Today’s News Clips Feb. 28, 2019
ChicagoBlackhawks.com RECAP: Blackhawks 4, Ducks 3
By Chris Wescott February 28, 2019
RAPID REACTION: Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane provided some late-game heroics as the Blackhawks downed the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in a come-from-behind victory. In his first start since Dec. 16, Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford made 29 saves and earned the win.
Anaheim's Rickard Rakell received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for his boarding against Drake Caggiula just 35 seconds into the second period.
Chicago played the rest of the game down a forward as Caggiula did not return due to a concussion suffered on the hit.
DeBrincat quickly took advantage, scoring his 35th goal of the season on the ensuing power play at the 49-second mark. DeBrincat was patient with the puck, picked his spot and sniped the go-ahead goal. Erik Gustafsson and Dylan Strome recorded the assists.
Unfortunately for Chicago, Devin Shore scored shorthanded on a 2-on-1 rush at 4:22 of the second to tie the game at 1- 1.
The Blackhawks scored a shorty of their own when Artem Anisimov snapped a beauty sharp-angle shot past Ryan Miller. The goal put Chicago ahead 2-1 at 16:42 of the second. Duncan Keith and Crawford each earned a helper on the goal.
The back-and-forth goal scoring in the middle period continued when Carter Rowney beat Crawford at 18:37 to tie the game again.
Troy Terry's tally at 5:35 of the third made it a 3-2 edge for the home team.
DeBrincat's second goal of the night and 36th of the season came just in time as Jonathan Toews set him up backdoor for the equalizer. The goal at 15:06 evened up the game at 3-3. Gustafsson recorded his second assist of the night.
Brandon Saad made a beautiful play late to set up Kane for the game-winner with just over 16 seconds remaining. Toews recorded the second assist. The goal was Kane's 40th of the season.
KEITH TIES TOEWS: With his assist on Anisimov's goal, Keith tied Toews for third-most shorthanded assists in Blackhawks history (15).
ALEX THE GREAT: DeBrincat's spectacular sophomore campaign continued with his two-goal performance in Anaheim. DeBrincat became the first Blackhawks skater, 21 or younger, since Jeremy Roenick (1991-92) to score 35+ goals in a season.
THANKS FOR THE ASSISTS: Gustafsson now has multiple assists in four-straight games.
TALKING POINTS: "I felt pretty good. I thought we played really well. It was a tough game. Our power play was good again. I had a couple tough mistakes on their goals, but I felt we showed a lot of resilience to get two quick goals at the end." - Crawford
"Just trying to get to the right areas at the right times. I think that's a big thing. I want to be that clutch guy, I want to be that guy who scores big goals. Just happened to go in for me today." - DeBrincat
NHL.com Kane gets late winner, helps Blackhawks top Ducks in Crawford return
By Dan Arritt February 28, 2019
Patrick Kane scored with 17 seconds left in the third period for the Chicago Blackhawks in a 4-3 win against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Wednesday.
Brandon Saad took a pass along the wall and centered it to Kane, who scored his 40th goal of the season.
"Kaner was talking to me on the weak side so I just gave it to him," Saad said. "Obviously he knows what to do with it."
Corey Crawford returned after missing 28 games with a concussion and made 29 saves for the Blackhawks. He also had an assist.
"I thought I made some big saves," Crawford said. "Also made some big mistakes."
Alex DeBrincat scored two goals, and Erik Gustafsson and Jonathan Toews each had two assists for the Blackhawks (27- 28-9), who moved within five points of the Colorado Avalanche for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
Devin Shore, Carter Rowney and Troy Terry scored for the Ducks (24-31-9), who have lost four in a row and are 11 points behind the Avalanche. Ryan Miller made 31 saves.
Kane's goal was the third go-ahead goal of his NHL career in the final minute of the third period, the most by a Chicago player in the past 40 seasons.
"It keeps us in the race," Kane said. "Gives us a little confidence when I know we think we can play better too."
DeBrincat tied the game 3-3 with his second goal at 15:06 of the third period. Toews brought puck around back of net and passed across the front of the crease to DeBrincat for the one-timer.
The Ducks took a 3-2 lead at 5:35 of the third period. Anaheim forward Derek Grant stole the puck from Crawford from behind the Chicago net and made a no-look, between-the-legs pass to Terry in the slot, and he scored into the open net.
"I saw him dislodge it behind the net," Terry said of Grant. "I tried to get into the slot area. I don't even know if he saw me, but it was just a smart play by him to know the goalie was there and to throw it out there."
Ducks forward Rickard Rakell was given a five-minute boarding penalty and game misconduct for a hit on forward Drake Caggiula 35 seconds into the second period. Caggiula sustained a concussion.
DeBrincat scored 14 seconds into the penalty on a wrist shot from the left face-off circle for a 1-0 lead.
Shore scored shorthanded at 4:22 to tie it 1-1.
Anaheim defenseman Josh Manson passed out of his zone to Shore alone along the wall and Grant came down the middle to start a 2-on-1. Shore tried to center a pass to Grant, but Gustafsson broke up the pass with his stick. The puck came back to Shore and he shot between Crawford's pads.
"That was unfortunate," Shore said of the boarding penalty. "Hate to see a guy down and injured, and we lose one of our best players. You rally around it, and I thought we did a good job on the kill. It was nice to get a shorty."
The Blackhawks went ahead 2-1 at 16:42 on a shorthanded goal by Artem Anisimov, who skated down the left side before scoring nearside from the bottom of the left circle.
Rowney tied it 2-2 at 18:37. The Blackhawks tried to clear their zone, but Ducks forward Ryan Kesler intercepted the pass and fed Rowney, who shot between Crawford's pads.
They said it "It was a big game. Didn't think we were very good but we found a way. We made some plays to get back in it there and we'll take it." -- Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton
"The main theme is we're struggling to score goals. We're playing good hockey, but just not getting the results offensively." -- Ducks forward Troy Terry
Need to know Kane is the third player in team history with at least 40 goals in a season at age 30 or older, joining Bobby Hull (1968-69, 1970-71, 1971-72) and Jim Pappin (1972-73). … Kane and DeBrincat are the first Chicago teammates with at least 35 goals in the same season since Steve Larmer and Jeremy Roenick in 1992-93. … Kane has scored at least a point in 19 straight road games (14 goals, 21 assists) dating to Nov. 24, 2018. … Kane avoided going back-to-back games without a point for the second time this season. … Toews has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in a seven-game point streak. … Gustafsson has nine assists in a four-game multipoint streak. … DeBrincat has 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in the past six games. ... The major penalty was the second of Rakell's seven-year NHL career.
NHL.com Crawford takes 8-year-old's Flat Stanley on Blackhawks adventure
By Tracey Myers February 27, 2019
An eight-year-old girl from Indiana was hoping that Corey Crawford would take Flat Stanley on some adventures for a class project. The Chicago Blackhawks goaltender was happy to oblige.
Sofia Cackowski attends Greensburg Elementary School in Greensburg, Indiana, about four hours south of Chicago. A few weeks ago, Cackowski, 8, wrote Crawford a letter, asking him if he could take Flat Stanley on adventures and take a picture with the Blackhawks.
Flat Stanley, for those who may not be familiar, is a character from a popular children's book series. Because he is flat, he can travel easily around the world by being mailed in an envelope.
Crawford took pictures of Stanley in the Blackhawks locker room, in the Zamboni tunnel, and with former Blackhawks forwards Patrick Sharp and Adam Burish in the press box at United Center.
And of course Flat Stanley had to meet the Stanley Cup.
Crawford took a picture of the character in front of the three Cups the Blackhawks won in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
Crawford also brought Flat Stanley to the Chicago Auto Show, where he signed autographs as part of First Look for Charity on Feb. 8.
"He found his way around," Crawford said of Flat Stanley. "I thought it was something cool for Sofia and just something a little bit different. I don't know if it was done before, but it was just a little different."
Cackowski received the Flat Stanley, an autographed photo of Crawford and a letter from the Blackhawks signed by Crawford, at her school on Feb. 20. The items Cackowski received were placed on the bulletin board outside of her classroom on Friday.
Crawford, who was out with a concussion since Dec. 16, was activated off injured reserve on Monday. Coach Jeremy Colliton didn't say if Crawford will start when the Blackhawks play the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Wednesday.
For Crawford, helping out Cackowski was special.
"I mean, when you're a kid, professional athletes, they seem kind of far away and unreachable," Crawford said. "So, if there's something we could do, something like that to try and create a little bit more connection, I think it's pretty cool."
NBCSportsChicago.com Four takeaways: Patrick Kane's last-minute goal gives Blackhawks much-needed bounce-back win in Anaheim
By Charlie Roumeliotis February 28, 2019
Here are four takeaways from the Blackhawks' 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Wednesday:
1. Showtime saves the day
The Blackhawks didn't play their best game. They let Anaheim hang around when they had opportunities to put it away earlier. But, as he often has in the past, Patrick Kane delivered in crunch time and secured two points for the visiting team to kick off the three-game West Coast trip on a positive note.
