win Thursday night in Game 5 to clinch a spot in the second round. Who they’ll play and when that Eastern Conference semifinal will start is undetermined. It certainly won’t start before Tuesday, ensuring that the Penguins will have at least four days (likely more) to rest and recover from their first- round series against the Blue Jackets. “I think every time you get a little break, get a chance to regroup and re- energize, it’s always a good thing,” winger Phil Kessel said Thursday night. At the very least, they will have significantly more time off than their next opponent. The Penguins will face the winner of the first-round series between Washington and Toronto. The Capitals and Maple Leafs played Friday night in Game 5. If that series, which was tied, 2-2, wraps up Sunday in six games, the second round conceivably could start as early as Tuesday. It’s more likely that it will begin Wednesday or Thursday, meaning the Penguins could have up to six days off before they resume their quest for consecutive Stanley Cup titles. A year ago, they never had more than four days off between series, with an average of three per round. Conventional wisdom says the more rest a team gets in its playoff run, the better its chances are. The results, however, are a mixed bag. Seven of the past 10 Stanley Cup champions averaged at least 4.3 days of rest between their series, with the leader being the 2012 Los Angeles Kings, who averaged six days off between rounds. But other teams have done it with shorter breaks. The 2014 Kings, for instance, averaged just 1.7 days off before each round and never got more than two. There are reasons to think these Penguins could benefit from time off, especially in this situation. They’re coming off a first-round series against a Columbus team known for its physicality, and also still are recovering from injuries that swept through the locker room at the end of the regular season. Defenseman Chad Ruhwedel and winger Chris Kunitz are skating on their own and appear to be tracking toward their return. The Penguins also still hope to get winger Carl Hagelin and goaltender Matt Murray back at some point in the relatively near future, though their status is murkier. “You can use it as rest, and you can use it as time to prepare for who you’re going to play,” center Sidney Crosby said. “I think that it’s big. We’ve had some guys that have been injured and banged up. Hopefully, we’ll get some guys back slowly here. It was a physical series. To get a couple of days to rest and get ready, that’ll help us.” The Penguins took Friday off from practice, but likely will return to the ice at some point this weekend. While they’re looking forward to the benefits of an extended layoff, they certainly are aware of the danger of rust setting in, especially since this break figures to be longer than any they got a year ago. “I think staying sharp is huge,” defenseman Ian Cole said. “We can’t just take the next four days off, not do anything and then hope to come out and play well in the first game. We have to continue to stay active, continue to keep that competitive spirit up, those competitive juices flowing. “I don’t know what we’re going to do, I don’t know what the schedule is, we don’t know any of that yet. Whatever it is, we’re going to have to continue to practice hard and make sure we’re going.” Sam Werner:

Post Gazette LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061028 San Jose Sharks

Brent Burns named finalist for Norris Trophy

By CURTIS PASHELKA PUBLISHED: April 21, 2017 at 4:24 pm UPDATED: April 21, 2017 at 4:48 PM

SAN JOSE — Brent Burns on Friday was once again named a finalist for the Norris Trophy, the award given annually to the defenseman who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position. There are ample reasons to believe Burns will become the first Sharks defenseman to win the award, which will be presented June 21 at the 2017 NHL Awards in Las Vegas. Burns, 32, bettered his own franchise records for goals and points by a defenseman for the second consecutive year, finishing the regular season with 29 goals and 76 points. Burns led all NHL defensemen in both categories, and became the first player of his position to record back-to-back 75-point seasons since Brian Leetch did the same with the New York Rangers in 1995-96 and 1996- 97. Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson and Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman are the other finalists. Karlsson is a two-time winner of the award. This is the first time Hedman has been named a finalist. Burns was also a finalist for the Norris Trophy last season when he first established new team records for goals (27) and points (75) in a season by a defenseman. Burns finished third in the voting. Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings won the award and Karlsson, the other finalist, was second. Voting for the Norris Trophy is done by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Burns’ 29 goals were 12 more than any other league defenseman this season and his 21 even-strength goals were the most by a blueliner since the Sharks’ Sandis Ozolinsh had 22 in 1993-94. He also finished this regular season with 320 shots on goal, the most for any player regardless of position. This season, Hedman set career highs in goals (16), assists (56), points (72), games (79), game-winning goals (five), average time on ice per game (24:30) and blocked shots (132). Karlsson finished the season with 71 points and became just the second defenseman in league history to lead his team in scoring in four straight seasons after New York Islanders’ Denis Potvin did it from 1973-74 to 1976-77, . He also ranked second in the NHL in blocked shots (201) and fourth in average ice time per game (26:50). The Sharks host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday in Game 6 of their first round playoff series. The Sharks, down three games to two, need a win to send the series back to Edmonton for a seventh and deciding game on Monday.

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061029 San Jose Sharks Either way, the Sharks should have a lot of jump in their legs facing elimination in Game 6 on home ice Saturday. Desperation will be on their side, a variable that can be hard to manufacture. sity, fatigue catching up with the veteran Sharks? “We know if we lose, we’re done, so that always brings out your best game, especially with our group,” DeBoer said. “We’ve been a team that’s been able to bounce back after tough losses all year and get wins, By PAUL GACKLE so I’m confident we’ll be ready to play.” PUBLISHED: April 21, 2017 at 11:25 am UPDATED: April 21, 2017 at 3:33 PM San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.22.2017

The puck isn’t exactly bouncing the Sharks’ way this season. The Sharks are a veteran group that played into mid-June last spring. Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns and Logan Couture all had their summers cut even shorter by the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The team logged the second-most travel miles in the NHL this season and their top two centers, Thornton and Couture, both suffered significant injuries less than three weeks before the playoffs started. All the extra miles and the wear and tear appeared to catch up with the Sharks in overtime of Game 5 as the Edmonton Oilers outshot them 14-2 while taking a 3-2 series lead. As the series moves back to SAP Center for Game 6 on Saturday, the oldest team in the NHL will need to muster the jump and energy to keep up with an Oilers squad whose average age is almost three years younger. “We’ve dealt with a lot of stuff,” head coach Pete DeBoer said. “But you can make all the excuses in the world, everybody’s got that stuff to deal with and we have to find a way.” Every team faces adversity, but the hand the Sharks are playing right now is particularly challenging considering that the roster features eight players older than 30. A lot has been made about the experience gap, but the Oilers should benefit from having younger, fresher legs as the series progresses. Although the Oilers logged the most miles this season, they were on the golf course by April 10 last spring and 86.7 percent of their roster is younger than 30. The team’s top three scorers in the regular season, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Jordan Eberle, are 20, 21 and 26 respectively. The Sharks, on the other hand, are dependent on a handful of players who are north of 30, including Thornton (37), Patrick Marleau (37), Paul Martin (36), Pavelski (32) and Burns (32). In overtime Thursday, the Oilers won the races to loose pucks, they swarmed the Sharks in all three zones, forcing five giveaways, and they created scoring chances by using their speed in transition. As the Oilers attacked in waves, the Sharks looked gassed. Oilers have all the energy through the first 6 minutes of overtime. — Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) April 21, 2017 Thornton and Marleau logged 22:08 and 22:42 of ice time and produced identical shots attempts percentages (Corsi) of 36:36 in overtime. Pavelski received 26:06 of ice time and recorded a Corsi rating of 33.33 in overtime. The heavy workload really seemed to impact the normally airtight defensive pairing of Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun in overtime. Braun played the most minutes (34.30) and registered a 12.5 percent Corsi rating during the extra session while Vlasic skated for 33:49, producing an uncharacteristic shot attempts percentage of 10 percent in overtime. As the playoffs progress, the accumulated effect of playing every other night, competing with a heightened intensity and logging extra minutes in overtime sessions will only exponentiate. But DeBoer isn’t convinced that age, mileage and fatigue played a role in the Sharks’ overtime collapse Thursday. Instead, he views the wild swing in momentum as a product of mindset: the Sharks were caught on their heels after spending the third period trying to protect a lead. “It’s human nature. You’re defending, you’re defending and you’re not thinking about offense or being on your toes or scoring a goal,” he said. “To flip that switch and get that attack mindset back is hard to do. On the other side, the other team is in that attack mindset for the entire time they’re trailing.” “If you look around the league, it happens all the time. We did it in Game 1 when we were down 2-0 to them. It’s hard to get that momentum back.” 1061030 San Jose Sharks Also, the Sharks’ offense works best when the puck moves to Burns near the blue line and he creates movement near the net as he slides and seeks shooting angles. The Oilers are doing their best to take that option Will Saturday be Marleau and Thornton’s last game as Sharks? away. In Game 5, Burns had three shots blocked and had four shots on goal, not a minuscule total but half of the eight shots he got through to the net in Game 1. In fairness, the Sharks have done a good job of suppressing the Oilers’ best offensive weapon, McDavid — although as By MARK PURDY we saw Thursday, that leaves other players more space to do damage. PUBLISHED: April 21, 2017 at 9:56 am We’re once more confronting one of those Shark Moments, where the team that has been so close so often with two franchise stalwarts is UPDATED: April 21, 2017 at 8:50 PM asked to make another statement. Since 2003 when Wilson became general manager, the Sharks have been involved in more playoff series (25) than any other NHL team. They have won more playoff games than SAN JOSE — The Sharks have been here before. We’re going to learn if most. They have lost more playoff games than many. Marleau has been that’s a problem instead of an advantage. there for all of it. Thornton has been there for nearly all of it. Saturday, they have one more chance to push through in the team’s quest for the Frankly, it looked like a problem in Thursday night’s overtime. The ultimate hockey goal. And perhaps their final chance. Edmonton Oilers resembled kids trying to be herded off the playground by their adult chaperones, with the kids having none of it. The younger Regaining energy as an older team to stave off the younger Oilers? legs of the Oilers were apparent as the more-playoff-experienced — and Could be a problem. Drama on ice? Won’t be a problem. older — Sharks seldom possessed the puck. Edmonton outshot the Sharks 14-2 in the extra period. The winning goal by David Desharnais was only a matter of time. San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.22.2017 And now the clock is ticking on the Sharks’ season. How’s that for a verbal pivot? There are many layers of drama attached to Saturday night’s Game 6 at SAP Center. The top layer, of course, is whether the Sharks, trailing three games to two, find a way to take the series back to Edmonton on Monday. But there is also plenty of subtext drama. None of that drama is more dramatic than the drama-laden possibility that Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton could both be making dramatic exits by playing their final games in San Jose uniforms at the Shark Tank. Both are 37 years old. Both will be 38 by October when the next regular season begins. Both are unrestricted free agents this summer. Both wish to continue playing hockey. Is it even possible that both will be back in teal for the 2017-18 season? They have decisions to make. So does general manager Doug Wilson. Saturday night could be when the storylines merge. One game will not decide whether Marleau or Thornton or both remain part of the beloved Los Tiburones. But the result of this series could. Both say they wish to continue playing hockey. But if the Sharks can’t go farther than the first round at this stage of their careers, does the team still want or need them? Or should the salary cap money go to younger players? Likewise, do Marleau and Thornton still want or need the Sharks? Or would they prefer joining another Stanley Cup contender in need of a final missing piece? Will they demand multiyear deals at major money or give a hometown discount? A loss Saturday could bring those questions to the fore. On the flip side, victories in Game 6 and Game 7 followed by another long playoff run could alter the answers to those questions in different way. No matter what, Saturday should be an emotional and intense evening at SAP Center. Saturday will be Marleau’s 177th playoff game as a Shark. That’s more than two regular season’s worth of postseason mileage, a remarkable statistic. Thornton will be participating in his 127th playoff game as a Shark after 35 with the Boston Bruins. All of that maturity was not enough to help the Sharks get over the top in Game 5 in Alberta. The two men combined for their team’s second goal, then created only a few shots the rest of the night. Thornton, no doubt still recovering from a knee sprain, was still dogged defensively and again helped minimize Edmonton star Connor McDavid, who had one assist for only his third point of the series. No matter. The end result was still a loss. Marleau and Thornton were hardly responsible for the defeat by themselves. And they can’t be relied upon to win Saturday on their own. But as the precipice approaches, they need to be at the front of the we’re-not-going-home-just-yet posse. Altering past patterns is the idea here. A year ago, the Sharks were down three games to two in the Stanley Cup Final when they met Pittsburgh in Game 6 at the Tank and lost 3-1. In 2013, down three games to two against the Los Angeles Kings in a second-round series, the Sharks won 2-1 at home — and then lost Game 7 at the Staples Center two nights later. Marleau and Thornton’s mission is to create happier memories. That said, the Sharks’ most crucial player Saturday will be Brent Burns, the league’s best defenseman during the regular season. He has been up and down in this series but did not have one of his better performances in Game 5. Burns took a bad penalty at the end of the second period when he rushed a clearing attempt and inadvertently flipped the puck over the boards, resulting in a 2-minute minor that led to Edmonton’s second goal. 1061031 San Jose Sharks Both players responded in Game 5. Schlemko scored the Sharks third goal on a shot from the point, building off his two-point performance in Game 4. Boedker found the net, too, e learned in the Sharks’ Game 5 loss: Experience is overrated notching the Sharks first goal, redeeming himself after being scratched in consecutive games. By PAUL GACKLE It wasn’t the first time Boedker has answered after spending time in DeBoer’s doghouse. PUBLISHED: April 21, 2017 at 7:12 am After getting benched for the third period of a game on Nov. 26, Boedker UPDATED: April 21, 2017 at 1:32 PM responded by picking up points in back-to-back games. He also scored a goal on Jan. 7 after getting scratched on Jan. 5 because he allowed his compete level to drop during a game on Jan. 3. The backs-against-the-wall stories heading into Game 6 are sure to Boedker also collected four points in four games after getting benched for highlight the range of playoff experience that the Sharks roster boasts. a period on Jan. 19. But if Game 5 taught us anything it’s that experience is overrated.

All the experience in the world couldn’t give the Sharks veteran legs the juice they needed to keep up with the younger Edmonton Oilers in San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.22.2017 overtime Thursday night. As Game 5 of the first round Stanley Cup playoff series shifted into the extra session, the Oilers skated laps around the Sharks, capitalizing on the benefits of having a roster filled with 20-year-old legs rather than 30- year-old veterans. They outshot the Sharks 14-2 in overtime, eventually breaking through on David Desharnais’ one timer from the slot with 1:45 left in the period to gain a 3-2 series lead. Experience also proved to be irrelevant when the Oilers allowed an electric start and a 1-0 lead to turn into a 2-1 deficit by the end of the first period. After getting shellacked 7-0 in Game 4, the Oilers should have gone silent like the crowd at Rogers Place in Edmonton after the momentum swung in the veteran Sharks favor. The Oilers also didn’t get the memo stating that inexperienced teams aren’t supposed to erase two-goal leads and score game-tying goals with just 2:46 left in regulation. That takes veteran know how, the stuff that’s in the Sharks locker room along with an additional 827 games of playoff experience. According to the script, the Sharks should put all that experience to use Saturday and force a Game 7 or maybe the team that plays the best will win. Head coach Pete DeBoer must be just as baffled as the rest of the hockey world. The Sharks are now trailing 3-2 even though Connor McDavid has yet to find the scoresheet in five-on-five play, his first five-game stretch without an even strength point since early November (Oct. 30 – Nov. 6). Instead of getting beat by McDavid, who scored 71 even strength points this year, the Sharks surrendered goals to depth scorers like Desharnais, Mark Letestu and Oscar Klefbom. McDavid did, however, make a play to set up Pat Maroon’s goal in the first; he just didn’t get credit for it on the scoresheet. Fortunately for Todd McLellan, Leon Draisaitl woke up in the aftermath of his Game 4 spearing controversy. Draisaitl recorded two assists, four shots on goal and seven shot attempts in 28:11 of ice time after failing to pick up a point and producing just one shot on goal over the first five games of the series. Jones is clutch The Sharks survived the first 18:14 of overtime by climbing onto Martin Jones’ back. Jones made several key saves, including stops on Draisaitl from the slot, McDavid on a 2 on 1 and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as he crashed the net to knock in a puck that trickled into the crease. The overtime clinic was reminiscent of Jones’ 44-save performance in Game 5 of last year’s Stanley Cup Final when he single-handedly forced a Game 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jones has posted a .939 save percentage in the series after producing a .923 save percentage in 30 playoff games last year. Both numbers eclipse his career .916 save percentage in 164 regular season games. Boedker, Schlemko Respond Game 3 proved to be a forgettable night for general manager Doug Wilson’s 2016 free agent signees. Mikkel Boedker served as a healthy scratch Sunday night and David Schlemko turned the puck over on the game-winning goal. 1061032 San Jose Sharks Tensions really boiled over in the rematch one day later after Sommer exchanged words with several Heat players near the team benches, inspiring Brandon Bollig to bonk him over the head with his stick, Barracuda hope a deep playoff run puts their young talent on a ‘fast triggering a line brawl between the teams. track’ to Sharks Brawl in San Jose…Stockton player hit Roy Sommer with stick…. @hockeyfights pic.twitter.com/ijRhrIcHgT By PAUL GACKLE — Eric Lindquist (@VoiceOfPuck) April 9, 2017 PUBLISHED: April 21, 2017 at 7:06 am But Sommer, who insists that he won’t be wearing a helmet on the bench, isn’t expecting the fisticuffs to spill over into the series. He said UPDATED: April 21, 2017 at 3:34 PM his team’s second-ranked power play should be enough to deter the Heat from trying to rough up his young players.

“Who fights in the playoffs?” Sommer said. “We aren’t going to get SAN JOSE — As the Sharks veteran core ages, a new crop of talent is intimidated. I know they’re going to come after Ryan and O’Regan, but bubbling up through the pipeline, and the organization is hoping that a they’ve played against that all year. We’ll be fine.” deep run by the Barracuda in this spring’s Calder Cup playoffs will help put the next generation on a “fast track” to the NHL. The Columbus Blue Jackets improved by 32 points this season, landing a San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.22.2017 spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs, just one year after its AHL franchise, the Cleveland Monsters won the Calder Cup. The Tampa Bay Lightning reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2015 only three years after core players like Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Alex Killorn won the AHL’s top prize with the Norfolk Admirals. Now, after tearing through the Western Conference with a 43-16-9 record, the Barracuda will be looking to find similar success when they open their first round playoff series against the Stockton Heat at the SAP Center Friday (35-26-9). “If we have a real deep run, it would do nothing but fast track these guys careers,” Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer said. “It teaches you how to win: how to get the puck out, how to block a shot, how to manage the puck with the game on the line.” “Anyone can lose, not everyone can win.” The Barracuda achieved almost everything imaginable during the regular season even though they iced the second-to-youngest roster in the AHL. They finished with the league’s second-best winning percentage (.699), they went a full calendar month without losing, producing a league best 14-game winning streak from Jan. 25 to Feb. 25, and they brought home a ton of hardware in the process. Sommer, the winningest coach in AHL history, won the Pieri Memorial Award, awarded to the league’s top coach. Troy Grosenick snagged the Bastien Memorial Award, given to the AHL’s top goalie after he finished first in shutouts (10), second in wins (30), third in goals-against average (2.04) and fourth in save percentage (.926). Last but not least, Danny O’Regan won the Garrett Memorial award, slated for the league’s most outstanding rookie after he led all first-year players in scoring with 58 points (23g, 35a ) in 63 games. The Barracuda also received standout performances from defenseman Tim Heed, who produced more than a point per game from the backend (56 points in 55 games) and blue liner Joakim Ryan, who ranked fourth amongst all AHL players in plus-minus (plus-27). But the Barracuda are more than just a collection of individual performances. The team ranked second in goals per game (3.41), second on the power play (23.8 percent), fifth in goals-against average (2.59), first in shots per game (33.7) and third in shots against (27.7). “The regular season is over,” captain John McCarthy said. “As much confidence as we can gain from all those accolades, we’ve got to turn the page because it’s a completely new season. What we do from now, hopefully, until June is what’s going to define this team.” With that being said, the big challenge will be how the Barracuda’s 14 rookies manage the pressure of the expectations that come with such a memorable season. “Coming into the year, there were a lot of question marks because of our youth. No one knew what to expect,” McCarthy said. “But we showed composure throughout the season. I’m excited to see how we react to a playoff setting.” The Barracuda’s matchup against the Heat will feature a lot of speed and skill against muscle and physicality. In short, these teams don’t like each other. The teams racked up a combined 138 penalty minutes in a game with three fights on Jan. 25. They went back at it again on April 8, fighting three more times and compiling a combined 122 penalty minutes. 1061033 San Jose Sharks dozen Bay Area cities are participating in the outdoor event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

And to top it all off, downtown theaters also will be active this weekend. San Jose braces for wildest weekend ever Children’s Musical Theatre’s Marquee Productions opens “Sweeney Todd” at the Montgomery Theater, City Lights has the closing weekend of its world premiere of “Frankenstein,” and both San Jose Stage’s “The By SAL PIZARRO Memory Stick” and Opera San Jose’s “La Boheme” are continuing their runs, which close April 30. PUBLISHED: April 20, 2017 at 2:05 pm

UPDATED: April 21, 2017 at 3:18 PM San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.22.2017

If you’re looking for a relaxing weekend, maybe you should try someplace quiet like Fisherman’s Wharf. Because San Jose — especially downtown — is going to be off the hook. A perfect storm of events, from Comic Con to a crucial Sharks playoff game, should flood downtown streets with tens of thousands of people during the city’s first spring-weather weekend of the year. “People’s spirits are going to be sky high,” San Jose Downtown Association Executive Director Scott Knies said. “The weather’s beautiful, the city is vibrant and the streets are going to be alive with joy.” One caveat, though: Some downtown streets will be closed for events, and parking will be at a premium (Check the map at parksj.org for garages and lots). Plan to arrive at events early or take VTA or Caltrain downtown. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s going on: The big ticket is Silicon Valley Comic Con, taking place Friday through Sunday, at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. Lots of stars will be here including William Shatner, Adam West and Burt Ward (the original Batman and Robin from the 1960s TV show), much of the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, 1970s movie icon Pam Grier and actor John Cusack. The convention is also putting a major emphasis on science and technology, with scientists from NASA and SETI joining virtual reality specialists, inventors and a real living legend, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Here’s a rundown of who’ll be there this weekend. Silicon Valley Comic Con is getting bigger this year, expanding to include an outdoor festival at Plaza de Cesar Chavez opening Friday at 5 p.m. and running through Sunday. The festival will include live music, an artists alley, evening movies and even a beer and wine garden. Moveable Feast will have approximately 40 food trucks out there over the course of the weekend to feed the masses. And the outdoor festival is free to attend, no Comic Con badge or wristband required. The festival will close the west side of Market Street between San Fernando and San Carlos streets. The March for Science Silicon Valley, one of more than 500 such Earth Day happening events across the country, will commence from at 11 a.m. The parade of scientists, science fans and community members will trek to the Comic Con festival at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, where there will be educational activities and speakers, including neuroscientist and actress Mayim Bialik of “The Big Bang Theory.” In the middle of all this, the San Jose Sharks will be playing Game 6 against the Edmonton Oilers at SAP Center on Saturday. The game starts at 7:30 p.m., but there’s a street rally starting at 4:30 p.m. on Autumn Street next to the arena that’s open to fans. You can expect San Pedro Square to be filled with Sharks fans before and probably after the game. The spring edition of the SoFA Street Fair returns Sunday, filling South First Street with dozens of bands, artists and, well, sofas, starting at 2 p.m. Much of the action will be taking place at stages on the street, but there’ll also be performances inside venues like MACLA, Forager and SoFA Market (which will have all ’90s tribute acts). Remember, this means South First Street will be closed between San Carlos and Parque de los Pobladores on Sunday. San Jose will celebrate the 60th anniversary of its sister-city relationship with Okayama, Japan. Events kick off with a 2 p.m. flag raising at San Jose City Hall on Friday, and continue with an evening of cultural performances at the Hammer Theatre Center on Saturday night. The big event Sunday is the 40th annual Nikkei Matsuri Festival in Japantown, with more performances and an “Experience Okayama” booth. Over at , sjDANCEco has its daylong 15th anniversary dance festival, which is being dedicated to dancer, choreographer and teacher Ehud Krauss. The Palo Alto dance teacher and founder of Zohar School of Dance died in October. More than 60 dance groups from two 1061034 San Jose Sharks The top three scorers on the Oilers are under 26. Many of the key players on the Sharks are over 30 — some closer to 40, the exceptions being Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture. Couture is dealing with a terrible Have Sharks passed their sell-by date? mouth injury but was active on the ice Thursday. Joe Thornton is also banged up.

The longer the games go on, the more exposed the Sharks seem to be. By Ann Killion The Sharks played until June 12 last year. They have collectively logged an enormous amount of ice time, miles, nicks and bruises in the past 19 Updated 6:39 pm, Friday, April 21, 2017 months. Former Sharks and current Oilers coach Todd McLellan thinks his young team learned a big lesson in the past two games. In Game 4, the Oilers It’s desperation time for the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night at SAP learned about not starting well. In Game 5, they learned about resiliency. Center. “I’d like to think we’ve learned our lesson now,” McLellan said. “We’ve The Sharks need a win to stay alive. They need to find momentum. And had a little bit of success again. But we have to take it to another level on they appear to need to find a fountain of youth. Saturday.” That was the biggest takeaway from the grueling overtime loss in Game It’s hard to predict what will happen Saturday night. There’s no 5 at Edmonton. momentum from one playoff hockey game to the next; the action and In the first period of Thursday’s game, the Sharks’ age and experience impetus is free-flowing. looked like a bonus. Edmonton’s young guns were flying around the ice, Age, on the other hand, is finite. fueled by the manic energy of their home crowd. But the Sharks calmly and methodically neutralized all that excitement and took a 2-1 lead in the first and eventually a 3-1 lead in the second period. San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 04.22.2017 But late in the game, young Edmonton had energy and freshness and the Sharks simply couldn’t match the Oilers. The entire overtime period, which ended with David Desharnais’ goal, looked like an 18-minute Oilers power play. Edmonton controlled the puck. Dictated the action. Outshot the Sharks 14-2. By the time the game ended, the outcome had long felt inevitable. And it was a reminder of the way last season ended, with the younger, faster Penguins zipping around the Sharks, who simply couldn’t stop them. That final series was the only one of the Sharks’ four playoff matchups last year in which they trailed three games to two entering Game 6. Despite winning a couple of games, the Sharks could never quite find their footing in that series, against a younger, more talented team. And, aside from Tuesday night’s ridiculous 7-0 victory at SAP Center, which really didn’t tell us much, the Sharks have looked off-balance in this series as well. The team’s historical record in Game 6s is not pretty. The Sharks’ all- time record is 6-17, including a 3-7 home mark. Does that mean anything for Saturday night? No, except that it’s a sign that the longer a series go on, the harder it might be to win for a banged- up team that is showing its age. Heading into this game, the Sharks can feel very good about a couple of things. First, goalie Martin Jones was phenomenal in overtime, stopping the first 13 shots he faced. He was peppered by the Oilers and getting little help from his teammates: As soon as one flurry of shots was finished, another started. Coach Peter DeBoer had to call a timeout to give Jones a breather. Can Jones do it again in San Jose? “Jones is only human,” Oilers center Mark Letestu said of the feeling his team would score in overtime. Another thing the Sharks can feel good about is keeping wonder boy Connor McDavid statistically under control. The NHL’s regular-season points leader doesn’t have an even-strength point in the series. Sharks defensemen Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun have contained the Oilers’ youngster. Still, McDavid has been phenomenal, flying around the ice and making some crushing hits, like his open-ice connection with Marcus Sorensen. The negative for the Sharks is that the Oilers are finding ways to beat them without McDavid scoring. And the talented 20-year-old must look to Sharks fans like a ticking device on the ice, ready to explode with offense at any moment. DeBoer said he thinks the Sharks’ issues are less about age versus youth and more about mind-set during the game. The Sharks had a lead Thursday and were trying to protect it, while the Oilers trailed most of the game and had to attack. He said the Sharks had a hard time flipping the attack switch back on when the game headed to overtime. Still, a younger team might find it easier to flip the switch and push hard after 60 minutes of regulation hockey. 1061035 San Jose Sharks Game 5: Oilers 4, Sharks 3 (OT) Saturday: at SAP Center, 7:30 p.m. NBCSCA NBCSN Sharks looking to survive in Game 6 Monday: at Edmonton, TBA* NBCSCA

By Ross McKeon San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 04.22.2017 Updated 7:29 pm, Friday, April 21, 2017

Peter DeBoer doesn’t want to hear any excuses. The Sharks’ coach pays no attention to the regular-season’s condensed schedule or the fact that so many of his key players participated in the World Cup of Hockey before preseason. Injuries, bad breaks, tough losses. He’ll listen to none of it. “Everybody has stuff to deal with, but we have to find a way,” DeBoer said Friday. “The bottom line is it’s a razor-thin edge and we’ve been on the wrong side of it a couple of these games. When we went on a run last year we found a way to be on the right side of that.” If the Sharks are to mount any sort of run like last year’s journey to the Stanley Cup Finals, it has to start Saturday night in a do-or-die Game 6 against an Edmonton Oilers’ team up 3-2 in the best-of-seven Western Conference showdown. “We still believe. We have to believe. We’ve got to believe that we can do it,” forward Mikkel Boedker said following Thursday’s loss in overtime. “I know the expectation in here is that we can do it. And we’re looking to push back.” San Jose had a 3-1 lead in the second period of Game 5 and was still in position to make Saturday a potential series-clincher as it held a 3-2 lead for most of the third period. But Oscar Klefbom’s screened shot from the point at 17:14 tied it, and the Oilers dominated sudden death before David Desharnais finally ended it with his first series goal at 18:15. Until then, Sharks goalie Martin Jones did everything he could, including making a sensational pad save to deny Oilers captain Connor McDavid earlier in OT. “What can we do? We’ve just got to get ready for the next one,” Jones said afterward. “Our backs are against the wall now, so we’ve got to play with some urgency and win a home game.” The Sharks expected pushback from the Oilers, who absorbed an embarrassing 7-0 loss in Game 4 at San Jose on Tuesday. When it was over Thursday, the stats showed that Edmonton had dominated in terms of shots. Still, DeBoer sees positives to take into Saturday. “You’re left with the taste of the overtime, but the 60-minute game, we came out and weathered the storm, found a way to get the lead, and found a way to play with the lead right down until two minutes left,” he said. “There was a lot good stuff on the road in a tough environment. I think we’ve got to remind ourselves of that, forget what the overtime felt like and get ready for the next game.” In spite of the Oilers’ 48-30 advantage in shots on goal, San Jose limited Edmonton’s ability to get to prime scoring spots during regulation as most of the Oilers’ efforts were from along the boards or the point. San Jose has remained disciplined, too, throughout the series. The Oilers have been on the power play just 15 times compared with San Jose’s 23 attempts. Still, the Sharks will need a hero Saturday. “Playoffs are about a guy making a big play, your best players being your best players, timely goals, staying healthy, all those things,” DeBoer said. “There’s a whole bunch of stuff that goes into that successful mixture this time of the year. We’ve been just a little bit short here and there, and that’s been the difference so far.” Ross McKeon is a freelance writer. Twitter: @rossmckeon Series glance Oilers lead series 3-2 Game 1: Sharks 3, Oilers 2 (OT) Game 2: Oilers 2, Sharks 0 Game 3: Oilers 1, Sharks 0 Game 4: Sharks 7, Oilers 0 1061036 San Jose Sharks

SHARKS' DEFENSEMAN BURNS NAMED NORRIS TROPHY FINALIST

By Kevin Kurz April 21, 2017 4:06 PM

The Sharks led 3-1, but the Oilers came roaring back and San Jose fell 4-3 in overtime on Thursday in Edmonton. Sharks defenseman Brent Burns is a finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman for the second straight season, the league announced on Friday. After finishing first among NHL defensemen in the regular season with 29 goals and 76 points, and leading the league with 320 shots, Burns is thought to be the frontrunner ahead of Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson. Burns, 32, became just the second NHL defenseman to lead his team in goals (29, tied with Joe Pavelski), assists (47) and points, joining Kevin Hatcher (1990-91, Washington Capitals). Burns’ 29 goals were the most by an NHL defenseman since Mike Green had 31 for Washington in 2008-09. Burns played in all 82 games, posting a plus-19 rating with 40 penalty minutes. Although Burns’ production dipped over the final few weeks of the regular season, an anonymous poll among voters conducted on March 29-30 by NBC Sports California still indicated Burns was still the heavy favorite and Karlsson as his main competition. Karlsson finished the season with 71 points, while Hedman had 72. Also named as the Sharks Fan Favorite this season, Burns signed an eight-year, $64 million contract extension with the club on Nov. 22, 2016 that kicks in next season. The deal keeps him with the organization potentially through the 2024-25 season. Last year, Burns finished third for the Norris behind winner Drew Doughty of Los Angeles, and Karlsson, a two-time recipient. The NHL Awards take place in Las Vegas on June 21.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061037 San Jose Sharks

ANALYSIS: DON'T EXPECT SHARKS' POOR OT TO CARRY OVER INTO GAME 6

By Kevin Kurz April 21, 2017 1:39 PM

EDMONTON – Game 5 between the Sharks and Oilers will be remembered primarily for Edmonton’s late dominance, as it completely controlled play in overtime capped off by David Desharnais’ game- winning goal in a 4-3 triumph. But to assume that it will be more of the same to start Game 6 would be misguided. The fact is the Sharks actually played a pretty darn good road game despite what the stats – both traditional and advanced – say. Yes, the Sharks were outshot 48-30 in the game, and out-attempted a whopping 107-56. But they also managed to erase an early 1-0 hole to take control of the game in the second period, and were keeping the Oilers from getting any prime chances in the third, too. That veteran savvy that experienced teams show this time of year was on full display. Oscar Klefbom’s game-tying slap shot wasn’t all that great of a scoring chance, either. He just wound up and fired the puck as hard as he could, and had Joe Pavelski been standing in just a slightly different position, the shot wouldn’t have made it through. It’s a wonder that it didn’t touch the Sharks captain, who looked to be in the right spot. “The block is there for me, it misses me – probably got a screen on [Martin Jones] maybe a little bit, they tie it up,” Pavelski said. While it’s concerning that the Sharks were stuck in their own end in overtime, there’s no reason to believe that will have any effect on Game 6, as this series has shown that there really is no such thing as momentum from game to game. Edmonton responded after a horrible final two periods in Game 1, the Sharks were dominant after dropping Game 3 with their season essentially on the line, and the Oilers quickly put that 7-0 defeat behind them in time for the start of Game 5. The Sharks shouldn’t have to change up a whole lot ahead of Game 6 at home with their season on the line. “I liked our game,” Pete DeBoer said. “You’re left with the taste of the overtime, but the 60-minute game, we came out and weathered the storm, found a way to get the lead, found a way to play with the lead right until two minutes left. “There was a lot of good stuff here on the road in a tough environment. I think we’ve got to remind ourselves of that and forget the overtime and what that felt like, and get ready for the next game.” Of course, the Oilers are showing a bit of mettle themselves. They took a beating in Game 4, and the Sharks landed some more punches in the first and second periods of Game 5, too. Edmonton still found a way to reclaim the series lead. “Our group believes,” Todd McLellan said. “We know how bad we played in Game 4, but we were able to park it, and start again, make amends. It didn’t look good for us, but we kept at it. When we do that, we’re a tough out.” Oilers forward Mark Letestu said: “Momentum in this series clearly hasn't carried over. It seems like we've been going back and forth. It's going to take another good game on their ice to seal this thing out. We have to be ready for it, to take it to another level." Game 6 should be another dandy. Both teams have a right to feel pretty good about themselves headed into it. “There’s a lot of mood swings [in the series], but that’s the way it goes,” Mikkel Boedker said. “You’ve got to play every game like it’s the last game. … We get [to go] home now, and we’ll look to tie it up.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061038 San Jose Sharks So it is that there are a minimum of six games this weekend. Surely one of them can go deep for us, if only so we can say “We stuck out that Canadiens-Rangers game that went until 2 a.m. in the east (which is 11 ONLY THING WRONG WITH ENDING OF SHARKS-OILERS GAME 5 p.m. in the civilized world).” WAS THAT IT ENDED And even if the multi-multi-multiple overtime game is Oilers-Sharks 6, which begins at 7:30 Pacific, well, laissez le bon temps roulet. Because here’s the real secret about long hockey games that nobody, whether By Ray Ratto they be players, coaches, officials or fans, really wants to admit.= April 21, 2017 9:06 AM It isn’t like you have anything better to do.

The Sharks led 3-1, but the Oilers came roaring back and San Jose fell Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 4-3 in overtime on Thursday in Edmonton. The beauty and the problem with Thursday night’s Stanley Cup first round game between Edmonton and San Jose is that as indisputably and manically entertaining as it was, it disappears almost immediately as the audience searches for a better overtime game, and the sooner it happens, the better. And before anyone starts getting snippy about the outcome, Edmonton winning was the right outcome based on the state of play and especially the state of the overtime. David Desharnais’ winner 105 seconds from the beginning of a second overtime ended a period in which the Oilers outshot the Sharks, 14-2, won twice as many faceoffs, spent almost the entire time in the San Jose end of the rink and made Sharks goalie Martin Jones work like a rented mule. What should have happened, did. The only thing that was wrong with the ending was, well, that it ended. This deserved multiple overtimes. This deserved, well, a minimum of three . . . oh, the hell with it, five. And then Desharnais could finish it off. The difference, of course, is that people talk about five-overtime games the next day, and the day after that. Maybe it’s mostly pretending to be torqued off that they couldn’t stay up for all of it because of anemic excuses like needing sleep or working the next day or getting to the hospital for the birth of their first child. They’ll forget this one, as indisputably good as it was, because there’s usually another one right down the road. This was the 13th overtime game of the playoffs, in only nine days and 35 games. It’s the most in any first round since 2001, and there are still six series and a potential 13 more games still to play if those series all go seven. Which I grant you is unlikely. Still, the gentlemen are well on their way to breaking the single-season OT record of 28, set in 1993, and since we can agree that Stanley Cup hockey is among the finest forms of entertainment ever granted us by the Watchers of the Universe, this can only be good, right? We-e-e-l-l-l-l-l-l-l . . . Only one of the 13 games, Toronto-Washington 2, has gone to a second overtime. That’s simply insufficient because, as we know from our research, tension builds exponentially with the onset of exhaustion. There’s a mathematical formula for this; trust us on this, or go ask a math major, or make up one of your own. But the point of an overtime is that it takes something good and makes it better by making it last an excruciatingly long time. Conversely, a game like Boston-Ottawa 2, when Dion Phaneuf scored for the Senators after only 1:59, seems hardly worth the trouble of the Zamboni ride. The fact that we haven’t had more than one multiple-overtime game with so many candidates from which to choose is frankly a disappointment for which there is no real recourse. I mean, you know NHL commissioner Gary Bettman’s not going to do anything about it, what with being too busy trying to convince people that hockey in Phoenix can work and pretending there’s no brain trauma issue in the sport and all. So we’re simply going to have to hope that the players can take matters into their own gloves and provide what we all know we really want – hockey all night. Even if it means ’s larynx shoots out of his mouth from sheer exhaustion, or Sidney Crosby gets stuck trying to climb over the boards because his leg muscles have cramped from overuse. It’s the price they must be ready to pay for our late-night/early-morning amusement. As for those folks who worry about things like deadlines – you know, those creepy media types we all hate – pipe down. You signed on for this. If you want to be home early, go cover golf. You should want to serve the higher and more noble purpose of the game that never ends. Let baseball worry about pace of play; hockey has all the pace it can possibly handle. It just needs more play. 1061039 St Louis Blues “Chicago is who they are, they finished first,” defenseman Jay Bouwmeester said. “I’m sure they would have liked to play better, but that’s the way it goes. Nashville got off to a good start, winning a couple Blue Notes: Wild's edge on faceoffs due to a little cheating in Chicago, and they’ve always been a good home team. Things happen this time of year — you never know.”

By Jeremy Rutherford and Tom Timmermann St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.22.2017

The Blues had their best day of the playoffs on faceoffs in Game 4, and the two linesmen were regularly kicking Minnesota players out of the faceoff circle. Those events may be related. The Wild apparently use some tricks of the faceoff trade, and on Wednesday, the linesmen apparently weren’t letting them get away with them. “In the defensive zone,” Blues center Vladimir Sobotka said, “they’re supposed to be first with the stick on the ice and we come in second, so we should have a little advantage there, but they cheat a lot. We need to adjust that and try to cheat more, too. They’re not holding the stick on the ice so we need to have better timing. “That’s what happened last game. (The linesmen) tried to make it a clear faceoff. Sometimes they played the puck before it hits the ice. That’s why we got kicked or they got kicked.” “I think they’re trying to make the faceoff as fair as possible,” center Kyle Brodziak said. “When they drop the puck, the puck’s supposed to hit the ice. They were hitting the puck (early) a lot so draws weren’t going straight down so I think that’s why they were kicking guys out. I know it slowed the pace of the game up quite a bit, but I know the linesmen were just trying to make the faceoffs as fair as possible.” Coach Mike Yeo at first was reluctant to talk about the situation — “Every game’s a new game. I haven’t spent a whole lot of time thinking about that,” he said — but then expanded on it. “Faceoffs are something that’s been a big story right from the start,” he said. “I think for the first three games, we obviously didn’t do real well in faceoffs. We’re trying to do what we can to equal the advantage, and we feel there’s been some cheat on the other side. We’re just trying to make sure we go in with the mindset that we’re going to force everybody to be starting on equal terms.” Not falling for it The Blues did notice the trickery Minnesota Coach Bruce Boudreau pulled in Game 4 on Wednesday. Fans who have watched pregame warmups in the NHL over the years have noticed that teams universally start the game with the same lines that skated together in the warmups. But Wednesday, Boudreau kept the lines that the Wild used in Games 1-3 together for the warmups and then switched them when the puck dropped. After the 2-0 win, he acknowledged the play, saying, “We’re down 3-0 (in the series), you’ve got to try everything you can try.” Teams pay attention to their opponents’ lines to help set their own matchups but can adjust quickly. That’s what the Blues did after noticing Boudreu’s antics in Game 4. “We recognize it for sure, (but) I don’t think we think about it too much,” Blues forward Magnus Paajarvi said. “We focus on our own game first — what we need to do.” Boudreau wouldn’t have gotten away with it again in Game 5, but Yeo says he didn’t fall for it Wednesday. “I didn’t believe them last time, so that’s OK,” Yeo said. “I don’t see why you would practice one way (as the Wild did Tuesday) and then warm up a different way. That would be good deception if he did.” Sweep it up Though Chicago finished the regular season with a Western Conference- best 109 points, the Blues weren’t overly shocked to see Nashville finish off a four-game sweep of the Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs. “It just goes to say, any team come playoff time, it’s a different game, teams match up differently against other teams,” forward Scottie Upshall said. “Chicago, I bet they’re sitting there today wondering what the hell happened. They ran into a great goalie, a team that played hard, that played feisty, and that wanted it more than them.” The Predators outscored the Hawks 13-3 in the series, including two shutouts. 1061040 St Louis Blues Reaves, a pest in his own right, noted that Upshall is a pest in general. “He’s a pest to everybody on this team, everybody on the other team,” Reaves said. “He’s a pest. But he’s doing a good job.” Upshall takes over 'pest' role against Wild He also noted that one of the reasons teams go after Upshall is because the alternative is to go after Reaves, who’s an inch taller and weighs 25 By Tom Timmermann pounds more. Upshall agrees. “I accept that proudly,” he said. “It’s a job that I enjoy to the utmost. It’s fun going out there and playing hard and getting under guys’ skin. This Two years ago, when the Blues played the Wild in the first round of the time of year it’s all about winning games and doing what you can to help playoffs, everyone in the state of Minnesota, it seemed, hated Blues your team. It’s a big role to fill.” forward Steve Ott.

