SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 5/28/2021 Columbus Blue Jackets 1214235 Who stays, who goes? Projecting which Ducks are likely 1214263 Michael Arace: Random thoughts on Jackets' coaching to return next season search, including 'I like Tocchet' 1214264 Blue Jackets coaching search, 1.0: Gallant, Quinn and Arizona Coyotes Tocchet among coaches granted interviews 1214236 Arizona Coyotes sign 2020 draft pick Ben McCartney to entry level contract Dallas Stars 1214265 Dallas Stars bang for buck: Assessing player performance in relation to salary 1214237 Bruins are facing a bit of a mirror image of themselves in the Islanders 1214238 Bruins-Islanders to begin second-round NHL playoff series 1214266 Detroit Red Wings must consider a larger role for Givani on Saturday night Smith. Here's why 1214239 Scouting the Bruins-Islanders playoff matchup: Five 1214267 Trio of Wolverines dominate final NHL scouting rankings reasons New York will give Boston trouble in Round 2 for 2021 draft 1214240 Bruins notebook: Islanders a familiar foe 1214241 Bruins-Islanders schedule: Game 1 time, date, TV channel Oilers revealed 1214268 Long to-do list for Oilers Ken Holland as 1214242 Bean: What B's can expect from strong, balanced offseason begins Islanders team 1214269 VAN DIEST: Patience already worn thin with Edmonton 1214243 Islanders coach Barry Trotz explains 'big challenge' vs. Oilers fans Bruins 1214270 What is Ken Holland going to do with the 1214244 Bruins-Islanders Round 2 playoff preview, odds and blue line? prediction 1214271 Five Oilers offseason predictions based on the latest from 1214245 Might Islanders fans regret this 'We want Boston' chant? GM Ken Holland: The pressure’s on, so what’s next? 1214246 *Confirmed* Boston Bruins- Gm. 1 1214272 Connor McDavid isn’t alone: Wayne Gretzky, Mario Saturday Lemieux, Bobby Orr endured playoff heartbreak after their 1214247 ‘It’s the perfect ’: The making of the second-best bes Boston Bruins photo ever Florida Panthers Buffalo Sabres 1214273 ‘Disappointing to a different level’: Why this Panthers exit 1214248 Three Buffalo Jr. Sabres alumni on NHL Central Scoutings is different (in a good way) final draft rankings 1214274 Disappointing end leads promising Florida Panthers into 1214249 How playing the Swedish way restored Rasmus Dahlin's offseason confidence late in Sabres' season 1214275 Steve Gorten: Goalie edge in Panthers v. Lightning went to Vasilevskiy Calgary Flames 1214250 Team Scotiabank’s Kristen Campbell ready to compete for Los Angeles Kings spot in Canada’s crease 1214276 Exit Interview – Head Coach John Wroblewski Minnesota Wild 1214251 Canes move on to the second round, eliminate Predators 1214277 Wild found production, confidence to carry into Game 7 in against Vegas 1214252 How Alex Nedeljkovic changed the Hurricanes’ plans for a 1214278 On the brink: Game 7s in Minnesota sports history playoff goalie rotation 1214279 Coach Pete DeBoer, unbeaten in Game 7s, promises 1214253 If the Canes beat the Predators, Round 2 against the Vegas will 'let it fly' vs. Wild Lightning could be coming in hot 1214280 Kevin Fiala finally gets on scoresheet to spark Wild's 1214254 The Hurricanes were forced to look within, and they found Game 6 victory what they needed to find 1214281 Game 7? On the road? Wild history tells us that's no problem Blackhawks 1214282 Wild finally gets a positive review — and momentum 1214255 Cousins Kristian and Lukas Reichel’s paths to the Jets — in Game 6 and Blackhawks: Different countries, same NHL dream 1214283 Vegas considered challenge of overturned goal a worthwhile risk 1214284 Big-boy hockey by Wild gives team momentum going into 1214256 Avalanche center Nazem Kadri’s appeal of eight-game Game 7 suspension has been heard. NHL commissioner Gary 1214285 Wild's third-period flurry means 3-0 victory and a Game 7 Bettman h in Vegas 1214257 Date and time for Avalanche’s Game 1 of NHL playoffs’ 1214286 Wild report: Joel Eriksson Ek ‘all good’ after colliding with second-round announced post 1214258 Defenseman Devon Toews has been “remarkable” in his 1214287 Game 7: Wild, Golden Knights each have reasons to be first year with Avalanche confident 1214259 Deen’s List: Avalanche await second-round opponent as 1214288 Fiery winger Kevin Fiala comes to life just in time for the first round nears completion Wild 1214260 Rest assured, Avs and Bruins relish long gap between 1214289 Wild on interference: ‘I guess what goes series around comes around’ 1214261 The 7 Most Educated Players 1214290 Kevin Fiala’s long-awaited breakout boosts Wild’s belief 1214262 Avs Practice Notebook: Colorado prepares for Game 1 that Game 7 is theirs to take this Sunday Montreal Canadiens 1214291 Old doubts resurface as Leafs fail to finish off Canadiens 1214324 ‘We’ll get em at home so it hurts more’: What they’re 1214292 'They were much more desperate than us,' Leafs' Auston saying about the Leafs after Game 5 loss to Canadiens Matthews says 1214325 And now the unease slips in as Leafs fail to close out 1214293 In the Habs' room: 'When you win it feels good,' Phil Canadiens in Game 5 Danault says 1214326 Nick Suzuki scores in overtime, Canadiens beat Maple 1214294 Canadiens stave off elimination with gutsy 4-3 win in Leafs 4-3 to force Game 6 overtime 1214327 Mistakes cost Leafs an opportunity and gave Canadiens 1214295 Stu Cowan: Tough decisions looming as Canadiens chart new life — they’re ready to ‘move on’ to Game 6 future 1214328 Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares returns to the 1214296 Canadiens Game Day: Joel Armia was right when he said ice for a skate it's not over 1214329 Maple Leafs captain John Tavares back skating, one week 1214297 Canadiens playoffs plus/minus: Nick Suzuki and Cole after devastating hit against Canadiens Caufield save the season, defence still can’t contribute 1214330 SIMMONS: Old habits come back to haunt Leafs in Game 5 loss to Habs Nashville Predators 1214331 Presence of Tavares on the ice and in the room a 1214298 Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi leaves welcome, uplifting sight for Maple Leafs Game 6 against Carolina after hard check 1214332 Maple Leafs' comeback ends with loss in OT, series goes 1214299 CeCe Winans sings national anthem before Nashville on Predators' Game 6 against the Hurricanes 1214333 Maple Leafs hope to end series as Tavares back skating 1214300 Carolina Hurricanes top Nashville Predators in overtime to 1214334 Mirtle and Siegel: What Maple Leafs did wrong in Game 5 win Game 6, series — and how they can fix it for Game 6 to prevent a Game 1214301 It's All Your Fault: Predictable unpredictability 1214335 Maple Leafs report cards: Jake Muzzin’s monster third period not enough as OT mishap sends series back to New York Islanders Mont 1214302 Bruins the Islanders’ next stop on NHL playoff ‘mountain’ 1214303 A look at the Islanders-Bruins second-round playoff matchups 1214355 Drance: Why the Canucks must ride out their cap issues 1214304 How the New York Islanders fared against the Boston this offseason, with an eye toward the future Bruins this season 1214305 Travis Zajac made the most of his ice time in Game 6 for the Islanders 1214336 Ryan Reaves among 3 Golden Knights on COVID protocol 1214306 *Confirmed* Boston Bruins-New York Islanders Gm. 1 list 1214337 Silver Knights extend Pacific Division final to 3rd game Senators 1214338 Can rowdy T-Mobile Arena make Game 7 difference? 1214307 "1,000 SMILES": Ottawa Senators' owner Eugene Melnyk 1214339 Cody Glass makes playoff debut in ‘tough situation’ for gives local hospitals a treat to help celebrate his birth Knights 1214308 GARRIOCH: Jacob Bernard-Docker was on his way back 1214340 NHL announces Game 1 start time for potential Avs- to Alberta, but is wearing the Maple Leaf in Riga, Latvia i Knights series 1214341 Golden Knights blow another 3-1 series lead but get to host Game 7 1214309 Penguins the nation’s most-watched NHL or NBA team on 1214342 Golden Knights’ success has been fueled by a low-risk local TV mindset, but is it time to be more aggressive? 1214310 Change is coming to the Penguins, but how much? 1214343 Tickets For Vegas-Minnesota Game 7 At T-Mobile Arena 1214311 Mark Madden: After another early playoff exit, changes Friday Start At $123 On VGK Ticket Site are needed within Penguins organization 1214344 Can Max Pacioretty Rescue the Vegas Golden Knights 1214312 Joe Starkey: It’s fair to wonder if Mike Sullivan will return Playoff Hopes? as Penguins coach 1214313 Who stays? Who goes? Analyzing the Penguins' pressing Washington Capitals personnel decisions 1214345 With an aging core, Capitals believe playoff window is still 1214314 Joe Starkey: Tristan Jarry might have played his way out wide open of town 1214346 Peter Laviolette feels Capitals can still win in 2021-22 1214315 Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby and a Penguins decision 1214347 With so many injuries, Caps 'ran out of gas' in the playoffs for the ages 1214348 LeBrun: Blues and Capitals intend to work to keep 1214316 Wrap-Up: Penguins Get Highest NHL/NBA Ratings, Jim championship window open Rutherford Gets Agent 1214317 Why it’s Jeff Carter Who Could Keep the Penguins Core Together 1214318 Melvin, Bay Area teams share condolences on San Jose shooting 1214319 Where Sharks' pick landed heading into NHL draft lottery St Louis Blues 1214320 The $7.5 million question: Can Tarasenko return to form? 1214321 LeBrun: Blues and Capitals intend to work to keep championship window open Tampa Bay Lightning 1214322 Lightning’s second-round home games expand to 71 percent capacity 1214323 Lightning-Panthers Game 6 report card: Pieces of a whole Websites 1214356 The Athletic / ‘We are growing’: NWHL commissioner Tyler Tumminia on enhancing the league’s brand, player pool 1214357 .ca / Maple Leafs must show unwavering commitment to game plan that got them here 1214358 Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens keep season alive with desperate Game 5 win over Maple Leafs 1214359 Sportsnet.ca / Playoffs Takeaways: Hurricanes surge to send Predators packing 1214360 Sportsnet.ca / NHL Playoff Power Rankings: Avalanche, Leafs meeting expectations 1214361 TSN.CA / ‘Businesslike' Leafs need good start to end postseason drought 1214362 USA TODAY / Opinion: Pressure is on Toronto Maple Leafs after they fail to close out Montreal Canadiens 1214363 USA TODAY / NHL playoffs: Penguins look for answers after loss to Islanders; Golden Knights lose key challenge Winnipeg Jets 1214349 Ehlers credits teammates for stellar performance on return to lineup 1214350 Jets rookie defenceman Stanley more than earned his spot on post-season roster 1214351 JETS SNAPSHOTS: Ehlers says pure exhilaration of overtime wins is ‘What it’s all about’ 1214352 High of playoff success particularly uplifting for clean and sober Jets centre Nate Thompson 1214353 Jets rookie Stanley makes mark in first Stanley Cup playoff series 1214354 Cousins Kristian and Lukas Reichel’s paths to the Jets and Blackhawks: Different countries, same NHL dream SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1214235 Anaheim Ducks that either is on the market. Neither should be. But … what if a team were to present a blockbuster scenario involving impact players who would fill immediate needs on both sides? The Ducks still have a long Who stays, who goes? Projecting which Ducks are likely to return next road to travel when it comes to regaining status as a playoff team, if not a season top contender. Would a Cup-seeking team overpay to secure Gibson? (Hi there, Pittsburgh!) Would one do so to fortify its blue line by adding a top-four minutes-muncher in Lindholm? It’s worth taking the call, even if to laugh afterward. By Eric Stephens Max Jones and Isac Lundestrom May 27, 2021 This isn’t to say that Jones and Lundestrom are untouchable. They’re

not. But the two impending restricted free agents are coming off their The Ducks front-office brain trust of Bob Murray, Martin Madden, Dave entry-level deals and don’t figure to command huge raises in their next Nonis and new cap and budget honcho Jeff Solomon will have a busy contracts, given that neither has produced in big numbers. And in Jones, summer ahead of them as they address a team that finished with the 23, and Lundestrom, 21, there could still be plenty to tap into in terms of second-worst record in the NHL. having two homegrown youngsters continuing to grow into key supportive pieces that the Ducks don’t have to pay through the nose for. The summer won’t only be about whether Anaheim wins next Wednesday’s draft lottery and gets the right to pick first overall on July Haydn Fleury and Alexander Volkov 23. There will be several restricted free agents to decide on and We’re including Fleury, a 25-year-old blue-liner, here only if it becomes potentially sign to new contracts. There is the future of Ryan Getzlaf, who apparent that he can’t be protected for the upcoming Seattle expansion has defined the franchise for the last 16 years. And, if some real roster draft and it becomes worth it to avoid losing him for nothing. The Ducks shuffling is in the cards, there could be a trade or two involving notable could gain an asset after getting some solid work out of Jani Hakanpää. players. The same might be applied to the 23-year-old Volkov, although Fleury No team stays completely the same from year to year and if you’re the carries more value right now. Ducks, staring up at every other traditional Western Conference team, Should have a discussion even if one really isn’t wanted you really shouldn’t argue for keeping the whole band together. Two veterans, Ryan Miller and David Backes, have finished lengthy and Cam Fowler and Jakob Silfverberg rewarding careers. Others could be departing as well, if not by choice. There is no doubt the Ducks need some form of a shakeup. But Fowler Who will be staying? Who will be going? How much turnover will there and Silfverberg – at least until it was revealed how his hip was a factor in really be for a franchise that appears to be shifting further toward a his down season – have been among Anaheim’s steadiest players during younger group that is taking on featured roles? Taking the form of this low period for the franchise. Neither is going anywhere, given that discussions that will or will not occur, we look at the likelihood of different Fowler’s contract — with a highly limiting four-team trade clause — has players being on the move from Anaheim or staying in place. five years left on it and Silfverberg’s deal has three year remaining. But if freeing up a large sum of money is a goal and there’s a team eager and Don’t bother having a discussion willing to take one of them, it doesn’t hurt to see whether anything could Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale come from such a chat.

These two are at the heart of the rebuild and are seen as potential Have a discussion and see what might be possible cornerstones for the franchise. Zegras, 20, might be their No. 1 center, Rickard Rakell and Josh Manson and Drysdale, 19, is already eating up top-four minutes and could become an all-situations defender on their top pair. They were off-limits These two quality selections from a fruitful 2011 draft have had when it came to the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade discussions. I’m not sure the impressive highs and some notable lows with the Ducks. Right now, Ducks would consider them even if they had an interest in Jack Eichel, they’re arguably the two players who possess the most trade value, given especially with his current neck issues. that they’re quite useful at worst and pretty darn good at best. Also, they’re at an age at which effective years should still be ahead and they Don’t really want to have a discussion have contracts only through next season that teams can fit onto their Max Comtois and Troy Terry rosters. One of them might have been moved already if Murray’s asking price wasn’t as sky-high as reported. You do get the feeling that Rakell is Speaking of putting a vise grip on Zegras and Drysdale, it also wouldn’t easier to sacrifice than Manson. A healthy Manson – which is be wise to move Comtois, a 22-year-old power forward who led the team increasingly in question as injuries have piled up – could give Anaheim a in goals and points and is still developing into a strong 200-foot player decent six in their defense corps, given how Drysdale made an impact and who also is finding his voice within the organization. Nor would it immediately. Either way, if the return can add to Anaheim’s developing make much sense to trade Terry, a 23-year-old on a cheap second deal new core and set up the franchise in coming seasons, it should at least who finally appears to be putting it all together. Neither is headed be investigated. Both can be UFAs in 2022. anywhere unless it’s to be part of a package to land a legitimate star. Nic Deslauriers and Jacob Larsson This discussion is happening no matter what The Ducks reportedly were deep in talks regarding a trade of the rugged Ryan Getzlaf Deslauriers to Pittsburgh at the deadline. Obviously, it did not come to fruition. It may not stop the Penguins from heading down that road again, The venerable captain said that he’ll take some time before engaging in a or any other team that must contend regularly with Washington’s Tom conversation with Murray, including topics such as how much hockey he Wilson or another player of his ilk. Larsson, 24, may have played his best has left, what his role would be if he does come back for another season hockey with Anaheim down the stretch after it seemed he was on the and the direction of the club for next season. If he does return – and outside looking in with the team’s blue-line mix. It could still be crowded there is the feeling that he will, as he has been on board with their reset on the left side. Both have a year left on low-cost deals. The return may and said he’s optimistic about how some of the younger players took not be much, but they can be dealt if there is interest. steps forward – it would be at a far lower price (and probably just for one year) than the eight-year, $66-million deal he just finished, which would Worth it to casually mention him in any discussion give Murray added flexibility to address other parts of the roster. And it makes sense to address that next contract after the expansion draft, Sam Steel allowing the team to protect another forward. This isn’t to say that the Ducks are ready to move on from the 23-year- Make it worth the time to have a discussion old center. I’m still holding to the belief that Steel will be a solid and worthwhile player, even if he might need to adjust his game to make the John Gibson and Hampus Lindholm biggest impact. But if there is a desire to bring in a center who has proven to produce a higher level of offense, it seems feasible to build up Now we’re starting to get a little interesting here. Normally, you don’t the former first-round pick as someone who still has good upside, think about moving your star goalie and top blue-liner. There is no chatter especially given that Zegras will now occupy one of the four spots in the middle.

Is it necessary to have any kind of discussion?

Anthony Stolarz

The 27-year-old goalie is already signed for two more seasons at a very affordable $950,000 for each. The Kraken are believed to be eyeing other options for the three that they need to select. Maybe they will take him but it’s likely they don’t. Unless he is badly outplayed by Lukas Dostal in camp, Stolie the Goalie is the Ducks’ new permanent backup.

They’ll pay to go beyond having a discussion

Adam Henrique

We know that no team wanted to take the 31-year-old center with the entirety of his contract in tow. The Ducks will have to pay if they still have the desire, or even the hope, of moving him. Doing so at less than the 50 percent maximum in retained salary would be quite the feat. Uncle Rico is likely to be back because he can’t be moved, even if both sides might want that.

Would you like to have a discussion? Please?

Kevin Shattenkirk and Derek Grant

The two free-agent signings of last offseason didn’t exactly deliver on the initial investment, did they? This isn’t a popular opinion, but Shattenkirk and Grant were better in the second half of this season. Then again, it didn’t take much to be better than the non-entities they were in the first half. But they just finished the first year of respective three-year contracts. All you can realistically hope for is both to have bounce-back years in 2021-22.

It’s probably not right to have a discussion

Sonny Milano

The 25-year-old will be exposed and won’t be selected by Seattle, especially after a year in which he sustained a concussion early on and only managed to play in two AHL conditioning loan contests with San Diego. Milano is under contract for next year. No one is going to trade for an injured forward who has yet to make a real dent in the NHL, and it wouldn’t be a good look to peddle one. Here’s hoping that he gets well enough to be healthy for training camp.

No discussion is probably needed

Danton Heinen and Carter Rowney

The 25-year-old Heinen is definitely an NHL player, and he should fit on a roster somewhere next season. It just doesn’t make sense to qualify an RFA winger with 14 points in 43 games at nearly $2.8 million. As for the 32-year-old Rowney, it is a shame that his knee injury on Feb. 22 will likely bring his tenure with Anaheim to an end. The Ducks got two-plus seasons of solid play from this hard-working fourth-liner who was among their strongest killers and could chip in some offense. But he can be replaced, if he hasn’t already been.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214236 Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes sign 2020 draft pick Ben McCartney to entry level contract

José M. Romero

Arizona Republic

The Arizona Coyotes' first entry-level contract to a member of their 2020 draft class went to the last player they chose last October.

The club on Thursday announced the signing of forward Ben McCartney to a three-year contract, and after he made the leap from Brandon (Canada) of the major junior to Tucson of the AHL before his season ended, the path is clear for the 19-year-old former seventh-round pick to start next season with the Roadrunners.

McCartney, who will turn 20 this summer, was the 204th player taken in last year's NHL Entry Draft. He scored 13 goals with 24 assists for the Wheat Kings of Manitoba in a 24-game shortened season, then debuted for Tucson on May 8 and scored a goal with an assist.

Puckpedia posted details of McCartney's deal, which includes an average annual value and NHL salary cap hit of $813,333.

McCartney went on to register three assists in his last three games with Tucson and finish with five points in four regular season games.

“We are very pleased to sign Ben to an entry-level contract,” Coyotes General Manager Bill Armstrong said in a statement from the team. “Ben had a great junior career and played well for the Roadrunners last season. We look forward to watching him continue to develop next year in Tucson.”

McCartney's 37 points were second-most in the WHL in 2020. Over four full seasons and a small part of a fifth, he had 61 goals, 90 assists and 238 penalty minutes in 205 career games with Brandon.

Five of his goals this past season were on the power play.

NHL entry-level contracts have a standard length of three years for players between the ages of 18 and 21.

Arizona Republic LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214237 Boston Bruins “Obviously, when I’m going to be ready and when I’m going to be back, I’m going to stick to who I am as a player and for sure I’m going to bring the physicality.”

Bruins are facing a bit of a mirror image of themselves in the Islanders Cassidy had no update on Miller’s status. Jakob Zboril (upper body) was off Thursday after skating Wednesday.

By Julian Benbow Globe Staff Keep it sharp

Updated May 27, 2021, 4:36 p.m. The Bruins didn’t learn until Thursday that they will open the series Saturday, but Cassidy was going about business with that start day in mind.

As they await the start of their second-round playoff series against the The Bruins practiced the past two days after taking Monday and Tuesday Islanders, the Bruins are a far different team from the one that was to rest. With their longest break since shutting down during the regular sorting through injuries and issues for most of the regular season. By the season because of a COVID-19 outbreak, they prioritized staying sharp. same token, when coach Bruce Cassidy looks at the Islanders, he sees a different team, too. “We went through a couple of contingencies,” Cassidy said. “So here we are. We got two good days of work, two good days off, and now we’ve The teams met eight times during the regular season. The Islanders won just got to wait to see what’s next.” the first five, two in overtime/shootout. The Bruins took the last three, one in OT. But because both teams have evolved so much, Cassidy can’t put much stock in what happened. Boston Globe LOADED: 05.28.2021 “I don’t want to judge us on the start of the year against them,” Cassidy said. “I don’t know how they’re judging themselves against us from the end of the year when we had more success. So to me, it honestly seems like it’s a fresh start for both teams. Both teams are playing well.”

Both teams have relied on the same strengths to get to this point: patience and discipline, toughness on defense, depth and dependability in net. So this series will feel like looking in the mirror for both teams.

“In that regard, we’re playing ourselves a little bit,” Cassidy said.

The Bruins had to learn some lessons the hard way early in the season against the Islanders. They gave up 10 third-period goals in the first five meetings.

All of those games were before the trade deadline, when the Bruins added Taylor Hall, Mike Reilly, and Curtis Lazar. With added depth, the Bruins went on a tear. In their final three matchups, the ugly third periods were a thing of the past. They held New York scoreless in the third period in each game.

“I thought we were better on offensive terms of attacking their D, breaking them down, and finding some ways to create offense against their bigger team,” Cassidy said. “We just played better, I think, at the end of the day, and it showed on the scoreboard.”

The Bruins bounced the Capitals in five games in the first round, and surviving three overtime battles along with absorbing the physicality from a rugged opponent was preparation for the series in front of them.

“Obviously, the Islanders play a really physical game, a really hard game to play against,” defenseman Jeremy Lauzon said. “They’re going to finish their checks and they’re going to work every shift. I think it’s going to be a good test for us and I think Washington prepared us for that series.”

After skating in Wednesday’s practice in a noncontact jersey, Lauzon was a full participant Thursday and expects to return to action against the Islanders.

Lauzon hasn’t played since Game 1 against the Capitals after sustaining a right hand injury.

“Right now he’s in the main group,” Cassidy said. “So obviously, a lot closer than the other guys. I don’t want to speculate but he could be available early in the series, the ways he’s going right now.”

“My goal is to be ready as soon as possible,” said Lauzon. “Obviously, every day I’m making good strides. At the end of the day, it’s not going to be my call, but for sure, I’m feeling better and better every day.”

The Bruins have dealt with depth issues along the back line all season, and with Kevan Miller still recovering from a head injury suffered in Game 4 against the Capitals, they’re hoping to have Lauzon as another imposing presence.

“I know I’m a physical player,” Lauzon said. “I’m going to bring that physicality, but I think the guys did a really good job against Washington. I just want to complement them. 1214238 Boston Bruins

Bruins-Islanders to begin second-round NHL playoff series on Saturday night

By Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff

Updated May 27, 2021, 3:29 p.m.

Game 1 for the Bruins second-round series with the Islanders will begin Saturday at 8 p.m. at TD Garden. The game will be televised on NBC.

The rest of the schedule will be announced later. When possible, the NHL prefers to have teams play every other day.

The two team met eight times over the course of the regular season, with the Bruins finishing 3-3-2 against the Islanders, with a pair of overtime losses. Four of the eight games were decided by one goal.

The Bruins advanced to the second round by dispatching the Washington Capitals in five games. The Islanders finished the Pittsburgh Penguins in six.

Boston Globe LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214239 Boston Bruins The Bruins will not face injured captain Anders Lee, who had knee surgery in March. The Islanders were without ex-Boston College scorer Oliver Wahlstrom (undisclosed injury) in Game 6, subbing in Travis Scouting the Bruins-Islanders playoff matchup: Five reasons New York Zajac. will give Boston trouble in Round 2 The Islanders don’t often lose their structure. They are comfortable in low-scoring games. They are regularly on the right side of the puck, and they are heavy in front of Sorokin. By Matt Porter Globe Staff Trotz starts each game with what he calls his “Identity Line,” with Matt Updated May 27, 2021, 7:10 a.m. Martin, Casey Cizikas, and Cal Clutterbuck. They cause turnovers and tenderize opponents. Not only is Trotz’s newly constructed Jean-Gabriel

Pageau-Zajac-Kyle Palmieri line aggressive and responsible, the wingers The Penguins seemingly had several advantages over the Islanders in seem to love scoring against the Bruins (five goals each). Pageau (1-6— the first round of the NHL playoffs, starting with their star power. 7) was an F1 bomber against the Penguins. Palmieri (2-0—2) has yet to break out. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jeff Carter made them deeper down the middle than their opponent. Kris Letang was the most creative puck- In the first round, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock faced Crosby and Jake moving defenseman in the series. Guentzel a great deal (to be specific: three times as many as any other Islanders defense pair). Both Penguins went 1-1—2 in six games. Next Pittsburgh was a strong offensive team that could check well. The up: the Bergeron line. Penguins could push the pace. They’d have been a handful for the Bruins. The Bruins, who lost all five meetings (0-3-2) before the trade deadline, are stronger since adding Taylor Hall, Mike Reilly, and Curtis Lazar (3-0- It’s the Islanders, instead. They advanced with a 5-3 win Wednesday in 0 against the Islanders, 16-5-1 overall post-deadline). Game 6. That came at a raucous Nassau Coliseum, where “We Want Boston” rattled the walls with three minutes remaining. Coach Barry Trotz The Hall-David Krejci-Craig Smith line could see a lot of 6-foot-6-inch wasn’t leading the chant. Scott Mayfield (1-3—4 against Pittsburgh) and Nick Leddy, a pairing not unlike Boston’s Reilly and Brandon Carlo. “We’re going to have a big challenge with the Boston Bruins. They’re playing very, very well,” the coach said, giving props to “game-changers” “Obviously they’re playing some good hockey,” said Zajac, who, like , Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak. “Then they’ve Palmieri, had a front-row seat to Hall’s heroics in New Jersey from 2016- really added to that second line. They’re a deep team that plays the right 19. “They beat a really good team. We beat a really good team. It’s going way. It’ll be an event for both teams.” to be another fun series to be a part of.”

The last time the Bruins and Islanders met in the playoffs, Ronald Scoring surges Reagan was president and dirty water dripped off the overhead train Their tight-checking reputation is deserved, but the Islanders scored tracks that ran outside Boston Garden. Now, TD Garden will host the first twice in two minutes in the third to tie Game 3 against Pittsburgh. They Bruins-Islanders Game 1 since the 1983 Wales Conference finals. pumped four past Jarry in Game 4. In Game 6, they scored three goals in The Islanders, power-tripping their way to their fourth consecutive (and a 2:59 span in the second to get ahead. No coincidence those games most recent) Stanley Cup championship, beat the Bruins, 4-2, in that were at home. 1983 series matchup. They put 24 pucks past Pete Peeters in the final “You get up, you get the crowd going, you get some energy and four games of the series. New York also started its Cup dynasty by adrenaline,” Nelson said. “Once we get the lead, we have a lot of guys in beating Boston in the 1980 quarterfinals. here who are willing to sacrifice to hold it.” Here are five reasons the Islanders will give the Bruins trouble in Round The same could be said for the Bruins, who won Game 3 vs. Washington 2: on a major mistake in overtime, then jumped all over the Capitals in Ilya Sorokin is smokin’ Games 4 and 5 to close that series.

Game 6 Wednesday wasn’t the 25-year-old goaltender’s best start. He One for the road allowed three goals on the first 11 shots. But he settled in and stopped No doubt the Nassau Coliseum crowd will have an effect. Those at the the last 26, giving him a series win in his NHL playoff debut, following old barn in Uniondale — which welcomed a reported 9,000 singing, eight years playing professionally in Russia (six in the KHL). chanting, screaming fans for Game 6 — want to see another Stanley Cup It’s a small sample size here for Sorokin, drafted 78th overall in 2014, but championship before closing the doors and moving to Belmont Park next early returns are positive. season.

He allowed nine goals on 159 shots (.943) against the Penguins, who There are sections for vaccinated (read: maskless, vocal) and ranked second in goal-scoring and fourth on the power play. unvaccinated fans. On Wednesday, they were celebrating like it was 1993, the last time the Islanders clinched a series on Long Island. According to Natural Stat Trick, he saved 3.27 goals above the league average (third-best of the 21 goalies this postseason), ranking one spot “Without them,” Trotz said, “I don’t know if we would have pulled this off.” ahead of Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (2.81). Come Games 3 and 4, the Bruins will need to ignore the noise — or feed Unlike Pittsburgh goalie Tristan Jarry, Sorokin made a bunch of bailout off it. saves. His save percentage on shots from the slot and net-front areas was .923, the best of any goalie in the playoffs, before dropping to fifth (.882) after Game 6. Boston Globe LOADED: 05.28.2021 Semyon Varlamov started twice against Pittsburgh, but this looks like Sorokin’s net going forward.

Anthony Beauvillier was all over the ice against Pittsburgh, leading the team with a 3-4—7 line (and a matchup win over Crosby, who couldn’t handle him defensively). His pals on that line, Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey, are plenty rugged.

They will be even more of a handful if the most dynamic player on the team, Mathew Barzal, gets going. Barzal (0-3—3 in the first round) has been carrying the often-irritating Leo Komarov on his line, with Jordan Eberle. That will help the Bruins, provided Komarov doesn’t get under anyone’s skin. 1214240 Boston Bruins “I think they have a lot of our attributes, right?” said Cassidy. “They want to play with structure, they want to play with discipline, they have good goaltending. Their D certainly want to get involved, but they want to play Bruins notebook: Islanders a familiar foe D first. They’ve got different lines that can hurt you. So in that regard we’re playing ourselves a little bit. Very well coached. So for us it’s a matter of staying within ourselves, playing the game in front of you. Put some pressure on their D, there’s no doubt. But I thought earlier in the By STEVE CONROY | [email protected] | Boston Herald year the games got away from us because of as much of what we did PUBLISHED: May 27, 2021 at 4:13 p.m. | UPDATED: May 27, 2021 at than what they did. The later games at home here, we managed pucks 4:57 p.m. better and didn’t try to force the issue in games that were tight. We let game came to us, but at the same time dictate the terms.”

Lauzon getting close The season series between the Bruins and Islanders was a tale of two seasons. Though he hasn’t yet gotten final clearance, big Bruins defenseman Jeremy Lauzon (hand) is inching his way back toward game action. He Early on, the B’s were still incorporating some young players, they were shed his noncontact jersey for Thursday’s practice and took the first at times banged up and the Islanders were able to take the first five shifts with Connor Clifton in the session. games, four of which were at Nassau Coliseum. But the B’s received a giant dose of adrenaline with the influx of Taylor Hall, Mike Reilly and “For him, it’s repetition in practice and then pain tolerance and then we’ll Curtis Lazar and, in the three contests against the Isles after the trade see if he’s cleared for Game 1 or not,” said Cassidy. “I don’t want to deadline, the B’s took all three of them. speculate, but he could be available early in the series with the way he’s going right now.” But beyond the infusion of talent, what exactly did the B’s do better in the late-season wins than in the frustrating early losses? That’s what coach Said Lauzon: “My goal is to be ready as soon as possible and every day Bruce Cassidy was asked now that it has been determined that the B’s I’m making great strides. In the end, it’s not going to be my call, but for will be playing the Islanders in the second round of the East Division sure I’m feeling better and better every day.” … playoffs after the Isles ousted the goaltending-challenged Penguins. Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller, who suffered a head injury in Game 4 Game 1 is Saturday night at 8 p.m. at the Garden. against Washington, remained off the ice, making it a near certainty he’ll This series, of course, is a fresh start for both teams, said Cassidy, but miss Saturday’s game. improvements were made late in the regular season against the Isles.

“We had better third periods, for one,” said Cassidy on Thursday. “I think Boston Herald LOADED: 05.28.2021 that was a problem there earlier in the year, whether that was us not staying patient or not. I know in a couple of games we made some critical mistakes that ended up in our net. You learn from those. So obviously we managed the puck better in those last three games. I thought we were better on offense in terms of attacking their D, breaking them down and finding some ways to create some offense against their bigger D-men. That was below the goal line, some of it was off the rush. I know Taylor Hall definitely helped in that matter. We just played better at the end of the day and I think it showed on the scoreboard.”

Indeed, those third periods — a time at which the B’s pride themselves on playing some of their best hockey — were not good early on against the Islanders. Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the only goal of the game in the first contest with less than five minutes in regulation. They sealed the second game, a 4-2 win, with a power-play goal from Mathew Barzal and then a gutting shorthanded goal from Pageau. Then in one of their worst losses of the year, the roof fell in after Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier picked Trent Frederic‘s pocket in front of the net, setting off a five-goal deluge in the 7-2 loss. The B’s played better in their last game at the Coliseum but still dropped it in a shootout.

Once the series shifted to Boston on March 25, the B’s looked like they were headed for their first win after taking a 2-0 lead, but that was Tuukka Rask‘s false start return from his injury when he had to leave after a period and they could not hold on, losing in overtime.

The worm finally turned after the trade deadline, however. The B’s took the last three games at the Garden and, in what the B’s hope was a sign of things to come, Hall scored his first goal with his new team to seal the first win, using his speed for a partial breakaway for a third period insurance goal.

Cassidy hopes his speed can work as well even with defenders in front of him.

“Hopefully that’s what happens against this defense, where he does back people off to eventually where they respect his speed so much that they lose their gap and now all of a sudden some plays open up in front of their D and you get a little more ice to work with,” said Cassidy.

That the season series was mostly determined along home ice fault lines is not surprising. The Islanders were dominant in the Coliseum (21-4-3) and sub-.500 on the road (11-13-4), though they proved they had some road mettle with two wins in Pittsburgh. For the B’s there was not a sizable gap, having accrued 39 points at home and 34 on the road.

That’s a stark difference, but Cassidy sees much more in common with the Islanders. 1214241 Boston Bruins

Bruins-Islanders schedule: Game 1 time, date, TV channel revealed

BY NICK GOSS

BRUINS

The second round of the 2021 will begin at TD Garden.

The Boston Bruins will host the New York Islanders in Game 1 of their Round 2 series Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET, the NHL announced Thursday. The rest of the series schedule has not been revealed at this time.

Michael Felger and Tony Amonte will have pregame coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC 10 Boston. Game 1 itself will be broadcast exclusively on NBC 10. After the final buzzer, be sure to flip to NBC Sports Boston for postgame coverage with Felger and Amonte.

The Bruins have home ice advantage in the series, which means Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 will all be played at TD Garden. Game 5 and Game 7, of course, are only if necessary.

TD Garden will be near full capacity for the first time all season for Game 1, which should create an exciting atmosphere. Massachusetts is lifting COVID-19 restrictions Saturday, May 29.

Complete preview and prediction for Bruins vs. Islanders series

The Bruins advanced to the second round by eliminating the Washington Capitals in a five-game first-round series, while the Islanders beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in a six-game Round 1 series.

This is the first playoff matchup between the Bruins and Islanders since the 1983 Wales Conference Final, which New York won in six games on the way to its fourth consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214242 Boston Bruins Bean: Why didn't we think Pastrnak is a good postseason player?

The Krejci line can be better. If things start clicking for any of Boston’s bottom-sixers -- that’s especially Coyle, Nick Ritchie and Jake DeBrusk -- Bean: What B's can expect from strong, balanced Islanders team the Bruins can reach another gear. Even if they don’t, they’ve still got the best offensive players and the best goalie.

BY DJ BEAN I went Bruins in six last round. I want to say it again, but it feels so cowardly and there’s nothing more cowardly than picking a series to go NBC SPORTS seven, so… Bruins in five?

(But probably six.)

The hockey gods decided the Boston Bruins got lucky enough with the goaltending they faced in the first round. They didn’t deserve Tristan Jarry. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.28.2021

So it will be the New York Islanders, not the Pittsburgh Penguins and their bummer of a situation in net, who will face the Bruins in the second round. The Bruins are the higher seed, so they’ll have home ice advantage just as capacity is increasing at TD Garden.

The Penguins were for sure the more desirable opponent for the B’s, but they should have felt confident going against either team. They get the trickier of the two, but should still win.

Might Islanders fans regret this 'We want Boston' chant?

New York’s legit, though. The Islanders are a reigning Eastern Conference finalist and have both a good young goaltender and a red-hot second line.

Ilya Sorokin, a 25-year-old rookie, posted a .943 save percentage in the first round and has taken the net from Semyon Varlamov. Barry Trotz’s second line of Brock Nelson between Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey was increasingly dangerous in the first round. The line combined to score eight goals over the six games, with Beauvillier also netting a power play goal in Game 3. The line’s members tallied five goals over the final two games against Pittsburgh.

The Islanders aren’t as star-studded as the Bruins offensively but they’re more balanced. They’ve got strong duos on their top two lines (Matthew Barzal-Jordan Eberle, Nelson-Bailey) and have both Kyle Palmieri and Jean-Gabrielle Pageau on their third line. Barzal, Nelson and Pageau down the middle is very legitimate.

The Bruins probably have better high-end centers with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, but Charlie Coyle’s down year has hurt Boston’s center depth.

It’s not like the Islanders have been a cakewalk for the Bruins. Boston went 0-3-2 in the teams’ first five meetings this season. Following the trade deadline, however, the Bruins went 3-0-0 against the Islanders. If the Bruins feel like a new team since getting Taylor Hall, they should assume the last couple months are a better series preview than those first five contests.

If you’re worried this could be a tight, low-scoring series, there’s a decent chance you’re right. This is a matchup of two top-five teams in goals against this season, as the Islanders (2.23 goals against per game) ranked second and Boston (2.39) ranked fourth. The B’s are fourth in goals against per game in the postseason thus far (2.00) and the Islanders are eighth (2.67, though Varlomov started two of those games).

Here's how the Bruins and Islanders stack up in their playoff series.

In the regular season, the Islanders were 21st in the league in scoring with 2.71 goals per game. The Bruins’ 2.93 goals per game ranked 14th.

So expect a more methodical series than the one you just saw between the B’s and Capitals. These are two teams that reached (at least) the second round last year who don’t want to give much. That’s easier said than done for the Islanders, though; they were an underwhelming possession team this year (48.56 Corsi For percentage at five-on-five, which ranked 20th in the league), whereas the Bruins were third in the league with a 54.20 percentage.

Ideally, the young Sorokin fears the B’s. He started two games against them this season and lost both, though he only allowed three goals in each.

So why will Boston win? They’ve got the better roster, and there’s still reason to believe we haven’t seen their best. Things got easier over the course of the first round against Washington, though it may have just been the Capitals running out of gas. 1214243 Boston Bruins

Islanders coach Barry Trotz explains 'big challenge' vs. Bruins

BY NICK GOSS

BRUINS

The New York Islanders gave an impressive performance Wednesday night to eliminate the favored Pittsburgh Penguins from the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs in a six-game first-round series.

The next opponent for the Islanders is the Boston Bruins, who should pose far tougher problems for New York than Pittsburgh did.

Full preview and prediction for Bruins vs. Islanders series

Islanders head coach Barry Trotz specifically pointed to the Bruins' top- six forwards when giving his initial thoughts on the upcoming second- round series versus Boston.

“We’re going to have a big challenge with the Boston Bruins,” Trotz said in his press conference after Game 6. “They’re playing very, very well, as you saw they played the Capitals. They’ve got some game-changers there, too, with that perfection line, and then they’ve really added to that second line. They’re a deep team that plays the right way. It’ll be an event for both teams.”

The Bruins went 3-3-2 against the Islanders during the regular season but dominated after the trade deadline by winning the last three matchups by a combined score of 10-3.

Bean: What B's can expect from strong, balanced Islanders team

In a five-game first-round triumph over the Capitals, the Bruins' top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak consistently tilted the ice in their favor from a puck possession standpoint and also starting finding the back of the next toward the end of the series. This trio combined to tally eight goals versus the Capitals, with five scored during 5-on-5 play.

Boston's second line of Taylor Hall, David Krejci and Craig Smith also scored three times and consistently created a lot of scoring chances.

The Islanders face a stiff challenge slowing down this top-six forward group in Boston, and whether they're successful in doing so could be the difference in which team advances to the semifinal round.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214244 Boston Bruins McAvoy-Matt Grzelcyk pairing often deployed against the Isles' second line, especially at TD Garden where the B's have the last line change as the home team.

Bruins-Islanders Round 2 playoff preview, odds and prediction The Bruins' second line of Taylor Hall, David Krejci and Craig Smith has been awesome since the team acquired Hall at the trade deadline. They were good in Round 1, too, scoring three goals in five games against the BY NICK GOSS Capitals, including Smith's Game 3 winner in double overtime. This trio still has another level (or two) to hit, though.

If the Bruins' second line is even with the Islanders' in terms of scoring, BRUINS the B's should be in pretty good shape because they have a deeper and Many hockey fans are about to see the Boston Bruins and New York more talented group of forwards overall. Islanders play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time. Players to Watch These teams will meet in the second round following the Islanders' first- Mathew Barzal, C, Islanders round clinching Game 6 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night. The Bruins eliminated the Washington Capitals in As noted above, Barzal was subpar offensively in the first round. He Game 5 last Sunday. tallied three points (zero goals, three assists) but only one at 5-on-5. Barzal is the Islanders' best playmaker, a key cog on their power play Boston has the home ice advantage as the No. 3 seed hosting the No. 4 and has led the team in scoring four consecutive seasons. New York will seed from the East Division. The schedule for this series has not yet be in real trouble if he struggles for a second straight series. been announced. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, C, Islanders The only other playoff meeting between these teams came in the 1983 Wales Conference Final, which the Islanders won in six games en route Pageau is the most notable "B's killer" left in the playoffs. He dominated to their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup title. Boston during the regular season with eight points (five goals, three assists) in eight games. He has scored 11 times in 31 career games Bean: What B's can expect from strong, balanced Islanders team versus the B's. Which team has the edge? What is the key matchup, and which goalie Pageau is a crucial part of the Islanders' third line alongside Travis Zajac situation is more favorable? Here's our playoff preview for Bruins vs. and Kyle Palmieri. He tied Beauvillier for the team lead in scoring during Islanders. (All stats via Natural Stat Trick) Round 1 with seven points (one goal, six assists) -- six of them coming at Regular Season Head-to-Head 5-on-5. New York needs another strong series from Pageau to match Boston's firepower. The season series between the Bruins and Islanders really is a two-part story. Kyle Palmieri, RW, Islanders

The Bruins struggled mightily against the Islanders for most of the year, A bunch of teams, including the Bruins, were reportedly interested in going winless in the first five matchups (0-3-2). However, after both acquiring Palmieri from the Devils before the trade deadline. The teams made meaningful moves before the trade deadline, the Bruins Islanders got him, and he underwhelmed in the regular season with just dominated the series by winning the last three games and outscoring the two goals and two assists in 17 games. However, he's been more Islanders by a 10-3 margin. productive in the playoffs with three goals in six games -- two in Game 1 (including the overtime winner) and another in the series-deciding Game Here are some key 5-on-5 stats from the regular season series overall. 6.

BRUINS 5V5 STATS VS. ISLANDERS Palmieri is another player who loves playing against the Bruins. He scored five goals in nine games versus Boston during the regular SHOT ATTEMPT % 55.87 season. Whether the Islanders receive the required amount of scoring SHOTS ON NET % 56.17 depth to beat the B's could be largely dependent on Palmieri's performance in this series. GOALS FOR 11 David Pastrnak, RW, Bruins GOALS AGAINST 14 Pastrnak struggled a bit early in the Capitals series but got going late SCORING CHANCES FOR 195 with a goal and an assist in both Game 4 and Game 5. His less-than- stellar production early in the series wasn't from a lack of good looks at SCORING CHANCES AGAINST 157 the net, though. He led the Bruins over the five-game series with 34 shot SAVE % 0.916 attempts, 22 shots on net (11 more than anyone else) and 18 scoring chances during 5-on-5 action. If Pastrnak continues to generate those After the trade deadline, the B's controlled more than 60 percent of the kinds of chances in Round 2, the floodgates could open and we might shot attempts, shots on net and scoring chances at 5-on-5 in the three see four or more goals from him. games against the Islanders. They also out scored New York 5-2 at 5-on- 5. PLEASE ENJOY THIS DAVID PASTRNAK HIGHLIGHT. #NHLBruins | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/SNahDcTDow— NHL on NBC Sports The post-trade deadline numbers are a better indication of what this (@NHLonNBCSports) May 24, 2021 second-round series could look like because those rosters are what we'll see over the next two weeks. Charlie Coyle, C, Bruins

Key Matchup Coyle had a poor regular season (16 points in 51 games) and wasn't much better in Round 1. He tallied one goal and one assist with just Slowing down the Islanders begins with cooling off a red-hot second line seven shots on net in five games versus the Capitals. He's being paid that dominated in the series-clinching Game 6 versus the Penguins. New like the best third-line center in the league, but he certainly hasn't York's trio of Anthony Beauvillier, Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey scored performed to that level in 2021. A bounce-back series from Coyle would eight 5-on-5 goals in Round 1, including one from Beauvillier and two likely give the B's a clear advantage in scoring depth that could prove from Nelson on Wednesday night. pivotal in the series outcome.

The Islanders' first line has not been very potent in the playoffs so far. Mike Reilly, D, Bruins No. 1 center Mathew Barzal scored zero goals and tallied one 5-on-5 assist in six games versus the Penguins. The Islanders are a well-structured team defensively and they forecheck really well. They also play a tough, physical game that wears down The second line is on fire, and that's where the B's need to put their opponents over the course of a long series. Reilly's ability to jumpstart shutdown line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak the transition game by skating out of trouble in the defensive zone and as far as matchups go. We also should expect to see the Charlie making a good first pass up ice will be important for the Bruins. Reilly also is one of the best B's defensemen in regards to getting shots through to the net and avoiding traffic in front. This ability will also be important against an Islanders team with the third-most blocked shots in the playoffs entering Thursday.

Goalie Breakdown

Tuukka Rask, Bruins: 5 GP, .941 SV%, 1.81 GAA in first round

Rask had a rollercoaster Game 1 against the Capitals that ended with a soft overtime goal allowed. After that, he was excellent in net for Boston. Rask had a .949 save percentage over the last four games, including a Game 5 performance in which he stopped 40 of the 41 shots sent his way as the Capitals tried to extend their season. His .906 save percentage on high-danger chances in Round 1 also shows how locked in he was throughout the series.

The Islanders have a weaker power play than the Capitals and were 21st in goals scored per game during the regular season, whereas the Capitals were fifth in scoring. Rask probably won't have to steal the series for the Bruins -- he just needs to avoid the kind of puck-handling mistakes and soft goals we saw from Tristan Jarry that torpedoed the Penguins in the first round.

Might Islanders fans regret this 'We want Boston' chant?

Ilya Sorokin, Islanders: 4 GP, .943 SV, 1.95 GAA in first round

New York's starting netminder Semyon Varlamov was one of the best goalies in the regular season with a .929 save percentage and a 2.04 GAA in 36 games. After Sorokin started and won Game 1 of the first round, Varlamov returned from injury and got his job back. He lost the next two games and played particularly poor in Game 3, giving up five goals on just 27 shots.

Islanders coach Barry Trotz went back to Sorokin and he won the next three games. Sorokin did allow three goals in two of his four starts versus the Penguins, but overall he played quite well given the high amount of shots and scoring chances he faced.

Sorokin needs to be the Islanders' first or second best player for them to win this series. He's capable of it, but Rask has much more playoff experience and boasts a far more impressive playoff track record. Sorokin never appeared in a playoff game before Round 1.

Prediction

Bruins in five.

This series should go a lot like the Islanders' first-round matchup but with one key difference. Like the Penguins, the Bruins should control between 55 and 60 percent of all shot attempts, shots on net and scoring chances during 5-on-5 action. The Bruins, similar to the Penguins in Round 1, should win the special teams battles against the Islanders.

The major difference is goaltending, where the Rask/Jeremy Swayman duo is far superior to Jarry and the Islanders' combo of Sorokin and Varlamov. So, unless the Islanders show massive improvement at 5-on-5 against a Bruins team that defends better than the Penguins, the B's shouldn't have too much trouble reaching the semifinal.

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Might Islanders fans regret this 'We want Boston' chant?

BY DARREN HARTWELL

BRUINS

Be careful what you wish for, New York Islanders fans.

The Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday night to clinch a first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series victory and punch their ticket to Round 2, where they'll face the Boston Bruins.

It was the Islanders' first playoff series win at the Coliseum since 1993, so fans understandably were fired up. And with about three minutes remaining in the third period, fans expressed that excitement by breaking out a "We want Boston" chant.

Bean: Why did we think Pastrnak wasn't a good postseason player?

Are you sure about that, Islanders fans? After losing their first five regular-season matchups with New York, Boston has won its last three games against the Isles by a combined score of 10-3. The Bruins just dispatched the Washington Capitals in five games and are playing some very good hockey right now.

But this was more about Islanders fans being excited about winning a playoff series than calling out Boston. The Bruins' second-round ticket was already punched, so of course New Yorkers would want to see the B's if it meant advancing past Round 1.

That said, this is a great opportunity for Bostonians to remind New Yorkers of the last time they chanted "We want Boston" near the end of a playoff series. Yankees fans got their wish in the 2018 American League Division Series, only for the Red Sox to dispatch their rivals in four games en route to a World Series title.

The Bruins-Islanders schedule has yet to be announced, but Game 1 will be at TD Garden, where Boston fans will surely give New York a warm welcome.

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*Confirmed* Boston Bruins-New York Islanders Gm. 1 Saturday

Published 17 hours ago on May 27, 2021

By Jimmy Murphy

The NHL has confirmed Boston Hockey Now and NYI Hockey Now reports that the Boston Bruins will host the New York Islanders at TD Garden in Game 1 Saturday night at 8 PM ET.

Game 2 between the Isles and the Bruins will take place on Memorial Day but a puck drop time has not been determined yet. That as well as the days and times for Games 3 and 4 at Nassau Coliseum, and if necessary, Game 5 (TD Garden), Game 6 (Nassau Coliseum), and Game 7 (TD Garden) could be announced as early as 3 PM ET today.

Thanks to the Islanders’ 5-3 series-clinching win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 on Wednesday night at the Nassau Coliseum, the Bruins (3) became the East Division’s highest remaining seed. Therefore, they have home ice in their first Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the New York Islanders (4) since the two clubs met in the 1983 Wales Conference Final. So when will the East Division Final series get underway?

Thanks to a jam-packed schedule across the NBC network this Memorial Day weekend, there are currently an array of schedule scenarios, and earlier on Thursday, a longtime NBC Sports source told BHN the earliest we could see Game 1 of the New York Islanders-Boston Bruins series would be Saturday night or potentially Monday afternoon. Here’s what this source told Boston Hockey Now Thursday morning:

‘NBC has prime time windows blocked on both Saturday and Sunday and right now nothing is set in stone. IF Nashville wins tonight then they have a Game 7 on Saturday night. If Carolina wins then most likely it would be Boston and the Islanders on Sat night and Carolina vs Tampa on Sunday night. BUT IF Nashville wins tonight NBC is looking at the late afternoon window on Memorial Day for the Bruins to start. Monday night primetime on NBC is out because of American Ninja Warriors A key to the puzzle is on Sunday night 5/30 they have blocked NBCSN for hockey at 10:30 PM which would be Colorado playing the VGK/Wild winner. The Celtics game on Sunday is the major issue.’

As referenced above, the Boston Celtics host the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden Sunday (7 PM ET) in their first-round NBA playoffs series that also has the Celts hosting Kyrie Irving and the Nets on Friday night at 8 PM ET.

In his daily Zoom call with the media on Thursday afternoon, Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed that he and the team are also preparing for a Saturday or Monday start.

On Wednesday, prior to Game 6 of the Penguins-New York Islanders series, the Bruins did put tickets on sale for the second round, but as of 11 AM ET on Thursday morning, neither the NHL nor the Boston Bruins, or the New York Islanders had released any schedule or schedule scenarios.

So for now, the Bruins and Isles are set to begin what promises to be a grueling, physical and exciting series on Saturday night in the primetime slot on the big NBC network.

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214247 Boston Bruins to tell the story on both sides for both teams. That’s my job as documenting history, whether that’s in sports or news.”

A Globe photographer like Tlumacki would have been focused on the ‘It’s the perfect shot’: The making of the second-best Boston Bruins photo Bruins. As a Getty photographer serving multiple clients, Wickerham had ever to keep both teams within his viewfinder.

He was somewhat limited by his surroundings.

Fluto Shinzawa Before every game at the Garden, photographers meet with Steve and May 27, 2021 Brian Babineau. As the Bruins’ photographers, the Babineaus are in charge of assigning positions for every shooter during the game. For overtime, Wickerham was placed next to the glass.

On May 13, 2013, Patrice Bergeron beat James Reimer in overtime to Some photographers prefer to shoot from an elevated spot. Both nets are give the Boston Bruins a 5-4 overtime win over the Maple Leafs in Game within a lens’ sightlines. Players and coaches on the benches face the 7. It was one of the most important goals in Bruins’ history. photographers. They are not at risk of missing a shot.

Wickerham was shooting at ice level from the Section 107/108 hole in the Wickerham freelanced for the Globe during the 2021 NCAA Frozen Four. TD Garden glass. The Toronto net was in the other end. Wickerham’s His attention was on the University of Massachusetts, not St. Cloud picture of Bergeron’s goal was a mess of legs and arms and sticks. State. Wickerham, a Pittsburgh native, played it safe by requesting a higher spot at PPG Paints Arena. He did not want to be caught in a Things looked like they were getting worse. limited on-ice spot if the Minutemen raised the trophy. Bergeron had skated from the top of the right circle to the edge of the slot “The question was, ‘Where do they celebrate? Do they celebrate in the to score. Had he stayed on the same trajectory, Bergeron would have offensive zone?’ They typically go to their goalie,” Wickerham said. “But skated to the left corner to commence the celebration. From Wickerham’s you can’t predict what anybody’s going to do. So I went and played it position, it would have been impossible for him to shoot. safe during the Frozen Four. I went up top. It would have looked nice Luck was with Wickerham. Bergeron curled to his left. He dashed for the from the ice hole. But when you have that specific assignment, you have boards opposite the Bruins’ bench. Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin to get that team. There’s no one backing you up. There’s no second followed. photographer who’s down below. You can’t really take a chance in that sense.” All three were screaming. They were spaced evenly. The net was in the background. Wickerham thought he could get a good shot of Bergeron’s Other photographers like working at ice level. When they poke their face in the “jube,” as sports photographers call the jubilation picture. lenses through one of the holes — there are six at the Garden — they can capture in-your-face action. At that moment, Wickerham had no idea he was shooting a classic. He was just thinking about referee Brad Watson’s butt. Those positions come with limitations. A 300-millimeter lens, like the one Wickerham was using on his Canon EOS-1D X camera, just barely fits An impossible standard the holes at the Garden.

The best picture in Bruins’ history was taken 51 years ago. There will There are also areas an ice-level photographer simply cannot capture. never be a better shot than the one snapped by Ray Lussier of the From within a typical hole, Wickerham estimates he can pivot his lens Boston Record-American. approximately 30 to 40 degrees to each side. Anything outside that periphery — a play down the ice along the near-side boards, for example Consider the circumstances. Overtime of Game 4 of the 1970 Stanley — is not something he can shoot. Cup Final. Bobby Orr. The Cup-clinching goal. The best defenseman in NHL history taking flight. The joy on his face. Statues — Orr in mid-flight Surroundings are also tight. When the Garden is at full capacity, as it was now welcomes fans at the Garden’s entrance — are modeled on for that game, fans are practically on top of photographers. greatness. “You’re trying to not have the guy next to you spill his beer all over your “Nobody will ever beat that picture,” said Boston Globe photographer camera gear,” Wickerham said. John Tlumacki. “That picture’s so iconic. Nothing will ever beat that.” Wickerman, who stands 6-feet, was sitting on a stool, his knees Tlumacki knows iconic. Less than a month before that Game 7 in 2013, practically tucked into the boards. He had his other camera, fitted with a Tlumacki was covering the Boston Marathon. He took the most resonant 200-millimeter lens, within reach. He had an Ethernet cable plugged into image of the bombing: Boston Police officers Rachel McGuire, Kevin his laptop. During every stoppage, Wickerham rapidly uploaded Images McGill and Javier Pagan fanned out in action — McGuire with her gun to his computer, edited the shots, wrote his captions and submitted them drawn — while runner Bill Iffrig is on the ground, knocked over by the to his editors. force of the explosion. By the time Bergeron let his winner fly, Wickerham had taken Regardless of their assignments, photographers like Tlumacki and approximately 3,000 photos. Wickerham are on-site to record history. For a while, Game 7 was not trending toward a keeper in the Bruins’ annals. As soon as Bergeron scored, he raised his right arm in celebration. Marchand and Seguin jumped off the ice. The Leafs led in the third period 4-1. Wickerham kept his eyes open for photos that would best describe the expected outcome: happy Leafs What happened next was good luck. players advancing to Round 2, heartbroken Bruins players facing the “Those three guys, as soon as the goal was scored, they all just took this end. perfect semi-circle turn toward our end of the ice,” Wickerham said. “Just Then Nathan Horton scored. So did . By the time Bergeron kind of this perfect moment.” tied the game in the final minute of regulation, Wickerham knew his next Wickerham thought he could get something good. His Canon was picture could be significant. The quaking of the Garden confirmed this capable of shooting approximately 30 frames per sequence. Wickerham belief. slammed his finger down. He hoped nothing got in the way, especially “You see and hear and feel everything,” Wickerham said of shooting from Watson, the referee closest to the hole. ice level. “You’ve got a job to do, obviously. But you’re also sitting there “One of the photo jokes is we all photograph a lot of ref ass,” Wickerham completely stunned, for better or for worse, about this comeback, just as said. “My thought was, ‘Please don’t block me.’” everybody in the stands was. I’m sure the players were a little shocked. Down 4-1 in Game 7, some people may just give up at that point. When Because of how the forwards turned, all three of their faces popped into they start coming back, you just feel that momentum. At that point, it’s Wickerham’s view: Marchand in joy, Bergeron smiling in whimsy, Seguin just trying to capture that historic moment in the best way possible. exploding in 21-year-old frenzy. The three linemates were spread out There’s only a handful of people that are lucky enough to be in that perfectly. Each of them had one leg lifted in mid-stride. position at ice level in a hole. So I need to do my job as best as possible In the background, Reimer was facefirst on the ice. Referee Dan O’Halloran’s right arm was in mid-chop, signaling a good goal. Fans along the glass were screaming.

All the subjects appear to be on top of each other. This kind of compression can happen with a 300-mm lens.

Wickerham used the example of the crowded beach shots photographers took before COVID-19 surges. Because they were shot with long lenses, the beachgoers appeared more tightly clustered together than they might have been.

“What it does is it just captures the emotion on all three players at once,” Tlumacki said. “It’s the perfect shot. It’s what we strive to get. This is the perfect shot you want. This is your sports photo leading the section.”

Wickerham was satisfied with his photo. He did not predict its resonance.

Making an impression

Sports Illustrated ran Wickerham’s picture as a double truck, industry jargon for a two-page spread. Bruins fans saw a compositional likeness with Tlumacki’s Marathon picture. Eight years later, the photo makes Marchand smile.

“It was an incredible moment,” Marchand said. “The thing you kind of look back on is, I remember looking up at the clock when it was 4-1 — I don’t know if there were 13 or 14 minutes left — and we finally got that second goal. The hope you could just feel coming through the team, you could just feel it on the bench that it was going to happen. That’s obviously an awesome picture. It was one of the highlights of all of our careers. It was fun to be part of.”

Wickerham, 32, still has ties to the area. During the Frozen Four, he caught up with a photographer from Boston.

“He came over and said hello. I haven’t seen him in years. I’ve been back in Pittsburgh for a little over five years,” said Wickerham, a graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. “Bunch of new faces. We were all introducing each other. This photographer introduced me to somebody as, ‘The person who took the second-most-famous Boston photo.’ It’s really funny. I’ve heard that from a few people. I never gave it a second thought, quite honestly.”

Wickerham is a freelance photographer now. Clients ask to see his work when they consider him for assignments. The Bruins picture is part of his portfolio.

“This is one of those that was quite obviously one of the greatest games I’ve ever photographed. Everybody loves a comeback,” Wickerham said. “It would be hard to ever leave that photo out of my portfolio.”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214248 Buffalo Sabres

Three Buffalo Jr. Sabres alumni on NHL Central Scoutings final draft rankings

Lance Lysowski

May 27, 2021 Updated 15 hrs ago

More Buffalo Jr. Sabres alumni may hear their names called when the NHL draft is held virtually on July 23-24.

Goalies Luke Pavicich (Clarence Center) and Chase Clark (Williamsville), and defenseman Jacob Napier (Lancaster) were included Thursday in NHL Central Scouting Bureau's final prospect rankings ahead of the 2021 draft.

Pavicich and Clark were ranked the No. 16 and No. 23 North American goalies, respectively, and Napier was listed as the No. 195 North American skater.

Pavicich, 19 and listed at 6-foot-3, played five years for the Jr. Sabres before joining the Kenai River Brown Bears of the North . He totaled a .919 save percentage and 2.86 goals- against average in 36 games this season. Pavicich is expected to play college hockey at UMass.

Clark, a 19-year-old listed at 6-6, played most of this season with the Jersey Icemen of the national Collegiate Development Conference. He stopped 49 of 51 shots to lead the Icemen to the USPHL NCDC Dineen Cup Championship. Clark had a .935 save percentage and 1.95 goals- against average during the regular season. He also appeared in three games with the Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League.

Napier, 18, has spent the past two years at Northstar Christian Academy in Alexandria, Minn. The left-shot defenseman also appeared in two games with the Aberdeen Wings of the NAHL. He is expected to play college hockey at Western Michigan University.

The Jr. Sabres had five former players selected in the 2020 NHL draft in October: forward Luke Tuch (Montreal Canadiens, second round), forward Trevor Kuntar (Boston Bruins, third round), forward Colby Ambrosio (Colorado Avalanche, fourth round), Matteo Costantini (Buffalo Sabres, fifth round) and Declan McDonnell (Tampa Bay Lightning, seventh round).

Buffalo News LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214249 Buffalo Sabres coaching style in the NHL, where players can be forced to play within a structure.

“When it comes to offensive side, I want everyone involved,” said How playing the Swedish way restored Rasmus Dahlin's confidence late Grönborg, 52, who is now head coach of the ZSC Lions in Switzerland. in Sabres' season “The five guys on the ice need to be involved on offense. And again, my job is to give them the tools to solve different situations because it's not baseball, it's not football, is not a set play kind of a game. It's more of a Lance Lysowski free-flowing game. And then you have to solve situations. You have to allow them to play.” May 27, 2021 Updated 14 hrs ago Krueger wasn’t willing to allow Dahlin to take risks, no matter how much

Dahlin could help ignite the Sabres’ offense at 5-on-5. When Dahlin’s Even on the most difficult nights early this season, Rasmus Dahlin took second season ended abruptly in March 2020, ownership of his mistakes. he was told during his exit interview to gain more strength to shoulder more minutes in the future. When questioned by reporters about his deteriorating performance and seemingly evaporating confidence, Dahlin echoed his then-coach’s There was reason to believe that Dahlin could thrive despite Krueger’s criticisms by saying that success would return when he perfected his play preferred style of play. Dahlin was outstanding during the second half of around the Buffalo Sabres’ net. the shortened 2019-20 season. His on-ice shot quality at 5-on-5 improved significantly from the first half (1.77 expected goals per 60 The formula to restore the 21-year-old defenseman’s confidence and minutes through Dec. 22) to the second half (2.4 from Dec. 23 through tantalizing skills was revealed in the weeks after Ralph Krueger was fired March 11), according to Evolving-Hockey.com. on March 17. Krueger’s replacement, Don Granato, implemented a system that gave defensemen the freedom to take risks to contribute When training camp opened this January, Dahlin was listed at 6-foot-3, offensively, and he challenged Dahlin to embrace a top-pairing role. 207 pounds, a gain of 14 pounds from the previous season. Krueger’s thinking was that this would allow Dahlin to push around opponents in “His way to play was how I learned to play hockey,” Dahlin said. “But the front of the Sabres’ net, much like Rasmus Ristolainen. thing I felt was that he trusted me as a player. He really saw what my potential was, and I felt comfortable playing out there. I wasn’t thinking Dahlin isn’t Ristolainen, yet Krueger seemed to want both defensemen to too much.” play the same way. Both were coached to dump the puck into the offensive zone, rather than breaking down an opponent’s structure by Granato’s approach, while far from groundbreaking, proved to be joining the rush when the opportunity was there. transformational for Dahlin, who was drafted first overall in 2018. And, as Dahlin noted, stripping away the structure that will notoriously be known Under Krueger this season, Dahlin ranked fourth among all Sabres as Krueger’s “principles,” meshed perfectly with how Swedish defensemen in 5-on-5 shot-attempt differential and totaled a team-worst defensemen are taught to think the game from an early age. negative-21 goal differential while shouldering the second-most defensive-zone starts. Mistakes on defense appeared to cause Dahlin to The Sabres have been crushed everywhere, Dahlin included, and his overthink, exacerbating his problems on the ice. Krueger, meanwhile, rate of mistakes seem more pronounced on a game-by-game basis. declined to allow Dahlin to face top competition, even though Ristolainen struggled following the season-ending injury of his defense partner, Jake There are no edicts to dump the puck into the offensive zone. Coaches McCabe. don’t provide detailed instructions on how to problem solve against elite competition. Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Hall of Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin skates past Pittsburgh Famer Nicklas Lidstrom learned through the same methods as Dahlin. Penguins player Evan Rodrigues.

“We work in a lot more of a flat organization, which means that we give Dahlin’s position coach, Steve Smith, was blamed by a large segment of the players a lot more leeway at making decisions on the ice,” former the fan base for Dahlin’s struggles, but Smith also was behind the bench Swedish National Team coach Rikard Grönborg told The Buffalo News. “I when Dahlin had a historic rookie season under Phil Housley in 2018-19. think this is a huge thing. We want to be really good defensively, we need Though Smith was fired along with Krueger, it was clear that Krueger’s to make solid decisions on the ice. We don’t tell the player that, in every approach did not work well with one of the Sabres’ foundational players. situation, 100% of the time, you’ve got to do this. That takes away the creative part of the game. There was risk in allowing Dahlin to skate deep into the offensive zone, but Granato and interim assistant coach Dan Girardi trusted that Dahlin “Swedish coaching is more like 'OK, well, this is a situation, how would would get back to defend. you solve it? With your set of skills, how would you solve it?' And have a dialogue and that goes all the way up to the pro level in Sweden. That’s a “I think he had the freedom to kind of roam around and do whatever he good way to describe the Swedish defensemen. That obviously wants,” Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt said of the difference for Dahlin. translates to the NHL well because they are making good decisions, “So many times he's up in the play, he's so far, and then somehow he's sound decisions, smart decisions, on the ice. They are joining the rush. always back. The risk/reward and everything else is something that they can get taught “Just giving him the freedom to do that, I think is something that changed at an early age.” for him. You see him making plays that not very many people in the world When children first join organized hockey in Sweden, they are typically can make, especially with his crazy passes out of the D-zone, beating assigned a position based on their talents. Unlike the United States and guys on the offensive blue line.” Canada, where kids dream of scoring playoff goals, defensemen are With Krueger gone, Dahlin began to thrive after two weeks of learning revered by young Swedish players. The best skaters and stick-handlers Granato’s system. Across the final 20 games of the season, he led the are assigned to defense, not forward. Sabres in 5-on-5 ice time. He ranked second in on-ice shot quality share Grönborg, who coached 15 years in the United States before leading and offensive-zone starts at 5-on-5. He totaled three goals with eight Sweden to three gold medals at the IIHF World Championship and has assists for 11 points while averaging 23:16 of ice time during that span. worked with all of the country’s top players now in the NHL, grew up This allowed Dahlin to finish the season first among all Sabres idolizing Hall of Fame defenseman Börje Salming, one of the first defensemen in generating on-ice shot quality at 5-on-5, according to European players to make a remarkable impact in North America. The Evolving-Hockey.com. His final stat line in 56 games: five goals with 18 position in Sweden is coached through instincts, as even young players assists and a league-worst minus-36 rating. Dahlin has 18 goals and 107 are questioned about how they approach specific situations. As they points in 197 games. His 50 power-play points during that span rank reach the junior ranks, video is used to help them improve their on-ice ninth among all NHL defensemen. instincts. The ability to weigh risk versus reward, and playing in a system that suits The Swedish style of play is based on possessing the puck and attacking his skills, has put Dahlin back on the same development track as as a five-man unit, encouraging defensemen to weigh the risk of joining Hedman, who had his fair share of struggles on his road to becoming one forwards to contribute on offense. This can occasionally clash with the of the best defensemen in the sport. As Sabres General Manager begins a thorough coaching search, one criteria for hiring likely will be to have a system that plays to Dahlin’s many otherworldly strengths.