Brandon Saad made a terrific toe-drag move at the blue line, then fed it to Kane, who snapped one past Ryan Miller with 16.1 seconds left in regulation to give the Blackhawks a 4-3 lead.
Kane became the seventh player in Blackhawks history to post multiple 40-goal seasons, joining Bobby Hull (eight times), Steve Larmer (five), Jeremy Roenick (four), Al Secord (three), Denis Savard (three) and Tony Amonte (three), according to the NHL's PR. Kane's career-high is 46 goals, set during the 2015-16 campaign when he won the Hart Trophy, and he's on pace to break that.
2. Return of the Crow
When Corey Crawford returned in October after being sidelined for nearly 10 months with a concussion, it was natural to wonder whether or not he'd be rusty. He quickly dismissed that by turning in a .946 save percentage in his first four starts.
He did the same on Wednesday.
Crawford was sharp all night, stopping 29 of 32 shots for a save percentage of .906, with two of the goals against coming from high-danger areas and his only real blunder coming on Anaheim's third goal of the game when he misplayed the puck and it ended up in the back of his own net. Fortunately for him, the Blackhawks had his back by scoring a late equalizer and finishing the deal in the final minute.
3. Alex DeBrincat making history
DeBrincat has been incredible this season. With two more goals on Wednesday, the 5-foot-7, 165-pound winger has 36 goals on the season and a chance to reach 50 in only his second year in the NHL. He also has 25 goals in his last 33 games, which is a pace of 62 goals over the course of an 82-game season.
DeBrincat became the fourth player in Blackhawks history to have a 35-plus goal season at age 21 or younger, joining Roenick (41 in 1990-91 and 35 in 1991-92), Hull (38 in 1959-60) and Larmer (43 in 1982-83), according to StatsCentre.
4. Five-minute power play missed opportunity
The Blackhawks had a prime opportunity in the opening minutes of the second period to take control of a scoreless game when they were awarded a five-minute power play after Rickard Rakell was given a game misconduct for boarding Drake Caggiula, who did not return due to a concussion. And it looked like they would.
DeBrincat scored 14 seconds into the power play to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead, but that was all they would get. In fact, the Ducks actually scored a shorthanded goal of their own thanks to an unfortunate bounce that ended up in the back of the net.
In the end, the Blackhawks came out of the five-minute power play the same way they went into it. A tie game. It could've been a killer because if the Blackhawks found a way to make it 2-0 in that sequence, it would've probably feel like a comfortable lead considering the Ducks rank dead last in goals per game (2.16), and had scored only two goals in their previous three games.
Chicago Tribune 3 takeaways from the Blackhawks' 4-3 win, including Corey Crawford's big saves and big mistakes in his big return
By Jimmy Greenfield February 28, 2019
The Blackhawks are a hopeful group. Even if they had lost to the Ducks instead of somewhat miraculously storming back for a 4-3 victory on Wednesday they would have still felt they were in the race for a playoff spot.
But for all intents and purposes, a loss to the 7th-place Ducks (yes, the Hawks are also a 7th-place team) would have been too much to overcome.
Instead, Alex DeBrincat scored his 36th goal with four minutes, 54 seconds left and Patrick Kane scored his 40th with 16.1 seconds remaining to keep the Hawks within five points of the last spot in the Western Conference wild-card race.
Add Corey Crawford winning his first start since Dec. 16 and looking pretty good doing it and the Hawks still have hope. At least through the weekend.
Here are three takeaways from Wednesday night’s game.
1. Crawford was both ready and rusty.
Crawford is so calm and relaxed at all times you never know what he’s going to say. When asked after Wednesday's win if this was more than just another game, it seemed like he was going to shrug it off.
But he didn't. Coming back from a concussion and playing his first game in more than two months was a big deal to him, even if it didn't look like it.
“Yeah, I would say so after missing that much time,” he said. “Just tried to feel good from the start. I felt pretty good. I thought we played really well and it was a tough game. Our power play was good again and I made a couple tough mistakes on their goals, but I thought we showed a lot of resilience there, too, to be able to get the two quick ones near the end.”
It took nearly eight minutes for Crawford to face his first shot on goal, perhaps a problem for some goalies who like to see a little action to build momentum — but not for Crawford. He felt good throughout the game, he said, even if he made a couple of pretty big mistakes that could have cost the Hawks the game.
The first mistake Crawford alluded to came when he attempted to poke-check a puck that was approaching him. But the Ducks' Carter Rowney was able to barely deflect the puck and it slipped just past Crawford to put the Ducks up 2-1.
“It was kind of a weird one,” Crawford said. "I thought he was just gonna receive it and I think it just went right through. I was getting ready to poke-check. Obviously that one was a bad mistake.”
It wasn't as bad as the second mistake, which came in the third period and for a while seemed like it might be the deciding play of the game. Crawford went behind his net to play the puck but lost it to Derek Grant, who threw a pass between his legs to Troy Terry to snap into a wide open net.
"It’s nice to come away with a win after making two big mistakes like that," Crawford said. "Our guys were able to come back and score those goals. Definitely take this first one and build off all the good things, too."
Despite getting two concussions in less than a year, Crawford wasn't nervous about about getting hit again. Things felt right, and he's ready for his next start either on Saturday against the Kings or Sunday against the Sharks.
“I felt good, he said. "I made some big saves and also I made some big mistakes. I think after missing a lot of time, it’s those little things that will come back the more I play. I definitely have to sharpen some things up, but it was good to get a win."
2. DeBrincat is going to sail past 40 goals, and 50 is within reach.
With 18 games left in the season it's a virtual certainty DeBrincat will hit 40 goals in just his second season. The big question will be whether or not he can reach 50.
The Hawks' second-round pick of the 2016 draft was already viewed as a steal after scoring 28 goals as a rookie. Now it's looking like every NHL team that thought he was too small made a colossal blunder.
DeBrincat scored his 35th and 36th goals of the season Wednesday, including the tying goal with four minutes, 54 seconds remaining to tie the game.
“You just can't teach what he has," Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. "He just has this incredible release and he gets it on net all the time. He had three or four other chances where he's getting jammed and he's a long ways away and he just finds a way to put it in a spot where it's difficult for the goalie. It's great to have a guy like that on the ice.”
To be sure, 50 will be difficult. DeBrincat would need to score 14 goals in his last 18 games. That's very hard to do. On the other hand, he just did it. Over his last 18 games, DeBrincat has 15 goals.
“I don’t really think of a number at the beginning of the year," DeBrincat said. "Obviously, I want to improve on my numbers and be a consistent player, and it just happens to be working for me right now and I’m getting a lot of chances. If I can keep it like that, hopefully I can score a few more.”
Yeah, 14 more.
3. If Drake Caggiula is out for awhile it could have a big impact.
It's too soon to know if the concussion Caggiula suffered during the second period when he was boarded by the Ducks' Rickard Rakell will be a long-term problem. Caggiula was down on the ice for a couple minutes but was eventually able to leave the ice under his own power.
The Hawks have been careful this season with players who have suffered head injuries. Marcus Kruger and Artem Anisimov each missed over a week earlier this season after being removed from games with concussions. They began practicing shortly afterwards but still missed time.
The hit on Caggiula appeared to be worse than the ones Kruger and Anisimov received.
“Sometimes it looks terrible and you're back right away,” Colliton said. “And sometimes it looks innocent and it takes forever. So we'll see.”
Losing Caggiula would trigger a lines shift that would likely get Brendan Perlini back in the lineup. Colliton could choose to move Brandon Saad from the third line to play with Kane and Jonathan Toews as he has often throughout his career.
Whatever Colliton chooses to do, the timing is terrible with the Hawks still fighting for a playoff spot.
Here’s a recap of the Hawks’ 4-3 win at the Honda Center in Anaheim:
Patrick Kane went without a point for one game. That was enough for him, but he cut it close.
Kane, whose 20-game streak with at least one point ended Sunday, scored his 40th goal of the season with 16.1 seconds remaining, and Corey Crawford made 29 saves in his first game back from a concussion in a 4-3 win over the Ducks on Wednesday night at the Honda Center.
Crawford looked strong in his first game since he suffered a concussion on Dec. 16 and missed the next 28 games. However, he did commit a big turnover that led to a third-period goal for the Ducks.
Alex DeBrincat scored a pair of goals, including his 36th of the season to tie the game at 3 with 4:54 remaining.
The Ducks’ Rickard Rakell was ejected early in the second period for boarding Drake Caggiula, who lay face down on the ice for about a minute before leaving under his own power. The Hawks later announced Caggiula would not return to the game due to a concussion.