Ott has made a career out of being a professional nuisance, and he was at his most annoying in that series. There he was trading shoves with St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.22.2017 former teammate Jordan Leopold, getting whacked in the leg by Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk for parking in front of the net, and somewhat mysteriously, petting the helmet of forward Jason Zucker. If there was one guy everyone wanted to take a swing at, it was Ott. Ott is gone now. He was an unrestricted free agent after last season, and the Blues didn’t re-sign him, allowing him to agree to a one-year deal with Detroit. When the Red Wings weren’t going to make the playoffs, they traded him to Montreal, where he’s making another playoff run. His spirit lives on this season in the form of forward Scottie Upshall. He may not reach the standards Ott set, but he’s been a royal pain in the keister. He’s been called for three penalties and the Wild would probably maintain there should have been a few more. Late in Game 4, after a goalmouth scramble in front of Dubnyk, two Wild players sought out Upshall for some after-the-whistle shoving. “He’s doing a good job,” said forward Ryan Reaves, a linemate of both Ott and Upshall. “He’s getting some good licks in on some of their top guys. I think he’s getting in their grill. “He’s a pest.” That’s Upshall’s job on the Blues’ fourth line, alongside Reaves and Kyle Brodziak. The line has been the most consistent for the Blues all season and certainly the one that has played together the most. With all the line changing that goes on, there have been only a few games this season that when those three have been healthy they haven’t been on the ice together. And in the playoffs, it’s safe to say that the Wild have been aware when those three have been on the ice. “That’s playoff hockey,” Upshall said. “It happens. You play in between the whistles as much as you can. You provide energy. “Our job as an energy line is to create energy, to stay out of the penalty box, and provide just the spark for our guys. Lately, I think we’ve been doing a good job of taking time away from the defensemen. … We’re in Game 5 now, you start to feel things you didn’t in Game 1, and that’s what hockey’s all about. You continue to play hard, play strong and you’ve got to be physical.” Brodziak was on the Wild for that series two years ago, so he remembers Ott and sees some validity to the comparison. “That’s pretty fair,” he said. “He does his job well. I don’t feel like he’s getting out of his game, trying too hard to be a pest. Some guys when they feel they need to do something, go out of their way and end up doing something that’s uncharacteristic or take a dumb penalty, but he’s staying within his game, and at the same time finding ways to be physical and be a pain in the ass for the other team. “You always want to have guys like that, capable of walking the line but not crossing over it. He’s done a good job for us. If it gets the attention of the guys on the other team, or just awareness he’s on the ice, it’s going to be a hard shift, then he’s done his job.” Mike Yeo was the coach of Minnesota at the time and, at least publicly, acknowledged Ott’s contributions. He feels much the same way about Upshall. “I think he’s trying to be physical,” Yeo said. “He’s trying to impact games, and that’s what he can do. We’ve said it before, that line, we need them to be good hockey players first and foremost. That’s what they do for us when they’re on top of their game. They can influence the play and disrupt the opposition because of their physicality. But you know, when they’re on top of their game, they’re also not running around, they’re not chasing. They’re managing the puck the right way.” “I think as a group, we’ve done a good job of playing good defensive hockey but also in-your-face, protecting the front of the net,” Upshall said. “They’ve got some big guys, big mobile defensemen that you’ve got to get licks on when you can. It’s part of the game. As the playoffs go on it gets harder and harder but it becomes more fun.” 1061041 St Louis Blues Stastny could tally some stats. It’s fair to think that he’ll be a little rusty. But a rusty Stastny is probably better than rust-free Zach Sanford. And if Paulie is able to play, get him out there as soon as possible — the Hochman: Blues must generate more scoring chances quicker the rust is off, the quicker he can help pelt Dubnyk. And I love that line, when healthy, of Stastny centering Schwartz and Tarasenko.

“Part of their mentality and focus — and why wouldn’t it be? — is they’re By Benjamin Hochman keying on (Tarasenko),” Yeo said. “There are times where they almost disregard the puck, and swing away with him to make sure they’re taking him out of the play. And I think part of the plan for them is they’re trying to frustrate him a little bit. Up to this point, he’s done a great job of Where have you gone, Joel Edmundson? continuing to play.” Our city turns its lonely eyes to you. It’s not that Tarasenko isn’t scoring — it’s that neither Tarasenko nor his Can someone on the Blues score a goal? Now would be the time. To teammates are scoring. think that the most dangerous sniper this series has been Joltin’ Joel, I mean, even Joel Edmundson has been kept off the score sheet the who scored two goals in the first two games, one fewer goal than he previous two games. scored in the whole danged season. I get it, the Blues are playing a sturdy, defensive-minded approach to playoff hockey — as coach Mike Yeo said Friday, “We have to make sure we don’t lose our focus and mindset of how we’ve had success to this point.” But goodness, just six St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.22.2017 goals against a goalie in four games? “We’ve made it easy sometimes — we’ve chose not to shoot pucks that were in scoring areas,” said Yeo, whose team can close out the series, again, with a win. “Sometimes we’re leaking away from the net as opposed to taking the goaltender’s eyes away. I think we’ve kind of made it easy on them at certain points, so we can do a better job there. But he played well last game. I think the biggest thing for us: We have to remember why we got the lead in the series.” Last game, the listless Blues lost at home, in part, due to a lifeless first period. Saturday in St. Paul, St. Louis must penetrate and generate scoring chances — don’t let Devan Dubnyk get comfortable. And the forechecking, as Yeo pointed out, must be a five-man operation. And the reality is, Minnesota is gobbling up Vladimir Tarasenko as if he were fried cheese. So the onus is on Jaden Schwartz and maybe Paul Stastny — yes, Paulie could be back for Game 5 — to produce with extra space. “It’s never a bad play to shoot the puck — there’s not a lot of tic-tac-toe pretty goals this time of year,” said the Blues’ Jay Bouwmeester, perhaps forgetting the Wild’s pretty tic-tac-toe goal this series. “I think there’s a focus to get people around the net and get pucks there — that’s how you kind of earn those bounces. It’s repetition. It’s not just a matter of it magically happening.” Meanwhile, on the other end of the titled ice, there’s resplendent repetition. Minnesota has peppered Jake Allen, who makes pucks look big and nets look small. It’s a coincidental play on words, but “Corsi” has impacted Allen all year. When Jake was snake-bit, the Blues fired coach Ken Hitchock, and also the goalie coach, Jim Corsi. We all know what happened next. And now, in the postseason, a certain statistic has been prevalent in this series. Minnesota is dominating in, yep, “Corsi,” which is all potential scoring chances, even if a shot is blocked or misses the net. The Hockey News reporter Dom Luszczyszyn — who makes “Rzepczynski” look like “Smith” — pointed out how historically bonkers the discrepancy has been. Since 2007-08, only six times has a team had 60 percent or more of the shot attempts (after adjusting for score and venue) in a playoff series. Five of them won the series. The Wild (down 3-1 against the Blues right now) are at 60.1 percent. And you thought Jake was playing well before you read the previous two paragraphs. “They’re a good, solid team when they have the lead,” Minnesota’s Charlie Coyle said of the Blues, “and they play really solid defensively and just chip pucks out. And it’s hard to play that way when you’re playing against that. It doesn’t matter if we get that first goal or not, we have to stick to our game. We can’t change anything. “Sometimes you feel like you have to if things aren’t working and you’re not scoring, but you’re doing the right things. That’s how the games go sometimes; sometimes, you run into a hot goalie. But we just need to stick to our game and get to it as soon as we can — and keep at it.” So yeah, it’s possible that in one of these postseason games, Jake Allen, dare I suggest, will allow three or more goals. Which brings us back to the Blues’ offensive offense. 1061042 St Louis Blues With or without Stastny, though, the Blues must have a better start than they did in Game 4, when the club had a chance to sweep the Wild.

“I think we just got caught up in thinking about what was at stake for us Blues haven't ruled out Stastny for Game 5 last game,” Yeo said. “We’ve talked about making sure we’re focused on the process and not what’s at stake for us. I don’t think we were invested in the hard part of the game that we needed to right from the start.” By Jeremy Rutherford The Blues should feel fairly strong, though, heading back on the road, where they’re 11-1-1 in their last 13 games, including two wins at Xcel Energy Center earlier in this series. The Blues’ practice began Friday and Paul Stastny took his spot between Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko for the first time since March 21, “It is never easy going into an opponent’s building this time of year, but the night he left a game in after taking a shot from Tarasenko our group, after two big wins in the first couple games, we know what we off the right foot. have to do to win,” Blues forward Scottie Upshall said. “We can control what goes on in our room and that’s being ready to play a good afternoon There was no confirmation after practice that Stastny would be in the game. We’ve got a great opportunity to close out a great team like that in lineup for a consequential Game 5 against Minnesota Saturday afternoon five games in their building. It’s going to be a big challenge; it will be fun.” at Xcel Energy Center. But the fact that the veteran center skated on the team’s top line was a good indicator that he’s ready. “I thought he looked good, another good day,” Blues coach Mike Yeo St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.22.2017 said. “I haven’t had a chance to chat with him, but obviously we’ll get together with him and determine where we go from here. We’re not going to talk about our lineup, but obviously it was a good day for him. He’s been progressing well and this was a big step to get him into a full practice, a competitive practice, so that was a good sign.” Stastny’s imminent return is a great sign for a Blues, who lead the best- of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series 3-1. The Wild have some momentum after picking up a 2-0 win in Game 4 Wednesday, and as fans can see from the score, the Blues’ offense could use a boost. Despite missing 16 regular-season games with injuries, Stastny tied for fourth on the Blues’ roster with 18 goals. In addition, he had a club-high 55.7 winning percentage on faceoffs, and for a team ranked dead-last on draws in the playoffs at 42 percent, it’ll be a welcome addition. “It helps to stabilize things, it gives us a little bit more options, but at the same time, it’s not like getting a player back is just the answer and going to make things better for us,” Yeo said. “I think in a lot of ways, we’ve lost players and it’s sharpened our focus and guys have understood that they need to bear down and they need to do their jobs. We need to make sure we continue to have that mindset. “(But) if we add a player like ‘Stas,’ obviously then you become a better team. The more cards you have, the more options you have and that gives us options whether we want to play people at center or wing. How we want to shuffle lines, it certainly gives us options.” There has been much speculation about who Stastny would knock out of the lineup and Friday’s practice lines provided the first look. Both Stastny and Jori Lehtera skated in the regular rushes, so it appears that they will take the spots of Ivan Barbashev and Zach Sanford in Game 5. Lehtera played in Game 1, but has been a healthy scratch the last three games. On Friday, he was centering the third line, splitting wingers Vladimir Sobotka and Magnus Paajarvi. When asked what would factor into the decision of who to play — Lehtera or Barbashev — Yeo replied: “Obviously past experience, whether playoff experience, the experience of what we’ve seen leading up to the games. It could have to do with how we’re going to shape our lines, special teams, there’s a number of things that factor into those things.” Lehtera has played 26 postseason games, posting three goals and 11 points. This year has been Barbashev’s first playoff action, and while averaging 15 minutes, 33 seconds of ice time in four games on a line with Schwartz and Tarasenko, he’s gone pointless. Sanford also is without a point in three games. But keep in mind, this was all based on practice lines. “The first step for us right now is to figure out if ‘Stas’ is going to be a player (Saturday), and once we do that, then the other pieces will start to fall into place,” Yeo said. “The biggest thing for me right now is to talk to (Stastny) and see how he’s feeling. In speaking to him before, he was feeling good and this was a needed step, so we’ll see how he comes out after practice and how he’s feeling.” Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau likely will be projecting Stastny in the Blues’ lineup Saturday and they’ll benefit from his presence. “He handles the puck, he’s experienced, he’s good on faceoffs, he’s really good on the power play,” Boudreau said. “You take your number one center out of the lineup and than add him back in and it allows everything else to be an awful lot stronger.” 1061043 St Louis Blues "That's what happened last game. (The linesmen) tried to make it a clear faceoff. Sometimes they played the puck before it hits the ice. That's why we got kicked or they got kicked." Stastny back for Game 5? Looks promising "I think they're trying to make the faceoff as fair as possible," center Kyle Brodziak said. "When they drop the puck, the puck's supposed to hit the ice. They were hitting the puck (early) a lot so draws weren't going By Tom Timmermann and Jeremy Rutherford straight down so I think that's why they were kicking guys out. I know it slowed the pace of the game up quite a bit but I know the linesmen were 1:30 PM FRIDAY UPDATE: just trying to make the faceoffs as fair as possible." Yeo at first was reluctant to talk about the situation -- "Every game's a new game. I haven't spent a whole lot of time thinking about that," he The possibility of Paul Stastny playing in Game 5 against Minnesota said -- but then expanded on it. looks more promising Friday. "Faceoffs are something that's been a big story right from the start. I think The Blues practiced this morning at the IceZone and Stastny took line for the first three games we obviously didn't do real well in faceoffs. rushes with Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko. That certainly We're trying to do what we can to equal the advantage and we feel doesn't guarantee that Stastny, who has been out since March 21 with a there's been some cheat on the other side. We're just trying to make sure foot injury, will be in the lineup against the Wild on Saturday afternoon. we go in with the mindset that we're going to force everybody to be But typically, if injured players skate on a regular line in practice, it starting on equal terms." usually means they play.

In addition, Stastny skated with the No. 1 power-play unit. He had been working with the group in practice the past few days, but he was simply St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.22.2017 filling the role of Alexander Steen, who hasn't been practicing because of an injury. But today, Stastny is on the ice with the group and Jay Bouwmeester is filling in for Steen, so that's another indicator the center could be ready. Blues coach Mike Yeo, as his is custom, would not confirm any lineup choices the day before the game. But he did say Stastny looked good and a decision will be made after talking with Stastny about how he feels after the practice. "Obviously it was a good day for him," Yeo said. "He's been progressing well and this was a big step, being able to do a full practice, a competitive practice, so that's a good sign. ... The biggest thing for me is to talk to him and see how he's feeling and that will come. I think in speaking to him before he was feeling good and this is a needed step and we'll see how he comes out after practice and how he's feeling." Getting Stastny back would be a big boost for the team, but Yeo cautioned it's not going to solve every problem. "Getting a player back is always nice," he said. "It helps to stabilize things, it gives us a little more options, but at the same time it's not like getting a player back is the answer and it's going to make things better for us. ... We've lost players and it's sharpened our focus. They've understood they need to bear down and do their jobs and do the little things and we have to make sure we continue to have that mindset and then if we add a player like Stas, then we become a better team." Stastny did not talk to reporters on Friday. On Thursday, he spoke to the media for the first time since his injury and said he was getting closer to returning. LEHTERA BACK? It also looks like Jori Lehtera could be back in the lineup, as he skated between Vladimir Sobotka and Magnus Paajarvi. Lehtera has been a scratch the past three games after playing in Game 1. Based on Friday's practice, if Lehtera is in, Ivan Barbashev would be out. Yeo again wouldn't confirm the change, but when asked about Lehtera vs. Barbashev and the factors that would be considered, he said: "Obviously past experience, whether playoff experience, the experience of what we've seen leading up to the games. So it could have to do with how we're going to shape our lines, special teams, there's a number of things that factor into those things. The first step for is to figure out if Stas is going to be a player tomorrow and then the other pieces will start to fall into place." Zach Sanford looks like the other player who would come out of the lineup if Stastny and Lehtera return. FACEOFF FUN The Blues had their best day of the playoffs on faceoffs in Game 4 and the two linesmen were regularly kicking Minnesota players out of the faceoff circle. Those two events appear to be related. "In the defensive zone," Sobotka said, "they're supposed to be first with the stick on the ice and we come in second, so we should have a little advantage there, but they cheat a lot. We need to adjust that and try to cheat more too. They're not holding the stick on the ice so we need to have better timing. 1061044 St Louis Blues "He was a good goalie the first three games," Hanzal said of Allen. "But we knew he was going to make some mistakes. Everybody does. It's just part of the game. I think that was the first mistake he made today. BenFred: Dubnyk out from Allen's shadow in time to threaten Blues Hopefully, it's going to turn this thing around." For the Wild to pull this off, Dubnyk has to lead the way. He's done it before. By Ben Frederickson His five regular-season shutouts tied for seventh in the league. Same for his .923 save percentage. His 2.25 GAA checked in at sixth. If you expected celebration or snarl, you came to the wrong dressing But he's better at his best. Through the first three months of this season room. he ranked first among regular starters in save percentage (.941) and GAA (1.75). The Minnesota Wild were alive. They had punched their ticket back home. They had lived to fight another day. Up to their (missing) teeth in And who can forget what happened in 2015, when Dubnyk stifled the reasons to roll over, they had turned a 3-0 death sentence into some Blues in Game 5 and Game 6, allowing just one goal in each of the final semblance of hope. two games? Yet after Game 4, the Wild spoke about their 2-0 win on enemy ice like Mike Yeo coached the Wild back then. Allen got pulled in the final game. buttoned-up stockbrokers who knew all along an investment in a stock Things change. would pay off. Dubnyk's ceiling, however, remains the same. Wednesday night was a They truly believe they have outplayed the Blues in this series. Finally, a reminder of what he can be. He's played well enough to win, and the final result supported their argument. So while the series says 3-1 in their longer this series stays alive, the more chances he receives. opponent's favor, they see a much tighter competition that just shifted back to their home ice. At the center of this message was the clear-eyed, soft-spoken goalie who St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.22.2017 had been overshadowed — until now. Devan Dubnyk had played masterfully in a strange game. Thanks to the Blues' lethargic attack in the first period, he did not see a shot in the first 10 minutes. It got to the point he wished a puck or two would approach, just so he could find some rhythm. He showed no signs of rust when they found him. He squared up shots. He snagged rebounds. Vladimir Tarasenko, who has not scored in this series, could not penetrate his pads. Even the iron worked in Dubnyk's favor. Just ask Ivan Barbashev. Twenty eight saves later, Dubnyk emerged unscathed, his second Stanley Cup Playoff shutout in hand. He basically shrugged. "I feel like I played the same," he said. "I've felt good for the series, and I don't change my approach. I've been able to experience some playoffs a little more, and the more experience you get, the more you realize you can't change your approach to games no matter what the score and situation in the series is. You just have to go play. I've been able to do that this series." Allen's dominance through the first three games reminded us how a locked-in goalie can tilt a series. His stellar play became the story, and rightfully so. It also overshadowed the fact that Dubnyk played pretty stinking well. Allen, of course, had only allowed three goals in three games before two got by him in Game 4. His 1.17 goals-against average ranks second in the postseason among goalies who have started a game. Same for his .966 save percentage. But Dubnyk ranks fourth in postseason GAA(1.42) and fifth in save percentage (.943). He too has not allowed more than two goals in any of the games. The third in Game 3 came against an empty net. "Allen was playing well," Wild center Martin Hanzal said. "But Dubnyk was our best player in each game." The big question: Has the goalie advantage shifted? Allen, who had stopped 114 of the Wild's first 117 shots this series headed into Game 4, looked human for the first time in a long time in Game 4. His costly mistake on an errant pass led to the Charlie Coyle goal that gave the Wild their first lead of the series. Hanzal's second- period snipe made the advantage insurmountable — thanks to Dubnyk. "I think he's been at that level, to be honest," Coyle said. "He's just been overlooked, because we haven't won. He's been playing great. That's what we expect of him. That's the type of goalie he is. He can win us games." So can Allen. His ability to shake off mistakes has been impressive this season, and this series. And if he returns to the mostly impermeable barrier that stumped the Wild through the first three games, Dubnyk's strong performance will go down as a footnote in a series lost. But the Wild have confidence, and believe they've found a crack. 1061045 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning's Victor Hedman finalist for Norris Trophy

Joe Smith Friday, April 21, 2017 7:38PM

TAMPA — The Lightning's Victor Hedman is one of three finalists for the Norris Trophy, awarded each year to the NHL's best defenseman. Two-time Norris winner Erik Karlsson (Senators) and Brent Burns (Sharks) are the other finalists announced Friday. "I'm extremely humbled and honored," said Hedman, the first Lightning defenseman to be a finalist for the award. "I look forward to being in Vegas with Brent and my buddy Erik (a fellow Swede)." Hedman, 26, is coming off a career season, making his first All-Star Game appearance. He set highs for goals (16), assists (56) and points (72), the last of which ranked second in the NHL among defenseman behind Burns' 76. In doing so, Hedman set a franchise record for assists by a Lightning defenseman, passing Roman Hamrlik's 49 in 1995-96. "Just playing with good players," Hedman said at the end of the season. "I'm being put in situations to be successful. I've obviously felt more comfortable on the power play. I've felt more comfortable playing that offensive role. We had to be able to produce, and that's been kind of what I expect of myself, to be one of the leaders, especially when we were in a big hole. We needed to climb out, needed to take charge out there." Hedman really took off in the second half of the season, sparking the Lightning's impressive run from last in the Eastern Conference on Feb. 4 to within one point of a playoff spot. Captain Steven Stamkos pointed out how much more of a leadership role Hedman took on this year. The award will be given June 21 at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas. It is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. It'll be tough for Hedman to beat out Karlsson and Burns, each of whom are in the playoffs. But Hedman is certainly deserving. Stamkos calls Hedman one of the best defensemen in the world. Soon, Hedman could have a piece of hardware to prove it.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061046 Tampa Bay Lightning

Victor Hedman a Norris Trophy finalist

Joe Smith Friday, April 21, 2017 3:34PM

The Lightning's Victor Hedman is one of three finalists for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL's top defenseman. Two-time Norris winner Erik Karlsson (Ottawa) and Brent Burns (Sharks) are the other candidates. Hedman, 26, is coming off a career season, making his first All-Star appearance. He set highs for goals (16), assists (56) and points (72), which ranked second in the NHL among defenseman behind only Burns. In doing so, Hedman set a franchise record for assists by a Lightning defenseman (passing Roman Hamrlik's 49 in 1995-96. "Just playing with good players," Hedman said. "I'm being put in situations to be successful. I've obviously felt more comfortable on the power play. I've felt more comfortable playing that offensive role. We had to be able to produce and that's been kind of what I expect of myself, to be one of the leaders, especially when we were in a big hole. We needed to climb out needed to take charge out there." Hedman really took off in the second half of the season, sparking the Lightning's remarkable run from last in the Eastern Conference Feb. 4 to within one point of a playoff spot. Captain Steven Stamkos pointed out how much more of a leadership role Hedman took on this year. The award will be given June 21 at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas, votes tabulated by members of the Professional Hockey Writer's Association, including myself. It'll be tough for Hedman to beat out Karlsson and Burns, each of whom are still in the playoffs. But Hedman is certainly deserving, as Stamkos says he's one of the best defensemen in the world. The rest of the league thinks so too, as detailed in our All-Star story on Hedman. "He kind of drives the bus back there," coach Jon Cooper said. "And when he's on, usually or team is on. He has such an impact, especially someone that plays that 25, 30 minutes a night. He's a catalyst of the offense back there."

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061047 Toronto Maple Leafs the crossbar and the puck bounced to linemate T.J. Oshie, who slid his third goal of the series into the open net at 18:15.

The Leafs, who made their best start of the series by keeping the play Capitals put Leafs on the brink after Williams scores in overtime mostly in the Washington zone for the first 10 minutes, escaped a jam a few minutes before Kadri’s penalty. Goaltender Frederik Andersen misplayed a dump-in and Leafs centre Brian Boyle had to take a hooking DAVID SHOALTS penalty to prevent a Capitals scoring chance. The Leafs, though, killed the penalty. Published Friday, Apr. 21, 2017 10:28PM EDT Ovechkin went after Kadri in the second period. He gave Kadri a jab on Last updated Saturday, Apr. 22, 2017 12:14AM EDT the arm and then Capitals defenceman Matt Niskanen chopped Kadri on the left knee with his stick. That drew a penalty for slashing at 19:34,

while Kadri and Caps forward Tom Wilson were given minor penalties for The Toronto Maple Leafs slipped from the tightrope they have walked in unsportsmanlike conduct in the ensuing scrum. Ovechkin also skated this playoff series and now are hanging on for dear life. toward the Toronto bench and offered some thoughts. Justin Williams was the overtime hero for the second time to give the Washington Capitals a 2-1 win at Verizon Center. He scored the overtime Globe And Mail LOADED: 04.22.2017 winner, at 1:04, for the second time in four extra-time games. The Caps now lead the first-round NHL playoff series 3-2. They can eliminate the Leafs in Game 6 of the best-of-seven affair on Sunday night in Toronto. The game was a little more conservative, at least as far as firewagon, end-to-end hockey goes, than the previous four games in the series, although that is a relative term. As the third period wound down to the fourth time a game went into overtime in this series, the tension grew with each scoring chance. The score was tied 1-1 going into the third period, although the Capitals can thank their penalty killers for keeping it that way. The Leafs had three power-play chances in the second period, with the last one carrying into the third, but were unable to get anything going against the Capitals. However, they still carried the play for most of the period, outshooting the hosts 8-4 and scored the only goal of the period six minutes in. That came from Auston Matthews, fresh off his selection as one of three finalists for the Calder Trophy, which goes to the NHL’s rookie of the year. The goal came at the end of a tremendous shift by Matthews’ line, as the Capitals were hemmed in their own zone. William Nylander created the goal by doing what coaches always tell their players – throw the puck at the net. In this case, the shot created a fat rebound in front of the net that Matthews cashed in for his third goal of the playoffs. He said before the game he thinks he is getting better as his first NHL playoff experience moves along. “Yeah, I just think each game, myself personally I feel like I’ve gotten better,” Matthews said. “You kind of get more comfortable each and every night to expect not too much space, it’s pretty physical, a lot of 50- 50 battles that you got to make sure you’re winning. “I think that’s kind of been the key for us, for everybody, just trying to get better each game and tonight’s a big one for us.” The Leafs power play continued to struggle in the third period when Caps forward Tom Wilson took his fourth minor penalty of the game. The Caps closed the Leafs off from retrieving the puck after they dumped it in. James van Riemsdyk did get a chance alone in front of the net but Caps goaltender Braden Holtby, who took some criticism after the Caps’ 5-4 win in Game 4, made the save. He made a few more big saves when the Leafs pressed hard late in the period. The Capitals took a 1-0 lead to the dressing room after the first period and almost paid a heavy price for it. The goal came on a power play late in the period after Leafs centre Nazem Kadri threw a hip check that knocked Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin out of the game with what appeared to be a left knee or leg injury. Kadri threw a classic hip check on Ovechkin at 17:32, flipping the star over. He landed on his left left and was down on the ice for several minutes and had to be helped to the dressing room. However, Ovechkin sent a buzz through the crowd when he returned for the second period. Ovechkin was out for the opening faceoff and then flattened Leafs defenceman Jake Gardiner for the second time in the game. The game grew nastier in the wake of Kadri’s hit. Kadri was given a tripping penalty for the hit, although it was a hip check. There might have been grounds to call Kadri for clipping, which is when a player lowers his body and throws it at or below the knees of an opponent. However, the replays showed Kadri hit Ovechkin on the thigh, above his knee. The power play gave the Capitals a chance to turn up the offence in what had been a close-checking period. Nicklas Backstrom ripped a shot off 1061048 Toronto Maple Leafs

Penguins’ prescient decision to keep Fleury shows why teams need insurance

ERIC DUHATSCHEK Published Friday, Apr. 21, 2017 6:14PM EDT

Part of being an effective NHL general manager is understanding insurance. You need collision, of course, because there are always collisions in a hockey game, and some result in injury. But really, the most important policy is comprehensive and that’s what the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Jim Rutherford took out this year, in an attempt to enhance his team’s chances of defending the Stanley Cup. First, he went out and brought in extra defencemen – Ron Hainsey and Mark Streit – because he knew that eventually, he would need more than a starting six. Kris Letang’s season-ending surgery proved him correct. But mostly, it was the deal that Rutherford didn’t make that had his NHL brethren puzzled, until it proved wholly prescient. Most everyone thought Rutherford would, well in advance of the 2017 NHL expansion draft, move goaltender Marc-André Fleury because the expansion rules permit teams to protect only one goalie, and in Pittsburgh, that one is going to be Matt Murray, their goalie of the present and future. Murray helped them win the Stanley Cup last season and was the Penguins starter for 21 playoff games. But Murray also has had a bit of an injury history, too. He wasn’t able to start the playoff opener last year – that fell to Jeff Zatkoff, their No. 3 because Fleury was also out – and this year, when it appeared all systems were go for the start of their series against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Murray got injured in warmup of the opening game. Thankfully for the Pens, they made the decision to keep Fleury around for insurance purposes, a policy decision that paid big dividends, when he stepped in to provide difference-making goaltending in what finished as a 4-1 series victory. Columbus was supposed to have the goaltending edge in the series because of Sergei Bobrovsky, a sure-fire Vézina Trophy finalist, who’d had an exceptional year. But Pittsburgh’s high-powered offence lit up Bobrovsky. In the meantime, Fleury was exceptional at the other end. In Thursday’s deciding game, Fleury made 49 saves as the Penguins became the first Eastern Conference team to advance to the second round. Fleury set a Penguins’ record with the victory, his 57th in the playoffs, moving him past Tom Barrasso (56) for most in team history. Apart from Fleury’s clutch goaltending, ultimately what turned the series in Pittsburgh’s direction was the play of its stars down the middle. Columbus posted the fourth-best record in the NHL regular season because of its one-to-12 depth up front. But the Blue Jackets had no answer for Sidney Crosby and they especially had no answer for Evgeni Malkin, who missed the final 15 games of the regular season recovering from an undisclosed injury. Malkin likely could have played a few games in the final week, but the Penguins figured, why risk it? He’d been in contention for the NHL scoring title and in the midst of an MVP-style season before his injury. But his playoff pedigree is bullet-proof. He was the winner in the 2009 Penguins’ Stanley Cup season and finished the series against Columbus with an eye-popping 11 points in five games (two goals, nine assists). The only other Penguins player to accomplish something comparable was Mario Lemieux, with 12 points in the 1991 Stanley Cup final against the Minnesota North Stars. When Hockey Night in Canada does its nightly playoff montage, one of Lemieux’s goals in that series is usually featured. Malkin did most of his damage while Canada was focused on its trio of Eastern Conference playoff teams, but his play was no less memorable, even if it happened over on Sportsnet 360. So the Penguins answered one of the early questions about their title defence, defeating a pretty good Columbus team, and now await the winner of the Washington Capitals-Toronto Maple Leafs’ series. Insurance, sometimes you have to have it. And it turned out the Penguins were in good hands with Fleury.

Globe And Mail LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061049 Toronto Maple Leafs sometimes it’s the truth instead of something self-serving: there’s not a lot of difference between teams.

“Their power play’s been good,” said defenceman Matt Hunwick, “but Kadri vs. Ovechkin subplot to Leafs’ OT heartbreak: Arthur five-on-five I think we feel pretty confident in our game.” “We’re confident coming into this building and understanding that we can By BRUCE ARTHUR get a win,” said Kadri. Fri., April 21, 2017 So now Game 6 is Sunday, and either way somebody was going to be facing elimination when it came. This series has shown anybody can win, and anybody can lose. Washington had 118 points in the regular season, but that’s over and done. WASHINGTON—For a long time it was a hell of a night for metaphors, though in Donald Trump’s Washington, a personal friend of Vladimir As for this series, both teams deserve a seven-game series. But Game 6 Putin angrily chasing a Muslim around seemed a little too on the nose. It is Sunday night, and there will be no metaphors there. No, we are into was good that Alexander Ovechkin returned for the second period, as the real stuff, the next level of sudden death. There will just be a game dramatic as any rock star making the crowd wait for the encore — he had and a winner and a loser, and the Maple Leafs might go home. limped off at the end of the first period after Nazem Kadri hit him low. That’s not how games should be decided. No, in this first-round series, the difference deserved to be something Toronto Star LOADED: 04.22.2017 else, something clean. It was. Sixty-four seconds into the fourth overtime game of this series, the Capitals executed a perfect zone entry that ended with Justin Williams beating Frederik Andersen from the slot. Capitals win Game 5, 2-1, and can eliminate Toronto Sunday night. “Mr. Game 7,” said Ovechkin. “It’s all it takes. One shot and we get the (series) lead.” But this series is as close as it can be, so it can tilt back. As Leafs coach Mike Babcock said, “We’ve been in overtime four times. It’s a good competitive series. We believe we still have a chance to win, and that’s what we’re gonna do.” It can’t have been a guarantee, because nothing is guaranteed in this series. The Capitals scored the game’s first goal on the power play from the Kadri hit; the hit may not have been as dirty as it looked, but karmically, that was fine. The son of a Mexican immigrant scoring the tying goal, which in Trump’s Washington could also been seen in karmic terms. It was a good night for karma for a while, too. But in the end it wasn’t so much about who deserved what anymore, because the difference between these two teams was so narrow as to escape measurement, except in one way. At the end of the game the total shots on goal in the series were Toronto 175, Washington 175. The Capitals have scored one more goal. The Leafs had a much better start; the Capitals didn’t own this game, and instead of the wide-open stretches of chaos we saw earlier in the series, everyone was playing like they knew what a mistake could mean, either way. Everyone knew what it could cost. And so nothing much happened until the last three minutes of the first period. Kadri’s hit on Ovechkin was borderline at best, but the main contact did appear to be above the knee, not on it; Ovechkin may have exaggerated the hit’s effect, gliding off the ice without putting weight on the leg. When he came back in the second Leafs veteran Matt Martin barked at the Russian superstar, as the D.C. crowd roared for his return. Ovechkin wallpapered Jake Gardiner for the second time in the game, and was denied on the doorstep in the first five minutes. He was fine. Good. And six minutes into the second Auston Matthews, the son of an American immigrant, collected a rebound of a William Nylander shot, on yet another quality shift for that line, and tied the game. Going into the third it was tied, and neither team could cash in on power plays, and one play could end it. The goalies were sharp. Everyone waited for the play that would end it. It was coming, eventually. This series has been so close. Someone will have regrets when it is over. As Babcock said, “Teams are going home now, you can see, so pretty soon there’s only eight and if you want to be one of them you dig in. Best time of your life, dig in.” But maybe that shouldn’t be a surprise, even before you realize these teams have nearly identical records since the trade deadline. This is a league where the team with the third-best regular-season record played the team that finished 16th overall and was comprehensively swept; the team with the fourth-best record lost to the team with the second-best record, in five games; the team with the fifth-best record is trailing 3-1, to a team that finished 10th overall. The NHL’s roulette-based playoff format aside, the difference between teams in the salary cap era has flattened, but the league’s regular- season format — shootouts and overtime points, combined with the natural ebbs and flows of luck in hockey — strips the regular-season format of a lot of its meaning. The coaches say it all the time, and 1061050 Toronto Maple Leafs on the power play, will either need to improve their penalty kill or avoid the box altogether

But if the Maple Leafs were feeling good about their chances in the Capitals still have to prove they can be closers: Feschuk series even after Wednesday’s 5-4 Game 4 loss at Air Canada Centre — a game in which they “laid an egg,” in the words of veteran centreman Brian Boyle, and still made it a one-goal squeaker – there were positives By DAVE FESCHUK to be extracted from Friday’s loss, if not an overtime goal on a blown sort-out that Babcock called “a freebie.” Fri., April 21, 2017 “I don’t think we’re hanging our heads,” Matthews said. “We played a pretty good game.” WASHINGTON—The Maple Leafs carved out a reputation all season The Capitals, at times, lost their heads Friday. They chased Kadri long as young and naïve and speedy — and, just like that, barely a around. They took six minor penalties, and Capitals coach Barry Trotz minute into Friday’s overtime, they found themselves a game away from said after the game that he eventually had to bench Wilson for his elimination in their first playoff run in four years. waywardness. They looked distracted when a more seasoned team might have been more focused. And yes, they also won. But whether or History tells us that the winner of Game 5 ultimately prevails in an NHL not they’ll find that tunnel vision with a berth to the second round in sight best-of-seven about 78 per cent of the time. So the odds will be against is anyone’s guess. the Leafs when the series returns to Toronto for Sunday’s Game 6. But if there’s hope for a Maple Leafs comeback — if there’s reason to believe As Washington defenceman Matt Niskanen said after Game 3: “Until we Toronto can find a way to buck the odds after Justin Williams gave the change the narrative, that’s going to be the question.” Capitals a 2-1 extra-frame win on Friday night — it probably resides in the Capitals’ heads. You know, that haunted place where Nazem Kadri The Leafs have to know that, and make sure that doubt remains front rented an apartment on Friday night, and where his neighbours include and centre. Babcock, for his part, wasn’t exactly suggesting panic with the ghosts of previous playoff failures. the season down to a must-win Game 6. How will the Capitals react now that they’ve carved out a 3-2 series lead? “Get on a plane, have a meal, relax — we played good,” Babcock said We know how the Capitals reacted in Game 2, when they built a 3-1 after the game. “It’s a good competitive series. We believe we still have a advantage and failed to step on their opponents’ throats. The Leafs came chance to win. And that’s what we’re going to do.” back to win that game in overtime.

We know how the Capitals reacted in Game 4, when they dominated the early going to the tune of a 4-1 lead. They still needed some good fortune Toronto Star LOADED: 04.22.2017 to leave the Air Canada Centre with a 5-4 win. In other words, when it comes to closing deals, Washington isn’t exactly known as a ruthlessly efficient machine. In the biggest game of the Capitals’ season — and really, given the stakes, one of the biggest games in recent franchise history — what were the esteemed Presidents’ Trophy winners doing chasing around Nazem Kadri? Aren’t they supposed to be chasing a Stanley Cup? But such was one of the side plots of Friday’s Game 5. Kadri did what Kadri does — draw penalties, and the ire of opposing players, with equal parts pleasure and ease. Auston Matthews did his part — scoring his third goal of the playoffs, the one that tied it 1-1, a day after he was named a finalist for the Calder Trophy. And the Capitals, who were supposed to be blowing the Maple Leafs away by now, did what they’ve done — occasionally look like a would-be Stanley Cup contender that’s still missing a little something. On Friday, it looked like restraint. The Toronto-born hero of Washington’s Game 4 win, Tom Wilson, was a Game 5 liability, taking four minor penalties that got him benched. If there’s one thing the game taught us, it’s that Alex Ovechkin et al can be distracted. Kadri’s second-period hit on Ovechkin had the home team apoplectic. “If we can kind of get under (Ovechkin’s) skin, obviously he likes to run around and hit guys,” Matthews said after it was over. “If the puck’s not on his stick, then he’s not going to use that shot.” On Friday, neither team’s problem was goaltending — a rarity in this series. Heading into the game neither of Frederik Andersen nor Braden Holtby had played to the expected standard. They had that in common, for sure. Holtby, who came into the game with a career post-season save percentage at .935, was saving pucks at a below-average .907 rate in the series. Andersen’s save percentage through four games was .905. To put those numbers in perspective, only three NHL starters had been worse in this post-season. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that those three — Sergei Bobrovsky, Brian Elliott and Corey Crawford — had already been eliminated from the Stanley Cup tournament. But in a low-event game, both Holtby and Andersen were both beyond solid. Andersen had a highlight-reel glove save on Evgeny Kuznetsov. Holtby made a timely mid-third-period stop with James van Riemsdyk bearing down in tight. There were no softies on offer. Twenty-three points separated these teams in the regular-season standings. But after five games in the post-season, the margins are slimmer. Combined shots on goal? They’re deadlocked 175-175. Combined goals? Washington 16, Toronto 15. Washington’s power play has been a difference maker, with five goals in 15 opportunities, including the T.J. Oshie marker that put the home team in front 1-0 late in the first period. The Leafs, who’ve scored three times 1061051 Toronto Maple Leafs The first round is speeding toward its conclusion. Some teams are gone already: Chicago, Calgary, Columbus.

“It’s an extra motivator, you don’t want to be one of those teams yet,” Washington’s Justin Williams beats Maple Leafs in overtime Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen. “You want to keep playing, it’s a lot of fun, and you definitely want to win and keep playing. You earn your way to keep playing and you do that by winning.” By KEVIN MCGRAN They need to win Sunday to stay alive. Fri., April 21, 2017 “We’re confident going into these games,” Kadri said. “We understand what our capabilities are.” WASHINGTON, D.C.—Even with Washington’s Justin Williams proving NOTES: C Eric Fehr (broken finger) is skating with the Leafs but not to be the overtime hero, Nazem Kadri and the Toronto Maple Leafs are available to play yet, said coach Mike Babcock . . . D Karl Alzner (upper not giving up. body) skated Friday morning and was “getting close” to returning, said Capitals coach Barry Trotz . . . The Capitals called up F Chandler Williams scored at 1:04 of overtime as the Washington Capitals beat the Stephenson from the Hershey Bears but he did not play. Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff series. Game 6 is Sunday at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto Star LOADED: 04.22.2017 “We understand we played a pretty good road game, but somehow they found the way,” Kadri said. “That’s what good teams do. We have to respond heading back to Toronto.” T.J. Oshie scored in the first period for the Capitals, while Auston Matthews replied in the second for the Maple Leafs. “We’ll forget about it and go prepare for Game 6,” defenceman Matt Hunwick said. “We played well enough to win. We’re not going to dwell on it.: The game was the lowest scoring of the series as both goalies re- asserted themselves with nights that more resembled their performances in the regular season. Neither goalie inspired much confidence in what had been a high-scoring series, with between seven and nine goals a night. Frederik Andersen’s best save came in the first period, a glove save on Evgeny Kuznetsov in which the Capitals forward celebrated as if he had scored. The teams went to overtime for the fourth time in five games. Even Game 4, the only one not to go to overtime, was decided by one goal. “There wasn’t a whole lot going on, the entire ice was essentially clogged up,” Kadri said. “That’s how this series was going to be. We have to find a way to pull off one or two wins. The last time the Leafs went to four overtimes in a playoff round was the 1951 Stanley Cup final vs. Montreal, the year Bill Barilko scored the Cup winner. “This is what we expected,” said Kadri. “We expected tight games. It feels like we’ve been playing the playoffs for a month now with the last part of our season being do or die.” Kadri was the centre of attention as far as the Capitals were concerned, especially after laying out Alex Ovechkin with a low hip check in the first period. Ovechkin left the game temporarily. Kadri was called for tripping, and the Capitals hounded him all night. “That’s my job, trying to frustrate them as much as possible,” Kadr said. “It seemed like it was working for a bit.” He said the hit was clean. “I tried to get a piece of him, he tried to get out of the way. It’s not like I stuck my knee out or got my arms high. It happened pretty quick. I thought it was OK.” Ovechkin said he was fine, joking he took the rest of the first period off to watch the power play, which scored in response. “It’s the playoffs,” the Capitals captain said. “I didn’t watch the replay, but if it’s dirty it’s dirty. League gonna watch it and, if not, it doesn’t matter right now . . . We’re going back to play in Toronto and try to win there.” Recap: Leafs lose Game 5 in Washington Tied at two games apiece going into Game 5, the stakes were higher Friday, with each play more important than the last. “Best time of your life,” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock before the game. “Dig in.” The Leafs wanted to seize the moment. They went into Game 5 believing just being in the playoffs wasn’t enough. They were hungry for more. “It’s important to stay in the moment just because we’re a young team in a rebuild,” Matthews said. “If we make the playoffs one year, it doesn’t mean we’re going to make the playoffs the next year.” 1061052 Toronto Maple Leafs “It’s important to be disciplined, because it’s so demanding. It doesn’t allow for much gliding all over the ice. You’ve got to be working,” Brown said. “Which is the way you should be playing. With our speed, it works Just another day at the races for the Maple Leafs: Feschuk for us.” Even for Leafs who aren’t necessarily built to fly, Babcock continues to preach the importance of upping the tempo. Speaking of van Riemsdyk By DAVE FESCHUK this week, the coach offered an observation. Fri., April 21, 2017 “The harder he skates, the quicker he jumps — to me, it’s all about him moving his legs — the more battles he wins, the more he has the puck and the more effective he is,” Babcock said. WASHINGTON—Another morning-skate drill had come to a conclusion That’s another way of looking at it: It’s work (along with talent) that with a line breaking out in smiles. The players in question, on this ultimately leads to speed. It’s speed (along with skill and smarts) that particular occasion, had been working on the power play. The forward leads to possession. It’s possession that leads to more chances. And it’s combination of Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner had chances, through the law of averages, that lead to more goals. It’s an just taken part in a pretty game of tic-tac-toe, Marner to Bozak to van equation the coach has been pushing all season. It’s built into the way Riemsdyk for a net-front tap-in. the Leafs practice. It’s essential to how they’ve found their way into the playoffs. And now that it’s become an advantage on a first-round And now it was time to celebrate — high fives all around, until Marner opponent, it figures to be the key to any hypothetical victory. Light of raised a hand to Bozak, who promptly dodged the palm-to-palm contact heart and fleet of foot — not a bad combination in the post-season in a cheeky snub. pressure cooker. Bozak laughed with his teammates at the hilarity of it all. Marner, “Speed is one of our biggest attributes and it has been all year. That’s a unperturbed, carried on with a mock celebration, essentially high-fiving strength that we’ve got to stick to,” said Brown. “It’s who we are. We don’t himself. More group laughter ensued. want to be anyone else.” No, this was not a beer-league team of would-be physical comedians.