“With Rasmus coming over at such an early age as well, I think he's going towards that path,” said Grönborg, who coached Dahlin at the Winter Olympics in 2018. “I think Rasmus has a step on Victor when it comes to the offensive side of the game. So, I think it's a situation where he needs to get his bearings. He needs to mature a little bit mentally and physically in order to make the next step and then also get the repetitions that Victor went through as well, so I think it's a pretty good comparison in the sense of learning that risk versus reward.

“I honestly only worked with Rasmus for one tournament at the Olympics and obviously he was very, very young at that time, but no one can refuse his offensive abilities. He has always been a guy that can join the rush, move the puck and everything else. But it's the package – putting everything together.”

Buffalo News LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214250 Calgary Flames “I’ve worked with a sports psychologist now for five or six years and we do a lot of visualization even for practice. So even though you’re not getting the game reps in, it’s making sure that you’re making the most of Team Scotiabank’s Kristen Campbell ready to compete for spot in those practice sessions so that you can trust you’ve fully put in all the Canada’s crease work when you do get to the games. Just visualizing certain things that I want to work on, even if I don’t get to be on the ice — like sitting there and going through those drills and those reps in my head. And then obviously there’s visualization for games, so going through different Wes Gilbertson situations that will come at you and visualizing the environment that you’ll Publishing date: May 27, 2021 be in and trying to make it as clear as you can, even without being in that exact moment.”

Back when it was more daydreaming than a mental training exercise, Kristen Campbell always dreamed of being part of Canada’s defence. Campbell had visions of being a defensive stalwart for Team Canada.

Just not necessarily the last line of defence. She could, come February in Beijing, be standing in the crease instead.

“When I was a little girl, I started out on the blue-line,” Campbell said. “I “People are always like, ‘Oh, why would you want to be a goalie?’ I’ve actually idolized Cassie Campbell. I wore No. 77 because of her, and I’d heard that so many times,” she said with a chuckle. “But I just love the always watch all the national-team games. pressure, honestly. And you get used to it, too. It’s not even pressure anymore. It’s just fun.” “And then I ended up switching to goalie. My brother was a forward, so he threw me in the net. And once he threw me in, I basically never came ICE CHIPS out.” Friday’s matinee between Team Scotiabank and Team Bauer will be That way-back-when switch from the blue-line to the blue paint proved to broadcast live on Sportsnet (1:30 p.m. MT). be a wise move for Campbell, who is emerging as one of the best in her business.

In fact, the 23-year-old — a proud member of the Professional Women’s Calgary Sun: LOADED: 05.28.2021 Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) — was thrilled to learn earlier this month that she will be one of the three goaltenders on Canada’s centralized roster for the upcoming season, the short-listed candidates to represent the country at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

“It’s an honour to be named to that roster and it’s a goal of mine that I’ve had now for my entire life,” Campbell said. “It’s something I’ve been craving — to get into that competitive, high-performance environment of centralization. I think the news has started to kind of set in now, and I can’t wait to get things going with that group.”

Originally from Brandon, Man., Campbell has been playing the waiting game again this week with the stars of the PWHPA gathered in Calgary for a Secret Dream Gap Tour stop.

She tends twine for Team Scotiabank but because the locals have such a crowded crease, she’s yet to be tabbed for a start. That should change in Friday’s clash at the Saddledome against Team Bauer, still perched atop the standings despite Thursday’s 4-3 loss to Team Sonnet.

That means Campbell will be staring down a dynamic cast that is led by the likes of Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey.

It’s been a tough go for Team Scotiabank, on the wrong end of two lopsided losses so far at this three-team showcase, although that shouldn’t come as a major surprise since the Calgary-based training group hasn’t been able to practise in several months due to public health measures. They’re playing games and playing catch-up at the same time.

Although Campbell moved to the city last summer, determining after a standout collegiate career with the University of Wisconsin Badgers that it would be ideal to be close to Hockey Canada’s resources and training facilities, she admitted during pre-tournament quarantine that she still hadn’t met a lot of her Scotiabank sidekicks.

“I want to be in that team environment again, just get to know people better,” she said. “And then when I do get a chance to play, give my team the best chance to win. That’s my goal.”

For Campbell, the prep work certainly hasn’t stopped because practice time has been so scarce during the pandemic. She has been able to knock off some of the rust at Hockey Canada camps, including try-outs for a world championship that was postponed on startlingly short notice.

“There are a lot of little things that I do on a daily basis to keep myself ready. It all starts with what you do as a part of your routine,” Campbell explained. “I do a lot of visualization and a lot of vision training off the ice, just things that are going to keep me ready for whenever the puck does drop for a game. And I’ve been able to get a sprinkle of action this year with the camps. So just getting back in those (scrimmages), it doesn’t feel like it’s been a year since I’d actually played a game due to the prep that you do off the ice. 1214251 Carolina Hurricanes Nick Cousins deflected a pass from Erik Haula past Alex Nedeljkovic at 1:44 of the first. But the Canes’ Brock McGinn then tied it at 4:20 with his third of the series as Martin Necas assisted.

Canes move on to the second round, eliminate Predators in overtime McGinn outfought defenseman Alexandre Carrier for the puck down low, circled the net and beat Juuse Saros high to the blocker side.

BY CHIP ALEXANDER Before the McGinn goal. Nedeljkovic made a big stop on Yakov Trenin, who scored twice in in Game 5, on a two-on-one. MAY 27, 2021 09:10 PM Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour, in a game within the game with Preds coach John Hynes, shuffled his lines early.

For the fourth straight game, the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Vincent Trocheck centered Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov, Predators needed overtime to decide their playoff game. replacing Aho, who centered McGinn and Martin Necas. Jordan Staal was at center with Nino Niederreiter and Warren Foegele, and Jesper For the second straight game, the Canes won, ending the best-of-seven Fast moved to the fourth line with Steven Lorentz and Jordan Martinook. series with a 4-3 victory on a Sebastian Aho tip of a Jaccob Slavin shot at 1:06 of the overtime. The Preds had the only power play of the first period but the Canes killed it off, allowing one shot. Slavin unleashed a shot from the left wing that goalie Juuse Saros couldn’t stop after Aho got his stick on it for his second goal of the game, GAME SETUP: CANES WANT IT NOW and the Canes were on their way to the second round to face the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s not as if the Hurricanes will be playing with house money Thursday in Game 6 against the Predators, realizing they can lose but still wind up Defenseman Dougie Hamilton tied the score 3-3 for the Canes with 6:01 winning. They’re taking nothing for granted. left in regulation, taking a pass from Slavin and scoring on a backdoor play. With a 3-2 lead in their Stanley Cup playoff series, the Canes want to end it. Now, not Saturday in a Game 7 in Raleigh. After Nashville iced the puck, the Canes’ Sebastian Aho won a faceoff in the Preds zone, Slavin collected the puck along the boards and Hamilton “I think when you have the chance to close out a team that’s exactly what broke in all alone on the far side for the score. you want to do,” Canes forward Jordan Martinook said Thursday after the morning skate. “You don’t want to give them another chance. We The Canes outshot the Preds 16-5 in the third. Nashville was missing its obviously know they are going to be a desperate team, but we’re going to captain and star defenseman Roman Josi, who took a big hit from Jordan be just as desperate because we want to close it out. Martinook at 5:30 of the third period. Josi did not play in the last 14:30 of regulation. “In Game 7s, anything can happen.”

The Predators took a 3-2 lead and 38 seconds of power-play time into The Preds hope to do precisely what the Canes did in the 2019 Stanley the third period but the Canes killed off the penalty. Cup playoffs. In the opening round, the Canes lost the first two games in Washington to the Caps, won two in Raleigh, lost Game 5 in Washington The Canes then had a power play after Jesper Fast was slashed on a and then forced a Game 7 with a Game 6 victory at home. breakaway, which ended with goalie Saros stopping Fast’s shot. The Canes did not convert on the power play and an alert defensive play by And then won the series. Brock McGinn’s goal in double overtime ousted Teuvo Teravainen stopped a two-on-one shorthanded rush by the Preds. the 2018 Stanley Cup champion and sent a lot of disappointed, disgruntled Caps fans out of the arena and into the Washington streets Updates from earlier in the game: that night.

SECOND PERIOD: PREDS TAKE LEAD The Preds want to follow the same path. The Canes want to be the roadblock. More than 14,000 people, an increase from the Game 4 crowd The Preds were quick starters again in the second period, taking a 2-1 capacity of 12,125, will be in Bridgestone Arena to try and help get the lead on a Mikhail Granlund goal and added a 5-on-3 power-play score by Preds to a Game 7 Ryan Johansen for a two-goal lead. Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said he expected no lineup change from The Canes’ Sebastian Aho then scored a power-play goal, deflecting a Game 5. Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic will start his sixth game, again matched Dougie Hamilton shot from the point, to slice the Preds’ lead to 3-2 at up against the Preds’ Juuse Saros in what has been a splendid duel in 13:44 of the second. It was the fourth of the series for Aho, whose net. slashing penalty earlier in the period resulted in Nashville’s 5 on 3.. Canes forward Jesper Fast said the increasingly larger crowds during the Granlund’s goal, his second of the series, at 1:13 of the second after the series, in Raleigh and Nashville, have had a big impact. Preds’ Nick Cousins scored at 1:44 of the first. The Preds caught the Canes trying to quickly exit the zone as Granlund wheeled to the net and “It feels like it’s a different game out there with all the fans cheering,” Fast was alone to knock in the rebound. said Thursday. “Even when there’s a hit or a blocked shot, you can feel the atmosphere is rising.” The Canes had a power play after Martin Necas was tripped, but Hamilton was called for interference. After the 4 on 4 ended, Aho was There’s also the in-game strategy involved. Preds coach John Hynes will called for slashing and the Preds quickly converted on the 5 on 3 as have the last change at home, getting the matchups he prefers. Roman Josi set up Johansen for a tap-in. “It’s obviously going to be tough,” Brind’Amour said Thursday after the Canes forward Jordan Martinook gave his team a lift with some physical skate. “They’ve got the advantage at home with the (last) change. You play in the second. Martinook was wrestled to the ice by defenseman can figure out the matchups differently. And there’s the crowd. Matt Benning in front of the Preds net for a penalty, and Aho converted afetr Hamilton made some nice plays to keep the puck in the zone. “That makes it a little harder but the game itself doesn’t change. As I said, you’ve got to go do your job.” The Canes’ Brady Skjei was called for cross-checking with 1:22 left in the second.

The Canes had five shots in the second period and have 14 for the News Observer LOADED: 05.28.2021 game. The Preds have 21

FIRST PERIOD: MCGINN TIES IT

For the fourth straight game, the Predators scored the first goal of the game but the Canes quickly answered. 1214252 Carolina Hurricanes Still, Brind’Amour, who has steadfastly cycled through his goalies both in the regular season and the postseason, mostly by choice but also sometimes by necessity, finds himself in an unusual position: a coach How Alex Nedeljkovic changed the Hurricanes’ plans for a playoff goalie tying his team’s fate to an all-of-a-sudden No. 1 goalie. rotation

News Observer LOADED: 05.28.2021 BY LUKE DECOCK

MAY 27, 2021 02:01 PM

If it seemed like Alex Nedeljkovic went a long way to sprint the full length of the PNC Arena ice to join the celebration after Jordan Staal’s overtime winner on Tuesday, that’s really a short journey compared to the arc of his season. From clearing waivers in January to an immovable object in the Carolina Hurricanes’ net, the rookie goalie has upended not only expectations but his coach’s planning and past practice.

Nedeljkovic was expected to make his sixth straight playoff start in Game 6 at the Nashville Predators on Thursday night, potentially the first time a Carolina goalie has started every game of a playoff series since Petr Mrazek did the same against the Washington Capitals in 2019.

That was not how Rod Brind’Amour drew it up two weeks ago.

But after stopping 165 of 178 shots in the series to stake the Hurricanes to a 3-2 lead, Nedeljkovic has taken all of the Hurricanes’ pre-playoff thinking and thrown it right out the window.

The Hurricanes went into the playoffs expecting to rotate Nedeljkovic and Mrazek, the way they have done it all season. The discussions that go into those day-before-game decisions, between Brind’Amour and his goalie coach — Jason Muzzatti the previous two years, Paul Schonfelder this year — and his staff have been agonizing at times in the past.

Nedeljkovic has made them moot.

“We talked about it enough, we planned for Game 1 and then we were just going to assess,” Brind’Amour said. “We knew that we had Petr, we had (James Reimer) too, but we kind of decided on those two guys. I had it all in my head we would go back and forth initially. Honestly, Ned’s play just said, ‘Hey we can just keep him in there.’ That’s how it has, I guess, worked out.”

In Brind’Amour’s first season, Mrazek was a clear No. 1 but the Hurricanes had to go to Curtis McElhinney when Petr Mrazek was injured. McElhinney closed out a sweep of the New York Islanders, but Mrazek was back in net for Game 1 against the Boston Bruins in the third round. Brind’Amour then went back and forth between the two looking for a hot hand — and not finding one — in the sweep.

In 2020, Reimer started the third game of the preliminary round after Mrazek won the first two, completing that sweep. Both played in the first- round loss to the Bruins. That was a full-on rotation from the start.

That was the plan again this spring, to alternate between Nedeljkovic and Mrazek, with Reimer held back in reserve. Stay fresh. Ride the hot hand. Nedeljkovic got first call, after Mrazek didn’t play great (behind an admittedly subpar lineup in low-stakes conditions) in the final regular- season game at Nashville.

And then Nedeljkovic proceeded to make it impossible to take him out. If there was a chance to switch, it was in Game 3, to throw Mrazek into a hostile environment on the road instead of a first-time playoff goalie. But Nedeljkovic threw a shutout in Game 2 and Brind’Amour stuck with the rookie, who was dynamite in the double-overtime loss and still hasn’t left the net.

“If he feels 100 percent, there’s no reason to take him out,” Brind’Amour said. “He didn’t lose the job. He didn’t play poorly.”

That is, though, a departure from past practice. By that same logic, Mrazek would have been in net for Game 3 of the series last August, but Brind’Amour deliberately wanted to get Reimer the work, figuring he’d need both goalies. Which he did.

Now the Hurricanes are in a situation where Mrazek hasn’t played in 17 days, although it still figures he’ll see action at some point. Martin Gerber may have lost the starting job to Cam Ward early in the 2006 playoffs, but he came out of the where-are-they-now file to win a key game at the Buffalo Sabres in the conference finals. 1214253 Carolina Hurricanes The Hurricanes were perfect on the penalty-kill for the third time this series in Game 5, going 3-for-3 while down a man — and also getting a huge break in overtime when a Nashville power play was wiped out by an If the Canes beat the Predators, Round 2 against the Lightning could be interference penalty on William Carrier after a neutral-zone collision with coming in hot Sebastian Aho.

Not coincidentally, the games the Hurricanes have been unblemished while down a man are the three they have won in the series. But they BY LUKE DECOCK also only allowed one power-play goal in each of their two losses, going 20-for-22 (90.9 percent) in the series. MAY 27, 2021 11:44 AM “We haven’t really changed much all year,” Hurricanes defenseman Brett

Pesce said. “We just kind of stick with that aggressive theme. When With the Tampa Bay Lightning closing out the Florida Panthers in six we’re all kind of working in tandem together it’s hard to make plays games Wednesday, the defending Stanley Cup champions now await the around us.” winner of this series. If the Carolina Hurricanes win Game 6 on Thursday TAILWINDS: NEWS AND NOTES at the Nashville Predators, Game 1 against the Lightning could be as early as Saturday or Sunday at PNC Arena. If Nashville wins Thursday night, it will only be the fifth time in the last 10 seasons that the home team has won the first six games of a series. The With the Boston Celtics at home Sunday and Tuesday, the Bruins’ series last time: the Hurricanes and Capitals in 2019. The Hurricanes, against the New York Islanders is set to begin at 8 p.m. on Saturday, obviously, won Game 7 on the road. … One more win will tie which could push a potential Carolina-Tampa series to start Sunday- Brind’Amour with mentor Peter Laviolette for second-most playoff wins by Tuesday. a Hurricanes coach. Paul Maurice tops the list. … Slavin picked up an There’s also a potential Toronto-Winnipeg series hanging out there as assist on Staal’s winner in Game 5 to move into a tie with Dave Babych well that would start on the East Coast as well, which could lead to the and Bret Hedican for most postseason assists by a defenseman (13) in NHL stacking multiple games on the same day. That’s easier on the franchise history. weekends but not on the weekdays, which is how the Hurricanes ended up playing Thursday’s Game 6 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern. News Observer LOADED: 05.28.2021 If it takes seven games, Game 1 could be as early as Monday or Tuesday. Either way, the Carolina-Nashville winner will have a quick turnaround and the Lightning will have at least an extra day of rest.

That’s reminiscent of the very small gap between the first and second rounds in 2019, when the Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals in double overtime and then had to go straight to New York to play the Islanders 43 hours later. The Hurricanes knew that was coming; they had to pack for six days on the road when they went to Washington for one winner-take-all game.

What’s different: the Islanders had been off for 10 days after sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Hurricanes won that game … and the next three, sweeping the Islanders (and then were swept by the Boston Bruins in return).

“There’s pros and cons to both,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We had a series that went seven games a couple years ago and we played a day and half later and we ended up sweeping that series. The other team was sitting there. So they said they were rusty. I think it just depends who wins. I don’t think there’s a lot of carry-over unless there’s injuries. That’s the different equation. That, to me, is the big thing about playing extra games and whatnot, you run the risk of losing guys.”

Either way, if the Hurricanes are hosting the Lightning on Saturday, they’ll have more than 15,000 fans in the building. The possibility of playing at home Saturday -- whether in a Game 7 against Nashville or a Game 1 against Tampa Bay -- was a big part of why the Hurricanes pushed to quickly install a new 500-ton chiller unit outside PNC Arena.

BRIND’AMOUR EXPECTS SAME LINEUP

Brind’Amour said Thursday he hoped to have the same lineup for Game 6 that he had for Game 5, meaning defenseman Jaccob Slavin would play for a second straight game and Alex Nedeljkovic again would be the starting goalie.

After the Canes went through the morning skate at Bridgestone Arena, Brind’Amour said “everything seemed fine.”

The Canes’ only player on their injured list is Cedric Paquette, who has yet to appear in the postseason.

As for Slavin, who was finally back on the ice for Game 5, playing 26:08 after missing three games — and was on the ice for Jordan Staal’s overtime winner — Brind’Amour said he was “avoiding” the defenseman, who was a game-time decision again Tuesday night. “I don’t want to ask, to be honest with you,” Brind’Amour said.

Brind’Amour said the Preds’ desperation level would be at its highest in an elimination game. As for the Canes’ spproach, he said, “You don’t have to do anything special. You have to do your job.”

PERFECT ON THE PENALTY-KILL IN WINS OVER NASHVILLE 1214254 Carolina Hurricanes

News Observer LOADED: 05.28.2021

The Hurricanes were forced to look within, and they found what they needed to find

BY LUKE DECOCK

MAY 28, 2021 01:20 AM

NASHVILLE, TENN.

Long after the celebration and the handshake line, after Rod Brind’Amour was the last of the Carolina Hurricanes to leave the ice, the scoreboard in Nashville still read 3-3, as if the Predators were willfully disbelieving the goal ever happened.

The Hurricanes can’t be counted out. For the second straight game, they came roaring from behind late to force overtime and win it there quickly. This one settled the series.

“There’s no quit in us,” said Dougie Hamilton, who had a tough series at times but rose above all of it in the final game.

It’s almost impossible to quantify the reserves of resilience, patience and defiance that the Hurricanes drew upon in the last two games of this series, especially after the heartbreaking pair of double overtime losses at the same end of this ice where Sebastian Aho, as midnight rapidly approached, tipped a Jaccob Slavin shot past Juuse Saros to end the sixth and final game of this series, 66 seconds into overtime: 4-3, not 3-3.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, the defending Stanley Cup champions, await now, and it’s hard to imagine that series being as closely run as this one was, with the final four games going to a total of six overtimes. But it’s also not hard to imagine the experience of battling for every inch against the Predators will only stiffen the Hurricanes’ spine going into the next round.

“It doesn’t surprise me anymore,” Brind’Amour said. “It’s been like that all year. We’ve played games that aren’t great and it looks like we’re out of it, and they just get it together. We’ve got a special group here. Every coach would say that about their team, but we’re proving it over and over and over. That’s special.”

This was never easy, not in this series, certainly not Thursday. The Hurricanes were pushed to the limit, again and again, only to fight back and rise above. This time, they followed two ordinary-at-best periods with a flamethrowing third, especially after Jordan Martinook knocked Roman Josi out of the game with a big hit in the corner and left the Predators’ defense scrambling.

They missed Slavin, the indispensable defenseman, in the two double- overtime losses. That was obvious then, and never more obvious than it was Thursday. Even before taking the shot Aho deflected for the winner, he set up Dougie Hamilton on the game-tying goal, a clever faceoff play that caught the Predators — weary after back-to-back-to-back icings — cheating away from their net and found Hamilton wide open at the back door.

Jordan Staal won the faceoff back to Slavin, who skated forward along the left-wing boards and got behind the Nashville defense. So did Hamilton, cutting down the slot. Saros was left entirely undefended.

“You play a team this many times in a row, you see how they’re going to react to certain plays we run,” Slavin said. “Right before the faceoff happened, we said, ‘Let’s send both D.’ Dougie ended up being wide- open. It was a nice way to get the game tied up.”

It was a long series, seven games played over the course of six, brutal at times, but it ended in mutual respect. Erik Haula, the Hurricanes’ bete noire, shared a long hug with constant foil Martin Necas and several other former teammates. Brind’Amour lingered on the ice, spending a few seconds with every Nashville player.

There was a sense of survival amid the joy. The Hurricanes did come from behind twice to close out the series. But there was also a sense of destiny to it. The Predators forced the Hurricanes to dig deep, as deep as a team will ever dig in the first round.

When the Hurricanes were challenged to look within, they found what they needed to find. 1214255 joined Martin with the Frankfurt Lions during the NHL lockout in the 1994- 95 season. Robert stuck around for the 1995-96 season as well before returning to the NHL. Aside from that, they lived separate hockey Cousins Kristian and Lukas Reichel’s paths to the Jets and Blackhawks: experiences in two different countries. They even faced each other a few Different countries, same NHL dream times representing their respective countries, and they’ll never forget their time together off the ice at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

“Yes, it was strange, but it was a nice feeling too, to play against my Scott Powers brother,” Martin wrote. “It was special because it didn’t happen that often. It was also a great experience at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City May 27, 2021 when we met there very often for breakfast in the Olympic Village.”

Robert stayed in the Czech Republic after his playing career and has Cousins and future hockey pros Lukas Reichel and Kristian Reichel were coached at various levels. His son, Kristian, followed in his footsteps, both athletic and loved sports growing up. It only made sense they’d play playing for HC Litvínov before moving to North America. Ahead of the them whenever they got together on family visits. 2017-18 season, Kristian joined the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels, where he was teammates with current Blackhawks forwards Brandon Hagel and Their obstacle: They didn’t speak the same language. Kristian spoke Reese Johnson while producing 34 goals and 23 assists in 63 games. Czech and English, Lukas spoke German. They had to find other ways to That earned him an AHL contract with Manitoba Moose, the Jets’ AHL communicate. Luckily, they both understood sports. affiliate, and he turned that into a two-year NHL contract, which began this season. He had six goals and six assists in 29 games and wore a “I remember we were always, when it was in the summer, doing some letter for the Moose this season. sport or something,” said Kristian, 22, a Winnipeg Jets forward prospect. “He wasn’t speaking English. I wasn’t that good in German. So we were Lukas and Kristian may have grown up in different countries, but their kind of like, (gesturing with his hands) ‘You, there, me, here.’ Something upbringings were similar. Both described how their family was all about like that, because we were not speaking the same language, and he hockey growing up. doesn’t speak Czech, so it was hard. But we always managed to do something, that was the funny thing about it.” “Hockey was the No. 1 thing here in our family because my dad played a long time in NHL and he made a great career,” Kristian said. “So hockey The cousins can laugh and even converse about it these days. Lukas’ was the No. 1 sport in our family, and it’s always been because you knew English has improved over the years. the career your father had and you just want to follow in his footsteps.”

“Like Kristian said, it was tough because when I was younger, my English Lukas’ father and older brother brought him along that same way, and was bad, really bad,” said Lukas, 19, a Chicago Blackhawks forward Martin coached Lukas on a few different teams. prospect. “Now it’s better, but when I was like 10 years old, my English was bad and my brother’s (Thomas Reichel) English was OK, and “Hockey was like the family,” Lukas said. “I played soccer too when I was Kristian, he only spoke Czech and English. But we had a fun time with if young, but always hockey was my life. It was good to have my dad we met them in Czech, and we played like tennis or soccer or basketball. played hockey and my brother played hockey. It was good. I learned so It was a fun time with him.” much things from them. And they helped me if I had bad games, and my uncle and Kristian, too. So, it was good to have them here and support The fact that the first cousins still don’t communicate in their primary me all the time if I need anything.” languages begins to tell the story of their unique family and hockey background. Lukas’ father, Martin, and Kristian’s father, Robert, are Martin and Robert try to get together in person a few times a year. Martin brothers who grew up in Czechoslovakia — Robert is 2½ years older usually returns to the Czech Republic to see his family, and the brothers than Martin. They both showed promise in hockey and played for HC talk often by phone. Their sons and their hockey careers are, of course, a Litvínov’s program growing up. topic of conversation.

They began taking different paths as teenagers. The Calgary Flames “Robert and I are really proud of our sons playing hockey,” Martin wrote. drafted Robert out of HC Litvínov in the fourth round in 1989, and he “They grew up different ways through to the different nations, but after all, played one more season in Czechoslovakia before departing for the they get along well.” NHL. Beginning with the 1990-91 season, he went on to play 830 NHL The cousins have seen less of each other in recent years because of games, on top of 100-plus games representing the Czech Republic in their hectic hockey schedules all over the world, but they communicate various international competitions. occasionally by text. Kristian made sure to shoot Lukas a text right after Martin’s journey led him elsewhere. In 1990, German pro team EHC the Blackhawks drafted him. It wasn’t the team Kristian was hoping Freiburg sought Martin, so he moved there at 16, obtained his citizenship Lukas would go to, but he was just as happy. and began playing pro hockey. “I texted him right away when he got drafted,” Kristian said. “I wasn’t “Since my ancestors had German background, I was considered a watching the draft, but I was kind of nervous for him, when he will be German player and was able to get a German passport as soon as I was drafted, or maybe Jets don’t take him. I wasn’t watching it, but I was kind in Freiburg,” Martin wrote in an email. “It was really exciting. I came from of waiting, what will happen.” the communistic Czechoslovakia. My parents had been supporting me a Kristian and Lukas have mutual respect for each other’s game. Lukas lot and my mother moved to Freiburg for a couple of years, too.” mentioned Kristian’s shooting ability and overall offensive skills. Kristian Martin could never have imagined how that decision would change the talked up Lukas’ shooting and passing abilities. Kristian believed there course of his family. The Edmonton Oilers drafted him in the second was a similarity. round in 1992, but he never signed. He met his wife in Rosenheim in “Maybe that’s one thing we have similar is our hockey sense like my dad 1995, and that led to the decision to make his permanent home in had or his dad had,” Kristian said. Germany, where he went on to play 836 career games. He represented Germany, too, and played 100-plus international games for the country. With Kristian in the Jets system and the Lukas potentially signing with the He’s also coached there at various levels. Blackhawks for next season, the cousins could be seeing a lot of each other in the NHL’s Central Division. Martin and his wife have three children. Their oldest son, Thomas, 22, plays professionally in Germany and had 29 points in 45 games while on “That would be great, him on Winnipeg and I’m on Chicago,” Lukas said loan with Lausitzer Füchse this season. Their youngest son, Lukas, has with a laugh. emerged as one of the country’s top young players and was drafted by the Blackhawks in the first round in 2020. He’s currently playing for Kristian took that even a step further. Yes, NHL opponents would be Germany in the World Championship, just as his father once did, and has nice, but teammates would be better. two goals and three assists in four games. “It will be great to play against each other when we’ll be in the NHL, but On the other hand, Martin’s brother, Robert, spent most of his it’s a long story and a long way to get there,” Kristian said. “It will be great professional career in North America and the Czech Republic. The and it will be better if we played on the same team, but that’s too far siblings did spend two seasons playing together in Germany — Robert ahead.”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214256 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche center Nazem Kadri’s appeal of eight-game suspension has been heard. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has yet to rule

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

May 27, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Thursday heard the appeal from Avalanche second-line center Nazem Kadri on the eight-game suspension he was assessed from the NHL Department of Player Safety on May 21, two days after Kadri delivered a check to the head of St. Louis defenseman Justin Faulk.

Avs coach Jared Bednar said the appeal was at its conclusion around noon Thursday.

There is no timetable for Bettman’s ruling. Kadri, who is practicing with the Avs, has served the first two games of the suspension, sitting out Games 3 and 4 against the Blues.

COVID concern. Avalanche depth forward Jayson Megna was added to the NHL COVID protocol list Wednesday. On Thursday, Avs coach Jared Bednar confirmed it was a positive test for the virus. However, Bednar said Megna tested negative on Thursday morning.

Megna remained on the COVID list Thursday afternoon when it was updated.

Three other NHL players are on the list — all three from the Vegas Golden Knights. Forwards Peyton Krebs and Ryan Reaves on Thursday joined defenseman Brayden McNabb.

GM Joe. Avs forward Andre Burakovsky had high praise for his boss, general manager , who seemingly treats his players as close friends.

“He’s an unbelievable GM. Always there for the boys,” Burakovsky said Thursday. “He’s always chit-chatting, coming down, having a chat, have some fun with the boys. He’s always around. That’s good to see. A lot of GMs in this league are like stand(off-ish) and you don’t see them much. But Joe is really forward and really a part of the group. I really like that.”

Footnotes. The Avalanche on Thursday announced it signed 2019 seventh-round draft pick Trent Minor, 20, a goalie from Brandon, Manitoba. Minor played in six games for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on an amateur tryout contract before returning to his major-junior team in Vancouver to begin the WHL season. Miner is the fourth Avalanche goalie under contract for next season, along with Pavel Francouz, Justus Annunen and Hunter Miska. Adam Werner and Peyton Jones are restricted free agents. No. 1 goalie Philipp Grubauer is a pending unrestricted free agent along with Devan Dubnyk and Jonas Johansson.

Denver Post: LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214257 Colorado Avalanche

Date and time for Avalanche’s Game 1 of NHL playoffs’ second-round announced

By JOE NGUYEN | [email protected] | The Denver Post

May 27, 2021 at 1:19 p.m.

The Avalanche knows when it’ll start the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team just doesn’t know who it’ll play yet.

Colorado will host either Vegas or Minnesota at 6 p.m. MDT Sunday at Ball Arena. The Wild and Golden Knights will play a deciding Game 7 at 7 p.m. Friday to determine who advances.

The Avs’ game will be broadcast on NBC.

Additional times and dates have yet to be announced. The Nuggets will be hosting the Trail Blazers at Ball Arena for Game 5 of their first-round series in the NBA playoffs on Tuesday. Game 2 for the Avs won’t be until Wednesday unless they do a back-to-back, which is unlikely.

Denver Post: LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214258 Colorado Avalanche Toews accepted a scholarship offer and, after playing for Surrey in 2012- 13, moved east to Hamden, Conn., to play for the Bobcats.

“He had a nice presence and awareness, really good hockey IQ and he Defenseman Devon Toews has been “remarkable” in his first year with certainly developed — he got better in Surrey before he came to us and Avalanche then he took huge jumps with us,” said Pecknold, who has won 549 games leading the Bobcats.

By RYAN O’HALLORAN | [email protected] | The Denver Toews ran Quinnipiac’s lead power play unit as a freshman and his Post offense went up each year — 17 to 20 to 30 points. In 2015-16, the Bobcats had a dream season, going 32-4-7 to reach the national title PUBLISHED: May 27, 2021 at 1:05 p.m. | UPDATED: May 27, 2021 at game before losing to North Dakota. 8:47 p.m. “Devon was probably our best player just from the standpoint of being dominant every night,” Pecknold said.

Devon Toews is equal parts noticeable and unnoticeable … and both are A fourth-round pick by the Islanders in 2014, Toews, who earned an positives. accounting degree, talked often with Pecknold about the decision to sign or stay for a senior season. Toews, the Avalanche’s 27-year-old defenseman, is easy to see when puck-handling through the neutral zone looking to ignite offense. He has “I told him he should sign — he was ready,” Pecknold said. 33 points in 57 regular season/playoff games. The Islanders disagreed for three consecutive seasons. But he is tougher to locate in the defensive zone because he doesn’t make mistakes. Toews understands angles and getting in the way of an Toews logged 130 minor-league games for Bridgeport, including only 30 opponent instead of interfering with him. in 2017-18 because of a shoulder injury. Pecknold lives 10 minutes from the Sound Tigers’ home arena so he often watched Toews in-person. Add those two dimensions together and it’s why coach Jared Bednar said “consistency” is his biggest takeaway of Toews and why the Avalanche’s “He knew he was close,” Pecknold said. “He really should have been trade for him from the New York Islanders last October for two second- playing for the Islanders a lot earlier than he did and they really slow- round picks is proving to be a steal. played it. Every game I went to watch, Devon just absolutely dominated. He was the best player on the ice not by a little, but by a lot. I just didn’t Toews averaged a team-high 24:54 of ice time in the Avs’ first-round understand why they were waiting to call him up.” playoff sweep of St. Louis (nearly two minutes more than any teammate) and his plus-6 rating was tied for second. Toews got the call in December 2018 when Thomas Hickey was injured against the Avalanche. He scored 46 points over two years, but the cap- “His ability to play 200 feet is exceptional,” Bednar said after practice crunched Islanders moved him to Colorado. Thursday as the Avalanche continue to prepare for Vegas or Minnesota in the second round. “One of the most consistent guys on our team Toews led the Avs in regular-season ice time and his point total was a knowing what he provides to the group every night.” career-high.

Toews’ two-way game isn’t a surprise to Quinnipiac coach Rand “He’s an awesome D-man and person,” Avs defenseman Cale Makar Pecknold. said. “He’s a fun guy to play with. You always know where he’s going to be and we have pretty good chemistry in terms of breaking the pick out “Once he got to his junior year (of college), the phrase I used for Devon — one of us is always kind of leading the rush and that allows for more was, ‘Corsi Machine,’” Pecknold said in a phone interview. “If he was on diversity on our entries. We’re always quick in transition and try and get the ice, we had the puck.” the game going north pretty fast.”

Corsi is an advanced statistic used to measure the shot-attempt differential for a player while at even-strength. Denver Post: LOADED: 05.28.2021 “He does so many things well with good decisions with the puck, defending well, good retrievals and there are so many things he’s good at defending,” Pecknold said.

That puck possession game was on display during Toews’ regular season — his plus-29 rating was second on the Avalanche and tied for second among all NHL defensemen.

Due to injuries and additions/subtractions, the Avs since last year’s playoffs have swapped out Nikita Zadorov (traded to Chicago), Ian Cole (dealt to Minnesota) and Erik Johnson (hurt) for Toews, Patrick Nemeth and Conor Timmins.

Toews has been the most impactful addition — not bad considering he had only 116 NHL regular-season games of experience when acquired by the Avs.

“It’s remarkable what he’s been able to do for us this year,” Bednar said. “To me, it’s just being at a high level every night. There are very few games you’re going, ‘Geez, (Toews) isn’t very good tonight.’ That takes a special player to do that and he’s certainly done that for us.”

Toews could be considered an overnight sensation 10 years in the making. Not drafted until he was 20. Three years of college hockey. Two- and-half seasons in the American Hockey League. And 11 goals in 1 1/2 years for the Islanders.

Toews was playing for Surrey of the British Columbia Hockey League when he was discovered by Quinnipiac. Surrey’s coach was former Quinnipiac captain Matt Erhart, who tipped off Pecknold about “this kid who is pretty good, a little scrawny, but has nice up-side.”

The Quinnipiac staff traveled to western Canada to watch Toews.

“Loved him,” Pecknold said. 1214259 Colorado Avalanche unhappy with Bettman’s decision, he can take the next step in the process and meet with a neutral arbitrator.

An update on Bettman’s decision is expected Thursday. Deen’s List: Avalanche await second-round opponent as first round nears completion If Oilers superstar Connor McDavid wins the Hart Trophy, it would mean the Hart Trophy winner in each of the last three years would have not won a playoff game that same season. Crazy, right?

By Aarif Deen After recording a whopping 105 points in 56 regular-season games, May 27, 2021 McDavid, who is the favorite for the award, was swept out of the first round.

His teammate Leon Draisaitl won the award last year and Edmonton It’s been four days since the Avalanche swept the St. Louis Blues in four went on to lose in the play-in round to the Chicago Blackhawks, meaning games. They were the first team to advance to Round 2 and they’ll have they did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs at all. And in 2019, to wait until Friday night to learn who their next opponent will be. Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov was part of the Presidents’ Trophy winning Minnesota travels to Vegas for Game 7 of their West Division series Lightning that was swept in four games by the Blue Jackets in the Friday and the Avs will play the winner. opening round.

That second-round series will begin at 6 PM MST on Sunday at Ball You’d have to go back to 2018 when New Jersey’s Taylor Hall won the Arena regardless of who the Avs play. Hart Trophy and then was ousted in the first round in five games. He was able to get one victory. Colorado is doing all it can to keep everyone engaged after such a long layover. Having this many days for recovery and practice is very much an uncharted territory this season. But regardless of who wins, the Avs will be ready to go. milehighsports.com LOADED: 05.28.2021

Listen to “Rest or Rust” on Spreaker.

Let’s take a look around the Avalanche and NHL as we inch closer to the beginning of the second round.

The Deen’s List:

History says the Avalanche are in trouble

There have been five series since the turn of the century where a team coming off a sweep takes on a team coming off a seven-game series. In each of those series, the team that needed seven games the previous round has prevailed. Most recently, the 2019 Columbus Blue Jackets swept Tampa Bay only to lose to Boston in six games. The Bruins entered that series after needing seven games to eliminate Toronto.

The last time the team coming off a sweep has won was in 1999 when the Dallas Stars swept Edmonton and then defeated the St. Louis Blues in the following round.

Will history repeat itself?

No. 3 seed advances

The only matchup between the second and third seed that has not ended yet is the Vegas/Minnesota series. If the Wild manage to pull off the Game 7 upset and complete the comeback from down 3-1, they’ll be the fourth No. 3 seed to advance to the second round.

That’s right. Each of the other No. 2 seeds have lost their opening-round series. The Oilers were swept by No. 3 Winnipeg, the Panthers lost to No. 3 Tampa Bay in six games and No. 3 Boston defeated Washington in five games.

Your move, Minny.

Bo Byram is ready

Back to the Avs for a moment because this is worthy news heading into Round 2.

Defenseman Bo Byram is healthy and feeling 100 percent after an extended absence because of an injury and COVID. Byram met with the media Wednesday and admitted he wasn’t feeling well most days. But that’s changed.

The Avs played the same six defensemen in each of the four games against St. Louis. Young defenseman Conor Timmins played a team low 9:20 per game — more than nine minutes less than the second lowest (Patrik Nemeth, 18:23).

Byram has been cleared since before the first round and Avs coach Jared Bednar said on Thursday that Byram could be an option in the second round if needed.

The first step of Nazem Kadri’s appeal process for his eight-game suspension is wrapping up. Kadri, who missed the last two games of the first round is looking to get his suspension reduced. He met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman Thursday morning via Zoom. If Kadri is 1214260 Colorado Avalanche The Avalanche are steadily healing, too. Most notably, young defenseman Bowen Byram, who hasn’t played since March 25 against Vegas due to an upper-body injury.

Rest assured, Avs and Bruins relish long gap between series “I’m just happy to be feeling 100% again," Byram said. “It’s definitely a tough thing to go through and it was frustrating being out for so long.”

By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer The injury bug besieged the Bruins' blue line with defensemen Jeremy Lauzon, Jakub Zboril and Kevan Miller all sidelined. Lauzon returned to May 27, 2021 Updated 8 hrs ago practice Wednesday in a non-contact jersey, with Cassidy saying he's “trending very well.”

“Our group has enough experience to understand the time off, how to DENVER (AP) — Devan Dubnyk debunked the whole rest-or-rust use it to the best of their abilities as far as getting rest and recovery,” debate. Bruins president Cam Neely said. “It’s very important. Especially if you Rest always trumps potential rust, the Colorado Avalanche backup hope to have a long run, I think these days off are going to be very goaltender said, because rust may at most spill into the opening minutes beneficial moving forward.” of Game 1 — if at all. Because the road only gets tougher. The Avalanche are certainly well-rested. Same goes for the Boston "We just need to stay sharp,” Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar said. Bruins. “Whatever the guys need to do now, whether it’s getting on the ice or not Both teams made quick work of their first-round opponents, which was or making sure their bodies are recovered is important. rewarded with some valuable downtime. The Bruins will play the New "We need to make sure that we’re ready and not too much time off where York Islanders starting Saturday — a full five days off between games. we’re getting out of that winning mindset.” The top-seeded Avalanche face either Minnesota or Vegas, who play

Game 7 of their grueling series Friday night in Las Vegas. The winner travels to the Mile High City to begin a second-round series with Game 1 LOADED: 05.28.2021 set for Sunday. That's a six-day break for Colorado.

“It’s a real advantage to have the rest we have,” said Dubnyk, whose team finished a sweep of St. Louis on Sunday.

Because the alternative is not that appealing — a long, grinding series where anything can happen, including going home.

“You always want to close out a series as quickly as you can. It just takes away any stress,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, whose team eliminated Washington in Game 5 on Sunday. “Guys get to rest up a little bit. So I’m OK with it. We’ll try to do whatever we can.”

The Bruins experienced a similar sort of layoff during their 2019 Stanley Cup chase. They completed a sweep of Carolina in the Eastern Conference final on May 16 and then had to wait for the Blues to eliminate San Jose in six games on May 21.

The Cup Final between the two didn’t begin until May 27, with Boston going 11 days between games.

St. Louis captured the Cup in seven.

“I think guys have their eye on the prize, so to speak, and they’ll be fine,” Cassidy said of the break.

The Avalanche have taken a low-key approach to a week of practice sessions. If a player feels like taking the ice, they take the ice. If they don’t, they don’t.

"Every individual is different,” Avalanche forward Andre Burakovsky said. “So do whatever it takes to get prepared.”

The Avalanche have shown to be a resilient bunch with time on their hands. Twice they were paused due to coronavirus-related issues this season, but they still captured the Presidents’ Trophy for the best regular-season record.

Much like Boston, Colorado is no stranger to the playoff waiting game. In 2019, the Avalanche knocked off Calgary in five games, clinching their first-round series on April 19. They waited until April 26 to open a second-round series against San Jose, which the Avalanche lost in seven.

For coach Jared Bednar, this is a perfect chance to tighten up some areas.

Asked which particular ones, Bednar cracked: "All of them. That would be my answer. ... We’ll brush up on everything.”

Admittedly, Burakovsky doesn’t watch much hockey in the regular season. He's tuning in now to catch the Wild and Golden Knights. The Avalanche went 5-2-1 against Minnesota in the regular season and 4-3-1 vs. Vegas.

“It's good to see what kind of style they’re playing now in the playoffs and where you can expose them," Burakovsky said. 1214261 Colorado Avalanche big free-agent contract with the Buffalo Sabres in 2013. He retired from the NHL in 2018.

Alex Killorn The 7 Most Educated Ice Hockey Players Alex Killorn is perhaps the most educated hockey player most of the world has seen. This giant who has won several cups and accolades in Published 7 hours ago on May 27, 2021 the past years is a Harvard graduate. He was a gifted player since childhood but his family had a history of brilliant students and thus he By Adrian Dater decided to attend Harvard to maintain the educational standards of his family. He opted for political science as his subject and scored a

staggering GPA of 3.5. That’s a great achievement for someone who had People have a faulty notion about the smarts of hockey players. It is a to balance both studies and sports. standard view that players or even sports enthusiasts cannot excel in Final Words their studies. Well, that is a very wrong impression for there are several players who have excelled in their academic records. So if you too are struggling with education and sports, do not give up on your academics completely. Learn a lesson from these accomplished While it is true that becoming a sports person requires incredible practice players and try to manage both. Do not feel shy to seek professional from a very young age, that does not imply that you cannot hold good help. grades. Thus, we have compiled a list of smartest players in NHL history – and we’re leaving out quite a few here on this list.

Balancing studies and sports can be difficult. But nothing is impossible. Colorado hockey now LOADED: 05.28.2021 With certain professional help and following a strict routine can help you tackle both. Students involved in sports or other passions can buy assignment from professionals to help relocate the stress to some extent. You too can buy assignments online if you feel they are burdening you.

Lee Stempniak

“Stemper” played for a million teams in the NHL – but while he never really stuck with anyone, he was always in demand as a player. Lee Stempniak was an economics graduate from Dartmouth – and a teammate of former Avs forwards David Jones and T.J. Galiardi.

Stemper was a team captain with the Big Green and scored 43 points his senior year, to lead the team. If only one could know what kind of life- hacks these players used as students, nothing can stop him/her from achieving great heights.

Ben Scrivens

One of the most well-educated goaltenders who earned a degree from Cornell (an Ivy League institution, same school as a guy named Ken Dryden, who played a little goal in his day) in hotel management.

Of course, one might raise several objections regarding his subject but one must remember that he was still a senior while he was awarded the prestigious Hobey Baker nomination.

His approach itself is quite intellectual and thus he has been nicknamed “professor”. He speaks eloquently and has been vocal about mental health awareness issues. His reputation of being a smart man goes beyond his grade points.

Shawn Horcoff

This veteran center and journeyman of 949 NHL games had his education from Michigan State University. He was a student of finance and mathematics. No doubt he makes a ton more money than his contemporaries, after all, finance was his subject. Horcoff was one of the better-spoken players in the NHL in his time. In 2016, he was named director of player development for the Detroit Red Wings.

Colin Greening

Not many NHL players can say they have graduated from an Ivy League school but this guy here can. He also garnered the Lowe’s Senior CLASS national award. He attended and graduated from Cornell University with a degree in applied economics. He had a GPA close to 3.95. That’s a great one even by the standard of most regular students.

George Parros

OK, for all the criticism he’s received of late at the NHL Director of Player Safety: Parros is undoubtedly one of the most educated athletes the NHL has ever seen. He majored in economics from Princeton and graduated with a 3.18 GPA and 1250 on his SATs. He was given the title of the fourth smartest sportsman in all sports in 2013 by the Sporting News.

Matt Moulson

Moulson is another player who got a degree in economics from Cornell. He was a very good player for several years and in 2012 scored 30 goals for a third straight season. His career kind of flamed out after signing a 1214262 Colorado Avalanche A lot of love for Gabe Landeskog during today’s media availability, and rightfully so based on his series against STL:

“Unbelievable captain in the room, and on and off the ice,” said Avs Practice Notebook: Colorado prepares for Game 1 this Sunday Grubauer. “Incredible job by Landy.”

“I thought he was outstanding,” agreed coach Bednar. “No better Published 12 hours ago on May 27, 2021 example than Game 1 and Game 2’s start. He drags us into the fight and into the game…He took some comments from St. Louis and he takes it By Scott MacDonald personal and he was out there to prove a point. He was the leader of our group.”

“He’s one of the best in the world,” Devan Dubnyk said. “Me and him joke As the Avs await their second-round opponent, some of the team took to now about always getting in battles because he always gets to the right the ice Thursday in what was an optional skate at Ball Arena. areas and he’s a handful for goalies. That’s why me and him used to get A few players that were noted to be there: Bo Byram, Conor Timmins, into it. But fortunately we’ve cleared the air now and I get to be on other Philipp Grubuaer, Tyson Jost, P-E Bellemare, J.T. Compher, Val side of it.” Nichushkin, Carl Soderberg, Sampo Ranta, Patrik Nemeth, Kiefer Philipp Grubauer used to watch highlight videos of Felix Potvin and Mike Sherwood, Devan Dubnyk and Jonas Johansson. The top two lines took Richter, a couple of his idols. the day off and enjoyed some rest. Grubauer watches game video after every single game. It’s something Shortly after practice wrapped up, the league announced the start time he’s been doing since his OHL days. for Game 1 of the second round. While the Avs await their second-round opponent, they now know they’ll be playing at 6 p.m. MST at Ball Arena Devan Dubnyk “didn’t really have any symptoms” while he was on the on Sunday night. covid list.

TBD on Game 2, which would normally be Tuesday, given the league’s Coach Bednar was asked what he likes most about Devon Toews. His every-other-day playoff schedule, however, the Nuggets are already answer was simple: “Consistency.” He also praised his “remarkable” slated to play Game 5 of their own playoff series at Ball Arena that night. efforts and “high level” play. That said, the NHL will need to decide whether they want to go back-to- back and have Game 2 played Monday night, or give both teams an extra day off and wait until Wednesday night to play. Colorado hockey now LOADED: 05.28.2021 Speaking of extra days off, it’ll be a full calendar week between when the Avs last played and when they meet either Minnesota or Vegas for Game 1 on Sunday. All that rest can be a good thing, but it could also slow the momentum that the Avalanche were rolling with through their first-round series.

“It could be an advantage to have the couple extra days rest,” Avs goaltender Philipp Grubauer said Thursday afternoon. “But at the same time, they’re (Minnesota and Vegas) in the flow, they’re playing, but they might be tired because of the extra games.

“I think for us, we had a couple of covid breaks during the season, and this just feels like another covid break, having a few days off then right back to it.”

“I think there’s probably a little bit too much made of it,” Devan Dubnyk said of the rest or rust debate. “I think anytime you have a chance to take a break and rest guys’ bodies, especially with the way the season went and how condensed it was and is going to be, I think it’s a real advantage for us to have the rest that we have.

“I think we showed it during the season when we had multiple shutdowns and we were able to come back and put forth some good efforts.”

Other news and notes:

Nazem Kadri’s appeal hearing was at “Noon or 1 p.m.” MST this afternoon. Coach Bednar had no further updates other than that.

Jayson Megna went on the league’s covid protocol list yesterday, and today coach Bednar confirmed it was in fact a positive test and not contract tracing.

He was asked if today’s test came back OK and say yesterday’s came back clear…but did not mention anything about today.

Erik Johnson “wasn’t around for a long time,” but coach Bednar said he’s been back into the facilities and has been around the Avs dressing room a bit more over the last week or so.

I asked Bednar if Bo Byram was a guy he could see making his postseason debut in this upcoming series: “Yep, definitely. I can see it.”

He also added he doesn’t want to shake things up on the D side of things; he liked the way they played back there against St. Louis.

I also asked about Conor Timmins, who played very few minutes in the series with St. Louis, and what more coach wants to see from him: “Consistency, managing the puck properly, limiting his turnovers. His defending has been pretty good.” 1214263 Columbus Blue Jackets Wasn’t the point of clearing the bench to clear the bench? It needed to be done. Promoting Larsen, then, would defeat the purpose. My opinion. It would send the wrong message to the players about a new vision. It Michael Arace: Random thoughts on Jackets' coaching search, including would not sit well with the vast majority of the fan base. Not my opinion. 'I like Tocchet' Fact.

There always is the notion that a fresh start is freshest when there is a fresh face involved. On Wednesday, Sportsnet’s Eliotte Friedman Michael Arace reported that Dallas Stars assistant Todd Nelson will be interviewing in Columbus (and Arizona). Meh. It doesn't get my blood pumping. The Columbus Dispatch One name that is intriguing: Mike Vellucci, assistant with the Pittsburgh

Penguins. Great back story, has won at every level (as a protégé of Jim There are 32 NHL coaching jobs and, presently, there are five vacancies. Rutherford), has seen a lot — and has that feeling about him, like he is perfectly poised for the big leagues. Like Jared Bednar was before he On one hand, a 15.6% vacancy — which is about average in any given made the jump from Cleveland to Colorado. year — suggests a staggering level of instability. On the other hand, an 84.4% occupancy says that most of the league’s franchises tend toward Is Mike Sullivan on the hot seat in Pittsburgh? Will he be available? stability with their coaches. Wherefore Vellucci? Is John Hynes on the hot seat in Nashville? Wait and see? What other wrinkles might come out of the playoffs? For the past five-plus years, the Blue Jackets remained steady under , who coached and won more games than any of his It has been a while since the Jackets surveyed such a vast, varied and Jackets predecessors, and it’s not even close. He had quite a shelf life in variable landscape. Columbus. By the time he and the team parted ways two weeks ago, he was the fourth-longest-tenured coach in the league. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 05.28.2021 It was time for him to go. He knew it last year. Everyone knew it this year.

Now, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is looking for a new coach. He has colleagues in the same position in Arizona, Buffalo, New York (Rangers) and Seattle (Kraken, with no “c”).

Here are a few random notes, and thoughts, while mulling who might be the eighth Jackets coach in 20 years:

Given the exclusivity of an NHL job, whenever there is an opening there also is a long list of candidates, most of whom are worthy. One can start with “name” candidates who currently are looking for work. Gerard Gallant — an Original Jacket as an assistant, and a head coach in Columbus from 2004-06 — has to be at the top of this list.

After he was fired here, Gallant got back on the ladder and started climbing. He was an assistant with the Islanders and Canadiens. He won a Memorial Cup with his Quebec junior-league team. He found success with the Florida Panthers and, more famously, with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights; in both cities, he ultimately fell victim to capricious ownership.

Put “Turk” on a Jackets bench with, say, Luke Richardson, and what you have is a talented duo of ex-players who know and understand the market. The problem here is Gallant is a big-ticket free agent, New York and Seattle are going to make big bids and the Jackets aren’t playing that game. (Gallant recently interviewed with the Rangers and reports out of New York say he’s the front-runner there.)

According to Arizona-based hockey writer Craig Morgan: Rick Tocchet interviewed with the Rangers, will meet with the Sabres Thursday and is scheduled to talk to the Jackets sometime this week.

I like Tocchet for the Jackets job. I don’t know which way Kekalainen is leaning, mind you, but I think Tocchet would be a lovely fit. He does not have the greatest numbers in his two previous stops, in Tampa Bay (eons ago) and Arizona (parted ways earlier this month, a la Tortorella/Columbus), but he is well-regarded, almost universally. It has something to do with his touch with people, his handling of players, his leadership skills and his long experience as a player and coach.

Full disclosure: I have a Kevin Dineen bias. He’d be a fit here for all the same reasons Gallant would be a fit here. Dineen’s busy right now — he coaches Anaheim’s AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, and they are in the middle of a playoff series — and I have no idea whether he’s a serious candidate in Columbus.

As our Brian Hedger points out, there are only two coaches publicly identified as candidates by Jackets management: David Quinn, who followed John Davidson out the door in New York, and Brad Larsen, the Jackets’ assistant.

Davidson rejoined the Jackets as president of hockey operations last week. Of course, he will give Quinn an interview. As for Larsen, his long service should be duly noted, but he isn't the right guy, not right now. My opinion. 1214264 Columbus Blue Jackets Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate in Cleveland, will not be interviewed to replace Tortorella.

Blue Jackets coaching search, 1.0: Gallant, Quinn and Tocchet among coaches granted interviews The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021

By Aaron Portzline

May 27, 2021

The Blue Jackets have interviewed several candidates for their head coaching vacancy, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said, but more names could be thrown into the hopper as teams are eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Athletic has confirmed four of the coaches who have either interviewed or have an interview scheduled with the Jackets:

Gerard Gallant: the former Blue Jackets, Florida, and Vegas coach is currently in Riga, Latvia, coaching Canada’s entry in the IIHF World Championships; he interviewed last week with Columbus via Zoom, sources told The Athletic.

David Quinn: was fired earlier this month after three seasons with the New York Rangers, and, before that, spent five seasons coaching Boston U. Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson worked closely with Quinn the last two seasons in New York.

Brad Larsen: has been with the organization for 11 seasons now, the last seven as an assistant coach in Columbus to both Todd Richards (one season) and John Tortorella (six seasons). If he doesn’t land the job in Columbus, expect him to join Tortorella at his next stop.

Rick Tocchet: has been a head coach in two cities (Arizona and Tampa Bay) and an assistant coach in four others. Just recently parted ways with the Coyotes after four years behind the bench.

No doubt the Blue Jackets’ initial pool of candidates is larger than those four, and it could grow again in the coming days as the NHL moves beyond the first round of the playoffs.

For instance, the New York Islanders eliminated Pittsburgh in a first- round series on Wednesday. That means the Jackets may have to wait a little longer if they wanted to speak with top Islanders assistant Lane Lambert, but Penguins assistant coach Mike Velluci is now free to speak with other clubs.

The same could hold tonight if Montreal is eliminated by Toronto. Canadiens assistant coach Luke Richardson, a former Blue Jackets captain, would be available to interview with Columbus if Kekalainen is compelled.

Former NHL coaches Bruce Boudreau, Kevin Dineen, and Kirk Muller — highly regarded coaches who were considered possibilities in Columbus — had not been contacted by the Blue Jackets as of Wednesday.

Neither had Pascal Vincent, coach of the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, or Nate Leaman, coach of Providence College and Team USA at the world juniors. Both are considered rising stars in the coaching fraternity.

Former NHL coach Bob Hartley, now coaching in the KHL and currently coaching Team Latvia at the World Championships, declined to say if he’d been contacted or interviewed by the Blue Jackets.

The Blue Jackets have done all or most of their initial interviews via Zoom, but it’s possible — likely, even — that follow-up interviews could be held in person in Nationwide Arena, Kekalainen said.

There’s no timetable for hiring a coach, Kekalainen said, but he’s declared it to be the No. 1 priority of the early offseason. With so many other issues to confront in Columbus, it’s unlikely to take too long.

Kekalainen made it clear that he’s not looking for a veteran coach or a young coach, necessarily, just a coach that continues to hold the players to “the standard that we’ve established here over the last several seasons.”

“There’s no substitute for experience,” Kekalainen said. “But we’re going to hire the right coach for us.”

The Blue Jackets have made it known that Brad Shaw, an assistant coach the past five seasons in Columbus, and Mike Eaves, coach of the 1214265 Dallas Stars PLAYER GP/TOI CAP HIT/% OF CAP GSVA/82 XWINS DIFFERENCE

Roope Hintz Dallas Stars bang for buck: Assessing player performance in relation to salary 41/748

$3.15M/3.9%

By Saad Yousuf 4

May 27, 2021 0.46

3.54

Assessing player performance can be a tricky proposition. There’s a Jason Robertson great deal of subjectivity involved, ranging from a player’s role on the team (top-six forward, top-four defensemen) to expectations a player 51/861 may have heaped on himself based on past seasons. $795,000/1.0%

Finances also play a significant role. The salary cap generally levels the 2.84 playing field across the NHL, equalizing the resources available to each team. How teams utilize that money often correlates with the success -0.23 they experience. Bad contracts and bargains are part of every team, but 3.07 the number of players who fall under those categories makes the difference. While the big contracts get the bulk of the attention, only a few Joe Pavelski players on each roster carry those large figures. There also are only a few players who are significant contributors who are on the other end of 56/1065 the spectrum, on dirt-cheap deals. Exceptions, such as Miro Heiskanen, $7.0M/8.6% exist but more often than not, it takes a player a few years to grow out of his entry-level contract before capturing a starring role on the team. 3.94

So, that middle majority category is very important, as it involves the top 1.58 echelon ideally performing to their hefty figure and, at the very least, not grossly underperforming their cap hit. Exceptions aside, overperformance 2.36 from the cheap deals is gravy. The Stars missed the playoffs in 2021 so Denis Gurianov obviously things went awry, but where on the payroll does the responsibility go? We’ll examine that, but first an explanation about how 55/872 we plan to do that and clarification on how to interpret the analysis. $2.55M/3.1% I’ll compare each Dallas player’s GSVA/82 for this season to his expected GSVA based on a model by The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn. It 1.17 would be easy to simply divide a player’s cap hit by the number of points 0.28 they racked up this season, but that doesn’t take into account anything but offense and wouldn’t correctly evaluate defensive-minded players. 0.89 Luszczyszyn’s model for game score value added (GSVA) combines all the basic score stats, along with advanced analytics, into one number to Jason Dickinson measure a player’s value. The number isn’t perfect, but to come up with 51/826 a number to represent the complete value of a hockey player is impossible. This model does a great job, and the results over the past $1.5M/1.8% few seasons have shown it works in not only determining a player’s value but also in projecting their production moving forward. There is plenty of 0.8 goaltender examination to come but this piece will look at only skaters. -0.02

To simplify the numbers and provide context, elite forwards generally 0.82 have a GSVA score of around 3.0, while elite defensemen usually grade out at 2.5. Top-line players are expected to finish around 2.25, while top Jamie Benn defenders hover between 2.0 and 1.7. A top-six player is expected to be 52/925 around 1.0, while top-four defensemen are in the 0.4 range. If a player is well below average, the numbers can go below zero. $9.5M/11.7%

The main thing to remember is 3 is a great GSVA score, 2 is good, 1 is 2.32 average, and 0 or below is bad. 2.31 But that player score is only half of the equation. We must then compare that production to the expected GSVA – or expected wins added (xWins) 0.01 – based on each player’s cap hit. Because of that, a player making less Blake Comeau money doesn’t need the same production in order to provide value. The more players you have performing above their xWins, the better off you 51/803 are. The key number is “Difference” which is on the far right column of these charts and is how the charts are sorted. $2.4M/2.9%

Because of the injury-riddled nature of this Stars season, I also split up 0.12 the charts into two categories: Players who played more than 500 0.24 minutes and players who played under that mark. It’s especially pertinent when it comes to the forwards, given that the Stars’ No. 1 and No. 4 -0.12 players overall, in terms of cap percentage, played a combined 247 minutes this season and because the Stars had to dig into their rotational Andrew Cogliano depth to help accommodate for absences throughout the season. 54/752

Forwards $3.25M/4.0%

500-plus minutes -0.16 0.49 1.36

-0.65 3.6

Radek Faksa Tyler Seguin

55/959 3/51-

$3.25M/4.0% $9.85M/12.1%

-0.61 3.59

0.49 2.42

-1.1 1.17

It should come as a surprise to nobody that the top three players, both in Joel Kiviranta GSVA/82 and differential, are Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski. Again, it underscores just how effective those three players 26/317 were after they joined forces to create a consistent top line on March 25, $925,000/1.1% dependent on Hintz’s availability. 0.48 After signing a bridge deal in November, with a $3.15 million cap hit each season through 2023, the bar was pretty low for Hintz relative to the -0.19 talent he showed last season. His extreme progression, despite playing 0.67 through a significant injury that will sideline him for the offseason following surgery, made him one of the best bargains and one of the Tanner Kero most underrated players in the NHL. On an entry-level contract, Robertson’s bar was literally on the floor yet he finished his rookie 39/413 season as the top Calder Trophy candidate under the age of 24. $762,500/0.9% Pavelski arguably had the most impressive season, relative to -0.47 contractual expectations. At a $7 million cap hit this season, he had the third-highest expected wins value and still managed to finish with the -0.24 second-highest GSVA score on the team, only .06 behind Hintz, and the third-highest differential. While this data is strictly examining player -0.23 performance compared to salary, if you add in the fact that Pavelski is Ty Dellandrea less than two months away from his 37th birthday, was named as an alternate captain in the absence of Tyler Seguin and was asked to fill a 26/325 void at center before transitioning to a top-line winger midseason, it goes to show just how much value he provided. Pavelski wasn’t just worth the $863,333/1.1% hefty price tag; he managed to be somewhat of a bargain. -0.45

Because the top line was so offense-centric, let’s also look at how the -0.21 scoring production lined up with the cap hit. As a duo, Hintz and Robertson combined to account for 4.9 percent of the Stars’ salary cap -0.24 this season and 21 percent of their points (88 out of 421). Add the team’s leading scorer, Pavelski, to that mix and the trio’s cap hit goes to 13.5 Justin Dowling percent while they combined to score 33 percent of the team’s points. 27/299 Whether you rely on the eye test, analytics or payroll, it’s evident just how valuable Hintz, Robertson and Pavelski were to the Stars this season. $750,000/0.9%

Jamie Benn carried the highest expected wins total and the highest cap -0.52 hit of any Stars player who played at least 100 minutes this season. His -0.24 contract has also been the most polarizing in recent years, because the $9.5 million annual cap hit has become more noticeable with the drop in -0.28 production as Benn has gotten older. However, the switch to center this season turned out to be a saving grace for the Stars captain. That move Joel L'Esperance elevated his production and it resulted in a season in which he played 12/113 almost exactly to the contractual expectations. $725,000/0.9% Denis Gurianov had a disappointing season to follow up a year in which he led the Stars in scoring. However, his cheap contract has him as the -0.9 top forward relative to pay after the clear-cut top three. The FCC checking line of Radek Faksa, Blake Comeau and Andrew Cogliano all -0.25 finished with negative differentials. That’s significant considering that, at -0.65 319 minutes, they played the most minutes together, as a line, on the team. They also combined to account for 10.9 percent of the team’s Nick Caamano salary cap. While Joel KIviranta is on the chart below because injuries restricted him to just 317 minutes, he and Jason Dickinson provided 24/224 value for their money but both are pending restricted free agents and are $738,333/0.9% in line for new deals. -1.3 Less than 500 minutes -0.24 PLAYER GP/TOI CAP HIT/% OF CAP GSVA/82 XWINS DIFFERENCE -1.06

Alex Radulov Rhett Gardner

11/196 28/279

$6.25M/7.7% $925,000/1.1%

4.96 -1.4 -0.19 1.23

-1.21 -0.13

There are two main takeaways from this chart of sub-500-minute players. Looking at this chart, the main takeaway is just how high the First, Seguin carries the top cap hit and therefore the top expected wins expectations are for Miro Heiskanen, mostly brought on by how great he value. He only played 51 minutes in three games, which is far too low of was in his first two seasons. Most would agree that by Heiskanen’s a sample size to draw any real conclusions. But he played well in those standards, this season was a bit underwhelming but he’s still at the top of three games, as his GSVA/82 and differential shows. Alexander Radulov the charts for Stars defensemen this season, which does mean is the more interesting case here because he played 196 minutes in 11 something considering that John Klingberg had a very solid year as well. games. That’s still a small sample size but his bloated GSVA and Heiskanen outperforming his contract was always going to be pretty differential are something to consider. When he played, he was very much automatic. He’s on an entry-level contract and had a cap hit of effective. Those figures would have come down to earth had he played $894,166 in 2021. It was realistically impossible for him to regress more but there’s an argument to be made that his production would have enough to not at least be worth that tag and the expected wins value that been closer to the group of Hintz, Robertson and Pavelski than to the comes with it. What was interesting, though, is that even his season rest of the field. How much of a difference would that have made for the GSVA/82 was top among Stars defensemen, edging out Klingberg. Even team? Unfortunately, that’s all imagination. in an off year by his standards, Heiskanen was the Stars’ best defenseman. The second thing that stands out is that even at Ty Dellandrea’s low salary, on an entry-level contract, and the low expected wins value, he As a defensive core top four, the results were solid. Heiskanen, Klingberg still underperformed. Dellandrea had a strong start to the season against and Jamie Oleksiak all exceeded contractual expectations. As the top- weaker competition, which drew a lot of hype from the fan base and paid Stars defenseman, Esa Lindell checked in slightly below his irritation when he wasn’t cracking the lineup. The reality is, he had his fair expected wins but nothing egregious. share of struggles, as most rookies do when thrust into an NHL lineup straight out of the OHL. The potential he flashed was quite real and his Less than 500 minutes future is something to be excited about but the decision to move away PLAYER GP/TOI CAP HIT/% OF CAP GSVA/82 XWINS from him as the season progressed was also justified. DIFFERENCE

Defensemen Mark Pysyk

500+ minutes 36/422

PLAYER GP/TOI CAP HIT/% OF CAP GSVA/82 XWINS $750,000/0.9% DIFFERENCE 1 Miro Heiskanen -0.24 55/1373 1.24 $894,166/1.1% Joel Hanley 1.74 35/456 -0.2 $700,000/0.9% 1.94 0.77 Jamie Oleksiak -0.26 56/1147 1.03 $2.14M/2.6% Sami Vatanen 1.14 9/147 0.18 $2.0M/2.5% 0.96 0.01 John Klingberg 0.12 53/1203 -0.11 $4.25M/5.2% The Stars are reliant on their top four, so the bottom pairing becomes 1.48 rotational. In that rotation, Joel Hanley and Mark Pysyk were both 0.78 pleasant surprises. There was essentially no expectation for either to produce and both were decent, with Pysyk also factoring in at forward 0.7 down the stretch. Hanley’s solid showing this season earned him a contract extension. Andrej Sekera Final thoughts 46/719 The Stars generally got decent bang for their buck this season, from the $1.5M/1.8% players who played. The glaring takeaway here is the absence of playing -0.11 time from Seguin and Radulov. Again, we didn’t examine goaltenders here but loosely stated, it’s safe to say Jake Oettinger overperformed his -0.02 contract. Ben Bishop and his $4.9 million cap hit, which accounted for six percent of the salary cap, never saw the ice so that hurt the Stars as well. -0.09 Overall, here’s a look at how the Stars’ cap hit of injured players Esa Lindell measured up to the rest of the league, via NHL Injury Viz:

56/1298

5.8M/7.1% The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021

1.1 1214266 Detroit Red Wings “I’m very excited, but there are a lot of guys coming in, new people coming in every year,” Smith said. “So I'm excited and nervous and ready to work hard to get that spot, get that job.”

Detroit Red Wings must consider a larger role for Givani Smith. Here's Detroit Free Press LOADED: 05.28.2021 why

HELENE ST. JAMES

While a primary focus for Detroit Red Wings general manager this offseason is to add forwards who can generate offense, there’s another type of forward who warrants consideration.

That the Wings need someone to, as the saying goes, keep the flies off their star players was never more evident than April 20 against the Dallas Stars. That was the night Jamie Benn pushed his stick into Dylan Larkin’s spine , causing an injury that required hospitalization and a neck brace. There was no penalty on the play and — though the NHL looks at every questionable hit — neither a fine nor a suspension.

There also were no on-ice repercussions from the Wings, even though the teams played again April 22 and 24.

If the Wings want to be perceived as tougher, they have an internal candidate worth considering in Givani Smith.

Smith has been with the organization since 2016, when he was drafted at No. 46. He turned pro two years later, spending 2018-19 with the while scoring six goals and seven assists — and 86 penalty minutes — in 64 games. He made his NHL debut Oct. 25, 2019, and appeared in 21 games (two goals, one assist) in 2019-20 with the Wings, otherwise showing improvement with the Griffins, where he recorded nine goals and 19 assists — and 75 penalty minutes — in 37 games.