Caggiula has been a terrific addition to the top line over the last month, helping Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews score points in bunches to propel the Hawks back into the playoff race. The Hawks are now five points out of the final wild- card spot.
Troy Terry put the Ducks ahead 3-2 in the third when Crawford attempted to play the puck behind his own net but lost it to Derek Grant, who centered it in the slot for Terry to snap it into a wide-open net.
DeBrincat scored his 35th goal just 13 seconds into the five-minute major penalty, but the Hawks failed to score again on the extended power play. The Ducks' Devin Shore scored a short-handed goal — the sixth the Hawks have allowed this season — to tie it back up.
The Hawks retook the lead on their own shorthanded goal when Artem Anisimov surprised Ducks goalie Ryan Miller with a wrist shot over his right shoulder for his 11th goal. However, the Ducks tied it back less than two minutes later, when Carter Rowney redirected a Ryan Kesler shot that slipped just past Crawford’s stick.
The first period ended without either team scoring, the first time that’s happened in a Hawks game since Nov. 16.
Chicago Tribune Blackhawks Q&A: Do the Hawks want to sign Artemi Panarin? How much time does Jeremy Colliton get to develop young players?
By Jimmy Greenfield February 27, 2019
The Great Blackhawks Playoff Push of 2019 is losing strength, but with 19 games left and a weak Western Conference it’s too soon to declare the season lost.
But it’s never too soon to answer reader questions.
How many years do they give Jeremy Colliton to develop the young players, especially the ones on defense? — Paul B.
Colliton has two years remaining on his current contract. As far as how many years he has to turn this thing around, I'm not sure it's based on the progress of the young players. They'll need to start winning before Adam Boqvist, Nicolas Beaudin, Ian Mitchell and whoever else is able to make the team over the next two seasons start to produce like bona fide NHL players.
If several a bunch of the prospects suddenly look like strong players but the Hawks still can't make the playoffs, I'm not sure if Colliton lasts beyond the 2020-21 season.
If they're able to attract some real free-agent talent — they're going to have to go after bigger fish than Cam Ward, Chris Kunitz and Brandon Manning this offseason — and pull off a trade or two, then the Hawks should be legitimate contenders for a playoff spot next season. If not, expect another season like this one.
Colliton will have the luxury of a full training camp to prepare the team heading into a full season. In theory, that should help avoid another disastrous start. Unless things go south on him, can't imagine that he wouldn't get another season after that. Nearly three full seasons sure seems like enough to decide if Colliton deserves another contract.
A lot probably depends on if Hawks general manager Stan Bowman is also around then. A lot can happen over the next two years but there's no indication his job is in jeopardy.
Since the Hawks made no moves, do you take that as a sign that they’re confident with what they have to get to the playoffs? Or that they have accepted that this may not be their year? Obviously I’m hoping it’s them being confident. Thanks as always! — Collin M.
Sorry to disappoint you, Collin. It's the latter.
The Hawks accepted months ago that this wasn't going to be a year to go for it. Part of the problem was the hole they dug for themselves in the standings. But even when they were back in the playoff race nothing changed in their thinking.
Talking to reporters on Monday, Bowman made a case that trading for rental players is a high risk not often worth taking. But the fact is he's taken that risk before when he thought the Hawks were in position to do damage in the playoffs.
"You know, rarely does that work. I think the one time, well (Michal) Handzus (in 2013) and Antonine Vermette (in 2015), so it did work those two years for us. But most often, it doesn’t work,” he said. “There are two sides to that. There’s a lot of deals made today, there’s only one team that’s going to win. Some teams didn’t do anything, so it could be one of those teams. Half of these teams are going to lose in the first round."
What Bowman didn't mention is he's one of the GMs who has made deadline deals that haven't paid off with postseason success, which bolsters his argument it's often unwise to give up the future for the present.
In 2016, he gave up a first-round pick plus prospects for Andrew Ladd, and in a separate deal traded Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann for Phillip Danault and a second-round pick. The Hawks lost in the first round that season.
I'd still argue those deals made sense because the Hawks were Stanley Cup contenders. The fact that they didn't work out doesn't necessarily mean those trades weren't good moves at the time.
But this year there was nothing comparable. The Hawks aren't nearly as good as they were in 2016, and they aren't in a position to trade draft picks or prospects. It was the right move to stand pat even if it ensures another season missing the playoffs.
What is the organization's view of Brandon Saad? While he has scored goals at a better pace, it appears that he doesn’t seem to want to get very physical and tends to take shifts off. Any truth to that or am I way off base? — John C.
Saad remains an important asset for the Hawks. He's not terribly expensive at a $6 million cap hit and only has two years left on his current deal. His presence on the third line over the last six weeks is a big reason the Hawks were able to load up the first two lines and have so much offensive success.
I think Saad is destined to be judged by who he isn't rather than who he is. Despite his size he's not the most physical player on the ice defensively. But he's not in the same situation he was early in the season when Joel Quenneville nearly made him a healthy scratch.
Colliton has built Saad up since taking over and is happy with how he's been playing.
Looking ahead to the summer, if Artemi Panarin wants to come back to Chicago and the Hawks can find a way to do it financially do you think they pull the trigger to get him? Obviously, this season has proven that a defensive improvement is a priority but it would be hard to pass up a young dynamic player like Panarin if he really wants to make a deal in Chicago work. — Jonny L.
The Hawks will be able to afford Panarin if they want him and he wants them. The cap is expected to be around $82 million this summer and the Hawks should have between $15-20 million to spend based on what they do with their restricted free agents and if they make any trades.
Clearly, the Hawks need to improve their defense but with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Erik Gustafsson, Connor Murphy and Henri Jokiharju likely taking up five of the top six spots going into the offseason they're probably making those improvements via trade rather than free agency.
Panarin is a great player and getting him would create a trickle effect that could give them a dominant third line. But the chances don't appear to be any greater for the Hawks to sign him just because he spent the first two seasons of his career here.
I used to think that Marian Hossa would have made a great assistant coach. Is there anything in any of the more notorious contracts that says the player could move to coaching instead of playing but not break the contract? If so, who do you see as the best candidate to join the coaching staff, and why? — Margaret L.
Player contracts are separate from coaching contracts. A player can't simply move into coaching and have his contract convert. The best candidate to join the Hawks next season would easily be Chris Kunitz.
He's almost certainly going to retire at the end of this season, his wife is from Chicago and would like to stay here permanently, and he's a smart, highly respected player. But he's been playing for a long time and may want to give up the travel grind for a bit.
It wouldn't surprise me if Connor Murphy goes into coaching when his playing days are over but he's only 25. So that's a long way off.
I know Corey Crawford is French-Canadian. Which players are speaking, cursing, and conversing in native tongue? — Bob Z.
Crawford speaks French, as does Jonathan Toews. You know who doesn't? Me. So if they're cursing (at me or near me) I don't have any idea.
Chicago Tribune Blackhawks' Corey Crawford gets the start against the Ducks after missing 28 games with a concussion
By Jimmy Greenfield February 27, 2019
The cat was unofficially out of the bag that Corey Crawford would make his first start in more than two months when he left the Blackhawks’ morning skate before Cam Ward on Wednesday at the Honda Center. Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton made it official a few minutes later.
“Corey,” he declared to reporters before adding: “We done?”
Colliton got a laugh, but he wasn’t quite correct that there would be no more interest in talking to him. He was, however, right that everything else he said would pale in comparison to Crawford’s return from his second major concussion in less than a year.
The Hawks announced Tuesday that Crawford would play on the three-game road trip, it just wasn't certain which game that would be. It did make sense that it would come against a Ducks team that is last in the NHL in goals scored and shots per game.
Colliton didn’t actually see Crawford’s face when he was given the news on Tuesday — that was Hawks goalie coach Jimmy Waite’s honor — but he has a pretty good idea what it would have looked like.
“Probably he had the same look on his face as he usually does,” Colliton said. “Just no big deal, ready to go.”
The last time Crawford appeared in an NHL game was Dec. 16, when the Sharks’ Evander Kane accidentally pushed Dylan Strome into Crawford. The back of Crawford’s head struck a goal post and he immediately left the game.
When Crawford got hurt, it was in his 23rd start since returning from the 2017 concussion that sidelined him from mid- December through the first five games of this season. The Hawks didn’t have adequate backups last season and were derailed by his absence.
This season, Ward and rookie Collin Delia played capably during Crawford’s 28-game absence. They each won some big games and played well in stretches but over the last seven games combined to go 3-4 with an .864 save percentage. If the Hawks have any hope of keeping their fading playoff hopes alive, they need Crawford to return to form immediately. Colliton doesn’t want him to try to be a savior, though.
“Just be himself,” Colliton said. “We’re not looking for anything more than that. It’s gonna be a boost for the guys, and everyone feels good about having him in and his experience and his demeanor and obviously his ability to stop pucks. That’s all we want, just be himself.”