This was the Maple Leafs in the midst of their first playoff run in four years. If there was tension around town in the lead-up to Friday’s Game Toronto Star LOADED: 04.22.2017 5 of their best-of-seven series with the Washington Capitals at the Air Canada Centre — well, the mood has been light around Leafland all series long. And certainly it hasn’t hurt that they’ve found themselves in a deadlocked series. “We’ve been having a lot of fun lately,” Marner said later. “Just trying to stay light as a line and just have fun with it.” If that’s easy enough to say, there were those convinced that it’s vitally important to continue. If the Leafs were feeling good about their chances in the series, even after Wednesday’s 5-4 Game 4 loss — they “laid an egg,” said veteran centreman Brian Boyle, and still made it a one-goal squeaker — they’ve also been made aware of where their advantage lies and where they’re vulnerable. Their advantage, clearly, is speed. They’re vulnerable when they’re not using it. “At times we’ve gotten in trouble sitting back on our heels a little bit . . . So that’s the important thing, (making sure) guys don’t get too frozen up and too nervous,” said Connor Brown, the rookie winger. “The older guys have done a good job in here keeping it loose and keeping it enjoyable. When it’s loose and fun, you can make plays and you’re not too tight. You can get too tight to make plays. “We’re a better club when we go after ’em and we’re skating hard and chipping pucks. We’re tough to handle.” They’re tough to handle by design. In a season during which head coach Mike Babcock had a mission statement embedded on the dressing room walls — “Play Fast. Play Right” — the Leafs have largely defined themselves by their ability to push the pace. Certainly it has been working against the Capitals. Washington may be more experienced but, in an ever-younger NHL, “experienced” can sometimes be a code word for “old.” And “old,” given the superior skating skill of hockey’s new wave of young guns, can often pass as a less specific version of “slow.” “Every team uses that mystery word, ‘identity,’ ‘culture,’ whatever it is. Ours is to fly. We’ve got to skate. We’ve got to be turning downhill,” said Connor Carrick, the Leafs defenceman. “You look at your lineup and you look at (Washington’s) lineup and you say, ‘Wow. Our guys really can fly.’ You almost take it for granted. But you know, our forwards are a lot to handle. We’ve got a good, mobile D corps. It’s the way our team’s built.” Brown said he first saw the roots of the speed-based system the Leafs employ in the American Hockey League a couple of years back. It was being played by the Grand Rapids Griffins, the farm team of the Babcock-coached Detroit Red Wings. Marked by an aggressive forecheck, and by defencemen who prefer skating forward to backward and who pinch hard in the offensive zone, the style has since been transported to Toronto. “There’s no room when you do it right and everyone’s bought in,” Brown said. “You get the puck and a guy’s right on top of you. It’s tough to play against.” The style isn’t for everyone. And certainly it isn’t easy to employ. 1061053 Toronto Maple Leafs a lot of 50/50 battles that you need to make sure you’re winning. I think that’s kind of been the key for us and for everybody, just trying to get better each and every game.” Auston Matthews says Calder nomination ‘special’ Toronto Star LOADED: 04.22.2017 By KEVIN MCGRAN Fri., April 21, 2017

WASHINGTON—Auston Matthews exchanged a few congratulatory texts with his friend, Zach Werenski, when both were announced as finalists for the Calder Trophy. “Yeah. I was talking to him a little bit,” said Matthews. “Obviously he’s resting there with his face injury, but yeah he’s definitely very deserving of it.” Werenski’s Columbus Blue Jackets had their season end at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. Werenski’s season ended even sooner, the result of a broken cheekbone. Matthews and Werenski were trained by and played for USA Hockey. Matthews season, of course, continues with the Maple Leafs playing Washington, the series tied at two games apiece through the first four contests. The Calder nomination — Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets is also up for it — came as only a minor distraction even if it did put the spotlight on Matthews Friday as he dealt with media questions about the award while trying to prepare for Game 5. “It was pretty special,” said Matthews. “It was a big honour to find that out (Thursday). A lot of really good rookies in this class this year and just to be named as one of the top three is a pretty big honour.” His Maple Leafs teammates were very happy for Matthews. “Absolutely,” said fellow rookie Connor Brown. “Much deserved. What a season he’s had and continuing to have here in the post-season. He’s the real backbone of this team. It’s nice to see him get some recognition.” Matthews scored 40 goals — the most by any rookie and led all rookies with 69 points. Laine missed nine games with a concussion but still finished with 36 goals and 28 assists. Werenski led all rookie defencemen with 47 points (11 goals, 36 assists). Matthews continued his production in the playoffs, with two goals through the first four games. In Thursday’s Game 4, with the Capitals dominating play, Matthews never gave up, and scored in the third period to get the Leafs within one. “I just think he gets better and better,” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock. “I thought he was outstanding for us last game. He played when the game was on the line and he pushed us back. “To me he’s a 200-foot player with or without (the puck) and has learned a lot this year. What I like about him is he’s just steady and has a great assessment of himself, doesn’t get ahead of himself and evaluates himself good, takes ownership for what he does right and what he does wrong. Obviously, he’s got a bright future.” The way Matthews plays, trains and practices — there doesn’t seem to be an off-switch — impresses his teammates. “The thing about Auston, no matter what, he brings the same attitude and approach to every game, every practice,” said Brown. “When things are going tough, he’s still pushing, no matter what the score is. He’s out the door and he’s playing hard. It’s contagious and it’s nice when one of your best players is doing that every night.” The talk around Matthews, and other young guns with the Maple Leafs, is about how promising the future looks. “He’s obviously found some things that work for him and he seems to be pretty dialed-in as far as wanting to get better and trying to find things that make him a better player in the different areas that you can,” said winger James van Riemsdyk. “That’s what you need to do to continue to get better and continue to adapt and grow as a player.” Matthews and his fellow rookies came into the playoffs with no post- season experience, and now have developed plenty. “Just each game, myself personally, I feel like I’ve gotten better,” said Matthews. “You kind of get more comfortable and know what to expect each and every night. There’s not too much space, it’s going to be pretty physical, 1061054 Toronto Maple Leafs Andre Burakovsky-Lars Eller-Tom Wilson Daniel Winnik-Jay Beagle-Brett Connolly What you need to know about the Maple Leafs loss to the Capitals in Defence Game 5 Nate Schmidt (or Karl Alzner)-John Carlson

Dmitry Orlov-Matt Niskanen By KEVIN MCGRAN Brooks Orpik-Kevin Shattenkirk Fri., April 21, 2017 Goal

Braden Holtby WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Washington Capitals beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on Saturday, taking a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Stanley Philipp Grubauer Cup playoff series. After goals by T.J. Oshie of the Caps and Auston Matthews of the Leafs, Toronto Star LOADED: 04.22.2017 a scoreless third period led the teams to overtime for the fourth time in five games. Justin Williams scored 1:04 in to secure the win. “We understand we played a pretty good road game, but somehow they found the way,” Nazem Kadri said. “That’s what good teams do. We have to respond heading back to Toronto.” The Leafs will host the Capitals for Game 6 on Sunday. Recap: Capitals host Leafs for Game 5 OUR GAME 5 PREVIEW: QUOTES “It’s important to stay in the moment just because we’re a young team in a rebuild. If we make the playoffs one year, it doesn’t mean we’re going to make the playoffs the next year. We’re in a good position now and I think it’s definitely important for us to stay in the moment to capitalize on this opportunity.” Auston Matthews “We came into this series a confident team when we play the right way. Again, now, here we are. A best-of-three and this is what makes it fun. These games are fun to play in.” James van Riemsdyk “For us right now it doesn’t matter if it’s first line or third line or whatever. everybody have to play hard, and if they have a chance they have to put in. You can see Tom Wilson put it (in) twice ... that’s all we need from everybody. it’s not about us or somebody. we’re a team and we have to play like a team.” Alex Ovechkin ROSTER NOTES C Eric Fehr (broken finger) is skating with the Leafs but not available to play yet, said coach Mike Babcock... D Karl Alzner (upper body) skated Friday morning and was “getting close” to returning, said Capitals coach Barry Trotz. ... The Capitals called up F Chandler Stephenson from the Hershey Bears, but he’s not likely to play. TONIGHT’S LINES Leafs lines: James van Riemsdyk-Tyler Bozak-Mitch Marner Leo Komarov-Nazem Kadri-Connor Brown Zach Hyman-Auston Matthews-William Nylander Matt Martin-Brian Boyle-Kasperi Kapanen Defence Matt Hunwick-Morgan Rielly Jake Gardiner-Nikita Zaitsev Martin Marincin-Connor Carrick Goal Frederik Andersen Curtis McElhinney Capitals Lines Alex Ovechkin-Nicklas Backstrom-T.J. Oshie Marcus Johansson-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Justin Williams 1061055 Toronto Maple Leafs “I haven’t seen, really, a skill that he can’t do yet,” said Capitals defenceman Matt Niskanen. “So he’s got size and reach, vision, strong on his skates, hockey sense, and he can score. He’s got a lot of tools. He Matthews legend grows in Stanley Cup playoff spotlight didn’t play like a rookie, as most of those special players don’t.” The Leafs can stretch or even win this series without Matthews being special, but it would make everything so much harder. This is likely the By BRUCE ARTHUR last year this Leafs team gets the luxury of playing without real expectations, with no scars, with nothing but road in front of them, and a Fri., April 21, 2017 horizon. They are in a real playoff series, now. This is the big stage, and Auston Matthews is here.

WASHINGTON—“Great players love great stages, and Toronto is a great stage,” said Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz, back before Game Toronto Star LOADED: 04.22.2017 3. He was talking about his own superstar, Alexander Ovechkin, and what would happen. He said, “It’s a stage, and like most players who like a stage, he’ll perform.” And then Game 3 started, and Toronto’s young superstar arrived, too. Auston Matthews is the bedrock of this Leafs era — the one with the highest ceiling, the one who is expected to lead this team for a decade and more. And in his third playoff game with the Capitals pushing and the Leafs approaching a crisis, Matthews scored. He got an assist on the game-tying goal, later. His possession numbers were great. Game 3 was the first dominant Auston Matthews playoff game, and the Calder nomination Thursday was more of a formality than anything. He’s here. “Yeah, I just think each game, myself personally I feel like I’ve gotten better,” said Matthews before Game 5 in Washington Friday night. “You kind of get more comfortable each and every night to expect not too much space. It’s pretty physical, a lot of 50-50 battles that you’ve got to make sure you’re winning. I think that’s kind of been the key for us, for everybody, just trying to get better each game.” The most impressive part is that he has ratcheted up the process. Matthews was held to one shot in Game 1, and was without a shot on goal in Game 2 until the overtimes. But he has produced good possession numbers — from 42.4 per cent in Game 1 to 56 per cent in Game 2 to 71.4 per cent in Game 3. In Game 4, with Washington pushing from the start, that number dipped to 48.65 per cent, but Matthews also scored the goal that pulled Toronto to within 4-3. For the series, Toronto’s shot attempts at five-on-five with Matthews on the ice — primarily against Washington’s second line of Evgeny Kuznetsov, Marcus Johansson and Justin Williams — are at 55.9 per cent, and the only players with better numbers are his wingers, William Nylander and Zach Hyman. It’s been the best Leafs line. “I think he just keeps getting better and better,” says Leafs coach Mike Babcock. “I thought he was outstanding for us last game. He played when the game was on the line, and he pushed us back. To me, he’s a 200-footer with and without (the puck), and he’s learned a lot this year. What I like about him is he’s just steady and, great assessment of himself, doesn’t get ahead of himself. Evaluates himself good, takes ownership for what he does right and what he does wrong. Obviously he’s got a bright future.” It is his moment, and it is taking place as Connor McDavid is playing his first playoff series, too. Nobody can truly compare to McDavid yet, and we’ll see if that changes. As McDavid’s junior teammate Connor Brown says, “They’re both extremely talented, and they’re both a little reserved too. They don’t need the attention or the spotlight, and they go about their business, and real professionals. I think when you’ve got that type of skill, like they both do, you’ve got a maturity beyond your age, and that’s what they’ve both done. “Auston, he’s had to come a long way, in terms of growing up quick, and he’s had fun with it. He’s trying to max out his ceiling.” Nobody knows how high it goes. Every player who has played with Matthews says it takes seconds to tell he is special. The way he handles the puck, the way he shoots, his size, his skating. Brown points out how he noticed stuff like how Matthews could just pick up passes with his feet. “It was pretty obvious,” says Brown. “When you get on the ice with him, the things that are hard he makes look easy.” This is the hard stuff, right here. He scored again Friday night. “He’s been great, he’s been great,” says Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly. “He’s played a 200-foot game, he’s blocking shots, he’s been a huge part of this team all year, and that hasn’t changed at all in the first two games. Who he has to play against or what he has to deal with on a night-to-night basis is as tough as anybody in this league, and for him to battle the way he has and play the way he has, his commitment to his teammates has been outstanding. I think a player that good and that talented and that driven, you’re not going to keep him off the scoresheet for long.” 1061056 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs not happy to be tied

By KEVIN MCGRAN Fri., April 21, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock suggested if the team was told at the beginning of the season they’d be down to a best-of-three with the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup playoffs, his players would be doing cartwheels. “He’s probably right, but at the same time you get greedy,” said defenceman Connor Carrick. “You’re happy to be here, but you acknowledge that maybe if we won Game 4, it would be 3-1. How many cartwheels would you do if it was 3-1. I’d be doing a lot. “It’s not unlike anything else in sport. In baseball, when you go 2-for-3, you want to go 3-for-4. When you hit a double, you wish you hit a triple. That’s the nature of it.” Indeed the Leafs and Capitals are down to a best-of-three with Game 5 tonight at the Verizon Center, with Babcock urging his players to make the most of the opportunity. “The reality is we’re here. Next year doesn’t count. At the start of the year if you’d asked me who’d be in the Stanley Cup final, one of the teams I’d have picked didn’t make the playoffs. Make good on your opportunity,” said Babcock. “Teams are going home now. Pretty soon there will only be eight. If you want to be one of them, dig in.” No lineup changes are expected for either side.

Toronto Star LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061057 Toronto Maple Leafs return to the lineup, Babcock said. No Leafs forward deserved to be taken out anyway … Washington defenceman Karl Alzner missed his third consecutive game with an upper-body injury and remains day to day Spotlight on Leafs rookies … The Capitals recalled forward Chandler Stevenson from Hershey of the American Hockey League.

BY TERRY KOSHAN Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.22.2017 FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 11:36 PM EDT UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 11:40 PM EDT

TORONTO - WASHINGTON — Like everyone else in the Maple Leafs organization, coach Mike Babcock eagerly anticipates the level to which Auston Matthews can take his game next season and beyond. “I just think he gets better and better,” Babcock said. “To me he’s a 200- foot player with or without (the puck) and has learned a lot this year. What I like about him is he’s just steady and has a great assessment of himself, doesn’t get ahead of himself and evaluates himself good, takes ownership for what he does right and what he does wrong. Obviously, he’s got a bright future.” Matthews, of course, is just one part of the Leafs’ youth movement, though there is no arguing that he is the most vital piece. When Babcock was coaching the Detroit Red Wings, he had rookies in his lineup year to year, but nowhere near the extent of what he has had this season in Toronto. Not that many teams in the history of the National Hockey League have had a group of rookies make the kind the impact the youngsters for the Leafs this season. “They’re enjoyable guys, they work hard, they’re talented, they want to be good, they think they’re good,” Babcock said. “I think we spend a lot of time on the details of the game to get them to understand that if you play well without (the puck), you have it all the time. “In this league it never comes to you, especially at playoff time. I think that’s one of the biggest lessons.” No matter how the playoffs end for the Leafs this spring, the knowledge the younger members of the team will have going forward can’t be overestimated. “We’re counting on lots of guys to be important for us that are kids,” Babcock said. “So, you can make all the excuses in the world for them if you want, the reality is we’re here. Let’s play. Next year doesn’t come.” BRADEN BOTHERED Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby had had just about enough of the Leafs’ goals by deflection, either deliberately or on purpose, as the teams prepared for Game 5. “There hasn’t been a lot of fortunate luck that way,” Holtby said. “If that’s part of their game plan, it’s more about taking away areas. If a shot is going to one side, it’s not about catching it or getting it in the middle of the blocker. It’s more getting your whole body there. “That’s life, that’s hockey. You move on to the next shot because in the playoffs, it’s all about the next save.” Holtby carried a .907 save percentage, something he was not bragging about, into Friday night. “There have been a lot of goals that have gone in off us and a lot of goals that have gone in … you don’t want to say lucky bounces, but there’s a lot that is going in off of us and right to them,” Caps forward Jay Beagle said. “You know there’s nothing that Holtby can do in those situations. When he sees the shots, he is saving them every time. We have all the confidence in the world in him.” Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen had not been better, sporting a .905 save percentage through four games. LOOSE LEAFS Many members of the media had to scramble to find different flights or means of transportation out of Toronto on Thursday when severe weather caused cancellations. A tip of the hat came from Babcock as he started his morning news conference. “I hear some of you struggled to get here,” Babcock said. “I appreciate you digging in and finding a way, good for you. That’s what I like to see.” … Leafs forward Eric Fehr, recovering from a broken hand, has been skating but is not ready to 1061058 Toronto Maple Leafs in five games ... What a pleasant surprise Matt Hunwick has been in this series. He continue to compete at a high level and has rarely been victimized through five games ... Game 6 is Sunday night at the Air Capitals' Ovechkin too distracted for such a big game Canada Centre. HOLTBY BACK IN FORM BY STEVE SIMMONS There has been a lot of doubt expressed about the play of all-star goalie Braden Holtby in the series. Holtby, who is certain to be a Vezina Trophy FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 10:37 PM EDT finalist this season, went on the ice Thursday to work on some specifics that have bothered him in the series. He worked with goalie coach Mitch UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 10:48 PM EDT Korn on working through traffic and bouncing pucks. Holtby’s numbers were significantly down heading into Game 5. Through four games he

had a 3.01 goals against average and a below average save percentage WASHINGTON — With so much on the line, and so much tension in the of .907. The last two seasons, his goals against average over a longer Verizon Center air, Alexander Ovechkin seemed more worried about playoff sample was 1.72 and 1.71 and his save percentage numbers hitting Maple Leafs players and getting back at Nazem Kadri than he did were Hall of Fame like — .942 and .944. Holtby rallied in this one and in carrying the Washington Capitals to a Game 5 victory. made a huge third period power play save on James van Riemsdyk in the third. It was not the brightest of nights for Great Eight of the Capitals. THE SAVE And in the end, it still didn’t didn’t ending up costing Washington. All eyes were on Andersen, and early on, he had a huge save off In a game where the Leafs deserved a better fate, Justin Williams scored Kuznetzov on Washington’s first power play. In fact the Caps believed 64 second into overtime, shooting from the slot. they scored on the play. It was a huge 2-1 victory for Washington. Not the best of nights for Ovie. Kuznetzov had a wide open net on a play from behind the net and Andersen slid across and caught the puck right in the air, right on the Ovechkin is obviously most dangerous when he’s shooting, when he’s goalline. The play was reviewed and was correctly ruled no goal. scoring goals, when he’s getting in the Leafs heads. Instead, the Leafs seem to get to Ovechkin, and Ovechkin let his emotions get the best of him, as the nasty side of this Maple Leafs-Capitals first round playoff series has come to the fore in the fourth overtime game of the series. Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.22.2017 The first time in 66 years the Leafs have played in four OT games in a series. For Ovechkin, the distractions started in the first period, when Kadri went old school and hip-checked Ovechkin in open ice, the kind of hit that would have made Brian Glennie proud. If you’re old enough to remember him in a Leaf uniform. If you aren’t, you should look him up. In the 1970s, Glennie made a living with hip checks. In the 80s, Curt Giles of the Minnesota North Stars and Denis Potvin of the New York Islanders were masters of the craft. On Friday night at the Verizon Center, Kadri was penalized for what used to be a clean check. They called it tripping. They’ve been making that call in recent years. And still it didn’t feel right for a team that has Bobby Baun and Glennie getting nailed for the penalty. Washington scored its first goal with Kadri in the box, Ovechkin on the bench, and Nicklas Backstrom banging a puck off the crossbar that T.J. Oshie backhanded into an empty net for a 1-0 Washington lead. Frederik Andersen, who was sharp in goal, ad no chance on the Oshie goal. In the second period, Ovechkin and other Capitals appeared to lose their focus chasing Kadri around the ice. Ovechkin came back to start the second period, which caught the ire of the Leafs’ Matt Martin, who immediately went up to the player prior to the puck drop, letting him know he thought he was faking the first period injury off the Kadri hit. Later in the second period, with the score tied 1-1, after Ovechkin had gotten away with slashing Kadri on the wrist earlier, Ovie tried to slash him again. It was more tap than slash, but Capitals defenceman Matt Niskanen at the same moment slashed Kadri., who went down heavily. Ovechkin, still angry with Kadri, basically chased him all the way to the Leafs bench. The Leafs opened the third period with 1:35 on the power play and the game tied at 1-1. THIS AND THAT Washington won the special teams battles through two periods. They scored a power play goal. And they were able to kill the Toronto advantages in the second period. The Leafs never really set up their power play on two consecutive calls against Washington. Leafs power play never executed much in Game 5 ... The Leafs did come up with a huge penalty kill earlier in the third period when Jake Gardiner went off for a foolish high sticking penalty ... Toronto kid Tom Wilson was a huge factor earlier in the series. Not so much Friday night. Wilson took a high sticking penalty on Martin Marincin with the score tied 1-1 and 12:24 left in the third period. It was Wilson’s fourth minor penalty of the game. He barely played after that ... The second period goal by Auston Matthews is his third in five games for the Leafs.. It came on a pass from William Nylander, and typically it seems, it came with Zach Hyman tying up two defenceman in front of the Washington goal. The Kid Line has 11 points 1061059 Toronto Maple Leafs The Caps tried to get at Kadri, who was assessed a tripping minor at 17:32.

Washington scored on the power play, with T.J. Oshie collecting the puck Maple Leafs lose heartbreaker in OT to Williams, Capitals after Nicklas Backstrom hit the post and putting it into an open net. Ovechkin appeared to have suffered a serious injury as he clutched his BY TERRY KOSHAN leg and fell to the ice. FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 10:16 PM EDT However, Ovechkin returned to start the second period and hammered Jake Gardiner on the first shift. Ovechkin, who had flattened Gardiner UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 10:28 PM EDT with an open-ice hit in the first period, was fine after all. Despite the health of their leader, the Caps couldn't get Kadri out of their minds. At 19:34 of the second, Washington defenceman Matt Niskanen WASHINGTON — Time to dig in, as Mike Babcock would say. gave Kadri a hard slash to the back of the leg, sending the Leafs forward to the ice in pain. Niskanen was penalized, and Ovechin yelled at Kadri The Maple Leafs don't have a choice. before play resumed. Justin Williams scored at 1:04 of overtime on Friday night at the Verizon The Leafs’ power play sputtered in the second period, when they failed to Center, giving the Washington Capitals a 2-1 victory in Game 5. record a shot on goal on either advantage. The Capitals have taken a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, one that A glove save by Andersen on Kuznetsov in the first period was among has been much tougher than they would have thought, and can win it at the netminder's better saves of the series. The Caps challenged, hoping the Air Canada Centre on Sunday night. A date with Sidney Crosby and for video evidence that Andersen’s glove was behind the goal line when the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round would await. he caught the puck, but the great stop stood. If the Leafs prevail, it’s back to the Verizon Center for a deciding Game 7 on Tuesday. That’s not a scenario the Caps, winners of the Presidents’ Trophy in the regular season, want. No matter how loud their home Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.22.2017 building is, they’d love some time to recover before squaring off with Crosby. The Leafs played a hell of a road game, and though it was not perfect, it couldn’t have been much better (though the power play will get a serious look in the next 48 hours). Babcock wanted his players to respond after a subpar effort in Game 4, and they did that. The same kind of labour has to come on Sunday if they want to survive. And the Leafs know the Capitals will be bringing everything. What’s more, the Leafs have to find the mental strength to win two in a row. Nobody said this playoffs thing was going to be easy. Williams got the winner when most of the Leafs were caught down low. Williams, in the slot, took a pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov and beat goaltender Frederik Andersen between the legs. A Braden Holtby save on James van Riemsdyk during a Toronto power play in the third period was large. Later, Holtby made a big stop on a van Riemsdyk deflection. Down 1-0 in the second period, the Leafs tied the game at even-strength at the six-minute mark when the Auston Matthews line went to work. Again. Matthews scored for the third consecutive game, becoming the first Leafs rookie to score in three playoff games in a row since Wendel Clark in 1986. And at the age of 19, Matthews became the first teenager to score in three in a row in the post-season in the NHL since Dainius Zubrus did the same for the Philadelphia Flyers in 1997. Matthews and Nylander cycled the puck on the play that led to the goal. When Hyman created havoc in front of Holtby, Matthews collected Nylander’s rebound and scored. In the morning, Matthews, named a Calder Trophy finalist the night before, was taking nothing for granted. “It’s important to stay in the moment just because we’re a young team in a rebuild,” Matthews said. “If we make the playoffs one year, it doesn’t mean we’re going to make the playoffs the next year. “Just each game, myself personally, I feel like I've got better. You kind of get more comfortable and know what to expect each and every night. There's not too much space, it's going to be pretty physical, a lot of 50/50 battles that you need to make sure you're winning.” There wasn’t much in the way of bad blood between the clubs through the first four games. There was a turn toward some ugliness, depending on your point of view, in Game 5. Nazem Kadri caught Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin with a hip check on the left leg toward the end of the first period, sending Ovechkin to the ice and eventually the dressing room. 1061060 Toronto Maple Leafs

WATCH: Maple Leafs' Kadri sends Ovechkin flying with controversial hit

TERRY KOSHAN FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 08:04 PM EDT UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 08:21 PM EDT

WASHINGTON — Nazem Kadri sent Alex Ovechkin flying and then to the Washington Capitals dressing room on Friday night. Toward the end of the first period of Game 5 between the Maple Leafs and the Capitals at the Verizon Center, Kadri caught the Capitals captain with his hip as Ovechkin skated out of the Washington end. Ovechkin was down on the ice for several minutes, favouring his left leg, before he was helped to the dressing room. As fans in the building went crazy, the Caps tried to get at Kadri, to no avail. Kadri was assessed a tripping minor on the play at 17:32. Less than a minute later, at 18:15, the Capitals took a 1-0 lead when T.J. Oshie scored on the power play. Ovechkin returned for the start of the second period and on his first shift nailed Jake Gardiner in the corner to the left of Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061061 Toronto Maple Leafs

No doubt Maple Leafs' Matthews earned Calder Trophy nomination

BY TERRY KOSHAN FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 05:54 PM EDT UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 09:31 PM EDT

WASHINGTON — The goals scored and points recorded by Auston Matthews during the 2016-17 regular season brought admiration from his Maple Leafs teammates. Forty goals by Matthews were tied for the second-most in the entire NHL, as only Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby, with 44, scored more; Matthews’ 69 points led all rookies. So, the Leafs, as you might expect, were not the least bit taken aback that Matthews was announced Thursday night as one of the three Calder Trophy candidates, along with forward Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets and defenceman Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The daily manner in which Matthews conducted himself since the season got underway in October might have impressed the Leafs even more. “Based on his demeanour, you can never tell if had four that night or has gone four games without one,” defenceman Connor Carrick said. “And that’s impressive. Because I know as a younger player you are so emotionally attached to your performance, it’s such a part of who you are. “The only over-the-top emotion you get out of him is when he scores big goals.” Once Matthews put his stamp on the NHL with four goals in the season opener in Ottawa, his impact never abated. There were scoring slumps, but Matthews also impressed with his play away from the puck. “He pretty much stepped right in seamlessly into the league and started to make his mark on pretty much his first or second shift,” forward James van Riemsdyk said. “(The Calder nomination) is a pretty cool thing for him.” If Matthews wins the Calder, as the majority of observers think will happen, he will become the first Leaf since Brit Selby in 1965-66 to do so. “It was a big honour to find that out (on Thursday night),” Matthews said. “There are a lot of really good rookies in this class this year and just to be named as one of the top three is a pretty big honour.” Matthews traded texts with Werenski upon getting the Calder news. “I was talking to him a little bit,” Matthews said. “He’s resting with his face injury, but he’s definitely very deserving of it.” Matthews’ first priority is helping the Leafs advance past the Washington Capitals and into the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. His teammates can’t help but peer into the future and get excited at what Matthews, who turns 20 in September, could accomplish. “It’s going to be really fun to watch him at 24, 25, 26,” Carrick said. “He is good, he knows he is good, and he knows he wants to be better. And that’s what you want. He knows where he is at and he knows where he wants to get to and he is a special player for this organization and we are happy and lucky to have him.”

Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061062 Toronto Maple Leafs already announcing that NHLers will not participate in South Korea in 2018, that dream is over.

“Very disappointing,” Scheifele said of the NHL’s decision. “You never Maple Leafs have temporary fan in Jets' Scheifele know when the opportunity will be there again. A guy like (Steven) Stamkos got hurt right before the Olympics (in 2014) and now would be on the team again and will miss another one. Going to the Olympics is a BY MICHAEL TRAIKOS really big honour. I was pretty rattled about that news.” FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 03:19 PM EDT 'I WAS ALWAYS YZERMAN' UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 03:30 PM EDT When you have a brother who is two years older than you, setting up a game of street hockey was often easy. As Mark Scheifele explained, the hard part was deciding who got to be whom. TORONTO — Mark Scheifele is rooting for the Maple Leafs. “I was always Yzerman. He was Lidstrom,” said Scheifele. “Or else, we’d both be him. We were huge Red Wings fans. It was just mindless fun.” Well, that’s not entirely accurate. But with the Winnipeg Jets’ season done, the Kingston, Ont., native has gone from hockey player to hockey The “mindless fun” of playing street hockey is something Scheifele took fan and is watching a lot of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And while it’s for granted as a kid. While he was always passionate about ice hockey, it frustrating not to be playing at this time of year, the second straight year could feel like work when he was practising up to five times a week. But Scheifele’s missed the playoffs, it’s encouraging to see a team that street hockey was a chance to goof around with friends while still finished 30th overall a year ago have success against the Presidents’ enjoying the game. Trophy winners. It is why Scheifele is an ambassador for Hockey Night in Canada’s Play It means the Jets, who finished in ninth place and were seven points out On! A non-profit organization aimed at raising awareness for getting kids of a playoff spot, might not be far from doing the same. active, the summer street hockey tournament and festival travels to 12 cities, beginning May 6 in Toronto. “We want to be that team,” Scheifele said in a one-on-one interview in Toronto, where he was promoting street-hockey awareness for the non- “Obviously road hockey is the basic form of hockey,” said Scheifele. profit organization Play On! “Anybody can do it. You just need a stick and a ball. I think the biggest thing for me is you want kids to enjoy the game. Sometimes what you “You see that any team can go on that run. You see that a team can go see nowadays is hockey is driven by being on the ice all the time. Road from last to the playoffs and that’s something that we have to strive for. hockey is something I did a lot as a kid and it made me love the game.” We can’t look at ourselves as young or inexperienced. Toronto did that and they’re just as young as we are. We have to believe in ourselves. Just missing out on the playoffs can’t be satisfactory. We have to be better than that.” Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.22.2017 For Scheifele, who had a career year with 32 goals and 82 points, there is reason to be optimistic. He established himself as one of the elite centres in the NHL this season, finishing seventh in scoring. Along with Calder Trophy finalist Patrik Laine (36 goals and 64 points) and Nikolaj Ehlers (25 goals and 64 points), he headlines a core group that has yet to reach its full potential. And yet, it’s the same old story for the Jets, where “just wait until next year” is beginning to sound like a broken record. But while Scheifele admitted he’s frustrated and a bit impatient, he’s far from feeling like Jack Eichel in Buffalo. It’s tough,” said Scheifele. “You want the team to do well, but you look at your overall success and you weigh that with the team’s success. You have to take the subtle victories. Obviously, you always have to be optimistic. Once you start getting negative, things aren’t going to go good for you. But you do get frustrated. “You want to win and you want to win now. Obviously this league is a really good league and it’s tough to make the playoffs. A lot of good teams don’t make the playoffs every year, but for me you can’t get frustration fully into your head because you always have to keep working and pushing. That’s something that our team has to realize. It’s not management, but as players we have to know that we can’t be complacent with either individual success or just going through the motions.” To that end, the Jets’ alternate captain isn’t taking any time off these days. Next week, he heads to Paris where he will represent Canada at the world hockey championship. Six of his Jets teammates — Denmark’s Ehlers, Americans Jacob Trouba, Connor Hellebuyck and Andrew Copp, and Canadians’ Josh Morrissey and Eric Comrie — are also going. It’s the third time Scheifele’s played in the tournament, having won gold in Russia last year, where he had four goals and nine points in nine games. And while no one would have blamed him for taking a much- deserved break, he wanted to use the tournament as a springboard for next season. “Sometimes the way I look at it is the better I become, the more it will push other guys to become better,” said Scheifele. “That’s what a leader does. It’s not about what you say, it’s what you show. Playing with a new coach under a new system at the worlds, playing with different players, playing against better players, all those experiences are beneficial. I want to be one of the best players in the world. That’s the goal.” Normally, the world hockey championships would be an audition for something bigger. Last year, it was the World Cup of Hockey, a tournament where Scheifele played on a top line with Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews for Team North America. This year, the audition should have been for the Olympics. But with commissioner Gary Bettman 1061063 Toronto Maple Leafs “The only over-the-top emotion you get out of him is when he scores big goals.”

Babs' Game 5 advice to Leafs: 'Best time of your life, dig in' Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.22.2017

BY TERRY KOSHAN FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 02:00 PM EDT UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 02:04 PM EDT

WASHINGTON - Simple words from Mike Babcock regarding his message to the Maple Leafs on the morning of Game 5. “Teams are going home now, you can see, pretty soon there’s only eight and if you want to be one of them, you dig in,” the Leafs coach said after the club skated at the Verizon Center. “Best time of your life, dig in.” The Leafs and Washington Capitals are tied 2-2 in the best-of-seven first- round series. The winner of Game 5 on Friday night will firmly be in the driver’s seat going into Game 6 at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday. “This is going to be a pretty pivotal game, so it’s up for grabs,” Leafs centre Auston Matthews said. “We know they’re going to come out pretty hard, it’s back in their building, you know it’s going to be loud. We’ve got to be ready.” The game is the start of an unofficial best-of-three, and the Caps have, on paper, home-ice advantage. Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk wasn’t sure that mattered much. “Depending on the situations, it’s almost the road team that dictates how the game is played — the guys put on the ice for certain faceoffs, that sort of thing,” van Riemsdyk said. “The other team has to respond to that. It’s that fine line.” The Leafs haven’t had the kind of trouble many anticipated with Caps goalie Braden Holtby, scoring four goals in each of the past three games. And Frederik Andersen will try to put behind a tough performance in Game 4, when the Capitals pumped five pucks past him in a 5-4 victory. The Leafs have been scoring in various ways, including deflections that Holtby can’t do much about. “There hasn’t been a lot of fortunate luck that way,” Holtby said. “If that’s part of their game plan, it’s more about taking away areas. If a shot is going to one side, it’s not about catching it or getting it in the middle of the blocker. It’s more getting your whole body there. “That’s life, that’s hockey. You move on to the next shot because in the playoffs, it’s all about the next save, the next play.” The Leafs, meanwhile, weren’t exactly bowled over with shock that Matthews is one of three finalists for the Calder Trophy, announced Thursday night. Matthews is up against forward Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets and defenceman Zach Werenski for the award. “He pretty much stepped right in seamlessly into the league and started to make his mark on pretty much his first or second shift,” van Riemsdyk said. “It’s a pretty cool thing for him.” Matthews’ 40 goals tied him for second in the NHL, behind only Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby, who had 44 goals. Matthews had 69 points in 82 games to lead all rookies. “It was a big honour to find that out yesterday,” Matthews said. “There are a lot of really good rookies in this class this year and just to be named as one of the top three is a pretty big honour.” Matthews traded texts with Werenski on Thursday night upon getting the Calder news. “I was talking to him a little bit,” Matthews said. “He’s resting with his face injury, but he’s definitely very deserving of it.” Matthews’ day-in, day-out approach also helped set him apart. “You can never tell if had four that night or has gone four games without one,” defenceman Connor Carrick said. “And that’s impressive. Because I know as a younger player you are so emotionally attached to your performance, it is such a part of who you are, you are used to having a lot of success. 1061064 Toronto Maple Leafs advanced play from Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly. The Matthews line, with Zach Hyman and William Nylander, has grown with each passing game. The Kadri line have been pests going against the best of Maple Leafs play almost the perfect playoff game and lose Washington’s scorers. Really, only the line of Tyler Bozak, Mitch Marner and JVR, with less ice than usual, needs to deliver more. And Bozak has scored an overtime game and van Riemdsyk had the winner on his stick with less than seven minutes to play. BY STEVE SIMMONS “Just one shot and it’s in their net,” said Matthews. “And maybe the FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 11:58 PM EDT series is 3-2 for us.” UPDATED: SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 2017 12:08 AM EDT Maybe. But it’s 3-2 the other way. Game 6 tomorrow. Maybe a fifth overtime game. This series is that tight and Nazem Kadri understands.

One year, playing for the London Knights, he played six straight overtime WASHINGTON — It was right there for the Maple Leafs. The puck on games in a junior playoff series with the Windsor Spitfires. He lived James van Riemsdyk’s stick. Nothing between him and Braden Holtby through the emotion of all that. You won’t like the result. and a playoff win. The Knights lost in six games. “He usually scores when he’s in tight like that,” said Auston Matthews.

“He’s a good player,” said coach Mike Babcock. “He was in home free. JVR scores. Give him credit, when he gets his chances he usually Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.22.2017 finishes. It didn’t go in for him. That’s all.” And as happens far too often, for too many years on too many teams, Justin Williams had a chance and the Maple Leafs lost in overtime on a night they were deserving of so much more. Pat Quinn used to call nights like this one a perfect road game for the Leafs. And almost everything was perfect but the final score. You could see that in the Maple Leafs eyes in the dressing room. There were no tears. There was no one looking down or whispering. They knew what they had accomplished in Game 5. They had the game stolen — or maybe more than that, deservedly won. And they have nothing to show for it except a template for what was probably their most complete and confident game of the series against the Washington Capitals. This was the fourth overtime of the series, the first time that has happened to a Leafs team in 66 years. Overtime can be patently unfair and too often heartbreaking. It can be a bounce, one play, one piece of puck possession: Williams was somehow left open in the slot on what Matt Hunwick called a bang-bang play. The Leafs were the better team in defeat, more important than that, they were the smarter team, the more disciplined team. And now they will play Sunday night for their lives and their season, trailing 3-2 in a best-of-seven series, somehow not cashing on the night Alexander Ovechkin seemingly lost his composure and maybe his mind. After being hit in the first period, Ovechkin ran at Nazem Kadri, ran at Jake Gardiner, ran at anyone he could hit at full steam. Or in the words of the 19-year-old veteran Matthews: “Naz and Leo (Komarov) and Browner (Connor Brown), I think did a good job getting under his skin. He’s a key player for them. And he’s running around and hitting guys. When he’s doing that, the puck isn’t on his stick.” When he’s doing that, he stops being dangerous. And there was opportunity for the Leafs. It just didn’t end that way. There is normally a certain feel after a playoff defeat, an uncomfortable silence permeating the dressing room, a frustration. But there wasn’t anything like that. There was a certain pride, a belief, a wonder maybe about how they did so many things right and ended up on the wrong side of a 2-1 score. The late Quinn used to lecture a lot about playing the perfect road game. How you can suck the life out of a game. How you can turn noise into silence. How you can transfer doubt from the ice to the stands and back to the opposition bench. There had to doubt on the Washington bench after all that has happened over the years. There had to be. Except everything tilts the Capitals way now. They need to win one of two remaining games. There is no margin of error for the young Leafs, who have played so many different roles in the five changes of the series, four of them ending in overtime. They have been great and terrible and full of energy and out of gas and frankly they have scared the whatever out of the Capitals and their fans: And they don’t have enough to show for all of that. Frederik Andersen made the requisite unbelievable save in the first period when he made a glove save against Evgeny Kuznetzov. He bounced back the way a top flight goaltender is supposed to bounce back after a difficult game. The Leafs are getting strong play from their fourth line, from the unlikely players like Hunwick and Martin Marincin on defence. They are getting 1061065 Toronto Maple Leafs Babcock, as you might guess, didn’t think there should have been a penalty on the play.

“Trotzy (Caps coach Barry Trotz) probably thought it should have been a Toronto Maple Leafs on brink of elimination after Justin Williams goal major and I thought there should have been no penalty,” Babcock said. gives Washington Capitals 2-1 win in OT “That’s the beauty of the playoffs. The other night when (Roman) Polak is done for the year, our bench thought it should have been a major and they thought it should have been no penalty. That’s kind of the playoffs.” Terry Koshan Later, Kadri took a nasty slash to the back of the leg from Matt Niskanen, April 21, 2017 11:57 PM ET and had a welt to show for it afterwards. The Leafs are 6-15 in franchise history when trailing 3-2 in a series. That’s not going to weigh on them going into Sunday. WASHINGTON — Time to dig in, as coach Mike Babcock would say. “We’re not going to dwell on (the loss), we’re going to get ready for Game The Toronto Maple Leafs don’t have a choice. 6 and put all of our effort into that,” Matt Hunwick said. The Leafs have set a solid foundation for the future of the organization in 2016-17, but they have no desire to go into the night and be satisfied that they gave the Washington Capitals a stiff challenge in the opening round National Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Winning is all that matters, and the Leafs have to knock off the Presidents’ Trophy champions in back-to-back games in order to advance to the second round. The Capitals put themselves in control of the best-of-seven series on Friday night at the Verizon Center, winning 2-1 when Justin Williams beat Frederik Andersen between the legs at 1:04 of overtime, the fourth time these teams have needed extra time to decide the outcome. Washington leads the series 3-2 and can close it out on Sunday night in Game 6 at the Air Canada Centre. “You can’t have any more fun than this,” Babcock said. “We believe we still have a chance to win. That’s what we’re going to do. “The bottom line is we’ve got to go home and win a game now because we want to be right here in overtime in Game 7.” If the Leafs prevail, it’s back to the Verizon Center for the deciding game on Tuesday. The Leafs played a hell of a road game, and though it was not perfect, it couldn’t have been much better, though the power play will get a serious look in the next 48 hours. Babcock wanted his players to respond after a subpar effort in Game 4, and they did. The same kind of labour has to come on Sunday if they want to survive. And the Leafs know the Capitals will bring everything. “I don’t think we’re hanging our heads on this,” Auston Matthews said. “We played a pretty solid game and we’re going back home in a must- win. I think we take some positives from this game and move on to the next one.” In the second period, Matthews scored for the third consecutive game, becoming the first Leafs rookie to score in three playoff games in a row since Wendel Clark in 1986. At the age of 19, Matthews became the first teenager to score in three in a row in the post-season in the NHL since Dainius Zubrus did the same for the Philadelphia Flyers in 1997. There wasn’t much bad blood between the clubs through the first four games. In Game 5, however, there was a turn toward some ugliness, depending on your point of view. Nazem Kadri caught Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin with a hip check on the left leg toward the end of the first period, sending Ovechkin to the ice and eventually the dressing room. The Caps tried to get at Kadri, who was assessed a tripping minor at 17:32. Washington scored on the power play, with T.J. Oshie collecting the puck after Nicklas Backstrom hit the post and putting it into an open net for a 1-0 lead. Ovechkin appeared to have suffered a serious injury as he clutched his leg and fell to the ice. However, Ovechkin returned to start the second period and hammered Jake Gardiner on the first shift. Ovechkin was OK after all. “It’s not like I stuck my knee out or got my arms high or anything like that,” Kadri said. “It happened pretty quick. I thought it was OK. Glad he came back, but he was running around a little bit when he came back so he must have been fine.” Said Ovechkin, referring to his leg: “All good.” 1061066 Toronto Maple Leafs To that end, the Jets’ alternate captain isn’t taking any time off these days. Next week, he heads to Paris, where he will represent Canada at the world hockey championship. Six other players from the Jets — ‘We want to be that team’: Could Mark Scheifele’s young Winnipeg Jets Denmark’s Ehlers, Americans Jacob Trouba, Connor Hellebuyck and be the next Toronto Maple Leafs? Andrew Copp and Canadians Josh Morrissey and Eric Comrie — are also going.

It’s the third time Scheifele’s played in the tournament, having won gold Michael Traikos in Russia last year, where he scored four goals and nine points in nine games. And while no one would have blamed him for a much-deserved April 21, 2017 2:42 PM ET break, it was a no-brainer for a player who wants to use the tournament as a springboard for an even better year next season.