[ How to order new Free Press book commemorating Detroit Red Wings' 1997 Stanley Cup title ]

Smith appeared in 16 games with the Wings this season, recording a goal and three assists. His 15 points in 25 games with the Griffins worked out to an AHL career-best .60 points-per-game average and boosted Smith’s confidence in his development.

“I think the biggest improvement from last year to this year is being able to keep plays going and to recognize the areas on the ice where I am with the puck and body positioning, so I’m not taking as many penalties and things like that,” Smith said. “There are a lot of things I improved on mentally, growing as a player. I’ve gotten tougher and stronger. My skating has improved.”

CHECK OUT SMITH'S GRADE:: Red Wings final report card: A couple A's, but mostly C's and D's

One of Smith’s finest game with the Wings came Feb. 7, when he recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick. Smith redirected a pass from Bobby Ryan to make it 2-0; sent a shot on net that resulted in a rebound goal for Robby Fabbri, and fought Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad. The Wings won, 4-1, and Smith earned rave reviews from teammates.

“It was a great example of what he brings to the team,” Fabbri said at the time. “He has had a great mentality coming in and doing what is needed. He did a little bit of everything with a hit, a goal and an assist. That’s what we need out of him.”

That was Smith’s seventh game of the season with the Wings and gave him four points in six outings.

Smith fought twice April 1, in another game against the Panthers. The first fight was against Ryan Lomberg in the first period. The one that mattered happened in the opening minute of the third period, when Smith dropped the gloves with Riley Stillman to avenge a hit on Larkin.

Beyond adding accountability, there’s much to like about Smith: He’s 6 foot 2 and 205 pounds and plays like it. He is strong on the puck and wins one-on-one battles and gets to the front of the net. He brings energy.

Another offseason spent working on his skating should help Smith earn a role the Wings need filled. 1214267 Detroit Red Wings Hughes is the younger brother of recent top draft picks defenseman Quinn Hughes (2018, No. 7 by Vancouver) and forward Jack Hughes (2019, No. 1 by New Jersey), both of whom also played in the USNTDP (Quinn also played one season at Michigan). Trio of Wolverines dominate final NHL scouting rankings for 2021 draft At 6-2 and 176 pounds, Luke Hughes is taller and projects to be bulkier than his brothers, but he also possesses the top-end skating ability the family has. TED KULFAN | The Detroit News Also released by NHL Central Scouting Thursday were the international

skaters and goaltenders (both North American and international). Detroit — Michigan hockey will likely be well represented at this Forward William Eklund (Sweden) was the top-ranked international summer’s NHL Entry Draft. skater, while goaltender Sebastian Cossa (Edmonton/WHL) was the top If there was any more doubt, it was quashed Thursday when three North American goalie and Jesper Wallstedt (Sweden) was the No. 1- Michigan Wolverines — defenseman Owen Power and forwards Kent ranked international goalie. Johnson and Matthew Beniers — were ranked in the top six of the final “Eklund is a speedy winger who played a big role on Djurgarden in the rankings by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau for North American skaters Swedish Hockey League,” Marr said. “He competes and works hard with for the 2021 draft. excellent hockey sense, quickness and elite puck skills to be both a No NCAA team has ever had three players selected in the first round, but playmaker and a scorer. A scoring threat on every shift, he plays bigger that is likely to change at this year’s virtual event on July 23-24. than his size and plays to win.”

“For the University of Michigan, this season was a once-in-a-lifetime In its 46th year of operation, NHL Central Scouting provides evaluation occurrence where three of the best prospects in the NHL Draft class and scouting of draft-eligible players to NHL member clubs. competed on the same team,” said Dan Marr, the director of NHL Central Headed by Marr, NHL Central Scouting employs eight full-time scouts Scouting. throughout North America, while Goran Stubb oversees the European “Each plays a different position and style, and all contributed as Scouting Services based in Finland. freshmen. Credit to coach Mel Pearson for placing them in leadership Detroit News LOADED: 05.28.2021 roles to contribute and develop at the NCAA level. He helped guide them to be the best they could be.”

Power, a 6-foot-6 mobile defenseman, is ranked No. 1 among North American skaters — as Power has in many mock drafts and rankings throughout the season. Johnson is No. 3 and Beniers No. 6.

Power had three goals and 13 assists in 26 games this season, was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team, earned second team all- conference honors, and is playing for Team Canada at the men’s world championships.

The mobility and size are key attributes when analyzing Power, plus the fact he can be plugged into any type of role, both specialty teams, and plays with some snarl in his game.

“Power is an excellent package of NHL size, skating and attributes which he utilizes effectively in all situations,” Marr said. “His hockey sense is intuitive and instinctive. A very fluid and agile skater who can transition quickly on plays and separate himself from checking. He plays a mature game for his age and is at the top of this draft class.”

Power can become the third NCAA player taken with the No. 1 overall pick, and first since the New York Islanders selected goaltender Rick DiPietro (Boston University) in 2000.

The other was forward Joe Murphy, by the Red Wings, in 1986. Murphy spent four unsuccessful seasons with the Wings before being traded to Edmonton for Jimmy Carson.

Aaron Ward, another former Red Wing, was the highest selected player out of Michigan's program, being picked fifth overall in 1991 by Winnipeg.

Johnson, a 6-1, 163-pound forward, had 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) in 26 games at Michigan this season.

A shifty, creative playmaker, Johnson is expected to be picked somewhere in the top five on most mock drafts.

Beniers (6-1, 174 pounds) was also a point per game with the Wolverines, with 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 24 games.

An effective two-way center, Beniers is an outstanding forechecker and many scouts rave about his defensive ability, feeling it matches his offensive potential.

Rounding out the top five North American skaters in the rankings are forward Mason McTavish (Peterborough/OHL) at No. 2, followed by defenseman Luke Hughes, out of the Plymouth Township-based U.S. National Team Development program, at No. 4 and forward Dylan Guenther (Edmonton/WHL) at No. 5.

With the Ontario Hockey League unable to play this season because of the pandemic, McTavish played 13 games in Olten (Switzerland), while also playing for Canada at the world junior championships. 1214268 Edmonton Oilers Every team needs a Larsson, a Jake Muzzin, a Chris Tanev, an Adam Pelech. Holland will re-sign Larsson, maybe the same $4.1-million range. But turning 29 in November, is it three years or four?

Long to-do list for Oilers general manager Ken Holland as offseason 8. Likely buying out James Neal to give Oilers $3.83-million to spend in begins 21-22 and 22-23 towards free-agent top-nine forward target like Blake Coleman or Zach Hyman. After playing 154 playoff minutes in four playoff games, Nurse is indispensable. He’s a No. 1 defenceman, a legit Canadian team Neal’s played 960 total NHL games with 327 goals. He’s valuable on the Olympian in 2022, and 26 years old power play, but even-strength his lack of foot-speed in today’s racehorse game hurts. Neal, 34 in September, has made over $50-million. If bought out, don’t be surprised if Neal winds up back in Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin liked him. Jim Matheson Edmonton Journal 9. What to do with Kyle Turris?

He didn’t get into any playoff games, which is an obvious tell and played General managers step aside once the playoffs start because it’s the four games from March 30 on and has one year left at $1.65 cap hit and players’ and coaches’ show, but now that the Edmonton Oilers are done $2-million salary. Turns 32 in August. Hoped he would be 3C but it didn’t Ken Holland’s work starts. work. If he can’t make Oilers next fall, do they put him Bakersfield and 1. Will Holland go higher than his current $6-million, or $5.5-million, and have roughly $500,000 against their cap. Buying him out would have him over five years for UFA Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? on the books for two seasons.

The longest-serving Oiler (656 games) doesn’t want to go anywhere. 10. Deciding what role players to bring back, Holland said he really liked He’s No. 1 support to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, a valuable Devin Shore’s Game 4 in Winnipeg. piece of the No. 1 power play, but had 14 even-strength points, seven He’ll likely return because he can play centre or wing and kill penalties. goals. While he had a strong last playoff game against Winnipeg as 2C Alex Chiasson if he’s in the $1.1-million range, for sure, because he can the last 100 minutes, the perception, also the reality, is Oilers see him a play power play net-front. Gaetan Haas might too because he’s a right- top six left-winger and want to pay for that. In pre flat-cap he could use shot centre, but Haas has to work on his face-offs (45.4 per cent). Tyler Blues’ Brayden Schenn, a centre/winger ($6.5-million a year), as a Ennis? Dominik Kahun? Maybe Tyler Benson gets a shot in their place? comparable but probably not now. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 05.28.2021 2. Extending Darnell Nurse before UFA status in 2022.

After playing 154 playoff minutes in four playoff games, Nurse is indispensable. He’s a No. 1 defenceman, a legit Canadian team Olympian in 2022, and 26 years old. Nurse can point to Aaron Ekblad ($7.5-million cap hit) and say he’s his equal, or better. He’s Oilers third most important piece, used on PK, PP, five-on-five. It may cost eight years, $7.5-million.

3. Holland is bringing back Mike Smith because he’s a starter at 39.

Smith had a .923 save percentage and 2.31 goal average in 30 games. Sergei Bobrovsky ($10-million a year) had a .906 average and a 2.91 goal average in 30 Florida games. You give Smith a raise to $2.5-million, with bonuses, reward the furnace part of the leadership group.

4. Mikko Koskinen’s return is less than 50-50.

His save percentage dropped from .917 to .899. He played six games from March 30 until season’s end. He’s a 1B goalie, making $4.5-mil for one more year. They may not buy him out, but if there’s a trade chance, would they do it, eating some of his contract. Could they offer him to Columbus for a younger Joonas Korpisalo, 27, making $2.8-million for one more year to UFA status and work at an extension, paying $1.5- million of Koskinen’s contract. Put Caleb Jones in the deal if he gets through the expansion draft so Columbus has an enticement to re-sign brother Seth. Add a draft pick in 2022.

5. Do you leave Oscar Klefbom unprotected in the expansion draft because of his shoulder, rolling the dice that Seattle won’t take a player with a major medical issue?

Probably. But if you’re Seattle why not swing for the fences and take a real player who, is making $4.1-million for two more years and would be in your first defence pair? And if it doesn’t turn out medically, Klefbom could go on long-term injury status. To cover their bases, signing a free- agent left D like Ryan Murray, 27, if he wants to play for $2.5-million, might be an option here.

6. UFA Tyson Barrie says he’s looking at long-term deal and will see what’s out there.

Anything more than three years is too long here because he’s effectively blocking Evan Bouchard. But if Oilers offered three years at $5.25-million to play more with McDavid and Draisaitl why not? He’s been gifted chance to play with Nate MacKinnon, then Auston Matthews, now the Oilers big guns. He’s probably looking for Torey Krug ($6.5-mil) money, though.

7. We know it’s awfully crowded on right D, but UFA Adam Larsson is the only guy who plays a hard-scrabble role. 1214269 Edmonton Oilers It’s also worth noting Holland inherited a Stanley Cup Champion in 1997 when he took over as general manager and didn’t have to contend with the NHL salary cap for two of his three championships.

VAN DIEST: Patience already worn thin with Edmonton Oilers fans While he should be commended for his accomplishments in Detroit before things went south and was replaced by Steve Yzerman, the same Oilers fans do not need to be lectured on pain, they have suffered a formula will not necessarily work in today’s salary-cap era with a limited lifetime's worth in the past 20 years, particularly the growing segment not window on two superstar players. around for the '80s glory years, which the organization continues to cling to like gum on the bottom of a shoe There was a lack of urgency in Holland’s year ender, which was somewhat alarming.

Asked if he has to perhaps sacrifice some of the team’s future in order to Derek Van Diest put a contender on the ice now? Holland responded:

“Obviously when you spend futures you up the odds. I spent futures at the deadline last year with two seconds for (Anthony) Athanasiou and we Ken Holland is a smart hockey manager with a storied past now charged lost a third and a fourth and fifth and I spent some assets. with restoring credibility to the Edmonton Oilers who have languished for the better part of the past 15 years. “Do I want to start spending firsts (round picks) to make the team better? I don’t know that that’s the solution. I think the solution is that you have to Is he the right man for the job? Time will tell. stick with it. You’re looking for instant success; you’re looking to win the Has he done enough to restore faith in the Oilers’ fanbase? That’s Stanley Cup. It doesn’t happen that way. difficult to say. “I looked at the trials and tribulations, I lived it in Detroit. I watched In his hour-long postseason media availability Wednesday, where he Tampa Bay win the Stanley Cup last year and Steve Yzerman left to go talked a lot but revealed very little, and broke off on numerous tangents, there in 2010 and he was in Detroit with me, and Tampa wins the Stanley Holland preached patience and expounded the need for an organization Cup in 2020. It was a 10-year journey. So, there are no guarantees. to build from within. We’ve got to stick with it, we’ve got to stick with it and part of those teams that do it, it’s drafting, it’s developing it’s building and growing. He wants to build the Oilers into a perennial playoff team that can hopefully make a run at a championship in one of those years. “You have to let us grow a little bit and we have to continue with it. I don’t believe we’re one trade away where we can start planning the parade, it That’s how Holland did it with the Detroit Red Wings as he referenced doesn’t happen that way.” multiple times. Just a reminder the Oilers are in their third rebuild after losing Game 7 of But when you have the best player of a generation in Connor McDavid, the Stanley Cup Final in 2006. The first began with Sam Gagner, Andrew who is still approaching his prime and under contract for another five Cogliano and Jordan Eberle. Whatever became of Anton Lander? seasons, along with the second-best player in the league in Leon Draisaitl, who is signed for another four, can Holland afford to take the Going into this offseason, Holland is going to have space to make moves slow and steady approach? with 15 contracts (restricted and unrestricted) set to expire and Benoit Pouliot’s buyout finally coming off the books. Are they really going to wait for Ryan McLeod and Dylan Holloway to develop into effective complementary forwards before they contend for Holland is holding pocket aces with McDavid and Draisaitl and has to the Stanley Cup? consider going all in. Patience in this town has run out.

It’s not Holland’s fault the Oilers were an utter salary-cap mess when he Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 05.28.2021 took over, but it is now his problem, and the clock can’t reset every time a new general manager is hired by ownership.

In six seasons, McDavid and Draisaitl have four NHL scoring titles, and soon to be three Hart Trophies between them, yet they have only won one playoff series.

Dating back to his final years in Detroit, Holland has not engineered a playoff-series win in eight seasons.

“We’re going to have pain and we’re going to have disappointments and we’re going to deal with adversity and it’s going to make us better,” Holland said. “The pain that we’re feeling today, the pain the Oilers fans are feeling today and are players are feeling. I told them that I don’t know if it’s a bad thing, it’s a good thing because the expectations are there.

“We weren’t just satisfied making the playoffs. We played at a high enough level over 56 games that we had aspirations of going on a playoff run and it hurts today. It’s disappointing, but it’s not massively disappointing because we feel we underachieved, it’s massively disappointing because we created expectations based upon what happened in the 56-game regular season and based upon what happened last year.”

Oilers fans do not need to be lectured on pain, they have suffered a lifetime’s worth in the past 20 years, particularly the growing segment not around for the ’80s glory years, which the organization continues to cling to like gum on the bottom of a shoe.

Oilers fans are aware that without McDavid, Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse having career years, and the league forced to adopt a Canadian division format, things could have been a lot more dire this season.

McDavid, Draisaitl and Nurse accounted for over 45 per cent of the total individual points this season, 42 per cent at even strength.

In all his time with the Red Wings, Holland never had a team that top heavy. 1214270 Edmonton Oilers Larsson is more direct about where he wants to be. He likes it here and might be coming off the best season of his career. Of course he wants to come back.

What is Ken Holland going to do with the Edmonton Oilers blue line? “At the exit meeting, we’ll get a better picture of where we’re at. Right now, who knows what the future brings. But I love it here. I love the guys, What happens with unrestricted free agents Tyson Barrie and Adam the city, the fans, everything. I love everything around this organization. Larsson, both key ingredients in what the Oilers were able to accomplish I’ll just leave it at that.” this season? STAYING PATIENT

The cupboard is deep when it comes to young and prospect defencemen Robert Tychkowski — Bouchard, Philip Broberg and Dmitri Samorukov in addition to Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones — but holland won’t be turning over the keys to

the blue line anytime soon. It takes five or six years to mature into the Between four unrestricted free agents, a possible career-ending ailment kind of player Nurse has become and it can be costly to the team, and and an upcoming expansion draft, a pool of defencemen that was waist the young player, to put too much on a plate too soon. deep and crystal clear just a few days ago has become rather murky now “When you watch a team celebrate with the Stanley Cup on the ice every that the Oilers are heading into the summer. year, there’s lot of greybeards, experienced players,” said Holland, Other than Darnell Nurse and Ethan Bear, the top six moving forward is adding that with McDavid and Draisaitl ready to win now, the focus needs anyone’s guess. to be on defencemen who are ready to do the same.

What happens with unrestricted free agents Tyson Barrie and Adam “I can’t support them with a whole bunch of 20 and 21-year-olds. We Larsson, both key ingredients in what the Oilers were able to accomplish want to have some 21 and 22 on our team because they’re going to grow this season? into players who are part of the solution, but you need those veteran players who’ve been there before. Were fellow impending UFAs Dmitry Kulikov and Slater Koekkoek only here for a cup of coffee or are they in the plans? “You need veterans to go on playoffs runs, but you also need a component of youth that brings enthusiasm and speed in a salary cap Will Oscar Klefbom be healthy enough to put his name back into the world. You need a mix.” equation? Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 05.28.2021 What kind of impact will Evan Bouchard have and can a team run the risk of placing a big chunk of its playoff fortunes on the shoulders of a 22- year-old defenceman?

Who might they lose in the expansion draft?

What might free agency provide?

Those are the moving targets Holland will try and knock down in the coming months as he retools the Oilers for what everyone expects, if not insists, will be a big step forward for an organization long overdue for a playoff breakthrough.

Holland says he will begin conversations with his impending UFAs in a couple of weeks, then explore the market for what else might be available.

“They either have to be re-signed or we use that cap space and go to market,” he said. “I’m going through the process right now.”

At the heart of the equation is what happens with Klefbom. Healthy and at his best, he is everything the Oilers want and need on their blue line and in their room. But there is also a chance he doesn’t play again. Those are

“There’s still an unknown,” said Holland. “Is Klef coming back or is Klef not coming back? I’m going to touch base with them around July 1. Obviously we have to submit our protected list for the expansion draft.

“Unless he says in July there is absolutely no go and his career is over, I don’t know that anyone is going to really know, doctors or Klef, until September or October. He is obviously a big unknown.”

Then there’s Barrie. He was a brilliant addition who helped the power play to No.1 in the NHL and Nurse to the best offensive season of his career. He led all NHL defencemen in scoring and is now in a position to cash in on those numbers.

Ideally, the Oilers would re-sign him to a short-term deal, a couple of years until Bouchard is closer to being ready for top-four minutes at both ends of the ice, but that’s probably not the neighbourhood Barrie is shopping.

“It will be a bit of the same this year (as last summer),” he said, adding he would prefer a longer-term deal, but is open to creative alternatives. “Trying to weigh your options and see which teams have interest and which might be a good fit, see where the cards fall.”

Is Edmonton a possibility?

“I honestly don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t spoken with Kenny or touched based with my agent. But I’m sure we’ll have a couple of discussions and see what their interest level is like, as well as mine.” 1214271 Edmonton Oilers Seems like a no-brainer. 2. Say goodbye to Mikko Koskinen

When asked about his intentions for veteran goaltender Mike Smith, Five Oilers offseason predictions based on the latest from GM Ken Holland was crystal clear. Holland: The pressure’s on, so what’s next? “I want to re-sign him,” he said.

Makes sense. Smith was excellent this past season, posting a .923 save By Daniel Nugent-Bowman May 27, 2021 percentage and finishing 12th with 7.04 goals saved above average, per Natural Stat Trick.

Much of Ken Holland’s message during his 65-minute season-ending There should be a natural fit with the Oilers, especially given his media availability was about how improvement must come from within, relationship with coach — who’s expected to return in the how lessons from playoff heartache could result in growth and, hopefully, last year of his contract. Unless negotiations unexpectedly become titles like his 1990s Red Wings. contentious or Smith asks for the moon, it’s likely he returns.

It may have seemed underwhelming or perhaps downright disappointing But he’s 39 years old and unlikely to replicate the season he just had. to some fans who skipped their lunch hour to tune in hoping to hear He’d need a more reliable 1B partner given his age and career track grandiose promises of sweeping changes from the Oilers GM. record with a full 82-game season looming. The free agent market is littered with those types of options like James Reimer, Chris Driedger, No, there won’t be a complete overhaul of the roster swept out of the first Jonathan Bernier, Jaroslav Halak, Linus Ullmark, Petr Mrazek, and Antti round. But there doesn’t need to be one anyway. Though the Oilers just Raanta — just to name a few. had a “massive disappointment” because they “underachieved” — Holland’s words — they don’t have an aging core on bad contracts like Koskinen simply cannot be Smith’s partner. Not based on his .899 save some teams that suffer the same fate. percentage. Not based on how he played down the stretch.

It goes without saying that Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Darnell I know that was the thinking last offseason. However, the roles were Nurse are the types of players you want to build around rather than reversed then as it was the younger Koskinen who had the better regular relinquish. season numbers and started more games in the playoffs. And bringing back Smith in free agency wasn’t Plan A or B either. So, Holland will be adding around the edges, adding secondary scoring and complementary pieces to support his stars. That’s a given, even if Koskinen has to be buyout candidate No. 2 behind Neal. That might be there’s nothing fancy about it. the plan.

Deep down, however, it was hard not to think Holland was under- Another option is to try and trade Koskinen. That would undoubtedly promising with the intention of over-delivering. require the Oilers to eat some of Koskinen’s $4.5 million salary — up to half — and probably add a sweetener, too. He does have a modified no- He has roughly $25 million at his disposal — albeit with the first crack at trade list of 15 teams, which adds another complication. signing pending UFAs like Mike Smith, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Adam Larsson, and Tyson Barrie. He can, and probably will, create more cap A buyout saves the Oilers $3 million for next season leaving $1.5 million space, too. on their cap for the next two years. The advantage to the team — under the right terms — is he stays off Edmonton’s books for the 2022-23 On top of that financial flexibility, Holland has McDavid, Draisaitl, and season. Nurse in their primes but a year older. His team is also heading back to the Pacific Division (which might be a weaker overall group than the Either way you slice it, there are options to move on from Koskinen. With Canadian one). Smith expected back, Holland should choose one of them.

There’s no other way to say it, the time is now to make the Oilers a 3. The Oilers will add a new top-four four defenceman contender — or at least more of one. It’s understood that Adam Larsson is expected to re-sign. If Oscar Holland made it clear there are provisos. He intends to use free agency Klefbom could return healthy, a return of the Oilers’ top four from 2019- to augment his team and doesn’t believe making an impact trade this 20 of those two, Darnell Nurse and Ethan Bear seemed like a possibility. summer is a necessity. Top prospects Evan Bouchard, Philip Broberg, Klefbom’s status was the wild card. Even though Holland’s intention is to Dylan Holloway, and Ryan McLeod aren’t untouchable, but moving them check in on Klefbom again in a few weeks, it doesn’t sound like he’s in a trade sounds like last resort — which makes pulling off a significant counting on him. move nearly impossible. “Klefbom is a big unknown,” Holland said. “I don’t think anyone will really Mortgaging future assets isn’t part of the plan. know until September or October if he can play.” “I don’t believe we’re one trade away where we can start planning the Tyson Barrie isn’t expected to be back because he’s seeking a long-term parade,” Holland said. deal, which would block Bouchard. As I’ve mentioned, I’m told the plan is There are several other ways he can make the Oilers much better. Based to create a path for Bouchard to play regularly on the right side. So, on what he said, here are five predictions from Daniel Nugent-Hopkins — having Barrie around isn’t likely because his similar skill sets could block actually, make that Daniel Nugent-Bowman. Bouchard as was the case this past season.

1. James Neal will be bought out The Oilers need at least one top-four defenceman, and that’s if Bear rebounds to his 2019-20 form. They’re counting on him. Asked if there would be a buyout, Holland’s response was “very possible.” That’s as close to an affirmative as you’re going to get at this The left side next to Larsson, Klefbom’s old spot, saw a rotating cast of time of year. characters.

Neal is the obvious choice. He had 10 points in 29 games during the Caleb Jones and William Lagesson are homegrown blueliners in their season, spent time on the taxi squad and was scratched for the last two early 20s, but they were often pushed down the depth chart and were games of the playoffs. Neal has two more years on his deal and buying regularly scratched. Neither dressed in the playoffs. Kris Russell is best them out would save more than $3.8 million in cap space each annum. suited for depth duty. Dmitry Kulikov, a free agent, was held out of the The $1.9 million cap hit would remain on the books until 2025, but that’s lineup by Tippett’s choice in Game 4. a small price to pay. Ryan Murray and Jamie Oleksiak are just two options set to hit the open Holland might be able to replace Neal in the bottom six with a more market if the Oilers were looking for a lefty. suitable player for that role making at or near the league minimum and The Oilers were an improved defensive team at 5-on-5 compared to the add a top-six talent for less than the $5.75 million the winger made. He previous campaign. But they were still average when it came to Corsi for might even be able to do it for the $3.8 million savings accrued for buying percentage (18th) and a minus-1 goal differential. Neal out. Holland never adequately replaced Klefbom in 2021. It’s a tough task, but he has to try again.

4. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins should re-sign

If Holland doesn’t make a big trade, as he indicated he probably won’t, external improvement will have to come through free agency.

As noted earlier, it looks like the Oilers need reinforcements in goal and on the blue line. They definitely need a boast up front in the form of, probably, multiple pieces. That’s a lot to attract in free agency, especially when Edmonton hasn’t exactly lured the top dogs — unless the Oilers have overpaid (see: Sekera, Andrej and Lucic, Milan).

Bringing back Nugent-Hopkins (the player, not the reporter), scratches one thing off the to-do list. Holland would have to be careful how much term he offers considering RNH is 28. The AAV shouldn’t be much higher than his current $6 million price tag if it even goes up at all.

It could come down to how much Nugent-Hopkins wants to stay — he said Tuesday he does — and how badly he wants to test the open market for the first time in his career.

But wait a minute: How does simply bringing back Nugent-Hopkins make the Oilers better, you ask? There’s no guarantee, but the smart money is on him having more than seven goals and two primary assists at 5-on-5 like he did this past season. It’s almost an improvement by default if he produces more.

As long as the deal makes sense for the Oilers, signing RNH and expecting him to produce more in the first couple of years could be a wise investment.

One in the hand is often better than two in the bush. It could be for Holland, too.

5. The Oilers will sign a top-six winger

There are lots of holes up front. They need more depth scoring. They could use a right-handed centreman. Those areas are bound to be addressed.

But the most impactful need is a no-questioned-asked top-six winger, whether they bring back Nugent-Hopkins or not.

Draisaitl’s ability to play centre and wing — and to a lesser extent Nugent-Hopkins’s, too — offers Holland more flexibility to bring in a pivot if that’s the best option. A winger would be more ideal.

There are several suitable options to varying degrees that they’ll leave their current homes: Brandon Saad, Gabriel Landeskog, Nick Foligno, Jaden Schwartz, Tomas Tatar, Mikael Granlund, Zack Hyman, and Blake Coleman to name a few.

Did you really think I wouldn’t mention you know who? Taylor Hall would be an excellent addition to this team.

I’ve always scoffed at the notion of him coming back to Edmonton and returning to the Bruins seems like the most logical bet from afar. But the Oilers have a need, money to spend, and the coach and manager are different from when he left.

If you’re a betting person, putting down a few bucks on a reunion could be a sneaky good call that would net a good return.

If it’s not Hall, Holland is bound to get someone else. You can pretty much bank on that.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214272 Edmonton Oilers clinching goal to stick another playoff dagger in the hearts of Red Wings fans.

8. Bobby Orr, 1974-75 Connor McDavid isn’t alone: Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr Regular season stats: 46 goals, 89 assists, 135 points endured playoff heartbreak after their best seasons Regular season awards: Norris Trophy & Art Ross Trophy

Playoff result: Lost in preliminary round to Chicago (3 games) By Ian Mendes May 27, 2021 Bobby Orr flirted with a 50-goal campaign in 1974-75 and yet somehow

only finished third in the Hart Trophy voting behind Bobby Clarke and At the end of the regular season, the podcast hosts for “The Athletic Rogie Vachon. But his 135 points was the most in the league and it Hockey Show” were asked to submit playoff brackets for each of the four marks the last time in which a defenceman won the scoring title. divisions. His Bruins, however, were shockingly eliminated in the best-of-three I instinctually selected the Winnipeg Jets to defeat the Edmonton Oilers preliminary round by the Chicago Blackhawks — who finished 12 points in their first-round matchup in the North Division, which certainly placed behind them in the standings. The Bruins won the first game of that me in the minority. series 8-2 but lost Game 2 in overtime and dropped a 6-4 decision in the decisive Game 3. But as I mentioned on the podcast with Sean McIndoe a few weeks ago, something weird inevitably happens to NHL superstars in the playoffs In hindsight, this 1974-75 season was the last time we would see Orr after they’ve had a remarkable regular season. play at this level. Despite being only 27, Orr would go on to play just 36 more regular season games in the NHL as multiple knee surgeries would It happened Bobby Orr. derail his career. And he would never suit up for another playoff game.

It happened to Wayne Gretzky. 7. Bryan Trottier, 1978-79

It happened to Mario Lemieux. Regular season stats: 47 goals, 87 assists, 134 points

And sure enough, after posting 105 points in a 56-game campaign, it just Regular season awards: Hart Trophy & Art Ross Trophy happened to Connor McDavid. Playoff result: Lost in semifinal to Rangers (6 games) Having a statistically dominant regular season — only to endure playoff heartbreak — seems to almost be a rite of passage in the NHL. In 1978-79, Bryan Trottier captured the Hart Trophy and Art Ross Trophy for the only time in his career. His Islanders appeared to be on the verge So after McDavid and the Oilers were swept out of the first round by of inheriting the mantle of the most dominant team in hockey from the Winnipeg, here’s a countdown of the 10 other most painful playoff Montreal Canadiens. The Islanders actually pushed the Canadiens off endings for NHL superstars after they’ve had an otherworldly regular the top perch and finished first overall with 116 points in the regular season. season.

10. Wayne Gretzky, 1985-86 But instead of meeting the Canadiens in a highly anticipated Stanley Cup Final, the Islanders were stunned by their crosstown rivals the New York Regular season stats: 52 goals, 163 assists, 215 points Rangers in the semifinals. Trottier and his linemate Mike Bossy were Regular season awards: Hart Trophy & Art Ross Trophy virtually invisible during the series, as the Rangers held them to just three points combined in the six games. Playoff result: Lost second round to Calgary (7 games) 6. 1990-91 Brett Hull During the regular season, Gretzky grabbed the scoring title by registering more assists (163) than anybody else in the league had Regular season stats: 86 goals, 45 assists, 131 points points. It’s a mind-boggling statistic that we’ll likely never see duplicated Regular season awards: Hart Trophy in our lifetime. Playoff result: Lost second round to Minnesota (6 games) But in the second round of the playoffs, the Oilers were stunned with a Game 7 loss to their archrival Calgary Flames. The series-deciding goal Brett Hull’s most dominant season was truly something to behold, as he occurred in the third period of Game 7, when Oilers defenceman Steve led the league with 86 goals during the regular season. The next closest Smith accidentally banked a clearing pass off the pad of goalie Grant player in the league had 51 goals — giving Hull a 35-goal cushion in Fuhr. The stunning loss interrupted the Oilers dynasty and prevented which he captured the goal-scoring crown. Hull scored 57 even-strength them from joining the Montreal Canadiens as the only franchise to win goals, meaning he wouldn’t have needed to score a single power-play five consecutive Stanley Cups. goal to win the title.

9. Sergei Fedorov, 1993-94 And Hull’s individual success translated to the team, as the Blues finished second overall in the NHL with 105 points — just one point back Regular season stats: 56 goals, 64 assists, 120 points of the Presidents’ Trophy winners from Chicago. After the Blackhawks Regular season awards: Hart Trophy & Selke Trophy were stunned in the first round by the North Stars, you would have figured the Blues would not have been surprised by the North Stars in the Playoff result: Lost first round to San Jose (7 games) second round. Alas, Minnesota held Hull to just three goals in the series and pulled off another major upset. When you think about the poster boy for the Detroit Red Wings failures in the late 1980s and early 1990s, your mind probably races immediately to Hull would have to wait another eight years before finally tasting Stanley Steve Yzerman. But while Yzerman put up some ridiculous statistical Cup champagne with the Dallas Stars. seasons for Detroit, it’s fair to argue that Fedorov’s 1993-94 season is the best individual campaign ever by a Red Wings player. 5. Mario Lemieux, 1988-89

Fedorov not only won the Hart Trophy, but he also captured the Selke Regular season stats: 85 goals, 114 assists, 199 points Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward — the only player to win Regular season awards: Art Ross Trophy both awards in the same season. The Red Wings were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference that season and heavily favoured to beat the Playoff result: Lost in second round to Philadelphia (7 games) San Jose Sharks who were making their first playoff appearance. It’s fair to put Lemieux’s 1988-89 season up there with Ted Williams After San Jose took a 3-2 series lead, most assumed the Red Wings batting .406 for the Boston Red Sox in 1941 as the best individual would emerge victorious after they forced a seventh game with a 7-1 seasons in sports history in which the player did not end up as the league thrashing of the Sharks in Game 6. But late in Game 7, Jamie Baker MVP. Lemieux was edged out by Wayne Gretzky in the Hart Trophy capitalized on a Chris Osgood misplay of the puck to score the series- race, as more voters were impressed with Gretzky’s impact on Los The loss not only prevented a Penguins three-peat, but also the potential Angeles in his first season with the Kings. of a Lemieux-Gretzky showdown, as Gretzky’s Kings eventually advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. But Lemieux’s Penguins had home-ice advantage after finishing second in the Patrick Division and had their archrival Flyers on the ropes in the 1. 1981-82 Wayne Gretzky second round. In Game 5 of that series, Lemieux scored five goals and three assists to tie an NHL record with eight points in a single playoff Regular season stats: 92 goals, 120 assists, 212 points game. The Penguins were just one victory away from a trip to the Regular season awards: Hart Trophy & Art Ross Trophy conference finals and their superstar was firing on all cylinders. But in the last two games of the series, the Penguins offence sputtered and they Playoff result: Lost in first round to Los Angeles (5 games) were outscored 10-3 by the Flyers as Lemieux was held to just a single Gretzky’s 92 goals in 1981-82 is often mentioned in the conversation of goal. the most unbreakable single-season records in all of pro sports. Gretzky 4. Nikita Kucherov, 2018-19 scored 68 even-strength goals that year, which is another unreachable milestone. His upstart Edmonton Oilers won their division and finished 48 Regular season stats: 41 goals, 87 assists 128 points points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings — providing the perfect backdrop Regular season awards: Hart Trophy & Art Ross Trophy for one of the greatest upsets in NHL history.

Playoff result: Lost in first round to Columbus (4 games) The turning point in the series came in Game 3, with the Oilers holding a 5-0 lead in the third period and poised to take a 2-1 series, Los Angeles Nikita Kucherov’s 2018-19 regular season is one of the most dominant in stormed back by scoring six unanswered goals — including a Daryl recent history. His 128 points were the most of any player in the post- Evans overtime winner — to create the “Miracle on Manchester.” lockout era and the most points of any Art Ross winner since 1996. His Tampa Bay Lightning team was equally dominant, tying a regular season The Kings eventually prevailed in five games, handing Gretzky and the record by notching 62 wins and cruising to a Presidents’ Trophy. Oilers one of the most painful losses in NHL history.

But Tampa Bay became the first Presidents’ Trophy winner to be swept The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, losing in four straight games to the Columbus Blue Jackets. To add a layer of pain for Kucherov, the Lightning superstar was suspended for Game 3 of this series after a dangerous boarding incident involving Columbus’ Markus Nutivaara.

3. Bobby Orr, 1970-71

Regular season stats: 37 goals, 102 assists, 139 points

Regular season awards: Hart Trophy & Norris Trophy

Playoff result: Lost in first round to Montreal (7 games)

This honour could have also gone to Orr’s teammate Phil Esposito, who scored a then-record 76 goals during the regular season and led the league with 152 points. But Orr won the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player and also finished with a mind-boggling plus-124 rating — a record that surely will never be broken.

Whether you want to side with Orr or Esposito on this one, it’s clear the Bruins were the monumental favourite heading into this series. Not only was Boston the defending Stanley Cup champions, but they also finished first overall with 121 points — which remains the best regular season in franchise history. On top of that, the Bruins would be facing Montreal Canadiens rookie netminder Ken Dryden, who had played just six career NHL games.

The Bruins even held a 3-2 series lead, but ended up losing the next two games and were outscored 12-5 by the Canadiens in the process. Boston would go on to win the Stanley Cup the following season, leaving the 1971 collapse against Montreal as a gaping hole in what should have been a three-peat window for the Bruins.

2. Mario Lemieux, 1992-93

Regular season stats: 69 goals, 91 assists, 160 points

Regular season awards: Hart Trophy, Art Ross Trophy & Masterton Trophy

Playoff result: Lost in second round to Islanders (7 games)

Lemieux’s 1992-93 regular season is one of the most impressive in sports history, when you consider he missed almost two months of action to undergo radiation treatments in his battle against Hodgkin’s lymphoma. When he returned to action in early March, he trailed Pat LaFontaine by 12 points in the scoring race. Six weeks later, Lemieux finished the regular season by winning the Art Ross Trophy and finishing 12 points ahead of LaFontaine for the scoring title.

During Lemieux’s torrid streak down the stretch, his Penguins pulled off an NHL record by winning 17 consecutive regular season games. As the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, Pittsburgh looked like an unstoppable juggernaut. But in the second round of the playoffs, a plucky underdog New York Islanders team stunned the Penguins with a Game 7 overtime winner from David Volek. 1214273 Florida Panthers line center after a trade-deadline acquisition, are both restricted free agents. The Panthers, according to CapFriendly, are projected to have almost $10 million in cap space to resign them and further upgrade the roster, though. Florida also has to figure out what to do with defenseman ‘Disappointing to a different level’: Why this Panthers exit is different (in a Keith Yandle, who’s on track to set the NHL record for consecutive good way) games next year, but was a healthy scratch for 3 of 6 playoff games.

Goaltender Chris Driedger, who finished the regular season tied for fourth in save percentage, is likely to walk and find somewhere he can BY DAVID WILSON compete to be a full-time starter, but the Panthers are still deep at goaltender with Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight.

TAMPA-The Florida Panthers’ season had hardly been over 10 minutes The latter was the revelation of the postseason. As a 20-year-old rookie, and Jonathan Huberdeau was already in his suit, ready to get out of Knight significantly outplayed both Bobrovsky and Driedger in the Tampa and back to South Florida after a uniquely disappointing ending. postseason, and will share the net with Bobrovsky, who’s heading into the third year of a massive seven-year, $70-million contract. Down the Every one of his nine seasons with the Panthers has ended similarly. In road, Zito will have a major decision to make at goalie, but he can hold six, Florida didn’t make the playoffs at all. In the other three, the Panthers off for now with Knight on an entry-level contract and still inexperienced were done before the end of the opening of the Stanley Cup playoffs. enough to justify keeping a veteran around. Florida’s latest early exit — a 4-2 series loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs — The future has seldom been brighter in Florida, even if the ending felt actually qualifies as a relative success compared to most of the familiar. organization’s history and especially compared to its exit from the 2020 “In two weeks, we’re probably going to look back and think about these Stanley Cup playoffs a year ago. things. We had a good team this year. We were a lot more depth than we The four-game loss in the qualifying round of the expanded Cup playoffs usually did and obviously we don’t know what’s going to happen this was the sort of ending that prompted soul-searching and brutally honest year,” Huberdeau said Wednesday. “We have a lot of guys that need to exit meetings, the firing of a longtime general manager and a massive resign and stuff. I like our group. I like the chemistry in the room, on the roster overhaul. ice.

The result of it all was still another first-round exit, but, for the Panthers, it “We’re optimistic for the next year, for sure.” could still qualify as one of the best seasons in franchise history. Miami Herald LOADED: 05.28.2021 “I was very disappointed [with] last year’s ending,” Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said Wednesday. “This is disappointing to a different level.”

The Sunshine State Showdown concludes. The @FlaPanthers fall 4-2 in the 1st round of the #NHLPlayoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning.#FLAvsTBL #FearNoOne #FlaPanthers #OneTerritory pic.twitter.com/6FuMtJniTh

— Bally Sports Florida: Panthers (@BallyPanthers) May 27, 2021

Unlike last season and most every season in the organization’s history, Florida ended the 2020-21 NHL season feeling like it was a missed opportunity. The Panthers were a real Stanley Cup contender after finishing second in the loaded Central Division and finishing with the fourth-most points in the league. They were the higher seed than the defending-champion Lightning and mostly outplayed their in-state rival throughout all six games in the first-round series.

While early endings to most of Florida’s seasons felt inevitable, this team had real reasons to believe it could make a deep run in the and maybe even seriously contend for a Cup for the first time since it reached the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals in its third season of existence.

Instead, they still haven’t won a playoff series since 1996.

“It was a great season by us. We were having a lot of fun,” star center Aleksander Barkov said Wednesday. “We enjoyed playing with each other, but right now it’s just tough to say anything. I don’t know what to say. I’m disappointed.”

The regular season was probably the best in Panthers history. They set a franchise record for points percentage and, despite the shortened season, tied the franchise record for goal differential. Barkov, Quenneville and general manager could all be finalists for NHL awards in the coming weeks for their roles in transforming Florida from an afterthought into one of the best teams in the league.

Quenneville said he “absolutely” feels the Panthers are in a much better place right now than when the 2019-20 NHL season ended with a loss in the qualifying round of the expanded Cup playoffs.

“It was one of those years where expectations were probably not high. Internally, I think they grew over the course of the season and I think that’s a healthy thing,” Quenneville said. “You can’t be satisfied with the improvement that we did have, which, this year, was significant. Let’s keep thinking that this is the rate we want to get better at.”

There are a few significant questions Florida will face in the offseason. Forward Alex Wennberg, who spent most of the season as the second- line center, is an unrestricted free agent and top-line winger Anthony Duclair and versatile forward Sam Bennett, who took over as the second- 1214274 Florida Panthers Both teams won games in which they were never really threatened, but for the most part, this series was tight.

It really could have gone either way. The Panthers are as close to being Disappointing end leads promising Florida Panthers into offseason elite as they have been in decades.

Bill Zito Q&A: Panthers GM talks first season, Barkov and more

By George Richards ”We had a great year, we played a really good team and got beat but they had a hard time,” said Huberdeau, who was tied with Tampa Bay star Nikita Kucherov for the NHL lead in postseason scoring coming into Game 6. The Florida Panthers surprised a lot of people this season. Picked by many to miss the playoffs, the Panthers instead came within a point of “Organization-wise, it was good to see that, to see the fans and get back first place in a revamped NHL Central Division. Despite seeing their into a winning culture. That’s what we want. Playoffs matter and we have season end Thursday night with a 4-2 series loss to the Lightning, the to win there, but this is what we want. Next year, we’ll come back with a future of this team definitely looks promising. better attitude and can be a better team. …

In this 2021 season, the Panthers finished with their highest point “In two weeks, we probably look back on these things. We had a good percentage of all-time (.705, ranked fourth in the entire league), winning team this year, had a lot more depth and we don’t know what’s going to 37 of 56 games. happen with guys who have to be signed and all, but I like our group. I like the chemistry on the ice and in the room. I like what we’re doing, it These Panthers were legitimately good. just didn’t go our way this series. We’re optimistic about the next year for And they are legitimately good. As Sasha Barkov said after it all came to sure.” a disappointing end Wednesday night in Game 6 against the Lightning, BIG QUESTIONS the Florida Panthers are contenders now. The Panthers definitely have questions which need to be answered this The team does have some things to figure out in the offseason. There offseason although the building of this team seems to be well on its way. are players to be re-signed, drafted and wooed. Then there is Barkov, who can sign a long-term contract in the summer. Although there was a report in the New York Post that Quenneville could be going to Seattle as the new coach of the expansion Kraken, no one is The building up of the Panthers is not done — but it is close. taking it too seriously. These do not feel like the ‘same old Panthers.’ Quenneville, one of the highest paid coaches in the NHL, appears very “We’re disappointed but it was a great regular season by us, we had a lot happy to be leading this franchise forward. of fun,’’ Barkov said. “We enjoyed playing with each other. … This year Had the Seattle story come out last summer when the Panthers were felt way different. As I said all year, this felt like a new start for me and a kicked to the Toronto curb by the Islanders without much fight, perhaps it new start for everyone in the organization. That’s how we felt and we would have more legs. played like a fresh team, a fresh organization. It sucks it had to end.” Right now, why would Quenneville want to go anywhere else? What will general manager Bill Zito tackle first? This is a team on the rise. At the end of a season, teams always look back at what happened. PANTHERS BUILDING UP In Florida’s case, it may be best to look at the strides the team made in 2021 and where this team can be in the future. With solid work done already from Zito and the strong front office he has built in less than a year on the job, the Panthers feel good about where With the talent here, most of which is under team control for the near they are — and where they are headed. future, the future of the Panthers looks bright. ”Before the playoffs, we were one of the contenders. We played really ”We go home in the summer here and look at it,” coach Joel Quenneville good hockey,” Barkov said. said. “There’s a lot of positives and you are always looking to get better. Can’t be satisfied with the success we had which, this year, was Florida will lose a player, perhaps a good one, to Seattle in the expansion significant. draft.

“Let’s keep thinking that’s the rate we want to keep getting better at. Chris Driedger, the backup goalie everyone in South Florida loves, is a Outside expectations were not high and internally they grew throughout free agent and will almost assuredly be leaving as well. the season. That’s a healthy thing.” That, really, is the least of their concerns. Yes, the Panthers looking ahead with something to build on is definitely a healthy thing. In Game 6, the Panthers had their two highest-paid players — Sergei Bobrovsky and Keith Yandle — as healthy scratches. That was more The Panthers have much to look back on with fondness although it may than $16 million worth of salary sitting in the press box, or, wherever they not feel like it on Thursday morning. watched the game from.

Quenneville could be the league’s Coach of the Year, Bill Zito the NHL’s Both players have, at least in Bobrovsky’s case, a lot of years left on their GM of the Year. contracts and no-movement clauses as well.

Barkov is the favorite to win the Selke Trophy which would bring the Even if another team did wanted to acquire them, the players would have franchise its first major player award since Aaron Ekblad won the Calder to agree to the trade. Trophy for top rookie in 2015. After seeing Zito move Mike Matheson and his six-year deal in the Jonathan Huberdeau, playing his way into elite status, won Florida’s first offseason, no one thinks it is an impossibility to make something happen Calder in 2013. this year.

Defenseman MacKenzie Weegar will get votes for the league’s top Perhaps a backdoor deal has already been made with one of the players defenseman although if Aaron Ekblad had not been hurt, he probably and another (Seattle?) team. wins the Norris Trophy. Florida may still be playing, too. But that is complete speculation on my part. The Panthers are not only looking like contenders as Barkov said, they proved it this season. Moving a big chunk of salary would be in Florida’s best interest with a flat cap remaining in place and a number of key pieces — Sam Bennett, Florida gave the defending champion Lightning all it could handle in a Anthony Duclair, Alex Wennberg, Brandon Montour, etc. — needing to six-game series which felt like it should have gone the limit. be re-signed. Oh, and you can bet the Panthers would like to dish off some big hunks They always are. of salary what with Barkov being up for an extension this summer. Next year, you start talking to Huberdeau about his long-term deal. They have to be.

Keeping Barkov and Huberdeau is going to cost in the neighborhood of This team is really close and, after all these years, truly legitimate. $18-23 million per season moving forward. It’s a nice neighborhood, Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 05.28.2021 sure, but if the Panthers could move some money it can be done.

The Panthers are a cap team because they are a talented one. This is a team being built for the very near future.

As much as people hate hearing about prospects on the way, Florida has recent first-round pick Anton Lundell coming up as well.

He could be Florida’s second or third line center next season. He is a star in the making and could give, if Wennberg and Bennett come back, the Panthers some of the best center depth in the entire league.

Florida also has some pretty good depth defensively.

And we haven’t even mentioned Spencer Knight; just figured he’s gotten enough pub in the past week to suffice.

ZITO’S SUCCESSFUL FIRST YEAR

The Panthers looked stacked for their future and that is said before we know what Zito is going to pull off next.

With rare exception, everyone he brought in during his first year behind ’s former desk has worked out. The ones who have not really worked didn’t cost anything.

There have been, for sure, many more hits than misses. Pete Rose-like numbers, actually.

This will be an eventful offseason as it always seems to be when it comes to the Panthers.

Owner Vinnie Viola is not happy the Panthers lost Wednesday, trust me.

But, don’t expect the craziness that transpired in 2016 when Florida lost to the Islanders in the first round and everything around here changed. Those moves had been in motion long before the Panthers lost Game 6 in Brooklyn and nothing of the sort is underfoot now.

The Panthers learned from those mistakes and are building, not tearing down to reimagine themselves this time around.

MORE BIG MOVES COMING?

Perhaps there will be some moves.

Could Huberdeau be traded? Maybe. If the team doesn’t think it could keep both he and Barkov long-term, Huberdeau would not have better value nor get a better return (two years left at $6 per which is an absolute steal) than he is right this second.

Florida should and will try and keep Huberdeau and Barkov together. They are cornerstone pieces of the franchise. Just throwing it out there that his trade value will never be higher.

Huberdeau’s star shone bright in these playoffs. You thought he was good before, well, he blew up against the Lightning.

Can the Panthers move one of their two biggest contracts in Bobrovsky and/or Yandle? The thought here is one of them will not be in Sunrise when training camp kicks off in September.

Yandle is the not-so-safe bet. He only has two years left on his contract and it should be easier to move, especially if the Panthers eat some money and throw in a sweetener.

Bobrovsky, when he signed as a free agent in 2019, only had two teams seriously trying to sign him — Florida and the Islanders. The Panthers bid against themselves and will have to live with it, for better or worse, in the near future.

Bobrovsky is not done, far from it.

Will he ever be worth a cap hit of $10 million? Was he ever going to be? Maybe not, but he can still be a guy the Panthers count on moving forward.

Again, these are all problems that will be worked out in the coming weeks and months of what may not be a long offseason on the calendar. The draft is coming, free agency as well.

The Panthers will be active. 1214275 Florida Panthers what we’re capable of. We played really good hockey in the playoffs. … We created a lot of chances. We just couldn’t win games.”

Said Quenneville: “We learned how tough it is to win in the first round. It’s Steve Gorten: Goalie edge in Panthers v. Lightning went to Vasilevskiy the toughest round ever.”

This first playoff edition of the Sunshine State Showdown was every bit as emotional and intense as we expected and could have hoped for. 1By Steve Gorten For stretches, the Panthers proved to be the Lightning’s equal. That’s why it was so disappointing for them that their playoff run ended as quickly as it did. The season for the Florida Panthers is over, and it’s because they simply couldn’t solve Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy in Game 6. “That’s why your parents put you on skates when you’re 3 or 4 years old — to play in these types of games,” Barkov said. The probable 2021 Vezina Trophy winner stopped 29 shots in a 4-0 Lightning win Wednesday at Amalie Arena in Tampa that wrapped up “I enjoyed every second. I wanted this to continue even longer. But I this first-round playoff series 4-2 for the defending Stanley Cup have to say credit to Tampa. …They’re the team that knows how to win champions. these games and they showed us. …That’s why you learn from them. They know how to win. And we’ve got to find a way to do those winning STEVE GORTEN, FHN Columnist things, too, every time we step on the ice.” “He’s one of the best goalies in the league, if not the best,” said Florida The key for the Panthers is to make sure they build on this season. Next captain Sasha Barkov. season, the goal should be nothing less than winning a playoff series. “It’s tough to score on him. You have to get more guys at the net and “We can’t be satisfied with the improvement that we did have, which this shoot the puck better. Easy shots on him are not going to go in.” year was significant,” Quenneville said. “Let’s keep thinking that that’s the “We needed to get that first [goal],” Panthers coach Joel Quenneville rate we want to get better at.” noted. “We had some great looks, great opportunities. Some didn’t even Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 05.28.2021 get on net that could have been the best quality chances we had. …We weren’t able to crack him.”

Sometimes, you just run into a hot goalie.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, they had zero room for such an obstacle after losing three of the first four games in this series.

“You get down 3-1, you don’t have many opportunities to have a game like we did [Wednesday] where you do what you wanted to do, and you can’t put one by him,” Quenneville said.

One figured Vasilevskiy, who is favored to win his second Vezina this year, was due to eventually have a performance like this before this series ended.

Vasilevskiy may have been even more motivated to get his first shutout of the season against the Panthers after watching 20-year-old Panthers rookie Spencer Knight limit the Lightning to just one goal in Game 5 — a spectacular playoff debut that included 36 saves.

Steve Gorten: It’s now Spencer Knight Time for the Florida Panthers

The Panthers scored four or more goals five times against Vasilevskiy this season, including Games 1 and 3.

In Game 3 in this same building, they rallied from two goals down to in the third period and prevailed in overtime.

It’s the only one of 31 games the Lightning have lost this season when leading after two periods.

So, there was hope when they started the third period Wednesday trailing 2-0. But they couldn’t break through, even while finishing with more shots (29-24) and scoring chances than the Lightning.

For the second consecutive game, the Lightning scored on their first shot on goal. This time, Tyler Johnson hustled to beat out an icing call and, from behind the net, backhanded the puck out front to Pat Maroon, who batted the puck in with his own backhand.

Knight settled in after that as he did Monday night and gave the Panthers a chance, allowing just a power-play goal to Steven Stamkos in the second period before Brayden Point scored on a stellar move with 5:24 left in the game and Alex Killorn added an empty-netter.

Knight played well enough Wednesday for this series to reach a decisive seventh game.

It’s just that Vasilevskiy was at his best.

So, a successful season in which the Panthers took a huge stride in the right direction ends just six games into the postseason.

“We had our chances in this series,” Jonathan Huberdeau said.

“Before the playoffs, we were one of the contenders,” Barkov said. “We played really good hockey in the regular season and showed everyone 1214276 Los Angeles Kings “Some of those jumps can be massive. I’m hopeful we’ll see that. Whether it’s a bit more confidence or these two months of training. I hope our offseason is long enough to make those gains. Our message was crystal clear particularly with some of our younger guys that this has to Exit Interview – Ontario Head Coach John Wroblewski be a business summer and can’t be a vacation to go home to the lakes. They’ve got to attack the summer. They’re at an age where they can

make massive leaps.” By Jack Jablonski Self-Reflection

– Along with Wroblewski being a first-year bench boss for the Reign, it Following the conclusion of the Ontario Reign’s 2021 season, first-year was also the first year behind the bench for Assistant Coach Craig Head Coach of the Reign, John Wroblewski, met with the media Johnson and the first year together for the coaching trio of Wroblewski, yesterday morning for his end of the year exit interview. Full of insight Johnson and Chris Hajt. Given the chaos and the unprecedented times and intricate detail, Wroblewski had plenty to look back on from the that impacted the season, Wroblewski and his staff went through plenty abbreviated 40-game regular season, filled with plenty of ups and downs. of trial and error. Looking back, he found many positives to take and move forward with. Wroblewski’s exit interview can be found below – “We were never out of inspiration for a message, something to work on, While much of the exit interview could’ve been spent going from prospect something to make better or something that drastically needed to prospect and getting Wroblewski’s thoughts on said player, there were improvement. As the year went on, I think we got better at addressing many other topics that the bench boss covered. And yes, don’t worry, single values and trying to fix one thing at a time. Ultimately, we had the Wroblewski did give his thoughts on a few of the Reign prospects too. confidence as a group to stick to our mantra.”

Growth and Development of the Players – The extremely self-aware coach made it clear this year that while learning lessons to the team were a clear focus this season, there was – Two of the prospects that Wroblewski touched on were 2018 second- no one way to go about it. Having spent four years developing players at round pick Akil Thomas and the 2020 second-overall pick, Quinton the NTDP in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Wroblewski understands how to Byfield. Both having just completed their rookie campaigns, along with 11 communicate and teach the game to aspiring pros. other rostered Reign players), Wroblewski talked highly about their growth in different ways. “I try to change who I am in my methods almost daily. There are a couple values that you try to stick to but dealing with every individual is different – Thomas, who played in all 40 games for the Reign this season, and even the same player throughout time is different. How I handle recorded 26 points (11-15-26) and played a consistent, intelligent game Aidan Dudas on day 10 of his rookie year is much will be much different and won over the trust of the coaching staff according to Wroblewski. than how I handle him on day 10 of his second year. You’ve always got “He’s sort of like an avalanche, he just keeps on rolling. He doesn’t ever to be ready for the individual to change too. If anything, I’ve got to be make any mistakes or get stopped. He also makes around four elite more confident to be flexible, to morph and evolve.” plays a game and they sometimes go unnoticed. He’s extremely unique, General Manager Richard Seeley also gave a season-ending exit heady, and you get the nights where he racks up the hat tricks and interview, which will be posted here on LAKI at a later date. assists and is the game-changer. I was impressed with his rookie year, and a couple more steps he could someday push for a spot with the LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 05.28.2021 Kings.”

-As for someone who did make that step to the Kings at the end of the season, Byfield’s growth from the beginning of the season to season’s end was astronomical. Byfield, who is still only 18-years-old, played in 32 games for the Reign and recorded 20 points (8-12-20).

“When we first got [Byfield], he would fly by almost every one of his battles and when he would engage, he would do it with one hand and a try to ‘poke-and-go.’ Credit to Byfield and Craig Johnson on working together to get him more fluent with his timing and the importance of being around the puck…Towards the end of the season, he had that confidence that he could be around the puck, support it and still be able to take off. [Byfield] had a tremendous blend of being able to take the coaching we gave him and relying on his instincts to be effective.”

– One of many themes that Wroblewski harped on all season were the lessons that the rookie-filled Reign roster was learning night-in and night- out. Game-by-game this season, much of the team was seeing or experiencing something new for the first time in the professional hockey ranks. As noted in our previous coverage on the Reign’s season, those messages seemed to stick a bit more following the team’s 1-10-2 start. As Wroblewski and his staff bid the 2020-21 season adieu, one more message and lesson was addressed to the players.

“A message we left with this group is that you either leave here with confidence that you can come in next year and jump in and be a consistent player with whatever they were doing well at the end of the year or you left here with a bit of hunger. Say it’s a guy like Tyler Madden who got his feet wet, but he didn’t get to experience a full season [missing 26 games due to injury]. He’s leaving here hungry wanting more next year.”

– Wroblewski’s message bodes extremely important because of the positive impact that it can have on the team next year, especially for this season’s rookies, who will come back as second-year players. The jump in effectiveness and production from year one to year two in professional hockey has always been a telling sign of what one might have in their young prospects; Wroblewski agrees. 1214277 Minnesota Wild "I have a lot of confidence in my group," Fiala said. That production was accompanied by a stingy effort when the Wild didn't

have the puck. Wild found production, confidence to carry into Game 7 against Vegas Aside from blocking a game-high 18 shots, the Wild dished out 25 hits — a physical tone that seemed to help the team keep the Golden Knights in check in the second period when Vegas usually dominates, as it did in By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune MAY 28, 2021 — 12:12AM Game 5 when amassing an eye-popping 22 shots.

"Finally, a second period was the way we wanted to play," winger Marcus Foligno said. "Our best one yet in the series so far." Cam Talbot hasn't been scored on in 4½ periods. Combine that attentiveness with clutch scoring and Talbot's poise, and Kevin Fiala is coming off a timely breakout in which he was the ringleader the Wild didn't just survive. The team thrived. of the Wild's offense. "We liked our overall game," Evason said. "No question about that." And the defense has locked down the Wild's zone and hidden the key. Because of that, the Wild is rolling instead of limping into Game 7. After sinking into a 3-1 hole in a best-of-seven series with the Golden Knights, the Wild hasn't just stormed back to even the series and Just getting to the stage might be enough to spark the team after how the summoned a Game 7 on Friday at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas. series turned on the Wild after the opener.

The team reached this winner--moves-on showdown by surging with a But with how the team is playing, any swagger it might have is well- style that suits its strengths. earned.

"We're excited," center Joel Eriksson Ek said. "We're not done yet." "We were happy obviously with [Wednesday] night, but it wasn't like we were celebrating anything," Evason said. "We know that there's still a job Not only has the Wild snatched the momentum in the series with its to be done. We have Game 7 now and an opportunity, and we're looking recent upswing, but a trip down memory lane points to past Game 7 forward to that." success. Star Tribune LOADED: 05.28.2021 This is the third time in the Wild's history it has forced a Game 7 after trailing 3-1, and the team advanced both previous times: In the first round against Colorado in 2003 and then again in Round 2 vs. Vancouver. The Wild remains the only team in NHL history to overcome a 3-1 deficit twice in the same playoffs.

Overall, the Wild is 3-0 in Game 7s, with all those victories coming on the road.

As for the Golden Knights, they're in the familiar position of fending off a rally.

For the third consecutive season in its four-year existence, Vegas is entering a Game 7 after being up 3-1 in the series. The Golden Knights are actually the last NHL team to blow a 3-1 lead, getting ousted by San Jose from the first round in 2019 during overtime in Game 7. Last year, they held off Vancouver 3-0 in Game 7 in the bubble playoffs to make it to the Western Conference finals, where Vegas lost to Dallas 4-1.

Regardless, though, if these track records favor the Wild over the Golden Knights, history might not apply to a Wild lineup that all year long hit the reset button after every game and shrugged its shoulders at what it couldn't control.

"Every team is unique, every season, every team," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "You have your identity, and this group's obviously got great character, great leadership, great buy-in from everybody. So, stats are stats. They're in the past."

Talbot has blanked Vegas twice in the series and while he was superb during a 1-0 overtime victory in Game 1, his 23 saves Wednesday for a 3-0 takedown in Game 6 might have been even more impressive considering what was at stake.

Neither team flinched through two periods, teeing up one mistake to determine the outcome, and the miscue didn't come from Talbot.

"He's calm back there," center Ryan Hartman said of Talbot, who has a .937 save percentage, 2.01 goals-against average and NHL-best two shutouts in the playoffs.

"He makes saves look easy, and he gets over for the hard ones as well. We love having him back there for confidence."

In front of Talbot, the Wild has infiltrated a Golden Knights net that at one time looked inaccessible behind goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

Since getting shut out 4-0 in Game 4, the Wild has had all four lines contribute but a long-awaited boost came in Game 6. That's when Fiala delivered, putting the game-winner from Hartman in motion and then securing his first goal of the series.

Winger Nick Bjugstad closed the third-period outbreak with his first goal of these playoffs. 1214278 Minnesota Wild Kevin O'Shea's 35-footer stunned the 15,635 at the Met and lifted the Blues in the opening-round series. "I was just trying to throw the puck somewhere near the net," he said.

On the brink: Game 7s in Minnesota sports history 1968 North Stars at St. Louis L, 1-2 (2OTs)

The North Stars' tremendous inaugural season came to an abrupt end when Ron Schock scored in double overtime — the fourth OT game of JEFF DAY the series — to prevent the Stars from advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.

1968 North Stars at L.A. Kings W, 9-4 The iconography of Minnesota sports is wrapped up in Game 7s, from 10 innings of Jack Morris to Kevin Garnett on the scorer's table and Steve The North Stars sneaked into the playoffs as the No. 4 seed in their first Payne leaping across the ice. season. After winning Game 6 in overtime, they erupted for five goals in the second period of a 9-4 trouncing of the Kings. Friday night, the Wild plays the first Game 7 in Minnesota sports since it defeated the Colorado Avalanche 5-4 in overtime of the first round of the 1965 Twins vs. L.A. Dodgers L, 2-0 2014 playoffs. Here's the history of Game 7s for Minnesota pro teams: Sandy Koufax struck out 10 and allowed only three hits in a complete- 2014 Wild at Colorado W, 5-4 (OT) game shutout to stymie the Twins in their first World Series appearance. It took 22 years until they reached another one. Nino Niederreiter went top shelf on a 2-on-1 rush, capping his two-goal, one-assist star turn in the first-round series. 1954 Lakers vs. Syracuse W, 87-80

2004 Timberwolves vs. Sacramento W, 83-80 The Lakers won their sixth title in seven years (including one in the NBL) behind Jim Pollard's 21 points. "A man will do anything to get a good Garnett got it done with 32 points, 21 rebounds, four steals and five rest, won't he?" Pollard said. blocks in the franchise's only Game 7. "I've seen him be phenomenal, but in this situation — and with the impact of the game — he's maybe never 1952 Lakers vs. New York W, 82-65 been better," Flip Saunders said after the Western Conference semifinals clincher. George Mikan had 22 points and 19 rebounds but, as he told the Star Tribune, "We're world champions because every fellow had fight and 2003 Wild at Vancouver W, 4-2 determination."

First and only trip to the conference finals for the Wild came after a Star Tribune LOADED: 05.28.2021 furious rally from a 2-0 deficit, including two goals from Pascal Dupuis. "It's been a special year and tonight was a special feat," said defenseman Willie Mitchell. "I'm kind of speechless."

2003 Wild at Colorado W, 3-2 (OT)

Wild won in OT in Game 6 to force Game 7 in Colorado. Marian Gaborik's goal with 4½ minutes left forced OT again before Andrew Brunette snaked through for the shocking winner in the first-round series.

1992 North Stars at Detroit L, 5-2

The North Stars held a 3-1 series lead before Detroit rallied for three consecutive victories in the opening-round series. The franchise moved to Dallas following the 1992-93 season.

1991 Twins vs. Atlanta W, 1-0 (10 inn.)

Unrivaled tension, twists and turns swirled around Morris' 10-inning World Series masterpiece. "Words can't describe the respect I have for that man," Braves star David Justice said of Morris. "It was probably the greatest World Series ever," said MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent.

1990 North Stars at Chicago L, 5-2

Jeremy Roenick and Wayne Presley combined for four goals (two each) in the second period of a Blackhawks rout, lifting them to the opening- round series victory.

1987 Twins vs. St. Louis W, 4-2

Twins' first World Series championship came as Frank Viola stayed steady through eight innings to give his teammates time to rally from a 2- 0 deficit. Fans erupt with joy in downtown. "We're all relieving years of being called losers. We're not losers anymore," said John Traxler of St. Paul.

1984 North Stars vs. St. Louis W, 4-3 (OT)

Steve Payne kept the puck in and sliced through the Blues' defense for a backhand winner and pandemonium at Met Center. "I was wondering what I had to do to get a goal," said Payne, who had seven shots. The Stanley Cup semifinals were next, and the Stars were swept by Edmonton.

1980 North Stars at Montreal W, 3-2

A bouncing puck found its way from Payne to Al MacAdam at the net with just over one minute remaining, shocking the Canadiens in the second- round series.

1972 North Stars at St. Louis L, 2-1 (OT) 1214279 Minnesota Wild

Coach Pete DeBoer, unbeaten in Game 7s, promises Vegas will 'let it fly' vs. Wild

DeBoer is 5-0 in career Game 7s, including one for San Jose against the Golden Knights before he became the Vegas coach.

By Randy Johnson, Star Tribune MAY 27, 2021 — 6:47PM

Pete DeBoer, as his record shows, knows a little bit about Game 7s in the NHL playoffs. He's been a head coach in five of them and has yet to lose.

On Friday night in Las Vegas, the Golden Knights coach will try to extend that run in Game 7 of a West Division first-round series against the Wild. DeBoer didn't offer any secrets to his success in such winner-take-all contests other than trusting what has gotten his team in that position.

"When you look back, just not to overreact to the situation," said DeBoer, who has one Game 7 win with both New Jersey and Vegas and three with San Jose. "It doesn't matter how you got here. You've got one game in order to advance, and you've got to find a way to make that your best game for 60 minutes. Whatever that looks like."

The Golden Knights are facing a Game 7 because they couldn't close out the Wild in their first two attempts. In Game 5 on Monday at T-Mobile Arena, Minnesota scored three first-period goals, escaped from a second period in which it was outshot 22-1 and held on in the third period until Nico Sturm's empty-net goal with 39 seconds to play secured a 4-2 victory. In Game 6 on Wednesday in St. Paul, the Wild broke open a tight defensive game with three third-period goals for a 3-0 win.

DeBoer doesn't detect a feeling of panic with his players. The Golden Knights won a Game 7 last year, defeating Vancouver 3-0 in the Edmonton bubble to reach the Western Conference final. A year earlier, the Golden Knights, then coached by Gerard Gallant, lost 5-4 in overtime in Game 7 to San Jose, which was coached by DeBoer.

"This is an experienced group regardless of Game 7s," DeBoer said. "There's a lot of playoff experience in that room. The guys in there know that every day you wake up in the playoffs and you still got an opportunity to play, it's a great day."

Vegas captain Mark Stone quickly shot down any suggestion that the Golden Knights have been stunned by the results of the past two games.

"Definitely not disbelief," he said after Game 6. "We believe in ourselves; we believe in our team. We have one game in our home rink to move on, it's that simple."

Stone led the Knights in scoring during the regular season; second- leading scorer Max Pacioretty hasn't played in this series.

DeBoer said wingers Pacioretty and Tomas Nosek, who have undisclosed injuries, will be game-time decisions.

Vegas also has two regulars — forward Ryan Reaves and defenseman Brayden McNabb — on the NHL's COVID protocol list, along with 20- year-old Peyton Krebs, who hasn't skated in the series.

To move on, DeBoer expects a tight, low-scoring game again. Sure, his Golden Knights would like to score more than the two goals combined they have in the past two games, but that's not as simple as vowing to do so.

"Sure, we want to score, but the other team has a say in that," DeBoer said. "Minnesota's one of the best defensive teams in the league. It's not that we're not opening it up. You've got to play smart enough that you're creating offense without being reckless. … You're not going to walk in and dictate for 60 minutes how the game's going to go. It's just not reality and it's not playoff hockey. Teams are too close, too good."

Though his team might not have the momentum it once had in the series, DeBoer focused on the opportunity that awaits on Friday night.

"Excited about [Friday] night," he said. "I know our group's going to be ready. We'll let it fly."

Star Tribune LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214280 Minnesota Wild 7:48 of Game 5 at Vegas and was dealing with what he called "a little stinger" but he said he felt "100%" on Wednesday.