Getting Crawford back will help on the ice, no doubt. It’s already helped in the locker room.
“He’s a great goaltender and the guys love having him in the room,” captain Jonathan Toews said. “He’s always been one of those guys you just love having around. It’s been tough to see him go through something similar to last season again this year missing a lot of games. But we all trust he’s been doing everything he can to get back in and get himself healthy.
“He’s got the opportunity to get back in and play some hockey, and that’s what we all want for him. We’re excited to have him back for sure.” Chicago Sun Times Corey Crawford sharp in return as Blackhawks win 4-3 on Patrick Kane’s late goal
By Jason Lieser February 28, 2019
It wasn’t perfect, but Corey Crawford was mostly sharp in his first game back for the Blackhawks.
He made big saves throughout the night Wednesday, including two big ones in the final minutes, to keep them in it long enough to beat the Ducks 4-3 on Patrick Kane’s goal with 16.1 seconds left in regulation.
Crawford stopped the first 10 shots he faced and saved 29 of 32 overall in his return from more than two months of being sidelined by a concussion.
“I made some big saves and also I made some big mistakes,” he said. “I think after missing a lot of time, it’s those little things that will come back the more I play. I definitely have to sharpen some things up, but it was good to get a win.”
It was an ugly game for the Hawks at Honda Center, but Crawford, Kane and Alex DeBrincat did enough to help them escape with an important victory and keep their wild-card dreams alive.
DeBrincat scored their first goal on a power play early in the second period and tied it 3-3 with five minutes remaining in the third. He has 36 on the season, trailing only Kane’s 40 among the Hawks.
The win pulled them within five points of the Avalanche for the second wild-card spot. Colorado jumped the Stars by beating Vancouver in a shootout Wednesday.
“Didn’t think we were very good, but we found a way,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “We made some plays to get back in it there. We’ll take it.”
They took a hit, however, with the loss of first-line winger Drake Caggiula. Ducks forward Rickard Rakell plowed him headfirst into the glass in the second period, causing Caggiula to suffer a concussion. Colliton didn’t have any word on his condition immediately after the game, and it is unknown how long he’ll be out.
Rakell was hit with a five-minute major penalty and ejected.
“I didn’t like the hit,” Colliton said.
Aside from the Hawks’ overall sloppiness, Crawford’s return seemed to energize them. Their defense, usually one of the shakiest in the NHL, kept the Ducks from launching a shot on goal until eight minutes into the game.
Crawford passed his first test with ease. Ducks winger Carter Rowney fired one from just outside the crease, and Crawford knocked away. Rowney rebounded the puck and fed Nick Ritchie skating in on Crawford’s right, and Crawford instantly turned for the save.
He stared down a two-on-one in the second period in which Jakob Silfverberg rifled one glove-side and swiped it out of the air with a flourish.
Crawford had one major lapse, but it was a killer. He tried to play a puck behind the goal early in the third period, and Derek Grant stripped him and kicked it out Troy Terry who scored easily on the empty net as Crawford lunged for it.
“That one was a bad mistake,” he said.
Nonetheless, it was an encouraging first step. Crawford should get another chance this weekend, either Saturday at the Kings or Sunday at the Sharks. Colliton declined to give a sketch of the plan for Crawford, but he will almost certainly split the back-to-back between him and Cam Ward.
Colliton didn’t sense any jitters from Crawford leading up to the game. Goalie coach Jimmy Waite told Crawford on Tuesday he was getting the start, and there wasn’t much reaction.
‘‘Probably had the same look on his face as he usually does,’’ Colliton said. ‘‘Just no big deal, ready to go.’’
But there’s no doubt the win was meaningful for Crawford. No matter what anyone else thought about whether he should keep playing after a second concussion, he was determined to make it back.
He spent the first month-plus of his recovery training on his own until he returned to partial practice three weeks ago. He didn’t start traveling with the Hawks until their game last week.
“It’s pretty frustrating to watch games when you’re not playing,” Crawford said. “You want to get back as quick as possible, but I’ve gotta be smart, too. Now I’m feeling good, back to normal, so I’m just gonna roll with it now.”
Chicago Sun Times Blackhawks lose Drake Caggiula indefinitely after concussion vs. Ducks
By Jason Lieser February 28, 2019
The Blackhawks lost a key part of their top line in the 4-3 win over Anaheim on Wednesday. Left wing Drake Caggiula suffered a concussion in the second period when Ducks forward Rickard Rakell smashed him into the glass as Caggiula chased down a puck.
Caggiula stayed down for a minute before being helped off the ice and went immediately to the locker room. The Hawks have no initial indication of the severity of the concussion, though coach Jeremy Colliton said there was no additional injury on the play.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Colliton said. “It’s tough to tell. Sometimes it looks terrible and you’re back right away, and sometimes it looks innocent and it takes forever. So we’ll see.”
Caggiula’s injury came at the start of a three-game West Coast trip. The Hawks play at the Kings on Saturday and visit the Sharks on Sunday. They are carrying one extra forward on the active roster (either Chris Kunitz or Brendan Perlini), but have an open spot if they want to bring someone up from Rockford.
While he’s not a star and has just four goals and three assists since joining the Hawks last month, Caggiula could be difficult to replace. He has been a great fit with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on the top line. He is a plus-1 overall and has been playing around 17 minutes per game lately.
“It’s tough to see,” Alex DeBrincat said. “You never want to see a guy laying on the ice like that. He’s a big part of our team… He’s a grinder. He likes to get in the dirty areas.
“It just sucks to see him go down like that. Luckily we were able to win it for him.”
Rakell was whistled for boarding, hit with a five-minute major penalty and ejected. The Hawks made little use of that opportunity, however, and scored one goal in five minutes while allowing a short-handed goal by Ducks center Devin Shore.
Chicago Sun Times Blackhawks notes: Jonathan Toews trending toward career-best season
By Jason Lieser February 27, 2019
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was frustrated by the dip in his production the last two seasons, which brought questions about whether he was in decline.
He spent last offseason working to change that, and the mission has been a success.
Toews entered the Hawks’ game Wednesday against the Ducks with 29 goals and 35 assists and is on pace for the best offensive season of his 12-year career.
‘‘He’s been excellent,’’ coach Jeremy Colliton said at the morning skate. ‘‘He’s so strong on the puck and so strong down low. [He] takes the puck to the net, [and] he’s willing to do the dirty work both offensively and defensively.
‘‘His leadership capabilities are huge for our group. It’s nice to look down your lineup and see his name.’’
Toews barely reached 20 goals each of the last two seasons after averaging nearly 28 in the nine seasons before that and had a career-low 52 points last season.
He’s on track for 37 goals, which would surpass the career-high 34 he scored in 2008-09. He also will set a career high with 83 points if he continues his current pace.
Toews slipped into a minor slump in early January but turned it around heading into the All-Star break. He had 22 points in his last 14 games entering play Wednesday and was third in the NHL in goals (11) during that span.
Playoff-race stress
The Hawks’ push from the bottom of the league to the thick of the Western Conference wild-card hunt hit a rough patch last weekend with losses to the Avalanche and Stars, but Colliton said he thought their overall play was good.
If the Hawks can keep playing at that level, he said he likes their chances of sneaking into a playoff spot. He also wants players who will stay calm amid the chaos in the standings, where the Hawks swung from a brief hold on the second wild-card berth to six points out as they headed west.
‘‘It’s not going to happen overnight, us getting where we want to go, so we can’t worry about the [standings],’’ Colliton said. ‘‘We understand important games happen around the league that affect us, but we can’t do anything about it.
‘‘Emotionally, you’ve gotta stay on an even keel. It’s the same thing in the playoffs. Can’t look too far ahead, can’t be worried about what happened before. Just do your job, take care of your own performance.’’
Players such as Toews and wing Patrick Kane might not need to hear that message, but the Hawks have nine players who never have been to the playoffs.
A little bit of history
Wing Alex DeBrincat scored his sixth goal in the last five games on a power play in the first minute of the second period. It was his 35th of the season and enabled him to join Jeremy Roenick, Bobby Hull and Steve Larmer as Hawks to score 35 goals in a season at age 21 or younger. DeBrincat added his 36th — fourth in the NHL — with five minutes left in the third. Daily Herald Kane scores in game's closing seconds to give Hawks 4-3 win
By John Dietz February 28, 2019
Patrick Kane scored his 40th goal of the season with just 16.1 seconds remaining in regulation as the Blackhawks stunned the host Anaheim Ducks by posting a 4-3 victory Wednesday.
Just 15 seconds before Kane's tally, Corey Crawford -- in his first start in more than two months -- turned away a point- blank shot by Derek Grant. Ten seconds later, Jonathan Toews fed Brandon Saad, who raced into open ice and made a nifty move around Hampus Lindholm.