“Sometimes the way I look at it is the better I become, the more it will TORONTO — Mark Scheifele is rooting for the Maple Leafs. push other guys to become better,” said Scheifele. “That’s what a leader Well, that’s not entirely accurate. With the Winnipeg Jets’ season done, does. It’s not about what you say, it’s what you show. Playing with a new the Kingston, Ont., native has gone from hockey player to hockey fan coach under a new system at the worlds, playing with different players, and is watching a lot of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And while it’s frustrating playing against better players, all those experiences are beneficial. not to be playing at this time of year, the second straight year Scheifele’s “I want to be one of the best players in the world. That’s the goal.” missed the playoffs, it’s encouraging to see a team that finished 30th overall a year ago have success against the Presidents’ Trophy winners. Normally, the world hockey championship would be an audition for something bigger. Last year, it was the World Cup of Hockey, a It means that Jets, who finished in ninth place and were seven points out tournament where Scheifele played on a top line with Connor McDavid of a playoff spot, might not be far behind from doing the same. and Auston Matthews for Team North America. This year, the audition “We want to be that team,” Scheifele said in a one-on-one interview with should have been for the Olympics. Postmedia in Toronto, where he was promoting street-hockey awareness But with commissioner Gary Bettman already announcing that NHLers for the non-profit organization Play On! “You see that any team can go on will not be participating in South Korea in 2018, that dream is already that run. You see that a team can go from last to the playoffs, and that’s over before it even begun. something that we have to strive for. We can’t look at ourselves as young or inexperienced. Toronto did that and they’re just as young as we are. “Oh, very disappointing,” Scheifele said of the NHL’s decision. “You never know when the opportunity will be there again. A guy like (Steven) “We have to believe in ourselves. Just missing out on the playoffs can’t Stamkos got hurt right before the Olympics (in 2014) and now would be be satisfactory. We have to be better than that.” on the team again and will miss another one. Going to the Olympics is a For Scheifele, who had a career year with 32 goals and 82 points, there really big honour. I was pretty rattled about that news.” is reason to be optimistic. He established himself as one of the elite centres in the NHL this season, finishing seventh in scoring. Along with Calder Trophy finalist Patrik Laine (36 goals and 64 points) and Nikolaj National Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 Ehlers (25 goals and 64 points), he headlines a core group that has yet to reach its full potential. And yet, it’s the same old story for the Jets, where “just wait until next year” is beginning to sound like a broken record. But while he admitted he’s frustrated and a bit impatient, he’s far from feeling like Jack Eichel in Buffalo. “It’s tough,” said Scheifele. “You want the team to do well, but you look at your overall success and you weigh that with the team’s success. You have to take the subtle victories. Obviously, you always have to be optimistic. Once you start getting negative, things aren’t going to go good for you. But you do get frustrated. Road hockey launched Schiefele's path to the NHL When you have a brother who is two years older than you, setting up a game of street hockey was often easy. As Mark Scheifele explained, the hard part was deciding who got to be who. “I was always Yzerman. He was Lidstrom,” said Scheifele. “Or else, we’d both be him. We were huge Red Wings fans. It was just mindless fun.” The so-called mindless fun of playing street hockey is something Scheifele took for granted as a kid. While ice hockey was a sport he was always passionate about, it could sometimes feel like work when you’re practicing up to five times a week. But street hockey was a chance to goof around with friends while still enjoying the game. It is why Scheifele is an ambassador for Hockey Night in Canada’s Play On! The summer street hockey tournament and festival, which is travels to 12 different cities, beginning on May 6 in Toronto, is a non-profit organization aimed at raising awareness for getting kids active. “Obviously, road hockey is the basic form of hockey,” said Scheifele. “Anybody can do it. You just need a stick and a ball. I think the biggest thing for me is you want kids to enjoy the game. Sometimes, what you see nowadays is hockey is driven by being on the ice all the time. Road hockey is something I did a lot as a kid and made me love the game.” — Michael Traikos “You want to win and you want to win now. Obviously, this league is a really good league and it’s tough to make the playoffs. A lot of good teams don’t make the playoffs every year, but for me, you can’t get frustration fully into your head, because you always have to keep working and pushing. “That’s something that our team has to realize. It’s not management, but as players we have to know that we can’t be complacent with either individual success or just going through the motions.” 1061067 Toronto Maple Leafs The winner and loser of Mike Babcock’s post-Detroit decision comes into sharp relief as the Sabres’ axe falls

‘He’s come a long way’: Nazem Kadri has emerged as a force since Toronto Maple Leafs try to embrace the opportunity of now in Game 5 of Toronto Maple Leafs’ last taste of playoffs the NHL playoffs Brian Boyle, by far the Leafs most experienced post-season player, said the games only get harder as a series goes deeper. The two teams start Jonas Siege to hate one another a little more, he said, and learn one another’s tricks. Faceoffs, for instance, suddenly started favouring the Capitals after early April 21, 2017 | Last Updated: Apr 21 10:41 AM ET domination by Toronto. “We started out hot, they made adjustments, (and now) we’ve got to make to more adjustments and figure out ways to get the puck back,” WASHINGTON — Mike Babcock had one of the most prolific teams the Boyle said. NHL had ever seen in spring 2006. “There’s a lot more at stake and a lot less recovery space if that makes Loaded with future hall of famers like Nicklas Lidstrom, Brendan any sense,” added Babcock. Shanahan and Steve Yzerman, the Detroit Red Wings became only the fifth team in history to win at least 58 games. But after four games of their Washington hogged the puck for much of Game 4 and has a slight edge first round series with Edmonton — a team that had 17 less wins and 29 in possession through four games, but other than that the series is pretty fewer points during the regular season — Detroit stood even at two close to even. games apiece. Both teams have scored 14 goals and the Leafs have managed a mere The Red Wings dropped the next two as their historic season fell by the three more shots (150-147). wayside. Regular-season success, in other words, has mean very little. Eleven years later, Babcock finds himself on the opposite end of things. He’s now looking for an upset as the head coach of an underdog Maple “We just gotta know that it’s going to be hard,” Boyle said. “It’s going to Leafs squad tied 2-2 with a seemingly superior Capitals foe. get harder and harder as it goes along. It always does.” “We’re in a great situation,” Babcock said Thursday before his team left for Game 5 Washington. National Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 “This is our opportunity. We earned this opportunity. Let’s make good on this opportunity. I’m not trying to tell you, ‘Oh hey they’re young, we shouldn’t win.’ I never said that.” Babcock has being pushing that message from the day the Leafs cracked the playoffs. He’s wanted his group to believe that even the tallest giants can be cut out at the knees during the post-season. If the ’06 Oilers, a relatively mediocre group led in scoring during the regular season by Ales Hemsky, can upend one of the best teams in history, why couldn’t his promising squad do the unlikely and beat the Caps? Babcock wants his group embracing the moment, not because there won’t be more opportunities down the line, but because this one is here right now. Don’t wait for an uncertain future either, Babcock seemed to suggest. “I’ve pretty much been living proof of that,” said veteran winger James van Riemsdyk. The 27-year-old went to the Stanley Cup final as a rookie with Philadelphia in 2010. “Here we are seven years later and I think the longest I’ve stayed in the playoffs since then is the second round,” he said. “So again you never really know how these things can align. There’s so many different things that can happen like injuries and that sort of that stuff, so while you’re here you’ve just got to make the most of it and not worry about the next year.” Expectations for Washington this spring mirror those of Babcock’s Detroit squad from back in the day. The Capitals were built to win now with a number of key regulars, including Justin Williams, T.J. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk, all headed for unrestricted free agency and a few more beyond that, such as Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov, headed for restricted free agency. Alex Ovechkin, meanwhile, is 31 and coming off one of his least productive NHL seasons and Nicklas Backstrom turns 30 in November. Washington won’t be this good or deep again any time soon — and they know it. Babcock told his players Thursday morning to embrace the opportunity of “bonus” hockey. He imagined them doing cartwheels before the series if they knew they’d be even at two heading into Game 5. His team is coming its least impressive showing of the playoffs though, a 5-4 defeat in Game 4 which saw them battered over 40 minutes before rallying late. The Capitals scored two in the first five minutes for the second straight game and had four by Frederik Andersen when a period was in the books. Babcock said it was “the fist time that maybe we weren’t scared enough of them and it looked like it because our competition level wasn’t good enough.” 1061068 Toronto Maple Leafs Matthews line, with Zach Hyman and William Nylander, has grown with each passing game. The Kadri line have been pests going against the best of Washington’s scorers. Really, only the line of Tyler Bozak, Mitch Maple Leafs did everything well in Game 5 except win the game, with Marner and JVR, with less ice than usual, needs to deliver more. And Capitals now on the verge of taking the series Bozak has scored an overtime game and van Riemdsyk had the winner on his stick with less than seven minutes to play.

“Just one shot and it’s in their net,” said Matthews. “And maybe the Steve Simmons series is 3-2 for us.” Maybe. But it’s 3-2 the other way. Game 6 tomorrow. Maybe a fifth overtime game. This series is that tight and Kadri understands. WASHINGTON – It was right there for the Maple Leafs. The puck on James van Riemsdyk’s stick. Nothing between him and Braden Holtby One year, playing for the London Knights, he played six straight overtime and a playoff win. games in a junior playoff series with the Windsor Spitfires. He lived through the emotion of all that. You won’t like the result. “He usually scores when he’s in tight like that,” said Auston Matthews. The Knights lost in six games. “He’s a good player,” said head coach Mike Babcock. “He was in home free. JVR scores. Give him credit, when he gets his chances he usually finishes. It didn’t go in for him. That’s all.” National Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 And as happens far too often, for too many years on too many teams, Justin Williams had a chance and the Maple Leafs lost in overtime on a night they were deserving of so much more. Pat Quinn used to call nights like this one a perfect road game for the Leafs. And almost everything was perfect but the final score, which ended 2-1. You could see that in the Maple Leafs eyes in the dressing room. There were no tears. There was no one looking down or whispering. They knew what they had accomplished in Game 5. They had the game stolen – or maybe more than that, deserverdly won. And they have nothing to show for it except a template for what was probably their most complete and confident game of the series against the Washington Capitals. This was the fourth overtime of the series, the first time that has happened to a Leafs team in 66 years. Overtime can be patently unfair and too often heartbreaking. It can be a bounce, one play, one piece of puck possession. Justin Williams was somehow left open in the slot on what Matt Hunwick called a bang-bang play. The Leafs were the better team in defeat, more important than that, they were the smarter team, the more disciplined team. And now they will play Sunday night for their lives and their season, trailing 3-2 in a best of seven series, somehow not cashing on the night Alexander Ovechkin seeminly lost his composure and maybe his mind. After being hit in the first period, Ovechkin ran at Nazem Kadri, ran at Jake Gardiner, ran at anyone he could hit at full steam. Or in the words of the 19-year-old veteran Matthews: “Naz and Leo (Komarov) and Browner (Connor Brown), I think did a good job getting under his skin. He’s a key player for them. And he’s running around and hitting guys. When he’s doing that, the puck isn’t on his stick.” When he’s doing that, he stops being dangerous. And there was opportunity for the Leafs. It just didn’t end that way. There is normally a certain feel after a playoff defeat, an uncomfortable silence permeating the dressing room, a frustration. But there wasn’t anything like that. There was a certain pride, a belief, a wonder maybe about how they did so many things right and ended up on the wrong side of a 2-1 score. The late Quinn used to lecture a lot about playing the perfect road game. How you can suck the life out of a game. How you can turn noise into silence. How you can transfer doubt from the ice to the stands and back to the opposition bench. There had to doubt on the Washington bench after all that has happened over the years. There had to be. Except everything tilts the Capitals way now. They need to win one of two remaining games. There is no margin of error for the young Leafs, who have played so many different roles in the five changes of the series, four of them ending in overtime. They have been great and terrible and full of energy and out of gas and frankly they have scared the whatever out of the Capitals and their fans: And they don’t have enough to show for all of that. Frederik Andersen made the requisite unbelievable save in the first period when he made a glove save against Evgeny Kuznetzov. He bounced back the way a top flight goaltender is supposed to bounce back after a difficult game. The Leafs are getting strong play from their fourth line, from the unlikely players like Matt Hunwick and Martin Marincin on defence. They are getting advanced play from Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly. The 1061069 Vegas Golden Knights

Construction on schedule for Vegas Golden Knights facility in Summerlin

By Jesse Granger (contact) Friday, April 21, 2017 | 5 p.m.

The Sun's NHL coverage Construction for the Vegas Golden Knights’ Summerlin practice facility is on track for the projected August opening, and possibly even ahead of schedule according to the president of the construction company. Golden Knights executives and Clark County commissioners gathered today for a “topping off” ceremony as the construction crew placed the final beam atop the facility. “This moment typically represents being halfway done, but we are more than halfway done,” said Darren Gillett, President and CEO of Gillett Construction. “We might even be a little ahead of schedule.” Gillett, Golden Knights Senior Vice President Murray Craven and commissioners Steve Sisolak and Susan Brager all signed the white beam with a marker. “I can’t thank the Golden Knights enough,” Sisolak said. “They have changed the landscape of this community and will always be our first major professional team. We stand by ready to do whatever we can to help bring this thing to the finish line.” While Craven, who is supervising the project, isn’t as bold as Gillett in claiming construction is ahead of schedule, he is confident the Golden Knights will be able to hold their inaugural training camp there in September. Crews are working six days a week, he said. “We are confident that we’ll be ready,” Craven said. “We will certainly have ice in here by then. That’s not going to be a problem because we’ll have ice in here by early August.” The team will hold its rookie training camp the week following the entry draft on June 23-24 at the Las Vegas Ice Center. That would be a possible backup plan if the practice facility wasn’t completed in time for early September but all signs point to it being done. “If you miss one day and don’t come through here, when you come back the next day and so much more is done,” said Brad Sholl, general manager of the practice facility. “Now you can finally get a feel for how everything is going to lay out and how it’s going to look.” Sholl managed the Toyota Sports Center, the practice facility for the Los Angeles Kings, before coming to Las Vegas. He has seen practice facilities from all around the NHL and says the Golden Knights may have the best when it’s finished. “When Mr. Craven first showed me the drawings I immediately noticed how everything is laid out perfectly,” Sholl said. “The flow of a practice facility is so important and I think he did his homework as far as going around to all of the good facilities and picking the best parts of them and leaving the worst parts out.” The 146,000-square-foot facility will have the best amenities in the league. “Every facility that I’ve been in has some flaws but so far from what I’ve seen this one doesn’t,” Sholl said. “Once you’re open you’ll start noticing things but as of now everything here looks like it will work perfectly.” There’s still plenty of work to be done at the facility, but the roof is finally on and the building is starting to take shape. Before we know it the Golden Knights will be skating on the rinks. “Pretty much everything about the building excites me but what really excites me is once we open watching our programs and everything grow,” Sholl said. “That’s what I envision. I’m so confident that we will be able to deliver to the community and to Las Vegas what we have been promising.” LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061070 Washington Capitals production from the power play. At his worst, he’s dirty. Nit after nit after nit, all leading to the gut-punch: He has no Stanley Cup, not even close.

But what of what he is? He has three goals in the series — and the two An injury scare and a pause to reflect on the importance of Alex on the power play somehow don’t count? No Cap in history has more Ovechkin goals or more points. We know the résumé. “When you see a star player down, you’re always concerned,” Coach By Barry Svrluga April 21 at 11:47 PM Barry Trotz said. “He’s the face of the franchise.” And then, there was that stubbly face, barreling out of the tunnel when the second period began. Alex Ovechkin has been on the ice or the bench — and, most often, slamming himself into the glass in unmitigated glee — for the most “I just needed a little break,” Ovechkin said. significant moments in Washington Capitals’ history over the past decade The Verizon crowd took notice, because this is still their guy. It’s cool to and more. So this had to be an odd feeling in the first period Friday night: have an Oshie 77 sweater, or a Holtby 70, or even something a little Ovechkin, out of sight in the Caps’ dressing room, when Verizon Center more obscure — a stray David Steckel or Matt Bradley or something. But roared following Washington’s power-play goal — a power play he those all run distant seconds to the Ovechkin 8s that flood the crowd, defines, a power play that was left without him. night after night. “I was watching TV,” Ovechkin said. “Just have a Coke and enjoy the So here was his Willis Reed moment. match.” “It’s Ovi,” Caps defenseman Nate Schmidt said. “He’s a replace-the- At that point, who among the 18,506 at Verizon expected to see parts-and-keep-going kind of guy.” Ovechkin again? He left the ice not struggling, not limping, but completely unable to put weight on his left leg, helped off by two In the fall of 2006, Ovechkin took a shot off his right foot from then- teammates. Before that, he lay prone on the ice, wobbling only from hip teammate Shaone Morrisonn — friendly fire. Though he had to be helped to hip, and his pain appeared obvious. Before that, he had tried to play a off the ice — with Schmidt and Oshie’s help Friday — he practiced the puck off the boards and then skip around Toronto forward Nazem Kadri, next day. who lowered his left hip into Ovechkin’s knee, flipping him. “I’m okay,” he said then. “Russian machine never breaks.” And there was all of Washington, unable to exhale. Spring might end early around here, and Caps fans know that. But ending early without It’s so long ago, and that phrase has become part of the Caps lexicon — Ovechkin? spawning a blog, T-shirts, the whole bit — that we forget. Friday, we were reminded: The truth is that Ovechkin is still, at 31 and a piece of the The fifth game of this impossibly tight first-round playoff series between furniture around here, a mesmerizing character. He didn’t factor in any of the Caps and the Maple Leafs ended when Justin Williams augmented the goals, and his critics will point out that he has just one even-strength his already substantial postseason legacy by scoring just more than a point in five games. minute into overtime, giving Washington a 2-1 victory that provides a crucial three-games-to-two-lead as the series heads back to Toronto, “I’m not quite sure I was happy to see him come back on the ice,” Kadri where the Capitals will have a chance to advance on Sunday night. said. But the moment with Ovechkin on the ice and no way to know what The Verizon Center was, and decidedly so. He took the first shift of the would come next represented something larger than even that. This was, second period — and promptly laid a massive hit on Toronto’s Jake in a perverse way, a reminder of what exactly Ovechkin means not just to Gardiner. these Capitals right now, but what he has meant to hockey in this city. Ovechkin ended up playing nearly 20 minutes Friday night, when it Without Ovechkin, there’s no nine playoff appearances in 10 years here looked like he might not see the rest of the period. Remember how you — a run that fans in Toronto (second time in 12 years) would certainly felt when he was down. It serves as a way to appreciate all he has been take. There’s no “Rock the Red” or “Unleash the Fury,” at least not at the here. percentage to which the fan base dresses in the team colors, and not at Washington Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 the volume with which they bellow the latter phrase in the waning moments of the third period, the game still on the line. And there absolutely, positively aren’t 360 straight sellouts — as there are after Friday night — if Alex Ovechkin never showed up on F Street. And here he was, both down and out. “At the end of the day, I’m cheating my teammates if I don’t try to get a piece of him, because he’s dumping the puck in and going around our defensemen,” Kadri said, by way of explanation, of a play that — with the advantage of replay — didn’t appear dirty. “At the end of the day, I got no choice. I’ve got to hold him up and try to save my defensemen.” Which is one way an opponent, in the moment, articulates what Ovechkin means. For all he is and all he isn’t, he still draws the eye — and all the attention of the other team — when he’s on the ice. For Washington, so much of the buildup to these playoffs was about the construction of this team. This is the most complete unit Ovechkin has played on in his dozen seasons, and the fact that he and T.J. Oshie shared the Caps’ lead in goals — 33, the second-lowest total of Ovechkin’s career — served as an indication that, on a given night, the Caps’ offense didn’t have to come from Ovechkin. It served as a talking point, because someone like Williams would serve as a grinder on the second line, and Nicklas Backstrom is still here orchestrating the power play, and Evgeny Kuznetsov has unleashed his skill, and Oshie can score, and the back end is solid, and Braden Holtby just won the Vezina Trophy, and . . . It took a while before the topic of Ovechkin even came up. And yet, in those minutes when it seemed like he may not reappear, the potential of playing without him — of making a run in the playoffs without him — was a decidedly dark development. Perhaps no player in the NHL, over the past decade, has been as picked-apart as Ovechkin. He’s not a two-way player, they say. He gets a disproportionate percentage of his 1061071 Washington Capitals another big hit on Gardiner on his first shift of the second period. Toward the end of the game, Ovechkin started double-shifting on the Capitals’ first and third lines. Washington Capitals Analysis Ovi returns. Immediately does this. #RockTheRed pic.twitter.com/AQo64jx3jW By Jesse Dougherty April 21 at 10:35 PM — Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 22, 2017 At the end of the second period, Matt Niskanen went to the box for slashing Kadri in the left leg. Kadri went to the locker room after he was Justin Williams, left, is mobbed at the glass after scoring the game- slashed by Niskanen and returned to the game with just over 14 minutes winning goal in overtime in Game 5 at Verizon Center on Friday. left in the third. In the series’ fourth overtime game, Justin Williams played the hero with Maple Leafs are on the power play after this. #StanleyCup a goal 1:04 into the extra period. It gave the Capitals a 2-1 win and 3-2 pic.twitter.com/yjG2vdZFwm lead in the best-of-seven series. — NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) April 22, 2017 Game 5’s narrative was briefly defined by Nazem Kadri’s first-period hit on Alex Ovechkin, which left Ovechkin writhing on the ice and temporarily Capitals penalty kill comes up big sidelined. But Ovechkin returned for the second and it turned into a tight- The Capitals killed two second-period power plays without allowing a fisted defensive battle in which high-grade chances were very hard to shot on goal, another that started in the second and seeped into the first come by. That led to another overtime and Williams’ heroics. 1:35 of the third, and another after Tom Wilson went to the box for high- Here is how the series looks heading into Game 6 in Toronto on Sunday. sticking midway through the third. The strong showing from the penalty kill ultimately helped give them a chance to win the game in overtime. Holtby wins the series’ first true goalie battle Wilson, on the other hand, was stuck on the bench in the third period In a night full of breath-catching saves, it was Frederik Andersen who after making a few too many mistakes. finally cracked in overtime. That left Braden Hotlby as the victorious goaltender celebrating in a mob of Capitals players, his one-goal, 24- Tom Wilson has been benched. Hasn't taken a shift since his fourth save performance lifting the team to a Game 5 win. minor penalty. The scores through four games indicated an increasingly offense-heavy — Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) April 22, 2017 series, with the Capitals winning 3-2 in Game 1, the Maple Leafs taking The two second-period kills were all the more impressive considering the back-to-back 4-3 results, then the Capitals winning Game 4 in a 5-4 two penalties. The first as a tripping call on Wilson and the second was shootout. That created a question mark in each net, as both Andersen hooking on Jay Beagle, meaning each kill came without a top penalty and Holtby struggled at times. killer on the ice. The Capitals allowed one power-play goal in Games 2, 3 Andersen was at his best in Game 2, making 47 saves in 90-plus and 4, but did NOT let the Maple Leafs capitalize on any of their minutes, but struggled in Game 4. It’s rare for Holtby to ever give up four NUMBER advantages in Game 5. It was an encouraging sign that played goals, and he did so in Games 2, 3 and 4. But he was also the victim of a big part in a tight win. unlucky bounces and a lot of traffic in front at times, leaving the door Auston Matthews and Maple Leafs top line continues productive streak open for a strong showing in Game 5. The Maple Leafs’ top line of Zach Hyman, Auston Matthews and William And that is what happened Friday, as Holtby made a handful of important Nylander again broke through in Game 5. That came when Matthews saves before stiffing the Maple Leafs throughout the third period. scored his third goal of the series six minutes into the second period. Entering overtime, Holtby had 24 saves to Andersen’s 25. Holtby didn’t Nylander and Hyman each got an assist on the play. need to make another save before his performance led to Williams’ game-winning goal. Dmitry Orlov and Niskanen mostly skated against Matthews’ group in Game 4, a matchup Maple Leafs Coach Mike Babcock didn’t look to “I think the sightlines were better last game. You’ve got to figure out counter. That continued with Trotz able to make last change in his home players’ tendencies. The more you play against them, you know who’s in arena Friday, as Orlov and Niskanen were again pitted against Matthews front, who’s where,” Holtby said Friday morning. “Certain things like that. and the Maple Leafs top line for most of the contest. Trotz also regularly there’s always screens every game, pucks that you don’t see and you used center Evgeny Kuznetsov and the Capitals’ second line against just got to find it as quick as possible. But I think our guys are trying to Hyman, Matthews and Nylander, which has been a trend throughout the figure it out.” series. On Friday, they figured it out in a big way. Matthews’ line has slowly heated up after they were held scoreless in Ovechkin is helped off the ice after big Kadri hit, then returns Games 1 and 2. Matthews and Nylander each scored in Game 3, and then Hyman and Matthews scored in Game 4. That funneled into Friday, Ovechkin had to be helped off the ice after sustaining a big hit from Kadri where Matthews evened the score 1-1 with his second-period goal. in the first period. “I just think each game, myself personally I feel like I’ve gotten better,” But Ovechkin dramatically returned for the start of the second period, Matthews said after the Maple Leafs’ morning skate Friday. “You kind of coming out of the tunnel last and inciting booming “Ovi! Ovi! chants at get more comfortable each and every night to expect not too much Verizon Center. space, it’s pretty physical, a lot of 50-50 battles that you got to make sure you’re winning.” Kadri lowered his shoulder into Ovechkin’s left knee, and Ovechkin stayed down before a trainer approached him. He was then helped to the Matthews and Co. continued to produce in Game 5, but it only scratched tunnel by Nicklas Backstrom and Nate Schmidt, and was not putting any the scoreboard in a eventual loss. weight on his left leg. Washington Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 Ovechkin is hurt by a hit from Kadri pic.twitter.com/Ct2XJIdTNc — Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 21, 2017 The hit came shortly after Ovechkin lined up Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner. Ovechkin has delivered a handful of big hits on the forecheck throughout the series. Here is Ovechkin’s hit on Gardiner before he exited: we hurt just WATCHING this gif #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/lmWtIiibki — NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) April 21, 2017 Ovechkin had scored in Games 2, 3 and 4. The Capitals converted on the power play that followed Kadri’s hit, when T.J. Oshie tapped in a Backstrom rebound to give them a 1-0 lead heading into the second period. Ovechkin got himself back into the swing of the game with a 1061072 Washington Capitals “You know, it’s interesting, Trotzy probably thought it should have been a major,” Toronto Coach Mike Babcock said. “I thought there should have been no penalty. That’s the beauty of the playoffs.” Justin Williams’s overtime goal lifts Capitals to 2-1 victory over Toronto in “I’m just going to keep my own opinion about the hit,” Trotz said. Game 5 On ensuing the power play, Nicklas Backstrom’s shot hit the crossbar and T.J. Oshie was able to collect the rebound while catching Andersen By Isabelle Khurshudyan April 21 at 10:22 PM out of position and shooting around him. But even with the lead at first intermission, Verizon Center was filled with a nervous energy as fans waited for word on Ovechkin’s status. There was roaring applause when he returned for the second period and was on the ice for the first shift of Call him Mr. Game 5. the frame. Justin Williams had chances earlier in the game, whiffing on pucks But while the triumphant return of their leader should have energized the around the net. But the ultimate playoff performer and proven winner, a Capitals, they instead looked flat in the second period, recording just four three-time Stanley Cup champion nicknamed “Mr. Game 7” for his clutch shots on goal. Six minutes into the period, star rookie Auston Matthews production in those nerve-wracking moments, is at his best when the scored his third goal of the series when he pounced on a loose puck in pressure is highest. front following a sustained shift in which the Capitals were unable to clear their own zone. So, just 64 seconds into overtime, Williams skated into the slot and shot the puck past Frederik Andersen to lift the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 Where Washington eventually drew some momentum was from its victory and a three-games-to-two series lead, just one win away from penalty kill, which had allowed a power-play goal in each of the past advancing to the second round. three games entering Friday night. The unit was ranked seventh in the NHL during the regular season, and in Game 5, it didn’t allow the Maple “These are big moments,” Williams said. “To win a championship, you Leafs a shot on goal in their first three power-play opportunities. need to relish these moments and you need to come up big in these moments.” That was especially impressive considering the minors were committed by two top penalty-killing forwards in Tom Wilson and Jay Beagle. Wilson Williams has consistently done just that in this series, scoring two goals finished the game with a whopping four minor penalties, and Trotz in Game 1 to tie it and send it to overtime, where Washington eventually benched him after the last one, an offensive zone high-sticking. won. Then there were his heroics in Game 5, and the other player who joined him in the spotlight Friday night was Braden Holtby. In hockey, it’s always said that the best penalty-killer is the goaltender. When shots did get through to Holtby, he looked more poised than in After offensive fireworks had shaped the first four games of the series, games earlier this series. Before Friday’s game, the Capitals defended both teams were due for a goaltending duel. Holtby got the better of his play even after he had looked shaky at times, and Trotz said he was Andersen, stopping 24 shots after taking criticism for his play in this “not worried about him at all.” He knew his goaltender would look like series. himself soon. “I thought they threw a lot of pucks there. They were bumping him at “Holts was outstanding,” Oshie said. “They did a really good job of getting every time they could,” Coach Barry Trotz said. “They were standing and some traffic and getting some really good tips on him and somehow he sticking him and bumping him in the crease area, and he just battled found a way to find the puck and make the save. I don’t know what the through that. He was fantastic for us. He was great on the penalty kill for [three] stars were tonight, but him and [Williams] definitely deserve one of us and made some key saves. That’s what Braden Holtby does.” the top two.” With the score tied late in the third period, Holtby was Washington’s best Washington Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 player, looking every bit the stingy goalie the Capitals expected to show up in this series. The shot totals for both teams were low throughout the game, but Holtby stopped 11 shots in the third frame. Unfortunately for the Capitals, Andersen was just as dialed in after his worst performance of the series in Game 4, a 5-4 loss by Toronto. In the last minute of the period, Williams had an opportunity to get the game-winner when he got the puck at the side of the net, but Andersen quickly sealed up any hole with his stick. At the end of regulation, a single shot separated the teams with Washington having 26 to Toronto’s 25. It was indicative of how close this series has been, especially as this marked the fourth overtime in the five games between the teams. After Holtby had uncharacteristically allowed four goals in three straight games in this series, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL’s best goaltender used his off day to work on his game. The Capitals weren’t scheduled to be on the ice Thursday, but Holtby spent time on it anyway. Goaltending coach Mitch Korn and extra defenseman Taylor Chorney helped him work on reacting better to the pinball-like circumstances that had caught him off guard so often in the first four games. “The thing that I thought I could control was more body language and showing a little calmness through my game to kind of instill in the team,” Holtby said. “That was my mind-set coming into the start of the game was just to use my body control, use positioning and work hard to make [saves] look easy, I guess.” For several tense minutes at the end of the first period, it seemed that it would be a hit on Alex Ovechkin that defined this game rather than Holtby’s play. With less than three minutes remaining in the first period, Nazem Kadri went for a low hip check of Ovechkin, and he collided with Ovechkin’s knee, taking out the Washington captain’s legs and flipping him over. When Ovechkin landed on the ice, he didn’t get up at first, writhing in pain. After being attended to by trainer Greg Smith, Ovechkin had to be helped to the bench by two players, and he didn’t put any weight on his left leg. He then limped straight back to the locker room. Kadri received a two-minute tripping penalty for the play, a call that was booed by fans who felt Kadri was deserving of a harsher penalty. 1061073 Washington Capitals Someone needs to explain a hip check to the referees. — David Shoalts (@dshoalts) April 21, 2017 Mike Milbury on the hit that injured Alex Ovechkin: ‘That’s a legitimate hip Tough spot for the officials in @MapleLeafs @Capitals. The Ovechkin hit check’ looked like a great hip check to me — Kelly Chase (@Chasenpucks39) April 21, 2017 By Dan Steinberg and Scott Allen April 21 at 8:41 PM Washington Post LOADED: 04.22.2017

Alex Ovechkin hadn’t even made it off the ice Friday night before hockey fans began debating the hit that had apparently injured him. Was that Nazem Kadri hit — which left Ovechkin face first on the ice and then needing help to get to the dressing room — worthy of the two-minute tripping minor called by officials? Should it have instead been a major penalty for clipping? Or was it a legitimate hip check that should not have been penalized at all? The debate took on more urgency when the Caps scored on the ensuing power play to take a 1-0 lead. Ovechkin returned for the second period, but before that, NBC Sports analysts Mike Milbury and weighed in on the hit’s legality. And they both agreed: they might not have liked the Kadri hit, but they didn’t think it should have been a penalty. Both replay looks at the Kadri hit on Ovechkin pic.twitter.com/v7xFD9VuAx — CJ Fogler (@cjzero) April 21, 2017 “I’m telling you right now, blew the call,” Milbury said. “This is a hip check. I don’t like hip checks, I don’t think they’re any good for the game. it’s a legitimate check. out of the way. Kadri doesn’t go below the knee. It’s not clipping, it’s not tripping. It’s well within the time frame for making body contact. What they should do is get rid of hip-checking. “That should not have been a two-minute penalty in my book,” Milbury said. “It was an emotional reaction to who went down and how hard he went down. That’s a legitimate hip check and I think he should’ve just stayed on the ice and that would’ve been the end of it. A riot in the stands, but the referee blew the call.” Jones then largely agreed. “I don’t blame the referee for making the call at full speed down at ice level like that, when you see contact like that and you see Ovechkin flying through the air,” he said. “The thing that I think the league will look at will be to see if the knee stuck out. It does not appear that it was. I agree with Mike. It’s a hip check with some unfortunate results coming from that. Ovechkin leaving the ice, nobody wants to see that. Kadri trying to make contact, Ovechkin changing the angle as he chipped the puck past him. But if the knee comes out, then Kadri’s in trouble, but it does not appear to me like it does.” Milbury was later asked again to confirm that he thought it was a bad hit but not a hit that should be penalized. “Ask Brian when he comes back on, ask when you talk to him next about whether they like that hit,” Milbury said. “I think they’ll agree with me, they think that’s a lowball, dirty-type hit, it should be out of the game, but that doesn’t mean it’s illegal. It’s been going on for years. There have been numerous little pests around the league. Brad Marchand goes low. There’s other guys who go low throughout the course of hockey history, but I think it should be done away with.” North of the border, had an even more critical reaction to the call. “This is a perfect, legal hit,” Cherry said during one of his Coach’s Corner segments on Hockey Night in Canada. “It was perfect. In the old days, that would have been a beauty, he’d get a medal for it. How can that be tripping when he had the puck? Look at this, it’s a beauty, it’s a beauty, and he gets a penalty, and they get a goal. It seems to be now if a guy gets hit and he’s hurt, they look for a penalty. And that was not a penalty.” But as is the case with many of these controversial playoff hits, opinions were split, even among people who spend their lives watching the game. Kadri gets a tripping minor instead of, you know, getting called for what he actually did on the Ovechkin hit #NHL pic.twitter.com/9JapZr7qAD — Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) April 21, 2017 How is this not "on" the knee? I think Kadri will get a fine or suspension for this. Especially if Ovechkin is out long term. https://t.co/zWorTB72OF — James Mirtle (@mirtle) April 22, 2017 1061074 Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin left the ice after a big hit by Nazem Kadri. Now he’s back.

By Jesse Dougherty April 21 at 8:03 PM

Alex Ovechkin had to be helped off the ice after sustaining a big hit from Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri in the first period of Game 5 on Friday night. But Ovechkin then dramatically returned to the ice for the second period, coming out of the tunnel last and inciting a booming “Ovi! Ovi!” chant throughout Verizon Center. Kadri lowered his shoulder into Ovechkin’s left knee, and Ovechkin stayed down before a trainer came onto the ice. He was then helped to the tunnel by Nicklas Backstrom and Nate Schmidt and was not putting any weight on his left leg. Ovechkin is hurt by a hit from Kadri pic.twitter.com/Ct2XJIdTNc — Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 21, 2017 The hit came shortly after Ovechkin lined up Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner. Ovechkin has delivered a handful of big hits on the forecheck throughout the series. Here is Ovechkin’s hit on Gardiner before he exited: we hurt just WATCHING this gif #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/lmWtIiibki — NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) April 21, 2017 Ovechkin had scored in Games 2, 3 and 4. The Capitals converted on the power play that followed Kadri’s hit, when T.J. Oshie tapped in a Backstrom rebound to give them a 1-0 lead heading into the second period. Ovechkin missed the rest of the first period before returning to start the second. He got himself back into the swing of things with another big hit on Gardiner during his first second-period shift. Washington Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061075 Washington Capitals you don’t have as much time for them to settle out. You’ve got to be good every night and you’ve got to dig in.”

Washington Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 Hot-then-cold Frederik Andersen flummoxed the Capitals once in D.C.; can he do it again?

By Jesse Dougherty April 21 at 2:08 PM

It is not that the series has distinctly portrayed “good Frederick Andersen” and “bad Frederik Andersen,” but there have been two telling snapshots of the Maple Leafs goaltender. One is Andersen waving a magnetic glove through the air, snatching goals away from the Capitals and giving the Maple Leafs every chance to win these tight, often high-scoring games. The other is Andersen letting the puck fly by him, confused by its origin, and then later lamenting that he couldn’t do more to help his team. With the series tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 on Friday night, whichever Andersen emerges will have a major bearing on where the momentum swings next. Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby has been similarly mercurial, and a rise in offensive production can be seen in the final scores of each contest: 3-2 Capitals in Game 1, 4-3 Maple Leafs in Game 2, 4-3 Maple Leafs in Game 3 and 5-4 Capitals in Game 4. The 27-year-old Andersen allowed 2.67 goals per game this season, and 2.33 throughout his career. Now he is trying to progress to that mean, or give the Maple Leafs an even bigger lift by dipping below it. [Kevin Shattenkirk saw his ice time dwindle in Game 4 to a career postseason low] “Well, I think he’s a good goaltender so I think that’s the biggest thing right there,” Maple Leafs Coach Mike Babcock said of Andersen’s ability to rebound from shaky performances. “When you’re a good goaltender and you’ve got confidence in yourself, you’ve got a foundation built there to go back to.” In this series, that foundation was poured in Game 2. Andersen made 47 saves across 91 minutes and 53 seconds, which helped inch the Maple Leafs past the Capitals in double overtime. It was the third time in 32 playoff appearances he had to make more than 40 saves, and did so by bouncing from post to post, twisting his body to fill the goal and, most notably, fishing pucks out of the air with his glove. When Kasperi Kapanen scored the game-winner, Andersen stumbled out of the net with his blocker raised in the air. “Freddy makes it easy,” defenseman Jake Gardiner said of Andersen after Game 2. “He was by far our best player tonight. When a goalie gets hot like that, it makes it easier for us.” That made Game 4 stand out for the wrong reasons. Andersen allowed five goals on 27 shots, and it would have been six if Nicklas Backstrom had not been the victim of a questionable goalie interference call in the third period. T.J. Oshie scored after Andersen allowed a rebound, Alex Ovechkin scored on the power play, Tom Wilson scored twice (tipping in a Lars Eller shot and beating Andersen on a two-on-one rush), and then Oshie beat him glove side to seal the game. It wasn’t all Andersen’s fault, but the sum of Washington’s offensive production was too much to overcome. This game ended with Andersen sitting on the bench while the Maple Leafs fought for a second six-on-five goal that never came. “I mean, not the best,” Andersen said of his performance after Game 4. “I wish I could help the team out a little bit more, coming up bigger when [the Capitals] had their chances.” [This is the story of the Capitals fans that taunted ] On Friday, Andersen was on the Verizon Center ice before all of the arena’s lights came on. He smacked pucks from end-to-end, faced odd- angle shots from an assistant coach and even fired one-time slap shots into an empty net. Soon the morning skate started and his teammates tested him all kinds of ways. Some shots trickled through. Most were tossed aside. After he made a lunging glove save he pounded his blocker against the ice, calling attention to what could give the Maple Leafs their best chance of upsetting the top-seeded Capitals. “Sometimes it doesn’t go your way — that’s life — over an 82-game spread the things settle out,” Babcock said of Andersen. “In the playoffs, 1061076 Washington Capitals “We just felt that we needed two forwards and we wanted him to have some time in Hershey,” Trotz said. “We wanted to get them into the playoffs, No. 1. So we wanted to have a couple of extra forwards, more D Kevin Shattenkirk played less than 13 minutes in Game 4, a career positional-based than anything.” postseason low Washington Post LOADED: 04.22.2017

By Isabelle Khurshudyan April 21 at 1:47 PM

As Capitals Coach Barry Trotz shortened his bench in Game 4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk found himself sitting more than usual. He played just 12:54, a career-low for a playoff game. One reason for his idleness: The Capitals had just one power play — and scored 36 seconds into it. Ice time is often reflective of who the coach thinks is playing well. With Washington playing with a lead for most of the game after going up 4-1, perhaps Trotz has lost some trust in Shattenkirk. He’s a minus-four in this first-round series, which is tied at two games apiece going into Friday’s Game 5. The team traded for the offensive, puck-moving blue-liner on Feb. 27. “We have our dialogue with our coaches and the coaches with him,” Trotz said. “Everybody’s in. Ice time is really irrelevant to guys right now. They’re doing what they need to do and the coaches are putting on the players on that they think are getting the job done in certain situations and that’s it. Guys understand that they’re not getting the minutes they were before. To them, it’s all about winning. That’s the number one thing for guys.” Shattenkirk said he wasn’t fretting the reduction in minutes, and he wasn’t the only player whose time was slashed. Trotz leaned on nine forwards and four defensemen at five-on-five. Brett Connolly played less than five minutes; Daniel Winnik played just 6:37 with just 31 seconds of penalty kill time despite the team taking four minors. “Especially on the road, it can be a little hard; you have to try to find your matchups a little bit,” Shattenkirk said. “They’re down by a few goals so they’re putting their top lines out over and over again. That happens, I wasn’t too worried about it, I’m not worried about it in the future. You just have to be ready to play.” “[Associate Coach Todd Reirden] talked to me today and just said that it won’t happen again, but I’m fine with it,” he continued. “We won a hockey game, so that’s fine by me. I don’t mind it at all. It’s something that I think every one of us has to be prepared for just in case, but when it’s my turn to play 20-plus minutes, I need to make sure that I’m ready.” Shattenkirk averaged 20:12 in his 19 regular-season games with the Capitals after he was traded from St. Louis, and despite Wednesday’s reduction, he’s still averaging 20:18 for the series, in part because three of the four games have gone to overtime. He admitted he was coming off a “really bad” Game 3 performance when he was on the ice for two Toronto goals, including the game-tying one in the 4-3 overtime loss by Washington. “If you look at some of the goals that have gone in on us, a couple off Brooks and a couple that go off him and land on guys’ sticks with a wide- open net,” Shattenkirk said. “I think we’re pretty happy with the way we’re playing. When we’re playing well, defensively, we’ve been pretty physical. We’ve been ending plays quickly. It’s hard not to let those little bounces get to you and just sit back a little back but we just have to keep playing.” Karl Alzner to miss third straight game Defenseman Karl Alzner was on the ice for the Capitals’ morning skate, participating in his first on-ice session with the full team since Washington ruled him out for Game 3 with an undisclosed upper-body injury. The team said Alzner was limited in drills, and Trotz said that while Alzner would not play on Friday night, he is getting closer to a return. Alzner was not made available to the media on Friday. Capitals recall Chandler Stephenson Washington recalled center Chandler Stephenson Friday morning from their American Hockey League affiliate in Hershey, Pa. The timing is odd considering the Bears are short on centers and begin their playoffs on Friday night and the Capitals already had an extra forward in winger Paul Carey. The decision seemed to indicate that Washington has a banged-up center, but Trotz said Stephenson was recalled because the team wanted a second extra forward. 1061077 Washington Capitals stand on their own. He recognizes that it’s all a bit blasphemous, but he just isn’t able to choose. He doesn’t even have a preference for who wins this series. Constitutional lawyer explains his viral Caps/Leafs Frankenjersey “Honestly,” he said. “I’m gonna be both happy and sad when this series is over.” By Dan Steinberg April 21 at 11:10 AM I checked in with Shapiro this week, and his feelings haven’t changed. “Really hard to watch,” he wrote. “Not in the sense of nail-biting agony, but I just can’t cheer for anyone. When there’s a nice play by anyone, I The first principle of modern fan nihilism holds that we should not judge feel a rush, and then I feel guilty.” any fan for his individual choices, no matter if they differ from ours. Want to show up late and leave early? That’s fine. Want to read Tolstoy’s And so yes, he will be back in Verizon Center Friday night for Game 5. “Childhood, Boyhood and Youth” from your seat rather than watch the And yes, he will probably be wearing his Frankenjersey. I’d tell you not to action? Sure, go ahead. Want to check out of a playoff series entirely due make fun of him, but the rules say you’re allowed to do whatever makes to fears of impending doom and instead take a Segway tour of Capitol you happy. Hill? Prices start at $35. If it’s all just entertainment, you choose the path Washington Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 that is most entertaining, and we won’t judge you for it. I’ve lately made exceptions to this code to make fun of fans who wear ridiculous apparel to games — an Eagles jersey to a Cowboys-Redskins game, a Penguins sweater to a Caps-Rangers game, a T-shirt to a Valor-Brigade game — because that sometimes feels like a pure quest for attention dollars, conducted in a rather trollish manner. And so I thought I was on safe ground last week when I saw a guy in a hybrid Caps/Leafs jersey walking down 6th Street. I wrenched my car to the side of the road and frantically took photos, and then I posted the image on Twitter, along with a rather snarky message. What are you doing stop pic.twitter.com/o5vsJbeXQJ — Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) April 15, 2017 But of course, soon enough, I was talking to Ilya Shapiro inside Verizon Center, and it turned out his justification was valid, as most fan justifications turn out to be. “In the bathroom, some guys were ripping me, like ‘Choose one, I don’t care which one, you’ve got to choose one,’ ” Shapiro told me. “And honestly, normally I’d probably be one of these guys. But this runs deep.” Ilya Shapiro is conflicted. (Dan Steinberg/The Washington Post) Shapiro, you see, spent his entire childhood in Toronto. As we talked, he pointed to a random man wearing a Doug Gilmour Leafs sweater; “I had that jersey when I was in high school,” he said. They were his favorite team in the world, playing his favorite sport in the world. But he moved to Washington more than a decade ago for work. (He’s a constitutional lawyer at the Cato Institute, because of course he is.) Caps tickets were cheap then. You could get 400-level tickets and move down to the 100-level. His college classmate at Princeton, Jeff Halpern, was one of the team’s leaders. Hockey remained his favorite sport. And so Shapiro became a regular. And then, as with all of us, life took over. He became a season ticket holder. He took a woman to a Caps game for their first date, and they wound up getting married. It became clear that he wasn’t going to move back to Toronto. The Leafs and Caps were never rivals, had never played in the playoffs, had no particular reason to hate each other. Washington’s team began occupying a place in his heart, and Toronto’s team never left it, so that eventually Shapiro decided his two favorite teams in all of sports were his hometown Leafs and his hometown Caps. Then this season happened: the Leafs young and exciting, the Capitals established and dominant. As the playoff possibilities finally strained down into just a few realistic outcomes, Shapiro kept hoping that the Leafs would move up in the Atlantic Division, avoiding the wild card and the Caps. But the matchup was finalized, and he had his Game 2 tickets, and he didn’t know what to do. He loves the teams equally. He roots for them equally. So he came up with a solution befitting his profession, taking his Caps jersey and his Auston Matthews Leafs jersey and attaching them together with safety pins, right down the middle. “At Cato, we take pride in saying we’re not on either the red team or the blue team; here I am living this out in another context ” Shapiro pointed out, in a quote that should be submitted to the Washington D.C. Archetypical Sports Fan Hall of Fame. Of course, things got a little sideways when his jersey went viral-ish last weekend. NBC’s NHL account tweeted about him. CSN invited him to be on its postgame show. Don Cherry Parody accounts mentioned him. Fans he met in the arena asked, “What are you doing?” Most of the feedback I saw online was, shall we say, skeptical. Having considered the context, though, I’m headed back to the safe shores of fan nihilism: Sure, whatever, why not. They’re his two favorite teams in the world. He didn’t mess up the jerseys. They both can still 1061078 Washington Capitals

Nazem Kadri on hit to Alex Ovechkin: ‘I was hoping he’s okay’

By Jesse Dougherty April 22 at 12:33 AM

What is the feeling when more than 18,000 fans are screaming at you, every player on the other team wants a piece of you, and your hit may have just knocked one of the best players in hockey history out of a critical Game 5 on his home ice? “I was hoping he’s okay,” Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri said after he sent Alex Ovechkin spiraling to the ice in an eventual 2-1 overtime win for the Capitals on Friday. With 2:28 left in the first period, Kadri lowered his hip into Ovechkin’s left knee. As Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie rushed into Kadri’s face along the boards, Ovechkin didn’t move. He wiggled his torso, his face mask buried in the ice, until a trainer came to his aid. Ovechkin was then helped into the tunnel by Backstrom and Nate Schmidt, and he didn’t put any weight on his left leg as he struggled toward the locker room. All of the Maple Leafs watched from the bench except Kadri, who stood on an island near the blue line and watched Ovechkin limp off. It was the kind of play that could have shifted the entire series, as the Capitals star scored in Games 2, 3 and 4 and holds the keys to their offense and power play. Instead Ovechkin was back on the ice for the start of the second period and all the hit did was provide a chippy subplot for a tight- fisted Game 5: Kadri vs. the Capitals. “I tried to get a piece of him, he tried to get out of the way,” Kadri said after a game decided by Justin Williams’s overtime goal. “It’s not like I stuck my knee out or got my arms high. It happened pretty quick. I thought it was okay.” “I’m not quite sure I was happy to see him come back on the ice,” Kadri continued. “For sure, I got a lot of respect for the guy, but at the end of the day I’m cheating my teammates if I don’t try to get a piece of him, because he’s dumping the puck and going around our defenseman. So at the end of the day I got no choice, I got to try to hold him up and save my defenseman.” The hit came after Ovechkin lined up Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner on one of the game’s first shifts. Ovechkin has delivered a number of heavy hits on the forecheck this series, and then found himself on the receiving end Friday. Kadri was assessed two minutes for tripping, a call that Maple Leafs Coach Mike Babcock objected to after the game. Babcock pointed to Brooks Orpik’s knee-to-knee hit on defenseman Roman Polak earlier in the series, which didn’t draw a penalty and ended Polak’s season. “You know it’s interesting, [Capitals Coach Barry] Trotz probably thought there should have been a major, I thought there should have been no penalty,” Babcock said. “That’s the beauty of the playoffs.” It has been no secret that Kadri has tried to bother Ovechkin and the Capitals’ top line throughout the series. But Kadri became the target after he banged up Ovechkin, and T.J. Oshie scored the Capitals’ first goal on the resulting power play. First Ovechkin jabbed Kadri’s midsection away from the action and then Matt Niskanen slashed his left knee toward the end of the second period. Niskanen’s stick left a big bruise and temporarily knocked Kadri out of the game. But he soon returned to the ice as one of the Maple Leafs’ bothersome forwards, a key role for a team now on the brink of elimination after holding a 2-1 series lead. “The guys that are typically out there against [Overchkin], they did a pretty good job of getting under their skin,” said Auston Matthews, who scored the Maple Leafs’ only goal. “[Ovechkin] is obviously a really key player for them and if we can kind of get under his skin and obviously he likes to run around and hit guys. When the puck’s not on his stick, then he’s not able to use that shot.” Washington Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061079 Washington Capitals fingernails have entirely vanished. It’s more about embracing that — all of it. After the Caps lost in double overtime in Game 2 of this series, Williams was almost grinning in the near-silent locker room. Why? ‘That’s why he’s Justin’: Playoff superhero Justin Williams can’t stop “Sitting in here in overtime, knowing that you could be the one that ends being clutch it — it’s a great feeling,” he said then. They had just lost. The arena was shocked. The fan base was ready to By Dan Steinberg April 22 at 12:53 AM panic. And here was Justin Williams, talking about the great feelings he had before overtime.