"If you're not feeling 100%, I don't want to go out there at that time," he Kevin Fiala finally gets on scoresheet to spark Wild's Game 6 victory said. "Put someone else out there that's 100% that can get the job done. We've got all the guys that can do it. It was just something that felt great A third period assist was followed by a power-play goal to send the series [Wednesday] morning and hopefully I'll be feeling great [Thursday], too. back to Las Vegas. So, it's all good now."

Familiar ruling

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune MAY 27, 2021 — 10:37PM As soon as a shot from Vegas' Chandler Stephenson sailed past Wild goalie Cam Talbot in the third period to tie Game 6 at a goal apiece,

Foligno skated toward the nearest official. While Kevin Fiala was still seeking his first point of the playoffs, Wild "I went right to the ref and said, 'It's not a goal because I've done it General Manager had the coaching staff pass along a before,'" he recalled. message to the skilled winger. Foligno was right. "Tell him that we'll need him at some point," Guerin relayed. "It doesn't have to be every game." In Game 4, Eriksson Ek had a goal overturned because the NHL determined Foligno "impaired Marc-Andre Fleury's ability to play his That opportunity to lead the team came Wednesday during Game 6, and position in the crease" while Foligno was set up as a screen in front of Fiala seized it, setting up the decisive goal and scoring his first of the the net. And the league cited the same rule when disallowing Vegas' goal series to headline the Wild's 3-0 win over the Golden Knights that after winger Alex Tuch was inside the crease. The goal was initially extended the best-of-seven to a Game 7 on Friday at Vegas. called back by the officials, a call that was upheld after the Golden "You just have to stay the course and play right," coach Dean Evason Knights used a coach's challenge to take another look. said. "Maybe you'll have the chance to make a difference, and he did." "It's our job as forwards, as I have a really good sense for it, we've got to The performance was vintage Fiala. get out of the paint," Foligno said. "So, you can't just sit in the blue paint and expect the goalie to move around you. That's not how it is. So happy He popped the defensive bubble around the Golden Knights' net, that they called it back." spearheading a 2-on-1 rush in which he fed center Ryan Hartman for a goal that broke a scoreless tie in the third period. Shots to goals

Then, Fiala doubled the Wild's lead when he ignited the power play from Hartman's finish on the game-winning goal Wednesday tied his career a 0-for-8 slumber for his first goal to cap off his best game of the first high for goals in the playoffs from 2018 with the Predators when he also round. scored twice, and Hartman's production came after he had nine shots turned aside by Fleury through the first two games — including five in the And the timing was clutch, a lift the Wild thrived on just as Guerin Wild's 1-0 overtime victory to open the series. predicted. "I wasn't too frustrated after that. We won the game," Hartman said. "I "He's very accountable to himself," Evason said of Fiala, who racked up knew the chances were gonna come. It was only a matter of time. You 20 goals in the regular season. "He's very accountable to his teammates, get enough chances, it goes in eventually." and that allows you I believe to have success. You can recognize that. You don't get down on yourself. I think just that little input from Billy Star Tribune LOADED: 05.28.2021 means a lot. I think it's somebody that's been there, and he's done that and I'm sure he's gone through the same type of thing in all his playoff successes."

Bouncing back

Center Joel Eriksson Ek had to be helped off the ice in the third period Wednesday after he crashed into the goalpost while cutting to the net. But after disappearing down the tunnel from the Wild bench, Eriksson Ek returned only minutes later and finished the game.

"I thought the crowd was going to give him a standing ovation when he came back because we sure did," Evason said.

Not only did Eriksson Ek get back on the ice, but he helped kill off Vegas' lone power play opportunity late in the third. When asked on Thursday how he's feeling, Eriksson Ek said, "I'm good," and that's encouraging news for the Wild.

Eriksson Ek's two goals are tied with Hartman for the most on the Wild, and Eriksson Ek has been a matchup specialist against Vegas while averaging the second-most minutes among Wild forwards at 18 minutes, 21 seconds.

"Ekker's been just at the top of his game," linemate Marcus Foligno said. "Just what he does for our team is so special. So, it's always tough when you see a guy go down like that. But the guy's a strong kid. We knew that he wanted to come back, so we were happy that there was nothing serious."

Hitting his stride

Foligno helped the Wild capture momentum in the second period when his hit on the Golden Knight's Zach Whitecloud into the boards shook loose a pane of glass.

Overall, Foligno had a team-high four hits in 16:35 of ice time — this after he said he was "so-so" to suit up for Game 6. Foligno didn't play the last 1214281 Minnesota Wild "It's kind of a blur," Brunette said later. "You almost can't believe it." 5/8/03: Wild 4, Canucks 2

The underdogs were going to win the opener, then the much-loathed Game 7? On the road? Wild history tells us that's no problem Matt Cooke (later a Wild-ing) scored with less than two seconds left to On three occasions, the team has pulled off unlikely victories to silence force overtime. Minnesota's own Trent Klatt assisted on that one, then the visiting crowds and advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs. scored Vancouver's 4-3 winner 3:42 into overtime.

Mere mortals would have rolled over right then. Lemaire's maniacs won Game 2 before losing two one-goal games at home, putting their playoff Patrick Reusse record in St. Paul temporarily at 1-4.

Notoriously, Todd Bertuzzi was arriving at the X and saw Wild fans lined up to get tickets for Game 6. He taunted them over this being a waste of The Las Vegas-based Golden Knights had the most wins in the NHL's time, guaranteeing the series was going to end at Game 5 in Vancouver. truncated 56-game schedule with 40. They shared the most points with Colorado at 82, losing a tiebreaker for the No. 1 seed in the West. The Wild won the next two games by a combined score of 12-3. On the Canucks' return to Vancouver for Game 7, Bertuzzi and Markus Naslund This matters not. The Golden Knights are in trouble. They not only have were greeted with a newspaper headline referring to them as "Dumb and lost all momentum in their opening series; the Knights will be fighting Dumber" for ill-timed penalties in the blowout losses. against the Wild's unprecedented history in Game 7s on Friday night in T-Mobile Arena. Bertuzzi scored to make it 2-0 for the Canucks in the middle of the second period. Dupuis and Walz tied it with goals, and then with about The crowd will be more than 12,000, the Vegas pregame histrionics will five minutes left, Hendrickson broke the tie and there came the silence. get 'em in a frenzy, but all Wild followers know what the Knights can expect to hear for 20-30 seconds when the result becomes clear: "I had enough time to get off a slapshot and luckily it hit a corner," he said. Silence. 4/30/14: Wild 5, Avs 4 (0T) It always has been thus when the Wild play a Game 7, which are always played on the road. When the Wild gets the game-winning or This was almost a routine seven-game series victory for the Wild. The backbreaking goal, the reflections of players include this memory: teams traded home wins through the first six games, meaning the Wild only had to come back from a 2-0 deficit, not the 3-1 that's dreaded by The crescendo from the home team's crowd suddenly turning to eerie other franchises. quiet. The Wild was down by one goal four times in Game 7. Jared Spurgeon That's what I remember from the first of those: The sound inside Pepsi tied it with 2½ minutes left, and then Nino Niederreiter scored five Center on a Tuesday night in April 2003, when Andrew Brunette scored minutes into overtime, his second goal of the night. Nino was 21, an age what remains the most famous goal in the Wild's 20 seasons. similar to three other regulars from 2013-14 expected to create a bright Brunette used those great hands to beat all-world goaltender Patrick Roy Wild future: Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle and Jonas Brodin. at 3:25 of overtime, completing the Wild's comeback from 3-1 down in the Seven years later, the future is now with Brodin as a remaining star, and quarterfinals series against the Avalanche. the Wild looking at a chance to improve that perfect Game 7 record to 4- There were 10 seconds of agonized gasps, then all you could hear inside 0. the arena were the hoots and hollers of the Wild on the ice and The 2003 Wild still stand as the only team in NHL history to come back teammates scrambling over the boards. twice from down 3-1 in a single postseason. The St. Paul lads also can Get ready for the silence, you hockey-come-latelys out there in Vegas. It become the first NHL franchise to make that comeback three times. always happens when the Wild skates confidently onto the ice for a It's obvious: There's no place the Wild would rather be in the spring than Game 7. playing a Game 7 on the road. I'm saying Zach Parise gets the winner "Always" being three, in this case. early in overtime. Then:

6/22/2003: Wild 3, Avs 2 (OT) Bring on the Avs. Again.

This was Season 3 for the Wild and its first playoff series. The Wild-ings Star Tribune LOADED: 05.28.2021 won the opener 4-2. Colorado then won three in a row, with coach Jacques Lemaire making a goalie switch in Game 4 in St. Paul. He inserted his nephew, Manny Fernandez, in place of Dwayne Roloson in the 3-1 loss.

Fernandez was outstanding in Game 5, making 26 saves to help steal a 3-2 victory for survival. Back in St. Paul on Monday night, Richard Park flipped a changeup past Roy at 4:22 of overtime for a 3-2 win.

The NHL wasn't messing around with its playoff schedule. Game 7 was the next night in Denver.

Wes Walz had made life miserable for Peter Forsberg throughout the series, but Peter the Great did give the Avs a 1-0 lead with a rebound goal. The irrepressible Pascal Dupuis tied it almost immediately on a power play and it was 1-1 until Joe Sakic scored on an Avs power play with 6:45 left.

The crowd went into a victory celebration right then, except this was old- school NHL. Referee Kerry Fraser knew that if a holding-the-stick penalty on Darby Hendrickson led to Sakic's tiebreaking goal late in Game 7, the Wild deserved a last chance.

The Avs' was called for charging at 14:57. And 35 seconds later, Marian Gaborik — dang, that young man was something in the playoff run — tied it at 2-2.

There was a howl of disbelief in the Pepsi Center. And the next howl was followed by The Silence, as Brunette beat Roy in overtime. 1214282 Minnesota Wild

Wild finally gets a positive goal review — and momentum — in Game 6

In upholding a call of "no goal" in the third period, officials gave the Wild the momentum that had been taken away earlier in the series.

By Michael Rand Star Tribune MAY 27, 2021 — 11:48AM

The paradox of the NHL's rules for challenging on-ice calls is this: It's the best system in major U.S. pro sports, but it's designed to legislate what is often a completely confusing and subjective offense.

I love that an unsuccessful challenge results in a delay of game penalty. That's fair punishment for stopping the flow of the game and makes it so a coach better be awfully sure of his reasons for doing it.

The NFL takes away a timeout if a call isn't overturned. Let's make it a timeout and a 15-yard penalty. The NBA takes away a timeout, which leaves teams with just 42 timeouts left if they don't succeed. MLB doesn't even bother doing anything except take the challenge away, which is probably why managers initiate challenges for micro-aggressions that trigger replays which take forever.

Because an NHL challenge has such high stakes, the results are huge momentum-swinging plays. I talked about that on Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast after the Wild's 3-0 victory over Vegas forced a Game 7 in that series.

In that game, the Wild led 1-0 in the third period when Vegas scored the apparent tying goal. Officials conferred, determined Alex Tuch interfered with Wild goalie Cam Talbot, and disallowed it. Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer challenged the call, which was probably a reaction that was half-emotional and half-practical.

Nobody really knows what constitutes goaltender interference, and it was a pivotal play in a game that could have won the series. But it sure looked like interference — and was upheld as such on review.

The Wild not only kept its slim lead but got a power play out of it — with Kevin Fiala's goal on the man advantage staking Minnesota to a 2-0 lead in its eventual victory.

It was the opposite emotion, of course, from Game 3 — when the Wild's Nick Bjugstad was (correctly) found upon review to have entered the zone off-side, nullifying a goal that would have given the Wild a 3-0 lead. Vegas rallied for five consecutive goals after that game-changing moment.

And in Game 4, in a moment very similar to Game 6, Joel Eriksson Ek's apparent tying goal was waved off when it was deemed upon review that Marcus Foligno interfered with Marc-Andre Fleury. The Wild went on to lose 4-0.

It looked like those pivotal reviews — one easy, one subjective — would doom the Wild in the series. But here we are now at Game 7, thanks in part to a review and momentum that finally went Minnesota's way.

Star Tribune LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214283 Minnesota Wild Star Tribune LOADED: 05.28.2021

Vegas considered challenge of overturned goal a worthwhile risk

The Golden Knights' move put the Wild on the power play, leading to its second goal.

By Randy Johnson Star Tribune MAY 27, 2021 — 6:16AM

In Game 3 of the West Division first-round playoff series, Joel Eriksson Ek saw his first-period goal against the Vegas Golden Knights — a goal that would have given the Wild a 3-0 lead — overturned by a successful video challenge by coach Peter DeBoer, who argued that Minnesota was offside on the play. Vegas would go on to win 5-2 at Xcel Energy Center.

Two nights later, Eriksson Ek scored again, only to have it erased by another video challenge by the Golden Knights, this one protesting that Wild forward Marcus Foligno was interfering with goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's ability to play the puck. Vegas would win Game 4 4-0 in St. Paul and take a 3-1 series lead.

On Wednesday night in Game 6, the Xcel Energy Center faithful were waiting for what they believed was payback, and they got their wish in the third period of the Wild's 3-0 victory.

With the Wild leading a tight, defensive game 1-0 on Ryan Hartman's goal at 4:21 of the third, the Golden Knights were pressing for the tying goal. Top-line center Chandler Stephenson wired a shot through Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, Vegas winger Alex Tuch and Minnesota goalie Cam Talbot to apparently tie the score at 8:55.

On-ice officials, however, conferred and ruled that Tuch was in the crease and interfered with Talbot's ability to play the puck. DeBoer challenged, but it was denied, with officials ruling: "Vegas' Alex Tuch impaired Cam Talbot's ability to play his position in the crease prior to Chandler Stephenson's goal."

The crowd of 4,500 — limited by COVID-19 restrictions — roared in approval, sensing that the Wild was on its way to forcing Game 7 on Friday night in Las Vegas.

"You're splitting hairs, and those have gone our way before," DeBoer said, explaining his reasoning for challenging the play. "We felt it was worth the challenge that point in the game. Our penalty kill has been excellent all year."

Golden Knights captain Mark Stone was on the ice for the play and agreed with his coach's decision.

"It's a tough play," Stone said. "Tuchie was kind of getting held in the crease and couldn't get out of there. Those have gone both ways, and you can't argue it anymore. We've just got to get that penalty killed. It's always worth a challenge, hoping you get it reversed."

Said Wild coach Dean Evason: "What goes around comes around, right? We were holding our breath a little bit, you just never know."

Wild winger Marcus Foligno was on the ice and said, "Before it happened, you could hear [a referee] saying, 'Get out of the blue, get out of the blue.'"

With an unsuccessful replay challenge comes a delay-of-game penalty, and Vegas sent William Carrier to the box. The Wild would make DeBoer and the Golden Knights pay for the challenge, with Kevin Fiala firing a wrist shot past Fleury at 9:35 for a 2-0 Minnesota lead and the Wild's first power-play goal of the series. More eruptions from the 4,500, who could see Game 7 on the horizon.

"It was a challenge that everyone felt we should take," Vegas winger Reilly Smith said. "Teams are going to score on the power play if you give them too many opportunities. We've done a good job all series. Every now and then, they're going to find holes and get some bounces, and they did tonight. We'll be sure to be a little bit cleaner next game."

The Wild kept up the pressure, and Nick Bjugstad delivered the dagger with a backhander past Fleury to complete a breakaway at 15:17 of the third for the 3-0 victory.

"We just didn't play well enough in the third to win,'' Stone said. 1214284 Minnesota Wild Wild bruiser Marcus Foligno hit Vegas defenseman Zach Whitecloud with such force along the boards that Whitecloud's face dislodged the glass from the boards, nearly catapulting him into the front row.

Big-boy hockey by Wild gives team momentum going into Game 7 Kaboom.

If you ever want to see what a team that doesn't want its season to end Thankfully, Whitecloud wasn't injured, the glass was repaired quickly and looks like, just watch a replay of the Wild's 3-0 win over the Golden it was Game On. Knights. Moments later, the Wild's Matt Dumba unloaded on Alex Tuch in open ice — a clean but jarring hit — that caused Vegas' Alec Martinez to make a beeline for Dumba to fight. Chip Scoggins Dumba obliged, wrestling Martinez to the ice. Once separated, Dumba skated to the penalty box waving his arms to fire up the crowd even more. The Wild played big-boy hockey Wednesday night. Tough, gritty, in-your- face, relentless, smart hockey. "That's just the pressure that we have to play with, the aggressiveness, the desperation," Foligno said. It defended every inch of ice. Fought like crazy for every loose puck. Gave every ounce of competitive battle they could muster. Even knocked "And Dumbs obviously firing up the crowd and firing us up, even though an opponent face-first through the glass. No, serious. That really we didn't score in that period, it just felt like the momentum was in our happened. favor."

If you ever want to see what a team that doesn't want its season to end They have a lot of it heading back to Vegas. The Wild looked defeated looks like, watch the replay of the Wild's 3-0 win over Vegas in Game 6. after falling into a 3-1 hole. Everything feels different now.

That was sheer determination on display. The Wild still has plenty of fight left.

"When it comes down to a big period, a big game, we always find a way," Star Tribune LOADED: 05.28.2021 goalie Cam Talbot said. "That's what I love about this group."

Now on to Game 7.

Who would have guessed it?

The season hanging by the thinnest of threads only a few days ago, the Wild remains very much alive.

The Golden Knights have home ice. The Wild has momentum. And belief.

Unlike Game 5, the Wild didn't stave off elimination by relying on rope-a- dope hockey. Game 6 brought something entirely different. The Wild stood nose-to-nose with Vegas and pushed back.

Smothering defense. Tight checking. Huge saves by Talbot. And a barrage of goals in the third period. Just a mature performance by a team that started the season with meager outside expectations but has been resilient and unflappable all the way through to this win-or-else moment.

Nothing came easy for either team in Game 6. The flow looked like a bumper car ride at an amusement park. A mess of deflected pucks and bodies smashing into each other.

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez (23) and Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba (24) fought in the second period.

Every time the Wild and Knights attempted a pass in the first two periods, an opponent's stick choked off the passing lane and the puck went the other way.

When a player managed to find room to shoot, someone slid into position for a block. Multiple players hobbled to the bench after being drilled in the legs with a slap shot. Wild captain Jared Spurgeon threw himself to the ice to block one shot as if diving to protect something valuable that fell out of his hands.

The ice always shrinks in the playoffs, but things were so tight that players probably felt claustrophobic.

On top of that, the referees are letting players bang and mug each other in this series to that point that the action is clogged up like a toilet with bad pipes.

Rather than complain about the rough stuff, Wild rookie Kirill Kaprizov gave a defiant answer pregame when asked how he avoids becoming frustrated.

"The simple answer: That's hockey," he said. "It's part of the game, you just gotta kind of play through it."

The Wild more than played through it in Game 6. They kept pushing back.

The intensity went to level 10 with a sequence in the second period that brought Xcel Energy Center to full roar. 1214285 Minnesota Wild The Golden Knights' Alec Martinez ended up fighting Dumba in the aftermath, with Dumba raising his arms to the crowd as he skated to the penalty box — igniting a robust cheer inside Xcel Energy Center.

Wild's third-period flurry means 3-0 victory and a Game 7 in Vegas "Even though we didn't score in that period, it just felt like the momentum was in our favor," Foligno said. "So, that physicality is needed, just the Ryan Hartman, Kevin Fiala and Nick Bjugstad broke a scoreless tie with wearing down of a team." third-period goals to back Cam Talbot's shutout goaltending. Game 7 is at 8 p.m. Friday. And in the third, the Wild finally gained separation from Vegas — skating away on the scoreboard to pull even in a best-of-seven series that now comes down to one game.

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune MAY 27, 2021 — 5:50AM "We don't know the results in a couple days, but we know that we're in it," Evason said. "We know we can compete. We know we're going to

battle." The Wild is still in must-win territory to save its season, but now the Star Tribune LOADED: 05.28.2021 Golden Knights are, too.

Despite falling behind 3-1 in the first-round series and getting outplayed for stretches, the Wild clawed back to force a winner-take-all Game 7 against Vegas after prevailing 3-0 on Wednesday night in front of 4,500 at Xcel Energy Center to keep its season alive.

"We just always seem to find a way," goaltender Cam Talbot said. "That's what I love about this group. We can be down, but we're never out. We just keep persevering."

This is the third time in the Wild's history that it has initiated a Game 7 after trailing 3-1. In both instances, the Wild completed the series comeback — in 2003 against Colorado in the first round and then again in the second round vs. Vancouver to advance to its only appearance in the Western Conference finals.

Puck drop for Game 7 is 8 p.m. Friday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

"Anything can happen in Game 7," winger Kevin Fiala said. "We'll be ready."

Talbot stopped 23 shots for his second shutout in the series, and Fiala set up the decisive goal before scoring his first of the playoffs — a timely breakthrough for one of the Wild's top forwards.

"Kevin hasn't changed anything," coach Dean Evason said. "He's played the same way. Just got rewarded."

Ryan Hartman snapped a scoreless struggle 4 minutes, 21 seconds into the third period when he buried a 2-on-1 pass from Fiala for Hartman's second goal of these playoffs off Fiala's first assist.

Later in the third, at 8:55, Chandler Stephenson appeared to tie the score on a shot through traffic but the goal was waved off because of goaltender interference, with Vegas winger Alex Tuch planted in the crease.

Podcast: Evason dominates coaching battle in Wild's huge Game 6 win

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Vegas issued a coach's challenge, but video review confirmed no goal — swinging the score back to 1-0.

"I never get those calls," Talbot said. "But the way they've been calling them all playoff long, it would be hard to overturn that."

Because of the unsuccessful challenge, the Wild received a power play and the unit finally delivered after going 0-for-8. Fiala capitalized on a five-hole wrist shot on goalie Marc-Andre Fleury at 9:35, sealing his third career multipoint game in his playoff career.

Nick Bjugstad added a third goal on a backhander with 4:43 to go, becoming the sixth Minnesota-born player to record a playoff goal with the Wild and putting an exclamation point on an effective night for the fourth line.

Fleury totaled 21 saves. Talbot's shutout was the sixth of his playoff career and the first shutout ever at home for the Wild when the team is facing elimination. Captain Jared Spurgeon had two assists.

Although the second period — like the first — was scoreless, that's when the Wild's energy began to surge.

Foligno checked the Golden Knights' Zach Whitecloud into the boards, a hit that knocked loose a pane of glass, and Matt Dumba checked former Wild player Tuch as he gathered a pass to get out of the Vegas zone. 1214286 Minnesota Wild BRIEFLY This series has featured the two best goalie performances in the

postseason so far. Minnesota’s Cam Talbot leads all goalies with at least Wild report: Joel Eriksson Ek ‘all good’ after colliding with post six starts with a .937 save percentage, and Vegas’ Marc-Andre Fleury leads that group with a 1.66 goals-against average. Yes, each is second The Minnesota center says he’s ready to play in Game 7 after scary fall in the category they don’t lead, Talbot with a 2.01 GAA and Fleury with a in Wednesday’s 3-0 victory .935 save percentage.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 05.28.2021 By JOHN SHIPLEY | PUBLISHED: May 27, 2021 at 5:49 p.m. | UPDATED: May 27, 2021 at 6:07 p.m.

Only 4,500 spectators have been allowed in Xcel Energy Center for the Wild’s home games in their first-round playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, and they were particularly loud during Minnesota’s 3-0 victory in Game 6 on Wednesday.

Whether it was after Ryan Hartman broke a scoreless tie by finishing a two-on-one with Kevin Fiala early in the third period, or Marcus Foligno throwing defenseman Zach Whitecloud through the glass in the second, the crowd sounded more like a full-house 18,000 than about one-fourth the size.

The crowd did go quiet once, however, when Joel Eriksson Ek crashed hard into a post on a rush after the Wild had taken a 2-0 lead mid-way through the third period. They know what the young center has meant to this team. He limped off the ice favoring his left knee but returned to finish off the game and is penciled into his usual spot between Foligno and Jordan Greenway for Friday night’s Game 7 at T-Mobile Arena.

“He’s all good,” coach Dean Evason said Thursday. “He came back, played. There’s no problem.”

As if to show proof of life, Eriksson Ek followed Evason for Thursday’s remote access and declared himself ready.

“I’m good,” he said. “I mean, we won the game.”

Eriksson Ek scored the winner in the Wild’s 1-0 overtime victory in Game 1, and scored once each in Games 3 and 4 at the X, although both were called back after replay review for offsides and goaltender interference, respectively.

“The guy’s a strong kid,” Foligno said. “We knew that he wanted to come back so we were happy that there was nothing serious.”

Foligno missed the last eight minutes of Monday’s 4-2 victory in Las Vegas and was a question mark for Wednesday’s game because of an undisclosed ailment.

“It was just something that I needed to take care of all day and yesterday so I was 100 percent and felt good,” he said. “Yeah, that was just something that had happened, just a little stinger. If you’re not feeling 100 percent, I don’t want to go out there at that time. Put someone else out there that’s 100 percent that can get the job done.”

CHECK, PLEASE

Wednesday night’s game was a standoff for just over two periods, but the Wild held an advantage in what has been a physical, big-checking series.

In the second period, defenseman Matt Dumba blew up unsuspecting Vegas winger Alex Tuch in the neutral zone, inspiring defenseman Alec Martinez to start a fight with Dumba. After taking down Martinez, Dumba exhorted the home crowd with arms raised, shouting, “Let’s Go!” as he made his way to the box.

Later in the period, Foligno checked Zach Whitecloud so hard that the Vegas blue liner dislodged a glass panel in the Knights’ corner.

“A lot of different times where we’re not having that type of game, it’s tough to finish checks on the forecheck so we did a great job,” Foligno said. “Dumbs did a great job of stepping up. I mean, that’s just the pressure that we have to play with, the aggressiveness, the desperation, and Dumbs obviously firing up the crowd and firing us up, even though we didn’t score in that period, it just felt like the momentum was in our favor.

“So. that physicality is needed, just the wearing down of a team, and it’s been a battle all series. So, with those guys in or out, it doesn’t matter. You have to play that physical play.” 1214287 Minnesota Wild assist. Coach Dean Evason said the lineup that won on Wednesday is ready to play Friday.

Vegas, meanwhile, has been without leading scorer Max Pacioretty, who Game 7: Wild, Golden Knights each have reasons to be confident led the Knights with 24 goals and 51 points in 48 regular-season games but has missed the team’s past 12 games with an upper-body injury. In Wild have momentum, Knights have home ice — and history, at this addition, heavy winger Ryan Reeves missed Wednesday’s game — “It point, means nothing. wasn’t a healthy scratch,” DeBoer said — and was missed in a game the Wild dominated physically.

On Friday, little of it will matter. The series has been as even as it can be, By JOHN SHIPLEY | PUBLISHED: May 27, 2021 at 5:33 p.m. | and history — the Knights’ or the Wild’s — won’t mean a thing. UPDATED: May 27, 2021 at 9:24 p.m. “Stats are stats. It’s the same as we talk about all the time; they’re in the

past,” Evason said. “They’re not relevant to us right now. It’s Game 7, When the Wild beat the Golden Knights in Game 6 of their first-round and when the puck’s dropped, we’ll play as hard as we possibly can and playoff series Wednesday night, it marked the third straight season that we’ll see where we sit at the end of the night.” Vegas let a 3-1 series lead slip away. Pioneer Press LOADED: 05.28.2021 While it’s been the primary narrative for the Knights as they head into Friday night’s Game 7 at T-Mobile Arena, Vegas has good reason to feel confident. Although they lost a first-round series to San Jose after being up 3-1 in 2018-19, they beat the Vancouver Canucks in seven games last season to advance to the Western Conference Final.

“I think it’s a new year. It doesn’t really matter,” said Vegas winger Reilly Smith, a member of both of those teams. “It’s an opportunity to come out in your home arena with all your fans excited and full of emotion. So, it’s the stuff we dreamed about as kids.”

Momentum changes so often in even one NHL game that it’s difficult to say which team might have an advantage in Friday’s 8 p.m. puck drop. The Wild have won the past two games, and are 8-4-2 against Vegas this season. But the Knights are playing at home and experience is on their side. Smith, for instance, has played in 33 postseason games with six goals and 14 points since 2018-19.

“It’s not disbelief. We believe in ourselves,” said big winger Mark Stone, who has four goals and five points in this series for the Golden Knights. “We believe in our team. We have one game in our home rink to move on. It’s that simple.”

The Wild, of course, became the first NHL team to rally twice from 3-1 playoff series deficits when they advanced to the conference final in 2003, and they’re 3-0 overall after advancing to Game 7. They’re feeling good about themselves.

“We’re excited,” center Joel Eriksson Ek said Thursday. “We’re not done yet.”

Linemate Marcus Foligno called Wednesday’s game the Wild’s “best of the series so far.”

“We just keep clawing, keep working hard,” Foligno said. “We know we have the firepower to get goals in the net. The work ethic is always there. That’s what’s good about our team, and that’s why we’re in a Game 7 situation.”

It has been a tight series dominated by defense and veteran goaltenders. Minnesota’s Cam Talbot backstopped a 3-0 victory with 23 blocked shots for his second shutout of the playoffs. His .937 save percentage this postseason leads all NHL goaltenders with at least six starts.

Vegas’ Marc-Andre Fleury, having his best season in a long, successful career, is next with a .935 save percentage, and his 1.66 goals-against average leads all playoff goaltenders with at least six starts. So, don’t expect coach Peter DeBoer to swap in backup Robin Lehner for Game 7.

“We haven’t announced our goaltender starter all series, so I’m not going to do that now.” DeBoer said Thursday. “I think all your lineup decisions for Game 7 are based on the history of the group, and the players and the playoffs and the regular season. I think all that goes into the mix. You do what you think is best for the team.”

In his first full season in Vegas, DeBoer is 3-0 as a Game 7 coach with New Jersey, San Jose and Vegas. Asked for his secret, he said, “Just not to overreact to the situation. It doesn’t matter how you got here. You’ve got one game in order to advance and you’ve got to find a way to make that your best game for 60 minutes, whatever that looks like.”

There have been other factors, as well. Minnesota has gotten a boost from veteran forward Zach Parise. Since he replaced Marcus Johansson (broken arm) in Game 3, the Wild are 2-1 and Parise has a goal and 1214288 Minnesota Wild That’s exactly what the Wild need in Game 7 against the Golden Knights. Especially from Fiala.

“Just a lot of confidence in our team,” Fiala said. “We won two games in Fiery winger Kevin Fiala comes to life just in time for the Wild a row. Now we’ve got to regroup. It all starts at zero. We’re going to have to realize that and have a great start. Anything can happen in Game 7, and we’ll be ready for it.”

By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: May 27, 2021 at 4:26 p.m. | Pioneer Press LOADED: 05.28.2021 UPDATED: May 27, 2021 at 5:21 p.m.

Wild winger Kevin Fiala narrowly missed out on scoring a goal for the umpteenth time in the playoffs earlier this week, and while coach Dean Evason has praised his young star for keeping a much cooler head this season, in that moment the 24-year-old winger from Switzerland had no interest in maintaining calm.

With the Wild on their way to a 3-1 deficit in their first-round series against Vegas, Fiala smashed his stick into smithereens, his frustration manifesting itself in the form of a temper tantrum on the ice. Asked after the Game 4 loss if he was indeed frustrated, Fiala responded quite simply: “What do you think?”

A fiery player himself back in the day, Wild general manager Bill Guerin appreciates that kind of passion from his players. But he also knows there is a very fine line between using it as motivation and getting completely consumed by it.

That might explain why Guerin took it upon himself to talk to the coaching staff about Fiala after that game. His message was simple and clear: “Just tell him that we’ll need him at some point.”

Two games later, the narrative has completely changed and Fiala’s intensity looks like money in the bank. Not only have the Wild battled back to force Game 7 at 8 p.m. Friday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Fiala finally has found the scoresheet. He had a goal and an assist in Game 6 on Wednesday night at Xcel Energy Center to get the monkey off his back.

“Just great that it found the back of the net,” Fiala said of his goal. “It’s a great night for us, but Game 7 is waiting, so we’ve got to regroup and do the same thing.”

If Fiala can do the same thing in Game 7, the Wild should be in very good shape. They are especially dangerous when he’s firing on all cylinders, and the thing with Fiala, for better of worse, is his points usually come in bunches.

Seriously, he might be the streakiest player in the league in the way he can look like Wayne Gretzky reincarnated for a couple of weeks, then resemble a disinterested beer-league player for a prolonged stretch. In the final month and a half of the regular season, for example, Fiala caught fire with 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 22 games. He finished the regular season with 40 points (20 goals, 20 assists) in 50 games.

“He’s an emotional guy,” Evason said. “He gets down on himself a little bit. But the best thing for us as a coaching staff, and for us as a team, is that Kevin recognizes now when he maybe hasn’t played his best. He’s very accountable to himself. He’s very accountable to his teammates. That allows him to have success.”

That’s been evident throughout the playoffs. Though he went five games without scoring, Fiala never got too down on himself. He kept a positive attitude during his interview sessions with reporters, promising he was on the right track, even if at times it felt like he was trying to convince himself of those words.

“It doesn’t have to be every game, right?” Evason said after Game 6. “You just have to stay the course and play right and maybe get the chance to make a difference. And he did tonight. He hasn’t changed anything. He’s played the same way. He just got rewarded tonight.”

Looking specifically at Fiala’s impact on Wednesday’s game, it’s easy to see him repeating that effort in Game 7. His assist was a thing of beauty as he sauced a perfect pass to Ryan Hartman on an odd-man rush. His goal was a blistering wrist shot from the point that added some insurance down the stretch.

“We played the right way the whole night,” Wild goaltender Cam Talbot said. “It was just a matter of time before a puck went in, and we ended up getting a few goals there. Give our guys a ton of credit. That was probably our most complete game of the series.” 1214289 Minnesota Wild “You just never know,” Evason said. “It looked very similar to the others. That’s what we want, right? Looks similar to the (Foligno) call and we want consistency. They gave it to us.”

Wild on goaltender interference: ‘I guess what goes around comes Pioneer Press LOADED: 05.28.2021 around’

After having tying goal disallowed in Game 4, Minnesota glad to get the call in Game 6 win

By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: May 27, 2021 at 2:48 p.m. | UPDATED: May 27, 2021 at 2:55 p.m.

You know what they say about karma. Well, after consistently feeling jilted by goaltender interference at various points throughout this season, the Wild finally benefited from the wishy-washy call in a 3-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night at Xcel Energy Center.

It happened late in a must-win Game 6. A few minutes after Ryan Hartman finished a two-on-one to give the Wild a 1-0 lead, Chandler Stephenson appeared to tie the score at 1-1 for the Golden Knights with a shot from the point.

Upon further review, the officials waved off the Golden Knights goal, ruling that Alex Tuch — camped in the crease when the shot was made — impaired goaltender Cam Talbot’s ability to play his position. Almost immediately, Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer challenged the call on the ice, explaining after the game that he felt it was worth the risk at the time.

In the end, the Golden Knights lost the coach’s challenge, giving the Wild a power play during which Kevin Fiala scored to stretch the lead to 2-0 and essentially put the game out of reach. Nick Bjugstad added a goal to finalize the score at 3-0 as the Wild forced a winner-take-all Game 7 Friday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Who’s to say what happens if the Golden Knights tie the game in that spot? Luckily for the Wild, they don’t have to worry about that. Asked about the goaltender interference call after the game, Wild coach Dean Evason quipped, “I guess what goes around comes around, right?”

In Game 4 at Xcel Energy Center, the Wild had a goal from Joel Eriksson Ek wiped off the board when Marcus Foligno was called for goaltender interference. That goal would have tied the score 1-1 about 30 seconds after the Knights had taken the lead. Instead, momentum killed, the Wild lost 4-0 loss and fell behind in the series, 3-1.

The exact opposite interpretation of the rule played out when the Wild and Golden Knights met down the stretch in the regular season. On that particular night, Shea Theodore scored for the Golden Knights with Mattias Janmark all over Talbot in the crease. The officials upheld that goal, much to the chagrin of the Wild bench.

“That has been called all season and it never gets called on me,” Talbot lamented at the time. “Maybe I need to start diving. It’s unbelievable that this keeps happening. The inconsistency is ridiculous.”

Needless to say, Talbot was nervous while standing in his crease during Game 6. Though it seemed like a pretty clear case of goaltender interference, he wasn’t sure what to think.

“The way they’ve been calling them all playoffs long, it would be hard to overturn that,” Talbot said. “I mean, (the official) was yelling at (Tuch) while he was in the crease the entire time. If that goal stood, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now. I’d just be getting fined.”

Similarly, it’s hard to imagine Foligno not blowing a gasket if the officials had ruled it a goal. Not only has Foligno been burned by goaltender interference in the playoffs, he was called for it in the regular season during a game against the Arizona Coyotes. So, some might call him an expert when it comes goaltender interference.

“I went right to the ref and said, ‘It’s not a goal, because I’ve done it before,’ ” Foligno said. “I would’ve been pretty ticked off. I could even hear (the official) yelling from the corner, ‘Get out of the blue.’ ”

Still, the Wild were holding their collective breath until the officials confirmed the goaltender interference. 1214290 Minnesota Wild and, at times, felt like he was carrying the Wild while Fiala was trying to find his way alongside a revolving door of linemates.

“It was an up-and-down season, to be honest,” said Fiala, who finished Kevin Fiala’s long-awaited breakout boosts Wild’s belief that Game 7 is strong and ended with 20 goals and 20 assists in 50 games. “I played theirs to take with a lot of players. But I don’t mind that. They’re all of my teammates. I love playing with all of them. And so that’s how it is.”

Fiala didn’t want to look back too much, though. The regular season is in By Michael Russo May 27, 2021 the past and he has one priority, and that’s helping this team toward a run to an eventual Stanley Cup.

It’s game breakers such as Fiala and Kaprizov that still give the Wild LAS VEGAS – In this odd season full of protocols and restrictions to hope they can waltz into Vegas and reel off a third consecutive victory. abide by, Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin has rarely gone down to the dressing room after road games unless the team is flying out Wild Game 7 History afterward. DATE OPPONENT RESULT WINNING GOALIE Instead, he’ll return to the Wild’s hotel, order some beer and food, and WINNING GOAL wait for the coaching staff. April 22, 2003 Usually, by the time the coaches get up to his suite, an hour or so has passed, everybody has unwound, cooled off, and the group can, without at Colorado emotion, digest the game and each player’s performance. 3-2 W (OT) Earlier in Minnesota’s first-round series against the Vegas Golden Fernandez Knights, the Wild GM recognized that Kevin Fiala was getting frustrated. Brunette He was snapping his stick over the goal cage or slapping it on the ice after a wasted scoring chance. He’d exasperatingly snap his head back May 8, 2003 and stare at the rafters. He’d slam the bench door and sink his head into his lap. at Vancouver

Fiala is an emotional player. He was held without a point in the series’ 4-2 W first five games, and Guerin wanted the coaching staff to give him a pep Roloson talk. Hendrickson Guerin’s been there before. April 30, 2014 He, too, was a goal scorer and one of the best Americans to ever play the sport, scoring 429 goals and 856 points in 1,263 career regular- at Colorado season games, and another 39 goals and 74 points in 140 playoff games. 5-4 W (OT)

He knew there was a danger of Fiala starting to press and cheat Bryzgalov offensively. He wanted Fiala to keep his head up and think positive Niederreiter thoughts because he knew he’d be needed at some point. Golden Knights Game 7 History Well, Wednesday night, the time came for Fiala’s long-awaited breakout. DATE OPPONENT RESULT GOALIE WINNING GOAL You just knew Fiala would need to have a big game if the Wild wanted to avoid elimination, and that he did with a goal and assist in the third period Sept. 4, 2020 of the Wild’s 3-0 win to force a Game 7 showdown Friday night on the Las Vegas Strip. vs. Vancouver

The Wild, 3-0 all-time in Game 7s, suddenly have a chip and a chair, a 3-0 W chance to move on to the next round for a Sunday night date with the Lehner juggernaut Colorado Avalanche. Theodore “Billy Guerin talked to us a couple games ago and said to talk to Kevin and just tell him that we’ll need him at some point,” Wild coach Dean April 23, 2019 Evason said Wednesday night. “It doesn’t have to be every game. at San Jose Coming from a guy like (Guerin) that knows and has been there, done that, it doesn’t have to be every game, right? 5-4 L (OT)

“You just have to stay the course and play right and maybe you’ll have Fleury the chance to make a difference, and he did tonight. Kevin hasn’t changed anything, he’s played the same way, just got rewarded tonight.” ------

Fiala entered this season looking to have a monster year and build off his “(Fiala’s) an emotional guy, but he’s very, very levelheaded,” Evason solid 2019-20 season that ended with a torrid 14-goal, 26-point run in the said. “Gets down, I guess, on himself a little bit. But the best thing for us final 18 games. That included 10 multipoint games and an NHL First Star as a staff and as a team is that Kevin recognizes now when he maybe of the Week honor. His 26 points from Feb. 4 to the season’s March 12 hasn’t played his best hockey. He’s very accountable to himself. He’s pause ranked third in the NHL behind Mika Zibanejad of the Rangers and very accountable to his teammates, and that allows you, I believe, to Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl. Fiala’s 14 goals in that span tied for second, have success. his seven power-play goals ranked first, and his four game-winning goals “You can recognize that. You don’t get down on yourself. I think just that and 11 power-play points tied for first. little input from Billy means a lot. I think it’s somebody that’s been there In the Wild’s four-game qualifying round defeat to the Vancouver and he’s done that and I’m sure he’s gone through the same type of thing Canucks in 2020, Fiala led the Wild with three goals and an assist. in all his playoff successes. It’s just a reinforcement.”

This was a season where Fiala, 24, continued to mature on and off the Just watch the high-flying Fiala on the ice, and you can tell just how ice. But he also got some tough love from Evason, previously his coach much he wants to win. Even though his turnovers can still be careless at with AHL Milwaukee, for his propensity to commit turnovers and take times, he’s always working, especially in his own zone. There were two undisciplined penalties. And he had the inner competition with the arrival or three examples in Wednesday night’s game where it was Fiala on the of Kirill Kaprizov, who made an instant impact during his rookie season backcheck that broke up a threatening play by the Golden Knights. “I mean, I want to be more of an all-around player and not just the Zuccarello offensive guy,” Fiala said before the playoffs. “Playing PK (penalty kill) is a big part of it, playing in these type (of tight-game) situations, even in the 3-1 end (of games), I want to play. It doesn’t matter if you are leading or not 2-1-3 leading. I want to be that kind of a key player that can play in any situation. Parise

“I’m trying to be more consistent. And I’m very appreciative of the 2-1 chances that I get. I’m very thankful and hopefully, I can get more and 0-1-1 more.” Spurgeon One area that Fiala has improved this postseason is his discipline. The Canucks figured out ways to get under his skin in the qualifying round 1-0 last summer and he took some bad penalties. In four games, he took five minors, including three in Game 3 and two in the third period that caused 1-0-1 Fiala to apologize to his teammates after the game. Suter In this series, through six games, Fiala has taken only one penalty. 1-0 “Last year was a little bit of a frustrating part for me in the playoffs with 0-0-0 taking penalties and stuff like that,” he said. “I had the whole summer to think about it. And that’s my big goal to stay focused and not do it again. Brodin It’s very important not just for me, I feel for everybody, with penalties. If we cannot take penalties, we’re going to have a better chance to win.” 1-0

It doesn’t matter how much talent a player has, every experience is a 0-1-1 learning lesson. Fiala Kaprizov, also 24, is learning that, too, during his first Stanley Cup playoff 0-1 taste. The standard of officiating changes. It’s harder to get to the scoring areas compared to the regular season when things came much easier to 0-0-0 Kaprizov, who led the Wild and all NHL rookies in scoring with 51 points. Hartman Like Fiala, in this series, Kaprizov has one goal and one assist, the goal being a huge response to Mark Stone’s initial tally to open Game 5. 0-1

“The game has definitely changed,” Kaprizov said through a translator. 0-0-0 “It’s definitely gotten a little bit more difficult, in terms of referees. The GOALIE game has definitely gotten a little bit more challenging since we’ve gotten into the playoffs.” W-L

But Kaprizov felt his first career playoff goal eased some pressure. GAA/SV%

“It makes things a little bit easier, kind of takes the monkey off the back Talbot and just makes it a lot easier,” he said. “When you can’t score it makes things difficult. I think coupled with the fact that the team’s also not 0-1 winning makes it even more difficult, puts a lot of pressure on (your) 2.07/.933 stick, everything kind of tightens up. But anytime you can score one and help the team out and when things start going well and the team starts Golden Knights: Game 7 Stats winning, I think you start building confidence and things start rolling. SKATER W-L G-A-P “I need to get better at all aspects of the game. I think that every single player needs to have a 200-foot game from a defensive aspect and Pietrangelo offensive aspect. That’s a responsibility of every player on the team.” 4-0

The hope now is Fiala enters Game 7 pressure free, too. 1-2-3

The Golden Knights are banged up. The pressure’s squarely on them – Martinez the team that tied Colorado for the most points in the NHL. They’re the team that once held a 3-1 lead in the series. 4-0

The Wild hope to lay everything on the ice Friday night, and you can 1-1-2 probably walk into the sportsbook and wager pretty comfortably that elite Pacioretty talents such as Fiala and Kaprizov will play a big part if the Wild are to advance. 2-1

“That’s what we all play for, to win a Stanley Cup and to have a chance,” 2-0-2 Fiala said. “It’s the time of the year to feel great, to play at your best. … To get the momentum, and (it was) just great to win at home in front of Stephenson fans (Wednesday). But Game 7 is waiting, so we gotta regroup and do 2-1 the same thing.” 0-0-0 Wild: Game 7 Stats Theodore SKATER W-L G-A-P 2-1 Bonino 1-1-2 3-3 Stone 0-1-1 1-2 Cole 1-2-3 3-2 Smith 0-1-1 1-2

0-3-3

Marchessault

1-1

1-2-3

Karlsson

1-1

1-0-1

GOALIE

W-L

GAA/SV%

Fleury

3-4

2.25/.916

Lehner

1-0

0.00/1.000

COACH

W-L

DeBoer

5-0

The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214291 Montreal Canadiens The Canadiens must know it, too. They are at a disadvantage in every possible way, but for one – nobody expects them to win anything. Frankly, people were a little surprised they made the playoffs.

Old doubts resurface as Leafs fail to finish off Canadiens If we’re going to go all ten-thousand-foot-view on this, the worst thing that can happen to Montreal is winning this thing. That will convince someone in ownership that this roster, as currently constructed, has a shot. That’s an invitation to permanent mediocrity. Cathal Kelly The Canadiens would have been better off in the long term if they’d

bombed out of this season ages ago. A lot of people pushing that line are You wouldn’t call it doubt, exactly. When it comes to the Toronto Maple wearing red and blue. Leafs, doubt is a given. That must grate on the players who are there. That’s another thing that This is more like a foreboding. If this feeling had a soundtrack, it would you’d put in their favour. The Leafs are nervous. The Canadiens are be that moment in Jurassic Park when you first hear the dinosaur’s irritated. I’ll take the irritated guy in a fight more often than not. footsteps. They’re a long way off, but still. The day the Leafs want to avoid at all costs now is this coming Sunday. On Thursday night, the Leafs were supposed to cement their new status That’s the day after Game 6. If we are all still talking about the Leafs’ as a stone-cold playoff killer. Having slapped the Montreal Canadiens chances against the Canadiens on Sunday, this thing is headed into the around for four games, this was the moment to finish them off. ditch.

Instead, Toronto came out so flat you could’ve shoved it through a mail Forget about losing the mental game. That part of the series got evened slot. Meanwhile, the Canadiens premiered a new approach. Instead of up on Thursday night after Montreal came storming out. putting the puck around the net, they were going to try putting the puck in If this is still going on Sunday, the Leafs will need trauma counsellors in the net. the lockerroom. A few of them remember how it goes in Toronto before a Maple Leafs captain John Tavares skates for first time since suffering Game 7 in a series they should have won already. injury in Game 1 That’s a movie no one wants to see again. Nobody gets eaten in that Montreal came at Toronto goaltender Jack Campbell early and in waves. one, but it ends a lot worse than Jurassic Park. The Canadiens had their first multigoal lead of the series after 10 Globe And Mail LOADED: 05.28.2021 minutes. They survived their own personal witching hour during the second period. They blew it in the third. Nick Suzuki pulled it out in the first minute of overtime. It ended 4-3, just like they drew it up in the pregame.

Montreal had a bunch of candidates for star of the game. Sadly, the most effective of them was Toronto defenceman Rasmus Sandin. He had one of those horror games Leafs’ d-men are renowned for – semiresponsible for the first Montreal goal and fully to blame for the third.

Thanks to Sandin, everyone else in blue looked mediocre, which was more than they deserved.

There is still no way the Leafs can lose this series. They’re still up 3-2. Only a couple of dozen teams in NHL history have come back from being down 3-1. The Canadiens do not look like the next one to do it.

As currently constructed, Montreal is Carey Price’s reputation, Shea Weber’s hard stare, ’s fashion sense and that’s it. Take Thursday night’s soggy-bottom effort out of it, and the Leafs have been better in every aspect of the game, including mascot enthusiasm and quality of craft services.

But still.

Before the game, on Thursday morning, John Tavares came out to skate alone at the Scotiabank Arena. There are a bunch of other places in Toronto Tavares could have skated if skating was the point. He came out in order to allow himself to be seen by reporters. Which gets you wondering, “What’s he trying to say here?”

There is no way Tavares should play in this series. It doesn’t matter how long it goes or how desperate Toronto gets. Human heads have had less calamitous collisions with truck bumpers than Tavares’s had with Corey Perry’s knee in Game 1.

So why the public reveal? To prove he’s recovering? To nudge his employers into putting him back into the lineup? None of those things need doing.

You get the feeling that Toronto was in Tavares’s mind as he was skating loops. That the city needed to see the captain was close to coming back so that it didn’t begin losing faith if things went wrong on Thursday night. The camera kept swinging back to him, sitting up in the gondola in his civvies, during the game. Then things went wrong. In Hollywood, they call that foreshadowing.

The Leafs have a pretty close to unique problem when it comes to winning a hockey series – it’s been so long, no one believes they can do it. I’m not sure the team believes it can do it. The players know they can, because they’ve already spent a week spinning this Montreal team around until it’s dizzy. But the Leafs may not believe it’s possible. 1214292 Montreal Canadiens Matthews led the NHL this season with 41 goals. And while he has four points through five games, he has only one goal and hasn’t scored since the second game. Hyman, the left-winger on the Matthews line with Mitch Marner, scored Toronto’s first goal on Thursday — his first point of the 'They were much more desperate than us,' Leafs' Auston Matthews says series. Marner, meanwhile, has four assists.

Former Canadien Alex Galchenyuk's gaffe early in overtime allows “Any time your backs are against the wall you push back,” Hyman said. Montreal to claw it's way back into the series with a 4-3 win. “You saw that from them tonight. We’ve been in that situation before. You always respond. It’s another big test for us Saturday and we’ll look to

bounce back.” Herb Zurkowsky Montreal Gazette Other than the Leafs’ slow start, they played well. Wayne Simmonds hit the post early and Carey Price made repeated big saves throughout the game, denying Marner and Hyman on breakaways. He also stymied Alex The Toronto Maple Leafs could not finish off the Canadiens at home Kerfoot and William Nylander repeatedly. Nylander, with four goals in the Thursday night. That means they’ll now have to win their third straight series, again was Toronto’s best player. game at the Bell Centre to advance in the North Division semifinal. “He’s a great goalie and he’s doing his job,” Hyman said. “He’s been And they’ll have to accomplish that Saturday night before 2,500 playing really well in this series, obviously. We have to make his life spectators in Montreal — or the teams will return to Toronto on Monday difficult.” for a seventh and deciding game. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.28.2021 “You always want to close out a (series) at home, but it’s hard to beat a team four times in a row,” Zach Hyman said following Toronto’s 4-3 overtime loss Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena.

The Leafs overcame a three-goal second-period deficit, scoring the only two goals of the third period — when they dominated Montreal, outshooting the visitors 16-6.

Although the Canadiens were facing elimination, they came out quickly in overtime. A turnover by former Canadien Alex Galchenyuk in the offensive zone on a blind pass resulted in a two-man breakaway for Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki — the latter beating Jack Campbell after only 59 seconds.

Galchenyuk, selected third overall by Montreal in 2012, was one of Toronto’s heroes on Tuesday, scoring a goal into the empty net and adding two assists in a 4-0 victory. But on Thursday, he showed why the Leafs are his seventh NHL organization.

“You want the player to be aware of the mistake,” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “That in itself is pretty obvious. Being aware of what was available there and what the better play was. You park it and move on. Hockey’s a game of mistakes. It happens. You have to push on.

“When you’re playing better as a team and mistakes happen, they don’t seem to hurt you,” he added. “When you’re not playing well and make mistakes, you open the door for the opposition. Those mistakes cost you.”

Campbell, the 29-year-old veteran — but a playoff neophyte as a starter — could not match the calm and poised play he has demonstrated throughout the first four games of the series. Coming off the first shutout in the playoffs by a Leaf against the Canadiens since Johnny Bower in 1967, Campbell stopped only 26 of 30 shots for a .867 save percentage.

And he pointed the finger squarely at himself.

“I can’t give up three in regulation,” he said. “I have to be better — and I will be. Tonight, it wasn’t my best.”

Campbell couldn’t be faulted for not stopping Suzuki in overtime, considering the number of passes between the two Montreal players without a Leafs defenceman in sight.

And yet …

“I just have to make the save on that,” Campbell said. “I was a little aggressive. I’ll learn from it.”

Injured Leafs captain John Tavares was in the building for the first time in the series following his opening-game knee injury and concussion when Corey Perry’s knee made contact with his head. But even his presence wasn’t enough to lift Toronto.

The Canadiens came out strong and dominated the first period, jumping out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Joel Armia while outshooting the Leafs 14- 8.

“We didn’t come out with nearly enough urgency or jump to start with,” Auston Matthews said. “Obviously, they were much more desperate than us. They played well. We gave ourselves a chance. We just came up short.” 1214293 Montreal Canadiens I work for in the summer. All year you’re battling and laying it on the line and when you win it feels good.”

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.28.2021 In the Habs' room: 'When you win it feels good,' Phil Danault says

Montreal saves its season with an OT victory against the Leafs Thursday night and will welcome 2,500 fans to the Bell Centre on Saturday.

Pat Hickey Montreal Gazette

Cole Caufield is developing a reputation for overtime heroics.

The Canadiens are heading back to the Bell Centre Saturday night for Game 6 of their best-of-seven North Division semifinal against the Maple Leafs because Caufield intercepted an errant pass from former Canadien Alex Galchenyuk and set up Nick Suzuki for the overtime winner.

The goal gave the Canadiens a 4-3 win and cut the Leafs’ lead in the series to 3-2.

Caufield, who sat out the first two games of the series, had two overtime winners in the regular season when teams play 3-on-3 and lots of room on the ice. But the two Canadiens couldn’t have asked for more room than they had Thursday night when Caufield picked up the loose pick at the Montreal blue line and he and Suzuki were off on a 2-on-0 romp.

The only question was which one of the young snipers would test Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell.

“We’re both capable of scoring and making plays,” Suzuki said. “I just felt I had a good (look) at the net, especially on my one-timer side and it was a good play by him to touch it back.”

It wasn’t a perfect pass, it was a little wobbly, but Suzuki used his hand- eye co-ordination to bat it home.

The Canadiens forged a 3-0 lead by doing the little things right.

“We had energy,” Suzuki said. “We had great forechecks and we capitalized on them. I liked the way we stayed composed late in the third. There were a couple of unlucky breaks for us, but we came out with the win.”

A strong forecheck by Corey Perry on Rasmus Sandin set up the first of Joel Armia’s two goals and Jesperi Kotkaniemi stole the puck from Sandin to score his goal. Armia’s goal came when he joined Perry and Eric Staal in front of the net and they banged away until the puck went in.

The Canadiens will welcome some fans in the Bell Centre Saturday night and even though it will far short of a full house — the attendance is capped at 2,500 — the players expect it to be loud.

“It’s exciting to be able to play in front of fans,” said goaltender Carey Price, who hasn’t seen a fan in the stands since March 10, 2020. “We’ve missed them a lot this season. I’m excited for the fans who get to go.”

Coach Dominique Ducharme said he gave his players a simple message before the overtime.

“I mentioned that it was a moment for players who are gamers,” Ducharme said. “The game is on the line. Luckily, it didn’t take long. We had our chance and we capitalized. We needed to make sure that we took a shot when we could. We created a turnover that led to the 2-on-0. It’s rare in a game, especially in overtime.

Phil Danault’s name doesn’t appear in the scoring summary, but he played a huge role as the Canadiens continued to contain the Leafs’ top line anchored by Auston Matthews. The NHL’s top goal-scorer picked up an assist on Zach Hyman’s goal, but that came when they were matched against the Suzuki line.

Matthews has one goal and three assists in five games and has been held without a point in three of the five games. He was on the ice for 24:33 Thursday and managed only two shots on goal.

Danault won 19 of 29 faceoffs Thursday and won nine of 14 against Matthews.

“I told myself this is what I was born for, to be in those big moments,” Danault said. “This is what 1214294 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens stave off elimination with gutsy 4-3 win in overtime

Nice Suzuki scores winning goal only 59 seconds into the extra frame after a nice pass from rookie Cole Caufield during a 2-on-0 break.

Pat Hickey Montreal Gazette

Rookie Cole Caufield set up Nick Suzuki on a 2-on-0 break for the winning goal at 59 seconds of overtime as the Canadiens staved off elimination in the best-of-seven North Division semifinal with a 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena.

The win left the Canadiens trailing the series 3-2 with Game 6 back at the Bell Centre Saturday (7:30 p.m., CBC SN, TVA Sports, TSN-690 Radio, 98.5 FM). The Canadiens have received permission to welcome up to 2,500 fans — that’s 12 per cent of capacity — and it’s the first time since March 10, 2020, that they will be playing before a live audience.

Defenceman Jake Muzzin brought the Leafs back into the game when he scored twice in the third period to tie the game at 3-3.

The Leafs failed to take advantage of their only power play early in the third period. But while they didn’t score, they built momentum and moved to within a goal when Muzzin’s shot from the blue line found a way though the traffic in front at 6:52.

Toronto tied the game when Muzzin left a drop pass for former Canadien Alex Galchenyuk and then went to the net. Galchenyuk launched a harmless-looking wrister, but Muzzin deflected the puck and it went in through Carey Price’s pads.

Joel Armia and his fourth-line mates led the way as the Canadiens grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period.

Armia ended a 12-game goal drought when he opened the scoring at 5:13. The goal went into the books as an unassisted effort, but it wouldn’t have been possible if Corey Perry hadn’t put a hit on Rasmus Sandin on the forecheck to force a turnover. Perry then went to the net and served as a decoy as Armia beat Jack Campbell on the glove side

Perry, who was playing his 150th playoff game, gave his teammates a reminder that they needed some garbage goals when he placed a stick in a garbage can in the middle of the dressing room before the game. The Canadiens took his message to heart on the second goal as they swarmed the Toronto crease. Eric Staal and Perry each had a poke at the puck before Armia slipped it under Campbell’s pads at 8:18.

Armia’s goals supported a strong effort from Carey Price. He had luck on his side when Wayne Simmonds hit a post moments before Armia’s second goal, but he came out to challenge Mitch Marner on a 2-on-1 break and he stopped William Nylander in the final minute of the first period.

Sandin, who was a healthy scratch for Game 4, was victimized a second time early in the second period when Jesperi Kotkaniemi took the puck way from him along the end boards and beat Campbell on a wraparound.

The Leafs got that back less than two minutes later when Zach Hyman tapped in a deflection of a shot by Marner. Sheldon Keefe sent his top line out after the Canadiens were called for icing and Auston Matthews set the play in motion when he won the offensive zone faceoff against Nick Suzuki. It was the only the second goal of the series for the Leafs’ top line.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214295 Montreal Canadiens Do the Canadiens believe they can still win with Price and Weber as the cornerstones and the two highest-paid players? If they don’t, is it even possible to move them and their contracts?

Stu Cowan: Tough decisions looming as Canadiens chart future There’s also the fact Price can’t score, while Weber had only six goals this season and offence is the Canadiens’ biggest problem. Habs should return to Atlantic Division next season and it won't be easy to get into playoffs — especially if they keep struggling to score. After Bergevin fired Julien, he said Ducharme was a “new model” coach and a good communicator who would bring new life and energy to the team. But when the playoffs started, three of the Canadiens’ top young players — Kotkaniemi, Cole Caufield and Alexander Romanov — were Stu Cowan• Montreal Gazette all healthy scratches. Kotkaniemi and Caufield eventually got into the lineup because of injuries, but Romanov was scratched for the fifth straight game Thursday with Erik Gustafsson replacing Brett Kulak and With the Canadiens facing elimination in Game 5 Thursday night in joining Jon Merrill on the third defence pairing. Toronto, it seemed like a good time to look ahead to what might happen next season. Gustafsson and Merrill — acquired by Bergevin before the NHL trade deadline — can become unrestricted free agents and probably have no The Canadiens survived with a 4-3 OT victory on a goal by Nick Suzuki future with the Canadiens. Last season, Romanov wasn’t eligible to play after blowing a 3-0 lead, but still face another elimination game Saturday in the NHL postseason after his KHL season with CSKA Moscow ended, night at the Bell Centre. but the Canadiens brought him into their playoff bubble and burned off the first year of his entry-level contract so he could gain experience and The Canadiens had the worst record of the 16 teams that made the be ready for this season. playoffs this season (24-21-11) and caught a break by playing in a weak all-Canadian division. Last season, they had the worst record of the 24 But when the playoffs started this year, the Canadiens didn’t have faith in teams that made the expanded postseason because of COVID-19 (31- Romanov, Kotkaniemi or Caufield. 31-9). The two seasons before that, the Canadiens missed the playoffs and it looks like there’s a very good chance of that happening again next What does that say about the team’s future? year unless they can find a way to score more goals. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.28.2021 The Canadiens finished the last two seasons with a minus-9 goal differential and it’s tough to get into the playoffs when you allow more goals than you score. They ranked 17th in the NHL in offence this season and 17th on the power play. The year before, they ranked 19th in offence and 22nd on the power play. During the last eight seasons, the Canadiens have never ranked higher than 13th in offence or 12th on the power play.

Next season — depending on COVID-19 — the Canadiens should return to the Atlantic Division and compete against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and the Maple Leafs for one of three playoff spots, along with two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference. Those four teams all had at least 14 more points than the Canadiens in this year’s 56-game season. The young Ottawa Senators should also be better next season after finishing this year eight points behind the Canadiens by going 9-2-1 in their last 12 games.

The Canadiens simply have to improve their offence. Toffoli led the team in scoring this season with 28-16-44 totals, which ranked 48th in the NHL.

Good teams are built down the middle, but the Canadiens only got 30 goals from the centre position this season: 15 from Suzuki, five each from Phillip Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, three from Jake Evans and two from Eric Staal. With 15-26-41 totals, Suzuki ranked 27th among NHL centres in scoring.

The first decision Canadiens owner/president Geoff Molson is going to have to make before next season is whether Marc Bergevin will return for his 10th season as GM with one year remaining on his contract. After that a decision will have to be made on interim head coach Dominique Ducharme, who had a 15-16-7 record during the regular season after taking over from Claude Julien. Molson will still be paying Julien US$5 million next season not to coach.

The Canadiens will also have to decide what to do with Danault, Tomas Tatar and Joel Armia, who can all become unrestricted free agents. There’s also Jonathan Drouin, who left the team in April for personal reasons and still has two seasons remaining on his contract with a US$5.5 million salary-cap hit each year. The Canadiens took a lot of heat when they played a game near the end of the regular season without Danault (concussion) and Drouin, marking the first time in franchise history they didn’t have a single francophone in the lineup. You have to think that will be in the back of Molson’s mind.

Carey Price, 33, and Shea Weber, 35, both have five years left on their contracts with a combined annual salary-cap hit of US$18.357 million — or 23 per cent of the US$81-5 million cap if it remains flat. Price has a full no-movement clause and when the Nashville Predators dealt Weber to the Canadiens in exchange for P.K. Subban five years ago, they were trading the contract more than the player. 1214296 Montreal Canadiens Price made several big saves among his 32 stops and managed to keep the score 3-3 for the final 13 minutes of the third period, in which the Leafs outshot the Canadiens 16-6.

Canadiens Game Day: Joel Armia was right when he said it's not over “Carey is awesome,” teammate Phillip Danault said. “He’s there every night, lay it on the line for us, especially in those big moments. He’s been Habs blow a 3-0 lead, but Nick Suzuki's goal in overtime forces Game 6 solid since the beginning of the series and he wants to win. We all want against the Leafs Saturday night at Bell Centre with 2,500 fans. to win and he gives us a chance every single night. That’s what makes him one of the best goalies in the league.”

Price was impressed by the resiliency shown by his teammates. Stu Cowan Montreal Gazette “It’s not easy to have the right mentality going into an overtime like that

after giving up a two-goal lead in the third,” he said. “But I thought the Like Joel Armia said after Game 4: “It’s not over yet.” group was calm and composed in the locker room after.”

The Canadiens blew a 3-0 lead Thursday night in Toronto, but were able Price was asked what was said in the locker room during the intermission to stave off elimination when Nick Suzuki scored in overtime for a 4-3 before the start of overtime. victory over the Maple Leafs in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. “I think everybody knew what the overall message should have been,” he Game 6 will be Saturday night at the Bell Centre with 2,500 fans in said. “I didn’t think anybody needed to say anything. Our coach attendance (7:30 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM). (Dominique Ducharme) came in and gave us a few words, but you look It will be the first NHL game in Canada this year with fans in the building. around the room and everybody knew what was at stake. Some tickets for Game 6 were selling for more than $4,000 each on the “We came here to win this game and I thought overall our game was Ticketmaster website after Thursday night’s game. pretty solid,” Price added. “We got rewarded tonight.” The four goals in Game 5 matched the amount the Canadiens had Now the Canadiens will get to reward the 2,500 fans who will be in scored in the first four games combined. attendance Saturday night at the Bell Centre. After a 4-0 loss in Game 4 Tuesday night at the Bell Centre, the “I think they will deserve that game big time,” Danault said. “It’s going to Canadiens’ Armia said: “I think we just need to forget about this one be crazy there … it’s going to be awesome and I can’t wait to be in front quick. It’s not over yet. I feel like we have a good atmosphere in the of our fans. We’ve been waiting for that all year and here we are in Game locker room. Everybody knows that it’s not over and we’re going to work 6 against Toronto, Saturday night at home. It can’t get any better than hard for the next game. That’s it.” that.” It was Armia who opened the scoring at 5:13 of the first period in Game Le but gagnant sous tous ses angles. 5. He scored again to make it 2-0 just over three minutes later and Jesperi Kotkaniemi made it 3-0 at 4:52 of the second period. Kotkaniemi, The OT winner from every angle.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Iym0msxtJI who was made a healthy scratch for Game 1, now has two goals in this series and six goals in 14 postseason games going back to last year. — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) May 28, 2021

Zach Hyman put Toronto on the board at 6:32 of the second period and Gaining confidence Jake Muzzin scored two goals in the first 12 minutes of the third period to The overtime win — and scoring four goals in one game — should give tie things up and set the stage for Suzuki’s game-winner only 59 seconds the Canadiens a big confidence boost going into Game 6. into OT. “I thought we showed a lot of heart,” Suzuki said. “We feel like we can Suzuki’s goal came after former Canadien Alex Galchenyuk made a bad come back in this series, especially going back to the Bell Centre now for pass in the offensive zone that was intercepted by Cole Caufield just Game 6. It’s going to be a lot of fun to play in front of our fans. We know inside the blue line, setting up a two-man breakaway. Then it was it’s not going to be a full barn, but I know it will be loud and we’ll be ready Caufield to Suzuki, back to Caufield and back again to Suzuki, who beat to go.” Leafs goalie Jack Campbell. Suzuki also spoke about a team meeting held on Wednesday. It was a beautiful play that made it hard to understand — again — why the Canadiens would make Caufield a healthy scratch for the first two “We got a ton of leaders, especially that I look up to,” Suzuki said. “We games of this series. had a meeting yesterday and guys like Corey (Perry) and Staalsy (Eric Staal) spoke up about how these opportunities in the playoffs don’t come “He’s a composed player,” Canadiens goalie Carey Price said about that often so you got to make the most of it. We got a ton of leaders, Caufield. “He showed it at every level. I’m excited to watch him grow and Weby (Shea Weber) Carey, keeping us calm and it translated into OT.” continue to succeed in this league.” L'avenir. Armia now leads the Canadiens in scoring in this series with 2-2-4 totals in the five games and he’s also a team-best plus-3. Armia’s two goals are The future.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/MkJ8bca8Zp one more than the Leafs’ Auston Matthews has in this series after leading the NHL with 41 goals in 52 games during the regular season. — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) May 28, 2021

“Army’s a solid player,” Price said. “I don’t think he gets enough credit for Gustafsson replaces Kulak what he does.” Ducharme made one change to his lineup for Game 5 with defenceman Or what he says. Erik Gustafsson replacing Brett Kulak.

LE BUT GAGNANT EN PROLONGATION. Gustafsson had been a healthy scratch for the first four games and only played five regular-season games with the Canadiens after being THE OT WINNER.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/9g9lMeWZGX acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers before the NHL trade deadline.

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) May 28, 2021 “He’s in the lineup to help the power play,” Ducharme said about Gustafsson after Thursday’s morning skate. “He’s patient with the puck. Ca-rey! Ca-rey! He finds good options on the power play. I think he can help us in that Price has been the Canadiens’ best player all series and Game 5 was no area.” exception. The Canadiens only had one power play in the game and failed to score. When the Canadiens went up 3-0, it was hard to imagine the Leafs They are now 0-for-14 on the power play in this series. scoring four times on Price with the way he was playing. They came Gustafsson had 10:16 of ice time in the game. Jon Merrill —acquired close, but couldn’t do it. from the Detroit Red Wings before the NHL trade — only played 9:18. Alexander Romanov was made a healthy scratch for the fifth straight Here’s the rest of the schedule for the Canadiens-Leafs first-round game. series.

Fou moment. Game 6: Saturday, May 29, 7:30 p.m., at Montreal

What a feeling.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/wpCstPEiBO Game 7: Monday, May 31, time TBD, at Toronto, if necessary

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) May 28, 2021 Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.28.2021

Another unanimous decision

When the Canadiens decided to make Romanov, Caufield and Kotkaniemi healthy scratches for Game 1 of this series, Ducharme said it was a unanimous decision involving his entire coaching staff and GM Marc Bergevin.