Saad then found Kane streaking down the right side.
Kane received the puck with his backhand, moved it to his forehand and fired the game-winner to give the Hawks 2 huge points.
As for Crawford, goaltenders often talk about how they don't mind "seeing a lot of rubber" and "getting a feel for the puck" early on in games.
Well, the exact opposite happened to Crawford as he waited, waited and waited some more until finally facing his first shot on goal at the 7:54 mark of the first period. As he had done 13,557 previous times in his career, Crawford saved that shot, plus the one that came just seconds later by Nick Ritchie from just a few feet away.
Crawford went on to make several other impressive saves, finishing with 29 overall.
"I thought our goaltender was our best player on the ice," Chris Kunitz told Steve Konroyd on NBCSports Chicago after the first period. "He made a lot of great saves. It's nice to see him back in the net."
The Hawks trailed 3-2 late in this one, but Alex DeBrincat scored his second goal with 4:54 remaining in regulation to it up.
Despite getting the win, the Hawks didn't look particularly sharp. DeBrincat managed to score 13 seconds into a five- minute major that was given to Rickard Rakell early in the second period, but the Hawks ended up with just 1 more shot on goal and also allowed Anaheim to score short-handed at 4:22.
Rakell was also given a game misconduct for smashing Drake Caggiula into the boards. Caggiula was diagnosed with a concussion and did not return.
Still, a win's a win -- something coach Jeremy Colliton's team desperately needed after dropping games to Colorado and Dallas over the weekend.
And the best part? Crawford -- other than needing to sharpen up his skills while playing the puck behind the net -- looked steady, sharp and very much like his old self.
"You don't want to see a teammate that has to be on his own page dealing with a long-term injury and just being disconnected from the rest of the locker room," Jonathan Toews told reporters beforehand. "You kind of feel for a guy that's not feeling like himself and not feeling 100 percent. …
"Personally just happy that he's healthy and he's feeling good. Hockey comes second after that."
Daily Herald Blackhawks' Colliton toes fine line with his defense
By Barry Rozner February 27, 2019
It's been nearly three years since Erik Gustafsson made that fatal mistake in St. Louis.
It was his poor choice in the third period of a tied Game 7 against the Blues that cost the Blackhawks the opening series, when he tried to make a move at his own blue line instead of hitting Artemi Panarin or Patrick Kane in stride.
He had 41 NHL games under his belt at the time and a mere 5 playoff games, and when the puck wound up in the back of his own net, Gustafsson was banished.
After playing half of 2015-16 in the NHL, he didn't appear again in Chicago for a year and a half, until January 2018.
Today he is ninth among NHL defensemen in scoring with 45 points going into Wednesday night's game in Anaheim, his offensive ability never a question.
His defense may always be so, but it wasn't going to get better if he didn't get a chance to play consistently at this level.
"It feels good," Gustafsson said a few days ago. "This has been good for me. I have a lot of confidence in myself and feel good with the puck."
When Gustafsson arrived back in the NHL some 13 months ago, Gustav Forsling -- only 21 at the time -- disappeared. After a strong start to the 2017-18 season, Forsling went the way of most young defensemen -- witness Henri Jokiharju this year.
Forsling is still trying to figure it out and it was one of his mistakes that cost the Hawks a game Sunday afternoon.
Slater Koekkoek was the culprit Friday night when he tried to make a cross-ice pass for the one-timer -- think Doug Wilson to Steve Larmer -- but in a tie game in the third period, the proper play was getting the puck to the net.
The pass was picked off and Colorado went the other way for the game-winner.
"I think we had couple people there (in front of the net)," said coach Jeremy Colliton. "Ideally he would (get it to the net), but this is a game of mistakes.
"It's not just the mistakes you make, it's how you recover. I know that he's been really good for us for a long stretch of time, and I expect he'll get back to that level."
Gustafsson, Forsling, Koekkoek, Connor Murphy, Carl Dahlstrom and Jokiharju. Add them all up, not to mention the many defense prospects on the way, and what do you have?
Reasonable question.
Young defensemen are like young pitchers. Good luck trying to figure out what they will be three years from now. If you had watched Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith as rookies, you would not have been impressed.
But you can only find out if you play them and that's something Colliton is willing to do.
"We've made a lot of progress," Colliton said of the young defensemen in his four months on the job. "When I look at the defense from when we started to where we are now, huge improvement. And I think that's no coincidence why our record's been better."
It's not a coincidence, but it also speaks to the difficult nature of what Colliton is trying to do, developing players while also trying to make the playoffs.
It's something of a contradiction, but entirely necessary for where the Hawks are today, thinking about next year while keeping veteran players and fans engaged.
So what do the Hawks have?
Well, Seabrook is a third-pairing guy at this point. Keith might be a No. 4 if he had a solid No. 3 next to him. Gustafsson could be a No. 4, but he also needs a stay-at-home guy with him, like Murphy, though Murphy's best games occurred when paired with Dahlstrom.
"I just think his minimum level just hasn't been as high as it was before," Colliton said of Dahlstrom. "For the most part he's played well, but the games that aren't as good (have occurred) a little bit more often lately.
"We're very pleased with him overall, but it's a competition. It's not a bad thing."
Jokiharju looked like a legit 3 or 4 early, but is trying to find his legs again. Koekkoek and Forsling? Most of these guys haven't played 100 games, let alone the 200 you generally need on defense to feel at home in the NHL.
Until the Hawks figure it out, and find themselves six to eight legitimate NHL defensemen, any discussion of competing again is moot.
Daily Herald Kane helps Blackhawks rally to 4-3 win over Ducks
By Joe Reedy – Associated Press February 28, 2019
Patrick Kane scored with 16.1 seconds remaining on an odd-man rush and the Chicago Blackhawks rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night.
Alex DeBrincat scored two goals, Artem Anisimov had a short-handed goal and Corey Crawford made 29 saves as the Blackhawks snapped a two-game losing streak.
The Blackhawks trailed 3-2 midway through the third when DeBrincat tied it at 15:06 when Jonathan Toews made a cross-crease pass and DeBrincat beat Ryan Miller on his stick side.
The goal was DeBrincat 36th of the season and made him the fourth player in Blackhawks history to score 35 or more goals in a season at age 21 or younger. He joined Bobby Hull, Steve Larmer and Jeremy Roenick, who did it two straight seasons.
Kane then got the winner when Brandon Saad found him streaking up ice for his 40th of the season.
Devin Shore, Carter Rowney and Troy Terry scored for Anaheim, which has dropped its last four. Miller stopped 31 shots.
DeBrincat gave the Blackhawks an early lead 49 seconds into the second period on the power play when his shot from the left faceoff circle went off the post and past Miller. The goal came 13 seconds after Anaheim's Rickard Rakell was ejected and given a five-minute major for hitting Drake Caggiula from behind and into the boards behind the Chicago net.
The Ducks evened it at 1 at 4:22 when Shore scored a short-handed goal on a 2-on-1 rush. It was the forward's seventh of the season and just the third short-handed goal by Anaheim.
Both teams then traded goals less than two minutes apart late in the second. Anisimov put Chicago ahead at 16:42 on a short-handed rush up ice when he snapped one past Miller's blocker. Rowney tied it at 18:37 when he redirected Ryan Kessler's pass in front of the goal.
Terry scored his second goal of the season at 5:35 of the third when he took a pass from Derek Grant and put it past Chicago's Corey Crawford, who was unable to clear the puck out of his zone. Crawford struggled to play the puck behind the net, which allowed Grant to skate in, grab possession and make a between his legs pass to Terry.
NOTES: According to SportRadar, this is the seventh game this season in which a short-handed goal has been scored by both teams. ... Toews extended his points streak to seven with an assist on DeBrincat's second goal. He has nine points (four goals, five assists) during the streak. ... The Blackhawks have scored on the power play in 20 of their last 25 games.
The Athletic Corey Crawford’s back, but is he too late to make a difference?
By Mark Lazerus February 28, 2019
Thirteen minutes and 30 seconds into the second period Wednesday night, Corey Crawford officially was “back.”
Oh, he had made several nice stops in his first period and a half since suffering another concussion in December, as the Ducks didn’t test him often but tested him well, from close range and in rapid succession. But it wasn’t until Crawford snatched a Jakob Silfverberg shot out of the air and flashed the glove high above his head that you knew. It’s his signature save. If the Blackhawks goalie had his own Jumpman logo, this would be it. It’s the kind of save we’ve seen on the biggest stages, against the best teams, in front of the hottest crowds.
Wednesday’s 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks was anything but.
Crawford is back, and it’s wonderful news all around. But it feels like he returned just a week too late — for his sake and the Blackhawks’ sake. That’s not to say the Blackhawks would have beaten the Avalanche and Stars last weekend if Crawford were in net. But you want to see Crawford making that save in a meaningful game, like he’s done so many times in the past. Not in an awful game against an awful team in front of a half-empty building.