“You have to use your butterflies to your advantage,” he told me another There was a difference of opinion in Verizon Center about a key question time. “Being nervous is great. Use those as energy. Jeez, I’m nervous for late Friday night. And since journalistic objectivity requires balance, let’s every game. I’m nervous for every hockey game.” give time to both sides of this debate. It all sounds amorphous and mystical almost, and maybe it’s all The question was whether Justin Williams has a knack for scoring playoff coincidental bunk. But if the numbers were going to take a side, they goals at the biggest, most precarious, heart-stopping and dreadfully probably would vote with the majority. Williams — a fine regular season uncomfortable moments. Some people think — despite common player — now has 11 goals in games 5, 6 or 7 since 2012. That’s more perception — it ain’t necessarily so. Well, one person thinks that, than every NHL player besides Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane — anyhow. Justin Williams. who each have played about 80 more minutes in such games than Williams. “I haven’t scored that many big goals,” he said, after scoring an overtime game-winner that sent the Caps back to Toronto with a 3-games-to-2 He has 25 total playoff goals in that span, tied for the third-most in the lead. “Just I was in the right place at the right time tonight.” league. He’s played 17 playoff games for Washington, and has six goals and six assists. He already has three goals for the Caps in games 5, 6 [Justin Williams’s overtime goal lifts Capitals to 2-1 victory over Toronto and 7 — the most of anyone in such games since he joined the team. If in Game 5] it’s all a coincidence, it’s one that has his teammates and coaches pretty well fooled. On the other side of the debate was, um, let’s see. Everybody else. “He’s a winner, plain and simple,” Coach Barry Trotz said Friday night. “There’s a level of competitiveness that I think some people are able to “His mindset is he doesn’t think anything else but winning. And that’s why bring themselves to — and there are some guys that can just bring it he’s special that way.” higher,” T.J. Oshie said. “He’s one of those guys. He’s one of those guys that when everyone gets tense and everyone grabs their sticks a little “I don’t know, I’m sure glad he’s on our team,” Orpik told CSN, when tight, he gets more focused and finds ways to pull off the big play.” asked about the clutch goals. “I think just his mentality there. He kind of said in the room right before we went out there, if we’re going to go “You know, there’s nothing better than getting Justin Williams the puck in down, we’re going to go down swinging.” an overtime game in the playoffs,” Nate Schmidt said. “I’ve seen it plenty of times,” Oshie said. “Maybe he doesn’t always get “Stick came off the bench, and I think half of us were over the boards the credit he deserves, but you watch the way he battles, the way he before he even shot it,” Brooks Orpik said on CSN, referring to Williams competes when games are close, when games are tight. Not just in by his nickname. “It shows the faith we have in him.” playoffs, but in the regular season. The more important the game, the [Svrluga: An injury scare and a pause to reflect on the importance of Alex bigger Justin plays.” Ovechkin] “He’s just flattering me,” Williams said of Oshie. “I like to flatter him too.” “Justin just step up at the right time,” Evgeny Kuznetsov said. “And that’s Williams finished his interviews, talked briefly to a national television why he’s Justin.” crew, and then walked out of the locker room, down a Verizon Center THE GOAL! JUSTIN WILLIAMS! #CapsLeafs #RockTheRed hallway, still half-dressed. He turned a corner and headed into the family pic.twitter.com/ApDOt9ujMA lounge, where he was greeted with a rousing ovation. — Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 22, 2017 At that point, no doubt, he told the happy clappers that they were cheering for the wrong guy. Why would they cheer for someone who “That’s why he’s Justin” has resonance for possibly everyone who never scores the big goal? watched that hockey game, other than the overtime hero himself. In truth, Williams has never been very comfortable talking about all this, which Washington Post LOADED: 04.22.2017 makes some sense. If his playoff pressure spree is actually random — like hitting blackjack seven out of 10 hands, but only when you first recite the middle names of each of your great-aunts — you wouldn’t want to jinx it by talking about it. [Analysis: Mr. Game 7 plays the hero with a little help from Braden Holtby in Game 5 triumph] And if, on the other hand, Williams actually has that ability so many people mention — knifing through the steamy tension and finding another level to his game and watching everything around him slow down when the stakes are highest — then he wouldn’t want to brag. Modesty, and all. He once told me that he hates the Mr. Game 7 moniker, because it’s such an individualistic thing. His teammates with the Los Angeles Kings, he said, had the same great record in Game 7s that he did. Why would just one guy get that nickname, he wondered. And maybe, he said, he would appreciate it more when he was done playing hockey. Maybe. You have to poke and prod and cajole before you can get him even to talk about what might make someone a clutch performer, if such a thing can even exist. “You want to make a difference. You can’t be afraid to make a mistake. You need to err on the side of excitement rather than apprehension; believe your instincts,” he once told me. “You’re not going to be good for anybody if you’re on your heels, waiting — like oh, I don’t want to make a mistake. You want to go out there and be the difference and want the puck. I mean, not everybody’s like that, but I think every professional athlete should be. We got to this level for a reason.” Which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be apprehensive, and or that you shouldn’t soak in the moment, as your heart pounds and the crowd roars and fans wonder just what they could start chewing on once their 1061080 Washington Capitals

Ovechkin returns to ice after scary hit

By Nora Princiotti - The Washington Times - Friday, April 21, 2017

Washington star Alex Ovechkin went down late in the first period of his team’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs Friday after a big hit from opposing center Nazem Kadri. Ovechkin was launched into the air, then hit the ice and writhed in pain for several seconds before finding stillness, face down, still on the ice. He seemed to clutch at his left knee and was not putting weight on his left leg as a trainer helped him off and down the tunnel. Ovechkin gave Capitals fans quite the scare but he was apparently not badly hurt. Ovechkin came back out for the second period and started it on the ice. He seemed to skate normally, and delivered a hit to Jake Gardiner shortly after returning. Kadri was given two minutes for tripping at T.J. Oshie scored on the ensuing power play, but losing Ovechkin could alter the course of the Capitals playoffs entirely should he miss significant time. Ovechkin has scored three goals in the playoffs so far. Washington Times LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061081 Washington Capitals doesn’t think anything else, but winning. And I think that’s why he’s special that way.”

NOTES: Braden Holtby stopped 24 of the 25 shots he faced, and Trotz Williams the OT hero as Caps beat Leafs in Game 5 called the reigning Vezina Trophy winner “zoned in.”… Capitals RW Tom Wilson was benched in the third period after taking his fourth minor penalty of the game. … Capitals D Karl Alzner missed his third By STEPHEN WHYNO - Associated Press - Friday, April 21, 2017 consecutive game with an undisclosed upper-body injury. Alzner took part in the morning skate Friday and skated with several other teammates Thursday. Tight-lipped about the timeline, Trotz said Alzner is day to day. WASHINGTON (AP) - “Mr. Game 7” is the Washington Capitals‘ new Mr. Game 5. Washington Times LOADED: 04.22.2017 Justin Williams added to his legendary playoff status by scoring 64 seconds into overtime to give the Capitals a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night and a 3-2 lead in the tight first-round series. The Presidents’ Trophy winners survived a scare when Alex Ovechkin went down in the first period and are a victory in Game 6 at Toronto on Sunday away from surviving this challenge from the Maple Leafs and advancing to the second round for a rematch with the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. After overtime was needed for the fourth time in five games, the Capitals had Williams to thank for another big goal. “I haven’t scored that many big goals,” said Williams, who has 16 goals in 44 tries in Games 5-7 as his team improved to 26-18 in those situations. “I was in the right place at the right time.” Williams took the pass from linemate Evgeny Kuznetsov, shot as hard as he could and beat Frederik Andersen for his second postseason overtime goal. The three-time Cup winner who earned the nickname “Mr. Game 7” for his seven goals and 7-0 record in Game 7s only knew it went in when Marcus Johansson raised his arms in the air. “Mr. Game 7,” Ovechkin said of Williams. “It’s all it takes. One shot and we get the (series) lead. Right now we going back to play in Toronto and try to win there.” Washington has the upper hand in the series that couldn’t possibly be any closer on the ice or by the numbers. The Capitals have 16 goals to the Maple Leafs‘ 15, and the teams are tied at 175 shots apiece. “It’s a good series. It’s a lot of fun,” Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. “These games are good. We’ve been in overtime four times. It’s a good competitive series.” Williams missed on a couple of chances in front earlier in the game and had a quality opportunity to win it late in regulation. Now with three goals in the series, he didn’t miss his shot in overtime and was perhaps the least surprising goal scorer with the game on the line. “The more important the game, the bigger Justin plays,” said T.J. Oshie, who scored a power-play goal in the first period for the Capitals. “He’s one of those guys that when everyone gets tense and everyone grabs their sticks a little tight, he gets more focused and finds ways to pull off the big play. Obviously, that’s what we needed at that time and he stepped up for us.” Oshie stepped up and cashed in on the power play that came from Nazem Kadri’s hit on Ovechkin late in the first period. Ovechkin clutched his left knee, was down on the ice for several minutes and didn’t put weight on his left leg as he was helped off. The crowd roared when Ovechkin stepped onto the ice for the start of the second period, and the 31-year-old captain crushed Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner into the boards on his first shift back. He said he wasn’t worried at all, felt no pain afterward and was glued to the TV in the locker room when Oshie scored. “Just have a Coke and enjoy the match,” Ovechkin quipped. “I just needed a little break.” Coach Barry Trotz said he was quite concerned, and there was considerable debate about whether Kadri’s low-bridge hip check should’ve been a five-minute major, no penalty at all or the two-minute minor for tripping that was actually called. Beyond the drama of Kadri’s hit on Ovechkin, rookie of the year finalist Auston Matthews scored his third goal of the series and Andersen made 26 saves for the underdog Maple Leafs before Williams beat him for the game-winner. One of the Capitals‘ sayings for the playoffs is, “Own the big moments,” with that mantra on shirts that staff members wear around the locker room. No one does that more than Williams. “There’s one of the reasons you love Justin Williams,” Trotz said. “He’s believes in winning. He’s a winner, plain and simple. His mindset just 1061082 Washington Capitals

Justin Williams, Capitals top Leafs 2-1 in OT

By Matthew Paras - The Washington Times - Friday, April 21, 2017

For about two minutes near the end of the first period, the Verizon Center crowd watched helplessly as Alex Ovechkin sprawled in pain on the ice, grasping at his left knee. Ovechkin, unable to put weight on his leg after a vicious hit by Toronto’s Nazem Kadri, had to be helped off. But by the start of the second period, Ovechkin was back out there. Ovechkin might be sore tomorrow, but he and the Capitals can breathe easier as they wrested control of the best-of-seven series back from the upstart Maple Leafs Friday with a gritty 2-1 win. With a 3-2 lead in the series, Washington is now one game away from advancing to the second round. The Capitals did it in familiar fashion — winning their second overtime game of the series. Four of the five games so far have gone into overtime. Justin Williams delivered the winning goal. After scoring two goals in Game 1, Williams swung Game 5 when he converted off a pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov just 1:04 into the extra period. The Capitals will look to close out Sunday in Toronto at 7 p.m. Washington Times LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061083 Washington Capitals Momentum hasn’t been much of a factor in this back-and-forth series. The Oilers bounced back from an overtime loss in Game 1 to post consecutive shutouts. The Sharks followed that with a 7-0 win before Coyle, Wild aim to keep pressure on Blues with 3-1 deficit blowing a two-goal lead in a 4-3 overtime defeat in Game 5. Now it’s San Jose’s turn to reverse the tide and force a decisive Game 7 in Edmonton. The Sharks have a history of responding well to setbacks, By DAVE CAMPBELL - Associated Press - Friday, April 21, 2017 with the run to the Stanley Cup Final last year as a prime example. They followed all four postseason overtime losses with a victory in the next game. ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Charlie Coyle has that enviable blend of size and To do that on Saturday, the Sharks must resume the aggressive style skills, a 25-year-old forward on the verge of realizing the potential of a that helped them build the 3-1 lead in Game 5 rather than the defensive former first-round draft pick. shell that allowed the Oilers to tie the game and then dominate overtime until the game-winning goal by David Desharnais. Without Coyle’s clutch contributions, the Minnesota Wild would have been bounced already from their first-round series against the St. Louis “It’s human nature,” coach Peter DeBoer said. “You’re defending, you’re Blues. Perhaps this spring has triggered the breakthrough performance defending, and you’re not thinking about offense or being on your toes or for a player the Wild have planned to be part of their core for several scoring a goal. To flip that switch and get that attack mindset is hard to seasons to come. do.” That’s a good reason why coach Bruce Boudreau, whose long-ago, AP Sports Writers Simmi Buttar in New York and Josh Dubow in San short-lived NHL career was unfulfilling because he lacked the drive to Jose, California, freelance writer Nate Latsch in St. Louis and The match his ability, has been as demanding of Coyle as anyone else on his Canadian Press contributed to this report. roster. More AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey “When he wants to play,” Boudreau said, “he can play. He’s been a good player.” Washington Times LOADED: 04.22.2017 With the first goal in a 2-0 win for Minnesota at St. Louis in Game 4 on Wednesday, Coyle helped keep the Wild alive. He also had four shots on goal, two hits, two takeaways and one blocked shot in a well-timed two- way effort. He has scored two of the Wild’s five goals in the series, totaled 13 on-target shot attempts, which is tied for the second-most on the team, and played sound defense on the other end. “You’d like to get it every night,” Boudreau said. “Right now I just would like to get it for the next three games.” Trailing 3-1, the Wild host the Blues in Game 5 on Saturday (3 p.m. EDT, NBC). “Everything, the intensity, the atmosphere is ramped up, and you have to bring your level up,” Coyle said. “So that’s my mentality. That’s our team’s mentality.” Coyle, who’s the franchise’s all-time playoffs leader with 98 hits, including 14 in this series, had a career-high 56 points and 159 shots on goal during the regular season. But he went through a 27-game stretch from early January to early March when he scored only one goal, and Boudreau didn’t hesitate to hound him for it. The issue for Coyle hasn’t been so much about coasting as it is about a nice guy by nature not being as aggressive as his team needs him to be. “I don’t mind a coach being hard on me. If he needs something more from me, tell me,” Coyle said. The Blues were hoping a two-day break between games and the possible return of center Paul Stastny from a lower body injury would re- energize them. Stastny skated on the first line between Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko at practice on Friday, though coach Mike Yeo wasn’t ready to declare him good to go. “If we add a player like Stas, then obviously you become a better team,” Yeo said. Here’s a look at the two other series on the slate for Saturday: Canadiens at Rangers, New York leads 3-2 (8 p.m. EDT, NBC) The Rangers return to Madison Square Garden in position to polish off the series at home on the heels of an overtime victory in Montreal. “We showed it, how hard we played,” goalie Henrik Lundqvist said. “We pushed.” The last time the Canadiens trailed in a series 3-2, Carey Price shut out the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of the second round in 2014. They won again to advance to the conference finals. The Rangers, in a series that has seen heavy bumping in the crease of both Lundqvist and Price, were bracing for more intensity from the Canadiens on Saturday. All five previous games have been close, with a bounce or a hit goalpost making a difference. “I’m pretty confident in the guys we have here, that we’re just going to be able to worry about Game 6,” Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher said. “Now we’ve got to find a way to win one, and the rest will take care of itself.” Oilers at Sharks, Edmonton leads 3-2 (10:30 p.m. EDT, NBCSN) 1061084 Washington Capitals

Shattenkirk on reduced minutes: ‘I don’t mind’

By Matthew Paras - The Washington Times - Friday, April 21, 2017

When the Capitals traded for Kevin Shattenkirk at the deadline, Washington thought it was getting an offensive-minded defenseman from St. Louis who could boost their power play unit and provide depth to the blue line come playoff time. But in a first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs that has turned into more of a dogfight than anyone expected, Shattenkirk’s impact has been muted — to the point that his minutes have nose-dived since the first two games. In Game 4, the 28-year-old saw just 12:54 of ice time, the lowest of his career 51 playoff games. “It’s situational,” Shattenkirk said, explaining his drop in minutes. “I think the way [Game 4] was, there so many penalties and not many power plays for us. …That happens sometimes and that’s the playoffs. Especially on the road, it can be a little hard to find your matchups a little bit.” Shattenkirk logged 22 minutes in the first game, a Caps win, and nearly 30 minutes in Game 2’s 4-3 loss in double overtime. In Game 1, Shattenkirk was particularly aggressive, leading Washington with nine shots on goal. But as the series has progressed, Shattenkirk and defenseman Brooks Orpik have struggled as Washington’s third defensive pairing. Orpik and Shattenkirk rank last on the team with a plus/minus of -5 and - 4, respectively. That means that Orpik and Shattenkirk have been outscored by five goals and four goals when on the ice. “Game 3 was a really bad game for me personally,” said Shattenkirk, who logged 16:27 in that game. “Brooks didn’t have much to do with that.” Shattenkirk said assistant coach Todd Reirden told him his minutes wouldn’t be reduced again moving forward, but Shattenkirk said he’s prepared to contribute nonetheless. Capitals coach Barry Trotz said he and his coaches communicate with players about their playing time. But Trotz also said ice time is irrelevant to his players in the playoffs. “Guys understand that they’re not getting the minutes they were before,” Trotz said. “To them, it’s all about winning. That’s the No. 1 thing.” Shattenkirk echoed that line Friday, telling reporters reduced playing time doesn’t bother him. “We won a hockey game, so that’s fine by me,” he said. “I don’t mind it at all. It’s something that I think everyone has to be prepared for just in case, but when it’s my turn to play 20-plus minutes, I have to be ready.” The Capitals face the Maple Leafs in Game 5 Friday at 7 p.m. at the Verizon Center. Washington Times LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061085 Washington Capitals

After injury scare, Alex Ovechkin comes back as only he can

By Nora Princiotti - The Washington Times - Friday, April 21, 2017

The Russian Machine, such as he is, still never breaks. The Washington Capitals got a scare Friday night when Alex Ovechkin had to be helped off the ice late in the first period after a hit from Toronto Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri. Ovechkin writhed in pain, clutching his left knee, for over a minute after his body slammed to the ice. He was not putting weight on his left leg as a trainer and teammates Nate Schmidt and Nicklas Backstrom helped him off the ice and down the tunnel. A major injury seemed like a possibility until Ovechkin came back out, good as new, to start the second period. The hit came after 17:32 in the first so, all in all, he probably missed a single shift. “I just needed a little break,” Ovechkin said. Kadri was given two minutes for tripping and the penalty wound up costly, as T.J. Oshie scored on the ensuing Capitals power play. “I tried to get a piece of him, he tried to get out of the way. It’s not like I stuck my knee out or got my arms high,” Kadri said, defending his hit. “It happened pretty quick. I thought it was okay.” Ovechkin didn’t have a problem with the hit. “It’s playoffs,” he said. “I didn’t watch the replay, but if it’s dirty it’s dirty. League gonna watch it and if not, it doesn’t matter right now.” Leafs coach Mike Babcock, however, felt the penalty wasn’t deserved. “[Capitals coach Barry Trotz] probably thought it should have been a major, I thought there should have been no penalty,” Babcock said. “That’s the beauty of the playoffs. Babcock said that he thought Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik should have gotten a major for the hit he put on Toronto defenseman Roman Polak in Game 2 that ended Polak’s season. “That’s kind of the playoffs, so we try to get someone in between who’s probably more reasonable than a coach,” Babcock said. Trotz declined to share his feelings on the officiating, but was relieved that Ovechkin was fine. “First of all, I’m just going to keep my own opinion about the hit,” Trotz said. “But when you see a star player down, you’re always quite concerned. He’s the face of this franchise, and you saw obviously he came back and how tough he is. That was a big hit.” To hear Ovechkin tell it, too, it didn’t sound like anything too dramatic went on in the training room while he was off the ice. He did get to see Oshie score. “I was watching TV,” Ovechkin said. “Just have a Coke and enjoy the match.” Almost immediately after Ovechkin returned to roaring applause, he delivered a hit to defenseman Jake Gardiner, perhaps as proof that he was A-OK. “He was running around a little bit when he came back, so he must have been fine,” Kadri said. Ovechkin said there was no lingering pain when he came back, or when he laid the hit on Gardiner. “It doesn’t hurt,” he said. “Nothing.” Apparently not. Washington Times LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061086 Washington Capitals

3 KEY OBSERVATIONS FOR GAME 5: JUSTIN WILLIAMS PROVES CLUTCH PLAY DOES EXIST

By J.J. Regan April 21, 2017 11:09 PM

The Caps sit just one win away from the second round thanks to Friday’s Game 5 win in overtime. Here are three key observations from the game. 1. Mr. Game 5 Two years ago, the Capitals realized they had a playoff problem so they signed Mr. Clutch himself, Justin Williams. The moving is certainly paying dividends this series. Down 2-0 in Game 1, Williams scored twice to single-handedly force overtime. In Game 5 on Friday, he scored the overtime winner to give the Caps the 3-2 series lead. For everyone who argues that there is no such thing as clutch, I present to you Justin Williams. 2. Not quite John Druce Tom Wilson’s early exploits this series drew comparisons to Druce, the unlikely playoff hero who scored 14 goals in 15 games in 1990 for Washington. Friday’s game showed he’s not quite there yet. Wilson took four minor penalties on the night much to the displeasure of Trotz who did not play Wilson again for the rest of the game following the fourth penalty. 3. No structure Game 5 was an exciting game. Hell, it was downright crazy. The most captivating game of the series…but it was not a well-played one. Structure went out the window for both teams, especially in the third period. Suddenly there were too many penalties, too much deking and not enough set plays. This was a game Washington easily could have lost in the third period because they abandoned everything they did well for 82 games in the regular season. The Caps are the best team in the NHL, when they stop playing like a team and start playing like five players on the ice, the game suddenly becomes up for grabs. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061087 Washington Capitals

MR. GAME 5: JUSTIN WILLIAMS DELIVERS IN THE CLUTCH FOR OT WIN

By Troy Machir April 21, 2017 10:10 PM

Justin WIlliams knows a thing or two about clutch playoff goals. The former Stanley Cup Finals MVP is known by many as "Mr. Game 7." But on Friday night, Williams was "Mr. Game 5," as he buried the puck past Frederik Andersen to give the Caps a 2-1 win in Game 5. Williams was in the right place and got a picture-perfect feed from Marcus Johansson. THE GOAL! JUSTIN WILLIAMS! #CapsLeafs #RockTheRed pic.twitter.com/ApDOt9ujMA — Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 22, 2017 Williams did what he is know to do, score clutch playoff goals. This was the seventh playoff game-winning goal of his career. To go a step further, Williams is just a game-winning goal in a Game 3 of a playoff series away from having scored a game-winning goal in games 1 through 7. The Capitals now head back to Toronto on Sunday for a chance to end the series in Game 6. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061088 Washington Capitals

CAPITALS PUSH TORONTO TO THE BRINK WITH EMOTIONAL OVERTIME WIN IN GAME 5

By J.J. Regan April 21, 2017 9:28 PM

How it happened: The story that will grab all the headlines and all the attention happened late in the first period when Nazem Kadri caught Alex Ovechkin with a hip check right to the knee. Ovechkin had to be helped off the ice. T.J. Oshie would score on the resulting power play to put the Caps up 1-0. Ovechkin would shockingly return for the start of the second and play the remainder of the game. It would be Toronto, however, who would strike in the second period as Matthews netted a rebound goal to tie the game at 1. Both teams were held scoreless in the third period forcing the fourth overtime in five games this series and Justin Williams finished off the Leafs just 1:04 into the extra period. What it means: With the win, the Caps have retaken the series lead and have pushed the Maple Leafs to the brink of elimination. They will have a chance to finish the series in Game 6 in Toronto. According to Elias, when a series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 holds a series win percentage of 78.1-percent. Goals Caps goal: T.J. Oshie (power play) from Nicklas Backstrom and Kevin Shattenkirk at 18:15 in the 1st period. A dangerous hit from Kadri to Ovechkin put the Caps on the power play and a fired up Caps team made the Leafs pay. A wrister from Backstrom beat Andersen, but hit the post. Luckily for Washington the puck went right to the stick of Oshie who backhanded in the goal. Caps 1, Maple Leafs 0 Maple Leafs goal: Auston Matthews from William Nylander and Zach Hyman at 6:00 in the 2nd period. Nylander took the puck from behind the net and spun around for the quick shot. The Caps lost the rebound in the scrum, but Matthews didn’t He scored on the rebound as Holtby and the Caps tried to locate the puck. Caps 1, Maple Leafs 1 Caps goal: Justin Williams from Evgeny Kuznetsov and Marcus Johansson at 1:04 into overtime. Caps 2, Maple Leafs 1 3 Caps stars 1. Justin Williams: Williams had the only shot in overtime and he made it count. 2. Braden Holtby: The Caps netminder had his best game of the series. He was not dominant, but he made several key saves. It was the first time he began to look like the Holtby we all know all series long. 3. Alex Ovechkin: The man is indestructible. Regardless of whether you thought the hit form Kadri was dirty or not, it looked rough. Those are the kind of hits that end a player’s season. Instead, it just ended Ovechkin’s first period. Look ahead: The series now turns back to Toronto for what could be a decisive Game 6 on Sunday. Should a Game 7 be necessary, it will be in Washington on Tuesday. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061089 Washington Capitals

FLOP OR NOT? NAZEM KADRI A BAD ACTOR FOLLOWING OVECHKIN HIT

By Troy Machir April 21, 2017 8:58 PM

Ovechkin drops the hammer early in Game 5 In the first period of Game 5 between the Capitals and Maples Leafs on Friday night, Toronto winger Nazem Kadri hit Alex Ovechkin below the knees with a very questionable, very dangerous hit. Ovechkin needed to be helped off the ice before returning to the game in the second period. When he returned, he was a man possessed. He eventually caught up to Kadri, and slapped him on the arm with his stick. What followed is what can only be described as one of the worst flops of 2017. Maple Leafs are on the power play after this. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/yjG2vdZFwm — NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) April 22, 2017 What was more offensive, Kadri's hit on Ovechkin or his poor acting skills? Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061090 Washington Capitals

NAZEM KADRI HIT ON ALEX OVECHKIN: DIRTY OR JUST TERRIFYING?

By J.J. Regan April 21, 2017 8:54 PM

Time stopped in the first period of Game 5 as Caps fans saw Alex Ovechkin crumble to the ice after taking a hit to the knee from Nazem Kadri. Ovechkin had to be helped off the ice and did not put any weight on his left leg while skating off. It was a terrifying moment for all the red-clad fans at Verizon Center – though Ovechkin did return for the stat of the second period – but was it a dirty hit? Kadri was assessed only a two-minute minor penalty on the play for tripping. The first most obvious question is whether it was a knee on knee hit. You can watch the play in the video above. Ovechkin is breaking the puck out of the defensive zone when Kadri approaches. Ovechkin cuts to the inside but is caught by the hit. Judging by the replay, it does not appear that Kadri went knee on knee with the hit. It certainly looks like he caught Ovechkin’s knee with the hip only. But that doesn’t automatically let Kadri off the hook. As Ovechkin cuts to the inside, Kadri lowers himself and alters his direction to hit Ovechkin. It also appears as if he extends his leg towards Ovechkin. He may not have hit him knee to knee, but it certainly appears as if he extended his leg as if to do so. The rule at issue here is whether Kadri is guilty of a clip. Per NHL rules, a clip is “the act of throwing the body, from any direction, across or below the knees of an opponent.” Kadri may not have gone knee on knee, but he did hit Ovechkin square in the knee with the hip and he changed direction to do so. That is a clip. The fact that Ovechkin had to be helped off the ice also means it should have been a five-minute major as the clipping rule requires a major penalty “if an injury occurs as a result of this ‘clipping’ check.” The fact that Ovechkin returned for the start of the second is immaterial because the referees did not know when or if he would return. What also doesn’t help Kadri is the fact that he has a bit of a history of getting into trouble with the NHL. Kadri was suspended three games in 2013 for an elbow to the head of Minnesota Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom, four games the following season for an illegal check to the head Edmonton Oilers forward Matt Fraser and four games in 2016 for a cross check to the head of Detroit Red Wings center Luke Glendening. So why the tripping minor? This may have been a situation in which the referee did not get a good look at it, but the result of the hit was so horrifying he felt obligated to make a call. After all, Ovechkin is a big boy. It takes a lot to send him flying through the air like that. Tell us what you think. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061091 Washington Capitals

INDESTRUCTABLE: ALEX OVECHKIN RETURNS FOR THE START OF THE SECOND PERIOD AFTER HORRIFYING HIT

By J.J. Regan April 21, 2017 8:20 PM

Alex Ovechkin was sent crumbling to the ice after a hip-check to the knee by Nazem Kadri in the first period of Game 5 on Friday. That was at the 17:32 mark of the first period. He had to be helped off the ice and did not put any weight on his left leg as he skated off. As the Caps filed onto the ice for the start of the second period, however, Ovechkin was with his teammates, much to the delight of the Capitals faithful. Wait, it gets better. Ovechkin came out of the tunnel and skated onto the ice and even started the period. In a matter of about 20 minutes, terrified Caps fans went from contemplating what the postseason would be like without Ovechkin to absolute joy at the return of the captain. Ovechkin is truly indestructible. There can be no other explanation. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061092 Washington Capitals

ALEX OVECHKIN SUFFERS APPARENT INJURY AFTER HIP CHECK TO THE KNEE BY NAZEM KADRI

By J.J. Regan April 21, 2017 7:48 PM

Ovechkin drops the hammer early in Game 5 Alex Ovechkin took what looked like a hip check to the knee in the first period of Friday's Game 5 and laid on the ice for a prolonged period of time. He eventually was helped off the ice and did not put any weight on his left leg before reaching the bench. He then limped his way down the hallway into the locker room. Ovechkin was trying to break the puck out of the offensive zone. He saw Kadri coming and tried to cut to the inside, but Kadri caught him with the hip check that looked to contact Ovechkin squarely on the knee. The hit sent Ovechkin flying into the air and down onto the ice. You can watch the play in the video above. Kadri was assessed a two-minute minor penalty on the play. T.J. Oshie scored on the ensuing power play to put the Caps up 1-0. At the time of writing, there is no current update as to Ovechkin's status for the game. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061093 Washington Capitals

3 BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR GAME 5: HOLTBY'S TIME TO SHINE

By J.J. Regan April 21, 2017 4:04 PM

The Capitals-Maple Leafs series shifts back to Washington for Game 5 (7 p.m., CSN). Here are three bold predictions for the game. 1. This will be the lowest scoring game of the series thus far This is the most important game of the series as the loser will sit just one loss away from elimination. I expect a big push from Toronto in the first period, but then they may be tentative. This is the most pressure they will have felt yet this series. Both offenses may look a little tentative and Braden Holtby and Frederik Andersen will have their best games. 2. Alex Ovechkin will get over 20 minutes of ice time I went big on Game 4 predicting he would get over 23 minutes and I was very, very wrong. Now at home, however, Barry Trotz can better manipulate the matchups he wants and he will take advantage. With the series at 2, there’s not as much reason to ride Ovechkin to 23 minutes, but he will get a healthy 20 at least. 3. Washington will get at least three power plays The Caps had at least three power plays in each of the first three games but got only one in Game 4. The referees will be different for Game 5 than they were for Game 4, but you can bet Trotz is going to make sure they know just how many power plays they got in the last game and give them a list of things to watch for. This kind of gamesmanship happens before every game. Whether it has any effect on how the refs call a game is debatable, but at the very least the law of averages suggest Toronto will be in the box more than just once on Friday. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061094 Washington Capitals

PENN QUARTER Q&A: GETTING YOU READY FOR CAPS-LEAFS GAME 5

By CSN MID-ATLANTIC April 21, 2017 2:45 PM

In this week's Penn Quarter Sports Tavern Q&A, Tarik El-Bashir and JJ Regan talk what's next for the Caps. What does Braden Holtby have to do to better combat Toronto's offense? What changes will happen if the Caps lose this series? Should Brooks Orpik be taken out of the lineup? We answered those questions and more to get you ready for Game 5. It's Friday and it's game day so it's a perfect time for the Q&A with Tarik El-Bashir and JJ Regan! Send them your Caps/hockey questions and watch as they answer live. Posted by CSN Mid-Atlantic on Friday, April 21, 2017 Want to have your question answered by our experts? Follow CSNCapitals on Twitter for details on next week's Q&A. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061095 Washington Capitals

BRADEN HOLTBY FEELS BETTER PREPARED TO BATTLE THE LEAFS' OFFENSIVE APPROACH

By Tarik El-Bashir April 21, 2017 1:30 PM

Braden Holtby says he expects to be more prepared on Friday night for the deflected pucks and odd bounces that have eluded him through the first four games of the Washington-Toronto series. Why? A couple of reasons: No. 1, he and his teammates have a better understanding of the Leafs’ throw-everything-at-net approach. And No. 2, he’s worked to sharpen up specific parts of his game over past the 24 hours. “They are putting bodies in front and throwing it there,” Holtby said following the morning skate. “Things happen when you do that.” Capitals GameTime begins at 6 p.m. on CSN. Puck drop for Game 5 is slated for 7. “Some of them aren’t going to happen again,” Holtby continued, referring to all the deflections. “There were a couple that [went] off two, three things. That happens, and you just put it behind you. If that’s part of their game plan, it’s more about taking away areas [of the net]. If a shot is going to one side, it’s not about catching it or getting it in the middle of the blocker, it’s about getting your whole body there to limit the chances of a deflection.” Indeed, many of the Leafs’ 14 goals in this series have hit something or taken a weird bounce before finding their way into Washington’s net. Just last game, for example, two goals deflected in off of skates and other hit a body in front, throwing off Holtby’s timing. “It’s just kinda throwing it into piles, hoping for things,” Holtby said. “Their second goal [in Game 4], that went off [Dmitry Orlov’s] skate. [James van Riemsdyk) was kinda shooting for the guys’ skates in front, anyways. Don’t guess, just react.” As a result of the tips, deflections and strange bounces (and the Leafs’ commitment to wreaking havoc in and around the crease) Holtby’s numbers haven’t looked very Holtby-like thus far in the first round. He entered the playoffs with a .938 save percentage—the best postseason mark in NHL history. As he prepares for Game 5, though, he boasts a pedestrian-looking .907 save percentage. Holtby is aware of his stats but says he’s solely focused on doing whatever is needed to pull out a ‘W’. “[Bad bounces] happen,” he said. “That’s life. That’s hockey. You just have to move onto the next shot. Because in playoffs, stats don’t matter, it’s all about the next save, the next play.” As far as getting better with stopping deflections and tips, he spent a portion of the team’s off day on Thursday working with goalie guru Mitch Korn at the Caps’ facility in Arlington. “Trying to get the body control back a little bit,” Holtby said, asked about the session. “In any situation, any series or circumstance of events, you try and pick out trends. In order to combat some of those bounces, I need to get my upper body moving, certain areas shifting, and keep my lower body based and [on] my edges more than usual. I was just getting back to basics. Obviously, this time of year you don’t have a lot of time to work on those things. That’s more a training camp, first half of the season kinda thing. So it was nice to get out there and simplify things.” Holtby said he’s confident that the additional preparation—plus a better knowledge of individual Leafs’ tendencies as well as what they’re trying to accomplish as a team—will start yielding dividends beginning Friday. “You got to figure out players’ tendencies,” Holtby said. “The more you play against them, you know who’s in front, who’s where. Things like that.” He continued: “There’s always screens every game, pucks you don’t see. You just got to find it as quick as possible. There’s an emphasis on the high forward a lot, and our ‘D’ are going to realize that they have time to front some of those pucks. And I’ve got battle harder to find sight lines. I think we’ve gotten consistently better at that throughout the series, and tonight will be even better.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061096 Washington Capitals

KARL ALZNER OUT, CHANDLER STEPHENSON RECALLED BUT NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY GAME 5

By J.J. Regan April 21, 2017 12:10 PM

The Capitals raised some eyebrows on Friday with the news that the team had recalled forward Chandler Stephenson from the Hershey Bears. With Hershey playing Game 1 of its first-round series on Friday, it seemed a curious move for the Caps to make unless there was a reason, perhaps an injury, to prompt the recall. Barry Trotz, however, assured the media that was not the case after Friday’s morning skate “That was sort of the plan all along,” Trotz said of the timing of Stephenson’s recall. “We just felt that we needed two forwards. We wanted him to have some time in Hershey.” Based on the line rushes in the morning skate, Stephenson is indeed expected to join Paul Carey as a healthy scratch for Fridays Game 5. Of course, the morning skate is not official and Trotz can change the lineup prior to the game. According to him, however, there is no need. When asked if there were any injury concern for the forwards, Trotz said, “Nope. Zero.” The lone injury to the Caps continues to be Karl Alzner who the team confirmed would not play in Game 5. Here are the expected lines for Game 5 based on the morning skate: Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – T.J. Oshie Marcus Johansson – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Justin Williams Andre Burakovsky – Lars Eller – Tom Wilson Daniel Winnik – Jay Beagle – Brett Connolly Nate Schmidt – John Carlson Dmitry Orlov – Matt Niskanen Brooks Orpik – Kevin Shattenkirk Braden Holtby starts. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061097 Washington Capitals

ICE TIME FROM GAME 4 HINTS SOME PLAYERS ARE STRUGGLING AGAINST TORONTO

By J.J. Regan April 21, 2017 10:15 AM

Much was made of Alex Ovechkin’s playing time in Game 3 as the team’s captain and best offensive player registered only 15:08 of ice time in a game in which the Capitals ultimately lost. Following the Game 3 loss, Barry Trotz took responsibility saying, “That’s on me to get him the ice time.” Ovechkin’s playing time went up in Game 4, but only marginally with 16:31. This time, however, it was easier to explain. Ovechkin registered only 4:51 in the third period, lower than both the first and second. With the Caps leading heading into the final period, there was less opportunity to get the captain more ice time and instead it went to more of the shutdown forwards on the team. Jay Beagle, for example, played 5:10 in the third period. For the most part, Ovechkin’s ice time from Game 4 appears to be a non- story, but there are other players from Game 4 who got their minutes slashed and it seems to suggest they may have found themselves in Barry Trotz’s dog house. Of the Caps’ six defensemen, no one saw less ice time than Kevin Shattenkirk who registered only 12:54. Not only is that the least he has played in a game this postseason, it is the least he has played in the entire 2016-17 season. When asked about Shattenkirk on Thursday, Barry Trotz told the media that the defenseman was not dealing with an injury and that his reduced playing time was based on the fact that the Caps had only one power play for the game and that assistant coach Todd Reirden, who manages the defensemen, was using the different pairs based on getting the right matchups. “Todd's back there,” Trotz said. “He wants the certain matchups. We talk about it before the game and he goes from there.” Shattenkirk did not play particularly well in Game 3 so the fact that his playing time dropped to his lowest should raise eyebrows as it could suggest less trust in him. But Shattenkirk had it good compared to Brett Connolly. With a 2-1 series deficit heading into Game 4, Trotz elected to make a minor line change by bumping Tom Wilson from the fourth line to the third and moving Connolly down to the fourth. The result for the third line was great as Wilson scored twice and the line appeared to be reinvigorated. The same could not be said of the fourth line. Daniel Winnik saw his ice time slashed to 6:37 in Game 4, while Connolly played only 4:26 for the entire game. When asked why Connolly’s time was so low, Trotz said, “A little bit situational, a little bit, I felt that the way they were going in terms of the minutes, I just felt, I was going with the 10 or 11 guys we were going with.” When in a playoff game the coach is essentially saying he felt more comfortable going with 10 or 11 guys rather than playing Connolly, that seems pretty damning. Prior to the line change, the fourth line was seen as one of the team’s best shutdown lines. That, however, is not the specialty of Connolly who is more of a skilled type player. So while switching Wilson and Connolly seemed to benefit the third line, the same could not be said of the fourth line that suddenly seemed to lack identity and the fourth line was underutilized as a result. This begs the question, if Trotz can’t find even five minutes for Connolly, would he consider switching him out of the lineup completely? “Obviously [Connolly’s] on the fourth line right now and he just didn't get enough time,” Trotz said. “He's ok with it. He understands that this time of year we're going to do what we have to do and he's just going to be out there preparing like he is and be ready if he gets the call.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061098 Washington Capitals

START TIME FOR CAPITALS-MAPLE LEAFS GAME 6 ANNCOUNCED

By J.J. Regan April 21, 2017 8:45 AM

With the Capitals' 5-4 win on Wednesday in Game 4, Washington ensured their series with the Toronto Maple Leafs will go at least six games. Now we know the details of Game 6. The series will head back to Toronto for Game 6 on Sunday. The Capitals announced on Thursday that the start time for Game 6 will be at 7:00 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on CSN locally (CSN channel Finder). The national broadcast will be on NBCSN in the United States and on Sportsnet in Canada. The game will also available to stream live on CSNmidatlantic.com and the NBC Sports app. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061099 Washington Capitals Zach Hyman - Auston Matthews - William Nylander Leo Komarov - Nazem Kadri - Connor Brown CAPITALS VS. MAPLE LEAFS: GAME 5 TIME, TV CHANNEL, LIVE James van Riemsdyk - Tyler Bozak - Mitch Marner STREAM, HOW TO WATCH Matt Martin - Brian Boyle - Kasperi Kapanen

Defense By J.J. Regan April 21, 2017 1:18 AM Morgan Rielly - Matt Hunwick

Jake Gardiner - Nikita Zaitsev The Capitals tied their series with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday with a 5-4 win in Game 4. They now return home to Martin Marincin - Connor Carrick Washington with a chance to push the Leafs to the brink in Game 5. Karl Goalies Alzner's health remains a question, but Nate Schmidt has looked great in his stead and may just have earned himself a regular spot in the lineup. Frederik Andersen starts with Curtis McElhinney as backup Regardless of who is playing on defense, the Caps will need a solid night from goalie Braden Holtby whose numbers have not been great through Scratches the first four games of the series. Josh Leivo, Ben Smith, Alexey Marchenko CAPITALS VS. MAPLE LEAFS GAME 5 HOW TO WATCH CAPITALS-MAPLE LEAFS GAME 5 BETTING LINES Who: Washington Capitals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Odds: Capitals 9/2, Maple Leafs 25/1 What: Game 5, 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, Eastern Conference Game 5 Spread: Capitals -1.5 First Round Game 5 Over/Under: 5.5 When: 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday, April 21 Game 5 Money Line: Capitals -210, Maple Leafs +170 Where: Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. Against The Spread: Capitals are 7-4 straight up against the Maple Leafs Online Stream: Check out CSN's live stream page here in their last 11 games. TV Channel: CSN Mid-Atlantic (Channel Finder) CAPITALS-MAPLE LEAFS GAME 5 OPEN THREAD Radio: 1500 AM (Capitals Radio Network) Use the comment section below to discuss the game action with other WHEN IS CAPITALS-MAPLE LEAFS GAME 5? Capitals fans. With the series tied 2-2, the Capitals take on the Maple Leafs in Game 5 For all the latest Caps coverage, follow Capitals Insider Tarik El-Bashir, of their best of seven series on Firday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Capitals Digital Producer JJ Regan and the CSN Capitals account on Verizon Center. Twitter. Be sure check out our Capitals page and CSN's Facebook page. WHAT CHANNEL IS CAPITALS-MAPLE LEAFS GAME 5 ON? Keep up with all the action here with Capitals GameZone and join in on the conversation here with Capitals Pulse. Game 5 of Capitals-Maple Leafs will be broadcast on CSN. Caps GameTime gets things started at 6:00 p.m. ET with Caps Extra and Caps Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 Overtime following the game and Caps in 30 at 11:45 p.m. (CSN channel Finder) WHERE CAN I STREAM CAPITALS-MAPLE LEAFS GAME 5? Game 5 of Capitals-Maple Leafs, as well as the pre and postgame shows, is available to stream live here through CSN's live stream page and is available to authenticated CSN Mid-Atlantic subscribers on desktops, tablets, mobile devices and connected TVs anywhere in the United States. WHAT ARE THE LINES FOR CAPITALS-MAPLE LEAFS GAME 5? Here are the projected lines based on Friday's game: Capitals Forwards Alex Ovechkin - Nicklas Backstrom - T.J. Oshie Marcus Johansson - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Justin Williams Andre Burakovsky - Lars Eller - Tom Wilson Daniel Winnik - Jay Beagle - Brett Connolly Defense Nate Schmidt - John Carlson Dmitry Orlov - Matt Niskanen Brooks Orpik - Kevin Shattenkirk Goalies Braden Holtby starts with Philipp Grubauer as backup Scratches Paul Carey, Karl Alzner, Taylor Chorney Maple Leafs Forwards 1061100 Washington Capitals

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS AWAIT CAPS IN THE SECOND ROUND AFTER ELIMINATING COLUMBUS

By J.J. Regan April 20, 2017 11:00 PM

The Capitals still have work to do if they hope to advance to the second round, but they now know who they will face should they get there. The Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday with a 5-2 win to advance to the second round. They will play the winner of the Washington-Toronto series. The Pittsburgh-Columbus series was expected to be one of the most competitive of the first round. It didn't turn out that way as the Penguins needed just five games to put away the Jackets. Evgeni Malkin led the team with 11 points while Pittsburgh also got surprising goal-scoring contributions from Jake Guentzel (5 goals) and Bryan Rust (4 goals). Sidney Crosby also registered seven points in the series as the Penguins dominated Columbus goalie and likely Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky with 4.20 goals per game. Pittsburgh will now have extra time to rest as they await the winner of the Caps' series with Toronto. That will give the Penguins a chance to heal their wounds, especially goalie Matt Murray who missed the entire first round with a lower-body injury. He has yet to resume skating. Marc- Andre Fleury started in his stead and was fantastic for Pittsburgh, registering a 2.52 GAA and .933 save percentage in five games against Columbus. Should the Caps advance to the second round, it will be a rematch of last year's second round matchup between Washington and Pittsburgh, a series the Penguins won in six games en route to a Stanley Cup championship. In their history, the Caps have met the Penguins in the playoffs nine times winning only one series in 1994. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061101 Winnipeg Jets waited four months for my appointment and he got it the next morning is kind of disturbing."