When the Canadiens made a questionable decision to call for a video review for goalie interference after the Leafs scored their third goal in a 5- 1 win in Game 2, Ducharme once again said it was a unanimous decision involving the coaching staff and Bergevin.

The decision to sit Kulak in favour of Gustafsson for Game 5 was once again a unanimous decision.

“Same thing,” Ducharme said. “First, as a coach — and you can ask anyone that worked with me before — I’m the one that makes the final decision. But I always take time to talk about the positive, negative on every decision that we make or everything that we do. So after discussions that was what came out of it and that’s what we’re going with.”

THERE WILL BE A GAME 6. WITH FANS.

IL Y AURA UN 6E MATCH. AVEC DES PARTISANS.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/krEs4qkVgX

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) May 28, 2021

Staying alive

Brendan Gallagher spoke after the morning skate about what the Canadiens have gone through this season and how he didn’t want Game 5 to be their last game together.

“It’s been a grind for what our group’s been through,” he said. “The COVID stuff, the schedule stuff. These guys battled really hard this year. You don’t want it to end. You always say that every single year, but when you get a team that we have where everyone gets along you want to continue to play. We feel fortunate to be able to do this and we want it to last one more game. You’re fighting to survive, earn one more day together and it’s a pretty good feeling when you’re able to do that and accomplish it.

“We enjoy what we do,” Gallagher added. “Sometimes you got to take a step away from the whole situation and realize we’re playing in the National Hockey League, we’re in the playoffs, we’re playing in an awesome rivalry with a lot of emotion. It’s fun … it should be fun. You should be able to enjoy it.”

Gallagher and the Canadiens now get to enjoy it for at least one more game.

Mood right now & an accurate depiction of what I will be like at the Bell Center on Saturday night for game 6! #ghg pic.twitter.com/hCdegvpXcJ

— Julie Petry (@petryules) May 28, 2021

Some stats

Toronto outshot Montreal 35-30, while the Canadiens won 52 per cent of the faceoffs and also led 44-38 in hits. Both teams went 0-for-1 on the power play.

Ben Chiarot led the Canadiens with 28:27 of ice time, followed by Weber with 27:06 and Jeff Petry with 24:23. Tyler Toffoli led the forwards with 19:32 of ice time, followed by Danault with 19:07 and Suzuki with 18:51.

Josh Anderson had six shots, while Armia was second with three. Petry and Joel Edmundson led the Canadiens with six hits each.

Danault went 19-10 on faceoffs (66 per cent), Suzuki went 5-9 (36 per cent), Kotkaniemi went 3-6 (33 per cent) and Staal went 2-1 (67 per cent).

The schedule 1214297 Montreal Canadiens until the third period where traffic, yet again, played a role. The third Leafs goal was the worst one he has allowed all series long, and if it weren’t for those meddling kids in OT he would be criticized.

Canadiens playoffs plus/minus: Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield save the Price’s thoughts on seeing his teammates get all those goals? “Not season, defence still can’t contribute surprised,” he said with a smirk.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi: Bad night in the faceoff circle (his worst of the playoffs so far), but he also got his second goal of the series. He created By Julian McKenzie May 28, 2021 the goal by picking Sandin’s pocket (yeesh, not a great night for the young Leafs’ defender) and going to the net. Heck of a play for a guy

who hasn’t looked out of place in the lineup. His playoff performance has We finally got a great game in this series and the Canadiens get to fight been a stark contrast to his play in the final stretch of the regular season. another day — in front of fans. KOTKANIEMI. 3-0 PIC.TWITTER.COM/JJUXNQGKZQ You can thank the kids for that. — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MAY 28, 2021 A Nick Suzuki goal, on a 2-on-0 with rookie Cole Caufield, gave the The minuses Canadiens a 4-3 overtime win and new life. Alex Galchenyuk, once upon a time the future for the Canadiens, turned the puck over in the Montreal The power play: The Canadiens still don’t have a power-play goal in this zone. Caufield was first to the puck, and it was off to the races. series. The lone silver lining is that they didn’t have to see it in action much tonight. 0-for-1. “Sometimes those 2-on-0s are a little bit more difficult,” Suzuki said. “Some guys are hesitant to shoot. We were just confident to make the Tomas Tatar: It’s been a series to forget for the winger. He has only one plays, and I was lucky enough to score.” assist in five games. He wasn’t able to finish plays in Game 5.

The Canadiens entered the game with four goals in the series, as many The Canadiens blueline: Through five games, the Canadiens defence as William Nylander alone had for the Leafs. But on Thursday night, has yet to register a point. The Canadiens scored four goals Thursday Montreal’s offence took advantage of the Leafs’ mistakes and turned and no defenceman had a point. It’s impressive (in a bad way) to see the them into goals, using an aggressive forecheck to create turnovers. The Canadiens’ defence not make an impact on the team’s offence. To add Canadiens made good passes, had solid zone entries and created traffic insult to injury, the Canadiens allowed a pair of goals from Jake Muzzin in front of Jack Campbell. to allow the Leafs back into the game. Alexander Romanov, the rookie Russian rearguard, has yet to make an appearance in this series. You And to think, all that good will and offensive firepower might’ve been have to wonder if he’ll be given a chance in Game 6 or if the team will forgotten had the Canadiens blown a 3-0 lead and lost. It nearly keep him on the bench. happened thanks to three goals from the Leafs in the second and third periods. With a golden opportunity to win the series on home ice, you Erik Gustafsson: My intention wasn’t to single out every single had to imagine the Maple Leafs were going to push back — and they did. defenceman, but it’s worth mentioning Gustafsson, who made his Just not enough to win it in overtime. Canadiens playoff debut. No shots on net, no hits, no shot blocks, one lone takeaway and under 11 minutes of play. It was a head-scratching The overtime winner couldn’t have come at a better time for Canadiens decision for the Canadiens to have him in the lineup, and it remains a bit fans, whose collective mood was a mixture of frustration and of a head-scratcher after the fact. exasperation. Now, Canadiens fans in Quebec can look forward to a province-wide curfew being lifted Friday and a Game 6 at the Bell Centre The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 on Saturday with fans in the stands, even if the prices are sky-high.

“To be honest, (the fans) deserve that game big time,” Canadiens centre Phillip Danault said. “It’s going to be crazy there. It’ll be awesome. Can’t wait to be in front of our fans. Been waiting for that all year. And here we are, Game 6 against Toronto. Saturday night, at home. Can’t get any better than that.”

There was a lot of good in Game 5. There was also a bit of bad.

The pluses

Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield: Both players deserve immense credit on the overtime winner. Caufield, for stealing the puck in the defensive zone and leading the 2-on-o while not overpassing or taking it for himself. Suzuki’s finish, obviously, is what matters most. So much so, we’ll ignore his 36 percent faceoff rate for tonight. Helps that his team won 52 percent overall. As for Caufield, he has brought speed, scoring chances and has played like a breath of fresh air. We’ve already made the point that the Canadiens shouldn’t have benched him at any point in this series, but he continues to not make Dominique Ducharme regret putting him in the lineup.

Joel Armia: You may remember Armia’s shot chart I posted in my last plus/minus column. Here’s his shot chart from tonight’s game.

The big Finnish forward played his best game of the series — not just because he scored twice but because of the location of his goals. Look at where he comes in during this goalmouth scramble.

ARMIA AGAIN. 2-0 PIC.TWITTER.COM/XADLYINOQW

— OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MAY 27, 2021

Corey Perry: He’s the biggest reason Armia scored his game-opening goal in the first place. Perry’s hit on Rasmus Sandin caused a turnover. Joe Thornton couldn’t corral the puck either. Armia took it for himself and beat Campbell.

Carey Price: Price finally got the game he needed, not from himself but from his teammates. They gave him the goals, he gave them the saves 1214298 Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi leaves Game 6 against Carolina after hard check

WILL BACKUS | Nashville Tennessean

Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi suffered an apparent injury in Thursday's Game 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The veteran defenseman took a rough check from Carolina's Jordan Martinook at about the 14:30 mark in the third period. Josi immediately dropped to the ice and looked unsteady as he skated to Nashville's bench.

Here's what happened with Josi. Very concerning for him with his concussion history + possibly sustaining another one this season. https://t.co/p4a5n4i1Ci pic.twitter.com/YS4900ziCF

— NHL Safety Watch (@NHLSafetyWatch) May 28, 2021

He went straight to the locker room and did not return to the bench for overtime.

Josi was credited with the assist on a Ryan Johansen goal that gave Nashville a 3-1 lead with about 12:30 minutes to play in the second period. He also attempted two shots before leaving the game.

Tennessean LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214299 Nashville Predators

CeCe Winans sings national anthem before Nashville Predators' Game 6 against the Hurricanes

WILL BACKUS | Nashville Tennessean

Gospel singer and 12-time Grammy Award winner CeCe Winans sang the national anthem before Game 6 between the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday in Bridgestone Arena.

She sported a gold Preds jersey while she sang.

Her rendition brought several catfish raining down on the ice.

CeCe Winans got them going with the anthem, an all-timer. Catfish dropping everywhere. Puck drops.

— Joe Rexrode (@joerexrode) May 28, 2021

Cece Winans may have just delivered the best anthem in Smashville history and that’s saying something. #Preds @NC5

— Steve Layman (@SteveLayman) May 28, 2021

Country music star Keith Urban sang the national anthem prior to Game 3, while country artists Drew and Ellie Holcomb performed it prior to Game 4.

Nashville trails the Hurricanes 3-2. If the Predators can force a seventh game with a win tonight, it will be played on Saturday at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Tennessean LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214300 Nashville Predators

Carolina Hurricanes top Nashville Predators in overtime to win Game 6, series

PAUL SKRBINA | Nashville Tennessean

Once again, history and the odds were against the Nashville Predators on Thursday night in front of a NHL playoff-high 14,107 people.

Once again, Game 6, like the three before it, went to overtime,

Once again, history and the odds – not to mention the Carolina Hurricanes – prevailed 4-3 in the first-round NHL playoff series, thus securing their spot in the second round against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Once again, Predators goalie Juuse Saros was superb, but Sebastian Aho tipped a Jaccob Slavin shot to beat him 1:06 into overtime to end Nashville's season.

The Predators have never won a seven-game series after falling behind 2-0.

They are 1-10 when trailing 3-2. The Hurricanes are 8-0 when leading 3- 2.

Overall, teams with a 3-2 lead were 326-87 going into Thursday.

Teams that hold a 3-2 lead in a best-of-seven series are 326-87 (.789) winning the series, including 8-0 last season.

The Predators were without Roman Josi for more than half the third period. Their captain left not even midway through the period and did not return.

Nick Cousins ignited the “You suck!” chants 1 minute, 44 seconds in when his goal gave the Predators a 1-0 lead.

The lead didn’t live long, thanks to Brock McGinn’s goal with 15:39 left in the first. The goal came seconds after Alex Nedeljkovic denied Yakov Trenin on a two-on-one.

Mikael Granlund struck 1:13 into the second for the Predators’ second lead of the game. Ryan Johansen gave them their first multi-goal lead of the series with a five-on-three goal at 12:23 of the second, courtesy of Josi’s perfectly placed pass. It also was the first two-goal lead for either team since the final minute of Game 2.

Carolina responded with a power-play goal from Aho with 6:26 remaining in the second to make it 3-2 Predators.

Dougie Hamilton tied it at 3 with a score 13:59 of the third.

Tennessean LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214301 Nashville Predators

It's All Your Fault: Predictable unpredictability

The Preds are peaking at the right time. What's going right — and can they get it right one more time to force Game 7?

STAFF REPORTS MAY 27, 2021

During last week's episode co-hosts Michael Gallagher, Geert De Lombaerde and Megan Seling wondered if the home-ice advantage — and the notoriously loud Bridgestone crowd — would give the Nashville Predators the spark they needed to defeat the Canes in Games 3 and 4. The answer was heard loud and clear: Yes, yes, 1,000 times yes.

Even back in Carolina for Game 5, the Preds challenged Carolina with newfound confidence and stamina, purposefully breaking up the pace of the game to make it difficult for the Canes to build momentum. Is this the best the team has played all season? Without a doubt. Can they keep it up for two more games?

Also discussed: Does Canes Coach Rod Brind'Amour have the refs wrapped around his finger? And will Thursday's late start time throw off the players' internal clocks and pre-game rituals?

You can listen to the episode right here. And you can subscribe to It's All Your Fault on iTunes, Stitcher or wherever your favorite podcasts are available. And if you like what you hear, please take a minute to leave us a good review and then tell a friend or two (or 10!) about us. You can also follow the podcast on Twitter and Instagram.

Nashville Post LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214302 New York Islanders

Bruins the Islanders’ next stop on NHL playoff ‘mountain’

By Mollie Walker May 27, 2021 | 9:04PM

Going along with head coach Barry Trotz’s “climb the mountain” analogy, the Islanders’ next pit stop on the way to the top is against the Boston Bruins.

“It’s been quite a while, quite a journey,” said Brock Nelson after the series-clinching win over the Penguins at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday night. “A lot of guys in here that have been around, a couple of guys that have been here longer than I have. I think it just goes back to this is a special place, a special group that really wants to go out there and win and compete for a Stanley Cup and raise it.

“To be seeing progress and getting close and having runs, it’s awesome. It’s fun. We’re trying to go all the way.”

Game 1 of the second-round series between the East Division rivals is set for 8 p.m. Saturday in Boston.

Despite winning a majority of their regular-season matchups with Boston, the Islanders can expect an experienced Bruins squad that is playing some of its best hockey after defeating the Capitals in five games.

Ilya Sorokin and Tuukka Rask

The Islanders won the first five of their eight meetings with the Bruins, outscoring Boston by a head-turning 18-8. But during the Isles’ plummet to the fourth seed in the East toward the end of the season, the Bruins took three convincing wins by a 10-3 margin.

Boston coach Bruce Cassidy highlighted the Islanders’ patient style of play, tough defense and top-notch goalie tandem on Thursday. He even noted that he feels both teams share a lot of the same attributes, saying “we’re playing ourselves a little bit.”

Is it possible for the Islanders to have another series as close as the first round?

In six games against the Penguins, there was 66:28 — or the equivalent of more than one whole game — of play with a tie score. There were too many lead changes to count, 37:21 of overtime, and four one-goal games. Throw in one double-OT battle, one stolen victory behind rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin’s 48-save performance, and a few come-from- behind rallies.

To say it was tight would be an understatement, but the Islanders withstood it all and are now one of two teams remaining in arguably the toughest division in the NHL.

The Isles overcame their fair share of obstacles. Usual No. 1 goalie Semyon Varlamov missed Game 1 with an injury and was seemingly out of sync in Games 2 and 3, which combined with the team’s inability to get to their game first resulted in their only two losses of the series.

Sorokin stepped into the first NHL playoff series of his career and not only gave the Islanders a chance to win but elevated his game and dazzled with tremendous poise between the pipes.

And when rookie winger Oliver Wahlstrom was injured in Game 5, the Islanders’ answered the first challenge to their depth with ease. In fact, the team didn’t waver at all. Travis Zajac, who was acquired from the Devils along with Kyle Palmieri (who had three goals in the series) at the trade deadline for that very reason, had a noticeable impact in his Islanders playoff debut.

The Islanders may have chased every game, but they were never out of it. That’s what makes this team so difficult to beat: It is built to last.

“We’re enjoying this win right now,” Zajac said after Wednesday’s series- clinching win. “In the next day or two, we’ll get ready to go up against Boston. They’re playing some good hockey. They beat a really good team. We beat a really good team, so it’s going to be another fun series.”

New York Post LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214303 New York Islanders Andrew Gross Bruins in six: This is not a vote against the Islanders as much as it is a

vote for the Bruins, who could lift the Cup in a little more than a month. A look at the Islanders-Bruins second-round playoff matchups Colin Stephenson

Bruins in five: The Bruins are a step up in class for the Islanders and their By Andrew Gross top line won’t be as invisible as the Sidney Crosby line was in the Penguins’ series. Also, Rask is a lot better goalie than Pittsburgh's Tristan Jarry.

Remarkably, the Islanders are facing their second-round opponent, the Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 05.28.2021 Bruins, for just the third time in their playoff history and for the first time in 38 years.

The Islanders have won both previous series, both en route to the Stanley Cup. The Islanders beat the Bruins in five games in a fight-filled quarterfinal series in 1980 and in six games in 1983.

Here’s a position-by-position look at these teams:

Forwards

The Bruins’ Perfection Line of Brad Marchand (29 goals, 40 assists), Patrice Bergeron (23 goals, 25 assists) and David Pastrnak (20 goals, 28 assists) is one of the two best lines in the NHL and Taylor Hall skating with David Krejci on the second line just lengthens a deep group that also has size and grit. Brock Nelson with Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey is again the Islanders’ best playoff line but more is needed from Mathew Barzal (three assists in the first round) and Jordan Eberle (two goals, one assist). Jean-Gabriel Pageau had five goals and three assists against the Bruins this season. Edge: Bruins.

Defensemen

Long Beach’s Charlie McAvoy is a Norris Trophy candidate as he stepped up to fill the void left by Zdeno Chara’s departure. Mike Reilly is a key to the transition game but the Bruins have struggled with injuries to their blue-line corps all season. Jeremy Lauzon, Kevan Miller and John Moore all ended the first round injured. The Islanders’ top six has essentially remained the same all season and Adam Pelech-Ryan Pulock will again get the toughest assignment against the Perfection Line. Nick Leddy with Scott Mayfield had some shaky moments in the first round. Edge: Even.

Goalies

Rask went 4-1 with a 1.81 goals-against average and .941 save percentage against the Capitals in the first round and has led the Bruins to two Cup Finals. Rookie Jeremy Swayman, who shut out the Islanders in the regular season, will likely be the backup. Islanders rookie Ilya Sorokin (1.95 GAA, .943 save percentage) was brilliant in winning all four starts against the Penguins and Semyon Varlamov led the team to the Eastern Conference finals last season. Edge: Islanders.

Power play

The Bruins’ top unit — the top line with McAvoy and Krejci — is balanced and dangerous. Plus, the Bruins drew 19 power-play chances against the Capitals, scoring five goals. The Islanders were 3-for-16 against the Penguins and may not have sharpshooter Oliver Wahlstrom. Edge: Bruins.

Penalty kill

The Bruins killed off 18 of the Capitals’ 21 chances in five games and ranked second in the regular season at 86%. The Islanders were 9-of-12 against the dangerous Penguins and ranked sixth in the regular season at 83.7%. Edge: Bruins.

Coaching

The Bruins’ Bruce Cassidy and Barry Trotz are both straight shooters who get the most out of their players and don’t make it about themselves. The teams play similarly structured, defensively-sound games. Edge: Even.

Staff predictions

Neil Best

Bruins in six: The Bruins have a much better goalie in Rask than the Penguins did and just as deep an array of scoring options. The Islanders are good and gritty but Boston looks like it might be Stanley Cup-bound. 1214304 New York Islanders

How the New York Islanders fared against the Boston Bruins this season

By Andrew Gross

The Islanders and the Bruins, their second-round playoff opponent, had an odd eight-game season series, with the first four games at Nassau Coliseum — all tied entering the third period — and then four in Boston.

The Islanders went 5-2-1, but the Bruins were the more dominant team after acquiring Taylor Hall from the Sabres on April 12, giving them a strong second line to support their "Perfection Line" of Patrice Bergeron between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.

Here’s a game-by-game look:

Jan. 18 at Nassau Coliseum: Islanders win, 1-0

Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the lone goal at 15:51 of the third period in the home opener as Semyon Varlamov (27 saves) notched his second straight shutout to open the season. The Bruins’ Tuukka Rask stopped 16 shots.

Feb. 13 at Nassau Coliseum: Islanders win, 4-2

Mathew Barzal, on the power play, and Pageau scored third-period goals against Rask (38 saves). Varlamov made 28 saves. The Islanders handed the Bruins their only two regulation losses through their first 14 games.

Feb. 25 at Nassau Coliseum: Islanders win, 7-2

Anthony Beauvillier opened a five-goal third period that also included a shorthanded goal from Pageau against Jaroslav Halak (30 saves), making his first start against his former team since joining the Bruins. Varlamov stopped 34 shots.

March 9 at Nassau Coliseum: Islanders win in shootout, 2-1

Beauvillier scored the shootout winner after Brock Nelson’s second- period power-play goal tied it against Halak (26 saves). Varlamov made 32 saves.

March 25 at Boston: Islanders win in OT, 4-3

Beauvillier scored an overtime winner for the second straight game after Rask exited following the first period with an upper-body injury and the Islanders rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the second period. Oliver Wahlstrom gave the Islanders a 3-2 lead at 17:04 of the third period only to have Anders Bjork tie it 54 seconds later. Varlamov made 29 saves, while Halak had 17 in relief for the Bruins.

April 15 at Boston: Bruins win, 4-1

Varlamov set a season high with 41 saves, but the Bruins took a 2-0 lead in the first period as they outchanced the Islanders, 33-11, in an effort coach Barry Trotz called "unacceptable." Rask finished with 22 saves. Travis Zajac scored his first goal as an Islander, but Hall’s third-period goal was his first with the Bruins.

April 16 at Boston: Bruins win, 3-0

Rookie goalie Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves in his fifth career start for his first shutout. The game turned as Pastrnak scored with 2.4 seconds left in the first against Ilya Sorokin (25 saves) and Hall scored 47 seconds into the second period.

May 10 at Boston: Bruins win in OT, 3-2

Hall scored on the power play in the first period and then added the overtime winner against Sorokin, who replaced Varlamov when he left after two periods with an unspecified strain. Rask stopped 16 shots.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214305 New York Islanders For Zajac, it was a satisfying night. "It was a lot of fun, I think, watching from up top,’’ he said of his time in

the press box. "You just saw how hard the guys battle, the commitment. Travis Zajac made the most of his ice time in Game 6 for the Islanders And you know you want to be part of it. So, it was pretty sweet to come in and be part of that win, and the series-clinching win. And we’ve just got to keep it going.’’

By Colin Stephenson Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 05.28.2021

At his pregame media briefing before Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Islanders coach Barry Trotz said veteran forward Travis Zajac would be the logical choice to enter the lineup if the Islanders lost a centerman to injury, but if it was a winger who went down, well, he’d have a few options.

But when rookie right wing Oliver Wahlstrom was checked heavily and awkwardly into the wall by Pittsburgh defenseman Mike Matheson in Game 5 and then couldn’t play in Game 6, Trotz decided Zajac was the best of his options to enter the lineup in Wahlstrom’s place.

Zajac played his best game as an Islander, saving a Penguins goal by sweeping the puck off the goal line after Ilya Sorokin was beaten by a shot from Kasperi Kapanen, and earning an assist on Ryan Pulock’s game-winner in the Isles’ 5-3 series-clinching win that put them into the second round against the Boston Bruins.

"We've had a couple [extra] guys that have been practicing and, honestly, one of the guys who would have been an option, [Michael] Dal Colle, tweaked something the other day, so he wasn't really an option,’’ Trotz said. "Travis, you know he's got 1,000 games [1,037] under his belt, he's played against top people, in a big moment. And I knew that that's just the right choice.’’

Island Ice Ep. 91: Isles win Game 6 and advance

Andrew Gross, Neil Best and Colin Stephenson discuss the Isles' series- clinching win vs. the Penguins and look ahead to facing Boston.

Zajac, the longtime former Devil who came over along with Kyle Palmieri in the April 7 trade that cost the Islanders a first-round pick, a fourth- rounder and two minor leaguers, had struggled to fit in. He appeared in 13 games for the Islanders, playing all three forward positions, and on all four lines. But he managed just one goal and one assist and started the playoffs as a healthy scratch.

It was the first time in his 15-year career that Zajac, who turned 36 on May 13, was relegated to the role of extra.

"It's difficult,’’ Zajac said of being left out of the lineup. "You want to be out there on the frontlines with your teammates . . . and being part of the wins, and the losses, and the ups and downs. But, like I told Barry, I'm here for the long haul. I'm here to help any way I can, be a part of it any way I can. And like everyone else, when my name's called, you got to go in and do the right things and play winning hockey and control what you can control.’’

Trotz had been asked, several times, about the difficulty in keeping Zajac out of the lineup. Every time, he praised Zajac for his great attitude, and suggested that if the Islanders were going to go far, Zajac was sure to get a turn at some point.

"No different than the playoffs last year,’’ Trotz said. "We had some good options on defense when we got Greeny [Andy Greene], and I started the playoffs with Johnny Boychuk on our defense, who had grinded all year. And then Johnny got hurt and Greeny came in and Johnny wasn't able to play for the [most of the] rest of the playoffs.’’

Game 6 highlights: Islanders vs. Penguins

Watch the Game Highlights from New York Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 05/26/2021

Zajac played 11:55 in his Islanders playoff debut, had one shot on goal, one blocked shot, one hit, one takeaway and one faceoff won in two attempts. He was part of a strong third line with Palmieri and Jean- Gabriel Pageau, and finished a plus-2 on the night.

The faceoff win, a clean win over Evgeni Malkin, was moved along by Pageau to Pulock, who hammered home a slap shot to put the Isles up 4-3 at 8:48 of the second period. The goal came 13 seconds after Brock Nelson had tied the score with the first of his two goals in the game. 1214306 New York Islanders

*Confirmed* Boston Bruins-New York Islanders Gm. 1

By Jimmy Murphy

The NHL has confirmed Boston Hockey Now and NYI Hockey Now reports that the Boston Bruins will host the New York Islanders at TD Garden in Game 1 Saturday night at 8 PM ET.

Game 2 between the Isles and the Bruins will take place on Memorial Day but a puck drop time has not been determined yet. That as well as the days and times for Games 3 and 4 at Nassau Coliseum, and if necessary, Game 5 (TD Garden), Game 6 (Nassau Coliseum), and Game 7 (TD Garden) could be announced as early as 3 PM ET today.

Thanks to the Islanders’ 5-3 series-clinching win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 on Wednesday night at the Nassau Coliseum, the Bruins (3) became the East Division’s highest remaining seed. Therefore, they have home ice in their first Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the New York Islanders (4) since the two clubs met in the 1983 Wales Conference Final. So when will the East Division Final series get underway?

Thanks to a jam-packed schedule across the NBC network this Memorial Day weekend, there are currently an array of schedule scenarios, and earlier on Thursday, a longtime NBC Sports source told BHN the earliest we could see Game 1 of the New York Islanders-Boston Bruins series would be Saturday night or potentially Monday afternoon. Here’s what this source told Boston Hockey Now Thursday morning:

‘NBC has prime time windows blocked on both Saturday and Sunday and right now nothing is set in stone. IF Nashville wins tonight then they have a Game 7 on Saturday night. If Carolina wins then most likely it would be Boston and the Islanders on Sat night and Carolina vs Tampa on Sunday night. BUT IF Nashville wins tonight NBC is looking at the late afternoon window on Memorial Day for the Bruins to start. Monday night primetime on NBC is out because of American Ninja Warriors A key to the puzzle is on Sunday night 5/30 they have blocked NBCSN for hockey at 10:30 PM which would be Colorado playing the VGK/Wild winner. The Celtics game on Sunday is the major issue.’

As referenced above, the Boston Celtics host the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden Sunday (7 PM ET) in their first-round NBA playoffs series that also has the Celts hosting Kyrie Irving and the Nets on Friday night at 8 PM ET.

In his daily Zoom call with the media on Thursday afternoon, Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed that he and the team are also preparing for a Saturday or Monday start.

On Wednesday, prior to Game 6 of the Penguins-New York Islanders series, the Bruins did put tickets on sale for the second round, but as of 11 AM ET on Thursday morning, neither the NHL nor the Boston Bruins, or the New York Islanders had released any schedule or schedule scenarios.

So for now, the Bruins and Isles are set to begin what promises to be a grueling, physical and exciting series on Saturday night in the primetime slot on the big NBC network.

NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 05.28.2021

1214307 Ottawa Senators

"1,000 SMILES": Ottawa Senators' owner Eugene Melnyk gives local hospitals a treat to help celebrate his birthday

Bruce Garrioch

Publishing date: May 27, 2021

Here’s the scoop on those ice cream trucks that made their way to Ottawa hospitals on Thursday afternoon.

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and his girlfriend, Sharilyne Anderson, wanted to share his 62nd birthday celebration with the good people who have been working hard to keep everybody safe during the COVID-19 pandemic by giving them a treat.

Melnyk and Anderson sent ice cream trucks to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the General and Civic campuses of The Ottawa Hospital. They had both been wanting to do this for a while and felt his birthday was as good a time any to give to the front-line workers who have been working hard during difficult times.

There was a sign that stated “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream” with a thank you “to all the front-line workers for all the hard work during the pandemic”.

Health care workers line up for free ice cream courtesy of Eugene Melnyk and his girlfriend, Sharilyne Anderson. Handout photo.

“I wanted to do it because these people work their butts off and they just don’t get the attention or the praise that they should,” Melnyk told this newspaper. “While all of us are out enjoying ourselves, these people, day in and day out, are working hard, and we can’t do enough to thank them.

“This is one way for us to say thanks and it says that we appreciate what you’ve done and who you are.”

Anderson said there were long lineups at all the trucks and they expected to serve more than 1,000 people by the end of the day. The Queensway- Carleton required individually wrapped ice cream and that was sent to its satellite location at an area hotel.

They did want to keep it anonymous, but it didn’t take long for word to get out that Melnyk and Anderson were behind the plan. She tried to make sure that everybody was served until they either ran out of people or ice cream.

“We just thought it would be great to do it on my birthday,” Melnyk said. “It’s been great and you’re probably putting a 1,000 smiles on people’s faces.”

Anderson said the reaction had been incredible.

“Everybody has been super-thrilled,” she said. “I got a bunch of a photos from people and everyone is so happy and we’re happy.”

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214308 Ottawa Senators you can’t leave the hotel. They’re doing a great job of trying to do exciting things for us.”

If you had told Bernard-Docker he’d have the chance to suit up for three GARRIOCH: Jacob Bernard-Docker was on his way back to Alberta, but teams at the start of the season, he likely wouldn’t have thought it was is wearing the Maple Leaf in Riga, Latvia instead even possible

“When I look back on this year I’ll just be fortunate with how much hockey I’ve played,” Bernard-Docker said. “My brother (Seth) played junior Bruce Garrioch hockey this year and he only got seven games in this year. I’ve been lucky enough to play at North Dakota, finishing the season in Ottawa and Publishing date: May 27, 2021 then some time here.

“I’m just super, super lucky to be playing hockey on some awesome Jacob Bernard-Docker was headed back to his Alberta home, via Grand teams and I’m just trying to make the most of it. I’m so thankful that even Forks, when his plans changed and he ended up halfway around the though this was a weird year I’ve been able to get a lot out of it. I was on world. a great team in North Dakota, the season didn’t end the way we wanted, but that’s the way it goes. Then, I got to come into Ottawa and really get After wrapping up the season with the Ottawa Senators, one of the club’s a chance to feel the guys out and get to know everybody. top blueline prospects was returning to the University of North Dakota to pack up his stuff when he got call from officials with Hockey Canada to “Going into next year, that’s going to be huge. If I wouldn’t have done see if he could attend the IIHF world championship in Riga, Latvia that, I would have been at a bit of a disadvantage coming into next year.” because of an injury to New Jersey Devils’ blueliner Kevin Bahl.

The 20-year-old Bernard-Docker was on a layover in Toronto, so he Ottawa Sun LOADED: 05.28.2021 stopped his checked bags from boarding the next flight, spent the night at an airport hotel and then met his Team Canada teammates in Newark, N.J. to catch the charter overseas they shared with Team USA.

“Anytime you a get a chance to represent Canada, and wear that Maple Leaf, it’s something pretty special,” Bernard-Docker told this newspaper Thursday from Riga. “It’s been a weird year for a lot of people but this is just another big experience for me. Being able to represent my country is always of the highest honour.

“I was super-pumped to get the call and it was super cool.”

Though Team Canada general manager Roberto Luongo and assistant Shane Doan had a difficult time putting a roster together, they didn’t have to ask Bernard-Docker twice.

“I was a little bit shocked so I was set on going home, my bags were already on a connecting flight, so when they first called me I thought about it for about two or three minutes,” said Bernard-Docker. “I was like, Man, I have to do this because opportunities like this don’t come along very often.”

“When you get a chance to put on that jersey it’s a dream come true and once it sunk in it was something I really wanted to do.”

The club’s No. 26 overall selection in the 2018 NHL draft, Bernard- Docker, who makes his off-season home in Canmore, suited up for 27 games in his final season at UND before signing with the Senators in early April. He played five games for Ottawa and has suited up four times with Canada at the tournament as they prepare to face Kazhakstan Friday.

Bernard-Docker has averaged just over seven minutes of ice time on the young Canadian team and this experience should help his development heading into camp. The Senators believe he can push for a spot on the blueline, but the thinking is he’ll need time with the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville before playing full-time in Ottawa.

“I got four or five weeks in with Ottawa and that was awesome. It wasn’t a huge stint but I got some great experience there,” Bernard-Docker said. “It will further my development going into next year and this is giving me the opportunity to compete against men as much as I can. This summer I want to work on a few things and this gives me a better gage of where I’m at.”

This world championship is being held under different circumstances. Most of the focus has been on hockey because teams are in a tight bubble with no fans and basically no ability to to do any sightseeing. Team Canada officials have tried to make it more bearable by holding a movie night at the hotel and they did go to a private location outside the city for dinner.

Normally, during this tourney, you can bring family over to spend time with you, but that’s not the case. It has helped that Senators forwards Connor Brown and Nick Paul are there along with equipment managers John Forget and Alex Menezes and athletic therapist Dom Nicoletta.

“We’re not allowed to go for a walk. It’s pretty tight,” said Bernard-Docker. “Most of the year has been like this and you’re strictly with your team and 1214309 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins the nation’s most-watched NHL or NBA team on local TV

CHRIS ADAMSKI

Thursday, May 27, 2021 3:25 p.m.

Pittsburgh Penguins fans cheer a goal during Game 1 of the their recent playoff series earlier this month. According to Sports Business Journal, the Penguins had better local television ratings than any U.S.-based NBA or NHL team.

The Pittsburgh Penguins fell well short of winning the Stanley Cup. But they can claim superiority over the rest of their NHL franchise brethren.

Penguins games on AT&T SportsNet this season drew an average rating of 7.79, according to a Sports Business Journal report that was confirmed by a release from the Penguins on Thursday. That was — by far — the best local rating for any of the 24 U.S.-based NHL teams.

Pittsburgh has about 1.1 million “TV homes,” meaning that an average of about 86,000 households watched Penguins games on AT&T SportsNet this season. According to Sports Business Journal, Penguins local ratings increased 36% from last season — the fourth-highest increase of any American NHL team; seven teams experienced ratings decreases from last season.

How much better were the Penguins ratings than any other team in the U.S.? They had a 81% higher rating team that ranked third — the St. Louis Blues on Bally Sports Midwest. No other team had a better rating in its market than the 5.08 that the Vegas Golden Knights had on their regional AT&T SportsNet affiliate in Las Vegas.

Furthermore, the Penguins outdrew all 29 U.S.-based NBA teams in local ratings. The (5.96 on NBC Sports Bay Area) were pro basketball’s most-watched team in its local market.

Interestingly, Sports Business Journal reported that NHL local U.S. ratings were up an aggregate 15% this season while NBA local TV ratings declined 4%.

SBJ did note that the NHL had an advantage this season not only with a compressed schedule of 56 games making each more important but also in that regular-season play was limited to seven nearby opponents, severely limiting faceoff times outside of primetime.

The Penguins’ season ended Wednesday with a 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series.

Tribune Review LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214310 Pittsburgh Penguins What about the core? Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are one year older and one year further removed from their most recent Stanley Cup title. Additionally, Malkin and Letang will be entering the final year of their contracts. Change is coming to the Penguins, but how much? In the aftermath of Wednesday’s loss, Crosby made his thoughts known on the subject.

SETH RORABAUGH “Those guys want to win,” the Penguins captain said of Malkin and Letang. “We’ve been together for a long time. We’ve seen how much Thursday, May 27, 2021 10:53 a.m. they care and their commitment. Don’t ever question that. There’s so many parts, and it is a business. So, that’s up to other people.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — A few days before the opening of the Stanley Cup “As far as what I can see and how I feel, there’s zero doubt in my mind playoffs, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager that the group that we have is a really good group.” acknowledged the reality looming in the upcoming offseason. It’s fair to be curious about those who direct this group, as well. There is an expansion draft, likely a flat salary cap and some of his Coach Mike Sullivan signed a four-year contract extension in the 2019 team’s top players are entering the final year of contracts. offseason that is scheduled to keep him behind the Penguins’ bench until Change was going to happen no matter what the Penguins accomplished 2023. So it’s unlikely the Penguins, whose revenues have been hindered in the postseason. over the past 15 months, are all that eager to fire Sullivan and keep him on the payroll until he finds a new job or his contract expires. But to what degree? Beyond that, Hextall and Burke have each expressed admiration for “The playoffs are going to dictate,” Hextall said by telephone May 14. Sullivan and staff in how the team’s day-to-day operations are executed. “The expansion draft, we have a certain amount in our control there. But a certain amount is out of our control. We’ll figure those things out. We’ve Still, three consecutive postseasons without a series win is hard to obviously dabbled in those things. We’ll nail them down as we go along overlook. here. Hextall and Burke aren’t going to overlook much this offseason. Much “But right now, the focus is on the playoffs and how we can be like Rutherford in 2014, they weren’t brought in to maintain the status successful.” quo, particularly after a string of shortcomings in the postseason.

Less than two weeks later, the Penguins were not successful. This offseason will be full of change for the Penguins.

Claiming the division and only winning two games in the first round is It has to be. nothing close to successful.

And frankly, these Penguins, who haven’t advanced past the second Tribune Review LOADED: 05.28.2021 round since winning the Stanley Cup in 2017, haven’t been in the same time zone as “successful” for a few years now.

The vast majority of the roster the Penguins had at their disposal for their season-ending 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders on Wednesday at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum was compiled by former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford. Only forward Jeff Carter, defenseman Mark Friedman and director of player personnel Chris Pryor joined the organization after Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Burke were hired Feb. 9.

Given that they were joining the team midway through the season — a season being orchestrated under the extraordinary circumstances of a pandemic — it was difficult to truly craft this team to their liking. In all reality, they were primarily custodians for the course Rutherford had plotted before he suddenly resigned Jan. 27.

Now? Hextall and Burke are free to draw up a new map.

How that manifests itself is still a matter of speculation. The Penguins aren’t exactly in need of a rebuild. And their most pressing would-be unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason is second-pairing defenseman Cody Ceci.

But Hextall and Burke didn’t join the Penguins just to maintain what Rutherford left them, especially after a third consecutive postseason without a single series win.

With the NHL expected to have a flat salary cap figure of $81.5 million for next season (if not more seasons) because of the pandemic crippling league revenues, the Penguins, like a lot of teams, will be scrambling to cut some salary in order to remain cap compliant.

The expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken franchise will aid in that as the Penguins hypothetically could entice Kraken management into taking a less-than-desirable contract such as Marcus Pettersson’s ($4,025,175, per Cap Friendly) or Jason Zucker’s ($5.5 million) by offering to throw in a draft pick the same way they got the Vegas Golden Knights to draft goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in 2017 by giving them a 2020 second- rounder.

But change won’t be limited to a single player being swiped by an expansion team. 1214311 Pittsburgh Penguins • Here’s a probable scenario: Letang and Malkin are entering the last year of their contracts. They play them out, then leave — unless either gives the Penguins a big discount on a short-term extension or the Penguins have a rotten 2021-22 and one or both gets traded at the Mark Madden: After another early playoff exit, changes are needed within deadline. Penguins organization That slows the rebuilding process, but neither would fetch much in a trade given their ages. (Both are 34.) The primary value to their departure is clearing salary cap space. So, wait a year to do that. The Penguins lost MARK MADDEN a lot of revenue during the pandemic, and it would be more difficult to Thursday, May 27, 2021 9:20 a.m. peddle tickets if Letang and (especially) Malkin get ditched.

• Whether or not the Penguins change their roster, they must get more buttoned-up. Start by not having the defenseman pinch constantly. How The Penguins’ Jake Guentzel consoles goaltender Tristan Jarry after often did that backfire? It’s not 2017. The Penguins need to see losing to the Islanders’ in Game 6 on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, at themselves as they really are. Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. When the postseason rolls around, the Penguins are no longer an It’s time for refreshing Pittsburgh Penguins notes, playoff edition: one- offensive juggernaut — as shown by 30 goals in their last three playoff and-done for a third straight year, just like the Penguins. series (an average of 2.1 per game) and confirmed by Crosby and Malkin combining for a mere five goals in those 14 games. Crosby and Malkin • The Penguins’ championship window closed after the 2018 playoffs. Do have aged out of dominating playoff games. you believe me yet? They organically disintegrated. Just like Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles before them. The Penguins looked more systemic this season. But, in the playoffs, the Islanders showed them what system is all about. The Islanders make so • Goalie Tristan Jarry should never play for the Penguins again. The fans very few mistakes. won’t forgive him. His teammates won’t trust him. He was responsible for three of the four losses in the series vs. the New York Islanders. Jarry • Crosby on the potential breakup of the Penguins’ core three: “They’ve was so bad, it’s difficult to judge others. Jake Guentzel was minus-4 on been saying that for four years, right?” Yep. And look what’s happened Wednesday. Sidney Crosby was minus-3. But what if Jarry stops the the last four years. All options should be on the table. The Penguins’ pucks he should? window is closed. There’s no concluding otherwise.

Who plays goal instead? That’s simple: somebody else. The Penguins Crosby is still one of the NHL’s most dominant players and will continue went from 3-2 up to 4-3 down within a 13-second span of the second to be. But to win, he needs a different context. That seems obvious, but period. Maxime Lagace should have replaced Jarry then. I don’t care if not to him. Crosby hates change. Lagace is a minor leaguer or if he lost his skates and was doing bong hits. The Islanders made it 5-3 166 seconds later. Make a damn save. Don’t be so visibly rattled. Tribune Review LOADED: 05.28.2021 • Goaltending coach Mike Buckley should be terminated. Matt Murray got worse on his watch. Jarry got no better, then imploded in these playoffs. More disturbingly, each developed the same weaknesses: bad glove, too deep in the blue paint, etc. Are they being taught to stink?

• Coach Mike Sullivan likely won’t be fired. But Sullivan needs a come-to- Jesus meeting with GM Ron Hextall and president of hockey ops Brian Burke, because he’s got to adjust to the NHL being heavier and his roster getting heavier. Sullivan must also cease coaching by rote. He made no changes against the Islanders till it was too late. The Crosby-Guentzel- Bryan Rust line kept getting sent out there to be physically overwhelmed. Try Jeff Carter or Brandon Tanev on Crosby’s wing.

After three straight first-round eliminations, the bloom is off Sullivan’s rose. He did well coping with injuries this season, but winning the division doesn’t matter. Every coach has an expiration date. Sullivan might be nearing his in Pittsburgh.

• Defenseman Kris Letang was the Penguins’ best player in these playoffs. He averaged more than 24 minutes per game in the regular season, more than 28 in the series vs. the Islanders. He had 45 points and a team-best mark of plus-19 in the regular season. He had six points in six playoff games. Letang shouldn’t be untouchable. But what’s the plan for replacing all that?

• The Penguins went 17-6-4 without center Evgeni Malkin this year. That doesn’t mean anything unless Hextall and Burke think it means something. No one on the roster can do what Letang does. But, precluding retirement, Carter is a serviceable second-line center.

• The trade for Carter officially became a bad one when the clock hit three zeroes at the end of the third period. Carter produced wonderfully, scoring 13 goals in 20 games. But you don’t deal for stats. The Penguins gave up third- and fourth-round draft picks to lose in the first round.

• Guentzel is 26, a gifted offensive talent and affordable at a cap hit of $6 million. But after seeing Guentzel get battered and bullied in the playoffs, it’s not hard to imagine him being swapped for a different kind of forward, like when the Penguins traded smooth, skilled James Neal for burly, rugged Patric Hornqvist in 2014. If the Penguins do make a deal like that, it begs the question: Why did they trade Hornqvist?

• Should Hextall and Burke burn it down? Well, every boom period in franchise history has been set up by doing exactly that. 1214312 Pittsburgh Penguins He’s right. But the question would be this: Could the Penguins have navigated their way past the Bruins and, say, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche on their way to a Cup? Were they big enough to withstand those challenges? Joe Starkey: It’s fair to wonder if Mike Sullivan will return as Penguins coach Heavy has become happy in the NHL. According to The Athletic, the three largest teams in the NHL as of early March — determined by total weight — were Vegas, Tampa Bay and the Islanders. The Penguins were the second-smallest. The story pointed out that the past three Cup Joe Starkey winners (Tampa, St. Louis, Washington) were among the seven heaviest 5/27/2021 teams in the league.

After chronic playoff underachievement, the Lightning added the likes of Luke Schenn (6-2, 229 pounds), Pat Maroon (6-3, 225), Zach Bogosian Mike Sullivan is a viable candidate for NHL Coach of the Year. He has (6-3, 222) and Barclay Goodrow (6-2, 215) last season and won it all. won two Stanley Cups in the past six years. He wins nearly 64% of his They went from the 23rd-heaviest team to the seventh-heaviest. games. He is the most accomplished coach in Penguins history, and he has three years left on his contract. But this isn’t just a discussion about bigger or nastier hockey players. It’s about whether the men now running the Penguins want their own guy in That’s half the story. charge. It’s about winning playoff games. It’s about having at least one ideal candidate (Tocchet) suddenly and perhaps temporarily available. Here’s the other half ... I’d keep Sullivan — and I still believe the Penguins will — but I’m not • Sullivan is 4-15 in his past 19 playoff games. Brian Burke. Wouldn’t you love to be there when he and Sully thrash it • He has not escaped the first round since 2018. out?

• He is not the chosen coach of new general manager Ron Hextall and new head of hockey operations Brian Burke, and history says new Post Gazette LOADED: 05.28.2021 management rarely sticks with the old coach (although Ray Shero did for a bit with Michel Therrien). It’s cliche to say, but cliches usually are true: Sullivan is not their guy.

• Sullivan’s philosophy would appear to be somewhat at odds with Burke’s. Sullivan believes skill and speed are paramount. Burke loves size and “truculence,” to borrow one of his favorite words.

I believe Burke’s famous quote, from his time in Toronto, went like this: “We require, as a team, proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence. That's how our teams play.”

Finally, and quite interestingly, Rick Tocchet is a free agent coach at the moment, and if you were looking for a face to put to the word “truculence” — defined as “disposed or eager to fight or engage in hostile opposition; belligerent” — Tocchet would be your guy.

Not that Tocchet is some kind of mad man. Quite the opposite. It’s just that his tough-guy profile might be more in line with Burke’s vision. Plus, he’d be a new voice, and he knows the personnel here quite well.

Were it up to me, I’d ask Sullivan to relent a bit on the size and snarl issues and keep him around. He did a mostly fabulous job with this team. It’s not his fault his goaltender crumbled.

But I’m not making the choice. I’m not shaping the future roster. That would appear to be Burke’s task, though it’s difficult to determine where his influence ends and Hextall’s begins. I have to believe, based on Burke’s job description, background and personality, that the club will be built largely upon his vision. If so, he would be the master architect. Hextall would then be charged with executing the blueprint.

Burke is on the record as saying him and Sullivan might have different ideas about what wins. The oft-referenced quote, uttered to the Post- Gazette just before the trade deadline, went like this: “I’m a big fan of not going to a gunfight with a knife. So Sully and I will have to thrash that out at some point.”

I’ll bet “Sully” is not a huge fan of that quote, the way he bristles at references to what some view as his team’s lack of bulk and belligerence.

“I think that story line has taken on a life of its own,” Sullivan told the Post-Gazette’s Ron Cook before the playoffs. “We’ve made no secret that we are going to win with speed and skill, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want pushback and size. I’m going to continue to try to put a game on the ice that gives us our best chance to be successful. We’ve had a fair amount of success playing that way.”

Depending on one’s timeline and definition of success, that could be argued. Did I mention the Penguins are 4-15 in their past 19 playoff games?

After the elimination loss to the Islanders, Sullivan said, quite emphatically: “We didn’t lose this series because we weren’t big enough.” 1214313 Pittsburgh Penguins The options are: extend, trade or play out the string. Letang, whose contract carries a $7.25 million cap hit, has a partial no-

movement clause that stipulates 18 teams where he is willing to be Who stays? Who goes? Analyzing the Penguins' pressing personnel traded. At 34, he played at an elite level for stretches of this season and decisions postseason. The way he takes care of his body, he’s not a guy who is likely to fall off a cliff when it comes to production. He would bring value in a trade and cap relief. But the Penguins would also need to find a top- pairing righty to replace him in critical minutes and on the power play. Is Mike DeFabo John Marino ready for that role after being bumped into the bottom pair 5/27/2021 this year?

Malkin, who will turn 35 in July, is the team’s highest-paid player with a $9.5 million cap hit. The star center has shown both sides of himself. UNIONDALE, N.Y. — A flat $81.5 million salary cap, a looming Sometimes, he’s the electrifying playmaker behind the potent one-two expansion draft and three aging superstars were already going to create Crosby-Malkin punch. Other times, he’s the unfocused and undisciplined some tough offseason decisions for new general manager Ron Hextall center who took three penalties in Game 4. and president of hockey operations Brian Burke. Former GM Jim Rutherford believed these three had enough elite hockey Now, add another first-round flameout. to lead another run. What do the new bosses think?

The stage has been set for some hard conversations at UPMC Lemieux Second-tier stars Sports Complex. When the puck drops on the next season, who will be here? After the core, the Penguins’ next wave includes a number of players in their mid-to-late 20s. Jason Zucker ($5.5 million AAV through 2022-23), Mike Sullivan Brandon Tanev ($3.5 million AAV through 2024-25) and Bryan Rust ($3.5 AAV through 2021-22) are all 29. Jake Guentzel, 26, carries a $6 million The decision to retain or move on from Mike Sullivan hinges upon a cap hit through 2022-23. challenging dichotomy. Does giving up a 26-year-old Guentzel make you better? Unlikely. But he On one hand, he’s a two-time Stanley Cup winner in Pittsburgh with a could be the big piece that help bring back a healthy return to jump-start well-earned reputation as one of the game’s best coaches. Why would a rebuild. you even consider moving on? On the other hand, he’s overseen three consecutive first-round playoff exits. When is enough, enough? Rust, who has more goals than any Penguin over the last two seasons, may have played his way out of Pittsburgh’s budget. With one year left, it The last two seasons, in particular, have been tough to rationalize. Both could be worth making a deal before he walks for free to sign a big deal times he took injury-ravaged rosters that were missing at least one star elsewhere. forward and led them to the top of the division standings. In both seasons, he was well-deserving of the Jack Adams award buzz. Still, this And leaving Zucker unprotected in the expansion draft could free up $5.5 is a results-based business and a team that has Sidney Crosby on it million in what should be a buyer’s market. shouldn’t be playing golf right now. Left-handed defensemen As it stands now, Sullivan is signed through the 2023-24 season. It should help his case that the Penguins out-played the Islanders for the A left-handed logjam has been brewing for some time. Brian Dumoulin, bulk of the series but the goaltending was so egregious it took them out Mike Matheson and Marcus Pettersson all have two more years left on of multiple games. The urgency in Game 6 also showed that this was a their deals. Juuso Riikola has one more, even though righty Mark team that was still fighting for each other and for their coach. This is not, Friedman has clearly leapfrogged him on the depth chart. And then in any way, a coach who lost the locker room. there’s Pierre-Olivier Joseph, who has been on the cusp of the NHL for the last two years. But the new decision makers might favor a slightly bigger brand of hockey. They have no emotional attachment to things that happened in That’s six lefties for three starting spots, tying up more than $15 million in 2016 or 2017. Could they use this as an opportunity to turn the page? cap space when they’re all in the NHL.

Assistant coaches One obvious way to create salary cap space would be to throw Joseph into the fire and deal one of the $4 million-plus lefties. It’s easy to say Beyond Sullivan, the staff includes assistants Todd Reirden, Mike they should trade Pettersson. Paying a bottom-pair lefty more than $4 Vellucci and goaltending coach Mike Buckley. For different reasons, any million a year isn’t a great way to stay under the cap. But other teams or all of them could be elsewhere next year. likely feel the same way and face similar cap concerns, so what’s his value? The Penguins chose to retain Buckley when they overhauled the assistant coaching staff last season. He’s guided three goalies to the Trading Dumoulin would bring in the heftiest return. But he also might be NHL but hasn’t been able to elevate any of the NHL goalies into the the most valuable defenseman on the team, including Letang. Moving upper echelon. One wonders if the ripple effect of Jarry’s performance Matheson might be impossible given the term on his deal, even though could hit Buckley, especially after Matt Murray likewise floundered in he had a solid season. recent playoffs. There was speculation leading into the trade deadline that the Penguins Meanwhile, Reirden oversaw reclamation projects Mike Matheson and might deal from this surplus. Asked that question, Hextall told the Post- Cody Ceci. He also fixed a broken power play that finished with the Gazette in March: “The flat cap is going to be tough for a lot of teams, NHL’s fourth-best conversion rate. Vellucci, despite overseeing the including us. We’re going to have to maneuver our way through that next NHL’s fifth-worst penalty kill, has been seen as an up-and-coming coach year. That’s probably the bigger concern.” and was recently on ESPN’s short list of people to watch for possible head coaching positions. Maybe one of these two earns a promotion. At Well, it seems that time is now. The question is if they want to use a lefty the same time, if Sullivan goes, maybe the Penguins opt for a completely to bring back a nice return or simply unload one for cap relief. fresh start. Goaltenders The core The Penguins have to leave one goalie unprotected. After the way Jarry “Obviously, Sid is not going anywhere unless Sid decides he wants to,” played this postseason, they likely wouldn’t hate the idea of the Seattle Burke told the Post-Gazette before the trade deadline. “Other than that, Kraken taking him off their hands. there’s no untouchables.” If the Kraken pass, Jarry still has two more years remaining on the bridge So what will that mean for Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang? Both have deal he signed last offseason. The Penguins will need to decide if this one year remaining on their deals and some form of no-movement postseason was a product of inexperience that they can fix, or if they clause. (But as the Patric Hornqvist trade shows, those clauses are not need to find a goalie they know they can trust when it matters. iron clad). Free agents

Many fans rolled their eyes when the Penguins signed Ceci to a one- year, $1.25 million deal. Now, he’s likely in line for a six-figure pay raise somewhere. Can the Penguins find the money to make a deal?

Teddy Blueger transformed himself into a productive two-way center who added an offensive upside to his game to go along with steady defense. He’ll be a restricted free agent and one of the team’s tougher salary cap- related decisions.

Freddy Gaudreau (unrestricted) and Evan Rodrigues (unrestricted) are two more players to watch.

Post Gazette LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214314 Pittsburgh Penguins advised pinch that led to a forward playing defense at the other end (in this case Crosby, who did not fare well).

In the end, a team that has not blown a lot of leads under Sullivan Joe Starkey: Tristan Jarry might have played his way out of town squandered them left and right. The Penguins were 25-1-1 when leading after two periods during the regular season. They lost two such games — at home — in this series. They blew three leads in the same game Wednesday. Joe Starkey Sullivan was asked afterward about how people will say his team needs 5/27/2021 more size and snarl.

“We didn’t lose this series because we weren’t big enough,“ he said. We all know what happened here. Mario Lemieux knows. Brian Burke He was right. The other part he couldn’t say: They lost this series knows. Ron Hextall knows. Mike Sullivan knows. You know. I know. because of subpar goaltending. So let’s just state it plainly: The Penguins lost this series because of Horrific goaltending, actually. subpar goaltending.

OK, horrific goaltending. Post Gazette LOADED: 05.28.2021 Tristan Jarry was so bad that he might have played his way out of town. The powers-that-be cannot possibly feel comfortable pegging Jarry as their franchise goalie after a series in which they outplayed the New York Islanders in five of six games but never even made it to a seventh.

Jarry literally lost Game 1, allowing multiple hideous goals. He lost Game 5 on a Bill Buckner-like blunder — and he clearly had not recovered by Game 6, when every shot the Islanders took felt like it would go in. A lot of them did. Five of their first 17 if you were scoring from home (and if you were shooting on Jarry, you might well have scored from home; Ryan Pulock practically did on what proved to be the winning goal).

After the Penguins took a 2-1 lead, Jarry allowed a brutal rebound on a nothing shot from the point. Tie game. It was tied again at three when Pulock’s 3-pointer beat Jarry shortside and Brock Nelson went 5-hole. Ballgame.

Wail and whine all you like about how this team needs to be bigger and tougher. It does, but I don’t care if it had Rick Tocchet and in their primes. They didn’t play goal. You can’t win if your guy is second-best in four of six games — and let’s give some credit to Ilya Sorokin, who stole Game 5 with one the all-time great playoff performances against the Penguins.

You’re allowed to make great saves. The Penguins didn’t get nearly enough of them. Their guy allowed 16 goals in the final four games.

Some will call for Mike Sullivan’s head after three straight first-round playoff exits. Many will say the window’s closed and it’s time to break up the core. But all of that is just emotion talking. Unlike the series two years ago, Sullivan gave his club a blueprint for beating the Islanders. The Penguins carried the play for the majority of the series and outshot the Islanders 87-52 over the final two games.

This core can still play, and the Penguins have several quality young pieces around them. The roster will need to be tailored, for sure, but not blown up.

Again, we all know what happened here. Listen to what came from the Penguins’ side after the 5-3 loss at Nassau Coliseum. They liked the way they played for much of the series, and they weren’t wrong.

“I’m going to be honest with you,” Jeff Carter said. “I thought for the most part, we played some really good hockey.”

“I felt like we played pretty well for a lot of the series,” Sullivan said. “Five of the six games we played, we felt really good about our team game.”

And unlike the previous two iterations of this team, these Penguins went down fighting. They desperately wanted to keep playing. Nobody should question their heart.

“This year, I felt like we had a good group,” Sidney Crosby said. “I think we easily could have made a run.”

Carter: “Up and down the lineup, it’s a team that can definitely compete for the Stanley Cup. The hunger is still in that room.”

I don’t want to overdo it here. Of course there were other reasons for the loss. Crosby copped to blowing two defensive assignments that led to goals in Game 6. His line was silent for most of the series. Jake Guentzel finally scored in Game 6 but also went minus-4. Depth scoring was difficult to find. Kris Letang for the second straight game made an ill- 1214315 Pittsburgh Penguins have faced since giving in to Jaromir Jagr’s trade request after the 2000- 01 season.

Friends of Mario (FOM) have said Lemieux remains haunted by the Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby and a Penguins decision for the ages decision to trade Jagr, specifically that Jagr and the Penguins still have not publicly reconciled. That day appears to be coming, but until it does there exists an unmistakable gap in the chain that is said to be important to Lemieux: the link between him, Jagr, Crosby and Malkin — the Four By Rob Rossi Horsemen of Penguins Hockey. May 27, 2021 There are five Stanley Cup banners hanging from the roof at PPG Paints Arena. There are also banners noting the players who have won Art Ross and Hart trophies. The names on those banners are the same ones When these Stanley Cup playoffs opened, Sidney Crosby knew that at Lemieux is said to insist join his as the only numbers officially retired by some point — a point he had not intended to arrive as soon as the Penguins. Wednesday night — he would be pressed to chime in on the future of his Penguins. As probably should have been expected from a 33-year-old “Go by their draft years, wouldn’t that be great? Mario’s 66, Jagr’s 68, who has been doing interviews for a quarter-century, Crosby deftly Geno’s 71 and Sid’s 87,” a FOM said. “Other than the Canadiens, what addressed the topic that will dominate discussion in sports-crazed team has a better four?” Pittsburgh for the next few weeks. Lemieux and Crosby each grew up as Canadiens fans. They’re almost Indeed, Crosby is aware that a lot of people, including (perhaps) the equally responsible for turning the Penguins into the NHL’s American Penguins’ new co-heads of hockey operations, feel the time has come to version — a franchise that wins with style. close, lock and shutter the window that he, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Not every great Canadiens player began and ended his career in Letang have kept open for the last 14 NHL seasons. With Malkin, 34, and Montreal. Likewise, the Penguins have already experienced painful Letang, 34, set to enter the final season of their contracts, and the partings with a couple of icons in Jagr and Marc-Andre Fleury. While perennially cap-strapped Penguins at a franchise crossroads following a nobody with influence in the organization is known to have argued third consecutive opening-round exit from the postseason, there is a against Fleury or Letang having their respective Nos. 29 and 58 jerseys possibility that Crosby has played his last game with Malkin and Letang retired in Pittsburgh — and, actually, former GM Jim Rutherford endorsed as teammates in Pittsburgh. the idea regularly during his tenure — there’s something about that 66- Surely, Crosby would want a say in any decisions made about two of his 68-71-87 Fantastic Four that feels as though it should cast a glorious best friends, right? presence over the Penguins’ home ice.

“No, I don’t think that’s — I mean, I’ve never been one to try to be GM,” Those are the numbers that connect generations. They belong to players Crosby said after the Penguins’ 5-3 loss to the Islanders in a Game 6 that who played the largest roles in turning a football town into a hockey city. ended their East Division semifinal series. It’s doubtful any of this would come up in a conversation between “I think, uh, you know, those guys want to win. And I know that we’ve Lemieux and Crosby. Nostalgia is for reunions and television specials. been together a long time. I’ve seen how much they care, their But the call on Malkin and Letang belongs to Lemieux. Full stop. commitment; I don’t ever doubt or question that. Functionally, he’s the Penguins’ highest-ranking official, their chairman. “There’s so many parts. And it is a business, so — that’s up to other Realistically, he’s the most adored athlete in Pittsburgh history. Saved people. As far as what I can see and what I feel, there’s zero doubt in my the team as a player. Battled a bad back, Hodgkin’s disease, wonky hips. mind that the group we had is a really good group and we had an Won the Cup twice. Started a foundation that has raised close to $30 opportunity here, and that’s why it stings so much.” million for cancer research. Retired. Saved the team as an owner. Came back to play. Scored a new arena. Won the Cup three times as an owner. It was a vintage, no-headline-here quote from Crosby. He has produced more of those than anything else over a historic career. All things being equal, that arena and those three Cup wins as an owner are Crosby’s doing. Lemieux watched, like the surrogate father he was However, to an observer who has been reading between his lines since when Crosby arrived as a teenager to live in the guest house. If anyone Crosby first rode down an escalator with his father, Troy, and agent, Pat is owed a say in a franchise-altering decision involving two of his best Brisson, at Pittsburgh International Airport in July 2005, Crosby appeared friends, it’s the kid who became The Man for the Penguins: Sidney to say more by the way he spoke Wednesday night. His head was mostly Patrick Crosby. bent downward. His eyes gazed leftward. His voice occasionally dipped to just above a hush. A few times, specifically when appearing to search The Penguins aren’t the Pens without Crosby. If keeping him happy for words or a phrase, his tongue pushed against his inner left cheek. means keeping Malkin and Letang — presuming each still wants to stay and is willing to take another (and in fact much bigger) hometown Any one of those is a tell that Crosby has revealed sparingly during discount on a new contract — Lemieux owes Crosby the granting of that interviews. It’s just hard to remember a time when he flashed all of those wish. If Lemieux is on board, Hextall and Burke will be, or will get there. tells during any one postgame media session, let alone when answering a specific question. And, anyway, when did either Hextall or Burke say getting the Penguins back to among the NHL’s elite means trading Malkin or Letang? Never. That question, by the way: Would you hope to have a say when it comes But let’s not allow facts to cut through juicy narratives. For real, though; to Malkin and Letang? does anybody think two reputably sharp hockey men such as Hextall and Burke watched the Penguins these past few months and concluded the He should want a say. He should have a say, too. problem was a top defenseman that performed at a Norris Trophy- The Penguins are not obligated to commit to what their captain wants nomination level or a second center that very recently — like, the past when it comes to Malkin and Letang. General manager Ron Hextall and few days — put up five points while playing four playoff games on one hockey operations president Brian Burke work for co-owners Mario fully functioning leg? Lemieux and Ron Burkle, not for Crosby. Seeing as Burkle is a Lemieux, who very much orchestrated the hiring of Hextall and Burke, multibillionaire with far more pressing business interests than the roster didn’t hire idiots. of a hockey team, and Hextall and Burke have enough on else on their plate — the upcoming Seattle expansion draft, decisions about coach He did hire a couple of men who likely want to turn the Penguins into Mike Sullivan and goalie Tristan Jarry, free-agency preparation, etc. — something different. this seems like a situation that can best be resolved by the two greatest Penguins having a tough but honest conversation. There is only so much difference-making that can realistically be done. The NHL’s cap is flat at $81.5 million. Budgets are all over the place Lemieux and Crosby should get together and get on the same page because every franchise lost millions amid COVID-19 restrictions. when it comes to whether the Penguins will turn the page on Malkin and Hockey trades won’t be easy to make this offseason. Malkin has a full Letang. They’re the only two people in Pittsburgh, or on the planet, really, no-trade clause, Letang a partial one. The Penguins are likely to lose the truly capable of figuring out the most important decision the Penguins trade of either player and get worse for next season. Teams need to sell tickets, attract sponsors, find new revenue streams. Winning matters. So does giving people what they want.

How do the Penguins go about any of that without Crosby and Malkin and Letang? They don’t.

Again, though, it’s best to not get too deep into the weeds when it comes to Malkin and Letang. Aside from staking claim to a spot in the NHL’s all- time top five, Lemieux and Crosby also share a unique ability to see the forest from the trees. If they talk, or when they talk, Lemieux should simply ask Crosby what he wants the Penguins to do with Malkin and Letang.

Everybody is entitled to an opinion as to whether recommitting to a Crosby-Malkin-Letang core is in the best interest of the Penguins. Perhaps Lemieux leans toward those who feel that breaking up the band is the right move.

“They’ve been saying that for four years, right?” Crosby said Wednesday night. “I don’t know if I’m going to change anybody’s mind.”

Not anybody’s mind. The only mind that matters.

If Crosby wants Malkin and Letang, the only person who needs to hear it from him is Lemieux. Then it will happen.

Otherwise, the Penguins risk turning the page on Malkin and Letang and turning off Crosby. And if Lemieux is haunted by the ghost of Jagr, he probably won’t much care for being chased by all three of his fellow Penguins’ Horsemen.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214316 Pittsburgh Penguins

Wrap-Up: Penguins Get Highest NHL/NBA Ratings, Jim Rutherford Gets Agent

Published 11 hours ago on May 27, 2021

By Dan Kingerski

The Pittsburgh Penguins season ended on Wednesday night but there are some accolades for Penguins fans. Penguins fans tuned into games at a rate higher than any other fan base in the NHL, but you probably already suspected that. What is more surprising is the Penguins’ ratings also eclipsed any NBA team, too.

The Penguins finished on top of the National Hockey League’s local TV ratings for the 2020-21 season, averaging a 7.79 rating on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, according to ratings published by the Sports Business Journal on Wednesday.

The 7.79 rating is up 36% over the previous season. It also means the Pittsburgh Penguins finished first or second in local television ratings for the past 15 consecutive years. Not coincidentally, that is also the length of the Penguins NHL-best 15-year playoff streak.

The other teams included in the top five were Vegas, St. Louis, Buffalo, and Boston.

In addition, the SBJ also listed the National Basketball Association’s ratings for this season, noting that the Golden State Warriors led with an average 5.96 rating on NBC Sports Bay Area. The numbers confirm that the Penguins led local TV ratings amongst all U.S.-based NHL teams and NBA teams included in the rankings.

According to a Twitter announcement, former Penguins GM Jim Rutherford has obtained high-powered representation for his job search which can begin this offseason after his Penguins contract expires, or the Penguins grant permission for Rutherford to speak to other teams.

The agency does not list their clients on their website but instead challenges coaches and management who think they need strong brand management to reach out. The agency specializes in contract negotiation, career management and advisory services, and business management with sports consulting.

Several teams are assumed to have openings in the GM spot or in a President of Hockey Operations role, including the Buffalo Sabres, whose current GM Kevyn Adams came from the business side of the organization after Jason Botterill was fired.

Earlier in May, the New York Rangers let go of President John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton. Also, the New Jersey Devils don’t officially have a GM for next season as current general manager Tom Fitzgerald’s contract does not yet include GM duties.

Other teams could create openings as the organizations digest the end of their seasons.

Rutherford abruptly resigned from the Penguins organization in January, in a move that caught many, including ownership off guard.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214317 Pittsburgh Penguins The Penguins have something special down the middle. Malkin performed increasingly well as his knee gained strength. He had real hop in Games 5 and 6 after struggling in Games 3 and 4.