It all changed so quickly for the Blackhawks. Exactly one week earlier, they were in a playoff spot. They had just beaten the Red Wings on the road in harrowing fashion — nothing comes easy for these guys, not this season — and had muscled their way into the second wild-card spot. It was borderline miraculous, and while it lasted all of 45 minutes before they were leapfrogged again, they were in the mix.
Then came that Colorado game, the biggest game at the United Center in nearly two years, since Game 4 against Nashville in 2017. The crowd was hot, the game was great, the Blackhawks were back. But they lost. Then two days later, another hot crowd saw another good game that the Blackhawks lost, this one to the Stars. And suddenly, the Blackhawks were on a skid. And suddenly, all those teams that had been losing started winning. The free-falling Wild have won four straight. The Avs are 5-0-1 in their last six. The Coyotes have won four straight.
The window slammed shut just as quickly, just as shockingly, as it opened.
“You get a day off and it seems like every team in our conference is winning, and you fall behind,” said Brandon Saad, fresh off a brilliant move on a 2-on-1 to feed Patrick Kane for the game-winning goal with 16.1 seconds left. “We can’t control that, but we can control what we do every night. We’re looking to win every game.”
That urgency was sorely lacking in Anaheim. At least, for the first 55 minutes or so.
Against the Avalanche, the Blackhawks looked like a motivated team playing a high-stakes game. Against the Ducks, the Blackhawks looked like a somnambulant team playing out the string, until a frantic final few minutes — Alex DeBrincat’s second goal of the night tying things up with 4:54 to go, then Kane scoring his 40th of the season for the game-winner in the dying seconds — allowed them to rally for an improbable win. It was a defibrillator to the heart for the Blackhawks, who aren’t dead just yet. Faint as it may be, they still have a pulse.
But even with the win, they sit five points behind the Wild and Avalanche, who are in the two wild-card spots, each with 68 points, each with the same 64 games played as the Blackhawks. Considering where they were a week earlier, it’s a kick in the teeth.
It’s easy to talk about keeping an even-keel, about never getting too high or too low. But professional athletes are human, too. A little self-pity is inevitable.
“It’s a challenge, just knowing you have ground to make up,” Connor Murphy said before the game, still desperate to play in a playoff game for the first time in his career. “That’s harder than having a spot that you’re more comfortable in. It hurts more after a loss, just knowing how big certain games are. Having two home games, realizing we should have won those. There’s still plenty of games left. We cooled off after that (seven-game) win streak, and you know other teams can do the same. We get to play a lot of those same teams that are ahead of us coming up here, so there’s definitely chances to gain ground, so we’re not too worried.”
Indeed, the Blackhawks have two games left against the Stars, two games left against the Avalanche (a home-and-home on March 23-24) and two games left against the Coyotes. Win all six, and you’re in business. Lose more than one, and you’re probably toast. It’s a tall order.
Jeremy Colliton knows his players have an eye on the scoreboard every night. He’s fine with that. To a point.
“It’s a journey,” he said. “It’s not going to happen overnight, us getting where we want to go. So we can’t worry about the scoreboard. We’ll pay attention. We understand there are important games happening around the league that affect us. But we can’t do anything about it. Just focus on our own game, focus on our own performance. As you say, we were in a playoff spot there for an hour or something. Then we played two pretty good games, and we lost. But if we have that performance or similar — of course, we want to continue to get better — then I’m pretty confident we’re going to get our wins.”
Maintaining that even-keel — tempering those emotional swings as other teams in the race rise and fall — might be the biggest challenge down the stretch. Having Crawford, a man who seems impervious to all human emotion when he’s between the pipes, can only help. Once labeled mentally weak because of a few overtime goals-against against the Coyotes in the 2012 playoffs, Crawford has proven one of the coolest customers in the game.
Cam Ward has been great lately. Collin Delia out-performed all expectations. But Crawford is the Blackhawks’ security blanket. It’s just different with him back there.
“He’s where he’s at for a reason,” Brandon Saad said. “We definitely have confidence in him. Not that we don’t in the other ones, but he brings another element to the game, for sure.”
Crawford said he felt good, and he looked great. Aside from two glaring mistakes — a whiff on a poke-check on Anaheim’s second goal, and a misplay behind his own net on Anaheim’s third goal — he was locked in. He moved well from post-to-post, he tracked pucks through traffic, he withstood a lot of Corey Perry in his face, and he made the big flashy glove save. He finished with 29 stops in all.
“It’s pretty frustrating to watch games when you’re not playing,” Crawford said. “You want to get back as quick as possible. But I’ve got to be smart, too. Now I’m feeling good, back to normal. So I’m just going to roll with it now.”
Crawford had deemed himself healthy and ready to go before the big games against Colorado and Dallas, but he wasn’t medically cleared after those two games. You know he wanted nothing more than to jump right into that playoff-style atmosphere yet again, an environment the Blackhawks players miss just as much as their fans do. Well, Wednesday in Anaheim wasn’t last Friday in Chicago. Not even close.
But Crawford’s back. Kane, DeBrincat and Jonathan Toews willed the Blackhawks to another win. Hope is not lost. Not all of it, at least. Not yet.
Los Angeles Daily News Kings routed by Hurricanes in 9th straight loss, their longest skid since ’04
By Associated Press February 27, 2019
Dougie Hamilton had two goals and an assist and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the struggling Kings 6-1 Tuesday night.
Teuvo Teravainen added a goal and three assists, Micheal Ferland had a goal and an assist and Sebastian Aho and Jaccob Slavin also scored for the Hurricanes. Jordan Staal finished with three assists.
The surging Hurricanes won their third straight and finished their February schedule with a 10-3 record, moving into playoff position. Carolina solidified its wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race with its sixth win in seven games.
Dustin Brown scored the lone goal for the Kings, who have lost nine straight (0-6-3) and are in last place in the Western Conference. The Kings haven’t won since Feb. 7, and are in the midst of their worst losing streak since dropping a franchise-record 11 straight in 2004.
Hamilton had the Hurricanes’ first goal at 5:56 in the first period. He added his second at 5:19 of the second.
Petr Mrazek had 22 saves for Carolina, and his shutout bid was foiled in the third period.
Aho scored his team-leading 25th goal at 11:15 of the first period after a steal by Teravainen.
Ferland tipped in a shot by Staal 25 seconds into the second period, extending Carolina’s lead to 3-0.
Slavin beat Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (14 saves) on the power play at 2:19 of the second to make it 4-0.
Teravainen’s one-timer, from an odd angle in the right circle, made it 5-0. Hamilton then added his second goal, off of a screen by Ferland, before the end of the second period.
Brown scored for the Kings at 12:02 of the third.
NOTES NHL commissioner Gary Bettman attended Tuesday’s game with Carolina owner Tom Dundon. The two toured N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium earlier in the day. Dundon is hoping to host a “Stadium Series” outdoor game in Raleigh for the 2020-21 season. … On the plus side for the struggling Kings, goalie Jack Campbell stopped all 14 shots he faced in the third period after he replaced Quick. … Aho’s goal gives him a team-best 70 points on the season. He is the second player in Carolina history to register 70 points before turning 22. Former captain Eric Staal, in 2005-06, was the other. … Staal had missed 27 consecutive games, and 32 of 34, before returning to the lineup last Saturday.
Los Angeles Daily News Strong draft could take some sting out of Kings’ ugly season
By Robert Morales February 27, 2019
An ugly season, it has been for the Kings. They have lost nine consecutive games and it appears they will miss the playoffs for the third time in five seasons since winning their second Stanley Cup title in 2014.
The Kings were 14 points behind Dallas for the final playoff berth in the Western Conference ahead of Wednesday’s slate of games, and the Kings will host the Stars on Thursday night at 7:30 at Staples Center. The Kings have 19 games left in the regular season.
There do appear to be some good things on the horizon, however, as the Kings have a total of 10 picks available to them in this year’s NHL draft, which is June 21-22.
They have all seven of their own. They will also have Toronto’s first-round pick, Washington’s in the third round and Calgary’s in the fourth. The latter three were garnered through recent trades.
General manager Rob Blake orchestrated those moves, and he was asked following Monday’s trade deadline how well it bodes for the future and how much patience is going to be required.
“Well, patience is waiting for the draft because that’s where the draft picks are,” he said. “So, listen, you move some good players and you get some draft picks in return. And that’s what we were looking to do.”
Players moved during the season include forwards Tanner Pearson, Nate Thompson and Carl Hagelin, high-end defenseman Jake Muzzin and up-and-coming defenseman Oscar Fantenberg. There were others who heard their names mentioned in trade rumors.
Blake admits discussions he’s had with players in this regard have been trying.