I agree. And so do a lot of other Manitobans. The silence is deafening, Mr. Chipman Put it all together and a Winnipeg Jets team that just a few years ago could do no wrong in the eyes of the people of this province suddenly Paul Wiecek had a full-blown public relations crisis on its hands. Posted: 04/21/2017 3:36 PM It’s one thing, after all, to disappoint your fans on the ice yet again and leave them watching the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers asking, ‘Why not us?’ What do Fox News, United Airlines and the Winnipeg Jets all have in It is quite another to shove a housebound grandma out of the way common? because your defenceman dropped his gloves last night. They all missed the memo on crisis management in the age of social Seems like the ideal situation for a timely and fulsome response from the media and the 24-hour news cycle no longer means burying your head in team. Instead, we got the same "no comment" that has been the club’s the sand and crossing your fingers hoping the whole thing will blow over. modus operandi since Day 1 of the NHL’s return to Winnipeg. While the Jets' problems pale in comparison, United learned that lesson That’s an approach that has been remarkably successful for this earlier this month in the most expensive way possible, losing close to a organization in the past; it is, in part, why Winnipeg now has an NHL billion dollars in market capitalization after their ham-handed and tone- team but that blabbermouth Jim Balsillie doesn’t. True North learned from deaf corporate response to the leak of a video showing a bloodied Gary Bettman that good things will come to those who shut their mouths. passenger being literally dragged off a plane after he refused to give up his seat for a United employee. But what worked with NHL head office in the past just came off this week as arrogant and hopelessly out of touch. And with multiple investigations After initially saying nothing, the best United head office could muster now underway into the auditor general’s findings and calls for a public was a mumbled apology about being sorry they had to "re- inquiry growing louder, any hopes the Jets had that (sorry) "MRI-gate" accommodate" some passengers. The airline was laughed off the will simply blow over is as hopelessly naive as Fox buying off those Internet and still hasn’t recovered two weeks later. accusers and United re-accommodating that passenger. And then this week it was Fox News paying a stiff price for naively Now, it’s worth noting that Chipman doesn’t seem to speak publicly as thinking they could quietly buy off five women who had accused host Bill often as he once did. And it’s also worth noting that even when he does O’Reilly of sexually harassing them and the whole thing would somehow speak, it’s often with media outlets from outside the province — the just go away. Globe and Mail for a big feature last fall, the Vancouver Province last spring — even while he’s stiff-arming the local yokels. A New York Times exposé — and a remarkably effective social media campaign that pressured more than 50 Fox advertisers to abandon Here’s something you don’t know: the Free Press inquired twice this O'Reilly's show over the past 10 days — laid waste both to that idea and week about the specific availability of Chipman for an interview. Our first to O’Reilly, a man who is now unemployed despite having boasted the request went out just before the MRI story broke and was for a simple sit- highest ratings in cable TV for years. down, end-of-season interview of the type many, but certainly not all, NHL owners agree to do. All of which brings us to your Winnipeg Jets and their curious disappearing act this week after the Free Press broke the news that While both Cheveldayoff and Maurice have already delivered their states Manitoba's auditor general had identified 59 pro athletes who received of the union, Chipman has not. And given the disappointment in this town 149 MRIs — 44 Jets got 127 of the scans and 15 Blue Bombers got the about how the season went, we think there are some legitimate other 22 — over a period of eight years, including the six since the Jets questions to be asked about the current state of his organization, not to moved here from Atlanta. mention his broader plans for True North’s ever-expanding downtown footprint. If ever there was a time for True North chairman Mark Chipman to make an increasingly rare public pronouncement, it was this week. And yet... Jets spokesman Scott Brown advised us Chipman had turned down the crickets. request because, "...He simply doesn't see any value in having a sit down with the Free Press." It is Chipman, after all, who was and is the Jets' most valuable player. There are things about the man’s team that drive fans crazy; more than a That’d make a great T-shirt: "I see no value in speaking to you." It would few of them won't rest until both GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and head coach be a big seller among my family members. Paul Maurice have been run out of town. I will leave it to the hundreds of thousands of Manitobans who read this But through it all, Chipman has remained the man, in the eyes of paper in print and online every day to decide whether there is any "value" Manitobans, who is most responsible for bringing life back to this in hearing from the owner of the team we all support with our hard- province’s winters, not to mention a pulse back to the capital’s downtown. earned money. His team is watching yet another playoff season unfold on TV, but if Sports editor Steve Lyons followed up with Brown later in the week, Chipman ran for mayor, he’d still win in a landslide, even today. asking if it was something personal or if Chipman simply didn’t want to speak to any media. All of which makes it all the more baffling why in the hour of their need this week, the Jets didn’t have the insight — or even basic corporate The answer from Brown was, well... both. competence — to get their best player off the bench and into the game. "Steve — at this time, there are no plans for a post-season availability Consider the backdrop: with Mark. At the same time in speaking to Mark, I get the impression a sit down, one-on-one with anyone from the Free Press isn’t high on his After a season in which the Jets missed the playoffs for the fifth time in priority list." six years and fans were left wondering when — if ever — it will be our turn, the news the team’s players also hadn’t been waiting their turn for Aw shucks, I’m flattered. potentially life-saving scans had ordinary Manitobans howling in protest. Look, this is nothing new for me: Chipman has refused my requests to do While there were the usual Internet cranks who were mad at the Free a one-on-one interview ever since I wrote some stories back in 2009 in Press for making "our boys" look bad, my email inbox has been which I disclosed David Thomson was Chipman’s mysterious partner in overflowing all week with missives from ordinary folks who are furious his bid to land an NHL team and that the reclusive billionaire had a they’d been suffering for months while they patiently waited for MRIs only "colourful" personal history. to learn the likes of Dustin Byfuglien and Evander Kane had been elbowing their way to the front of the line. Chipman hated that story and has never forgiven me. The most compelling email I read came from a Winnipeg woman who’d Me? I have no regrets, believing today just as I did then that waited four months for an MRI appointment. The long-awaited day finally Winnipeggers had a right to the most complete picture possible of a man arrived a few weeks ago and, wouldn’t you know it… who has gone on to have such a profound impact on this city. "After getting there an hour before my appointment, I was sitting in the And Thomson? I imagine he sleeps soundly, snuggled warmly under a waiting room and out goes Jacob Trouba from his tests. I watched him blanket made of the hides of baby albino koalas. play hockey the night before and he got into a fight... The fact that I The right play for the Jets this week would have been to send Chipman out with a message along the lines of, "Hey, we know this doesn’t sound good and we cannot talk specifics, but rest assured, we are taking steps to ensure none of our players in the future bump a needier Manitoban out of line for an MRI." And then I’d have had Chipman make a donation to a local hospital in the sum of $1.5 million, the same contribution the Workers Compensation Board made towards the MRI machine at the Pan Am Clinic so injured workers in this province could get priority access without improperly cutting in front of others. But no comment? Only the clowns at Fox News and United Airlines would have thought that was the Jets play of the week. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.22.2017 1061102 Winnipeg Jets already announcing that NHLers will not participate in South Korea in 2018, that dream is over.

“Very disappointing,” Scheifele said of the NHL’s decision. “You never Maple Leafs have temporary fan in Jets' Scheifele know when the opportunity will be there again. A guy like (Steven) Stamkos got hurt right before the Olympics (in 2014) and now would be on the team again and will miss another one. Going to the Olympics is a BY MICHAEL TRAIKOS, POSTMEDIA NETWORK really big honour. I was pretty rattled about that news.” FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 02:19 PM CDT | UPDATED: 'I WAS ALWAYS YZERMAN' FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 02:30 PM CDT When you have a brother who is two years older than you, setting up a game of street hockey was often easy. As Mark Scheifele explained, the hard part was deciding who got to be whom. TORONTO — Mark Scheifele is rooting for the Maple Leafs. “I was always Yzerman. He was Lidstrom,” said Scheifele. “Or else, we’d Well, that’s not entirely accurate. But with the Winnipeg Jets’ season both be him. We were huge Red Wings fans. It was just mindless fun.” done, the Kingston, Ont., native has gone from hockey player to hockey fan and is watching a lot of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And while it’s The “mindless fun” of playing street hockey is something Scheifele took frustrating not to be playing at this time of year, the second straight year for granted as a kid. While he was always passionate about ice hockey, it Scheifele’s missed the playoffs, it’s encouraging to see a team that could feel like work when he was practising up to five times a week. But finished 30th overall a year ago have success against the Presidents’ street hockey was a chance to goof around with friends while still Trophy winners. enjoying the game. It means the Jets, who finished in ninth place and were seven points out It is why Scheifele is an ambassador for Hockey Night in Canada’s Play of a playoff spot, might not be far from doing the same. On! A non-profit organization aimed at raising awareness for getting kids active, the summer street hockey tournament and festival travels to 12 “We want to be that team,” Scheifele said in a one-on-one interview in cities, beginning May 6 in Toronto. Toronto, where he was promoting street-hockey awareness for the non- profit organization Play On! “Obviously road hockey is the basic form of hockey,” said Scheifele. “Anybody can do it. You just need a stick and a ball. I think the biggest “You see that any team can go on that run. You see that a team can go thing for me is you want kids to enjoy the game. Sometimes what you from last to the playoffs and that’s something that we have to strive for. see nowadays is hockey is driven by being on the ice all the time. Road We can’t look at ourselves as young or inexperienced. Toronto did that hockey is something I did a lot as a kid and it made me love the game.” and they’re just as young as we are. We have to believe in ourselves. Just missing out on the playoffs can’t be satisfactory. We have to be Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.22.2017 better than that.” For Scheifele, who had a career year with 32 goals and 82 points, there is reason to be optimistic. He established himself as one of the elite centres in the NHL this season, finishing seventh in scoring. Along with Calder Trophy finalist Patrik Laine (36 goals and 64 points) and Nikolaj Ehlers (25 goals and 64 points), he headlines a core group that has yet to reach its full potential. And yet, it’s the same old story for the Jets, where “just wait until next year” is beginning to sound like a broken record. But while Scheifele admitted he’s frustrated and a bit impatient, he’s far from feeling like Jack Eichel in Buffalo. It’s tough,” said Scheifele. “You want the team to do well, but you look at your overall success and you weigh that with the team’s success. You have to take the subtle victories. Obviously, you always have to be optimistic. Once you start getting negative, things aren’t going to go good for you. But you do get frustrated. “You want to win and you want to win now. Obviously this league is a really good league and it’s tough to make the playoffs. A lot of good teams don’t make the playoffs every year, but for me you can’t get frustration fully into your head because you always have to keep working and pushing. That’s something that our team has to realize. It’s not management, but as players we have to know that we can’t be complacent with either individual success or just going through the motions.” To that end, the Jets’ alternate captain isn’t taking any time off these days. Next week, he heads to Paris where he will represent Canada at the world hockey championship. Six of his Jets teammates — Denmark’s Ehlers, Americans Jacob Trouba, Connor Hellebuyck and Andrew Copp, and Canadians’ Josh Morrissey and Eric Comrie — are also going. It’s the third time Scheifele’s played in the tournament, having won gold in Russia last year, where he had four goals and nine points in nine games. And while no one would have blamed him for taking a much- deserved break, he wanted to use the tournament as a springboard for next season. “Sometimes the way I look at it is the better I become, the more it will push other guys to become better,” said Scheifele. “That’s what a leader does. It’s not about what you say, it’s what you show. Playing with a new coach under a new system at the worlds, playing with different players, playing against better players, all those experiences are beneficial. I want to be one of the best players in the world. That’s the goal.” Normally, the world hockey championships would be an audition for something bigger. Last year, it was the World Cup of Hockey, a tournament where Scheifele played on a top line with Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews for Team North America. This year, the audition should have been for the Olympics. But with commissioner Gary Bettman 1061103 Winnipeg Jets forwards Nikolaj Ehlers and Little, while 2016 second overall pick Patrik Laine will be eligible for an extension.

For the time being, Cheveldayoff must focus on the present and he'll Jets have money coming off books, players to sign need to manage the current contract situation and also find a way to creative to add more depth on the back end and improve the goaltending at the NHL level. BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN It's arguably the most important off-season for Cheveldayoff since taking FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 01:16 PM CDT | UPDATED: the job in the summer of 2011 and how he handles it could mean the FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 07:13 PM CDT difference between being back in the playoffs next spring or remaining on the outside looking in.

Twitter.com/WiebeSunSports Last summer, two-year contracts were the order of the day for the Winnipeg Jets – at least when it came to the restricted free agents. WHO IS COMING OFF THE BOOKS Part of that was tied to the upcoming expansion draft for the Vegas G Ondrej Pavelec Golden Knights, which is now less than two months away. AAV: $3.9 million ($4.75 salary last season) With that in mind, goalie Michael Hutchinson, defenceman Julian Melchiori and forwards Adam Lowry and Joel Armia were all inked to 2016-17 stats: 8 GP, 4-4 record, 3.55 GAA, .888 save % two-year pacts. D Paul Postma Perhaps the most important two-year deal was signed in early AAV: $887,500 November, when defenceman Jacob Trouba ended his contract stalemate and returned to the club. 2016-17 stats: 65 GP, 1 G, 13 A, 14 P, 15 PIM Getting Trouba signed to a bridge deal was important for the Jets, who D Brian Strait will likely try to get the defenceman signed to a contract extension this summer after July 1 but might have to wait until the contract expires, AAV: $600,000 unless they're willing to pay a premium. 2016-17 stats: 5 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 P, 2 PIM “Jacob Trouba had a fantastic year. The only regret that I have is we RW Chris Thorburn never had the chance to see our full complement of defence together to really see how it all could play out,” Jets general manager Kevin AAV: $1.2 million Cheveldayoff said during his season-ending media address. “But Jacob, personally, I thought did very well and relished the opportunity given to 2016-17 stats: 64 GP, 3 G, 1 A, 4 P, 95 PIM him and flourished and continued to grow. We’ve never deviated from the RW Anthony Peluso fact that when we talk about the first two players that we drafted in this organization being obviously Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba, we AAV: $675,000 (700,000 salary last season) believe those two players are going to be the ultimate drivers on this team. 2016-17 stats: 22 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 P, 6 PIM with Manitoba Moose of AHL “(Trouba has) got another year on his contract here and then at different WHO NEEDS A NEW DEAL points in time you have different conversations, so we’ll see. I can't sit G Connor Hellebuyck here and tell you we’re going to open contract negotiations tomorrow – we might – but those are things that do unfold and stay behind the current AAV: $667,500 scenes and close to the vest. But I know we see the Jacob Trouba we drafted and are proud to have him in this organization.” 2016-17 stats: 56 GP (53 starts), 26-19-4 record, 4 shutouts, 2.89 GAA, .907 save % Another player the Jets would like to keep in the organization is veteran centre Bryan Little, who has one year left on his deal and expressed a D Ben Chiarot desire to sign an extension this summer. current AAV: $850,000 Little hurt his knee just four shifts into the season after getting tangled up with Carolina Hurricanes forward Bryan Bickell, but came back to record 2016-17 stats: 59 GP, 2 G, 10 A, 12 P, 33 PIM 21 goals and 47 points in 59 games. C/LW Andrew Copp He's a valuable cog and it will be interesting to see if the Jets get him AAV: $925,000 locked up for a few more seasons, much like they did with Mathieu Perreault last summer. 2016-17 stats: 64 GP, 9 G, 8 A, 17 P, 18 PIM The Jets should have some money to spend, with several pending LW Marko Dano unrestricted free agents about to come off the books. current AAV: $925,000 Those players include goalie Ondrej Pavelec ($3.9 million cap hit, $4.75 million salary last season), defencemen Paul Postma ($877,500) and 2016-17 stats: 38 GP, 4 G, 7 A, 11 P, 10 PIM Brian Strait ($600,000) and forwards Chris Thorburn ($1.2 million) and LW Brandon Tanev Anthony Peluso ($675,00), who spent all of last season in the minors. current AAV: $874,125 The top priority for the Jets is bringing in another goalie this summer and doing that will require a significant financial commitment. 2016-17 stats: 51 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 4 P, 26 PIM And even with the up-and-down nature of his season as a first-time NHL WHO MIGHT BE EXTENDED? starter, goalie Connor Hellebuyck is going to get a raise after completing his entry-level contract. (players with one season left on current deals can sign an extension after July 1) Hellebuyck had 26 wins in 56 appearances (53 starts), but his goals- against average (2.89) and save percentage (.907) suggest the D Jacob Trouba netminder will probably need to sign a two-year bridge deal for between AAV: $2.812 million ($3.5 million salary next season) $2.2 and $3.5 million (total) before perhaps cashing in on his next deal. 2016-17 stats: 60 GP, 8 G, 25 A, 33 P, 54 PIM Other restricted free agents looking for raises include forwards Andrew Copp, Marko Dano and Brandon Tanev and defenceman Ben Chiarot, C Bryan Little while minor-league forwards Quinton Howden, JC Lipon, Scott Kosmachuk and Ryan Olsen will also be looking for new deals. AAV: $4.7 million ($5 million salary next season) None of those guys will be breaking the bank this summer, but the Jets 2016-17: 59 GP, 21 G, 26 A, 47 P, 18 PIM have several bigger-ticket guys requiring new contracts in the summer of 2018 – including Trouba and fellow blue-liner Josh Morrissey and LW Nikolaj Ehlers AAV: $1.6 million 2016-17 stats: 82 GP, 25 G, 39 A, 64 P, 38 PIM Winnipeg Jets financial commitments with AAV for 2017-18 (according to capfriendly.com) G Michael Hutchinson, $1.15 million AAV D Dustin Byfuglien, $7.6 million D Toby Enstrom, $5.75 million D Tyler Myers, $5.50 million ($3.5 million salary) D Jacob Trouba $2.81 million ($3.5 million salary) D Mark Stuart $2.625 million ($1.75 million salary) D Josh Morrissey $925,000 D Tucker Poolman $1.775 million ($70,000 in minors) D Julian Melchiori $671,667 ($65,000 in minors) C Mark Scheifele $6.13 million ($6.75 million salary) RW Blake Wheeler $5.6 million ($5.8 million salary) C Bryan Little $4.7 million ($5 million salary) LW Mathieu Perreault $4.125 million ($4.5 million salary) LW Shawn Matthias $2.125 million C Adam Lowry $1.125 million RW Patrik Laine $3.575 million RW Joel Armia $925,000 ($975,000 salary) LW Nikolaj Ehlers $1.594 million C Nic Petan $863,333 ($70,000 in minors) LW Kyle Connor $1.775 million ($70,000 in minors) C Jack Roslovic $1.138 million ($70,000 in minors) Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.22.2017 1061104 Vancouver Canucks Nights Jazz Band played at the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame’s recent Banquet of Champions. Looking as though they’d just met at Port Coquitlam’s Archbishop Carney Regional Secondary, singer-keyboardist Town Talk: Canucks Autism Network readies for gala Jamie de Guia, sax player Kalen Dofher, bassist Anthony Maljavac and drummer Steven Pringle performed Fly Me to the Moon and other standards. Their Filipino-Estonian-Croatian-Canadian backgrounds differed from this reporter’s past combos. But the enthusiasm was the Malcolm Parry same, and the sight of a dress-suited young man playing tenor sax backed by a tight rhythm section was pure nostalgia and pure delight. Published on: April 21, 2017 | Last Updated: April 21, 2017 5:22 PM PDT DOWN PARRYSCOPE: Onlookers may get shocks if protesting

Mounties carelessly rip that insulating tape from their trousers. REVEALING REVEAL: The Canucks Autism Network’s eponymous team Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 04.22.2017 endured a baleful season. But the organization itself anticipates quite the opposite when its Reveal gala occupies Rogers Arena on May 6. Team- owning family member Clara Aquilini and Christi Yassin will co-chair what is billed as “an Evening in Venice.” That won’t involve melting the rink and having 544 attendees float between 68 tables in gondolas. There will be ice, though, in raffle prizes of $38,800 diamond-chandelier earrings and an $11,500, 72-diamond bracelet donated by Britton Diamonds. The bijoux appeared during a reception at Nader and Mana Mobargha’s Moissonnier store where gala committee member Saeedeh Salem and husband Sean characteristically donated plenty of wine from their La Stella/Le Vieux Pin operation. JUST DO IT: Twice this week city actress Tammy Gillis got to see herself starring in the feature film Menorca. Screening at Vancity Theatre as part of Canadian Film Week, it pictures Gillis as “a rebellious soccer mom … who won’t settle for domestic banality when casual sex is much more fun.” Viewers may or may not choose to emulate that role. Given our months of dreary wetness, though, several likely contacted their travel agents regarding the film’s title island off Spain’s Mediterranean coast. ON HIS WAY: In 1978, Chris Gallagher photographed red-suited, white- bearded pal Allan Harvey as Santa Claus on holiday. Published in Vancouver magazine, the pictures showed Santa shooting pool, brawling in a hockey rink, and tanning, flirting and surfing at that North-Pole getaway paradise, Waikiki. Gallagher’s subsequent decades as a UBC professor saw him produce endless films, photographic exhibitions, books and journals. But his inventive whimsicality is still clear in a Capture Photography Festival exhibition at Clark Drive’s Autoform dealership. Its title: I Will Not Shoot Any More Polaroid Pictures. Delighted to see Gallagher’s works on Autoform’s showroom walls to April 27, co-principal Mike Wood might be even happier to snag the artist’s 1957 Austin Healey 100-6 roadster for its sales floor. STRAIGHT SHOOTER: Photographer Rob Straight’s five-decade exhibition will run at Horizons Gallery to April 30 as part of the citywide Capture festival. It’s likely the only one containing photos of two Nobel laureates, 1979’s Mother Teresa and 2016’s Bob Dylan. Straight is a second-generation Vancouver Sun alumnus whose late father, Hal, was sports and managing editor. Straight’s wide-ranging oeuvre includes a charming photograph of daughter Kelsey and son Destry on a mid-1990s Hernando Island beach. All grown up now, novelist Kelsey recently wrote the semi-autobiographical All This While F***ing. Destry, who played centre-left wing for Boston College, coaches midget hockey here. NEVER AFTER: One city artist you won’t find in Vancouver’s 167- exhibitor Capture Photography Festival is Dina Goldstein. But as our show winds down, she’ll participate in the world’s purportedly largest such event that will open April 28. That’s Toronto’s 1,500-artist Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. Goldstein’s Fallen Princesses series will show there at Gallery House May 11 to June 10. Her photo tableaus portray Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and other characters after having missed their fairy tales’ usual happy endings. GENERATION XXX: Douglas Coupland will receive the Lieutenant- Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence at the B.C. Book Prizes Gala on April 29. That will be exactly 30 years since he launched his writing career by filing an article titled Ace in the Hole to Vancouver magazine. It addressed the legal tribulations of former city art gallerist Doug Chrismas who had moved to Los Angeles. Three months later, another feature article titled Generation X started Coupland climbing fame’s ladder. FRENCHY LEAVES: Better known than many now-vaunted chefs, maitre d’ Robert (Frenchy) Gagne doesn’t change jobs often. Nor does he move far. This week, he trotted one block to the Glowbal Group’s Coast restaurant from Joe Fortes, where he’s logged 26 years. Gagne did break that term by defecting to Granville Island’s SandBar for a year, but then-owner Bud Kanke’s irresistible offer brought him back. No word on his recent sweetener from Emad Yacoub, the executive chef who left Joe Fortes in 2009 to found Glowbal. AS WE WERE: Reporters’ fondest memories can be stimulated by matters experienced in the course of duty. So it was when the Clavinova 1061105 Vancouver Canucks A NOTE ON COLE: It’s typical that Canada’s best newspaper sports columnist of the last 25 years thought initially he was unworthy of the because he happened to write as well about golf, After 43 years of elegant writing in Sun sports, Beamer lands in football and figure skating as he did about our national game. retirement But Cam Cole, who finished his brilliant career with 12 years at The Sun before retiring in December, was the defining print voice in Canada whenever hockey meant the most — at the Olympics and just about Iain MacIntyre every Stanley Cup playoffs since Wayne Gretzky came along and gave Cam something to write about in Edmonton. April 21, 2017 12:11 PM PDT He needed some convincing, but Cole is wholly deserving of the Elmer Ferguson Award (“in recognition of distinguished members of the newspaper profession whose words have brought honour to journalism For 43 years Mike Beamish has worked in sports at The Vancouver Sun, and to hockey”) that was bestowed on him Monday. and for most of that time, in some form or another, he has covered the B.C. Lions. Now, he’ll needlessly worry about trying to fill a couple of tables with friends for the Hall of Fame ceremony next fall in Toronto. And he’s still His time as a football writer began in 1978 when, as Lyndon Little’s embarrassed he was unable to reply to readers who wrote to him after backup on the Canadian Football League beat, Beamish was sent to a his final column because his work email account was closed. Lions practice and noticed that rookie quarterback Joe Paopao was participating even though he had been cut by coach Vic Rapp. The Lions, AND FOR SOME CANUCKS: For all the speculative discussion this as all CFL teams did, were bending the roster rules. week about Ralph Krueger as a possible coaching candidate for the Canucks, minor-league coach Travis Green remains so much the front- “Joe got very nervous and told me ‘you better go over and talk to the runner that the National Hockey League team may not need to interview coach,’” Beamish recalls. “I put my hand out to Rapp and said: ‘Hi, Vic, many others. I’m Mike Beamish.’ And he goes: ‘Beamish, I disliked you from the moment I saw you. You really piss me off.’” “Travis is a strong candidate,” general manager Jim Benning said. “He’s demanding but fair, and we like the job he has done working with our The quote is funnier when Beamish tells it in Rapp’s southern drawl. young players in Utica. But we’re going to do our due diligence and go Apparently, Mike continued to piss off Rapp because when Beamish through this process. There is no time frame, but we’d like to have our briefly left sports for a parliamentary bureau posting in Ottawa in 1982, coach in place by the draft.” the Lions’ coach noticed. NIKITA CRUSH: Could former Canucks coach Willie Desjardins have “Ottawa, huh?” Rapp told Beamish’s replacement, Elliott Pap. “That’s a played Nikita Tryamkin more, given him preferential treatment? Of good place for him.” course, although we’re not sure how Troy Stecher and Ben Hutton would have felt about that. Jason Botchford: Defenceman Tryamkin takes offence and bolts Canucks for Russia But Tryamkin, a 22-year-old, third-round draft pick, logged 16:44 average ice time this season as an NHL rookie, was going to play more than that Ben Kuzma: Is there room behind Canucks bench for Green and Lowry? next season and had the potential to make many millions playing hockey in one of the world’s most beautiful cities for fans who seemed to adore The Sun was a great place for Beamish, who officially retired on Friday. him. And he’s only 69, although no one has actually checked Mike’s birth certificate to verify this absurdity as fact. Instead, the six-foot-seven defenceman chose to return home to Russia to play in a second-best league, surrounded by friends and family who Beamish became a general sports columnist in 1991, which allowed him speak the same language he does. His decision to leave the NHL is a to be the first Vancouver journalist to interview Pavel Bure and allowed huge blow to the Canucks, but their biggest mistake on Tryamkin was me to sneak on to the Canucks’ beat, and for the last 18 years he drafting someone who didn’t want to be here. covered the Lions full-time. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.22.2017 Former sports desker Bob Briscoe, the kind of crusty newspaperman who no longer exists, dubbed Mike “Moon Station Beamish” because he never knew from which planet he would be filing his copy. Mike Beamish, in his younger days. Chris Kindratsky / VANCOUVER SUN Mike is a true Renaissance man, someone with a bright, curious mind and knowledge on infinite subjects. He is amiable and empathetic but continually exasperated bosses by finding a thread more interesting to explore in print than what had been discussed in the morning. But whatever story Mike filed in the evening was always beautifully written, elegant and informed and clean. “I really have a love-hate relationship with writing,” he says. “At times, it’s torturous. But at other times, I think: This is great, I’m able to express myself and get my views out to other people who are actually reading this. “I think the great thing about our job is we meet so many different types of people, people from different sports and different backgrounds and different countries. Especially in football, I met a lot of guys who grew up much different than I did. Many grew up in broken families and had impediments thrown their way in life that they’ve survived and gotten through it. You learn so much about people.” And what Mike learned, readers learned and were better for it. “You know you’re getting older when a lot of these Lions players now call me ‘Mr. Beamish,’” he says. “You almost think like: Geez, they sound like they’re talking to a grandfather.” They are. They were. Mike and his wife Theresa, who loved The Vancouver Sun before she loved Mike, have two grandchildren so far from their blended family. Mike says his finest achievements are his children, Greg, Hayley, Michaela and Joey. He’ll have even more time for them now. 1061106 Websites to be satisfied with having two wins under our belt. We believe we can win this series.''

Martin said the Toronto players chatted among themselves for a few ESPN / Maple Leafs need to show a little more desperation in Game 5 minutes after the game. The message was clear, to veteran and rookies alike. 9:07 PM ET Capitals' aggression key in tying series Pierre LeBrun Determined not to go down 3-1 to the underdog Toronto Maple Leafs, the Washington Capitals turned on the jets from the opening faceoff and held on for a big 5-4 win. TORONTO -- The lessons learned in springtime are the harshest. And Toronto's turnaround keyed by Leafs' leap of faith yet they're the ones that resonate the most. A year ago, the last-place Maple Leafs won the Auston Matthews The underdog Toronto Maple Leafs have gleaned an important one sweepstakes. Now hockey's former lovable losers are two wins away during their Stanley Cup playoffs opening-round series against the from knocking off the No. 1 team -- and they ooze confidence. Washington Capitals, which is now a best-of-three heading into Game 5 on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Being able to match the desperation level of a Moment of truth for Capitals team on the ropes is the difference between the pretenders and the clubs The true test of the team's talent and character wasn't supposed to come that advance come playoff time. this early for the Washington Capitals. How they respond to the pressure The toughest pill to swallow was that everyone saw it coming. of needing to win now will be key. On Wednesday morning, Toronto coach Mike Babcock invoked -- "We've got to be more prepared," said rookie superstar Auston Matthews unsolicited -- the San Jose Sharks' Game 4 crush job on the Edmonton after Game 4. "We knew for them it was a do-or-die game. We've got to Oilers from the previous night, noting it was the perfect reminder of what be prepared for that and come out on time, because I think when we start can happen when a veteran team gets put in a corner at this time of year. playing like we did down the stretch, we make it a lot harder for them.'' It always comes out swinging. The Jedi mind tricks were on full display again Thursday before the team How younger teams ready themselves for that tells the tale. The Oilers, jetted back to Washington for Game 5. Babcock invoked the good old- like their young pals in Toronto, raced out to a 2-1 series lead and then time machine ploy in their morning meeting. He reminded his troops that basked in the media spotlight while the veteran Sharks were under the if someone told them back before the season began they would not only gun. Just as the top-seeded Capitals were feeling the heat too, after make the playoffs but be tied 2-2 with the powerhouse Capitals midway going down 2-1 in their series against Leafs. through a playoff series, they would have been "doing cartwheels.'' "We expected [the Capitals] to come out strong; they're the best team in He's right, of course. If you're the Leafs, the league's last-place team just hockey for a reason," said Maple Leafs veteran Matt Martin after Game a year ago, how do you not take stock for a moment and realize what an 4. "But the goals they scored were [because of] us breaking down auspicious, unexpected position you're in before Game 5? mentally and not executing.'' Claus Andersen/Getty Images "Yeah, for sure,'' young star winger Mitch Marner said, acknowledging "There's two parts to that equation -- one team relaxes and feels pretty the merits of the time-machine brain tease. "They're a great team over good about themselves, talks to everybody, and they all tell you how there, everyone knows that. It's been a fun series so far. We just have to great they're doing. And the other team gets prepared," said Babcock, be ready at the start next game.'' somewhat regretfully. "We talked about that after Game 1, and after ESPN LOADED: 04.22.2017 Game 2, and we'll continue to talk about it. It's so important that you get off to a good start [each game] and prepare to compete. They're going to compete; we have to compete.'' Veteran forward Brian Boyle, the player with the most postseason experience on Toronto's young roster, said he hoped that a late-season lesson that the Leafs learned at the hands of his former team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, would help them stay sharp. On April 6, a depleted Lightning squad, with its season still hanging in the balance, had completely outplayed Toronto on a night when the Leafs could have clinched a playoff berth. Instead, Toronto lost 4-1 and needed some dramatics on the final weekend of the regular season just to get into the postseason. And yet despite that lesson from the Tampa game, and Tuesday night's San Jose rout over Edmonton, and everything Babcock told his team about what a dangerous animal Washington would be on Wednesday night -- well, the Capitals were up by three goals in Game 4 before you could blink. The Leafs were left wondering: Why is it so hard to manufacture the same desperation when you're not the team on the ropes? What kind of mind trick must you teach yourself to feel a similar sense of urgency? "It's tough. I think people have been trying to find that recipe forever," veteran Leafs winger Matt Martin said on Thursday. "Being the team with its back against the wall, like Washington was, you always seem to find a little more desperation than the team that's coming off a big win. But for whatever reason, we just didn't execute early in [Game 4]." Martin maintains that it wasn't a case of the Leafs being lulled into a false sense of security. "We expected them to push; they're the best team in hockey for a reason," said Martin. "We expected them to come out strong. ... But the goals they scored were [because of] us breaking down mentally and not executing on plays.'' So, did they finally learn their lesson? "I think it's an experience we had to go through," said Martin. "I think maybe the hype around the team the last few days was a lot. These things are best-of-sevens for a reason. Nobody is going to remember that we were up 2-1 if these guys go on to win the Cup. We need to learn not 1061107 Websites

ESPN / Hit on Alex Ovechkin by Nazem Kadri was borderline

ESPN

Craig Custance: With the benefit of slowing it down, it looks like it's on the knee. I don't like this hit. To me, it's clipping and worthy of at least a fine. That Ovechkin got back in the game, and appears unbreakable, helps Kadri's case, though. Visit the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs page to get dates, game schedules, team matchups and featured news all the way into the finals on ESPN. Scott Burnside: I'm with Craig on this. Don't like this hit. It's predatory. A low, dangerous play on an unsuspecting player. The fact the borderline hit is made by one of the Toronto Maple Leafs' most important players in Kadri on the greatest goal scorer of his generation in a critical playoff game shines an even brighter light on the play. The fact that Ovechkin returned is a testament to his incredible durability and might help defuse what could otherwise become a flashpoint of controversy in a dynamic first round. Joe McDonald: If this happened to any other player, or the likes of Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid in the Stanley Cup playoffs, would it be a major issue? Case in point: The Boston Bruins' David Krejci left Game 5 after being on the receiving end of an a knee-on-knee hit by the Ottawa Senators' Chris Wideman. Ovechkin returned, but Krejci is done for the night. Wideman's hit was worse than Kadri's. Pierre LeBrun: The fact that Ovechkin returned has certainly reduced this storyline. As for the hit itself, it was of the low-bridge variety, which I don't like. It should have been a clipping major. But a suspension it is not, especially since the NHL strongly considers the victim's health status in the equation and Ovechkin appears to have avoided the worst. ESPN LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061108 Websites If anything, this series showed that Columbus really isn't in the same class as the Penguins, even when Pittsburgh is without their top defenseman and starting goalie. FOXSports.com / 5 reasons the Columbus Blue Jackets were eliminated John Tortorella by the Pittsburgh Penguins A lot has been said about Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella and his old-school hard-nosed style. Some of it has been good, some of it ... not Pete Blackburn so much. Apr 21, 2017 at 7:24p ET But Tortorella was certainly outcoached in this series. In addition to a number of questionable lineup decisions, Tortorella and CBJ failed to adapt: The Jackets surrendered a number of high-danger scoring opportunities to the Penguins. And as the series went on, Columbus The Blue Jackets are dead. History. failed to cover their areas of exposure. That's not great when the other team has guys named Sidney Crosby, Evegni Malkin and Phil Kessel. In what was expected to be one of the more intense playoff matchups of the first round, the Penguins only needed five games for a gentleman's In addition, it sounds like maybe — just maybe — there was a disconnect sweep of Columbus. in philosophy in the locker room during the series. Tortorella loves to put an emphasis on the physical aspect of the game, and winger Scott But while it was a surprisingly impressive campaign by CBJ, why were Hartnell had some interesting things to say after Game 3. they sent packing so quickly? “As much as you want to hit them I don’t think, well, obviously it’s not Let's take a look. working,” said Hartnell, via the Columbus Dispatch. “Basically, all it does Sergei Bobrovsky is tire you out. Watching the other (playoff) series, there hasn’t been that much of the ‘I’m going to run you over for the fun of it.’ At the end of the As unfortunate as it is to say, Sergei Bobrovsky was terrible in this series. day, you’ve got to outscore them and I hope that’s what the guys do The Blue Jackets goalie had a miserable .882 save percentage and tonight. allowed nearly four goals a game. Between the lineup decisions and the approach, it seemed like some Those kind of numbers aren't going to win you much — especially guys on that team may have been gassed. against a tough opponent like the Penguins. FOXSports.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 It's tough to point the finger solely at Bobrovsky, considering he carried Columbus in the regular season (especially down the stretch), and will likely be the Vezina winner this year. But yeah, he stunk. They couldn't get hot at the right time The Blue Jackets had a fine season, exceeding most people's expectations. After finishing with the second-worst record in the league the year before, a playoff berth alone — never mind top three in the division — would have more than qualified as a promising bounce-back season. That finish in the standings was aided by a monster 16-game win streak early in the year — an enormously impressive run that put the Jackets in the playoff hunt and showed the rest of the league they could play at a very high level. But as impressive as their run was, it was also just that: a run — one that was unsustainable and not a true indication of the team's threat level. Predictably, they came back down to earth and had a tougher go of things in the second half of the season, during which they struggled to consistently beat good teams, and didn't carry much (if any) momentum with them into the playoffs. Obviously you don't pick your hot spots as a team, and it's impossible to know what the Jackets could or would have done had their streak come later in the year. But this was definitely a team that got a whole lot of luck early on ... then sorely missed it when it mattered. The playoff format The Blue Jackets got hosed by the NHL's dumb playoff format. Columbus finished with the third-most points in the Eastern Conference standings but got somewhat screwed over because of an insanely tough Metro division. Since the East's top three teams were all from the Metro, that meant the Jackets got the Penguins (second in the East and a Cup favorite) in the opening round. Meanwhile, the Rangers — who finished behind CBJ — drew an opponent that earned less points than Pittsburgh, solely because they were division winners. It doesn't make a lot of sense. Sure, you eventually have to beat the best to be the best, but Columbus would have drawn Ottawa in a straight 1-8 conference playoff structure, which would have given the Jackets a much better crack at winning their first playoff series in franchise history. Which — if nothing else — would have been a treat for their fans. There's no arguing that they were dealt a crap hand by the playoff structure, but if they felt they deserved better ... well, they sure did a terrible job of proving it. 1061109 Websites Attributing postseason successes to teams and players "wanting it more" is profoundly lazy -- lack of desire to win a Cup isn't what usually does teams in. I don't think the Blackhawks necessarily suffered from a lack of FOXSports.com / 5 reasons why the Predators pulled off a shocking, effort, but there was definitely a lack of energy that made them mortal. historic sweep of the Blackhawks In years past, it was impossible to rule out the Blackhawks even when they were in a hole because they so often found a way to fight their way out of it. That feeling did not attach itself to this year's playoff Pete Blackburn Blackhawks. Apr 21, 2017 at 12:25p ET They seemed worn down. Small deficits felt bigger and Chicago's leads didn't feel safe.