Why it’s Jeff Carter Who Could Keep the Penguins Core Together If goaltending were equal in the series, the Penguins would have won the series in five. Their advantage was that decisive. The Penguins squandered third-period leads in Games 1, 3, and 5. They blew three leads in Game 6. Published 17 hours ago on May 27, 2021 Looking at that, it’s a lot easier to let it ride for one more year and — very By Dan Kingerski importantly — recoup that playoff revenue. With some tinkering, perhaps the Penguins can find a LW who can handle the grinding playoff game and score on par with his assignment. With some irony, acquiring an older player struggling through another losing season may have been the missing piece for the Pittsburgh Without Carter, the Penguins situation comes to an end because hope Penguins to keep Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang would be wishful thinking. With Carter, there’s genuine hope for a quick together for at least one more year, if not more. Jeff Carter changes the turnaround and one more playoff run. Pittsburgh Penguins calculus. And don’t overlook that playoff revenue. In the moment of COVID In the Penguins’ horribly disappointing Round One loss to the New York crushed businesses, if the Penguins tear down their pillars, making the Islanders, Penguins skaters outperformed the New York Islanders playoffs suddenly seems much more difficult. skaters. Despite the LW ghosting and lack of production from Jake If the New York Rangers get it right next season, they will be very Guentzel, Jared McCann, and Jason Zucker, who combined for three formidable. Five Metro Division teams can make the playoffs, and the goals in the six-game series, the Penguins controlled play. division may take all five spots, including the two wild cards. If not for leaky goaltending, oh what could have been. Can the Penguins afford to take a step back? Literally or figuratively. The Penguins created more chances than any other team in the playoffs. 93-7 Host Paul Zeise quizzed me on this scenario, “but aren’t you And that has to make GM Ron Hextall and President of Hockey delaying the inevitable if you don’t trade one or both (Malkin and Operations Brian Burke wonder. Letang)?” Carter, who will turn 37 on Jan. 1, gives the Penguins four players in their Well, yes. It would be delaying what is already much closer to the end. mid-30s players, who will no longer bring the return they could have two But that’s the point. To delay the end as long as possible, to recoup as or three years ago (Crosby excluded from any trade wonderings, of much money as possible, and maybe, just maybe, possibly, one more course). But should the Penguins break up the band? moment in the sun. “They’ve been saying that for four years, right? So, I mean, I don’t know if The NHL greatly differs from the NFL. An NFL team has no monetary I’m going to change anybody’s mind but I think that we did a lot of good incentive to “just” make the playoffs. An NHL team has about $2 million things,” Crosby said. “You can look at every year and analyze it reasons per home game. differently. But this year I felt like we had a good group. And we did a lot of good things. I think we easily could have made a run.” And, there is the emotional side, too. Evgeni Malkin can block any movement, and all indications are that he wants to wrap things up in One player who did finish and overachieve was Carter. And that’s why he Pittsburgh whenever he chooses. changes the equation regarding the potential end of the Crosby-Malkin- Letang era. Kris Letang doesn’t quite have the same protection–he can block 10 teams. But if you watched the games with clear eyes, Letang was Jeff Carter had a /Carl Hagelin/Bill Guerin type late-season excellent. He was excellent all season and easily ranked among the NHL playoff run. Carter provided more offense than a third-line center has scoring leaders for defensemen. kicked in since the famous H-B-K line propelled the Penguins to the 2016 Stanley Cup. You can’t replace what Letang brings to the Penguins for less than $9 million. Letang makes $7.5 million. This season, Letang popped for 45 “It’s a great group of guys, and I think up and down the lineup, it’s a team points (7-38-45) and was a plus-19. that can definitely compete for the Stanley Cup. The hunger is still in that room. You know, that comes from the top guys,” Carter said following the If there was a time to deal any of the core, it was two or three years ago. Game 6 loss. “Those guys want to win…They want to get back to the top. That ship sailed, but another ship named Jeff Carter arrived. There’s no And you can see that. There are some really disappointed guys in that Stanley Cup guarantee. And after the disappointing series by Tristan room. This year was a really good opportunity for this group, and Jarry, the Penguins have a goalie question, too. But if the Penguins are unfortunately, we came up short…” looking short-term, aka “Win Now,” Jeff Carter changes everything and suddenly makes it all a little more possible. Carter scored four goals in the series, including a big one to open Game 6. He created the play for Kasperi Kapanen to tie Game 1 late in the third In the words of Sidney Crosby, “that’s up to other people,” but Carter period. He’s becoming a rock star in the Penguins universe. Just ask gives the Penguins a plausible option to keep it together, one more time. Twitter star Penguins Jesus who helped make Carter a Pittsburgh cult hero with weeks of humorously contrived quotes.

How Jeff Carter Changes the Pittsburgh Penguins Math Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 05.28.2021

Carter has one more year left on his contract, and the LA Kings are paying half, so Carter will cost the Penguins about $2.6 million. That’s a bargain.

So here’s how Carter changes the calculus: He provides the Penguins hope they finally solved the third-line center role, but only for one or two more years.

It becomes much easier to enter next season with Crosby-Malkin-Carter- Blueger, knowing full well that Carter can fill the void if Malkin or Crosby is injured. The Carter advantage will last only one more year before his contract is up.

Retirement was whispered when the Penguins acquired him at the April 12 NHL trade deadline, but his reinvigoration at 35-years-old could add a couple or few years to his career. 1214318 San Jose Sharks

Melvin, Bay Area teams share condolences on San Jose shooting

BY MARCUS WHITE

ATHLETICS

Athletics manager Bob Melvin, a Menlo Park, Calif. native, said Wednesday that the morning's "awful" mass shooting in San Jose "[hit] home."

Nine people were dead and one person was in critical condition after a shooting at a Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) facility north of downtown San Jose, according to officials. Seven people died at the scene and another died at Valley Medical Center, a hospital official told NBC Bay Area. Officials said the gunman also died at the scene.

Wednesday's mass shooting is the Bay Area's deadliest since 1993, according to Bay Area News Group.

"It's awful. There are way too many of these things."

Bob Melvin discusses this morning's mass shooting in San Jose pic.twitter.com/rR5BknxnUK— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) May 26, 2021

"It's awful, and there are way too many of these things," Melvin said Wednesday in a video conference with reporters prior to Oakland's home game against the Seattle Mariners.

"It always hits home. It hits home more so when you are at home. It's just awful. We play a baseball game today, but this certainly is way more important than that. Just hearts out to the families that have lost loved ones."

Mark Canha, an A's outfielder and San Jose native who attended Bellarmine College Preparatory, tweeted Wednesday his "heart is broken with those of my hometown."

Just heard about the tragedy in San Jose this morning. My heart is broken with those of my hometown.— Mark Canha (@outtadapakmark) May 26, 2021

The A's and other Bay Area professional sports teams issued statements Wednesday, condemning the shooting and sharing support for the victims' families, VTA and San Jose as a whole.

We are saddened and sickened after this morning’s violence in our home of San Jose. Our prayers and thoughts go out to the victims, their families and the Valley Transportation Authority.

Thank you to our community heroes who responded quickly to the scene.

"This is a horrific day for our city, and it's a tragic day for the VTA family," San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said, via NBC Bay Area. "Our heart pains for the families and the co-workers because we know that so many are feeling deeply this loss of their loved ones and their friends."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214319 San Jose Sharks If the Sharks are looking for a young defenseman, this is a great draft, as Brandt Clarke (HC Nove Zamsky, Slovakia), Luke Hughes (US National U-18 Team) and Simon Edvinsson (Frolunda HC, SHL) all project to be drafted right around where the Sharks should be picking. Where Sharks' pick landed heading into NHL draft lottery On the other hand, if they're looking for a forward, William Eklund (Djurgardens IF, SHL), Dylan Guenther (Edmonton Oil Kings, WHL), Mason McTavish (Olten, SL), Kent Johnson (Michigan), Fabian Lysell BY BRIAN WITT (Lulea HF, SHL) and Aatu Raty (Karpat, Liiga) all could pique San Jose's interest.

SHARKS

The last time the Sharks missed out on the playoffs two years in a row, Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.28.2021 they ended up with the No. 2 overall pick in the ensuing draft, which they used to select none other than Patrick Marleau.

Safe to say, that pick worked out just fine for San Jose. Aside from everything Marleau has done throughout his legendary career, all you have to do is look at the Sharks' draft history over the two-plus decades since to see the long-term effects of that selection.

Over that span, the Sharks were tremendously consistent, failing to qualify for the playoffs just two times. Consequently, they rarely were picking in the top half of each entry draft. In fact, since Marleau, San Jose has selected in the top 10 of an entry draft just four times, and only twice within the top seven picks.

So, naturally, the Sharks are hoping their current two-year drought leads to a similar extended turnaround. And now that they know where their pick is slotted heading into the draft lottery, they can begin to develop an idea of which prospects will be available when it's their turn to pick.

Thanks to the Vancouver Canucks' 4-2 win to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, the Sharks are slotted in seventh going into the NHL draft lottery. The Sharks and rival Los Angeles Kings finished the season with identical records, but since San Jose had fewer regulation and overtime wins than LA, the Kings are right behind the Sharks in eighth.

That means that the Sharks' pick ultimately will land in one of five spots in the first-round draft order: No. 1, No. 2, No. 7, No. 8 or No. 9 overall.

The Nos. 1 and 2 overall picks will be determined by a drawing of ping pong balls, with the best odds going to the worst team -- the Buffalo Sabres -- and then descending from there. Once the top two picks are determined, the remaining lottery teams will fill out picks No. 3 through No. 16 according to total points.

So, the Sharks' only chance to jump into the top two is if they win the draft lottery. Otherwise, they're likely to pick seventh overall, unless one or two teams below them in the order leapfrogs them in the lottery, which is how they could drop to eighth or ninth.

San Jose only has a 6.5 percent chance of landing the first overall pick, and a 6.8 percent chance of landing the second. There's a 44.4 percent chance the Sharks stay at seven, a 37.0 percent chance they drop to eight and a slim 5.3 percent chance they fall all the way to ninth.

Regardless, the Sharks will be in as good of a draft position as they've been in since 2015 and 2007, when they selected Timo Meier and Logan Couture, respectively, with the ninth overall pick. And it's extremely likely they'll be picking even earlier than that.

So, which prospects might the Sharks be targeting in the draft? It's tough to say without knowing their exact draft position, but we can get a general idea of who they're likely considering.

There's a lot that could change between now and July 22, but at this point, it would be a surprise if Michigan defenseman Owen Power fell outside the first two picks. He's generally regarded as the top defenseman available. Power would be a tremendous addition to the Sharks, but they'll likely have to jump up in the lottery to have a chance at him.

In terms of the top forward available, the consensus seems to be that it's Power's teammate at Michigan, Matthew Beniers. Yes, the Wolverines were stacked this past year, as their roster also included San Jose prospect Thomas Bordeleau. It seems highly unlikely that Beniers would drop to the seventh pick, so again, the Sharks likely would have to move up to get him.

Beyond Power and Beniers, there's a handful of other prospects who reside in the same tier. 1214320 St Louis Blues None of those remarks sounds anything like a coach who’s even remotely thinking about exposing Tarasenko in the Seattle expansion draft July 21.

The $7.5 million question: Can Tarasenko return to form? There has been much speculation on that front from outside the organization. The thinking goes, if the 2020-21 season was an indication of what’s to come from Tarasenko, why not leave him exposed.

Jim Thomas If Seattle claims him, the Blues clear $7.5 million at a time when the salary cap is flat at $81.5 million. The Blues could use that money to

pursue other free agents, or deal with several of their own pending free All along, the Blues figured it would be a gradual process for Vladimir agents coming off a disappointing season. Tarasenko. You don’t miss all but four games over 1 ½ years, undergo Then again, what if an unprotected Tarasenko is not claimed by Seattle, multiple shoulder surgeries, and step right back into the NHL as if nothing and remains a Blue? Proud to a fault, that wouldn’t sit well with happened. Tarasenko — that’s pretty much guaranteed. “We’re hoping he gets back and he’s the old Vladi,” general manager On the flip side, what if Seattle claims Tarasenko under this scenario and said on March 1, just a few days before Tarasenko’s he reverts to his 30-goal form, or even somewhere in that neighborhood? season debut. “But we also know that Rome was not built in a day. Those kind of scorers, particularly those who can score from distance, “We need him to be as good as he can be as quick as he can be, but we are rare in the NHL. can’t think that he’s going to be the Savior and everyone else can And you would have left him there for the taking by Seattle. And gotten exhale.” absolutely nothing in return. Tarasenko was no savior. In fact, it’s safe to say he didn’t meet even the Again, it doesn’t look like the Blues are ready to give up on Tarasenko. In toned-down expectations of the Blues’ front office and coaching staff in his season-ending Zoom session Wednesday, Armstrong said all the the just-completed season. right things on the subject. “Obviously, he wasn’t happy and neither were we (with his season),” “I think that the season, when he got back in, was gonna be a work in coach Craig Berube said Wednesday. “He didn’t get going like maybe we progress for the year,” Armstrong said. “Vladi’s a tremendous competitor. thought or he thought. He worked extremely hard off the ice to get ready. “Listen, he’s been out for two years, really. It’s almost two years that he “But it’s still an extended amount of time off. We saw flashes of a 25- was out and then he’s back, so I think it takes some time for sure.” year-old Vladi Tarasenko. I know he’s gonna put the work in. But like any It was a slow-go. He returned March 6 in Los Angeles and had four player his age, you always have to evolve and your game has to change points in his first four games (one goal, three assists). But the pace to stay current. slowed considerably after that, and in 24 regular-season games, he “Not just Vladi, but a lot of guys are gonna have to evolve their game to totaled four goals and 10 assists. today’s NHL.” Over an 82-game season, that would translate to 13 goals and about 34 In the case of Tarasenko, who turns 30 next season, Berube would like assists, w-a-y below Tarasenko’s usual goal-scoring output before his him to display more attributes of a power forward. Use his thick frame to second and third shoulder surgeries. be a force at the net front and score more “greasy” goals. Tarasenko did very few interviews this season, but in almost every one “I know he scored a couple goals in the final playoff game, but overall he he insisted his left shoulder was fine and chided the “experts” who needs to get his legs going again,” Berube said. “Use his body and just wondered if it would be a chronic issue. play a harder game down low in the offensive zone, and get to the harder “Now shoulder’s 100 percent,” he said after Sunday’s season-ending 5-2 areas to score goals.” loss to Colorado. “I have no concerns about it.” Along those lines, the Blues used Tarasenko as the low man — net front From 2014-15 through the Stanley Cup season of 2018-19, Tarasenko — on the power play at the very end of the season instead of his usual scored 182 goals — with a career-high 40 in 2015-16 and never lower spot on the wing. Additionally, he’s always been adept at using his than 33 goals. skating ability and size to drive the net on the rush. Berube would like to see more of that as well. That’s the kind of production you get from a generational scorer, a difference-maker, someone who consistently has opposing defenses on All of that could add to Tarasenko’s production while not neglecting his their heels. Over those five seasons, only Alex Ovechkin (236) and John ability to fire lasers from the circle. Tavares (183) had more goals than Tarasenko. Tarasenko caused a stir when right after the Blues were eliminated from No one else was better. Not Kucherov, Kane, Crosby, Marchand, or any the playoffs by Colorado, he headed off to join Team Russia in the of the game’s other big names. International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Championship. It was surprising because Tarasenko missed eight of the last nine regular- Tarasenko isn’t in the NHL because of his defense or checking. He’s a season games with a groin injury before returning to play in all four goal-scorer. A sniper. So what do you do with a goal-scorer who’s not postseason contests against the Avalanche. scoring? Shouldn’t he be resting the groin? That’s the predicament the Blues face with Tarasenko. “The player signed off that he was 100 percent healthy and ready to go He has two years left on a contract paying him $7.5 million per year — play, so I take his word for it,” Armstrong said. which is “tied” for highest annual salary on the squad with Ryan O’Reilly. Berube said he was OK with Tarasenko playing for Russia; Armstrong Are the Blues confident Tarasenko can return to form next season and was excited about the fact that Tarasenko wanted to get in a few more beyond? You know, 30-plus goals a season. Can he even approach his games. former standard of play? “The passion was still there,” Armstrong said. “The desire to continue “Who knows?” Berube said. “I don’t know. Nobody knows that question. after not playing a lot of hockey. Obviously, you’re a little bit nervous But like I said, he probably needs more time to get going. This is a big because he hasn’t played a lot. It’s a long trip over and other things. But I summer for him for sure, from a training standpoint, and making sure he fall back onto it, that he loves the game. He wants to continue to compete comes in real healthy next year at training camp. and he’s gonna get that opportunity.

“Then use training camp to get everything going again and I’m sure that, “I respect Vladi. I know he works hard and he’s a good human being, you know, he’s gonna feel good about it. . . . So I think you’re gonna see good person. I know he wants the best.” a different Vladi for sure.” But will we ever see the best of Tarasenko again?

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214321 St Louis Blues good players, no franchise player — they haven’t drafted high enough to get one.

The point being, there’s no Nathan MacKinnon or Auston Matthews on LeBrun: Blues and Capitals intend to work to keep championship window the Blues roster for a reason. open They’ve too competitive every year to get into a lottery.

Although that day may come at some point. By Pierre LeBrun For now though, it’s continuing to tweak a roster that won the Cup just May 27, 2021 two years ago to find that path again.

“We have a lot of guys between 28 and 31 that should still be if not in their prime then close enough to it to stay competitive,’’ said Armstrong. So what now for the 2018 and 2019 Stanley Cup champions? “Then we need free agents to work out and we need young players who were taken later in the draft to excel. You need a lot of different things to The Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues each haven’t won a playoff work. But for us, it’s around that core group.” series since they won their respective NHL titles. Which Armstrong hopes includes 28-year-old pending UFA forward Both franchises have made the playoffs all but once over the past Jaden Schwartz. decade, routinely trotting out competitive clubs. In a salary cap world, it’s actually amazing how long both programs have stayed in the fight. The priority would be to re-sign him if possible rather than have to go out and replace him. “And we’re not ready to give up the fight yet,’’ said Blues GM Doug Armstrong. “Organizationally, we’ve always sort of liked to dance with the people we’ve brought to the dance. That would be our preference,’’ Armstrong That was certainly the central message I got from the GM of each said. franchise this week after their teams were knocked out in the first round. That didn’t work out last fall when Pietrangelo left for Vegas after an They’re not ready to rebuild. Not yet. Some roster changes? Of course. emotional and contentious negotiation with the Blues. Armstrong did But both clubs still want to take a shot at it again. pivot strongly by signing Torrey Krug, but the Pietrangelo loss hurt. He Just by signing Nicklas Backstrom to a long-term extension last year and was part of that Blues fabric and Cup championship team. now hoping to do the same with Alex Ovechkin, that in itself guarantees MacLellan, meanwhile, is obviously going to do all he can to ensure the Capitals intend to stay in the fight. Ovechkin doesn’t walk out the door, which I find hard to believe could “You know for us, we want Ovie to finish here, we want Backstrom to happen. The GM and the captain have had a number of talks over the finish here, I think it’s important for our organization to do that,” Capitals past year, Ovechkin is representing himself in negotiations, and it seems GM Brian MacLellan said. “So it would be premature to go full-blown to have created a comfort level for where things are. rebuild/take-it-down mode. It doesn’t make sense if we are committed to “Both sides want it to happen,” said MacLellan. “I want him to feel good these two guys. about finishing up his career, you want him to feel good about what our “So it’s more of a re-tooling. Can we change a player or two to make it plan is with our team going forward. I want him to feel good about his better? And to add some younger guys that are coming up through our contract. system. I think that’s the plan moving forward.’’ “It’s important for our organization for him to finish here. And him to feel Both Armstrong and MacLellan met with local media Wednesday before good about all of the above. I think we’ll get it done.’’ getting on the phone with me. Our terrific beat writers in each city gave Without being over-dramatic, the entire plan essentially revolves around us the lay-down from those season-ending avails, Tarik El-Bashir in it. Washington and Jeremy Rutherford in St. Louis. “It affects what we’re doing here going forward,’’ MacLellan said. “He’s Throw in the Pittsburgh Penguins, another team like Washington and St. put the franchise on the map, you know? So, I think it’s important to be Louis that has been a playoff mainstay for a long time, and yet they have respectful of that.’’ won just one playoff series since winning their last Cup in 2017. And as we’ve said before, at this point it probably makes more sense to The difference there is that with Jim Rutherford stepping down as GM wait until after the Seattle expansion draft to put the finishing touches on earlier this season and Ron Hextall taking over, change is naturally that Ovechkin deal anyway in order to preserve another one of those coming, although in what magnitude exactly, with Sidney Crosby still at protection slots on the Caps’ list. the top of his game, remains to be seen. Perhaps of equal intrigue this offseason, what of Evgeny Kuznetsov? But I also think it shows how difficult it is to win in this league. We’re about to go to 32 teams, just making the playoffs now is a 50 percent The centre had COVID twice this year, so that obviously affected his proposition. performance (and here’s hoping there’s no long-term impact).

There are so many fan bases angry that their teams aren’t making deep But to be blunt, Kuznetsov has frustrated the organization, disciplined by playoff runs a routine thing. And I get it, of course, you want that as a fan. head coach Peter Laviolette late in the regular season for being late for a But in a 32-team league, geez, just reaching the second round will justify team event, and his play over the past couple of years has been a banner of sorts. inconsistent.

This isn’t your parents’ 21-team NHL. I reported last month that the Caps might be willing to listen on offers on Kuznetsov, who has four more years on his deal at a $7.8-million AAV. Anyway, I digress. “He’s been a key player,” MacLellan said. “The year we won, he was a The Blues haven’t found their stride since the pandemic paused the key part of our team. Strength up the middle is important for us. When season in March 2020. They were actually rolling pretty good pretty he’s playing at his top level, and Backstrom is healthy and Lars (Eller) is before then. there and (Nic) Dowd is there, I think we’re solid up the middle. We can “I would say that last year we had a good season and then COVID hit compete with any team with that at center ice. and we didn’t play well in the bubble,” said Armstrong. “And then it sort of “Tough for me to tell, he had COVID twice, what effect that had on his carried over to this year. The strength of our team has always been a season. But he has been inconsistent, that’s just what it’s been. When group of 18 skaters and two goalies. That’s what we have to get back to. he’s on his game, we’re a really good team.’’ We have to re-kindle that pack mentality.’’ And so I asked, would the Caps GM listen on Kuznetsov? The Blues remain a sum-of-their-parts team. No one on the roster makes more than $7.5 million AAV. The talent is spread over the roster. A lot of ” I think I’m open on anybody whether it’s him or anybody on the team, actually; anybody is on the able besides Ovie and Backstrom,” said MacLellan. “You talk to teams and if something makes sense, you do it.’’

So stay tuned on that one.

Maybe there’s nothing that makes sense out there and Kuznetsov returns. The Caps still want to win, and they can’t have a hole like that down the middle. But I suspect if there’s a way to fill that hole and move him, they would.

It’s going to be a busy offseason my mere virtue of a flat cap and Seattle expansion draft colliding to force some roster decisions.

Neither of these two GMs has ever been afraid to make deals.

Armstrong’s blockbuster for Ryan O’Reilly on July 1 three years ago helped win them the Cup a year later.

MacLellan stole the headlines last month on trade deadline day with the Anthony Mantha deal.

Both GMs will make headlines again this offseason. They want to win, the window remains open, and they know they have to act.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214322 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning’s second-round home games expand to 71 percent capacity

By Eduardo A. Encina

Published Yesterday

Updated 4 hours ago

TAMPA — As the Lightning advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the team is expanding capacity of Amalie Arena to around 71 percent for second-round games.

After receiving approval from local health and government officials, as well as the NHL, the Lightning will welcome approximately 13,500 fans for the next round, the team announced in a tweet Thursday.

The Lightning previously had met all the health and safety standards ,and made the HVAC upgrades set by the league, to seat up to 11,000 in the first round. Attendance grew gradually between the first home postseason game (9,508), the second (9,762 ) and Wednesday night’s third game (10,092).

Tampa Bay clinched a second-round berth with a 4-0 Game 6 win over the Panthers at home Wednesday. It faces the Hurricanes, who clinched the Central Division’s other first-round series with a 4-3 overtime win over the Predators in Game 6 on Thursday.

Though the season began with just three NHL teams allowing fans — the Lightning opened playing in an empty Amalie Arena — capacity has grown in the postseason throughout the United States. Fans had been unable to attend games in Canada amid the country’s slow vaccine rollout, but the Quebec government said Thursday it will allow 2,500 fans into the Bell Centre on Saturday for Game 6 of the Maple Leafs- Canadiens series, the first NHL crowd in Canada since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Carolina, which has home ice against the Lightning in Round 2, plans to increase capacity to 15,000 at PNC Arena for those games, up from 12,000 in Round 1. The Lightning lost three of their four road games against the Hurricanes this season, including two shutout losses. They were outscored 13-4 in those games.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214323 Tampa Bay Lightning The game was closer than the final margin suggested, one or two goals separating the teams until the final five-plus minutes. Florida had a lot of great scoring looks — off the rush, cycling the puck, crashing the net — and Tampa Bay needed Vasilevskiy to be at his best. Lightning-Panthers Game 6 report card: Pieces of a whole He was calm and well-positioned as always, and used his legs when he needed to make athletic stops. After a turnover by Jan Rutta in the Tampa Bay zone in the first period, Vailevskiy made a right leg save on a By Frank Pastor dangerous chance from Frank Vatrano from low in the right circle, then Published Yesterday stopped Anton Stralman’s follow-up shot. During a second-period penalty kill, Vasilevskiy made a save on Patric Hornqvist from in close, losing his Updated Yesterday stick in the process, then recovered to make a pad save.

Grade: A-plus

Do you want to start with the penalty, the pass or the pinpoint shot? Questions answered

Steven Stamkos’ power-play goal late in the second period of Game 6 on There were questions about Hedman’s health entering the series, with a Wednesday at Amalie Arena was the backbreaker for the Panthers and report that he had been playing with an injury for more than a month after helped lift the Lightning into the second round of the playoffs for the falling awkwardly into the boards during a late-March game and would eighth time in franchise history. need offseason surgery.

But nothing is ever that simple, not even the goal itself. For the win was While he wasn’t as dominant as during last postseason, when he won the the result of the Lightning’s best overall game of the series, and Stamkos’ Conn Smythe Trophy, Hedman still had a strong series and was one-timer was merely the final flourish in a three-part sequence. outstanding in Game 6.

It started with a bad penalty taken by Florida’s Sam Bennett, who put He moved well all over the ice, blocking shots, jumping on loose pucks David Savard in a headlock after the Tampa Bay defenseman stood him and shutting down scoring opportunities. And that was just in the up just inside the Lightning blue line. Bennett removed Savard’s helmet, defensive zone. He assisted on Stamkos’ goal, set up a Goodrow possibly trying to put Savard in a situation where he would have to leave backdoor chance and stick-handled through the Panthers’ entire defense the ice or retrieve his helmet (or be called for a penalty), but the gambit during an early second-period rush. backfired when Bennett was penalized for roughing. He finished the series with eight assists (tying Kucherov’s franchise Victor Hedman, who quarterbacks the Lightning power play from the record for most in a playoff series), including seven power-play assists, point, was slightly off with his passes in Game 5, just missing Stamkos’ eight blocks and four hits while averaging 23:13 of ice time. and Nikita Kucherov’s wheelhouses in the two circles. But after receiving a pass from Kucherov high above the circles, he put the puck right on Grade: A-plus Stamkos’ stick. Point made And Stamkos, who had missed high and wide several times from the left Point is one of the catalysts of the Lightning’s speed game, returning circle earlier in the game, perfectly placed his one-timer into the top deep into the defensive zone to retrieve pucks, then leading rushes up corner of the net, beating goaltender Spencer Knight high on the stick the ice, backing up defensemen with his skating ability or give-and-go side. passes with Kucherov. Stamkos’ first power-play goal of the series (and third overall) could not But of his five points in the first five games, only two came at even have come at a better time for the Lightning. Or a worse one for the strength. Panthers. We saw the Point we all remembered on his spectacular third-period Grade: A goal, as he skated with speed into the offensive zone, took a backhand The Tampa Bay Lightning advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs with a win pass from Kucherov after Erik Cernak banked the puck off the boards over the Florida Panthers to secure the Lightnings spot for Round 2. into open space, then split two defenders, patiently holding the puck to get Knight on the ice before cutting back and putting the puck around his Here is how we graded the Lightning’s performance in their 4-0 win in skate and into the net. Game 6: Goals don’t get much prettier. Depth scoring Grade: A While the Lightning’s biggest stars (Stamkos, Kucherov, Hedman, center Brayden Point and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy) stepped up in the moment, the winning goal was produced by Tampa Bay’s fourth line. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 05.28.2021 The line created some chances earlier in the series and — with Ross Colton back alongside Tyler Johnson and Pat Maroon with Barclay Goodrow returning to the third line — found the back of the net early in Game 6.

Johnson, who gives the line speed and skill to go along with the heavy game of Maroon, set up his linemate by getting in deep on the forecheck and centering a pass from below the goal line. After defenseman Mackenzie Weegar tipped the puck into the air, Maroon knocked it into the net just over six minutes into the game.

It was the only goal the Lightning would need.

Grade: A

Second to none

Knight was all the talk after the Panthers’ Game 5 win, but Vasilevskiy reminded everyone Wednesday why he remains the best goalie in the league.

Vasilevskiy played his finest game of the series, stopping all 29 shots he faced to record his second career postseason shutout. He improved to 9- 0 in games following a loss over the past two postseasons. 1214324 Toronto Maple Leafs

‘We’ll get em at home so it hurts more’: What they’re saying about the Leafs after Game 5 loss to Canadiens

By Akrit Michael Staff Reporter

Thu., May 27, 2021

After a thrilling game that saw the Toronto Maple Leafs chase down a 3-0 lead held by the Montreal Canadiens, the Habs emerged victorious with a goal just two minutes into overtime.

Fans and supporters of both teams took to Twitter to express either anguish — or delight, depending on who they were rooting for.

Here are some of the reactions:

Toronto Mayor John Tory remained positive and resilient in his support for the Leafs.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault sounded jubilant in his tweet, congratulating young Habs Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield for scoring and assisting with the tie-breaking goal respectively.

Other Leafs fans expressed their disappointment at the nail-biting loss:

Montreal-born actor Jack Murray called on fellow Habs fans to not give up on the team’s chances for clinching the playoff round yet.

The Montreal Canadiens tweeted out a picture of Nick Suzuki embracing Cole Caufield, the team’s two young stars who were difference-makers in Game 5 for the Habs.

Toronto Star LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214325 Toronto Maple Leafs Of course anything can happen in these intense confrontations. For Toronto, it can all go pear-shaped, as it has before, plenty. And there’s always the Price factor. But they still need only one more win to advance, no different from the scenario at the opening faceoff Thursday. The Leafs And now the unease slips in as Leafs fail to close out Canadiens in remain the team that was 18 points clear of Montreal in the regular Game 5 season.

There’s no valid reason to freak out about a colossal collapse redux making playoff stooges of the Leafs again. By Rosie DiManno Star Columnist Not yet. Thu., May 27, 2021 Watch this space, though, for Sunday morning coming down dissection, if

the book isn’t closed on the Habs by then. The last one is the hardest. The killer instinct, however — there was much chatter about that asset in Sheldon Keefe had hammered that maxim. “Closing out a series is a very the previous 48 hours — was, at best, inadequate. Or, more correctly, difficult thing to do. There is a reason why it’s been this many years.” smothered by the Canadiens. Desperation trumped conviction.

Seventeen years for the Maple Leafs since they last had an exultant “The guys are very businesslike, treating it like they have every other handshake with opponents, emerging victorious from a playoffs stage. game the series,” Keefe said before the game.

Not yet. Maybe that was the problem. Because, for heaven’s sake, it had loomed not like every other game in the series. It cried out for a knockout punch. They’ll have to sweat it out a little more anxiously as the Montreal Canadiens slapped an oxygen mask on their mugs Thursday night and “That’s been the messaging in our group,” the coach continued, “to not inhaled deeply — the pure lung-expanding air of an elimination-averting look beyond your first shift of the first period. We are expecting it to be 4-3 overtime win at Scotiabank Arena, courtesy of Nick Suzuki on a two- our best game of the series.” on-nobody with rookie Cole Caufield, Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell at Nope. their mercy. “Any time your back’s against the wall, you push back,” Hyman said He took the blame although he wasn’t the culprit on a screw-up at the afterward. “We’ve been in that situation before and you always respond. blue line. So, it’s going to be another big test for us on Saturday. “I just can’t give up three in regulation,” Campbell said afterward. “I’ve got In any event, calm down, this isn’t déjà vu. to be better and I will be.” Not yet. From Jake Muzzin, heroic on the evening if eclipsed in the final accounting by 20-year-old and 21-year-old Canadiens, possibly the most Really, enough with the backward-look tremblies. There are just half a terse post-game Zoom ever. dozen players who remain from the Leafs team, still in its infancy core, that was ousted by Washington in 2017, in a series they were never “It’s good, we’ll be all right,” he assured, of the mood in the Leafs’ room. expected to win, under a coach long since ridden out of town on a rail; Pressed: “They were desperate and they won every battle and we ditto six from the team that choked in Game 7 versus Boston in 2018; weren’t ready for it. We battled back but not enough.” nine from the ashes of that Bruins repeat in 2019; 14 from the deeply discouraging play-in qualifier with Columbus last summer. Back to the Bell Centre for Game 6 Saturday — with real humans in the stands this time — while the Winnipeg Jets watch with interest from afar, Even that bummer with the Blue Jackets was not to be borne too heavily, probably lounging on the couch. Keefe maintained. He’d sought to dispel those phantoms. “We don’t put any of that on the players,” he said the other day. “We’ve got a very small A maddened Habs team from puck drop had method to their madness: group of players that have been here for multiple years. This group itself, Pour shots on Campbell, then take their big bodies to the net, creating I look at with its own identity and not attach attached anything that’s traffic and havoc. happened in the past.”

They put a pair of Joel Armia goals on the board, three minutes and five Doubtless what’s gone before does matter within the four walls of the seconds apart, in a first period that the Canadiens dominated in most dressing room. But most Leafs paid only reflexive lip service to areas of the high-tempo game, outshooting Toronto 14-9. motivation fueled and redemption sought. A significant number have no psychic connection to those franchise failures. Drew first blood off a turnover after Rasmus Sandin was pounded into the boards – Corey Perry got most of the rookie, back in the lineup after Some nifty, on occasion even brilliant, wheeling and dealing by GM Kyle not dressing for Game 4 – with Leafs left flat-footed and Armia left Dubas has assembled a roster — with its seven key ’21 additions, a few unmolested in the slot. Unassisted. latterly — that should be disaster-proof. You’d think.

Toronto scarcely had registered they were trailing — wait, what? — when This version of the Leafs is a collective of spliced DNA, retaining the best a clot of Habs converged around the Leafs paint again, Campbell making bits and infusing the new. They can protect a lead. They can win low- bang-bang saves but then losing his stick, ending up flat on his back and scoring one-goal games, when their big guns are kept off the scoresheet. facing the wrong way as Armia slid the puck under him. They’re older, their stars have ripened, with oodles of veteran ballast. They can go grind for grind and grit for grit. Sandin was the goat again in the second, muffing control of the puck at the side of the net and Jesperi Kotkaniemi stuffing it for a 3-0 lead. Further, this is a cohesive bunch, genuinely fond of and committed to Unassisted. each other. Crushing on one another, actually.

Zach Hyman got one back from the edge of Carey Price’s crease, Keefe specified that quality when trying to explain to reporters what sets shoving it through one-handed on the stick. Muzzin dragged Toronto this Leafs conclave apart from just a year ago. within squaring distance with a shot from the point, 11:32 remaining in regulation time. And some five minutes later Muzzin knotted it, propelling “The simple thing for me is unity, camaraderie. This is a true team.” the teams into their first overtime of the series. It’s well-nigh impossible to find a weak link in the lineup, even with the The second wind lasted only 59 seconds into OT. juggling forced upon Keefe over the past eight days. He’s plugged holes, reconfigured lines, swapped out defencemen and generally So now a series that had been something of a dud, to be honest, stirs up demonstrated a keen aptitude for hitting the right roster grace notes. a dollop of intrigue. Unease creeps in, for Toronto the city if not the hockey corps. Apprehension is a Leafs Nation thing, heebie-jeebies a He’d said earlier: “In the playoffs one of the big things that can push a chronic post-season affliction. Because … you know. team over the top is, when things get really difficult, how willing are you to push just a little bit harder? Or maybe are you willing to give in?” For the coach those were tacitly rhetorical questions.

For these Leafs: True or false?

Toronto Star LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214326 Toronto Maple Leafs After veteran winger Corey Perry forced a turnover by plastering Leafs rookie defenceman Rasmus Sandin into the boards, Armia picked up the loose puck and wired his first goal of the series — and just Montreal’s fifth overall — past Campbell’s glove at 5:13. Nick Suzuki scores in overtime, Canadiens beat Maple Leafs 4-3 to force Game 6 The inspired Canadiens kept coming, and Armia scored his second at 8:18 on a scramble with Campbell swimming in his crease. Perry picked up an assist on the sequence, which started with Armia knocking down William Nylander’s clearing attempt, for the 100th playoff point of his By Joshua Clipperton The Canadian Press career. Thu., May 27, 2021 “Army’s a solid player,” Price said. “I don’t think he gets enough credit for what he does. Perr’s the same way.

TORONTO - The Canadiens are heading home with a pulse — and their “It’s good to see them get rewarded.” fans will be there waiting. The Leafs had chances of their own in the period, but Price was there Nick Suzuki scored 59 seconds into overtime as Montreal survived a each time, including a terrific denial of Nylander, who had scored in all blown two-goal lead in the third period to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs four games coming into Thursday, on a 2-on-1. 4-3 on Thursday and force Game 6 of this Original Six first-round playoff “They were much more desperate than us in the first,” Toronto centre matchup. Auston Matthews said. “They jump out to a quick 2-0 lead, but I’m proud Cole Caufield intercepted a dangerous, ill-advised, cross-ice Alex of the way that we fought back.” Galchenyuk feed in Montreal’s zone and moved in on a 2-on-0 with Montreal won Game 1 of the series 2-1 thanks to Price’s 35-save Suzuki, who passed to his rookie teammate after crossing Toronto’s blue performance on a night where Leafs captain John Tavares was line. stretchered off following a scary collision before being outscored 11-2 in Suzuki then quickly got the puck back from Caufield before beating a losing the next three to fall behind Toronto 3-1. Tavares, who suffered a helpless Jack Campbell with a bullet shot blocker side as the Canadiens concussion and a knee injury, was in attendance for Game 5 after briefly spilled over the bench to celebrate. taking the ice prior to his team’s morning skate.

“Sometimes those 2-on-0s are a little bit more difficult,” Suzuki said after The Canadiens made it 3-0 at 4:52 of the second when Kotkaniemi burying his second goal of the series. “We’re both capable of scoring and pressured the shaky Sandin behind the Leafs’ net on a good forecheck. making plays. The puck popped in front, and the Montreal centre eventually poked it under Campbell and in for his second. “It was a great play by him to touch it right back.” The division’s top seed during the NHL’s pandemic-truncated campaign, Joel Armia, with two, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi had the other goals for 18 points clear of their opponent in the standings, the Leafs showed Montreal, which still trails Toronto 3-2 in the series. Carey Price made 32 some life 1:40 later when Mitch Marner threw a puck in front from behind saves. the goal line that Hyman slid home.

“Resiliency,” the veteran goaltender said when asked what his team Campbell then made a nice stop on Tyler Toffoli — Montreal’s 28-goal demonstrated. “It’s not easy to have the right mentality going into an man still looking for his first in the post-season — midway through the overtime like that after giving up a two-goal lead in the third.” period on a break to keep his team within two.

Price said Montreal’s locker room was “calm and composed” prior to OT: Hyman got a breakaway of his own 30 seconds into the third, but Price “Everybody knew what was at stake.” was there to shut the door.

But Suzuki added a number of the team’s veterans stepped up and The Leafs crept within one just after their only power play ended when spoke candidly during a meeting Wednesday. Muzzin blasted a point shot through a screen at 6:52.

“We’ve got a ton of leaders that I look up to,” said the second-year Toronto evened things up with 8:06 left in regulation when Muzzin drove centre. “These opportunities in playoffs don’t come that often, so you’ve the net and tipped Galchenyuk’s shot through Price’s legs to force a brief got to make the most of it.” OT.

Jake Muzzin, with two goals, and Zach Hyman replied for the Leafs, “We showed a lot of heart,” Suzuki said. “We feel like we can come back while Campbell stopped 26 shots. into this series, especially going back to the Bell Centre now for Game 6. It’s going to be a lot of fun to play in front of our fans. We know it’s not “Any time your back’s against the wall, you push back,” Hyman said. going to be a full barn, but I know it’ll be loud. “You saw that from them. We’ve been in that situation before and you always respond.” “We’ll be ready to go.”

Due to a loosening of COVID-19 restrictions, the Quebec government will And so will that Bell Centre crowd. allow 2,500 fans into the Bell Centre for Saturday’s Game 6 — the first Canadian NHL crowd in Canada since the start of the pandemic in March This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2021. 2020.

“They will deserve that game big time,” Montreal centre Phillip Danault Toronto Star LOADED: 05.28.2021 said. “It’s going to be crazy there. It’s going to be awesome. I can’t wait to be in front of our fans. Been waiting for that all year.

“And here we are. Game 6 against Toronto, Saturday night at home. Can’t get any better than that.”

The Leafs, meanwhile, missed an opportunity to clinch a playoff series win for the first time since 2004, but still have two more cracks at advancing.

The Winnipeg Jets await the winner following their surprise sweep of Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers in the North Division’s other first- round series.

The Leafs came close to opening the scoring early Thursday when bruising forward Wayne Simmonds rang a shot off the crossbar on Price from in tight, but it would be the visitors striking first moments later. 1214327 Toronto Maple Leafs Be-Leaf The Canadiens had looked a bit like a train wreck. Their depth didn’t

seem all that deep. The coach’s additions and subtractions were Mistakes cost Leafs an opportunity and gave Canadiens new life — questioned at every turn, the GM under the gun for moving off a young they’re ready to ‘move on’ to Game 6 skilled core to an older, heavier veteran mix.

Heading into Game 5, it had looked like a mismatch. William Nylander had as many goals as the Canadiens combined, Matthews and Mitch By Kevin McGran Staff Reporter Marner were due to break out and the Leafs were a win away without two key cogs because of injuries: John Tavares and Nick Foligno. Thu., May 27, 2021 The Leafs bounced back after Game 1 and figure the same could happen

again. Besides, they say, it’s tough to win four straight — especially Maybe the Canadiens were desperate. Maybe they were motivated by against the same team over and over. the possibility of playing in front of 2,500 paying fans in Montreal on “We look at the two games that we’ve lost and we haven’t played nearly Saturday night. at our best, yet both games were right there,” said Keefe. “We have lots Maybe the Maple Leafs were simply not up to the challenge of actually of reasons to be confident. Lots of reasons to believe in our group. At the eliminating an opponent. same time, we got another reminder that Montreal is going to make it real difficult and that they’re a very good team, very strong goaltending. That Or maybe the Leafs simply made too many mistakes and the Canadiens in itself gives them lots of belief.” had too much pride and talent to lose four straight. Indeed, Carey Price had a solid game, stopping Nylander and Morgan Whatever the reason, the result was a 4-3 Montreal win in overtime in Rielly in the first period when a Toronto goal might have sparked a better Game 5 on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena. effort. He also stopped Hyman on a breakaway early in the third, and had Alex Kerfoot shaking his head a couple of times. “We didn’t come out with nearly enough urgency or jump to start with, and they obviously were much more desperate than us,” said Leafs Weight of the wait centre Auston Matthews. “They played well. We gave ourselves a chance, just came up short.” That time between the warmup and the start of the game belongs to Jimmy Holmstrom on the organ. He’s been there, I think, since the days Nick Suzuki was the hero who extended Montreal’s season and this of Harold Ballard and has a distinctive style when he chooses his tunes. North Division semifinal to at least a sixth game. He finished off a two- For example, when the Winnipeg Jets come to town he’ll play a selection man breakaway with Cole Caufield, made possible by an Alex of Neil Young songs, maybe some Guess Who or “Jet” by Wings. You Galchenyuk giveaway at the Montreal blue line just 59 seconds into the get the idea. Well, on this night, with a chance to clinch a first-round extra period. victory for the first time in 17 seasons, his musical choices acknowledged — shall we say — the weight of the moment. “Quick memory, you know. Forget about it, learn from it, move on, get ready for the next game,” said Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin. His choices: Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” (with the lyrics “now or never”), The Beatles’ “Come Together” (“right now”) and then to top it off “The Weight” Zach Hyman scored for the Leafs in the second period after Montreal had by The Band. gone up 3-0, on two by Joel Armia and one by Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Two goals from Muzzin in the third sent the game to overtime. Keefe spoke after the morning skate about the weight of the moment in an elimination game: “I think the guys are very business-like and treating “They jump out to a quick 2-0 lead, but I’m proud of the way that we it like they have other games in the series. I think that’s been the fought back and we battled and gave ourselves a chance,” said messaging for our group, is to not look beyond your first shift or our first Matthews, “(but) we came up short.” period, that this game is the hardest one to get. In terms of the group Home crowd together pushing through, this is an important step, no doubt. Again, we recognize the opportunity that we have, and I need to push through this On Saturday, down three games to two, Montreal will have the first real step at the same time.” home-ice advantage of any team in Canada since the pandemic struck: fans in the stands. PRE-GAME

“It’ll be great, no matter what. It’ll be nice to ... to hear something,” said That time between the warmup and the start of the game belongs to Muzzin. Jimmy Holmstrom on the organ. He’s been there, I think, since the days of Harold Ballard. The Leafs will have a day to think about an opportunity missed. They haven’t made it past the first round of the playoffs since 2004, a span of He’s got a sense about him as he chooses his teams. For example, when 17 years. the Winnipeg Jets come to town, he’ll play a selection of Neil Young songs, maybe some Guess Who, or “Jet” by Wings. You get the idea. This Matthews-led core has been in the playoffs every year, but failed in Game 7 versus Boston in 2018, again in Games 6 and 7 against the Well, this night, with a chance to clinch a first-round victory for the first Bruins in 2019, and in Game 5 against Columbus last year in a best-of- time in 17 seasons, his musical choices acknowledged – shall we say – five qualifying round. the weight of the moment. His choices: Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” (which includes the lyrics “now or never”), The Beatles “Come Together” “It’s been a while since we’ve had some fans, so I think it’ll be exciting,” (including the lyrics “right now”) and then, to top it off, “The Weight” by added Matthews. “But I mean, it’s another opportunity for us to close out The Band. this series.” Just a few thoughts before we all get going on Game 5. The blame game It feels like it should be over tonight, right? I mean, Montreal looks a bit There was plenty of blame to go around. Rookie Rasmus Sandin had like a train wreck. Their depth doesn’t seem all that deep. The coach’s been a good-news story until Thursday. His first giveaway ended up on additions and subtractions seem more a reflection of the GM’s mind, Armia’s stick and was behind Jack Campbell in no time for the first his which appears to have regressed. The Habs had been seen to be at two goals. Sandin’s second giveaway went straight to Kotkaniemi, who least turning the corner in terms of development, analytics and the rest of gave Montreal a 3-0 lead. The defenceman played very sparingly after it. But Marc Bergevin seems to have gone the other way since the trade that. Then Galchenyuk, the hero in Game 4, coughed up a puck deadline and Dominique Ducharme appears to be the wreckage that will needlessly in OT, setting up the winner. get left behind.

“Hockey’s a game of mistakes. It happens. You have to push on. When So all that means, what? A big Habs win tonight and we all go back to you’re playing better as a team and mistakes happen, they don’t seem to Montreal for Game 6? Who knows. It’s the playoffs. hurt you. But when you’re not playing well and making mistakes, you open the door for the opposition and it costs you.” Anyway you look at it, it has been a mismatch. William Nylander has as many goals as the Canadiens combined.

Consider that Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner haven’t had “a game” yet, and the Leafs are up 3-1. That’s not even getting into playing without two key cogs: John Tavares and Nick Foligno. Both skated today, so, a lift, progress. Maybe next round. We’ll see how quickly this one ends.

If the Leafs win tonight, what will the city’s yahoos do? There was a time there’d be a big party on Yonge Street, every time the Leafs won a round. Of course, the last yahoos who did that are 17 years older now. The ineptness of the Leafs in the interim means today’s yahoos haven’t learnt the ways of yesterday’s yahoos. Plus, of course, Covid. So outside of jersey-wearing on your daily socially-distanced walk and selfie videos on Instagram, Leafs Fever is going to be very limited compared to what it might have been.

Hi there Kevin. A quick question for you. Does it seem like getting rid of Kadri was a bad deal for the Leafs when it happened. Now he is back into another playoff suspension. Is this the main reason the leafs got rid of him in the first place? I think the leafs got Tyson Barrie in that deal good for see him doing so well with Edmonton. Sorry to kick them when they are down. Keep up your great work! — J Mulchay

Thanks. Playoff suspensions weren’t the main reasons to trade Kadri, but they were a consideration. The salary cap was a big motivator. They basically got two players – Barrie and Alex Kerfoot – for the price of Kadri.

Hey Kevin, I know that the players don’t receive a pay cheque after the playoffs start. I thought I heard years ago that money is distributed to the winning team for each round and increases as the playoffs proceed.

Is this true and if so what are the amounts?

I always heard how the Stanley Cup champions share their amount equally between the players and they always include the trainers in the share. Thanks — Dave

Teams that make the playoffs this year will share in a $20 million pool this year, the Cup winners getting the lion’s share. Teams typically divide it equally, just like you say, making sure trainers, equipment managers and the like get a share as well.

Hi Kevin. Like reading your synopsis on the Leaf games, I think you’re spot on, thank you.

I have a more of a comment and would be interested your opinion. Winnipeg is going to be a very serious challenge for the Leafs due to the fact they have a superstar goalie who can win a series nevermind a game. The Leafs have to think outside of the box. If I had the chance, which I will never get, I would suggest to Keefe that he should try in the first period of a game pulling the goalie when they have a man advantage after a penalty. This would give them a serious advantage (6-on-4) with fresh players. They could put two players directly in front of the opposing goaltender which would require two of the opposing players to also be in front of their own goaltender. The remaining four players would have a much better chance with the goalie being screened by four players. It works extremely well during the final two minutes of the game when teams pull their goaltender and having 6-on-5. Can you imagine how much better it would work with 6-on-4 and knowing they would have to setup up their play with an open net behind them. Even if the other team got lucky and scored they still have two periods or more to get even.

I truly believe this strategy would get the best of Winnipeg’s superstar goalie Connor Hellebuyck. A guy who is so high-strung like him it might put him off his game somewhat. With kind regards, — Steve S

If ever there was a coach who would try that, it’s Keefe. I don’t think he’d hurry into it. He wouldn’t do it, say, early in a game, or in a close game, or with a lead. But if down by two or three goals, and maybe late in a period looking to build momentum for the next period, it wouldn’t surprise me at all. The Leafs are one of the more aggressive when it comes to pulling the goalie. They’ve put him back in on the fly. So yeah. It would be rare that they’d need it, but if there were a team to try it, I’d pick the Leafs.

Toronto Star LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214328 Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares returns to the ice for a skate

Staff Report

By The Canadian Press

Thu., May 27, 2021

Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares was back on the ice for a skate on Thursday, one week after suffering a concussion and a knee injury in a scary collision.

Tavares skated at Scotiabank Arena with fellow Leafs forward Nick Foligno (lower-body injury), who will miss his third straight game in Toronto’s playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.

The Leafs lead the best-of-seven series 3-1.

Tavares was checked to the ice in the first period of last Thursday’s 2-1 loss in Game 1 by Canadiens defenceman Ben Chiarot into the path of an onrushing Corey Perry, who was unable to avoid contact. Perry’s knee hit Tavares’ face.

The 30-year-old lay motionless before trying to get up as trainers and doctors from both teams provided medical attention inside an empty, eerily quiet Scotiabank Arena. Tavares was eventually stretchered off the ice.

Tavares stayed overnight at hospital before he was discharged.

“He’s obviously progressing very well to the point that he’s gone through the different steps to now get on to the ice,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said.

“That’s a step for him. He wasn’t on there very long, but felt really good coming off. He’s got two different (injuries) that they’re monitoring with his knee and the concussion. Progress has been very good on both fronts.”

Toronto Star LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214329 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs captain John Tavares back skating, one week after devastating hit against Canadiens

By Mark Zwolinski Sports Reporter

Thu., May 27, 2021

Maple Leafs captain John Tavares returned to the ice Thursday morning, skating for the first time since suffering a knee injury and a concussion a week earlier in the Leafs’ opening game of the playoffs.

Tavares skated some laps and performed a few hockey drills in a 20- minute session, and provided a boost for his teammates as they prepared for a potential series-ending Game 5 against Montreal. He was joined partway through his session by forward Nick Foligno, who has been out since suffering an upper-body injury in Game 2.

“It’s huge having (Tavares) back at the rink today and getting a chance to talk to him, just spending time around him” Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly said.

“We don’t know exactly what his timeline is, but we’re happy to see him, happy to support him. Having him around the rink is a great sign and we’re lucky to have him back so soon.”

Tavares’s timeline is still uncertain. The original prognosis hasn’t changed — at least two weeks for the knee injury — but he appears to ahead of schedule after being stretchered off the ice last Thursday when he took an inadvertent knee to the head from Montreal’s Corey Perry.

The incident put a scare into everyone, including Leafs GM , who was seen rushing from his in-game suite to be with Tavares as he left the ice and was taken to hospital.

But Tavares, who gave a thumbs-up sign as he departed, never stopped being the Leafs captain. Although he was confined to home after being released from hospital the next day, he reached out to his teammates in a series of texts, letting them know he was OK and reminding them what they needed to do in their series with the Canadiens.

He joined them, via text, before Games 3 and 4, and celebrated with them after the games on FaceTime.

Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe held up the puck from Game 2 and dedicated the win to his injured captain.

“There’s no real update other than he’s progressing real well, to the point where he’s gone through different steps to get out onto the ice,” Keefe said Thursday.

“He wasn’t on very long today but felt really good coming off, so that’s part of it. He’s got two different things they’re monitoring, his knee and the concussion, so progress has been good on both fronts there.

“But having him back in the mix here … having him come in and doing workouts and treatments and being around the guys, was big. And just having him in the group (Thursday), in the meetings, was a really great sign.

“I think since the morning after his injury, it’s been trending towards this. He’s been communicating and talking to the guys a lot. So having him here in person is a nice lift for the guys.”

“He’s reminding us of what we need to do out there and what our mindsets need to be,” linemate William Nylander said after Tavares showed up at the practice facility Wednesday. “He’s been there every moment.”

Toronto Star LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214330 Toronto Maple Leafs That is true and rather inexcusable. “I’m proud of the way we fought back,” Matthews said. “We gave

ourselves a chance.” SIMMONS: Old habits come back to haunt Leafs in Game 5 loss to Habs They need more than a chance now. They need to be commanding. They can’t allow two goals to a fourth line the way they did Thursday night. They can’t give the puck away the way Sandin did so meekly on Steve Simmons the goal by Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

Publishing date: May 27, 2021 They are five games in and, as well as Matthews and Mitch Marner have played, combined the two stalwarts have managed to score just once

against Carey Price. Some of that is goaltending. Some of that is not The opportunity was there for the Maple Leafs. generating enough efficient chances. All of that coming from enormous ice time from coach Keefe. And then Game 5 began. One goal in five for Matthews, who scored 41 in 52 regular-season And the Leafs were a step slow, lacking playoff urgency, lacking speed games. The math doesn’t add up. He and Marner played almost 24 and emotion, losing too many puck battles, not nearly competitive minutes Thursday night. A hockey lifetime of sorts. Each of them has enough to eliminate the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night when been outscored by Joel Armia and Suzuki. they should have. This is the best hockey William Nylander has played as Leaf. He had two And still they had a chance late in regulation to win the series and an assists last night and probably the best scoring chances of any Leaf opportunity to come back and win in overtime. forward. Montreal doesn’t know what to do with him. He now had seven points in five games, the most in the series for any player, either team. That they lost in the first minute of the fourth period was really an indication of all that was lacking much of the night for a Leafs team that And he’s doing it, playing seven fewer minutes a night than Matthews got down 3-0, fought back hard to tie the game at 3-3, then got caught on and Marner play. a poor Alex Galchenyuk turnover that turned into rare 2-on-0 breakaway in overtime, and gave Nick Suzuki one of the easiest and most important This is the odd part about Keefe’s delegation of ice time. The minute goals he will ever score. differential made zero sense. But Nylander played 27 shifts and Marner played 29. The difference doesn’t come from the number of shifts This may be a new Maple Leafs team — and it is — but this was an old allotted, it comes from the length of shift. Leafs habit coming back to haunt them. The Leafs could have knocked Columbus out in the bubble last summer: They had to win Game 5. They In the third period, with the Canadiens barely hanging on, it might have didn’t. made sense to use Nylander with Matthews and Marner down the stretch. They could have won Game 6 and knocked out Boston and then win Game 7 and do the same, the year before that: They didn’t. Keefe probably realizes that now. He has to change for Game 6, they have to change. They could have won Game 7 in Boston in 2018, were in a position after two periods to do that: They didn’t. The series should have ended Thursday night. Now it’s nervous time.

They could have eliminated the spirited Canadiens Thursday night: They didn’t. Toronto Sun LOADED: 05.28.2021 And now there is a game Saturday night in Montreal, at the Bell Centre, with fans in the stands, albeit only 2,500 of them, and the Leafs still in strong position, although having blown the kind of opportunity this franchise has been far too famous for blowing.

Galchenyuk was a hero of Game 4 and an overtime goat in Game 5. Rasmus Sandin scored a huge goal in the second game of the series. Thursday night, the rookie defenceman couldn’t handle the pressure of the Canadiens, made two soft giveaways — one coming on a play Joe Thornton should have been better on — and it was 3-0 early on and his night was over.

This was part of the challenge for coach Sheldon Keefe, playing with a limited lineup already. John Tavares can’t play but could be at the game and that should have been something that should have inspired the Leafs more.

They started horribly. The fact that a) they could have won the series; b) their captain was on skates earlier in the day; c) he was in the stands watching for the first time since Game 1, should have picked up the Leafs early on.

Early though, Montreal outmanned them, flooding the front of the Leafs net, putting pressure on the defence.

The Leafs have lost two games to Montreal. Both by one goal. Both games could have gone either way. The three wins in the series, they outscored the Habs 11-2. Those wins were pretty much one-sided. Which tells you the Leafs are the better team, but that has been evident in other playoff series thus far, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.

They led 3-2 against the Bruins in 2019, coming home for Game 6. Now they lead 3-2 against the Habs, heading to Montreal. The Bruins were significantly better than this Montreal team: This Leafs team is significantly better than previous Leaf teams.

“They were more desperate than us,” Auston Matthews said. “We didn’t come out with enough energy.” 1214331 Toronto Maple Leafs year-old put forth in Game 5. Two Montreal goals came off Sandin miscues, and both were unassisted … If you had Joel Armia giving the Canadiens a 2-0 lead with a pair in a span of three minutes five seconds before the nine-minute mark, we would politely label you a liar. Yet that’s Presence of Tavares on the ice and in the room a welcome, uplifting what happened, with Armia scoring his first of the series at 5:13 not long sight for Maple Leafs after Wayne Simmonds hit the cross bar. The goal came after Perry’s hard check on Sandin, who didn’t have as much time as he thought and

feebly tried to get the puck to Joe Thornton. Armia picked up the puck Terry Koshan and beat Campbell from the slot … On the second goal at 8:18, Campbell stoned Eric Staal, but the Leafs couldn’t get the puck out of Publishing date: May 27, 2021 danger and Armia poked it in … Jesperi Kotkaniemi took the puck from Sandin behind the Leafs net and scored at 4:52 of the second, giving the

Canadiens a 3-0 lead. Sandin is a bright player and he will learn from the When John Tavares was taken off on the ice on a stretcher last mistakes. But Keefe should put Travis Dermott back on the third pair with Thursday, we had no idea when we would see him again on the ice. Zach Bogosian for Game 6 … Carey Price had a nice view of Zach Hyman’s goal in the second after Mitch Marner turned the Canadiens We certainly didn’t think the Maple Leafs captain would be on skates just goalie around with some puckhandling wizardry … Price had no view of shy of one week later. Jake Muzzin’s first goal in the third, as he failed to pick up the point shot Tavares was in a bad way early in Game 1 in the moments after he was through a screen … When Muzzin deflected an Galchenyuk shot to tie checked by Montreal Canadiens defenceman Ben Chiarot and absorbed the game at 11:54 of the third and erase the Canadiens’ 3-0 lead, it an accidental knee to the head by Corey Perry. marked the first time in Muzzin’s 64 Stanley Cup playoff games that he scored two goals. We won’t rehash the details. Tavares suffered a concussion and knee injury on the play, and spent a night in hospital before he was discharged. Toronto Sun LOADED: 05.28.2021 Tavares continued to make progress in the days that followed and, before the morning skate prior to Game 5 on Thursday, took to the ice at Scotiabank Arena with teammate Nick Foligno, who is day to day with a lower-body injury.

Tavares was at the Leafs’ practice facility on Wednesday and you can imagine the smiles in the dressing room as he was suiting up on Thursday morning.

“It’s huge to have him back at the rink, getting a chance to talk to him and just spend time around him,” Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly said. “As far as his health goes, as teammates, you just want to support him. We don’t know exactly what his timeline is, but we’re just happy to see him, happy to support him.

“Having him around the rink is a great sign. We’re lucky to have him back so soon.”

Indeed.

Tavares Facetimed with his teammates after back-to-back wins in Montreal, and defenceman Justin Holl summed up the captain’s presence on Thursday thusly: “It’s good for our team and and good for us emotionally and mentally.”

Tavares was in attendance on Thursday night, watching as his teammates lost 4-3 in overtime to a determined group of Canadiens.

Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said there was no update on Tavares’ potential return to the lineup. The captain’s health comes first.

“He is progressing very well to the point that he’s gone through the different steps to get on to the ice and that’s a step for him,” Keefe said. “He wasn’t on there very long, but felt really good coming off.

“Progress has been very good on both (the concussion and knee injury). Having him in the group, in the meeting was a really great sign. Since the morning after his injury, it has been trending toward this.”

GAME ON

Auston Matthews on his mindset going into Game 6: “We’re going to win a game … it’s another opportunity for us to close out this series.” … The Canadiens did what the Leafs figured they would do: They were desperate and played like a team that was 60 minutes from scattering for the summer. Somehow, even though the Leafs have a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, Toronto has to find a similar approach on Saturday night … Alex Galchenyuk has done some good things for the Leafs in the series. His giveaway to Cole Caufield in overtime undid some of that, as Caufield and Nick Suzuki broke away untouched, with Suzuki getting the winner at 59 seconds … Jack Campbell made 26 saves. “I can’t give up three in regulation and I gotta be better and I will be,” Campbell said. “It wasn’t my best, and I know I got better and I have that belief in everybody in the room. I just gotta make the save on (the overtime winner). I was a little aggressive. I’ll learn from it.” … We don’t have film of all of Rasmus Sandin’s NHL games at our fingertips, but we would bet a bucket of pucks all of them were better than the performance the 21- 1214332 Toronto Maple Leafs In overtime, Galchenyuk’s pass at the Montreal blueline, with Zach Bogosian pinching, was cut off by Cole Caufield, who played catch with Suzuki as they skated in alone until Campbell was down and out.

Maple Leafs' comeback ends with loss in OT, series goes on The Canadiens, with just four goals in the series up to Thursday, held a full morning skate with lots of energy.

Coach Dominique Ducharme made one lineup change, Erik Gustafsson Lance Hornby for Brent Kulak on the third pairing with Jon Merrill.

Publishing date: May 27, 2021 “You don’t want it to end,” winger Brendan Gallagher said before the game. “We’re obviously not scoring enough. I don’t care who’s in net or

who you are playing against, there always a way to score a goal. You just The Maple Leafs had trouble translating ‘coup de grace’ so this Stanley have to find a way to out-work the goaltender.” Cup series has another rendez-vous in Quebec. Expect Travis Dermott to come back in for Sandin in Game 6. Administering that final blow proved too elusive on Toronto’s first try as “Sandy’s a heck of a player, a big part of our team,” Campbell said. “If Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens live to see another game, on someone makes a tough play, we’re supportive of each other. Most of Saturday night at the Bell Centre. the time, they make the right one.” Nick Suzuki’s 2-on-0 goal off an Alex Galchenyuk giveaway inside the The winner here faces the Winnipeg Jets, who now have even more rest. Canadiens blue line 59 seconds into overtime negated a three-goal Maple Leafs comeback in the 4-3 loss. “You re-set, wash this away It’s a series,” said Hyman. “We had our chances, we didn’t capitalize. Price is a great goalie. We have to make “Is it part of a learning curve? Perhaps. It certainly looked that way,” said his life difficult. Our goals today were net-front stuff, dirty plays, tips. Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe. That’s how we’ve got to beat him.” With a chance to win the franchise’s first series in 17 years at home,

Keefe didn’t get the desired start after three consecutive wins, nor enough big saves from netminder Jack Campbell, while the Galchenyuk Toronto Sun LOADED: 05.28.2021 giveaway was compounded by a nightmarish first period by young defenceman Rasmus Sandin.

“Montreal came out real hard, not unlike Game 1, and we didn’t deal with that well,” Keefe said. “So, we got ourselves in a hole.”

There will be about 2,500 fans allowed in the Bell Centre to cheer a possible knotting of the best-of-seven series.

Only 13 teams in the NHL’s 21st century have come back from being down 3-1. The Leafs had shut down the Habs at every turn, after losing a disjointed Game 1, but this one got away quickly.

“Any time your back is against the wall, you push back,” winger Zach Hyman said. “We’ve been in that situation (he’s part of the Leafs core that has endured four first-round losses).

“Saturday is another big test for us.”

The Leafs tried to conquer any complacency the previous 48 hours, insisting that they recognized the threat Montreal still represented, starting with Price in net. He made early saves as Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner buzzed around, plus a last-minute glove stop on the hottest-scoring Leaf, William Nylander. As the third period opened, he turned aside a Hyman breakaway and a great Alex Kerfoot snap as part of 32 saves.

Joel Armia, meanwhile, cashed two in the first period against Campbell, who came in with a .965 save percentage. Armia had a freebie from the slot when Sandin got bumped off the puck along the boards by a Corey Perry hit.

Sandin was victimized again in the second period when Jesperi Kotkaniemi took the puck off him behind the net, blocked his exit from behind Campbell and stuffed the puck past the surprised goalie.

Sandin didn’t see any action after his second gaffe.

Only then did Toronto’s top line break through, Price got caught out of his net when Hyman scored off a scramble.

Jake Muzzin, after Toronto missed on its only power play of the night, made it 3-2 with a screened point shot and then moved to the net on a give-and-go to tip Galchenyuk’s shot through Price’s pads, five minutes apart midway through the third. That’s 10 points for Toronto’s active defence in the series, zero for Montreal, which is one good sign moving to Game 6.

“We’ll be all right,” Muzzin said of the post-game mood.

Matthews and Marner assisted on Hyman’s goal, tallying a combined eight points through the five games.

“I’m proud of the way we fought back, battled and gave ourselves a chance,” Matthews said. 1214333 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs hope to end series as Tavares back skating

Lance Hornby

Publishing date: May 27, 2021

There was a good reminder Thursday morning what a first round win for the Maple Leafs would mean for an important teammate.

Forty-five minutes before the main morning skate prior to Game 5 against the Montreal Canadiens, captain John Tavares was skating, his first time on ice a week after being stretchered off the same Scotiabank Arena pad. Tavares, who visited the team’s practice facility the day before, was concussed and suffered a knee injury in Game 1. He was joined by fellow injured forward Nick Foligno and according to coach Sheldon Keefe, participated in the pre-game meeting as part of his gradual recovery.

The Leafs hope to advance beyond the first round for the first time since 2004 and buy time for Tavares’s return. The latter would be at least a week away because of the knee issue alone.

“There’s no other update, other than he’s progressing very well,” Keefe said. “He’s gone through the different steps to get on the ice. He wasn’t on there long today, but felt really good. Having him back, starting yesterday with being around the guys, is a really great sign. To have him here in person is going to be an excellent lift for the guys.”

Tavares might be at SBA on Thursday night in the room as the Leafs try and put away the Canadiens. Toronto is in the rare position of leading a series by a 3-1 margin with an opportunity to wrap it at home. For the youngest Leafs, stars such as Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, this first possible trip beyond the opening round could be a significant lesson on the learning curve.

“Pushing through this is an important step,” agreed Keefe. “We recognize the opportunity we have, but it’s my job to keep guys focused on the things we’ve done to give us success in this series and clean up areas we need to be better in.”

Keefe listed those concerns for Game 5 as team play through the neutral zone with the puck and without, as well as better assertion of their game plan in the first period. He did praise the way they closed out Game 4 versus Game 3, when the trailing Habs out-shot them badly.

Keefe thought the Leafs were mentally ready, based on the morning vibe.

“The feeling is normal, professional, the guys are business-like. The message for our group, do not look beyond your first shift or the first period. This (fourth win) is the hardest to get. We are expecting this to be our best game of the series because that’s what is going to be required.”

Foligno remains day-to-day with a lower body injury.

While any team with Carey Price in net is capable of an upset game, the Leafs have Jack Campbell and his .965 save percentage in the series.

“Having Soupy back there, he’s been an absolute rock and he’s cleaned up any mistakes we’ve made,” said defenceman Justin Holl.

The Canadiens, with just four goals in the series, held a full skate Thursday with lots of chatter. Coach Dominique Ducharme is making one lineup change, Erik Gustafsson for Brent Kulak on the third pairing with Jon Merrill.

“You don’t want it to end,” winger Brendan Gallagher said of the season. “We’re fortunate to do this (play in a pandemic year), we want this to continue.

“We’re obviously not scoring enough. I don’t care who’s in net or who you are playing against, there always a way to score a goal. You just have to find a way to out-work the goaltender.”

Toronto Sun LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214334 Toronto Maple Leafs Matthews’ individual expected goals per 60 is actually higher than it was during his Rocket Richard Trophy-winning season, too, so it’s not like he hasn’t had opportunities.

Mirtle and Siegel: What Maple Leafs did wrong in Game 5 — and how My guess is he’s going to score in Game 6. they can fix it for Game 6 to prevent a Game 7 (Yes, I say he does it.)

2. Possible lineup changes By James Mirtle and Jonas Siegel Siegel: Let’s get this one out of the way early: Rasmus Sandin feels very May 28, 2021 likely to come out for Travis Dermott on Saturday.

It was a rough Game 5 for Sandin obviously, with a couple of turnovers leading to a pair of Montreal goals. He played only two shifts after Going light on an intro here … we’re heading to Game 6, in hostile coughing up the puck on the second one, the 3-0 goal, and was benched territory, you know that much already. even when the power play got an opportunity. He finished with just six minutes of ice time, as the Leafs played the bulk of the game with only Let’s dig into the reasons why — and six key areas in which the Maple five defencemen. Leafs can be better. Who else? James Mirtle: All right Jonas, let’s get into what went wrong in Game 5 and what the Leafs need to improve on in Game 6 … I wonder whether Keefe slides Riley Nash back in for Game 6, maybe in place of Adam Brooks. It’s going to be quite a raucous, pressure-packed Step 1: Don’t have Alex Galchenyuk pass the puck to the other team for environment in Montreal on Saturday. Nash is a veteran with plenty of a two-on-none in overtime, amirite? big-game experience. He hasn’t looked great so far, admittedly, but the Jonas Siegel: trust factor should be higher in a big game.