“They’re not easy conversations,” he said. “I try to be as upfront and as honest without … there are no guarantees, one way or the other. So, yeah, we’ve had some conversations with some of our guys.
“My conversations with players that are here will continue next week and get things in order here and move forward.”
Blake said a decision on the head-coaching position for the team will be made after the season. Willie Desjardins has been the interim coach since taking over for John Stevens, who was fired Nov. 4.
The Kings (23-33-7, 53 points) went 4-8-1 under Stevens this season, and are 19-25-6 under Desjardins.
Scouting Dallas The Stars will bring a record of 31-27-5 (67 points) into Staples Center on Thursday. They were one point ahead of Colorado for the eighth and final playoff spot available to each conference before Wednesday.
Dallas is led offensively by forward Tyler Seguin, who leads the team in goals (26) and points (58). Linemate Alexander Radulov has 17 goals and a team-high 33 assists for 50 points.
The Kings and Dallas have played twice this season. The Stars defeated the Kings 4-2 on Oct. 23 at Dallas, but the Kings avenged that defeat by winning 2-1 Jan. 17 at Dallas.
This and that The Kings have allowed an average of 4.4 goals during their losing streak. They were blown out in only two of those games, 6-1 setbacks to Florida and Carolina. … At minus-25, defenseman Drew Doughty has the worst plus-minus ratio on the team. He was a plus-23 in 2017-18. Doughty is third on the team in scoring with five goals and a team-high 28 assists. … Captain Anze Kopitar continues to lead the team in scoring with 44 points on 17 goals and 27 assists. Kopitar had a career-high 92 points a season ago.
The Athletic How NHL teams can benefit from a player confidant like Brantt Myhres
By Josh Cooper February 28, 2019
Dean Lombardi knew he needed to solve his team’s problems off the ice.
The former Kings general manager saw his players reach celebrity status locally after winning two Stanley Cups, one in 2012 and another in 2014. And after the victories came the issues.
Defenseman Slava Voynov was charged in a domestic violence case involving his wife in the fall of 2014. Jarret Stoll was arrested for drug possession in April of 2015. Mike Richards was charged with possession of a controlled substance following a border crossing situation in the 2015 offseason.
Lombardi called the players into his office to talk but not to chastise them. He sought to gain a level of understanding of their actions.
“I said, ‘Tell me what’s going on? What are you guys experiencing? Is it like do a shot? Is it like do a line of cocaine? What is it? What are they throwing at you?'” he recalled. “‘So let’s cut the crap here. We can all play like we’re choir boys, or we can get to what you’re dealing with when you’re at a party and the music’s blaring and everything else and you’re a Stanley Cup champion … what’s going on?’
“So what I found out of all the work I did after my boys got hit with this stuff was, ‘Wow, I’m out of touch.’ This is very different from ‘OK, this guy’s going out and smoking a joint, this guy’s doing some cocaine.’ I was like, ‘What the hell is this?’ And so then I say ‘OK, you have to get a guy who has been through it.’”
Enter Brantt Myhres. He was pushing his program as a former player confidant around the league but without much success. Essentially Myhres’ plan was to be around the Kings (or any NHL team) and be available at all times for players to talk to him. But the conversations with him would remain confidential. He would not run to Lombardi or the Kings’ management and tell them what was said. Everything was between him and the player.
The 44-year-old Myhres, a recovering addict and former NHL enforcer who’s been sober for 11 years (last week actually), played 154 NHL games with the Sharks, Bruins, Predators, Lightning, Capitals and Flyers. He was suspended five times for substance abuse. In 2006, he was given a lifetime hockey-playing ban in North America.
Once he turned his life around, Myhres wanted to dedicate himself to helping others in the game who didn’t have the same opportunities as him for assistance. The Kings hired him before the 2015-16 season in a newly created player assistant role, and the players seemed to enjoy his company and their ability to chat with him about anything.
“I thought it was awesome just having someone that you can talk to and it’s not like he has a real connection to the management,” Kings defenseman Derek Forbort said. “It was kind of like a private thing just to help the guys. It was a good tool to have. If anyone needed him, he was there and he was great.
“I think a lot of guys kind of used him, and we miss him.”
Said Oilers forward Milan Lucic, who played with the Kings in 2015-16: “It was the first time I was traded. It was the first time I was playing for a new coach and a new GM and there was a lot going on in my personal life that I kind of used him to kind of help me deal with the change and deal with being with someone new.”
Myhres is even there to help former NHL players in need. Not that they pay for his services; he just wants them to find purpose and happiness like he has.
“His biggest thing for me is not giving me advice or anything like that. His has been more of – I just look at him and I’m like, ‘Something’s working in his life so I’m going to do whatever he’s doing.’ And he’s introduced me to a group of friends who support me, a group of men who get honest with each other, communicate through sobriety,” said longtime friend Sheldon Souray, a former NHLer who has been sober for 17 months. “He’s given me someone to look up to in sobriety.”
It’s unclear how deep Myhres got with the Kings players – again, because his program was confidential – but Lombardi pointed out that there weren’t any major problems with his players when Myhres was there.
“Nothing got to my desk is all I can say,” Lombardi said. “Whether he headed it off at the pass, I don’t know and I don’t wanna know. All I know is that it never got to my desk.”
And that was the key. The NHL and NHLPA have levers to help players once they’ve hit bottom. Myhres’ goal was to prevent them from getting to that point.
Last season, with the team’s regime changing from Lombardi and coach Darryl Sutter to Rob Blake, Luc Robitaille and John Stevens, Myhres and the Kings parted ways. There weren’t any issues between either side. Myhres was Lombardi’s guy, and Lombardi wasn’t there anymore.
Myhres is back in Edmonton — his hometown — taking part in speaking engagements and waiting to see if another NHL team wants his services. Currently, his type of role is known to be emulated by just one other organization – the Calgary Flames, who employ former enforcer and recovering alcoholic Brian McGrattan.
We caught up with Myhres to talk about his program, his time with the Kings, what he wants to do moving forward and why more teams don’t do what he does.
So what exactly happened with the Kings and what are you up to right now?
So as far as with Los Angeles, it was probably in my view just a change of the regime, change of management. I know when Dean was there and Darryl were there, they supported it and obviously it didn’t take long to implement something in Los Angeles, and then when the change of management came in, I guess that they just maybe added a little bit of a different vision, and that’s OK. I totally respect their decision and have the complete utmost respect for that organization while I worked there for the three years. I met a lot of great people within the organization. … As far as the program goes, nothing’s changed in my view on how successful the program was. I’ve stated that I know the certain individuals that I’ve lent a hand to and they know that, and that’s all that matters.
What were the next steps for you after things ended with the Kings? You got to go home and see your 10-year-old daughter Chloe more I’d imagine?
I only got to see her a week out of every month pretty much for three years. So when I got home I spent a ton of time with her and sort of rekindling our relationship.
Well, the decision was sort of mutual to part ways, I believe, in February of last year, and then personally it was a bit of a shock. So I just wanted to go home and regroup. I wanted to wait til the season was over to formulate a plan to maybe start approaching some other teams. So that’s sort of what I did. I waited until the season was done and I approached some teams that I had on a list and then the consensus was — I don’t know what the consensus was, but I don’t have a job as far as that role goes, so that sort of speaks for itself.
How exactly did things break down with the Kings?
We had a conversation in February about how the next year was going to look contract-wise and I declined, and then so we mutually just parted ways in February. But I was with the team up until February.
Did some people not know about the impact you had made because of your confidentiality with the players?
I think I was put in an interesting situation there where I was pretty much just working one-on-one with the player, so it’s not a job where you can come in and do a report every couple of weeks like most of the employees do. I had to keep my work very confidential.
So for me, you don’t really get the accolades if you are doing a good job, but I looked at it as I understand what the role entails and as long as the team is trending in the right direction off the ice and there are no incidences that weren’t controllable, then I am doing my job. Because that’s what I was brought in for, because it wasn’t the case before I got there.
Who was the first person who referred to you by your nickname?
I believe it was (Dustin Brown). I’d call him “B.” I wouldn’t call him “Brownie.” I’d just say, “Hey B,” and then he’d say, “Hey Myze, and I’d go, “Oh wow, I haven’t heard that in six months.” And then sort of after that six-month part, it seems like I don’t know if guys caught on, but nobody called me by my first name again. So it sort of felt good to be back in that mold.
How did you gain peoples’ trust, so that they knew you weren’t going to run back to Dean and Darryl?
I think the one-on-one meetings I had with each individual player with every one of them, and I laid out how it worked. So they had an idea right off the bat of how it worked. But then the second phase is you have to spend time with these guys and it takes effort because it’s not just one guy. Not only do you have 24 guys on a roster, but you’ve got another 24 guys on a roster in the American Hockey League and then you’ve got your prospects and then you’ve got staff. So you’re constantly trying to move around and get to know people.