The most telling example came in Game 3 when the 'Hawks held a 2-0 The Chicago Blackhawks are dead. lead going into the third period with a great chance to get back in the series, then Nashville stormed back and forced overtime before winning With a 4-1 loss in Nashville on Thursday, the Blackhawks were swept out it. of the first round after finishing as the West's best team during the regular season. That game was a dagger, especially because it felt like Nashville beat Chicago at its own game. They become the first one-seed to be swept by an eight-seed in NHL history, as well as the first team to be swept by the Predators in a playoff Fate series. Come on, let's be real -- this kind of doom had to find the Blackhawks at It was a shocking end to Chicago's season, so let's take a closer look at some point. how it happened. That franchise has essentially been the gold standard of the NHL over Offensive drought the past decade, finding ways to sustain levels of success that went unmatched. There's no question that there is (or at least was) a modern- Well, this one is quite obvious. day dynasty in Chicago. The Blackhawks were shut out through the first two games and scored But in a league that's designed for parity, there had to be bitter three goals the entire series. Their lone even-strength goal came from ... disappointment mixed in somewhere along the line. Dennis Rasmussen. The Blackhawks have been eliminated in the early rounds before, but Not great. never as a top seed and never in such a demoralizing fashion. Credit goes to the Predators for keeping Chicago frustrated but, holy hell, So, for all the successes and riches that the Blachawks have had in what a flatline from that offensive unit. recent years, it feels just a little bit right that they now fall on the wrong When you have two players who finished with more than 70 points in the side of the biggest opening-round upset in league history. regular season -- one of of which is the reigning Hart Trophy winner -- FOXSports.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 you expect to be able to generate a little bit more offense than that. For all the incredible playoff performances and clutch goals that Patrick Kane has had on the way to three Stanley Cup victories, the Blackhawks' top forward has scored one goal in each of the team's last two playoff showings. He obviously didn't get much help but Kane is the pillar of that offense, so when he's shooting 4% and failing to generate, that team is in trouble. The dreaded hot goalie Pekka Rinne may not be of the elite status that he once was, but he had a phenomenal series against Chicago. Most hockey fans know about the horrors of running into a hot goalie in the playoffs and it doesn't get much hotter than Rinne's opening-round showing. The 34-year-old veteran stopped 123 of 126 shots (.976 save- percentage) and had two shutouts. While those numbers are insane and likely unsustainable, Rinne was already riding a hot prolonged hot streak heading into the postseason. Since March, the Nashville goaltender put up a .932 save-percentage while allowing an average of two goals a game. The Blackhawks should have seen the writing on the wall when Rinne was making saves like this one. The Predators' top line Though they don't have the deepest lineup of forwards, the Predators have some great young talent up front in Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson. Those three had an awesome series, putting up 15 combined points in the four games it took to dismantle Chicago. The Preds also got solid contributions from the firepower on their blue line (Roman Josi, PK Subban, Ryan Ellis) and other youngsters like Colton Sissons and Kevin Fiala. Nashville will likely only go as far as the top line can carry it but the Predators were great in the opening round. Lack of energy Blame it on the four-game losing streak Chicago carried into the postseason, blame it on a lot of old legs with mileage, blame it on whatever you want -- the Blackhawks came out flat throughout this series. 1061110 Websites

FOXSports.com / Carrie Underwood trolls Blackhawks after Predators sweep Chicago in first round

Pete Blackburn Apr 21, 2017 at 8:29a ET

The Predators completed a historic sweep of the Blackhawks on Thursday night with a 4-1 win in Nashville. Not only was it the first sweep in franchise history, but the Preds also became the first eight-seed to sweep a one-seed in the first round. For the Blackhawks — one of the NHL’s premier franchises over much of the last decade — it was a devastating and shocking postseason catastrophe. One person who highly, highly enjoyed it was Carrie Underwood, the country music star who also happens to be the wife of Predators captain Mike Fisher. Following the Game 4 victory, Underwood got to celebrating on Twitter. #sweep #NSHvsCHI @PredsNHL #Smashville pic.twitter.com/X1i9l7mprv — Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) April 21, 2017 As someone who appreciates a good troll job, I’m very here for Underwood rubbing some salt in the wound. Underwood performed (and crushed) the national anthem before the team’s first playoff home game in Nashville, so if the Preds are smart they’ll invite her back for the second round. They’ve got things working for them right now and you don’t mess with good juju, not in the playoffs. We’ll be seeing you soon, Carrie. FOXSports.com LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061111 Websites gloving the puck. “After that you knew he was zoned in,” coach Barry Trotz said. “I thought they threw a lot of pucks there. They were bumping him every time they could. They were standing near him and bumping CNN/Sports Illustrated / Hockey's big-game scorer Justin Williams comes him in the crease area and he just battled through that. He was fantastic through again for the Capitals for us. That’s what Braden Holtby does.” Marcus Johansson a steady performer on—and off—the ice for the Capitals ALEX PREWITT Indeed, everyone seemed to fill their usual lanes. After Nazem Kadri’s Saturday April 22nd, 2017 low-bridge hit left Alex Ovechkin doubled over in pain the end of the first period—and flatlined the heartbeats of a sellout crowd—the Russian machine returned for the second and quickly rammed into defenseman Jake Gardiner on his first shift, no worse for wear. Oshie broke the WASHINGTON, D.C—By now it has seemingly blossomed into an scoreless tie with Ovechkin in the locker room, cleaning up around the annoyance more than anything else, scoring all those darned goals at all net on the power play like he so often does; six minutes into the second these darned weighty moments, to the extent that Justin Williams could period, Auston Matthews held serve with his third tally of the playoffs, a face the cameras at Verizon Center and pooh-pooh his latest feat with suitable encore to his 40-goal rookie season. perfect sincerity. “I was in the right place at the right time,” he said, using every ounce of leftover strength from another overtime to keep his eyes Then, of course, there was Williams. Fifty-two seconds into overtime, from shooting up into that static-shock haircut. center Jay Beagle won a defensive zone draw against Matthews and beelined for the bench, where Williams waited for a quick change. As The Capitals know better. T.J. Oshie knows better. He spent seven Johansson chipped the puck to linemate Evgeny Kuznetsov behind seasons facing Williams in the Western Conference, including two playoff Toronto’s net, Williams headed for vacant real estate in the slot and went series. He noticed the knack then, as Williams was busy earning the five-hole on Andersen. “A freebie,” Babcock called it. "We had enough nickname “Mr. Game 7” for so much timely heroism, and he saw it again people there but didn’t sort it out right." Friday night, when Williams stepped into the slot and pummeled the game-winner past Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen, 64 seconds into Johansson found a different explanation. “He has that ice in his veins,” sudden death, for a 2-1 win and a 3-2 series lead. the left-winger said of Williams. “He’s obviously got a knack for that goal- scoring.” So let him tamp down the feats, deflect credit like every other “There’s a level of competitiveness that I think some people are able to hockey player. Just know that, inside the sea of red jerseys swarming bring themselves too, and there are some guys who can just bring it swarmed against the glass, amid all the hugs and celebratory clonks on higher,” Oshie says. “He’s one of those guys that, when everyone gets his helmet, Williams was hollering in delight like everyone else. tense and grabs their stick a little tight, he gets more focused and finds ways to pull off the big plays. Obviously that’s what we needed at that This was his place. This has always been his time. time." CNN/Sports Illustrated LOADED: 04.22.2017 It's what Williams provides in spades, even if he insists otherwise. He now has two playoff overtime goals to his credit, plus five more postseason game-winners. Since 2010-11, only a trio of Blackhawks— Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith—have more points in Games 5-7 than Williams's 24. “Maybe doesn’t always get the credit he deserve, but you watch the way he battles, the way he competes when games are tight, not just in the playoffs but in the regular season, the more important the game, the bigger Justin plays," Oshie added. Allowed the chance to rebut, Williams returned to the well of humility and filled another bucket. “He’s just flattering me,” Williams cracked of Oshie. “I like to flatter him too.” But ask broad enough questions, steer the conversation away from individual accomplishments, and some kernels of wisdom just might pop from the winger whose career championship haul (three) triples the rest of Washington’s Cup-starved roster combined (one). “These are big moments,” says Williams, who preferably goes by the mundane nickname, “Stick.” “To win a championship, you need to relish these moments and you need to come up big in these moments.” Toronto may be facing elimination Sunday at Maple Leaf Gardens, its magical worst-to-playoffs rise nearing its potential end, but a similar ethos keeps streaming from the hardened man behind its bench. “You can’t have any more fun in this,” coach Mike Babcock said. “These games are good.” And while so many chewed nails in this nation’s capital—not to mention all those churned stomachs north of the border— might object, those mercifully without stakes in this race understand how true this sounds. Five games have passed between the Presidents’ Trophy winners and the No. 8 seed. Four have required overtime; the one regulation decision, the Capitals’ sorely needed 5-4 triumph in Game 4, featured a spirited Leafs' comeback that at least made it close. Washington barely leads in both total goals (16-15) and total shot attempts (187-184). Shots on goal, meanwhile, are knotted at 175 apiece. Wasn’t that Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan before overtime, sneaking some popcorn from the press box snack table? Can you blame him? And could we get some too? After the aggregate scoring output had swelled from five in Game 1 to seven in Games 2-3 to nine in Game 4, the Capitals wanted a defensively sounder effort upon returning home. “I don't think it’s like us to have this type of high-scoring, playoff hockey lately,” said forward Marcus Johansson, whose speedy forecheck amounted to the secondary assist on Williams’s winner. Here they took their cues from their goalie. Twenty seconds after the puck dropped, Braden Holtby faced an oncoming odd-man rush from Leafs forwards Connor Brown and Leo Komarov. He tracked the backdoor pass perfectly, moving left to right as Brown fed Komarov and 1061112 Websites Ovechkin had taken a low hit from Kadri and missed the final 2:28 of that frame.

“I was watching TV (when Oshie scored),” said Ovechkin. “Just have a Sportsnet.ca / Leafs sent ‘back to drawing board’ to fix power-play issues Coke and enjoy the match.” The Leafs tilted the ice slightly in the middle frame – with Auston Chris Johnston Matthews picking up his third goal of the playoffs to tie it 1-1 – and had their chances in the third. They played with a man advantage for 3:34 of April 21, 2017, 10:24 PM that period, and nearly had James van Riemsdyk score during a power play after Holtby misplayed the puck.

Beyond that, there weren’t any dangerous looks. WASHINGTON, D.C. – Doubt is not part of Mike Babcock’s vocabulary. “We need to keep things a little bit more simple,” said Matthews. “Just get So it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the Toronto Maple Leafs pucks to the net. I think they do a pretty good job of staying four guys coach was telling Verizon Center employees “see you in a couple days” tight. We’ve just got to outnumber them at the net and try to get second- as he left here following a disappointing Game 5 loss. He had a similar chance opportunities.” message for reporters after Washington Capitals forward Justin Williams pushed the Leafs to the brink of elimination on Friday night. There was some natural disappointment at how things ended. “We believe we still have a chance to win and that’s what we’re going to Williams was wide open in the slot when he beat Andersen between the do,” Babcock said. legs at 1:04 of overtime, burying a pass that Evgeny Kuznetsov slid around Matthews’ outstretched stick. Ready for playoff hockey? Stream every single game of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs with Sportsnet NOW. “They did a pretty good job of getting in deep and they had some good speed,” said Matthews. “I think it was just a little bit of miscommunication Sign up and get 7 days free and then we left a guy wide alone in the slot. Pretty good player there. We’ve certainly moved beyond the point where Toronto’s disruptive “It could have been anybody’s game tonight, I thought we really bounced presence here is a surprise. This has been the closest series in the entire back from the previous game.” first round, with Washington now ahead 16-15 in goals and the total shots deadlocked at 175 apiece. Now they’ll need to do it again. The Capitals hold a 50.94-49.06 edge in percentage of shot attempts at If not, a charmed season is over. even strength. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.22.2017 Only referendums get decided by slimmer margins. Should the Leafs fail to win at home on Sunday night, and back here again on Tuesday, they’ll look back on this game as another missed opportunity. They held a slim advantage in the run of play at 5-on-5 but were unable to convert on any of four power-play opportunities – something that was a huge strength during the 82-game regular season. Simply gaining the offensive zone was a serious challenge. The body language sagged and the Leafs players acknowledged that they were growing increasingly frustrated by a suffocating penalty kill. “We’ve got to change something there,” said defenceman Jake Gardiner. “Tonight especially, even on the break-ins we couldn’t get in and we’ll have to readdress that tomorrow. “They’re just doing a good job. Good sticks, moving their feet. We’re going to have to fix something.” Toronto had the luxury of rolling out two dangerous units while compiling the second-most efficient power play in the NHL this season. Neither of them managed to set up in the offensive zone for too long on Friday and it showed with just four shots on Braden Holtby over eight minutes. The Leafs typically like to drop the puck near the opposing blue line so that the puck carrier enters with speed and carves open lanes. It was a tendency the Capitals zeroed in on before the series began and they finally manage to shut off the open spaces in Game 5. “We’ve just got to make sure that we’re not letting them come into our zone on the side that they want or with possession,” centre Jay Beagle said last week of Toronto’s power play. “From there, I can’t give you any more of my secrets.” Before facing a must-win Game 6 at Air Canada Centre, Babcock will be searching out some answers. He intends to “go back to the drawing board” and make some adjustments. He already did some experimenting on a third-period power play when he stationed six-foot-six Brian Boyle in Nazem Kadri’s usual spot in front of the net because Kadri was serving a penalty. “Obviously, they got in our head a little bit there because we’re not coming with the same kind of pace we normally do on entries,” said Babcock. “But we’re going to have to win some faceoffs, we’ve got to win some battles and compete in that area because any way you look at it our specialty teams have been real good in some ways, but it cost us tonight.” The only Washington goal in regulation came with the man advantage. T.J. Oshie was in perfect position to sweep home a rebound after Nicklas Backstrom’s shot beat Frederik Andersen late in the first period. That came with their biggest 5-on-4 threat in the dressing room because Alex 1061113 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Was Nazem Kadri’s hit on Alex Ovechkin a dirty play?

Sportsnet Staff April 21, 2017, 9:06 PM

A bit of controversy in Game 5 between the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs late in the first period, when Nazem Kadri attempted a hip check on Alex Ovechkin, leaving the Caps star on the ice and in need of help getting to the bench and down to the dressing room. At first glance, this appears to be a hip check gone wrong, but that determination becomes less clear the closer you look at the point of contact. Was it a hip check, clipping or kneeing? Kadri was given two minutes for tripping on the play, which you can see at the top of this post. When determining whether or not this was a dirty play, there are a few factors. If you believe Kadri was aiming for Ovechkin’s knee then of course it would be a dirty play. But it’s very difficult to make that assertion, considering Kadri’s hip was absolutely above Ovechkin’s knee. It doesn’t appear as though the knee was targeted. After considering intent, there are a few penalties that could apply. Let's start with clipping. It all depends on how you see this hit and the contact that was made. Did Kadri "lower his own body position to deliver a check on or below an opponent’s knees"? Although contact was made with the knee, there also appears to be contact with the mid-section, which blurs this line. It's certainly not a clear call and the referees on the ice didn't even determine this play to be clipping. If they had, Kadri would have received an automatic five-minute major because Ovechkin was injured on the play -- and that may be why clipping was not called. If you believe Kadri's hit was illegal and dirty, this is likely the rule you're pointing at. Was it Kadri's intent to deliver a check in the area of Ovechkin's knees, or was the intent to hip check him in the mid-section, where there also appears to be contact? Tough call. Another rule to consider here is kneeing: If you believe this hit was dirty, you're going to say Kadri led with his knee here. However, looking at this picture below, you can also see Kadri attempting to roll in and lead with his hip, which clearly connects with Ovechkin's mid-section. It all depends on where you see initial contact being made, and what you believe the intent of this check was. The fact Ovechkin wasn't injured enough to stay out of the game could save Kadri from a suspension (although a fine may still be on the table since he only received a two- minute penalty). Here is the NHL Department of Player Safety on the distinction between hip check and clipping: Don Cherry weighed in on the debate in the first intermission Coach's Corner segment, calling it a "beauty" hip check. Do you think this was a dirty play, or a hip check with near-disastrous consequences for the Capitals? Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061114 Websites Would have felt even better if that goal he scored and the one he stopped led to a victory, though. “Obviously would have been a big moment for me and the team,” Pageau said. Sportsnet.ca / Senators lament clincher that wasn’t with series headed to Could have been, too. The Senators certainly had their chances to close Boston this one out. As he was headed out of the penalty box in overtime, Senators winger Clarke MacArthur got a breakaway pass, but it went off his skate, and he headed to the bench instead. MacArthur also just Kristina Rutherford missed an open net in the second period, on a pass in close from Brassard, but he sent the puck wide. April 22, 2017, 2:08 AM Boston dominated the first half of the third, and Ottawa didn’t get a first shot on net in the frame until nearly 11 minutes in, though it was near deadly. Mark Stone — who scored about half-way through the first for OTTAWA — It was just after midnight on Saturday when Dion Phaneuf, Ottawa to make it 1-0 — sent a pass up ice to a streaking Mike Hoffman, still covered in sweat after playing nearly five periods of hockey in a who charged up the left wing and rifled a wrist shot that squeaked under game that started the night before, hit the nail on the head about the Rask’s arm and trickled just a couple inches to the side of the far post. feeling among his Ottawa Senators. Boston also took two bad penalties late in the third — over the glass in “It definitely stinks,” the veteran defenceman said, from underneath the the defensive end, and too-many-men with just 2:28 to go — but survived brim of a black Senators ball cap. “They’re emotional games.” both. Ottawa had plenty of chances: Hoffman almost put in a bouncing Long ones, too. puck, and Phaneuf went on a rush and his shot went just high. It took 90 minutes and 19 seconds — nearly five full periods — before a “We had some really good chances there at the end of the third period, I decision was made in Game 5, a 3-2 double-overtime win for the Bruins can’t remember, one of those periods that we played,” said Brassard. to force a Game 6 on Sunday in Boston. (Who can blame him for forgetting: It was a long game). “We didn’t get it done… Now we have to turn the page and [look] forward to tomorrow.” Friday night started off looking like Ottawa was going to close out this series with a fourth straight victory. But the Senators blew a two-goal The second period was just 30 seconds old when Pageau made it 2-0, lead and the Bruins fought back — from a two-goal deficit, from a rash of but the Bruins cut the lead to one when Brad Marchand skated around bad and untimely penalties the Senators couldn’t convert on, and from the net a la wraparound and then backhanded it in close to David two called-back goals in the first frame of overtime — to keep their Pastrnak, who put it top shelf to make it 2-1. playoff hopes alive. It was Marchand’s first assist and just his second point in what has a “It’s just brutal,” said Senators centreman Derick Brassard, straight- quiet post-season for the winger who had 39 goals in the regular season. faced, looking both defeated and tired, standing in the dressing room in Kuraly, who was inserted into the lineup for Game 5 in place of a his socks and sweaty dry-fit clothes. “You spend five periods of energy banged-up Ryan Spooner, was behind Ottawa’s net when he tried the and battle and you come up short.” wraparound on the backhand, and it hit Senators defenceman Chris The game-winning goal — only the second career NHL goal from Bruins Wideman on the skate and found the back of the net to make it 2-2. centreman Sean Kuraly, and his second of the night — silenced this sold- It was perfect timing for Kuraly to step up — near the end of the first out crowd of 19,209. period, a knee-on-knee hit between Senators defenceman Chris “It was just awesome to get that,” a grinning Kuraly said. “Wow, feels Wideman and Bruins forward David Krejci sent Krejci straight to the good to get the win.” dressing room, and he didn’t return. Both Craig Anderson (40 saves) and Tuukka Rask (37 saves) were Still, the Bruins pressed on. spectacular, and kept this game going. “Do-or-die game, we knew they were gonna come hard,” Stone said. Overtime was downright crazy, especially the first one. “They weren’t just gonna roll over and die.” The Bruins thought they had it — twice. The first came from Kuraly, who The Senators got the type of start they wanted. Just over 11 minutes in, charged in and saw the puck trickle over the goal-line, but he tripped over Stone slipped in behind the Bruins defence and skated into a perfect Anderson on his way by and saw his goal called back due to goaltender saucer breakaway pass from Hoffman. Stone made a move to his interference, with the referee ruling Kuraly interfered with Anderson forehand, shifted to his backhand, and slipped the puck over Rask’s before the puck crossed the line. blocker to make it 1-0, sending this crowd into a towel-waving tizzy. It was a questionable call, to be sure, and you could see that written all The towels they were waving? They appropriately featured a picture of over the face of Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. Stone. Less than two minutes after that, there was a big crowd in front of With his first career playoff goal, the 24-year-old Winnipegger ended a Anderson and the puck was sliding toward the line, but Senators 59-day, 19-game-long scoreless streak that stretched back to Feb. 19. centreman Jean-Gabriel Pageau slid across the goal-line and kept it out. He celebrated with his teammates, grinning like a kid in a candy store. Both near-goals were reviewed. And both times, this capacity crowd at There was no grin post-game, though. “It sucks when you lose the game, Canadian Tire Centre went silent to listen to the referee call: “No goal.” so hard to look at that right now,” he said, of breaking the drought. “When And then the crowd promptly exploded. you’re in that situation, a chance to close out the series, you wanna close out the series, and we didn’t get the job done.” “It was close,” Pageau said, of that near-goal. “It was good that we had the chance to keep the game going, and had the chance to get the So it’s on to Game 6 in a series that has featured three overtimes, and all game-winner.” five games so far decided by one goal. Both no-goal calls meant another chance for the Senators to close this “We’re still one game away,” said Anderson. “That’s all it is. One game series out. “I think we needed to take advantage of that,” Pageau said. away, one win.” “But it’s too late now.” Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.22.2017 The Ottawa-born Pageau nearly had the game of his life. Not only did he extend his team’s game by saving a goal, but he scored to make it 2-0 in the second, getting a nice breakaway pass from Viktor Stalberg, and making a couple quick fakes, before sliding the puck through Rask’s legs. Pageau, who’d yet to find the net in the post-season, then skated up the boards and pumped both his arms, getting this towel-swinging crowd into it. “I was trying really hard since I started this series, and it wasn’t going in. Finally got it bouncing my way,” he said. “It feels good.” 1061115 Websites Kudos to Brian MacLellan. Two summers ago, Washington’s general manager went out and acquired Williams and Oshie, a pair of veteran wingers who have more Sportsnet.ca / Takeaways: Ovechkin ‘running around’ after Kadri’s dirty than lived up to expectations at the most critical time of year. hit Oshie got the Caps on the board in Period 1 by banging in a rebound on the Kadri power play. The impending free agent leads all Capitals with Luke Fox seven points in the series and has 17 points (9 goals, eight assists) through 17 post-season appearances with Washington. Ka-ching. April 22, 2017, 12:04 AM Again, it was Backstrom’s top line that made an early impact. The Capitals are these playoffs' most dangerous team in first periods and on the power play. Who is Justin Williams? “We've got to be on our toes, go after them right at the start,” Jay Beagle “He’s a winner. Plain and simple,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. said. “Backy’s line has been unreal at just getting the energy going from right at the drop of the puck and going after them and trying to put them Williams shoved the Toronto Maple Leafs to the edge of elimination with on their heels and [letting] us stay on our toes." his overtime winner Friday night in Washington, which gave his team a 2- 1 victory and 3-2 series advantage. Ovechkin returns, Hulk angry “Mr. Game 7. It’s all it takes. One shot and we get the lead,” Alex “Physicality is important in a playoff series,” Matt Martin explained Ovechkin told reporters. “We’re going back to play in Toronto and try to between games 4 and 5. “It can be undervalued. Emotions run high when win there.” you see someone get hit.” Uncle Leo’s nose wouldn’t stop bleeding, Braden Holtby wouldn’t stop The Great 8, who has never missed a post-season game, surprisingly saving, and nastiness persisted in another gem from the tightest series of came out before the second frame to twirl around and test his knee. He Round 1. was encouraged by a standing ovation and “O-vie! O-vie!” chants and rejoined the contest. Here are eight takeaways from Game 5. Next thing you know, he’s taking eight strides at Jake Gardiner on the #Leafs are playing 4 Overtime games in the same playoff series for the forecheck and hammering the Toronto defenceman into the corner first time since the 1951 Stanley Cup Final boards with comic-book-like impact. Wa-bamm! — Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 22, 2017 The superstar sneak-sticked Kadri in the ribs behind the play later in the Williams mans up, wins a game frame, then gave his antagonist a jerky cross-check as Capitals D-man Matt Niskanen slashed Kadri hard behind his left knee in the waning The goaltenders answered the bell, and so did the clutchest player on the moments of Period 2. Kadri might have embellished a little, helping draw ice. a slashing minor on Niskanen. Heading into Game 5, the Maple Leafs–Capitals barnburner had “Glad he came back,” Kadri said of Ovechkin, “but he was running averaged a gaudy 74.3 shots per game. Stingier defence cut that number around a little when he came back so he must have been fine.” by more than 20 as the clubs combined for only 53 shots in this one. Kadri was asked about the pressure Ovechkin is under to win a Cup. Shot No. 53, of course, belonged to Williams, who beat Frederik Andersen five-hole in the slot just 64 seconds into the fourth period. “He’s not the only desperate one that’s going to be out there,” Kadri said, prior to puck drop. “We’re going to be a desperate team fighting to bring One more W, and the Capitals will survive the upset and advance to the the series back to Toronto, up a game. It’s desperate for both groups, but second stage of their ultimate goal. yeah, I’m sure he’s feeling it a little bit.” “Our aspirations are certainly as big as they get,” Williams said. #Caps Alex Ovechkin has only missed 18 games in his career due to injury, 0 in the playoffs “It’s very rare when you see a team waltz their way all the way to the Stanley Cup. It doesn’t happen. And if it does, it’s very few and far — Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 22, 2017 between. You go through adversity on your way there. I’ve been on a couple of championship teams down 0-2, down 0-3, so you rally around Dart Guy has left the building it. There’s a lot of times during the playoffs where you need to man up To the dismay of the painted diehards, Dart Guy failed to make the and win a game and the pressure is on. This is one of them.” voyage to Verizon Center this time and instead soaked in the tension Dude is money. amidst the outdoor throng at Maple Leaf Square. Kadri delivers low blow to Ovechkin No word yet on Dart Guy’s availability for Game 6, but we’d expect him to make an appearance at 7 p.m. on Sunday at Air Canda Centre. I didn’t like it. Maybe you did. The debate will rage until the next borderline hit. Didn't get to Washington but I've got the next best thing! I will be with my fellow diehards down in the trenches at Maple Leafs Square!!! Nazem Kadri has made it a personal mission in the last eight days to crawl under the skin and into the brain of Alex Ovechkin and his line. — The Maz (@LeafsMaz20) April 21, 2017 He’s done a good job. Thx you for all the Gofundmepage suggestions but I couldn't possibly Towards the end of the first period, Kadri ducked low and banged a consider that when there are so many actual worthwhile causes out there speeding Ovechkin below his left knee, which buckled. Ovie flew ass — The Maz (@LeafsMaz20) April 21, 2017 over tea kettle and hit the deck. Unable to put weight on his leg, Ovechkin needed Nate Schmidt and Nicklas Backstrom’s help off the ice Matthews scores in three straight and wobbled straight to the dressing room. His Calder finalist status now official, Auston Matthews was the only “I thought he got rid of the puck, and I tried to get a piece of him, and he Maple Leaf able to solve a razor-sharp Braden Holtby (.960 save tried to get out of the way. It’s not like I stuck my knee out, or got my percentage) on Friday night, when he got to the net and banged in a arms high, or anything like that,” Kadri told reporters. “It happened pretty loose puck to tie the game and send ’er to overtime. quick. But from what I saw, it was OK.” “When things are going tough, he's still pushing, no matter what the Kadri was dinged for a tripping minor. A five-minute clipping major score is. He's out the door and he's playing hard,” said fellow rookie would’ve been a more accurate call. Connor Brown. “If it’s dirty, it’s dirty,” Ovechkin said. “It's contagious and it's nice when one of your best players is doing that every night.” “It’s tough to see with a guy of that magnitude,” Schmidt said. “We’re going to need him.” LEAFS SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! T.J. Oshie will not stop scoring — Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) April 22, 2017 Matthews became the first Leafs rookie to score in three consecutive playoff games since Wendel Clark did the deed in 1986. Wilson comes tumbling back to Earth Tom Wilson, the fourth-line hero of games 1 and 4, was way off on this night. The grinder-turned-goal-scorer was stapled to Barry Trotz’s bench after committing four minor penalties in this one. He skated less than 10 minutes and registered a dismal possession rating of 36 per cent. “You cannot take four penalties in a playoff game,” Trotz said. “So he did not see the ice after that last one.” History gives Leafs a chance? If there is a silver lining for Leafs Nation Sunday, it’s that the Capitals have a losing record (4-9) when series have been tied 2-2. Six times in their 100-year history the Maple Leafs have recovered from a 2-3 deficit to win a playoff series. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061116 Websites Michael Stone was that player in the playoffs, though Stone’s history in Arizona makes that performance suspect. The less said about the rest of Calgary’s defence, the better. Brett Kulak had some nice moments as a Sportsnet.ca / Flames can’t overreact to sweep heading into busy off- rookie, but the Flames should have no compunctions about moving on season from Dennis Wideman, Deryk Engelland or Matt Bartkowski. Some of the money being freed up should be reinvested in a right-shot second pairing guy (again, given history, probably not Stone). Some Jonathan Willis more should be spent on overhauling the third pair; there’s no need for anything fancy there, just a competent veteran or two who can handle April 21, 2017, 2:00 PM depth minutes. The biggest question will be in net. Both Elliott and Chad Johnson are free agents this summer. Elliott had high highs and low lows, ending the Fans of fairness and wins based entirely on merit should probably switch year with a disastrous playoff showing; surely he won’t be back. Johnson their focus to chess rather than the NHL playoffs. They should certainly might be, though even if he is there will be a need to go out and get a pass over the first-round series between the Calgary Flames and starting goaltender. Anaheim Ducks. It should be a very busy summer for Calgary. This is a very decent team, The Flames organization doesn’t have that luxury. The team’s architect, and while the list of areas where it needs help is long, the problem spots Brad Treliving, is on an expiring contract. So are both goaltenders and are mostly down the roster, with the core pieces already in place. The several big-money defencemen. A decision will need to be made on lone exception is in net, where a reasonable gamble on Elliott backfired Treliving, and once that’s done either he or his successor will need to find spectacularly. the right balance in reacting to a season that was in turns both impressive and disappointing. If the Flames can get the goaltending right this time around and make some modest improvements around the edges, we might be very Confirmation from a Flames' source, Team and Brad Treliving will meet surprised at how improved they are in next season’s playoffs. next week to discuss the future. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.22.2017 — John Shannon (@JSportsnet) April 20, 2017 The first step will be not overreacting to the loss to Anaheim, a loss that was far closer than a 4-0 result would suggest. Every game was a one-goal affair, discounting an empty-netter in the fourth contest. That’s remarkable in a series which saw Flames starter Brian Elliott implode, saw Calgary unable to buy a goal at even strength and included two questionable goals (one by Calgary’s Alex Chiasson, the other by Anaheim’s Nate Thompson) both going the way of the Ducks. None of this is an attempt to rewrite history, but rather to emphasize the strengths of the Flames’ roster. As much as the sweep stung, Calgary did a lot of good things in those four games, and the approach now must be not to tear everything down but rather to build on what worked. It makes sense to look at things positionally. Despite the lack of goals for the top-six forwards in the playoffs, the Flames have a quality group. The supposed second line of Mikael Backlund, Michael Frolik and Matthew Tkachuk ran roughshod over the opposition this year, putting up stunning shot and goal metrics in tough minutes. All three are signed long-term, and the unit should return intact next season. Calgary’s top duo of Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau suffered through an off year, though they started to come around late in the season once Micheal Ferland was assigned to their line. Whether Ferland is a long-term fit or not is unclear, but with the Backlund line doing the heavy lifting in terms of opponents and zone starts there’s no reason this duo (also signed long-term) can’t be successful as the team’s go-to offensive line. Those five players make up the core of the forward group. The remainder is mostly an odd split between cheap youth and overly expensive veterans. There’s a need to cobble together a serviceable third line out of these parts. Sam Bennett finding his legs would help, as would a return to form for Troy Brouwer, who was a disaster in his first season with the Flames. Ideally Brouwer would be cut loose, but his contract probably makes that impossible; hope is unfortunately the most realistic plan here. Matt Stajan costs too much but is still useful as an all-purpose centre of a utility fourth line, though Las Vegas might consider claiming him as a third-line option given the dearth of pivots available in expansion. Lance Bouma also costs too much, and a buyout may be the best option there. In Bennett, Ferland and Curtis Lazar the Flames have some decent young players to work into the mix. The critical need is for a tentpole player, probably a centre, to anchor the third line. Another scoring option wouldn’t go amiss, either, though the salary cap will probably dictate bargain-hunting, as Calgary did with Kris Versteeg this season. Defensively, the Flames are building around three pieces, and again all of them are signed long-term. Dougie Hamilton had some rough moments in the playoffs, but he and Mark Giordano were brilliant in getting Calgary to the post-season and remain a credible top pair. T.J. Brodie is the other cornerstone on the blue line, and for much of the season the problem was finding a partner who could keep up with him. 1061117 Websites The Sharks have a goalie capable of absolutely slamming the door shut, but so does Edmonton. Jones’ Game 5 overtime heroics was the latest display between two goalies who check off that all-important box marked Sportsnet.ca / Oilers-Sharks as unpredictable a series as there has ever “Stanley Cup calibre goaltending.” been “That’s what he does,” Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. “He definitely gives us that chance. He made the saves (for San Jose) to get going. We just never really got going.” Mark Spector “I was just trying to buy us time,” Jones said. “We were just a bounce April 21, 2017, 6:33 PM away from getting an opportunity to score a goal. That’s my only mindset, buy us as much time as we can.”