1. They need the top line to break through in a bigger way Maybe he centres a trusty defensive line with Ilya Mikheyev and Pierre Engvall. Then Wayne Simmonds can drop back down to the fourth line Siegel: The top line was pretty dominant territorially in Game 5 and put …? the Leafs on the board with Zach Hyman’s first of the series. Mirtle: Exit Sandman, for sure. I’ll be stunned if he plays again this series. Let’s start there: This was the best Hyman has looked against the Habs, It’s not even just the Game 5 gaffes; he struggled in the opener, too. And after a lengthy layoff from a sprained MCL leading up to the playoffs. He I liked what Dermott did in Game 4, when the Leafs were airtight. was hunting down loose pucks and mucking things up around the blue paint — looking more like Zach Hyman essentially. He probably could The reality is Sandin just hasn’t played a ton this year, because of the have finished with an extra goal or two were it not for Carey Price. pandemic and injuries. He doesn’t look ready for playoff pace at times. He’s young, and he’ll learn from these games and get better. But the Leafs are going to need even more from these three in Game 6. Dermott, who quietly had a really solid, dependable season on the third Ultimately, they need their two best players from the regular season, pair, feels like a better fit for this series, given his strengths. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, to break through. Depth contributions from the Alex Galchenyuks and Jason Spezzas of the team Brooks wasn’t particularly effective Thursday — and he’s down to 26 will only go so far. percent possession in the series — so I don’t have a problem taking him out. But I do worry about their ability to drive offence from a line like At some point, small sample be damned, the best players have to Engvall-Nash-Mikheyev, who combined for 16 goals all season. produce. If that’s what they go with, Keefe will have to hope to get a lead and then Matthews and Marner combined for 61 goals during the regular season, use whoever is on that third line to hem the Habs in their zone, which was first and second on the Leafs. So far in this series, they’ve something Engvall and Mikheyev have done well in this series. totaled just the one goal — from Matthews, who’s fired 25 shots through five games. 3. Get more from the bottom six

He’s had some pretty good looks and feels bound to get another soon. Siegel: The Leafs don’t necessarily need their bottom two lines to score, Marner was maybe at his most electric in Game 5. It was his patience but they can’t get caved in again in Game 6. with the puck that got things rolling on the Hyman goal that started the Expected goals for the line of Engvall, Mikheyev and Simmonds in Game comeback. 5: 31 percent. The Leafs need even more, however, to close out this series. Expected goals for the line of Joe Thornton, Brooks and Jason Spezza: “I think we’re hunting pucks, we’re trying to stay above them, we’re 35 percent. forcing turnovers, and (we’re) just trying to attack the net as much as That’s no bueno. possible,” Matthews said. “We just want to continue to do that. We’re getting chances. (We need to) continue to just bear down and capitalize Thornton is having a tough series (38 percent expected goals when he’s on some of these opportunities.” on the ice at even strength), though I have a hard time imagining Keefe scratching him at this point. Same with Simmonds, who has one goal Mirtle: Honestly, Jonas, if someone told us before the start of this series since early April. that John Tavares was out for the entire round and the Leafs top line wasn’t all over the scoresheet, that would have been pretty ominous, no? Maybe Nash slides in between Thornton and Spezza, and Simmonds Those four players were so much of the team’s offence all year. sticks with line three?

To be fair, however, it feels likely that top line will break through here in Mirtle: Thornton looked really rough. Like those post-injury games during Game 6. They’re controlling play — 54 percent possession in the series the season when it felt like he wasn’t ever going to get a point again. — and way ahead in the shot quality metrics, with roughly 65 percent of the expected goals at even strength. They have yet to allow a five-on-five My concern with him isn’t even so much his skating or lack of speed, at goal against. this point. You can live with that if he’s making good plays. But in Game 5, the problem was Thornton’s hands were off and he kept bobbling it You rarely lose games when your top line is playing like that. away to the opposition.

Matthews’ on-ice shooting percentage at five-on-five is just 4.8 percent I counted at least five instances when plays went to die on his stick — after it was almost 12 percent during the regular season. If anything is and he only played 8:38! unsustainable in this series, it’s how few pucks are going in with that line out there. (With a tip of the cap to Price for his fine work in the Habs I hate to say it, but you see some of these games and it feels like age crease.) has finally caught up to the lovable old fella. I don’t doubt the intangible value he’s bringing in the dressing room, and I wouldn’t take him out of the lineup entirely, but they should probably bump him off of PP1 and sometimes he looks a lot smaller than 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds in the only give that line very sheltered minutes. crease.

As for the rest of the bottom six, this is where they miss having Tavares It makes sense he might have had some extra nerves; that was the and Nick Foligno. They’d have a lot more offensive talent in the lineup biggest NHL game he’s ever started in. Who wouldn’t? right now with those two healthy. But the guy has a .944 save percentage in the postseason, has Both are doubtful to play Saturday in Montreal. outplayed Price in the series and has rebounded well throughout the year when he’s needed to. 4. More Nylander I’m not raising a red flag here yet. Neither is Keefe. Siegel: Nylander is basically playing as much as he did during the regular season — about 16.5 minutes per game. “He was playing at a really high level for us, and today, like our team, wasn’t his best,” Keefe said postgame. “But he’s earned the opportunity That needs to go up, a reality Keefe conceded after Game 5, which saw and the trust that he will bounce back.” Nylander log 17 minutes. 6. Better decision-making “He doesn’t play on (the top) line so that’s the first part of it,” Keefe said. “That line gets a lot of difficult assignments and key faceoffs and Siegel: The Leafs just weren’t sharp in Game 5, especially early. Beyond (opportunities) coming out of timeouts and stuff like that. the glaring errors were moments of lapsed judgment.

“Willy got a few extra shifts here today, played with those guys a little bit, Like Justin Holl, after a long shift, skating short of centre ice and icing the but the discrepancy is probably a little more than I’d like it to be here puck. today.” Or Thornton fumbling the handoff from Sandin on the first goal. As Keefe noted, Nylander was double-shifted in Game 5, including, for the first time all season (with the odd exception), with Matthews and Subtle stuff like that can lose you a game. Marner. That’s something the Leafs should go back to in Game 6. Mirtle: As I said, Step 1, Jonas: Don’t have Alex Galchenyuk pass the Heck, I wonder if they should even load up the top line all game long puck to the other team for a two-on-none in overtime. Boston Bruins-style. Because then you lose the game. And James doesn’t get to finish his That would leave Hyman to play alongside Galchenyuk and Alex Kerfoot. crackers in the press box.

It only makes sense to dial Nylander up given his play in this series. He is That’s the cost-benefit analysis the Leafs need to do with some of these up to seven points in the series after another two-point night in Game 5. players though. We saw the benefit of having Sandin and Galchenyuk in He’s been electric. At worst, it’s overdue that he replaces Thornton on prominent spots in the lineup earlier in the series, as they were drivers of the No. 1 power-play unit. pivotal goals. They both have unbelievable skill sets — offensively.

As Keefe points out though, Nylander averaged only 37 seconds a shift But in a series that’s now down to a couple of bounces, potentially, the in Game 5. He only played two fewer shifts than Marner (who averaged Leafs really need everyone to make smarter, safer plays when things 50 seconds) and three fewer than Matthews (49). could turn the other way.

Mirtle: Remember earlier in the year when Keefe was strategically Montreal’s not a great offensive team, but it is opportunistic, and there playing one winger with Matthews and Marner on the offensive zone were a couple of goals in Game 5 that were pure gimmes. starts and a different one in the defensive zone? Maybe that might make sense at times? The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 Especially if they’re down a goal or three, as was the case in Game 5.

With Tavares out, and the third and fourth line potentially having a tough time breaking through, getting Nylander some more opportunities makes sense. Maybe you could even shift him out there with the old guys at times?

When in doubt, put Willy out, I always say.

Wait, that doesn’t sound right.

5. A better Jack

Siegel: Jack Campbell looked a little out of sorts in Game 5. More rebounds. More scrambling in the crease.

The first goal against was stoppable. The other two come right around the blue paint.

As for the OT goal, it’s obviously impossible for him to stop that two-on- oh.

What I’m really interested in is his response. He was hard on himself after Game 5.

“I just can’t give up three in regulation,” Campbell said. “I’ve got to be better and I will be.”

The Leafs, and Keefe specifically, have tried to work with Campbell on that: not being overly hard on himself. It’s been a challenge for him in the past (as you wrote about in great detail). The Leafs need him to respond the right way in Game 6.

Remember earlier this year, he stumbled through three starts, pulled himself together and got back on track.

Mirtle: Agree that Campbell seemed a bit off right from the start of the game, like the rest of his teammates. He looked like he was skittering around the crease a lot. I mentioned this to you at the rink, but 1214335 Toronto Maple Leafs Third star: Morgan Rielly (LD, No. 44): Rielly’s been one of the more consistently strong Leafs throughout this series. The Leafs looked to be at their most dangerous in the first period when Rielly moved with confidence into the offensive zone. And defensively, he made the kind of Maple Leafs report cards: Jake Muzzin’s monster third period not enough heads-up plays some of his teammates didn’t. He logged almost four as OT mishap sends series back to Montreal minutes more than any other Leaf (28:22), and those minutes didn’t seem to wear him down at all. He was tops among all Leafs with 85

percent five-on-five expected goals. (All stats via Natural Stat Trick.) By Joshua Kloke A- May 28, 2021 Zach Hyman (LW, No. 11): Told you so!

Hyman was moving the puck a little quicker and with a little more Sheldon Keefe knew it wouldn’t be easy. creativity than in the first four games, and he finally grabbed his first point of the series with a goal that was just dripping in grease. Wednesday, the head coach called closing out a series “a very difficult thing to do.” His second-period penalty wasn’t a smart one to take, but Hyman kept moving with more intent than he has as of late. Game 5 was his best of “As an organization, of course, we need to deliver for our fans. We have the series as he led the Leafs with six shots. given ourselves a great opportunity to do that,” he said. “We know tomorrow night’s game is going to be the hardest one in the series.” Auston Matthews (C, No. 34): I understand it’s vague, but Matthews looked to have a sense of determination in his skating and offensive He was right. The Leafs lost 4-3 in overtime to a Montreal Canadiens efforts out of the gate. That approach wavered, and going 9-for-24 on team on the brink of elimination in Game 5. faceoffs leaves room for improvement, but Matthews and his line seemed to find some energy as the game wore on. He had an assist. But, with the chance to win their first playoff series since 2004, the Leafs didn’t make it easy on themselves, either. A few costly errors hurt as a far Mitch Marner (RW, No. 16): I don’t think Marner had a poor performance, more desperate-looking Canadiens team pounced early. The Leafs but ultimately if he had converted on the chances he had, the Leafs might looked sluggish for large stretches of the first two periods, not showing have been able to build a bit of positive momentum. He had an assist, the same energy the Canadiens displayed, before coming back from but I think it’s fair to say the Leafs need just a little bit more production down 3-1 to tie the score in the third. from him. Still, he played nearly the entirety of the two-minute penalty the Leafs had to kill and showed flashes of brilliance in his playmaking. He “I’m proud of the way we fought back,” said Auston Matthews, who was also tops among all Leafs forwards with 68 percent five-on-five acknowledged the Canadiens outplayed the Leafs early on. expected goals. They’ll now need to fight back once again with the Canadiens having a B- bit of momentum on their side — and thousands of fans set to enter the Bell Centre in Montreal for the first time all season. Ilya Mikheyev (RW, No. 65): I liked Mikheyev’s simple and direct game. He looked eager to shoot the puck quickly and didn’t overthink things On to the observations! from a playmaking perspective. He came close to finishing the game in Player reports the third period, too. I’ll double down on my Hyman prediction and say Mikheyev gets a goal in Game 6. He’s been building towards it. First star: Jake Muzzin (LD, No. 8): Talk about keeping a level head, as Muzzin has long done in his time as a Leaf. Jack Campbell (G, No. 36): Even if Campbell didn’t look as sharp as he has throughout the series, it’s debatable whether he was at fault for the Even when the Leafs were down, Muzzin showed good energy along the goals against. blue line in the first two periods to keep the puck in the offensive zone and then quickly send it back at the net. Defensively, dude was mostly a Still, having allowed three goals in regulation in the playoffs, he saw it rock. differently.

On a night when the Leafs weren’t having much luck, Muzzin kept it “I’ve got to be better and I will be,” said Campbell, who ended up simple and continued to throw pucks on net, and he didn’t stop moving stopping 26 of 30 shots against. his feet. T.J. Brodie (RD, No. 78): I liked how well he moved the puck out of his I think the fact James Mirtle admitted defeat in the puns category tells own zone. Brodie showed some interest in playing with the puck in the you just how big of a surprise Muzzin’s two-goal offensive outburst was. offensive zone and had five shots. Defensively, though, his play was a bit But I don’t think any Leafs fans will complain, both about the second goal of a mixed bag. (and maybe about the lack of puns from Mirtle). C+ Also, Muzzin deserves credit for just keeping things simple in his Alex Kerfoot (C, No. 15): Kerfoot looked fine. He used his stick well postgame media availability. defensively, as he has all series, but didn’t necessarily look like the When asked about the mood in the Leafs room, he replied simply: “We’ll game-changer he was in games 3 and 4. Still, his puck moving helped be all right.” the Leafs.

And asked about the advice he might give to Rasmus Sandin after an Wayne Simmonds (RW, No. 24): Simmonds struggled at times when the error-filled night: “Quick memory. Forget about it. Learn from it. Move on.” Canadiens entered the zone with pace. He kept in the game, however, moving the puck well enough, and logged a primary assist. I have no doubt that, despite his strong performance, Muzzin has already put this loss behind him. Justin Holl (RD, No. 3): Holl began the game well by trying to separate Canadiens from the puck with his checking. He didn’t get his stick down Second star: William Nylander (RW, No. 88): It certainly felt like Nylander quickly enough on the scramble ahead of the Canadiens’ second goal, was going to, once again, score the Leafs’ first goal, didn’t it? however.

He continued to connect really well with his teammates. For long C stretches, he put the team on his back. Zach Bogosian (RD, No. 22): I thought Bogosian looked calm considering What more can I say about his offensive abilities? His ability to strip his defence partner, Sandin, had a tough time. He made largely Canadiens of the puck and then move to dangerous areas of the ice with responsible defensive plays early on, but as the game wore on, he made ease has been arguably the most entertaining part of an otherwise a few more questionable passes, including a pinch in overtime that hurt grinding series. the Leafs. When the Leafs slowed down, he kept going and ended up bagging two assists. He also went 4-for-4 on faceoffs, which is a pleasant bonus. Joe Thornton (LW, No. 97): Even if his pesky defensive and physical play The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 were evident Thursday night, his playmaking wasn’t, and that’s what the Leafs need from him right now.

Pierre Engvall (C, No. 47): Engvall didn’t make himself noticeable often and, when I did see him, he didn’t display enough energy. That said, he won 7 of 11 faceoffs, which is a step in the right direction.

Adam Brooks (C, No. 77): Some quick, smart passing from Brooks in the first period. But he didn’t exactly move with incredible pace and, as to be expected when playing just 8:42, he didn’t make much of an impact as the game wore on.

D

Alex Galchenyuk (LW, No. 12): From his first shift, Galchenyuk had jump, throwing a quick shot on net to get things started. He didn’t stop moving, generally moved the puck well (more on that shortly), and he was rewarded in the third period with his assist on the score-tying goal.

But that said, Galchenyuk is going to have to wear his terrible no-look pass in his own zone that resulted in a turnover and the Canadiens’ game-winning goal. Given the circumstances, it was one of the more egregious errors from any Leaf this season. Not playing with a level head in overtime is inexcusable.

Still, I don’t know if an “F” is completely warranted because there were some positives to his game.

F

Rasmus Sandin (LD, No. 38): I don’t give F’s out often, but this was really a game to forget for Sandin. He has to move the puck far quicker with Corey Perry coming at him on the Canadiens’ first goal. And then, another really questionable play on the Canadiens’ third goal, in which he seemed to struggle with his decision-making close to the net. The confidence he showed earlier in the series was nowhere to be found and he didn’t move the puck with the sharpness he shows at his best. When he hesitated, as he did too often, his inexperience showed.

The loss isn’t on Sandin alone, but the fact he played just four shifts in the final two periods speaks to Keefe’s feelings about his play.

“You want the player to be aware of the mistake, which I think that itself is pretty obvious,” Keefe said. “They know that, but it’s more just being aware of what was available there, what the better play was, and then you park it and move on and keep playing.”

Nothing to see here

Jason Spezza (RW, No. 19): Just 8:51 TOI in Game 5, and Spezza didn’t make himself noticeable much throughout that time.

Final grade: C+

The Leafs did eventually overcome their poor start, seeing their five-on- five expected goals rise with each period. They eventually owned 58 percent of the expected goals overall. Credit to Carey Price for shutting down the Leafs’ best offensive weapons throughout the first two periods.

Even if the overtime loss stings, the Leafs have to feel confident given their ability to push back in the third period. But looking at their performance as a whole, they didn’t play with the same composure they did in games 2 through 4. Defensively, they were more suspect. Offensively, they (with the exception of Nylander) didn’t show enough urgency.

Then there are the individual errors, which directly resulted in three of the four goals against. It’s easier said than done, but more sharpness in their play is required to finally earn that first playoff series win since 2004.

“When you’re playing better as a team and mistakes happen, they don’t seem to hurt you. When you’re not playing well and you make mistakes you open the door for the opposition and those mistakes cost you,” Keefe said.

What to watch for Saturday in Game 6: Travis Dermott, to start.

There’s probably another lineup change coming and, all things considered, with fans in the building for the first time all season, Game 6 already feels like it could be another massive test for the Leafs.

“We should be excited to play and have the chance, an opportunity, to close out the series,” Matthews said.

1214336 Vegas Golden Knights

Ryan Reaves among 3 Golden Knights on COVID protocol list

By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal

Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves was included on the NHL’s list of COVID protocol-related absences Thursday, a day before Game 7 of the West Division first-round playoff series against Minnesota.

Reaves was scratched from Game 6 on Wednesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, and coach Pete DeBoer said following the 3-0 loss the team would have an update Thursday.

Before the team boarded a plane for Las Vegas, DeBoer said they were still awaiting results and could not provide more information about Reaves’ status. When the league released its daily list of players unavailable because of COVID protocol, Reaves was one of three Knights who appeared.

His status for Game 7 at T-Mobile Arena is unclear.

Defenseman Brayden McNabb entered COVID protocol Wednesday and was unavailable for Game 6. He remained in protocol and was joined by injured forward Peyton Krebs.

Players can be placed in COVID protocol for several reasons, including a positive test, an unconfirmed positive test, mandatory isolation for symptomatic individuals, a required quarantine because of being deemed a high-risk close contact through contact tracing or a mandatory quarantine because of travel or something else.

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Silver Knights extend Pacific Division final to 3rd game

By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal

The Silver Knights persevered through numerous injuries and obstacles in their inaugural year to win the regular-season Pacific Division title.

They weren’t going to let their season end without a fight.

The Silver Knights defeated the 6-3 Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena in front of an announced crowd of 3,329 to extend their Pacific Division playoff final to a winner-take-all third game.

Game 3 will be 7 p.m. Saturday.

The Silver Knights rebounded from their 3-2 overtime loss in Game 1 on Wednesday quickly, taking a 4-0 lead into the first intermission. Left wings Dylan Sikura and Jonas Rondbjerg each scored twice to chase Bakersfield goaltender Stuart Skinner after 20 minutes.

“I was really pleased with the way we responded,” coach Manny Viveiros said. “We came out and didn’t want to sit back. We didn’t want to dip our toes into it. We just wanted to get going right away.”

The Silver Knights played the game with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, but their firepower wasn’t lacking.

Sikura had his second two-goal game and first four-point game of the season. It was also the first four-point game in Silver Knights history. Rondbjerg had his first two-goal game and third multipoint game.

Forward Maxim Marushev, a 2020 seventh-round pick by the Golden Knights, scored his first goal in the second period. Center Danny O’Regan added a goal and an assist, and right wing Cody Glass had two assists after appearing in Game 6 of the Knights’ NHL playoff series against the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.

“I loved, first of all, Cody’s attitude today,” Viveiros said. “It was incredible. Came down and was a leader in our room and on the bench.”

The Silver Knights’ hot start gave them plenty of cushion in the second and third periods. The Condors cut their deficit to 5-3 with 2:17 to play, but O’Regan scored an empty-net goal to seal the win.

The performance earned the Silver Knights one more game this season. They want to make the most of it.

“There’s no official Calder Cup this year, but this is our Calder Cup,” Viveiros said. “It means something to both these teams.”

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214338 Vegas Golden Knights In a 2019 poll of NHL players, T-Mobile Arena was voted to have the best atmosphere at an overwhelming 42.5 percent. The next closest was Bell Centre in Montreal at 21.2 percent.

Can rowdy T-Mobile Arena make Game 7 difference? Tell it to the Wild, who are 3-0 all time in Game 7s.

With all three wins coming on the road.

By Ed Graney May 27, 2021 - 6:04 PM “The important part is to not get too bottled up with it,” Minnesota coach Dean Evason said. “It’s Game 7, and when the puck is dropped, we’ll play as hard as we possibly can and see where we sit at the end of the night. We’ve been a desperate hockey club and will continue to do that.” It created the moniker during that magical expansion season of 2017, a storyline nearly as popular off the ice as that which occurred on it. T-Mobile Arena welcomes all of that and more Friday.

T-Mobile Arena: The NHL’s best atmosphere. Let’s see what sort of difference — if any — it can make in the outcome.

Nothing like the venue’s first Game 7 to prove it. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 05.28.2021 It has reached the summit, this divisional playoff round between the Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild, a best-of-seven series to be decided Friday night.

The winner heads to Colorado for a second-round opener Sunday; the loser slowly grits its way through a handshake line.

You play all season chasing significant goals, the obvious being to hoist the Stanley Cup. But along such a challenging pursuit is the idea that having home ice in the most critical of moments affords you a substantial edge.

Might want to score

It really doesn’t in hockey — certainly not to the extent of other sports — but it’s what you tell yourself after blowing a 3-1 series lead for the third time in three seasons.

And yet the former might actually hold true Friday. Really. It might be the one thing capable of propelling the Knights to play on. That, and actually scoring.

I mean, the part about having the luxury of a last change as the home team could prove large, but can it really eclipse the sublime and powerful influence the league’s best mascot in Chance might cast upon the setting?

I jest. I also misspelled Gritty.

“It doesn’t matter how you got here — you have one game to advance, and you have to make it your best game,” said Knights coach Pete DeBoer, who is 5-0 in Game 7s. “Whatever that looks like. Rely on the foundation you have built all year, and we’ve got a pretty good one.

“We’ve done a good job of pushing this to a one-game opportunity in our home rink, and we have to take advantage of that.”

It was really the Wild that pushed. The Knights just couldn’t stop it from happening.

There is no denying the passion and uproar that reverberates throughout T-Mobile Arena on game night. A fan base whose mastery of hockey’s entangled elements has expanded over time has a distinctive opportunity Friday. There again will be 12,000-plus in attendance. It will sound like twice that.

But it all flies in the face of what is expected during the NHL playoffs, which is to say things like sleeping in one’s own bed for an extra day hasn’t proven much of an advantage at all over time.

In fact, home teams have a winning percentage of 58.0 in 181 all-time Game 7 matchups in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Not an overwhelming edge.

But the team that scores first in those games has won 75 percent of the time. So, you know, don’t either side be afraid to actually rush forward this game.

The Knights were 21-5-2 at home in the regular season, and yet it’s true part of such a sparkling mark was the fact that the University of Massachusetts could have finished fifth in the Honda West Division. Still, the Knights have also won nearly 70 percent of home games since entering the league.

Voted the best 1214339 Vegas Golden Knights

Cody Glass makes playoff debut in ‘tough situation’ for Knights

By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal

Cody Glass’ NHL playoff debut came under less than ideal circumstances.

The young forward was thrust into the Golden Knights’ lineup for Game 6 of the West Division first-round playoff series because of injuries and turned in a solid performance in a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“Tough situation,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “Not an easy situation for a young guy to be stuck in, and I thought he did a real good job.”

Glass was reassigned to the Silver Knights on Thursday and skated in their Pacific Division playoff game against Bakersfield.

In Minnesota, Glass slotted into the lineup when forward Ryan Reaves was scratched and skated on the third line with Mattias Janmark and Nicolas Roy.

The Knights recalled their 2017 first-round pick from the American Hockey League after Tomas Nosek was injured during Game 2, and he hadn’t appeared in a game since May 16 with the Silver Knights.

In 12:59 of ice time in Game 6, Glass produced two shots on goal, two hits and drew a roughing penalty on Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba. He was credited with two seconds of ice time on the ensuing power play late in the third period.

Glass also had one of the team’s best scoring chances during the third period but was turned away by goaltender Cam Talbot from in tight, and his 0.33 individual expected goals created led the team, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

“Stuck in Game 6 there on the road and really hadn’t played in quite a few days since his last game in Henderson, so it was a big ask for us,” DeBoer said. “I thought he did a great job. He came in, almost scored a goal there in the third period. Played hard.”

Injury updates

DeBoer said after Wednesday’s game he would have an update on the status of Reaves, and the winger was added to the NHL’s list of COVID protocol-related absences on Thursday. Peyton Krebs, sidelined with a fractured jaw, also was included, along with defenseman Brayden McNabb.

Also, forwards Max Pacioretty and Tomas Nosek are listed as game-time decisions for Friday’s Game 7 at T-Mobile Arena.

Second-round schedule

The first game of the West Division final between the Colorado Avalanche and the Knights-Wild winner is scheduled for 5 p.m. Pacific time Sunday at Ball Arena in Denver.

The entire schedule for the series has not been released by the league, but Game 2 most likely would be Wednesday. The Denver Nuggets host the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 5 of their first-round series Tuesday at Ball Arena.

Big bucks

A ticket to Friday’s game at T-Mobile Arena is the most expensive quarterfinal Game 7 in the NHL since 2011, according to TicketIQ.

The average list price on the secondary market is $563. Only seven games in the past 10 years cost more to attend, including three at Madison Square Garden in New York and two in Boston.

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NHL announces Game 1 start time for potential Avs-Knights series

By Ben Gotz May 27, 2021 - 12:50 PM

Game 1 of the Colorado Avalanche’s second-round series against the Golden Knights or Minnesota Wild will begin at 5 p.m. PT Sunday in Denver, the NHL announced Thursday.

The Knights and Wild will play a Game 7 at 6 p.m. Friday at T-Mobile Arena to determine who advances to face the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche. Game 1 of the second-round series will be shown on KSNV- 3.

Start times for the rest of the second round were not announced.

The NBA’s Denver Nuggets, who share Ball Arena with the Avalanche, are scheduled to host Game 5 of their first-round series with Portland on Tuesday. That means Game 2 for the Avalanche probably will be Monday or Wednesday.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214341 Vegas Golden Knights “I think this is what everyone was dreaming of when they were a kid,” said Minnesota center Joel Eriksson Ek, who declared himself “good” after briefly leaving Game 6 in the third period. “Going into a Game 7, it’s going to be really fun. This is what everyone wants to do. You want to Golden Knights blow another 3-1 series lead but get to host Game 7 play important games.”

Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s loss:

By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal 1. Penalty kill falters

The Knights were willing to challenge a goaltender interference call on a game-tying goal in the third period in part because they were confident in T-Mobile Arena is about to take another step in its evolution as an NHL their top-ranked penalty kill if they lost the call and Minnesota got a arena. power play. It’s about to host its first Game 7. The PK didn’t come through. The Knights lost the challenge, and the Wild The Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild will meet for the final time in the took advantage by scoring their first power-play goal of the series. They first round at 6 p.m. Friday in the first Game 7 of the 2021 NHL playoffs. had been 0-for-8. It will mark the third time in three years the Knights will play a seventh Fiala, the Wild’s second-leading scorer in the regular season, netted his game after taking a 3-1 series lead. first goal of the series. He had two points after being held scoreless in the This time, the Wild battled back with a 4-2 win Monday at T-Mobile Arena first five games. and a 3-0 victory Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center. “Teams are going to score on the power play if you give them a ton of The winner gets the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche, opportunities,” Knights right wing Reilly Smith said. “We’ve done a good who have been idle since finishing a sweep of St. Louis on Sunday. The job all series. Every now and then they’re going to find holes and get first game of that series is scheduled for 5 p.m. (PT) Sunday in Denver. some bounces, and they did tonight. We’ll be sure to be a little bit cleaner next game.” There’s a lot of playoff experience in that (locker) room,” Knights coach Pete DeBoer said. “The guys in there know that every day you wake up 2. Depth scoring in the playoffs and you still got an opportunity to play, it’s a great day. The Knights came into the series worried about the Wild’s scoring depth, That’s what we’ve got. Excited about tomorrow night. I know our group’s but they did a good job containing it. Until Wednesday. going to be ready. We’ll let it fly.” Minnesota’s two five-on-five goals came from its third and fourth lines. The Knights are 1-1 in Game 7s. Fiala picked up an assist at five-on-five on center Ryan Hartman’s goal in They lost 5-4 in overtime at the San Jose Sharks in the first round of their addition to his power-play tally. Right wing Nick Bjugstad helped seal the second season. They led 3-0 in the third period before a controversial win with his first goal and point of the series with 4:43 remaining. and infamous major penalty call on center Cody Eakin sparked a Sharks Center Nico Sturm picked up an assist on Bjugstad’s goal for his second comeback. point. Both fourth-line forwards had 17 points during the regular season. The loss made the Knights the most recent team to lose a series after 3. Martinez fight taking a 3-1 lead. Twenty-eight other teams have done it in NHL history. The first fight of the series took place in the second period between The Knights avoided the same fate last postseason by defeating the defensemen Matt Dumba and Alec Martinez. Vancouver Canucks 3-0 in Game 7 of the second round in the NHL’s Edmonton, Alberta, bubble. The game was tied until defenseman Shea Dumba, whose hard hit on left wing Alex Tuch prompted the fight, made Theodore scored a power-play goal with 6:08 remaining. The team sense as one of the combatants. It was the 11th fight of his NHL career, added two empty-net goals. according to hockeyfights.com.

The Knights aren’t lacking for big-game experience on their bench. It was unusual to see Martinez step in. It was the veteran’s second NHL DeBoer is 5-0 in Game 7s, the first coach in NHL history to win his first fight and first with the Knights. five Game 7s. That includes victories in both of the Knights’ Game 7s on opposite sides. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 05.28.2021

Defensemen Alec Martinez and Alex Pietrangelo, both of whom have won the Stanley Cup, are 4-0 in Game 7s. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is 3-4, and Robin Lehner is 1-0 after shutting out the Canucks.

“We believe in ourselves,” captain Mark Stone said. “We believe in our team. We have one game in our home rink to move on. It’s that simple.”

The key to the Knights’ hopes is their scoring. The team scored nine goals to sweep Games 3 and 4 in Minnesota. It has five goals in the other four games.

Stone (five points) and left wing Alex Tuch (four) are the only players with more than three points for the Knights in the series. Left wing Max Pacioretty, the team’s leading goal scorer, hasn’t played in the series because of an injury. Theodore, fourth in points in the regular season with 42, has none in six games.

“Minnesota’s a very good defensive team,” DeBoer said. “We knew coming into this series these were going to be low-scoring games and it was going to be hard to create offense. We feel we’re a good defensive team, too. We’ve battled back and forth through that through the six games.”

The Wild appear confident after winning the past two games. They’re 3-0 in Game 7s in their history and have erased 3-1 deficits twice. All of their Game 7 wins have been on the road.

Wild goaltender Cam Talbot is 0-1 in Game 7s. He allowed two goals on 30 shots for the Edmonton Oilers in a 2-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks in the second round in 2017. 1214342 Vegas Golden Knights “These games are tight,” DeBoer said. “The other team has a say in how you’re going to play. You’re not going to walk in and dictate for 60 minutes how the game is going to go. It’s just not reality, and it’s not playoff hockey. The teams are too close, too good and the margins of Golden Knights’ success has been fueled by a low-risk mindset, but is it error are too small.” time to be more aggressive? The Golden Knights shouldn’t be expected to completely dominate the Wild from start to finish, but if they are truly the Cup contenders they hope to be, they should be able to dictate play for stretches. They’ve By Jesse Granger May 27, 2021 already shown the ability to do that on several occasions in this series. In the last two games, it seems not only are they not dictating the style of play, but they’re content playing Minnesota’s style. Under coach Peter DeBoer, the Golden Knights have transitioned to a much more possession-based attack. It’s a system that places a higher And Vegas generating offense from the outside isn’t a new trend during emphasis on controlling the puck and staying structured defensively, and this series. Here’s their shooting heat map for the entire season, via less emphasis on splash plays in transition. HockeyViz.

To this point, it’s been hard to argue with DeBoer’s results. Since he took There are plenty of shots from around the net (you don’t score the most over in Vegas, the Golden Knights have gone 54-18-4 for an incredible even-strength goals in the league without that), but a healthy amount are points percentage of .737. In his only playoff run to this point, last coming from the point. And in the postseason, as teams play tougher season, he led the team to an appearance in the conference finals, which inside, the Golden Knights’ shots seem to gradually drift further and is tough to consider a failure no matter the expectations. further away from the net.

DeBoer’s structured and almost careful approach has led to fewer Perhaps Vegas simply doesn’t have the personnel to penetrate the turnovers in the defensive zone. That’s something that previously opposing defensive shell, but it’s also possible their conservative plagued the Golden Knights, especially in 2018-19, and often was the gameplan is keeping them from even attempting those plays. The Golden biggest reason for losses near the end of the Gerard Gallant era. The Knights like to make north-south plays when they have the puck, rather new, more risk-averse approach is one of the reasons why Vegas than more risky east-west passes that are more likely to lead to turnovers allowed the fewest goals in the NHL this season, but it could also be one but also represent the best way to create space, break down defensive of the reasons they have struggled to score in the postseason. structure and create high-danger scoring chances.

Last year’s playoff run ended when the Golden Knights scored only 12 The more structured the offense, the less free players are to be creative goals in their last eight games. The offense has been hit or miss in the with the puck. DeBoer and the players have said on several occasions first round of these playoffs, and the team’s struggles reared their head that the structure is more about the breakout and that they’re given more again on Wednesday night when Vegas generated little in a 3-0 shutout freedom in the offensive zone, but the overall philosophy may be loss to Minnesota, which set up Game 7 on Friday night in Las Vegas. bleeding into their offensive game.

Why the Golden Knights have gone through these scoring droughts over “Sure, we want to score, but the other team has a say in that,” DeBoer the last two years isn’t an easy question to answer. If it were, DeBoer said. “Minnesota is one of the best defensive teams in the league. So it’s and his staff would’ve corrected it by now. But it does appear that it’s at not that we’re not opening it up. You have to play smart enough that least partially a result of their more conservative approach. In Game 6, you’re creating offense without being reckless. I think we’ve walked that the Golden Knights took very few risks, making the simple play and line pretty well all year.” waiting for Minnesota to make a mistake. They didn’t make much of an Opening it up won’t be easy. But this is the Stanley Cup playoffs and the effort to get the puck into the slot in the offensive zone, and were content games aren’t supposed to be easy. Perhaps the Golden Knights need to to possess it along the walls and at the point. Because of that, most of step over the proverbial “line” and sacrifice an occasional chance against their shot attempts came from low-danger areas. in order to open up chances of their own. I’m not suggesting Vegas Of Vegas’ 57 even-strength shot attempts, 26 came from defensemen. should abandon what it’s done all year to get to this point, but perhaps That’s 45.6 percent of all shots, and it’s not exactly a recipe for goals. shade its strategy slightly towards aggression. One look at the shooting heat map from Wednesday night’s game, Playing low-event hockey generally favors the less talented team. courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, shows where Vegas’ offense is coming Limiting the total scoring chances increases the chances of the game from. being decided by a bounce or two. Minnesota repeatedly has proven to Look at all of the shots coming from near the blue line on the left side of be better at capitalizing on those bounces. But the Golden Knights the chart, compared to Minnesota’s end, where almost nothing was fired should be built to take a more aggressive approach, knowing that it will from that area. Meanwhile, the Wild generated shots much closer to the lead to a few more chances against. Teams with weak goaltending also net and scored both of their even-strength goals from inside the faceoff tend to play more conservatively, knowing their goalie is less likely to bail dots and underneath the hash marks. them out of their mistakes, but that’s not a problem Vegas should have.

Wild goalie Cam Talbot has played well in this series, with an impressive If you’re going to allocate $12 million to goalies, you might as well use .937 save percentage. But the Golden Knights haven’t exactly made them. Not only have the Golden Knights received the best goaltending in things difficult on him, with an average shot distance of 37.81 feet. That the league this season, but Marc-Andre Fleury’s style is specifically is the fourth-longest distance for shots faced by any goalie in these tailored to bail teams out on incredibly high-danger chances. Fleury’s playoffs. The only goalies who have faced shots from further out, on exceptional lateral movement and acrobatic style lend towards those average, are Philipp Grubauer, Jack Campbell and Mike Smith. Those types of saves, and the numbers show that. goalies faced the NHL’s 13th, 17th and 12th ranked offenses, In the regular season, Fleury had a .846 save percentage on high-danger respectively, so that’s not great company the Golden Knights are chances, and finished with an impressive 9.76 goals saved above keeping. average on high-danger chances alone. Meanwhile, Talbot’s save The Wild deserve credit for limiting those chances, and DeBoer stressed percentage on high danger chances was only .806 and was actually that on Thursday. minus-0.88 goals saved above average on those chances.

“Minnesota is a very good defensive team,” DeBoer said. “We knew Those trends have continued in this series. Fleury has a .891 save coming into this series these were going to be low-scoring games and it percentage on high-danger chances and 2.48 goals saved above was going to be hard to create offense. We feel we’re a good defensive average, while Talbot has a .842 save percentage and 0.18 GSAA. team too, and I think we’ve battled back and forth through that through The logic is, if both teams allow a good amount of scoring chances, the six games.” Golden Knights should feel confident about the odds their goalie will Minnesota’s defense is good, but it’s not elite. The Wild ranked 17th in make more saves than the opposition. the NHL in even-strength goals allowed this season. They gave up the This goalie heat map shows visually how good Fleury and Robin Lehner ninth-fewest scoring chances and expected goals. Respectable numbers have been at stopping chances from in tight. The more blue (and the for sure, but far from impenetrable. darker the blue), the better those goalies performed on shots from that area in relation to the rest of the league. That giant sea of blue around the crease shows Vegas’ goalies outplayed the rest of the NHL considerably on shots from there. For comparison, here’s the same chart for Tampa Bay and Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is the favorite to win another Vezina Trophy for his play this season.

Vasilevskiy was outstanding this season, but even he hasn’t closed down shots from dangerous areas as well as Fleury and Lehner.

The Golden Knights should be the better offensive team in this series based on personnel and season-long metrics. Opening up the game may risk giving up more chances than they would otherwise, but it could also be the key to creating more offense. That means applying more pressure in the Wild zone, and taking risks in transition while looking for explosive offensive plays.

If Minnesota’s defense is simply too good to crack, even with this approach, then that should raise concerns about the Golden Knights’ roster construction.

There’s no guarantee that strategy will work in Vegas’ favor. Minnesota is playing incredibly tight defense and has the puck-moving defenseman to take advantage of mistakes in the neutral zone. But it’s becoming clear the conservative approach isn’t working either, at least not consistently in the postseason.

It’s time for the Golden Knights’ elite players to make plays, and for their elite goalies to make saves.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214343 Vegas Golden Knights

Tickets For Vegas-Minnesota Game 7 At T-Mobile Arena Friday Start At $123 On VGK Ticket Site

By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com

Plenty of seats are available for Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights Game 7 Friday at T-Mobile Arena just off the Strip.

Ticket prices range from $123 to more than $2,000. Take a look.

The Golden Knights could not close out the Wild in Games 5 or 6.

Vegas has been without its top goal scorer, Max Pacioretty, with an injury that is unknown publicly. Coach Pete DeBoer has been saying Pacioretty has been a game-day decision throughout the seven-game series. Forwards Tomas Nosek and Ryan Reaves also missed Game 6 in Minnesota, while defenseman Brayden McNabb is on the NHL COVID-19 protocol list.

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The secondary ticket market is going crazy with this Game 7 in Las Vegas Friday. Here’s a TicketIQ Top 10 Game 7s for the National Hockey League postseason.

TicketIQ’s Jesse Lawrence put it this way, “From year one, the Golden Knights have set records for NHL playoff ticket prices in the US. As a point of comparison, the team’s 2019 first round series averaged $498, which is close to the game 7 price.”

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Friday’s VGK vs Wild Game 7 winner plays the Colorado Avalanche Sunday in Denver 5 PM Vegas time, 6 PM Denver time and 8 PM ET.

The Golden Knights’ local TV ratings are strong in the VGK TV market. Here’s the Sports Business Journal with the Top 3:

LVSportsBiz.com LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214344 Vegas Golden Knights

Can Max Pacioretty Rescue the Vegas Golden Knights Playoff Hopes?

By Tom Callahan

Max Pacioretty hasn’t been seen in a game for the Vegas Golden Knights since May 1 against the Arizona Coyotes, when he went down with what has been termed an upper-body injury during the game.

Pacioretty would miss the last six regular-season games, and despite being called things like “day-to-day” and a “game-time decision” hasn’t appeared in the playoffs either. He did not make the trip to Minnesota for Game Six against the Wild. But after yesterday’s morning skate, Vegas Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer did offer a little glimpse into the situation.

When asked if Max Pacioretty was skating on his own, DeBoer replied “Max is skating. I’m just going to leave it at that.”

So now it’s up to us to read between the quadruple-spaced lines. There’s a lot of room for interpretation here.

In my experience, and remember I spent five years on the team broadcaster side of things with the Nashville Predators, when a guy is skating on his own he is generally not ready to return to practice, let alone playoff games. Also, if it is an upper body injury, things like a bum wrist, elbow, shoulder etc. do not keep you from skating. What does keep you from skating are things like rib, back and core injuries. Or a concussion. So to just make a jump and assume any of those would be misguided at best, dangerously wrong at worst.

Here’s a big term that gets thrown around this time of year: pain management. If it is something muscular or skeletal, and there is no further chance of making things worse (ie. ligament already torn, you will need surgery, but it’s torn – you can’t make it worse) it becomes more about pain management. Can the player play with or through the ailment and can team doctors help with pain relief to make the player more comfortable.

Historically, hockey players are tough. Really tough. We’ve all heard stories about guys playing through extreme injuries or breaking a jaw and being back on the bench with a faceguard in the same game. I particularly remember a pissed-off JP Dumont demanding his tooth be pulled in-game so he could get back out there rather than deal with measures to try and save the tooth which would take far longer. These guys want to get back out there and help the team.

Ah, there’s the rub. Even if Pacioretty is able to manage the pain, is he going to help the team? If you can’t shoot or pass because of the injury but you can skate, that’s no help. The decision has to be made is a 100% healthy depth player better or worse as an option than whatever level Pacioretty would be able to play. Not an easy call. He’s the leading scorer. But if he can’t skate a regular shift, how many minutes can he give? If he can’t shoot but can pass is that enough? If he can only play power play is that worth the roster spot?

So many questions, and yet we really don’t know if Pacioretty can even make it through practice. For the record, he has not participated in any team skates be they practice, morning skate or a game the entire month of May.

While I wouldn’t rule out a dramatic return for Game Seven, don’t count on seeing a masked Max Pacioretty wearing a cape and tights on Friday.

Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214345 Washington Capitals With Ovechkin, one of the best goal scorers in NHL history, there always seems to be a shot for a playoff run. Keeping him with the Capitals could be the first major piece of business this summer, before MacLellan and Co. look to fill holes around Ovechkin and other veterans with younger With an aging core, Capitals believe playoff window is still wide open talent.

But either way — if Washington gets younger or not — there’s still belief on the inside that winning is very much within reach for this group. By Andy Kostka - The Washington Times - Thursday, May 27, 2021 “I think we have top-tier caliber players up and down our lineup,” Carlson

said. “Obviously, we underperformed and didn’t even reach close to Look around the roster of the Washington Capitals — the squad that was anyone’s expectations. But with that said, I think we have the horses in just bounced from the first round of the playoffs for a third straight year — there to win again.” and it’s easy to see: There’s no shortage of experience. Washington Times LOADED: 05.28.2021 Many of the key contributors in that group helped the Capitals break through in 2018, winning the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. But the dropoff since has been severe. The veteran-heavy club has won just five of 17 playoff contests since earning the title.

After its latest first-round fold, losing to the Boston Bruins in five, the big question for Washington entering the offseason is whether its core group can realistically challenge for another Stanley Cup.

The answer, according to those in the organization, is yes, though adding a few younger pieces to the mix will certainly help, the Capitals say.

“I believe that this team can still win,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “I believe that we can win rounds in the playoffs. That’s what’s disappointing and frustrating for us, is that we didn’t get it done.”

Alex Ovechkin will become a free agent this offseason, but both sides have expressed their interest in a new contract to keep him in Washington. Beyond the 35-year-old goal scorer, the Capitals should also return T.J. Oshie (34), Nicklas Backstrom (33), John Carlson (31) and Dmitry Orlov (29) as the backbone of the team.

Laviolette has stressed it’s that group of veterans who helped Washington clinch the No. 2 seed in the East Division and finishing with the seventh-best point percentage in the NHL.

They also still produced. Oshie, who could be a candidate for the Seattle Kraken’s expansion draft, scored 22 goals in 43 games — one of his most productive seasons. If 2021 had been an 82-game season, Ovechkin was on pace for a 43-goal year, which would have made him the fifth player in NHL history to reach that mark at age 35 or older. Backstrom’s 0.96 points per game was his highest since 2016-17.

Those players helped make up the oldest team in the NHL, with an average age of 30.3.

“I really don’t think the age of the players are that much of a factor,” said center Lars Eller, who, at 32, finished with the third-highest single-season points per game average of his career (0.52). “I think you shouldn’t put too much into that, but more that you look at the way they’re still capable of playing and the numbers they can put up and all that.”

The top six forwards didn’t produce as well in the five playoff games, though, part of the reason Washington crashed out again. So while there’s a belief that the veteran core should be around for at least a few more seasons, Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan acknowledged the need to get younger and faster.

“I think we’ve got some guys coming that we can consider,” MacLellan said. “We’ll look for opportunities.”

He pointed to Daniel Sprong, who at 24 produced 13 goals and seven assists in 42 games. Martin Fehervary, a 21-year-old defenseman selected in the second round of the 2018 draft, “is ready,” MacLellan said. 23-year-old center Garrett Pilon and 21-year-old defenseman Alexander Alexeyev could see time.

And while MacLellan said they won’t force 20-year-old center Connor McMichael into the lineup, the top prospect made the AHL All-Rookie Team, with 27 points in 33 games.

“I think there’s opportunity to add youth into the lineup,” MacLellan said. “We’ll get younger, but we’re still going to have a veteran team because that’s our core.”

When the idea that the playoff window might’ve closed on Washington was presented to defenseman Brenden Dillon, he pointed to the work ethic and leadership among his teammates as evidence there’s more left in the tank. 1214346 Washington Capitals

Peter Laviolette feels Capitals can still win in 2021-22

BY ETHAN CADEAUX

Despite finishing the condensed 2021 regular season as one of the NHL's best teams, the Washington Capitals were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season.

With an aging roster and three consecutive early exits from the postseason, some fans are beginning to wonder whether the Capitals' window with its current core group of stars is beginning to close.

Washington head coach Peter Laviolette doesn't feel that way at all, though.

"I do feel that this team could still win next year," Laviolette said on the Sports Junkies on Thursday.

"I'm sure I'll talk this summer with [general manager] Brian [MacLellan] and we'll figure out what the best lineup is, what the best roster is. I still believe there are good pieces here and the [core players], I still feel like they can produce."

Between Alex Ovechkin (assuming he re-signs, something that is a priority for the Capitals this offseason), Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson and T.J. Oshie, four of Washington's most important players are all 31 years old or older.

While all four have remained productive, there is a sense that there is only so much time all of them will continue to play at a high level.

Laviolette is not worried about them falling off, though.

"These guys are here. They're part of our team," Laviolette said. "These guys are the guys that drive our team as well. Backstrom was our leading scorer. John Carlson was probably top-five for defenseman scoring, points per game. These guys drive our team as well."

The Capitals' core getting older is not something the head coach is trying to hide, either. But he doesn't think the ages of the team's best players will impact Washington as it attempts to make another Stanley Cup run in 2021-22 in what should be a much more normal season.

"For me, I think that there's still a really good team here. There's no question we're getting older," Laviolette said. "The guys that have been here, the core guys, I still think that the core guys produced and helped us be a top-five team in the league. We played a pretty good hockey team and we didn't come out the way we wanted to."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214347 Washington Capitals

With so many injuries, Caps 'ran out of gas' in the playoffs

BY J.J. REGAN

Teams can often be left searching for answers in the wake of an early playoff loss. For the Capitals, however, there is no real secret as to what went wrong.

"Coming into playoffs, I think we ran into some injury issues," general manager Brian MacLellan said. "I still thought we played good the first three games and then we ran out of gas and didn't perform well in the last two games."

Late in the regular season, the Caps kept losing a number of top players to injury. The hope was those players would be able to get healthy over the course of the series, but clearly, the injuries were too much to overcome.

Alex Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, Lars Eller and John Carlson all were dealing with injuries that hampered their performance over the course of the five games against Boston.

"Down the stretch, we were just dealing with things with people out of the lineup for different reasons," Laviolette said.

For a team overall, injuries can often come down to luck. Every team that goes far in the playoffs needs some measure of luck as lucky teams escape serious injuries which helps them advance. This year, the Caps were unlucky, but they also were not helped by the condensed schedule.

"Our last six weeks, we pretty much played every second day and I thought we played well and then probably the last two weeks of the season, we ran into some issues and we didn't get a break," MacLellan said. "I think if we would have had a break, a week break, we could have caught up with our injury stuff and performed better in the playoffs but we just kind of continued to run into and we never caught up. We were always chasing injuries. We had a lot of groin issues, we had a lot of lower-back issues. It might be a factor of age."

Age obviously is a factor the team cannot ignore. As one of the oldest teams in the NHL, this will bring up questions about roster construction going forward. Are the Caps simply too old to remain championship contenders?

It is also fair to point out that every team had to deal with the condensed schedule this year. While it did seem to affect several teams, the unlucky part for Washington was just the timing.

"I think we sit here and go, 'Well all teams go through the same thing,'" Laviolette said. "Ours happened at the wrong time. Other teams in our division had it earlier in the year- where they had COVID [out]breaks, COVID go through the team and injuries happen to them so they went through a period in their schedule where they struggled through it and ours was at the wrong time for us."

And that's why the series took such a dramatic turn so quickly.

Let's not forget, each of the first three games was decided in overtime. Washington came within 2:49 of taking a 2-0 series lead before Taylor Hall tied Game 2 and forced it to overtime where Boston eventually earned its first win. After three straight overtime games, however, the Caps hit a wall and simply could not recover.

"It is a physical game, it is a grueling game," Laviolette said. "We tried to give the guys plenty of rest. You saw the amount of time off we were giving them to recover from what they were dealing with from a fatigue standpoint and that is how the end of the season played out.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214348 Washington Capitals In fact, the Blues’ last top-5 pick in the draft was 2008 when Alex Pietrangelo was taken fourth overall. Since then, their top pick was:

2009: 17th LeBrun: Blues and Capitals intend to work to keep championship window 2010: 14th open 2011: 32nd

2012: 25th By Pierre LeBrun May 27, 2021 2013: 47th

2014: 21st So what now for the 2018 and 2019 Stanley Cup champions? 2015: 56th The Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues each haven’t won a playoff series since they won their respective NHL titles. 2016: 26th

Both franchises have made the playoffs all but once over the past 2017: 20th decade, routinely trotting out competitive clubs. In a salary cap world, it’s actually amazing how long both programs have stayed in the fight. 2018: 25th

“And we’re not ready to give up the fight yet,’’ said Blues GM Doug 2019: 62nd Armstrong. 2020: 26th

That was certainly the central message I got from the GM of each The point being, there’s no Nathan MacKinnon or Auston Matthews on franchise this week after their teams were knocked out in the first round. the Blues roster for a reason.

They’re not ready to rebuild. Not yet. Some roster changes? Of course. They’ve too competitive every year to get into a lottery. But both clubs still want to take a shot at it again. Although that day may come at some point. Just by signing Nicklas Backstrom to a long-term extension last year and now hoping to do the same with Alex Ovechkin, that in itself guarantees For now though, it’s continuing to tweak a roster that won the Cup just the Capitals intend to stay in the fight. two years ago to find that path again.

“You know for us, we want Ovie to finish here, we want Backstrom to “We have a lot of guys between 28 and 31 that should still be if not in finish here, I think it’s important for our organization to do that,” Capitals their prime then close enough to it to stay competitive,’’ said Armstrong. GM Brian MacLellan said. “So it would be premature to go full-blown “Then we need free agents to work out and we need young players who rebuild/take-it-down mode. It doesn’t make sense if we are committed to were taken later in the draft to excel. You need a lot of different things to these two guys. work. But for us, it’s around that core group.”

“So it’s more of a re-tooling. Can we change a player or two to make it Which Armstrong hopes includes 28-year-old pending UFA forward better? And to add some younger guys that are coming up through our Jaden Schwartz. system. I think that’s the plan moving forward.’’ The priority would be to re-sign him if possible rather than have to go out Both Armstrong and MacLellan met with local media Wednesday before and replace him. getting on the phone with me. Our terrific beat writers in each city gave us the lay-down from those season-ending avails, Tarik El-Bashir in “Organizationally, we’ve always sort of liked to dance with the people Washington and Jeremy Rutherford in St. Louis. we’ve brought to the dance. That would be our preference,’’ Armstrong said. Throw in the Pittsburgh Penguins, another team like Washington and St. Louis that has been a playoff mainstay for a long time, and yet they have That didn’t work out last fall when Pietrangelo left for Vegas after an won just one playoff series since winning their last Cup in 2017. emotional and contentious negotiation with the Blues. Armstrong did pivot strongly by signing Torrey Krug, but the Pietrangelo loss hurt. He The difference there is that with Jim Rutherford stepping down as GM was part of that Blues fabric and Cup championship team. earlier this season and Ron Hextall taking over, change is naturally coming, although in what magnitude exactly, with Sidney Crosby still at MacLellan, meanwhile, is obviously going to do all he can to ensure the top of his game, remains to be seen. Ovechkin doesn’t walk out the door, which I find hard to believe could happen. The GM and the captain have had a number of talks over the But I also think it shows how difficult it is to win in this league. We’re past year, Ovechkin is representing himself in negotiations, and it seems about to go to 32 teams, just making the playoffs now is a 50 percent to have created a comfort level for where things are. proposition. “Both sides want it to happen,” said MacLellan. “I want him to feel good There are so many fan bases angry that their teams aren’t making deep about finishing up his career, you want him to feel good about what our playoff runs a routine thing. And I get it, of course, you want that as a fan. plan is with our team going forward. I want him to feel good about his But in a 32-team league, geez, just reaching the second round will justify contract. a banner of sorts. “It’s important for our organization for him to finish here. And him to feel This isn’t your parents’ 21-team NHL. good about all of the above. I think we’ll get it done.’’

Anyway, I digress. Without being over-dramatic, the entire plan essentially revolves around it. The Blues haven’t found their stride since the pandemic paused the season in March 2020. They were actually rolling pretty good pretty “It affects what we’re doing here going forward,’’ MacLellan said. “He’s before then. put the franchise on the map, you know? So, I think it’s important to be respectful of that.’’ “I would say that last year we had a good season and then COVID hit and we didn’t play well in the bubble,” said Armstrong. “And then it sort of And as we’ve said before, at this point it probably makes more sense to carried over to this year. The strength of our team has always been a wait until after the Seattle expansion draft to put the finishing touches on group of 18 skaters and two goalies. That’s what we have to get back to. that Ovechkin deal anyway in order to preserve another one of those We have to re-kindle that pack mentality.’’ protection slots on the Caps’ list.

The Blues remain a sum-of-their-parts team. No one on the roster makes Perhaps of equal intrigue this offseason, what of Evgeny Kuznetsov? more than $7.5 million AAV. The talent is spread over the roster. A lot of good players, no franchise player — they haven’t drafted high enough to The centre had COVID twice this year, so that obviously affected his get one. performance (and here’s hoping there’s no long-term impact). But to be blunt, Kuznetsov has frustrated the organization, disciplined by head coach Peter Laviolette late in the regular season for being late for a team event, and his play over the past couple of years has been inconsistent.

I reported last month that the Caps might be willing to listen on offers on Kuznetsov, who has four more years on his deal at a $7.8-million AAV.

“He’s been a key player,” MacLellan said. “The year we won, he was a key part of our team. Strength up the middle is important for us. When he’s playing at his top level, and Backstrom is healthy and Lars (Eller) is there and (Nic) Dowd is there, I think we’re solid up the middle. We can compete with any team with that at center ice.

“Tough for me to tell, he had COVID twice, what effect that had on his season. But he has been inconsistent, that’s just what it’s been. When he’s on his game, we’re a really good team.’’

And so I asked, would the Caps GM listen on Kuznetsov?

” I think I’m open on anybody whether it’s him or anybody on the team, actually; anybody is on the able besides Ovie and Backstrom,” said MacLellan. “You talk to teams and if something makes sense, you do it.’’

So stay tuned on that one.

Maybe there’s nothing that makes sense out there and Kuznetsov returns. The Caps still want to win, and they can’t have a hole like that down the middle. But I suspect if there’s a way to fill that hole and move him, they would.

It’s going to be a busy offseason my mere virtue of a flat cap and Seattle expansion draft colliding to force some roster decisions.

Neither of these two GMs has ever been afraid to make deals.

Armstrong’s blockbuster for Ryan O’Reilly on July 1 three years ago helped win them the Cup a year later.

MacLellan stole the headlines last month on trade deadline day with the Anthony Mantha deal.

Both GMs will make headlines again this offseason. They want to win, the window remains open, and they know they have to act.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214349 Winnipeg Jets Tough call: A few times in the first series head coach Paul Maurice looked as though he might challenge an Oilers goal. In Game 3, there looked to be an offside on one of the Oilers goals, and another that might have confirmed goalie interference. Ehlers credits teammates for stellar performance on return to lineup But looks can be deceiving and Maurice said if you're going to challenge, you better be sure of what you're seeing. Guess wrong, after all, and you're assessed a minor penalty. Jeff Hamilton 5/28/2021 "First of all, on the goalie interference, we had killed off one (power play)

and hadn’t killed off the second, and if I was wrong, there was still 1:43 Nikolaj Ehlers has continued to separate himself from the playoff pack on the clock. So, there was no way I was calling one there," Maurice with the type of contributions one might have thought were impossible said. thanks to a long layoff from the rink. "You have the No. 1 power play in the league, unless I was sure… you Ehlers missed the last nine regular-season games after injuring his have to get it overturned. Once the call on the ice is made, there isn’t a shoulder in 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs back on Apr. 24. He was grey area. We’re still within striking distance, if I put that team on the late to the post-season party, too, having to sit out the first two games in power play on a 5-on-3 for 1:43, they’re scoring again, and the game is what turned out to be a four-game series sweep over the Edmonton over. The score matters. Knowing whether you’re right or wrong, you can Oilers. make your arguments either way. It’s not even about that. It’s about what is the call on the ice and what are the chances of getting that call But the speedy Dane would return with a vengeance, scoring twice in a overturned. Boy, that’s a tough one. So, I look down on it, I didn’t think pivotal Game 3 victory, including the overtime winner 9:13 into the extra there was enough to make that call. When you look at the clock, there period. It would have been understandable had Ehlers eased his way was no way I was making that call based on the clock. If I had thought back into the lineup, but the fact he looked as electric as he did in his there was goaltender interference and I had a legitimate (case), I breakout regular season made it all the more impressive. would’ve made the call for sure. But I didn’t feel that, and the clock told me you’re going to regret it if you do." Well, at least it was to those watching; not so much to the man himself, who downplayed his return by praising his team's systems for why he Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 05.28.2021 didn't miss a beat. Ehlers then expanded on his team-first response.

"We’re about 30 guys in that locker room and everyone knows what they need to do to help this team win games. For me, after being out for a little while and coming back, it was just a matter of going back out there and playing the game and sticking with the game that the Winnipeg Jets play," he said. "I was able to do that well and help this team win. Playoffs are so fun to play. You don’t want to lose any game in the playoffs, but if we go out there and we battle hard every single game, we’re going to give ourselves a chance to do something big here."

Ehlers, 25, finished the regular season with 21 goals and 25 assists for 46 points in 47 games. It was the closest he's come to being a point-per- game player in six seasons since breaking into the NHL in 2015. He's evolved into the Jets' true game-changer, behind only goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.

What was also significant about Ehlers' post-season contributions is it's clear his lack of scoring touch in the playoffs is now a thing of the past. As you might recall, Ehlers went goalless in the Jets 2018 playoff run, a stretch that lasted 15 games before they were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference final.

Ehlers finally broke the curse, scoring twice against Calgary in last year's playoffs, before the Flames eliminated the Jets in four games in the best- of-five preliminary round. He was asked if his strong regular season this year helped with his confidence in coming back and contributing to the scoresheet right away.

"You learn every single year and you learn every single playoffs about what it takes to win and what it takes to help the team win. I think that for myself, I just tried to learn from the past and tried to get better," Ehlers said.

"It wasn’t that hard getting back into it because I think the way that we play, we try to play a playoff-style hockey as quick as we can in the regular season. It’s never going to be the same in the regular season as it is in the playoffs, but you can get close to it. When you’ve got a game plan and a system that works and doesn’t change much during the playoffs, it’s easy to get back in. It was just a matter of getting myself going. Getting my body and my legs going for this series. I felt good out there and it was exciting."

The Pionk pass: Talking to reporters for the first time after setting up the series-clinching goal to Kyle Connor in triple overtime, Neal Pionk admitted he had no idea his stretch pass up the boards was destined for glory.

"No, I didn't see him," confessed Pionk. "As a defenceman, when there's a turnover just crossing the blue line, you know that there's a potential, especially with the long change like that, you know that there's a potential that our forwards will be hanging behind or potentially get a break away like he did. But, no, I can't admit to seeing him." 1214350 Winnipeg Jets and strong and fast at times. And then he gets his first game in Toronto and all the milestones that you have to hit to keep playing and he just kept hitting those."

Jets rookie defenceman Stanley more than earned his spot on post- To make the lineup on defence you have to be able to play more than season roster even-strength. Stanley isn't ready for a role on the power play, at least not yet, but his big body and long stick make him an asset on the penalty kill. He can clear the front of the net as well as any of his teammates, and his hockey smarts allow him to anticipate the play, either by pouncing on Jeff Hamilton a loose puck or getting his stick into passing lanes.

While he possesses a quiet confidence, he certainly has the respect from Logan Stanley is a towering six feet, seven inches tall, and that's before his teammates. The raw emotion that you can see on his face in games he straps on skates. He possesses the kind of size that demands has only furthered his place on the team. It's that kind of confidence on attention every time he walks into a room. the ice that's helped him mesh with his teammates off of it.

But now Stanley, the Winnipeg Jets rookie defenceman, is starting to turn "He’s an incredible guy in that locker room. He’s funny. He brings a lot to heads every time he takes the ice — and it's not just his big frame that's this team," Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers said. "He’s a guy that will talk to drawing the spotlight. you about the game, about the plays, and do better next time. Having a guy like him on the team who is a huge presence out there, he plays "Got to meet him last year when I came here for training camp and hard, blocks shots, does all the little things right." obviously the first thing that jumped out is his size," fellow defenceman Neal Pionk said after Thursday's practice. Stanley is acutely aware that his size is his greatest asset, but he takes pride in his smart decision making. While his long reach and heavy frame "But then when he comes on the team and you get to know him a little allow him to make plays, it's his hockey IQ that he depends on when bit, I think what's underrated is his hockey IQ. He's a heck of a player and deciding when and where the right time is to attack. you can see the development that he's been making throughout the year." "It started when I was younger. I was always a bigger kid and couldn't really move around that well, so I relied on that a lot when I was While sturdy all season as he worked his way into the lineup, Stanley has younger," he said. "It's helped me now that my feet have caught up a little never been more noticeable than what he displayed during the Jets' bit, and I'm still able to try and make some plays and hang on to the puck opening-round series sweep against the Edmonton Oilers. sometimes. So, I think it started when I was younger, but I think it's also confidence in your abilities and just going out and trying to make plays Logan Stanley (right) celebrates Nikolaj Ehlers' game-winning goal in the sometimes." first overtime period against the Edmonton Oilers in Winnipeg on Sunday. (Fred Greenslade / Canadian Press files) Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 05.28.2021 The 23-year-old didn't exactly rack up the ice time, averaging around 16 minutes per game while playing on the third pairing, alongside Tucker Poolman. But he's certainly been effective, chipping in an assist on the game-clinching goal in a pivotal Game 1 victory and contributing to what's been an effective penalty kill through four playoff games.

Stanley described his first taste of NHL playoff hockey as "fun", while lamenting the fact there were no fans to take in the excitement he felt. He dove deeper into his thoughts when asked about his role with the team, how he went from being somewhat of a question mark in training camp to being an easy pick for head coach Paul Maurice to crack the top-6 in the post-season, when the stakes are at its highest.

"It obviously was my goal to get in the lineup and be a part of this team this year. That was something I was thinking about coming into camp, but we had a lot of bodies at first in training camp," Stanley said. "We had eight guys on one-way deals. I just wanted to come in and work hard and see what I could do, and it was definitely nice to get in some games this year and it’s definitely nice to try and help the team win in the playoffs."

Indeed, it was a busy blue line for the Jets early in the season. With Josh Morrissey and Tucker Poolman already under contract, and Dylan DeMelo and Nathan Beaulieu re-signing, as well as Derek Forbort inking as a free agent in the offseason, there seemed to be little room for Stanley. But thanks to injuries to Beaulieu and later Poolman, as well as his own consistent play, he carved out a significant role for his first season, playing 37 of 56 regular-season games.

Then came a decision. By the start of playoffs, with Poolman back and Jordie Benn brought in at the trade deadline to add experience, Maurice had two spots and three players. Many assumed Stanley would be the odd man out, given Maurice's affinity to play veteran players over rookies.

But, as it turns out, Stanley's inclusion for Game 1 was never in doubt. Maurice had already told him with three games remaining in the regular season that he would start the playoffs. He just had to earn it the rest of the way, much like he did all year.

"Logan was a guy that came back in noticeably better shape and condition. And because of that, he’s faster," Maurice said. "So, when you get a guy that big and he can get up to speed, then that piques your interest because we’ve always known that he had a good set of hands on him, he can make plays, and get the puck to the net. I thought it would be about foot speed for him and he kind of got himself in good enough shape that that’s not in question, to the point where he looks powerful 1214351 Winnipeg Jets Players and personnel around the NHL were speaking out this week after Oilers defenceman Ethan Bear faced racism on social media following his team’s exit from the playoffs.

JETS SNAPSHOTS: Ehlers says pure exhilaration of overtime wins is Bear, a 23-year-old from the Ochapawace First Nation in Saskatchewan, ‘What it’s all about’ spoke out himself in a lengthy post on the Oilers website and support was coming in from around the continent, including from at least one Jets player.

Ted Wyman “It just goes to show that there are a lot of things that are bigger than hockey,” Pionk said. “It’s unacceptable what happened to him. I know we

stand behind him and stand with him. There’s no room for that in They were moments of pure joy and no one wore them better than hockey.” Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers. ‘DIDN’T SEE CONNOR’ The Jets won back-to-back games in overtime at Bell MTS Place on Pionk got a lot of credit for intercepting a dump in by Oilers star Connor Sunday and Monday nights, the latter of the two featuring three extra McDavid, throwing it back up the boards and springing Connor on a periods. breakaway for the winning goal on Monday night. Ehlers scored the winner on Sunday night, while Kyle Connor was the However, he admits he didn’t exactly envision the play developing the hero on Monday as the Jets swept the Oilers out of the post-season and way it did. moved on to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2018. “No, I didn’t see him,” Pionk said of Connor, who was caught up ice after a long, tiring shift in the third OT. The post-game celebrations were something to behold and both times you could simply see the euphoria in the actions of Ehlers, a 25-year-old “As a defenceman, when there’s a turnover just crossing the blue-line from Denmark, who has grown into one of the NHL’s more exciting you know that there’s a potential, especially with the long change like forwards. that, you know that there’s a potential that our forwards will be hanging behind or potentially get a breakaway like he did. But, no, I can’t admit to After he scored in overtime in Game 3, Ehlers danced back down the ice seeing him.” toward his goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck, before he was mobbed by teammates. Visor completely fogged up, he could be seen literally Pretty good instincts, though. bouncing in the scrum after scoring the biggest goal of his life. GOOD NON-CHALLENGES Then, after Connor scored on Monday, Ehlers was leaping on his skates, whirling his arms and stick in the air, as he vigorously threw himself onto There’s an exceptionally fine line for coaches when it comes to the pile around the scoring hero. potentially challenging calls on the ice during the playoffs.

“I mean, that’s what it’s all about,” Ehlers said Thursday. Not only does a coach have to quickly weigh the odds of winning a challenge, but also assess the risk of possibly being wrong and taking a “We battle as hard as we do and if we are able to win those games it potentially series-changing penalty. feels good. Both games, we came back and tied it up and then ended up winning those games … that feels good. Obviously, you don’t want to get In Game 3 against the Oilers, Jets coach Paul Maurice was twice faced behind in any games, but knowing that we can be behind by a couple with such decisions. Once when Leon Draisaitl scored on a two-man goals and come back it just shows what kind of a team we are. That advantage to make the score 2-0 in the first period and Jets goalie makes those celebrations a lot better.” Connor Hellebuyck thought there was goaltender interference, and a second time when Zack Kassian scored to make it 3-1 on a play that “It’s what you work for all season. Mentally, it felt great getting those looked close to offside at the blue-line. wins.” Maurice wisely chose not to challenge either play, knowing how BACK TO PRACTICE damaging another penalty might have been if he had been unsuccessful.

As the Jets waited to see who their second-round opponent will be, they “It played a huge role,” Maurice said. returned to practice on Thursday, after taking two days off the ice following their sweep of the Oilers. The point is, a coach has to pretty darn sure a challenge is going to be successful if he’s going to call for one in the playoffs. Although the next series won’t start until early next week, with Game 1 depending on the results in the other North Division semifinal between “First of all, on the goalie interference, we had killed off one penalty and the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs, the Jets needed to get hadn’t killed off the second, and if I was wrong, there was still 1:43 on the back on the ice and start full preparations. clock. So there was no way I was calling one there. You have the No. 1 power play in the league so you have to be sure you can get it The Leafs led the Habs 3-2 in that series, after Montreal won 4-3 in overturned. overtime in Game 5 on Thursday. Game 6 will be played Saturday night in Montreal. “In that situation for us, unless I’m 100% sure, I’m not making the call. We’re still within striking distance and if I put that team on the power play “The legs felt terrible,” Jets defenceman Neal Pionk said of waking up on on a 5-on-3 for 1:43, they’re scoring again and the game is over. The Tuesday, after Monday’ triple-overtime, series-clinching win. score matters. Knowing whether you’re right or wrong, you can make your arguments either way. It’s not even about that. It’s about what is the “Not good at all. It was really nice having that second day off to just let call on the ice and what are the chances of getting that call overturned. the body relax a little bit, not only physically but mentally, just step away Boy, that’s a tough one.” for a couple days.” Maurice said he looked at both those plays on the bench monitor and just Thursday’s practice lasted more than an hour and all hands were on didn’t think there was enough to make a call. Even if there had been deck. After a series that featured almost 100 blocked shots by the Jets, more, it would have been a risky proposition. escaping with no significant injuries was a major win. “When you look at the clock, there was no way I was making that call “You’re just getting back into it, getting a sweat going and getting your based on the clock. If I had thought there was goaltender interference legs moving again.” Pionk said. “The last couple days we didn’t really do and I had a legitimate (case), I would’ve made the call for sure. But I much, just kind of sat around, let the body recover and today was getting didn’t feel that, and the clock told me you’re going to regret it if you do.” back up to speed.” Winnipeg Sun LOADED 05.28.2021 SUPPORTING BEAR 1214352 Winnipeg Jets the game-tying goal by Tucker Poolman and the game-winner by Dominic Toninato.