And then when I was traveling with the team, then there’s opportunities where guys are playing a card game on the plane, you just go sit back there and chat with them a little bit. Or guys are at dinner or pregame meal (and) you sit down at the table where the guys are eating and you shoot the shit. And then after the games, you’re around in the dressing room when the game’s over where the guys are doing their thing after the game. You’re hanging out there talking to some guys and just basically you’re trying to always be involved.
How much of a difference do you think you made?
There were a few moments definitely where selfishly I felt good about what I created and I knew that I was making an impact on certain players. So for me, just to get a phone call and say, ‘Thanks for helping me out, it’s been working and I appreciate it.” That’s something where I look back and I said, “Wow, it took me seven years to get this job and just to get that phone call was all worth it.”
You were monitoring everyone in the organization?
Yeah – everybody that was under the L.A. Kings organization.
What was it like being a recovering addict and having to travel at weird hours like you did with the Kings?
The last time I traveled was right before I retired in ’04 or ’05, so it was 12 or 13 years without traveling like that. The travel was amazing. I had no issues with the travel. Obviously, you get treated first class in that organization so the traveling was not an issue at all.
I was pretty diligent on a sleep routine, but I didn’t take any medication or anything like that, no.
What did you learn about yourself in the process with the Kings?
Yeah, I still talk to a couple of the guys on the team and check in with some of the trainers. Really had a good relationship with the trainers. My office was literally right across from theirs. So I just love those guys. They were great.
What did I learn about myself? I learned that sometimes when you think that things are going well and a change is made, you really have to dig in deep because the first question you ask yourself was, “Well, what did I do wrong? Was it something I did wrong?” So you go and analyze the work that you did and (ask) “Where can I be better?” And at the end of the day, I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t an effort thing because I gave 100 percent of myself to that organization for three years and I know that. So it wasn’t an effort thing.
Again, it was just a change of philosophy and that’s fine, and people get hired and fired in that business a lot. So it’s nothing personal. I had to understand that it wasn’t personal, so I think for me I grew a lot and it was a situation where before when I was using drugs and alcohol that people had reasons to fire me. People had reasons to suspend me. I walked away from the job in Los Angeles with my head held high because I know I gave it everything I had.
You went all in. Like you went to Chargers practice and met with them to ask how they handle their players. This all was very important for Dean, it seemed. He wanted to make sure you had everything necessary to succeed.
He did. Right from the start, (he) just said, “You know what, I’ve hired you to do a job and if you need anything from me, don’t be afraid to ask.” So right off the bat, we had an understanding — a mutual understanding. I think the door was always open for me to go talk to Dean about certain things. But he understood too there was a fine line between the confidentiality and in order for the program to be successful, that’s sort of how it had to work. And it’s no different than when you talk to Brian McGrattan who’s doing the same job in Calgary. The structure of the program is almost identical.
What was it like going to Chargers practice?
They have what’s called a “player engagement” role where they’re involved in the day-to-day activities of the team. I’ve never been around an NFL team, so when you’re sitting in a boardroom with the GM and the coach and a couple other scouts and you’re getting to listen to how they draft and what they go about doing as far as what they look for in having to have a successful team, it was really interesting. And I got to sit with Mr. (Arthur) Hightower, who’s the player engagement person there. So I sat with him for the day. And I got some great dialogue and good feedback, and it was definitely something I think was useful when we all got back to Los Angeles.
Why has this not caught on as much in the NHL?
I really can’t speak for the other 30 general managers. I’m not sure. My hope is that this does catch on at some point because, at the end of the day, you break it down to, you’re running a corporation that’s got an $80 million payroll on it. You have a lot of assets there. And not only me and my program that I offer, but (implement) as many support systems in different areas as you can. That’s just beneficial for the whole organization, so my hope is that it does catch on and obviously Brad Treliving in Calgary believed it was important, so it was nice to see him hire Brian.
When you see Bell Let’s Talk Day and teams tweet their support of mental health initiatives, but not support your program by hiring you or more people like you, what goes through your mind?
I know, I did see that and part of you goes, “Geez, man oh man, why wouldn’t all the teams invest in this?” But hey, maybe down the road all it takes is for a couple more general managers to believe in it, and I don’t really see a downside actually. If you were to say, “What’s the downside?” I don’t see one.
So you’re writing a book and doing some speaking. Are you trying to be positive in general, even not in a team role?
Absolutely. And I’ve sort of lived that way since the day I got sober. I just like helping people hopefully make a positive change in their lives, whether that’s as an NHL hockey player, whether that’s a junior hockey player, whether that’s somebody at an A.A. meeting, it really doesn’t matter to me. Granted, I think that having the experience of working with L.A. for three years, that gave me the experience to now take that onto another NHL team, so that’s a positive. But yeah, at the end of the day I think just helping any individual that’s struggling is something I get a lot out of.
The Athletic Quick’s outburst at coach is latest as frustrations boiling over in lost season for the Kings
By Lisa Dillman February 27 2019
One more goal against in a Kings season gone horribly wrong normally wouldn’t merit much mention or attention.
All that changed when an unhappy Jonathan Quick gave Kings interim coach Willie Desjardins an earful when he skated up to the bench. The goaltender was upset at Desjardins for not electing to challenge the Carolina Hurricanes’ first goal less than six minutes into the game.
“At least he was showing some fire out there,” defenseman Derek Forbort said. “Fuck, if the rest of us did that, we would have played a little better.”
Said forward Tyler Toffoli: “I think it’s just frustration throughout everybody.”
But back to the world of Willie …
Desjardins admitted he probably should have challenged for goaltender interference. Quick, meanwhile, was not available for comment after Tuesday’s 6-1 loss to the Hurricanes at PNC Arena.
“No, it wasn’t clear,” Desjardins said of interference. “I think it could have gone the other way. We just didn’t think we were going to get the call.”
“Quick is a pretty smart guy,” Desjardins added. “He felt that there was some contact there, so we probably should have challenged it.”
For a mild-mannered individual, it is curious Desjardins has found himself smack in the middle of controversy several times in his tenure as interim coach.
There was the almost immediate misuse and demotion of forward Ilya Kovalchuk, coming to a head when Desjardins benched him in the third period against the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 25 and then promptly doubled down when the Kings traveled to Vancouver for their next game.
This odd quote from Desjardins about Kovalchuk that morning still had me shaking my head when looking it up again on Tuesday: “It’s not fair to him in some ways either, I’m making him play to his weaknesses.”
How Quick handled matters on Tuesday apparently didn’t bother Desjardins.
“You’ve got to appreciate how competitive he (Quick) is,” Desjardins said. “He felt that was the call. He’s battled a lot for this team. He’s an incredible heart-and-soul guy, like he’s been for this team for a long time.
“We weren’t good enough for him tonight or (his) last game either. We haven’t been good enough for him and it’s unfair to him.”
Quick’s teammates backed him.
Naturally, there was the usual division on social media — isn’t there always? — but debate raged while the Kings game was still going on, even before Quick was pulled after two periods, having allowed six goals on 20 shots.
One former NHL player suggested Quick didn’t pick the right spot to register his displeasure with Desjardins.
“There’s a time and place to do it, I think,” said Scott Hartnell, appearing on NHL Network. “On the bench, in front of the coaches, in front of your teammates, you might want to take that one behind closed doors. In the coach’s office, after a game (or) the next day when things cool down.
“I know Jonathan a little bit. He’s a competitor just like we all are playing the game. He’s a huge part of that franchise, why they won two Cups.
“The list could go on and on. I think he could have used better judgment there.”
Might it be a good idea to let Quick cool down, reset and let Jack Campbell play the next few games? The Kings are on a demoralizing 0-6-3 run and remain in last place in the Western Conference.
“We’ll look at different options,” Desjardins said. “He’s put up so much for this team. We’ve got to be better in front of him. That’s all there is to it. We just aren’t good enough in front of him right now and it’s not fair.”
Carolina led 6-0 after two periods and you couldn’t help but wonder if there should be a “Storm Surge” after 40 minutes.
“I think we’re definitely letting the frustration get the best of us right now, and we’ve got to find a way to stop or it’s going to be a pretty embarrassing end of the year,” Forbort said.
“Tonight was pretty embarrassing. We’ve got to come out next game and play hard and definitely show that we have some character in this room because that was pretty pathetic.”
Desjardins thought the Kings looked tired. They played on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, losing 4-3 in a shootout.
“Last night doesn’t matter,” Toffoli said. “Everyone keeps saying we played well. We lost. It’s seventh in a row, eighth, whatever it is. It’s no excuse.
“We’re all professionals and we’ve all had back-to-backs since we were 15 years old.
“Having a back-to-back, I mean, shit, I played in the American (Hockey) League, I was playing three games in two and a half days.
“It’s no excuse for any one of us.”