Now, we arrive at more uncharted territory, with a young Oilers team that SAN JOSE — Usually, by now, there’s a trend. only this year figured out to play like they expect to win. The next lesson has arrived: Wining the fourth game. Someone can’t win in someone’s building. Someone’s top player can’t produce, and his team isn’t going to survive it. Someone’s goalie has the “We've got two opportunities to close them out. But momentum in this other team psyched out. series clearly hasn't carried over,” Mark Letestu said. “It seems like we've been going back and forth. It's going to take another good game on their Then there is this series between Edmonton and San Jose. It’s about as ice to seal this thing out. We have to be ready for it, to take it to another trendy as an old hockey writer. level." Nothing makes sense, including a Game 5 in which the Oilers scored first Two teams, new levels, a different hero every night… and last, but at times in between the building felt like San Jose was teaching the young Oilers a stern playoff lesson. “It is the biggest challenge,” said Todd McLellan. “The toughest one to win is that final one.” In a series that has given us two road wins in five games, each club has led the series and each has won an overtime game. Cam Talbot has two Tougher than predicting this series? No chance. shutouts, Martin Jones a shutout and a 1-0 loss. The veteran Sharks uncharacteristically coughed up a third-period lead in Game 5, while Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.22.2017 Edmonton's young legs had circles skated around them in a 7-0 Game 4 debacle. We billed this series as a battle between a team with aging leaders in San Jose, and one whose best players are all 23 and under in Edmonton. After that, nobody really knew how this was going to unfold. At least we were right about that. Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sportsnet NOW Ready for playoff hockey? Stream every single game of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs with Sportsnet NOW. Sign up and get 7 days free “Playoffs are about a guy making a big play,” said San Jose coach Peter DeBoer before flying home from Edmonton with his team Friday morning. “Your best players being your best players. Timely goals. Staying healthy… “There is a whole bunch of stuff that goes into that mixture, that successful mixture at this time of year. We’ve been just a little bit short here and there and that’s been the difference so far.” As we approach the first elimination game in this Western Conference quarter-final, with the Oilers holding a 3-2 series lead and Anaheim resting up a short flight south of here, there just aren’t enough repeaters in this series to have a feel for what will shake down Saturday night in San Jose. Edmonton’s best player has struggled to score, so instead Connor McDavid has taken to drilling unsuspecting Sharks every chance he gets. McDavid has 10 hits and just three points — anyone predict that? — yet still leads his team in scoring (tied with Leon Draisaitl). McDavid found some room as Game 5 progressed, and we’re still betting he has a first-star performance somewhere along the way. But can that happen at the Shark Tank Saturday night, or will he save it for a Game 7, the brightest stage for memorable performance? “We still believe. We have to believe,” Sharks winger Mikkel Boedker said. “I think we’ve got to believe that we can do it. I know that the guys in here, the expectation in here, is that we can do it.” We’ve said this before: These are two organizations heading in opposite directions, which play two different brands of hockey and own completely opposite histories. It’s possible, though we would not predict it, that both Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau could be playing their final playoff game at the SAP Center Saturday, two 37-year-olds for whom unrestricted free agency beckons. Meanwhile, Draisaitl’s entry-level contract is set to expire, while after July 1 the Oilers are free to sign McDavid to a long-term extension. The Oilers have some series wins in their future, but does that future arrive Saturday? One thing we know for sure: The Sharks have tasted more than their share of defeat, and it has left them sour. “It sucks,” Boedker said. “Losing sucks. There’s no way around that.” 1061118 Websites Columbus was already down in the series, but once star rookie defenceman Zach Werenski was knocked out of the lineup, their task became that much more difficult. TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Bye bye 'Hawks, Jackets Brandon Saad (1 G, 2 A), Boone Jenner (2 G, 1 A) and William Karlsson (2 G, 1 A) led the Blue Jackets with three points in the series, though Saad ranked just seventh among Blue Jackets forwards in time on ice By Scott Cullen (fifth at 5-on-5) against Pittsburgh. One other positive for Columbus: rookie winger Oliver Bjorkstrand had strong possession numbers (64.4 CF%) in his limited role. The Blackhawks and Blue Jackets were bounced from the playoffs; Rust, Losing to Pittsburgh isn't going to cause a major organizational shift in Malkin, Kessel, Desharnais, Zibanejad, Josi, Rinne, Fleury and more in Columbus -- despite the quick playoff exit, this season still counts as a Scott Cullen's Statistically Speaking. positive relative to expectations -- but they need to continue to bolster the roster so that they aren't so dependent on Bobrovsky because, in most The Western Conference favourites entering the postseason, the cases, it's really difficult to bank on a goaltender to provide a consistent Chicago Blackhawks were unceremoniously swept away by the Nashville advantage over the opposition. Predators, scoring a total of three goals in four games. But, with Werenski and Seth Jones leading the blueline, the Blue Jackets Aside from a horrendous effort in Game Two, the Blackhawks weren't have some talent around which to build. Cam Atkinson, Brandon Saad grossly outplayed, but they couldn't score against Predators goaltender and Alexander Wennberg had productive scoring seasons, but that is the Pekka Rinne. Coming into the series, it was entirely reasonable to think area to be addressed. Since Columbus doesn't have superstar talent up that Nashville had a chance to knock off Chicago, but it required some front, increasing the depth of their attack ought to be a priority if they are measure of faith in Rinne, who has had more downs than ups in recent going to remain in the playoff mix moving forward. seasons, but he played well late in the regular season and then was dominant in the four-game sweep, stopping 123 of 126 shots. HEROES Two of Chicago's three goals in the series, including Jonathan Toews' Bryan Rust, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel - The Pittsburgh trio last gasp marker late in the third period of Game Four, came on the dominated the series-clinching Game Five, scoring three goals (two at power play, so they managed a single goal at even strength in four even-strength) in a 5-2 win over Columbus. Rust scored a pair of goals, games. That's obviously not going to get the job done. with eight shots on net, giving him four goals in five games. Malkin accrued three assists in Game Five, and leads the playoff scoring race It's not as though the Blackhawks couldn't generate shots. Patrick Kane, with 11 points. Apparently his late-season shoulder injury hasn't been a who scored that lone even-strength marker, had 23 shots on goal in four problem. Kessel put up a goal and two assists in the clincher, giving him games. Marian Hossa had no goals despite putting 15 shots on goal. At eight points (2 G, 6 A) in five games. He now has 51 points in 51 career the same time, Hossa, who moved down the lineup, struggled to a 46.3 playoff games. CF% in the series, a continuation of his late-season possession decline. David Desharnais - The Oilers centre set up the tying goal late in the I picked the Blackhawks to reach the Stanley Cup Final (though Nashville third period then notched the overtime winner, and had team-best was my No. 2, and preseason, choice in the West; go figure) and a big possession stats (19 for, 7 against, 73.1 CF%) in a 4-3 Game Five win reason for that was the emergence of their rookies in the second half of against San Jose. They were Desharnais' first points of the postseason. the season. Mika Zibanejad - The Rangers centre scored the overtime winner and Rookie Nick Schmaltz played a significant role in the second half and into added an assist in a 3-2 Game Five win at Montreal. He has three points the playoffs, but was on the wrong side of the puck (40.4 CF%) against (1 G, 2 A) in the series. Nashville and Schmaltz, Ryan Hartman and Tanner Kero didn't register a point in the series. Roman Josi - Nashville's smooth-skating blueliner scored a couple of goals in a 4-1 Game Four win over Chicago. He had three points (2 G, 1 But, if the Blackhawks are looking to assign blame, it can't be leveled at A) against Chicago. those on entry-level deals when big money has been invested in the stars that make the core of this Blackhawks team. Pekka Rinne - Nashville's goaltender was a huge factor in their first- round sweep of the Blackhawks. He stopped 30 of 31 shots in a 4-1 Jonathan Toews scored late in the third period of Game Four, his only Game Four win, giving him a .976 save percentage in four games. goal in 11 playoff games over the past two seasons. Patrick Kane had two points against Nashville, Artemi Panarin had one, Artem Anisimov Marc-Andre Fleury - Pittsburgh's veteran netminder turned away 49 of 51 none. shots in a 5-2 Game Five win against the Blue Jackets, finishing the first round with a .933 save percentage. On defence, Duncan Keith has been a playoff workhorse for years, but he and partner Niklas Hjalmarsson were beaten in this series, with Keith ZEROES ending up on the ice for zero goals for and five against during 5-on-5 play. Logan Couture - The Sharks centre had a tough game (9 for, 24 against, 27.3 CF%, 3-10 scoring chances) in a 4-3 overtime loss in Game Five at What a difference a week makes. This sweep leaves the Blackhawks Edmonton. with some major questions heading into the offseason. They've committed so much financially to Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun - San Jose's shutdown defence defenceman Brent Seabrook and goaltender Corey Crawford, and all pair was on the wrong side of the puck (18 for, 44 against, 29.0 CF%, 9- have no-move clauses. Panarin's extension kicks in next season and 19 scoring chances) and were on the ice for two goals against in Game Anisimov was quickly extended when he was acquired from Columbus in Five at Edmonton. the Brandon Saad trade. Add in Marcus Kruger being well compensated for his checking centre role and the Blackhawks have been forced to Sergei Bobrovsky - The likely Vezina Trophy winner allowed five goals on patch too many spots in the lineup with players on bargain contracts and 32 shots in Game Five at Pittsburgh. He had a .882 save percentage in that came back to haunt them against a Nashville team that had depth, the series, obviously not good enough for the Blue Jackets to be speed and better goaltending. competitive. Somehow, GM Stan Bowman is going to have to figure out a way to STANLEY CUP HALF FULL/HALF EMPTY create more financial flexibility moving forward or Chicago's days as a Martin Jones - The Sharks goaltender stopped 44 of 48 shots in a 4-3 championship contender may be done. overtime loss in Game Five at Edmonton. He was sensational in HANG UP THOSE BLUE JACKETS overtime, turning back the first 13 shots that he faced, before Desharnais notched the winner. Expectations weren't especially high for the Columbus Blue Jackets this year. In fact, that they reached the postseason at all was a serious VITAL SIGNS accomplishment. The challenge facing Columbus in the first round is that Nick Foligno - The Columbus captain couldn't go in Game Five, due to a they were going against the defending-champion Pittsburgh Penguins, leg injury suffered earlier in the series. Veteran winger Scott Hartnell and would likely need goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to be a difference- returned to the Columbus lineup after being scratched in Game Four. maker in the series. Alexei Emelin - The hard-hitting Habs blueliner returned to the Montreal Bobrovsky had a tremendous season, leading the league with a .931 lineup for the first time in a couple of weeks. He played more than 19 save percentage, but he struggled against Pittsburgh, ending the series with a .882 save percentage in the five-game series. minutes against the Rangers in Game Five, and ultimately his neutral ice turnover led to the Rangers' game-winning goal in overtime. Mikkel Boedker - Back in the Sharks' lineup after being a healthy scratch, the speedy winger delivered a goal and an assist in a 4-3 Game Five overtime loss at Edmonton. Joonas Donskoi was scratched from the San Jose lineup for Game Five. Drake Caggiula - Edmonton shuffled up its top line, moving Caggiula into the left wing spot alongside Connor McDavid, replacing Patrick Maroon. SHORT SHIFTS Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist continued to play well in the postseason. He stopped 34 of 36 shots in a 3-2 Game Five overtime win at Montreal and has a .943 save percentage in the series...Canadiens rookie LW Artturi Lehkonen produced a goal and an assist in the loss to the Rangers, and has three points (1 G, 2 A) in five games against the Rangers...Oilers rookie D Matt Benning had a pair of assists in Game Five against San Jose, his first points in his fourth career playoff game...Oilers C Leon Draisaitl picked up a pair of assists against San Jose, his first points of the series...Predators C Colton Sissons and RW Viktor Arvidsson both had a goal and an assist in Game Four against Chicago. Sissons had three points (2 G, 1 A) and Arvidsson had four points (2 G, 2 A) in the sweep. Predators D Ryan Ellis added a couple of assists, giving him four points (1 G, 3 A) against the Blackhawks. TSN.CA LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061119 Websites being a special teams strike, and the lack thereof. Toronto had a top-two power play in the NHL for much of the regular season, that could score practically at will. On this night they registered just four shots on goal with TSN.CA / Capitals grab overtime win to push Leafs to brink of elimination none looking especially dangerous. Toronto’s power play ranks 10th among 16 playoff teams (17.6 per cent) but to get their numbers up, they’ll have to get in the zone first. By Kristen Shilton “We’re struggling a bit on our entries, we’ve just got to smooth that out,” Kadri admitted. “They’re throwing a couple different looks at us as far as how they’re forechecking. Just have to tighten up on the entries.” WASHINGTON, D.C. – There are tight series that unfold come playoff With their backs firmly against the wall now, the Maple Leafs will have to time in the National Hockey League, and then there’s this Eastern use Saturday’s off day to figure out their issues in a hurry. Overall they Conference quarter-final between the Toronto Maple Leafs and played a strong road game, matching the Capitals' physicality pound-for- Washington Capitals. pound but not taking advantage of their advantages. On paper, pitting the Presidents’ Trophy winners against the second wild They’ll have at least one more chance to do so on Sunday. card shouldn’t have resulted in the all-out drama that has played out over the first five games of the series. Four of the contests have been decided “I keep saying this to you and I don't know if you quite believe it – you in extra time, and going into Friday’s overtime to decide a Game 5 victor, can't have any more fun than this,” said Babcock. “These games are each side had tallied 15 goals. Toronto had a slight shot advantage – 175 good. We've been in overtime four times, it's a good competitive series. to the Capitals' 174 – but by the time Justin Williams scored the game- winner 1:04 into the frame, that differential was closed too. One shot was “We believe we still have a chance to win. That's what we're going to do.” all it took for Washington to seize a 3-2 series lead and put Toronto on Takeaways the brink of elimination. Mano-a-mano: If Capitals netminder Braden Holtby has to be good in this The last time Toronto went to overtime in four games of a playoff series it series for his team to win, Frederik Andersen has to be great to continue was the 1951 Stanley Cup Final. Consider this much bonus hockey - and giving the Maple Leafs a chance to pull off the upset. Andersen wasn’t this many suffocatingly close games - another layer of new experience that in Game 4 but he was closer in Game 5. He and Holtby faced a for a Maple Leafs team that has had about as much as it can handle similar number of shots, but Toronto wasn’t keeping the Capitals to the already this season. outside as well as Washington was them, allowing quality scoring “It’s a game of inches, especially at this point of the season in the chances from the slot. And so the stunning saves began piling up: on playoffs,” said Auston Matthews. “One shot in our end and it’s in their end Evgeny Kuznetsov from in close, on Williams on a wraparound and then and maybe the series is 3-2 us. We’ll take away the positives from this another on Kuznetsov in the final minute to force overtime. At one point game; I thought we played a pretty solid game, and move on to the next Andersen barely got his right pad on a Tom Wilson shot to keep the one.” game tied in the second period. On Williams’ game-winner, the play started as a dump-in and four Leafs bit, congregating down low so As the first period Friday unfolded, Toronto was playing with more effort Kuznetsov could feed Williams for a five-hole strike right in front of and compete than they showed in the opening frames of Games 3 and 4, Andersen. Toronto will need Andersen’s best and more to stay alive in when they spotted Washington quick two-goal leads. And then, the series Game 6. looked like it was about to take a serious turn. Veteran-like swagger: If there’s one thing Toronto’s rookie class hasn’t Late in the game’s opening frame, Nazem Kadri got low to lay a hit on lacked for, it’s confidence, and that has been building even further as this Washington center Alex Ovechkin’s left knee area. The impact sent series has gone on. After feeling out the uncharted territory in Game 1, Ovechkin’s leg flailing into the air, bent at an awkward angle, as he William Nylander has been among Toronto’s best players. His break- cartwheeled to the ice. Washington’s captain was down for a few minutes neck skating pace, quick hands, and ability to stop and change direction before being helped off the ice, seemingly unable to put weight on his left on a dime has given the Capitals fits. He was back at his best in Game 5, side. controlling the puck down low and putting it right on Holtby, who was being screened by Zach Hyman. That allowed Auston Matthews to find Kadri was called for tripping, not clipping, which could have resulted in a the puck first and wrist it top shelf to tie the game. Matthews is now on a major penalty and a game misconduct. T.J. Oshie needed 43 seconds to three-game goal streak in this series, becoming the fourth rookie in team capitalize on the ensuing power play, spotting Washington a one-goal history to score in three or more consecutive playoff games. Meanwhile lead after 20 minutes. Ovechkin was able to return for the remainder of Nylander has a three-game point streak (G, 3A) and Hyman has two the game, rendering one potential storyline moot while revealing another. points in his last two games (G, A). That line has unquestionably been Toronto went 0-for-4 with the extra man on Friday; Washington’s PP Toronto’s best at both ends of the ice, consistently frustrating the went 1-for-3, scoring on a call Mike Babcock questioned being made at Kuznetsov line with their quick movement down low. all. In the doghouse? Defenceman Connor Carrick played just 6:31 on “It’s interesting – [Capitals head coach Barry Trotz] probably thought that Friday, a team-low, and was one of only two players to not see time on should have been a major. I thought there should have been no penalty,” the power play or penalty kill. After taking an unsportsmanlike conduct said Babcock. “The other night when [Roman] Polak is [injured and] done penalty early in the second period, Carrick played just five more shifts for the year, our bench thought it should be a major, they thought it through the end of the game. He has consistently tallied the lowest ice should be no penalty. That’s kind of the playoffs.” time of any defender, even when the club was down to five in Game 2 after Polak was injured, but Babcock has punted questions about the “I tried to get a piece of him, he tried to get out of the way,” added Kadri. disparity to the assistant coach making the calls on the back end. Carrick “It's not like I stuck my knee out or got my arms high. I was hoping he’s didn't have a banner game on Friday by any stretch, in particular when okay...but at the end of the day I’m cheating my teammates if I don’t try he was undressed by Andre Burakovsky in his own zone that could have to get a piece of him because he’s dumping the puck in and going around resulted in a breakaway scoring chance if Burakovsky hadn't missed the our defencemen. I’ve got to hold him up and try to save my defencemen.” net. A fifth-round draft choice by the Capitals in 2012, Carrick has Ovechkin laid two big hits on blueliner Jake Gardiner after returning for admitted there are still some personal feelings involved when he plays the second, which Gardiner admitted he thought may have been the them, and sometimes it looks like he's overcompensating by trying to be centerman looking to extract some retribution for Kadri’s hit. Kadri himself too feisty and physical, which is what landed him in the box Friday. He exchanged a few more shoves with Ovechkin late in the second, and was also one half of the comedy of errors at Toronto's blue line that led to Matt Niskanen took issue with the interaction and hit Kadri with a two- Oshie's game-winner in the third period of Game 4. Carrick would do well handed slash to the back of the leg. Kadri jumped up and crumbled to the to try and settle in in Game 6 and play a smart, physical game that also ice in pain, encouraging some inquiry as to whether it was a dive, but he highlights his strengths on the blue line. showed off the badly bruised calf after the game, saying “it’s a sensitive Next game: Toronto will welcome the Capitals back to the Air Canada area.” Centre for Game 6 on Sunday. But despite the escalation of bad blood across the board in Friday’s TSN.CA LOADED: 04.22.2017 game, and the parade of big hits, pointed slashes and heated verbal exchanges that all seemed to be precipitated by Kadri’s hit, the Maple Leafs had to try and keep their composure. In almost all aspects of the game, Washington and Toronto were equal partners, trading shots (28 for the Capitals, 25 for the Maple Leafs) and chances from end to end throughout the game. The difference ended up 1061120 Websites There’s an expansion draft, entry draft and free agency all coming up in the next nine weeks. Murray’s replacement will have very little time to evaluate the organization before making critical decisions. Mistakes are TSN.CA / Sabres should have been hiring instead of firing going to be made. The Pegulas don’t have the answers they need right now. More accurately, they don’t know the questions. By Gary Lawless The Sabres needed to hire someone this week, not fire their top hockey man. They need a president of hockey operations to help the GM and soothe ownership when rocky days arrive. Firing people is always a move borne of desperation. The Buffalo Sabres are, indeed, a desperate organization. The Pegulas should not have run the sabre through Murray. They should have handed that decision off to someone else. All that’s left is the Maybe owner Terry Pegula was right today when he said the Sabres carcass of an organization without the most critical organ of all: its brain. need more structure, discipline and communication. Most of all, they need leadership. TSN.CA LOADED: 04.22.2017 There’s a familiar maxim that even more important than what you know is that you know what you don’t know. It’s hard to determine if Terry and Kim Pegula know what they don’t know. The Western New York super couple clearly knows a lot. They’ve amassed an incredible fortune. Smart wouldn’t begin to describe them. But, judging from their very uneven tenures as owners of the NHL Sabres and NFL Bills, pro sports are not their forte. Firing general manager Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma may or may not prove to be prudent decisions. Murray has done a nice job collecting assets. While the team hasn’t produced on the ice, there are certainly impressive pieces in place. Are the Sabres contenders? Nope. But how many players are they away from being a playoff team? Two? Three or four? Firing Murray now smacks of panic. Bylsma is a coach. Unless ownership has the steel of people like the Rooney family of the NFL’s ¬– where coaches never get fired – it’s part of the gig. Don’t win and you’re bound to get clipped. Collect cheques on the beach, not the bench. None of what Pegula did in the last few days is particularly surprising. This is what billionaire owners do when they’re not happy. A couple of asides here. First, one has to wonder if any of this happens if Murray and Pegula had been able to land Mike Babcock. Hiring Babcock isn’t a stroke of hockey genius and is really akin to drafting Connor McDavid – if he’s available, you get him. The Sabres lost out to the Maple Leafs and the organizations have since experienced different trajectories. Babcock would have calmed the fan base (he’s as good a salesmen at the podium as there is in hockey) and he also would have instilled the structure the Sabres lack. None of the obvious discipline issues would surface under Babcock. He solves a lot of what ails the Sabres the minute he walks through the door. Secondly, the Jack Eichel conspiracy theory doesn’t hold water. Oh sure, maybe in a fit of pique the young star centre told someone he wouldn’t re-sign if Bylsma was still the coach. But did he orchestrate a palace coup? No chance. Somewhere along the way it became the accepted notion in pro sports that firing people was the route to success. It really doesn’t make any sense, but it’s the default reaction in pro sport. Owners capitulate to fans far too often. Don’t mistake that statement as a slap at fans. They pay the bills and deserve a voice. But the electric company doesn’t make direction-altering business decisions based on slips of paper jammed into the suggestion box or cranky messages left on voice mail. No business does, except for professional sports. Pegula seemed earnest and honest on Friday morning when he addressed the press in Buffalo. None of what he had to say, however, shone the light of leadership on a new path for the Sabres. This seems pretty simple from the outside. The Pegulas need some help in the form of a seasoned executive who can review a plan put forth by a general manager and oversee its progress. They need someone who can’t be buffaloed; who understands the process and can read the signposts along the way to know what’s working and what isn’t. Murray was a rookie GM when he was hired. He was smart and experienced in lots of hockey jobs but never the owner of the big chair. He needed some guidance. Firing him with no one to ready to step in has left the Sabres in a terrible position at a critical time for the team. 1061121 Websites

TSN.CA / Pegula seeks established GM for Sabres

The Canadian Press

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Criticizing the Buffalo Sabres' management structure for being flawed under its previous regime, team owner Terry Pegula accepted the blame and vowed Friday to take a hands-on approach to fix what went wrong. The first step, Pegula said, begins with him directly overseeing the search to hire a new front office. He spoke one day after the Sabres cleaned house by firing general manager Tim Murray and coach Dan Bylsma. "Accountability starts with me," Pegula said. "We are not happy with our season this year, and there are no excuses." Saying he is seriously leaning toward hiring a GM with a proven track record, Pegula repeated a theme in outlining what he found lacking in the Sabres organization as a whole. "Our organization needs more discipline, structure and communication. That's how you win," he said. "We need to get better at that in the future." Pegula's decision to handle the search process stemmed from what he called a "regret" in failing to be more involved in hiring Murray and Bylsma. Though a long-time scout, Murray had no NHL general managerial experience when he was hired by former team president Pat LaFontaine in January 2014. And Murray settled on hiring Bylsma in May 2015 only after being rejected by Mike Babcock, the former Detroit Red Wings coach who elected to instead sign with Toronto. Pegula is still filling out his list of candidates, and said the team's front- office structure will be dependent on what the next GM proposes. For the moment, that doesn't mean adding another layer of management, such as a president of hockey operations, as some teams employ. The key, Pegula said, is establishing a collaborative management team in what was a clear indication of what the Sabres lacked under Murray. "You've got to have character throughout the organization, on the ice," he said. "And they have to be in a disciplined, structured environment where everybody knows what everybody's doing, and everybody's talking. That's how you win." Murray criticized Bylsma last week in saying the coach needed to spend more time meeting with players and less time poring over video. Players privately grumbled about Bylsma's rigid philosophy, while also noting they needed to be more accountable. Potential candidates with experience include: recently fired Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi ; Dave Nonis, currently a consultant with the Anaheim Ducks; and Chicago Blackhawks assistant GM Norm Maciver. Lombardi could have the initial inside edge due to his and the Sabres' ties to USA Hockey. Pegula hit the reset button after he and his wife, Kim, met with Murray and Bylsma, and also consulted with players. The decision to clean house came less than two weeks after Buffalo went 33-37-12 to finish last in the Atlantic Division and 26th overall. The Sabres finished with two fewer wins and three fewer points than the previous season, and were undone by a late-season 2-8-2 slump that knocked them out of playoff contention. It was a significant step back for a franchise that was supposed to be on the upswing following a top-to-bottom overhaul that brought in an influx of youth and high-priced talent in each of the past two offseasons. This was not close to meeting Pegula's expectation when he vowed to build the Sabres into a contender upon purchasing the team in February 2011. "I stood here and told Buffalo Sabres fans that the reason for our existence was to win a Stanley Cup," Pegula said, recalling the statement he made during his introductory news conference as owner. "That is still the truth. One team wins the Cup. We expected more this season." TSN.CA LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061122 Websites Hyman-Matthews-Nylander Komarov-Kadri-Brown TSN.CA / Andersen focused on details, communication van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner Martin-Boyle-Kapanen By Mark Masters Fehr, Leivo Gardiner-Zaitsev TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes Hunwick-Rielly from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The team skated at Verizon Center ahead of Game 5 against the Washington Capitals. Marincin-Carrick - Frederik Andersen allowed five goals on 27 shots on Wednesday night. Smith-Marchenko That total could've been worse if not for a borderline goalie interference Andersen call. So, what's the key to a bounce-back effort in Game 5? “Just details,” the goalie said. "…It comes down to executing. We know we'll get McElhinney chances to score and if we do the other details well I think we have a better chance to win." Specifically, Andersen believes communication TSN.CA LOADED: 04.22.2017 needs to be better when it comes to breaking the puck out of the defensive zone. "Everyone's got to talk [more]. Once we do that it makes it a lot easier to get out of the zone and everyone feels like they have more time and are able to make better plays." Capitals have 14GF in series, 7 have come in 1st pd. Most 1st pd goals in the playoffs — Kevin Gibson (@TSNResearch) April 21, 2017 Andersen's .905 save percentage is worst among goalies still alive in the playoffs. "When you're a good goaltender and you got confidence in yourself you've got a foundation built there to go back to," said head coach Mike Babcock. "Sometimes it doesn't go your way, that's life. Over an 82-game spread the things settle out. In the playoffs you don't have as much time for them to settle out. You got to be good every night and you got to dig in." GAME DAY with @markhmasters & @dfeschuk: How much can be expected of Mitch Marner? https://t.co/JMLOyK7JI6 #TSNHockey #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/sqtVwSJURH — TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) April 21, 2017 - The other goalie in the series, Braden Holtby, hasn't been much better than Andersen, posting a .907 save percentage. Head coach Barry Trotz has blamed some unfortunate bounces for a couple of goals comparing the play in front of his goalie to a "pinball machine." But the reigning Vezina winner isn't making excuses. In fact, Holtby decided to take part in an optional practice on Thursday to fine tune his game. "It was more trying to get the body control back a little bit," Holtby explained. "In any situation, any series or circumstances of events, you try and pick out trends and I think in order to combat some of those bounces, I need to get my body moving, my upper body moving, in certain areas shifting and keeping my lower body based on my edges more than usual." - Babcock continues to urge his young players not to be satisfied simply to be in the playoffs. "Here we are," he said on Friday morning. "Let's go. Teams are going home now, you can see. Pretty soon there's only going to be eight and if you want to be one of them you dig in. Best time of your life. Dig in." The Blackhawks, third overall in the NHL regular season, and Blue Jackets, fourth overall, were both eliminated on Thursday night. "We're counting on lots of guys to be important for us that are kids. So, you can make all the excuses in the world for them that you want, the reality is we're here," Babcock said. "Let's play. Next year doesn't come. If I look at the teams that are out, or I look at the teams that maybe even missed, at the start of the year you would have asked me who would be in the Stanley Cup final, one of the teams that missed the playoffs I would have picked. So, make good on your opportunity." 1on1 with Kadri on fast starts, bad bounces & trying to keep a straight face when Jake Gardiner is chirping https://t.co/d7t4Qerswy (vid) — Mark Masters (@markhmasters) April 21, 2017 Auston Matthews has embraced that message. "He's pretty right," the teenager said. "It's important to kind of stay in the moment. Just because we're a young team and rebuilding and able to make the playoffs in one year doesn't mean we're going to make it the next year. So we're in a good position now and I think it's definitely important for us to stay in the moment and make sure we capitalize on this opportunity." Like with most things, once Auston Matthews got a feel for an NHL playoff series, he started taking it over: https://t.co/ByxVGN1qvb — Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) April 21, 2017 * Lines at Leafs morning skate: 1061123 Websites “He likes to stack the deck for himself,” defenceman Connor Carrick said. “He makes it all look easy, because he works at it. When you’re out there with him, he tries to talk to you and help you defensively to break out. TSN.CA / Matthews proving he’s the Leafs’ most complete player That’s something elite centers do.” TSN.CA LOADED: 04.22.2017 By Kristen Shilton

WASHINGTON, D.C. – From the day Auston Matthews introduced himself to the National Hockey League with a historic four-goal debut against the Ottawa Senators, the bar was set toweringly high for what he’d be expected to accomplish as a rookie. Six months later, Matthews has morphed into the Toronto Maple Leafs’ most complete player and is helping lead their playoff charge in a first- round series against the Washington Capitals, tied 2-2 going into Friday night’s Game 5. A list of Matthews’ regular-season achievements includes franchise rookie records in points (69), goals (40) and game-winning goals (eight). Those totals also led all National Hockey League rookies in each category. Matthews came one step closer to officially adding Calder Trophy winner to his resume after being announced as a finalist for the award on Thursday, along with Winnipeg Jets’ winger Patrik Laine and Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Zach Werenski. Nine Maple Leafs rookies have won the award before, with Brit Selby the last victor in 1965-66. Wendel Clark was the team’s last nominee in 1984-85, finishing third in voting. “It was pretty special to find that out yesterday,” Matthews said Friday after morning skate. “There are a lot of really good rookies in this class this year and to be named as one of the top three is a pretty big honour.” Matthews isn’t big on talking about himself, preferring to focus on the team where he can. But that stoic presence in front of the cameras belies the fun-loving goofball his friends know him to be in private. For all the well-documented annoyances of playing in a market as big as Toronto, Matthews has embraced the role, impressing his teammates in the process. “It's a real honour, and much deserved. He's the real backbone of this team,” winger Connor Brown said of Matthews' nomination “The thing about Auston, no matter what, he brings the same attitude and approach. When things are going tough, he's still pushing, no matter what the score is. It's contagious and it's nice when one of your best players is doing that every night.” Matthews had a slow start to his first NHL postseason, clocking in at minus-1 with five shots on goal through the first two games where he was mostly invisible until the third frame of Game 2. Once he got his skates under him, Matthews was a dominant force. He tallied three points (two goals, one assist) and eight shots on goal over Games 3 and 4, including the marker that pulled Toronto within one with nine minutes to go in the third period of Game 4. “I feel like I’ve gotten better,” said Matthews of his performance in the series. “You kind of get more comfortable each and every night to expect not too much space. It’s pretty physical – a lot of 50/50 battles that you got to make sure you’re winning. I think that’s kind of been the key for us, for everybody, just trying to get better each game.” All those little details that matter in the postseason are blossoming in Matthews’ game. He’s at 50 per cent in the faceoff dot and 58.3 per cent on defensive-zone draws, well up from his regular-season percentage (43.4). Matthews leads all Maple Leafs' forwards with six blocked shots, is second on the team in takeaways (four) and has the third-best shooting percentage (15.4 per cent), while playing the most minutes among forwards (21:06 per game). His line with William Nylander and Zach Hyman has produced excellent possession totals (63.3 per cent), outpacing their primary Capitals matchup of Evgeny Kuznetsov, Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson (50.7 per cent). “I thought [Matthews] was outstanding for us last game. I think he just gets better and better,” said head coach Mike Babcock. “He played when the game was on the line and pushed us back in. To me he’s a 200- footer with and without the puck. But what I like about him is he’s just steady and does a great assessment of himself. Takes ownership for what he does right and does wrong.” Driven by a desire to be the best player on the ice, his teammates say there’s no aspect of his game Matthews won’t work on to get there. 1061124 Websites Hyman-Matthews-Nylander Komarov-Kadri-Brown TSN.CA / Andersen focused on details, communication van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner Martin-Boyle-Kapanen By Mark Masters Fehr, Leivo Gardiner-Zaitsev TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes Hunwick-Rielly from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The team skated at Verizon Center ahead of Game 5 against the Washington Capitals. Marincin-Carrick - Frederik Andersen allowed five goals on 27 shots on Wednesday night. Smith-Marchenko That total could've been worse if not for a borderline goalie interference Andersen call. So, what's the key to a bounce-back effort in Game 5? “Just details,” the goalie said. "…It comes down to executing. We know we'll get McElhinney chances to score and if we do the other details well I think we have a better chance to win." Specifically, Andersen believes communication TSN.CA LOADED: 04.22.2017 needs to be better when it comes to breaking the puck out of the defensive zone. "Everyone's got to talk [more]. Once we do that it makes it a lot easier to get out of the zone and everyone feels like they have more time and are able to make better plays." Capitals have 14GF in series, 7 have come in 1st pd. Most 1st pd goals in the playoffs — Kevin Gibson (@TSNResearch) April 21, 2017 Andersen's .905 save percentage is worst among goalies still alive in the playoffs. "When you're a good goaltender and you got confidence in yourself you've got a foundation built there to go back to," said head coach Mike Babcock. "Sometimes it doesn't go your way, that's life. Over an 82-game spread the things settle out. In the playoffs you don't have as much time for them to settle out. You got to be good every night and you got to dig in." GAME DAY with @markhmasters & @dfeschuk: How much can be expected of Mitch Marner? https://t.co/JMLOyK7JI6 #TSNHockey #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/sqtVwSJURH — TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) April 21, 2017 - The other goalie in the series, Braden Holtby, hasn't been much better than Andersen, posting a .907 save percentage. Head coach Barry Trotz has blamed some unfortunate bounces for a couple of goals comparing the play in front of his goalie to a "pinball machine." But the reigning Vezina winner isn't making excuses. In fact, Holtby decided to take part in an optional practice on Thursday to fine tune his game. "It was more trying to get the body control back a little bit," Holtby explained. "In any situation, any series or circumstances of events, you try and pick out trends and I think in order to combat some of those bounces, I need to get my body moving, my upper body moving, in certain areas shifting and keeping my lower body based on my edges more than usual." - Babcock continues to urge his young players not to be satisfied simply to be in the playoffs. "Here we are," he said on Friday morning. "Let's go. Teams are going home now, you can see. Pretty soon there's only going to be eight and if you want to be one of them you dig in. Best time of your life. Dig in." The Blackhawks, third overall in the NHL regular season, and Blue Jackets, fourth overall, were both eliminated on Thursday night. "We're counting on lots of guys to be important for us that are kids. So, you can make all the excuses in the world for them that you want, the reality is we're here," Babcock said. "Let's play. Next year doesn't come. If I look at the teams that are out, or I look at the teams that maybe even missed, at the start of the year you would have asked me who would be in the Stanley Cup final, one of the teams that missed the playoffs I would have picked. So, make good on your opportunity." 1on1 with Kadri on fast starts, bad bounces & trying to keep a straight face when Jake Gardiner is chirping https://t.co/d7t4Qerswy (vid) — Mark Masters (@markhmasters) April 21, 2017 Auston Matthews has embraced that message. "He's pretty right," the teenager said. "It's important to kind of stay in the moment. Just because we're a young team and rebuilding and able to make the playoffs in one year doesn't mean we're going to make it the next year. So we're in a good position now and I think it's definitely important for us to stay in the moment and make sure we capitalize on this opportunity." Like with most things, once Auston Matthews got a feel for an NHL playoff series, he started taking it over: https://t.co/ByxVGN1qvb — Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) April 21, 2017 * Lines at Leafs morning skate: 1061125 Websites TSN.CA LOADED: 04.22.2017

TSN.CA / ost 2 Post: Fleury's best game of the series

By Jamie McLennan

Each night during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, TSN Hockey analyst and former NHL goaltender Jamie McLennan provides his Post 2 Post rankings for every goaltender in action. Marc-Andre Fleury (5) - A 49-save performance from 'Flower' to finish off the series and he saved his best for the third period when he faced 19 shots, with key saves on Sam Gagner, Boone Jenner, William Karlsson and Jack Johnson. Sergei Bobrovsky (2) - He was outplayed in this series by Fleury and just couldn't steal this game. Carey Price (4) - He was solid all game long on Thursday night, with big saves on Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello as well as huge saves in overtime on Rick Nash and Mika Zibanejad (with no chance on the game-winning goal). Henrik Lundqvist (4) - The King was outstanding, keeping the Rangers in the game as the Habs pressed hard in the first two periods. He made big saves on Brendan Gallagher, Tomas Plekanec, Arturri Lehkonen and Max Pacioretty. Pekka Rinne (5) - He was brilliant again, outplaying Corey Crawford all series long and grabbed the spotlight with big saves on Brian Campbell, Ryan Hartman, as well as Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Corey Crawford (2) - He never really got into his groove and had no goal support, so he can't be blamed for this sweep. The Blackhawks scored three goals total in four games and they're not going to have success with that. Cam Talbot (4) - He wasn't tested too much early on, but made a big blocker save on Chris Tierney in tight and set a solid pace. He had no chance on the first goal allowed before a 2-on-1 goal by Patrick Marleau put them in a hole. Martin Jones (4) - He kept the Sharks in early with big saves on Benoit Pouliot, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zack Kassian. The game-tying goal was a deflection and he had no chance on that, was brilliant in OT with huge saves on RNH, Leon Draisaitl, Drake Caggulia and Connor McDavid. He gave his team a chance, but came up short. From Wednesday: Braden Holtby (3) - He was solid early on, with unreal work on the 5-on-3 penalty kill early in third period. Holtby was the difference in the game on that kill, with big saves on William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, James van Riemsdyk, Nazem Kadri and Auston Matthews. Frederik Andersen (2) - Game 4 was not his best work, as Andersen wasn't busy and looked off all night. He allowed a couple of 'through the body' goals despite making big saves on Ovi and Nicklas Backstrom in tight. Craig Anderson (5) - He was brilliant all night long. He was not that busy in Game 4, but made timely big saves on Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, David Backes and Riley Nash, as well as a game-saver on Marchand with a minute left. Tuukka Rask (4) - He lost a great goalie duel to Anderson and had no chance on Bobby Ryan's goal. Brian Elliott (1) - Pulled early in the game after a bad short side goal. It was an ugly series for him. Chad Johnson (4) - He was scored on with the first shot he faced, but settled in and played well. John Gibson (4) - He brilliant all game long - his best of the series. As the Flames pushed, he made huge saves on Backlund, Giordano, Gaudreau and Hamilton. Jake Allen (3) - He handed a goal to Charlie Coyle, then robbed him later in game to go with big saves on Nino Neiderreiter, Jason Zucker, Jason Pominville and Chris Stewart. Devan Dubnyk (5) - He was sharp all game and was locked in with big saves on Parayko, Tarasenko, Perron, Edmundson and Brodziak. Dubnyk gave the Wild a chance to win and play at least another game. 1061126 Websites concerned about CTE when you’re still making your living as a professional athlete.”

TSN.CA LOADED: 04.22.2017 TSN.CA / Four junior hockey players diagnosed with CTE, researcher says

By Rick Westhead

A researcher at Boston University says she has diagnosed chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in the brains of four former junior hockey players. Neuropathologist Dr. Ann McKee made the diagnoses over the past two years. Each of the four former junior players – none of whom advanced to the National Hockey League – committed suicide before the age of 30, she said. Dr. McKee said she couldn’t disclose the identities of the players with CTE without the permission of their families, so it’s not known who three of the players are or which leagues they played in – which could be any of dozens of disparate calibre across North America. However, the Concussion Legacy Foundation, a Boston-based non-profit that helps to find research subjects for Dr. McKee and her colleagues, received permission from the family of former junior player Drew Mulligan to share his details. Mulligan, from Hebron, Conn., killed himself in February 2016 at the age of 22 and was posthumously diagnosed with CTE in November. He played during the 2011-12 season with the Tier III Empire Junior Hockey League’s Springfield Pics in West Springfield, Mass. The EmJHL’s teams were scattered through the northeastern U.S. and have since been absorbed into another U.S.-based league. Mulligan’s family decided to donate his brain to science a few days after he killed himself, said Karly Mulligan, Drew’s sister. “Drew was an enforcer, very protective of his teammates,” she said. “His concussions were a mixture of fighting and being checked.” Mulligan said her brother had at least six documented concussions from playing hockey. “Even if he bumped his head, his symptoms would come back,” she said. “He had really bad headaches and was very irritable. Light bugged him. Sometimes his speech would get mixed up. I noticed after his last concussion when he played with the Pics that he got a lot meaner. He picked fights over nothing and school became a lot harder for him.” “It was a no-brainer to do the testing if it might help someone else,” Karly said. “It was bittersweet to hear your brother, your best friend, had brain damage. But it was also reassuring. He told me something wasn’t right with his brain. So it was almost validation for him.” Dr. McKee said she plans to present her junior hockey findings to other researchers at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neuropathologists in June. “We are focusing on hockey now,” Dr. McKee said in an interview with TSN. “We’re really trying to put together our experience… We’re hoping hockey is not as high a risk as football where there are more impacts every game in a more predictable fashion, but [CTE prevalence] could be just as high in hockey.” Dr. McKee has already diagnosed CTE in four former NHL players – Reggie Fleming, , Bob Probert and Derek Boogaard. Former NHL player Steve Montador also had CTE, according to researchers with the Canadian Sports Concussion Project in Toronto. Dr. McKee said she is currently examining the brain of another former NHL player and is a month or so away from completing that exam. CTE can only be diagnosed after death. Tyler Maland, a spokesman for the Concussion Legacy Foundation, said more than 1,700 people have pledged to donate their brains to B.U. for study of CTE, a brain-withering disease linked to repeated concussions. Of those 1,700, five are former NHL players. No current NHL player has pledged his brain. By comparison, three active NFL players and more than 100 former NFL players have pledged their brains to science, Maland said. “…To continue to play a sport like hockey or football, you have to turn a blind eye to this,” said Lisa McHale, the foundation’s director of family relations. “Willful ignorance is an easier tack to take than being 1061127 Websites Bobrovsky had a tremendous season, leading the league with a .931 save percentage, but he struggled against Pittsburgh, ending the series with a .882 save percentage in the five-game series. TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Bye bye 'Hawks, Jackets Columbus was already down in the series, but once star rookie defenceman Zach Werenski was knocked out of the lineup, their task became that much more difficult. By Scott Cullen Brandon Saad (1 G, 2 A), Boone Jenner (2 G, 1 A) and William Karlsson (2 G, 1 A) led the Blue Jackets with three points in the series, though Saad ranked just seventh among Blue Jackets forwards in time on ice The Blackhawks and Blue Jackets were bounced from the playoffs; Rust, (fifth at 5-on-5) against Pittsburgh. One other positive for Columbus: Malkin, Kessel, Desharnais, Zibanejad, Josi, Rinne, Fleury and more in rookie winger Oliver Bjorkstrand had strong possession numbers (64.4 Scott Cullen's Statistically Speaking. CF%) in his limited role. BLACKHAWKS DONE Losing to Pittsburgh isn't going to cause a major organizational shift in Columbus -- despite the quick playoff exit, this season still counts as a The Western Conference favourites entering the postseason, the positive relative to expectations -- but they need to continue to bolster the Chicago Blackhawks were unceremoniously swept away by the Nashville roster so that they aren't so dependent on Bobrovsky because, in most Predators, scoring a total of three goals in four games. cases, it's really difficult to bank on a goaltender to provide a consistent Aside from a horrendous effort in Game Two, the Blackhawks weren't advantage over the opposition. grossly outplayed, but they couldn't score against Predators goaltender But, with Werenski and Seth Jones leading the blueline, the Blue Jackets Pekka Rinne. Coming into the series, it was entirely reasonable to think have some talent around which to build. Cam Atkinson, Brandon Saad that Nashville had a chance to knock off Chicago, but it required some and Alexander Wennberg had productive scoring seasons, but that is the measure of faith in Rinne, who has had more downs than ups in recent area to be addressed. Since Columbus doesn't have superstar talent up seasons, but he played well late in the regular season and then was front, increasing the depth of their attack ought to be a priority if they are dominant in the four-game sweep, stopping 123 of 126 shots. going to remain in the playoff mix moving forward. Two of Chicago's three goals in the series, including Jonathan Toews' HEROES last gasp marker late in the third period of Game Four, came on the power play, so they managed a single goal at even strength in four Bryan Rust, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel - The Pittsburgh trio games. That's obviously not going to get the job done. dominated the series-clinching Game Five, scoring three goals (two at even-strength) in a 5-2 win over Columbus. Rust scored a pair of goals, It's not as though the Blackhawks couldn't generate shots. Patrick Kane, with eight shots on net, giving him four goals in five games. Malkin who scored that lone even-strength marker, had 23 shots on goal in four accrued three assists in Game Five, and leads the playoff scoring race games. Marian Hossa had no goals despite putting 15 shots on goal. At with 11 points. Apparently his late-season shoulder injury hasn't been a the same time, Hossa, who moved down the lineup, struggled to a 46.3 problem. Kessel put up a goal and two assists in the clincher, giving him CF% in the series, a continuation of his late-season possession decline. eight points (2 G, 6 A) in five games. He now has 51 points in 51 career I picked the Blackhawks to reach the Stanley Cup Final (though Nashville playoff games. was my No. 2, and preseason, choice in the West; go figure) and a big David Desharnais - The Oilers centre set up the tying goal late in the reason for that was the emergence of their rookies in the second half of third period then notched the overtime winner, and had team-best the season. possession stats (19 for, 7 against, 73.1 CF%) in a 4-3 Game Five win Rookie Nick Schmaltz played a significant role in the second half and into against San Jose. They were Desharnais' first points of the postseason. the playoffs, but was on the wrong side of the puck (40.4 CF%) against Mika Zibanejad - The Rangers centre scored the overtime winner and Nashville and Schmaltz, Ryan Hartman and Tanner Kero didn't register a added an assist in a 3-2 Game Five win at Montreal. He has three points point in the series. (1 G, 2 A) in the series. But, if the Blackhawks are looking to assign blame, it can't be leveled at Roman Josi - Nashville's smooth-skating blueliner scored a couple of those on entry-level deals when big money has been invested in the goals in a 4-1 Game Four win over Chicago. He had three points (2 G, 1 stars that make the core of this Blackhawks team. A) against Chicago. Jonathan Toews scored late in the third period of Game Four, his only Pekka Rinne - Nashville's goaltender was a huge factor in their first- goal in 11 playoff games over the past two seasons. Patrick Kane had round sweep of the Blackhawks. He stopped 30 of 31 shots in a 4-1 two points against Nashville, Artemi Panarin had one, Artem Anisimov Game Four win, giving him a .976 save percentage in four games. none. Marc-Andre Fleury - Pittsburgh's veteran netminder turned away 49 of 51 On defence, Duncan Keith has been a playoff workhorse for years, but shots in a 5-2 Game Five win against the Blue Jackets, finishing the first he and partner Niklas Hjalmarsson were beaten in this series, with Keith round with a .933 save percentage. ending up on the ice for zero goals for and five against during 5-on-5 play. ZEROES What a difference a week makes. This sweep leaves the Blackhawks Logan Couture - The Sharks centre had a tough game (9 for, 24 against, with some major questions heading into the offseason. They've 27.3 CF%, 3-10 scoring chances) in a 4-3 overtime loss in Game Five at committed so much financially to Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith, Edmonton. defenceman Brent Seabrook and goaltender Corey Crawford, and all have no-move clauses. Panarin's extension kicks in next season and Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun - San Jose's shutdown defence Anisimov was quickly extended when he was acquired from Columbus in pair was on the wrong side of the puck (18 for, 44 against, 29.0 CF%, 9- the Brandon Saad trade. Add in Marcus Kruger being well compensated 19 scoring chances) and were on the ice for two goals against in Game for his checking centre role and the Blackhawks have been forced to Five at Edmonton. patch too many spots in the lineup with players on bargain contracts and that came back to haunt them against a Nashville team that had depth, Sergei Bobrovsky - The likely Vezina Trophy winner allowed five goals on speed and better goaltending. 32 shots in Game Five at Pittsburgh. He had a .882 save percentage in the series, obviously not good enough for the Blue Jackets to be Somehow, GM Stan Bowman is going to have to figure out a way to competitive. create more financial flexibility moving forward or Chicago's days as a championship contender may be done. STANLEY CUP HALF FULL/HALF EMPTY HANG UP THOSE BLUE JACKETS Martin Jones - The Sharks goaltender stopped 44 of 48 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss in Game Five at Edmonton. He was sensational in Expectations weren't especially high for the Columbus Blue Jackets this overtime, turning back the first 13 shots that he faced, before Desharnais year. In fact, that they reached the postseason at all was a serious notched the winner. accomplishment. The challenge facing Columbus in the first round is that they were going against the defending-champion Pittsburgh Penguins, VITAL SIGNS and would likely need goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to be a difference- Nick Foligno - The Columbus captain couldn't go in Game Five, due to a maker in the series. leg injury suffered earlier in the series. Veteran winger Scott Hartnell returned to the Columbus lineup after being scratched in Game Four. Alexei Emelin - The hard-hitting Habs blueliner returned to the Montreal lineup for the first time in a couple of weeks. He played more than 19 minutes against the Rangers in Game Five, and ultimately his neutral ice turnover led to the Rangers' game-winning goal in overtime. Mikkel Boedker - Back in the Sharks' lineup after being a healthy scratch, the speedy winger delivered a goal and an assist in a 4-3 Game Five overtime loss at Edmonton. Joonas Donskoi was scratched from the San Jose lineup for Game Five. Drake Caggiula - Edmonton shuffled up its top line, moving Caggiula into the left wing spot alongside Connor McDavid, replacing Patrick Maroon. SHORT SHIFTS Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist continued to play well in the postseason. He stopped 34 of 36 shots in a 3-2 Game Five overtime win at Montreal and has a .943 save percentage in the series...Canadiens rookie LW Artturi Lehkonen produced a goal and an assist in the loss to the Rangers, and has three points (1 G, 2 A) in five games against the Rangers...Oilers rookie D Matt Benning had a pair of assists in Game Five against San Jose, his first points in his fourth career playoff game...Oilers C Leon Draisaitl picked up a pair of assists against San Jose, his first points of the series...Predators C Colton Sissons and RW Viktor Arvidsson both had a goal and an assist in Game Four against Chicago. Sissons had three points (2 G, 1 A) and Arvidsson had four points (2 G, 2 A) in the sweep. Predators D Ryan Ellis added a couple of assists, giving him four points (1 G, 3 A) against the Blackhawks. TSN.CA LOADED: 04.22.2017 1061128 Websites This was the third time the Predators have faced the Blackhawks in the postseason. Look at the rosters today and then compare that to the last time they met in 2015. USA TODAY / 5 reasons everyone was wrong about the Predators The Predators are much deeper today. The addition of Viktor Arvidsson and Kevin Fiala speak to that. Austin Watson has a better understanding of his role. This team is stronger to the point that highly respected Mike Kevin Allen , USA TODAY Sports Published 3:02 p.m. ET April 21, 2017 | Fisher is now a fourth-line role player. Updated 6 hours ago USA TODAY LOADED: 04.22.2017

Nashville Predators senior vice president Gerry Helper saw so many Chicago Blackhawks' insignias on pundits’ playoff predictions that he joked that media outlets must have misplaced the Predators’ logo. Predators research found 69 media members forecasting the series, and 65 predicting Blackhawks would win. Nobody envisioned the Predators’ four-game sweep that occurred. “This was a bracket-buster to be sure,” Nashville general manager David Poile said. Despite the team’s sluggish start this season, Poile said there were signs that the team was coming together. “We did play really well in the new year,” Poile said. “I think we were the fourth-best team, in terms of record, from January on.” The Predators were projected to be a top team this season. In the offseason, Poile had boldly acquired defenseman P.K. Subban in a trade for Shea Weber. It appeared the Predators would boast a more dynamic offensive. But chemistry adjustment, and injuries, slowed them in the early going. It didn’t help that top scorer Filip Forsberg scored one goal in his first 18 games. “But the confidence and belief we had in training camp was re- established in the second half of the season,” Poile said. “Right now we just feel good about how we are playing.” Here are five reasons why we were wrong about the Predators going into the playoffs: 1. Defense was king The Predators’ skill level measures up to any defensive group in the NHL. The Predators’ top four defensemen – Subban, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm – were nearly flawless against the Blackhawks. They denied Blackhawks’ good looks at the net. It seemed like the Blackhawks only had a handful of premium scoring chances the entire series. The Predators outscored Chicago 11-1 in 5-on-5 situations. It helps that all of the top Predators’ defenders are in the prime of their careers. Plus, Matt Irwin and Yannick Weber give Nashville the most consistent third-pairing the Predators’ have ever known. 2. Ryan Johansen elevated Against the Blackhawks, Johansen was the elite No. 1 center the Predators hoped he would be when they acquired him from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2016. Not only did he score (six points in five games), but he won more than 50% of his faceoffs. “His game is maturing right in front of us,” Poile said. “I saw him quoted as saying the focus is so much stronger now than it has been in the regular-season. I think that speaks to him a little bit, and maybe to our team in terms of some of the inconsistencies we had in the season. But our team and Ryan had laser focus in this series.” 3. Strategic moves Coach Peter Laviolette tweaked the lineup going into the postseason, inserting Harry Zolnierczyk and Pontus Aberg to enhance team speed. We all witnessed how increased speed altered the Pittsburgh Penguins’ fortunes last season. 4. Rinne ready Although goalie Pekka Rinne wasn’t overly taxed in this series, he gave the team the necessary efficiency. He didn’t give up any soft goals that changed the series, or even a game. He gave up three goals in four games, and posted a .976 save percentage. Can’t ask for more than that. Maybe we have forgotten how sound he can be. 5. Deeper roster