“Overall, in the series, I thought we definitely made an impact,” High of playoff success particularly uplifting for clean and sober Jets Thompson said. “Our team’s gonna need that to go on a playoff run and centre Nate Thompson win series. You have to have your third and fourth lines going, cause there’s gonna be nights when your first two lines don’t score or the other team’s first and second lines cancel them out.”

Ted Wyman Thompson and the Jets were waiting Thursday to see if they’ll face the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens in the North Division final.

The Habs won 4-3 in overtime Thursday night and will head home for He didn’t even get a chance to play during a 46-minute overtime session Game 6 on Saturday, trailing 3-2 in the series. that resulted in the Winnipeg Jets clinching a playoff sweep for the first Thompson likes the Jets’ chances going forward because they have such time in their NHL history on Monday night. a strong, veteran, playoff-tested, dynamic on the team. Thompson, But that is not the kind of detail Nate Thompson is about to sweat at this Lewis, Paul Stastny, captain Blake Wheeler and winger Mathieu point in his 15-year NHL career. Perreault are all in their mid-30s and have a kind of savvy that younger players lack. Thompson is just happy to still be playing, still be alive and well, after going through a dark period of his life that nearly took it all away. “If you look at all the teams that have won Cups, they all have veteran guys,” Thompson said. “I think you need that. Especially at this time of “To go through the ebbs and flows, ride the emotional roller coaster, and year, you need that calming presence and you need guys that have gone then to win, I don’t think there’s any better adrenalin rush, to be honest,” through it to kind of settle a team down. the 36-year-old Thompson said after practising on Thursday at Bell MTS Place. “When we were on that losing streak (toward the end of the season), having veteran guys that have been through things like that, meant there “For me to do it sober, just to go through the process and enjoy every were guys to lean on and speak up in the room and help the younger moment — knowing what I went through before — and have a chance to guys get through it. There were a lot of times where (coach Paul do something special with this team, it’s pretty awesome and a lot of fun.” Maurice) really didn’t have to say too much because we have such a veteran group. We can settle the room down and kind of police it Thompson’s past struggles with drugs and alcohol are well documented. ourselves.” The native of Anchorage, Alaska, said he began drinking at age 11 and was spiralling out of control by the time he reached the NHL in 2006. While it’s possible this will be Thompson’s only season in a Jets uniform — he’ll be an unrestricted free agent again this summer — he has made He has admitted to drinking heavily, smoking pot and doing harder drugs a mark in the community. like cocaine, molly and magic mushrooms during some of his seasons. He admits to practising while high on occasion and being brutally hung Thompson wore No. 11 this season in honour of Rick Rypien, who made over for games at times. a mark with the Manitoba Moose and later signed with the Jets before taking his own life in 2011. Almost five years ago, he managed to kick his self-destructive habits. Even during a pandemic that has caused so many shut downs, He has been clean and sober since Oct. 10, 2016. Thompson was involved in True North Sports and Entertainment’s “Being sober now and being able to still play and make an impact and be Project 11, a program designed to support mental health awareness in in the National Hockey League, at 36, means everything to me,” the city. Thompson said. “I’ve always said, if I wasn’t sober, I wouldn’t be talking “I’m just trying to give back and help anybody that’s struggling with to you right now. I wouldn’t be playing, I wouldn’t be in the playoffs and I addiction or mental health or whatever it is,” Thompson said. “This is a wouldn’t have a chance to play in these crucial overtime games. Being tough time for everybody. I want to be someone who can help someone sober, you have to enjoy every single moment, especially in the playoffs, else if they’re willing to reach out for help. It’s bigger than me, sobriety because there’s just nothing like it.” and all that stuff is bigger than me. Monday was a weird night for Thompson and his linemate Trevor Lewis, “For me coming out and saying something or helping even one person, also a veteran of 15 NHL seasons. that’s a win.” The two fourth-liners did not take a shift after the seven-minute mark of Winnipeg Sun LOADED 05.28.2021 the third period as the Jets overcame a 3-2 deficit and went on to win 4-3 over the Edmonton Oilers on a Kyle Connor goal six minutes into triple overtime.

It was not fun to be sitting for that long, but Thompson was able to use some life experiences to put it all in perspective.

“It was tough because, obviously, you want to play and you want to contribute, but at the same time you have to be a good teammate,” Thompson said.

“I thought Lewie and I were alive on the bench, trying to make sure guys were engaged, trying keep ourselves engaged as well and just staying positive.

“Sometimes, the game will be different with shifts and minutes — sometimes you’re going to play a lot and sometimes you’re not — that’s really part of the role when you play on the fourth line. It’s just trying to be ready, cause you never know. If you do get that one shift, it could be the difference.”

Thompson, who signed a one-year contract worth $750,000 last off- season, has now played 811 career NHL games and 64 playoff games.

He has never been much of a scorer but he’s rugged, kills penalties and can handle himself if caught out on the ice in a difficult situation.

Though the fourth line didn’t play down the stretch in Game 4 against the Oilers, it was a difference-maker in Game 1. Thompson had assists on 1214353 Winnipeg Jets After just a few months in the NHL, he’s become far more than a big body with a good set of hands.

Stanley’s personality has fit in well with the team and his joy for the game Jets rookie Stanley makes mark in first Stanley Cup playoff series has been on display in these playoffs. He was on the ice for three of the four game-winning goals the Jets scored against Edmonton. That, despite the fact that he averaged 16:38 of ice time, lowest of any Jets defenceman in the series. Ted Wyman “He’s an incredible guy in that locker room,” Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers

said. “He’s funny. He brings a lot to this team. Again, you learn so much There was a specific morning, a few days into Winnipeg Jets training every single year. He’s definitely learned. He’s learned a lot from the camp back in January, when Logan Stanley drew the full attention of guys that have been in the league for a little bit, and he still learns a lot. head coach Paul Maurice. “He’s a guy that will talk to you about the game, about the plays, and do Stanley, a 22-year-old prospect with great size and solid potential but better next time. Having a guy like him on the team who is a huge also some flaws that he needed to correct, had been skating with the presence out there, plays hard, blocks shots, does all the little things “Breakfast Club,” a secondary group of players not likely destined to right. It’s fun for us and it helps us a lot.” make the team, for the first few days of camp at the IcePlex. Stanley’s emergence has made life a little tougher on Jets general But Maurice and his coaches saw something different in Stanley — his manager when it comes to the expansion draft for skating was better, more powerful, his strength was more evident than it the Seattle Kraken this summer. had been the previous season and he was starting to carry himself like a His play has absolutely made him worthy of protection, but the Jets also real pro after spending two years with the Manitoba Moose of the have defencemen Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk and Dylan DeMelo that American Hockey League. they’d like to protect, along with a bundle of forwards. Soon after, Stanley was promoted to the main group of skaters and he No one wants to lose any of those defencemen, so it will be interesting to quickly made a strong impression. It was strong enough that he found see if Cheveldayoff has to make some sort of side deal to keep them all. himself in the Jets lineup for the second game of the season. That grew into a rookie season in which he played 37 games. Few people would have expected a problem like that to emerge for the Jets this year. And eventually, he found himself playing a key role in the Jets four-game sweep over the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the Stanley Cup But Stanley has opened more than just a few eyes. playoffs, putting in plenty of rugged five-on-five minutes and penalty killing and even getting the primary assist on the winning goal in Game 1. “I think what’s underrated is his hockey IQ,” Pionk said Thursday in a Zoom appearance with Stanley. “I would never tell him to his face, so Not bad for a 6-foot-7, 228-pound defenceman some experts and many don’t tell him I said this, but he’s a heck of a player and you can see the fans had written off before the 2021 season began. development that he’s been making throughout the year.”

“I’ve just grown into my body,” Stanley said Thursday, when asked to The biggest key for Stanley has been knowing his place as a rookie. He describe the evolution of his game. “I grew at such a young age … I was leans on the experienced players around him and he’s fortunate to be in kind of a lanky kid. I’m starting to maybe mature a little bit. a Jets’ room that is full of veterans.

“It’s just getting comfortable with my body, getting stronger and better on “We’ve got some great older guys and people that have helped me a lot my skates so it’s a combination of things. It’s just, in the summer, working this year,” Stanley said. “And you just watch how hard they work in out and getting bigger and stronger.” practice. Guys like Paul Stastny and Blake Wheeler, who have been in the league a long time, are constantly working on their craft and trying to Stanley has shown repeatedly that he can handle the rigours of the NHL, get better and as a young guy coming in, you go on the ice and you see even in the post-season. Playing alongside Tucker Poolman on the Jets that and you want to do the same thing because you want to be like third defence pairing, Stanley’s physicality and his usage of a long stick those guys. are paramount to his defensive game, but he’s also shown an ability to be a puck mover and he has one of the best point shots on the team, “I think a lot of guys lead by example on this team, and that’s why we’ve something he manages to get through to the net with regularity. got a really good room.”

I asked Maurice Thursday what changed with Stanley, who really wasn’t Winnipeg Sun LOADED 05.28.2021 part of the 2021 plans until later in training camp.

“He just earned it,” Maurice said. “He didn’t necessarily have a year last year that said he was going to get pencilled into the top six, or even be in the equation, but he had a summer. And for some guys, the delay of the season (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), they used it to their advantage. And Logan was a guy that came back in noticeably better shape and condition. And because of that, he’s faster. So when you get a guy that big and he can get up to speed, then that piques your interest because we’ve always known that he had a good set of hands on him. He can make plays and get the puck to the net.”

Even Stanley wasn’t expecting things to work out the way they have. He believed in himself but he knew there were plenty of veterans and even prospects ahead of him on the depth chart as he entered training camp.

“It obviously was my goal to get in the lineup and be a part of this team this year,” he said. “That was something I was thinking about coming into camp, but we had a lot of bodies at first in training camp. We had eight guys on one-way deals.

“I just wanted to come in and work hard and see what I could do.”

Luca Sbisa getting claimed on waivers and Tucker Poolman’s bout with COVID-19 early in the season made it necessary for Stanley to get into the lineup early on and he made the most of his chance, not knowing when the next one might come. 1214354 Winnipeg Jets On the other hand, Martin’s brother, Robert, spent most of his professional career in North America and the Czech Republic. The siblings did spend two seasons playing together in Germany — Robert joined Martin with the Frankfurt Lions during the NHL lockout in the 1994- Cousins Kristian and Lukas Reichel’s paths to the Jets and Blackhawks: 95 season. Robert stuck around for the 1995-96 season as well before Different countries, same NHL dream returning to the NHL. Aside from that, they lived separate hockey experiences in two different countries. They even faced each other a few

times representing their respective countries, and they’ll never forget Scott Powers May 27, 2021 their time together off the ice at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

“Yes, it was strange, but it was a nice feeling too, to play against my brother,” Martin wrote. “It was special because it didn’t happen that often. Cousins and future hockey pros Lukas Reichel and Kristian Reichel were It was also a great experience at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City both athletic and loved sports growing up. It only made sense they’d play when we met there very often for breakfast in the Olympic Village.” them whenever they got together on family visits. Robert stayed in the Czech Republic after his playing career and has Their obstacle: They didn’t speak the same language. Kristian spoke coached at various levels. His son, Kristian, followed in his footsteps, Czech and English, Lukas spoke German. They had to find other ways to playing for HC Litvínov before moving to North America. Ahead of the communicate. Luckily, they both understood sports. 2017-18 season, Kristian joined the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels, where he was teammates with current Blackhawks forwards Brandon Hagel and “I remember we were always, when it was in the summer, doing some Reese Johnson while producing 34 goals and 23 assists in 63 games. sport or something,” said Kristian, 22, a Winnipeg Jets forward prospect. That earned him an AHL contract with Manitoba Moose, the Jets’ AHL “He wasn’t speaking English. I wasn’t that good in German. So we were affiliate, and he turned that into a two-year NHL contract, which began kind of like, (gesturing with his hands) ‘You, there, me, here.’ Something this season. He had six goals and six assists in 29 games and wore a like that, because we were not speaking the same language, and he letter for the Moose this season. doesn’t speak Czech, so it was hard. But we always managed to do something, that was the funny thing about it.” Lukas and Kristian may have grown up in different countries, but their upbringings were similar. Both described how their family was all about The cousins can laugh and even converse about it these days. Lukas’ hockey growing up. English has improved over the years. “Hockey was the No. 1 thing here in our family because my dad played a “Like Kristian said, it was tough because when I was younger, my English long time in NHL and he made a great career,” Kristian said. “So hockey was bad, really bad,” said Lukas, 19, a Chicago Blackhawks forward was the No. 1 sport in our family, and it’s always been because you knew prospect. “Now it’s better, but when I was like 10 years old, my English the career your father had and you just want to follow in his footsteps.” was bad and my brother’s (Thomas Reichel) English was OK, and Kristian, he only spoke Czech and English. But we had a fun time with if Lukas’ father and older brother brought him along that same way, and we met them in Czech, and we played like tennis or soccer or basketball. Martin coached Lukas on a few different teams. It was a fun time with him.” “Hockey was like the family,” Lukas said. “I played soccer too when I was The fact that the first cousins still don’t communicate in their primary young, but always hockey was my life. It was good to have my dad languages begins to tell the story of their unique family and hockey played hockey and my brother played hockey. It was good. I learned so background. Lukas’ father, Martin, and Kristian’s father, Robert, are much things from them. And they helped me if I had bad games, and my brothers who grew up in Czechoslovakia — Robert is 2½ years older uncle and Kristian, too. So, it was good to have them here and support than Martin. They both showed promise in hockey and played for HC me all the time if I need anything.” Litvínov’s program growing up. Martin and Robert try to get together in person a few times a year. Martin They began taking different paths as teenagers. The Calgary Flames usually returns to the Czech Republic to see his family, and the brothers drafted Robert out of HC Litvínov in the fourth round in 1989, and he talk often by phone. Their sons and their hockey careers are, of course, a played one more season in Czechoslovakia before departing for the topic of conversation. NHL. Beginning with the 1990-91 season, he went on to play 830 NHL games, on top of 100-plus games representing the Czech Republic in “Robert and I are really proud of our sons playing hockey,” Martin wrote. various international competitions. “They grew up different ways through to the different nations, but after all, they get along well.” Martin’s journey led him elsewhere. In 1990, German pro team EHC Freiburg sought Martin, so he moved there at 16, obtained his citizenship Lukas Reichel was drafted by the Blackhawks in the first round in 2020. and began playing pro hockey. (City-Press)

“Since my ancestors had German background, I was considered a The cousins have seen less of each other in recent years because of German player and was able to get a German passport as soon as I was their hectic hockey schedules all over the world, but they communicate in Freiburg,” Martin wrote in an email. “It was really exciting. I came from occasionally by text. Kristian made sure to shoot Lukas a text right after the communistic Czechoslovakia. My parents had been supporting me a the Blackhawks drafted him. It wasn’t the team Kristian was hoping lot and my mother moved to Freiburg for a couple of years, too.” Lukas would go to, but he was just as happy.

Martin could never have imagined how that decision would change the “I texted him right away when he got drafted,” Kristian said. “I wasn’t course of his family. The Edmonton Oilers drafted him in the second watching the draft, but I was kind of nervous for him, when he will be round in 1992, but he never signed. He met his wife in Rosenheim in drafted, or maybe Jets don’t take him. I wasn’t watching it, but I was kind 1995, and that led to the decision to make his permanent home in of waiting, what will happen.” Germany, where he went on to play 836 career games. He represented Kristian and Lukas have mutual respect for each other’s game. Lukas Germany, too, and played 100-plus international games for the country. mentioned Kristian’s shooting ability and overall offensive skills. Kristian He’s also coached there at various levels. talked up Lukas’ shooting and passing abilities. Kristian believed there Martin and his wife have three children. Their oldest son, Thomas, 22, was a similarity. plays professionally in Germany and had 29 points in 45 games while on “Maybe that’s one thing we have similar is our hockey sense like my dad loan with Lausitzer Füchse this season. Their youngest son, Lukas, has had or his dad had,” Kristian said. emerged as one of the country’s top young players and was drafted by the Blackhawks in the first round in 2020. He’s currently playing for With Kristian in the Jets system and the Lukas potentially signing with the Germany in the World Championship, just as his father once did, and has Blackhawks for next season, the cousins could be seeing a lot of each two goals and three assists in four games. other in the NHL’s Central Division.

Kristian Reichel, left, and Lukas Reichel, right, hope to meet in the NHL “That would be great, him on Winnipeg and I’m on Chicago,” Lukas said one day. (Courtesy of Martin Reichel) with a laugh. Kristian took that even a step further. Yes, NHL opponents would be nice, but teammates would be better.

“It will be great to play against each other when we’ll be in the NHL, but it’s a long story and a long way to get there,” Kristian said. “It will be great and it will be better if we played on the same team, but that’s too far ahead.”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214355 Vancouver Canucks Loui Eriksson’s $6 million salary-cap hit remains “below the line” next season, whether that’s on a taxi squad or in the American League. This will provide the Canucks with an additional $1.125 million in cap savings.

Drance: Why the Canucks must ride out their cap issues this offseason, Micheal Ferland remains on long-term injured reserve (LTI) for the 2021- with an eye toward the future 22 league year, which will permit the club to capture additional space and, theoretically speaking — although in practice it’s more complicated than this — capture an extra $3.5 million of space with which to exceed the salary cap upper limit. By Thomas Drance May 27, 2021 Jake Virtanen’s contract has been bought out by the club, providing an

additional $2.5 million in cap space. Navigating the NHL’s hard cap is challenging at the best of times, and The Athletic understands that Beagle will be consulting further with these are far from the best of times for the professional hockey business. specialists in the next week or so. There’s still some uncertainty on this The negative impact of the pandemic on NHL revenues is measured in file, but at this point, it’s assumed that Beagle will not be on LTI for the multiple billions of dollars, and with revenues in free fall, business will be duration of the 2021-22 league year. governed by a flat cap for the foreseeable future. The upper limit of the The Canucks will have a roughly $650,000 overage penalty for the 2021- salary cap is fixed at $81.5 million and it isn’t going to budge for several 22 league year stemming from some bonuses that were hit by Canucks more years. players — Quinn Hughes and Nils Höglander — who were on entry-level The flat cap makes everything tighter and more complicated for just contracts during the 2020-21 campaign. about every member club, but especially for teams that have committed With those five assumptions serving as our starting point, we have the their cap space unwisely, as the Vancouver Canucks have. Canucks entering the offseason with roughly $60.3 million in salary-cap From the moment the NHL and the NHLPA agreed on an omnibus space committed to 15 skaters: agreement to conclude the 2019-20 season, ushering in the flat cap era In this scenario, the Canucks have roughly $21.2 million in salary-cap and a new collective bargaining agreement, it was clear that this new space to play with, and the majority of that space is earmarked for reality would delay the Canucks’ window to contend. Hughes and Elias Pettersson’s second contracts. The club’s cap outlook begins to clear up over the medium term, but I tend to think the Canucks will have done very well if they’re able to keep once again, this summer the club will be dealing with a significant crunch, the combined cap hit of Pettersson and Hughes’ second contracts below one that’s exacerbated by their best, young players becoming $14 million, but I wanted to use something a bit more robust and significantly more expensive. objective in modelling out Vancouver’s cap space. Thankfully, Evolving- Despite ’s declaration that the club would look to be Hockey has a tool that mines data from Cap Friendly and projects aggressive this offseason, with limited cap flexibility, the Canucks will contract values for pending unrestricted and restricted free-agent players. struggle to improve their club significantly in the short term. In my view, the Evolving-Hockey salary projection — and this is based on It’s a tough correlation of forces the club is contending with this summer: their projection average — is far too light for Pettersson ($6.077 million) the flat cap, three young core pieces all getting significant raises at the and marginally too rich for Hughes ($6.68 million). Even if we might same time and a wide swath of inefficient contractual commitments at the reasonably quibble with the specific valuations that Evolving-Hockey bottom end of the lineup that don’t expire until next offseason. projects here, the sum total for both deals ends up at roughly $12.75 million, which is in the right ballpark for bridge deals, give or take $1 For the 2021-22 league year, the Canucks will have nearly $20 million million or so. committed to a trio of below-replacement-level depth forwards in Antoine Roussel ($3 million), Jay Beagle ($3 million) and Loui Eriksson ($6 Anyway, these projections give us a benchmark in order to move forward million), a backup goaltender in Braden Holtby ($4.3 million) and a with this exercise while using something that’s more substantive and preposterous Roberto Luongo recapture penalty (just north of $3 million). objective than a declaration that Pettersson is going to get a premium That’s almost a quarter of the club’s cap space for next season devoted version of the Mat Barzal deal and Hughes is going to get a premium to an absurd, punitive penalty and four players who contributed negative version of the Charlie McAvoy deal. 1.26 wins combined, according to Dom Luszczyszyn’s game score value So let’s plug those Pettersson and Hughes projections into the Canucks’ added metric, during the pandemic-abbreviated 2021 season. lineup, and voila we have a 17-man Canucks roster that takes up roughly In a league like the NHL, in which efficient spending is decisive in $73 million against the cap: separating the contending teams from the pack, that’s an insurmountable (Image courtesy of CapFriendly) burden. So now that Pettersson and Hughes are done, we’re left with roughly Worse, there are no easy solutions for the Canucks. The recapture $8.4 million in cap space to flesh out the 23-man roster, which is penalty is immovable dead money and the three forwards in question suboptimal considering that this team needs at least one — and ideally aren’t really buyout-able. two — additional top-four defencemen. Not to mention an entire third line. A Holtby buyout would free up some meaningful space, but once you We’ve discussed a lot in this space about how Pettersson and Hughes’ factor in the cost of replacing Holtby with another backup for Thatcher second contracts would complicate matters for the Canucks, particularly Demko, the cap benefit of a Holtby buyout is muted and comes at the as it pertained to grafting the type of supporting depth onto the roster to expense of flexibility in the 2022-23 season, when Vancouver finally allow Vancouver to credibly contend. projects to have meaningful cap space to spend. Hopefully, that hits home now that we’ve illustrated how quickly things As an offseason primer, let’s model where exactly the Canucks’ cap get tight for the Canucks this offseason, even when we use a relatively sheet stands heading into this offseason as objectively as we can. To optimistic projection of where Pettersson and Hughes may come in on keep things realistic, we won’t be making any pie in the sky trades nor their second deals. will we count on an unlikely retirement by an overpriced veteran. From here, let’s go about fleshing out the roster, using some of We’re also not going to take this across the finish line and actually build a Vancouver’s own pending free agent pieces and a key player from the full 23-man roster. The point of this exercise isn’t to spell out solutions to club’s reserve list. In our next iteration of the 23-man roster, the club will the club’s continued cap crunch or predict what the Canucks will do this have accomplished all of the following: offseason. Rather it’s about exploring Vancouver’s realistic short-term options, as a way of undergirding our reasonable expectations for what In our model, the Canucks have now agreed to terms with top prospect the club can accomplish this summer. Vasili Podkolzin on an entry-level contract carrying an $863,333 salary- cap hit. That cap hit is a perfect match with what fellow 10th overall picks As our starting point, we’re going to make a few basic assumptions about Evan Bouchard and Owen Tippett signed for over the past few seasons. the state of the roster heading into the offseason: The Canucks have signed pending unrestricted free agent Travis It will take either a Holtby buyout or adding significant futures in a trade Hamonic to a two-year deal worth $3 million per season, an estimate — or in the expansion process — to offload some bad money. that’s based on the Evolving-Hockey projections model for the sake of objectivity. A buyout, however, costs the club cap flexibility in 2022-23. Adding futures to incentivize a rival to take on all or part of Holtby’s, or Roussel’s, The Canucks have refused to budge in negotiations with Olli Juolevi, or Beagle’s contract hurts the club’s odds of adding an additional forcing the restricted free agent to accept his $874,125 qualifying offer. difference-maker who could pay off when Pettersson and Hughes are 25 years old and at the apex of their powers. We’ve also begun to mold the team around more realistic line combinations and pairings, which includes bumping J.T. Miller to the The wiser course of action, with the club’s long-term interests in mind, is third-line centre role full-time. We’re now up to a 20-man Canucks roster, rather clearly to avoid surrendering futures or clouding the books for the that costs about $77.8 million against the salary cap. benefit of shoring up the club’s depth next season. The Canucks should instead spend this summer pruning, making bets on low-cap hit players With three players left to sign to flesh out our model of the Canucks’ 23- on the trade market and in free agency, with an eye squarely trained man roster, we’re left with roughly $3.7 million in salary-cap space toward the future. remaining. This offseason, the Canucks are essentially caught in one of those With that limited space available to them, ideally the Canucks would still woven bamboo finger traps. If they just relax and hurdle their inefficiently- look for another top-four defender so that Jack Rathbone and Juolevi can allocated contracts naturally, they’ll soon be free. Wriggle and strain too compete at training camp for that third-pair left defence spot, or at the much, and they might only make it worse. very least a really sturdy third-pair right-handed defender so that the club could push Nate Schmidt into the top four on the left side. The leverage of buying out Holtby so that the club can add a $2 million to $3 million winger and a $2 million to $3 million defender this summer for Not to mention that ideally, the Canucks would be able to identify two the purpose of bolstering the club’s short-term playoff hopes is solid middle-six forwards so that Matthew Highmore and Tyler Motte insufficient to justify clouding the club’s cap picture in 2022-23. Or their could move into the fourth-line roles that they’re better suited to. long-term future more generally.

It should go without saying that Canucks are unlikely to find two solid After all, in 2022-23 the club is looking at having serious flexibility and middle-six forwards and a 4/5 calibre defender in free agency at an should do everything to maximize it. They should be protective of this average cost of $1.23 million per player. And the club doesn’t really have window. any players of this calibre available internally, unless Alex Edler were to take a really significant pay cut to remain in Vancouver. If you extrapolate from the model we’ve built above, for example, without a Holtby buyout, into the offseason of 2022 the Canucks are looking at So let’s carve out more space. The club can place Roussel on waivers an entirely different world of options. We’re talking about the Canucks and re-assign him below the line to free up an additional $1.125 million in being poised to have over $30 million in cap space with only Brock cap space. We’ll also model the club moving Zack MacEwen onto Boeser and Rathbone (a 10.2(c) black hole player on expiry) to re-sign another opportunity, something the club should be looking to do among the club’s key pieces. considering his limited usage this season. In comparison with the club’s tough outlook this summer, the offseason Superficially these two moves combine to open up nearly $2 million in of 2022 is shaping up as one in which the Canucks could make some cap space, but the actual figure is closer to $500,000 once Roussel and serious noise. Everything the club does this summer must be done with MacEwen are replaced with players making the league minimum that unique window of opportunity in mind, even if the club’s key $750,000. decision-makers — including Benning and head coach Travis Green — (Image courtesy of CapFriendly) haven’t been incentivized to think or behave this way based on the two years of term remaining on their respective contracts. Once you drill down to this point, where the Canucks have roughly $5.6 million in available cap space with which to add three relatively important Because of inefficient contractual commitments and the challenges pieces — including an everyday defender and two middle-six forwards — introduced by the flat cap, the Canucks are in for a very difficult the appeal of potentially exercising a buyout on Holtby’s contract offseason. There are brighter days ahead, however, if a club with good becomes clear. bones can only be disciplined enough in the short term to realize them.

If Holtby were to sail through expansion unclaimed, get bought out and The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 then replaced on the Canucks’ roster by a more traditional backup making $800,000 to $1.2 million, the Canucks would be looking at a much rosier cap situation on July 28, when the market opens.

By means of illustration, in the below scenario the club has bought out Holtby and signed pending unrestricted free agent James Reimer, whom we selected because he makes his summer home in Kelowna, B.C., at a $1.2 million clip:

(Image courtesy of CapFriendly)

The club would now be looking at having roughly $8.2 million in cap space to play with. That could go as high at $8.6 million if the club were to sign a goaltender like Scott Wedgewood instead of Reimer. That’s tempting.

The club’s cap situation is still tight, but now at least the Canucks could realistically look to add a couple of $2 million to $3 million pieces, which opens up all kinds of potentially interesting options to upgrade the defence and the third line on the trade market or in free agency.

Of course, the club would be accomplishing that at the expense of adding $1.9 million to the books for 2022-23. And that probably isn’t worth it considering the strength of this roster as it stands.

It’s not as if the Canucks are a Brock McGinn or a Brandon Montour away from evolving into a contending team anyway.

If the goal is to make the playoffs next year at the expense of the flexibility to take a more credible all-in shot in 2022-23 after Beagle, Roussel, Eriksson, Holtby and Luongo’s recapture penalty expire, then there are ways to do that. They’re not pretty though. 1214356 Websites games on television is crucial, and something Tumminia said will impact how the league grows and elevates itself next season.

Tumminia is still a big proponent of Twitch as a platform because of the The Athletic / ‘We are growing’: NWHL commissioner Tyler Tumminia on way it creates more direct-to-fan connections, so it’ll be likely part of the enhancing the league’s brand, player pool, and visibility overall strategy, but getting games on traditional television is also a must for a professional sports league.

NBC Sports, which is set to sunset sometime in 2021, aired the By Sean Shapiro May 27, 2021 semifinals and championship on the Isobel Cup this year and was also scheduled to show more games of the PWHPA Dream Gap Tour before

a COVID-19 delay pushed the game up against the Stanley Cup playoffs. The landscape for professional women’s hockey in North America can be NBC Universal, according to TV sources, is still interested in working with confusing for the casual fan. women’s hockey, particularly because of the timing of the 2022 Olympics. The National Women’s Hockey League maintains it’s the top league in North America, a claim that is hard to substantiate when more than 120 Tumminia said she’s spoken to multiple networks and there is enough in of the world’s top players have boycotted the league and joined the rival the works that the next schedule will be something she’ll be able to work Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, which ran a backward, in building a schedule based on network slots. barnstorming style schedule across the United States, and is currently in The Athletic LOADED: 05.28.2021 the midst of a tournament in Calgary.

Both entities claim to want the same thing, a viable professional league for women, but members of the PWHPA typically aren’t shy about shooting down any inclination that the NWHL is close to a professional establishment.

This is the landscape, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, that Tyler Tumminia took over as NWHL commissioner in October of 2020, and oversaw a shortened, and altered season that started as a tournament in Lake Placid that was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak and eventually ended with the Isobel Cup awarded to the Boston Pride in March.

Now Tumminia is focussing on the NWHL’s seventh season, and despite the hurdles of the 2020-21 season, said she feels confident that the league is on the right path.

“We truly have a good vision of what this viable league looks like,” Tumminia said. “Again, we are growing, right? But I think, you know, for season 7, from my seat, we want to raise the talent in our league. You know you want to continue to attract those major sponsors in the media, right? And then, you know, all of that is just to inspire the next generation of female athletes.”

Those are all ideal goals, but difficult ones to deliver on with the PWHPA’s existence. How do you raise talent level in a league when the top talent is part of an opposing entity? And how does one raise and create real sponsorship opportunities, without that group of players available to raise league profile?

Tumminia has maintained that the door is open for any player from the PWHPA to return to the NWHL, but was also adamant that the recent salary-cap raise to $300,000 wasn’t to try and entice those players back.

“I will say the salary cap from my perspective wasn’t necessarily done for that. Of course, we’d love for the PW athletes to play in this league or in one league at some point,” Tumminia said. “This was a chance for us to tell our athletes, ‘hey coming into this season 7, this is what happens, this is what happens when you’re able to get good partnerships and we expect that growth will only go up from here.”

Tumminia looks at her background in minor league baseball as a bit of a blueprint for creating long-term viability for the league.

“This doesn’t mean that hockey has to change,” she said. “Given what I have with a minor league baseball background, I think can only help push the business forward.”

According to Tumminia, that means answering the key question of how she’s going to differentiate the NWHL brand from others. Some of the ideas Tumminia listed in the conversation with The Athletic range from straight out of minor league baseball, haircuts and oil changes at a game for busy families, to bigger picture ideas that have become very major league like sports betting and making that more of an option on the NWHL.

“I think we can’t just rely on, ‘Hey this person’s skill set is amazing,'” Tumminia said. “You have women’s hockey fans that exist right now, but I’m trying to grow a demographic outside of that.”

That’s the in-person idealogy, something that Tumminia is hopeful returns for the start of the 2021-22 season. In the digital space, getting 1214357 Websites past Price. The looks were there and Keefe acknowledged afterwards that he should have found even more ice time for Playoff Willy.

Remaining Time -1:24 Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs must show unwavering commitment to game Muzzin with few words on loss to Canadiens plan that got them here Toronto is ahead 15-8 on aggregate score overall, dropping Game 1 on a Remaining Time -5:43 Paul Byron short-handed marker in the third period and rallying for a three-goal comeback in Game 5 before losing in overtime.

Chris Johnston May 28, 2021, 1:48 AM “When we have played well we’ve been in control of games pretty well,” said Keefe. “We’ve got lots of reasons to be confident and lots of reasons to believe in our group. At the same time, we just got another reminder today that Montreal is going to make it real difficult and that they’re a very TORONTO -- When your team loses in the playoffs, the post-game good team with very strong goaltending and that in itself gives them lots interviews on Zoom start almost immediately. Without any celebratory of belief.” ritual involving the game puck or a speech from the coach to worry about, the priority is to pack up and move on as soon as possible. Beyond Travis Dermott coming back in the lineup for Sandin, there probably won’t be much in the way of a shakeup for Game 6. Assuming That’s why Auston Matthews found himself staring into the camera within Nick Foligno remains unavailable due to injury, even a tinkerer like Keefe 10 minutes of Nick Suzuki extending this first-round series. Suzuki was might keep his forward ranks intact. still sitting on the Canadiens bench in full equipment taking questions from Kyle Bukauskas about his overtime winner when Matthews began If that’s the case, it will be all about revisiting the strategy that’s brought discussing a wild Toronto Maple Leafs comeback that fell short and an some dominant stretches in the series. opportunity to close out this best-of-seven that had gone unrealized. With 2,500 fans due at the Bell Centre for an historic Saturday night -- A welt on his left cheek offered the only hint he’d just come through his the first sporting event in Canada with a meaningful audience since the fifth playoff game in eight days. He could not possibly have seemed more start of the pandemic -- the Leafs need to show an unwavering unbothered unless a Canadiens defenceman was trying to rough him up commitment to their game plan and not let the moment be too grand. in a post-whistle scrum. “It’s been awhile since we’ve had some fans so I think it’ll be exciting,” Asked what was on his mind heading back to Montreal, Matthews said: said Matthews. “I mean it’s another opportunity to obviously close out this “We’re going [there] to win a game.” series. We have to have a much better process and a much better start than we had tonight if we want to do that.” Given the history at play, the demeanour of Toronto’s top weapon was noteworthy. Even ahead 3-2 with Game 6 on deck, there could have And they need to avoid a Game 7 at all costs. been hints of frustration or concern coming from one of the Leafs players now batting 0-for-5 with a chance to wrap up a playoff series. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.28.2021

That’s particularly true in the case of Matthews, who is counted on to score and has seen the percentages swing against him since capturing the Rocket Richard Trophy. He’s fired 25 shots on goal in this series -- eight more than any player on either team -- and only beaten Carey Price once.

Remaining Time -2:38

Turnovers proved to be costly in Game 5 for Maple Leafs

What’s more, linemates Zach Hyman and Mitch Marner are similarly snakebitten. That trio has been a load at 5-on-5, combining for 47 shots but only the one Matthews goal in Game 2 and Hyman’s squibbler on Thursday night.

They are either being stymied by an all-time great goaltender or on the wrong end of puck luck or some combination of the two. The Hyman- Matthews-Marner line is giving up next to nothing in the defensive end and attacking with abandon. They are a volcano ready to erupt.

“I think that we’re all over it,” said Hyman.

“We’re hunting pucks [well] and trying to stay above them, forcing turnovers, and just trying to attack the net as much as possible,” said Matthews. “We’re getting chances. … I think we just want to continue to play the way we’ve been and just continue to give our team momentum.”

Sticking with it will be an important theme as the Leafs head into Game 6 with their margin for error shrunk. Stylistically and statistically, they’ve been the better team in this series. But they also didn’t play up to their usual level for enough of Thursday’s game -- seeing rookie defenceman Rasmus Sandin fail to execute two puck retrievals that immediately led to goals against while falling behind 3-0, before Alex Galchenyuk got burned throwing the puck into the middle of the ice for a ghastly turnover that opened the door for Suzuki’s overtime winner.

“We got ourselves in a hole there,” said Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. “Is it part of the learning curve? Perhaps. I mean it certainly looked that way.”

It is no small matter that this team is trying to advance beyond a playoff round for the first time in 17 years. This is the fifth straight post-season appearance for the nucleus of the group and William Nylander, in particular, seems to have absorbed the teachings of prior defeats.

He’s got four goals and seven points in the series and will have gone to bed Thursday with visions of a couple glorious chances that didn’t get 1214358 Websites If you don’t make the most of a 2-on-0 in overtime, you’ve blown the best opportunity you’ll ever get in the playoffs, but 21-year-old Suzuki and 20- year-old Caufield kept their composure.

Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens keep season alive with desperate Game 5 win “Like I said, we got a ton of leaders — (Shea Weber) Weby, (Price) — over Maple Leafs keeping us calm, and it translated into OT.”

Remaining Time -5:43 It was Perry and Staal, a pair of Triple Gold Club members, who helped awaken this dormant — near dead — Canadiens offence. Staal with a Suzuki scores game-winner in OT as Canadiens force Game 6 with win steady play in the neutral zone, and Perry with a flying forecheck hit on over Maple Leafs Rasmus Sandin that jarred the puck loose for Joel Armia to score Montreal’s first goal since the second period of Game 3. The shot to the

top half of the net came at 5:13 of the first period, just three minutes and Eric Engels five seconds before Armia picked the puck out of a mad scramble in front of Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell and shoveled it into the net to make it 2-0.

It was the symphony of the situation, the most fitting song, with lyrics that The Canadiens wrapped that first period ahead in goals, shots, hits and perfectly encapsulated what was on the line with the puck set to drop in faceoffs, with confidence restored and a sense of urgency pulsating the fourth period of this elimination game. throughout their room.

As Van Halen’s Right Now blared through the speakers at Scotiabank “Right now. Hey! It’s your tomorrow. Right now. Come on, it’s Arena, Kyle Dubas’ Toronto Maple Leafs were a shot away from everything.” knocking the Montreal Canadiens out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As the chorus rolled around, the general manager began nodding his head in They prepared for the second period, which had put them at death’s door rhythm with the drumline, and he appeared to be singing along under his after four terrible ones prior. With the Maple Leafs spinning the mask. Canadiens around in every middle frame — holding an 8-1 lead in goals, a 108-63 advantage in shot attempts and a 2.5-1 edge in offensive-zone “Right now. Hey! It’s your tomorrow. Right now. Come on, it’s time to generate twice as many scoring chances — this was going to be everything.” the ultimate test.

The Maple Leafs hadn’t advanced to the second round of the playoffs “We talked a lot about it,” said Ducharme. since 2004, and their best chance to do it was right in front of them. And then the Canadiens adjusted. Gone were the in-zone reversals, the Down at ice level, Brendan Gallagher and his Canadiens teammates just D-to-D passes that enabled the Maple Leafs to pin the Canadiens down listened to the music. The words echoed the message their coach, behind their goal line, the hesitations that froze out their own forwards in Dominique Ducharme, had just delivered in their dressing room. transition and kept allowing the Maple Leafs to regroup in the neutral zone, and suddenly the pucks started coming out and going towards “I just said these moments here are moments for gamers,” Duchame Campbell’s net. later explained. “Little plays make a big difference in those situations,” said Ducharme. His team had just blown a 3-0 lead and rendered this a one-shot game “Making those little plays and piling them up leads to big plays.” for their season, and he stressed what the looming opportunity instead of the blown one. Little plays: a forecheck from Josh Anderson, a quick read and a reaction from Jesperi Kotkaniemi. “You looked around the room,” said Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, “and everybody knew what was at stake.” Big play: a second whack at a loose puck in front of Campbell that leads to goal for Kotkaniemi to give the Canadiens a 3-0 lead in the fifth minute Play resumed, a 29-second shift unraveled up and down the ice, and of the second period. then Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Tyler Toffoli jumped on for Montreal. Remaining Time -2:19 “Right now. Hey! It’s your tomorrow. Right now. Come on, it’s everything.” Canadiens gain life as series shifts back to Montreal for Game 6

The Maple Leafs, leading 3-1 in this series, had control of the play 150 The Maple Leafs had to push back. feet away from their own net. Alex Galchenyuk was in possession of the puck. The former Canadien, who had scored three points in Tuesday’s “Right now. Hey! It’s your tomorrow. Right now. Come on, it’s Game 4 win and had set the play that saw Jake Muzzin tie this one 3-3 in everything.” the 12th minute of the third period, forced it through a lane Caufield was Less than two minutes after Kotkaniemi’s goal, Zach Hyman just got filling. enough of a loose puck in front of Price to get his team in the game. Caufield and Suzuki, the Canadiens’ most talented offensive players, The boys in blue had no interest in a trip back to Montreal, and they took off on a 2-on-0 from their side of centre, with a chance to extend the made that clear a 16-5 shot advantage in the third and two goals from series and send it back to Montreal, where 2,500 of their fans would have Muzzin to tie it up. an opportunity to be in attendance at the Bell Centre for the first time since March 10, 2020 if they connected on a goal. He shot one through four sets of legs to beat Price, who had turned away so many quality chances to that point in the game. And then he tipped “Right now. Hey! It’s your tomorrow. Right now. Come on, it’s home Galchenyuk’s wrister to bring the Canadiens to within an inch of everything.” submission. Remaining Time -1:51 But the Canadiens managed to collect themselves. They had found some Suzuki's overtime winner gives Canadiens lifeline against Maple Leafs confidence in the way they had played — in their attention to detail, in their assertion of their own game, and in the way their leaders rose to the They crossed over the offensive blue line with Caufield passing to occasion. Suzuki. Suzuki sent it back to Caufield, and Caufield one-touched it right back his way. Fifty-nine seconds into overtime, staring death in the face, Remaining Time -1:37 Suzuki did one last chest compression on this Canadiens season, ripping Suzuki says great leadership with group helped team stay calm the puck into the back of the net with authority. Everyone had to be better. From Jon Merrill, who played a team-low 9:18 “We’ve got a ton of leaders — especially that I look up to — and we had to Phillip Danault, who had struggled in Game 2 through Game 4 but a meeting yesterday and guys like Corey (Perry) and (Eric Staal) Staalsy made it an extremely difficult night for Toronto’s best players in Game 5. spoke up and said, ‘These opportunities in the playoffs don’t come that often, so you gotta make the most of it,’” Suzuki said. “I told myself that’s what I’m born for, to be in those big moments,” Danault said after pulling back 66 per cent of his faceoffs and doing everything possible to keep Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Hyman in check through his 19:07 on the ice.

“That’s what I work hard for every summer,” Danault continued. “All year, you’re battling with your life on the ice, and you lay it all (on the line).”

He also said the Canadiens can play better, and that he was confident they would with this series shifting back to Montreal.

“Obviously, you want to recreate those moments, which we have another chance to do next game,” Danault said.

They will play to the music their fans make in this reunion that was over a year in the making. A little Van Halen for the encore might be in order, too.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214359 Websites post-season appearance enough to spark something more in what has been an underperforming core?

First on his to do list, however, is obvious: re-sign Saros. Sportsnet.ca / Stanley Cup Playoffs Takeaways: Hurricanes surge to After his red-hot play backstopped Nashville into playoff position in the send Predators packing first place, Saros was without a doubt the best and most consistent player for Nashville all season and all series. The busiest goalie of Round 1 faced 252 shots, and finished the series with a solid .921 save Emily Sadler percentage and 2.78 goals-against average against one of the most powerful offences in the game.

The Finnish netminder (and successor following in the footsteps of the In the North Division, the Montreal Canadiens kept their season alive to great Pekka Rinne) is only just getting started. Now with time winding force Game 6 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. South of the border in down on his three-year, $4.5-million contract, the pending RFA is due a Thursday's lone U.S. game, the Nashville Predators couldn't follow suit, new deal and a decent payday. falling to the Hurricanes at home and officially ending their season after a six-game battle as Carolina moves on to Round 2. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.28.2021 This one, a 4-3 victory thanks to Sebastian Aho's game-winner, came down to the details. And overtime, of course.

Seven games' worth of hockey packed into six

It took six games for the Hurricanes to solve Juuse Saros and the Predators, but honestly it kind of felt like seven considering all the overtime. Thursday's OT marked the fourth straight game of this series to go to extra time. Between back-to-back double OT matchups in Games 3 and 4 (both won by Nashville at home) and short OT solves in Games 5 and now 6 (both won by Carolina), we got an extra 74:13 of hockey in this series.

Hurricanes' quick draws lead to speedy OT winner

The Hurricanes struggled through the first half of this game, with momentum faltering at every opportunity and the wizardry of Saros stumping their every attempt to regain it. But few teams can turn a game around as quickly as Carolina, and we saw that on Thursday night.

Both the game-tying goal, scored by Dougie Hamilton, and the OT winner -- a quick shot right off the draw from Jaccob Slavin, tipped in by net-front expert Sebastian Aho -- came immediately off the faceoff, with Carolina winning the draws cleanly and letting their elite defencemen drive the play.

Overall, faceoff wins actually favoured Nashville in this one, 33-27. But Carolina's quick-to-pounce game-plan, requiring details and discipline to execute, proved the difference.

Remaining Time -0:58

Jaccob Slavin fires home the series winning goal in overtime

Hamilton's first goal of post-season comes at perfect time

Dougie Hamilton was due. Five games into Carolina's First Round series against Nashville, the Hurricanes' most productive defenceman in the regular season had yet to score a goal in these playoffs. With a league- leading 31 shots on goal this post-season to his name heading into Game 6 in Nashville, it was only a matter of time before one went in.

Down by two goals for the first time in the series, Hamilton's fingerprints were all over this push for victory. His ability to keep the puck in the offensive zone during the Hurricanes' second-period power play sparked a noticeable shift in pressure and momentum, and it was his powerful blast from the blue line right after -- what would've been shot No. 32, had Aho not smartly gotten his own stick on it for the redirect -- that helped make this a 3-2 game.

Maybe he was just waiting for the perfect pass -- a stunning setup from elite defence partner, Jaccob Slavin. Or the right moment -- late in the third period of a one-goal game -- but Hamilton's first goal of these playoffs, the 3-3 equalizer to push the Predators back to the brink of elimination, could not have come at a better time.

Remaining Time -0:42

Quickly after draw Slavin feeds Hamilton for nice game-tying goal

Saros almost steals the show

Once the dust settles on this series and the rink empties out, the Predators will face plenty of questions this off-season. Much of the season was spent studying this roster as they went from sure deadline seller to playoff contender. Will general manager now embark on the rebuild we all jumped the gun on mid-season, or was this 1214360 Websites scoring a couple of tying goals. And how about Tuukka Rask? The Bruins didn't have him through the bubble playoffs and this year he's stopped 94.1 per cent of the shots he's faced so far. Both of Boston's special teams were solid, too. Sportsnet.ca / NHL Playoff Power Rankings: Avalanche, Leafs meeting expectations Maybe we're getting a little Boston fatigue because they've been a contender so long, or maybe last summer's 4-1 second-round exit at the hands of Tampa is in the back of our minds, but don't sleep on the Bruins. They'll be a tough out. Rory Boylen May 27, 2021, 2:07 PM 4. Carolina Hurricanes

After jumping out to a 2-0 series lead and a seemingly easy Round 1 win, Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs isn't quite over, but we're nearly Carolina suddenly had to deal with major pushback from the Predators, there. Five teams have already punched their tickets to Round 2 and one who have forced overtime the past three games in a row and won two of series – Islanders vs. Bruins – is locked in. them. Still, the Hurricanes are largely controlling the run of play, with a Your bracket may be busted already and your opinion on certain teams 57.51 shots for percentage at 5-on-5 that ranks only behind Colorado at may have changed after a few post-season games. So how do we feel the moment. about the favourites now? For the most part, Nashville's comeback attempt has largely been on the That's what this week's Power Rankings will try and sort out. back of Juuse Saros, who has had such a heavy workload that his series save percentage is .928 even after allowing 16 goals against. The games Here is our ranking of each team still alive in the playoffs and how we have been close, the underlying numbers not. As long as the Canes can view them through the lens of a Stanley Cup contender. keep scoring and Alex Nedeljkovic's goaltending stands up (a key development for the team in its step up this season) we should still view Fantasy Hockey Playoffs Bracket them as a top-tier contender. Getting past Nashville in a competitive Think you know how this year's playoffs will unfold? Before every round, series should only serve to make the Canes stronger. from Round 1 to the Stanley Cup Final, predict the winners and number 5. Tampa Bay Lightning of games for each series and answer a few prop questions. The first Battle of Florida has come to an end and we're already looking ENTER NOW forward to the next one. The Lightning survived the Panthers in one of 1. Colorado Avalanche the most exciting first-round series.

The Avs don't have much in the way of a weakness and how they rolled Basically, the Lightning are back relatively healthy and in as good or over St. Louis in Round 1 confirmed it. Colorado wrapped up Round 1 better shape as they were last season when they won the Stanley Cup. the NHL leaders in Corsi for (58.29 per cent), shots for percentage Nikita Kucherov came back after missing the regular season and led the (58.45), expected goals for percentage (61.71) and outscored their Lightning with 11 points in six games. Alex Killorn and Brayden Point opponent 10-4 at 5-on-5. Nathan MacKinnon is a cheat code who leads lead in goals. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished the series with a shutout. the NHL with six goals scored in just four games. Florida perhaps should have won Game 1 if not for a costly penalty to Honestly, the Avs perhaps would have preferred their opening series to Sam Bennett and that was the door left open for the Lightning – and they go on for another game or two so that Nazem Kadri's suspension didn't barrelled right through it. On to the next round now, where Carolina or bleed too much into Round 2 (he's appealing it and will be heard underdog Nashville will meet them and face a slightly more rested Thursday). But in his absence, J.T. Compher centred between Joonas Tampa squad. Donskoi and Andre Burakovsky, and when Compher was on the ice the 6. New York Islanders Avs outscored the competition 2-0 and outshot them 18-9 in Games 3 and 4. Tyson Jost also centred a line that controlled play. We should have already learned this, but here we go again: Never. Doubt. The. Islanders. They got through the Blues without much push back and Colorado's depth wasn't challenged too much, but the difficulty setting will be moved Sure, maybe they benefitted from a bout of shaky goaltending on up a notch in Round 2. Pittsburgh's side of things, but New York deserves all the credit in the world for the countless comebacks they put on in their opening-round 2. Toronto Maple Leafs series. In Game 1, it was a one-goal third-period deficit they overcame. In It sure feels like the Leafs could have swept the Montreal Canadiens. Game 5, with the series even 2-2, they overcame a second one-goal Toronto handed the Habs a series of opportunities in Game 1 and had to third-period deficit to win in OT. In the Game 6 clincher the Isles trailed deal with the emotional fallout after seeing their captain go down with a three different times, came back on each one and eventually won by a concerning injury – and they still only lost 2-1. couple goals.

The Leafs have outmatched the Canadiens in every area you'd expect Kyle Palmieri finally woke up with three goals in the series, which tied for them to, and in some you might not. Jack Campbell has met the bar set the team lead with Anthony Beauvillier, Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey. by Carey Price in this series and Toronto's team defence has also played They got through this series with Mathew Barzal being held to three a key role in limiting Montreal's offence to just four goals in four games. assists. Whether the offence can keep it up is to be determined, but New Two key areas that held the Leafs back in the past are now strengths: York's strength continues to be its goaltending and everyone buying into depth and a "killer instinct" to bury an opponent and not let them off the a system that has worked for quite a while for Barry Trotz. mat. 7. Vegas Golden Knights The Leafs still have to actually, officially, close out this series of course, The Golden Knights have carried the flow of play for most of the series and every team they face from here on out, starting with Winnipeg, would with Minnesota, which isn't a totally surprising development. They just be a stiffer challenge. But it's a great start for the Leafs, who have only haven't been able to score. had positive takeaways early on. Maybe it's Cam Talbot's play, or maybe there's something deeper going 3. Boston Bruins on with Vegas here. Sure, Max Pacioretty hasn't played a game in the The Bruins had a really tight start to the series against Washington, and series after leading the team with 24 goals this season, but Vegas's even lost Game 1. The first three games, in fact, went to overtime. Then offensive woes date back to last playoffs as well. In their Round 3 the Bruins outscored the Capitals 7-2 in Games 4 and 5 and got past a elimination to Dallas, Vegas scored eight goals in five games. In their pretty tough team in a relatively short series. That's always a huge win second-round series against Vancouver, "Bubble Demko" made a name through the grind of the playoffs. for himself as Vegas managed 19 goals in seven games – scoring just four times in the final three games. Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron each had 5-on-5 Corsi for percentages over 60 and absolutely dominated the Caps. The Vegas is a high event team with a lot of weapons on paper and shouldn't David Krejci-Taylor Hall combo continued to be effective, with Hall be having this much of an issue. Marc-Andre Fleury has been the story of their season, but after allowing three goals against in back-to-back losses it's now going to be interesting to see what Peter DeBoer does in Game 7: stick with Fleury or switch to Robin Lehner?

8. Winnipeg Jets

They got through the Oilers in a sweep, but three of those games went to overtime and Winnipeg could easily have been on the either side of this result, or at least still be playing.

It was a close series and, in some ways, the Oilers were the better team. But when Connor Hellebuyck is at his peak the Jets are a tough out and he was at that level against the Oilers. As long as he's there, the Jets have every hope of getting back to Round 3 again.

Winnipeg's scoring depth is also a huge plus for them, especially in the playoffs. Ten different Winnipeg players scored a goal in the four-game series. Nikolaj Ehlers missed the first two games and still managed to be a hero. We haven't seen the best of Pierre-Luc Dubois here yet and if he gets going again, look out.

9. Minnesota Wild

If Vegas was just shooting better than 5.96 per cent at 5-on-5 this series may already be over. Is that happening because the Golden Knights have a post-season scoring issue dating back to 2020, or does Cam Talbot deserve a ton of credit here? The Wild starter has a .937 save percentage in six games and has faced more shots than any goalie other than Vasilevskiy and Saros.

The Wild have controlled just over 46 per cent of the shots at 5-on-5 and regular-season sensation Kirill Kaprizov has just a single goal in the series, but they're finding a way through.

10. Nashville Predators

Only the Blues have been outshot more decisively than the Predators in this round. They've been staying alive due to some timely goal scoring, steady play in net from Saros, and because they're keeping up to Carolina in a fast-paced series.

Nashville's power play has carried over its regular-season struggles and converted on just 9.1 per cent of its opportunities. By any metric, the Preds are outmatched in this series and now that they're behind 3-2 an opportunity for an upset may have passed. But we've seen goalies steal series before, and though Saros's isn't a name you'd think of first on a list of those who might be able to lead that sort of charge, he is playing at that level right now.

11. Montreal Canadiens

Montreal's offence has completely dried up. It's squandered a 1-0 series lead and been the biggest contributing factor to their current 3-1 deficit. Carey Price has done what the Habs needed him to if they had a shot to win this series, but the team around him isn't following up with enough support.

There was hope Montreal could grind a few games out of Toronto and Price could steal a couple more to lead an upset, but those hopes are evaporating. The Leafs are pushing back, scoring timely goals and showing how improved they are on the defensive side of the puck. It's become apparent in this series that these Canadiens are simply outclassed.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214361 Websites "There's little things that we would like to do better, but we've been really under control in those situations," said Keefe, "managed the puck well, managed the game well, probably defending a little bit too much. We've gone from a team that maybe has the reputation to not defend enough TSN.CA / ‘Businesslike' Leafs need good start to end postseason and then now, to me, we defend a little bit too much here with our leads." drought Toronto's killer instinct remains a 'work in progress' As the Leafs look to vanquish the ghosts of past playoff failures, Sheldon Keefe is trying to keep the focus on the present with a "businesslike" Based on experience in the last few years, the Leafs know full well how approach to a Game 5 with the Montreal Canadiens that could see his hard it is to close out a playoff series. The players say they know what's team win a playoff series for the first time since 2004. Mark Masters has at stake tonight against the Habs and are focused on the opportunity in more. front of them. TSN's Mark Masters has more on the Leafs' mindset heading into Game 5.

--- By Mark Masters Only one week after being stretchered off the ice following a scary collision in Game 1 against Montreal, John Tavares was back skating again at Scotiabank Arena. The Leafs captain spent about 20 minutes on The Toronto Maple Leafs skated at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday. the ice Thursday morning doing some light shooting and passing. As the Leafs look to vanquish the ghosts of past playoff failures, Sheldon "He's obviously progressing very well," said Keefe. "He wasn't on there Keefe is trying to keep the focus on the present. very long today, but felt very good coming off." "The guys are very businesslike and treating it like they have other Tavares also sat in on the team's morning meeting. games in the series," the coach said. "That's been the messaging for our group is to not look beyond your first shift or our first period here tonight. "Certainly, having him here in person is a nice lift for the guys," Keefe We are expecting it to be our best game in the series as we feel like noted. that's going to be the effort that's going to be required." "It's huge," said Rielly. "We don't know exactly what's going on or what Toronto is on the brink of its first playoff series win since 2004. Only the his timeline is, but we're just happy to see him, happy to support him. Florida Panthers, who last advanced in 1996, have a longer active Having him around the rink is a great sign." drought. Keefe wasn't sure if Tavares, who is recovering from a concussion and The Leafs have come painfully close to winning a series over the past knee injury, would be able to be in the building for the game tonight. His four years. In 2017, they squandered a 2-1 lead against the Washington mere presence this morning, however, had the team buzzing. Capitals. In 2018, they couldn't hold a third-period lead in Game 7 against the Boston Bruins. In 2019, they couldn’t close out the Bruins at "We're obviously very happy to see him and he's in good spirits," said home in Game 6 and fell again in Game 7. And then last year, in the Holl. "He looks healthy. He's got a couple things he's got to work through bubble, Toronto lost another decisive game, this time against the before he's ready to go and in game shape, but it’s really an encouraging Columbus Blue Jackets. sign to see him here. It's good for us emotionally and mentally."

"We understand what’s at stake, the opportunity we have in front of us Nick Foligno joined Tavares on the ice this morning as he works his way and what it's going to take to get the job done," said defenceman Morgan back from a lower-body injury. Foligno will miss a third straight game Rielly, who has been part of all four of those previous playoff setbacks. tonight. "They're going to come with their best and we have to match that. We Tavares returns to the ice providing Leafs an emotional boost know the challenge is big, but I think we'll be ready for it." The Leafs discuss how happy they were to see John Tavares back on Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Zach Hyman and William Nylander are the ice just one week since being stretchered off the ice in Game 1, and the other Leafs who will play tonight having also been a part of the four explain how it gives them an emotional boost as they look to close out previous playoff defeats. the Habs in Game 5 tonight. Leafs Ice Chips: Sandin in, Foligno out; Keefe seeks better start --- The Leafs will look to clinch a playoff series for the first time in 17 years Holl is tied with Jake Muzzin for the team lead with eight blocked shots in tonight. Toronto has outscored Montreal 12-4 while building a 3-1 series the series. One of the blocks came on a Cole Caufield chance late in lead. Sheldon Keefe described the mood around the team as business- Game 3. like and he outlined some areas he'd like to see them improve if they're going to finish the job this evening. Mark Masters has more. "That was funny," Holl recalled. "I was telling Soup [Jack Campbell], for some reason I thought it was just a wide open net behind me so it was --- kind of desperation mode and you just go for it and then I saw the replay Keefe likes the closing ability his team has developed during a run to first and Soup was just right there. So, it ended up working well, but I don't place in the North Division, but acknowledges they haven't proven it in know how necessary it was." the playoffs. The Leafs trail only the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild in blocks per "This is an important step. No doubt," Keefe said. "As a coach, my job 60 minutes in the playoffs. They finished 19th in that category in the here tonight is to just keep our guys focused on doing the things that regular season. we've done to give us success in the series and continue to clean up the What was Holl thinking when he laid out to deny Caufield? areas that we need to do better, because we can play better in a lot of areas still." "You're not really thinking about anything except, you know, it's my job to make sure this doesn't go to overtime and that we don't give them any "It's been good at times," said defenceman Justin Holl when asked about life and that we close out the win and you're willing to do whatever it the team's killer instinct. "I look at our three game series in Edmonton [in takes to make sure that that happens. So, really, that's all that's going early March] where we wanted to put some separation between us and through your mind at that point." them. There's a couple things that you can point to where we did a good job and a couple things that we can point to where we didn't do a great --- job, so it’s always a work in progress." Rasmus Sandin was reunited with Zach Bogosian on the third defence The Leafs took their foot off the gas, for example, in the third period of pairing at the morning skate and will return to the Leafs lineup after sitting Game 3, getting outshot 15-2 and barely holding on. But then, in Game out Game 4 as a healthy scratch. 4, they built a lead and never really allowed Montreal to get into the game. Sandin should bolster a power play that struggled down the stretch, but has shown some signs of life in the series going 3-for-16. Sandin scored one of two power-play goals during a Game 2 victory. "The puck's gone in the net for us a few times, so that's been good," said Keefe. "We've had more pucks arriving to the net. We've spent more time in the offensive zone and that's probably the biggest [thing]. With that time in the offensive zone, we've been striking to the net, but it's another area I think that we can do a lot better. I thought we were better on home ice than we were in Montreal in terms of our process."

The Leafs converted on one of six chances during the last two games in Montreal.

"Part of that is Montreal adjusted in their penalty kill," said Keefe. "But we still found a way to get a very important goal in Game 4 ... I think you can see some confidence coming there on our power play and that's a very good thing for us."

Adam Brooks, who made his Stanley Cup debut on Tuesday, continued to skate between Joe Thornton and Jason Spezza this morning and will remain in the lineup.

---

Lines at Leafs morning skate:

Hyman - Matthews - Marner

Galchenyuk - Kerfoot - Nylander

Mikheyev - Engvall - Simmonds

Thornton - Brooks - Spezza

Rielly - Brodie

Muzzin - Holl

Sandin - Bogosian

Campbell starts

Andersen

TSN.CA LOADED: 05.28.2021 1214362 Websites Nylander has been doing his part. After a few years of so-so postseasons, he's been brilliant with seven points in five games, including four goals.

USA TODAY / Opinion: Pressure is on Toronto Maple Leafs after they fail The Leafs need more from Matthews and Marner, though, especially with to close out Montreal Canadiens Tavares, their stalwart captain, still out following his frightening collision with Corey Perry in Game 1 of this series.

Matthews, the NHL's regular-season goals leader, has been quiet by his Jace Evans standards with just four points, including one goal, in the five games. Marner has four assists but no goals in the series. They're among the

highest-paid players in the NHL; they simply have to produce if the Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs aren't actually doing this, right? are ever going to make a serious run.

That's the question on every hockey fan's mind after the Maple Leafs It's a little silly to talk about "legacy" for players who aren't even 26 yet, squandered an opportunity to advance to the second round with but the fact of the matter is this: blowing a 3-1 lead in the first round, to Thursday's 4-3 overtime setback to the Montreal Canadiens. this Canadiens team, after what's happened the past four years, would be a stain on this core only a Stanley Cup championship run could erase. After fighting back from a 3-0 hole to force OT, the Leafs – who took the And if they were to bow out early once again, it wouldn't be surprising to ice at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena with a 3-1 series lead – quite literally see a major change made that would prevent this group from making threw the game away. Alex Galchenyuk's brutal turnover to Cole Caufield another run together. in the first minute of overtime initiated a 2-on-0 break that ended with Nick Suzuki putting the puck in the back of the net to cut the Canadiens' But this kind of conversation is something the Maple Leafs can shut series deficit to 3-2 as action shifts back to Montreal. down entirely if they go out and take care of business Saturday night in Game 6. If the Leafs fail to close out a Habs team with pretty much Even in a vacuum the Game 5 setback was a punch in the gut. Of nothing to lose again, they'll return to Toronto under an intense spotlight course, nothing the Toronto Maple Leafs do occurs in a vacuum. in a winner-take-all Game 7.

No team in the NHL is under more pressure than the Maple Leafs, and No pressure. few teams receive as much attention. Every mistake and every setback is heavily scrutinized by a hockey-mad market, and given more weight by USA TODAY LOADED: 05.28.2021 the franchise's half-century of postseason futility.

In case you haven't heard: The Maple Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967, the last year of the NHL's "Original Six" era. They haven't even played for it since then. They have not won a playoff series at all since 2004.

This new era of the Maple Leafs was supposed to change things. Spearheaded by forwards Auston Matthews (first overall pick in 2016), Mitch Marner (fourth overall in 2015), William Nylander (eighth overall in 2014) and defenseman Morgan Rielly (fifth overall in 2012) the Leafs finally built a young, exciting core through the draft they'd been lacking for quite some time.

NHL FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF SCHEDULE:Dates, times, television and results

The Maple Leafs broke through to the playoffs in Matthews' rookie year in 2016-17 and challenged the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in a tight six-game series that featured five overtime games.

They built on their success the next season, recording a franchise-record 105 points. And then they met the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs.

A 7-4 setback at Boston's TD Garden in Game 7 was disappointing, but hardly shocking. Those 2018 Bruins were a great team and the Leafs winning Games 5 and 6 to even force a Game 7 was nice to see from a young team and seemed to portend better things ahead.

Toronto signed John Tavares – the first overall pick in the 2009 draft – that offseason ... and then lost to the Bruins in the first round in seven games, dropping Game 6 at home before falling 5-1 to the eventual Eastern Conference champs in Game 7 in Boston. In the Toronto bubble in 2020, the Leafs lost their best-of-five preliminary round series to the Columbus Blue Jackets in five games, getting shut out 3-0 in the finale.

Including Thursday's setback, the Leafs are now 0-5 over the past four seasons when they've been in a position to advance in the playoffs. Their record in games where they could move on since 2004 is 0-6 if you go back to include their infamous – and fanbase scarring – Game 7 collapse against the Bruins in 2013 ("It was 4-1," Leafs fans cry out everywhere).

Since 2016 this team has made moves both big and small and yet still haven't found the right formula to win a round.

Frankly, blowing a 3-1 series lead to a historic rival would be the most embarrassing playoff exit for this group yet.

But breaking the narrative is actually pretty simple: They just need to win Saturday night in Montreal – in what should be a fun atmosphere with a limited number of fans actually back in the building – with Matthews, Marner and Nylander leading the way. 1214363 Websites Florida Panthers rookie goalie Spencer Knight got a lot of attention after giving up a goal on his first shot then settling down to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 in his playoff debut in Game 5.

USA TODAY / NHL playoffs: Penguins look for answers after loss to He also let in the first shot he faced in Game 6. The difference Islanders; Golden Knights lose key challenge Wednesday: Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy, considered a front-runner for the Vezina Trophy, stopped all 29 shots he faced for a 4-0 series- clinching victory.

Mike Brehm "They got a great young goalie over there and we have the best right now and he showed it tonight," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said.

Thursday's playoff games Pittsburgh Penguins stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have won three Stanley Cups together. Montreal at Toronto, 7 p.m. ET, NBCSN. Maple Leafs lead 3-1.

But since their last championship in 2017, they have won one playoff Carolina at Nashville, 9:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN. Hurricanes lead 3-2. round. USA TODAY LOADED: 05.28.2021 And the new management team of Ron Hextall and Brian Burke will have to figure out how to proceed after the Penguins unexpectedly won a division title but lost in the first round to the New York Islanders for the second time in three years, falling 5-3 in Game 6.

Crosby says he has heard the speculation about whether it's time to break up the core for years.

"I know the three of us, we want to win," he told reporters. "We’ll do whatever it takes to try to compete to do that every year."

The Penguins had to deal with the abrupt resignation of GM Jim Rutherford and struggled early before turning it around. Hextall's acquisition of Jeff Carter at the trade deadline paid off as he got nine goals down the stretch and five in the playoffs.

"Up and down the lineup, it’s a team that can definitely compete for a Stanley Cup," said Carter, who has a year left on his deal. "The hunger is still in that room and that comes from the top guys."

The Barry Trotz-coached Islanders won the final three games, even without a goal in the series from regular-season points leader Mathew Barzal. They got a strong performance from goalie Ilya Sorokin after he returned to the net in Game 4.

"They play a very structured game, a very simple game and patient game, and when they get opportunities, they capitalize on them," Carter said of the Islanders.

Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry, meanwhile, made a bad pass in losing Game 5, then yielded five goals on 24 shots in the clincher. The Penguins had three one-goal leads in the game, only to see the Islanders tie and take a two-goal lead.

"I thought when the game was 2-1, we got a huge save and that gave us momentum and we came back and got to 2-2," Trotz said. "When it was 5-3, on the Malkin breakaway, we got a huge save and that settled us right down."

Said Crosby: "There’s zero doubt in my mind that the group we have is a really good group and we had a real good opportunity here, and that’s why it stings so much."

Crucial sequence in Wild victory

The Vegas Golden Knights' Chandler Stephenson appeared to tie the Minnesota Wild 1-1 in the third period, but on-ice officials waved it off, citing goaltender interference by Alex Tuch.

Coach Peter DeBoer challenged and lost, getting the explanation that Tuch didn't try to get out of the crease. That led to a delay of game penalty, and Minnesota's Kevin Fiala scored on the power play. Instead of a tie, the Golden Knights were down 2-0. The Wild won 3-0.

"Those (reviews) have gone our way before," DeBoer said. "We felt it was worth the challenge. Our PK's been excellent all year. That point of the game, we felt it was a close enough call that it was the right thing to do."

Game 7 will be Friday night in Las Vegas. Key scorer Max Pacioretty has yet to play in the postseason and shutdown defenseman Brayden McNabb sat out Game 6 because of COVID-19 protocol.

"This is why you work your ass off all season to have the record you have to host this game in your building," DeBoer said.

Lightning's Vasilevskiy shines